Dork, November 2016

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Editor: Stephen Ackroyd stephen@readdork.com Deputy Editor: Victoria Sinden viki@readdork.com Assistant Editor: Ali Shutler ali@readdork.com

Contributors: Ben Jolley, Corinne Cumming, Heather McDaid, Jamie Muir, Jessica Goodman, Josh Williams, Martyn Young, Rob Mesure, Ryan Johnston, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin 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.

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TEMPLES L O W E R T H A N AT L A N T I S K AG O U L E BANG ERS WILL JOSEPH COOK FENECH-SOLER BEAR HANDS CITY GUIDES… PUBLIC AC C ESS T V 14. SAD13 16. TH E G U I D E HYPE 18.

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T H E J A PA N E S E H O U S E HONEYBLOOD J AW S SLEIGH BELLS BUSTED

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HONEYBLOOD TOY ESB E N A N D TH E W ITC H PA L AC E

20 QUESTIONS WITH...

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B E E N M O S T LY

Menace Beach - Lemon Memory Consistently brilliant Leeds band remain consistently brilliant.

Sundara Karma - Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect Reading’s finest release their debut full length next January.

It’s worth the wait, promise.

UPDATE

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Temples T H I N K Y O U K N O W W H AT T E M P L E S ’ N E W A L B U M W I L L P R O B A B LY S O U N D L I K E ? T H I N K AGA I N . WO RDS : J ESS I CA G O O D M A N . ou know how some people know every single word to Bob Dylan?” James Bagshaw questions. “They’ll know every single word. I won’t know every single I F YO U T H O U G H T T H I S Y E A R H AS B E E N G LO RI O US FO R B RI L L I A N T A L BU M S BY

A L B U M FACT F I L E

B R I L L I A N T BA N D S , YO U ’ V E S E E N N OT H I N G

Artist: Temples Album name: TBC Due: Early 2017 Tracks: The first cut from the album, ‘Certainty’, is streaming online now. It’s really very good indeed.

What to expect: Synths, guitars that sound like synths, and a bunch of tracks that aren’t really anything like each other, apparently.

Y E T. 2 0 1 7 P R O M I S E S T O PAC K E V E N M O R E A M A Z I N G N E W M U S I C. OV E R T H E N E XT F E W PAG E S , W E ’ R E G O I N G T O G I V E YO U A N E A R LY H E A D S U P A B O U T J U S T A F E W O F T H E R E L E AS E S YO U S H O U L D B E M A R K I N G O N

word. But I’ll know all the notes, and I’ll know how to play them on guitar.” Two years on from the release of ‘Sun Structures’ and Temples’ focus is solely on their music.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love great words,” he continues, “but when I’m listening I’ll be listening to the melody of what’s going on, and the melody of those words.”

Placing the spotlight on their sound, the Kettering four-piece have spent much of the past year piecing together their second album – and they’re finally ready to share it with the world.

“With this record I know these lyrics have been painstakingly pulled apart, thrown at the wall, and come back at you,” the frontman describes. “It’s getting that across and really connecting with them.” Favouring a

YO U R CA L E N DA R .

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UPDATE “more direct” approach with their writing this time around, Temples have created an album that’s entirely more open – and in its essence, bears a character that’s more authentically them.

“Some of the songs on this record are more story based,” James illustrates.

“The first album has very mystical lyrics, it’s quite ambiguous. With this record there’s a timeline to the songs.”

Letting the meaning of what they write stand more prominently, the outfit have opened up their world of swirling psychedelia for all to enter. “It’s been really fun to get into the role of, and to tell that story.”

Favouring a more real inspiration, the group strove to create something to which people can easily relate.

“I wouldn’t say that we’d go out on a sunny day and then inadvertently decide to do a song that’s sunshine pop,” the frontman chuckles. “It’s very hard to put your finger on what inspires a song until you’ve written it, then you can see what the sentiment is behind that.”

With their new-found direct approach comes a homespun honesty. “It seems a little bit arrogant to write about life on the road,” James comments. “Y’know, ‘This is what it’s like for us, and it’s not all hunky dory and easy going,’ – the struggles of a touring musician,” he laughs. “I don’t want to bore people with that.”

Sure enough, in the two plus years since the release of their debut, Temples’ success has seen them find fans all around the world. “Up to us releasing that album all of us in the band were failed musicians,” the frontman laughs. “No one had heard our music other than us, and maybe a few people down the pub.” Now, selling out shows in a matter of hours, the amount their world has changed is inescapable.

“I remember sitting in a hotel room in Japan with a twelve string acoustic and I wrote the start of one of the songs that’s on the new album,” James recalls. “There was something about that place - Mount Fuji in Japan - that was quite inspiring. The fact that we were there to play music, and have thousands of people at a gig that knew all the songs…” He trails off in awe.

This worldwide influence might’ve

Haim Haim’s second album firmly falls into the ‘long awaited’ bracket. As in, we’ve literally been waiting for it for A Long Time. Originally we thought maybe the back end of 2015. Then it was definitely at the start of 2016. Once the band started to be booked for festivals, the summer was nailed on, surely? After all - is there a band more suited to a bit of sun and a beer in a field than Haim? Apparently, there is, because that didn’t happen either. They even pulled Reading & Leeds to finish the record. We’re still waiting.

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“There’s nothing like

’.” y t n i a t r e ‘C on the rest of the album

defined a lot of the past two years for the band, but when it comes to writing, Temples chose to stick to their roots. “We wanted to write on tour – we took laptops and things to record on,” James states. “But we try and get into a different mind space when it comes to writing. I think in the studio is where we write our best.”

Returning home to record on their own terms, the band worked towards creating the very best representation of themselves. “You have grand ideas of what you want a record to be, but the only thing you really can do is just always try and write better songs,” James conveys, “whether that’s melodically or whether that’s painting with sounds, so to speak.”

Striving to write “an album that’s better than the first record,” Temples’ second full-length release is – much like their first – entirely self-produced in James’ own home. “We had to be very careful not to just repeat what we’ve done previously,” the frontman mulls. “We were in exactly the same environment.”

Half-jokily stating that “at this stage we can’t afford to get Tony Visconti and Brian Eno to co-produce a record with us,” Temples’ decision to selfproduce gave them full creative control over every step of the writing and recording process. “There’s no reason to go with anybody else,” James shrugs. Obvious though the choice might be to them, it’s a balancing act to maintain.

“If you think of it as a see-saw, imagine having twenty see-saws and you’re trying to balance all of them,” James laughs. “It’s very hard. Some things you want to be off balance – you don’t want it to be too perfect. Other things you want perfect.” Immersed in the music they’re creating, perspective was a hard thing to maintain.

“It’s always a bit of a struggle,” the frontman discloses. “You’re so close to the music. You’re not writing a song, recording it on a tape recorder, then going into a studio where a

producer’s going to reimagine it.

You’re reimagining it as you’re making it.” Producing this way it can be all too easy to get lost. But for Temples, refining their work is something that happens naturally.

“I think one thing we can do is we know when to stop,” James deliberates.

“It’s not calculated. We don’t say things like, ‘When we’ve added those three guitar parts this song is done.’

It’s kind of never done. But the unsaid thing happens. No one will be talking about what needs adding anymore, so we’re there. Then it might be a case of taking it away and seeing what happens.”

The first taste of this album arrived in the form of ‘Certainty’, a spirited, synth driven venture tinged with an undercurrent of something more mischievous. “There’s nothing like ‘Certainty’ on the rest of the album,” the frontman states. “But then, other tracks on there, there’s nothing else like them either.” Their songs might be vastly different, but the record bears a strong sense of cohesion.

“On [‘Certainty’] there’s a lot of synth and there’s a lot of guitar that’s manipulated to sound like a synth,” he portrays. “You’ll hear things like that mirrored on other songs on the record.” Describing the release as “higher fidelity,” the group have poured all they know into creating something “more refined” and – as they’re quick to describe – “less sixties.”

“I’m just really excited for people to hear the music that we’ve been working on,” James enthuses. “It’s felt like so long for us.” A year in the making, it’s certainly been a long road that’s brought Temples to where they stand today. “I’m sure it’s felt like a long time for other people as well,” he continues. “Hopefully they’re eager to hear it.” P Temples’ album is out early 2017.

Wolf Alice With their debut album ‘My Love Is Cool’, Wolf Alice pushed themselves to the very front of their scene. Touring the world, scooping up award nominations and dominating radio airwaves, the long build up to their first full-length paid of in spades. That, and increased the pressure on album two. Recent standalone, Ghostbusters soundtrack offering ‘Ghoster’ was written on the fly and - as they told Dork a few months ago - not a taster of album two. One thing’s for sure - they won’t tour again until their new one is done. Hurry up, guys!

Drenge Drenge are that special kind of band.

Brilliant without ever being blatant, they’re never in danger of chasing the obvious, nor becoming wilfully obtuse.

Their last album, 2015’s ‘Undertow’, was a solid gold treasure. They’ve already started playing low key live dates to roadtest what comes next. Described as ‘work in progress’, it certainly suggests that we’ve a good chance of getting that third album next year.

Dua Lipa Yeah, we were expecting Dua Lipa’s album to land in 2016 too. Truth be told, a lot of people probably were, but good things come to those who wait.

The 2016 mega-tip may be delaying her big arrival until the new year, but we’re already primed for what to expect. With legit gargantu-bangers ‘Hotter Than Hell’ and ‘Blow Your Mind (Mwah)’ already ripping up the charts, it’s safe to say Dua is aiming firmly for the top of the pop star charts. She’s got the songs, the rest should be a formality.

The 1975 Yes, it’s less than a year since The 1975 planted their pole at the top of mount pop star and declared themselves rulers of everything, but there are signs however tenuous - that we won’t have to wait too long for them to follow up the gargantuan ‘I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It’. Twitter is big news, you know. So when frontman and curly haired leader Matty Healy tweets ‘New The 1975 - 2017’, we’re more than willing to take him at his word.

With a run so strong, it’s no shock the band want to keep up the pace.

UPDATE

The Big Moon

Lower Than Atlantis M I K E D U C E R E V E A L S W H AT ’ S G O I N G I N T O L O W E R T H A N AT L A N T I S ’ S N E W R E C O R D , AND WHY THEY LIKE A BIT OF PRESSURE. WORDS: STEVEN LOFTIN. If any band were testament to the idea that hard work pays off, it’s Lower Than Atlantis.

Their self-titled fourth album, released in 2014, offered a real breakthrough - and it’s helped shape a follow up that, according to frontman Mike Duce, is their best yet. “‘Lower Than Atlantis’ was kind of just chuck it all there and see what sticks,” he explains, “we know what worked on that last album so we’re really confident in what we’re doing. It’s the best music that we’ve ever put out. A lot of bands now would’ve plateaued or peaked and binned it, but our last album was the most successful of our career. It was very much an amalgamation of everything.”

Currently in the later stages of the album creation process, with eight songs in various stages of completion, he explains the end goal: “We’re aiming for ten tracks, but if you’re going to have ten tracks on an album they’ve all got to be outstanding.”

With the deadline fast approaching, Mike admits the band thrives in this

environment. “It’s quite nice to have something to push against because the last album it was all very open ended; we didn’t have a label, we didn’t have a manager, and we were working in our own recording studio. It’s like an artist painting, when it’s finished you can keep on adding to it until over an extended period of time you’ll have a completely different painting.”

hate it; I think we’ve nailed it.”

The first teaser of what’s to come, ‘Work For It’ is an aggressive and melodic self-confessed “basic track” - though they didn’t quite realise the impact it would have. When the band played a Reading & Leeds warm up show in Oxford, they found it had already made an impression with their fans. “Half the crowd were singing back at us,” laughs Mike. As for the rest of the new material, he says: “We know other people are going to like it. It’s been stressful but you’ve got to put pressure on yourself to get the best content. I’m hoping to write an amazing song today and an amazing song tomorrow and the album will be done, in an ideal world, but you can never know.”

The band are currently on the road with You Me At Six throughout Europe, but they’re wary of the perils of introducing new material live.

“Everybody’s got camera phones these days, and they’d all be filming it and putting online. When we want people to hear the stuff for the first time, we want it to be the recorded versions that we’ve laboriously, meticulously, fine-tooth combed worked on.”

ALBUM FACT FILE Artist: Lower Than Atlantis Album name: ‘Safe In Sound’ Due: 3rd February 2017 Tracks: First single ‘Work For It’ has been ripping up the airwaves for a while now. It’s strong.

What to expect: Total honesty and faith in their own vision, Mike D and co will be flying the flag high for British rock music.

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Mike puts the band’s recent success down to their avoidance of following the crowd. “We’ve never been a ‘cool’ band, which has really worked in our favour, because if something is really current in 2012, and it comes to 2013, it’s gone. I think a lot of people are trying to be too cool or current.”

He continues: “We’re very much a hit or miss band, sometimes you think what you’re releasing is the best ever but people absolutely

“If you’re wanting to follow trends,” Mike elaborates, “you figure out what it is, do your own version, nail it, and then release it - then it’s gone. You’re always playing catch up and chasing, that’s why we’ll just do whatever we want and everyone else will rip us off later on.”

It’s a delicate task, trying to please existing fans. “Now we kind of know what people want from our band, which means we’ve got a healthy balance of what we want out of music,” Mike says. “We’re fucking playing it every night, you know what I mean?

We’ve got a balance of what we like about our band and what other people like about our band.”

That said, “I’ve always taken anything anyone’s said about our band personally because it’s my life. It’s so easy for someone to make a flippant comment on the internet, but it’s what I live and breathe, this band, so why would I not be offended if someone didn’t like it? Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, so what can you do, you know?”

“You can’t please everyone, but you can please yourself,” Mike concludes.

“Just do what you want to do and if other people like it then great, if not, fuck ‘em.” P Lower Than Atlantis’ album is out early 2017.

Total honesty, there are few records Dork HQ is looking forward to more than The Big Moon’s no doubt glorious debut.

They’ve already shown they’ve got a hawk-like eye for the indie banger, but there’s far more to the four piece than that. This is a band with genuine stardust.

The kind of gang that everyone wants to be a part of. From the glimpse into their world we got when visiting them in the studio while recording a couple of months ago, there’s little doubt at all. When it arrives, everything changes.

Creeper Cult. That’s the word you’ll hear most when looking into the magnificent Creeper. That’s about to change. Cult suggests small, intimate and not for mainstream consumption. While the Southampton punks may have fit that description with their perfectly pitched early moves, they’re about to explode.

Debut album ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ comes next March with more promise than a night of Girls Aloud karaoke. First cut ‘Suzanne’ recalls every great rock band of the last twenty years, and still stands tall. They’re gonna be huge.

VANT Quiet, mild mannered and rarely outspoken, it’s doubtful wallflowers VANT will make much of a splash with their debut album. Not. If you think Mattie’s gob is finished running off with his band’s early steps, you’ve got something else coming. Charged and direct, VANT may not be the most subtle of their class, but they’ve got a route to the top all mapped out, and nobody is getting in their way. Radio darlings since their early days, by the time their fulllength drops at the start of 2017, expect them to be huge.

Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend may have lost a member in pop-darling Rostam, but that doesn’t mean they’re packing it in. Quite the opposite. With the irresistible Ezra Koenig and co prepped and ready to go, any thoughts they’re not going to follow through can be cast aside. LP4 is “very much going to happen,” the frontman revealed on Twitter a few weeks ago.

You can take that one to the bank for 2017, then.

Kagoule IN SEPTEMBER THEY TOURED WITH THE MAG IC GANG, IN O C T O B E R I T WA S S P R I N G K I N G . N O W N O T T I N G H A M T R I O KAGOULE ARE WORKING ON A PROJECT OF THEIR OWN: A SECOND ALBUM - AND THEY’VE HOOKED UP WITH MJ FROM HOOKWORMS TO DO SO, AS FRONTMAN CAI B U R N S E X P L A I N S . W O R D S : S A M TAY L O R .

H EY CA I , W E H E A R YO U ’ RE WO RK I N G O N A N E W A L BU M - H OW ’S I T G O I N G? Yeah! We’ve had it in the works for a while now but just started getting it down with MJ at Suburban Home.

Sounds absolutely golden.

W H E N D I D YO U STA RT W RI T I N G T H I S O N E ?

We kinda just kept on truckin’ after ‘Urth’. We’ve just got to let it happen as and when it does as our creativity definitely comes in bursts. After the release of ‘Urth’ we were all pumped up and our creative juices were a-flowin’.

H AS I T B E E N TO U G H J U G G L I N G T H E A L BU M W I T H YO U R T I M E O N T H E ROA D ?

I think being on the road has helped to be honest. It gives me time to write lyrics and actually think about the record. I do a lot of the writing at home so they haven’t really got in the way of each other yet.

H OW D O YO U T H I N K T H I S REC O RD W I L L S H OW A P RO G RESS I O N F RO M ‘ U RT H ’ ?

