EDITOR’S LETTER I was never really one for a festival when I was younger. Being into hip hop and R&B, a muddy field, gallons of cider and a line-up of indie bands just didn’t really appeal. (Ok, maybe the cider bit did!). But in recent years, I’ve been lucky to go to some amazing fests; Global Gathering, Wakestock, Wireless, V and, last year, the ultimate of all ultimates, Glastonbury. With a line-up that included everyone from Snoop and Dizzee to Tinie and Giggs, I would have been mad to pass up the chance to experience such an incredible setlist of performers. I also dipped my toe outside the world of urban and really enjoyed Muse, Florence and The Pet Shop Boys. Glasto was an incredible three days, and not just because of the mix of A-list and underground acts; the atmosphere (and, thankfully) the weather was amazing, and it really bought out my inner hippy. Seeing 100,000 people jumping about to Snoop and Tinie doing Pass Out, or wandering back across the site at 6am (damn you cider!!) as the sun came up was pretty emotional stuff. I really hope to go this year, and you should too; check out our Final Word with Glasto’s Emily Eavis who really breaks down the magic of the annual Somerset fest. Also inside, we take a peek into the world of festival food, hear about Wretch’s plastic bag based festival look and keep you up to date with this year’s festival fashion must-haves. Also inside we have a chat with illustrator Kate Moross, singer Emeli Sandé, and the fabulous Friendly Fires. I pop to a sort-of festival, SXSW in Texas, to meet rapper of right now, Wiz Khalifa and Nardene and Danny introduce us to K. Flay, Rizzle Kicks and ace new cover star Bang On. Dan also catches up with Friendly Fires, while I wonder, given the recent earthquakes and tsunamis - is the end of the world nigh!??!!? (Er, I hope not!). Until next month, catch us over on Twitter.com/RWDmag and online at RWDmag.com
RWD TEAM Editor Hattie Collins Deputy Editor Danny Walker Staff Writers Nardene Scott, Jerry Gadiano, Hayley Joyes Contributing Editor Chantelle Fiddy Online Editor Tego Sigel Contributors Alex Johnson, Maisha Lewin, JP Patterson, Wretch 32, Hayley Joyes, Wahiba Ahmed, Mahta Hassanzadeh Art Director Dacre J. Bracey Designer Chidi Ubani Fashion Stylists Nasrin Jean-Baptiste, Denise Brown, Luke Miley, Neesha Sharma, Style Pages Editor Irene Asanji Style Assistant Cheyenne Davide Illustrators Art Jaz, Jiro Bevis, Rachel Goslin, David Flanagan Rachel Goslin Photographers James Pearson-Howes, Andres Reynega, Kevin Joseph & Jake Green @ Response, Carnegie & Conway, Sara Nouman, Adrian Nettleship, Verena Stefanie Grotto Publisher Sales Director Senior Sales Thanks
Nigel Wells Paul Le Fevre Matthew Richards Bob Austin
CONTACT RWD W107 Holywell Centre, 1, Phipp Street, London EC2A 4PS Tel: 0203 176 4299 Email: staff@rwdmag.com
Twitter.com/hattiecollins
RWD Magazine is published monthly by Rewind Creative Media Ltd. 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 publishers. RWD Magazine: 25p where sold
CONTRIBUTOR OF THE MONTH MAISHA LEWIN It took south London’s Maisha “about a million emails” to finally get a placement at RWD, but we’re sure glad she persevered. Since arriving at our doors, she’s interviewed K Sounds, Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis and Kiss Fm competition winner AJ King, helped with styling on our fashion shoot, written news stories and done a whole lot of transcribing and research. “My goals for the future are to get a job as an entertainment journalist, be very successful doing it and do a lot of travelling as well,” says the Jazmine Sullivan, Chris Brown and Kanye fan. “I’ve really enjoyed working for RWD in terms of doing what I love to do (writing) and they are a nice team of people to work with.” Ah thanks Maisha, we got love for you too! 4 / RWDMAG.COM
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 RWD holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of RWD Magazine or it’s staff and we disclaims liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. RWD is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations
CONTENTS 01/05/2011
REGULARS
FEATURES
8-10 10 14 16-18 20-22
INBOX NEWS ENOUGH ALREADY: PLASTIC PROJECTILES POLITRICKS: THE END OF THE WORLD? ASICS ONE TO WATCH: K. FLAY, MAC MILLER, AIMEE KELLY, RIZZLE KICKS, ENGLISH FRANK 24-25 ABOUT TO BLOW: EMELI SANDE 82 FINAL WORD
44-49 50-52 54-55 56-59 60-61 62 64-66 67-69 70-71
STYLE GUIDE
UNWIND
27-30 32-33 34-35 36-43
TREND TRIO FASHION NEWS REFRESHED FASHION
6 / RWDMAG.COM
73-75 76-77 78-79 80-81
BANG ON! FRIENDLY FIRES KATE MOROSS WIZ KHALIFA DIONNE BROMFIELD URBAN NERDS FESTIVAL GUIDE: FESTIVAL FOOD IN FACTS FESTIVAL GUIDE: STYLE FESTIVAL GUIDE: GIGS
GADGETS: IPAD 2 ALTERNATIVES KEITH LEMON GAMES REVIEWS
INBOX
HAVE YOUR SAY:
WRETCH 32
We actually love our readers; you’re the craziest bunch of insanees on the planet. The best electronic elegance this month comes from Ben Smith who wins a fresh selection of clothing from ETO Jeans (etojeans.co.uk)... Send all your letters to: Attn. Editor, RWD Magazine, W107 Holywell Centre, 1 Phipp Street, London, EC2A 4PS or staff@rwdmag.com
Firstly Ben, why are you using ‘q’ instead of ‘g’? It’s very hard to read. Secondly Ben, good luck with your request to be in the studio with Caspa, I’m sure you’ll get ‘alonq’ just fine.
