Dork, March 2022 by Dork

DOWN WITH BORING.

ISSUE 63 · MARCH 2022 · READDORK.COM

2 2 14.1.22 14.1.22

um the new album the new album

Index. Issue 63 | March 2022 | readdork.com | Down With Boring

WHAT'S ON THE STEREO? CMAT

If My Wife New I’d Be Dead

Spoiler alert: you're going to be reading a lot about CMAT and her debut album in this issue of Dork.

Yard Act

The Overload

Joining the getting-pretty-longnow list of indie champs' albums getting to Number 2 (see also: Sporties, Deccers, Fontaines), Yard Act's all-the-stars debut 'The Overload' got a proper hammering in Dork HQ during their chart battle week.

Wet Leg Wet Leg

We best not talk about this, but... O. M. G.

Between Friends we just need some time together EP

What's that, you've never heard of Between Friends?? True, they haven't made the biggest splash on UK shores, but since the LA duo released this (retrospectively) 5* EP back in 2018, they've been racking up streams like no one's business - not just millions, but tens and tens of millions. Immensely suitable for any good-times alt-pop playlist, they sit perfectly alongside the likes of Wallice, ELIO and spill tab.

EDITOR'S LETTER

I DON'T KNOW about you, Dear Reader, but it feels like the music

world is starting to hit boiling point. After a couple of years of broken momentum, shaky planning and an inability to fully realise creative visions, it seems as if spring 2022 is when everyone and their metaphorical dog finally gets to put their lockdown schemes into practice. Acts we've been buzzing for a debut album from are making those vital moves. From CMAT's stunning first full-length this month and Yard Act's chart battle at the start of the year, to Wet Leg, Alfie Templeman, Walt Disco and more to come in the near future. So much potential we've long predicted all set to land in the space of a few months, you'd forgive us for getting over-excited. But it's not just the relative newbies at it, either. This month's cover stars Foals are amongst alternative music's most celebrated superstars. Festival headliners, arena kings - as Yannis and co. reveal they're set to deliver an album that's down to party, it would be impossible not to get a little bit giddy at the prospect. And they're not alone, either. Everything Everything are on the road back too. There's a new Rex Orange County album very soon. The 1975 are making noises. Sports Team are making noises. Dork is getting worried at the prospect of The 1975 and Sports Team making noises at the same time. That can't end well. Charli XCX's 'Crash' is almost upon us. Alt-J have made another mighty jump with their new record 'The Dream', and new works from Let's Eat Grandma, Father John Mitski, 100 gecs, Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and more are just around the corner too. How we're going to fit it all in is beyond me. We'll try, though. There's no such thing as too much, right? Fill us up.

Band Index. Alfie Templeman

alt-J

Amelia Moore

AURORA

Bakar

Bastille

bdrmm

Beach House

Between Friends

Big Thief

Blossoms Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard Charli XCX CMAT Crows

Do Nothing

Dora Jar

Eades

English Teacher

Everything Everything

Foals

Foxes

49 51

Gemini Aaliyah

George Ezra

Grandmas House

Griff

Grimes

Hatchie

Holly Humberstone

Home Counties

Hurray For The Riff Raff

iamkyami

Idles

Italia 90

Jarv is...

Jaws The Shark

Kawala

Lady Bird

Lauv

Lava La Rue

Let's Eat Grandma

Lime Garden

18 47 38, 47

Nova Twins

Peach Pit

Porridge Radio

Priestgate

Rex Orange County

SASAMI

49 50 50, 58 16

The Smile

Spector

Swim Deep

Thomas Headon

16, 48

TV Priest

VLURE

Wallows

Walt Disco

Warpaint

Wet Leg White Lies Willow Kayne

Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Scribblers Chris Taylor, Connor Fenton, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Finlay Holden, Jake Hawkes, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Josh Williams, Laura Freyaldenhoven, Melissa Darragh, Neive McCarthy, Sam Taylor Snappers Bella Howard, Frank Fieber, Hazel Gaskin, Jamie MacMillan, Lily Brown, Lissyelle, Marcus Maddox, Molly Daniel, Patrick Gunning, Pete Ray, Rosie Foster, Sarah Doyle, Sarah Louise Bennett, Stewart Baxter, Tatiana Pozuelo, Tony Jupp

PUBLISHED FROM

42, 50

Sigrid

Associate Editor Ali Shutler

NewDad

Sea Power

Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden

15, 16

Mitski Nilüfer Yanya

Editor Stephen Ackroyd

The Let Go

Mimi Webb

‘Editor’ @stephenackroyd

Gang of Youths

Shamir

It's time, guys. It's bloody time. Honestly, Walt Disco are never far from the Dork Stereo - 2020's 'Young Hard and Handsome' EP is hands-down one of the best of recent years - and now it's debut album time, with 'Unlearning' out from 1st April. Can't get enough.

16, 48 03, 32, 48 16

Famous

readdork.com

09 12, 51

Conan Gray

Metronomy

Unlearning

BENEE

The Linda Lindas

Walt Disco

Alice Glass

03, 48

WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER.COM

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.

48 47

Yard Act

03, 09

Youth Sector

20, 58

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

This Month. #63. MARCH 2022.

Intro. 06 EVERYTHING EVERYTHING

Grounded, yet abstract; meaningful, and yet elusive. Everything Everything’s sixth record ‘Raw Data Feel’ processes trauma through the lens of technology, proving the indie darlings as raw and sophisticated as ever.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... HATCHIE

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 minute? Asking them. Here’s what Aussie popster Harriette Pilbeam, AKA Hatchie's day looks like.

BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD

Cardiff indie types Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard have finally found their way to that much anticipated debut album. While the world around them continues to implode, and that nervous anticipation takes hold, they're a band ready to take that next step forwards.

BENEE

BENEE is back with a new single, her first of 2022. ‘Beach Boy’ - an easy-breezy early teaser from the playful alt-popster’s upcoming seventrack EP ‘LYCHEE’.

BANGERS

The best of the latest new tracks.

Hype. 18

MIMI WEBB

With three Top 40 singles already under her belt - including 'Good Without', which went Top 10 last year - the Number 3 spot on the BBC's coveted Sound Of 2022 list, and a legion of fans on TikTok, Mimi Webb is a new force in pop.

Incoming. 46 REVIEWS

The new releases you need to hear - and some you definitely don't.

46 Q&A: ALT-J

Alt-J's fourth album may have taken a little longer to come around than it's predecessors, but it also sees them progressing to places further than they've ever been before.

20 YOUTH SECTOR

The latest band to arrive from Ireland's seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of exciting new talent, NewDad's latest EP is Really Rather Great - so great, we asked them to tell us all about it.

PRIESTGATE

With an expanding list of promising singles behind them, and a debut EP on the way, Priestgate could well be on the road to something big.

Features. 22

49 ARTIST'S GUIDE: NEWDAD

49 ARTIST'S GUIDE: HOME COUNTIES

With a cheeky swagger and a wry refrain, Home Counties are a band with something to say. We asked them to run us through the inspiration behind their second EP - out now via Alcopop Records. And they did.

FOALS

Before the pandemic, Foals delivered their most ambitious project yet. A sprawling two-album epic released within the space of a few months, it saw them embracing their status as one of the UK's biggest bands like never before. As we approach the other side, they're back - one member down and with a new full-length with completely different ambitions. Yannis, Jack and Jimmy are ready to party. Are you?

CMAT

Cutting humour via the medium of country pop brilliance, CMAT might well be the greatest pop star on the planet. Don't believe us? You will soon.

38 NILÜFER YANYA

Having kickstarted her career with buzzy SoundCloud demos, then broken through with a standout debut, six years later Nilüfer Yanya is delivering her second album, ‘PAINLESS’ – a raw melding of soul, indie rock and hip-hop.

42 METRONOMY

After a period of forced contemplation and reassessment, Metronomy's Joseph Mount hit a new creative hot streak. Now seven albums deep, 'Small World' sees them operating in a whole new register.

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49 ARTIST'S GUIDE: JAWS THE SHARK

Arriving via new talent mecca Nice Swan, Mr 'The Shark' guides us through the inspiration behind his debut EP.

Get Out. 52

LIVE

Catch up with live reports from Spector and Rockaway Beach.

54 DECENT EXPOSURE

The best live photography from Idles and Aurora.

Backpage. 58 ANY OTHER QUESTIONS... SHAMIR

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 Shamir has a teddy bear collection.

THE BEATING HEART OF POP.

Data 6. DORK

re-entry

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“THIS RECORD ISN’T REALLY LOOKING AT THE WORLD. IT’S VERY PERSONAL” JONAT H A N H I G G S

“This record isn’t really looking at the world. Instead, it’s very personal. It’s about getting over trauma, but using characters to play that experience out, so I don’t have to deal with it head-on.” Marketing a trauma-processing record embedded in upbeat electronica is, unfortunately, far from abnormal in current times. “A lot of people probably do have trauma from this period we’ve all gone through, whether they directly relate to what I’m saying or not,” the singersongwriter confides. “I’m trying not to make [the theme of trauma] super obvious, but a lot of the songs converge towards the same thing, which is unusual for us.” Trauma is dealt with indirectly, at an arm’s length and never as an isolated focus. “Not really thinking about it fully, but just distracting yourself from the truth.” This procedure is expedited by the second, tightly interwoven theme of ‘Raw Data Feel’. As Jon elaborates: “I speak about using technology to deal with something rather than me dealing with it myself. I used an AI’s brain to write my songs because I don’t want to talk about those things right now; that’s kind of the idea – relying on technology like a crutch, and this modern loneliness where your only friend is your phone.” Hold on, AI writing songs? Yes, you read that right, Dear Reader. Midway through the creation of this new record, the band had a spark of inspiration and reached out to “some professor” who required data to fuel the mind of this artificial intelligence. “I chose four elements: the entire terms of conditions from LinkedIn; Beowulf, the ancient poem; the sayings of Confucius, the philosopher; lastly, four hundred thousand comments from 4chan.” An eclectic combination, for sure. While a lot of filtering was needed to find usable content from the results, digitally-generated lyrics form a solid backbone of ‘Raw Data Feel’. Entire lines were lifted, rephrased, or reworked to form songs like closer ‘Software Greatman’, the title of which

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was the answer to the existential prompt – ‘what now?’ Computers are also responsible for the album’s artwork and distorted music videos, which build upon the haunting 3D renders used throughout the world of ‘Re-Animator’. “Well, this is a different thing entirely. Much more realistic and much more horrific,” Jon grins. “A big column of the record is this sense that trying to get emotion out of technology that isn’t real, but you feel like it is when you see it. You relate to these things… but they’re never real.” Distancing oneself from reality became a necessity for the frontman, having faced a personal breaking point during 2020, which induced muchneeded change and a less temporary sense of happiness into his life. “I had some turmoil in my life and knew that I didn’t want to sing about the same shit anymore; I invented some characters in the hope that maybe they could deal with it because I couldn’t at the time.” One such recurring character is

Kevin, who “comes up quite a lot on the record - his life, his trying to get out of his situation, his dreaming about a car to get him out of there; ‘Kevin’s Car’ was the only idea I had, I just kept thinking it’s got to be ‘Kevin’s Car’.” This sense of desperation may have stemmed from very real feelings, but the face of Everything Everything confirms he is moving away from sadness and positively utilising momentum. “I don’t have space in my emotional cupboard for sad content right now – I’ve done my wallowing, and I’m sick of it… but I still have to say some things. I’m just saying them in a different way now.” Drawing less from psychology and neuroscience and more from inner intensities, the band ditched extensive reading material and wrote songs, “very much straight from the heart.” As Jon continues: “We wrote the record really quickly; there was no research or grand plan. It was just: let’s write a load of bangers.”

A L BUM FACTFILE

Title: Raw Data Feel Release date: 13th May 2022 Tracklist: Teletype I Want A Love Like This Bad Friday Pizza Boy Jennifer Metroland is Burning Leviathan Shark Week Cut UP! HEX My Computer Kevin's Car Born Under A Meteor Software Greatman

‘FYI’ CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Warpaint are back with their new album, ‘Radiant Like This’. The record’s set for release on 6th May, preceded by new single ‘Champion’ and accompanied by a European tour that kicks off on 9th May in France, arriving in the UK on the 11th. “Being a champion to oneself and for others,” the band say of the new track. “We are all in this together, life is too short not to strive for excellence in all that we do.”

BOMB TRACKS Blossoms have announced their fourth studio album ‘Ribbon Around The Bomb’. The fulllength is set for release on the 29th April. Speaking about the new album and single, Blossoms’ Tom Ogden explains: ‘While on tour in 2019 in Mexico, I visited Frida Kahlo’s house. Looking at her paintings on show, someone had described one of them as being like a ‘ribbon around a bomb’. I immediately thought that it was a great title for a song and album because of the imagery that it evoked in my mind. I thought about how lots of things in life could be described as being a ribbon around a bomb in the sense that as people we often dress things up which have a darkness lying beneath them’.

GREAT STUFF

“This record is just like, fuck it; a fun song, followed by a fun song, followed by a fun song… why not? Who cares?” He laughs. “We just do stuff that we think is exciting in each moment. At the very least, there’s no chance of us repeating ourselves.” If you’re a regular Dork reader, you’ll know that exciting is exactly what we’re about. Genre-bending is also unavoidable within these pages, and yet Everything Everything still push forward a sonic that you’re probably not too used to hearing. Living outside of the box is a lifestyle that comes naturally to such an act, and they don’t spend too much time worrying about that either - “we’ve never fitted in, no, but I can’t think of any great band that did.” With one track from ‘Raw Data Feel’ already proving the inevitability of standing out, the lead single ‘Bad Friday’ is one which Jon wrote thinking entirely about himself and the direction he wanted to travel, which doesn’t happen too often in this four-

piece. Buried within a catchy hook is something more sinister… “At surface value, it’s about a night out. Really, it’s about violence and abuse, but it’s being given this coat of paint which makes it appear to be a song about a crazy night out – one during which you get so drunk that you can’t remember what happened, you can’t remember how you got beaten up. It’s obscuring the reality and blaming it on someone else. But as far as anyone listening is concerned, it’s a party tune.” “It’s quite carefree, and it’s very us. It’s confident because it does sound ridiculous, but we’re just very used to what we sound like.” In terms of the thirteen tracks yet to drop, ‘Bad Friday’ gives a solid hint at the future. “It’s a good indicator – it’s a party with a dark secret, which is how I would describe the whole album.” Get ready to dance, but remember to keep an eye on your surroundings. P Everything

100 more acts have joined The Great Escape. The new names include Yard Act (pictured), Baby Queen and Rebecca Black, along with The Amazons, Sinead O’Brien, Lola Young, Enola Gay, Balming Tiger, Malaki, SOFY, Bleach Lab, Phoebe Green, Pixey, Swim School, Eli Smart, Illuminati Hotties, The Goa Express, Team Picture, The Let Go, Dead Pony, Sprints, Softcult, l’objectif, and Kynsy. The Brighton festival will take place across multiple venues from 11th-14th May. Visit greatescapefestival.com for more information..

Rex Orange County? Who cares?

Erm, with a brand new album and a bunch of huge tour dates, we do, h-actually! Rex Orange County has announced a brand new album, ‘WHO CARES?’, due on 11th March. It’s the first new release since 2020’s Live at Radio City Music Hall EP taken from Rex’s two sold-out shows at the venue in 2020, just before his international Pony tour was cut short in Berlin due to Covid-19. After spending the bulk of 2020 quarantined back home in the UK, Rex made the trek to Amsterdam that autumn to record with Benny Sings, with whom he made 2017’s ‘Loving Is Easy’. A productive 48-hour session prompted a follow-up trip, with the subsequent 10 days of work producing the new album. The record also features Tyler, The Creator, who contributes a verse to ‘OPEN A WINDOW’ – the first time the two have collaborated since Tyler’s 2017 album ‘Flower Boy’. It's not the only news, either. As well as the first track - 'KEEP IT UP' - streaming now, there are a bunch of live shows - including a huge one at London's Gunnersbury Park in August. You can find more details on readdork.com now. P

Everything’s album 'Raw Data Feel’ is out 13th May.

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‘FYI’

My daily routine is pretty dorky at the moment because I’m trying to look after myself a bit more in between travelling. I just got back to Brisbane after spending three months in the US, so the jetlag gets me up nice and early. I’ll take you through what a day back home has been like for me this week…

PHOTO: LISSYELLE.

