Dork, July 2024 (Wallows cover) by Dork

** PLUS **

PALE WAVES

DOWN WITH BORING

WALT DISCO

BEEN STELLAR

AURORA

BECKY HILL

RACHEL CHINOURIRI

SEA GIRLS

+ LOADS MORE

ISSUE 89 · JULY 2024 · READDORK.COM

R E M I W O L F W U N D E R HORSE

WALLOWS

INDEX

BACK ISSUES! WANT TO COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION AND GRAB DORK COVERS WITH ALL YOUR FAVES? GET ‘ONLINE’ AND HEAD TO SHOP.READDORK.COM AND FIND OUR COMPLETE BACK CATALOGUE, AVAILABLE WHILE THEY LAST.

ISSUE 89 | JULY 2024 | READDORK.COM | DOWN WITH BORING

Hiya, Dear Reader.

Pinch yourselves, because the scorching July edition of Dork is so jam-packed with musical brilliance, you might just think you’ve come down with a serious case of sunstroke. But fear not, it’s all deliciously real - and we’re inviting you to dive right in and join the fun. Leading the charge is the technicolor dreamweaver herself, Remi Wolf, whose new album ‘Big Ideas’ sees her levelling up as pop’s boldest visionary. Remi’s straight-up erasing boundaries with an album that’s brighter - and hotter - than the sun. Next up, Wallows certainly aren’t suffering from a case of the Difficult Third Album with their new record ‘Model’. Grabbing the listener with a potent cocktail of 2000s indie references and piston-powered choruses, Wallows are every inch a modern guitar band. Rounding out our cover stars are Wunderhorse, the alt-rock troubadours whose second album ‘Midas’ turns pain into pure gold. Recorded at Nirvana’s hallowed ‘In Utero’ studio, it’s a raw, unflinching portrait of a band coming into their own. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve also got the poetic catharsis of Rachel Chinouriri, the indie anthems of Sea Girls, the skyscraping dance-pop of Becky Hill, the gritty city soundscapes of Been Stellar, the otherworldly musings of Aurora, and the glam-pop audacity of Walt Disco. And there’s more! We’re diving deep into the soul-baring confessionals of Victoria Canal, the feral energy of scene shakers Divorce, the unapologetic bimbocore of Scene Queen, the absurdist electro-slash-hip-hop-slash-whatever of Sad Night Dynamite, the heart-on-sleeve storytelling of Nell Mescal, the uncompromising hardcore of Knocked Loose, the genre-blurring introspection of Nilüfer Yanya, and the cinematic rock of rising stars Picture Parlour. Plus - PLUS - Pale Waves are back! Back!! Back!!! We caught up with them as they played a not-so-secret gig under an assumed name at the most exciting Dork’s Night Out so far. We work out everything we know about Lorde’s L4, round out some tasty facts about former Dork cover star Sabrina Carpenter, rank our Garys in celebration of Blossoms’ new album, plus do some maths to work out if we could throw a pop star over a pub. Yes, we’re being serious. In our Hype section, we’re spotlighting the next generation of game-changers. From the brilliance of our latest Most Exciting New Band, Soft Launch to the lush harmonies of Tiny Habits, the viral pop provocations of Chinchilla, the boundary-pushing altpop of King Isis, the Celtic-indie fusion of Brógeal, the youthful indie rock of Cardinals, the retro-tinged Swedish charm of Girl Scout, and the post-punk energy of Radio Free Alice - we’re rammed with acts setting the agenda for what’s to come. And of course, we couldn’t forget to sink our teeth into the biggest records of the month, with verdicts on new releases from Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, and more. So crank up the volume, slap on the SPF, and let’s make this a summer to remember. Festival season? We don’t know her*. The only party we need is right here, within these sweat-drenched pages. It’s going to be a scorcher!

STEPHEN ACKROYD ‘EDITOR’ @STEPHENACKROYD

* We do in fact know festival season. There’s loads of festivals too. You’re welcome.

4. DORK

readdork.com EDITOR STEPHEN ACKROYD DEPUTY EDITOR VICTORIA SINDEN ASSOCIATE EDITOR ALI SHUTLER CONTRIBUTING EDITORS JAKE HAWKES, JAMIE MUIR, MARTYN YOUNG SCRIBBLERS ABIGAIL FIRTH, CIARAN PICKER, DAN HARRISON, FINLAY HOLDEN, KELSEY MCCLURE, NEIVE MCCARTHY, REBECCA KESTEVEN, SAM TAYLOR, STEVEN LOFTIN SNAPPERS BLACKSOCKS, BROCK FETCH, DEREK BREMNER, FRANCES BEACH, GEORGINA HURDSFIELD, IZZY LEACH, JACOB FLANNERY, JAKE HASELDINE, JENNIFER MCCORD, KELSI LUCK, LAUREN HARRIS, MOLLY DANIEL, OLLIE RIDDOCH, PATRICK GUNNING, SAM COR, SARAH LOUISE BENNETT, WANDA MARTIN

PUBLISHED FROM WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER.COM

TOP TEN. 6. 8. 9.

DIVORCE TOMMY LEFROY LØLØ

JUICE. 10. 12. 12. 14. 16. 16. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 24. 25. 25. 26. 28.

PALE WAVES SAD NIGHT DYNAMITE HONEY REVENGE NELL MESCAL KNOCKED LOOSE SOUND OFF NILÜFER YANYA LORDE BLOSSOMS PICTURE PARLOUR VICTORIA CANAL SABRINA CARPENTER LIP FILLER SCENE QUEEN TEENAGE KICKS: SPRINTS A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... ELLIE BLEACH

28.

PHOEBE GREEN

FESTIVALS. 30. 30.

TRUCK FESTIVAL ELECTRIC CASTLE

HYPE. 32. 33. 34. 34. 35. 36. 36. 37.

SOFT LAUNCH TINY HABITS KING ISIS GIRL SCOUT CARDINALS CHINCHILLA RADIO FREE ALICE BRÓGEAL

FEATURES. 38. 44. 46. 48. 54. 56. 58.

WUNDERHORSE RACHEL CHINOURIRI WALT DISCO REMI WOLF BEEN STELLAR BECKY HILL WALLOWS

64. 66.

AURORA SEA GIRLS

INCOMING. 68. 69. 69. 70. 70. 71.

CHARLI XCX BRING ME THE HORIZON OSCAR APOLLO TWENTY ONE PILOTS NORMANI BILLIE EILISH

GET OUT. 72. 73. 74. 75. 75. 76. 76. 77.

NELL MESCAL LIVE AT LEEDS OLIVIA RODRIGO ENGLISH TEACHER STONE’S THROW THE GREAT ESCAPE SWIM DEEP DOT TO DOT

BACKPAGE. 78.

MASTER PEACE

UNIT 10, 23 GRANGE ROAD, HASTINGS, TN34 2RL ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT (C). ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS PUBLICATION MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE BUNKER PUBLISHING LTD. DISCLAIMER: WHILE EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE THE INFORMATION IN THIS MAGAZINE IS CORRECT, CHANGES CAN OCCUR WHICH AFFECT THE ACCURACY OF COPY, FOR WHICH THE BUNKER PUBLISHING LTD HOLDS NO RESPONSIBILITY. THE OPINIONS OF THE CONTRIBUTORS DO NOT NECESSARILY BEAR A RELATION TO THOSE OF DORK OR ITS STAFF AND WE DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR THOSE IMPRESSIONS. DISTRIBUTED NATIONALLY.

SOMEDAY, NOW UK TOUR CELEBRATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF GIVE UP & TRANSATLANTICISM

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

TEENAGE FANCLUB SATURDAY 24 AUGUST

UTILITA ARENA CARDIFF BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CAA

ART BRUT 29.10.24 LONDON 25.11.24 BRISTOL

OMEARA STRANGE BREW

SOLD OUT SOLD OUT

25.11.24 Margate Lido 26.11.24 Brighton Concorde 2 28.11.24 Southampton 1865 ADDED DUE TO DEMAND 29.11.24 Bristol SWX 30.11.24 Sheffield Foundry 02.12.24 Manchester New Century Hall 03.12.24 Glasgow St Luke’s 04.12.24 Leeds Irish Centre 05.12.24 Birmingham Castle & Falcon ADDED DUE TO DEMAND 05.02.25 LONDON KOKO the New Album - Someday, Now - Coming Soon

Saturday 26 October

Electric Brixton London by arrangement with Earth

katyjpearsonmusic.com a crosstown concerts & friends presentation by arrangement with ATC Live

T I C K E T S

plus very special guests

A V A I L A B L E

F R O M

CROSSTOWNCONCERTS.SEETICKETS.COM �CROSSTOWN_LIVE

�CROSSTOWNCONCERTS

WORDS: STEPHEN ACKROYD.

THE “BEES” “KNEES”, THE “CAT’S” “PYJAMAS”, THE “DOG’S” <SNIIIIIIIIIIP! - ED> - IT’S THE TIP-TOP TOP 10!

6. DORK

GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE

NOTTINGHAM QUARTET DIVORCE ARE MAKING WAVES WITH THEIR INFECTIOUS ENERGY, EMOTIONAL DEPTH AND UNIQUE BLEND, AS THEY GEAR UP FOR THEIR BIGGEST HEADLINE TOUR YET WITH BRAND NEW SINGLE ‘MY ROOM’. → Divorce are a band on a mission. The Nottingham quartet have been making waves with their unique musical blend, and now, with a new single and their biggest headline tour to date on the horizon, they’re ready to take things to the next level. But amidst all the excitement, the band remain grounded. Felix MackenzieBarrow, one-half of Divorce’s dynamic vocal duo, is keeping things real, even as he gears up for the release of ‘My Room’ and another busy festival season. “I am doing my laundry,” he reveals. “It’s pretty wild.” That level of excitement shows just how much of 2024 has been a whirlwind for Divorce. “It’s probably been the busiest and best start to any year of our lives so far,” drummer Kasper Sandstrom - who also plays in fellow Dork faves Do Nothing, ‘FYI’ - reflects. “We did some stuff we can’t tell you about yet, which was pretty fun. The highlight of the year was the day off we had in Hastings, I reckon.” We get it. It’s the home of the World Crazy Golf Championships. What more could you want? Their new single, ‘My Room’, could send things to a whole new level, though. The deeply personal track explores vocalist Tiger Cohen-Towell’s relationship with their sibling, arriving to them in a flash of inspiration. “I wrote the lyrics to ‘My Room’ last summer, and for the most part, it just kind of spilled out really quick,” Tiger explains. “A lot of the best lyrics you write as a songwriter do this, I think; it’s like a little vortex opens up into your subconscious, and you just have to grab everything you can before it shuts again”. The song’s raw honesty is palpable, with Tiger laying bare their own emotional struggles. “The song is about my brother and my want for a more emotionally communicative relationship with him. For the record, my brother is a legend, and I love him so much, hence my writing of songs about me wanting more of him in my life, but I think at times I’ve lacked the tools at times to really throw myself into being the best sibling I can be.” It’s the track’s refrain, though, that really packs a punch. Tiger explains, “The chorus in this song really sums up my emotional constipation. I think, ‘You can’t sleep on my sofa if you won’t accept my food’ is maybe my favourite line, like unless you accept my affection on my terms, I won’t give you any. I really wanted to be able to express self-awareness of

TIGER

COHEN-TOWELL

my own flaws.” It’s a song that works hard to set a scene, too. “I want it to feel like you’re back in your childhood bedroom when you’re listening to it,” Tiger reveals. “Felix helped me resolve the chorus, ‘Oh brother, you run me through’ is his line, I was nervous and felt it was too in the nose at first, but I think that was mostly tied into my fear of being too vulnerable and direct.” The song’s anthemic ending, featuring a children’s choir, came about in a serendipitous way. Guitarist Adam PeterSmith explains, “From quite early on, we had the idea of a huge anthemic end section of the song, and we had talked about getting a children’s choir in to sing the part. By the time it came to recording, we still hadn’t managed to find one. Luckily, our producer messaged some of her mum friends local to the area of London we were in, and they very kindly brought their kids into the studio after school. We amazingly had found our children’s choir! The kids were all incredibly excited at the prospect of being in a reallife recording studio, and Tiger did an outstanding job of conducting them. They also sounded really great on the record! Maybe they should start a choir together.” With ‘My Room’ ready to be unleashed upon the world, Divorce are gearing up for their biggest headline tour to date. But what’s life really like on the road for this band of “wholesome eggs”? “Being on tour is an incredibly bizarre experience,” Adam explains. “It’s like shifting into a gear you didn’t know you had - it’s definitely a muscle that you need to exercise. It can be the most fun you’ve ever had in your life, but it can also cause the most acute eye-burning stress. You can feel like the most loved and admired bunch of human beings on the planet, but also you can feel completely alone sometimes. It’s truly a balancing act and can be both challenging and rewarding - especially when you have a van that keeps breaking down.” Ah yes - Divorce’s own room has four wheels and is a source of eternal frustration. “It’s very lovely and spacious, we spend a lot of time in there,” Kasper weighs up. “It also spends a lot of time breaking down; we hate it so much.” Still, the band have their coping mechanisms. Adam continues, “I’m constantly reminded to keep on top of our mental and physical health whilst on the road. We’ve learnt quickly that eating well and getting enough sleep is crucial. We have been touring a fair bit in the last six months, and we have been lucky enough to have found a wonderful crew that honestly makes touring so much fun.” “We have a busy summer ahead with the festivals we’re playing,” Tiger continues. “We’ll be in rehearsals too for our tour in autumn. We’re looking to really put on a show and be the best live band we can be.” And as for what comes next? Tiger is keeping cards close to the chest there, teasing, “We do have things in our bag, things that we are extremely excited about, and I swear that all will be revealed soon.” So there you have it, Dear Reader. Divorce are a band with a lot on their plate but one thing’s for sure: with ‘My Room’ and loads of shows on the horizon, they’re ready to take on the world, one load at a time. ■

LADY LIBERTY

→ Let’s take a moment to bow down to the absolute icon that is Chappell Roan, who delivered a performance for the ages at the Governors Ball in New York. Not only did she slay with her killer vocals and Really Very Good tunes, but she also made a powerful political statement with her jaw-dropping Statue of Liberty look - complete with a cheeky bum window, might we add. Picture this: Chappell bursting out of a giant red apple (a sly wink to the Big Apple itself) in a flowing green robe, a regal crown, and a determined expression that said, “I’m here to fight for what’s right - and look fabulous while doing it!” But Chappell’s performance was about more than just looking good - it was about using her platform to speak out against oppression and stand up for marginalised communities. Before launching into her powerful anthem ‘My Kink Is Karma,’ Chappell boldly declined an invitation to perform at the White House’s Pride event, declaring, “We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.” She then referenced the stirring poem etched on the Statue of Liberty’s bronze plaque: “‘Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” she recited. “That means freedom and trans rights, that means freedom and women’s rights, and it especially means freedom for all people in oppressed for all oppressed people in occupied territories.” With her talent, her passion, and her unwavering commitment to speaking loud, Chappell Roan is proving that music has the power to change the world - one fabulous, bum-baring Statue of Liberty costume at a time.

CHAOS ERA

→ Orla Gartland has released a Really Bloody Brilliant new single, ‘Little Chaos’. The track – which she describes as “a love song, a giant surrendering” – arrives via her own label New Friends, and follows on from her debut album ‘Woman On The Internet’. Orla explains: “I think a lot about how to move through the world alongside a partner and for a long time I wanted to show up in relationships as easy-going & palatable, never taking up too much space – now I can’t think of anything worse. I can be loud, funny, clumsy, loyal, intelligent, annoying, caring, angry; this song is about showing up as all of it, all at once. I think dropping the act and showing your true self feels like the most vulnerable thing you can do.” You can check out ‘Little Chaos’ on readdork.com now.

FOR GOD’S SAKE

“THE CHORUS IN THIS SONG REALLY SUMS UP MY EMOTIONAL CONSTIPATION”

TOP TEN

“I CAN BE LOUD, FUNNY, CLUMSY, LOYAL, INTELLIGENT, ANNOYING, CARING, ANGRY...” ORLA GARTLAND

→Omar Apollo has announced his

second album, ‘God Said No’. The full-length will be released on 28th June via Warner Records. The news follows on from both his recent EP and his debut album ‘IVORY’, as well as early album teaser single ‘SPITE’. The 14-track record is “a survey of the emotional wreckage that followed the end of a torrid love affair”. “I gave it my everything,” Apollo says, “And God said ‘no.’”

READDORK.COM 7.

WAVE MACHINE

KING CURRY

→ Denzel Curry has announced a new project, ‘King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2’. The new effort – which features A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg and loads more – will arrive on 19th July via Loma Vista, teased by early single ‘Hot One’. A press release explains that the project “finds Curry presenting a sequel to the project – and revisiting the sound – that helped launch his career.” “While the first instalment of King Of The Mischievous South was performed from the perspective of his Raven Miyagi persona, a name bestowed upon him by Raider Klan founder SpaceGhostPurrp, Volume 2 finds Curry operating under his Big Ultra persona — an elevated version of Raven Miyagi that is braggadocious and revels in the success that Curry has seen over the last decade of his career.”

8. DORK

IN BLOOM WORDS: STEPHEN ACKROYD.

→ Jamie xx has announced his second solo album, ‘In Waves’. The full-length will arrive on 20th September via Young. It’s teased by early single ‘Treat Each Other Right’, and accompanied by a headline show at London’s Ally Pally on 26th September. The record also features Jamie’s recent single with Honey Dijon, ‘Baddy On The Floor’, as well as further collaborations with Robyn, The Avalanches, Kelsey Lu, John Glacier and Panda Bear, Oona Doherty and his The xx bandmates, Romy and Oliver Sim. Speaking about ‘In Waves’, Jamie xx says: “I am so unbelievably happy. It’s been a while… and a lot has happened in that time. Ups and downs, growing up, figuring stuff out and then forgetting it all many times over. Life changing events and world changing events. These waves that we have all experienced together and alone. “I wanted to make something fun, joyful and introspective all at once. The best moments on a dance floor are usually that for me.”

FRESH OFF A TRIUMPHANT EUROPEAN TOUR WITH NIALL HORAN, TOMMY LEFROY ARE CHANNELLING THEIR EXPERIENCES AND INFLUENCES INTO A CAPTIVATING NEW SOUND. → Bonded by their shared love of literature and lyrical precision, Tessa Mouzourakis and Wynter Bethel, the dynamic duo behind Tommy Lefroy, have been captivating audiences with their unique blend of ethereal storytelling and sonic experimentation for a couple of years now. With the release of their new single, ‘Garden’, and an upcoming EP on the horizon, their latest act may just be their best yet. Without getting into the cliches of tired- Rome, pitch-shifted and distorted to swell into old-music-scribbling-tropes, the band’s name, a guitar loop,” they explain. “That loop took a lot inspired by the real-life Thomas Langlois Lefroy of time to get right, trying to make it feel lush (the bloke who allegedly left Jane Austen and immersive, and that sort of inspired titling brokenhearted, ‘FYI’), serves as a testament the track ‘Garden’.” to their mission: to subvert the trope of the That process of perfecting their art woman undone by love and instead become the showcases the duo’s meticulous attention to heroines of their own story. It’s a determination detail and their commitment to creating a rich, to rewrite the narrative that is evident in their immersive world for their listeners. Maybe it’s music, seamlessly weaving together personal a surprise, then - or perhaps a reason why - the experiences, literary references, and a keen lyrics of ‘Garden’ were born out of a place of sense of self-awareness. frustration. “When we went in together to write It’s a vibe that has already won them fans the lyrics, we were experiencing a bit of burnout, in high places - and you don’t get much higher and mulling over various frustrating events,” than a former member of the world’s biggest they admit. “At one point, we’d jokingly titled boyband. Fresh off tour with former Dork cover the session ‘Is working with women something star Niall Horan, Tessa and Wynter found that’s important to you?’ a question that was themselves on the bill through some good old earnestly posed to us once in a meeting, to which superstar A&R. “When our agent first texted us, we were a bit speechless. That was the catalyst we couldn’t believe it was real. Niall said he’d for what this song became.” found us randomly on Spotify; it was a crazy big Drawing inspiration from the biblical concept opportunity for us,” they explain. of Eden and the modern irony of the fall of man, Being part of such a large-scale production, as well as Anne Carson, Tommy Lefroy set out especially for their first European run, was an to create something fun and cathartic out of unforgettable experience for the duo. “Niall and their frustration. “We wanted to pull something his team were wonderful,” they gush. “They were fun out of the frustration, and a lot of the lyrics so kind and accommodating to our touring party, came together quickly,” they say. “The chorus and it was inspiring to see such a large-scale was largely inspired by conversations around operation where everyone was so thoughtful desire as a motivator, largely inspired by Anne and grounded. We were in awe of everything Carson’s Eros the Bittersweet, which we’d both that went into the production every night. We read last year. Per usual, it’s about a lot of things were also very lucky to have an amazing little at once, but unlike a lot of our other songs, we crew on this run, and had a lot of fun with them.” wrote it mostly just for fun.” The tour was filled with exciting adventures Their approach to songwriting, which draws and memorable moments. “We were in Prague from a wide range of literary and philosophical on St Patrick’s Day, running through the influences, is a hallmark of Tommy Lefroy’s style grounds of a carnival to get back to the venue that expands beyond just the music - and unlike for soundcheck,” they recall. “We played Poland some of their contemporaries, you’re left in no for the first time and were shocked to see so doubt; yes, they have actually read the book. many people singing our lyrics there. We were Looking ahead, Tommy Lefroy have big plans even gifted a Polish flag that says ‘Poland Loves for the coming months, including their first “little Tommy Lefroy’.” world tour”. “We’ll be playing headline shows in At the time of our chat, the duo are deep in the UK and EU in September, and we’ll soon be prep mode for the release of ‘Garden’. “Last night, announcing a handful of North American dates we filmed a lil visualiser for a lyric video in a park to follow,” they share. “We’re so grateful to keep near our flat in North East London and spent the touring and very excited to play some new songs rest of the night handwriting lyrics and eating on the road.” perogies,” they reveal. “It’s our first release of With their blend of literary references, this year, so we’re getting back into the swing of ethereal storytelling, and sonic experimentation, everything! It’s very exciting, but there’s always Tommy Lefroy have carved out a space for pressure around first releases, like opening the themselves that soars above the hum-drum of gate back up to the world after keeping your everyday life. As they continue to explore themes work to yourself for so long.” of desire, frustration, and self-discovery in their ‘Garden’ represents a departure from their music, they’re sure to face new challenges and earlier songs, with a playful, jaunty instrumental obstacles, but with resilience, passion, and that Wynter crafted. “It started with a sample unwavering commitment to their art, this is one of choral singing, taken on a flurry of a trip to garden that’s sure to bloom. ■

“WE WANTED TO PULL SOMETHING FUN OUT OF THE FRUSTRATION”

ROBOT ROCK GENiSIS

TOP TEN

→ “It’s go big or go home,” says LØLØ. “And I’m really going for it with this album.” ‘falling for robots and wishing i was one’ has just been released, and it sees the Canadian star go beyond the sugary pop-rock songs of recent EPs to incorporate a little bit of everything. “It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that I’m inspired by Green Day and Weezer,” she admits, but the explosive indie power of Boygenius were also an important touchpoint. Add in a love of musical theatre, the raw might of stripped-down singersongwriter stuff and a weaving narrative about love, heartbreak and betrayal, ‘falling for robots and wishing i was one’ is one hell of an ambitious debut. LØLØ wasn’t always so sure of herself, though. “I actually used to be so shy,” she explains. Growing up, she was obsessed with musicals from The Golden Age Of Hollywood, took part in tap, dance and acting classes and fell in love with alternative Wizard Of Oz story, Wicked. She even took on the starring role of Elphaba in a school play, but doesn’t think a career in Broadway was ever in the cards. “My voice is too raspy,” she shrugs. She was fearless acting on stage, but when it came to performing her own Taylor Swift-inspired music at school talent shows or at open mic nights, anxiety was never far behind. To help make things less painless, she kept her lyrics as vague as possible. “I didn’t want anyone to know what the song was actually about,” she offers, but over the course of three EPs (2019’s ‘Sweater Collection’, 2021’s ‘overkill’ and 2022’s ‘debbie downer’), she learnt that honesty was the best policy. “Now the floodgates are open.” “I just write whatever I’m feeling,” LØLØ continues, describing the creative process as word vomit that she puts melody to. “I didn’t realise I wrote about anxiety so much until people started thanking me for talking about it in my music. I didn’t think I was doing anything special, I was just taking my diary to the stage,” she offers. There are no lessons learned, though. “My music is very much ‘I don’t know what’s going on’,” she explains, with that self-deprecating humour a through line across the 15 tracks that make up ‘falling for robots and wishing i was one’. When she wrote her breakout hit ‘u turn me on (but u give me depression)’, which features the blunt opening lyric, “I wish I fell for an axe murderer instead of you”, she was going for high drama. “I wasn’t trying to do comedy at all, but people kept telling me how hilarious it was. Turns out I am just funny,” she adds with a smirk. Her music comes at a time when funny, biting, heartbreaking pop is taking over the charts, thanks to the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. “I think people are just craving authenticity,” explains LØLØ. “For a while, a lot of pop was about trying to be perfect, but the world is so messy right now. Nothing is perfect, and everybody is struggling with something. Real life isn’t all hot, fun and sex, so people are turning to messy pop,” she adds. The first song written for ‘falling for robots and wishing i was one’ was the closing track ‘u & the tin man’, a song about falling for a guy that seemingly doesn’t have a heart. A year later, LØLØ wrote ‘wish i was a robot’ after getting frustrated at how “overly

“IF YOU TRY TO BE SOMETHING YOU’RE NOT, PEOPLE WILL SEE STRAIGHT THROUGH THAT LØLØ SHIT”

sensitive and emotional” she was being. “I just had so many anxieties and insecurities that I thought it would be easier to not have any feelings,” LØLØ explains. Realising there was a cool dichotomy between the two songs, she used them as the foundations for her debut album and started building out the world. “I’m a stickler for a theme,” she says. It’s an album about falling in and out of love, set against the insecurities that come with growing up. “It is a purge.” “I was worried about being too specific with some of these tracks, but the more honest I am, the more people relate to it. It’s like we’re all having the same shared experience,” she explains. In 2018, LØLØ released playful, guitardriven debut single ‘Yours’, which ended up becoming a radio hit in Canada years before the pop-punk resurgence really kicked off. “I still love that track, but I was shocked it did so well,” she explains. Debut EP ‘Sweater Collection’ featured more of the same, with LØLØ deliberately writing for radio rather than herself. “Nothing really happened with that EP, though, which was a big lesson for me in authenticity. If you try to be something you’re not, people will see straight through that shit,” she offers. “Now I just put out whatever I want to make. I make music because I love it, and it’s therapy for me. Other people liking it is just the cherry on top.” It’s why, alongside the upbeat bangers, her debut album features plenty of strippedback songs as well. “They might surprise people, but my songs always start with just me and an acoustic guitar on my bed,” says LØLØ, who wanted to celebrate that. “There’s really nowhere to hide with those tracks either,” she admits. There’s no fear about letting people see her more tender side. “I’m just more confident now.” In recent years, LØLØ has shared stages with the likes of Against The Current and Waterparks, and worked with Simple Plan on an updated version of ‘I’m Just A Kid’. Despite this, she hates being called a pop-punk artist. “I don’t know if it matters, but I’ve always thought of myself as pop-rock, especially because my music takes influence from such different artists. Maybe there’s something in my lyrics that feels punk, but I really don’t feel like one.” LØLØ may describe her music as “songs about mental health or falling for assholes”, but there’s so much joy to ‘falling for robots and wishing i was one’ as well. “It’s definitely about keeping soft rather than shutting yourself away,” she offers. “I’m all about spreading the love.” “These songs are free therapy for people,” she continues. “You can scream, cry or dance along to them, but I want people to know they’re not alone.” ■

→ The one and only RAYE is back and she’s not messing around! That’s right, our favourite chart-topping, boundarypushing, genre-defying queen has just dropped a new track that’s so ambitious, so epic, so utterly RAYE, it’s gonna make your head spin and your heart soar. Clocking in at a whopping 7 minutes, this three-part masterpiece is like nothing she’s done before. In her own words, RAYE says: “There is a Nina Simone quote, ‘It is an artist’s duty to reflect the times’. This quote is everything to me and I believe the best way I can try to do this is through my art and my music.” And reflect the times she does, tackling the darkness and pain of the world with raw honesty and transformative hope. As RAYE puts it, “beneath all the layers and the lyrics, the underlying message is ‘Let There Be Light’.”

→ Get ready to party like it’s always 3am, because Confidence Man are back with a brand new album that’s gonna blow your socks off and keep you dancing till dawn! The Aussie electro-pop provocateurs have just announced ‘3AM (LA LA LA)’, a collection of bangers that they wrote while utterly off their faces. As Janet Planet puts it, “We pretty much wrote every single song when we were wrecked. We’d get blasted and stay up till 9am coming up with music, but we noticed that 3am was the hottest time for when we were on it and the best ideas were coming out.” That’s our excuse when we’ve fucked the deadline and had to stay up all night too. Don’t worry, we won’t tell.

UP ALL NIGHT

WORDS: ALI SHUTLER.

LØLØ GOES BIG WITH HER AMBITIOUS DEBUT ALBUM ‘FALLING FOR ROBOTS AND WISHING I WAS ONE’, INCORPORATING A WIDE RANGE OF INFLUENCES AND EXPLORING THEMES OF LOVE, HEARTBREAK, AND PERSONAL GROWTH.

READDORK.COM 9.

FRESHLY SQUEEZED MUSIC NEWS.

WHO

THE FUCK

LAST MONTH, WE ANNOUNCED A SPECIAL, SECRET SHOW AT LONDON’S 100 CLUB, HEADLINED BY A SPECIAL, SECRET BAND CALLED ‘PERFUME’. NOW THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG, AS PALE WAVES MAKE THEIR BIG RETURN, DEBUTING A NEW SINGLE THAT MAY JUST BE THE BEST THING THEY’VE EVER DONE. WORDS: JAMIE MUIR. PHOTOS: KELSI LUCK.

10. DORK

ARE PERFUME?

“H

ow hot is it in here?” calls out Heather Baron-Gracie, a few songs into a frankly ridiculous headline set at London’s famed The 100 Club. It’s a casual Friday night for Dork’s Night Out, with a band who’ve formed the fabric of not only this here magazine, Dear Reader, but an entire era of guitar music. Always looking forward, tonight welcomes their biggest era yet. But who are mysterious headliners Perfume? Tonight answers that and more. Openers daydreamers already feel firmly on the march to the very top. Serving up the slickest of indie-pop hooks, tonight is a tantalising taste of what’s to come - full of widescreen ambition and glorious turns. Holding The 100 Club firmly in the palm of their hands with only two tracks out in the world says it all, and the bubblegum joy shines. ‘Don’t Delete My Number’ is a hip-shaking number born from neon-age anthems, while ‘Call Me Up’ immediately sets light as a go-to singalong. Like The 1975 merging with Sam Fender, there’s no denying their ambition as closer ‘Beach House’ leaves The 100 Club ready for more. With the venue fit to burst, the moment Pale Waves take to the stage is pandemonium. Ripping into ‘Jealousy’, they’re met with the sort of devotion that sees fans pressed against the stage. Cinematic flourishes ring out for a night that feels frankly ridiculous for such a small venue. The feeling of it being special is there throughout as the band tour through their career to date. ‘Jealousy’, ‘Lies’, ‘You’re So Vain’ and ‘Unwanted’ are born for the live stage. That bold HD sound takes on a life of its own for Pale Waves’ first London headline show in nearly 18 months. The dazzling punch of ‘There’s A Honey’ and ‘Television Romance’ are met with groundshaking chaos alongside a special airing of early cut ‘My Obsession’ that’s sung back in unison. ‘Eighteen’ sees pogoing masses, while ‘Fall To Pieces’ highlights what has made Pale Waves

JUICE

A NEW SONG, A NEW ALBUM - PALE WAVES ARE BACK! BACK!! BACK!!! HERE’S WHAT HEATHER BARONGRACIE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT. HOW IS EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD OF PALE WAVES AT THE MOMENT?

Everything’s going great, ‘Perfume’’s out now.

IT’S THE START OF A NEW ERA FOR YOU GUYS - IS THAT SOMETHING YOU FEEL?

I do, 100%.

YOU’RE ON ALBUM FOUR. HAVE YOU FELT A CHANGE AS A BAND WITH EACH RELEASE?

Yeah, I think so. ‘Unwanted’ did a lot for us as a band, especially in the live environment. We wrote that for it to be a live album, basically. And those are some of the funnest songs to play live. I look forward to playing those the most. But it is nice that we didn’t have any boundaries when writing this next album. It feels very natural.

WAS WHAT CAME NEXT SOMETHING YOU HAD IN MIND AS YOU WERE GOING THROUGH ‘UNWANTED’, OR DID IT APPEAR AFTERWARDS?

Yeah, I think it appeared after, it revealed itself more and more. We had a long time to write this album. Not ages, but long enough. IS IT NICE TO KICKSTART THAT NEW CHAPTER WITH SUCH A SMALL SHOW?

Yeah, I think so. It’s very limited tickets, so the people who have the tickets are watching for a Pale Waves show. It’s the best way to kick off this campaign, although it’s nerve-wracking because the smaller it gets, the more nervous I get. There’s no barrier tonight.

PALE WAVES MAKE IT CLEAR THEY’RE NOT JUST HERE FOR A NICE TIME; THEY’RE HERE TO LEAD so special for so long and what makes their next chapter ever so vital. Debuted tonight, ‘Perfume’ (You get it now, right?) is a spellbinding mix of The Cranberries’ vocal rawness and firecracking indie-rock that shoots for the stars, while ‘Change’ and a soaring ‘She’s My Religion’ put a cap on a night where even being in the room feels frankly wild. Pale Waves make it clear that they’re not just here for a nice time; they’re here to lead, entering their prime as a band who kick down the door and do whatever they want to do. ■

ARE YOU ALWAYS THINKING A FEW STEPS AHEAD, ABOUT WHERE YOU WANT TO GO AS A BAND?

Yeah, I think so. I definitely think ten steps ahead, always. When everyone hears the album, I’ve already heard it so many times. On to the next project. We dream big, and we want the biggest success. WHAT INFLUENCES DID YOU WANT TO DRAW FROM FOR THIS ALBUM? DID YOU HAVE A CONCEPT IN MIND?

STOP ! SSalbum PPaleRWaE ves’ newon 20th out ’ is ‘Smittenmber. Find out Septe ore on m .com readdork

There wasn’t any artist in particular that I really listened to; it was more so the music that I grew up listening to and then listening to those songs and being like, ‘Oh, I love that part. How could we make that a Pale Waves song?’ For example, I really felt freedom with my vocals in this album. Yeah. You know, like singers like Dolores [O’Riordan] from The Cranberries or Shirley [Manson] from Garbage. They’re phenomenal singers, and they let their own personalities shine through with their vocals. I tried to do that on this album. I didn’t feel any ‘I had to do this’ or ‘I had to do that’. Just what felt natural. So, there’s lots of ridiculous yodelling. ■

READDORK.COM 11.

BLOW JUICE

AFTER A SERIES OF MIXTAPES AND A STRING OF BANGERS, SAD NIGHT DYNAMITE HAVE FINALLY ANNOUNCED THEIR DEBUT ALBUM, ‘WELCOME THE NIGHT’. WORDS: STEPHEN ACKROYD.

ew new acts have managed to carve out a niche as distinctive and captivating as Sad Night Dynamite over the last couple of years. The duo, composed of childhood friends Archie Blagden and Josh Greacen, have been steadily building their uncanny blend of dystopian hip-hop, eerie electronica, and wry, absurdist humour. Now, with the announcement of their long-awaited debut album, ‘Welcome The Night’, due 27th September, the Glastonbury-born pair are poised to take their singular vision to new heights. The journey to ‘Welcome The Night’ has been long and winding, with the band traversing both physical and creative landscapes in pursuit of their sound. “I can’t remember when we started it; I feel like we’ve been writing it forever,” Josh admits. “It was definitely not a structured process; we basically lived and breathed the music.” He continues, “We’ve written mixtapes before, which are pretty much albums, but putting this together felt entirely different, and I’m not sure exactly why. It was a lot tougher.” This sense of creative restlessness saw the duo venturing far from their West Country roots, with writing sessions taking them from the sprawl of Los Angeles to the grey, brooding streets of London. “I think when you’re writing in JOSH sunny LA, it’s only natural that your music starts to reflect the sun-drenched, easy-going nature of that place. It actually started to scare Archie and me quite a bit, so we quickly booked a plane home,” Josh reveals. “We are a lot more comfortable in the sullen landscapes of London or the eerie countryside. I think it’s important to have some artists removed from LA to balance things out. We can’t all be happy.” But it was the experience of writing while on tour, in the cramped confines of a claustrophobic environment, that yielded some of the album’s most inventive moments. “Writing on the road is always fun, and the limitations of being stuck in a splitter van all day force you to think outside the box, so some of my favourite ideas started there,” Josh explains. The result is a collection of tracks that

REVENGE ARMED WITH A DELUXE EDITION OF ‘RETROVISION’ AND UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM, HONEY REVENGE’S UPRISING HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.

showcase Sad Night Dynamite’s growth as artists and their willingness to push the boundaries of their sound. “Our music is quite dense, which means we aren’t very prolific relative to other bands, so if a song makes it to completion, it’s usually good enough for us,” Josh says of the curation process. “We ended up without about 30 or 40 tracks, which we then whittled down to our favourite 12 fairly easily. It’s all new material.” While the album GREACEN marks a departure from the band’s earlier mixtapes, it’s less a reinvention than an evolution. “I think there was an expectation for it to be bigger and more explosive than our previous works,” Josh explains. “We were also a lot more open

“IT’S US FUMBLING AROUND IN THE DARK IN OUR TWENTIES TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF MUSIC, LIFE, EVERYTHING”

12. DORK

SWEET

to new sounds. Naturally, our influences have changed since our mixtape era.” He elaborates, “Our first two mixtapes have very much the same language. ‘Welcome The Night’ was us being more open to exploring other dialects and trying to make them fit into our world. I think it’s a lot harder to pin down the influences in this record compared to our others.” At its core, ‘Welcome The Night’ is an album about embracing the unknown, a theme that feels particularly resonant in the current global climate. “It’s a kneejerk reaction to the craziness of the world,” Josh reveals. “We operate in very uncertain times; our album is basically an exercise in accepting the absurd, not overthinking.” “It’s deliberately provocative – we want to push buttons because that’s how we like to create discourse. It’s us fumbling around in the dark in our twenties, trying to make sense of music, life, everything, without pretending to have any of the answers yet.” ■

→ Honey Revenge’s ever-evolving sonic brew remains as deliciously unpredictable as ever on the soon to drop deluxe edition of their scintillating 2023 debut ‘Retrovision’. The release offers tantalising hints of their latest alchemical concoctions, with new single ‘Recipe For Disaster’ set to be joined by another fresh cut the band are rather fond of.. “It’s one I hold near and dear to my heart,” vocalist Devin Papadol shares of the track, titled ‘Medicine’. “The concept is that if I could bottle up how I feel on a really good day and save it for when I’m having a hard time emotionally, I would. It’s a sister to our songs ‘Habitual’ and ‘Favorite Song’ and probably the last track of its kind for Honey Revenge for a while.” Yet for all their shape-shifting experimentation, Honey Revenge remain tethered to an immutable core formula rooted in their profound personal bond and magnetic musical synergy. “The recipe for the perfect Honey Revenge song is Donny and me working together,” she explains. “We always say we want to make music you can not only shake ass to, but that you can have a good cry to if need be. Our music is a combination of the best “WE’VE HAD elements of pop, rock, and SO MANY groove! We ADVENTURES want it to get AND NEW stuck in the EXPERIENCES” heads of those listening and DEVIN PAPADOL be relatable enough that they feel like they could’ve written it themselves.” The extended edition will also feature new versions of fan-favourite cuts from the original ‘Retrovision’ album. “The new ‘Distracted’ is so pretty and more of an acoustic-style track. Then, ‘AYI’ is a completely reimagined version with more R&B elements that we hope to implement in our future releases,” Devin reveals. Make no mistake, Honey Revenge’s ever-evolving sonic brew remains as deliciously unpredictable as ever they’ve already been at work for album two. “No matter what, it’s going to sound like Honey Revenge,” Devin promises, “but it’ll be more refined, and we’ll get to try some new things. This past year has been the most transformative of our lives. We’ve had so many adventures and new experiences. There is a lot to talk about. The goal, as of now, is just to make good quality songs.” ■

diiv uk +

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by arrangement with toutpartout

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IS BACK! BACK!! BACK!!! Nell Mescal, Bleach Lab and more are set to play this year’s edition of Dork’s Day Out this August. Following on from previous years featuring Thomas Headon, Courting, Swim School, STONE, Coach Party, Pip Blom, Feet, Honeyglaze, Talk Show and more – we’re throwing our annual big old summer party at London’s Signature Brew Blackhorse Road. NOW, we’re letting you in on the first five names for this summer’s event. Nell Mescal – fresh from headlining a sold out Dork’s Night Out last month – will join us again, alongside longtime Dork faves Bleach Lab, who put out one of our favourite albums of 2023, ‘Lost In A Rush Of Emptiness’. They’ll be joined by fresh new talents Lip Filler, Delights and the inimitable Welly. They’ll be joined by more names – including our headliner – over the coming weeks, as well as DJs, ‘stuff’ and ‘typical Dork associated nonsense’. Keep your eyes peeled, and get hold of tickets for the bargain price of £15 + bf from Dice. Dork’s Day Out will take place on Saturday, 3rd August. Find out more at readdork.com now.