‘Urth’ was a compilation of songs written over our teenage years. It has its charm because of that. I can see why some people go off bands once they lose that that youthful innocence. This record is our first attempt at writing an actual album with every track in mind and written as a whole. We feel we have become our own and know what we want to be.

W H E RE H AV E YO U B E E N LO O K I N G TO FO R I N S P I R AT I O N ?

Our taste seems to change every week so there’s definitely an eclectic mix and some strange fusions on there. Maybe there’s too many influences. I just want to include them all.

YO U ’ V E B E E N REC O RD I N G W I T H M J F RO M H O O K WO RM S , H AV E N ’ T YO U ? H OW D I D T H AT C O M E A BO U T ?

We were chosen for the PRSF Momentum funding a few months ago and it changed everything. Before that we had the new songs but recording a record was just not doable at the time.

As soon as we found out we had the funding we got on the phone to MJ. He was a friend of a friend, I heard a few records he had done, we love his band, only heard great things. So yeah, we decided to approach him and he seemed really excited about it.

Beck

The xx

Yes, Beck’s new album was supposed to be out in October. And then, without anyone saying much at all, it wasn’t.

At the time of writing, there’s no new date announced for the record - just a vague ‘early 2017’ - but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be more than a little bit excited. Originally planned as the counterpart to ‘Morning Phase’, the more poptastic follow-up was supposed to drop in quick succession. Years later, we’re still waiting, but with tracks like ‘Dreams’ and ‘Wow’ already out there, it’ll be nothing less than brilliant.

It’s easy to forget just what an important band The xx have become. Not just their own work - though their two albums are pretty damn vital - but in Jamie xx they have a genuine cultural icon in the making. Opening the way for all kinds of blogtastic bands in their wake, 2017 should see the trio return to the notquite-limelight. They’re already revealed they’re in the studio, and are playing live dates. Expect more soon.

W H AT D O ES M J B RI N G TO T H E TA B L E T H AT YO U M I G H T N OT G ET F RO M A N OT H E R P RO D U C E R ?

I really didn’t want to make a ‘heavy’ album and I feel a lot of producers try to push us that way. MJ knows how to make things sound big and lush without being super fuzzed out and trashy. It’s a different kind of heavy.

W H AT ’S T H E M A I N T H I N G YO U ’ RE C U RRE N T LY LO O K I N G TO AC H I EV E W I T H T H I S A L BU M ?

We just want to make a record we are proud of and feel is a progression from our debut.

W H AT ’S T H E B EST T H I N G A BO U T B E I N G A “ D I Y ” BA N D RI G H T N OW ?

Everyone is there to help each other out and things get done much quicker and better. Our experience with a label was way more stressful, expensive, last minute and the end result was often trash. P Kagoule’s album is out early 2017.

Sundara Karma Reading’s Sundara Karma have already started ticking off the bucket list by playing the Main Stage of their hometown mega festival this summer.

Truth be told, that was probably originally intended as the crowning glory upon the release of their debut, but by holding back a few months, they’re playing their cards well. Latest track ‘Olympia’ recalls the spirit of our dearly departed Maccabees suggesting there’s more to the four piece than might originally have been expected.

Indie stardom awaits.

LCD Soundsystem When LCD Soundystem returned, James Murphy promised us this wasn’t just a cash grab. Instead, he got the band back together primarily for a fourth album.

They pulled dates earlier this year because they were working on it, which suggests we can expect movement on that very soon indeed.

Sky Ferreira Sky Ferreira albums are like buses. If you can’t read a timetable. You know one is coming. People keep saying it’s coming.

But you’ve no idea when it’s arriving. The faith of those who don’t feel the need to pester Ms F via Twitter is about to be rewarded, though. Titled ‘Masochism’, her second full-length is due imminently. Ish.

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UPDATE

Bangers

THE BES T NEW TRACKS FRO M THE PAS T MON TH

King Nun Tulip

We all need a jolt in the arm at the moment. We’ve got an utter piss-storm brewing in the US, politicians who can’t tell their arse from their elbow and a bunch of fucking clowns running all over the place. Someone needs to just drop a hit and shake it all up. Thank the lord, then, for King Nun. The London quartet, all only 18 years of age, know how to make an impact. ‘Tulip’ may be their debut release, but already they’ve packed in more adrenaline and purpose in a number than most bands ever achieve in their careers. Twisting with scuzz, fuzz and a guttural punch that would bring Mike Tyson to his knees, it’s bursting with life and energy – a direct call to get up off your feet and fight for life.

glad about it. Ian [Miles] and I are becoming more and more focused on doing our own thing and not paying attention to what’s going on around us - a lot of what’s popular at the moment doesn’t work with Creeper. That song really explores the weird sound we’re starting to do now. I want to see this band as a punk rock Arcade Fire.

Was that progression difficult to embrace?

It was one of those songs that just worked when we were writing it, even down to the sex noises before the middle eight. Those songs are always the best.

The ones that are hard to write, you should just give up on. They’re never going to flow nicely.

You’re a band who like to keep busy.

There’s an album on the way and a bunch of touring, but what else are you guys working on?

Every time we get in a room with a stand up mic stand, we try and do the thing that Foxy Shazam did, where you throw the mic stand down and pull it back up with your foot. It’s fucking sick. All of Creeper have been trying to learn that. I’m going to try my best to get that move down, but I have no coordination. Olly [Burdett] is really good at it. P

You’re rabidly establishing a ‘sound’. What inspired this track?

It’s a really weird song, which I’m really

Creeper Suzanne

To say Creeper have burst through into the light would be somewhat of a misnomer. This bunch stick in the dark spaces, where their stardust shines the brightest – but the point remains the same. With their debut album announced, ‘Suzanne’ is the gang breaking cover. And it’s glorious. Every fairytale sparkle feels like it’s about to be realised. Where rough edges once showed promise, they’re now smoothed to perfection.

There’s still the heart, still the same passion, but the ambition that promised to soar has taken flight.

Nimmo

Sundara Karma

Estrons

VANT

You’ve heard a lot lately about the state of clubland and live venues in the UK. Yet while the number of venues may sit as a cause for concern, the sound of it is certainly not in any jeopardy – especially if it’s in the hands of Nimmo. ‘Dancing Makes Us Brave’ is a crisp slice of electro goodness.

And it’s exactly what we need.

Built over a throbbing synth and bass line, the love torn sounds of Nimmo once again find new life within the dance floor surroundings they coat themselves in.

Yet with ‘Dancing Makes Us Brave’ there’s an added level of intention, the exact moment when a band knows what they want and are ready to kick on and reach it. It’s a hands in the air moment.

Sundara Karma’s album might originally have been mooted for 2016, but when you hear ‘Olympia’ it’s easy to understand why they’ve chosen to give it a longer run up. Despite playing the Main Stage of their hometown Reading Festival in the summer, there are bigger prizes afoot.

The throne of British indie, for example.

Squint a bit, and the verses of the four piece’s latest offering could pass for The Maccabees at the heigh of their powers - a slot for a sort-of-smart, kindof-mainstream band that’s both wide open and demands to be filled. Coupled with a massive chorus, and they’re a band meaning serious business. Play that card effectively, and the sky’s the limit.

There’s nothing better than a scuzzy, gritty old din. Estrons have that one nailed down. After playing around with double trouble Slaves of late, there’s no chance they’re about to swap for a life of shy, retiring wallflowers.

“It’s a big song about insecurities and that cesspool of crap surrounding teenage emotions that still exist in your 20s and 30s,” singer Tali explains. Stemming from an overheard conversation between two lads bragging about their conquests, it’s a much deserved stomp to the musical nut sack. “You’re not asking, so I’m telling,” she proclaims. Don’t argue, she’s only gonna tell you once, mate. Next time, things get lairy.

As VANT hit that home straight towards their debut record, they’ve set their sights for the stars. Peace & Love might well be the biggest cut the band have offered yet - swapping the basement power punk for something more sweeping, concerned with higher planes. Y’know, like peace.

And love.

“We finished writing ‘Peace & Love’ in the wake of the Paris attacks,” the band’s Mattie explains. ”Atrocities like these are taking place worldwide on a daily basis, but it’s only when something happens so close to home that it truly grabs the full attention of our society. We live on a planet that has forgotten what the words ‘Peace & Love’ mean.” Deep.

Dancing Makes Us Brave

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Hello Will. You’re no longer disappeared and you’re back with the first track from your debut album. Why ‘Suzanne’?

It shows how much we’re progressing.

Older fans will recognize us in it alongside a state of progression and the people who hear us for the first time with that song, it’s a really good marker to see where we’re going.

Olympia

I’m Not Your Girl

Peace & Love

s d r a c t Pos

From The

Frontline A Day In he Life T Of

A C O O K I E FO R B RE A K FAST ? W H AT WO U L D YO U R

9 :09A M : Alarm, snooze.

9 :18 A M : Alarm. Why’s it so cold in my flat? I should turn the heating on, it’s definitely not summer.

Why does my heating thing have three different timers? Text flat mates, they don’t know either.

9 :30A M : Check Twitter for disastrous/sensationalist news. Watch YouTube subscriptions.

10:00A M : Shit, it’s 10am. Make breakfast, no time for porridge so grab a cookie and an apple.

10:20A M : Out of the flat, set a pace for the station.

Remember dream, why did I dream that, am I okay? Brush under the rug.

10:30A M : On the train. Blast an album (Calvin Harris, ‘I Created Disco’). Probably should have got up earlier, start thinking about all the things other people have probably done by now. A baby pokes my ear from the seat next to me.

11:15 A M : At the writing room. Open an old session, start rearranging things, make it a bit worse and then revert back to how it was. Go to make mint tea, no mint tea, serves me right. Make normal tea, no milk, begrudgingly drink the weird tea.

12:00 P M : Put phone on ‘do not disturb’ because I’m

worried about them. To put our minds at rest, we’re insisting they check in and keep us updated from the road. This month: Blaenavon.

THIS IS HAPPENING

are headlining KOKO next year

“Hallo Dork. It ain’t easy bein’ cheesy, but it’s a lifestyle we choose to follow. We’re sending love from Cambridge. It’s lovely here. We’re right at the end of a banging tour... but still feeling great somehow. Hope to be seeing you soon. Lots of love, Blaenavon. xxx”

M U M SAY, W I L L .

9 :00A M :

tour, they never ring. We’re

The Lemon Twigs

Will Joseph Cook

Alarm, snooze.

Those bands. They go off on

a busy busy man. Start new track, sounds promising. Is ‘World’ really a type of instrument? Does anyone use 90% of Logic synth presets? Sounding less promising.

2 : 45 P M : Should probably eat something. Get lunch.

Remember dream, why did I dream that, am I okay? Brush under the rug.

3 : 15 P M : Two missed calls. Call people and talk about stuff that isn’t music but is to do with music.

Realise I should do actual music things again.

4: 0 0 P M : Re-open project. Get a lot done, maybe too much ‘World’ though. When I go to pee, someone warns me that there is a courgette on the piano and asks if it’s mine. I said “It’s not mine.” I decide it’s time to leave.

8:00PM: Meet friends at the pub. Some guy tries

to paint Louis Theroux as an unbalanced journalist and a big argument breaks out.

Me and friend briefly leave to buy chicken wings and return to another argument about the feminist agenda. We decide its time to leave.

11: 5 0 P M : Walking home, admiring how sparkly the roads look at night when they’re wet. Arrive outside my flat to find what appears to be a Sainsbury’s bag filled with soiled bananas. It looks like it was thrown onto the pavement with force. It was quite the mess so I think about cleaning it up.

Fresh off the release of debut album ‘Do Hollywood’, classic pop maestros The Lemon Twigs have announced a huge headline show at London’s KOKO next year.

Pulling into the venue on 29th March, expect the vintage highs we’ve all come to love from and a live show that’ll leave you on your knees in adoration.

Sundara Karma announce 2017 tour Sundara Karma will play a headline tour early next year.

They’ll be performing in support of long-awaited debut album ‘Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect’, set for release on 6th January. You can find the dates in full on readdork.com now

12: 30A M : We watch an assortment of things on the internet over some Doritos. This included a Hannibal Buress stand up show. It’s really funny.

1: 45 A M : We go to bed.

Tegan & Sara are doing some UK shows Tegan & Sara will play a batch of UK shows next year. The duo will perform six dates over here starting with a headline set at the Roundhouse in London on 13th February.

Radiohead confirmed for Glasto 2017!

Radiohead have been properly confirmed for Glastonbury 2017!

The band will headline the Pyramid Stage on the Friday of the event. Despite being seen as the Glastonbury house band, it’ll only be their third headline slot following bill-topping appearances in 1997 and 2003.

The news was announced with a giant Radiohead bear face logo painted in front

of the Pyramid Stage. Look at it. Isn’t it cute?

In other Glasto news, Emily Eavis has also confirmed that other rumoured headliners The Stone Roses and Daft Punk will not be taking the remaining nights. Keep speculating, people!

Amber Run are back!

Back!! Back!!!

Amber Run are back, announcing new album ‘For A Moment, I Was Lost’ - released next February - and an accompanying 13 date UK tour for the same month that finishes up at Kentish Town Forum.

11

THIS IS HAPPENING

B E A R H A N DS ’ N E W A L BU M , T H E S L I G H T LY O M I N O US SO U N D I N G ‘ YO U ’ L L PAY FO R T H I S ’ L A N DS I N T H E U K T H I S M O N T H . F RO N T M A N DY L A N R AU P U TS AS I D E D O I N G H I S TA X ES [ SO RES P O N S I B L E E D] I N A M O N G ST A BATC H O F US DAT ES W I T H FOA LS TO E X P L A I N H OW I T CA M E A BO U T. HEY DYLAN, HOW ARE YOUR DATES WITH FOALS GOING? DID YOU KNOW THE GUYS BEFOREHAND?

Allison Crutchfield is releasing a solo

We toured with Foals once before and definitely developed a deep bond very quickly. It’s an honour to share the road with them and a pleasure watching their set every night.

album next year Allison Crutchfield will release a debut solo album on 27th January. Titled ‘Tourist in This Town’ was recorded in Philadelphia with Jeff Zeigler.

“This record marked a sonic transition in the way I think about the element of space in music, and I attribute that mainly to Jeff,” says Allison. “His arsenal and knowledge of analog synths, along with his ear for spatial addition and subtraction within a song, really sculpted this album and impacted me artistically forever.”

Outlines Festival announces first bands for 2017 Outlines Festival has confirmed a bunch of bands for 2017.

Playing the Sheffield multivenue event – billed as a sister festival to Tramlines – from 3rd – 4th March, will be Jagwar Ma, Hookworms, The Wytches, Slow Club, Bossy Love and Clean Cut Kid. Also confirmed are: Islet, The Orielles, Blood Sport, Luxury Death, Jodie Abacus, Lady Leshurr, The Selecter and Azusena.

The Isle Of Wight Festival is deffo happening in 2017 The Isle Of Wight Festival has confirmed that it’ll be returning next year, running from the 8th to the 11th June. The island bonanza was cast into doubt recently with reports of dropping tickets sales and rising costs involved – but that idea is down the loo now, with the festival set to go ahead next year. After the historic years of 1969 and 1970, the revived festival has now been running for over 14 years, with this year’s edition featuring appearances from Queen, Faithless, The Who, Busted, Iggy Pop, The Cribs and many more.

12

S I N C E S EC O N D A L BU M ‘ RI T UA LS ’ I N 2013, A LOT H AS C H A N G E D I N T H E F E N EC H - SO L E R CA M P. N OW A T WO - P I EC E , B ROT H E RS B E N A N D ROSS D U F F Y A RE BAC K W I T H W H AT T H EY P RO M I S E TO B E A B RI G H T E R A N D BO L D E R SO U N D. WO RDS : SA M TAY LO R .

HEY BEN. SO, THERE ARE ONLY TWO OF YOU NOW - HOW’S IT GOING?

It’s going great! Myself and my brother Ross have always written Fenech-Soler’s music so it’s been a natural progression really. It’s a new phase of this band and we’re feeling really pleased to be back.

HAS IT CHANGED THE PROCESS OF CREATING MUSIC, OR GIGGING MUCH?

There’s certainly an element that’s different now when it comes to producing as Ross and I have taken that role much more with this album, but ultimately it’s still very much the same. We’ve never wanted to be a band hunched over laptops so our live show is still a full energetic experience with drums, guitars, synth etc. We’ve actually got our cousin playing drums for us now so it’s a full family affair.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT HEADING INTO THIS NEXT CHAPTER? EXCITED? APPREHENSIVE?

We both feel a sense of achievement really. We’re extremely proud of the music we’re making and the band that we are and it feels like we’ve finally found the simplicity in our writing that we’ve been searching for.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT YOU’RE NOW RELEASING INTO - IS BRITISH MUSIC IN A GOOD PLACE?