IT'S HOME TIME

7:30am

I wake up early without an alarm at the moment because Brisbane’s summer is unforgiving, and it’s not pleasant to sleep in without air conditioning. I’m trying to write in a journal in the mornings, so I can process my emotions better and also to remember this time in my life. When I try to think of what I was doing 5-10 years ago, my memory is really foggy, so I thought it would be nice to have some sort of record for future me. The whole Artists Way multiple pages of stream of consciousness thing doesn’t really work for me because I find my brain moves way faster than my hands, but it’s better than nothing.

LAUV-LY STUFF Lauv has confirmed he's finished work on his new album - and he's proved it by dropping a brand new single. Titled '26', he explains: “I wrote 26 about growing up and trying to find your light,” he explains, “the one you lose touch with as you get older. It marks the moment I’m stepping back into the world and taking control of my narrative again.” You can stream the track now on readdork.com

GOLDEN WONDER

8:30am

I have breakfast and tea while I catch up on anything I missed online overnight. It’s mostly emails and social media. My managers and half my friends live in different timezones from me, so we all kind of play tag team with replying to one another overnight. I should spend less time online, but I honestly easily lose an hour of my morning to it because I’m monitoring comments and messages or sharing Hatchie news.

9:30am

I try to do boring things like washing, cleaning and odd jobs in the morning so I feel a false sense of achievement and can move on to whatever I want in the second half of the day knowing I’ve ticked things off. Sometimes it works!

11:30am

I have a build-up of clothes in my wardrobe and storage boxes partly because I had a problem with buying new items to try to feel better about life during lockdown, so at this time of day, I might sort through these and take photos to put some up on my depop. Playing music is so volatile at the moment, you can’t really rely on shows for a steady income because of how frequently they get postponed or cancelled, so depop has helped me maintain a steady income in between touring. I treat myself to a

10. DORK

Bakar has announced his debut album, ‘Nobody’s Home’. Set for release on 25th February via Black Butter, the record was produced by Zach Nahome alongside contributions from SebastiAn and Matthew Tavares, and features guest appearances from Celeste (on ‘Gotham’) and Maverick Sabre (on ‘Reclaim!’). “So much magic is happening at one moment it can be overwhelming,” Bakar says of the recording experience. “In those moments I feel invincible. Like I can get off anything, I can make anything and I’m gonna get off my ideas. It’s a really enjoyable place to be. Once you get into that zone.”.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...

Hatchie 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 minute? Asking them. Here’s what Aussie popster Harriette Pilbeam, AKA Hatchie's day looks like.

little scrolling through other shops, too, because I’m always on the lookout for unique vintage stuff.

12:30pm

I make lunch and might check in with my husband [bandmate Joe Agius] to see if there’s anything to work on together today. We do a lot of songs, videos and artwork together, so our creative lives are quite intertwined. He and our housemate both play in Hatchie shows, so it can feel all-consuming at times because we’re always planning, writing or rehearsing together. I’ll either do these things with Joe or spend the day

working on a new track myself.

3:30pm

I’m brushing up on my guitar skills at the moment because I’ve slacked off over the last two years of no touring, so I also try to set aside just under an hour to run through exercises and songs so I can keep up my dexterity.

5:00pm

I am currently living the lifestyle of an old lady, so naturally, I usually start making dinner around 5 or so after a walk. I eat as healthy as possible at home because as a veg eater on tour, you never know if there

will be meal options other than burgers most days, so I try to make up for my sinful diet on the road when I’m making my own food at home.

6:30pm

Usually, after dinner, I’ll either shower and start winding down early to read or watch something, or I head to rehearsal. We’re adding new songs off my next album to the live set at the moment and also have a new bassist, so rehearsal usually goes from around 7pm until after 10pm for a few nights a week.

10:00pm

If I don’t have rehearsal or

anything social on, I try to get to bed early because I don’t sleep well in the morning. I’m a hermit when I’m in Brisbane because I’m 28, and I’ve lived here my whole life, so I have a solid idea of what I enjoy doing with my nights and weekends and who I want to spend time with in my small circle. I love touring, but being at home is when I feel most content, so days like this when I’ve just taken care of myself and re-charged are honestly some of my favourite days. P Hatchie’s album ‘Giving The World Away’ is out 22nd April. Single ‘Quicksand’ is out now.

Former Dork cover star George Ezra has announced his new album, ‘Gold Rush Kid’. The full-length is set for release on 10th June via Columbia Records, accompanied by a short, intimate UK tour in February and March, and a huge headliner at London’s Finsbury Park on 17th July, with special guests Blossoms and Holly Humberstone. He’s also dropped his much-teased new single ‘Anyone For You’, which he calls "a patchwork of lyric ideas found in old notebooks and chance moments shared between musicians in the studio. It’s joyous and infectious, and I can’t help but smile every time I sing it.” Bless 'im.

Buzz 12. DORK

band

he world is a bit fucked, and Tom Rees knows it. The Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard frontman is hunkered down in his Cardiff studio, his bandmates nipping out to get portions of chips in on a chilly January night - and no, this isn't the start of a Netflix horror movie, we can promise. "You know, there are many, many integrated problems in our society," Tom notes. "The world's on fire. China is probably going to take over the entire world. We're not going to Mars - it's not going to fucking happen because society is going to eat itself whole, and all we can do is sit and complain about it all… but on the other hand…." His eyebrows rise. "I can watch TikToks on my phone, you know what I mean? We can find the good in life and have fun through it all. It is possible." Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard are unlike any band you'll come across in 2022, even if you think their form of skyrocketed, glam-stomping, arm-waving and bone-shaking rock'n'roll could come straight out of a diehard record collection from the 70s. Debut 'Backhand Deals' is imbued with the sort of irreverent freedom from when rock'n'roll was at its most outlandish and refused to be confined to a couple of lines under a 'genre description'. The band know about having a good time and how vital embracing that truly is. "We're in this weird phase at the moment where it's excitement paired with massive amounts of fear. You spend your whole time - absolute years of your life - trying to get to this point, and then when it actually comes, you feel like saying - actually, can we not? And just do it like next year, maybe? Because I'm actually scared that people are just not going to buy it?!" It's more excitement, though, that feeds into the moment where Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard unveil their statement to the world. They're becoming a word-of-mouth live favourite through feverish performances, an uncompromising sound that engulfs you from the first note, and, in Tom, a lead singer complete with the kicks and presence that makes it feel as though he's preaching his sermon to the masses. "Tell you what, though," he interjects. "It is quite hard when after a month of feeling like a god on

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“IT'S MORE LIKELY WE'LL CRASH AND BURN, RIGHT? BUT HEY, IF WE DO, WE'LL CRASH AND BURN BIG” TOM R E E S

the road, you come back, and you're straight back to being that person in line at Greggs waiting to get a fucking corned beef fucking slice." It's clear why their upcoming headline tour to celebrate the release of 'Backhand Deals' is one he's looking forward to. "I can't wait to once again feel like a god-like being with people eating out of my hand." There are other up-sides when releasing a debut album, too, of course. "To be able to make that statement and say: we're a real band, take us seriously - that's a big deal for us," explains Tom. "For example, my

14. DORK

neighbours who are like, not old but they're getting on… if I say to them that we're releasing an album next month, they'll be like, oh so you're not just like a layabout scummy piece of shit?! You actually do something?! That's a good feeling." With the neighbours on board, 'Backhand Deals' flips the script on where their most full-blooded work to date found them. 'The Non-Stop EP' was a snapshot of a band revelling in almost unstoppable energy. From the crowd watching to the late-night plays in bedrooms and taxis home, it's a sensation that can't be explained. Rather than trying to break it down or define it, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard simply revel in the confetti it shoots all across the room. "I want people to have the same experience that I had," elaborates Tom, pointing to a life drawn to music and all its possibilities. "Like when I was watching someone like The Hives and having this religious experience. I just want people to have that same thing; that religious experience with rock'n'roll and not with organised religion. Just get into rock'n'roll. You know, it's a good one to get into." He takes a moment. "Like, there are many gods! Lots of them. Ermm, the music is great! More wine than your traditional church if you're into that! The dress code is great, way better robes, and there are no restrictions

here! Like, you don't have to just play the organ, which for some reason is like the only accepted instrument in Christianity. Imagine that in 200 BC? THIS WILL CONTROL THE MASSES!" 'Backhand Deals' doesn't pick up where Christianity left off, but its growth from 'The Non-Stop EP' is clear as day. Wanting to approach their full-length debut in the leanest and sharpest way possible, it's a moreish selection box of soaring harmonies, classic songwriting and swagger. The sort of album that practically beams with big-time ambition. "As a first record, I always wanted to make like a 'Please Please Me'. Something where every track was just a banger, it is just in and out, and before you even know it, it's done! It's the way we approach playing support slots; we always want to do 20 minutes. We want to grossly underplay to the point it makes the promoter sick, and they think about not wanting to pay us because we played so little time. It's that feeling of, well - we need to go and see them again! It's the same thing with the record. It was so important to make it as concise as possible, so people just want to listen over and over. I mean, in albums two and three, we'll start to embellish our darker sides, but for now, nice and lean is the way to go." Delivering on every drop of hype

and anticipation that has come their way, 'Backhand Deals' started life as an album title before a single note or song was written for it. In turn, it was about piecing the puzzle together in a way that embraced what so many love about them but also bringing their styles and influences bang up to date in their own voice. "It's really hard to perceive something while you're creating it," admits Tom, looking back on a process that involved a batch of songs simply being moved to one side to allow for a fresh go at it all. "We're really obviously influenced by 70s music and all that stuff, but we want to try and make it as clean and pop as possible within our means. Don't get me wrong, it was never going to sound like a Little Mix record or whatever, but we wanted to try and drag it, and I guess ourselves, into this century. "Nobody teaches you how to make an album, y'know? It's not really mentioned at school, haha!" One look at the stepping 'Break Right In' and 'New Age Millennial Magic', the lush cinematic shines of 'A Passionate Life' and 'Yourself', and the storming 'You' and 'Feel The Change', makes it clear that no such education was needed. Naturally full of life and vigour, it comes with a defining tone that pumps through everything Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard do. Tom smiles at the thought of that beating heart, happy to

step back and witness the good times as well as point out the bad in their own way. "I think in every musician, there is this need to be profound. That this perception you may have as a person and as a band has to come across in the music. I think, though, more than anything, we've just gotta give in to the idea that the humour matters more. I don't know if it's a Welsh thing or whatever, but I just love taking the piss out of everything. What we're trying to do as a band is say, 'okay, here's my opinion' - but then I'll take the piss out of it and be like, 'what the fuck do I know, right?!' "I think having an opinion and caveating that with humour is really important. It doesn't matter what your ideological standings may be, you can always take the piss out of something and just have a laugh and have some fun - and you can do that together with others. I think anybody's ability to take the piss out of themselves is a marker for how good a person they really are." Tom feels passionately about such positions. His noted awareness of and stands taken to support culture in Cardiff amongst many other calls to action are vital - and it's not about pushing these to one side. If anything, it's about elevating them. For Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Tom finds goals close to home. "Obviously, when you start out, you're like, 'I'm gonna fucking headline Madison Square Garden baby, and I'm going to be drowning in money!'" he cracks. "Now, I'm at a perspective where we have a really great group of fans that really melt my heart. "I just want to be able to put out good music that satisfies me creatively but also means something to people. If it's a million people? Super cool. If it's one person? Also, super cool. I've had conversations with people who are into our band that have literally changed my life, just from understanding how much they love the music. I didn't realise that was within me to do and that there was such love out there. I'm happy if we can keep doing that, and when you break it down, I get to make music with my best friends in a fucking studio that we have the fucking grace of owning and being able to use so much. That's pretty good to me. "I'm very proud of this record. Being in a band, and I know it may seem silly, but it's important to feel like you're in a band. This moment means a lot, but we want to keep moving forward and progress. That will be the decider in whether we fucking soar like an eagle or crash and burn. Crash and fucking burn". Tom smiles once more. "I mean, statistically, it's more likely we'll crash and burn, right? Bet hey, if we do, we'll crash and burn big. It's a big national scandal or nothing!" P Buzzard Buzzard

Buzzard's album 'Backhand Deals' is out 25th February.

Q&A

BENEE: "I'VE GOT A BUNCH

OF NEW SONGS THAT I CAN'T WAIT TO GET OUT THERE" BENEE is back with a new single, her first of 2022. ‘Beach Boy’ – produced by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Beck) – is an easy-breezy early teaser from the playful alt-popster’s upcoming seven-track EP ‘LYCHEE’, born from lockdown and set for release on 4th March. “‘Beach Boy’ is pure fantasy, set in LA,” she explains. “It’s about being happy alone but still wanting some love; wanting the thrill without the pain. It was the first time I’d worked with Greg Kurstin, and it was so sick. We got on super well, and I love this track. I think it is perfect for cruising down the freeway with the top down.” Hi BENEE! How’s it going, what are you up to today? I’m taking my dog Tui out to Muriwai beach on the West coast for a swim!!

‘FYI’

How have you found 2022 so far? Started out really well with a luvly holiday on Great Barrier Island, but having to cancel my NZ tour because of Omicron has been pretty gutting. I’m so looking forward to getting back to Europe in May, though – YAY.

SUPER NOVAS

Nova Twins have announced their second album, ‘Supernova’. The full-length is set for release on 17th June via Marshall Records. Bassist Georgia South says of the release: “‘Supernova’ is the beginning of a new era. As we delved into the unknown, making this album became our medicine through a turbulent time. It’s a reflection of where we were and how far we have come, encased in a fantasy world that we imagined. ‘Supernova’ is made out of dreams, triumphs and colourful nightmares. When you get to the other side, you will always come out a winner.”

GROWING UP FAST Youthful punx The Linda Lindas have announced their new album, ‘Growing Up’. The record’s set for release digitally on 8th April and physically on 3rd June via Epitaph, with the news arriving alongside the title-track, written by vocalist/guitarist Lucia.

ALL SMILES The Smile have announced their debut European tour dates. The band – Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, plus Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner – will head out from 16th May for a run that includes two nights at London’s Roundhouse.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN' Truck Festival has announced a load of new names. The event – which will take place from 22nd24th July at Hill Farm in Oxford – will now host sets from Sea Girls (pictured), The Murder Capital, Courting, Jaws, Pulled Apart By Horses, Cassia, Noisy, Crawlers, Folly Group, Grandmas House, Deep Tan, The Hara, and Sofy.

Tell us about creating your new song ‘Beach Boy’ – when did you write this one? How did it come together? I did a couple of sessions in LA in September with Greg Kirsten, and we hit it off really well. It’s got the vibe of driving top down on a summer day going to the beach! What are your favourite beach activities? Surfing, swimming, throwing the ball for Tui. Bonfires with my mates at night. I LOVE the sea.

Swim Deep sign up for the next Dork's Night Out Taking place at London's iconic 100 Club, we've got some buzzy Dork faves in support too...

Indie legends Swim Deep have signed up for the next edition of Dork's Night Out - set to take place at London's iconic 100 Club on 10th March. Playing their first London show in under two years in relatively intimate surroundings, it comes as they prepare to release their new, ultra-collaboritive EP ' ‘Familiarise Yourself With Your Closest Exit'. That's not all, either - they'll be joined by Dork Hype Listers for 2022 Lime Garden - and maybe even another extra special surprise too, if you keep your eyes peeled. Tickets for the show are already running low - at the time of press there's only a handful left. If you want to grab one of the last ones, you'd best check Dice and hope for the best. See you there!

Have you written much new material since the release of your debut album? YES! I’ve got a bunch of new songs that I can’t wait to get out there. You had a lot of buzzy collaborations on your debut, have you been working with anyone interesting since then? YES, there are some super cool collabs coming up!! I’ve been working with a bunch of really sick artists in the last year! I also shot a vid with Dreamer Boy when I was in LA!! Is ‘Beach Boy’ representative of the vibe you’re going for these days? It’s a lot breezier than last year’s ‘Doesn’t Matter’. I like to mix it all up, so there’ll be a range of styles and sounds in my new work. ‘Beach Boy’ is just one of the vibes! Are you going to be debuting any new material on your upcoming tour? Definitely! I’ll be playing the favs, of course, but a lot of the set is made up of new songs, which the band and I are super excited to be playing! What else are you up to at the moment? There’s a lot going on! Josh [Fountain, collaborator] and I are finalising all the tracks on the EP, which is super exciting. The new ‘Beach Boy’ video will be out on 14th February; then we start planning the next one! I’ve got a promo shoot and lots of interviews lined up. It’s been such a beautiful summer here, and I’m making the most of it with my friends. I’m also starting on a new fitness regime with the band so that we’ll be in top form for the tour. P BENEE’s EP ‘Lychee’ is out 4th March. She tours the UK this spring. readdork.com 15.