“ I ’ M GOING TO MAKE THE EP THAT I WANT TO MAKE AND I HOPE YOU S T I L L LOVE ME AFTER” FROM HARD-FOUGHT CREATIVE BATTLES TO SELF-ASSURED ARTISTIC FREEDOM, NELL MESCAL’S MOMENTOUS DEBUT EP MARKS THE START OF AN UNCOMPROMISING JOURNEY. OUR FLAGSHIP PODCAST-SLASH-RADIO SHOW DOWN WITH BORING CAUGHT UP WITH HER AHEAD OF THIS SUMMER’S DORK’S DAY OUT, AS SHE HEADLINED HER OWN DORK’S NIGHT OUT SHOW AT LONDON’S 100 CLUB. → It’s release week for Nell Mescal’s highly-anticipated

WHAT ARE THE 1975 DOING WHILE ON HIATUS?

MISSING ADAM HANN REWARD AVAILABLE 14. DORK

debut EP ‘Can I Miss It For A Minute?’, and the buzz surrounding the 20-year-old singer-songwriter is palpable. In the hallowed confines of London’s legendary 100 Club, a sea of adoring fans have congregated hours before doors, eagerly awaiting her headlining performance as part of Dork’s [Hi, it’s us Ed] celebrated [Yes, it is - Ed] Night Out series. Catching up with Nell mere days after the EP’s arrival and just before she takes the stage, the atmosphere is a chaotic mix of feverish excitement and hard-earned relief. “Crazy, like it’s such an exciting thing,” she exhales. “I was so ill this week because of all the adrenaline rushing through me. But yeah, it’s been so lovely and the reaction has been so sweet. I’ve just been huddled with my friends the past few days, trying not to think too hard about it but also trying to take it all in, so it’s been really cool.” As the rapturous crowd hints at, this is a momentous occasion that has been a long time coming for the rising star. The seeds for this introductory collection were first planted at the end of last year. “I was thinking about it even when we had finished recording and then we went on tour in December right after, like a week after we’d finished the recording,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘Wow, it’s out so soon.’ And then I was also like, ‘No, it’s out in so long.’ So that time has been so quick. It’s so crazy. I’m so relieved and so glad it’s out now. But yeah, it felt like a very long, well, also way too quick time.” While the euphoric arrival of her debut body of work

is certainly a pivotal milestone, the winding road that led here has been anything but straightforward. As Nell explains, “Someone asked me this recently and I was like, ‘I’m just so all over the place all the time.’ I could have planned out every step and done the Taylor Swift treatment of like, ‘I’m gonna give you a clue 10 years in advance and it’s gonna be so sick,’ but I truly couldn’t.” The EP, which has been gradually unveiled via early singles like the anthemic ‘Killing Time’ and brilliant ‘Warm Body’, took on multiple forms before its final incarnation. “Initially the EP looked so different and then we got into the studio and even the week before, I decided last minute to put ‘Warm Body’ in there. ‘Killing Time’ was written the week it was supposed to be recorded. It was very stressful for everyone on board, and eventually I just had to stop and say, ‘I’m going to make the EP that I want to make and I hope you still love me after.’” That bold leap of faith paid dividends. Not only did Nell feel an unshakable sense of pride and fulfilment (“Afterwards I was like, ‘I’m really happy with it.’ So I think that’s what matters, because it’s the piece of work that’s a part of me”), the EP’s sonic and thematic contours blossomed far beyond her initial hopes. “It was very different to what I initially thought, but so much better and brighter and more spacious than I thought it would be,” she beams. A key catalyst for the EP’s final form was the collaborative lens through which it was crafted. On the effervescent guitars of ‘Warm Body’ and lead single

JUICE

BRING ‘EM ON!

‘Electric Picnic’, the fingerprints of friend and co-writer Saam Jafarzadeh can be felt throughout. “Specifically, ‘Warm Body’ was a huge song that changed the entire landscape, because before that, my friend Saam, who wrote on ‘Warm Body’ and ‘Electric Picnic’, had these guitar tones that I was like, ‘I need those riddled throughout.’ And then I went to Duncan Mills, who’s a genius, so the collaboration was just too valuable. It was crazy.” While there were understandable moments of uncertainty around such late-breaking changes, the EP’s glowing reception has not only vindicated Nell’s instincts but reinforced her bold, uncompromising creative ethos. Early detractors soon NELL became avowed supporters, as she recounts: “With ‘Killing Time’, a few people didn’t love it on the team and I was going, ‘Guys, you just have to trust me. I love it so much and maybe I won’t like it in a few weeks and that is my cross to bear.’ So please, and then, you don’t have to pretend, I know. And then I got a text from those people being like, ‘We made a mistake, you killed it,’ and I was like, ‘That’s good, that

feels so good.’” This unvarnished self-belief is emblematic of an artist coming into their own with an undeniable clarity of vision. “I think that’s the cool thing about your first project - you can take as many risks as you want and it’s never going to be what cements you into any genre,” Nell muses. “It’s just your introduction, you’re just saying ‘Hello, I’m here, I like this, and I like this, and who knows what I’ll like next.’” Part of what makes ‘Can I Miss It For A Minute?’ such a compelling artistic statement is its duality as both a vivid snapshot of Nell’s life and a poignant demarcation of personal growth. “I think it’s cool. It’s just a marker of time, and this is where I’m at now, so it’ll be exciting to see where I’m at in a year’s time, and so on,” she reflects. With her focus now shifting to the future, Nell already has an eye on the next phase of her creative evolution. New, unheard material is being road-tested at her upcoming run of live shows, tantalisingly hinting at where the path may lead. “I really like that there’s new songs on the setlist we’re playing that have never been heard before, and I wanted to do that,” she shares. “I’ve taken a few of the older songs off, which I’m hoping people are okay with. But I do think the past year has been so big for change for me, and every song I’m writing feels a bit different, so this EP feeling still like it’s a part of me is really exciting.” That palpable sense of forward momentum is furthered by the knowledge that Nell’s artistic development remains unhurried and entirely selfguided. Fresh from celebrating the EP’s release with a rapturously received debut headline show at London’s legendary 100 Club, she is already preparing for an imminent writing trip across the Atlantic. As she puts it, “I’m going to America tomorrow to do some writing. I’m so excited because it feels like the right time to release something and then immediately go off and let other people live with it, because I’ve been living with this EP so much.” More than just physically separating herself from the project to gain perspective, this respite represents a pivotal shift in Nell’s artistic psyche. No longer beset by the anxieties of trying to live up to the imagined expectations of her musical idols, a new level of selfassurance has taken root. “I do love it and that’s the exciting thing - not having to stress about it. I’m like, ‘This just lives here now and I love it so much and I’m so confident in it and it feels so like me.’ Because I used to release songs wondering if my heroes would like it and then stress out. Now I’m like, ‘I don’t care, because I think they would like it because I love it.’” Those “heroes” she refers to - contemporaries like Ethel Cain and Lucy Dacus whose work provided formative inspiration - represent the lofty ambition Nell has set for her own artistry. “It’s just like all the people I think about, like Ethel Cain and Lucy Dacus and all those people - the people that I’ve gone to their shows and been obsessed with every release. That’s the goal - to make music that inspires people, because I make music that’s inspired by other people’s music. So it’s nice to feel sure in the project and then be able to move on and be like, ‘Ah, and that gets MESCAL to stay there and people get to listen to it.’” With ‘Can I Miss It For A Minute?’ marking Nell Mescal’s dazzling entry into the spotlight and a barrage of acclaim from tastemakers already rolling in, that sense of certainty feels unshakable. From this captivating vantage point, the sky’s the limit for an artist whose singular talent and uncompromising spirit are destined to leave an indelible mark. ■

“IT’S JUST YOUR INTRODUCTION, YOU’RE JUST SAYING ‘HELLO, I’M HERE, I LIKE THIS, AND I LIKE THIS, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT I’LL LIKE NEXT’”

WOULD RATHER...?

YOU WITH

NELL MESCAL

EVER WONDERED WHAT YOUR FAVE POP STARS WOULD CHOOSE IF THEY HAD TO FIGHT OFF A CRAZY MOB OR FEROCIOUS BEAST? OUR FLAGSHIP RADIO-SHOW-SLASH-PODCAST DOWN WITH BORING GRILLED NELL MESCAL ON THE WILDEST HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIOS TO FIND OUT WHO OR WHAT SHE’D RATHER BATTLE. BRACE YOURSELVES FOR ACTION! 1

TURKEY

100

BEES?

Nell: “One turkey. Because how are you fighting those bees? You’re just getting stung and then playing dead until they run away. I don’t want to get stung a hundred times.” NELL WILL FIGHT... 1 TURKEY! 1 GRIZZLY BEAR OR 100 ESTATE AGENTS?

Nell: “I want to fight every estate agent that has ever existed. It doesn’t need to be a game. They suck. Them and landlords. I’m ready.” NELL WILL FIGHT... 100 ESTATE AGENTS! 1

FORD

FOCUS

100

CATS?

Nell: “I think the Ford Focus. I just saw Fall Guy and I feel like I would just kind of run up on top of it, and then what can the Ford Focus do? Nothing.” NELL WILL FIGHT... 1 FORD FOCUS! 1

OCEAN

100

LAKES?

Nell: “One ocean. Realistically you wouldn’t survive after the third lake tries to kill you. Do you know what I mean? Like, you’re out of breath you’re struggling, whereas one ocean that’s like one lake.” NELL WILL FIGHT... 1 OCEAN! 1

GIANT

FLAG

100

BALLOONS?

Nell: “100 balloons, because realistically I’m just kind of going [popping sound], throwing them up in the air. Do that a few times and then they’re all gone. Whereas the flag will wrap around you. I was sailing once, and the flag came down on top of me, so I passed out for like 15 seconds underwater.” NELL WILL FIGHT... 100 BALLOONS! 1 BUZZ LIGHTYEAR OR 100 SPONGEBOBS?

Nell: “I think it would be really annoying to have a hundred SpongeBobs in the room - just in the room at all. You could just take him out of the water. Just lift him up and then he’s dead. Whereas Buzz Lightyear, I just think it would be more interesting to watch that - he’s going to put on a show. Just for safety reasons, I would kill Spongebob a hundred times.” NELL WILL FIGHT... 100 SPONGEBOBS 1

KEITH

RICHARDS

100

WORMS?

Nell: “It’s only 100 worms, but how? I don’t know how I’m going to beat up worms without murdering them. I We’re trying to save the earth. So maybe Keith has to go.” NELL WILL FIGHT... 1 KEITH RICHARDS!

Down With Boring broadcasts every other Monday at 8pm BST on Dork Radio. Grab the podcast version after the show from the usual places. Find out more at readdork.com/podcasts.

READDORK.COM 15.

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Let loose.

From their gritty beginnings in Kentucky to their status as heavyweights in modern hardcore, Knocked Loose have continually evolved, pushing the boundaries of their sound with each release. POP CULTURE (2014)

by STEPHEN ACKROYD. photography by BROCK FETCH.

Blinding faith.

back to their trademark churning, pulverizing breakdowns they’ve made their calling card. “We are trying to find a way to beat and improve on what we have done before,” Isaac explains. “Expand the sound, do something more creative, and push the boundary without losing the integrity of what Knocked Loose is. That is a hard balance to strike as you don’t want to push it too far, but at the same time, you need to come up with new ways to inspire yourself and other people.” One of the album’s standout moments comes in the form of a surprise collaboration with genre→ In the heart of Oregon, amidst a whirlwind US bending artist Poppy on the track ‘Suffocate’. “It tour, Knocked Loose guitarist Isaac Hale reflects came from a DM Poppy sent Bryan,” Isaac recalls. on the band’s remarkable journey and their “The record was pretty much done, and he got a highly anticipated third album, ‘You Won’t Go message while driving like, ‘Hey, want to do music?’ Before You’re Supposed To’ - a groundbreaking We were immediately like ‘This has to happen!’ So masterpiece cementing their status as vital, exciting Bryan and I wrote a track specifically for her. It’s acts in heavy music today. really cool as we were able to do things we wouldn’t “This record has been in the works for a very, have on other tracks.” very long time,” Isaac reveals. “We started writing Ultimately, ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re it before our last EP in 2021. It has taken a huge Supposed To’ is a deeply personal and cathartic effort to narrow down...There was a release, one that Isaac hopes will lot of second-guessing and songs resonate profoundly. “The name written. Many ideas came and went, sums up the message we want,” but it’s the result of about four years he says. “Bryan’s lyrics are very of hard work...and it’s the thing we personal to him, but the last track have worked the hardest on in our ‘You Won’t Go...’ is a tale of personal entire career, which makes it very struggle - about mental health and special.” loss. Finding that confidence to get The album’s unflinching honesty through hardship and knowing it’s and willingness to confront not your time to give in. Hopefully, challenges head-on make it a people can connect emotionally.” deeply cathartic and empowering For now, Isaac reveals, “We’re just listen, offering hope and solidarity trying to take this record and music to anyone grappling with their own ISAAC HALE as far as we can. We want to play it to demons. “Yes, the album title was as many people as possible around inspired by a comment to our singer Bryan,” Isaac the world, so expect to see us out there.” confirms. “Those words struck a chord with him Throughout their decade-long career, Knocked about his personal struggles - flight phobia, loss, Loose have learned valuable lessons about anger, depression. Seeing that impact him really perseverance and staying grounded. “The most struck a chord with us. It represents passing important lesson is about myself,” Isaac reflects. through life’s personal and shared struggles.” “A lot of my life revolves around this band...But I try As Knocked Loose celebrate their tenth to remind myself everything will be alright. Even anniversary, ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed when stress builds up, it’s important to lean on To’ serves as a testament to their growth and those around you and appreciate the moments, evolution as artists. “Writing music has become not overthink.” tough as our standard for ourselves grows,” Isaac With ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed admits. “But with our catalogue now, our standard To’, Knocked Loose have not only created a is higher as we are very proud of the music we masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of heavy release. It’s about expanding the influences and music, but they’ve also crafted an album that sounds without sacrificing the integrity of what it has the potential to change lives. Its unflinching was to begin with.” honesty, raw emotion, and uncompromising The album delivers a potent concoction - taking heaviness make it a must-listen for anyone who their signature savage sound and injecting it with has ever found solace in the cathartic power of piercing playfulness and an aura of crushing hardcore and metal. As they embark on the next confidence. No time is wasted on opening track chapter of their extraordinary journey, one thing ‘Thirst’ in establishing the intense atmosphere. It’s is certain: a decade in, and Knocked Loose are still masterfully balanced by tracks like ‘Piece By Piece’, getting better. The world better be ready for what’s flirting with a progressive-leaning before circling to come. ■

KNOCKED LOOSE’S THIRD FULL-LENGTH, ‘YOU WON’T GO BEFORE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO’, IS A TESTAMENT TO THEIR GROWTH AND DEDICATION, AND IT’S ALREADY SHAPING UP TO BE ONE OF 2024’S MOST ESSENTIAL ALBUMS.

“THE MOST IMPORTANT L E S S O N IS TO NOT OVERTHINK THINGS”

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→ Knocked Loose’s debut EP, ‘Pop Culture’, introduced their ferocious blend of hardcore and metalcore. Key track: ‘The Gospel’

LAUGH TRACKS (2016)

→ Laugh Tracks solidified their place in the hardcore scene with brutal riffs and intense breakdowns. Key track: ‘Counting Worms’

MISTAKES LIKE FRACTURES (2019)

→ The Mistakes Like Fractures EP showcased their refined sound. The title track stands out with relentless pace and crushing breakdowns, highlighting their progression. Key track: ‘Mistakes Like Fractures’

A DIFFERENT SHADE OF BLUE (2019)

→ Their sophomore album A Different Shade of Blue marked a significant step forward, with complex arrangements and deeper lyrics. Key track: ‘Billy No Mates’

A TEAR IN THE FABRIC OF LIFE (2021)

→ This concept EP explores darker, narrative driven territory. ‘God Knows’ blends storytelling with intense musical style, delving into themes of grief and loss. Key track: ‘God Knows’

YOU WON’T GO BEFORE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO (2024)

→ Their third album You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To represents their most ambitious work. ‘Suffocate,’ featuring Poppy, blends their signature aggression with experimental elements. Key Track: ‘Suffocate’ (featuring Poppy)

SOUND OFF! HOT TAKES? COLD FACTS.

SOME OF THE LAST ICONIC MUSIC TV CHANNELS ARE ZAPPING OFF THE AIR FOR THE FINAL TIME. DAN HARRISON PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS.

→ Channel 4’s decision to pull the plug on its music TV staples – The Box, Kerrang! TV, Kiss, Magic, and 4Music – is a bitter pill to swallow for music fans. For a generation, these stations were the soundtrack to their youth, shaping our musical tastes and creating memories that would last a lifetime. The Box, with its revolutionary interactive voting system, was a trailblazer when it launched in 1992. The shared excitement of calling in to vote for your fave video and the anticipation of seeing it finally play created a unique sense of community that bonded music lovers across the nation. The Box played a crucial role in breaking artists like The Spice Girls, airing their debut single ‘Wannabe’ months before its official release. Music TV used to be able to do that, for an act. Kerrang! TV, launched in 2001, was a sanctuary for rock and metal aficionados, and provided a platform for bands like Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco to reach their audience. As Sam Carter of Architects fondly recalls, “Kerrang! was a staple of my childhood. I spent so many hours watching it, and when I finally saw our videos on there, it was such an awesome moment.” Of course, we can’t forget the much-missed MTV2, once the beating heart of the alternative music scene. Shows like 120 Minutes and Zane Lowe’s Gonzo were more than just programs; they were cultural touch points. Zane’s infectious enthusiasm and off-the-wall style made Gonzo a must-watch for any music fan. It was a place where new acts were introduced and breakthrough artists became stars. MTV2 offered an active engagement with music that felt authentic and raw, a refreshing contrast to the polished sheen of mainstream MTV. The shift to digital platforms is inevitable, and broadcasters like Channel 4 are only adapting to the changing landscape. “As we announced earlier this year as part of Channel 4’s digitalfirst Fast Forward strategy, we will be closing our Box network of music television outlets from 1 July across all platforms,” a spokesperson said. “They are no longer of sufficient scale to deliver meaningful return on investment.” Ouch. That stings. In the age of YouTube and Spotify, the instant gratification of on-demand music is undeniably alluring. However, for those who grew up with music TV, the closure of these beloved stations marks the end of a defining era. The shared experience of discovering new gems alongside other fans and the thrill of waiting for your favourite video to air made music television special. While younger audiences may not feel the same nostalgia, the impact of these outlets on shaping musical tastes and creating cherished memories cannot be overstated. It’s the end of an era. As we bid farewell to The Box, Kerrang! TV, and their counterparts, it’s important to celebrate their legacy. They were our guides through the vast landscape of music, introducing us to new sounds and cementing our love for the artists that defined our youth. In the digital age, we’ve gained unparalleled access to music, but we’ve lost a bit of the magic that made the music TV era so special. The end of this era is a nostalgic farewell to a simpler time, a time when music was not just heard but experienced collectively, in living rooms across the nation. So here’s to The Box, Kerrang! TV, and all the other music channels that brought so much joy to a generation. Your legacy will live on in the hearts of music lovers everywhere. ■

TRUST E JUICE

very day, we put on a front. Whether it’s going to work, meeting friends or family, or even to ourselves in the bathroom mirror, we’re always trying to present an acceptable version of our life to anyone watching. For Nilüfer Yanya, though, those days are gone. In her new single, ‘Method Actor’, she drops the façade, exploring who she is deep down. Even for an artist like Nilüfer, who has gathered an army of fans by producing soulful guitar music with a centre eminently darker than the shiny exterior would have you believe, bearing her soul without over-complicating the message hasn’t been easy. Drawing on the theory behind method acting, a craft that embodies the battle between risk and reward, her new single explores the relationship between the art and the artist in a starkly raw way. “There’s such a parallel between making music and method acting, because you’re always digging into that one defining moment in your life that’s going to make what you’re working on come to life. It’s all about what you have to do to be authentic, to find your own origin.” The single heavily inspired the album, which (almost) shares the same name. An eleven-song exploration of her soul, ‘My Method Actor’ sees Nilüfer drop any mask from previous projects, cutting the fat and putting forward a record full of introspection and self-discovery. “I didn’t want something that I’ve done before. I’ve done the skits and thirtysecond tracks and stuff; this one, I didn’t want anything that you could skip or cut away.” As such, each song draws from the same sonic palette, creating an atmosphere that is as intricate as it is immersive. Each song still has its own character, feeling like a new scene that explains the central themes that thread the whole project together. As such, it becomes clear why the idea of method acting was such a potent source of inspiration for Nilüfer throughout this process. “I’ve always explored the idea of mortality, in a way. I’m trying to figure out who I am while also trying to get back to the old version of myself. I’m not trying to conceal it with a cool story anymore. Basically, I just don’t know who I am.” This honesty is represented by lyrics, which Nilüfer initially used as placeholders. “A lot of the lyrics were ones I was going to change, actually. I felt like I could do better with some of the simple ones, but honestly,

sometimes you can’t complicate it without totally ruining it.” Sometimes, to grow means to shed dead weight, go back to basics and strike at the heart of an idea. For Nilüfer, this phase of her life represented the perfect opportunity to do that. After her 2022 album ‘PAINLESS’, she switched labels over to Ninja Tune, allowing her to be permanently in her hometown of London. She also made the decision to stick with long-term friend and producer Will Archer, who played a huge part in the creation of ‘My Method Actor’. “We went in with the intention of writing an album together,” she reveals. “People in the industry will tell you that you should

NILÜFER YANYA DELIVERS HER MOST VULNERABLE PERFORMANCE YET IN NEW SINGLE ‘METHOD ACTOR’, TAKEN FROM HER JUSTANNOUNCED THIRD ALBUM, ‘MY METHOD ACTOR’. WORDS: CIARAN PICKER. PHOTO: MOLLY DANIEL.

“IT’S LIKE PEOPLE WANT YOU TO BE AN ARTIST BUT DON’T GIVE YOU ANY TIME TO ACTUALLY MAKE ART” NILÜFER

YANYA

go to LA and write with these ten different producers, just so you have a name on your record. But it takes me so long to feel total trust in someone, and really, this album was meant to be an investment in each other and our friendship.” Having someone to riff ideas with and to share writing duties with was a new experience for Nilüfer, but one that was arguably necessary to allow for her personal deep dive. “It was so weird giving up control,” she remembers, “because in the past I felt like I had to do everything, write everything, play everything, but this time I pretty much just wrote the lyrics and melodies.” The pair were laser-focused on this project, with Nilüfer taking time out from touring to fully commit to creating this record, her most vulnerable one to date. “I’ve never been able to write successfully on tour; it’s all just too overwhelming,” she states. “I had to carve out and protect that time and give all my energy to the process because when things are still, they’re more confrontational.” Now on the verge of having this album out in the world, alongside all the vulnerability and authenticity that spills from every corner of this record, it would be understandable if Nilüfer were nervous about it. It’s quite the opposite. “I’m super excited now!” she beams. “We haven’t really been sat on it that long; we started writing in January or February 2023, so for it to be ready and about to come out already feels pretty quick. I’m ready for people to hear these songs and hopefully connect with them.” There’ll be plenty of opportunity to do that on the road, too, with Yanya getting back on tour across the US and Europe and finishing in the UK in the autumn and winter. “We usually do the UK first, so it’ll be lovely to end it here and have people know the songs and sing along!” ‘My Method Actor’ is Nilüfer Yanya at her most courageous. The bravery to drop her armour and put her heart and soul on a silver platter is a risk that has paid off ten times over, culminating in an album that takes her weakest points and turns them into examples of immense strength. Nilüfer candidly and poignantly puts it that, “When you’re a kid, you have such an intense sense of who you are, but I guess that just doing all the stuff that makes you a person means you lose it. Basically, I really want that back.” In going back to the start and looking for her origin story, she has secured her legacy as one of Britain’s most uniquely brilliant talents. ■

THE METHOD 18. DORK

WHAT ‘FYI’ DO WE KNOW ABOUT LORDE’S NEWS NEED

JUICE

YOU KNOW

→ FIDLAR have announced their fourth album. Their first record in over five years, ‘SURVIVING THE DREAM’ will be released on 20th September, preceded by new double-single ‘GET OFF MY WAVE’ and ‘FIX ME’. “This record is about doubling down on what you love,” says frontman Zac Carper. “For us, its about playing shows and making music. These songs are meant to be heard live with the fellow FIDIOTS going off.”

→ Stop the presses! Lorde is at

→ 5 Seconds of Summer’s Ashton Irwin has announced his second solo album, ‘BLOOD ON THE DRUMS’. “I love to make full length albums but also the idea of the listener digesting it in two parts initially, forming their own interpretation. It’s important to me as a fan of music to have a comprehensive body of work to fully dig into the artists perspective,” Ashton says. The record will be released in two instalments: ‘The Thorns’ (Side 1) on 12th June, and ‘The Roses’ (Side 2) on 17th July.

→ Charlie Puth has released a new single. ‘Hero’ is the first single from his upcoming fourth album, which follows on from his 2022 bangerpacked full-length ‘CHARLIE’. Charlie also recently teamed up with Stray Kids for their single ‘Lose My Breath’, produced/ wrote ‘Like That’ for BABYMONSTER and ‘Stay’ for The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber, AND collaborated with Gabby Barrett on their ‘I Hope (Remix)’.

LORDE HAS STEPPED UP THE TEASING FOR HER MUCH-ANTICIPATED FOURTH ALBUM, SO WHAT DO WE KNOW SO FAR?

it again - dropping cryptic clues about her highly anticipated fourth album like they’re hot, leaving us scrambling to piece together the puzzle. But never fear, Dear Reader. We’ve strapped on our best sleuthing hats and gathered every juicy morsel of information out there. So, let’s dive into the mystical world of L4 and unravel the secrets behind Lorde’s upcoming musical odyssey!

INSTAGRAM INCEPTION

In a mind-bending Instagram post, Lorde unleashed a flurry of cryptic images and symbols that had fans scratching their heads and reaching for their tinfoil hats. We’re talking recycling logos, Tarot cards, sharks, rabbits, Egyptian figures - it was like a virtual scavenger hunt. But the real kicker? The repeated use of the letter “L” and the number “4” - a not-sosubtle nod to Lorde’s upcoming fourth album, perhaps?. The caption only added to the mystery, with Lorde dropping enigmatic phrases like, “Use the existing tools wherever possible,” followed by a dizzying array of emojis and symbols. Is she hinting at the themes of L4, or just messing with our fragile minds? The plot thickens! THE GREAT WIPE

But wait, there’s more! In a move that screamed “new era,” Lorde wiped her Instagram clean in February 2023, erasing all traces of her past posts. She then dropped a tantalizing nighttime swimming photo with the cryptic caption, “No, this is not the start of anything out there, just want u to know there’s a light inside of me.” Maybe that wasn’t the start of the teasing, but in clearing the

decks, it’s made damn sure we’ll presume her latest missive is. THEMATIC THREADS

If Lorde’s Instagram bio is any indication, we’re in for a mystical ride with L4. It reads, “THE THEMES ARE ALWAYS THE SAME— A RETURN TO INNOCENCE— THE MYSTERIES OF THE BLOOD— AN ITCH FOR THE TRANSCENDENTAL.” Could this be a continuation of the natural world themes explored in ‘Solar Power’? Lorde herself hinted at this, previously stating, “The album is a celebration of the natural world, an attempt at immortalising the deep, transcendent feelings I have when I’m outdoors.” FESTIVAL WHISPERS

Last summer, Lorde treated fans to two new songs, ‘Silver Moon’ and ‘Invisible Ink,’ during her performances at the Boardmasters Festival. While fans speculated these might be part of the new album, Lorde clarified, “Hahaha, I’m serious literally just decided to set these free from my laptop … but they’re not bad, eh … beautiful and fun for fests I thought.” Tease! THE SLOW BURN

Lorde is known for her meticulous creative process, and L4 is no exception. She revealed, “It has taken me quite a while [to start working on it]. I mean, I do just take a long time… I do a lot of research, I write a lot down.” But don’t worry, she’s trying to speed things up this time. “I don’t want to wait, you know, so take from that what you will,” she teased. HEARTBREAK HOTEL

In a heartfelt newsletter, Lorde opened up about her personal struggles, writing, “I’m living with

heartbreak again. It’s different but the same. I ache all the time. I forget why and then remember. I’m not trying to hide from the pain, I understand now that pain isn’t something to hide from, that there’s actually great beauty in moving with it.” Could this raw emotion be the driving force behind L4?

SOLAR POWER REVISITED

Lorde’s last album, ‘Solar Power,’ was bloody brilliant, but also received mixed reviews from less enlightened muso types. Still, it holds a special place in her heart. She reflected, “Obviously, some people liked it, some people didn’t like it. I think the third album is like always a real… you do sort of cross over in a way, you know, you’re not new anymore, and also you want maybe different things. I had real things I wanted that I just had to do with that album, and I feel more clear and calm for having done that.” COLLAB RUMOURS

Rumour has it that Lorde might be teaming up with some exciting collaborators for L4. She’s been spotted hanging out with Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes, fuelling speculation about a potential musical partnership. Producer Jim-E Stack, a friend of Hynes, is another name being thrown around. And let’s not forget Jack Antonoff, Lorde’s trusty collaborator. While nothing is confirmed, the possibilities are tantalizing! NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Lorde has been hard at work on L4 in New York, where she’s been spotted entering and exiting studios since 2021. Could the Big Apple’s vibrant energy be seeping into her new songs? We can’t wait to find out! ■

READDORK.COM 19.

JUICE

THE GREAT GARY GALA AFTER BLOSSOMS DECIDED TO GIVE THEIR NEW ALBUM A GOOD, HONEST NAME, WE’RE HONOURING THE MOST OUTSTANDING, OUTSTANDING, AND OUTSTANDINGLY OUTSTANDING GARYS ’AROUND’.

→ Stop the presses and hold onto your hats,

Dear Reader, because Blossoms, the indie darlings from Stockport, have just dropped a bombshell that’s sure to send shockwaves through the music world. That’s right, folks the band’s fifth studio album is coming, and it’s got a name that’s as unassuming as it is iconic: ‘Gary’. But what’s in a name, you ask? Well, if you’re Blossoms, the answer is: quite a lot, actually. In christening their latest opus ‘Gary’, the band isn’t just paying tribute to a moniker that’s been borne by everyone from Barlow to Lineker - they’re also tapping into something deeper, something that speaks to the very essence of what it means to be human. And so, in honour of this momentous occasion, we’ve decided to pay tribute to the man, the myth, the legend himself - the one and only Gary. That’s right, we’ve scoured the annals of history, the pages of pop culture, and the depths of our own twisted imaginations to bring you the definitive ranking of the greatest Garys of all time. So brace yourselves as we embark on a journey through the wild, wacky, and wonderful world of Garydom - a place where the mullets are mighty, the quiffs are quixotic, and the gorillas are (usually) grateful! AT FIVE... GARY THE SNAIL

Sliming into our list is a mollusk with moxie, a gastropod with gumption, a snail with a story to tell - it’s none other than Gary the Snail from SpongeBob SquarePants. He may not have the vocal chops of his fellow Garys, but what he lacks in larynx, he makes up for in sheer slimy charm. As SpongeBob’s loyal pet and confidant, Gary has been by the

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They like it when you Gary, because you are so Gary yet so unaware of it.

porous one’s side through thick and thin. But don’t let his simple vocabulary fool you - this is a snail with a brain to match his bravado. From outsmarting the nefarious Plankton to navigating the treacherous terrain of SpongeBob’s psyche, Gary’s proven time and again that he’s got the smarts to match his slimy style. A true icon of the invertebrate world.

from his home in a Carluke buttery biscuit and sweet, garden centre, leaving a juicy currants, it’s no community heartbroken and wonder they’ve become a nation on edge. But fear a true British tea-time not, dear readers - for just as icon. It’s a biscuit with a Blossoms have immortalised Gary in story to tell, too. Legend song, so too shall we immortalise him in has it that it was invented print. Because Gary, you see, was no ordinary by a London baker who was so inspired gorilla. He was a symbol of joy, of whimsy, of by Garibaldi’s military campaigns that he the unbreakable bond between man and decided to create a snack in his honour. Whether you’re dunking them in tea, or just primate. He was a reminder that even in the AT FOUR... GARETH GATES darkest of times, there’s always room for a A man who needs no introduction - the one shoving them in your gob by the fistful, little bit of monkey business. And now, thanks and only Gareth Gates! That’s right, folks - there’s no denying the simple pleasure to the power of music and the dedication of before there was One Direction or Little of a Garibaldi or six. And to all the other his loyal fans, Gary’s legacy will live on forever Mix, there was Gareth, the baby-faced biscuits out there - the Hob Nobs, the - not just as a footnote in Scottish history, but crooner who stole our hearts on the very Digestives, the Jammie Dodgers - take as a shining example of what it means to be a first season of Pop Idol. With his soaring note. Because when it comes to sheer true king of the jungle. Gary, you magnificent vocals, his boy-next-door charm, and his Garyness, the Garibaldi takes the biscuit beast - may you swing forever in the great big endearing dance moves, Gareth was the every time. gorilla playground in the sky. quintessential early-2000s heartthrob - a walking embodiment of the era’s innocent, AT NUMBER TWO... GARY, So there you have it - our definitive ranking unthreatening sex appeal. And who could INDIANA forget his iconic duet with Will Young, the Second in our list of Garys is a place, not a of the Top 5 Garys. In celebrating the the person but what a place it is! Gary, Indiana, ultimate everymen, Blossoms have tapped soulful, stripped-down cover of ‘The Long and Winding Road’ that launched a thousand may not be the most glamorous city in the into something universal - something that world, but it’s a town with a heart as big as speaks to the Gary in all of us. So here’s to swooning fits? Sure, his post-Idol career may have been a bit of a mixed bag, but for one its steel mills. From its humble beginnings as ‘Gary’ - an album that promises to be every a company town for U.S. Steel to its current bit as quirky, charming, and quintessentially shining moment, Gareth Gates was the king of the pop world - and for that, we salute him. status as a symbol of post-industrial decline, British as its titular namesake. And to all the Gary has seen its fair share of ups and downs Garys out there reading this - keep on shining, over the years. But through it all, the people you crazy diamonds. Your day in the sun has AT THREE... GARIBALDI of Gary have remained resilient, proud, and finally come. ■ Blossoms’ new album ‘Gary’ BISCUITS fiercely loyal to their hometown. So here’s to is out 20th September. Crumbling their way into the third spot you, Gary, Indiana - a town that’s seen the on our list is a biscuit that’s as bold as it best and worst of America, but has never lost is buttery, as curranty as it is crunchy, as its fighting spirit. In the words of 1962 film golden as it is... well, golden. It’s time The Music Man, “Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, to give a great big Gary salute to not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York, or the one and only Garibaldi biscuit Rome, but - Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary, Now, we know what you’re Indiana, my home sweet home!” thinking - what’s a biscuit doing on a list of great Garys? But hear AND AT NUMBER ONE... GARY, us out, because the Garibaldi is THE 8FT GORILLA no ordinary biscuit. Named after Topping our list of Garys is a primate with the Italian general and all-around a heart of gold and a story that’s stranger snazzy dresser Giuseppe than fiction - the one and only Gary, the Garibaldi, these little squares of sunshine have been delighting 8-foot fibreglass gorilla! That’s right, folks - in a shocking turn of events, this beloved dunkers and snackers alike since the 19th Scottish sculpture was recently stolen century. And with their perfect balance of

PICTURE WITH A DEBUT EP LOCKED IN, PICTURE PARLOUR ARE TAKING THE CHAOS THAT FOLLOWED THEIR INTRODUCTION, AND TURNING IT INTO SOMETHING TO LAST. WORDS: STEPHEN ACKROYD. PHOTO: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.

ew bands have experienced a came from thinking about how so much changes sleazy rock. To feel like they can take on the rollercoaster ride quite like Picture over time, yet the memories, emotions and faces world, that’s what our favourite music does to Parlour. The London-based quartet, we store never seem to grow as we do. There’s a us. We’d love to be someone’s favourite band forged from the creative partnership sense of nostalgia, a longing for what once was one day.” One track in particular holds a special place of Katherine Parlour and Ella Risi, and or even a fear of how things used to be. ‘Face In completed by bassist Sian Lynch and The Picture’ is a reminder that things change in in their hearts. “There’s one called ‘Moon Tonic’,” they explain, “and that was the first song we drummer Michael Nash, burst onto the scene life, but they never truly leave us.” For the EP’s visuals, Picture Parlour wrote together, so it feels like our ugly little baby. last year with a whirlwind of buzzy shows, highprofile support slots, some big looks in the collaborated with duo Will and Ed Reid, creating It’s so surreal to now hear it as the bombastic music press, and a co-sign from the legendary videos for all four tracks. “We were so buzzing to rock anthem that it’s grown to be.” As for the rest of 2024, Picture Parlour have Courtney Love. But amidst the hype, they also have those guys on board,” they enthuse. “We their sights set high as they faced baseless accusations of being “industry didn’t initially plan to have write songs with some of their plants”, a storm they weathered with grace and visuals for all four tracks as “dream producers” in Nashville. we didn’t think we’d be able determination. “It’s a dream come true,” they Now, as they prepare to release their new EP to do that in the limited time gush. “Johnny Cash is the ‘Face In The Picture’, Picture Parlour are ready to we had, but the vibes were reason Katherine started to refocus the narrative on what truly matters: their so good that it just happened write songs, so this place is like music. Speaking from Nashville, where they’re organically. The guys did the a surreal dream world.” currently writing and recording, Katherine and project so much justice and The band have previously Ella reveal they’re “living out [their] Johnny Cash added a whole new dimension stated their aim to release their debut album by and June Carter dreams” and “unlocking a whole to the EP.” Visual storytelling plays a crucial role in the end of the year, a goal they’re still working new part of the Picture Parlour world.” Looking back on the chaos of the past year, Picture Parlour’s music, helping to create an towards. “We are speaking the album into Katherine and Ella remain undaunted. “Last immersive aesthetic world. “Picture Parlour’s existence and hoping it happens this year,” they year was madness,” they proclaim defiantly. world is heavily inspired by cinema,” they state. offer, before tempering expectations slightly. “Since then, it’s just been go-go-go, and we love “Our walk-on song is ‘In Heaven’ from David “We have songs coming out of our ears but can it. We’re just rocking it out and pinching every Lynch’s Eraserhead, and the lady in the radiator only make our first record once, so we want it scene from that movie became the central to be perfect,” they add. “Patience is a virtue.” opportunity that comes our way.” Picture Parlour have faced the music The creative process behind ‘Face In The inspiration for the ‘Face In The Picture’ video.” This cinematic influence extends to their industry’s highs and lows, and now, with ‘Face Picture’ was a blend of old and new, with some songs dating back to the band’s earliest days. songwriting process as well. “Storytelling is In The Picture’, they’re ready to show the world “Half of the songs on the EP were written years a huge part of our music,” Ella explains. “It’s that they’re more than just the stuff and buzz ago, so it’s been cathartic to track them and Katherine’s main form of communication as and hype, proving that the power of authentic finally share them with the world,” they explain. a lyricist. If something is difficult to process storytelling will always triumph in the end. ■ “It’s also really funny because while recording or discuss, then communicating through the the EP, we were writing all of these new tracks medium of storytelling is a lifesaver. It also that we are desperate to record and release, but allows us to inspire each other by entering the it felt like an important part of the journey to same imaginary world.” “Sometimes, Katherine will come into the release the songs that we’ve held so closely to us for years. These four tracks are an integral rehearsal room with a detailed short story or poem that is usually heavily influenced by a part of the Picture Parlour lore and history.” The EP’s title cut, ‘Face In The Picture’, delves visual world, and after sharing it, we will just into the haunting nature of the past. “The jam the vibe through from scratch as a band.” As for what they hope listeners will take away inspiration came from a theme that seems to run through all of our music, and that’s the haunting from the EP? “We just want our listeners to feel of the past,” Katherine reveals. “I guess the idea excited by purposeful, powerful, emotive and

“WE ARE SPEAKING THE ALBUM INTO EXISTENCE”

JUICE

NEWS NEED

YOU KNOW

‘FYI’ TO

→ Los Campesinos! have announced a new album, their first since 2017’s ‘Sick Scenes’. They will share their seventh record ‘All Hell’ on 19th July via their own Heart Swells record label, with first single ‘Feast of Tongues’ out now. The group explain it’s a record about: “drinking for fun and drinking for misery // adult acne // adult friendship // football // death and dying // love and sex // late-stage capitalism // Orpheus // day dreaming // night terrors // the heart as an organ and as a burden // suburban boredom // Tears of the Kingdom // the punks on the playlist // increments of time // climate apocalypse // the moon the moon the moon.”