It’s always been a good place to start a band because the industry here plays a big role on the world stage, but also feels connected and small enough for bands to climb the ladder. There’s always been a great ethos behind new artists and cultivating new acts but now that music is a free commodity, more and more acts appear. You have to raise your head above the crowd.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW IN THE FENECHSOLER CAMP? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO SINCE ‘RITUALS’?

Well we have a new EP, a new album, a new live show and now there’s only two of us so we’ve been pretty busy. We started making the album in America where we spent quite a bit of time with Jacknife Lee but didn’t really find our stride until we set up a home studio back

in London. We limited ourselves to only using the first keyboard we ever bought, and somehow everything we needed was right in front of us.

HOW REPRESENTATIVE IS THE ‘KALEIDOSCOPE EP’ OF THE NEW RECORD? IS IT A GOOD INDICATOR OF WHERE YOU’RE HEADING?

There’s actually a different side to our new album that I’m really excited for people to hear. We both knew we wanted to create an album that had slower more delicate soundscapes so we wrote much more on the guitar and pieced electronics around it. The EP certainly embodies the new Fenech-Soler and where we’re heading but there’s much more to come.

HOW WOULD YOU BEST SUM UP THE ALBUM?

We wanted to make colourful pop record, but also offer an honest album that captures what’s inside of mine and Ross’ heads. We didn’t want to dwell on things for too long either when it came to putting it down. In total the album only took a few months to make but it was the period of learning and experimenting before that took a while. We’ve always been hugely influenced by electronic music so that naturally plays a big part too but for us it was about following our own creative compass with every decision.

WHAT’S THE ONE THING YOU REALLY HOPE PEOPLE “GET” ABOUT THE RELEASE?

I just want people to discover this album and go back to it in the future. I’m not a fan of how disposal music sometimes feels and for me good albums and good songs stand the test of time.

Everything tends to fade quickly so it would be nice if people enjoy this album for a while to come. P Fenech-Soler’s EP ‘Kaleidoscope’ is out now.

YOUR NEW ALBUM IS OUT IN THE UK SOON; HOW IS THIS RECORD A PROGRESSION FROM YOUR LAST TWO?

I think we spent more time obsessing over sounds on this record than any previous album.

Lots of synth experimentation and drum machines and the like.

WHAT ENVIRONMENT DID YOU WRITE IT IN?

Ted and I camped out in this cool little cabin near Big Bear California that’s owned by a friend of a friend and stays pretty vacant. It was definitely helpful to get away and create in isolation.

DID YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANTED TO CREATE BEFORE YOU STARTED? TO WHAT EXTENT WAS THAT REALISED?

I really take music making song by song. So once the lyrics or skeleton of a song is written then it’s possible to set your goals and stride confidently forward.

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT WITH THIS RELEASE?

Just having three LPs worth of tunes out their is a very validating feeling but I hope we’re building up enough of a rep to have music snobs acknowledge our existence.

WHO DO YOU THINK ‘YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS’ WILL BEST RESONATE WITH? IS IT A PERSONAL RECORD?

I think anything you spend six months straight on becomes personal. We don’t discriminate when it comes to building a fan base. Come one come all.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU’VE LEARNT DURING YOUR TIME IN THE BAND?

Don’t criticise someone right after a show.

Save it for the next morning or next period of prolonged sobriety. P Bear Hands’ album ‘You’ll Pay For This’ is out 18th November.

City Guides:

V T s s e on c c A c Publi New York P U B L I C AC C ESS T V TA K E D O RK’S C I T Y G U I D ES A L I T T L E F U RT H E R F RO M H O M E , W I T H J O H N E AT H E RLY A N D M A X P E E B L ES G I V I N G T H E LOW D OW N O N N E W YO RK’S B EST H AU N TS .

your way over to Pittsburgh and prepare to spend the next 4-24 hours sorting through boxes and boxes of 45’s at Jerry’s.

John: Max and I moved to NYC from Nashville in 2008. We took an overnight Chinatown bus for $40. We were excited and nervous, both of us had always dreamed of living in New York City and we finally were doing it (we both were 18). We stayed in a run-down apartment where we sleep on bunk beds in the hallway. The truth is though we were having so much fun it didn’t matter that we were living in squalor. Eventually we both moved into Manhattan with the rest of the band at our old HQ on St. Marks place.

That’s where we started the band and the rest went from there...

The Natural History Museum never gets old. Crazy creatures.

FAVO U RI T E M U S E U M

Petrol Girls’ on the road playlist SOMETIMES MUSIC JUST SOUNDS BETTER WHEN IT’S BLASTED FULL VOLUME AT 70 MILES AN HOUR DOWN THE M1, WATCHING FIELDS, TREES AND GRUBBY SERVICE STATIONS SPEED PAST THE WINDOW. PETROL GIRLS’ REN ALDRIDGE RUNS THROUGH HER CURRENT ON THE ROAD FAVES. G . L .O. S . S - O U TCAST STO M P

My favourite song by the only band I’ve ever cried over breaking up. Everything hardcore should be.

RV I V R - R A I N S P E L L

Holding your best mate’s hand and screaming the opening lyrics to this song is the greatest feeling in the world.

WA R O N WO M E N - S EC O N D WAV E G O O D BY E

THAT RIFF. Also the best band to watch live, Shawna is FAVO U RI T E ST RE ET Shakin’ Street... where all the kids meet.

totally wild.

SC RE A M I N G TO E N A I L - W H I T E SAV I O U R

To me, this band is the most important in the DIY FAVO U RI T E CA F E Coffee may be for closers, but beer is for lovers.

London music scene, I have learnt so much from listening to their EP. Plus they are fantastic live.

WA RPA I N T - D I SC O // V E RY - K E E P I T H E A LT H Y

M A X ’S FAVO U RI T E N YC S P OTS

The percussion sound at roughly 2.50!! Sitting in the van, staring out the window, listening to this record…

FAVO U RI T E C H E A P FO O D

perfect.

Currently, my favourite place for cheap eats in NY would have to be the taco truck on 2nd street and Avenue A. I’m still not sure how they cook their rice but in my opinion its the best in the city.

JA M ES C H O I C E A N D T H E BA D D EC I S I O N S - YO U ’ V E G OT A F I E N D

I think Poodle is one of the greatest lyricists ever, and this EP is one I always come back to and can’t recommend enough to anyone who suffers from

FAVO U RI T E BA R Union Pool in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Home of the best people to ever pop open a can of Guinness, and its home of one of the best venues in New York. Now... outside of New York... Bronx Bar in Detroit is the best. Two words: Fried Bologna.

FAVO U RI T E T H RI F T STO RE The Thing in Greenpoint, BK. Just a great store full of crap.

FAVO U RI T E V E N U E New York Venues are OK. The 9:30 club in D.C. is my favourite because the staff know how to take care of bands the right way i.e, load your gear in FOR YOU, feed you, and give you two cases of beer no questions asked.

The Bowery Ballroom though always feels pretty amazing to play. Its such a great warm looking venue.

FAVO U RI T E REC O RD STO RE Academy Records and all their New York locations are probably the best. If you’re looking for 45’s however, make

depression.

P E RK I E - FO O L

Not only is she an incredible singer and song writer but

Frank Iero’s back with a new solo record

also one of my closest friends. We tour together loads!

Frank Iero doesn’t know if he’ll ever run out of things to say with his music. “Who knows?” he asks in the November issue of Upset, out now.

For today, he’s focusing on today. “Maybe me doing this is my form of therapy and at the end of it I’ll realise I’m fine now, I’m done. That’s it.

Who knows?” he repeats. “The world could end tomorrow but as of right now, I’ve still got some stuff to say.”

Choice and brilliant solo artist).

Read the full interview in the November issue of Upset magazine and on upsetmagazine.com.

Frank Iero and The Patience’ album ‘Parachutes’ is out now.

This track features harmonies from another of our best friends Micky Dey (used to drum for us, plays in James

S H O P P I N G - TA K E I T O U TS I D E

Rachel Aggs is such an inspiring guitarist. And this song has a dance routine music video!

K AT E T E M P EST - EU RO P E I S LOST

She’s literally a prophet. She makes huge concepts like borders and nationalism directly relatable to you as an individual - that is so politically powerful. I am so excited to go see the ‘Let Them Eat Chaos’ tour.

F L E ET WO O D M AC - S EV E N WO N D E RS

I don’t need to justify this decision

13

THIS IS HAPPENING

Mac attack Mac DeMarco has announced his biggest London headline show to date. He’ll visit the UK next May for what’s currently a one-off show at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on 30th May. The date follows the release of minialbum ‘Another One’ in 2015.

The Flaming Lips

Happy Sad

announce new album The Flaming Lips have announced the first details of their 16th studio album – titled ‘Oczy Mlody’, it’s set for release on 13th January (which also happens to be frontman Wayne Coyne’s birthday!) With track titles such as ‘There Should Be Unicorns’ and ‘Listening To The Frogs With Demon Eyes’, you can expect the sort of psychedelic treats that have made them such beloved favourites over the course of their 33 year career.

Deftones announce 2017 dates Deftones will play three shows in the UK next May. The band – who are touring in support of recent album ‘Gore’ – have a full European tour planned, which will wind up with dates in London, Manchester and Glasgow. They’ve also been announced for Groezrock Festival in Belgium on 29th April.

Austra are back to teach us some ‘Future Politics’ 2013 feels like A Lot Longer Than Three Years Ago in ‘the world of music’. That’s how long it is since Austra released last album ‘Olympia’. It’s time to get all familiar again, though.

The band are back with a new album, ‘Future Politics’, out early next year on 20th January via Domino. Leader Katie Stelmanis explains it’s an album that calls for “a commitment to replace the approaching dystopia.”

14

I N B ET W E E N S P E E DY O RT I Z A L B U M , SA D I E D U P U I S H AS S Q U E E Z E D I N A R EC O R D O F H E R OW N . WO R DS : M A RT Y N YO U N G . peedy Ortiz’ front woman Sadie Dupuis’ solo album under Sad13 is a project that came together simply and naturally. As her band toured the world and built up a following as one of US indie’s most idiosyncratic and thrilling bands, Sadie was slowly compiling fragments of sound bites, lyrics and melodies as iPhone voice memos. Eventually she listened to them all and thought maybe there’s something special here - so began Sad13.

In essence, Sad13 isn’t too much removed from Speedy Ortiz whose first releases are also lo-fi recordings self-produced and released by Sadie. When you delve into ‘Slugger’, it reveals itself to be a smart and incisive pop record. It bears the hallmarks of Speedy Ortiz but does it in a lighter and more alluring way. “I went through these voice memos over the winter and made a list of what I though was pretty cool stuff and wrote fifteen songs altogether with that. I self-produced them and recorded it in a bedroom,” explains Sadie. “I enjoy doing home recording. I’m not a good enough producer for Speedy so this was a good opportunity to try my hand at some self-production in more of a pop vein.”

Sad13 allowed Sadie to truly immerse herself in a project in way that you can’t really do when you’re in a band, where you have to compromise to ensure democracy is retained. “When you’re playing with a band you have other people’s preferences,

They said what?

playing styles and tastes to consider,” she says. “When it’s just me I know what I like and can play it to the best of my availability. It’s easy for me to get really lost working on songs by myself. Staying up from 7pm until 5am. You can’t always do that working with three other people. It was fun to get lost in this project.”

Part of the creative spur behind the album was moving to Philadelphia and forming new friendships and relationships. This forms the defining theme behind the collection of sweet off kilter pop songs.

“One of the things that was exciting was I was spending time in Philadelphia which is were I live now,” begins Sadie. “I have so many friends here who are amazing women who play in awesome punk bands.

A lot of the themes were about cultivating female friendships and supporting one another. Speedy stuff is feminist as well but that particular angle was inspiring to me in writing this record. Some of the songs are about being so in love with my friends and their talent and being inspired by them.”

Lead single ‘Get A Yes’ is perhaps the best signifier of the album’s sound and spirit. “We led with ‘Get a Yes’ because the message in that was so clear and it was a mission statement for what the rest of the album should be about,” says Sadie.

While ‘Slugger’ sees her stepping out from the band, Sadie still makes it clear that she prefers playing live with a band so her solo shows as Sad13 won’t be entirely

solo. Which is just as well considering her nerves playing by herself, as she explains, laughing. “I’m going to be playing with a band. I did play solo last week but there’s nothing I hate more. It makes me so scared,” she confesses. “I say yes to it so infrequently that I forget how much I freak out. I play in front of 10,000 people with Speedy and I played last night in a kitchen with 20 people and I was dripping sweat, shaking and I couldn’t look at the few people in the kitchen. It really makes me upset, so I’m happy I’m doing the Sad 13 stuff with a band.”

While eventually touring the world as Sad13, Sadie also hopes to complete work on Speedy Ortiz’ third album. It’s certainly a busy time flipping back between projects but it’s something that she’s comfortable with. “When you’re involved in multiple projects there’s always going to be a back and forth head-space.”

As for Speedy themselves the wheels are slowly starting to turn. “We went to a studio to make the demos for the record which we could probably release as it sounds really good,” she reveals. “The record is written, but I think we’re going to wait and go to a fancier studio.”

Exciting times ahead then for Speedy, but for now Sad13’s ‘Slugger’ is a most welcome surprise. P Sad13’s album ‘Slugger’ is out 11th November.

Joel Amey, Wolf Alice (@joeldilla): “Smash Mouth just tweeted about Wolf Alice.”

“THEY ’ RE A L L STA RS! ”

VANT (@wearevant): “Someone’s knicked your reg mate @RATBOY”

Don’t look dumb.

OUT NOW. THE F RE E ROC K MAGAZ I NE.

DISRUPT THE NOISE. Never miss an issue.

U PSETMAGAZ I NE.C OM AVA ILAB LE NATIO NW ID E F RO M REC O RD STO RES , VE N U ES , BA RS A N D M O RE .

S UBSCRIB O NL I Nat E ATreaddork.com/buy U PSETM AGA Z I N E .C O M Subscribe to DorkEnow - or else.

15

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EVERY TH I N G H A PPE N I N G TH I S MO NTH

pp or t slo t wi th x, an d th eir su th Yo u Me At Si . wi nt jau ed e to ur to da te t- fin ish big ge st he ad lin twee n th eir jus ing ou t on th eir Sa nd wi ch ed be ad he e ar nt ve s Va ieves , Do rk fa No th ing Bu t Th

o t t n a w e “W shake things up.”

HEY MATTIE, HOW’S THINGS?

I’m good, a little tired. We’re just driving through a picturesque Welsh mountain range, so I can’t grumble!

YOU’VE A LONG STINT ON THE ROAD THIS AUTUMN - HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR SUCH A LENGTHY SET OF GIGS?

We’ve been gigging pretty relentlessly for the last 18 months. So it kinda feels like we’re continuing to plough through rather than preparing in all honesty.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT BEING ON THE ROAD?

We’re very lucky to have an opportunity to travel the world while doing something we love. The whole thing is pretty amazing.

HOW DO YOU STOP WEEKS OF HOTELS AND MOTORWAYS FROM BECOMING BORING?

If you can embrace tour madness and turn it into a positive, invent stupid games, exercise, have fun, be creative and savour your time on stage each night you can avoid the dark side quite easily.

YOU’VE JUST STARTED YOUR

Gigs of the month.

16

SUPPORT RUN WITH YOU ME AT SIX - HOW’S IT GOING SO FAR? ARE YOU GETTING ON OK?

It’s wonderful. All the venues have been packed by the time we’ve got on stage each night, so it’s been an amazing way for us to reach a new fanbase! The crew and band are such welcoming, nice people, we really can’t thank them enough for all their help.

ARE THERE ANY GIGS YOU’VE GOT COMING UP THAT YOU’RE ESPECIALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO?

We’re excited for our headline tour.

Festivals and support slots are great but we get way more satisfaction from a set without rules and time restrictions.

London Scala is going to be massive for us.

WHICH DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING: THE PRESSURES THAT COME WITH A HEADLINE SHOW, OR HAVING TO WIN OVER NEW FANS IN SUPPORT SLOTS?

Definitely support slots. It’s really hard to gauge how well you’ve been received at times when you compare it to a good headline show. We know our fans are fucking nutters and it’s been a below

average show if it’s anything but absolute chaos. Sometimes we’ll finish a song as a support band and have this huge roar from the crowd, even if they’ve barely moved a muscle, it’s about learning to appreciate difference audiences and understanding what signifies a good or bad show in various scenarios and circumstances.

On Tour NOVEMBER 18 Bath, Moles 20 Leicester, The Scholar 21 York, Fibbers 23 Edinburgh, Electric Circus 24 Glasgow, King Tuts 25 Hebden Bridge, Trades Club 26 Coventry, Kasbah 28 Brighton, The Haunt 29 London, Scala

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS KEY TO PUTTING ON A GOOD SHOW?