THE BEST NEW TRACKS TRACK OF THE MONTH

English Teacher A55

Between the can't-notgiggle-at-it track title, and artwork featuring someone on the loo, this debut EP teaser from Leeds indie/ post-punk up-and-comers English Teacher - 'A55', about a messy night out - could have sounded awful and we'd probably still have been into it. Thankfully it doesn't, obviously, because they're great. Keep an eye out for the 'Polyawkward' EP, coming soon via Nice Swan Records.

Holly Humberstone London Is Lonely

Fresh from her BRITs Rising Star win, Holly's dropped 'London Is Lonely', a super sad single about when she moved to London in 2020 and felt lost and very alone. You might be thinking, well she's probably okay now, but no, she says. "It’s funny now listening to the song almost two years on, postpandemic, and feeling like nothing much has changed at all." Aaaaaw, Holly.

Thomas Headon How Do I Know?

“I wrote 'How Do I Know' after going on a first date," Thomas Headon explains of his new single. "It's basically a song about questioning whether you're in love with someone or whether it's just an in-the-moment feeling." Now, Thomas, mate. Far be it for us to be too familiar (lol - Ed), but perhaps the fact that this is a first date should suggest something to you. Let's not move too fast, eh? Don't want to scare them off, now do we? Might be where you're going wrong? There's a good lad. Song's great though.

16. DORK

Charli XCX

Beg For You (ft. Rina Sawayama)

Interpolating September's mid-00s megabop 'Cry For You' - you know, the "you'll never see me agaaaaaaaaaain" one - two of future-pop's titans combine for Charli's latest album taster 'Beg For You'. While it's fair to dream about just what Rina and Chazza could have cooked up if they'd have left the source material behind and allowed themselves to go fully off the books, it's a track that understands the zeitgeist and plucks at it with gleeful abandon. A fifteen-plus year old hook, resurrected via TikTok trends then transformed into a totally new song, it's smart, knowing and sort of brilliant. With full-length 'Crash' around the corner, Charli is going big.

Alfie Templeman Broken

After what feels like aeons of waiting, boy wonder Alfie Templeman's time is finally here. His debut album 'Mellow Moon' announced (27th May, 'FYI'), 'Broken' sees indie pop's young prince tackling weightier subjects, but through his own shimmering, euphoric prism. Lyrically raw and honest, real world openness bounces of crystalline synths and a riff straight out of Coldplay's stadium rock rulebook. This isn't a grab for middle-of-the-road safety, though. Instead, it's a new maturity for Alfie; one that showcases new depths but never loses sight of the youthful exhuberance that made us love him in the first place. The future king is coming. Ready the throne.

Dora Jar Lagoon

Dora Jar is something special. Having already supported Remi Wolf and Holly Humberstone live, she's on her way to EP number two ('Comfortably In Pain') with fun, personality-packed pop that's so bloody charismatic and weird. 'Lagoon' is written from the perspective of a lonely mermaid, y'know.

Marbles

With every single they drop, Lime Garden look more and more like a real 'prospect'. And so they should. Freshly tucked away on Dork's 2022 Hype List, 'Marbles' sees them taking their wonkyindie-pop and diving into deeper waters. Fulsome and perfectly realised, it feels like several steps being bounded at once. Big things are coming.

Head On Fire

Jigsaw

Written initially as a bit of - in Conan's own words - "a diary entry rant", 'Jigsaw' is angsty with a capital A. Compared by more than one Dork as starting out a bit Wheatus (sorry, Conan), it soon kicks into an all-out grunge-influenced rager, full of heartbreak and lament at the unfairness of not being appreciated for who you are. There are a lot of feelings going on here, paving the way for his VERY HIGHLY ANTICIPATED second album, due out later this year.

Grimes

Shinigami Eyes

Lime Garden

Griff & Sigrid

Conan Gray

It's fair to say being a Grimes fan is a bit of a ride these days, but there's no denying that - when in the kind of form displayed on 'Shinigami Eyes' - there are few who can match her at what she does best. Floating on ethereal waves, it's high definition future-pop that in any other hands might feel forced or cringe-worthy. For Grimes, though, it's home turf. A little bit weird, a whole heap of wonderful, we'd have it no other way.

Lava La Rue Vest & Boxers

If we were making a list of 'talents' who we thought were dead 'exciting' and possibly could be significant players in the 'near future' so, yeah, a cool list - there's every chance that Lava La Rue would figure very, very, very close to the top of it. 'Vest & Boxers' is one of those songs that's both brilliantly odd and yet perfectly sort-of-pop. Weird, wonderful, always slightly off kilter but in a way that feels perfectly natural, it's a marvel. A playlist essential.

Whoever initiated this collaboration deserves a whole pack of gold stars, because goodness grief is it a good one. What a song. What a video. Sigrid and Griff are having the best time, and there's so much to love here. "It’s about that feeling when you meet someone who flips everything upside down and you can’t focus on anything else," Siggers says of the song. Relatable.

Wallows

Especially You

Sometimes a band might just hit a stride. That's the mood music we're starting to hear around Wallows. Already firm favourites around these parts - they're former Dork cover stars, dontcha know? - their progression since the release of debut album 'Nothing Happens' has thrust them into new stratospheres. 'Especially You' - the latest taster of nearly-here-now full-length 'Tell Me That It's Over' - showcases it brilliantly. With Ariel Rechtshaid production and a fuzzy, fantastic bounce in its step, Wallows have genuine star power. There's nothing more exciting than that.

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BEST NEW NAMES.

18. DORK

MIMI WEBB Words: Martyn Young. Photos: Frank Fieber

n the currency of BIG pop, few things hold more value than harnessing pure goosebumpinducing emotion. Going in deep in matters of the heart and the maddening and beautiful ways it hurts and heals us. The best pop stars can do this almost effortlessly. Mimi Webb is only a year or so into her career, but she has already shown that this kind of elemental pop magic is second nature to her. She's a star who embraces her feelings and puts every little piece of herself out there. Mimi is riding a crest of a wave as she ascends mount pop, and it's easy to see why. Bursting with personality and blessed with one of the most powerful voices you could hope to hear, she's already made quite the impression with a Top 20 single, appearances on big-time US telly (hi Ellen!) and a boatload of buzzy online hype, but 2022 is all about taking things to the next level. "This year, it's about doing everything times by 10," says Mimi confidently. "I've got so much more music coming out. It's about building that catalogue," she says excitedly. "I'll be touring so much this year. It's going to be very intense." Mimi is incredibly comfortable with the job of being an actual massive living and breathing pop star. She's at her happiest creating in the studio and relishes the pop game. "I absolutely love it," she exclaims. "I really enjoy the promo. I really enjoy the routine. It's something that I'm happy to sink my teeth into." She's had to adapt quickly. It was only five months from releasing her first single 'Before I Go' to travelling to America and beginning to conquer the pop world. "It was very fast-paced and manic but incredible," she explains. "I

find it easier to be chucked in the deep end rather than have a pre build up to be anxious; I'm just like, no, chuck me in there, let's do it." That's the striking thing with Mimi no matter what she says, you know she's going to make it happen. You believe everything she says. Mimi has always been destined to be a performer going right back to her days doing talent shows at school growing up in Canterbury and open mic nights while studying at music college. Any hint of stage fright or shrinking in the spotlight was prevented from an early age by her parents encouraging her to sing at every opportunity. "My mum and dad would always get me up to sing every time whenever we were in a restaurant. It was like, come on, we want to hear you sing, and I'd be like 'Dad, that's £5 then'!" she laughs. In a nice bit of serendipity, it was an acapella performance in a New M I M I WE B B York City restaurant that helped build that early buzz by blowing up on TikTok. with over 20 million views. Big Time. Like any vibrant switched on pop star in 2022, Mimi recognises the importance of platforms like TikTok as a tool to build your audience and engage with your fans, and she sees it as a positive artistic space as she remembers the first rumblings of a real major breakthrough with last years signature heartbreaker 'Good Without'. "Around the start of last year, when I was teasing 'Good Without' on TikTok, I was like, oh, this could be a thing we need to get this out ASAP. I'm really looking forward to being able to do that again this year with my new songs. I think it's really nice with TikTok because you feel like you're in control of your career. You can really help push those songs." With last year's debut EP, 'Seven Shades of Heartbreak', Mimi

introduced the world to her enormous voice and confessional stirring brand of pop. Vulnerability is a word that she regularly returns to as she emphasises how important it is for an artist to be in touch with your emotions and really open yourself up. It's at the heart of everything about her. "I'm so open and vulnerable in my music with situations I've been through," she says. "There's always that worry that you're putting it out there in the world and that certain someone will hear it but to see people connect and understand is so incredible. It's amazing to see how I can put my vulnerability out there, and people can just take it and accept it, and it inspires them, and they connect completely." She's already proven she can do soaring heartbreak anthems, but this year Mimi is excited about showcasing different sides to her music; think pulsing enormo-pop, like the fizzing electro rush of EP standout 'Little Bit Louder'. "I'm creating my sound and pushing my limits," she says of her time in the studio planning her next move. "I'm building up to a bigger project. It's going to be my sound, but the nice thing is I can do a lot of different kinds of songs that will still fit in the same bubble. I'm enjoying doing some more upbeat stuff and then some really emotional ballads. It's a mixture of the two. When I started as an artist, I never wanted to have just one sound. That's the beauty of my voice and who I am as an artist." When you listen to a Mimi Webb song, whether it's an inspiring electro anthem or a heartstopping ballad that leaves you in an emotional crumpled heap, you're always getting an experience. You're living those emotions with her, and she's ready to ride that emotional wave to superstar success. P

“I'M CREATING MY SOUND AND PUSHING MY LIMITS”

SEVEN SHADES OF MIMI WEBB

...in the form of a fact file of important stuff.

↓↓↓ 1

She grew up in Canterbury in the countryside, where she liked to go for long walks.

Her favourite film is 'The Holiday': "It has a really nice romantic vibe"

She used to like collecting stuff from World War 2

Her fave type of weather is: "A New York day when it's sunny but frosty"

When it comes to ice cream, she has no time for fancy-pants flavours: "I like vanilla, nice and simple"

She would like to host her own chat show

Mimi can't think what her most controversial opinion is, but thinks it might be her taste in pancakes: "Some people don't like sugar on pancakes, and I love a bit of sugar on a pancake"

readdork.com 19.

YOUTH SECTOR Words: Stephen Ackroyd. Photo: Pete Ray

“IT'S HEALTHY TO FEEL LIKE THE WORST BAND IN THE WORLD SOMETIMES” NI CK TO M P K I NS

while being seemingly helpless to change anything. Seeing the tories' pig-headed approach to Brexit and hearing about the several chances they had to change course around work visas for touring musicians whilst inexplicably deciding not to, you have to see that as an act of violence to our own music industry and culture at large. I have no doubt that it will do long and short term damage to our culture, and we're all losers for it. Brighton has a rich history of great bands. Does coming from a place with that track record help you as a band, or is it sometimes harder to punch through with so many other exciting acts? I think it's a bit of both, but mostly, it's a help. With such a vibrant scene, it attracts great promoters and the opportunity to play with much better bands than your own, which drives your development. There's definitely an element of oversaturation which can be tough, but I think ultimately, it drives bands to improve quicker in order to punch through.

With their EP 'Adult Contemporary', Brighton's Youth Sector definitely have some stuff to say. Matched with some whip-smart bangers of substance, we pinned down frontman Nick Tompkins to find out more... The new EP is great, obviously. What comes first for you when writing a song - the subject, or the music? What do you enjoy writing about? Thanks! The music comes first with the subject very soon after. Generally, we'll start off with a musical bed, and I'll riff some vocal ideas over the top; usually, certain improv lines will jump out as resonant or exciting, which tends to inform the theme of the song. That's not to say the themes are a complete fluke, I've got a note on my phone of topics I want to write about, and I'll use that to steer the ship in the right thematic direction. I usually end up writing about things that frustrate me, but I'm also

20. DORK

interested in character-based stuff. One of the lyrics says "the bad news is that there is no good news". Is it easier to write about a world on fire than one that's all flowers and sunshine? It is when you just don't have the "flowers and sunshine" outlook. No doubt we're all lucky and privileged to some extent in the West, but unfortunately to me, the fact that the world is on fire, nationalism is on the rise, and flagrant inequality has become completely commonplace seems a lot more urgent to talk about than how lucky we all are that the sun rises every morning and that summer is on the way. Being a British band at a point where touring is getting harder post-Brexit has its obvious challenges. The selfdestructive nationalism is something you touch on - how much does it feel like opportunity is being lost for new artists because of it? It feels massively like an opportunity that we are watching being missed in real-time

When was the first time you really felt you were on the right track as a band? Was there a eureka moment? I think we're constantly having eureka moments, which are quickly followed by moments where you think you're a bunch of talentless idiots. I'm working on a couple of tracks now, which, in the moment, feel like eureka moments in themselves, like something has clicked in the songwriting, which is exciting, but we've gotta ride the wave while it's there because it rarely lasts for very long. That's not a complaint; I think it's healthy to feel like the worst band in the world sometimes. Everyone has been held up because of the pandemic. How long has this EP been in the bag? Do you already know what's coming next for you? Yeah, we've had this down for ages, the EP was recorded by November 2020, so it's been in the bag a while. We've got a whole heap of new material that we're itching to get out. P Youth Sector's EP 'Adult Contemporary' is out 18th February.

FIRST ON. ↓ GEMINI AALIYAH → Those who pay attention to such things might have noticed an ever increasing number of new artists coming out of 'the north' of late. Backed by an initiative set to help fresh voices get the start their talent deserves, Launchpad, Gemini Aaliyah is the latest to grab our attention - though frankly, you'd have to hope she'd have managed that anyway. That's how good her latest track 'Moonrise' is. A darkly gothic but sonically current gem, it recalls the kind of alt-rock-goes-alt-pop stylings of Nilüfer Yanya. Tense, infectious and impossible to ignore, the potential is undeniable.

IAMKYAMI → From New York-via-Manchester,

iamkyami (aka Kyla Ami Mitsui Russell) has all the markers for a modern altpop sensation. Eloquent, astute and bubbling with potential, her latest single 'Internet Friends' comes alongside the announcement of an EP - 'The Kenny Klubhouse' - due on 29th April "'Internet Friends' is about trying to make more meaningful relationships with people while trying to break down the barriers that the internet creates," she explains. "There’s people I speak to a lot online but the relationships seem like they can be very surface level. They probably don’t know my birthday or my favourite food or simple things like that." If anyone wants to know our birthday, in order to send us our favourite food, please contact us at the usual address.

AMELIA MOORE → 21-year-old Georgia native Amelia

Moore definitely has the whole alt-pop thing down to a tee. Her latest - 'vinegar' is raw but brilliant, a high definition bridge between clashing ideas. Shifting textures, it's at one moment smooth and slick, the next glitching and aggressive, but never once loses direction. A talent to watch with both eyes firmly locked.

PRIESTGATE With an expanding list of promising singles behind them, and a debut EP on the way, Priestgate could well be on the road to something big. Words: Stephen Ackroyd. Photos: Stewart Baxter.

Is there a first moment you felt the band was really on the right tracks? The last couple of months have been full of those moments, but I think signing to Lucky Number was the first time we started to think we're a proper band - things like that don't happen to bands from Driffield, we all feel very lucky to be where we are right now. What's your definition of having 'made it'? Is there something on the bucket list you'd consider to be the crowning glory? Well, I guess packing in our jobs would be the real 'made it' moment - Zac's made one too many coffins and I'm sick of telling people their luminous green living room looks lovely. After that I think challenging and beating Pet Shop Boys to a battle of the bands would be the crowning glory. Lucky Number has quite the track record with exciting new acts. How did it feel to find out they were interested in singing you up? Does joining a label like that give you an extra swagger? It felt really weird to be honest, we joked about it for so long and then when it happened we didn't really believe it aha - I still don't think we do. I'm sure there's plenty of bands that get that spring in their step and start wearing sunglasses inside after getting approached by a label. Sadly we just couldn't pull that off, now we're stuck with a load of the sunglasses. Don't suppose you're after any are you?

riffield isn't the centre of the musical universe. Not yet, anyway - but it might be if Priestgate have anything to do with it. Freshly signed with Lucky Number - a label with a track record of discovering new talent - the northern five piece are quickly grabbing the attention of all the right people. With a debut EP 'Eyes Closed For The Winter' on the way, we caught up with frontman Rob Schofield to get better acquainted with indie-pop's latest poster band. Hello Rob! What have you been up to today. Today was another day at the office… not a literal office. I'm a decorator and aren't over keen on the thought of working an office job but I've always been fond of that saying so I won't bother rephrasing. There aren't a huge number of bands coming out of the bright lights of Driffield. How did you get together? Were you mates beforehand, or was it more a case of being the only like-minded musicians in town? Yeah, it was definitely a case of being like-minded!

“EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT A DEBUT ALBUM I START SMILING, AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER I FEEL SICK” R OB SC H OFI E LD

None of us put a poster up saying "BAND WANTED, WILL PLAY ANYTHING". It all happened very organically, I was looking for an excuse to get off my arse and somehow ended up asking Bridie to start a band with me. Almost as a bit of a joke I guess, the following week I was sat in a room with her and Connor explaining that I can't actually sing. Zac was referred to us by my old man - they work alongside each other making coffins and Kai was just a friend from down the pub, we asked him to join at our local. Shook his hand and walked off into the sunset. What was the music scene like there? Did you have to travel to find shows? There's a couple of middle aged cover bands if that's the kind of thing you're into - but yeah, we definitely had to travel to find shows! From a distance, it feels like you arrived with this fully formed sound already there. How much work went on behind the scenes to get to that point? Well, it seems we have everyone fooled - we was very shit for quite some time. That's half the fun though isn't it? Figuring out what's you and what isn't. Are there many shared musical reference points in the band? What's the stuff that gets you all excited? Anything with a buttery bass line and nice drums gets us talking, we're all into lots of different stuff though - I guess we turn to songs that make us feel a certain way and then figure out how we can make our own version of that. Whether it's Wu-Tang Clan or Fleet Foxes all just depends on what idea we're chasing at the time. Are you creative in non-musical ways too? I think so, although I'm not sure how - we're still figuring that bit out. Zac can make good animal noises… that's something right?

The reaction to the last few tracks has been pretty great, and you've started appearing on some of the big tips lists too. Does that increase the pressure or give you confidence in what you're already doing? That's a weird one, can I say both? Have you heard yourself on Radio 1 yet? If so, where were you when you did, and how did you feel? I was sat with my dad in the front room at the time, it felt really strange - like… that's us… on Radio 1? You've been working with some pretty experienced indie-pop hands of late. Have they given you any advice for the future? I assume you're talking about [former Kaiser Chief, songwriter and producer] Nick Hodgson? He's full of great bits of advice, just those little one-liners that hit you right between the eyes - I reckon he'd be alright at rapping to be honest… not sure why he hasn't done that yet. What’s the best song you’ve written so far, do you think - have we even heard it yet? See if I say you've heard it that'd spoil the fun wouldn't it, everyone would just go listen to The Cure and tell us lot to shove it aha - all jokes aside. The best is yet to come. The EP feels like a big moment for the band. Do you have any plans for what comes next? Has anyone dared mention 'debut albums' yet? For sure, releasing the EP is a really big moment for us it's one of those milestones we've always spoke about. I'm not sure what will follow, more of the same but different is one way to put it I guess. Every time I think about a debut album I start smiling, and then shortly after I feel sick. Thanks for nothing Dork. Sorry. But seriously, is being a musician living up to the hype? Well, nothing worth doing is easy. P

Priestgate’s debut EP ‘Eyes Closed For The Winter’ is out 25th March. readdork.com 21.

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FOALS.

Before the pandemic, Foals delivered their most ambitious project yet. A sprawling twoalbum epic released within the space of a few months, it saw them embracing their status as one of the UK's biggest bands like never before. As we approach the other side, they're back - one member down and with a new fulllength with completely different ambitions. Yannis, Jack and Jimmy are ready to party. Are you? WORDS: MARTYN YOUNG. PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT, ED COOKE.

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As Foals prepare to release their seventh album, frontman and creative visionary Yannis Philippakis is as confident as ever. He has good reason to feel so cocksure, though, as the Foals that emerge into the (hopefully) post-pandemic world are a rather different beast to the band that ended their last touring cycle with an expansive multilayered epic of a double album. This time, everything is different as they channel the spirit of their incendiary early days into a new vibrant future. Welcome to the rebirth of Foals. The most obvious change in this new era is the band are now a trio following the departure of keyboard player Edwin Congreave, not long after they lost bass player Walter Gervers. In truth, it wasn’t particularly a shock for either member to leave, but in the case of Edwin, the writing was on the wall from

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the very start of the new album process. “He showed up for one rehearsal and was like, no, see you later!” laughs guitarist and now brand new keyboardist Jimmy Smith. “You could see on his face that he was just sat there thinking, I’ve made a terrible decision,” he adds. “We were happy that Edwin and Walter made the right decision. We feel a little more buoyant. We’re leaner and meaner.” The streamlined three-piece Foals were ready to shake things up and mess with the formula that made them one of the biggest bands in Britain since they emerged in 2008. To do that, they knew that they would each have to step up and tap into everything that makes the band so special. The result is ‘Life Is Yours’. A euphoric life-affirming record that captures the desire of a culture and society desperate for something to celebrate and a little bit of carefree abandon after two years of miserable gloom. “The absolute last thing we wanted to do was write a languished miserable lockdown album,” laughs drummer Jack Bevan. So here we are in 2022, and it’s time to party. “I’m excited about it, particularly in the context of what’s happened in the last two years,” begins Yannis as he talks about the album. “Being able to release a record that’s fun and uplifting and joyous after the dank and dark couple of years is really exciting. It’s the most fun record we’ve released in terms of its mood and danceability. I think it’s going to go off. It’s the right record for the summer.” The vibe and the impetus to keep things upbeat and energised are at the album’s heart. Notably, there are none of the massive riff-laden behemoths that powered their previous albums in a sign that this is a reconfigured version of the band. “I specifically said I didn’t want to write any heavy rock songs, not ever again but not right now,” explains Yannis. “We’d been in that place for a minute, and it was

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time to shift things up. There was very little distortion or fuzz to get away from that heavy expansive aspect of our sound that we’d previously been exploring. I got the other part of our DNA and re-emphasised that for a bit. What’s kept the band exciting for us and hopefully other people over the years is that we’ve played with that stuff, and we’ve not just stuck to one lane of sound. It was time to do that again.” The DNA that he’s referencing is the intensely rhythmic and dance-focused side of the band that has always been part of their sonic arsenal. Perhaps their biggest ever hit, ‘My Number’ was a dancefloor-slaying monster. The tracks collected on ‘Life Is Yours’ are very much in that image; they represent the spirit of the band going right back to the start.

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“After the last records, because there was such a broad spectrum of stuff going on there both sonically and thematically, we wanted to just pair everything right down and make something concise and focused and direct,” says Yannis. “We wanted it to be cohesive and have one mood across the record. That’s what [debut album] ‘Antidotes’ had. In a way, it’s the long lost brother or sister of that record. It’s also got that directness and dryness. The rhythmic emphasis is most apparent in those two records. They are driven by the groove and the rhythm section.” It wasn’t necessarily explicitly spoken about, but there was a feeling throughout making the album that the band were tapping into the guiding principles that informed the bedrock of their spirit as they looked to navigate the future without two key members. “We’re relearning the dynamic as a three-piece,” explains Jack. “It felt a bit like going back to the drawing board with this record. We were thinking about what we started off with and what were our original influences but now approaching it with more experience. It was a similar mindset to making ‘Antidotes’ but with an extra 13 years of experience.” The ecstatic exuberance of ‘Life Is Yours’ provoked other memories of that early golden period as, forced into a tiny room with just the three of them, the band whipped up a rhythmic storm as if their lives depended on it. “That spirit is hewn into our DNA,” says Jimmy. “That party vibe is how we started.” “The way we wrote the record in this tiny room felt like when we were playing those house parties in 2006,” adds Jack. “We were tapping into that energy. We were also quite militant in that when we were writing Yannis wasn’t using any effects on the guitar. I stripped my kit right back to a minimal set-up. It was quite a tight, dry sound. It felt like we got to a place where we rehearsed enough that it was really tight, so we didn’t want to slather effects all over it and make it woozy. It’s got the leanness of the first record.” For Yannis, the themes of the record are escapism and yearning. A desire to transcend a mundane existence, to harness the feeling of youthful optimism when anything is possible. In songs like the next level turbo banger of ‘2001’, he captures that vibe in a sugar-

rush explosion. “That song is set when we were younger,” he explains, his eyes twinkling as he reminisces about youthful hijinks. “It’s set in that moment when you’ve really made a good group of mates, and you’ve turned into a social creature. Right at the end of high school into early uni, and you’re starting to feel yourself and party and get into mischief. “That era for me was in Brighton when I was younger. That was the early stages of the band when I was 19/20. It’s set down at the coast. It’s by the sea, and it’s to do with seaside innocence and going to the sea when you’re young turning into going to party down at the sea. “The chorus has that feeling of being young and waiting for the summer and waiting for the weather to get better because you can get out and enjoy yourself. It’s about the moment you get that first sunshine, but that lyric also came from being stuck at home due to Covid and wanting that symbolically to be blown away so we could go out and be wild again.” While they definitely didn’t want to make an album about the pandemic, what

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they did want to do was to take the feelings of wanting to escape, to inspire what life might be like once we come out of the pandemic. “We’d been locked away for months, so the lack of being able to go out and experience life and gigs and all the things we’d grown accustomed to made us want to get that out of the music,” says Jack. “It was cathartic to make music that was playing at an imaginary party that we weren’t allowed to go to because of the pandemic.” For such an intense and devoted character as Yannis, the desire to get out there and do something - anything - was even more palpable. There’s only so much gardening you can do. However, if you do want a tip on how to keep your roses nice all through the winter, then according to Yannis, “It’s all about the pruning.” Anyway, enough about that and more about how Yannis and co. are bursting with ideas on how to bring their party music to life. “It felt feverish, and there’s an itchiness to it,” he says. “There’s an itching to get back out into the world and be part of parties and nightlife. I think we all felt that. The way that society just closed down over the past 18 months was so deeply frustrating and so unnatural, to not have social gatherings and creative expressions. “As we were writing the music, there was something that was acting as a grip to make us feel more frustrated and give more urgency to it because we just

wanted to get back out there and play shows and have the music be part of people’s social life.” It’s impossible to overstate just how important physical connection is to Foals’ music. On the previous double album ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’, they dealt with wide themes like climate change and societal ills. This time the focus is on communal experiences and personal salvation. “I definitely think about songwriting in terms of how people will listen to it socially or somebody getting ready to go out to a party, and once you get to the party, someone puts on your tune, and it acts like magic,” he continues. “Music is social magic. That was the vibe. It was frustrating and aggravating, so we just wanted to cut through that and speed the process up. The record is eager for the reemergence of the world.” The reemergence of the world coincides with the birth of a new Foals. Yannis concedes that despite the trio of him, Jack and Jimmy being the creative linchpins of the band long before they lost members, it definitely feels different this time. Not worse, perhaps even better, but definitely different. “It doesn’t feel like the same band,” he ponders. “There are some aspects of that that we’re going to have to get used to and will be a bit disorientating. It feels like a different era. It feels like Foals mk.2. Because of what’s been going on with the pandemic, everything was stopped. You had this dormant readdork.com 27.

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phase creatively where you kind of just hibernated and waited for things. This feels like a reemergence. It feels like we’ve been in a cocoon working away on things, and we’re going to emerge as a shiny new creature. It feels fresh.” If there’s one word that defines this brand new era for Foals, it’s fresh. “That’s one of the words that kept on coming up when we were writing,” confirms Jack. “The feel of the record needs to be fresh. We were constantly striving for that feeling of freshness.” After 16 years as a band, though, just how do they keep things feeling fresh and motivated? For Yannis, hunger is central to his very being. “It’s part of my personality and part of all our personalities in the band,” he says confidently. “I don’t think it’s to do with age or success or anything like that, but more to do with not being satisfied with anything internally. I wish it would go away sometimes, to be honest. It’s exhausting to always be trying to do something better. Often it can come from a place of slight dissatisfaction with what you’ve done. Thinking that a record or something should have been better. There’s an element of self-criticism that fuels that which is good and important creatively. I don’t think there’s much danger of that going anytime soon. I’d say that I’m hardwired like that, and there are big aspects of Jimmy and Jack that are wired like that. As a combination of people, we’ve gotten used to being quite self-critical and also getting bored easily. Talking about the riffs and changing it up, I think that comes from a kind of creative restlessness.” In a creative sense, for a band so in tune with their sound as Foals, changing things up in a musical sense with different guitar tones, synth sounds, and drum set-ups is the easy bit. What’s difficult is finding the words and themes to accompany all that sonic invention and convey their intentions. “Most musicians probably find lyric writing the hardest bit,” says Yannis. “You have to get the message right. It’s one thing to write a guitar riff or a drum beat, but if the lyrical message and the delivery and how it connects with the vocal isn’t right, then that’s the bit that’s the most challenging. “On ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’, I was in a doomy frame of mind. My mentality isn’t actually that different, but in writing that last album, I really wanted to put those anxieties and insecurities and feelings into the music as something that would engage people, but there was also some element of catharsis. I couldn’t do that again on this one. I didn’t want to revel in the bleakness. It became about doing the opposite, which was trying to make this record as escapist as possible. It’s optimistic - life is yours, we’re still alive, and there’s something beautiful in that, and we need to cherish that.” In many ways, it’s remarkable that a

band as unique and diverse as Foals have endured at the top of their game for so long. Capable of commanding the biggest live stages with iconic festival sets as well as crushing the smallest of sweaty stages with white-hot controlled chaos, they can do it all and have proved it time and time again. The ethos they forged back in the mid-noughties is still ever-present and drives everything they do. “I’d like to think that it will always be there, but it’s something we have to be mindful of, and we have to protect,” says Yannis. “It would be easy for us to just go full arena. We’ve toured with some bigger bands, and you can tell that they’ve gotten lost in the comfortability of big rock stages and big rooms and are slightly engorged on their success and probably are removed from the people they were when they started the band. “It’s good to grow, and it’s good to mature, but for me now, that aspect of the band and the DIY punk start that the band had is something to protect because it keeps us grounded. It’s something that we’re proud of. I’m proud of how we started our band, and it influences the mentality to this day about decisions that we make and trying to make sure what we do is organic and intuitive and not based on readdork.com 29.

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the wrong self of values.” One of the challenges of making music these days is operating within the peak social age. While the opportunities are there, it can be a distraction from the whites-of-their-eyes close physical connection that the band revel in. For Foals, they are looking to successfully navigate both lanes. “I’ve started getting into TikTok now, and I’m enjoying it. It’s about finding your language on there,” says Yannis. He draws parallels between the social tools of today and the very early days of primitive online culture when the band formed in 2006. “Without MySpace, we wouldn’t be here,” he says. “We used it to book those parties. We used it to connect with other bands and promoters, get shows and put music out. It was amazing for that.

‘Life Is Yours’ is Foals’ party album. From explosive disco stompers like ‘Wake Me Up’ to ecstatic dancy crescendos on ‘2001’ to more widescreen transcendence on ‘The Sound’, this record has a party song for every mood; but what really makes for a good party record? “Tempos and groove are really key,” offers Yannis. “The best party tunes are ones that you feel in your body. When it kicks in, there’s just an innate physical reaction. Having the vocal lines and the words just fit. One of the challenges was wanting to write uplifting, maybe even poppy, lyrics. Some of my favourite pop songs are still melancholic, and there’s the spectre of shadows. You just have to get the balance right. That would be my perfect combo. I think we’ve done it.” “A good flow of energy is important,” adds Jack. “We’re very conscious not to go with the highest energy at the start and have it trail off towards the end. We have tracks like ‘The Sound’, which is one of the most energetic songs on the record, and it’s the penultimate track. I’m a sucker for four-tothe-floor kickdrums, and the drums on this record are particularly dancy. They are front and centre in the mix, which means it’s going to pump when plated through big systems. ‘2001’ is the sort of song I’d have wanted to have heard in indie discos.” Jimmy adds some examples of his own favourite party tunes. “’Dancing Queen’ by ABBA is weirdly massively influential for me,” he laughs. “I heard it at a party when I used to live in Germany, and there was a carnival every year, and everyone was delirious after three days of no sleep. They played that in this club, and it was absolutely amazing. That would always get me up. That combination of melody and upbeatness but also remorse is amazing. I’m always trying to write a song like that. The other party songs are by bands like The Rapture. The 2007 New York scene would be my other touchstone for a party. LCD and all that lot.”