→ Boston Manor have announced their fifth album, ‘Sundiver’, set for release on 6th September via SharpTone Records. Lead singer Henry Cox explains: “We’ve essentially been working on this album and building up to it since the pandemic. We were obsessed with trying to make a record that felt like blistering sunshine, or that wavy/hazy horizon you get when the pavement is super hot, but we didn’t want it to sound “happy” or “major key”. ‘Sundiver’ is by far Boston Manor’s best and most ambitious record to date, and we couldn’t be happier with it, I really hope our fans love it as much as we do.”

READDORK.COM 21.

BOYBAND 101

SIMON COWELL IS MAKING A NEW BOY BAND. WE’RE HERE TO CONSULT. → Brace yourselves for some groundbreaking news from the music industry’s very own resident genius, the one and only Simon Cowell. He’s decided that what the world needs now, in the year of our Lorde 2024, is a new boy band. And maybe he’s right. While the K-pop crew have tried to keep us fed with a parade of lovely lads, there’s been a severe lack of breakthrough talent from the west over the last decade or so. But fear not, Dear Reader. Being the generous souls that we are, we’ve decided to offer our expert consultancy on what Cowell should be looking for in his new crop of global superstars. THE TIKTOK SENSATION First and foremost, Simon needs to find himself a bona fide TikTok star. Gone are the days when a boy band could get by on good looks and slick choreography alone - in 2024, you need a lad who can create a viral dance challenge with nothing but a smartphone and a dream. Bonus points if he can lip-sync, point at random objects, and has already got a few million followers to juice the algorithm. THE ECO-WARRIOR Of course, no modern boy band would be complete without an environmentally conscious member. A lad who’s passionate about saving the planet, who insists on touring in an electric bus and performing in sustainably sourced hemp trousers. If you want to win over the Greta Thunberg generation, you need a member who can sing about recycling with the same passion as he sings about unrequited love. THE QUIRKY QUIFF Let’s face it, boy bands are as much about the hair as they are about the music - and rightly so. And in the world of ‘the do’, the quiff is king. This band needs to find a lad with a gravity-defying ‘do that looks like it was sculpted by the gods themselves... or at least by a team of stressed-out stylists armed with a vat of hair gel and a prayer. THE BROODING BAD BOY Every boy band needs a member who can tug on the heartstrings with a soulful ballad or two - and even better if he’s got a bit of dark, brooding mystery to him. We’re talking a lad who looks like he could get away with some casual shoplifting, but isn’t afraid to cry on stage. Who writes poetry in his spare time, but does it in leather. If you find a rebel with a cause to make even the harshest cynic feel something, sign them up immediately. THE INOFFENSIVE ONE Finally, no line-up would be truly complete without an inoffensive, middle-of-the-road member. The one who’s just sort of... there. Not supremely talented. Good-looking in a bland, would do the mowing for your Nan way. He loves the fans. He’s just happy to be there. He’s the glue that holds it all together. So there you have it - the recipe for boy band success in 2024. Just remember - the world of pop is a fickle one, and fame can be fleeting. But if you play your cards right, if you find the right mix of talent, charisma, and sure-to-date fashion choices, you might just have another One Direction on your hands. And if all else fails, well, there’s always The X Factor: All Stars. We hear Louis Walsh is still available.

22. DORK

JUNE

JUICE

“HE’S A BEATLE!”

WITH A DEBUT ALBUM FINALLY ON THE HORIZON, AND A BRAND NEW SINGLE THAT SEES HER COLLABORATING WITH THE 1975’S GEORGE DANIEL AND ROSS MCDONALD, VICTORIA CANAL IS EMBARKING ON A NEW ERA OF SELFDISCOVERY AND SONIC REINVENTION.

by MARTYN YOUNG. photography by JENNIFER MCCORD.

→ Victoria Canal has had many special

moments in her short career so far. Moments of significance that illuminate what an exceptional songwriting talent she is. Co-signs from people like Chris Martin from Coldplay, who heralded her early signature song ‘Swan Song’ as one of the best ever written, and validation from the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards with not one but two prizes. All of that early success and recognition burnishes the person Victoria is blossoming into as the Spanish-American multi-instrumentalist looks ever deeper into who she is and wants to be. She’s embarking on the biggest year of her career with a whole new era and sonic reinvention ahead of a forthcoming debut album, led by one of the indie-pop songs of the summer, ‘June Baby’. “I’m passionate about figuring out the meaning of life,” she begins as she tells us about her ongoing quest for self discovery and reflection. “Why we’re alive and what to do with it and being very intentional about it rather than passively watching your life go by.”

Two of the biggest moments in Victoria’s career so far have been winning Ivor Novello awards back to back in 2023 and 2024 for Rising Star and Best Song. All before she’s even released her debut album. A bit mad, innit? “This award felt very surreal. I was not expecting it,” she says. “I didn’t have a speech prepared because I was so sure that it would not happen. I was just honoured to perform, and that’s where my attention was. Having the opportunity to perform in front of all your favourite songwriters in the world. “I literally met Paul McCartney; he’s a Beatle. HE’S A BEATLE! He changed music, and he was the first one to win the award that I won. I had already studied the list of winners of the best song category and it was David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Queen, The Beatles, all these insanely legendary artists. It doesn’t quite compute that I would be on the same list. “The difference between this year and last year at the Ivor’s is last year I didn’t have any imposter syndrome. I was like, okay, this is right, rising star. I’m getting going and heading in the right direction, and this feels like I belong. This year was like, this does not make sense. This has to be a mistake, is it just because of my disability that everyone pities me? All of those thoughts start trickling in. “I definitely did feel a little bit more emotionally conflicted as I didn’t feel I totally deserved it. It’s a song that I love but I compared it to the iconic mind-bending, culture-breaking songwriting on that list and I feel like I’m a bit of an odd one out.”

“I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT FIGURING OUT THE MEANING OF LIFE” VICTORIA

CANAL

JUICE

A lot of her passion for deep thinking comes from her dad who was really into the concept of stoicism, and for Victoria the desire to reflect on herself and the world around her defines everything she does. “It’s more an active desire for aliveness, but I don’t know if you can consider aliveness a hobby?” she laughs. That spirit to feel every moment is evoked in her songwriting, and the period of awakening that represents her new era. “I think I’ve changed a lot since I first started out,” she says. “I was always so anxious about reaching a certain place to feel better about myself. These days I’m practising being happy with who I am and where I am as I grow. It’s still with a growth mindset. It’s not like I want to stay still, but as I’ve gotten older, I have a real desire and intention to reframe my worthiness as a person. “There’s so much joy and meaning in the dream and this confusing thing happens when you start to feel your dreams coming true, that it feels a little weirder than you might expect. You start to touch the thing instead of looking at it from far away. When you touch the thing, it’s like, eww, it’s actually quite slimy, or the texture’s not quite right. It doesn’t feel quite as beautiful as it did from far away.” With a different perspective on the potentially overwhelming initial rush of acclaim Victoria is able to approach her current work with a fresh confidence. “I’m enjoying it from the outside rather than clinging on to it because as soon as you do that, you realise that it’s prickly and complicated and can really turn into something that consumes you if you’re not careful,” she explains. So, what of this new awakening, then? Well, firstly, there’s a banger of a single. ‘June Baby’ is light and blissed out and a perfect evocation of summertime love and the rush of youthful feelings and excitement that feels unlike anything Victoria has released so far. “It feels summery and breezy. It’s about innocent teenage puppy love,” she smiles. The song came about when two new collaborators entered her world, who you might possibly recognise. “At last year’s Ivor’s, I met two of the guys from The 1975,” she explains excitedly. “I connected with Ross the bassist and said let’s write a song together, and we did, and it was ‘June Baby’. We sent it to George, the drummer and producer for The 1975, because we knew he had produced The Japanese House, and I really loved her albums. I wanted something that sounded like her a little bit but also like them. When I went into the session, I had this piano riff, and it just flowed out. It was a pretty easy song to write. I started the song with Ross and Ed Thomas in London and finished it in LA and sent it to George, and he put his sparkle on it.” The single acts as a lovely, blissful portrait of that thrilling moment when you’re falling in love with someone but don’t quite know what’s going to happen. “Conceptually, it was in a time when I was feeling myself fall in love with someone and feeling slightly scared too because I didn’t want them to break my heart,” she says. “I was hoping they were on the same page as me, and I wasn’t leaning in too far straight away. I was feeling amused and charmed by someone.” The song is the first in a series that sees Victoria exploring desire and how her

use what you want if it helps with the song, let’s just go for it’. He’s so lovely and easy and sweet. Super creative and so humble. He’s really quite British in the way that he’s so self-effacing. He pretends he doesn’t know what he’s doing, but as soon as he picks up an instrument, he’s ripping it to shreds. I love him and love working and being friends with him.” ‘June Baby’ is the first teaser for an album that looks to raise Victoria’s work to a whole new level musically and conceptually. “I’ve written an album that has a bit of a story to it,” she explains. “It’s a story that I’m excited to dig into relationships and feelings have changed over the with the fans. It’s exploring a coming of age and years. “It’s funny because through this campaign, blossoming into womanhood. It’s an energy of I’m going through the motions of discovering falling in love for the first time and feeling myself who I actually like and not who I should like. This open up sensually and sexually and exploring chapter is interesting because it represents the my sexuality and queerness. There’s a bit of a time in my life when I was like, this is who I’m hangxiety aspect to the record. There’s a journey supposed to like. I’m excited. It’s coming out with of tension and release as it pertains to getting older and life becoming more complex. It’s a strong statement.” Ross is universally considered the true 1975 framed in a story that will be really cool for the fan fave so it was fun for Victoria to discover fans to discover. Sonically, it’s a greater risk than just how beloved he is while spending the last I’ve ever taken, more production, more drums, few months teasing the song online with an more genre-bending than ever. The last two EPs incredibly engaging TikTok game that even the I’ve put out were very acoustic and stripped; this notoriously camera shy bass player joined in. one is a pop record, but my way.” Ready to blossom into a pop star on her own “He’s so funny. He’s up for it!” she laughs. “He said, ‘Use me’. He doesn’t give a shit about the internet terms, 2024 promises to be a landmark year for or use any of that stuff, but he’s like, ‘I don’t care, Victoria Canal. ■

NEWS NEED

YOU KNOW

‘FYI’ TO

→ Katy J Pearson has TELEVISION announced her new R O Her Mthird A fullN C E album. → 86TVs – the new length, ‘Someday, Now’ project from The will be released on 20th Maccabees’teased Hugo by and September, new Felix White have single ‘Those–Goodbyes’. announced their self-“It’s She says of the track: titled album. TheI funny, debut I used to feel like full-length follows on from had to go high for people their debut EP ‘You Don’t to hear the vulnerability, Have To Be singing Yourself but actually, in Right Now’, and is set forand release your natural range on 2ndrelaxed August. being in itThey’ve — I think also shared new single there’s something a lot more ‘Tambourine’. vulnerable about that.”

→ blur are going to release TELEVISION a new live album. ‘Live at R O MStadium’ A NwasC E Wembley → 86TVsduring – the their new gigs recorded project from at the LondonThe venue last Maccabees’ Hugo and summer for latest album FelixBallad WhiteOf – have ‘The Darren’, announced their selfand is due 26th July via titled debutThe album. Parlophone. bandThe have full-length follows on also not long announcedfrom EP ‘You Don’t atheir newdebut feature-length Have To Be Yourself documentary film. blur:Right To Now’, andis is for release The End in set cinemas from on 2nd August. They’ve 19th July. also shared new single ‘Tambourine’.

BABY

→ Los Bitchos have announced a new album, ‘Talkie Talkie‘. The record – due 30th August – follows on from their recent single ‘La Bomba’, as well as 2022 debut album ‘Let The Festivities Begin!, and follow-up EP ‘PAH!’. They’ve also shared a new single, ‘Don’t Change‘. “Don’t Change is a pure bliss track; think holiday vibes with ice creams, beach balls, sunsets and margaritas,” they explains. “It’s feel good, with sun soaked melodies, vibrant arpeggiator synth bass, and layers of percussion. We had such a fun time making the video, making up little dances and frolicking about in the sand and sea!” Los Bitchos have recently announced an extensive UK and European tour set for late 2024, with their largest London headline show planned for 7th November.

READDORK.COM 23.

JUICE

STOP PR Sabrina ESS ! has ju

POP SCIENCE: COULD YOU THROW A POP STAR OVER A PUB?

st anno her new unc ‘Short nalbum. It’s calle ed ’ Sweet’ d , set to d rop o and is August.n 23rd

POP SCIENCE IS SERIOUS BUSINESS, DEAR READER. THE BIG QUESTIONS NEED BIG ANSWERS. WHO WILL BE THE NEXT BIG THING? HOW DO YOU MAKE THE ULTIMATE BANGER? COULD THE WORLD’S STRONGEST MAN SUCCESSFULLY THROW ANY CURRENT POP STAR OVER A PUB?

15 “ESSENTIAL” FACTS ABOUT THE FORMER-DORK-COVERSTAR POPSTER WHO IS AT THE... ERM... TOPSTER(?!) ‘RN’

Obviously - OBVIOUSLY - the last question is the big one. So, we got out our big button calculator, pressed a load of buttons, realised we didn’t know what we were doing then found some nerds to do the maths for us. Definitively, we now know if any living person could successfully yeet a popster over the roof of your local boozer. THE STATS First we need to work out the height of a pub. Even if it’s a single story effort, you’re unlikely to find a pub under 3 meters in height. Even for the smaller ones, you’re likely to be looking at 5 meters or so. To be generous, we’re going to work on the basis there’s some teeny weenie pubs that are 3-4.5 meters in height. Next, we need to work out the throwing capabilities of the some seriously strong geezer. The current World’s Strongest Man is a Scottish bloke named Tom Stoltman. This chap can chuck a 15kg beer keg a whopping 7.7m! That’s some mind-blowing throwing power right there. But could he manage to air-mail one of our favourite pint-sized popsters over the building? After assessing the field, we figure Ariana Grande is one of the most likely chuckees*. Weighing in at an estimated 47kg, she’s lighter than one of Tom’s dumbells. THE MATHS To determine if these weights are feasible, we can make some assumptions and simplifications. If Tom can throw 15kg a distance of 7.7m, the distance should decrease as the weight increases, assuming <reads notes> “linear scalability”. Distance = Original Distance ×

Original Weight New Weight

So, using Ari as our projectile... Distance = 7.7m ×

15kg 47kg

Tom could only manage to throw her a measly 2.46 meters! That’s barely enough to clear the bar, let alone sail her over the entire boozer roof. So there you have it - unless Tom starts seriously upping his game, it doesn’t look like any of our pop faves are going to be pulling any bodacious bar-launches anytime soon. Good to know.

* Disclaimer: suitable crash mats will be provided to ensure a safe landing. No pop stars were harmed in this experiment.

24. DORK

PSST!

WANNA

KNOW

SOME

STUFF

ABOUT

SABRINA SHE’S CARPENTER? SEXY BRINGING

BACK → It’s time to put on your cosiest jumper and snuggle up with a cuppa, because soft-pop queen Clairo is back with a brand new single that’s sure to warm your heart and soothe your soul. The track in question is called ‘Sexy to Someone,’ and it’s a dreamy little ditty that’ll have you swaying along like a dandelion in the breeze. But wait, there’s more! Clairo also dropped the bombshell that her third album, ‘Charm,’ is set to drop on July 12th. And if ‘Sexy to Someone’ is anything to go by, we’re in for a treat. According to the powers that be, ‘Charm’ is a “collection of warm, 70’s-inspired grooves that move lithely between jazz, psychedelic folk and soul.” The album was coproduced by Clairo herself and Leon Michels (of The Dap-Kings and El Michels Affair fame), and was recorded live to tape at both Allaire Studios just outside of Woodstock, New York and Diamond Mine Recording in Queens. You can check out new single ‘Sexy to Someone’ on readdork.com now.

COSMIC TALENT → This 25-year-old pop star

was born on 11th May 1999 in Pennsylvania. She’s a Taurus, and her aunt is none other than Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson!

RENAISSANCE WOMAN → Sabrina’s not just a pretty face

- she’s got some serious skills! She can play piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, and drums. She placed third in a Miley Cyrus singing contest before landing her first acting gig on Law & Order: SVU in 2011. Is there anything this girl can’t do?

Music Awards and has his own Instagram account at @goodwindawg! FRUIT & VEG → According to the internet

[insert caveat here - Ed], apples are a no-go for this gal! But she does love cotton candy grapes. TWEEN DREAM → Sabrina was signed to her

record label when she was just 12 years old. Talk about a prodigy!

HIT MACHINE → In 2015, Sabrina dropped her

Sabrina was just a regular kid who loved to perform. She started taking dance lessons at the tender age of two. You go, girl!

debut album Eyes Wide Open, featuring catchy tunes like ‘We’ll Be the Stars’ and ‘Eyes Wide Open’. Not bad for a 16-year-old! Since then, she’s released a string of hit singles, including ‘On My Way’ with Alan Walker, ‘Sue Me’, ‘Nonsense’, and ‘Feather’. Girl’s on fire!

BUSY BEE → Her favourite flower is a rose,

LOYAL LEGION → Sabrina’s fans are called

TINY DANCER → Before hitting the big time,

and her favourite colour is yellow. In fact, her parents used to call her “bumblebee” to remind her to always stay humble. Aww!

CANINE CUTIE → Sabrina’s got a furry BFF

named Goodwin, a mix of Maltese, Lhasa Apso, long-haired Chihuahua, and Yorkshire Terrier. Goodwin was a gift for Sabrina’s 13th birthday, and he’s been by her side ever since. He was even nominated for Cutest Musician’s Pet at the 2019 iHeartRadio

“Carpenters”, and they’re some of the most loyal and supportive fans out there. They’ve been with her through thick and thin!

DISNEY DIVA → Her big break came in 2014

when she scored the role of rebellious Maya Hart on the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World. She even sang the theme song with her co-star Rowan Blanchard. You might’ve seen her in flicks like The Hate U Give, Tall Girl, Work It, and Clouds.

BROADWAY BADDIE → In 2020, Sabrina made her

Broadway debut as Cady Heron in Mean Girls. That’s so fetch!

PINT-SIZED PIPES → Standing at a petite 5

feet (1.52m), this pint-sized powerhouse packs a serious punch with her vocals. Dynamite comes in small packages.

SIBLING SENSATIONS → Sabrina’s got two look-alike

sisters, Shannon and Sarah. Sarah often joins her on tour as a backup singer, while Shannon works as a dancer and stylist. Talk about a talented trio.

ROMANCE RUMOURS → Sabrina was spotted getting

cosy with Irish actor Barry Keoghan, known for his roles in Top Boy and Saltburn. He even flew to Singapore to watch his girl open for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. Now that’s what we call supportive!

CAFFEINE QUEEN → With her Song Of The

Summer contender ‘Espresso’, our girl Sabs is serving up some serious main character energy. She’s basically saying she’s so irresistible, she’s like a shot of espresso - one taste and you’re hooked. She wrote the song while living it up in France, saying she wanted to bottle up that boss bitch vibe and share it with the world. Ooh la la! ■

JUICE

SEASON OF THE WITCH FROM DELIRIOUS ORIGIN STORIES TO BOUNDLESS FUTURE POSSIBILITIES, NEW EP ‘WITCHESCREW’ IS JUST THE BEGINNING FOR AUDACIOUS SONIC STORYTELLERS LIP FILLER.

→ The five former university mates that make up Lip Filler been buzzing with activity since their adrenaline-laced selftitled debut EP hit in 2023. But as drummer Nate Wicks divulges from his current lair (“Currently got a bit of the old Nala Sinephro on. On my laptop. Happy as Larry”), their year has been a hustle worthy of a victory lap: “We’ve been lucky enough to have some really amazing moments already this year. Supporting O. at OMEARA was super fun; it was great talking to Joe about all his weirdass pedals. And going up to Leeds to play with Master Peace was amazing as well.” The spark that kickstarted Lip Filler’s latest creative conflagration - their brilliant second EP ‘witchescrew’ - can be traced to one deliriously unhinged origin story, as Nate recounts with relish: “So the name ‘witchescrew’ is based on a spooky story that the boys love to tell...Imagine you’ve just moved into your new house. All your stuff’s still in boxes; you’ve got no food, so there’s a load of takeaway boxes strewn all over the floor. Instead of settling in, you decide to invite a load of strangers to your house for a few drinks. Then they basically start speaking their own language that kinda sounds like parseltongue. Then you get scared and have to ask them to leave. You swear from that day forward that they were witches. And that’s what the EP is about, letting things into your life when you probably shouldn’t have, but having some fucking good stories to tell for it.” That feverish tale of urban paranoia sets the tone for an EP steeped in atmospheric tension, but for the unstoppably ambitious Lip Filler, it’s also a siren call beckoning them to transcend the physical and carve out expansive new creative “IT’S realms. They’ve HUGE, IT’S made a website, MASSIVE, witchescrew. net, that IT’S “accompanies SEISMIC” the EP” and is NATE WICKS “a blog thing – if the EP is the polished, concise version of what we wanna say, then witchescrew.net is the stream of consciousness.” The immersive online universe acts as “a glimpse behind the curtain into the band’s febrile collective unconscious.” Nate teases: “The demos are really fun to listen to...Gives you a little sneak peek of where we may be going with our next project...The poetry is really interesting as well. Try to guess who’s written what.” It’s a tantalizing invitation into their shadowy mythos, one that embraces the supernatural and unexplained. “George will swear that his nan’s house is haunted. He also gets scared if you make weird noises at night. Whenever George has pissed Jude off, Jude scratches the walls at night to creep him out,” Nate narrates. “George also gets a lot of sleep paralysis, which has fed into the lyrical themes of the EP. I think it kind of helps to believe in weird things like that; that’s kinda what being creative is, though, believing in things that don’t exist.” ■

HOT TO GO

WITH ‘HOT SINGLES IN YOUR AREA’, SCENE QUEEN PROVES THAT STAYING TRUE TO YOURSELF AND EMBRACING YOUR SEXUALITY IS THE ULTIMATE FORM OF EMPOWERMENT, NO MATTER WHAT THE HATERS SAY. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER.

→ “You can tell it’s a cathartic record

because of how many of the songs end with feral screaming,” grins Scene Queen. Across her two ‘Bimbocore’ EPs, Hannah Collins has used Scene Queen like a weapon to shake up the old, tired rules of rock. Her debut album ‘Hot Singles In Your Area’ is both an origin story, a renewed attack and a hint at what comes next. “I wanted to explain why Scene Queen was necessary, from the general misogyny I experienced as a teenager just existing in this space to the harassment I’ve got in my day-to-day as a woman,” she explains. “When I was younger, I felt like it wasn’t safe for me to be in this scene, and I never wanted anyone to ever feel that uncomfortable.” With gloriously vicious songs like ‘18+’, ‘BDSM’ and ‘Pink Push-Up Bra’, ‘Hot Singles In Your Area’ rages against sexism and predatory behaviour, while Wargasm collab ‘Girls Gone Wild’ sees Hannah and Milkie Way “talking about how every time we do something raunchy, we’re slut shamed. If men do it, they’re rock stars. It feels like the perfect combination of our two bands,” she adds, finding joy in shared fury. There’s more to this project than chainsaw anger, though. “As I was writing

this album, I was coming into my sexuality a vicious blend of pop and industrial metal, and trying to figure that out,” Hannah she explains. “With this album, I wanted to explains, with the record littered with horny see how far I could push that.” ‘MILF’ takes dating songs. “It’s kind of perfect because heavy influence from country, ‘Stuck’ sees there’s all this queer joy, but it also has the her heading to the club with 6arelyhuman typical queer experience of exploring new while the hyper-pop leaning Myspace territories and feeling incredibly awkward,” anthem ‘POV’ has her teaming up with she continues. The Ready Set to “talk my shit and own my “The album is about being comfortable in space”. Through it all, there are nods to Y2K your skin,” says Hannah, which is something icons Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. “I just she’s learnt since she dropped debut Scene cannot exist in one genre,” says Hannah. Queen song ‘Pink Rover’ in 2021. “There are a million different inspirations “I was afraid to express my sexuality on this album. It feels like I really can do on that first ‘Bimbocore’ EP,” she explains. whatever I want.” Before Scene Queen, she released the When Hannah launched Scene Queen, classic-rock-inspired ‘Are You Tired?’ as she always knew her gigs would be feral and RØSÉ in 2021 but found the reception odd. attract people like her, who needed a place “It was jarring because rock is supposed to that felt safe, euphoric and a little bit chaotic. be accepting of everyone, but it does attract “I wanted to make a space where everyone a lot of super conservative fans.” feels like they can fully be themselves and She knew she didn’t want to start nothing seems embarrassing,” she adds. “I pandering to that audience, so she didn’t know that it could be as far-reaching rebranded as Scene as it is, though,” Queen and made sure with Scene Queen that her debut EP comfortably straddling featured “hyper-feminine” the worlds of pop and queer-leaning track metal. “The hate is a lot ‘Pink Panther’ which sometimes, but then you deliberately appealed to play a show, and it all the female gaze. “I had to feels worth it.” SCENE QUEEN unlearn caring about the She also had a vision opinions of men,” she says. of the things she wanted The reception to the track shocked to sing about, with Scene Queen a fearless, Hannah, “but it made me feel safe to really over-the-top character who could say things express that part of me with this album. It others couldn’t. “I didn’t understand how means half the songs are about kissing girls, important that would be for others, though,” but it was super cathartic for me to be able she admits. “Turns out Scene Queen really to do that,” she adds. does mean a lot to a lot of people.” Musically, Scene Queen’s debut album There’s a wicked sense of humour to also takes that Bimbocore sound to new everything Scene Queen does as well, from levels. “Those two EPS were my trying to the smirking one-liners that litter her tracks make a sound of my own,” with the result to the title of her debut. “I am fully incapable of talking about anything remotely traumatic without it being through the lens of humour. I have to have some sweet slant to it, and that’s usually me making a joke out of it,” she explains. “I guess we all have a different response to things that happen to us.” “When you deliver something serious with a sense of humour, I think more people pay attention,” she offers. Scene Queen constantly pokes fun and takes the piss rather than preaching. “Now there are so many dark things happening in the world, I feel like having an album that does touch on difficult topics while also being super funny is kind of ideal,” says Hannah, even if she’s kicking herself slightly for scrapping a song about Donald Trump because she didn’t think he’d have any sort of relevance in 2024. “My whole thing is surprising people,” says Hannah. “And because the album has so many insane moments, I wanted to end it with one last shock.” Closing track ‘Climax’ is a wholesome, ambitious, emotional anthem that showcases a totally different side to Scene Queen. “It’s everything you’d expect from a rock song, but not a Scene Queen song,” she offers. “My grandmother loves that song, but I’m not sure she’s aware of the joke in the title.” ‘Climax’ has also opened a door for album two, which Hannah will start creating later this year. “’Bimbocore’ introduced Scene Queen. This album is about why I became Scene Queen, and I think the next thing will finally showcase a little bit of Hannah,” she grins. ■

“I REALLY CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT”

READDORK.COM 25.

JUICE

COOKING CORNER

YOUR FAVOURITE POP STARS SPILL THE BEANS (GET IT?!?) ON THEIR CULINARY CREATIONS. THIS MONTH...

MAHALIA’S MEAN

SPAG

BOL

When she’s not busy serving up soulful R&B realness, Mahalia’s whipping up a storm in the kitchen. Her specialty? A spaghetti bolognese that’ll make your taste buds sing! “I love cooking,” Mahalia confesses. “I’ve spent so much time on the road eating food out of diners and delivery things. I make a really fucking fantastic spaghetti bolognese, which for my partner is a huge thing because it’s his favourite thing ever.” But what’s the secret to this drool-worthy dish? Turns out, it’s all in the spices! “I add cumin and cinnamon which makes it become a whole different thing, so that’s become my speciality,” Mahalia reveals. “I’m very good with pasta.”

TAKE A BITE THIS MONTH...

SPRINTS

EVERYONE HAS THOSE FORMATIVE TRACKS THAT FIRST GOT THEM INTO MUSIC AND HELPED SHAPE THEIR VERY BEING. THIS MONTH, SPRINTS TAKE US THROUGH THE SONGS THAT MEANT THE MOST TO THEM DURING THEIR TEENAGE YEARS.

Jimi Hendrix

PURPLE HAZE → Karla: An old guitar teacher gifted me a Jimi Hendrix compilation one day, and it set me on a journey of musical obsession and discovery. He’s still probably one of my biggest guitar influences to this day.

Blondie

MARIA

→ Karla: I so vividly remember seeing this music video come on screen when I was a kid watching MTV every hour of the day I could. I instantly fell in love with Debbie Harry, her style, her grit, the swagger of her singing and thought, I want to do that.

26. DORK

Katie Melua

THE CLOSEST THING TO CRAZY → Karla: Maybe it’s cliche, but I don’t think there’s a teenager who has picked up a guitar who hasn’t been influenced by Nirvana. Classic albums are classics for a reason and ‘Nevermind’ reminds me of discovering new genres, experimenting with sounds, and also recent road trips with SPRINTS. Nirvana are always in our rotation and always will be.

The Stone Roses

I AM THE RESURRECTION → Sam: This whole album was another soundtrack for my teenage years and also one of the first gigs I went to without the parents babysitting me. Introduced

me to all the other Manchester bands. I became obsessed with the scene; I still wish I could go back in time to the hacienda for a night out. One of the first songs I learned on bass too, a lot of iconic riffs and moments packed into this one tune.

The Killers

SOMEBODY TOLD ME → Karla: There was an explosion of guitar, indie, and rock in the early 2000s that shaped all of our musical tastes and influences. There were a few golden years of festivals with bands like The Hives, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, The Gossip, The Ting Tings, and Bombay Bicycle Club all stuffing the lineups and our playlists. ‘Hot Fuss’ is, to me, still one of the greatest debut indie guitar albums ever.

My Chemical Romance

TEENAGERS

→ Sam: This album made a huge impression on me. I would have this on constant repeat; I would play drums along to it and eventually my first bass along to it, in my room dressed in black, acting like I was in the band; lots of people used to do stuff like that, I think. Sadly, I can only pick one track from this album, so for Teenage Kicks, it might as well be ‘Teenagers’.

Avril Lavigne

I’M WITH YOU → Karla: No such thing as a guilty pleasure, and the old Avril Lavigne songs slap. I guess we all just want to be a rock chick.

Lisa Hannigan

I DON’T KNOW → Jack: My dad bought this album for my mam, who absolutely hated it. Much to their surprise, I loved it, and it got me listening to music beyond the rock world as an allblack-wearing 13-year-old. Hannigan has a stage presence that’s infectious and was the perfect tonic to my moody teenage self.

Led Zeppelin

GOOD TIMES BAD TIMES → Jack: John Bonham is a big reason I wanted to play drums, and he remains my favourite drummer. I’ve always been obsessed with his bass drum wizardry on this track, and it still fills me with the same sense of wonder as it did when I was a kid. ■ Sprints’ debut album’ Letter To Self’ is out now.

→ Beabadoobee has announced her third album, ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’. Produced by Rick Rubin and long-term collaborator and bandmate Jacob Bugden, the full-length is set for release on Friday 16th August via Dirty Hit. She’s also shared lead single ‘Take A Bite’. Of the track, Beabadoobee says: “It’s me feeling introspective about my thoughts and unhealthy way of living. It’s finding comfort in a familiar place – finding comfort in chaos, because that’s what I know. So I bring it into every aspect of my life, especially with relationships. And it’s just tapping into this part of my brain where I just jump straight to the most negative, most chaotic thought ever known to man and make and make that into my reality.” “I love this album,” she adds. “I feel like it’s helped me so much more than anything else has in navigating this new era, this new understanding of where I’m at. I guess it’s about becoming a woman.”

THE NEW ALBUM

20 SEPTEMBER

palewaves.co.uk

JUICE

DAY

SOME THE

GREEN

LIGHTS THE

LIFE

OF...

ELLIE BLEACH

YOU KNOW WHAT’S EASIER THAN FOLLOWING AROUND YOUR FAVE POP STARS, DAY IN, DAY OUT, TO SEE WHAT THEY’RE UP TO RIGHT THAT VERY MINUTE? ASKING THEM. THIS MONTH, WE NAB ELLIE BLEACH TO SPY ON 24 HOURS IN HER LIFE.

9.30AM → My waking up is often from a series of vivid dreams. Last night’s instalment involved an aunt scolding me for being rude in a vaguely formal social setting, colouring the first thirty minutes of my waking day with a sense of unidentifiable guilt and shame until I could categorise the painful memory as a mere hallucination. I have dreamt nightly ever since I can remember, but since I started taking a certain medication in 2020, they’ve been exhaustingly action-packed. Bedfellows past and present have found me both laughing and crying in my sleep. I used to make an effort to begin my mornings by recording my dreams in a bedside table notebook, but I’ve learnt that some things are best forgotten. Not in a deep ‘welcome to my dark, twisted mind’ way. Some of them are plain boring. I take a similar approach when songwriting; if a topline comes to me and I can’t recall it the next day, then it’s simply not a winner. 11:00AM → Today is a band rehearsal day, and like anyone without a rigid schedule, a looming task - in a mere 8 hours’ time - preoccupies my mind as I fritter through admin and chores. It is worth noting, reader, that I do a series of undignified, off-brand jobs to keep me financially afloat, so I handle my ‘music days’ like a newborn baby, filled with angst and joy in equal measure. 1:00PM → I assemble a sandwich the average lunch enthusiast cannot even begin to comprehend. The Sandwich’s Sandwich. High IQ luncheon. 2:00PM → I continue the slow psy-

chological erosion of a Vinted seller I’ve been chipping away at for weeks. Every

28. DORK

day, I hide behind my avatar and, coward that I am, send them an insultingly low ‘offer’ on a vintage jacket that I cannot afford. One day, she will break. Online marketplaces are a hotbed for psychosexual war games. I wrote a short story on this topic at university that I pray will never resurface. 3:00PM → I tinker around with a song I’ve been working on over the last week, transcribing scribblings from my pocket notebook to the notes app. I feel sorry for my future memoirist, who’ll have to trawl through to-do lists and half-baked business ideas to find any unreleased material. 5:00PM → With rehearsal starting at 7, 5 pm marks the start of an embarrassingly early tea. Europeans look away now. We have festivals coming up this summer, and I’m always aiming to transport audiences to the ‘Ellie Bleach Cinematic Universe’, adding in certain old-school elements to the structure of the set so it almost feels like a cabaret. 7:00PM → I meet the band at the practice studio and perfect our headline set. It’s commonplace for bands like ours to bash out 8-hour-long rehearsals, but I much prefer little 3-hour chunks over several sessions, or I enter a fugue state. 11:00PM → I return home from rehearsal with my guitarist, who also happens to be my boyfriend. Moderately knackered, we pick up a sweet treat from the offie and watch something awful on telly, only to talk over the whole thing. Love is beautiful. 12:00AM → I retire to the bed chambers in my signature sleepwear, an oversized slogan t-shirt and wait for the dreaming to commence. ■

IN THE RAPTUROUS GLOW OF NEW-FOUND INDEPENDENCE, PHOEBE GREEN LETS HER TRUE COLOURS BURN BRIGHT ON THE CATHARTIC, SELFAFFIRMING ‘ASK ME NOW’.