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Dear RWD, Obviously, I’m entering adidas/ Caspa comp... so it’s fairly obvious I’m a dubstep fan (and mix/ produce it) as well as all music, from funk, to jazz, to rock, to D&B, to house, to folk, to techno, etc. I’ve been a musician of various types, so have been on stage quite a lot but I want to see the buzz aimed at the best, from Caspa’s anqle rather than beinq part of the buzz aimed at the best. I’ve been to a bunch of Dub Police niqht, but this is a pretty cool chance to jump the other side of the fence. Words in this old skool type-writer type font make it fairly bloody hard to communicate passion for anythinq, but I assure you I’m not short of it. And I’ve just realised this reads like I’m applying for a job or uni or something! Ha. Can I win? Pleeeeeeeeeeease!!!!!!!!!! haha. Ben Smith (22), London 8 / RWDMAG.COM
RWD, Rastamouse is in no way racist, I’ve seen a few that say it is and basically they are simple idiots, it is however completely inappropriate to young toddlers who are learning to speak English. You have all seen and heard secondary English school children these days, it is appalling the way they speak; lazy, and it can be deemed as offensive, offensive in a way that the slang is linked with sharp, argumentative speech, generally spouted out by people with no life but somehow have more issues than a whole series of the Jeremy Kyle show. If you disagree, then I’m sorry, I feel very sad for you. Mr D Mr D, Forget Jeremy Kyle... you should have your own show. We can picture it now where you discuss the injustices and the wrongdoings in the world, whilst watching cartoons, analysing grammar and eating Krispy Kremes. Sounds good, no? Hi RWD, My name’s Sean Donnelly aka NxtGen, I have been on the news this week (including the Guardian, BBC Newsnight, etc.)
as my music video Andrew Lansley Rap has gone viral with over 100,000 views in three days. This video is about Andrew Lansley (Health Minister) and his plans to try and privatise the NHS, which I wasn’t happy about so I decided to do a music vid about it to get the message across to people that might not be interested in politics etc. Take a look on YouTube...Be great to hear what you think, Thankyou NxtGen Thanks NxtGen, we like your message. So much so we put your ‘vid’ up straight away. That Mr. Lansley needs to listen!!! Hello, ok? I’m Brazilian and I live in Rio Grande do Sul, my cousin lives in Brighton and brought me an issue of RWD. I just loved it. I write for two magazines here in my state and I have a blog about entertainment. I’m photographer and model too and I have a great mailing with the most important people here. I wonder if the RWD is also distributed in Brazil, if not, can I help with something? Thanks. Fernando Hello Fernando, yes, we’re ok thank you very much. We don’t have any immediate plans to distribute in Brazil but as soon as we do... you’ll be the first to know. Well you and Neymar.
Wretch 32 gives us the lowdown on his most memorable festival experience and his big festival fashion fail... “When I performed at Radio 1 Weekender it was only on the Introducing stage but it was massive man. That was my very first festival experience so I think that stands out to me because I didn’t know what to expect but then I saw mud. I was like, mud plus Prada’s, I need plastic bags. I’m there dragging my feet through the mud re-tying the plastic bags...I was just like, you don’t get cooler than that first time does it?” Wretch 32’s single featuring Example Unorthodox is out now and you can catch the Wretchroboy on the festival circuit this summer (minus the plastic bags).
RWDMAG.COM QUICK QUESTION:
8%
Each month we give you the chance to answer our Quick Question...
question, without it I’m nothing
RWDMAG.COM USERS CAST THEIR VOTE Phone: Silly
Condoms: better to be safe than sticky.
Mini fan; the secret weapon against heat.
77%
Other (please explain)...
0% What’s the one item you couldn’t live without at a festival?