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There’s an absolute direct correlation between that and TikTok. “I think the difference now is that music, and most of culture, has gone so much to online platforms it exists predominantly in that world. I miss that scene. We haven’t looked after venues and record stores in the UK. Nightlife and the ability of people to go out and play shows or congregate at a record store or have a physical hub hasn’t been looked after. So it’s going to migrate online. There’s loads of great things about online communities, but I just think it would be good if we kept our venues open and ensured they have the ease and accessibility that we had in our day.” As success gets harder to measure and ever more transient, the importance of forging your legacy becomes key.

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“Something I’ve observed with lots of bands who have put out records during the pandemic is that without shows and record stores and tangible culture of putting out a record, there is something missing,” says Yannis. “Lots of people put out great music, but it sort of went out into this digital void. Live with it for a few weeks, and then it’s gone. That’s the thing to be cautious of with the way that we consume music and art through some of these platforms.” “It takes months to write a great song, or for an album, it will take a year,” he continues. “If you’re doing that and it’s consumed and discarded within a matter of weeks, there’s a fundamental problem there. It’s a lot to do with algorithms and the rapidity with which we consume culture. There are loads of good sides to it, but also music doesn’t really get a chance to have its time in the sun.” There are many ways in which ‘Life Is Yours’ directly contrasts the previous double album, but one significant way is that they are no longer self-producing. There were a couple of reasons why the band looked to go in a different direction. In simple terms, they didn’t want to do more work with fewer people after losing Edwin, but they also thought it would be a good time to bring in some new voices. “We wanted to construct a dream team of people around us,” explains Jack about the quartet of ‘drum ninja and prime hype man’ Miles James, ‘mad scientist’ Dan Carey, ‘supernova visionary’ AK Paul and producer John Hill, who was “The parmesan that brought everything together in the salad.” All four producers added sonic flourishes and tricks to the record, slotting perfectly into a cohesive whole. Also, it’s good to have some other people arguing instead of just the people in the band. “It was great. There would be an argument in the studio between four people, and none of them were in the band, so I’d just be like, I’m going off to have a cup of tea. You guys make that decision; it seems like you’ve got it covered!” laughs Jimmy. If there’s one thing that Foals are

looking forward to, it’s getting back out on stage. It’s what this album was made for and where they made their reputation. When it comes to incendiary live shows, Foals are untouchable. Yannis even sounds excited and wistful as he talks about the exhaustion and days of bedridden illness that normally follow a Foals tour. “We put everything into the live shows,” he says. “They’re draining, but that’s why it’s great. I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. I wouldn’t want to tepidly walk up to a stage and just play the songs. It’s fine if you’re playing a different type of music, but for a Foals show, it’s got to be maximum intensity. We need to deliver.” Freed from the pressure of expectation and liberated by having the luxury of freedom and space, Foals have delivered on an album that encapsulates everything brilliant about the band. Distinctive, full of hooks and with bangers to spare, it’s Foals at their most organic and most creative ready to belatedly kick start the decade and take things to another level. P Foals’

album ‘Life Is Yours’ is coming soon.

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CMAT.

Be the cowboy Cutting humour via the medium of country pop brilliance, CMAT might well be the greatest pop star on the planet. Don't believe us? You will soon. WORDS: JAMIE MUIR. PHOTOS: SARAH DOYLE.

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hen you're in the run-up to releasing your debut album, it's quite the time. Days go quickly at one moment, slowly the next, with every morning putting you another step closer to something that's a significant turning point in every artist's career. It's a big deal. All of that and more is where CMAT finds herself on an average January morning in Brighton. The type where the weather can best be described as 'nothing' and people shuffle past the window off on another errand - oblivious to the fact that a bonafide pop star is sitting deep in thought about debut albums that have made a mark over the past few years. "So, I'm gonna be honest…" There's a pause. "… I don't think I'm going to be as famous as Lil Nas X? I just want to say that now - but the great thing is, I don't have to be! It's fine because I've still made a fucking sick album, you know?" CMAT's world is impossible to resist. A cheeky shot of whisky in the cup of coffee that is new music - when Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson says she's a pop star, you best believe it. Especially when it comes to 'If My Wife New I'd Be Dead', that aforementioned debut album. "I just want it to mean something to people. Particularly the people who've been there for me since day one. The people who've been along for the ride since 'Another Day (KFC)'. I want them to feel vindicated," Ciara laughs. "They can be like, 'I know she's ridiculous. I know she's insane. I know she's annoying or whatever, but she's actually really good!! Look!!" "I wanted to add something to people's lives," she continues. "My one dream for the album is for it to be the soundtrack to someone's worst breakup, or the album that soundtracks a very particular period in your life and then every time you hear those songs, the rest of your life, you're like 'URGHHH YES!'" That surely means it's chart domination or nothing, right? "I mean, it doesn't have to be like the 'nummmbeerr oneeee smashhh hitttt albbbummm'," Ciara

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"Charli XCX fully saved my life because, not to be dramatic, I was on a bad path" - CMAT announces, complete with a perfect radio DJ impression. "It doesn't have to mean everything to everyone. I think it's better to be underrated than overrated, isn't it?! You don't want to be overrated! You DON'T want to be overrated! There are a lot of albums that people try to say are capturing a moment in culture, but you know… it means dick to me, to be honest!" From taking to Instagram to push the album using megaphones and balancing tricks to dressing as a turkey for a Xmas TV Special - everything CMAT does laughs in the face of boring. Dig deeper, though, and you get to the true heart of CMAT. "You know, I think everybody - both people who only know me for music but even people who know me in real life - love to credit me for being the most confident person they've ever met. 'You're so confident, you can do anything', but I'm not. I know I'm not the most confident person." But, she adds: "Everybody's going to die, so I might as well be a pop star." On 'Nashville', one of the standout tracks on 'If My Wife New I'd Be Dead', CMAT tells a tale of escaping to the famous home of country music, yet with an underlying sense that something is not quite right, as if the dream is but a lie used for another purpose. For Ciara, a different sudden move played a pivotal role years before the track ever saw the light of day. Relocating to Manchester on a whim after the breakup of her former band, she found herself facing some life-changing decisions. "I had what experts would describe as a complete break from reality and a collapse of my mental wellbeing," explains Ciara. "In a way, that was comical, but actually not comical at all if you were there at the time. When I tell stories about how I was, it's like 'Ahahaha', but it must

have been very tough for the people around me. I decided I was moving to Manchester, and then two weeks later I was there. I didn't go back to Ireland for two years. "I moved because I didn't want to be in a band anymore. I actually didn't want to be an artist anymore, either. I just wanted to be a songwriter. My thinking at the time was that nobody wanted to see me on a stage, so I focused on co-writing with people because I know I'm really good at it." Having written songs since her school days, when she would set up camp in her bedroom listening to Joni Mitchell and learning how to play Laura Marling songs on guitar, Ciara continued on her path. Slowly, she began to pop back up at open mic nights across the city. Things didn't shift until one fateful day in London, at a songwriters focus group with Charli XCX. Being asked for honest opinions on unreleased music, Ciara's truthful feedback made her stand out from the rest. "I was SUPER opinionated!" she smiles. "There was one song she played. It was one that the label liked, but she wasn't sure about releasing it. When it came to me, I just said I hated it. I literally was like, 'You should not release this song. Please do not release this song'. An opinion is an opinion, is an opinion, so it's not fact, but anyway… that upset people." "Afterwards, she came over and was like - 'so what's going on with you?' I explained that I was living in Manchester, doing some co-writing and stuff, not being an artist or anything." The resulting five-minute conversation is one that Ciara looks back on as pivotal to what came next. Charli questioned Ciara on why she was living in Manchester when she knew people in Dublin and London,

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CMAT.

pointing out how an absence of being around people who make music too meant there was less motivation to make her own work better. "She was like, do you have enough money to move to London or do you think maybe you need to go back to Dublin and figure it out a bit longer, because you're really talented, but you just don't really know what you're doing? Maybe you need to go back somewhere where you can actually figure out what to do." Looking back, it was the intervention Ciara needed. "She actually fully saved my life because, not to be dramatic, I was on a bad path at the time. She just took one look at me and was able to tell it to me straight. She was able to tell me something that I probably had needed to hear for a very long time. She gave me the best fucking advice of my life." Returning to Manchester, packing her bags, breaking up with her boyfriend and moving back in with her mum may not have been the lifemove Ciara thought was coming, but it proved to be vital. "I think that advice, being pretty much single for the first time in my adulthood along with going back home to Dublin where I knew people, was really important. I didn't realise when I was mentally in pain that there were people who cared about me. Being surrounded by those who care about whether you live or die is actually a very important thing. I simply didn't understand before." It set Ciara back on the path to embracing her role as an artist, and with that, CMAT was born. "No one else is going to sing these songs as well as I can, and also, nobody would want to sing these songs other than me anyway." It came with newfound clarity, supported by those around her. "Even if I make an absolute tit out of myself, and even if everybody thinks I am a fool. Or, you know, the fattest person they've ever seen on roller skates. Or that I'm ugly. Or I'm way too confident for the lack of musical ability I have these are all things that go round in my head. Even if all of that is true, they're all going to die." "The people who like me are going to die. The people who fucking hate me are going to die. I'm going to die one day. Everything is temporary and will get scrubbed away by the big fucking sun or the ice caps melting or whatever. So - I might as well be a pop star. That idea applies to everyone; you should always follow your impulses and follow your dreams because, why not?" In the year and a half that followed, Ciara would spend a lot of time in taxis from work to gigs and then from gigs to

work, usually wearing what she wore to work on-stage. It's where CMAT grew, where Ciara would "get on-stage looking like a bag of shite and just absolutely take the piss out of myself on stage as part of the act. I'd be like 'Well, I just came from Healy's, I smell of sweat, and I haven't slept in three days but anyway, here's my fucking song 'KFC'. People liked it. People can relate to struggle because everything is a struggle." 'If My Wife New I'd Be Dead' captures everything CMAT is about in a perfect bottle. References to Robbie Williams, being bought nice bits from Waitrose and Peter Bogdanovich are coupled with heartbreaking songwriting. It delves into the very nature of comedy and humour by both embracing it and stripping it away for an album that reveals more and more on each listen. It's both devastating and uplifting in equal measure. "It's about this double-edged sword where, in one sense, if you can get to the point where you're laughing about something, and it means you can get over it, then that's a really good thing to do," Ciara explains. "Using humour as a coping mechanism can really get you through the worst things that you will ever have to do in life. "On the other hand, though, people use humour as a deflection. They use it to not acknowledge or deal with their problems. That, in turn, can mean that you internalise everything, and then it festers and bubbles and then boils over. In my life so far, I find the people who are the most jovial and loud and comedic have been the people that we lose the soonest because they're overcompensating and not being honest. They're simply not out there." It's a dilemma that ultimately 'If My Wife New I'd Be Dead' can't answer. "It doesn't really have a point to make about this; it's just acknowledging that it's a thing that we do. It's hard to strike a balance because there is no balance. Like, I haven't struck it; I definitely haven't struck it. I definitely have 100% overcompensated myself and rely on comedy and humour at times where I shouldn't need to, but maybe the first step to ending all the bad work is to point it out and say - this is a thing." "You know about the psychology of the clown, right? It's this very noble belief system that making yourself the most ridiculous, loud, obnoxious, annoying person in the room makes everyone feel better about themselves. They feel less self-conscious about what they're doing," Ciara explains. In 2022, it's a role that she feels fully ready

to embrace - offering that solace to fans who've quickly been drawn to her every move. "I find a lot of people who have really bad anxiety really like my music, and I think there's this whole thing of, 'well, if I'm at a CMAT show then at least I'm not going to be the most annoying person in the room, because she's there!'" "I'm more than happy to offer myself up as being the nation's number one clown," grins Ciara. "People are scared and have stuff they're going through. I just find whenever I'm really loud, ridiculous, annoying, obnoxious or any other word you want to use," she stops in her tracks, "and I guess problematic as well, then everyone else can be like: 'I can take a breather because no matter what I do, it's not gonna be as bad as that!'" It's a feeling that Ciara is keen to encourage others to embrace, much like the people in her own life that do that for her. Being that light in the darkest moments to pick people up and show them that life is worth grabbing by the lapels. Being larger than life when you need it the most. As Ciara prepares for a blistering few weeks before dropping 'If My Wife New I'd Be Dead', what about those detractors? "Whenever I come across anybody like that, who's like CMAT is terrible at music or her music fucking sucks… whenever I see that I'm just like…" Ciara leans in, putting on what can only be described as an impression of a dog-owner talking to their new puppy: "Ohhhh, but you're wrong! I'm so sorryyy, but you don't know what you're talking about!" Sounds like the perfect pop star to us. P CMAT's album 'If My Wife

CMAT's Ode To Razorlight Anything can happen in conversation with CMAT, including a detour into Razorlight. Let's hope a karaoke night is on the horizon soon. "The self-titled album… is that the one with 'Golden Touch' on it? I actually love some Razorlight songs. They get an unfair amount of flack. It was purely because they were being heralded as like 'the moment'. Nothing can really do that, except for maybe 'Control' by Janet Jackson. Off the top of my head, that's the one album that can do that. But that's not even everyone's favourite Janet Jackson album. I know more people who would say 'The Velvet Rope'. So yeah, Razorlight are great (are they?! - Ed). And so is Janet Jackson.

New I'd Be Dead' is out 4th March.

"Everybody's going to die, so I might as well be a pop star" - CMAT

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FEATURES.

Pain 38. DORK

NILüFER YANYA.

killer.

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nce slotting nicely into the ‘lo-fi bedroom pop’ arena, Nilüfer Yanya has evolved into something else entirely – a change that is obvious from the gritty tone of her upcoming second record. Years of creative output have given the London-based musician space to consider the creative value of each release. “I’m thinking about it all differently,” she confirms. “I’m just in a whole new headspace, really. I have to keep searching for new things, for new… I don’t want to say goalposts, but things I have to reach for next. When I was younger, the idea of releasing an album seemed so far away. I need to imagine the next steps and think about my future more - as an adult rather than a teenager.” It’s not always easy to stay motivated in an industry where self-promotion reigns supreme. Nilüfer elaborates: “The role of a musician has totally changed, and it’s a big pressure, but it’s a pressure for everyone. The interesting thing for me is that before it became work, it was something a bit closer to my heart – I didn’t have to justify it or make it into something else; it was just my own thing.” This culture of glamorised hustle left her looking for an escape, often beyond the realms of English doom and gloom. However, family affairs provided a more local grounding: “My aunt lives in the countryside, and my uncle’s got a studio there, so that’s a really nice escape – I did a lot of recording for the album there.” Despite laying down tracks away

“Being creative is a great way to combat hopelessness” - Nilüfer Yanya 40. DORK

from her home base, an enduring cityscape permeates through the record, reflecting an unshakable aspect of Nilüfer’s identity. London can seem distant for those further afield, but people living within the beating heart of the country bear witness to its glories and pitfalls alike. While it may be defined by its multicultural nature, “injustice is always apparent,” Nilufer explains. “It’s become a lot more real because everyone’s had to stop and actually listen to each other.” Carefully considering how recent events around her have influenced her thoughts, Nilüfer continues: “The space and the environment you live in really does affect the way you feel about life, your future… everything. [On ‘PAINLESS’], there’s definitely that feeling of being caged in and wanting to break free.” This sense of desperation manifests in a sonic tension, an overarching energy of discomfort. One example of this is ‘stabilise’, featuring the lyrics: “It was a small flat / rotten to the core / still going nowhere.” While this is a narrative song serving to reform a visual from the singer-songwriter’s mind, it is also informed by personal recollections. “The state of social housing is really rubbish, and the buildings are always breaking,” she shares. “That was especially clear with something like Grenfell [Tower] – if anyone reads the inquiry, the building was near collapse anyway, and that fire just happened to be the thing to set it off. “Growing up in social housing, I never saw it as a bad thing, but the way that the UK approaches it is useless, and it has such a stigma attached to it. You realise where you are in the hierarchical social structure, and it’s not a nice feeling. Everyone has lower expectations of people who don’t have a lot of money. It’s not a new topic, but it’s one that’s still really backwards in this country.” Nilüfer understands the role that sparks of creativity can play in seeing the best in what’s around you. For her, this came in the form of bursaries that enabled musical education in school, which partially inspired her work with Artists in Transit, a workshop scheme Nilüfer launched alongside her sister Molly. “People say they want to be part of communities but don’t always know how - it’s actually surprisingly easy,” she says of the experience. “It doesn’t take as much time out of your life as you might think it would. Spending time with people you otherwise wouldn’t and just being creative is a great way to combat hopelessness.”