→ Emerging from the kaleidoscopic haze of her critically acclaimed debut ‘Lucky Me’ [Dork, five stars - Ed], Phoebe Green has blossomed from an undeniably brilliant altpopster into something even greater. With her new ‘Ask Me Now’ EP, the she embraces an exhilarating new chapter of radical selfdiscovery, unfettered authenticity, and the sheer euphoria of artistic emancipation. Phoebe recounts, “I’m a hundred times happier and more myself than I have been in years, which is a huge relief,” she admits. “I’m releasing independently, which feels really freeing. I’ve always wanted to do as much as I can for myself and I think I’m finally in a place to be able to.” Having parted ways with former label Chess Club Records, Green has embraced the autonomy to sculpt her sound without compromise. “I learned that I can trust my instincts and ideas,” she explains, “and it’s okay to say no to feedback that I don’t agree with.” Phoebe raves, “The whole thing has truly been a dream come true. “I CAN [Producer] Steph TRUST MY Marziano and I have truly become INSTINCTS best mates, and I AND IDEAS; could not be more IT’S OKAY thankful to her for giving me a space TO SAY that allowed me NO TO to be vulnerable. FEEDBACK” Throughout the PHOEBE GREEN EP writing process, I learned that working with friends doesn’t make the process any less professional; being in a creative space with people you love who can support you through it all is honestly a dream come true!” “’Ask Me Now’ has really captured the happiest time of my life so far. I’m continuing to grow into myself and to accept that healing doesn’t make me any less interesting of an artist,” Phoebe gushes. “I’m in love, and I’m content, and nothing is linear, but I’m doing my best,” she professes. Green considers, “It definitely feels right for me to be releasing it at this moment in time, within a year of it being written and whilst I’m still in this funny transitional period of finding my feet as an independent artist.” “I’m inspired every day by queer artists that are unapologetic and take up the space that they deserve, I’m trying my best to do the same in my own way, everyone is so themselves,” she shares. “I’m definitely the most optimistic I have been in a while for the future of alt-pop music.” ■

”POP “HOT

FACTS” NEW

ABOUT BAND”

GURRIERS •

Gurriers are a high-energy guitar quintet from Ireland who are totally confronting the ills of the modern world head on. How brave! Their name is an old-timey Irish term for lout, ruffian, or street urchin. They picked it ‘cause they thought it sounded well charming. Bless! The five members are Dan Hoff (lead vocals), Ben O’Neill (guitar/backing vocals), Mark MacCormack (guitar), Pierce O’Callaghan (drums) and Charlie McCarthy (bass). They recorded their rip-roaring debut album ‘Come and See’ in Leeds with producer Alex Greaves. It’s set to drop on 13 September 2024. ‘Come and See’ explores totally heavy themes like the end of the world, disenfranchised youth, the rise of the far right, and a pope struggling with belief. Crikey! This October, they’re heading off on a whopping great European tour, their biggest yet. Don’t miss ‘em tearing up a venue in your town!

• • • • •

TAYLOR SWIFT

HOW TALL IS SHE? LET’S FACE IT, SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA KNOW HOW YOUR FAVE ARTISTS MEASURE UP - SO WE’RE DOING JUST THAT, BY WORKING OUT JUST HOW TALL THE ‘GREAT’ AND THE ‘GOOD’ REALLY ARE.

This month, we’re kicking things off with the one and only Taylor Swift! Our girl Tay clocks in at a cool 5 feet 11 inches (or 180 cm for you metric mavens out there). But what does that really mean? Let’s break it down. If you stacked 6 copies of the ‘Tortured Poets Department’ 12-inch vinyl on top of each other, they’d be just about as tall as Taylor herself. You’d still have loads of limited edition bonus track variants left over, too. Tay’s feline friends, Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson, and Benjamin Button, would need to form a kitty totem pole about 7 cats high to reach her impressive height. Meowtastic! Our subject is about the same height as 26 Big Macs stacked on top of each other. That’ll do for lunch. If you lined up 10 of Taylor’s sparkly microphones end to end, they’d be roughly as high she is tall. Remember when Kim K called Tay a snake? Well, if you stretched out an average-sized python (don’t try this at home, kids!), it would be about the same length as our girl’s height. If you piled up 142 of Taylor’s favorite snickerdoodle cookies, you’d have a tower as tall as the pop princess herself. So there you have it – a totally scientific breakdown of your Taylor’s height. You can thank us later.

• • • • •

•

A MUSIC FESTIVAL, AT A CASTLE, IN TRANSYLVANIA!?

ELECTRIC .CASTLE

MASSIVE ATTACK × QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE × BRING ME THE HORIZON CHASE & STATUS LIVE × SEAN PAUL × REMA × RICARDO VILLALOBOS MARC REBILLET × PAOLO NUTINI × SEVDALIZA × NINA KRAVIZ × BONOBO DJ SET DJ SHADOW × KHRUANGBIN × KENYA GRACE × CAMO & KROOKED × CAVALERA EATS EVERYTHING × JAYDA G × SLEAFORD MODS × PALAYE ROYALE × DJ DIESELSHAQ CARLITA × ROYEL OTIS × KINGS OF THE ROLLERS × DJ KRUSH × CALIBRE AND MANY MODE

ELECTRICCASTLE.COM

THE SUMMER’S MOST SIZZLING SOIRÉES.

ELECTRIC CASTLE

MAD COOL FESTIVAL

TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA, 17-21 JULY 2024

Where: Madrid, Spain When: July 11-13, 2024 Who’s playing: The Killers, Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam, Maneskin, Bring Me The Horizon, The Smashing Pumpkins, Janella Monáe, Crawlers, Jessie Ware, Sum 41, The Breeders, Avril Lavigne, Arlo Parks, Ashnikko, Black Honey, Nia Archives Find out more at: madcoolfestival.es NOS ALIVE

Where: Lisbon, Portugal When: July 11-13, 2024 Who’s playing: Arcade Fire, Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Michael Kiwanuka, Sea Girls, Sum 41, Jessie Ware, Khruangbin, Aurora, Black Pumas, Genesis Owusu, Floating Points, The Breeders, Kenya Grace Find out more at: nosalive.com TRNSMT FESTIVAL

→ Nestled in the heart of Transylvania, Romania, Electric Castle has earned its reputation as one of Europe’s most enchanting and immersive music festivals. As the festival celebrates its 10th birthday from July 17th to 21st, attendees can expect a magical experience that seamlessly blends cuttingedge music, captivating art installations, and non-stop festivities against the breathtaking backdrop of Banffy Castle. This year’s line-up is a testament to Electric Castle’s commitment to showcasing a diverse range of musical talents, from legendary acts to contemporary innovators and emerging artists. Festival-goers can look forward to the genredefying sound and powerful live performances of Massive Attack, the trailblazing energy of Bring Me The Horizon, and the electrifying beats of Chase & Status. But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Electric Castle has curated an eclectic mix of artists that cater to a wide range of musical tastes. From the hypnotic grooves of Khruangbin to the punkinfused intensity of Sleaford Mods, the festival promises a musical journey that will leave a lasting impression.

30. DORK

NOT

MISS

BRING ME THE HORIZON BMTH are set to bring their genre-defying sound and high-energy performance to Electric Castle. Known for their ability to blend metalcore roots with electronic and pop influences, Oli Sykes and his bandmates create an electrifying live experience. MASSIVE ATTACK Legendary trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack are sure to deliver a mesmerizing performance at Electric Castle. Their live shows are known for being a sensory experience, combining hauntingly beautiful soundscapes with stunning visual artistry. ANTONY SZMIEREK Antony Szmierek is a true innovator, pushing the boundaries of genres with his unique blend of indie, electronic, and spoken word. His thought-provoking and captivating performances are not to be missed.

Where: Glasgow Green, Glasgow When: July 12-14, 2024 Who’s playing: Liam Gallagher, Gerry Cinnamon, Calvin Harris, Garbage, The Snuts, Declan McKenna, Sugababes, Lauren Spencer Smith, Jalen Ngonda, Example, The Last Dinner Party, Matt Maltese, Nieve Ella, SiiGHTS, Courteeners, Rick Astley, The Mary Wallopers, NewDad, Vistas, Caity Baser, Katie GregsonMacLeod, Dead Pony, Royel Otis, Chase & Status, Tom Grennan, Blossoms, Bakar, Baby Queen, CMAT, Enter Shikari, The Reytons, Nova Twins, Wasia Project, Rachel Chinouriri, Sprints Find out more at: trnsmtfest.com WIRELESS FESTIVAL

Where: Finsbury Park, London When: July 12-14, 2024 Who’s playing: Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, J Hus, Doja Cat, Future, Ice Spice, Sean Paul, Gunna, Asake, Rema, Tyla, Flo Milli, Digga D, Don Oliver, Sexxy Red, Fridayy Find out more at: wirelessfestival. co.uk

TRUCK FESTIVAL

HILL FARM, OXFORDSHIRE, 25-28 JULY 2024

KENDAL CALLING

Where: Lowther Deer Park, Lake District When: July 25-28, 2024 Who’s playing: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Streets, Paolo Nutini, The Snuts, Sugababes, CMAT, Pale Waves, Flowerovlove, Kate Nash, DEADLETTER, Katy B, Peace, 86TVs, Sundara Karma Find out more at: kendalcalling.co.uk LATITUDE FESTIVAL

Where: Henham Park, Suffolk When: July 25-28, 2024 Who’s playing: Duran Duran, Kasabian, Keane, London Grammar, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Orbital, Rick Astley, Khruangbin, Rag’n’Bone Man, The Vaccines, Future Islands, The Mary Wallopers, Picture Parlour, Mary in the Junkyard, Caity Baser, Baby Queen, Lankum, Swim Deep, Blusher, Marika Hackman, Been Stellar, Big Special, English Teacher, Fat Dog, DEADLETTER Find out more at: latitudefestival.com

→ Get ready for an unforgettable weekend as Truck Festival returns to Hill Farm, Oxfordshire, from July 25th to 28th, 2024. This beloved festival, known for its vibrant atmosphere and eclectic line-up, promises a weekend bursting with character and incredible live music. This year’s bill spans from indie icons to rising stars and festival favourites. Headliners include Jamie T, Wet Leg, The Streets, and IDLES. But the excitement doesn’t stop there. The festival has curated an impressive array of artists that cater to a wide range of musical tastes. From the indie-pop sensibilities of The Kooks and Declan McKenna to the emotive storytelling of Holly Humberstone and the anthemic blast of Sea Girls, there’s something for everyone at Truck Festival. We’re not done there, though. Dork’s Night Out will be taking over The Nest on Sunday, July 28th, with a specially curated line-up featuring some of our fave artists and fresh talent. Headlined by the dynamic and thought-provoking Bob Vylan, the night will also feature Personal Trainer, Heartworms, Mary In The Junkyard, Vlure and more. With an incredible line-up that also includes the likes of Soft Play, Peace, NewDad, Lime Garden, Black Honey, Yard Act, Katy B, The Snuts, The Magic Gang, Been Stellar, Nieve Ella, English Teacher, and Fat Dog, as well as... erm... Barry from Eastenders(?), you can grab your tickets now at truckfestival.com and prepare for a weekend that will leave a lasting impression on your summer.

NOT

MISS

WET LEG Since their breakout hit ‘Chaise Longue,’ Wet Leg have become a positive powerhouse. With their debut album topping charts and earning critical acclaim, their headlining performance at Truck Festival is set to be a highly anticipated and memorable event. Expect a set filled with their signature wit, charm, and undeniable musical prowess. HEARTWORMS Heartworms, led by the enigmatic Jojo Orme, brings a dark and goth-inspired post-punk sound to the Truck Festival line-up. Orme’s intense live performances and avant-garde style challenge preconceived notions of fragility, delivering powerful and emotive music that captivates audiences. MARY IN THE JUNKYARD Mary In The Junkyard’s music is characterised by haunting melodies, emotive storytelling, and a unique blend of indie and folk influences Their live performances create an intimate and captivating atmosphere that draws the audience in and leaves a lasting impression.

SOFT PLAY

HEAVY JELLY THE NEW ALBUM OUT JULY 19TH UK TOUR ON SALE JUNE 21ST SOFTPLAYBAND.COM

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BEST NEW NAMES.

SOFT THIS

MONTH

NEW MUSIC → Dylan has released a new single, ‘Perfect Revenge’. The follow-up to recent drops ‘The Alibi’ and ‘Rebel Child’, it’s billed as the first glimpse into a new body of work due out later in 2024 “My perfect revenge is releasing a song called ‘Perfect Revenge’,” Dylan explains. “I am hoping the person the song is about will hear it everywhere they go, making me completely inescapable. You can run, but you can’t hide!”

→ Dolores Forever have announced their debut album, with ‘It’s Nothing’ set to arrive on 20th September. The duo explain it’s a “punchy indie-pop record about feminism, friendship and navigating a messed up world. It blows our minds that the music industry is obsessed with hearing from people who are just 21. As we’ve gotten into our thirties, we have so many more stories, and so much more to say.”

32. DORK

FROM FRENZIED LIVE SHOWS AND ALL-STAR CO-SIGNS TO ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING UNVEILINGS OF 2024 SO FAR, SOFT LAUNCH AREN’T AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS. WORDS: JAMIE MUIR.

WORDS: JENNIFER MCCORD.

HYPE

→ When we asked pop superstar CMAT

“ E V E R Y O N E ’ S P R O M O T I N G THEMSELVES ONLINE, TO DO IT THE OTHER WAY WITH SHOWS IS QUITE SURREAL”

which new act everyone should be keeping an eye on, the answer was “Soft Launch”. When we asked pop superstar Declan McKenna which new act everyone should be keeping an eye on, the answer - again - was “Soft Launch”. When it comes to word-of-mouth, few acts are as buzzy right now as this up-and-coming fivesome. Stacking fans into packed pubs for a serving of their sugar-rush of genres and pop magic, they’re a band ready to take over. “We’ve been full-throttle,” reflects Conor Price. It’s a stunning spring afternoon in the heart of Brighton, just off from the city centre. Later that evening, they’ll headline The Paris House, a small pub steeped in history the way that only pubs can be, the type of venue that has become a bit of a second home for the band (annual Christmas shows already and organically. It fell into itself.” “With all of us doing other work and firm fixtures in the diary), and which tonight will be bursting at capacity with bits, it kinda gave us that peace of mind that all of us have that same hunger, and feverish excitement. Poised and ready to erupt out of the this is what everyone wants to do,” Henry traps, it’s been a matter of weeks since notes. “We’ve all been juggling that for the the release of ‘Cartwheels’ - an opening last year/two years, and now we’re at this salvo of fizzing indie-pop energy that, in point where we all are…” “… REALLY GOOD JUGGLERS,” bursts the space of its two minutes, lays down the twists and multi-faceted directions of Josh, to the agreement of the whole band. the world Soft Launch inhabit - and that “We’ve been waiting to do this for ages; crackle of excitement is in the air. Josh just do Soft Launch”, adds Ben. “To focus McClorey laughs just thinking about it. on one thing”. To catch Soft Launch live is to catch “Putting out music is great, but you are just putting it from one file in a folder on a party distilled into one voice. Jumping between instruments, trading vocals with your laptop to another, y’know?!” The reaction says it all. Sold-out shows each other - they flip the expected script. and ‘need to be there’ moments: it’s what It’s what has drawn so many in. “Honestly, Soft Launch are all about. They had they’ve been putting out the music for queues around the block before releasing us!” cracks Josh. “There’s a real core any music, rules thrown firmly out of the group who’ve been to loads of our shows window. “It feels like quite the opposite - they’ve bootlegged all of our sets and put way, I guess, of how bands and artists are it on Soundcloud.” “They’re saved on local files on breaking now,” ponders Josh. “Everyone’s promoting themselves online, and it’s, of Spotify,” continues Henry. “We love it course, such a huge way of growing your though because they don’t, of course, band and stuff, but to do it the other know the names of some of these songs, way with shows and being in-person is so they like to guess what the name is quite surreal, and that’s quite funny too and the lyrics too.” The band crack a because it’s a way that’s like, always been smile recalling some of the early takes there?!” It’s at those shows where their already filling their inboxes and comment ambition comes firmly to the fore. “Doing sections. “They’re like… not 100% right,” the gigs and seeing people in the crowd he laughs. It’s that appetite for Soft know those songs is the pay-off. That’s been really exciting, watching that grow with fans knowing more and more songs. Honestly, it was a couple of gigs in when it all started to happen. It was the start of the year, in particular, when we started noticing that something was going on. We played this show in East London, and when we got to the venue, 10 or 11 kids were waiting outside while we were loading in with Soft Launch t-shirts on. That was when it felt unreal.” If the rise of Soft Launch feels undeniably natural, it’s because it is. With years of different projects under their individual and collective belts, it was only a matter of time before that bond took them to what Soft Launch could be. Starting out as a handful of songs written as a bit of fun without a clear end goal, the wider vision of what they could be soon began to formulate. Josh and Henry Pearce, along with Conor, Benedict Quinn and Ben Limmer, clicked into something altogether bigger. “We had a bit of a eureka moment: ‘Maybe we should put those songs together and make some more songs and add some more members?’” lays out Josh. “The gigs and the way the band has grown; it’s all come quite slowly over time

JOSH

MCCLOREY

Launch that says it all, though. With ‘Cartwheels’ serving as a selfdescribed “punch in the face that really sets up everything to come”, new single ‘Piano Hands’ is all slinking piano lines, shuffling grooves, and lush ABBA-esque harmonies meet scuzzy breakdowns and whipping electro-soaked underground club kicks. It’s a cocktail that sets Soft Launch apart from the rest, a track that, at the flick of a switch, morphs into a completely different beast. It’s ambitious, bold, and gutsy in the best way possible. With a whole album already recorded, Soft Launch are aiming squarely at the top. “That was quite conscious at the start of all of this,” explains Josh. “To get an album together even before we met our manager or before we got a table or anything like that. We wanted to figure out exactly what that was because things can change, and once things all start, then it’s too late to be working it all out.” What comes next? To “build everywhere we can and try to get our band out there as much as possible. We want to be quite global, y’know?!” All five burst into laughter. “Well… sell as many t-shirts as we can,” adds Josh. Replace the bootlegs too, right? “Hmm, maybe!” You get the point. Soft Launch are the band you should be very excited about. Let the fun begin. ■

GETTING

KNOW...

TINY HABITS

FROM HUMBLE DORM ROOMS TO HEADLINE TOURS, RED-HOT TRIO TINY HABITS MAKE AN INDELIBLE MARK WITH LUSH SONGCRAFT AND SEARING LYRICAL HONESTY. → Tiny Habits buzz with a special kind of magic, an organic alchemy that has propelled the trio into rarified artistic realms. As they unveil their highlyanticipated debut album ‘All For Something’, their journey represents a masterclass in songcraft and creative kinship. The three kindred spirits met at Berklee College of Music in fateful fashion. “We all met at Berklee College of Music here in Boston. It was during Covid, so school was basically online, so we kind of met on Instagram,” Maya Rae recounts. “I invited Judah and Cinya over one night after quarantine to sing with me in my dorm, and the rest is history!” “As we started posting videos, we definitely saw that people were really moved by them and what we were creating,” says Rae. “It was cool to see people from all over interacting with us, and we felt so excited to keep creating together.” Distilling their essence, Cinya Khan simply offers: “Honest, human, and harmony.” These hallmarks radiate through ‘All For Something’, the empowering title affirming their shared purpose. “It took us forever to find a title. We thought we had cracked the code a couple of times, but then the creative process would continue, and those titles would no longer feel fitting,” Khan explains. “After recording our song ‘Wishes’, which feels like one of the album’s highlights, we took another stab at album titles. The song’s last line is ‘I wish these wishes weren’t all for nothing’, so we decided it would be beautiful to spin that around and title the album ‘All For Something’.” Recording with producer Tony Berg challenged them creatively. “He pushed us in ways we had never been pushed before,” Khan says. “It was so interesting and necessary to have someone observe and challenge the way we arranged vocally. We had a very Tiny Habits way of harmonising, and working with Tony brought a totally different perspective that gave us more freedom than we felt we had before, which, interestingly, often came from limiting ourselves in certain ways.” “Any word you say will spark something in Tony Berg’s brain, and the next thing you know, you’re listening to anything from Gregorian Chants to Radiohead,” marvels Khan. For Judah Mayowa, ‘All For Something’ represents their evolution with each composer’s individual style converging. “We’ve worked hard to find our sound since starting the band,” he says. “All of us are writers and musicians with individual creative styles which we’ve used to help form our joint sound. With this album, we allowed ourselves to try new things and be open to others’ ideas, even if they weren’t what we’re typically used to.” Touring with giants provided wisdom, too. “We’ve been so fortunate to tour and meet some amazing artists and have gotten to watch and learn from them up close,” Mayowa explains. “Seeing those artists work as hard as they do and be really decisive and intentional about everything that represents them has truly inspired us to do the same.” ■

READDORK.COM 33.

HYPE

GETTING

GIRL SCOUT

KNOW...

WITH A NEW SINGLE AND A SUMMER OF TOURING AHEAD, THE STOCKHOLM QUARTET ARE READY TO BARE THEIR SOULS AND TAKE ON THE WORLD.

FROM LEARNING GRANDMA’S PIANO TO CRAFTING GRUNGETINGED ALT-POP, KING ISIS SHAPES INTROSPECTIVE GEMS SCULPTED BY HERITAGE AND SELF-EXAMINATION. WORDS: JAKE HAWKES. PHOTO: JENNIFER MCCORD.

→ Most musicians remember the first time

they picked up an instrument. For new Dirty Hit signing King Isis, that moment wasn’t at a music shop or in a lesson at school; it was learning to play her great-great grandma’s piano as a child. “She was one of the first Black opera singers in Chicago,” says Isis. “At the time, it was a huge thing to have that opportunity to sing as a Black person in the USA, so she’s a real inspiration for me – her name was Omega King, which is why I named myself King Isis.” With this, as well as her grandad playing in jazz bands across Europe and America, Isis’ musical heritage stretches through their history and upbringing. But while this heritage may have been the impetus for them to first start playing music, they take inspiration from much further afield than just the professional musicians in their family. Debut EP ‘Scales’ was an alt-pop exploration of the self, while more recent EP ‘Shed’ delves deep into the concept of ‘shadow work’, the practice of working with the subconscious to uncover repressed or hidden parts of yourself. It’s a grungier, darker take on the same themes as ‘Scales’, showcasing an artist who refuses to be bound be genre and can hop between sounds without compromising a clear and immediate sense of self. “I love world-building,” they explain. “Even if I’m not showing it to other people directly, it helps me to gain clarity and locate songs within the world I’m trying to create. These two EPS are conceptualised within that and designed to exist together in the same space. Same world, but different vibes and different sides of myself. “I thought of ‘Scales’ as an introduction to me as an artist, so we kept it stripped back, sparse, and quite poppy. But with

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maybe one more EP and then ideally a full album in spring 2025, which is crazy to even be able to say out loud!” It might seem ambitious to be planning not just the next release but the one after that as well, but signing to a label has given Isis the breathing room necessary to look further ahead. “I had like five jobs before I signed,” they laugh. “And they were all just to make rent and fund my music, so to not KING ISIS have to pay for literally everything out of pocket and have the chance to just make ‘Shed’, the themes of shadow work and music – it’s a real blessing. Plus, I’ve got a introspection are more dominant, and label who understand me and understand those aren’t clean or easy processes, so alternative music, so I don’t have to worry inevitably, it’s got a darker feel to it. Those about getting pitched into some kind of topics are definitely heavier, but for me, it’s urban thing, just because I’m Black.” about being more vulnerable with myself Away from recorded output, being and with the audience now I’ve introduced able to focus completely on their music myself musically.” has also meant Isis has been able to play To switch sounds so soon after releasing shows as far away from her native Oakland your first EP could be seen as a bold move, as London and Brighton, two places they but you get the sense that every decision didn’t expect to be able to pack out rooms. Isis makes is planned and conceptualised “I’ve played some shows in the UK now and well in advance. Throughout our it feels like some people have come just conversation, they make reference to long- to see me, which is kinda crazy,” they say term thinking and ensuring that each new with a laugh. “I hadn’t expected people to release makes perfect sense within the know my songs anywhere! Honestly people world they’re trying to create. knowing the songs is a little more pressure “It’s important for it to all tie together,” for me than when I was completely they say. “Even with the different unknown, but it’s also so special to see sounds of the releases, I still exist in the people resonate and vibe with my music.” alternative space, and those EPs are Two well-received EPs, shows on both representations of me, and both another continent where people know the cover different angles on the same stuff, songs, it’s all pretty good going for an artist so that connection brings them together who’s so fresh out of the gate, but that and makes them work. That’s why I’m doesn’t mean there aren’t milestones still not rushing into things. I find inspiration to be hit. “I think my ultimate dream would everywhere, from conversations, music, be to get my song in a movie soundtrack books, anything. But for my next project, I though – a Euphoria-esque moment. If need to take a step back from all that and you or your readers know anyone from take some thinking time. I’m hoping I’ll do Euphoria, tell them to hit me up.” ■

“MY ULTIMATE DREAM WOULD BE TO GET MY SONG IN A MOVIE SOUNDTRACK”

→ Girl Scout are living the dream - if the dream involves sitting in traffic, driving the roads of dear old Blighty. Embarking on a UK tour, playing shows night after night, the Swedish indie rockers are revelling in the thrill of doing what they love. As guitarist and vocalist Emma Jansson answers our questions, the band are en route to Birmingham’s Sunflower Lounge for the second gig of their run. “British audiences are always so welcoming and kind; it’s always such a pleasure to play for them!” Jansson enthuses when asked what she most looks forward to when visiting the country. “And Greggs, of course.” Since the release of their acclaimed second EP, ‘Granny Music’, in September 2023, Girl Scout have been on a creative tear. “As always, we’ve been writing a lot of new music, planning tours, and preparing for new releases,” Jansson reveals. “Lately, we’ve really been enjoying showing up to rehearsal and writing songs on the spot together. It’s a process full of surprises, and it really reinvented our songwriting process.” This spontaneous approach has yielded electrifying results, as evidenced by their explosive new single, ‘I Just Needed You To Know’. Born from an impromptu jam session, the track is a testament to the band’s intuitive chemistry and unbridled creativity. “Sometimes, before our rehearsals, we play around with ideas and jam. On this particular day, Viktor started playing a riff that we thought was fun, and we started writing music around it. About 30 minutes later, we pretty much had the whole song finished,” Jansson recounts. “The spontaneous energy followed into the recording and mixing process. Everything went easy because the song pretty much plays itself.” Drawing from a rich tapestry of musical influences, Girl Scout have crafted a sound that pays homage to the greats while carving out their own unique sonic territory. “Our musical choices are very influenced by the stuff we listen to, bands like Blur and Pixies,” Jansson notes. As they gear up for a summer of touring, including a highly anticipated stint supporting Canadian indie darlings Alvvays, Girl Scout are ready to take on the world. “That tour is a dream come true for us. Alvvays was one of our biggest inspirations when we started the band, and it feels like a full circle moment following them along on tour!” Jansson exclaims. When they’re not on stage or in the studio, the band are voracious music consumers, drawing inspiration from a wide range of artists. “Anything and everything, really. Viktor basically only listens to Brad Mehldau all day, every day; the rest of us listen to a lot of our peers; Wednesday, Ratboys, Deerhoof, Katy Kirby, and The Lemon Twigs are faves at the moment,” Jansson shares. While tight-lipped about their future plans, Jansson hints at big things on the horizon. “There are some big things happening in the future; let’s just leave it at that!” she teases. Oh, and one more thing – “Dave Rowntree from Blur posted about us on Instagram, which is completely insane!” Jansson gushes. If that’s not a sign of big things to come, we don’t know what is. ■

HYPE

CORK’S GENRE-DEFYING CARDINALS CHANNEL THEIR CITY’S IDIOSYNCRASIES INTO A DIZZYING ARTISTIC REVOLUTION ON THEIR BRILLIANT DEBUT EP. WORDS: STEPHEN ACKROYD. PHOTO: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT. THIS

MONTH

NEW MUSIC

→ Towa Bird has announced her debut album, ‘American Hero’, set for release on 28th June. “These songs are me being completely honest about queer love and all its essence,” Towa explains. “I grew up listening to so many male-gazey love songs, and it was important to put something out into the world that felt like the music I wanted for myself when I was a kid.”

→ She’s In Parties have announced their second EP. ‘Puppet Show’ will be released on 25th October via Submarine Cat Records. They’ve also shared the title-track. Vocalist Katie Dillon says of the song: “In the past I’ve felt pressure to have an online presence. These were the times where I felt I just wanted to ignore all my problems and procrastinate. Pushing music through my online image isn’t something I find easy and this song reflects this psychological battle.”

→ Heriot have announced their debut album, ‘Devoured by the Mouth of Hell’. The long-awaited full-length will be released 27th September via Century Media, teased by new single ‘Foul Void’, recorded with Josh Middleton (Sylosis, Architects) and Will Putney (END, Fit For An Autopsy, Better Lovers). The metallers comment: “‘Foul Void’ was one of the last tracks written for our debut album, Devoured by the Mouth of Hell. Sonically influenced by ’90s and early 00’s metalcore, the song delves into the inner struggle of an individual facing uncertainties about their faith.”

“IT SOUNDS SAPPY, BUT THE OVERARCHING HIGHLIGHT OF THE BAND IS THE CONNECTION WE’VE MADE WITH EACH OTHER”

shoegaze’s opiate textures, the plainspoken vulnerability of Irish folk, and industrial-strength our part-time jobs in the country club. Not a lot riffs into something both exhilaratingly modern of people know, but we love to dance,” Cardinals’ and blissfully familiar. vocalist/guitarist Euan Manning grins when Their newest single, the sub-two-minute asked what the band do for fun. “When we’re not adrenaline shot ‘Nineteen’, epitomises that working, you’ll find us in a basement underneath bold eclecticism. “It came from a desire to write the country club, dancing salsa all night long. But something short and poppy,” Euan shares. “I there’s one rule: You can’t mix with the guests. had been listening to Buddy Holly when I wrote Professionalism is a priority. But that doesn’t it; he’s got some great short songs. I’ll let the bother us. All we care about is dancing.” listener take what they want when it comes to You think you’re interviewing a band about the meaning; it’s very open to interpretation, and their new single and debut EP, and you find out it should stay that way.” that, actually, they’re the staff at Kellerman’s, “It’s a continuation; it’s different from what eager to engage in a bit of dirty dancing. With an ingenious sense of humour and EUAN MANNING came before, but certainly part of the same story,” he continues. “It’s another side to the audacious enthusiasm blazing through, the Irish six-piece can be many things - a dizzying genre as “pop music at its core, personal, youthful, EP. Blindly confident and positive, perhaps too cyclone, a celebration of youth’s evanescent and, if you can see past the chaos and noise, much so for its own good at times. That’s ok, too. deliriums, an ode to their beloved Cork’s extremely warm,” the six tracks are a reservoir There are worse qualities.” A fascinating paradox idiosyncrasies. But at their core, Cardinals of ingenuity - mates pouring their souls into an - youthful ebullience shaped into a spiralling are a tight-knit crew of lifelong friends whose audacious artistic vision. “Being in a band and cyclone of nervous energy. A juxtaposition infectious camaraderie fuels their chameleonic being an artist lives up to the hype; we have slicing to the heart of Cardinals’ artistic DNA as artistic vision. Six pals who also happen to love to write and play music to sustain our well- virtuosic storytellers spinning emotional truths being,” Euan states frankly. “It sounds sappy, from life’s frenetic uncertainties. clandestine salsa sessions. Recorded last summer with producer Richie At the time of this interview, the gang are but the overarching highlight of the band is enjoying a rare respite. “Darragh’s gone to see the connection we’ve made with each other. It’s Kennedy, the EP is, in Euan’s utilitarian terms, “a collection of songs taken from over a few Mitski,” Euan shares. “Finn’s working. The rest great having close friends.” “Of course, there are highs and lows,” he offers. years of playing, embodying a work suitable to of us are just savouring the sunshine.” Moments introduce ourselves.” But once sequenced, “it of downtime must prove fleeting for the rapidly “That’s ok. What’s one without the other?” That fraternal bond shines through their became clear that there were some underlying ascending Cardinals. Their transcendent selftitled debut EP, due this spring on So Young kinetic performances and the intuitive interplay themes and a story for anyone who wanted to Records, captures a spirit of relentless artistic of their dizzying sonic tapestries. From the look for it. We just ordered them in a way that cultivation - the sort of achievement that doesn’t suitably titled ‘Twist and Turn’ to the swirling, made the most narrative sense to us.” ‘Nineteen’ lands toward the tracklist’s climax, lend itself to huge amounts of rest and relaxation. nostalgia-tinted ‘Unreal’, they’ve already Born from a sound they aptly describe teased an aesthetic weaving 60s pop idealism, “a full-circle moment on the EP thematically,” according to Euan. “Sonically, it’s pop-filled with repetition and a build that could be seen as invigorating or anxiety-inducing, depending on how you hear it.” Cardinals’ lyrics frankly confront the humdrum heartaches and existential crossroads of forging an identity in a city oscillating between the charming and monotonous. As they put it, “We’re inspired by the city we’re in and the music scene that’s here... People are working hard on their own projects, and that makes us work hard to keep up.” That cultured petri dish is Cork, with its own fiercely self-determined identity. “I cannot speak too much on the Dublin music scene,” Euan admits. “The bands sound markedly different, is all I would say; that could come as a direct effect of Cork wanting to differentiate itself from the rest of the country. In Cork, it’s Cork first, Ireland second. We’ve got great pride in our county.” For Cardinals, the highest aspiration is to inspire with their ingenuity. “We hope people hear our music and feel inspired to do something themselves,” Euan shares. “We also hope it continues to act as an outlet and free therapy; we do it for ourselves as much as anyone else.” If their opening missive is any indication, that goal is well within reach for this uncompromising creative tour-de-force. Because at its core, Cardinals’ sound is the defiant spark of a revolution - six fresh voices rising against the mundane, armed with invention, humour, and an audacious enthusiasm to stir the soul. One thing is abundantly clear: nobody puts Cardinals in the corner. ■

→ “We love getting away in the summer to work

READDORK.COM 35.

HYPE

CHINCHILLA

GETTING

KNOW...

RADIO FREE ALICE WITH THEIR SIGHTS SET HIGH, THE MELBOURNE-BASED QUINTET ARE EMBARKING ON THEIR FIRST UK TOUR, ARMED WITH A NEW SINGLE AND AN ECLECTIC UPCOMING EP.

→ Nestled in the cosy confines of Folklore, a charming London venue, Radio Free Alice are gearing up for their second-ever UK show. The Melbourne-based quintet, consisting of Noah Learmonth (vocals, guitar), Michael Phillips (bass, saxophone), Jules Paradiso (guitar), Maayan Bar Natan (keys), and Lochie Dowd (drums), has just kicked off their inaugural UK tour, and the excitement is palpable. “We played YES Basement in Manchester a couple of days ago to kick off this run,” Noah reveals, as the band settles into the venue’s bar area. The tour marks a significant milestone for Radio Free Alice, who have been making waves in their hometown’s thriving music scene. The band’s origins can be traced back to Noah and Jules’ high school days, when they started playing together at the tender age of 14 under the moniker Machine Gun Etiquette, Noah explains. “The band’s been through a few iterations, but about two and a half years ago, Michael and Lochie joined us after we moved to Melbourne. I met Michael and Lochie through Melbourne Uni. We played as a four-piece for about 18 months until Maayan joined on keys. We met Maayan through the music scene in Melbourne. We played in another band together called the Daily Commuters, and that’s how we got close.” Melbourne, it seems, has been a catalyst for Radio Free Alice’s growth and development as a band. “Melbourne is brilliant for music. So many talented, interesting bands, and it’s an extremely inclusive community,” Noah enthuses. “There are about a dozen local bands that are prominent in the underground scene, and no one in the industry knows about who could easily be massive. For us, the move from Sydney to Melbourne was huge.” Now, with their sights set on conquering the UK music scene, Radio Free Alice are embarking on their first tour across the pond. “We arrived in the UK a few days ago. So far, we have only played one show in Manchester with the Belair Lip Bombs and Cardinals, which was great,” Noah recounts. The band’s longterm plans involve a potential move, too. “We’ve got our sights set on the UK as somewhere we will probably move at some point, though we’re not quite sure when yet.” Radio Free Alice’s latest single, ‘2010’, is a testament to their knack for crafting introspective, relatable tunes. “Lyrically, the song is about being young and wanting to be in love in an outlawish sorta way. It’s kinda about a boy fantasising about a Thelma and Louise type romance, but the closest he can get to his Louise is writing his name under hers on a bathroom stall. It’s about teen loneliness, I guess,” Noah explains. As for their long-term goals, Radio Free Alice aren’t shy about their hopes and dreams. “We are an ambitious band, and we try not to be awkward about that, although it feels like sometimes you’re supposed to be.” With their infectious energy, relatable lyrics, and a sound that blends post-punk sensibilities with a distinctly Australian flavour, Radio Free Alice are poised to make a mark. As they hustle off to continue their first UK tour, it’s clear that this is just the beginning. And hey, maybe we get to keep them for a while, too. Wouldn’t that be nice? ■

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FROM A VIRAL HIT TO ICONIC BEHAVIOUR, CHINCHILLA MORE THAN OWNS THAT POP STAR PERSONA.

WORDS: STEPHEN ACKROYD. PHOTO: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.