Honesty and energy. If you play from the heart and put everything into your performance the crowd will respond in a similar way. It eventually becomes a cyclical experience with each component pushing the other further and further as the set progresses. Sometimes when the balance is perfect on both sides it results in a unified euphoria, it makes you feel alive.

ARE THERE ANY NEW SONGS YOU’LL BE TESTING OUT LIVE THAT FANS SHOULD KEEP AN EAR OUT FOR?

Our new single ‘Peace & Love’ has just come out so we’re looking forward to seeing how it goes down.

GIG OF THE MONTH!

TO OT H L ESS

2 8 T H N OV E M B E R The Pickle Factory, London A one-off show where Ed Nash will play his forthcoming debut album in full.

T H E F RO N T BOT TO M S UK Tour, 19th November - 3rd December

IF YOU COULD SAY ONE THING TO CONVINCE SOMEONE TO PICK UP A TICKET TO AN UPCOMING SHOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

We’re trying to give a lot of people a voice that has been lost for a long time. We want to shake things up. Live music has and always will scare the shit out of those in power. Where better is there to show your frustration and passion, whilst remaining peaceful and showing respect for your fellow humans, than in a place where you are truly free to be whoever you want (for a few hours at least) without the pressures of normal society? Culture and protest change the world, if you want to help us continue that tradition, come along to a gig and show your support. P

M U N C I E G I RLS UK tour, 25th November - 1st December H I N DS UK tour, 26th November - 2nd December G ET A L L T H E L AT EST L I V E DAT ES , TO U RS A N D OT H E R N E WS AT RE A D D O RK .C O M !

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PIXX

‘‘T

here’s not really much of a point to pop music anymore,” Pixx ponders after a day spent searching for her mum’s birthday present (she’s chosen a fluffy dressing gown, FYI). “I don’t know if that’s fair to say, but there’s a lot of pop music now that’s not about anything that’s important,” she explains disheartened.

Considering she’s suffering terrible jetlag, having only got back from America three days ago – after playing a 4AD label showcase with The Lemon Twigs and Methyl Ethyl, and filming a music video in Coney Island - Pixx is commendably chatty.

“There’s so much to talk about in pop music, but I feel like nobody really does at the moment; in terms of it not just being about a relationship or growing up or getting cheated on...” continues the enigmatic vocalist, whose real name is Hannah Rodgers.

Tackling bigger world problems: “war and poverty and feminist issues”, is something that’s lacking in pop music nowadays, the BRIT School graduate argues. “It’s a shame because, obviously, the popular music is what people are listening to, but it would be better if people were sharing messages

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that were actually worth something.”

It feels like perfect timing, then, for Pixx to breathe her bold, thought-provoking blend of woozy pop and endearing electronics into what she feels is a stagnant genre.

Last year’s ‘Fall In’ EP demonstrated an effortlessly soulful, almost haunting vocal whilst a deliciously dreamy slice of synth-pop came in the form of ‘Baboo’ this May. But it’s ‘Grip’ that stands out most, as she fuses an arresting vocal with otherworldly production that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Grimes record. “It’s about the feeling of weightlessness,” she begins, wisely unpicking the lyrics in an almost philosophical way.

“We always do things and feel like we’re facing the wrong direction; we’re moving forwards but we’re facing backwards all the time,” she contemplates of the lyrics ‘I don’t want to feel the need to grip on tight to everything I see’. “It’s this idea that you don’t want to be feeling like you’re holding onto everything from the past but actually the past is all that you can see…”

Before earning her place at The BRIT School, Hannah was educated at a “really strict all-girls Catholic high school. It was really fun but strange because BRIT School is totally different,” she recalls.

Hannah’s passion for music grew daily, as she learned more and more about what she loved.

are so many day-to-day things that are different for women than men… I try to reach out to that.”

Though she wasn’t so keen on the end of term shows; “I always found them quite cringy,” she remembers. “I was never a big fan of doing the backing singing and the dancing and the finger clicking – it just felt really weird and awkward.”

Living in a challenging and uncertain time, as well, has lent itself to Pixx’s music. “I’ve got quite a lot of songs that are about the age that I am and the age of a lot of people I know and the period of time that I feel like I’ve been living in for the last few years. It’s a heavy time for people,” she asserts, “especially young people.”

Growing up on her folk-loving parents’ music collection; Joni Mitchell and Simon & Garfunkel especially, she learned to love songwriters with important ideas from an early age. And it’s something that’s really translated into her creations as Pixx.

“I love the idea of making music that gets people to feel light-hearted and sort of upbeat and jolly; to be able to move around to it… But also for there to be an importance beneath,” she considers. “That’s why I focus so much on melody - to try and keep people in tune with what the words are that I’m actually singing.”

Lyrically and thematically, Pixx – who takes her name from her “totally amazing, hilarious, strong-headed nan”- tackles concerns that affect her and the people around her. “I try to channel all the old music I listened to into my lyrics,” she begins; “I’ve got songs about it being difficult to be a girl and the fact that there

It’s not all serious, though. Her upcoming debut album – which is currently in the mixing stage – is like a “split personality. A lot of my songs are the complete opposite and sarcastic and jokey,” she offers, weighing up its musical variety.

Due early next year, Pixx’s ethereal, weightless vocal will soon make up a whole record. It’s something she can’t quite comprehend. “Now that I’ve written an album, I kind of can’t believe it because it’s all just been happening at once,” she says in disbelief.

“I want to give people a heads up, though, that it is quite...,” she pauses for a few seconds, opting for ambiguity: “there’s a lot of different shit going on there...” P Pixx plays Birthdays in London on 1st December.

“W E SE E M TO

ON THE GRAPEVINE

H AV E D O N E I T A L L IN REVERSE.”

D EC L A N M C K E N N A I S BAC K O N T H E ROA D I N JA N UA RY

BAD SOUNDS BA D SOU N DS A RE USI NG I NF ECTI OUS MELOD I ES TO WO RK THE I R WAY OUT OF THE RETAI L GAME.

E

WO RDS: B E N JOL L EY.

wan Merrett, one fifth of Bath-based groovers Bad Sounds, is desperately trying to stay hidden from view as he stands outside a pole dancing lesson. “I keep walking past and I think they think I’m creepily looking in constantly,” he laughs down the phone from Bristol University.

Tonight the five-piece, consisting of founding songwriter brothers Ewan and Callum, and band members Charlie Pitt, Sam Hunt and Olivia Dimery, are playing a gig in its student union, The Anson Rooms.

“We’ve just finished soundcheck, so we’re all chilling in the dressing room having a few beers,” Ewan reveals ahead of the last set of a ten-date tour. It’s a run that’s seen them perform to rowdy crowds in venues up and down the country, supporting Rat Boy. Rowdy is, almost certainly, selling it short. “The rumours are definitely true,” Ewan confirms; “his crowds are always really wild.”

Bad Sounds’ experience in Glasgow was particularly memorable. “It was pretty mad because we had thirteen-year-old girls queuing outside at the front ready for Rat Boy and they were asking us to buy them alcohol as we walked by. Because, obviously we didn’t, they were just like, ‘Fuck you guys then!’ We were like, ‘Sweet, Glasgow’s cool’.”

What happened after their London show, as well, won’t be something they forget any time soon. “We walked outside and the band and crew were just setting fire to the tour van and shit like that… The tour’s been all fun, but a bit mad,” Ewan confirms. “They’ve been super sweet, but they’re definitely wilder kids than us!”

Having been doing “music stuff” since they were just 12-years-old, Ewan and brother Callum started Bad Sounds when they decided, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna do this properly’.

Growing up on their dad’s music collection, Bob Dylan, The Lemonheads and Beck formed the Merrett brothers’ early influences.

Now in their 20s, the duo is joined by drummer Olivia – who Ewan used to work with at a music shop – and Charlie and Sam, who they met through friends of friends in Bath and Bristol.

Bad Sounds’ biggest single so far, ‘Wages’

- full of euphoric brass, harmonies and infectious rhythms - came about from “normal life” and wanting to quit their jobs in retail. “When you’re a kid you kind of have this expectation, at least I did, that when I was in my early twenties I’d be making a living off of music and doing it full time,” Ewan recalls. “If I could see myself at 14 I’d be so disappointed with the fact that I’m just working at a shop and it’s not at all what I had planned for my life… I guess, that, and then having a whinge about it.”

Thank god they did have that whinge, because their soul-infused banger went on to become Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World on her Radio 1 show. “It was really last minute and a bit freaky,” Ewan remembers of the career-boosting breakthrough. “It came at a time when literally none of us were expecting it at all. We sent it over to her but we hadn’t even got the finished master yet; but she was like ‘I wanna go with it tomorrow’ and obviously we didn’t want to turn it down…”

As a result of Annie’s interest, they decided to release the anthem – but on their own terms, by setting up Bad Records and rejecting offers from major labels. Before that, though, performing on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury was an undeniably massive moment in their young career. “When I got there I was thinking, ‘Shit, this is fucking big, it’s actually quite intimidating’,” Ewan remembers. Needless to say, the nerves were kicking in. “There was so much riding on it,” Ewan recalls. “Weirdly, when we got booked for it, it seemed like everybody’s ears pricked up around us. We had the tune of the week at the same time with ‘Avalanche’. It almost felt like too much was happening at one time. I prefer the shows when there’s no pressure at all and nobody cares.”

He’ll need to get used to the pressure and big crowds quickly, though, because Bad Sounds are gearing up for their first proper headline shows later this month – at Camden Assembly and Bristol Exchange the day after.

“We’re super excited for it. It’s going to be weird doing proper headline shows again. It feels like we can run the stage a bit more; set some stuff up and go wild.” If that wasn’t enough to sell the ticket, Ewan promises there’ll be “madness. We definitely want to do something big. I find a lot of live music can get a bit boring, just watching a band, so

Hey bands, what new acts are you into rn?

Hot on the heels of his extensive run supporting Blossoms on their own UK tour, the 18-year-old force will call into Norwich, Leicester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and Brighton from 23rd January. Find the full run on readdork.com.

“The Lemon Twigs, Tigercub, Partybaby and Get Inuit.”

M AT T I E , VA N T “Franc Moody, Dead Pretties, Robbie Basho, Vufpeck, Island, Alice Barlow, Puma Blue, Eliza Shaddad and Fat Relic. They’re all the bidnizz.”

L EO, PA L AC E “I’ve been listening to K.A.G. all day, which is Katie from Priests’ solo project.”

SA D I E , SA D13 “Cold Foamers are a band I’m really into at the moment from Virginia. Alex G produced/played on their first album, but their self-titled EP is where they really nail it.”

G EO RG E , A BAT TO I R B LU ES “Gang, Happy Meal Ltd, Vulgarians, Puppy, Inevitable Daydream and Fuoco.”

CA I , K AG O U L E

we really want to go all out: backing dancers, rocket launchers, cranes…”

Though their rise has been a whirlwind so far, Bad Sounds certainly aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. “We definitely want to go all the way,” Ewan says confidently; “but I don’t want us to be one of those bands that has a lot of success early on and then falls off the face of the earth. If we’re gonna go for it, we want to go the whole hog.” Though they’re not necessarily working on an album at the moment, their debut record is always something that’s in their mind. “We’ve been writing demos for Bad Sounds for over two years and we’ve got almost 200, but we haven’t finished producing a lot of them,” Ewan confirms. Better get cracking, then! P Bad Sounds play London on 29th November and Bristol on 30th November.

LOY L E CA RN E R TO P L AY O2 S H E P H E RD’S BUS H E M P I RE S H OW Loyle Carner has announced what’s currently a one-off date at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire for 17th February. The news follows a UK tour this autumn that saw him play sold out dates up and down the country, including at London’s KOKO.

C ROWS A N N O U N C E N E W E P ‘C O L D C O M FO RT ’ One of the best live acts of 2016, Crows have revealed details of their second EP ‘Cold Comfort’ (due 18th November), unveiling swelling new number ‘The Itch’ - check it out on readdork.com now.

It follows on from ‘Unwelcome Light’ earlier this year.

K LO E A N N O U N C ES H E R F I RST LO N D O N H E A D L I N E S H OW Glaswegian alt-pop sensation KLOE has announced her debut London headline show for 8th November, capping off a huge year that has seen her emerge as a true future-pop force. She’ll play The Camden Assembly.

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HYPE twelve months ago, it’s a journey that never really had a determined end point.

CA M E RON AG’S HE A RTF ELT TU N ES A RE E X PE RTLY C RAF TED.

“All of the first few tracks were made with a friend of mine in the studio, where we got like an album’s worth of tracks together,” remembers Cameron. “We were recording and not really thinking about being a band or anything specific, but once we’d finished recording we kinda just thought, well, what’s next!? It started out with just the track and I did a couple of solo shows on my own, and then it grew into having a band together around it and we just took it from there.”

CA M E RO N AG

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inter is certainly all around us.

Those long nights of chilly breezes, smoke rising from mouths as breath gets frozen in early morning commutes and a sharp rise in scarf sales - there’s no season quite like it. There’s a warming beauty to it all, something that can equally be shared with Cameron AG. Mesmeric choruses and soul-searching

anthems abound from a songwriter who has seen a twelve months full of surprises, national acclaim and growing audiences.

It’s been a journey that has seen Cameron cement the years of tireless dedication and band-jumping to finally stand out on his own.

“I got into drumming before music,” he explains. “I was having lessons and playing bits and bobs but it really kicked in around Britpop and Oasis. Those first two Oasis records, I got on cassette when I was about 10 or 11 and I was like, ‘Wow’. I grew up through that whole era and there was

FORTH WA N D E R E R S N E W JE RSEY YOU N G STERS FO RTH WA N DE RE RS HAVE B I G PL A N S A FOOT. WO RDS: J ESSI CA G OOD MAN

WORDS: JAMIE MU IR.

some really great stuff going on through Oxford, obviously there’s Radiohead but then there was Supergrass around too. It really got me into that idea of wanting to be in a band.”

A sense of freedom lives through breakout number ‘Lost Direction’, a spine-chilling cut that saw Annie Mac immediately pick it up as one of her Hottest Records.

Built on a gentle piano line packed full of echoing voices and open spaces, its heartbreaking results sound akin to Antony and The Johnsons in full flight. Written and recorded alongside a batch of tracks over

Debut EP ‘Way Back Home’ came as Cameron’s opening gambit to the world, full of that bristling and heartfelt spirit which flowed through ‘Lost Direction’. His next step is equally as dazzling, his second EP ‘Homeward Bound’ heading further into the stratosphere with a more euphoric result - but still retaining that core intimate voice Cameron is fast becoming known for. “It was a different approach on this one,” he elaborates. “The last one I really created all by myself so it was nice this time to have the guys there that I’ve been touring with and get the band aspect into the recording.”

If tracks ‘Walk Your Line’ and ‘Heroes’ are anything to go by, then it could be the arms in the air moment where Cameron AG goes even further - taking his tales of the heart to a completely new level. After that, the work continues on the end goal, a full album under his own name. “That’s been the goal right from the start, even when that first single came out there’s been an album’s worth of stuff there so we’re sitting on quite a load of songs,” enthuses Cameron. “There will be an album - I just cant say when it will be, how or where, but there will be one and I can’t wait.” P Cameron AG’s new EP ‘Homeward Bound’ is out now.

“I

From the twanging bass of ‘Funky Guy’ to slacker anthem ‘Don’t You Get Suped Yet’, listening to the musicians’ earlier output it’s easy to see where Forth Wanderers get their sense of humour – something that radiates as effortlessly as their charm.

“It’s like you’re going out to a pretty fun party to dance around and feel good,” Ben delicately describes of the band’s music.

“But deep down inside you’re just like, ‘I miss her’.” Lingering emotion and deeply rooted hooks are two areas where this five-piece excel. Having played together in varying forms for a number of years, the group have fine-tuned their artistry through long founded friendship.

“I think it’d be pretty fun for us to have some haters,” Ben declares. “I feel like that’s a defining moment in a band’s career,” he states. “Other than that,” he quickly adds, “I hope as many people hear it as possible and like it and want to hear more.”

had a bit of crush on her at the time,” guitarist Ben Guterl states of his first interaction with singer Eva Trilling. “I was like, ‘Hey, check out my demo - you should write some lyrics on it!” he laughs. “And she was like, ‘Yeah, sure!’” Instantly sparking a creative chemistry, the past three years have seen Forth Wanderers hone a potent fusion of groove-a-long melodies and fiercely felt sentiment.

“Duke, Zach, Noah, and I used to have a band called Based On The Novel Push

By Sapphire,” the guitarist recalls. “It was a weird band,” he chuckles. “Before that, Duke, Noah, and Zach were all in a band called The Pokémen – and I highly recommend you look up their bandcamp because it’s just the funniest fucking thing. I stand by The Pokémen, very wholeheartedly.”

“I don’t really know what we expected,” Ben mulls of the release. “We recorded it a long time ago – way too long ago for it to be coming out like this,” he laughs.