As the UK Government’s Rethink. Reskill. Reboot. campaign - in which they suggested creatives should retrain in cyber - recently proved, the arts are often underappreciated. “It made people wrongly think their skills aren’t useful,” Nilüfer argues. “The arts are widespread but still not valued enough, and seeing them as not being a useful skill is just the wrong way of looking at it. It might not make a huge difference to results in school, but some things are more holistic than that.” “People do engage with art,” she continues, “but they just don’t realise that’s what it is because we’re only taught to think of art as a picture on a wall. Music is leading the way in helping to change that.” Over the past year or so, Nilüfer has had ample time to consider further artistic pursuits. “I’d like to write something like a book one day, and anything visual is fun to do to keep myself occupied,” she says, but affirms that no solid plans are currently in place. “It’s a hard part of being in this generation - you can’t plan too far ahead in your life; the stability isn’t really there anymore. You can only take life one year at a time.” Too young to identify with millennials but too old to really relate to Gen Z, Nilüfer has grappled with her identity. “Part of being an artist is that you’re always trying to figure out who you are anyway,” she claims. “The fact that everyone’s doing it right now just means that there’s more conversation and resources for people to tap into. Everyone having the same questions makes you less alone.” With Irish, Barbadian and Turkish roots coursing through her family tree, being shackled to a singular city has also somewhat forced these introspective inquiries. “It’s really good to have a steady home base, but I’m trying to feel less tied to this one part of my identity. I’d like to explore more parts of myself properly, in a more committed way.” Having only started learning to speak Turkish this year, it looks like Nilüfer is starting to find time within the capitalistic world of work to expand herself. “As an adult, I now realise that it’s my responsibility if I want to learn these things,” she says. Dealing with struggle, finding creativity within and pushing forward with the intent to grow – this is the pragmatic journey that results in a record like ‘PAINLESS’. P Nilüfer

Yanya’s album ‘PAINLESS’ is out 4th March.

NILüFER YANYA.

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FEATURES.

A Whol New World.

After a period of forced contemplation and reassessment, Metronomy's Joseph Mount hit a new creative hot streak. Now seven albums deep, 'Small World' sees them operating in a whole new register. WORDS: JASLEEN DHINDSA. PHOTOS: HAZEL GASKIN.

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METRONOMY.

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FEATURES.

etronomy polymath Joseph Mount is in Paris on the tail end of a 48-hour quarantine. He’s used to his own company, however, being the lead brain behind one of UK indie’s most loved and enduring groups. With a two-decade-long career, Metronomy now have seven studio albums to their name, with their latest, ‘Small World’, written during and inspired by the pandemic. The record sees Metronomy at their most zennedout, a noticeable difference from the bold ‘Metronomy Forever’ of 2019. Speaking about the three years in which his band have been away, Joe explains: “We had done quite a lot of work on ‘Metronomy Forever’, and we finished a big American tour. When the pandemic kicked in, I was tired and exhausted from being away from home. I was quite relieved to be forced to spend some time with my children and the first eight months homeschooling and doing odd jobs around the house. It’s weird because I really relished that opportunity; it was like a taste of retirement. “After a little while, I started wanting to do some music. From that point, the record came together very quickly and easily. I haven’t had the space to be like

that for years. If you’ve got a family you’re away from a lot, then when you come back from touring, even though you might want to make a record, you sort of feel guilty about it because you’re choosing to neglect your family again. It’s quite nice this time because I’ve been with them 24 hours a day for at least six months. They were happy for me to go and do something else,” he grins. Lockdown was an overall positive experience for Joe, relishing the rare home comforts and environment that contrasted with his demanding lifestyle as a successful musician. He recognises that not everyone benefited from forced isolation, but does find the shared experience interesting. “I was thinking how obviously [and] suddenly my world was much smaller,” he says, talking about choosing to call the album ‘Small World’, a phrase he humorously describes as cliche. “That’s not the thing that interests me,” he adds. “It’s more the fact that everyone in the world had the same experience at the same time. I found that really touching, the idea that no one was beyond this feeling. I thought [that] was really nice and comforting.” Joe continues, “Because of the various lockdowns, I had all these feelings and [what] I found interesting about the whole experience was not necessarily the actual thing itself, but everything that you experienced around it. Like experiencing time

quite differently, being in your house for that length of time and not seeing your parents and friends, and how that made you feel. Not spending money in the same way and realising that I’ve just been duped into this way of being, and I don’t need a lot of it, and I’m happier without a lot of it. I tried

“I never want to stop making music. I never want to be kicked out of the music world” - Joseph Mount

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METRONOMY.

to take all of those feelings and put them into the record. It’s a mixture of feeling optimistic and then also feeling a bit devastated,” he laughs. Within this contemplation, ‘Small World’ explores themes around ageing. Already stating that lockdown felt like a faux retirement, it also made Joe reflect on Metronomy’s own legacy and where the band fit within contemporary indie music, having been there since the turn of the century. “I was in a young, hype, indie band. For a very long period of time,” Joe says. “I was really comfortable with that spirit. You see it with bands where they sometimes don’t accept the fact that they’re maturing. It’s sort of a bit uncomfortable to see, and I guess that’s why a lot of bands end up stopping because they can’t find out where to position themselves when they get a bit older. I’ve been thinking about how

I never want to stop; I never want to stop making music. I never want to be kicked out of the music world. I never want a record label to say sorry, no one’s interested anymore!” “You have to adjust a bit,” he adds. “We’re so lucky with all the fans that we have - you’ve got to try and keep them with you. I’m just always thinking about the next kind of phase of what I want to do.” Sonically ‘Small World’ is a delicate, hopeful palette - providing a certain kind of ambience that hasn’t been wholly present in a Metronomy album for quite some time. “The last album [‘Metronomy, Forever’] had a scattergun approach to how it sounded, the idea behind it was to be like, it’s all there, and you can pick through it. I like the idea of doing something really focused and concentrated. I was thinking, could you imagine [‘Small World’] being the Metronomy’s back to the

roots kind of thing? The music from that world is music that I’m really familiar with, and I spent a lot of time listening to and enjoying.” Joe’s unwavering love for his art and persistence is paying off, consistently finding new ways to be inspired by everything and anything around him. It’s also perhaps the key to his beloved project’s welldeserved longevity and cult-like status. “The longer you dedicate to doing it, the more value it has,” Joe says about why he feels Metronomy have managed to keep their reputation after all this time. “I really liked the idea of Metronomy when I was 16 years old, and I really loved the idea of making it my entire life. I’ve always worked and made stuff with that idea that it has to continue; it can’t kind of stop. I’ve always just tried to keep everyone interested, including myself.

“Young people have ideas like, oh, I want to be a professional skateboarder, and the parents are like yeah, whatever. Whatever my children want to do, I’ll just be like, totally. You can do it.” P

Metronomy’s album ‘Small World’ is out 18th February.

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

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

alt-J

THE DREAM

eeeee Out now.

→ After the cold hiss and sizzle of a can of fizzy pop being opened, a cry of ‘I sold my soul!’ erupts over a slinking guitar line, and the fourth ‘proper’ album from alt-J begins to take flight. Soaring upwards from that serene opening, ‘Bane’ builds itself into something of titanic proportions amongst heartfelt pleas to the God that has forsaken them. All this, and it’s only track one of ‘The Dream’, a record that cements the bands’ position as a Radiohead that it’s okay to still get excited about. Playful early single ‘U&ME’ heads off on Quite A Trip, and that represents much of what ‘The Dream’ is like. Bold, experimental and looselimbed, the record might be partially based on crime stories and Old Hollywood tales, but in truth it’s as much fun to let it just wash over you as it is to explore the clues left scattered around. There’s something deliciously thrilling about how alt-J are moving between moods within single tracks, or how they can wring romance and emotion about a lyric about the smell of burning cattle. It’s no accident that recent single ‘Get Better’ lies at the centre of the record, its emotionally devastating and tender open wound of grief and love making for a beating heart. As it unfolds, it is red raw in its poignant capture of the tiny beautiful moments that build a relationship. By its climax, ’The Dream’ ends in the same way it began, floating and gliding amongst snatches of conversations. The band have chucked opera singers, barbershop quartet style singing, and euphoric Chicago House beats into the mix, even managing to make singing about cryptocurrency almost feel kind of sexy. In what is already an exciting time for fans of music that is can’t be easily defined genrewise, alt-J have pushed themselves back to the front here. JAMIE MACMILLAN

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Big Thief

DRAGON NEW WARM MOUNTAIN I BELIEVE IN YOU

eeeef Out now.

→

Alt-J's fourth album may have taken a little longer to come around than it's predecessors, but it also sees them progressing to places further than they've ever been before. Plus, it features an actual real life ice cream van, if you listen carefully. What more could you want? We caught up with Gus Unger-Hamilton to find out more. It's been nearly a decade since you released your debut album, and five since 'Relaxer' - do you think the extra time to work on this one changed the end results? Definitely. The lockdowns helped to break up the time in the studio, which gave us a better work/life balance. For the first time ever, we actually had too many songs for one album and had to whittle them down. I think that says a lot. Now you're approaching that anniversary, do you feel like a different band than the one that you were back in 2012? What's changed? We've grown up a lot as people - we've got kids, dogs and houses. But ultimately, I feel like we're still working off the amazing chemistry we happened upon in our first band practices. That spark will always be our primary source of inspiration and keep on surprising us with what it produces. As an album, 'The Dream' feels like another leap forward musically. Is there a deliberate intent to

always try something new? We never know what kind of compound our musical chemistry will form next. We didn't set out to make an album with tracks encompassing house music, opera, barbershop and postpunk, but it just unfolded that way. Often making an alt-J song feels like walking a boisterous dog - you're not really in charge of where you're going; you're just trying to hold on and keep up. What was your headspace like going into the record? Did you have the kind of album you wanted to make in mind beforehand? We were pretty refreshed and excited to get back to music after taking 2019 off from the band. Unfortunately, starting an album in January 2020 wasn't that simple, it turned out! But as ever, we just write the songs we write and hope they will sound coherent on an album. Loads of artists have been writing material over the last couple of years that has ended up influenced by the pandemic, but 'Get Better' especially feels like it's in some way anchored in recent events. Do you think a song like that would have come without such a shared experience to pull on? Probably not, no. I think the events in the background of its creation gave it a profound emotional honesty. The whole world has been through a long period of loss and mourning. 'Hard Drive Gold' also feels

“WE DIDN'T SET OUT TO MAKE AN ALBUM WITH TRACKS ENCOMPASSING HOUSE MUSIC, OPERA, BARBERSHOP AND POST-PUNK” GUS U NG ER-H AM I LTO N

like it's tied to current trends. How seriously do you take the whole NFT thing? The song is obviously, to a degree, tongue-in-cheek, but do you see the crypto movement in music as a good or bad thing? We aren't that into NFTs though people are always asking us to do them (by which I mean companies, not fans). Crypto is neither a good thing nor a bad thing - in my opinion, it's just the latest manifestation of that ever-present entity Mammon. Can't live with him, can't live without him… Pandemic aside, did you encounter any unexpected challenges making the record? There was an ice cream van that was always going past the studio at inopportune moments, like during vocal takes, playing 'Yankee Doodle'. In the end, we embraced it and recorded it - you can hear it at the end of one of the songs. Do you have a favourite song on the album? Was there one that took longer to get right than the others? I think 'Bane' is my favourite. It's a real journey and encompasses ideas old and new. We are forever storing away fragments of songs for future use, and this is definitely a song made up of such pieces. I love it for that reason. Often alt-J albums feel quite delicate on record, but as a band, you end up sounding far bigger when playing live. Should we expect 'The Dream' to undergo any similar metamorphosis when you take it on the road, or will there be room for the intimate moments? It's going to be massive. Intimate moments can be great at gigs, but more often than not, quiet songs end up being 'talkers', to use a word my wife coined. So we now just tend to select setlists made up exclusively of bangers. We invite you all to come and see. P

RECOMMENDED RELEASES MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THESE ALBUMS AND EPS.

Mitski

LAUREL HELL → With depth and intent matched to a bright but deceptively complex 80s sheen, ‘Laurel Hell’ is a record that takes Mistki’s existing talents and raises them to a whole new level.

→ Big Thief have never been ones to do things by halves. In 2019, they released not one but two albums. Then they went off and did their own solo projects. And now they’re back with a 20-track, hourand-a-half long bumper album. With a name as unwieldy as its runtime, ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You’ justifies both. Their fifth album, it’s beautifully mystifying and packed with ideas. A band in an indescribable zone feeling things out together, they’re not looking for anything in particular; a sound, a vibe, or an emotion. They’re just hoping you’ll come along for the ride. Recorded over four sessions in four different parts of the US with four different engineers, ‘Dragon New…’ feel like four different albums,

but that’s in no way to the detriment of the whole. At times raw and immediate, at others quiet and considered, raucous, roadhouse fiddle and guitar amp fuzz sit neatly alongside simple acoustic ballads. There’s their heart-wrenching side present in ‘Sparrow’ and ‘Promise Is A Pendulum’; the folk-rock-with-a-twist bangers in the likes of the incredible ‘Time Escaping’. With the help of Mat Davidson, they even lean all the way into their bluegrass and country influences in ‘Spud Infinity’ and ‘Red Moon'. But it’s all handled deftly with their usual surreal and intimate touch. Flight has always been a big part of Big Thief’s lyrics. From ‘Capacity’ to ‘Sparrow’, it’s always been a search for freedom and escape. ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You’ is all about that freedom. While their usual tightness and focus have had to be sacrificed, the end result is an altogether more unpredictable and exciting beast. A rewarding adventure. CHRIS TAYLOR

Willow Kayne

PLAYGROUND ANTICS EP → ‘Playground Antics’ might only be six tracks long, but each and every one drips with razorsharp sass. Never dull, always bombastic, Willow Kayne is already a star. The world just needs to catch up.

Nilüfer Yanya PAINLESS

Out: 4th March 2022

Bastille

GIVE ME THE FUTURE → 'Give Me The Future’ isn’t a record that’s unaware that the world around it might be broken – it isn’t even trying to hide from it. Instead, it’s trying to find a route through the flames.

VLURE

EUPHORIA EP → Matching the hype of their huge debut single ‘Shattered Faith’, VLURE continue to generate cascades of sonic intensity through their first EP, ‘Euphoria’.

eeeef → Few artists have made the age-old genre question quite as impossible to answer as West London powerhouse Nilüfer Yanya. Jazz, RnB and indie have all been thrown in the ring at one point or another, but none seem to encapsulate the full scope of Nilüfer's art. On second album ‘PAINLESS’, she continues to defy expectations. Though more sonically focussed than 2019 debut album ‘Miss Universe’, the 12-track record doesn’t shy away from experimentation and boasts an array of eclectic soundscapes wrapped into melancholic harmonies and industrial beats. Effortlessly moving between sensual and

defiant, Nilüfer lets her vocals roam freely. The result is a collection of deeply personal snapshots that may well be timeless. Gone are the days of hiding behind elaborate concept albums. On ‘PAINLESS’, we meet Yanya more vulnerable than ever before, laying bare the emotional core of her stunning lyricism. ‘PAINLESS’ feels like the purest form of poetry: raw and inescapable. Try as you might, there is no running from Nilüfer's disarming vocals and delicate penmanship. Hard to define but easy to love, she's found a niche that not only works, but makes music a little more interesting. LAURA FREYALDENHOVEN

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COMING SOON. ALBUMS TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS...