→ Over the last year, CHINCHILLA has

been making waves. The London-born singer, songwriter, and producer has been on a meteoric rise, thanks in no small part to her breakout hit ‘Little Girl Gone’, which has racked up over 200 million streams and solidified her status as a force to be reckoned with. Now, with the release of her EP ‘FLYTRAP’, she’s ready to take things to the next level. But amidst all the excitement, CHINCHILLA remains as down-to-earth as ever - with a touch of added pop star swagger. When asked what she’s been up to today, she casually reveals that she’s been soaking in the bath while conducting creative meetings. “How’s that for iconic?” she quips. Iconic indeed, but it’s just another day in the life of an artist who is constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. CHINCHILLA has been hard at work on ‘FLYTRAP’, pouring her heart and soul into every track. “I’ve been working on [it] forfuckingever,” she reveals, her excitement palpable. “So I’m beaming and can’t wait for all the festivals I have booked this summer.” Of course, it’s impossible to talk about CHINCHILLA’s recent success without mentioning the track that catapulted her to viral fame. ‘Little Girl Gone’’s raw, unapologetic energy struck a chord with the masses, tapping into a universal need for catharsis and release. “I think lots of people feel the need to scream sometimes, and they suppress

it. And that’s where it came from for me,” CHINCHILLA explains. The song’s popularity skyrocketed almost overnight, catching even CHINCHILLA herself off guard. “It was genuinely from the very first teaser. It hit a million views overnight,” she reveals. That sudden surge of attention was both exhilarating and overwhelming. “Honestly, from that moment, my life completely turned upside down.” But ‘Little Girl Gone’ was more than just a viral sensation; it opened up a world of new opportunities for the rising star. “All sorts of doors. It was giving Monsters Inc,” she jokes, before turning more reflective. “I think the best thing it’s given me is the means to be able to create so many more of the visions and ideas swirling around my brain.” And that’s exactly what she’s done with ‘FLYTRAP’, a deeply personal EP that explores themes of control, possession, and breaking free. The concept behind the project is rooted in CHINCHILLA’s own experiences of feeling stifled in the music industry. “It’s about being controlled or possessed, and breaking out of that,” she explains. “My mum has an open-hand analogy: ‘When you hold something tightly, you kill it, and that’s what flytraps do’. I’ve had the concept for so long.” This sense of vulnerability is vividly depicted in the EP’s creative, which features CHINCHILLA dressed as a fly, standing in a hand. “The artwork for every

“ HAVE SOME CHEEKY LITTLE SURPRISES UP MY SLEEVE” CHINCHILLA

single that has led up to the EP has been taken in a white voidy space. A prisonlike, but quite beautiful, space. It shows entrapment,” she elaborates. “I’m dressed as a fly on the EP cover and standing in a hand to mirror possession and, I guess, a lack of freedom - it was a bit of a nod to feeling so tied down in 2022. I’d split with my management and label and felt like my wings were being clipped.” But ‘FLYTRAP’ isn’t just a reflection on past struggles; it’s a triumphant declaration of independence and selfempowerment. “Sometimes, you trap yourself, too. This EP was total liberation to me and was me re-finding my power,” she asserts. “I get so gassed by every song. I’m genuinely obsessed. Also, any excuse to dress as a couture fly, right?” With eight tracks, ‘FLYTRAP’ is a substantial offering, but CHINCHILLA is already eager to share more. “Honey, I got a lot more songs than that waiting to come out. The truth is that I couldn’t choose and have soooo many I want to get out into the world,” she reveals. “I just wanted this EP to be a body of work and a whole meal. I love the concept. Every song felt so right.” And while she’s thrilled to finally share ‘FLYTRAP’, CHINCHILLA is already looking ahead to her next big project. “I’m sooo excited to start work on the debut album, whenever that may be… maybe she already has,” she teases, hinting that the wheels may already be in motion for her first full-length record. In the meantime, ‘FLYTRAP’ is a triumph, a collection of songs that showcase CHINCHILLA’s incredible range as an artist and her fearless approach to songwriting. From the defiant anthem ‘Little Girl Gone’ to more introspective tracks like ‘1:5’, the EP is a testament to CHINCHILLA’s talent and her unwavering commitment to her craft. How’s that for iconic? ■

FIRST ON →

THE FRESHEST NEW TALENT TO CHECK OUT THIS MONTH

BROGEAL

FROM LOCKDOWN GARDEN JAMS TO SUPPORTING PAOLO NUTINI, SCOTTISH FOLK RISERS BRÒGEAL RIDE A CELTIC REVIVAL. WORDS: JAKE HAWKES. PHOTO: JENNIFER MCCORD.

records out to America and Japan, band Brògeal. Riding a resurgent which is huge for us. Even just the wave of traditional Celtic music feeling of holding it in your hands is but blending it with their own indie like a mad fantasy, it doesn’t really feel sensibilities, what started as a bit of like it should be happening. A bit of lockdown fun has quickly spiralled imposter syndrome there maybe – but into something much, much bigger. fuck it, the tunes are class!” With increased success comes “We’re supporting the Wolfe Tones in Finsbury Park and Paolo Nutini, with bigger stages to fill (not least the TRNSMT festival in the middle – and Finsbury Park slot we mentioned that’s all in the same week!” laughs earlier), a transition which bands can guitarist / vocalist Daniel Harkins often struggle with. Couple that with when asked about their future plans. playing in a genre more traditionally It’s a far cry from what they associated with cramped pubs than expected when they first got stadium tours, and you’d forgive together in a garden in the Northern Brògeal for being a bit nervous about Scottish town of Falkirk, just looking what’s to come. Don’t worry though, for something to do to pass the time. they’re not. “Every night’s Wembley,” Before that, each of the members had says accordion player Sam MacMillan been in various bands ranging from with a grin. “It always works. If there’s alcohol indie to punk, but a shared loved of both Scottish and Irish folk music involved, it works,” laughs Daniel. led them towards trying something “We’ve got pub songs, but we write them as a five-piece in quite an different. “Lockdown was good for us,” anthemic way, so I think they suit acknowledges Daniel. “We just sat those big stages. If the stage is bigger, there and wrote tune after tune until it just means you have to be bigger. we were allowed back out of the house, You’d think we’d be nervous because so we came out to a time when a lot of we’d only done smaller shows and we bands were just getting started, and we were absolutely raring to go with 26 songs under our belt. “That said, we started this back when there wasn’t a lot of Celtic music about, so it’s all come as a bit of a surprise how much it’s blown up. Ireland and Scotland seem to be reinventing their culture in a positive way because of the political climate in both countries – people are feeling the spirit of it all in their bones. That’s not to say we’re making music in an antagonistic way; we’ve just always been brought up listening to the Wolfe Tones and the Dubliners and stuff like that, so when me and Aidan [Callaghan, the band’s vocalist / banjo player] got together it was always gonna sound like it does. But when the boys jump in on it, it’s different again because we write the music as indie songs, but with the instruments we play, there’s a fresh sound.” If lockdown was good timing for the band, their luck has continued. Their recent self-titled EP was released just after a huge support slot for fellow Celtic folk act Mary Wallopers, which saw them playing sold-out thousand cap venues across the country. It wasn’t exactly a bad way to introduce themselves to a wider audience. Whether as a result of this newfound audience or just word of mouth about the band themselves, the EP felt like a real milestone in their journey thus far. “The timing’s been pretty good for us ever since the start,” acknowledges Aidan. “Coming off the tour with the Wallopers, we really had the wind in our sails, and it’s all lined up really nicely. People have been buzzing about the EP too. We’ve shipped → It’s a good time to be Scottish folk

FLORA ROSE

→ Flora Rose grabs the attention with her debut EP, ‘Synthetic Flowers For A Romantic Comedy’. Blending introspective lyrics and ethereal melodies, tracks like ‘The Brown Eyed Driver’ and ‘You’ve Been On My Mind’ fuse genres, creating a sound reminiscent of Taylor Swift and The 1975 with an intimate, DIY touch. Watch out, world - Flora’s coming for your heart!

PAIGE KENNEDY

→ Alt-pop provocateur Paige Kennedy’s latest single ‘Lingerie Model’ is a cheeky exploration of body image and identity, while last year’s EP ‘Doubles’ showcases their unique blend of pop, electronic, funk, and indie flavours. With wit and storytelling chops, Paige proves they’re not afraid to push all the right buttons.

CHLOE SLATER

→ Manchester indie queen Chloe Slater’s debut EP, ‘You Can’t Put A Price On Fun’, is a rallying cry for disillusioned Gen-Z youth. Tracks like ‘Nothing Shines On This Island’, ‘24 Hours’ and ‘Price On Fun’ blend indie rock grit with catchy pop hooks, while Chloe’s poignant lyrics tackle the personal and political. With that certain indefinable something something that marks out a future star, she’s one to watch very, very closely indeed.

HYPE

work on it – you don’t get that with

“WE’VE GOT covers.” “Listening to old folk songs, bits of B A N G E R S them get passed around,” adds Aidan. listen to one song, and you hear FALLING OUT “You another, and you can hear that they’re OF OUR ARSE” based on the same tune or the same

story, so there’s a bit of license there for us to use themes from other folk songs without covering them were walking out to like a thousand wholesale.” people, two thousand some nights, “I think it stems from our but we just fucking revelled in it.” backgrounds being in rock bands This touches on another key facet and punk bands,” says bassist Euan of the band – they write and play their Mundie. “You have to play your own own songs almost exclusively. Celtic stuff in those genres, you can’t come folk as a genre is traditionally built on on stage and just play classic punk covers and reworks of old songs, with songs. I would also say that we’re the Dubliners, the Wolfe Tones, and talking about it now as if we think The Mary Wallopers all performing a about it a lot, but it’s all very natural. mix of old and new. Brògeal’s decision For us, it makes sense to play our to instead play their own material is own stuff because all our songs just one that wasn’t conscious but is key fall out of us. If a song doesn’t stick to their identity as a band. “We like immediately, then it doesn’t stick – it playing covers, but we’re songwriters,” isn’t some laborious process.” explains Daniel. “We like writing our “Nah,” says Daniel with a laugh. own songs; we enjoy that process of “We’ve got bangers falling out of our bringing material to each other and arse.” ■ Brògeal’s self-titled EP is feeling it all click together when you out now.

DANIEL

HARKINS

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COVER STORY

38. DORK

WUNDERHORSE

SHEDDING SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS, WUNDERHORSE CHANNEL

FRUSTRATIONS

INTO

BULLISH

DEFIANCE

WITH

THEIR

BLISTERING SECOND ALBUM ‘MIDAS’.

by FINLAY HOLDEN. photography by DEREK BREMNER.

READDORK.COM 39.

COVER STORY

Wunderhorse may have started as a solo project, but to describe it as such now would be a gross misunderstanding of how the group operates. Once a ringleader in the London punk scene, vocalist Jacob Slater exploded out of a disorderly world and into a far calmer alternative, retreating to the coast as whispers of an incoming virus began to arrive in the city. Pensively forming new ideas whilst rekindling an everpresent passion for surfing, it became increasingly evident that walking his creative path alone was no longer an option. Recruiting a live band from old circles – the live unit have known each other since their teenage years – Jacob was soon joined by Harry Fowler (guitar), Jamie Staples (drums), and Pete Woodin (bass) in the shared mission to manifest his ideas. However, they did remain just his ideas; the resulting product, 2022’s gritty and energetic breakthrough LP ‘Cub’, is a tight exploration of a singular young adulthood that didn’t yet offer room for additional contributors. “You have to put in the hard yards and play a lot of shows together before you can even think about creating with someone,” Fowler begins. “We were all mates beforehand, so there wasn’t too much ice to break, but it takes time to create a cohesive bond with people, creatively speaking.” As each musician brought along their own storied past in rock bands - which Harry says, “starts with copying a lot of other people until you figure out what you want to do, and who you are” – the fusion of established personalities could now add up to something greater than the sum of its parts. “When you do then go into the studio, there’s this chemistry below the surface level that you hadn’t even been aware of, but it can bring forth some good fruit - and it did,” Jacob recalls of the early period which began sporadically

generating material for the group’s next endeavour. “We are all creative people, but I was surprised by the potency of the creativity we experienced. We were hugely prolific in a very short space of time, bursting with loads of ideas, and it was a bit of magic that I still don’t quite understand.” Touring ‘Cub’ extensively alongside Irish provocateurs Fontaines D.C., Geordie icon Sam Fender and the legendary Pixies, connections formed and the bones of songs to come were quickly penned in the back of splitter vans, during down moments in dressing rooms, or in one case, even in a bathtub. Wunderhorse developed in every sense of the word, their reputation flourishing as listeners discovered their material retroactively. “It happened quite naturally,” Jacob remarks of the intensifying spotlight. “Instead of it being some industry-made, brown envelope, golden handshake bullshit, it came from bands who had heard us, seen us live and took us on the road on the merit of our work. You put yourself on the line time and time again; then, eventually, people have to take notice. Just do it until you’re unignorable. We’re still on that road. We’re still playing that game.” Crowd sizes continue to grow, with their London shows growing from The Lexington to Kentish Town Forum and, on their upcoming headline run, Brixton Academy. The self-confidence boost is welcomed, but the band emphasise that keeping themselves on edge ultimately makes for a better show. “The inevitability of things going wrong in front of a crowd of people forces you to improvise a bit,” Pete states. “We were able to create moments in our set where we could fill some space, get a bit looser and actually jam with each other between songs.” “Early on, we made the conscious decision to have a slightly jammed

“YOU PUT YOURSELF ON THE LINE TIME AND TIME AGAIN; THEN, EVENTUALLY, PEOPLE HAVE TO TAKE NOTICE” JACOB 40. DORK

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element to our set,” Jamie adds, “whether that be how we approach the songs or extending sections, crafting our own segue… it keeps things exciting for us, too.” “We love the gigs, but there’s always a danger that playing the songs we care about so much would gradually become a chore,” Jacob warns. “Not that it has, but to keep that from happening, you need to introduce an element where no one knows what’s going to happen, not even us. Playing songs like ‘Purple’ I’ve kind of moved past that, but people want to hear it - in the middle 8 we can stop it, draw it out and instead of being on autopilot, suddenly everyone has to engage with each other as musicians again because fuck, there are 2000 people out there listening. That’s fun, and that’s how it should be.” Dynamic attitudes weren’t limited to Wunderhorse’s live exploits. Although they enjoy turning up the heat on stage, the studio approach was to relax any projections of what could be and capture their liberated spirits as close to reality

as possible. This is easier said than done, as Harry describes. “Managing expectations with writing and recording music is even harder because there’s a lot more pressure to deliver something, and you always want to be delivering something better than the last, whatever that means. You can easily get stuck in your head with that stuff; it’s best to try to avoid it completely and create something different.” “Play what feels good rather than playing to the gallery and thinking, ‘Based on the songs from ‘Cub’, what would people want from a second record?’ Fuck that, everyone loses in that scenario,” Jacob voices. “We went into ‘Cub’ a bit wet behind the ears; it was the first record we ever made, and there are things I would do differently now. The production is a bit ‘classic indie band’ - which is fine, but that’s not how we feel or how we sound live.” Knowing that they wanted to definitively turn a new page, Jacob, Harry, Pete and Jamie began looking for a new collaborator to enter the

“PEOPLE TALK A LOT OF SHIT IN THE INDUSTRY, AND YOU OFTEN DON’T KNOW WHO’S TELLING YOU THE TRUTH” JACOB

SLATER

WUNDERHORSE

CAPTURING LIGHTNING AT PACHYDERM

The secluded Minnesota studio’s rich legacy looms over Wunderhorse’s ‘Midas’ here’s some of the other albums recorded there. NIRVANA - IN UTERO (1993)

→ After being dissatisfied with initial sessions, Nirvana travelled to the remote Pachyderm to record their abrasive third album with Steve Albini. The studio’s back-tobasics environment birthed an aggressive, primal set of recordings that blew away industry expectations and has only grown more influential.

BON IVER - FOR EMMA, FOREVER AGO (2007)

→ Recorded alone by Justin Vernon over just three wintry months, ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ emerged from Pachyderm’s isolating ambience with a sparse, haunting atmosphere. The album’s breakthrough success helped launch the modern indie folk movement.

LOW - THE GREAT DESTROYER (2005)

→ The Duluth slowcore veterans travelled to Pachyderm to work with Steve Albini, resulting in a corrosive departure from their glacial roots. Capturing the studio’s punk ethic, ‘The Great Destroyer’ trades icy intimacy for searing volume and intensity.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL - AMERICAN FOOTBALL (1999)

→ American Football’s acclaimed debut was recorded within Pachyderm’s warm live room, allowing the delicate, intricatelyperformed guitar work to breathe. Its mythological status grew over decades of cult adoration.

PARQUET COURTS - WIDE AWAKE! (2018)

→ Parquet Courts channelled Pachyderm’s raucous spirit on their eclectic 2018 LP. The loose, lively performances throughout reflect the band’s immersion in the studio’s storied history.

fold and facilitate their high ambitions. Keeping Dani Bennett-Spragg’s engineering work consistent, the studio talent was able to share some ideas for where to take the production next or, more specifically, to whom. “We met with Craig Silvey for him to give his thoughts, and he said he thought the first record played things a bit safe - and that was music to our ears,” Jacob admits. “People talk a lot of shit in the industry, and you often don’t know who’s telling you the truth, so when someone criticises something to your face, you know they’re honest. That’s a great foundation on which to build a working relationship; you know that when it’s good, he’ll tell you that as well.” All parties were aligned that whatever came next had to be something entirely holistically different. The debut closed off a period now long in the past, with Jacob sharing that, “by the time we finished ‘Cub’, I couldn’t even recognise the person who had written half those songs”. Attentive audiences were already starting to notice new songs arriving during live shows, such as the ill-fated ‘Oprah Winfrey (Is This Love?)’ and lauded fan favourites ‘Silver’ and ‘Arizona’ which survived

the trials through to the final version of ‘Midas’. However, any notion that the project was clearly visualised years in advance can be put to rest, with Jacob’s own idea of foresight being continuously reset. “You make plans, and then they fuck up, and you have to make new ones on the spot. I think we did have an idea of, oh, we have all these songs for the next record, but then the further you go with them, the more you realise that they can’t stand up on their own two feet, and you have to try something different.” The clock was ticking down to Wunderhorse’s big studio sessions with no precise picture of what was to come. “People were asking me, ‘You know, all this money is being spent on going to America to record. Have you got the ideas ready?’ Yeah, yeah, I’m full of ideas! Meanwhile, I’m lying awake at night…” “As far as the label was concerned, we had literally nothing until nine days before,” Pete asserts. With a quick demo session proving to Communion Records that the slate wasn’t entirely blank, a relaxed approach came somewhat close to proving disastrous. “The pressure of spending money going to this prestigious studio was fucking nerve-racking,” Jamie continues. “We’d just been on tour; we’d had no time to sit with the ideas that were coming up, but thankfully, as soon as we got there, we settled right into it.” The aforementioned prestige was gifted to Wunderhorse in the form of an opportunity to take residence

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COVER STORY

within Minnesota’s Pachyderm Recording Studios. The brainchild of the recently passed Steve Albini, a loss felt by champions of individualism across genre boundaries, this remote location continues to expand on his strong legacy; prioritise the band’s desires, fuck anything and everything else, avoid distractions and don’t tamper with things too much. These commandments were made famous during the conception of Nirvana’s third and final studio album, ‘In Utero’, and the vividity of their following hasn’t

diminished since. In fact, not much about Pachyderm has changed at all. “The guitar in one of the photos of Nirvana is still in the house, and you can just pick it up, play it, and feel the history,” Harry reminisces. “You do go in feeling that sort of novelty knowing Nirvana and PJ Harvey have recorded here, but what made the album so great is that the novelty wore off pretty quickly, and we made it our own.” The band have honoured this rich environment without seeking to recreate its output. “I

“YOU’VE JUST GOT TO LET THE MUSIC MAKE ITSELF AND NOT GET IN THE WAY” JACOB

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now look at Pachyderm not as the ‘In Utero’ birthplace but as the ‘Midas’ birthplace.” Starting the day by playing through a classic album, be it ‘Beggars Banquet’ or ‘Rubber Soul’, old favourites were subconsciously examined until their charm seeped into the work. “Working with Craig definitely changed how we all listen to music,” Jacob confirms. “We’d listen to songs that I’ve loved my whole life, and he’d point things out that demystified why they worked in ways that I hadn’t seen before.” The retreat from modern existence, with only a small local bar to retire to, allowed the four-piece to re-examine how they approach their craft. “We’ve been playing our instrumentals for a while, so sometimes it becomes easy to hide behind a level of musicianship in place of being honest,” Fowler acknowledges. “There were times when Craig pulled us aside and called us out on making things too pretty, almost too good.” As Pete highlights, “It’s never been easier to make the perfect record with the technology we now have.” As such, perfection becomes the enemy. ‘Aeroplane’, the elongated album closer, is one example of Wunderhorse fleeing flawlessness. Jacob gleefully recalls the nine-minute live take which made the final LP. “Harry did this beautiful solo, and Craig came in and said, ‘You know, that’s great if you want to make a record for people sitting on the beach drinking margaritas’. That was a staple comment for him, and he’s right. If you want someone to put on a song in the background while doing their homework, you’re on the right track, but if you want something strange, something uncomfortable that makes people sit up, then you’ve got to feel uncomfortable doing it too.” “I think you have to be out of your comfort zone for the good shit to happen,” he ponders. “The best work comes when your feet can’t quite touch the bottom. The minute it feels carefully considered and nice, there are already a million records like that, and you’ll get lost in the mire of nice sounds. You can hear it in music that’s been overproduced; it becomes so polished that you can see your face in it.” ‘Midas’, the titular cut and lead single of their second full-length, earned its place as such by defining the spirit that would go on to underpin all ten tracks. “That wasn’t planned,” Jamie declares. “It was almost a forgotten idea at the time, which we started messing around with. In the control room, Craig and Dani were always recording; it was maybe the third time we’d ever played it through together, and Craig said, ‘That was it’. That energy then became the blueprint for the record.” “We captured this song in its very early stages; it was imperfect and would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replicate in another take - we did try and couldn’t match it. We then tried every song in this same way, but this was the first moment where we truly realised what the album was going to be. We got the sounds right, but it was mainly the process that stuck. There’s a continuity in that, and you can hear that in every song.” “The songs are frozen between the embryonic and fully formed versions of themselves, which is often where that magic lies,” Jacob astutely agrees. “As soon as you overthink something, it’s doomed. We made an effort to capture things naturally. Embracing that thing, even if it doesn’t feel like it’s there yet, is the trick. You have to accept that during the process, it will get there of its own accord - you’ve just got to hope the tape is running.” A refusal to refine, remix, or reproduce the results of their guttural instincts is exactly the ethos on which Pachyderm was founded; the setting was well chosen, muting any inkling of fear that could come from exposing your early drafts. Craig Silvey masterfully played Wunderhorse into delivering the album they wanted to create before they could even verbalise it. Proudly illustrating ‘Midas’ as an “ugly portrait” of the band, Pete says, “It’s not an exercise in bravery, but actually an exercise in trust.” This foundational song started as a simple chord progression, with Slater belatedly scrawling lyrics

WUNDERHORSE

“AS SOON AS YOU OVERTHINK SOMETHING, IT’S DOOMED” JACOB

SLATER

together in no more than ten minutes. Off the cuff, the formidably scrappy songwriter can shrewdly express the frustration of being dissected by someone who claims to have it all yet offers you nothing. It is just one of the upward punches thrown across the tracklist, all of which hit with resounding impact. “The songs come from a place of feeling a bit cast aside by the modern world,” Jacob summarises. “I don’t want to get too fucking deep, but I’ve always thought that a lot of elements of people’s humanity, the things that make us who we are, get left on the scrap heap a bit. That’s where these songs live, on that scrap heap of forgotten stuff. The broken stuff.” Being buried in time is a recurring dread - “I don’t wanna be remembered / but I don’t wanna be forgot,” opens LP1 cut ‘Atlantis’ – and this record takes a more direct motion towards tackling it. An impressive scope of tones flesh out an experience that serves as the disgruntled, moody older brother to its purer predecessor. The dark imagery of ‘Rain’, longing melodies of ‘Arizona’, and tainted desires of ‘Cathedral’ flip the underdog narrative and place Wunderhorse

right at the top of their game. On the other hand, introspective meditation lingers through impulsive words: “I wish I could show them / The power inside me,” dreams ‘Superman’; “What’s it gonna take / For you to take me serious,” recent single ‘July’ questions. Jacob may have proven to be worth his weight in gold when it comes to creative inspiration and even found a trio of friends to uplift his work, but being perceived so palpably as an artist carries unique complications. “It is a strange line to walk sometimes,” he muses. “The more I think about that, the worse I feel the creative output gets, so I try to keep that niggling thought way back somewhere and not look at it too much. You can go down a rabbit hole with that; sometimes, you just have to do it without thinking about why. You’ve just got to let the music make itself and not get in the way.” “If you’re in this industry and you’re trying to create music and get people to listen to it, especially if you’re trying to expand to become a bigger band, then you always have something to prove,” Harry

explains of the grudge within their upcoming music. “Some people show it more than others, but if you’re a musician trying to get somewhere, you have something to prove, and there will be some self-consciousness around that.” The remaining ‘Midas’ sessions would go on to demonstrate something to Wunderhorse if no one else. Three weeks in Pachyderm encompassed the bulk of the work, with the band returning once ‘July’ and ‘Emily’ joined the arsenal. Hopping into London’s RAK Studios to tie up loose ends, the arrival of ‘Girl’ was the last piece of the jigsaw. “That’s when we all looked at each other as a band and knew we had it,” shares Jacob. With their second record in the bag and an all-killer, no-filler ten-tracker no less, Wunderhorse are straight back on the road to reignite the UK live scene as no one else can. Of their incessant penchant for performance, the inspired frontman says, “When you spot a real young fan who’s come to their first show, and you see their eyes light up... Man, I remember that feeling. I used to skip out of school to go see bands in London, and to see you’ve put that excitement into someone else - it’s powerful. That’s where the core of this all lies; that feeling is why we’re all here, so it’s cool to be a part in that never-ending chain.” The name Wunderhorse comes from a 1950s western series and is iconised by a drawing from Seb Smart, but you could attach any label or visual to it that you want. As long as Jacob, Harry, Pete and Jamie are making music together, this ball of momentum will continue barrelling forward. “It’s something to hang on to, in a way,” Jacob quips. “Life gets more and more strange and confusing, but a band is a good engine to put some of that stuff into and hopefully get something out that you can point to as: that’s what I feel, that’s what I mean. It’s healthy in some ways and probably unhealthy in others. Did that make sense? Don’t print that!” ■ Wunderhorse’s album ‘Midas’ is out 30th August.

READDORK.COM 43.

THE MAIN EVE THE MAIN EVE THE MAIN EVE

WITH ‘WHAT A DEVASTATING TURN OF EVENTS’, RACHEL CHINOURIRI CEMENTS HER ROLE AS A SHOULDER TO CRY ON AND A GUIDING LIGHT THROUGH DARK TIMES, AS SHE EMBARKS ON A NEW CHAPTER OF WRITING FROM A PLACE OF HAPPINESS AND FREEDOM.

by NEIVE MCCARTHY. photography by LAUREN HARRIS.

hink of your favourite artists. Some of them, you turn to because they put a smile on your face and lift your mood. Some of them facilitate some of your best wallowing. Some offer a way to let out your anger and rage. Rachel Chinouriri is a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold and pull you through the darker times. She’s been there, she understands, and she’s determined to get you through, no matter what it takes. ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events’ comes eight years into Rachel’s career, and it took her going through those dark times to get here. “I’d written an album and finished it in 2020, which never came out,” Rachel reflects over Zoom a few weeks after her debut’s release. “Now that I have this album, I know that first album wasn’t me. I feel like I’ve kept being redirected by the universe into the right pockets and paths. Every time I wanted something to happen, there would sometimes be a label reason or a personal reason, or sometimes it would just fall through. I was always like, ‘Why?’. But it’s led to everything that has happened, which wouldn’t have happened unless everything before it had. I feel quite lucky that I think the universe has got my back, and I wouldn’t change a thing.” Fate has a funny way of intervening and ensuring things pan out the right way. Perhaps it’s a case of not being ready, or perhaps it’s a case of needing to learn and grow before achieving something. Everything happens when it is meant to, for a reason, and for Rachel, change and growth were crucial before anything fell into place as she envisioned. The years preceding the album were transformative, for reasons good and bad, and ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events’ tells Rachel’s story on her own terms – a story about those changes and hardships and the lessons learnt from them. Undoubtedly, it wouldn’t have been the same album without the chain

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reaction of events inspiring it. “From the artwork to the name of the album, to the tracklisting – I’ve not compromised with anything because my label understand that creatively this vision is important to me, not just because of what it is, but because of the nature of the songs. It’s my story to tell, they can’t tell me how to write my life story. I feel incredibly lucky.” The album is haunted by tragedy and grief, heartache and loss. It’s incredibly powerful and never shies away from the reality of the everyday – whether that be Rachel’s everyday or a reminder of the realities the less fortunate face daily. It’s upfront and undiluted, and shines for that ability to face up to what has come before, no matter how harrowing it may be. “I tackle a lot of trauma head-on,” Rachel acknowledges. “I’m quite a dark person. Not dark in a horrible way, but when people tell me sad stuff, it doesn’t really affect me. It’s not that I don’t care, but I think I’m a person who deeply empathises with sad things, so I more find it interesting. That’s how I’ve dealt with my personal traumas. Obviously, I cry about things, but even in the studio meeting someone for the first time, I’ll be like, ‘Okay, so my niece died, I want to write a song about being robbed of her, and I want to say this’. For me, that’s very matter-of-fact because that’s what happened at the end of the day. But for the producer, they’re like, ‘Whoa, are you okay?’. Music has always been a way for me to say something and get my feelings and emotions out, and it’s something that has to be said. Confronting it felt quite natural because music has always been a natural confronter of things. The only difference is that now, I actually release it to a label and to the world – when I was younger, I’d write it and keep it for myself.” In chronicling these experiences in song, Rachel also offers some comfort to her listeners in knowing they are not alone, even in the most difficult of situations. She centres empathy and gratitude throughout – the album acts as a reminder that you can come out of the other side and be fortunate that you have. “I think the things that make really horrible and dark things seem scary is one, lack of relatability, and two, how

RACHEL CHINOURIRI

some people might feel like they might never end up in that situation, which is absolutely not true. I try to make the songs relatable. With songs like ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events’, it goes from Insta DMs to a date to suddenly you’re pregnant. In a different world, this could end very badly. Sometimes, in the first world, people think they’ll just get an abortion – most people don’t get to that point because they have contraception or very understanding parents. “But in a non-first world country, that could be life or death – people get killed for those things. We all live in the same world at the same time, but the realities are so different. I think it’s just making everyone’s reality relatable in some way and having empathy for others’ realities.” She notes that the title-track often sees people nodding along at shows before they realise the shattering subject matter. It’s something that she manages to do often; she gives voice to these heavy, brutal stories through her distinctive vocals and enigmatic indie rock stylings. Her sound draws you in and before you know it, she is passing these stories on to you and ensuring you hear them and understand them. As narrator, Rachel both confides and acts as a confidante – she has the intimacy of a close friend telling you these things in confidence and giving you a safe space to share your story too. In assuming this role, she encourages the act of moving on. Whether it’s from the disrespectful men of ‘It Is What It Is’ and ‘Dumb Bitch Juice’, the behaviours you are guilty of, or the insecurities that have held you back for as long as you can remember, Rachel prompts you to choose growth and reflection and getting through. “When I was younger, there was a lot of wallowing in my sadness,” Rachel recalls. “There’s a degree, though, where it hits a point, and your wallowing ends up becoming your fault. Even if someone does you wrong, you hit a point where you realise you’re being detrimental to yourself because you can’t learn to move on from something for a long time. Writing this album made me realise that because writing music helps me let go.” Having spent years of her career trying to fit into different boxes and accommodate others, it was on the journey to writing the album that Rachel learnt what was most important: making something she loved and was proud of. The butterfly effect of that choice ripples through the album and her personal life, too. “I started writing music for how I feel again, and as soon as I started doing that I noticed a change in myself. I was less angry, more calm, more forgiving of myself. I started hitting a point where I didn’t want people to listen to the album and be like, ‘Wow, I’m so sorry she went through that’. I wanted people to listen to

it and be like shit, some of this stuff was really sad but look at the outcome of it and how it has turned out – I’ve managed to release the album, I’ve managed to slay, hopefully. I’m able to get on stage and sing really sad songs that will make me cry onstage sometimes but still be fine and smiling after.” These major realisations went hand in hand with big changes in Rachel’s day-to-day life, too. After a big blowout to celebrate her 25th birthday last November, something switched and saw her taking a more serious approach to the upcoming album than she might’ve done before. “When boys who would text me who I’d usually be attracted to, I was like, I don’t want you. I started speaking to my current boyfriend, who is very sensible, and I was like, ‘Why is this happening?’. January came, and I was going to the gym, drinking less, and working out. I was like, ‘Why has this started happening out of nowhere?’. I was an absolute treacherous partier for

“I’VE NOT COMPROMISED WITH ANYTHING” RACHEL

the last three years, and now I want to stay at home and work out.” Hyper-focused and with a fresh perspective, that message of coming out of the other side began to resonate more and more. The album throws a lot at you, relentlessly – each time things alleviate somewhat, something harderhitting comes along. That’s the nature of life, though – people do go through these things and things get worse even when it seems it isn’t possible, and Rachel is just holding up a mirror to that. The album concludes, however, with some levity. After the breath-stealing ‘Robbed’ and the aching ‘I Hate Myself’ comes ‘Pocket’ and ‘So My Darling’, a closing duo that brim over with hope. It’s a reminder that despite all those hardships, things can and will turn out okay. It’s a message to the people who Rachel says saved her – her fans. “They are the foundations of everything, and without them, I wouldn’t be anything,” Rachel says. “They are the ones who believe in this enough to invest in it, and buy tickets, and come to shows and do their makeup and hair and put their clips in and tweet and make TikToks. In a world where people can feel so lonely, it’s lucky to know that even if I was completely by myself in this world, I could go on my phone, and one of them will respond. It’s very lucky to have them.

CHINOURIRI

As lucky as I am, before they disappear, I’d at least like to make them feel as special as they make me feel.” As she moves forward into this new chapter of being able to breathe deeper and move on more freely, the trajectory of Rachel’s career is set to change. Anger and hurt are to be replaced by love and joy, which presents a new set of challenges in her music. They are challenges she is more than ready to embrace, though. “I think a lot of musicians start there – music is a vice of release or expression that allows you to forget about the world. I’ve seen so many musicians who have hit high places who then have mental breakdowns or tank, and they’re like, life is almost too good to find something to write about. I thought about it and realised I never want to be that person. I’ve constantly had to fight to be happy – I wasn’t lucky enough to be that kid who was just happy and have nothing go wrong. My fans are the reason why I have been able to be saved from the dark place I was in. I owe it to them to show that you can have fun and be free, and I’m excited to challenge myself to write from a happy place because I think I selfsabotaged. I’m the most free and happy I’ve ever been, and this is where 13-yearold me wanted to be, so I’m excited to explore this new chapter of writing music.” ■ Rachel Chinouriri’s album ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events’ is out now.

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Walt Disco’s Big 5.

by CIARAN PICKER. photography by IZZY LEACH.

Five essential Walt Disco songs you should probably listen to immediately. JOCELYN → A deeply personal track, ‘Jocelyn’ explores themes of gender identity and self-discovery. Combining raw, emotive lyrics with a blend of orchestral and electronic elements, it’s a standout on ‘The Warping’. This song is a perfect example of the band’s ability to weave deeply personal stories into their music. HOW COOL ARE YOU? → ‘How Cool Are You?’ is a biting critique of superficiality, delivered with Walt Disco’s signature theatrical flair. With post-punk influences and a catchy, upbeat sound, this track showcases the band’s unique style and sharp wit, making it a memorable anthem against pretence. YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO DUMB → A cynical disco banger, ‘You Make Me Feel So Dumb’ blends infectious beats with sharp, poignant lyrics. Capturing the emotional burnout from heavy touring, this track stands out for its undeniable groove and reflective yet playful energy, perfectly encapsulating Walt Disco’s knack for merging introspection with danceable rhythms. HEY BOY (YOU’RE ONE OF US) → From their debut EP Young Hard and Handsome, ‘Hey Boy (You’re One of Us)’ is an anthem of inclusion and solidarity. Its catchy hooks and energetic performance set the stage for Walt Disco’s rise in the music scene, marking their early commitment to themes of unity and acceptance. CUT YOUR HAIR → ‘Cut Your Hair’ combines playful yet poignant lyrics with theatrical flair. This track’s unique blend of styles and the band’s charismatic performance make it a staple in their repertoire, highlighting their ability to turn everyday scenarios into engaging, thoughtprovoking art.

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ON THEIR TRANSPORTIVE SECOND ALBUM, ‘THE WARPING’, WALT DISCO FEARLESSLY PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF GENRE INTO THRILLING NEW REALMS. THE GLASWEGIAN ART-POP ALCHEMISTS REVEAL THE STRANGE MAGIC BEHIND THEIR MOST AMBITIOUS AND IMMERSIVE WORK YET.

alt Disco are in constant transformation, a l w ay s s e e k i n g out the most effervescent and unexpected way to express themselves. After re-emerging in January with the Latin-jazz vibes of ‘Pearl’, funk-rock anthem ‘You Make Me Feel So Dumb’, and heartfelt soul-bearer ‘Jocelyn’, the Glaswegian five-piece are talking to Dork [Hi, etc - Ed] about their latest track to drop, ‘Come Undone’ - one that not only puts the ‘fun’ in ‘funk’, but also carries with it the trademark introspection that they so elegantly weave into their work. Set in a world of decadence and debauchery, ‘Come Undone’ represents a weird contradiction within us all, one which allows us to tell total strangers our deepest secrets. “Both me and [co-lyricist] Jack were single when we wrote the track,” lead singer Jocelyn reveals, “and when you’re single, the best conversations you have are with people you might have one-night stands with or friends of friends. I didn’t have any one person in mind, but I know there have been times when I’ve been like, ‘Why have I told you all of this stuff about my life?’ about two hours into a party!” ‘Come Undone’ illuminates yet another side to the band, one that sees them channel ‘Station to Station’-era Bowie, replete with jazz-funk basslines, disco backing vocals, and a black-andwhite German Expressionist video that the Starman himself would be proud of. And, just like Bowie, it’s a song that’s not as straightforward as it sounds. “We knew it was the most accessible track on the album when we wrote it,’” Jocelyn states, “but we still tried to keep it from being too obvious. When [guitarist] Finley was writing his part, we were all like, ‘Throw the evil Deftones chord in there!’, just so it wasn’t a super clean, disco guitar line.” These tiny nods to disparate genres are just one of many surprises that appear across their second record, ‘The Warping’, out this spring via Lucky Number Records. As the title may suggest, the band’s determination to keep the listener guessing was all a part of their desire to write pop songs in a way that nobody had done before. “We took the accepted way of writing synth-music and flipped it,” Jocelyn grins. “It was like, ‘Ok, what if we took a bass synth, pad synth, and lead synth, and replaced them with strings, flutes and trumpets instead?’’ As such, this allowed Walt Disco to make an album that blends together

WALT DISCO

the futuristic, electronic sounds of synth-pop, with classical orchestral movements, removing traditional expectation and giving both themselves and their orchestra freedom through imperfection. “One of our favourite albums as a band is ‘Illinois’ by Sufjan Stevens, and most of the orchestral stuff on there is just chaos,” Jocelyn laughs, “so if a violinist made a mistake, for example, or was going for a bit of spontaneity or off-the-cuff ideas, we just said, ‘Go for it; if it’s messy, great!’” These ‘happy accidents’, as drummer and co-lyricist Jack puts it, add to the personality of the record, one which was primarily built upon the band’s experiences of relative fame that has followed them since the release of their first EP, ‘Young Hard and Handsome’, in 2020. “It’s a record about all the people who lend context to your life,” Jack says. “Neither me nor Jocelyn were in love when we wrote the record, so it’s an ode to our surrounds, our friends and family; there’s no placeholder language, there’s nuance to try to achieve a specific feeling that you don’t always get from pop music.” ‘The Warping’ is a record which does what only the best pop music can do: combine beats that make you want to get up and dance with lyrics that are deceptively clever and deeply emotive. “I’m really bad at talking about my feelings in real life, in case I bring the mood down or whatever,” Jocelyn says candidly. “But with songs, it’s just easy; you can be vulnerable without having to say anything outright.” The journey that Walt Disco take on ‘The Warping’ is heavily informed by this vulnerability, whether in the form of tour-enforced homesickness in ‘Pearl’ and ‘You Make Me Feel So Dumb’, in fragile memories of childhood in ‘Black Chocolate’, or in gender dysphoria in ‘Jocelyn’ and ‘The Captain’. In spite of all this expertly handled introspection, the band were keen to keep levity to the record, most clearly highlighted by whimsical theatre standard ‘Gnomes’. “’Gnomes’ is us playing faded Broadway stars, looking back to the days before we were famous,” Jack explains. “We’re just making fun of ourselves and exaggerating our fame. It started as a quiet Paul McCartney thing, then was a bit like blur’s ‘Parklife’, but when we pumped it full of orchestration and flowery language, it worked so much better.” Jocelyn chuckles in agreement, “We want people to go, ‘Who do these guys think they are?’” Just like the experimental pop icons that they understandably admire so much, Walt Disco have at various points throughout the album managed to

cobble together gospel choirs, Brazilian bossa nova rhythms, Krautrock, and even a new-age sea shanty, and still been able to create a portfolio of tracks that not only all feel part of the same family, but that are all identifiably Walt Disco. Much of this individuality comes from Jocelyn’s uniquely beautiful vocal performance, one which travels between breathy, wispy falsetto and unleashed, vibrato-rich power at a moment’s notice, keeping the album from tearing apart at the seams. It’s not only Jocelyn’s voice that shines, however, with their ability to deliver immensely personal lyrics in a relatable way creating a real sense of closeness and affection with their audience. Nowhere is this clearer than on ‘Jocelyn’, a heart-wrenching retrospective into their childhood struggles with gender identity and loneliness, one which allowed them to work with Jack to silence the chaos and create a raw, visceral track. “I have quite an extreme push and pull lyrical style which is usually quite chaotic and

permeating into Jocelyn’s writing. “I think it affected me in subtle ways,” Jocelyn posits. “Since we started the album, it’s just been snowballing so that now anyone could be someone who might not accept you.” Instead of being scared into being a wallflower, though, Jocelyn has no intention of backing down: ‘it’s scary, and the more music we make and more attention we attract it’s probably only going to get scarier. It shouldn’t necessarily be my obligation to tell you why you shouldn’t be transphobic or whatever, but I basically want to use my platform to say ‘fuck it, let’s see what I can do’’. Jack continues, ‘as a band, we’d always defend anyone’s right to be themselves. It’s important for us to be visible, and we’re more than happy to fly that flag. Hopefully, through our music and our shows, just our presence in general, we can help more people be themselves in whatever capacity they want.’ Whichever way they decide to turn

“WE TOOK THE ACCEPTED WAY OF WRITING SYNTH MUSIC AND FLIPPED IT” JOCELYN

harder to follow,” Jocelyn details, “but Jack uses this plain imagery and these metaphors that I just really related to, so I thought, ‘Ok, let’s make this one about what I’m going through’.” Jack nods, “I’m always trying to say something big in as few words as possible, and there’s this mutual empathy between me and Jocelyn where we can be honest and open, so we can be talking about two totally different things but feel the exact same way whilst listening to it.” ‘The Warping’ was born during a period of time when being a trans+ person in the UK became increasingly unsafe, a context which rumbled alongside the writing process,

next, Walt Disco already have the world at their feet, witnessed by a recent support slot with electro-pop mavericks Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). “Thankfully these songs aren’t as hard to play as some of the ones on ‘Unlearning’,” Jack smiles, “and by the end OMD’s hardcore fans that went to loads of shows knew the words and would come up to us and ask, ‘When’s ‘Come Undone’ out?’, which was pretty cool!” Jack explains, “The album title is really more about the warping of us as people and as musicians, about change and metamorphosis. Hopefully, people can connect with it, and it builds the want for more.” In their deep dive into the weird and the wonderful, they’ve not only created an album on the edge of synth-pop’s known universe, but they’ve curated something that can justifiably be described as art. Oh, and in case there was any doubt, there’ll definitely be a clamour for more. ■ Walt Disco’s album ‘The Warping’ is out now.