Having started recording the EP nearly a year previous the group are admittedly “pretty tired of the songs”, but they remain optimistic as to how well they’re currently succeeding.

Now, they’ve “just confirmed some stuff with a Europe booking agent” – and that’s not all they have up their sleeves.

“We just finished tracking a ten song LP,” Ben reveals. Planning to “sit on it for a while, do the release right, and make it a banger,” Forth Wanderers are riding the wave towards success and savouring every moment. P Forth Wanderers EP ‘Slop’ is out 11th November.

B RI G HTO N BOYS A BAT TO I R BLUES ARE BANG C ENTRE O F A

ON THE GRAPEVINE

BU RG EO N I N G LOCA L SC ENE - AND THEY’VE J UST RELEASE D TH E IR D EBUT SI N G L E. F RONTM AN HARRY WAUG H AND GUITARIST G EORG E BO O RMA N G I VE US THE LOW D OWN. WORDS: SAM TAY LOR.

F R A N C ES P L A N S D E BU T A L BU M , ‘ T H I N G S I ’ V E N EV E R SA I D’

“WE FIGURED TWO

Frances has confirmed details around her debut album, titled ‘Things I’ve Never Said’. The full-length is set for release on 17th March, featuring soaring singles ‘Let It Out’, ‘Grow’ and ‘Say It Again’ alongside work with producers such as Greg Kurstin, Jimmy Napes and Disclosure’s Howard Lawrence.

PEO PL E DA N C I N G

A B AT T O I R BLUES Hey guys, how were your recent dates with Dilly Dally? Did you get up to any on tour shenanigans?

Harry: We had the most amazing time. Both Dilly Dally and Weaves, who were the main support, are the loveliest people and really took us under their collective wing. They knew each other from Toronto before so we were a bit worried that we were just gonna be a weird British third wheel getting in the way but they were so welcoming. Don’t want to tell too many incriminating stories but after the Manchester show I did wake up in a flooded cellar not having a clue where I was, I went upstairs and there were a load of people I didn’t know in the kitchen, it took me a while to establish that I was actually at my friend Beth’s house. It was quite a disconcerting experience for all involved.

Do you have any live tricks or schticks you wheel out for the stage?

Harry: For a while we wanted our friend Pete to be a kind of Bez figure but we figured out that the way I move around on stage is so ridiculous that two people dancing like morons might be overdoing it a bit. We also do a great cover of ‘Zach’s Song’ from School of Rock but we haven’t rolled that out recently.

Your single ‘Sense’ / ‘Fading’ has just come out - what made you choose those two tracks as your next output?

Harry: I think there is a real contrast to the two songs and that they both show a different side to the band. We feel we have a wide range of influences and I think this release shows that. We chose to lead with Sense even though Fading is probably more of a traditional single due to its structure.

That’s because as a band we see Sense as the song that defines us more than any other.

‘Sense’ was a long time in the making,

LIKE MORONS M I G H T B E OV E R D O I N G

wasn’t it?

Harry: Yeah, that’s partly why we feel the way we do about it. The original version of it was written when the band had a slightly different line up in the cellar of the house where The Magic Gang and loads of other incredible bands wrote all their early songs. Personally for me it’s a really important song because I have changed the lyrics so many times but the underlying theme of feeling like you’re fighting a loosing battle against anxiety and depression has remained the same. I have pages and pages of old lyrics for that song but some of the original ones have remained. The other day I was reading the old lyrics and I realised how much my own understanding of mental health has changed since we first wrote it almost three years ago.

Do you have a lot of songs in your arsenal?

Are you prolific chaps?

George: We have a load of bits that need pulling together into full songs, I feel like we are all just finding confidence in our personal output. We all write our own parts so it’s really exciting to hear everyone’s take on the different ideas that come in.

What inspires you, musically or otherwise?

Harry: I don’t know if inspires is the right word but a lot of the aggression in our music comes from feeling alienated and dissociated. Lyrically a lot of the songs are expressions of discontent with capitalism and a comment on how a survival technique that many people around us seem to be adapting is just to try and switch off from and ignore politics because it is so depressing when you get involved in it. I have been politically active for around five years and it gets really tough and really grinds you down because you’re constantly loosing, I can totally understand why people just want to switch off from it, especially when their lives are

I T A B I T. ”

so difficult anyway. We all find that the band is a good way of expressing anger at our surroundings and communicating those feelings.

What’s it like being a young band in Brighton? Is it treating you well?

George: I think it’s pretty hard being a young band anywhere in the UK at the moment to be honest, I don’t think there is enough support for aspiring artists in general in the UK which is a real shame.

Brighton is known for having a very active creative community and that is definitely true. A good example is the Fat Dog shows that our friends put on. They combine all of these amazing talents in film, music and art to create a really engaging and immersive experience. Would definitely recommend going along their next party!

Are The Magic Gang good housemates? Do they do all their washing up?

Harry: They are the best housemates! The only sad thing is we’re always on tour at different times so sometimes we’re lonely in the house without them and vice versa.

But when we’re all at home it’s brilliant.

Washing up-wise they’re all pretty good, Paeris doesn’t cook and lives solely off of white bread out of the bag so we don’t have to worry about him kitchen-wise, but we do often have to force feed him some veg.

What’s next on the cards for Abattoir Blues?

Harry: We’re supporting The Big Moon on a couple of dates at the end of the month [October] and are also supporting a certain spooky band at the start of November for a few dates, don’t think we can tell you Wytch one yet though (apologies for the awful pun). P Abattoir Blues’ debut single ‘Sense’ / ‘Fading’ is out now.

G I RL I D RO PS ‘G I RL I M ET O N T H E I N T E RN ET ’ V I D EO A N D C O N F I RM S LO N D O N H E A D L I N E DAT E Anti-pop star Girli has shown she’s the perfect host for any house party in the video for ‘Girl I Met On The Internet’.

With a cheeky appearance from Oscar and a load of shopping carts and boozy antics, it’s streaming now on readdork. com. She’s also confirmed her largest headline show to date, at London’s Camden Assembly on 24th November.

S H A M E A N N O U N C E D E BU T S I N G L E ‘G O L D H O L E ’, T RI O O F LO N D O N S H OWS Vocal South Londoners Shame have revealed their debut single ‘Gold Hole’ along with a trio of London headline shows to take place on the same night.

The track be paired with another song, ‘The Lick’, and released as a double A side single on 9th December. The band will mark the release with three separate London headline shows, all taking place on 8th December. Starting off at St Moritz in Soho, the band will then head off to The Stags Head in Hoxton before rounding things off at The Nines in Peckham. Busy day, chaps.

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WHEN THE JAPANESE HOUSE DROPPED HER FIRST EP OVER A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, MYSTERY SWELLED AS TO WHO THIS NEW VOICE WAS. DELIVERING DEVASTATING RAW ELECTRONIC GROOVES UNDERNEATH HONEST AND REFLECTIVE TALES OF LOST LOVE AND HEARTACHE - THE SEARCH TO KNOW MORE WAS IMMEDIATE. YET UNDERNEATH THE MYSTERY AND UNDERNEATH THE SONGS IS 21 YEAR OLD AMBER BAIN - WHOSE GOT HER SIGHTS FIRMLY SET ON RELEASING THE DEFINING SOUND OF A GENERATION. WORDS: JAMIE MUIR. PHOTOS: CORINNE CUMMING.

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I

t’s a chilly autumnal morning in West London.

The streets are full of builders and plumbers, working away on the latest two story development, cradling polystyrene cups of tea like it’s the last fire standing at an adventure camp. On one side of the road is a large wooden cover, with the words “Coming Soon” scribbled over it in thick black paint. On the other side, is Amber Bain, the voice and soul that is The Japanese House, making herself at home in the offices of her label Dirty Hit with a smoke on the balcony outside. Having just finished moving house once again (the third time in eight months) she’s catching up with those who have been there through some of the most exciting years of her life.

“I really like it here,” explains Amber.

“There’s not that many artists on the label, and I know all the people here so well - like I started working with Jamie here when I was 17 and now I’m 21. So literally from my last year at school until now. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, that kinda scares me when I think about it.”

Looking around the office you see the dazzling highs that have been reached from inside these walls. Sold out shows, awards, sales plaques and more - it’s the sort of thing that would inspire anyone, even if you couldn’t play a note.

“Yeah, it’s all The 1975 stuff at the moment, I need to get a few things up here!”

Wall space is certainly ready for The Japanese House. Over the course of the past 18 months, she’s become one of the most adored new artists in the country, bringing the harmonies of The Beach Boys and the electronic flourishes of modern indietronica into one delectable mix that’s left crowds around the world spellbound. It’s a culmination of everything Amber grew up on, that desire to be making great music and to do so with the freedom to explore new sounds and textures, something that’s lead the way in her mind since she first picked up the guitar. Whether that’s school plays, early remnants of bands or the foundations of songwriting - it’s music that courses through her veins to this very day.

I

f you head back to the early 2000s, you’ll find Amber Bain transfixed by music. Growing up just north of London in the leafy Buckinghamshire hills, she picked up the guitar when she was just six years old and was never one to seek out a neat cover version, always striving to create her own songs, her own sounds and her own identity.

“I’ve been writing songs since I was probably 11… or actually even younger than that, really. I started playing guitar because I thought it was really cool, but I never did covers or anything, just started making my own songs. They were really quite something…

“I should probably be a lot better at guitar than I really am because I’ve been playing for so long, but I never had lessons or anything. I’m left-handed but

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I play a right-handed guitar because it’s my Dad’s, so guitar teachers would tell me that I would have to re-string it. I just thought, ‘Well, no’.”

It was an unlikely source that gave Amber the confidence to pursue music, notably at school in Year 2 where she was cast as one of the lead roles in a play about Barney The Mouse (spoiler alert - the plot revolves around a mouse who chewed through the organ keys at Christmas, potentially ruining it before everyone comes together and realises that all they need is each other to enjoy the day). As you can imagine, it was a blockbuster success and looking back now, it’s one Amber sees as truly pivotal.

“I was talking about this the other day, I think that’s the reason. Like, I didn’t know that I was good at singing or music before. I used to sing in assemblies and play guitar sometimes but then I got chosen for that and I asked my teacher at the time why, and my teacher said ‘It’s because you’re good at singing’. I was like, ‘Am I?!’ And that’s why I carried on, that’s where I think I got the initial confidence to do music, and why I’m a musician today.”

Growing up with The Beatles ringing around the house and the early days of Avril Lavigne’s pop-riff hooks, Amber’s connection to music flourished, using any opportunity as a chance to play, whether that was in her bedroom or in the middle of the day at school. If you were looking for the kid at school who would be playing a guitar on the field at lunchtime, then you certainly would have found Amber.

“When I think of it now I just think, ‘Put it down’. But that was me,” she remembers.

“I would always beg my friends to be in bands with me and they never would, or they’d never get into it, and I think that’s why I went towards electronics more because I was writing songs that I wanted to sound fuller, but I didn’t have a band so just made some instruments on Garageband.”

It’s in those bedrooms, corridors and fields where The Japanese House was well and truly born. Continuing to write and hone her craft, Amber used music as a journey away from everyday life, writing raw and honest confessions that were amplified by the delicate and measured production that would glaze over its horizons.

“The music probably just came from procrastination, I wrote a lot of songs around exam time when I was supposed to be revising, and in a way I still do that now. Because it’s now my job I feel like I write less than before - when I have something else to do, that’s when I start writing.”

“I got really bad stage fright at first, I just couldn’t do it.”

At 16, Amber was playing shows in London, with just herself and a guitar.

A first show of sorts was at The World’s End in Finsbury Park - a slightly different set-up from Barney The Mouse, that’s for sure. While a continuation of a relationship with music that had stretched back for years, it was one that highlighted the differences and necessities of playing live and creating the music she wanted to. At that stage, the two didn’t seem to match. The music that was being played on stage certainly wasn’t the type she had been working on in her bedroom.

Yet life has a funny way of coming together. A chance meeting, a friendship and timing brought the world of The Japanese House into that of The 1975 and in turn, of Dirty Hit. What’s followed is a relationship that gave Amber Bain the platform and network to create music the way she wanted to, to be given the time to experiment in developing a unique sound and explore corners of the world that previously would of seemed a distant dream. It’s an amalgamation of everything she had wanted to pursue since she picked up her Dad’s guitar all those years ago.

Moving into London, and living in her own place for the first time, the bright lights and late-night world that blossoms within the city was a drastic change from the slow-paced environment of the suburbs, and one Amber could thrive in.

“I moved when I was 18 and have moved around so much since then,” remembers Amber, glancing out of the office window to see across the stacked houses of West London. “I always came up to London, like even in my last few years of school, I would stay with people and then come into school from there. It took me so long, but I’d just go out most days anyway. I’ve always been drawn to living in a city, it just feels a bit slow outside of them. I have a short attention span, so I’m not really good at doing nothing or focusing specifically on one thing at a time, so London’s great for that.

world, whether it’s going out to Iceland on her own to take a range of photos that would help form the groundwork for her EP artwork and songwriting (“It was quite nuts, because I’ve been to quite a few places on my own but not places where I have to go up mountains and see glaciers! It’s quite a weird experience when you see things that are so big but then can’t chat about it’) or stopping out in Marrakech with Celia from The Big Moon - the opportunity to absorb a wide array of cultures has never been far away.

Piecing together the numerous recordings and songs that had formed her teenage years and beyond, Amber finally found herself in the studio and working alongside the 75’s very own George Daniel, dipping the soothing harmonies of raw favourites such as ‘Still’ and ‘Teeth’ into atmospheric cuts of modern pop bliss.

“I’ve worked with another couple of producers, but me and George just had really similar tastes. I wanted to play quite a big part in the production and I knew that he would want me to do that too, so we co-produced it and it works really well. The studio’s like the place we’ll record some vocals, because I’m really bad at recording vocals at home because I get bored, and then some guitars too. We’ll mix it on some speakers at the end but mainly it’s all done on mine and George’s laptops.

“When working on that first EP, I found it terrifying because no-one had heard any of my music before, but I’d already written the second one and basically recorded it so I didn’t have that kind-of awareness that people were about to listen to it.”

“It’s amazing, it felt kinda scary at first because like all my friends had gone to university and I was going to go to university and you think, ‘Shit, I should be doing that’. But like, nobody gets this, the chance to fuck around and write songs for two years is really cool.”

After two years of developing and exploring, that first EP, ‘Pools To Bathe In’ emerged into the world in a cloud of mystery. Lead single ‘Still’ was debuted as Zane Lowe’s last ever Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, plaudits spilled out from around the globe and the EP itself boasted some of the most refreshingly honest tales of modern love seen in a generation. Its impact was deafening, a packaged snapshot of what The Japanese House is and a vital moment in time one that Amber can look back on now with a new perspective.

That chance has seen Amber see the

“‘Still’ was written when I was 16 or 17,

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I know ‘Teeth’ was quite new at the time as was ‘Sister’,” remembers Amber. “Some of them I like in a nostalgic way, like ‘Still’. I wouldn’t write that song now - it’s quite childish and that’s what I really like about it.

“There’s definitely a sense of separation, like I don’t even feel like they’re my songs. I kind of feel really detached to it, but that’s why I can then listen to them because if I did feel that attachment to it, I’d be a bit embarrassed. Once they’re out, I immediately stop worrying if they’re good or not - they become songs that I can just appreciate from an outside perspective hopefully.”

Second EP ‘Clean’ certainly put pay to any worries. From the chiming kicks of ‘Cool Blue’, the EP’s soaring title track and the mountain-sized synth lines of ‘Sugar Pill’, it cemented The Japanese House as a name locked into any buzz shortlist going, and certainly into the libraries of love-lorn dreamers for years to come. When delving into The Japanese House, it’s the unavoidable realities that hit home the most, producing the sort of magical soundscapes that leave you wanting to jump back for more. It’s nearon impossible to simply just listen to one track without being glued to the entire collection, conjuring something universal in its untouchable aura.

With the tracks out in the world, the mystery still wasn’t exactly dispelled. For one, there still hadn’t been a Japanese House live show, and that came with its own boundaries and obstacles.

“I got really bad stage fright actually at first, like I just couldn’t do it,” explains Amber. “I did two tours, and… I liked it, but I didn’t feel comfortable at all on stage. I had no idea how I was going to do it, at first I thought, ‘Oh god, how is this going to work?’

“I never sing really, aside from when I’m playing live or recording so loads of songs I hadn’t actually sung before apart from the one time in the studio or recorded at home. For me, I don’t just pick up a guitar and start singing while I do a song, it doesn’t work like that. So when it came to live I thought, ‘Oh shit, I actually have to… you know… sing’.”

Returning to the stage for the first time since those early days of pub nights in North London, The Japanese House in live form banished any notion of being unable to breathe in the same skin as the recorded entity. Learning to thrive in that realm was a continued process for Amber, one that saw her confronting her own fears with being on stage and playing the songs she’s spent so long working on.