Thomas Headon VICTORIA EP Out: 11th March 2022

Charli XCX

CRASH Out: 18th March 2022

Let's Eat Grandma TWO RIBBONS Out: 8th April 2022

Wet Leg

WET LEG Out: 8th April 2022

Kawala

BETTER WITH YOU

eeeef

CMAT

IF MY WIFE NEW I’D BE DEAD

eeeee

Out: 4th March 2022 → "Who needs God when I've got Robbie Williams." As with so many things, a lyric often sums up 'the state of things' far better than paragraphs of musing prose. It's a trick that CMAT's debut album 'If My Wife New I'd Be Dead' achieves with unerring regularity, but never more so than when considering just how vital pop stars can be. Larger than life, be it writing about emotional turmoil over a catchy hook or bringing a bit of levity to a difficult world with some industrialgrade nonsense, a good one is the bright spark at the end of an increasingly dark tunnel. By that stretched metaphor, CMAT is a militarygrade spotlight. Across its twelve tracks, 'If My Wife New I'd Be Dead' is a uniquely brilliant window into a world spinning on its own gloriously wonky axis. The country-pop label that it may attract is a false flag - a suggestion that this is a record that sits alongside other far less idiosyncratic peers. Packed with wry humour, self-knowing snark and razor-sharp observations, it may draw from a genre which isn't scared of a good joke, but never quite like this. From the swooning daddy issues turned dark siren song of 'Peter Bodganovich' to the exhausted, identifiable sway of '2 Wrecked 2 Care', each listen highlights another shiny lyrical gem. But while for many such swaggering mischief might be distracting, with CMAT it's a shot of spicy heat to a thick, sweet musical honey. Great music, big personality and a sense of fun that never loses the run of itself - who needs religion when we have CMAT to guide us? STEPHEN ACKROYD

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Out: 4th March 2022 → There's always one day towards the beginning of the year when the sun rears its head again, and your hope starts to rise. The shackles of winter are cast off, and your optimism makes a new appearance. It's a special day, and KAWALA happen to make music perfect for it. Breezy but not blistering, their debut 'Better With You' feels like the equivalent of those first rays of true sun. The band's distinctive harmonies shine against the driving, acoustic guitar lines of tracks like 'Marathon' but are equally at home on the more upbeat, high-energy moments like 'Jesse C'mon'. It feels as though there's a teasing quality to their tone, even on more romantic moments like 'Hypnotised', and it's all too easy to get caught up in that euphoria with them. NEIVE MCCARTHY

White Lies

AS I TRY NOT TO FALL APART

eeeff

Out: 18th February 2022 → After the tsunamis of reverb and glistening production of their early albums, White Lies appear to have found a new groove by stripping back the atmospherics and upping the complexity of their compositions. While it didn’t return them to the chart success they enjoyed starting out, 2019’s ‘Five’ showed the trio flexing their muscles musically, the epic opener ‘Time to Give’ hinting at increasingly proggy tendencies. ‘As I Try Not to Fall Apart’ continues down this road, with the band taking on shifting song structures. Lyrically the record captures the anxieties of modernity, veering from the dangers of technology (Internet bad?) to a welcome skewering of the tech-bro space race on ‘I Don’t Want to Go To Mars’. DILLON

EASTOE

Lady Bird WE

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PHOTO: BELLA HOWARD.

Out: 25th February 2022 → Boisterous, considered and loud - it’s all there on the debut album from Tunbridge Wells’ Lady Bird. ‘Guided Hesitation’ is a bold and triumphant mission statement from the trio, opening the album with unsettling gusto. It sets the tone for the eleven-track packed record that for the most part melds punk with hardcore and spoken word vocals. It’s clear to see what Lady Bird are trying to achieve on their debut - the philosophy and sociology in the lyrical matter are delivered with sincere conviction, but in striving for it all, pieces get lost in the noise. JASLEEN

ARTIST'S GUIDE.

NEWDAD BANSHEE EP

The latest band to arrive from Ireland's seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of exciting new talent, NewDad's latest EP is Really Rather Great - so great, we asked them to tell us all about it.

Say it

lyrics. I also like how big the chorus gets; I wrote this song about when you’re giving it helps get the message behind the vocal across and makes it feel like I’m shouting, someone your all, and they’re giving you almost trying to express those feelings or nothing in return. The fast pace makes something. the vocal almost sound like I’m venting, which I like. You can sense the annoyance and frustration of the situation, I think. Thinking Too Much Unrequited love is something a lot of This song is about restlessness and how people have experienced to some degree, anxiety affects your sleep. I’m definitely even if it’s just looking back at being a hypersensitive to everything at night, teenager and how when like every sound puts we’re young sometimes we me on edge, and I think NewDad get hurt because we tend something’s wrong, and, BANSHEE EP to take things like crushes in this song, I try to eeeef too seriously hehe, I like articulate that. I think over Out now. to look back on situations → Indie is the past year and a bit, never from when I was younger everyone has felt a lot of strapped for with a bit more clarity and restlessness and anxiety, those laden in so I took inspiration from take inspiration from them. reverb, fist how myself and people I full of lyrics documenting knew were feeling. There’s Banshee the nostalgic adventures of a lot going on in the track, ‘Banshee’ is the title track growing up. Galway’s which I think helps express and probably my favourite NewDad - called as such the overactive anxious off the EP. I adore the thanks to a random band nighttime brain thing a lot bassline and the main name generator - might fit of us go through. guitar and how they dance in this category, but that around each other. The doesn’t mean they’re like idea behind the song is that everyone else. If forlorn Ladybird shoegaze is bittersweet, you’re looking at someone I wrote the chord then NewDad are a lemon who’s struggling, and you progression after watching tart. Their ‘Banshee' EP see they’ve become a the film ladybird, and the straddles the lines of shell of themselves, like a chords reminded me of heartache and comfort, a ghost, or a banshee, more the Dave Matthews song helping hand amongst the specifically. Banshees are that’s played a few times confusion. Sonically from Irish folklore, which I in the movie, so it was expansive and colourful, it’s think is cool, and the idea just a working title at first. a brighter step up from last that they herald the death Then when I was writing year’s ‘Waves' EP. Ending of someone kinda ties the lyrics, which are about on the impeccable in with the idea that this the anxiety you feel when ‘Ladybird’, frontwoman person is on their last legs. you’re away from someone Julie Dawson sings “I have you care about, I realised no right to be upset / I’m a fucking mess”. In a genre that some of it coincided Spring that’s so full of egotism, it’s with the mother-daughter ‘Spring’ is basically about refreshing to hear a band relationship in the film, not being able to get being this candid. JASLEEN and most parent and kid up in the morning, how DHINDSA relationships really so I feeling depressed impacts kept the title. Whether it’s your day-to-day, and how a partner, friend or a family member, you it can be hard to look after yourself. tend to worry about people you love when It’s hard to articulate, but that’s the you’re apart, and I talk about the give general idea behind the song. I like the and take in any relationship under these contrast between the bright and happy circumstances. P instrumental and the kinda depressing

DHINDSA

Peach Pit FROM 2 TO 3

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Out: 4th March 2022 → With catchy riffs and bright melodies, Peach Pit have a long commitment to outstanding indie-rock. But after a not-quite-so-superb second effort, the quartet have something to prove. On third album ‘From 2 To 3’, they take the winning formula of their early days and spruce it up with a new coat of paint. ‘Lips Like Yours’ gives the first hints of a new sound with delicate, almost Flyte-esque harmonies, but it’s the second half of the record that truly hits as they circle topics of love and heartbreak, making the mundanity of life feel less dreary. LAURA FREYALDENHOVEN

Hurray For The Riff Raff LIFE ON EARTH

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Out: 4th February 2022 →A celebration of survival, ‘LIFE ON EARTH’ channels nature’s resilience, embracing ‘radical joy’ as a remedy to the negativity of news feeds. The Riff Raff’s songwriting is a product of Alynda Segarra’s formative years skipping from town to town, and the influences paint a tapestry of the American songbook. Natural cycles permeate the songs, simple musical phrases looped hypnotically and choruses often consisting of a few lines repeated as a mantra. Without any sudden shifts, by the end of each track you’ll feel like you’ve known it all your life.

→ That so many of 2022's albums were created from isolation seems a given at this point. The best of them take that frustrated energy and turn it into something hopeful, and that's what Foxes' new fulllength does - a desperate grab for escapism that hits pop heights that scream of possibility. Opener 'Sister Ray' throbs with a bright, smart sheen that echoes Robyn's greatest moments, while 'Potential' swaggers with youthful abandon - all 80s pop neons and dry ice. With both time to create and frustrating boundaries to build up the tension, 'The Kick' is a euphoric explosion timed to perfection.

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DILLON EASTOE

Alice Glass

Eades

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PREY//IV

Out: 16th February 2022 → Alice Glass’ legacy as an icon has long been assured, however the bulk of her musical career spent in Crystal Castles was a time of misery and trauma. On ‘PREY///IV’, her debut full-length album, Alice lets everything out in a cathartic release of stunning intensity and dark pop brilliance. Vividly direct and pulsing with fevered emotion, it sounds very now and very Alice Glass. Now held up as an icon of the anything-goes hyperpop generation, Alice emphasises her position as a sonic visionary. Consider this excellent debut statement the rebirth of a true alt-pop legend. MARTYN YOUNG

Foxes

THE KICK Out now

STEPHEN ACKROYD

SASMI

DELUSION SPREE

SQUEEZE

Out: 4th February 2022 → That first hiss of a firework as it sparks is always a bit magical and alarming, and that’s precisely what the first few notes of ‘Reno’, the opener of Eades’ debut album, feel like. It crackles and erupts into startling life, assuring that a burst of volatile action is on the cusp of being unleashed. ‘Delusion Spree’ is an absolute rampage, start to finish. It stomps into life with a frenetic sense of urgency that it never quite shakes off. There’s no telling which direction Eades might pull you in next – all that is certain is that it’ll be bubbling with effervescence and pure ecstasy. NEIVE MCCARTHY

Out: 25th February 2022 → 'Squeeze' sees SASAMI honour her Zainichi heritage. A diaspora of ethnic Koreans who lived in Japan during Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945, it's an influence felt from the cover, which sees her imagined in the form of Nure-onna, to the Korean calligraphy of her mother used for the title itself. It's not just her ancestry she's drawing from though, from the scuzzy numetal-esque riffs that open, to the grungy country pop hybrid of 'The Greatest', it's a record of big ideas, magpied influence and authenticity. Often angry, frustrated and looking for release, 'Squeeze' is a cathartic experience.

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DAN HARRISON

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PHOTO: TATIANA POZUELO.

ARTIST’S GUIDE.

HOME COUNTIES

IN A MIDDLE ENGLISH TOWN EP

Back To The 70s

‘Back To The 70s’ was one of the first songs to come out of us first writing for Home Counties. The original version was written very quickly while we were on tour and was a lot more guitar-driven and ‘rocky’. We dropped it pretty quick, but over the first lockdown, we looked at it again, bringing in all the new synth elements we were getting into. The chorus vocal line/lyrics have remained the same since its inception, but we really struggled to find something to fit the verses. Sort of as a joke, we tried Barn reading out some ridiculously wordy ramblings about economic policy over the verses, and it just stuck. The lyrics were inspired largely by criticisms that came up a lot in the era of Corbynism. It’s poking fun at the arguments that he would drag Britain into the dark ages with what were pretty normal Keynesian economic policies. It’s not intended as some ringing endorsement of the 1970s - it’s more a questioning of the narrative that we were saved by Thatcherism, and everything’s great now.

The Home Counties

The song ‘The Home Counties’ is set in a small town somewhere in the South of England and centres around a generic married couple and their daily existence. It is about mundanity, claustrophobia and suspicion of everything outside of the semi-detached. The characters are placeless and nondescript, emblematic of the uniformity of

50. DORK

middle-class people across the commuter belt.

Ad Gammon

ourselves!’, which made it into the song as a lyric. When the whole EP came together, we found that ‘Ad actually Home Counties Gammon’ made a lot of sense IN A MIDDLE ENGLISH musically and lyrically TOWN EP in the context of ideas eeeef of middle England Out now. and village mentality. → Home Counties have I wanted something made their not wholly focusing on mark with wry South East England, humour and so the song provided catchy hooks. Their second a nice contrasting EP, ‘In A Middle English angle while in keeping Town’ puts creativity at the with the same themes.

‘Ad Gammon’ was a late addition to the EP. The song had been kicking around for a while, and we thought of it more as a joke than a serious Home Counties song. It’s about a visit to the town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire a few years ago when we forefront. Self-produced by were on tour. There guitarist Conor Kearney, it Village Spirit is a kebab shop pairs dark irony with synthThe song is based on there that (sadly infused punk to create a a book by historian no longer) gave snappy outlook on the modern-day village Alain Corbin, Village the option to ‘Add mentality. of Cannibals, which Gammon’ to any From the slick ‘Back to the is about the murder item on the menu, of a nobleman in which we were wildly 70s’ to the experimental free-for-all that is ‘Ad late-nineteenthfascinated by. Barn Gammon’, the EP sees the century France. successively just band take everyday subjects Based on rumours, ordered ‘One Add and inject their own the whole village Gammon, please’. individuality and politicallywas whipped up into The town has this fuelled wit for a highly a frenzy and ended annual tradition of enjoyable listen. up brutally torturing a no-rules football With moments of both and murdering the match between two playfulness and true nobleman. The lyrics sides of the town, brilliance, ‘In A Middle focus on the contrast which we were lucky English Town’ feels like the between the positivity enough to spectate. story of a band finding their feet, cementing their sound, of place-based There was a profound anti-South and having a lot of fun doing collectivism, the it. MELISSA DARRAGH meaning it can bring, sentiment to the and the often tragic whole thing. There consequences of it. It’s a really was a bizarre moment at kickoff messed up story and contrasts what where the guy throwing the ball in is probably one of our most gentle shouted at a drone in the sky, ‘we and melodic songs. P don’t need your drones, we police

Metronomy

Youth Sector

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SMALL WORLD

Out: 18th February 2022 → In later years, Metronomy have felt like they were making a shift back to their origins. Both ‘Summer’ 08’ and ‘Metronomy Forever’ were just Joseph Mount noodling about by himself, trying to regain his youth. ‘Summer’ 08’ was even an explicit call back to the recording of breakthrough album, ‘Nights Out’. But we can’t cling to the past forever, and fifth album ‘Small World’ sees Joe accepting the passing of time. “It was fun, what I did / Got a job, had some kids / See you in the abyss,” he sings on opener ’Life And Death’. But this isn’t about giving up; it’s an incredibly earnest record: heart over head. “Well, you caught me right on time / So, for now, let’s enjoy the sunshine,” goes the chorus of the glittering ‘Right On Time’. Meanwhile, in another life, ‘Things Will Be Fine’ would’ve been an arch “we’re all fucked” banger, but here is a genuine reassurance that things aren’t all bad that skews a little bit twee. ‘Small World’ is from a whole other part of Joe’s brain; seaside nostalgia, flashing chest lights, and whatever was going on with ‘Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe)’ are long gone. There’s still some of the tonguein-cheek lyricism, but it’s packaged in a much more sombre parcel. Metronomy has always been Joe’s space to mark out different periods of his life. ‘Small World’ is a neat encapsulation of what it feels like to try and hold on to any form of joy in difficult times. CHRIS TAYLOR

ADULT CONTEMPORARY EP Out: 18th February 2022 → As fans of the satire-pop artists would expect, this EP sees Brighton's art-rock maestros Youth Sector shoot an irreverent glance at the middle class, the climate crisis and the ever disappointing direction of human society. More than this, these four songs are brimming with an infectious enthusiasm that cannot be resisted. Like a scrapbook with decades of musical inspiration, Youth Sector have continued to build phenomenal groundwork for a future that is sure to hold a magnificent debut album. With society becoming ever more absurd, we're sure they'll have no shortage of subject matter. CONNOR FENTON

Sea Power

EVERYTHING WAS FOREVER

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Out: 18th February 2022 → Dropping the geographical marker from their name, the artists formally known as British Sea Power have good reason to want to step away from any suggestion of false patriotism, such is the introverted, jingoistic nonsense that dominates a nationalistic discourse that grows ever more poisonous by the day. That isn't what this band are about something shown fully on their first album in five years, 'Everything Was Forever'. A mature, deliberate force, from starry eyed opener 'Scaring At The Sky' onwards, they're better than that - a band to celebrate for the right reasons. DAN HARRISON

Gang of Youths

Shamir

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ANGEL IN REALTIME

Out: 25th February 2022 → From the opening plinky plonk and winding guitar of ‘You In Everything’, it’s clear that the new Gang of Youths record ‘angel in realtime.’ is going to be a great listen. It is an album of grief, learning and heritage inspired by the loss of frontman Dave Le’aupepe’s father, taking influences from everywhere and everything, with one of the more obvious being The Gaslight Anthem, and one of the less obvious being Mumford & Sons. The orchestral manoeuvres within the album are special too, making for a truly great record that doesn’t hold back on its emotions or its storytelling. JOSH

WILLIAMS

HETEROSEXUALITY Out now

→ Of all the musical evolutions of recent years, Shamir's is amongst the most compelling. Arriving back in 2014 with the buzz-baiting 'On The Regular', his progression as an artist since has brought more than the odd genuinely rewarding highlight. 'Heterosexuality' belongs on that roll-call too. Existing in a space between 90s alt-rock, pop and electronic, industrial noise, it's an exploration of queerness, sexuality and identity, rejecting conformity to anything but its own rules. Affirming, thought provoking and living with a freedom that enriches as much as it informs, it's a remarkable record. DAN HARRISON