READDORK.COM 47.

COVER STORY

by MARTYN YOUNG. photography by DEREK BREMNER.

ON HER SECOND ALBUM ‘BIG IDEAS’, REMI WOLF DIVES HEAD-FIRST INTO A WHIRLWIND OF EMOTIONS AND EXPERIENCES, CRAFTING A GENRE-BENDING MASTERPIECE THAT SHOWCASES JUST WHY SHE’S ONE OF THE VERY BEST POP STARS ‘AROUND’.

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REMI WOLF

“I

t’s been an absolutely wild ride.” Remi Wolf has been busy, very busy, putting in the pop star hours as she notches up show after show and highlight after highlight, all the while continuing to establish herself as one of the most brilliantly colourful and creative minds in pop. “I’ve been doing this now for five years, which is crazy; that’s a significant portion of my life by this point,” she says almost breathlessly from a lovely leafy park in early summer Berlin, where she’s on tour supporting Olivia Rodrigo and sprinkling the seeds of her really very excellent second album ‘Big Ideas’. Remi has crammed an awful lot into those five years, first emerging with her own brand of lo-fi idiosyncratic alt-pop jams in 2019 and her

first EP, ‘You’re A Dog!’. What was immediately clear was that Remi was a gloriously exuberant and vibrant character. However, some of that playfulness masked all the hard work and sacrifice behind the quirkiness as Remi sought to navigate through the crowded and demanding pop space of the 2020s. “I feel like even after five years I’m still learning what I like, what I don’t like. I’m still learning how I operate best in every capacity when it comes to making music, touring, communicating with my team, having a social life and taking care of myself,” she reflects. Taking care of herself is a major thing for Remi, especially considering some of her past issues with alcohol and pushing herself physically in her past life as an actual Olympic athlete, skiing at the Youth Olympic Games.

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COVER STORY

Can you imagine how hard it might be to do skiing properly AND be a certified pop legend? Hats off to Remi. Anyway, now her self-care routine mainly involves yoga and food and very long walks, trying to enjoy the precious little time off she has. While the life of a pop star might seem like impossible fun and frolics, Remi repeatedly emphasises how hard work it is. “It’s an ever-rotating door of new joys and new problems constantly,” she says. “It’s one big problem-solving puzzle. That is life in general, but I’ve been such a busy person. How I would describe my career so far is ‘pretty busy’!” Busyness is wired into the very fibre of Remi’s being. She can’t be anything else, and all that is realised on the album she’s been cooking up for almost two years now. ‘Big Ideas’ is an instructive title for an artist full of ambition. It’s a statement: a declaration of a new way of working and a blossoming of all of the different facets of Remi’s diverse talents into a dynamic and frequently thrilling genre-expansive collection. “It all comes down to, especially on this album, really leaning into my strengths but then within my strengths letting myself experiment a lot,” she says enthusiastically of her creative vision. The album feels very intuitive; there’s an innate musicality and expressiveness to Remi’s artistry

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that gives her music a malleable, everevolving quality. “My favourite way to write is essentially just jam,” she laughs as she describes the impulsive way that she and her collaborators work. Very much no thoughts, just vibes. Except there are some actually quite deep thoughts, but expressed in a different way. For this record, Remi took on something of a conductor or vibechanneller-in-chief role as she set about harnessing a team of people working within just the right environment to capture those perfect lightning-in-abottle moments. “I let myself do a lot on this record, and I was catering the rooms and catering the people I was working with, the studios I was in, how they were set up, and the flow of the work. I was catering it to this jam-heavy experience,” she explains. “It was very collaborative in that way. Ever since I was little in bands, my favourite way to write music has been to improvise and really rock with my own intuition. On this record, I leaned heavily into that.” Where ‘Big Ideas’ really differs in her work though is conceptually and thematicallty in terms of the lyrics and the stories she wanted to tell. “I focused on the songwriting and the storytelling and the honesty. I wanted to open myself up a little bit more to people,” she reflects. “I think that on my past albums, I tended to write really image-

focused and metaphorically, which I with an acoustic guitar but then make love, but I’ve realised that sometimes them incredibly interesting with the that can create a disconnect between production.” me and the audience in some way or These deeper, more emotionally just a disconnect between what I want resonant qualities have always been them to understand about me.” present in Remi’s work, but here they There’s something of a skin- hit differently with more impetus shedding quality to this album as and more stark clarity as she tried to, Remi casts aside the bright and breezy if not kill off the persona of her early quirkiness of the ‘Juno’ era and says, breakthrough but rather refine her hey, actually, there’s a lot more to public character and give her a new me than that, and here I am. There’s sense of life. “I think there’s a certain always been Remi Wolf the character, feeling towards my music that people the over-the-top fun-loving pop star. hear it and think oh my god it’s so This time, though, that character has fun blah blah blah and there can be revealed more of themself than ever this disconnect between me as an before. By stripping things back, Remi emotional being with feeling. I wanted was able to push things forward. “With to show people, yo, I’m out here too, girl. this record, I wanted to lift up another I’m with you,” she says confidently. “I’ve always been very self-reflective,” screen of myself, which you can hear in the production a lot in the sense she reveals. “I don’t think it’s a matter that it’s a lot more natural and more of me looking more inward; it’s just me analogue. It’s a studio-focused record. letting it show in a really raw way. On In my writing, lyrically, I opened up; I ‘Soup’, I still used metaphors, and I’m really focused on my songwriting on still on my whimsy lyrical bullshit in this record. I wanted to write a bunch some ways, but there are a lot more of amazing songs that could stand alone lyrics that are straightforward. ‘I

“EVERY TIME I’M IN THE STUDIO, I’M HAVING SO MUCH FUN. I LOVE IT SO MUCH” REMI

WOLF

REMI WOLF IDLES

don’t want to live without you’ is a very straightforward statement, and I don’t know if I would have said that on previous albums without the intention of being like, ‘Okay, I’m going to reveal something here’, and just have the balls to do it in a way that wasn’t padded under colourful imagery and bouncy sounds.” While there is more self-reflection and evocative lyricism on the album, crucially, Remi doesn’t sacrifice any of the fun spirit that defines all her work; she’s just developed it in a really clever and sonically invigorating way. The singles ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Toro’ are early examples of the singer having the absolute time of her life as she enjoyed all the freedom to express her artistry. “Every time I’m in the studio, I’m having so much fun. I love it so much,” she cries. “It’s one of the best parts of my life. I truly did have so much fun making this album.” Perhaps the piecemeal creation of the album, written and recorded in between touring gaps, allowed Remi never to get stuck in the slog of months labouring in the studio. Every moment and every sound felt fresh and urgent. An escape from the grind of life on the road. Hard work, of course, but that’s just the way she likes it. “It was quite a task,” she says. “It was an interesting writing process because I’ve been on

the road for years now. This album was created in the depths and the throes of my tours in 2022 and 2023. I think I went on 11 or 12 tours in that time. “I’d go on tour, write for a week and then leave again. I was literally not home, and when I was home, I was writing this album. It was cool because I was able to come home and shed all this shit that I just experienced. Essentially, do a really intense journal of my life and then go out and experience it again and come back and do it again with a slightly different take because I’d seen five more countries by that point. “That was cool because I love to improvise and jam and shit, that time restraint meant that I couldn’t overthink anything. I would get into the studio and write, and I just wanted to make a bunch of shit and wanted to express myself so bad.

SWEATY SERENITY

It’s a hard life being a pop star. Constantly grinding, putting in the work and always on the go. How do you try to relax? Well, Remi Wolf has embraced perhaps the most relaxing of exercises, the noble art form of yoga. Not just any old yoga though, but hot yoga. “It’s super cleansing. You sweat out every single pore of your body. It’s insane. You’re drenched.” Sounds fun. For Remi, though, yoga acts as a gentle release from some of the more intense exercises of her previous life. “I grew up as an athlete,” she says. “I don’t want to use the word trauma, but I have a lot of loaded feelings with gyms and working out and all that shit, and I feel like yoga is the first method of exercise that I’ve found that’s really gentle and caring towards your body in the messaging that you give. I’ve found that very therapeutic.” There’s also one very simple benefit to yoga for Remi. “I was also getting really strong, so I liked that too,” she laughs.

“I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A BUNCH OF SHIT AND TO EXPRESS MYSELF SO BAD” REMI On tour, you express the same every night. It was almost like a cleanse to get in there.” In the studio, Remi worked with a tight-knit group of collaborators who have been with her throughout her career: Jared Solomon, Ethan Gruska and Jack DeMeo. All insanely talented in their own right, but on this album, more than ever, Remi began to lean into more of the Prince role in harnessing and allowing her band to flourish under her direction. She also

WOLF

brought in some more new people to further bolster her sound. “The interesting thing was bringing people into my previously existing relationships,” she says. “I brought in Carter Lang on some of the songs. I’d known him for a while but never collaborated with him. It was so organic, we were all at Electric Lady and he was just there and ended up joining the sessions. It was cool to have a really organic way of working with all these different people. It was so fun to see them come into my life. It felt really correct. Luckily all these people have a very similar outlook on music making as I do and they’re very free. It came together really beautifully. I was able to foster those relationships and foster the rest of the writing process with them.”

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COVER STORY

A transitional moment in the album’s creative journey was when Remi released the standalone 7-minute epic ‘Prescription’, a huge gospel-tinged anthem that pointed the way to the broader sonic palette used on ‘Big Ideas’. “I wrote that song while I was writing this album. It was one of those days when we were writing and writing,” she explains. “That was definitely a departure from ‘Juno’ with the sound. It came about because Boots Riley, the director, really wanted a song for this 7-minute-long sex scene in this show that he made. He called me and said, ‘Yo, I need a song for a sex scene’, and I said, ‘Oh yeah, I can do that’. “In terms of it being a precursor to the record and the process of making the record, it was really good for me to have done that before I finished the rest of the album. We put so much work into it. We did a live band arrangement on it with all the horns and the organs and fucking keyboards and guitars. The fact we worked hard on it and really liked it was validating and empowering in the sense that, okay, I can do live band arrangements, and it’s really fun.” That fun quality carried over into the up-tempo funk jams of tracks like lead single ‘Cinderella’, where Remi and the band used the same horn section to sprinkle a little bit of magic as the live band cut loose. Indeed, the live band is one of the things that will define this era for Remi as she looks to bring the expanded nine-piece line-up she debuted at last year’s Coachella out on her album tours and really bring the big band musicality of ‘Big Ideas’ to life. “I want to bring this album to people in a way that I feel it deserves to be represented. Live is going to be very important. There’s going to be a lot of touring and live shit,” she says excitedly. A further development on ‘Big Ideas’ is the sheer power and versatility of Remi’s voice. In short, she sounds fucking amazing throughout as she uses her voice in different ways to match the fluctuating sonic moods, whether it’s pristine 80s-style Carly Rae Jepsen ‘Emotion’-era perfect pop, or some lo-fi acoustic ballads that could have come from a long-lost indie-pop album on K Records in the 90s, to straight up funk-pop monsters. Whether she’s lithe and funky on ‘Cinderella’ or absolutely shredding on the anthemic ‘Alone In Miami’, Remi and her voice constantly have your attention. “I love using my voice as an instrument,” she exclaims. “I love getting different tones and putting on all these vocal characters. I really love playing in that sense, or else I feel like I’d be so fucking bored. I wrote these songs, and every time I wrote a song, there would be a new voice that would come out. I never questioned it. I let my freak flag fly. My voice on ‘Kangaroo’ is nuts. It’s giving British but New York, Strokesy thing. On ‘Alone in Miami’, I’m just going crazy 90s rasp situation,” she laughs.

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“I NEVER QUESTIONED IT. I LET MY FREAK FLAG FLY” REMI

WOLF

REMI WOLF

Five years might not seem a long time but in the hyperspeed world of pop music in the social age it might as well be a lifetime. It figures then that the pop landscape Remi is returning to might feel a little bit different. “One incredibly noticeable thing right now is there’s lots of women,” she says proudly. “Women are leading the industry right now. Especially since I started my career, there’s been a drastic shift in women ruling the industry, which is very fucking sick.” Remi is part of what feels like a sea change in pop with a new generation of diverse and inventive artists cultivating their own destinies, from SZA to Chappell Roan to Sabrina Carpenter, and old and current touring partners of Remi in Lorde and Olivia Rodrigo, we’re living in exciting times. “Pop music and pop stars are coming back in an extreme way, which is really interesting to see,” says Remi. For the actual artists living through this moment, though, it comes with its own unique challenges as they try to stay grounded and present in their own artistry. “I try not to pay too much attention to what other people are doing because a lot of the time it freaks me out,” admits Remi. “You can get into this deafening comparison hole, and I try not to go there a lot of the time. It can be hard. With all that said, I think there’s some really good music being put out right now. “ One area of the pop world that nobody can avoid is the power of TikTok. Fortunately, it’s a medium through which such a visually arresting person as Remi feels at home. “TikTok is the leader of all in terms of the song. It started happening around the time I started coming up, but it’s crazy that TikTok is the new radio. It’s definitely different. It’s a completely different landscape. I feel like the landscape changes every year in some capacity.” As things change, though, Remi there’s definitely an appreciation that increasingly tries to focus on the it allows opportunities for a creative basic principles of self-expression artist like Remi, working sometimes and honesty that define her work. “In directly and sometimes on the margins my mind, in order to make myself feel of the pop mainstream to carve out their good and okay at the end of the day, I own lane in their own distinct image, need to make sure that I like the music similarly to how someone like Bjork I’m making and that I feel completely forged her own wildly creative path in authentic in everything at all times,” the 90s. she says clearly. “Those are my goals. “There’s so much more space for When I’m listening to other people’s everybody,” she says. “In a lot of ways, music, the stuff that resonates the the music industry has gotten a lot most is the stuff that feels really deeply more niched-out because there are so authentic and unchanged by the many more artists, which is incredible climate of the music industry at the because people can really find their time, and whatever the hell is going audience that wants to ride with them. I on that’s the newest thing to pop your feel lucky that I’ve found a fanbase that music off on. I love when an artist is fucks with what I’m doing, and I hope tried and true and feels really authentic. that people keep fucking with it. I’m just Adrianne Lenker and Big Thief have grateful to be here.” been a beacon of light for me. She’s an So, five years in, has Remi started to amazing writer and she lays it down think about what her legacy might be? how she is. I love that.” “I have honestly never thought about While some aspects of the current that,” she laughs with typically blunt pop moment might feel daunting honesty. Really though the future for

“I FEEL LUCKY THAT I’VE FOUND A FANBASE THAT FUCKS WITH WHAT I’M DOING” REMI

WOLF

Remi will take care of itself. Already a star, she’s primed for the next level as long as she stays true to herself. “My goal at all times is to be as authentic and as honest and be myself as much as possible,” she says passionately. “That’s what I want to do. Whenever I even stray away from that in any capacity, I get a pit in my stomach and have to recalibrate. As an artist, you have to make so many decisions, whether it be in the music or the creative for a post on Instagram or your tour creative, what your setlist is going to be, or what eye makeup you’re going to wear. There are so many fucking decisions that it can be easy to let some of them slide, but I want to feel 100% behind everything that I do. I want to keep getting more and more honest and learning more and more about myself. If that creates some sort of legacy, then God bless.” ■ Remi Wolf’s album ‘Big Ideas’ is out 12th July.

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FEATURE

‘ve just checked the we ather… a n d i t ’s gonna be raining as soon as we land,” laughs Nico Brunstein, bass player of Been Stellar. Zoom calling all the way from New York, the band are only a few days away from crossing the pond to embark on a short UK tour - and in classic British fashion, a discussion about the weather gets the conversational ball rolling. The band’s debut album, ‘Scream From New York, NY’, is imminent. Sonically swerving from the shoegazey sounds of their earlier stuff, the album captures the industrial, unrelenting sounds of New York City. It’s a mishmash of influences from Sonic Youth to Radiohead, with the overarching theme being what happens when language fails. “In a place like New York, you hear screams all the time,” vocalist Sam Slocum explains. “Noises that in a ‘normal place’ you’d be alarmed by. But in New York, it’s so prevalent and it’s so chaotic that it’s just kind of normal. Sometimes, you’re walking down the street or laying in bed at night, and you hear a scream - whether that be a good scream, a bad scream, or what have you.” This kind of subdued animosity, the eeriness of New York streets, was a huge inspiration. “It’s like words failing, and then resorting to something more carnal, to let an expression out.” “It feels like a million years ago that we were actually recording it,” says guitarist Skyler St. Marx. “I feel like, in a lot of ways, I’m a different person to the person recording that album.” For Been Stellar, ‘Scream From New York, NY’ was an overhaul in collaboration and mutual trust - the basis of which being the members’ almost 10-year strong friendships. “The way we work together has a lot to do with our relationships as friends, being so comfortable with each other… It wasn’t without its hiccups; there were totally moments where we were pulling our hair out, but we just kept our heads down and tried to mull over every detail. Sometimes, to a fault, we have a tendency to overthink stuff - but that can be a good thing, too.” Knowing what the title of the album would be early in the process of writing, the band honed their focus on a couple of key themes and wrote around them. “It’s not a concept record, really, but we knew we wanted to

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by REBECCA KESTEVEN. photography by JENNIFER MCCORD.

NEW YORK’S BEEN STELLAR HAVE ARRIVED WITH A DEBUT ALBUM THAT CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF THE CITY THAT MADE THEM.

BEEN STELLAR

create a cohesive body of work,” Slocum explains. The album was produced by Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey, who the band say provided a peaceful - if not slightly chaotic - atmosphere in the studio. “He’s one of my favourite people ever,” says St. Marx. “He puts a lot of passion and focus into everything he does.” He was especially involved in the making of ‘Can’t Look Away’, a song involving almost unfathomably huge, soaring guitars. “I really wanted to capture the same natural tremolo that The Smiths did on ‘How Soon Is Now?’. We were in this live room, and we had six massive amps - some of them super old, some of them new - all cranked up to ten. We’d record a take in one amp, then we’d move the mic over to the next amp and the next. It was the loudest fucking thing ever, and I had earplugs in and headphones on!” ‘Scream From New York, NY’ marks a solid progression and solidification of the band’s sound, but also marks a foray into more unchartered territories. Discussing their favourite points on the album, drummer Laila Wayans mentions track ‘I Have the Answer’ - “I feel like the record touches on a lot of different points and sounds, but to me, that song sounds like a natural progression to the sounds we started with on the EP. I don’t feel like we’ve perfected it, but we’ve definitely got to a new place with that sonically.” “’Scream From New York, NY’ has always been one of my favourite songs,” says Brunstein. “It’s the oldest idea we’ve had. It was the only song that we restructured and reworked in the studio, it’s very nostalgic for us but also really refreshing.” ‘Take Down’ is also discussed as a highlight of the record. “It’s really uncharted territory for us,” says St. Marx. “It was really exciting to figure out because it sounds very classic, and that’s something we were always trying to reach for.” Slocum, on the other hand, often finds himself returning to ‘Sweet’. “Whenever the chorus, or the ending, of ‘Sweet’ gets played live or we hear it on the recording, it just gives me chills. There’s an urgency and immediacy in that song that I’m really proud of. ‘Sweet’ is a logical progression for us, but also the type of song I wasn’t sure we could pull off.” Because of this, it’s a song that the band are particularly proud of. “One of the coolest feelings that comes with being in a band is when you ‘wow’ yourself a little bit. I listen back to ‘Sweet’ and I’m like, damn. I’m really surprised we did that.” The word ‘loneliness’ also crops up for the first time while discussing the album’s themes, which Slocum takes a moment to ponder. “That word - loneliness - is a really, really strong thing to take away.” It’s perhaps most evident in ‘Can’t Look Away’, which lyrically describes a world

“IN A PLACE LIKE NEW YORK, YOU HEAR SCREAMS ALL THE TIME” SAM where things are supposed to be very connected and how we’re so focused on connection but feel so far away from each other. “That’s the only song where I really wanted to create an alienated feeling in the lyrics.” Lyrics of which, he explains, are based on a documentary called We Live In Public (“an awesome watch”), about an early Big Brother-type project where people were recorded living in an underground complex in Soho, New York and filmed constantly. The documentary, and how it hones in on how much we all care about how we appear to others, served as a major source of inspiration because “we’re so focused on projecting… documenting everything, and yearning for connectedness with other people.” “I was actually thinking the other day,” adds Wayans, “the idea of loneliness is so interesting to me; how loneliness is such a polar opposite feeling to what you think you should feel in New York. Maybe there are underlying tones of loneliness in the record because we’re in New York.” The sights, sounds, smells, the ambivalence, nihilism, volatility, and unrelenting chaos evoked by life

SLOCUM

in modern New York is - even on a subconscious level - the album’s major touchstone. Notwithstanding the city’s extensive music and cultural history, just the very act of living there, experiencing day-to-day life, continues to make a huge impact. “I really wanted the record to sound like it could only exist in one place,” St. Marx explains as he discusses a Thurston Moore quote that had recently struck a chord with him. “Even the songs that don’t reference New York - if someone put it on and closed their eyes, I wanted it to take them there. I feel like the best records are very cemented in a particular place. It’s like the classic adage: write about what you know. Every day I wake up, I get on the subway, I go to work, I hear the same sounds, I see the same things. We weren’t trying to make a record about New York, but it’s literally the only thing that you ever think about when you’re living here, because it’s throwing itself at you everywhere you go. We had no choice. To not talk about that… I don’t really know what else we’d have to talk about. At least for now.” Being a band in New York has also come with its own unique hardships -

with impenetrable music scenes forcing the group to find their own way, put on their own shows, and build themselves from the ground up completely independently. “No one wanted anything to do with us for a really long time. New York bands are very cliquey, very removed,” says St. Marx. “If we tried to play a bill or whatever, people just didn’t want us.” Despite this, they say that in hindsight, they were lucky to be isolated - it allowed them time to figure themselves out, to think critically about moving past their influences, and carve out a sound they could completely call their own. “It was the only way we started to get anywhere. It kind of makes sense that nobody wanted anything to do with us… we really, really needed to figure out our sound and what we wanted,” Slocum explains. “That’s a thing I do love about New York,” St. Marx adds. “Opposed to a city like London, where I feel like the music scene is so, so omnipresent - here, that doesn’t exist at all. You only hear about A&R people showing up to a concert if it’s already a pretty massive band… and it wasn’t until we started playing shows outside of New York that people here started to take us seriously.” ‘Scream From New York, NY’ captures the disconnection haunting New York City in a way that’s immersive. Achieving what the band intended, it places you right in the middle of it all - its ferocity, its harshness, but also, the beauty that shimmers just beneath the surface. “I’m so looking forward to people hearing it,” St. Marx says, smiling. “I’m also really looking forward to getting another record together. It’s like a mountain and I’m ready to start the next climb. I’m gathering my materials to begin the summit.” Everyone laughs - and it’s clear that despite their city’s relentless noise, Been Stellar have found the sounds to cut through it all, and they’re only just getting started. ■ Been Stellar’s album ‘Scream From New York, NY’ is out 21st June.

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SORT OF A DANCE MUSIC ICON, SORT OF AN A-LIST POP STAR, BECKY HILL CAN DO WHATEVER SHE WANTS, ACTUALLY... by ALI SHUTLER.

feel like I haven’t looked at the date in a while,” laughs Becky Hill, too busy touring Europe, shooting music videos and planning a hectic summer of festivals that’ll lead into her first arena headline tour to realise just how close the release of ‘Believe Me Now?’ is. “I’m excited but apprehensive,” she continues, less than a week before the big day. For years now, she’s been told that dance artists can’t sell albums and should stick to chasing hit singles instead, so there’s an understandable level of fear around the release. As she’s always done, though, Becky Hill is out to prove the doubters wrong. A pop-infused dance record, ‘Believe Me Now?’ is euphoric and weighty. “These songs mean a lot to me,” Becky admits, having listened to the songs regularly over the past few months. “As soon as I put them out, though, they’re not mine anymore. It’s going to be a sad day ‘cos I’ll be losing an album I love, but I’m really happy other people will be able to listen to it.” “I’ve really seen these songs as company,” she continues, wanting others to feel the same sort of comfort and understanding. “I didn’t realise at the time I was writing how lonely I felt,” Becky explains. But by the time ‘Believe Me Now?’ was done, she had songs like ‘Never Be Alone’, ‘Disconnect’ and ‘Lonely Again’. “There was just all this talk of isolation and feeling alone.” It was deliberate, but “it felt like I was being heard by my own music,” she says. “I hope that it gives other people a sense of being heard as well.” A majority of ‘Believe Me Now?’ sees Becky talking about her relationship with her fiancé, who she’s been with since she was 22. ‘Right Here’ is a celebration of how far they’ve come, but also an ode to self-growth, while ‘Swim’ and ‘Outside Love’ find her full of doubt. “What I love about this record is how all the songs are stories that people go through all the time. They’re by no means exclusive to me, but I feel like I’m the only one talking about,” she continues. With social media, people only ever share the best moments from a relationship. “Nobody wants to talk about the fact they’ve come home from work, and they can’t talk about their day because their partner is so wrapped up in their own stress.” “I’m hoping that BECKY HILL

“I DIDN’T REALISE AT THE TIME I WAS WRITING HOW LONELY I FELT” 56. DORK

people find a lot of solace and a lack of embarrassment in the idea that nothing is perfect,” she continues. “I would also like it to give people an excuse to dance, whether that be on their own in their bedroom, in their kitchen, in the car, in a rave or at a festival,” she adds. “I want it to bring people joy and euphoria.” While 2021’s debut album ‘Only Honest On The Weekend’ was a collection of songs written across a ten-year period, ‘Believe Me Now?’ is far more considered and deliberate. “I wanted to create a body of work that felt like people could invest in me as an artist and not just have songs

myself and others.” “There will always be a want and a need for dance records, so people can lose themselves,” she says of the genre’s continued popularity, but in recent years, the likes of Fred Again.. and Venbee have used dance music to confront things like depression and loss, rather than offer pure escapism. “It’s just seen in a more respected light,” says Becky. “Artists are able to experiment with more serious, tangible life experiences, and that’s only ever going to be a good thing.” Becky Hill lays out all her ambitions for ‘Believe Me Now?’ on the opening track ‘True Colours’. Vulnerable lyrics are twisted into a message of self-empowerment, while a guest spot from Self Esteem leans into the healing nature of community that drives the more urgent, blissedout moments of the record. “I was ready to do something different,” says Becky, with the album taking inspiration from boundary-pushing dance records by the likes of Eric Prydz, Fedde Le Grand and Basement Jaxx from the early noughties. “I wanted to reference that moment of dance rebellion. I wasn’t going to make more bubblegum dance music, I wanted to do something a little less obedient,” says Becky. “’True Colours’ is that to me. There’s no real chorus, we’re just yelling, and I love it. As soon as we wrote it, I knew it was going to be the opener. It feels very anti-everything. It was very much balls out,” says Becky. “Writing that song felt like streaking through the rain.” As well as a nod to constantly having to prove herself throughout her career, the track also grapples with a sexual assault Becky experienced when she was younger. “It never really felt that vulnerable to write, but looking back at it now, it is an incredibly vulnerable song,” says Becky. “I went into the idea of talking about rape very confidently. I’d done the work, I’d gone to the police, and I’d spoken to my friends, who never believed me at the time. I’d processed this really terrible thing that had happened to death, and I felt healed. By the end of the first week of talking about it, though, I was in bits,” says Becky, with her therapist describing it as a “shame hangover”. “They also said talking about something that holds

so much shame for people, in a way that feels so unapologetic, is incredibly powerful,” continues Becky. “For me, writing that song was incredibly empowering. Playing it feels incredibly empowering. And what I’m trying to do at the moment is not talk about it in a way that it flips into being a different story,” she explains. “I want that song to be an empowering reminder to myself that not even something like that can dim my shine.” That confidence can be felt across ‘Believe Me Now?’, which is something Becky is still coming to terms with. “My 20s were incredibly turbulent. There was a lot of not knowing who I was, what I was doing or if any of this had a point,” she explains. After spending her teenage years taking singing lessons and performing in bands, Becky auditioned for the first season of talent show The Voice in an attempt to avoid going to uni. She ended up making it to the semi-finals and eventually landed a record deal while racking up thousands of pounds of debt. She went on to co-write and perform on Wilkinson’s crossover hit ‘Afterglow’ and topped the UK singles chart with Oliver Heldens collab ‘Gecko (Overdrive)’. BECKY HILL Her first proper solo single ‘Losing’ was released in 2014 and entered the charts at 56. She was dropped by her label soon afterwards. “It felt like it came out of nowhere,” she says today. She continued releasing music, but there was a constant fear that she’d never have success as a solo artist. Everything changed at Reading Festival 2021. “I had a 60,000-person validation of all the records I’ve been a part of,” says Becky, with the crowd losing their minds to the likes of ‘Afterglow’, ‘Lose Control’ and ‘My Heart Goes (La Di Da)’. “I’d never seen something like that on my own terms before. It lit a fire under my ass, and I’ve been reclaiming my space in the dance sphere ever since.” “It took me years to realise there was any sort of belief in me as an artist,” she continues, with ‘Believe Me Now?’ driven by that newfound self-confidence. “I feel like I can connect with people without having to apologise for my existence now. I’m thankful for that because it was getting really tiring,” she adds before breaking into a grin. “Anybody who doesn’t believe in me now should.” ■ Becky Hill’s album ‘Believe Me Now’ is out now.

“I’M PROBABLY NOT DANCE ENOUGH TO BE CONSIDERED A DANCE ARTIST, AND I’M NOT POP ENOUGH TO BE CONSIDERED A POP ARTIST”

that they liked,” says Becky. “I can only write pop songs, and I’m not ashamed of that,” she continues, recruiting a number of iconic dance producers to give the record the sort of emotional, upbeat weight it needed. “I know that I’m probably not dance enough to be considered a dance artist, and I’m not pop enough to be considered a pop artist, but I want to carve out my own space where I could have both of those things,” says Becky. “David Guetta and Calvin Harris have created this commercial dance space for themselves, and I wanted a piece of that,” she adds. “It hasn’t been done by a woman before, and I wanted to open that door for

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COVER STORY

ANYT 58. DORK

WALLOWS

TIME, WALLOWS ARE RIDING HIGH ON CONFIDENCE AND CREATIVITY WITH THEIR THIRD ALBUM ‘MODEL’, A LEAN, MEAN INDIE-POP MACHINE THAT SHOWCASES THEIR GROWTH AS A BAND.

by ABIGAIL FIRTH.

photography by DEREK BREMNER.

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COVER STORY

t’s a few days before they’re set to release their third album ‘Model’, and Wallows are holed up in a little Islington studio with Dork. Our shoot and chat are squeezed in between two album outstores on a trip so whistle-stop that we actually end up bringing the boys coffee on our way up to meet them before they head off to New York the next day (to their amusement at 4:20pm). It’s hard to tell whether it’s the jet lag or some cliché laidback California attitude, but Wallows are pretty relaxed about the many moving parts spinning around them; if anything, it’s that go-go-go lifestyle that’s influenced the sound and ethos of ‘Model’ more than anything else. “With this record, we were operating on instincts and this ‘first idea, best idea’ thing. That’s how we work,” explains Cole Preston, Wallows’ drummer (and the rest) and middle child. “But I think the foundation of it is that we’re just way more experienced. We are more comfortable in these scenarios, and because of that, we’re able to push ourselves forward and make something that sounds like who we are right now.” ‘Model’ crash lands into the start of summer with a decidedly more immediate sound, feel and approach. The boys came into its creation with the goal of making some leaner, meaner songs and achieve exactly that.

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There’s none of the fumbling self-discovery of debut ‘Nothing Happens’, nor any of the detours or much of the instrumental experimentation follow-up ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ brought forth. Instead, ‘Model’ coasts through a plethora of 2000s indie references throughout its pacy twelve tracks and winds up being, contrary to the title, a little bit imperfect. “There’s definitely an irony to the title intentionally,” says frontman and baby of the band Dylan Minnette. “There’s plenty of reasons we could unpack, but that definitely applies” - there’s a very jet-lagged consideration of the word ‘applicable’ for a moment - “to the title and how the music is performed and recorded.” “We didn’t have time to overthink things,” adds Braeden Lemasters, Wallows’ second-in-command and the eldest of the trio, “because we recorded for two months, and we recorded 25 songs. It’s kind of impossible to overthink that way because you’re just working on hyperspeed. As soon as you’re finished with one idea, you work on the next and then that space gives you the context when you return to it to see it in a different way, versus if you’re just constantly working on something for too long.” As a result, the record cuts straight to the feeling. Riding high following their post-pandemic tour and festival run, the boys approached the record with both wide-eyed optimism and a newfound confidence. Speed running the recording process, they estimate only seven songs were left on the cutting room floor. “I wrote lyrics simultaneously with recording because I made myself work under pressure again,” says Dylan. “I was really happy, very in love, just on cloud nine. I feel like the best version of myself right now; that’s the mentality I had. That reflects in some of the lyrics that I wrote: more playful, light on his feet and stuff like that. We were all feeling good. As a band, we felt free. We felt very creative and open and inspired, confident in our abilities of what we could create, and we were impressing ourselves.” “I was looking forward to going in every day, which I think is how it’s always been for us,” adds Cole. “But this time definitely felt like, if I look back at my life as a whole, that was the start of a time where I was like, things have fallen into place in my life in a way. I think we’re very fortunate in that that’s what we all were experiencing.” The album’s sound also lends itself well to the live performance because it was largely informed by both the tour they’d been on in support of ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ and knowing they were going on a huge tour this year. While nothing was written on the road, Cole noting that tour time usually feels like the spoils of the work rather than a time to do more, it meant coming into the studio for ‘Model’ was the first time Wallows were thinking about how a record would sound in arenas. “With ‘Nothing Happens’, we were just focusing on making our first album, we weren’t thinking about shows really, just stoked to play it,” Dylan says. “Then ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’, especially because we were making it at the top of 2021, so that whole process, I don’t think we were thinking about live shows at all, we didn’t know when we’d be playing live again. But this was like, we need to make sure that this album can be played in a big room, and it needs to be exactly for that moment, you know?” The ‘Model’ tour is Wallows’ biggest yet, seeing them head up iconic venues like New York’s Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’ Forum, while their European tour will conclude with a night at Alexandra Palace. Despite this, it was the early riotous club shows of 2000s indie bands that the boys find themselves calling back to. “I can only imagine going to clubs in the early 2000s; Arctic Monkeys or Libertines shows here would have been so insane,” says Dylan. “Just judging on how incredible UK crowds are, I can only imagine these artists when they were in their prime and what that felt like, even seeing American bands like Kings of Leon, The Strokes, stuff like that would have been insane.”

WALLOWS

“I CAN ONLY IMAGINE GOING TO CLUBS IN THE EARLY 2000S; ARCTIC MONKEYS OR LIBERTINES SHOWS HERE WOULD HAVE BEEN SO INSANE” DYLAN

MINNETTE

‘Model’ slides comfortably into that sweet category of records that’d sound equally as good in a low-ceilinged, sweaty basement club as it would in a festival field. Its directness feels borrowed from early Monkeys records like ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ and Strokes albums like ‘Is This It’ and ‘Room On Fire’; both the album and the band themselves feel spiritually pretty British in the way The Killers or Kings of Leon do, those groups discographies gleefully adopted by football fans and favoured by Reading & Leeds bookers. Still, there are flourishes of Wallows’ more playful and experimental side, this time around in a way that feels naturally woven into the jangly, sunny, indie pop they’ve become best known for; ‘Model’ wears the band’s long-time love for Vampire Weekend and The Beatles on its sleeve. “There will always be songs that sound like what someone would imagine us sounding like,” says Cole, “like the song ‘Calling After Me’, I think is a song where someone would be like, oh, yeah. There’s always going to be a layer of that in some songs. But like, I also think we’re excited by being a little bit experimental.” “I don’t know if we have a particular sound, but there’s a particular feeling and way of writing,” adds Dylan. “It’s the same gift in different packages. It’s everchanging, but we’re always gonna try to evoke the same feeling from people.” Braeden pulls out Phoenix, New Order, Cleaners From Venus and Alvvays as additional references, while Dylan adds The Clash to finish a list of their main five. The common thread between many of Wallows’ influences – particularly the British ones – is their ability to shapeshift and move through genres fearlessly, something the boys are undoubtedly set on doing themselves. They’re seven years into releasing music as Wallows, but Dylan, Braeden and Cole’s friendship goes back way further. Dylan and Braeden met as kids, their mothers connecting on a forum for parents with child actors, and

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COVER STORY

62. DORK

WALLOWS IDLES

picked up Cole along the way when they all participated in a music program called Join The Band (sort of a musician matchmaking service). The duo was assigned Cole as their drummer in 2009, and the rest is history. In that time, the band dynamics have shifted considerably, with each member picking up more instruments and rotating positions within the group. “In the beginning of the band, mainly Dylan and I wrote the songs and ideas,” Braeden explains, “and then maybe a year into the band, Cole started writing a lot.” Similar to the way their heroes Lennon and McCartney worked, with Mr Harrison popping up later? “Yeah, exactly, exactly.” “I remember you showing us ‘These Days’,” Braeden says to Cole, talking about Wallows’ first official Pressong (sorry), “and then like, parts started sort of happening, lead parts of this and that, and now it’s literally 100% equal songwriting across the board. Cole’s bringing ideas just as much as anyone. That’s the thing that’s changed the most about Wallows that I wouldn’t even have predicted because originally Cole just drummed, and now you play guitar and keyboard and have all these ideas.” Maybe Cole has been the under-appreciated genius of Wallows all along, with Dylan prodding that he’d kicked off their biggest streaming hit ‘Are You Bored Yet?’. “You’re the George [Harrison] of Wallows,” he suggests. “Cole plays way more on ‘Model’ than I do,” Dylan adds. “’She’s An Actress’, I don’t play on that,” says Braeden. “They Tears for Fears’d that one. I was taking a nap, and Cole just recorded all the guitar parts and all the synths, and I was like, cool, sounds good.” “Always a little bit of a tinge of guilt when I say that’s my favourite one,” says Dylan.