“I think what it is, is I feel way more of a producer and a songwriter than I do a performer, like 100% more. At first if you’re not a natural performer then it feels embarrassing and awkward, and a bit stiff,” ponders Amber. “It was more a paranoia that they’d know how awkward I felt and then it would be a bad show, and people would then think I was shit.

“Now, I really enjoy performing. I did a tour in Australia with The 1975, where I just kicked out all of the nerves and now, I don’t really have any nerves. Like I don’t feel any different right now as to how I would feel on-stage.”

If there’s ever a way to embrace playing

live, then being whisked around the world with arguably the biggest pop band of the moment is certainly up there. From consecutive nights at Brixton Academy, to spanning shows across America - Amber’s run with The 1975 has certainly helped open her eyes to the world, and helped her to discover the sheer number of people already reached by her music. When fans at a show in the middle of America are screaming along to every word, you know there’s something special going on.

That experience has left a mark, as an almost speechless Amber recalls: ”I’m really lucky that a significant number of fans have heard my music because of the involvement of George, and their fans are so committed that they get there early already and a lot of them would sing along which was amazing to see, just people at the front singing. Once you realise seeing that makes you feel good, and people are having a good time listening to your music, than that’s what I really like about performing.

“When you go to a show and see everyone singing their songs and going mental, it’s hard to look at that and say, ‘Oh, I don’t want that’ - like obviously you’d want that. I don’t want it in the same way I don’t think, I like the way it’s going and I think that’s another reason why I’m getting less nervous. The shows reflect the progression in my music and fans too which has been amazing, and I’ve been really shocked by it. The fans I do have, how involved they are, like they know all the words!”

It’s a progression captured in the next chapter of her story, with new EP ‘Swim Against The Tide’ sounding like the most direct and cinematic collection to date. The pulsating hooks of ‘Face Like Thunder’ are an immediate call to arms, while the title track itself is another glistening ode to the fractured moment of struggling to put heartbreak into words. Full of life, vigour and looking up towards the sun instead of shying away from it, there’s level of confidence that’s ready to seize hearts and take them to another level. If there ever was a flag to wave when running into battle, ‘Swim Against The Tide’ is certainly it.

Grouped together from the vast catalogue of cuts that Amber’s been writing for years now, it’s a bigger and bolder affair.

“Songs like ‘Face Like Thunder’ I wrote a long time ago - as a joke!” she notes.

“It started off as one and then I thought, ‘Actually, I think I’m going to finish this’.

With the production on it, I wanted to make it sound bigger than I’d already made it and I think that shows.”

Alongside her own particular favourite (the title track which she likes because “it’s a really sad song lyrically, and the first in ages where it was written and done in like two minutes”), the EP plays host to closer ‘Leon’ - a panoramic sized nugget written about the cult hitmanflick namesake, and its tale of a hitman looking after a young orphaned girl in the city.

“That song’s changed so much and also not at all, it’s about Matilda in the film and she’s grown up - I was really interested in the idea of her being in love with him,” explains Amber. As a movie buff who used to head to the cinema around three times a week to

catch films, it’s a perfect marriage of visuals, story-telling and heartache. “It’s the only song I’ve ever written in third person, about her being grown up and with someone else, finding him really boring and just fantasising about being with Leon and the sadness of settling for something when you already had something.”

“I still don’t know what my album is going to sound like.”

It’s sure to be yet another favourite during the upcoming run of UK and European shows, rounding out the year with her biggest headline tour to date. Attention has already turned to capturing the essence of the latest EP live, Amber having spent the week rehearsing heavily in order to get it nailed on come the first night. “‘Swim Against The Tide’ is going to be a sad one to play live,” she notes. “Oh and ’Good Side In’ is so hard to play, when I went to rehearse it I just went, ‘Oh my god’. I have to do tapping and shit, like I don’t want to be that guy who does tapping - but I have to do it as there’s no other way to play it!

“It’s nice that you can focus on the music and the lyrics without me dancing around though. I used to be absolutely still but apparently now I do this weird hip-thrusting thing, like wiggling that I have no idea I’m doing…”

So weird hip-thrusting is certainly on the table, but more than anything they’ll be a celebration. In the space of 18 months, The Japanese House has become something greater than another new band, another new face to talk about. She’s an act born into mystery, yet refreshingly down to earth and real - creating the soundtrack to the highs and lows of modern life in a style and manner that only she can pull off. It’s warm and chilling in equal measure, and makes its way into your soul quicker than a wide-eyed puppy.

When thinking ahead, there’s only one goal in mind - and that in itself is to not have any goals.

“It’s really weird because I have no goals, because I think having goals in this industry is kinda redundant,” explains Amber. “Like, if I was asked five years ago what do you want to do, I’d be saying if i was playing the Barfly I’d be like, ‘What the fuck I’ve made it!’ With Heaven, I remember seeing The 1975 play there and thinking ‘They’ve made it’, but now I’m playing Heaven!’

“It’s not like a goal, because then what’s the point - I’m happy just rolling along.

I think my main goal is to not write shit music.

“It can sound like I’m being quite unambitious or blasé about a career - it’s cool to play these big shows and do that kind of stuff, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if I never got to play them. I

get much more of a kick out of recording music, like I’m sure I’ll get a big kick out of doing my album and being okay with it. Like when I say ‘I’m happy with the album’, that’ll be a good moment.

“I still don’t know what my album is going to sound like, I have a collection of songs that’ll probably be on it but then they may not be. I may write ten masterpieces between now and then!

It could completely change and sound different, I think I’ll probably just record loads and loads of songs, which I already have - I have so many songs which I haven’t used, I’m really bad at finishing them because I just get distracted.”

A

s conversation shifts to shit TV (or fucking great TV in the case of The Apprentice), stories of being ill in Morocco, meeting Blondie and what Amber would want to do if she wasn’t a musician (appearing on the TV show Hunted is high on the list) what’s clear is one thing. Amber Bain is a 21-year-old thriving in life, making the music she’s always wanted to and connecting with an ever-growing congregation of fans, drawn in by not only the mesmeric sounds she’s creating but the person behind it all. There’s no pretence, no bullshit and no posing - and what’s left is one of the most exciting musicians of recent times, taking flight with the confidence to match. Whatever comes next, it’s sure to be stunning - and that’s the exciting part. For Amber Bain, the possibilities are endless.

Striding out of the Dirty Hit offices, Amber heads back to rehearsals - ready to nail down the glitches and flows she’s formed in her own textured world. You’re once again greeted by the thick black scrawl of “Coming Soon” in the building work opposite. The “Soon” part appears to be fading, as if it’s been promised for so long that any sense of anticipation has now began to wander.

For The Japanese House there’s no chance in that, the development is ready for expansion - get in while you can. P The Japanese House’s new EP “Swim Against The Tide” is out 11th November.

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Babes Never Die HONEYBLOOD’S NEW ALBUM IS A BATTLE CRY FOR UNDERDOGS EVERYWHERE. WORDS: MARTYN YOUNG. PHOTO: RYAN JOHNSTON.

F

or Scottish duo Honeyblood, ‘Babes Never Die’ is more than just a record title: it represents an attitude that bursts through their second album’s storming twelve tracks. As singer and guitarist Stina Tweeddale explains, the genesis of the album was established even before she and drummer Cat Myers had begun writing. “It’s something that I’ve been saying for a long time,” she begins. “It’s like my crazy war cry. I have it tattooed and have had it for around two years now. When we started writing the album I wrote a song called ‘Babes Never Die’ which was the beginning of what became the whole album.”

The album takes Honeyblood to the next level while highlighting an increasing confidence as writers and musicians. It’s “heavier, faster, punkier and more in your face,” Stina excitedly proclaims. It’s almost as if Honeyblood are a completely different band. In a sense, they are as this is the first album recorded with the hard-hitting power of drummer, Cat but when the two of them are together there’s an uncanny alchemy and spark that makes it seem like it’s always been this way. This album is the sound of Honeyblood in full bloom.

The creepiness of their environment and feeling of foreboding actually helped to inspire them. “I love being scared,” reveals Stina. “I think it makes things exciting. It’s a rush of adrenalin.”

It would be a mistake though to label ’Babes Never Die’ a dark and distressing album. Instead, it’s fantastical, uproarious and inspiring. Oh, and it’s chocked full of bangers. “It’s tongue in cheek, it’s not supposed to be taken very seriously,” says Stina. “I think Honeyblood in its essence and the way me and Cat are is that we don’t take anything too seriously.”

The move from personal based songwriting to acerbic and witty character based vignettes like ‘Justine, Misery Queen’ opens up some mystery into Honeyblood’s songs. “Everything’s taken with a pinch of salt but could also be about someone you know. It’s

Cat sums it up perfectly: “It’s the whole Babes Never Die attitude.”

That totemic rallying cry represents a communal spirit that is key to the whole album and Honeyblood in general. “It’s very inclusive,” says Stina. “It’s not just about women and it’s not just about men.

Babes is all about the underdog. Being kicked down and using that to propel yourself up. A lot of it is to do with the misconceptions people have of you and the way people judge you.”

You get the feeling with this album that it’s Honeyblood sending a message of solidarity out to anyone feeling disaffected and displaced. “You should just do what the fuck you want,” says Cat. If you spend enough time doing something, you’re going to get better than people at it. You just have to keep going. You’re gonna be shit at first but

There is definitely though a connection between Honeyblood and the other newer bands who are forming the UK’s bubbling vibrant indie underbelly. “On Twitter you see these bands and it’s great because they are on the same track as you,” says Stina. “You’re all going at the same pace and speed.” “I feel like we’re the uncool losers in that scene,” she laughs. “We relish that though,” says Cat. “You don’t have to pretend to be anything that you’re not. We just bumble around. We don’t pretend to be cooler than we are.”

That’s the beauty of Honeyblood they’re a band who know exactly what they are and revel in it. They’re unafraid to take the piss and build their own weird little world with the band and their fans. This is evident in the addition of the bands new bass machine christened Sebastian who has taken on a persona of his own and has been taken to heart by the fans.

He even has his own dedicated Twitter feed.

Watch out for the language though.

“Sebastian has brought loads of dirty chat,” laughs Stina. “He’s really inappropriate.”

“We don’t pretend to be cooler than we are.”

Part of Honeyblood’s appeal has always been a sense of playful darkness and a desire never to take themselves too seriously. On ‘Babes Never Die’ this comes together perfectly on an album full of character and rich storytelling.

Its recording allowed the duo to ramp up the theatricality of their music and songs and indulge in all their dark fantasies. “It’s based on real life but has all this creepy, dark imagery intertwined within it,” says Stina. “All these songs are connected and the stories intertwine.

The characters intertwine. We did go to a really creepy house in Dumfries to demo which affected the songwriting.”

ambiguous,” adds Cat.

just keep going.”

“It was fun to write from a different perspective,” begins Stina, as she talks about the song writing process. “I find as a songwriter that if you just write songs about yourself it can get kinda boring. It can become too personal. Y’know what?

I just don’t want to share that much anymore.”

Stina goes on to relate exactly why it’s important to hold those ideals dear.

“Honeyblood is the band I aspired to be in and the songs I wanted to write when I was fifteen. The person who you are when you’re fifteen is your truest self.

Then you get a job and become an adult and think you have to behave a certain way.” “You need to hang on to the weird 15-year-old self,” says Cat, before the two of them in unison agree laughing that “we’re definitely clinging on!”

The desire to add a bit of mystery and intrigue to their songs is also represented in Honeyblood’s rebellious attitude that cuts through the album like a blinding shock of platinum blonde hair.

It’s a brilliantly refreshing perspective.

“I have the free range to say whatever I want,” Stina confidently proclaims. “I don’t think you should ever hold back from what you want to say. Loads of times I’ve lay awake at night and thought I shouldn’t really say that it might hurt someone’s feelings and offend people, but now I’m like, ah, fuck it it’s fine!”

The band themselves admit to feeling a bit like outsiders at times. Particularly on visits to London and established musical centres where they feel a bit like infiltrators crashing in. “It’s a weird place sometimes,” Cat says of the capital. “You just have to try to be cool all the time which is a bit difficult when you talk as much shite as we do,” she laughs.

These little quirks are what make Honeyblood so endearing and exciting.

Refusing to bow down to convention and people who said they could only evolve if they got a bass player the band instead looked for a different more interesting way to do things. Enter Sebastian: “Sebastian is a collection of beeps, individual bass notes, some weird short guitar effects sounds and he’s got a couple of hand claps as well. He evolves,” explains Cat. Ultimately, Sebastian helped open up all manner of sonic possibilities for Honeyblood but really everything comes back to the album title. “Babes was the spark for the album,” concludes Stina.

Now, her empowering battle cry has gone from the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow to be heard across the world. P Honeyblood’s album ‘Babes Never Die’ is out now.

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K e e p i t s i m p l e JAWS AREN’T ASKING MUCH WITH THEIR SECOND ALBUM. THEY JUST WANT PEOPLE TO LEARN THE WORDS, AND MAYBE BEAT ROBBIE WILLIAMS TO NUMBER 1… WORDS: JESSICA GOODMAN.

“T

his sounds really arrogant, but every song on this album is the best song we’ve ever written to that point,” Connor Schofield states.

“That’s the sort of thing that NME would put on the cover to make me look like a twat,” he laughs. Sure, such hyperbole might be fairly overused at this point, but with their second album finally released, Jaws couldn’t be more thrilled.

“It sounds really big headed, but I’m just so proud of the whole thing,” Connor enthuses. “I listen to it and I sort of think, ‘What the hell - how is that us?’ No disrespect to you...” he trails off, turning to his bandmate sat next to him. “No, I agree man!” Eddy Geach exclaims. “I mean, ’it’s the best record we’ve ever made’ is such a cliché, but…”

“Whenever there’s a practice we’ll write something. We’ve basically just been doing that for a year.”

The result of their efforts finally arrives this month in the form of ‘Simplicity’, a record that boils the tensions, worries, excitement, and thrills of every day life down to their very essence. “You have all these feelings in one place, but at the end of the day it’s just life, isn’t it?” Connor explains. “It is simple,” he comments of the title.

Complex though the inspirations for the record may be, the songs do indeed present themselves with a certain simplicity. “I wrote this in a time when I was getting better from anxiety and depression,” the frontman expands. “It’s a mix of the emotions that we were going through at

Connor shrugs.

“You can get through it,” the frontman reassures. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s the point really.” Describing the release as somewhere between “the inside of a teenager’s head” and “when you take that first sip of tea in a morning,” the record was as fulfilling to make as it is to listen to. “It’s pretty lit, to be fair,” Connor declares with a grin.

Giving form to your own emotions might sound challenging, but the moment the band stepped into the studio, the process became decidedly simple. “It’s been really natural writing as a band,” Connor enthuses. “We wrote the songs live,” Eddy adds. “There’s such a short amount of time in the studio. We knew exactly what we had to do.”

“We’re basically running our own label. You don’t need to be signed in 2016,” he offers, more seriously. “Unless you just want loads of money.” “If we were in it for the money, I don’t think we’d even be a band,” Eddy conveys. “Anyone who starts a band to make money is a fucking idiot.”

Over a year in the build up, the excitement surrounding the release is so vivid it’s almost takes form. “We’ve made such a good thing!” Connor declares excitedly.

“It’s our little baby. It’s got two dads, and Huddy’s the uncle,” he laughs. “Obviously we want it to do well. We want to make another album. But at the same time, we don’t care. We’re so happy with what we’ve made.”

This isn’t to say the group aren’t feeling competitive about the release. “Our record is coming out on the same day as Robbie Williams’,” Connor reveals.

“We’ll be Number 2,” he resigns.

“He’ll be Number 2!” Eddy declares, to his bandmates’ cheer of approval.

“We won’t be Number 1,” he adds, “but he’ll just be 2.”

“Anyone who starts a ba nd t o m ake money is a f uc king i di ot.”

The album, released this month, arrives two years on from the band’s debut.

In the time since, the three musicians have toured across the country together, performed with other bands, and even started a clothing line.

“But more importantly, I work at Schuh and it’s student night next week. Come down!”

Connor laughs. “We’ve just been doing real life for a bit.”

Taking time away from the spotlight, the group started work on their new record well over a year ago. “We wrote SO many songs!” Connor proclaims. “With the first album it was sort of like, ‘Oh, look, there’s eleven songs, that’s the album, cool!’” he depicts. “With this album sometimes it would take me eight songs to get to one good one. I’d happily write the eight shit songs, because I knew eventually we were going to get one that mattered.”

With twenty unused songs left by the wayside, and more written in the time since “for the new record” (yes, already), Jaws might’ve been keeping things quiet, but they’ve certainly not been idle. “We write as much as we can,” Eddy states.

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that time.” Condensing the broad spectrum of life into forty-odd minutes is by no means an easy undertaking, but it’s one the group were determined to triumph over.