Beach House

ONCE TWICE MELODY Out: 18th February 2022

eeeef → With a sound so blissful the unshakable label of dream-pop makes complete sense, Beach House are already the most influential act to operate in the genre this side of the millennium. Pulling on the hallmarks of 90s shoegaze, the ethereal duo demonstrate once again that they can make these sounds current and make them their own. This intangible tone, which is well-established by now, serves as an effective vehicle for a number of heartfelt emotions delivered by simple stories on this eighth studio album; the romantic failure in 'Runaway', cosmic wonderment of 'Over and Over' and fusion of pain and joy throughout 'Hurts To Love' all convey their provocative messages through rippling waves of auditory texture. Deliberately vague lyricisms allude to

our own experiences as captivating expressions such as "your heart can't take the games you play, it cuts you like a razor blade" reach out pleadingly through the hazy soundscape. The subversive sound is perfectly matched to such an elongated experience as the four-chapter, 18-track 'Once Twice Melody', and Beach House employ the 84 minutes to inspire a deep spiritual yearning - they provide a soft, silky and comfortable environment for soulful introspection. Rightfully proclaimed genre-defining purveyors of dream-pop, Victoria and Alex effortlessly match their own mountainous standards, delivering yet another allengulfing, pensive package of escapism. Let yourself be a canvas, and Beach House will paint you a beautiful picture. FINLAY HOLDEN

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard BACKHAND DEALS

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Out: 4th February 2022 → In the year 2022, an album written on a steady diet of ABBA and packed full of 70’s soft rock influences just shouldn’t work. That’s not us being snobby, mind. It’s just a fact. Here, we happen to love things that shouldn’t really work (ignoring whatever that says about us). On ‘Backhand Deals’, Welsh rockers Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard skip happily down the thin line between loving homage and cheesy pastiche and (mostly) stay on the right side. Kicking off with the upbeat, ass-kicking and zippy ‘New Age Millennial Music’ and the cheery ‘Good Day’ - any song with a chorus packed with plenty of ‘hey, heys’ should be celebrated - the album is front loaded with good times. While it can feel a bit like having too much sugar at points, it leaves one hell of a nice taste in your mouth (and ears) afterwards. ‘Faking A Living’ in particular, despite a title that feels like an open goal to music critics, nails the good time vibe that run through the band like a stick of Big Welsh Rock. It’s a lesson in classic timeless indie songwriting at points, impeccably produced and pretty irresistible at its best. There’s a Britpoppy zip and bounce at points to ‘Backhand Deals’, though that could just be because many of those bands were also rooting through the same bargain bins in HMV. And though the memorable tunes do perhaps begin to finally tail off by the end, there’s enough to make it a party you will want to return to. JAMIE MACMILLAN

ARTIST'S GUIDE.

JAWS THE SHARK ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE EP

Arriving via new talent mecca Nice Swan, Mr 'The Shark' guides us through the inspiration behind his debut EP. The title of the EP and the title song ‘Another Day In Paradise’ are supposed to be soaked in irony due to the fact that this entire EP was written at the height of the global Covid pandemic. I had moved out of London and back down to the Devon countryside, where I grew up. I couldn’t face being stuck inside of my poky London flat for... who knew how long, back then! I only packed three t-shirts and a couple of pairs of trousers, and I ended up being there for six months. As the days and months grew on and the world seemed to be getting more and more fucked by each passing hour. I wanted to write a batch of songs that gave people back a sense of fun and energy at a time when it felt like people needed it most.

Another Day In Paradise

Jaws The Shark ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE EP

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→ Scuzzy, fuzzy and with a satisfying clatter, Jaws The Shark's debut EP 'Another Day In Paradise' isn't a release happy to go quietly into the night. Fitting nicely amongst so many other gloriously reckless new talents to arrive via the Nice Swan label roster, the thundering bish-bash-bosh of its opening title-track - a pandemic inspired escape quickly gives way to 'Cold Feet' and its Spring Kingesque full frontal blast. Elsewhere 'Erase Myself' cuts through a tactile haze with energy to spare, while 'Still Young' thumps its way to a satisfying conclusion. A brilliant wake-up call that's here for a good time, not a long time, in the best of possible ways. STEPHEN

ACKROYD I feel that lyrically this track is the most direct with the effects of dealing with a pandemic in general. I moved back to my family home after having lived independently for so long, and that in itself can be a pretty tough transition. The news and social media at the time were exhausting, so I switched off from it all and focused my attention pretty much entirely on just writing new music every day as a way of escaping it, I suppose.

Cold Feet

There’s no skirting around this one. This song is about getting messed up at a party and feeling preeeeetty weird about it the next day. I think I wrote it the day after my birthday party. It’s about being paranoid that you did something wrong or that nobody

around you actually likes you. That kind of stuff. All the fun stuff that comes the day after, basically, but regardless, it was fun, and you’ll do it all again anyway. I wanted this song to not just be ABOUT a party; I wanted it to BE the party. It’s fast, loose and loud and so fun to play live.

Erase Myself

Probably my favourite track on the EP. Loads of energy and also really fun to play live. And easy, which helps because sometimes I suck. It’s about escaping and wanting to get away from the place I was in at the time, which was smack bang in the middle of a pandemic! It was too fun to be morbid, so I made it about going on a space mission to be the first person to ever fly to the sun. It’s kind of a oneway mission because you’d just burn up, but you’d be remembered for it forever.

Still Young

‘Still Young’ actually started off acoustically and sounded almost like a country version of ‘Beetlebum’ by Blur. I decided it needed a bit more scuzz and filth thrown at it to keep in line with everything I was creating for Jaws The Shark at the time, so after a few versions, this is the one that I stuck with. Sometimes when stuff comes to an end, a relationship, a friendship, a band, a job, whatever it is, it can be hard to pick yourself up from the ground and keep your head above water. This is a song about accepting that, accepting the hurt or rejection, but realising that it’s not too late to ever change who you are or what it is that you want to do. If you feel up to a task, you’re ‘Still Young’ enough to do it. P

THE BEST OF LIVE MUSIC STRAIGHT FROM THE FRONT.

BANGERS, GOOD TIMES AND… ERM... A HAM?! Moth Club, London. 13th January 2022

cry goes out just before the famous doors of the Moth Club open for Spector tonight. “Fetch the gammon, quick!” Someone is dispatched to the big Tesco at haste. The great indie survivors could, nay should, have been playing the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire this weekend. Instead, they’re dealing in meat and dealing with us (not the same thing) as Dork puts on a Night Out for them in Hackney. Having had a tour (temporarily) robbed from them at the last minute due to the ongoing and very familiar ohgod-when-will-it-end issues surrounding bands and Covid, this is probably the next best thing. Tour supports Famous are along for the ride, except they nearly aren’t. It’s their stage time, and nobody can find them. At last, they are tracked down, polishing off what we imagine must be a slap-up Italian meal in a restaurant down the road. They do turn up and put on a lovably ramshackle show, which is taken largely from their fab ‘The Valley’ EP. Frontman Jack Merrett is hypnotic, bowing to the crowd and band at points for no discernible reason. As the set ends in the euphoric ‘The Beatles’, all three band members end up staring curiously at each other on stage as a backing track on which none of them play continues. It’s gloriously unhinged. Speaking of which, the raffle, hosted by our very own Down With Boring co-hosts Jake Hawkes and Jamie Muir, giving

away a host of fine prizes including that all-important gammon. Now, we’re not usually ones to say that things may have gone wrong here, but… things may have gone wrong here. Whether most of the raffle tickets that were being drawn from our highly technical ‘pot’ had actually been taken from the wrong book, we’ll just have to wait for an independent investigation to find out. Even though the gammon goes to a worthy home (a blessing), Spector receive the most rapturous response of their lives when they eventually take to the stage for a triumphant run through ‘Now Or Whenever’ and beyond. “This may be the biggest concentration of Spector fans in the world,” grins Fred Macpherson at one point. “Let’s hope nothing bad happens here…” Thankfully, though, nothing but good things follow. New tracks are met like old favourites, and it becomes a glorious celebration of snatching a party from the jaws of defeat. Fred’s in and out of the surging crowd, where one guy is topless and whipping his t-shirt round like he’s about to be tackled by a rampaging bull. The Magic Gang’s Jack Kaye pops on stage to help during a glorious ‘Norwegian Air’, and by the time ‘Never Fade Away’ rolls in, most of the crowd are wiping away a tear. This celebration, against all the odds, ends with both Fred and Jed Cullen in the thick of the action, with the rest of the band happily sitting on stage watching on as the whole room lives for now. JAMIE MACMILLAN PHOTOGRAPHY: Jamie Macmillan.

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PHOTOS FROM THE FRONT LINES.

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Idles finally get to play their UK tour O2 Academy Brixton, London. 18th January 2022 Like so many tours, Idles‘ live run for third album ‘Ultra Mono’ was delayed. Delayed so much that, by the time it finally came around, they’d already released another full-length. With most recent album ‘CRAWLER’ in tow, they eventually got to play their four-night stand at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. cont PHOTOS: Patrick Gunning

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THE BEST PHOTOS FROM THE FRONT.

↓ AURORA

Pryzm, Kingston. 21st January 2022

The same day as she released her new album, 'The Gods We Can Touch', Aurora headed to Kingston to play a special show for Banquet Records. It was a predictably magical time. Photos: Patrick Gunning

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ROCKAWAY BEACH PROVES TO BE A FINE MUSICAL BUFFET AGAINST ALL THE ODDS Butlins, Bognor Regis. 7th-9th January 2022

hree great traditions ring in the end of one year and the beginning of the next. These are, of course, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and… Rockaway Beach at Butlin’s Bognor Regis. Rockaway Beach is the only one of these occasions with an all-you-can-eat buffet included (and some bands playing, too), so is clearly the best of three. With that in mind, we returned to the home of the year’s first festival to check live music was still going, spot a few seagulls, and see if we could finally hit it big on arcade machines. Arriving as one of the first bands of the weekend, Grandmas House are a shot of adrenaline. Spiky, gripping and raw, their set is an uncompromising call to arms, from early cut ‘Devil’s Advocate’ all the way through to scorching new material from their latest selftitled EP. Simply being at Rockaway Beach this year feels like an achievement in itself. With acts understandably having to pull out just before the festival (due to factors relating to ‘youknow-what’ for the most part), some true magic is at hand to bring in replacements at the last minute. One such Dork favourite to answer the call is Do Nothing, stepping in for Working Men’s Club’s planned late-night slot on Friday night with the sort of accomplished and commanding set that leaves a mark for the rest of the weekend. The fact it comes at short notice makes it even more impressive, clicking play on a post-punk disco full of luscious grooves and visceral intensity. Italia 90 kick things back off with a bang

PHOTOGRAPHY: Tony Jupp / Green House Group

on the Saturday, vocalist Les Miserable pacing the stage like it’s a prison yard. Slow burning spoken word tracks stand shoulder to shoulder with the shouted, punk-inflected political refrains of ‘New Factory’. If the sideways rain hadn’t woken everyone up on their walk over, they’re definitely awake now. Some bands just know how to do it live. To make people pay attention and pull them into a whole different world at the drop of a track. If there’s ever a band who symbolise that more than most, it’s Crows – whose late addition to the Rockaway line-up is a welcome treat. Wrapping themselves in the sort of menacing wall of sound that could take down a skyscraper, they blitz through a set of unstoppable power as they gear up for a bold new future. Frontman James Cox is a captivating master of ceremonies, prowling the stage. ‘Empyrean’, ‘Wednesday’s Child’, ‘Chain Of Being’ and ‘Hang Me High’ from their 2019 debut album ‘Silver Tongues’ have aged like a fine wine, while new track ‘Slowly Separate’ lays down the marker for what comes next. Jarv Is…, the pun-tastic moniker of Jarvis Cocker’s solo outfit, rounds off day two with a performance that takes in Elvis’ birthday, cheap plastic arcade toys and fun facts about King George V’s hatred of Bognor Regis. Although you may know him best from his days fronting Pulp, Jarvis seems more keen to explore his solo efforts than to take a trip down memory lane. Opener ‘She’s a Woman’ and closer ‘My Legendary Girlfriend’ are the only whiffs of Britpop past, and let’s be honest – they’re not exactly the biggest hits Pulp ever did, are they? Instead of a greatest hits jamboree,

Jarvis covers the French language ‘Aline’ by Christophe and leads the crowd in a rousing rendition of ‘Cunts are Still Running the World’. The man himself is on top form, and his easy rapport with the crowd is enough to melt even the coldest heart. Still though, would a couple of minutes of ‘Common People’ really have been too much to ask? Post-punk shouty men TV Priest have the unenviable task of waking everyone up at midday on Sunday, but if the size of the crowd

is anything to go by, they succeed admirably. It’s a double espresso in audio form, frontman Charlie Drinkwater sauntering on in glasses and complaining he ‘looks like Steve Jobs’ for blasting through the set with barely a pause for breath. bdrmm serve up the sort of intoxicating cocktail of shoegaze and dream-pop that has us running back for more. With a heavy wall of sound wrapping the smaller of the festival’s two stages, they take the crowd on a journey that at times soothes and at others hits them over the head with a medium-sized soft toy. Not too hard, but enough to always make them acknowledge what’s happening in front of their eyes. It’s a gem of an afternoon set. The Sunday night of Rockaway Beach has become a bit of a proving ground. For a weekend that does its fair share of celebrating the past and the iconic figures who’ve come to define it, the festival wraps up by pointing to the essential voices of the future. It’s no surprise that Porridge Radio sit in that category. After Mercury Prize nominations and vast acclaim, their ascent to headliner level makes their closing set at an opportunity to drive their flag in the ground for what comes next. They deliver in style. Enrapturing the festival, there’s a confidence in every move Porridge Radio make. The ripped-open cries of ‘Born Confused’ set the stall for a set that captures what makes them so brilliant. At one moment overflowing with rage, the next cutting right to the core of human emotion – Porridge Radio manage to walk that fine line between incredibly personal and undeniably universal in style. It’s accentuated live when tracks like ‘Long’, ‘Give/Take’, ‘7 Seconds’ and the soaring refrain of ‘Lilac’ can be heard calling out to ‘get better’, taking Porridge Radio from a beloved alternative favourite to something altogether more powerful. They serve as a perfect closer for Rockaway Beach 2022, a festival that continues to shine as a weekend like no other. JAKE HAWKES, JAMIE MUIR

readdork.com 57.

Any Other Questions? Shamir.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? Crickets!

What's the most impressive thing you can cook? Gluten-free pot pie.

What's your biggest accomplishment? Teaching myself music.

Who was your favourite musician or band when you were 14? Tokio Hotel.

What's your favourite thing about being a musician? Having a healthy outlet. If you won the lottery, what would you spend the cash on? A nice house. What did you last dream about? Going art supplies shopping with my cousin. What was your favourite subject at school? English. If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose? Dinosaurs. What was the last thing you broke? A circular knitting needle. What's your biggest fear? Being buried alive. Who would play you in a movie of your life? Lil nas x. What's your favourite type of weather? Chilly but sunny. Were you a rebel at school? Kinda.

58. DORK

PHOTO: MARCUS MADDOX.

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 Shamir has a teddy bear collection.

What is your earliest memory? Listening to Nina Simone with my mother while doing chores. What do you always have in your refrigerator? Eggs. What is your most treasured possession? My 4 track recorder. Do you believe in aliens? Absolutely. If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you ask for? Love, money, and world peace.

Have you ever seen a ghost? No, unfortunately.

Working stockroom at a department store.

you've ever been given? A juicy couture sweatsuit.

What compliment would you most like to receive? I have the best fashion sense.

If we gave you $10, what would you spend it on? A kombucha.

Are any of your lyrics secretly rude? Yes, absolutely.

How punk are you out of ten? Hard 7.

What's your breakfast of choice? Eggs, lox, and avocado.

What's your favourite sandwich filling? Cheese.

If you could have a superpower of your choosing, what would it be? Breathing underwater.

What have you got in your pockets right now? Lint.

What's the furthest you've travelled to attend someone else's gig? To New York from Philadelphia.

What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you? Fell in the middle of a photoshoot.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Absolutely. What is the worst job you've ever done?

What fashion would you most like to make a comeback? Grunge. Have you ever fallen over onstage? Shockingly, no. What is the best present

What's the silliest thing you own? God where do I start… my teddy bear collection? What's one thing you've always wanted to try? Climbing a mountain. Tell us a secret about yourself? Barely have any left tbh. P Shamir's album 'Heterosexuality' is out now.

“LIVES UP TO ITS HYPE WITH FLYING COLOURS”

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