Of course, no one stays in a band – or even friends – for over a decade without sharing a mindset and outlook on the direction of the group. For ‘Model’, were they bringing the same ideas to the studio? “It’s a yes and no, and I think that’s what makes Wallows, us,” says Braeden. “We all get on the same page, but naturally, our opinions and ideas of an album change, and then that changes someone else’s view of the album, and then that finds what it ends up being.” Dylan adds, “Give us a long enough passionate conversation and it’s easy to get on the same page about something.” “I enjoy the feeling of us having ideas,” says Cole. “I guess we just batted around stuff, and then it arrived somewhere; it’s been really fun, and we’re lucky that we have that.” The familiarity within the trio extends beyond the band for ‘Model’, as they recruited John Congleton as a producer again. First linking up for their debut EP and major label release ‘Spring’ in 2018, John has been crucial to developing the Wallows sound and honouring the band’s ideas. A legendary producer with credits across the last two decades of indie, he was the first ‘known’ (Cole’s words) producer Wallows had wanted to work with, and he was happy to oblige. John ended up working heavily on ‘Nothing Happens’ and maintained his relationship with the boys, even though they ditched him for (the equally legendary) Ariel Rechtshaid on ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’. “He’ll always have this very special place in the history of our band,” says Cole, who speaks about John sort of like a favourite teacher, “That was like a transitional period, suddenly we were working with John and he taught us so much. So when we were writing for ‘Model’, we set up a session with him; we hadn’t seen him in a while, and we were just gonna write a song. We started talking about what’s next for us and just

“WE’RE EXCITED BY BEING A LITTLE BIT EXPERIMENTAL” COLE

asked him, what do you think our next record should be? And everything he said about how it’s a moment in our career and it should be more lean and mean, and everything he was saying was what we were thinking. So it just felt right.” He continues, “There’s a level of comfort because we have worked with him already, but I also think that he’s the kind of person to challenge us, and he, just as much as us, knows where we’ve been as a band because he literally was there for it. That sort of enables you to actually understand it and push it forward; you can take what you’ve built with somebody and go further into that.” Throughout our chat, Dylan keeps nodding to the next era of Wallows (already!!) and the ideas they’re having about what comes next. A semi-spoken agreement with John suggests he won’t be coming back for album four, as they’ve collectively decided it’s better for him to do every other Wallows record. “I feel like, in a weird way, if we only worked with the three or four producers we’ve ever met in the career of our band, I’d be happy with that,” Braeden says. “I don’t need to keep searching for a grass is greener feeling unless I creatively wanted to.” Still, while ‘Model’ might be the Wallows sound of right now, one that relishes in being content in the moment and thrives on the familiarity and closeness of its participating creators, there’s a solid chance it’ll change. Dylan mentions they’re having the same feelings again on the route they’ll be taking next, assuring it’ll be a total turn from where they’re at now. And that’s not shocking at all. Looking at their appreciation for the weird and wonderful aspects of their favourite bands – take the fact that Dylan’s favourite Beatles album is ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ – and admiration for acts whose career paths involve several sharp turns – Braeden notes how iconic Arctic Monkeys shift from ‘AM’ to ‘Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino’ was – and a picture of what’s next comes slightly into focus. Where ‘Model’ leaves Wallows is in a new place of fearlessness and self-assurance. “I love that they never looked back,” says Dylan of Arctic Monkeys’ multiple switch-ups. His own band probably won’t, either. ■ Wallows’ album ‘Model’ is out now.

PRESTON READDORK.COM 63.

NORWEGIAN ALT-POP SENSATION AURORA DELVES INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE HUMAN PSYCHE WITH HER EMOTIONALLY CHARGED FOURTH ALBUM, ‘WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HEART?’.

by STEPHEN ACKROYD. photography by WANDA MARTIN.

n the midst of global turmoil and constant upheaval, AURORA feels like a blissful voice of calm and reason as everything around her spins out of control. The Norwegian alt-pop sensation has always had a knack for delving into the depths of the human psyche, for giving voice to the fears and desires that we all share. But with her fourth studio album, ‘What Happened To The Heart?’, she takes this exploration to new heights, crafting a work of stunning emotional intensity and raw, unfiltered honesty. For AURORA, the creation of her latest full-length has been a cathartic process, a way of making sense of the chaos surrounding us. “The world is such a mess,” she exclaims, more than hinting at the passion that’s driven her latest fulllength. “I’ve been writing about it. I’ve made a whole album about it. And it’s been good for my soul. Now, I cannot wait to speak the words out loud for the world to hear. I feel ignited. And I think I can feel the people are ignited as well.” ‘ W h a t Happened To The Heart?’ is a searing exploration of the spiritual disconnect that plagues modern society, one that AURORA believes lies at the root of so many of our current struggles. It’s a theme that has long been present in her work, but it has never felt more urgent or necessary than it does now. “I started writing it two years ago, I think,” she reveals. “It began

like a seed and grew so violently quick into a flower. I was looking at the current state of the world. Covid was just over, and I thought it would take us longer to go back into our own destructive habits.” It was a chance encounter with a powerful message that sparked the album’s central question. A plea from those deeply connected to the earth itself struck a chord deep within AURORA’s soul. “One day, I read a letter written by the indigenous leaders around the world, pleading the world to act more with the heart and less with the mind. We are ruining so much of what is special about us. From our dear Earth, to the natural shape of our beautiful individual noses. It’s so strange. I think. And it really hit me hard where I was soft. And there came the question, ‘What happened to the heart?’” This question became the guiding light for AURORA as she set out to craft an album that would be, “Very human. Anatomical”. Pain, in all its forms, became her muse – “Our own pain, the pain we see around us, and the pain we inspire in others” – and she dove headfirst into the heart of the matter, seeking to understand how we, AURORA as individuals and as a society, choose to confront and process our suffering. The path we choose, she believes, will determine the fate of not just our own lives but the world as a whole. “Will we choose a path of self-healing or self-destruction?” she ponders. “It is still a question I do not know the answer to. But I think we need to involve the heart much more. In the way we run both the world and our own lives.”

“I THINK WE ARE MORE ISOLATED THAN EVER”

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AURORA

AURORA’s quest for answers has taken her to every corner of the globe, from the charged earth of New Zealand and Australia to the vibrant biodiversity of India and Brazil. Along the way, she has absorbed the energy and wisdom of the people and places she encounters, each leaving an indelible mark on her soul. These experiences, she says, have become a part of her very being. “Every human I’ve touched really makes an impact on me; I know it’s a boring answer, but it is so true,” she admits. “Every smell and taste from every place I’ve been I carry with me. I feel like a big box of memories, and I’ve learnt so much.” Yet even as she marvels at the beauty and connection she has witnessed, AURORA is acutely aware of the spiritual malaise that plagues modern society. In a world where we are more connected than ever, we have never been more alone, more disconnected from the earth, from each other, and from ourselves. The price of our comfort, she suggests, is a heavy one. “I think we are more isolated than ever, and a lot of people are lonely. People spend so much time hating the skin they are born in. Bullying each other online,” she laments. “It’s such a strange time to be alive in. We let so many suffer for the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the phones we communicate with, just so our lives can be simple. And effortless.” This disconnect, AURORA believes, stems from a fundamental estrangement from our own humanity. We have lost touch with the very essence of what makes us alive. “It’s sad that we have lost such connection with our own skin. Our own soul and heart. With our children, who we so willingly involve in the war of adults. We’ve let species die. Life on earth is not whole. Not anymore. Not like it used to be,” she reflects. “And I think somewhere deep inside we can feel it. We’re disconnected. And really think it’s affecting our experience of life deeply.” For AURORA, the key to healing this disconnect lies in a rekindling of our spiritual selves, a reawakening of the heart that beats within each of us. It’s not about escaping reality, but about enhancing it, about deepening our connection to ourselves and the world around us. “My approach to spiritualism is very grounded,” she explains. “It’s not a replacement for anything I cannot find on Earth. It’s not a way for me to answer the questions I’m scared I’ll never find the answer to. But it’s something that enhances everything I am and everything around me. It helps me to have empathy, or rather something deeper than empathy. A deep need to listen to the world around me.” This empathetic impulse, this deep need to listen, extends beyond the merely human. For AURORA, the fight against climate change is not just an ecological imperative but a moral and spiritual one as well. It’s a test of our humanity, of our ability to look beyond our own immediate desires and consider the consequences of our actions. “It’s an issue that actually touches all of us,” she asserts. “It’s an issue that symbolises so

“WE ARE RUINING SO MUCH OF WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT US” AURORA much to me. If we can take as much as we want without giving anything back. If we can destroy and kill without hearing any screams of pain. Will we just keep going until there is nothing left? Just because we can? Or will we change our ways? Especially now when it’s proven we need to change in order for the world to survive. It’s such a fundamental issue. Saving the world of mankind.” This urgent call for change - for a fundamental shift in the way we relate to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us - is woven throughout every track on ‘What Happened To The Heart?’. The album is a journey, both spiritual and emotional, that takes the listener from yearning to raw desperation and shattering vulnerability. Each song represents a different stage in the process of confronting and processing pain. “I feel like a lot of the things that are making us unhappy can be traced back to this one question,” AURORA explains. “’What Happened To The Heart?’ When did we stop learning how to use it? The album begins so spiritually. With ‘The Echo Of My Shadow’ and then it turns with ‘The Dark Dresses Lightly’, a track that is very important to me. And with ‘Starvation’, you get really desperate. Anger is a

dangerous reaction to pain. And then with ‘The Blade’ you break.” Yet even in the depths of despair, AURORA finds glimmers of hope, moments of transcendence that point the way forward. Her new single, ‘To Be Alright’, is a testament to this resilience, a defiant declaration of the human spirit’s unquenchable thirst for healing and wholeness. It’s a song that acknowledges the futility of our usual coping mechanisms, the ways in which we try to numb our pain rather than truly address it. “It came from the tip of my toes. It’s a strange, lovely song,” she muses. “We tend to seek to all the wrong things to make us feel better. We give all our ‘special’ children medicine to function better in the box we created for them. We kill all large flames. I was thinking about all the things I’ve tried in my life that I thought would make me feel better. Pointing at them saying, ‘You cannot make me feel a thing’, ‘You cannot make me feel alright’.” In the context of the album as a whole, ‘To Be Alright’ serves as a crucial turning point, a moment of reckoning that sets the stage for the final act of the journey. It’s the realisation that our usual remedies are not enough, that we

need something more profound, more transformative. “Of all the major chord songs, it fits the album the most. If that makes sense,” AURORA explains. “It’s the wish to feel better, but using the wrong remedies. One of the last stages before the problem becomes all-consuming.” Despite the heavy themes it grapples with, ‘What Happened To The Heart?’ is not a ponderous or self-important affair. Rather, it is a work of startling intimacy and vulnerability, a testament to AURORA’s unwavering commitment to authenticity and truth-telling. She invites listeners to approach the record as a cohesive entity alongside her previous output, a journey to be savoured and absorbed in its entirety. “In my head, every album kind of belongs to each other. All small strawberries on a string,” she muses. “Just listen to it in its whole,” she urges. “And don’t be afraid of the dark. And don’t be afraid of the light. They are both equally important.” Even as she prepares to unleash ‘What Happened To The Heart?’ upon the world, AURORA’s restless creative spirit is already looking ahead to new horizons. The drive to create, to express, to explore, is one that never seems to abate - so, yes, she is already at work on the next full-length. “I just cannot stop. I am so sorry,” she confesses, hinting at the relentless drive that has propelled her to where she finds herself today. Yet for all her tireless dedication to her craft, AURORA remains firmly grounded in the world around her, attuned to the small miracles and moments of grace that make life worth living. From the completion of a long-awaited book by her favourite author to the groundbreaking discoveries of quantum physicists, she finds hope and inspiration in the most unlikely of places. These moments, she suggests, are a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always light to be found. “My favourite author, Patrick Rothfuss, just finished a book I’ve been waiting for for many YEARS,” she gushes. “Also, I think the best stuff hasn’t even happened yet. I believe we have so much good coming our way.” Perhaps most thrilling of all, AURORA points to the Nobel Prize-winning work of quantum physicists as a source of profound hope and inspiration. Their discoveries, she suggests, hint at a fundamental truth about the nature of reality, one that has the power to transform the way we understand ourselves and our place in the world. “Quantum entanglement is really the origin of empathy,” she exclaims, her words a clarion call to embrace the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. As we wait for the arrival of ‘What Happened To The Heart?’, one thing is certain: AURORA’s voice will continue to ring out, a beacon of light in the darkness, a reminder of the enduring power of the human spirit to heal, to grow, and to explore. At a time that so often feels fractured and adrift, hers is a message that we all need to hear, perhaps now more than ever. ■ AURORA’s album ‘What Happened To The Heart?’ is out now.

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eady to embrace life with the explosive certainty of a cheeky late-night firework, Sea Girls are soaring higher than ever before. “With this album, we want to be seen - I want to be seen,” vocalist and guitarist Henry Camamile enthuses. “That’s why I’m in a band. That’s why I’m the frontman.” This swaggering acknowledgement comes hot on the announcement of their third outing, ‘Midnight Butterflies’, and a belting 2022 set at London’s Alexandra Palace. It’s safe to say Sea Girls aren’t doing things by halves. “I’ve always felt like I’ve got something to prove, which is why I make music. I want to get out of feeling normal,” he continues. “I want to write about escaping every day and worrying about the future.” The London quartet have, since their debut 2017 single ‘Call Me Out’, written the kind of songs that swoop you up into an embrace that dares you to live: “I think that’s why fans connect to us, they’re not special stories. They’re typical stories that everyone experiences, the highs and the lows,” Henry says. Suitably, this third chapter of Sea Girls is them fully leaning into being Sea Girls. Confessing that, “This is the most I’ve ever embraced the feeling of being in a band,” Henry, alongside his bandmates Rory Young (guitar), Andrew Dawson (bass), and Oli Khan (drums), is roaring ready to get this new chapter underway. “I’m enjoying life more than I ever have, and I feel like we’re enjoying being in a band,” Henry beams. “We’ve never not really enjoyed it, but it just feels great. We’ve got fans, we’ve built this up, we’ve got this confidence that we can just fucking lean into - the energy, that buzz inside us and push it.” Doubling down, ‘Midnight Butterflies’ is unabashedly Sea Girls. The hooks are hookier, the energy more frenetic, and the sentiments as euphorically youthful - for better or worse - as ever. Theirs is a space to be revelled in and escaped to, not to feed answers but to propel and assist. While Henry acknowledges, “We’re not reinventing the wheel; we’ve pushed out.” For this time around, they’ve worked with a few different names to give new flavours to the Sea Girls formula. With co-writes from Harry Styles’ producer Kid Harpoon to YUNGBLUD collaborator Matt Schwartz, it’s all in the name of “embracing the culture and people to work with,” reckons Henry. “Instead of being insular in our own little team.” ‘Midnight Butterflies’ is, in their eyes, Sea Girls’ rejuvenation. Digging deeper into their arsenal of nights-lived and lifeloved, they’re turning the crank up higher on what it is they do best. It also marks their first release as an independent band

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SEIZING THE MOMENT, SEA GIRLS TURN THE INTENSITY UP ON ‘MIDNIGHT BUTTERFLIES’ - A SWAGGERING ODE TO THE FREEDOM OF YOUTH AND LIVING UNRESTRAINED.

by STEVEN LOFTIN. photography by BLACKSOCKS.

on their own Alt. Records, after parting with Polydor post-’Homesick’. It’s a culmination of the band getting to grips with enjoying everything they do. After all, life’s a bit too short. “This one was just about, I’m gonna have a fucking good time being in a band, we’re gonna have a fucking good time,” says Henry. “I’m super proud of all the other albums, [but] the debut feels different. This one is all about living in the moment, going no consequences.” Their latest offering, ‘Polly’ - named after the Nirvana track - is a prime example of their reignited devotion to their craft. “I had characters in my head that I’ve met throughout the years,” Henry explains of its composite. “We definitely wanted it to feel different to anything we’d ever done. It’s a cool feeling that I was trying to portray. It sounds fucking cool. When someone listens to this, I think they’re going to connect to that feeling when you’re exactly where you want to be in life. You’re in this moment, hanging with this person in this kitchen, wherever you are outside of a party, just like feeling like I don’t want to be anywhere else.” That place for Henry, at this moment, is with his band. After a tumultuous time, with a long-term head injury steering him down the path of excess - but ultimately to writing their debut album, Open Up Your Head he acknowledges: “The first album I was consumed in my post-concussion syndrome, which just basically gave me depression and then my only escape was fucking getting off my mind, and that was shit.” ‘Homesick’ was the sober follow-up, though the sounds would suggest otherwise, having never waned in their bolstering indie-pop. Reflecting on it now, Henry mentions, “[‘Midnight Butterflies’] felt like I’d written a debut because there’s so much stuff that went on over those two years,” he says. “Making the first two albums, there were difficulties, but this one, I felt like I could enjoy being in the band and just writing about fucking having a good time. I just feel there’s just more joy that sits in this album compared to that first album, lyrically.” While it fizzes to life with the triple-hit of its titular track, and recent singles ‘I Want You To Know Me’ and ‘Come Back To Me’, before long, the edges blur and the humanity seeps back in with pensive closer ‘After Hours’. It’s this flip-side Henry is all too aware of as he readily admits, “I’m not this guy that fucking lives this kind of rock’n’roll life, but I can really enjoy leaning into it.” However, embracing this in totality nowadays is the same reason Sea Girls have always been able to lift even the grumpiest of moods with their synth-soaked rock. “The reason why there’s always been that part of it, that euphoric

“WE WANT TO BE SEEN. I WANT TO BE SEEN” HENRY

side of it, is because I’ve needed an escape - I needed it back then.” Knowingly, his retrospection comes from a battle-worn place. “If you try and escape all the time... I’ve done too much of it,” he shrugs. “It gets destructive, and it’s dark, you know? So there is a dark side to the mission statement of the album, but ‘Midnight Butterflies’, to fucking live for 24 hours; give a shit, fucking do what you gotta do. I hate reducing it down to ‘it’s a party’ or whatever, but let’s be honest: that’s mostly what we do when we try to escape.” While he was sober for a couple of years throughout ‘Homesick’, these days Henry is all about seizing the day. “I’ve just started enjoying life a bit more,” he shrugs. “I’m not a perfect person. I haven’t found the fucking answers or whatever. I’m just finding my way through and making the most of it - making the anthems bigger, the bright points brighter.” The kind of joy Henry and co are going for this time is the same as that rush you feel when everything is right, when an unstoppable feeling washes over you, and the threat of the other shoe dropping is a distant memory: “I just wanted to burn out in every song,” Henry smiles. It’s a feeling bottled in part by the album being recorded in a lightning strike over the last year. “I wanted this album to be like, listen to it, and it’s done. I just wanted this core feeling and this urgency.” Even in their more sombre moments, they’ve held their heads above the water. “This rush has always been in us, despite everything else that goes around [we] let our identity flow out of us.” This is what ‘Midnight Butterflies’ seems to truly be for Sea Girls - a way for them to redefine themselves in the warmth of

CAMAMILE

recognising a bright future. On what it is, for Henry, that’s made this new embrace possible, he firstly nods his proper calling. “Music is my favourite thing, and it’s such a big part of my identity,” he says. “But on a personal level, I’ve started partying more. I’m sort of searching through my own little journey of fucking living,” he smirks. This is the most important part for Henry. The distinctly human feel of this revelling return is, in its very nature, just Sea Girls on their mission to serve their fans a reason to get outside and live life. “It’s partly our duty to try and make great art and live it,” Henry explains. “Nothing fucking crazy, but I should really enjoy the fact I’m in a band, and acknowledge in myself that that’s what’s going on?” While their perspective is decidedly focused upon ever-growing stages and songs-to-be-written, Henry acknowledges that original opening point again and the key part of why Sea Girls continue to be a resounding draw: “These are stories that are just so common to everyone my age, younger and older,” he says. “We’re all humans, and the same as the next person, everyone’s muddling their way through and having a good time when they can and feeling shit when they can’t help it. That’s what we’re doing.” Seemingly in a place of increased wisdom, without the boring maturity, he opines: “You don’t have to be in a band for this to make sense. These songs aren’t about being in a band; this album is not about being in a band. We just happen to be in a band. It’s the human condition.” ■ Sea Girls’ album ‘Midnight Butterflies’ is out now.

READDORK.COM 67.

THE PLATTERS THAT MATTER.

WHAT DO THE SCORES MEAN? ★ Rubbish ★★ Not Great ★★★ Fair ★★★★ Good ★★★★★ Amazing

Alfie Templeman

RADIOSOUL

★★★★

CHARLI XCX BRAT

★★★★★

THE MOST RAW AND HONEST VERSION OF CHARLI SHE’S SHOWN US IN A WHILE. → Charli XCX is at her best when she’s doing whatever the fuck she wants. Think of the undistilled master-at-work-ery that fills her beloved 2017 mixtape ‘Pop 2’ and five-week 2020

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lockdown creation ‘how i’m feeling now’. Those projects always felt simultaneously like her loosest, offering up complete artistic freedom and a borderless approach to pop music, and her tightest, cutting through any bullshit to deliver an in-your-face instant cult classic. That energy saturates ‘BRAT’, her sixth studio album, released via Atlantic to the surprise of anyone who’s followed her tumultuous relationship with the label. Her last full-length, 2022’s ‘Crash’, saw Charli toy with the idea of going as mainstream as possible, blowing up the budget and that version of Charli in the process. ‘BRAT’, despite settling back into Charli’s preferred position in the underground, isn’t the complete opposite in its mission. ‘BRAT’ is still hedonistic,

CHARLI XCX IS AT HER BEST WHEN SHE’S DOING WHATEVER THE FUCK SHE WANTS screaming for attention and knowing she’ll get it. Its first few offerings – ‘Von Dutch’, ‘Club Classics’, ‘360’ – are cocky and cunty, projecting themes of obsession, pride, vanity. Lyrics like “cult classic but I still pop” in lead single ‘Von Dutch’ allude to the ways Charli straddles the mainstream and underground, while the pure arrogance of “I wanna dance to me” in ‘Club Classics’ doubles down on the tone of this era. But all of these songs serve as a facade, and the rest of ‘BRAT’ tells a different story. Much of ‘BRAT’ sees Charli grappling with her own insecurities in all of their forms. ‘Sympathy is a knife’ finds her comparing

herself to another woman and getting suicidal about it over jolting synths, sort of like a heavier, more arresting ‘Gone’. Then comes ‘I might say something stupid’, a synth ballad that strips away Charli’s main character persona and leaves her feeling like an extra. Rarely does ‘BRAT’ return to the braggadocious heights of the singles, but when it does, it’s a welcome bit of fun. ‘Mean girls’, a tongue-in-cheek assessment of the current It Girl landscape, manages to sound like an alternative universe version of David Guetta’s ‘Sexy Bitch’, while ‘Talk talk’ recalls mid-2000s disco house as Charli gets nervous about seeing a

fella (presumably her nowfiancé, The 1975’s George Daniel) in real life. The love songs here are the opposite of obvious too; ‘Everything is romantic’ rattles off mundanities, like driving in manual and early nights, in a flow somewhere between MIA and Mike Skinner, over a pulsing garage beat. Yes, ‘BRAT’ is a club record, but if it was all floorfiller, it wouldn’t be Charli XCX. It’s for the girls who go hard on the floor with no regard for tomorrow, but it’s also for the girls who have breakdowns in the toilets and spend their comedown days paranoid and scrolling other girls’ Instagram photos, feeling like shit. It’s the most raw and honest version of Charli she’s shown us in a while, a complicated pop figure who’s more than just a party girl. ABIGAIL FIRTH

→ In the years since his breakthrough as a teenage bedroom pop prodigy, Alfie Templeman has undergone a profound artistic transformation. His second album ‘Radiosoul’ marks not just an evolution, but a fullfledged metamorphosis a dazzling chrysalis from which the 21-year-old emerges angelic, yet grittier; vibrant, but with previously unseen depths too. From the kaleidoscopic opening bars, it’s clear we’re being ushered into an auditory realm far richer and more complex than his lockdown-born debut ‘Mellow Moon’. Produced alongside all-star collaborators like Nile Rodgers and Dan Carey, ‘Radiosoul’ basks in a smorgasbord of live instrumentation and eclectic influences. Shimmering psychedelia collides with propulsive funk and soul grooves; infectious indie-pop hooks intermingle with candid R&B vulnerability. It’s an artistic rebirth, capturing a young soul in the throes of perpetual becoming - endlessly shape-shifting yet remaining quintessentially, irrepressibly himself. DAN

HARRISON

INCOMING

Sea Girls

MIDNIGHT BUTTERFLIES

★★★★

Been Stellar

SCREAM FROM NEW YORK, NY

Hockey Dad

REBUILD REPEAT

★★★★

→ In the fading embers of their former major label cocoon, Sea Girls have undergone a stunning transformation bursting forth from their confines newly independent and ablaze with anthemic fervour. ‘Midnight Butterflies’ marks an ecstatic rebirth of unbridled creative freedom. They’re still a band for the big nights, writing the even bigger anthems, but on their own terms. It’s an exhilarating, soul-baring change that establishes the band as something far more interesting than what they were before. A stunning case study in growth, reinvention and self-actualisation. DAN

→ ‘Rebuild Repeat’ instruct Hockey Dad on their fourth album. It’s a bit more complicated than that, though – there’s reconnection, rejuvenation, re-energising to do. The Australian duo manage to do all of that, though, and they do it in a way that feels simultaneously in touch with their roots and remarkably fresh. Though remnants of their earlier work linger in the album, there’s a softness that has been lacking before but is much welcomed. They’ve found a shade of forward-facing nostalgia that suits them; it’s an album that plays to their strengths and sees them emerge anew.

HARRISON

NEIVE MCCARTHY

Wage War

STIGMA

★★★★

→ ‘STIGMA’ is impossible to listen to with any semblance of stillness. Wage War have forged track after track of headbanging, arm-swinging metalcore mayhem. Offering equal opportunities for chestrumbling rage and animated introspection alike, Bond (lead vocals) and Quistad (clean vocals) give each other ample space to showcase their talents throughout the record, striking a neat balance between vocal styles. In doing so, the cleaner vocals shine brighter, and the screams hit harder. The hooks are meaty enough to sink your teeth into, but be careful because this album bites back. KELSEY

MCCLURE

★★★★

→ Been Stellar are the 90s throwback we never knew we needed. ‘Scream from New York, NY’ takes everything that made the city a hub of musical innovation, adds a large helping of modern-day anguish, and reanimates it into a living, breathing creation. Harnessing the frustrations of postpandemic city life, the Empire State quintet embody what would happen if you combined Nirvana, The Strokes, and Slowdive. Grungy, riff-heavy garage-rock blends with dreamy shoegaze melodies and a nonchalant vocal style to create an atmosphere that brings to life the thick, fuzzy New York City air the band have been breathing since their arrival in the Big Apple in 2017. Been Stellar find a wellstruck balance between paying tribute to the music that raised them and forging their own path in an exciting indie scene; full of verve and kinetic energy, this feels like a debut which gives the band room to breathe. A very exciting start from a very exciting band. CIARAN PICKER

BRING ME THE HORIZON POST HUMAN: NEX GEN ★★★★

→ Under the shadow of several delays, the departure of Jordan Fish and a growing sense of uncertainty around the band, Bring Me The Horizon have finally surprisereleased ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’. There may have been moments over the past 12 months where it’s looked like the only way for Bring Me to go is down, but this ambitious, playful and ferocious collection of songs says differently. Since 2006’s ‘Count Your Blessings’, every Bring Me album has deliberately been bigger than the last, fuelled by self-belief, technical ability, and a desire to constantly push the genre forward. Rather than try

and build on the stadium cyber-punk of ‘Survival Horror’ though, ‘NeX GEn’ turns inwards and creates something far more intense. A thoroughly modern emo record, Bring Me snarl, gnash and rage through 16 tracks that cover everything from hammering nu-metal and easycore pop-punk to hyperpop and jungle. Rather than a playlist of influences designed to shock, the whole record flows on the right side of chaos. One moment, Bring Me are leaders of a giddy underground rave; the next, we’re sat in a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. It’s urgent, but never oppressive. Singles like ‘DiE4u’, ‘LosT’, ‘sTraNgeRs’ and ‘AmEN!’ haven’t lost any of their bite since they were first shared, offering moments of communal euphoria across a record that knows how heavy it can feel. The brooding pop metal of ‘liMOuslne’ brings AURORA into Bring Me’s ever-expanding world; a trio of ‘[ost]’ tracks are glitching steps into the world of hectic dance while ‘N/A’ builds on

Oasis’ ‘Married With Children’. There’s still not another vocalist in heavy music who’s as up for eviscerating themselves as Oli Sykes. Across ‘NeX GEn’, he leans into optimistic melodrama with newfound aggression, but there are plenty of moments where that same vulnerability teeters over into tenderness. “I’m sorry, kid, but I can’t be your saviour,” he sings on ‘n/A’ alongside arenas full of fans screaming, “Hello, Oli, you fucking knobhead”. Elsewhere, he grapples with addiction, depression and uncertainty with a disarming openness. The whole twisting journey ends with the twinkling hammer of ‘DIg It’. A song about failure, disconnect, pain and belief, it offers little in the way of answers, but Bring Me’s defiant perseverance is once again put front and centre as a beacon for others. Then, in the dying moments, a new character is introduced into the ‘POST HUMAN’ narrative as a promise that Bring Me The Horizon’s story is far from done. ALI SHUTLER

Omar Apollo

GOD SAID NO

★★★★

→ Omar Apollo has become quite a big deal since his debut album ‘Ivory’ in 2022. A prodigious talent who can seemingly do it all; he’s now proving what a superstar he is as he moves into a kaleidoscopic and genrebending second album ‘God Said No’. More insistent and vital than ever, the songs here have a greater sheen and pack a bigger punch, allowing Apollo’s songwriting to really flourish. He takes on vocoder-drenched 80s electro on killer track ‘Less Of You’, while the spacey, plaintive yearning of ‘Life’s Unfair’ highlights the emotional core of this 14-track collection. A pop auteur for a new generation, this is the sound of Omar Apollo making a significant artistic statement.

MARTYN YOUNG

The Mysterines

AFRAID OF TOMORROWS

★★★★

→ ‘Afraid of Tomorrows’ overflows with ominous, brooding guitars and melodies, and just general badassery. Opener ‘The Last Dance’ is high energy rock, and ‘Stray’, the grungy lead single about lessons learnt too late, follows suit with its broodiness. Throughout, The Mysterines are just as roaringly cool as they’ve ever been, but with a sound far more developed, demonstrated no better than by Lia Metcalfe’s voice. Their classic ferocity in combination with the slower, sadder moments make the album fresh, invigorating, and for the most part, great for a mosh pit. REBECCA KESTEVEN

Zayn

ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS

★★★★

Walt Disco

THE WARPING

★★★★

→ In the years since his sudden departure from One Direction, Zayn Malik has embarked on a musical odyssey that’s taken him from the dizzying heights of pop superstardom to the quiet solitude of rural Pennsylvania. Now, with his fourth solo album, ‘ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS’, he’s crafted a deeply personal and strikingly mature record that sees him trading the slick R&B of his earlier work for a strikingly raw, countryinflected sound. It’s a courageous, creative statement from an artist who has emerged from the crucible of evolution battlescarred yet unbroken. DAN

→ Walt Disco have never been short on ambition. The Scottish art-pop visionaries have always been concerned with how they can take pop and shape it to their own idiosyncratic will, and they take this to even greater extremes on their second album, ‘The Warping’. With a greater sonic canvass to experiment on, the album sees the six-piece shed some of the primitive scrappiness of the debut for an album full of expansive, luxurious pop adorned by string sections, more dynamic arrangements and a playfulness aligned with deeper emotional exploration. It’s a perfect combination of experimental instincts and a pop sensibility. MARTYN

HARRISON

YOUNG

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INCOMING

Feet

MAKE IT UP

★★★★

→ With ‘Make It Up’, Feet have found a new way to bound forwards. From the measured intensity of opener ‘Better Than Last’, we’re immediately swept into an electrifying new realm where a once youthful spark has transmuted into a laserfocused creative intent. What was once the anarchic whimsy of adolescence now emerges as a richly refined and revelatory body of work - the fizzy vapours of Feet’s fledgling years having condensed into a potent nectar. ‘Make It Up’ plays like an exhilarating cinematic accompaniment for the painstaking process of personal becoming. DAN HARRISON

Scene Queen

HOT SINGLES IN YOUR AREA

★★★★

→ With her debut album, Scene Queen emerges as a Molotov cocktail of candour and chaos. From the feral opening of ‘MILF’, we’re beckoned into uncharted territory where Hannah Rose Collins’ voice soars in rapturous defiance. ‘Hot Singles In Your Area’ rallies us to unleash our core selves, discarding calcified personas for an authenticity that burns with a revolutionary fire. Let the inhibited stay safe and sound in their boring cells; for the truth truth-seekers, Scene Queen orchestrates a jailbreak clad head to toe in hot pink. Discard propriety and brace for a new world. DAN

HARRISON

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COMING

Normani

DOPAMINE

SOON

★★★★

WHAT’S OUT IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR RADAR.

Beabadoobee

THIS IS HOW TOMORROW MOVES → Former Dork cover star (!!) Beabadoobee is setting her sights on new heights with her upcoming third fulllength. “I love this album,” she says. Released 16th August 2024

Fontaines D.C.

ROMANCE

→ Former Dork cover stars (!!!) Fontaines D.C. debuted an unexpected new look when they returned earlier this year, and it’s just one of many reasons ‘ROMANCE’ is quite possible the most anticipated album currently in the diary. Released 23rd August 2024

Sabrina Carpenter

SHORT N’ SWEET → Former Dork cover star (!!!!) Sabrina Carpenter has been having one hell of a year so far, with her Number 1 single ‘Espresso’ an early teaser of what’s still to come. Released 23rd August 2024

TWENTY ONE PILOTS CLANCY ★★★★★

→ Twenty One Pilots have always used their albums to create worlds. ‘Vessel’ was a scrappy, intimate record of bedroom daydreams, ‘Blurryface’ was a warped, trolley dash through playlist culture that wasn’t entirely comfortable with its surroundings, while ‘Trench’ was a cinematic wonderland, driven by ambition and a desire for the band to not lose themselves in the global success that had found them. A cult band that never outgrew that desire for fierce connection, Twenty One Pilots create alternative realities to make sense of their own. ‘Clancy’ is no different, but this Twenty One Pilots album feels like a blockbuster event. From the urgent opening recap of ‘Overcompensate’ to the surprise encounter in the dying moments of ‘Paladin Strait’, it’s an album of twists, turns and enthralling escapism. There’s plenty of fan service, but it never

gets in the way of the band’s desire to break new ground. While ‘Scaled And Icy’ was a neon-drenched search for giddy joy, released at a time when anxiety underpinned every corner of daily life, ‘Clancy’ is an intense record that finds doom around every corner. The garage punk of ‘Next Semester’ sees Tyler playing in traffic and worrying if you can die from anxiety; the glam rock of ‘Vignette’ is a tribute to zombies and denial, while the rumbling ‘Snap Back’ has a bad feeling about everything. Despite ‘Clancy’ serving as the conclusion to the ‘Trench’ trilogy (which started with ‘Blurryface’), there are no sugary happy endings here. The record flits between the monsters that hide in the shadows and Tyler’s struggle to drag them into the light. Rather than a story where light triumphs over darkness, the album is a celebration of perseverance and the strength that’s found in community. There’s plenty of hope, but it doesn’t come easy. As for the lore, there are enough nods to the ambitious, ever-expanding story of Clancy and his battle against the Bishops to keep fans busy for the foreseeable future, but that narrative never waters down the emotional gut punches and

A HUGELY AMBITIOUS RECORD. bursts of optimism that come thick and fast. ‘Clancy’ is a gorgeous, intricate record that cycles through tender, heartfelt moments, fiery rage, flexing swagger and frustrated self-destruction. The real joy comes in the discovery, though. Each song is a selfcontained sonic world that adds to the sprawling story of the record, while each deliberate lyric is a rabbit hole to tumble down. It demands attention. It’s a hugely ambitious record, but instead of worrying about how to make things bigger, ‘Clancy’ focuses on deepening existing relationships. It feels very anti, but it’s never cold and is the perfect showcase of Twenty One Pilots’ unifying power. A lot has changed since the band first started telling this story with ‘Blurryface’ in 2015, but despite everything that’s happened, Twenty One Pilots are still standing alongside the few, the proud and the emotional. As he explained way back when, “We are emotional, and that is good. To suppress or ignore this would be one step closer to not existing. Music takes what little emotion we may have and cradles it, protects it, and nourishes it.” ‘Clancy’ proudly and defiantly stands by that mantra. ALI SHUTLER

→ It’s been six years since Fifth Harmony split. Since then, Normani has teased fans with collabs and singles, but has left us asking ‘Where’s the damn album?’. Well that can now be answered, with Normani’s debut ‘Dopamine’ finally here. The next question is the most important one, though: is the album worth the wait? The short answer is yes. It’s an album full of bravado, mixing together classic 00s R&B swagger, late 2010s SoundCloud adlibs, more modern drill beats, and a massive helping of talent. From the minute opening track ‘Big Boy’ kicks in, it’s clear that Normani is an artist brimming with confidence, knowing what she wants and going all out to get it. All the classic R&B themes and tricks are on display, most clearly in the effortlessly sexy duo ‘All Yours’ and ‘Lights On’ and materialistic lead single ‘Candy Paint’, but she nonetheless makes them her own. The metalcore guitar riff in toxic love song ‘Insomnia’, breathy vocal layering in ‘1:59 (ft. Gunna)’, and disco-funk vibes of ‘Take My Time’ elevate this from just another ‘Dangerously In Love’ remake into a record that is full of detail, desire, and daring. The best moments on the album are the dark, brooding ones. ‘Tantrums’ sees Normani shed her skin and outgrow a man who’s not worth her time, before the album culminates in baddie anthem ‘Wild Side’ with the one-andonly Cardi B. On ‘Still’, she calls herself a ‘pop star diva’. Off the strength of this record, she’s doing herself down. In what’s already a super exciting time for female R&B and rap, Normani has raised the bar even further. Game on.

CIARAN PICKER

INCOMING

RECOMMENDED

RELEASES THE ALBUMS OUT NOW YOU NEED TO CATCH UP ON.

A. G. Cook

BRITPOP

★★★★★

→ In a career full of dizzying innovation and a relentless desire to constantly move forward, A. G. Cook’s third solo record ‘Britpop’ might just be the visionary producer’s grandest and most ambitious statement yet.

BIG SPECIAL

POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES

★★★★★

→ Sometimes, a band just catches the zeitgeist. They’re able to speak in the voice of the masses, combine it with music that steals your attention, and subsequently rocket into the realm of ‘next big thing’ territory. Black Country punk poets BIG SPECIAL have done just that on debut album ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’..