“I’ve been through having anxiety – it feels like the worst thing ever,” Connor describes.

“You don’t understand it.” Encompassing all of that confusion and offering a sense of brightness and satisfaction along the way, with their second album Jaws truly flourish.

“It’s about that realisation that actually, everything is alright,” Connor illustrates.

“It’s trying to put it in a way that someone can listen to that, sort of as a self-help record.”

Focusing on sound and feeling before their lyrical content, Jaws have kept their words open to interpretation, and in doing so, have created a record that can resonate with anyone. “You can have the best day of your life and still listen to a sad song, or you can have the worst day of your life and listen to this song that makes you happy,”

With the songs already written and fully formed, all that was left to do was commit them to record. Working from the early morning through until early the next, it was a tiring ten days that gave ‘Simplicity’ its shape, but it’s a process the group are quick to state the record couldn’t exist without. “With the first album we were new to it all,” Connor expresses. “We took that experience and put it into this record.”

“These whole last four years in this industry has been an education,” he continues. As they self-release their second record, there’s no shirking how tight a unit Jaws have become. “We turned down Simon Cowell, again,” Connor explains of their decision to release without a label. “He keeps trying to slide into the DMs on Instagram as well. I’m like, ‘This is not a professional means of communication’. Add me on LinkedIn and we’ll talk.”

“I just hope people learn the words,” the drummer continues. “I love it when they sing at a gig.” With tour dates spanning through this month and into December, there’s every opportunity for that to happen. As for what follows? “I’m going back to work on that Monday, so I don’t know,” Connor states. “It all depends on how many copies of the album sells in the first week – so please buy it,” he laughs.

“That’s the thing about not being signed.

You’ve got to write your own story,” Eddy contemplates. “Hopefully there’ll be another tour. Hopefully a support tour,” Connor speculates. “Maybe another interview,” Eddy grins. “If there were less bands, we’d have more chance of being successful,” Connor mulls. “So if you could all just stop…” P Jaws’ album ‘Simplicity’ is out now.

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WITH THEIR FOURTH HEAD-SPINNING RECORD ‘JESSICA RABBIT’, BROOKLYN NOISE-POP DUO ALEXIS KRAUSS AND DEREK E. MILLER ARE MORE IN CONTROL THAN EVER, DITCHING THE SLEIGH BELLS FORMULA - “WHATEVER THE HELL THAT IS?!” WORDS: BEN JOLLEY.

t’s been a long time coming for us,” begins Alexis Krauss, frontwoman of Brooklyn duo Sleigh Bells.

“Because we were sort of used to putting a record out every year, we decided to take our time with this album and not to rush anything out,” she continues. Though it’s left fans eagerly waiting nearly three years for new music, the end result is undoubtedly one of their best albums - up there with 2010’s ‘Treats’.

“Giving ourselves more time to be a little tougher on the music ended up being really advantageous,” Alexis continues.

“You have to live with a song in order to realise if you really love it, because once that initial excitement about recording it dies down, that’s when the true feelings come out,” she considers, in the middle of a hectic week that’s seen them film the video for their unexpected ballad moment ‘I Can Only Stare’. “We shot down in New Jersey, in my hometown and then we had a shoot here in Brooklyn. I don’t want to give away too much but it was an excellent two days,” she says.

“I think the songs that made it onto ‘Jessica Rabbit’ are actually the best songs that we worked on… and we worked on a lot. We recorded more music than we ever have,” Alexis continues. “And we were pretty cruel to a lot of the songs; some of the ones that didn’t make it were favourites of mine at one point.” The chanty, shouty lyrics and guitar-heavy onslaughts of debut album ‘Treats’ are long gone on ‘Jessica Rabbit’. Instead, the duo opt for emotional urgency – Alexis’ powerhouse vocal sits firmly at the front now, showcasing a range that could challenge many of her female counterparts; whilst sinister synths and drum machines are favoured over guitars.

‘Lightning Turns Sawdust Gold’ opens with misleadingly reserved piano keys - but it’s not long before Alexis’ emotional vocal takes hold, every word audible to sing at the top of our lungs. ‘I Can’t Stand You Anymore’ sounds like a completely different band. Alexis still manages to make ‘Crucible’ sound like a pop song,

despite screeching and scratching instruments while ‘Loyal For’ and the almost acoustic silence of ‘I Know Not To Count On You’ sound like what Bat For Lashes might come up with if she worked with Derek.

The handclap synths give way to a full force ballad chorus on the head-spinning ‘I Can Only Stare’. Bone-shattering shotguns of noise reign supreme throughout punk-rave anthem ‘Unlimited Dark Paths’ and ‘Rule Number One’, built on ticking synths and relentless stop-start guitar riffs, verges on heavy rock territory before simmering back down to pop singalong potential through the chorus.

On penultimate track ‘Hyper Dark’, Derek’s stalking guitars haunt while Alexis delivers an eerily minimal vocal over ticking instrumentals and spooky synth crashes.

The cheerleader-esque lyrics of ‘Treats’ have been replaced with a fuller, conventional pop/R&B vocal style on ‘Jessica Rabbit’. “In the past, Derek was doing a lot more of the songwriting.

Now that’s starting to really change,” Alexis explains, adding that her album of the year is Beyonce’s ‘Formation’ (“It’s everything I love about music right now”).

“When I write melodies for my voice, and the way I like to arrange vocals, that’s how I write. I just don’t write in chanty, shouty

S L E I G H B E L LS O N …

J ESS I CA R A B B I T

“Derek had a childhood crush on her. It took him a while to realise that she wasn’t real but he wanted her nonetheless… that’s a big part of the album: wanting the unattainable but never giving up the fight.”

S L E I G H B E L LS O N …

T H E C OV E R A RT

“The artwork is by our friend Brian Montouri. When I look at his paintings they feel like our music.

There is an intensity to his work that really speaks to everything ‘Jessica Rabbit’ represents.”

ways… Derek and I just have very different writing styles.” Bringing them together, the end result is a more “belted” traditionalsounding pop/R&B vocal. “But obviously taking that and definitely fucking with it to the point where, hopefully, it sounds like something other people aren’t doing.”

deadpans. As for their influences, Alexis says: “Derek and I both love great pop music and as a vocalist I’m very influenced by pop icons from Cyndi Lauper to The Marvelettes to Beyoncé. So it’s only natural that those influences would seep into our creative process.

Recorded between tours over several years across varying studios, ‘Jessica Rabbit’ came together in San Francisco, as well as in Derek’s apartment, Alexis’ apartment and they also recorded at The Creamery Studio in Brooklyn. “We started working on ‘Jessica Rabbit’ right around the time we finished touring for ‘Bitter Rivals’. We’d actually been recording music before we wrapped… some sessions were more formal than the others, but we were just all over the place,” Alexis considers, adding that some tracks were mixed with Andrew Dawson, who has worked with Kanye West and Jay-Z, in LA. As a result, Alexis describes the finished product as “pretty manic. There are definitely themes of turbulence and delusion; that being said I think it’s very hopeful.”

“There was definitely more of a focus on writing strong arrangements and crafting better melodies, she continues. Most recently, though, Alexis has been listening to “obscure” soul music. “I’ve always loved that,” she says of Sam Cooke, Jimmy Ruffin and Jackie Wilson. “I’m really attracted to singers that are able to sing in a way that’s powerful and emotional, but still incorporate melodies that are really joyful. I love that contrast between really melancholic music and a triumphant vocal. Loretta Lynn, also, I find the way she uses her voice phenomenal, there’s so much heartbreak in it but yet there’s a sweetness and a vulnerability.”

With Alexis’ vocal leading the instruments - rather than the other way around as on earlier albums - Alexis likens her voice to “laser beams… I think the intensity is definitely amped up on this album. The vocal delivery, especially, is much more in your face; the way it’s mixed is different than our past records. In the past a lot of the vocals were more textural, but now they’re much more emotional.” A sense of euphoria runs through some of the tracks, though there’s an unmistakable sense of “fierceness and melancholy,” she says.

“I think that was a conscious creative decision, especially how I was using my voice and how Derek was recording my vocals. They’re less muddied and less treated – kind of like laser beams,” she laughs.

It all adds up to something that sounds like nothing else Sleigh Bells have done - or any other artist for that matter. “It’s not like we’re spinning our wheels trying to do something completely unique,” Alexis ponders. “On this album there was a desire to pull from all of our influences and to not feel the pressure to write songs that would fit the ‘Sleigh Bells formula’… whatever the hell that is!” she

As well as a change of sound, Sleigh Bells are unleashing ‘Jessica Rabbit’ on their own terms. “It took some time to figure out the best way to release the music.

And, ultimately, we decided to self-release and start our own label, Torn Clean, while working with some great partners in the UK like Lucky Number.” The choice to leave Mom + Pop, which they released all three records on and “had a great relationship with – especially founder Michael Goldstone,” came from a desire for greater creative control and autonomy.

“Our visions just didn’t align, in as far as what we were looking to release, and that was fine,” Alexis confesses. “I think it’s really important to try out new things but if they don’t work then you can’t be afraid to part ways. We were just looking for something a little different,” Alexis recalls. “We ultimately ended up putting it out ourselves because there were a lot of things that we want to do on our own terms – everything from the artwork to what songs we wanted to release and how we wanted to release them. It just made more sense to do it ourselves… It’s been great so far being our own bosses…”

P Sleigh Bells’ album ‘Jessica Rabbit’ is out 11th November.

33

N

ostalgia is easy.

Making people care about something new, though - “That’s when it becomes a challenge,” starts Charlie Simpson. He’s a person who knows a thing or two about that. “It’s not easy to build something new,” he continues.

“That’s why when people say you’re just doing it for the money, that’s crazy.

We’re changing the branding, changing the sound, changing everything. We’re making it much more difficult for ourselves. And that’s the reason we’re doing it for the right reasons.”

Yup, Busted are back. Properly, actually back. There’s already been the victory lap of an arena tour taking in all the hits of old but more interestingly, there’s new music. In place of the goofy pop band who played guitars and jumped at the same time, they’ve returned as something completely different.

Effortlessly cool, lit up with neon lights and sounding timeless already, Busted haven’t matured - they’ve grown into something new entirely.

“It’s a terrible commercial decision,” grins Matt Willis as all three members burst out laughing. “The only thing we’ve kept is the name Busted” - “There are no one-word band names left.

Everything’s taken,” reasons James Bourne - “Everything else has gone out the window, but it’s what we want to do and for Busted to have a future, we have to do this.”

“We have to build again,” adds Charlie, before Matt finishes: “We have to treat this like a new band.”

From the moment they got back together in a Los Angeles recording studio and started playing, it felt like a homecoming. But it also “felt like a brand new thing,” to Matt. “It felt like a completely new experience to what Busted was like all those years ago. It was a totally new way of creating for us as a band.”

Back in The Old Days, the band would write on acoustic guitars and head into the studio with a finished product, ready to be copied and created. This time, they went in with nothing. Collectively listening to more electronically driven music, from Phil Collins to Daft Punk, as well as drawing tones of nostalgia from the era the trio grew up in, the band’s blank canvas took on colour and shape “after spending a few days in the studio playing around with instruments. It all happened really naturally,” offers Charlie.

“There was not much pre-thinking going in.”

One thing they did know was they “wanted it to be a different record. We would never have come back and made an extension of the last two albums ‘cause we’re not in that place anymore,” starts Charlie.

“There’s no way that could have possibly worked,” continues James. As for the people asking ”Where the fuck is Busted?” in reaction to the new material so far, they’re right here in 2016. Sleek, stylised and with something to say. The Busted of old is exactly where it should be. “The only way for it to work was to be who we are now, not who we were then.”

With their new material, the concept was simple. “We’re going to make the album we’re going to make now and if people want to come with us on that journey, welcome. We want it to last. We’ve made something we’re happy with and if other people warm to it and start listening to it over and over then it’s a win for them and us. This band, it’s become our lives again.” There’s an album, a tour and plans beyond both. “We’re going to keep making new music beyond this album.

It’s like, it’s a real here to stay thing. It’s not going to just disappear.”

Before they rush off into the future though, Busted need to introduce the world to ‘Night Driver’. Their third studio album, and their first in thirteen years, is a tightly woven trip. Delicate soundscapes and blistering hooks lock together as the record shows off selfassurance without ever getting in your face. It’s so far removed from the likes of ‘Air Hostess’, ‘Crashed The Wedding’ and ‘Year 3000’ that it doesn’t even need to try for distance.

“In a way, there’s a lot riding on this album,” offers James, as Charlie reflects: “I think we did have things to prove.

We wanted to show ourselves that we’ve done a lot of stuff since Busted finished the first time and now we’re all collectively doing it the way we want to do it. We’re a unit. We were quite fragmented at the end. We were all doing our own different things.” Now though, “It’s a new journey, it’s a new voyage and we want to really establish that and go forward with it.”

The band are still tied to their past.

Whether it’s recognising something that looks like their old logo in a newspaper advert from across the room, or reflecting on the way music has evolved since they’re been gone (“All the goal posts have moved.”), Busted are very aware of their history. Now though, it comes with self-acceptance.

First time around, “we were at the tail end of a fucking barrage of shit pop music,” grins Matt. “When I’d be in a black cab and they’d ask me what I’d do, I’d tell them I was in a pop band and I’d feel a bit bummed out. Now though I’m like, ‘I’m in a fucking pop band!’ and that’s awesome. I don’t feel weird by saying that ‘cause pop music is fucking rad now.”

Busted have always been a hybrid.

First time around standing somewhere between pop and pop punk without really being accepted by either, and now Busted 2.0 are making music that lies at a point between eighties (“A golden era of pop. It’s unparalleled.”) and the future to try and “make it as timeless as we could,” says Charlie. “Pop music that doesn’t fit into a certain era. We wanted it, in twenty years, to sound as current as it does now.”

You’d think live that would present an obstacle, but “that’s the easy bit,” according to James. “The challenge is having people perceive us in this new way. The album does speak for itself and I’m really excited for the album to go out there and do the talking for us.”

change comes from the fact the band are “in control of what we’re doing now,” admits Charlie. “A lot of what went on before was really the record company coming in and saying things need to be done a certain way. I’m not knocking that because Busted was incredibly successful and that’s great, but a lot of that stuff, if I’m honest, drove me away from it.

“I think what’s so nice about now is that we’re in control of it all. It all comes from us. If any of us are not happy with something, we won’t do it. We feel like a very strong unit now. Busted is presented now how it should always be presented.”

“The thing with Busted is that it became this crazy thing,” explains James. “It took on a mind of its own, a world of its own and it got a little bit out of control.” But the make up of the band, the relationship and chemistry between James, Matt and Charlie, “there was always a lot of potential there. Hopefully the reasons why we were successful, last time, those things are still there. We’ve got the experience and the ability to go back into the studio and correct things about the band and people start to look at us as a real band.”

“The ingredients are the same,” adds Charlie. “It’s just a different flavoured cake.”

Despite the legacy, the interest and the size Busted have operated, and continue to operate on, there’s no fear. “I don’t really think about that, because that’s an outside question,” Charlie ventures.

“It’s an outside perception, and that’s something you can’t worry about. We shouldn’t be influenced by the outside looking in, we should be the influencers, looking out. The legacy is what we want it to be. You can’t worry about that, you can’t. “ “There’s a million different people with a million different perceptions,” fires James. “The thing is, to everyone else, their perception of the band is what they think it is right now. But to us, our band is what it is. It is what we make it.

We’re just doing that, we’re just making our band what it is and the other perceptions will be what they be, but the longer we keep making our band what it is, gradually the idea of what people think it is, it changes. I listen to stuff and if my ears like it, I like it. I don’t spend a while thinking, ‘Is it cool of me to like that?’ Just like what you like, listen to what you like.

“It’s like Steve Jobs said, you don’t ask people what they want, you tell them what they want. You forge your own ground. You don’t get influenced by those around you or you’ll be constantly second guessing yourself. You hope the fans come with you, and at the moment, the reaction’s been really good but you can’t worry that a fan might not like that, you just have to do it and hope they come with you. If they don’t, that’s fine.

It’s only right that they come with you if they believe in your vision.”

“We can always adapt the old songs,” grins Charlie. “Anyway, one more album and we’ll have the same amount of new songs as old ones.”

As for the future, the door’s now wide open. “If there wasn’t going to be a future, we wouldn’t have done anything,” admits Charlie. “We’re definitely doing another record and we want to get started on that this year if possible.” P

Everything’s changed with Busted but the biggest, most obvious and powerful

Busted’s album ‘Night Driver’ is out 25th November.

Home C O M I N G

THEY WERE THE BIGGEST POP STARS IN THEIR CLASS, THEN OVERNIGHT THEY WERE NO MORE. BUT WHY, AFTER REFORMING FOR A BRAND NEW ALBUM, DO BUSTED SOUND LIKE, Y’KNOW, A WHOLE DIFFERENT BAND?