BILLIE EILISH HIT ME HARD AND SOFT ★★★★★

Maya Hawke

CHAOS ANGEL

★★★★★

→ Some albums just take you somewhere. On Maya Hawke’s third record, ‘Chaos Angel’, that sense of escapism blends with a grounded scrapbook of every touch of modern emotion that screams ‘classic’. It finds Maya truly complete and delivering a record that begs to be played over and over.

THE 22-YEAR-OLD PHENOMENON PROVES ONCE AGAIN THAT SHE’S A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. → In a world where trends come and go with dizzying speed, and everything must exist in service to The Lore, Billie Eilish stands tall as a beacon of authenticity and unparalleled artistry. With her third studio album, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’, the 22-year-old phenomenon proves once again that she’s a force to be reckoned with, a singular talent who refuses to be defined by anyone’s expectations but her own. From the moment the needle drops on the opening track ‘Skinny’, it’s clear that Eilish isn’t content sitting still. Delicate acoustic guitar strains intertwine with sweeping orchestral arrangements

as she delivers a piercing reflection on the dark side of fame. Her signature whisper-soft vocals pull the listener into an intimate space, a bold declaration of the album’s intent: to be both emotionally raw and sonically adventurous. ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ isn’t a rehash of the sounds that made Eilish a star. Instead, it pushes forward, exploring new sonic territories with a fearless abandon that’s nothing short of thrilling. Just take ‘Lunch’, a pulsating, euphoric ode to the joys of sapphic love – with its thumping bassline, cheeky lyrics, and infectious hooks, it’s destined to be the song of the summer, blasting from car speakers and dance floors alike. Throughout the album, Eilish and her brother-slashproducer Finneas O’Connell prove themselves masters of their craft, weaving together a tapestry of sounds and styles that’s as eclectic as it is cohesive. From the dreamy allure of ‘Chihiro’ to the inventive ‘Bittersuite’, each track feels like a world unto itself, inviting listeners to get lost in its lush soundscapes and vivid storytelling. But it’s in the album’s quieter moments that Eilish truly shines. On ‘The Greatest’, she grapples with the aftermath of a toxic relationship, her voice rising from a tender whisper to a cathartic roar as she

‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ IS IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN, A TOTALLY UNIQUE CREATION FROM AN ARTIST WHO’S FEARLESS IN PUSHING HERSELF AND HER FANS TO THE LIMIT. declares, “Just wanted passion from you / Just wanted what I gave you.” It’s a stunning display of vulnerability and strength, a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there’s always hope for healing and growth. Elsewhere, Eilish tackles the complexities of love and heartbreak with a raw honesty that’s both heartbreaking and empowering. Her lyrics, both poetic and plainspoken, paint vivid pictures of latenight chats, stolen glances, and the sting of saying goodbye. It’s a testament to her skill as a songwriter that even the album’s most abstract moments feel grounded in lived experience, raw confessions, and private thoughts set to music. And then there’s ‘The Diner’, a chilling tale of obsession and betrayal. Here, Eilish slips into the mind of a stalker with unsettling precision, crooning, “Don’t be afraid of me / I just wanna talk,” over a sinister, off-kilter beat. It’s a bold choice for an

artist to open up about their struggles with stalkers, but it pays off, showcasing her fearlessness as a storyteller willing to confront the darkest facets of the human psyche. Ultimately, what sets ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ apart from the pack is its refusal to pander or compromise. This isn’t an album meant to be cherry-picked for singles – it demands to be heard in full and experienced as a complete work of art rather than a collection of radio-friendly hits. From the haunting opener ‘Skinny’ to the bittersweet fade-out of ‘Blue’, every moment is deliberate, every lyric thoughtfully crafted. Though attention spans are short and the pressure to churn out hit after hit is unrelenting, Eilish and O’Connell have crafted an album that rewards patience and close listening. The more time you spend with ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’, the more its layers reveal themselves, and the more its themes and motifs coalesce into a powerful, cohesive statement about the joys

and pains of growing up, falling in love, and finding your place in the world. And yet, for all its sonic and thematic departures, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ still feels unmistakably like a Billie Eilish album. Her voice, that ethereal whisper that can turn on a dime into a guttural howl, remains the centrepiece of every track, the anchor that holds the album’s disparate elements together. Her lyrics, with their blend of dark humour, searing honesty, and poetic turns of phrase, are as sharp and incisive as ever, cutting straight to the heart of the human experience. Ultimately, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ is Billie’s declaration of autonomy, a bold assertion that she’ll do things her way, regardless of outside expectations. It’s a reminder that true artistry is about forging your own path, even if it means embracing the weird. In a year packed with blockbuster releases from the biggest pop stars, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ is in a league of its own, a totally unique creation from an artist who’s fearless in pushing herself and her fans to the limit. It’s an album that demands to be heard, experienced, and celebrated – a towering achievement from a oncein-a-generation talent who is only just getting started. DAN HARRISON

READDORK.COM 71.

NELL MESCAL IS ON HER WAY TO GREAT THINGS SPILLING THE TEA ON THE GIGS WE’VE SEEN.

THE 100 CLUB, LONDON, 8 MAY 2024

photography by PATRICK GUNNING.

DORK’S NIGHT OUT AT THE LEGENDARY 100 CLUB IS YET ANOTHER WALL-OFFAME MOMENT.

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delicate odds that hit squarely in the chest with pure emotion and vulnerability. Latest single ‘laundry detergent’ points to what’s to come for Lexie and just why so many are being drawn into her orbit. Recalling tales of the Sex Pistols before rounding out tonight’s set with ‘violet’, Lexie Carroll has the world sitting squarely at her door. Tonight feels like a joyous release and celebration of Nell Mescal’s journey so far. It comes with a body of work that she’s noted as one of her most personal projects to date, one that charms a period of change and growth and everything that comes with it. That earnestness has taken Nell into the hearts of thousands, written across each track tonight. ‘In My Head’, ‘Teeth’ and ‘Homesick’ light a fuse with dizzying pop-soaked glory and lead a path towards what ‘Can I Miss It For A Minute?’ signifies. The spiralling essence of ‘Warm Body’ and the infectious ‘Killing Time’ flow effortlessly with the glides of ‘Yellow Dresser’ and ‘Electric Picnic’. Singalongs scream out, even more so when Nell takes the time to showcase brand-new songs. ‘Falling Apart’ roars with cutting guitar licks, while ‘The Closest We’ll Get’ may just be her most heartbreaking track to date. Tonight at The 100 Club, Nell Mescal makes memories paramount and, in turn, lays the groundwork for an artist where connection is the key. Realness and relatability at her core, she’s firmly on her way to something even greater. JAMIE MUIR

Photos: Frances Beach.

→ With queues forming down the street full of early birds determined to get that spot right at the front, if you need proof that Nell Mescal is entering her pop superstar era, here it is. Nell has long pointed to the big leagues, and with each step, that ambition has become more of a reality. It’s captured in ‘Can I Miss It For A Minute?’, a debut EP that combines every aspect of Nell’s world into one undeniable whole – a statement of intent for everything to come. Tonight at Dork’s Night Out at the legendary 100 Club is yet another wall-of-fame moment. Opening proceedings with your fourth-ever show is challenging, but Scout seizes the opportunity with both hands. Dripping in hooks and shimmering lines, it’s a live experience that already feels leaps and bounds beyond the experience under her belt. ‘Last Time’ encapsulates the show and Scout to a tee, soaring sun-laden hooks and a chorus that settles in your brain from the first listen, pointing to the likes of The Japanese House, Francis And The Lights and a stunning backdrop of layered indiepop. It’s a perfect introduction. Likewise, Lexie Carroll’s rise has been a stunning one to watch. With a packed-out 100 Club in front of her, she captures attention like few can – serving up the sort of hearton-your-sleeve tales reserved for mass devotion and tattooed lyrics alike. Fresh from touring with Bears In Trees, Lexie’s show is one of surefire immediacy – jumping between fizzing electric cuts and

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LIVE AT LEEDS: IN THE PARK 2024 IS FILLED WITH INDIE LEGENDS, BUZZY NEW ACTS, AND SOME VERY GOOD YORKSHIRE PUDDING WRAPS photography by GEORGINA HURDSFIELD, JACOB FLANNERY, SAM COR.

TEMPLE NEWSAM PARK, LEEDS, 25TH MAY 2024

IT WOULDN’T BE A YORKSHIRE FESTIVAL WITH A BIT OF RAIN.

→ For the vast majority of the year, Temple Newsam is a lovely place to wander around on a sunny day. For one magical weekend of the year, however, it is home to Live at Leeds: In The Park – a day filled with indie legends, buzzy new acts, and some very good Yorkshire pudding wraps. Vistas kick things off, and there is no doubting that they’re well-versed in a festival banger. Sun-soaked guitar riffs, singalongs choruses and grins aplenty, Vistas race through a set of fan favourites such as ’15 Years’ and ‘Calm’, as well as newer releases – their particular brand of summer-ready indie proves to be the ideal way to lift spirits to begin the day. Antony Szmierek must have got the memo about those high spirits, as his set sees him determined to get the 1pm crowds grooving – thankfully, it’s a successful mission. His unique blend of poetic, thought-provoking lyrics and danceable beats charm the crowd immediately, and they’re only cast further under the Mancunian’s spell as he launches into a cover of the Happy Mondays’ ‘Step On’. Closing the set with ‘The Words to Auld Lang Syne’, Antony Szmierek manages to leave the crowd uplifted and hopeful. Over at the Dork Hype Stage, Lucia and The Best Boys are cementing themselves

as one of the coolest bands in the game. With sunglasses on, huge guitar solos and an electric stage presence, they command the packed-out tent, still riding high from the release of their debut album, ‘Burning Castles’. They’re a formidable force. As overpass follow up on the Dork Hype Stage, a woman in the crowd remarks “They’ve really underestimated how good the bands on this stage are”. It’s another set with the crowd spilling out of the sides of the tent, straining for a glimpse of indie excellence. It’s a euphoric set – classic indie riffs and anthemic choruses are cornerstones for overpass, who continue to generate more and more excitement as their career progresses. Those stages will just get bigger and bigger. Nieve Ella reckons this is her biggest festival crowd so far, and yet every single one is lapping up every word she sings. Bursting onto stage with ‘Girlfriend’, her set is a whistle-stop tour of hit after hit, and the relatable references and cathartic builds of her tracks are even more satisfying live. Nieve is every inch the rock star as she flits between fun and theatrical and pure effortless cool – unreleased track ‘Ganni Top’ is a standout that sees Nieve sonically switch things up. Closing with ‘His Sofa’, Nieve rejoices in orchestrating one big “fuck it” from the crowd, bringing one of the most exciting sets of the day to an end. Matilda Mann graces the Dork Hype Stage with just a guitar, a gorgeous voice

and a pair of sunglasses (worn to hide the aftermath of walking into a lamppost, she clarifies). She doesn’t need anything else, though – it’s a truly moving, captivating set. From ‘Paper Mache World’ to ‘Bloom’, her delicate playing and vocals are mesmerising. An arresting cover of ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’ is a testament to the tender power of her voice. It’s a moment of tranquillity amidst the chaos of the rest of the day. Orla Gartland continues in the same strain of gut-punching lyrics, but she does so with bigger riffs and a sonic sigh of exasperation – with herself, with others, with whoever. It is sheer release for her set, as she powers through the likes of ‘Codependency’ and ‘Oh God’. ‘Why Am I Like This?’ is an especially poignant moment – it’s a set that is emotional but packs a punch sonically too, striking a balance that can only increase excitement for whatever comes next for Orla. Declan McKenna is something of a festival king – he’s graced pretty much every big stage in the country and, along the way, has managed to perfect a main stage festival set. Fresh from the release of ‘What Happened To The Beach?’, Declan mixes old and new into his set – viral hits like ‘Brazil’, of course, have their place, but songs like ‘Mulholland’s Dinner and Wine’ have their moment too. There’s funk and there’s infectious indie aplenty, and Declan is as magnetic a frontman as ever – he’s an unmissable festival act for a reason. The Cribs are making a triumphant return to the Leeds fields for what they declare will be one of their final live shows of the year – if that’s the case, they’re going out with a bang. Wakefield’s finest have the entire tent in raptures. From tracks like ‘Cheat on Me’ that lend themselves to mass singalongs, to long-time classics like ‘I’m A Realist’, it’s a masterclass in thrilling nostalgia. Over two decades into their career, and The Cribs are still on top form. It wouldn’t be a Yorkshire festival with a bit of rain, but Circa Waves can bring the summer vibes even when it is chucking it down. A mainstay on the festival circuit, the Scousers have joyous, summer anthems in absolute droves. There’s no sign of ‘T-Shirt Weather’ by this time of the day, but it’s hard not to be grinning and singing along to that familiar riff – Circa Waves have the ability to maintain the good vibes despite being drenched. By the time The Kooks arrive to close the festival, there is nothing left to do but dance in the torrential downpours to their back catalogue of indie hits. ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’, ‘Seaside’, ‘Ooh La’ – it’s throwback after throwback, and you’d be hard-pressed to find somebody not singing along to those iconic choruses. They’re full of cheer and have no trouble ploughing through and encouraging the crowd to join them, too. It’s a triumphant end to a day of pure talent, and as ‘Naïve’ sounds out to draw their set to a close, it’s hard not to feel elated after all that. NEIVE MCCARTHY

READDORK.COM 73.

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OLIVIA RODRIGO IS FULL OF HEART IN LONDON THE O2, LONDON, 14 MAY 2024

A CATHARTIC CELEBRATION OF MESSY YOUTH, OLIVIA RODRIGO’S O2 ARENA TAKEOVER CHAMPIONS BRAVE VULNERABILITY AND DEFIANT JOY. → Olivia Rodrigo starts the first of four sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena with a big, defiant smirk before launching into the playfully rebellious ‘bad idea right?’. The track is a celebration of heart over head, something that Olivia champions time and time again throughout tonight’s gig. After first emerging with the nostalgic, delicate heartbreak of ‘drivers license’ at the start of 2022, the former Disney star could easily have repeated the formula, but debut album ‘Sour’ was a snotty, guitardriven collection of songs that set intense comingof-age melodrama against giddy excitement. ‘Guts’ took things even further, with Oliva constantly refusing to play it safe or dial things down. “I want you to sing, jump and scream at the top of your lungs,” she tells the crowd tonight, encouraging the same sort of free-spirited bravery. There’s a wonderful chaos to Olivia Rodrigo’s music, and live that really shines. Songs are hopeful or heartbroken, full of vengeance or comfort. The likes of ‘jealousy, jealousy’ and ‘pretty isn’t pretty’ are tender gut punches that wrestle with the pressures of living up to the expectations of others, and the emptiness that can cause. Elsewhere, a triumphant ‘all‐ american bitch’ comes dripping in defiant sarcasm while the closing one-two of ‘good 4 u’ and ‘get him back!’ find joy and power in angst. Every anthem is a purge of messy, visceral emotion delivered with a sparkle. Throughout the show, Olivia confidently shifts from furious rock’n’roll to rumbling indie, piano-driven singalongs and polished arena pop.’ love is embarrassing’ sees her joined by

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a number of dancers for a fully choreographed dance routine, while ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’ ends with a menacing, guitar-driven breakdown. Rather than feeling confused, though, this collision of attitudes and styles reflects the audience screaming desperately along to every word. The whole thing is meant to offer comfort and wonder to a generation that’s had a real lack of both in recent years. “Don’t worry so much, you have no idea how many magical things are in store for you,” says Olivia before ‘teenage dream’. The advice is for her younger self, but she’s constantly got one eye on the audience as well. When Olivia was touring ‘Sour’, she deliberately played venues smaller than she could sell out, not wanting to run before she would walk. Similarly, tonight’s gig feels like a warmup for stadiums and the massive festival headline slots that are surely in her immediate future. A giant video screen puts the audience in the spotlight, while two runways make the massive venue feel smaller than it ever has before. ‘happier’ and ‘favorite crime’ become stripped-back, comfortable campfire singalongs and Oliva somehow keeps that intimate energy going as she rides around the venue on a giant moon for ‘logical’ and ‘enough for you’. There’s a whole lot of ambition as well, with Olivia attacking the stage like it’s Wembley Stadium while the likes of ‘vampire’, ‘traitor’ and ‘obsessed’ are clearly made for the rage of thousands. Her music might get down and dirty with revenge, fury, fear, uncertainty and heartache, but it’s the pure, communal joy that shines brightest tonight. ALI SHUTLER

photography by FRANCES BEACH.

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ENGLISH TEACHER GIVE A LESSON IN ROCK’N’ROLL SUPREMACY

EAST’S GRASSROOTS DO NOT NORTH RECEIVE HARD-FOUGHT MISS... RECOGNITION AT A STONE’S TOURS AND SHOWS YOU SHOULD BE CHECKING OUT.

photography by SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.

FESTIVAL

2024

HERE’S TO MANY MORE YEARS OF THIS MUCH-NEEDED MUSICAL CELEBRATION ON THE NORTH EAST COAST.

A BAND WHO OOZE TALENT, CONFIDENCE, AND THAT SPECIAL SOMETHING.

→ It’s hard to think of another band who have had quite as good a start to 2024 as English Teacher. Since the release of their debut album, ‘This Could Be Texas’, they’ve gained a hatful of five-star reviews, sold out a whole host of in-store and headline gigs, and even spoken in Parliament. All of those moments led them here, to the final night of their tour at a heaving Electric Brixton. Opening proceedings are London art-rock trio mary in the junkyard, a band worth every inch of the hype surrounding them. This is a set with a little bit of everything. Clari’s breathy, transcendent vocal performance shines above the grungy guitar lines and relentless drumming in ‘ghost’ and ‘marble arch’. Bassist/ viola player Saya Barbaglia flits between menacing, swirling viola melodies and intricate, throbbing basslines, whilst drummer David Addison changes up the tempo in ‘goop’ as if there’s nothing to it. By the end of their half-hour set, they’ve given the crowd an experimental, explosive, and extra-special performance, flying through prog-rock arrangements, college-rock guitar, and punkrock breakdowns. “This is definitely a very big stage,” Clari nervously states. Better get used to it, gang, because it won’t be long until you’re playing these venues in your own right. The anticipation in the crowd is evidence of just how revered English Teacher already are, pushing the boundaries of the accepted rules of guitar-rock to their limits, playing around in the space that they’ve created. So when vocalist Lily Fontaine emerges from behind an effigy of their album artwork’s iconography with a Frank Sidebottom-esque papier mache head, it’s clear that the crowd are about to witness a seventy-minute set full of heart and humour. Barring a mic stand that refuses to stay still, English Teacher put on a flawless show that mimics the venue’s name: totally electric. Starting with searing smash-hit ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’, it’s clear that the crossPennine starlets haven’t come to mess around before ‘I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying’ threatens to tear the roof off the place only two songs in. Lily Fontaine’s voice soars, supported by a soundscape that is as detailed as on record. Replete with keyboards, synths, and their own personal cellist, the band not only prove themselves as exceptional musicians, but have the crowd in the palm of their hands. “Anything is possible,” Fontaine tells the crowd before their encore, a cover of LCD Soundsystem’s ‘New York I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down’. She’s not wrong. A band who ooze talent, confidence, and that special something you can’t quite put your finger on, English Teacher have set their coordinates for the stars, and are due to get there at warp speed. CIARAN PICKER

THROW

VARIOUS VENUES, TYNEMOUTH, 25 MAY 2024

ELECTRIC BRIXTON, LONDON, 29 MAY 2024

GLASS ANIMALS / THE BIG MOON London, The Troxy (October 24), Bristol, O2 Academy (25), Manchester, Academy 1 (26), Norwich, University of East Anglia (November 14), Oxford, O2 Academy (15), Nottingham, Rock City (16)

KATY J PEARSON Margate Lido (November 25), Brighton Concorde 2 (26), Southampton 1865 (28), Bristol SWX (29), Sheffield Foundry (30), Manchester New Century Hall (December 2), Glasgow St Luke’s (3), Leeds Irish Centre (4), Birmingham Castle & Flacon (5), London KOKO (February 5)

REMI WOLF Leeds O2 Academy (November 28), Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom (29), Manchester Albert Hall (December 1), Bristol O2 Academy (4), London O2 Academy Brixton (5)

→ Returning after a smashing debut in 2022, A Stone’s Throw Festival has made its long-awaited comeback to the North East Coast, turning Tynemouth into a vibrant music haven. The picturesque coastal town plays host to an eclectic mix of acts from the region and beyond, transforming underrated venues into buzzing stages. The toughest choice for festival-goers? Deciding which sets to catch. After grabbing the festival wristband at North Shield’s Saltmarket, Geordie rockers The Peevie Wonders quickly get the celebrations rolling, bringing a grungy atmosphere to the large hall and its gradually increasing occupancy. They may have seen the sights of Austin during this year’s SXSW, but they don’t forget to bring the energy for their hometown crowd. Just up the road, Cat Ryan’s groovy art-poprock musings have room to breathe within the cosy King Street Social. These guys are no newbies on the scene and have been through a few line-up changes since their inception, but the vibrancy of their sound very much remains. In the small room above Barca, Tynemouth’s premier indie bar, punters lean in to get a look at India Arkin. After her debut album release on HMV label 1921 Records, the now independent artist has been searching for new sounds; unreleased track ‘Matilda’ gives us a taste, exploring the feeling of “being lost in the world, and that world bring a mess”. Tynemouth Social Club sits just across the road, a very unsuspecting building that perhaps harbours the finest gems of the day. Leeds four-piece L’objectif summon the first full room – just a couple of years into their careers and still yet to graduate from their teens, the initial excitement instigated by their signing to Chess Club Records remains intact. Continuing to put out intriguing and increasingly mature releases such as their spring EP ‘The Left Side’, their vision only grows. Next, Fiona-Lee brings her acoustic for a solo performance that cements her status as a rising star, while in the cavernous hall of The Exchange, Sipho. gives a welcome break from the guitarheavy agenda with a subtle but powerful set mainly consisting of a belting voice backed by just bass and keys. Colourful Aussies Teenage Dads take us back into the world of indie-rock, albeit with off-kilter sensibilities. Jordan Finlay’s Strokes-esque vocal delivery (see

‘Weaponz’) lays a smooth foundation for the outfit’s soundscapes, but everything else in their environment gleefully abandons self-seriousness. Sundara Karma are the most notable name on this year’s bill; their show is certainly well attended, but it doesn’t quite reignite the passionate flames of 2010s indie as you might expect – and you shouldn’t be so sure that it was aiming to, either. ‘She Said’ dives straight into the big tunes and recent third album track ‘Baby Blue’ shows a renewed interest in the same vein, but otherwise, some more extraterrestrial songs bulk out the set list – ‘Kill Me’ and ‘Illusions’, for example. The noise doesn’t stop there, and rowdy fun rolls over into the evening. Back at Tynemouth Social, the nighttime trajectory is shaken up by Maxwell Varley’s propulsive pop-rock, instilled with sincere and surprising grit in a live setting. Downtown Kayoto’s genreless discography lends itself to the perfect conclusion, though. Known for his world-building abilities and ownership of aesthetic, a bare room tests his ability to turn things up when all of that is stripped back – and he over-delivers, the festival ending on a high note just as the noise curfew kicks in. A Stones Throw’s second iteration allows attendees to curate their own musical journey whilst supporting the creative industry at its very roots, a fusion that is more than welcome in a local scene often deprived of such opportunities. FINLAY HOLDEN

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photography by PATRICK GUNNINIG, SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.

DO NOT MISS... TOURS AND SHOWS YOU SHOULD BE CHECKING OUT.

THE GREAT ESCAPE 2024 VARIOUS VENUES, BRIGHTON, 15-18 MAY 2024

serving up a ridiculous cocktail that rams out Green Door Store and turns the afternoon into a bouncing eruption of club-laden rap. With vast acclaim already, it’s a superstar turn that captures perfectly what Canada House does well: putting discovery front and centre. Terra Twin land like a blistering juggernaut of swooning indie-rock served with added bite and ambition. Fizzing with packed energy across their two sets today, they stamp their intentions perfectly clear. ‘Hanging Around’, the whip-fast ‘Losing Your Touch’, and the punchy ‘Soup’ all weave primal rock energy, blending

Wunderhorse spice and alt-US radio melodies with ease. Arguably the buzziest gig of the weekend, poster boy for the indie sleaze revival (if that’s what we’re calling it) The Dare packs out The Arch, a club as sweaty and close as his music. Behind a curtain of dry ice, he stands in the already iconic suit and sunglasses, giving half an hour of Jarvis Cocker flamboyance and unreleased future classics, as the only ‘out’ songs that make the set are EP tracks ’Sex’ and ‘Good Time’. Raunchy, ridiculous, and obviously, there’s nothing more rock’n’roll than getting cut off early before you’ve done your biggest track. ■

GOAT London, The Troxy (October 24), Bristol, O2 Academy (25), Manchester, Academy 1 (26), Norwich, University of East Anglia (November 14), Oxford, O2 Academy (15), Nottingham, Rock City (16)

SOME OF THE BEST NEW TALENT FROM THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL.

→ With a new album finally on the cards, Gia Ford uses her Thursday evening slot at Chalk to remind us what she’s been up to. Kicking off with the fiery ‘Loveshot’, she’s firmly in a new era, as she forgoes practically all of her old material in favour of recent singles. With each step, the buzz around overpass continues to grow. Taking to The Arch, it’s clear their swaggering indie hooks have them headed for the biggest stages. Fabrica in the evening, meanwhile, becomes the gorgeous biblical backdrop for Victoria Canal’s tender acoustic set. Coming off the back of a run of shows supporting the Mary Wallopers, Scottish folk act Brògeal know how to get a crowd going. A pacey thirty minutes of original tunes and Shane-MacGowan-esque stage antics certainly do the job, with singalongs and questionable crowd dancing the order of the day. Cork band Cardinals are one of the weekend’s most hyped acts, meaning Horatios is absolutely stuffed to the gills by the time they step on stage. Their moody Smashing-Pumpkinscrossed-with-R.E.M sound could easily fall flat when the crowd are so expectant, but luckily, Cardinals have got the presence to pull it off. Following a stellar 2023 that saw her hit the top of the UK Official Singles Chart with viral hit ‘Strangers’, Kenya Grace takes to the Players stage to prove she’s not just a one-hit-wonder. An impressive, no-breaks set of live drum’n’bass complemented by her airy vocals, she rattles through endless heartbreak bangers, including last year’s ‘Paris’ and ‘Only In My Mind’.

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Channelling the likes of Le Tigre and The Linda Lindas, Korean punk band Sailor Honeymoon are some of the best fun we have all weekend. Infectiously catchy numbers like ‘Bad Apple’ get stuck in your head for hours, harmonised choruses meshing perfectly with a pulsating bassline for something totally unique. New York’s Frost Children cram (almost) the whole of 2023’s ‘SPEED RUN’ into their slot at The Arcjh. Starting out with glitchy electronic posthyperpop, it soon descends into metal madness when Angel picks up the guitar and Lulu ups the screams. It wouldn’t be a seaside weekend without a latenight Joe & the Shitboys set (although that may only be true for us, rather than a general rule of thumb). It’s 1am and the Faroese bisexual vegans are on their third show of the weekend, but if they’re getting tired, they’ve managed to hide it pretty well. Taking over Brighton’s famed Green Door Store for three days, Canada House is a go-to place to find something vital. An amazing mix of Canadian artists all bringing their own flair to proceedings, it means the gripping Vox Rea can sit alongside the stirring punk pushes of Fold Paper to showcase an exciting scene that cuts through. On Saturday, the glorious synth-pop swagger of Soran turns Green Door Store into a stunning neon paradise with cuts from latest album ‘Loneliness Confetti’ ushering in a sound impossible to resist. Haviah Mighty follows,

FONTAINES D.C. London, The Troxy (October 24), Bristol, O2 Academy (25), Manchester, Academy 1 (26), Norwich, University of East Anglia (November 14), Oxford, O2 Academy (15), Nottingham, Rock City (16)

IT’S NOT JUST THE SEAGULLS THAT ARE BIGGER IN BRIGHTON AS SWIM DEEP HEADLINE SON ESTRELLA GALICIAS SECOND MICRO FESTIVAL THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON, 15 MAY 2024

BANDS. BEER. BRIGHTON. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? → Quick question: who likes great

bands, great pubs, and great Spanish beer? We thought so – well, SON Estrella Galicia’s second micro-festival at Brighton’s iconic Prince Albert served up all three. With a stacked lineup headed by Swim Deep, some of the city’s best Mexican food courtesy of Carlito Burrito, and more Estrella Galicia than you can shake a stick at, it’s the best Wednesday night we’ve had in quite a while. Kicking off proceedings are the one-two punch of Brighton’s best local talent – Projector and Currls. Projector’s grunge-flecked tunes are elevated by two vocalists, which help them stand out from the crowd. The whole set is perfect for the sweaty confines of the Albert, but it’s when the band harmonise on songs like ‘Play Along’ that they really shine. By the time the guitarist breaks out a maraca, we’re completely sold. Currls follow up with a bang, careening around the stage like a hurricane while pumping out songs which are a thousand times more jagged than on record, without losing their

melodic edge. It’s a strong start, but if there’s a band who know how to stick the landing, it’s Swim Deep. Three albums in and gearing up for a fourth, this is a band who can get a crowd going. It’s a testament to the strength of their discography that every era of the band gets an airing without them having to rely on a few big hitters. That being said, first album cuts like ‘King City’ and ‘Honey’ still absolutely go off, with every member of the sold-out crowd belting the lyrics back to the band as they sing. In a tight set, they still manage to find time to give second album cut ‘Fueiho Boogie’ an airing, all eight-plus minutes of it. It’s a bold move, but one that goes down a treat, and proves that far from just being an indie band, Swim Deep are more than capable of filling the discotheque dance floor. After they leave the stage and the audience slowly make their way back downstairs, one thing is abundantly clear – it’s not just the seagulls that are bigger in Brighton. JAKE HAWKES

GET OUT

DOT TO DOT 2024 IS PACKED WITH ESSENTIAL MOMENTS OF FEEL-GOOD FUN photography by JAKE HASELDINE, OLLIE RIDDOCH.

VARIOUS VENUES, NOTTINGHAM, 26TH MAY 2024

THE SOUNDTRACK FOR THE YEAR TO COME HAS OFFICIALLY CLICKED PLAY.

→ If you’re looking for critical dates in your new music diary, Dear Reader, circling Dot To Dot weekend is essential. Pulling in the thrilling artists lighting up scenes worldwide, it’s a coming together of the soundtrack for the rest of the year and beyond. Taking over venues across Bristol and Nottingham, the cities showcase their muscle as musical hubs thriving with community. As Nottingham picks up the mantle for day two, it sees a festival in full flight, packed with moments of feel-good fun. It’s right up our street. What’s evident from the get-go is Dot To Dot’s commitment to platforming the exciting sounds of both Bristol and Nottingham. Take Otala, who open Dork’s stage at the nestled Beta in the famed Rock City. Hypnotic post-punk and feverish experimentation reach together like the glorious offspring of Black Country, New Road and Sorry with hints of Fat Dog. It’s a fully-formed sharpness that signals a very exciting new band just waiting to take over venues up and down the land. Likewise, the factually inaccurate (probably) Wizards Can’t Be Lawyers fill the Black Cherry Lounge to sweaty heights, while soaring psychedelic magic shines off of Hutch at Rescue Rooms. With tracks glossed in sun-kissed magic, it’s a warming trip through early Tame Impala and whirling Temples magic that revels in creating a soundtrack that everyone can dip their toes in. With a wink and a nod, Welly are the band you want to host your birthday party. Bursting with fun and making every single moment ooze with bonafide pop nonsense,

it’s an insatiable celebration from start to finish. Laugh-out-loud lines and wonkypop hilarity ring true, already pointing to a band ready to stamp their authority across venues and playlists. Pogoing crowds and bustling rooms already in their pocket, Welly are set to be your new favourite band. Bleach Lab continue to reveal just how magical a band they truly are, their mid-afternoon show at Rock City stacked to the gills, followed by Panic Shack stepping onto the stage like a box of firecrackers that sets light to anything and everything. Popping and ripping with a punk immediacy that leaves no room for doubts, each step sees them get better and better. Over at the Dork Stage, Beta is fit to bursting for Man/Woman/Chainsaw. With people turned away and fans packing into areas where there’s not even a small line of sight to the band on stage, it’s clear that buzz is well and truly here. They take that energy and turn it into a must-see set. Sweeping orchestral turns and roaring punches say it all – if you’ve got people willing to simply stand near the door just to hear what’s being served, then you know you’re on to an exciting must. Ducks LTD follow up in a similar fashion, with the sort of precisionfocused NY indie that you could serve the finest steak off. Each cut and track is razor sharp, echoing bands that have come before yet fired out with a refreshing new edge. Soft Launch are one of the most exciting new bands going. Fizzing with the sort of emphatic disco-soaked grooves that’d make a chair get up and dance, it’s a fully formed package that

you could drop into any circumstance and come away from smiling. It’s buzzing in Rescue Rooms for Daydreamers. With only two tracks out, their surge of devoted fans already stands massive. Surging indie-pop delivered in the largest fashion, they embrace the setting and see a crowd with arms in the air even for new tracks. Every move screams ambition. Over at Rough Trade Nottingham, it’s the turn of Keo to lay out just how wideeyed their future is shaping to be. Gripping and dense rock licks puncture the air time and time again with a sound that thrives on pulling that tension close and releasing with a bang. New cut ‘Fly’ is a highlight for a band revelling in bringing light to darkness. What’s brilliant about Dot To Dot is that jumping between completely different worlds doesn’t make things any less exciting or jarring. Back at Beta, Babymorocco is getting sweaty. Like the greatest party coordinator on the planet, it’s a whipping set of hyperpop clubland that makes the festival feel like a house party. The Magic Gang take to the Rock City stage as part of their farewell tour and with that added dose of ‘can’t miss’ in the air, it adds another level to your usual festival day – and they live up to every expectation. Spanning their career to date, the likes of ‘All This Way’, ‘Just A Minute’ and a rapturously sung-along ‘Jasmine’ are met like national anthems and solidify what we’ve known about The Magic Gang from day one. Sung at the top of your lungs, there’s nothing better. Regaling tales of playing Nottingham over the years at The Bodega and Rescue Rooms, it feels incredibly personal. With ‘Death Of The Party’ and its swooning vibes met with moshpits, by the time ‘Take Back The Track’ and a closing ‘How Can I Compete?’ come into frame, Dot To Dot is crying out for The Magic Gang to stay. Jockstrap have always pushed against the expected, leading a new wave of new music culture, and it makes their billtopping slot even more perfect, Rock City feeling like a ready-made ascension. ‘Jennifer B’ and ‘Good Girl’ are gripping; the band’s playful experimentation – branching from underground club dizziness to weighty, raw songwriting – written into their DNA, shines. It all feeds into a set that screams ‘headliner’. ‘Glasgow’ is drowned out in unison, while ‘Greatest Hits’ is met with collective celebration, and when ’50/50’ kicks in, tonight is theirs. How do you follow that? Co-headliners Wunderhorse have cemented their position as quite possibly the most exciting guitar band going right now. One look at the reaction to ‘Leader Of The Pack’ tonight says it all. Purely primal and fiery in its immediacy, their set doesn’t relent and paves the way for just how big their exciting new chapter will be. A band born for the stage, it’s pulled straight from the soul, feeling at all times both unpredictable yet also the safest pair of hands in town. ‘Purple’ and ‘Butterflies’ may now sit as old favourites from the first album, but they serenade Nottingham tonight in a manner that few others could even muster. Showcasing new material, it feels like a pivotal moment where Wunderhorse go from beloved scene leaders to big-time superstars. Dot To Dot ain’t done yet. As midnight calls, Picture Parlour take to the stage at the Bodega and serve like an adrenaline shot in the arm. As the night winds out and the festival draws to a close, one thing is clear: Dot To Dot shines not only in discovery but also in the ridiculous fun of a day full of unforgettable live moments. The soundtrack for the year to come has officially clicked play. JAMIE MUIR READDORK.COM 77.

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ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?

MASTER PEACE YES, DEAR READER. WE ENJOY THOSE ‘IN DEPTH’ INTERVIEWS AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE. BUT - BUT - WE ALSO ENJOY THE LIGHTER SIDE OF MUSIC, TOO. WE SIMPLY CANNOT GO ON ANY LONGER WITHOUT KNOWING THAT MASTER PEACE HAS HIS CEREAL IN ORANGE JUICE. WHAT DID YOU LAST DREAM ABOUT?

Money!

WHAT’S THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING YOU’VE EVER DONE TO IMPRESS SOMEONE?

Played them my music.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BROKE?

A glass yesterday at home; Mum wasn’t happy. WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY?

Hearing my mum play Phil Collins around the house.

HAVE YOU EVER WON ANYTHING?

I just won my first thing! An Ivor Novello Award.

IF YOU COULD ONLY EAT ONE TYPE OF CHEESE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE?

Parmesan.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?

My Durag.

IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY, WHAT WOULD YOU SPEND THE CASH ON?

Alicante with my toes in the sand.

WHAT’S THE MOST EMBARRASSING THING

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THAT’S EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?

I split my trousers whilst performing.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A GHOST?

No.

IF YOU COULD HAVE A SUPERPOWER OF YOUR CHOOSING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Invisibility.

WHAT IS THE MOST IRRATIONAL SUPERSTITION YOU HAVE?

I have to put my left sock on first every day. HOW PUNK ARE YOU OUT OF TEN?

11.

WHAT DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR?

Tropicana orange juice.

WHAT’S ONE THING YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY?

Mussels.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY FICTIONAL CREATURE AS A PET, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

A dragon.

WHAT’S THE MOST BIZARRE THING YOU’VE EVER WITNESSED IN PUBLIC?

Naked bike riders.

WHAT’S YOUR BREAKFAST OF CHOICE?

Porridge with some banana.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A CRUSH ON A FICTIONAL CHARACTER?

Debrah from Dexter.

TELL US A BORING FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?

I love Come Dine With Me.

WHAT IS THE STRANGEST FOOD COMBINATION YOU ENJOY?

Orange juice in cereal.

IF YOU COULD LEARN ONE SKILL INSTANTLY, WITHOUT NEEDING TO PRACTICE, WHAT

WOULD YOU PICK?

Football. WHAT IS THE WORST DAY OF THE WEEK?

Monday. WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU WAKE UP?

Thank God. WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

Snakes. WHICH SUPERMARKET DO YOU SHOP AT?

Planet Organic. WHAT WAS THE FIRST RECORD YOU BOUGHT?

Lily Allen - ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’.

WHAT’S THE MOST SPONTANEOUS THING YOU’VE EVER DONE?

“I HAVE TO PUT Smoked a vape and a MY LEFT SOCK ON cigarette at the same time. Dark times. FIRST EVER DAY”

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE CHILDHOOD BOARD GAME, AND DO YOU STILL PLAY IT?

Connect 4.

WHAT’S THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED FROM A MISTAKE?

Stay humble.

WHAT IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING YOU HAVE EVER BOUGHT?

A holiday.

MASTER ARE YOU GOOD IN A CRISIS?

Terrible.

IF YOU COULD SHRINK ANY OBJECT AND CARRY IT AROUND IN YOUR POCKET, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

My PS5.

HAVE YOU EVER LIED IN AN INTERVIEW?

Yes, I’m lying in this one!

PEACE ARE YOU ART OR ARE YOU ARTY?

I’m Master Peace. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE WEEKEND?

Going to the pub with my mates! ■ Master Peace’s album ‘Making A Master Peace’ is out now.

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