WORDS: ALI SHUTLER.

REVIEWS Sad13

Slugger

Carpark Records

eeee Speedy Ortiz frontwoman Sadie Dupuis has long been one of indie rock’s sharpest voices. On ‘Slugger’, her long awaited solo album under the name Sad13, she strikes out on her own making a lighter, sweeter and poppier take on her band’s acerbic rock. Lo-fi yet bright and shiny at the same time, she provides important messages about inclusivity, friendship and relationship. It’s an album that has a lot to say delivered in a fresh and different approach. Martyn Young

Waterparks Double Dare Easy Life

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Honeyblood Babes Never Die eeeee

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oneyblood are part of an exclusive club. A group of bands that many want to join, but few get the opportunity.

While superstardom may appeal, it’s even better to be super-good. Their debut marked them out as a band with a bar so high it’d cause serious neck injuries to even peek over the top. With touch of line-up jiggery pokery along the way, their second full-length is virtually stratospheric.

Because while Honeyblood may not be headlining Wembley Arena, they’ll also never, ever let you down.

One blast of title track ‘Babes Never Die’

Sleigh Bells

Frank Iero

Lucky Number

Hassle Records

Jessica Rabbit

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proves that. Defiant to the last, it rattles, rolls and shimmies like a pro. Both sugary sweet and salty, it’s a confrontation with a foe that gets to play all sides of the argument and win every time.

‘Ready For The Magic’ is the dictionary definition of banger - breaking speed limits as it races through, casting its voodoo as it passes - while ‘Justine, Misery Queen’ plays it’s refrain for keeps. It’s ‘Sister Wolf’ that stands out strongest, though. Prowling through the full moon, it packs all the claustrophobic tension of the hunt before blasting into a chorus that’s both subtle and brilliantly effective.

Of course, the thing about hidden gems is that they don’t have to stay hidden for long.

The attention Honeyblood garnered a few years back was just the foundations for something bigger. ‘Babes Never Die’ sounds every inch that breakout moment. An album that stands toe to toe with any other in its class, it packs so much sass it’ll spook the competition without even throwing a punch. Stephen Ackroyd

Parachutes

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eeee

As abrasive and dramatic as ever, Sleigh Bells’ fourth offering ‘Jessica Rabbit’ sees them broaching the R&B side of their usual mix. Relying heavily on melody and assaulting guitars, the duo’s usual charm shines through. Stand out moments come in the form of ‘I Can Only Stare’, a reverberant heartache ballad led by a thunderous beat, and ‘Rule Number One’ which uses the repetition of “two tornadoes / touch down in Kansas / instinct takes over / instinct commands us” and a taunting, aggressive guitar line.

Steven Loftin

“The act of living can be random and strange, beautiful and ugly at the same time.” Frank’s album announcement was on point. Never fenced in by genre, he sharpens the ragged edges of his music on ‘Parachutes’, but keeps it within touching distance of ‘Stomachaches’. ‘Veins! Veins!!

Veins!!!’ is jubilant anarchy and ‘I’ll Let You Down’ swaggering storytelling, where ‘Miss Me’ has country twangs and ‘Remedy’ is an apt dose of comparative calm. Iero’s world is as random, strange, beautiful and ugly as ever – but this is the moment he’s found his feet as the frontman. Heather McDaid

A SHORT Q+A

Opener ‘Hawaii (Stay Awake)’ immediately presents Waterparks as hyper-pop punk, but within ‘Double Dare’ there lies a lot more than just easily digestible summer anthems. There are of course songs that relate to modern romance, such as the teen angst present in ’21 Questions’, but there’s a deeper side too. It’s a solid debut that has some misses, but that more than makes up for it with the hits: ‘Double Dare’ is over-the-top, but a whole lot of fun.

Steven Loftin

WITH TOY It’s been three years since your last full-length - what did you get up to during your time away?

We toured ‘Join The Dots’ for pretty much two years whilst writing songs for the next record. We also did a record last year with Dan Carey and Natasha Khan. We demoed and experimented a lot.

What first sparked the creation of ‘Clear Shot’? Where did you begin?

We had a lot of music we’d recorded at home and were trying to pick out of that what would make the best album. We went to a studio called Far Heath in the country and recorded demos. It was really fun being isolated and free to record through the night.

To what extent do you look to events in your own life for inspiration? Is it a personal record?

I think we always look at what’s going on in our lives or our heads when we write music. It seems to be where we get the best ideas from and the most meaning.

Did you set out to try anything new on this album?

We used a different producer and studio for the first time, which was really refreshing. We also used sequencing for the first time. The album is cleaner in places which was purposeful. We found we could get more depth to the sound with less going on. There’s more vocal harmony as well which I like. P

TOY

Clear Shot Heavenly Recordings

eee e Smothered in reverb and a dream like haze, ‘Clear Shot’ is TOY upping their game. The ease with which you can get lost in the record is absurd, the sound is completely enveloping. There’s a certain grandiosity at play, particularly in the closer ‘Cinema’, which builds from a slow, jangly guitar strum to a chaotic crescendo over a series of more increasingly dramatic turns. Getting to this point can feel like quite a long slog, but the reward is certainly worth the wait. Steven Loftin

Tigercub

Abstract Figures In The Dark Alcopop!

eeee There’s a sense of impending doom to Tigercub’s ‘Abstract Figures...’. From the opening groove-laced lament of ‘Burning Effigies’, through the shuddering ‘Migraine’ to the insular ‘Serial Killer’, the band expand on every world they’ve ever created. Anxious and uncertain, they take the unspoken mood and give it a voice. It’s political and pissed off without resorting to spat anger. There’s nowhere to hide with this record, so chin up. Embrace it all. Ali Shutler

You’ll Pay For This

The Japanese House

Palace

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Dirty Hit

Fiction Records

Bear Hands Pensive Sounds

Bear Hands don’t believe in standing still. ‘You’ll Pay For This’ simply refuses to fall back on what came before. Instead, it pushes new horizons. That’s not to say their new, occasionally more electro-pop sound is revolutionary - it isn’t - but it does pay off. The low key groove of ‘2am’, ‘Too Young’ and the more assertive ‘Like Me Like That’ all stand out, but fall just short of full on banger status.

At the end, that’s ‘You’ll Pay For This’ all over. Aiming high, doing well, but just missing that final leap. Christopher Jones

Young Legionnaire Zero Worship

Superstar Destroyer Records

eee A multitude of genres come together to form an album that has no problem in doing whatever the hell it wants to. ‘Zero Worship’ goes from blazing and anthemic in opener ‘Balaclava’ to attacking and furious in ‘Sawn-Off Shotgun’, and does so with perfect abandon. It’s almost impossible to get bored of listening due to its erratic nature, which is only a good thing. It keeps you on your toes and does its best to work its way into your head be it through riffs or politically charged lyricism. Steven Loftin

Petrol Girls

Talk of Violence Bomber Music

eeee Fighting everyday violence with more than online consternation, ‘Talk of Violence’ is a bloody furious ten-track barrage. ‘Touch Me Again’ is a throat shredding fight back against sexual assault, ‘Rewild’ a targeted scrutiny of activism and action in the social media age. Fight for change – fight for better. Raging feminist hardcore punk rock – five words to sum up Petrol Girls, and a tick list of every element the album excels in. Heather McDaid

Esben and the Witch Older Terrors

Season of Mist

eeee Four tracks long, Esben and The Witch’s new album isn’t aimed as your radio friendly unit shifter.

Described by the band as “a collection that worked together but could also be separated”, its scarce markers mean the atmospherics can be turned right up to eleven. When sinking into double-digit length worlds, they’re without peer. Stephen Ackroyd

Swim Against The Tide

So Long Forever

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From the chiming hits of the EP’s title track and the pulling bass thumps of ‘Good Side In’, ‘Swim Against The Tide’ is a record rich with independence and charm.

‘Face Like Thunder’ is arguably the perfect soundtrack to any late-summer drive, with the sort of hook that would bring Smash Hits back to life in a heartbeat, opening up a new chapter for Amber Bain that shows what a truly important artist she’s set to become. Jamie Muir

Space. A word that runs through Palace’s debut album like a stick of moody arena-sized indie rock. There’s the space you can hear in their arrangements. Or there’s a literal space - the former munitions factory in Tottenham they adopted for rehearsals.

And there’s the gap between 2014’s well-received ‘Lost in the Night’ EP, followed more than a year ago with another, ‘Chase the Light’, and now.

The results suggest it was time well spent, though, and ‘So Long Forever’’s 11 tracks sound precision-tooled for Great Things. Their musicianship and Leo Wyndham’s appealingly yearning delivery shine through; big spaces surely beckon. Rob Mesure

Estrons

She’s Here Now EP Self-released

eeee Estrons are not fucking about. With their debut EP, ‘She’s Here Now’, they’re going straight for the proverbial throat. One blast of opener ‘Belfast’ is enough to send delicate souls running for cover. Sugar spun, rumbling blasts of noise, the three-piece run the line between loud and melodic perfectly. ‘I’m Not Your Girl’ may be the banger in residence, but even when the tempo is turned down ever so slightly for ‘Call You Mine’, there’s still red hot blood running through their veins. Stephen Ackroyd

H EY R AC H E L DAV I ES F RO M ES B E N A N D T H E W I TC H , REC O M M E N D US SO M E ST U F F. Last good record you heard: Jenny Hval – ‘Blood Bitch’. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this record and I’m not disappointed. She’s a really smart, innovative and progressive artist. Grrrl Power 2016.

Favourite ever book: Steppenwolf Hermann Hesse. I always reference Hesse but if we’re talking all-time favourite, Hesse takes the top spot for me. This book really resonated with me and continues to do so the older I get.

TV show you couldn’t live without: I loved the first series of True Detective. Absolutely worth its accolades. From its nods to Nietzsche and Hollywood musings on existentialism to the comic schtick between Rust and Marty; I’m a real sucker for that shit.

Best purchase of this year: My second-hand, scrappy little silver bike. I bought this a few months ago and she has fast become my faithful steed. Riding through the leafy city together (I now live in Berlin) in Autumn’s golden glow, headphones on, is a real treat.

Anything else you’d recommend?

The Pervert’s Guide To Ideology.

I watched this on a rainy Sunday recently, loaded with coffee and tucked up under blankets and really loved it. P

JAWS

Simplicity Self-Released

eeee Beefed up and packed with a far heavier punch than its predecessor, ‘Simplicity’ is the sound of a band truly becoming their own.

When JAWS hit their stride, the results are staggering. ’17’’s confident drawl is the type you’d witness closing out a film soundtrack, with ‘On The Sunshine’ and ‘Cast’ triggering starry-eyed glazes that are hard to shake off. Sitting alongside the tight punches of ‘What We Haven’t Got Yet’ and the pristine gleams that shine off the hooks in ‘The Invisible Sleep’ - you’ve got a record that knows its own skin and revels in highs and lows. Jamie Muir

Sløtface

Empire Records EP Propeller Recordings

eeeee Sløtface are determined to win your heart. With tracks concerning life of being in a band (‘Bright Lights’), dreaming of being in a 90s coming-of-age music film (‘Empire Records’), just having a bit of fun (‘Take Me Dancing’) and of course, romance(‘Fever Art’), the entire EP is not only an addictive listen but also has a musical maturity to it. Never falling into complacency, Sløtface take what styles they love and update them with their own touch.

Rousing choruses, catchy melodies and witty lyrics, they have everything you could ever want. Steven Loftin

Justice Woman

Ed Banger Records / Because Music

eeee Justice’s new album is good. Very good. A funky good.

Comparisons to Daft Punk will inevitably be drawn but they have eclipsed their fellow countrymen with ‘Woman’. There is a sense of continuity in the record with opening track ‘Safe and Sound’ and closer ‘Close Call’ feeling suitably grand with the orchestral elements and choir in both. ‘Heavy Metal’ is an interesting song – taking the sound from the genre it’s named after, but replacing the guitars with heavy synths. The record holds up to their previous work near perfectly. Josh Williams

A SHORT Q+A WITH PALACE Hey Leo, what have we interrupted?

I was trying to write a song but it was sounding a bit shit so I’m pleased that this has happened. Thanks.

Congrats on your debut album - has ‘So Long Forever’ been a long time in the works?

Yeah it feels like it has! We’ve been together as a band for three years now. It’s been a mad journey, and we’ve already had some of the most awesome adventures, things we’ll always remember and bore people to death about when we’re old and wrinkly. Now we just want the album out. It’s kind of agonising having it all finished and it sitting there hidden away. I might just leak it now actually fuck it.

What was going on with you guys during its creation? Were there any notable events that influenced the record?

A few. The album feels like a real sum up of the last three years. The songs were very much written in the present moment, absorbing everything going on bad or good. I personally have been through some weird tough stuff over the last few years and that very much makes its way onto the record.

There’s also certain songs which are predictions of future situations which now have come true. The song So Long Forever was about an idea of breaking up with someone and having this kind of ‘fuck you I’m out of here’ attitude.

It’s an angry farewell to someone you adore. That’s all kind of happened to me now since that song was written.

It’s strange I never wrote it thinking I would feel those words so truly. I now kind of get it.

Is it a stronger record for being a bit personal, do you think?

I think if you can’t be personal on a record then there’s almost no point really. I mean sometimes it’s fun to write assuming a character of some sort, which I definitely do sometimes.

But there’s got to be a bit of heart in there otherwise there’s nothing for people to connect with. For us it’s so important really that it’s all real stuff with real feeling, whether it makes it stronger I don’t know! That probably all sounds really emo… FUCK. What would be the biggest compliment someone could pay you about the album?

If they said that they heard a song and it really rung true with them in some way. Or that they had been through a similar situation and the song meant something to them in that way. That’s always awesome to hear. P

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with... Girli

Ask a stupid question...

Yes. We know this isn’t how 20 questions really works, but STFU, OK? This month, Girli runs the gauntlet of our random, stupid queries.

1. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? Hey! I’m sweet.

2. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO TODAY? I’m on tour with Oscar right now and we played Leeds last night so I woke up at my mate’s uni halls with a bit of a hangover and got the bus back to the Travelodge.

We partied it out after the show and then watched Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

3. WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? Travelodge buffet breakfast.

4. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT BEING A MUSICIAN? I love playing shows to rowdy crowds and getting all sweaty and excited. Having people sing back my lyrics is crazy, but also putting exactly how you feel into a song is cool too.

5. WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT? Selling out my first headline show in London was mental. But also jumping around behind Ant and Dec at the Brit Awards was sick.

Hard to choose.

6. WHAT DID YOU LAST DREAM ABOUT? I dreamt I was on a massive cruise / spaceship with my cousin and we floated out on a lifeboat in space with no spacesuits. Then I somehow fell out into space? I dream about falling a lot.

7. HOW PUNK ARE YOU OUT OF TEN? I don’t think it would be very punk to score my punkness.

8. YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT EITHER U2 OR RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ON TOUR. WHO DO YOU PICK? Is this even a question?? Red Hot Chili Peppers, duh.

9. WHO’S YOUR FAVOURITE NEW BAND? One of my close friends Suzi Wu. She’s yet to come out with all her new stuff but we live together so she plays it all to me and it’s

38

incredible. She produces it herself and writes the coolest funniest lyrics. It’s like a funky / indie / chill vibe. Her voice is mega. I’m her biggest fan.

10. WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEMBER OF ONE DIRECTION? Harry. I have a huge crush on him.

11. WHAT STRENGTH NANDOS SAUCE DO YOU ORDER? Lemon and Herb. I’m a pussy with spice.

12. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BROKE? My phone charger. Ugh. 13. WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A DRAGON, OR BE A DRAGON? Have a dragon. We’d fly everywhere and it’d be so badass.

14. HAVE YOU EVER WON ANYTHING? Yeah, prizes at school, some raffles.

15. WHAT’S THE SCARIEST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE? Depends how you define scary. I love rollercoasters, heights, dark woods, shifty areas ha. School used to scare the shit out of me so probably going to school.

16. WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY? My first day at nursery, hiding behind my dad’s legs ‘cause I was shy.

17. WHICH IS THE BEST REVELS SWEET? Galaxy counters. Fuck the orange creme.

18. WHAT COMPLIMENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO RECEIVE? I really like it when people say I’ve given them a good time.

Whether it’s after a show or a party or just a meet up. That makes me happy.

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ FROM START TO FINISH? Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

20. IF YOU COULD BRING SOMETHING EXTINCT BACK TO LIFE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE? London’s nightlife.

OUT NOW. THE F RE E ROC K MAGAZ I NE.

DISRUPT THE NOISE. U PSETMAGAZ I NE.C OM AVA ILAB LE NATIO NW ID E F RO M REC O RD STO RES , VE N U ES , BA RS A N D M O RE .

S UBSCRIB E O NL I N E AT U PSETM AGA Z I N E .C O M