Food: I know there are food stalls but those cans of beans go a long way.
0%
Pavanjit Grewal says “Other: Wet Wipes or Baby Wipes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
WOULD YOU DO THE NAUGHTY AT A FESTIVAL?
J Reynolds says “Other: Inflatable pint holder. Holds four pints, beats queuing for 30 minutes for a drink!”
Wellies: I could walk over lukewarm coals in my mud murkers!!!
LIAM GALLAGHER’S COMMENTS ABOUT JAY-Z’S ROCAWEAR...
54% 10% 46% 80% 10% IF THE MOOD WAS RIGHT
HARMLESS
OFFENSIVE
YES
NO
This month we had a nice little debate online about Liam Gallagher and his comments towards Jay-Z’s brand. If you didn’t know the Beady Eye frontman told Spin Magazine, “You’re going to be f**king arrested wearing [Rocawear] and you’re going to pull a really nice-looking bird wearing [Pretty Green],“...nice!!!
TOP TWEETS @RWDMAG:
1. @J_Setti RT @AntOpara: doesne1else read @rwdmag online?? I’m a proper cheapscape! <-- isn’t the mag free anyway??? 2. @jk_mcd Just Read The @RWDmag Interview With @ChipmunkArtist “Everybody Learns But Not Everyone Lives” Top Interview! #CantWaitTillApril18th 3. @I_amLeAneBorder I found my @RWDmag with The Milky Man’s on the cover from like 2001! It’s signed by them too. How much is it worth? lol
10 / RWDMAG.COM
Illustration by iamaflanagan.co.uk
0%
15%
VERY NICE COMPETITION
Aged 18 to 30? Fancy a holiday to Ayia Napa or Malia staying at the amazing TwiceasNice hotel? Well, enter our exclusive competition and you could be in for the holiday of a lifetime. The legendary urban club night are opening two hotels this summer, and you and a friend could be among the first to sample them. Whether you want to chill on the beach, relax by the pool or head into the night to catch some of the best sounds around, TwiceasNice has your back. Not only do you get seven nights accommodation at either the Malia or Ayia Napa TwiceasNice hotels, you also get return flights (available from London Gatwick or Manchester), airport transfers, a limited edition TwiceasNice goody bag, an exclusive TwiceasNice t-shirt and CD, and, AND entrance to the weekly TwiceasNice pool party and a ticket to the TwiceasNice club night in the resort of your choice. To win, all you have to do is email iwannawin@rwdmag.com, subject ‘TwiceasNice’ and answer the following question: On which Greek island is the resort of Malia found? a) Crete b) Zante c) Cyprus. Entries in by 25 May 2011. For those not lucky enough to win, fret not. Seven night holiday packages to the excluse TAN hotels start from £315pp. For more info, head to Twiceasnice.co.uk Terms and conditions: Open to UK residents aged 18 years and over. The holiday must be taken within 6 September and 30 September 2011. The prize is non-transferable. The prize includes return flights from Manchester and London Gatwick only. A supplement will be charged if the winner wishes to travel from alternative airports. You must hold a valid passport to travel.
12 / RWDMAG.COM
image by Adrian Nettleship
Win a holiday to the brand new TwiceasNice hotel with Club 18-30 this summer...
FIDDY’S WORLD OF WHATEVER... Seeking some self-improvement in her life, journo, consultant, blogger and mentor, Chantelle Fiddy (tries to) find a life. This month: Power to production. image by Adrian Nettleship A few years back I hated grime so much I only listened to classical for six months. Swear down. But just as you think sh*t’s so boring you can’t face a pirate ever again, you’re back in the game and music stops being a job and is once again a necessity. With British export Alex Da Kid making all the right noise over in America, there’s never been a greater carrot dangled for our other UK production hopefuls. But who should we really be watching now? First up The Elite. Otherwise known as Dan Dare and Z Dot, together they’re managed by 679 and are working on plenty of new material individually too. “Our sound is a raw street sound mixed with commercial elements and variety,” they reckon. Look out for Z.Dot’s Revolver EP and his album A New Light featuring Wiley, Kano, Devlin, Scrufizzer and many more. As for Dan, having produced Wiley’s Bright Lights, he’s also done over half of Fem Fel’s debut album and the new single Hero. Next, east London resident Chris Loco (formerly known as Loco). One of my personal faves, he’s responsible for one of the best songs I’ve heard this year, Emeli Sandé’s Easier In Bed. “I guess my sound is epic with a bit of grot and filth,” he says. Currently working with Ms Dynamite, Dot Rotten, Pro Green, Maxsta, Diggy Simmons, Byron and loads more, it’s no wonder he’s about to sign a tidy publishing deal. Last but not least, all hail Amir Amor, known also by the alias Major Tom (the name of his production company). Amir’s already been tipped as THE go-to-guy by NME and The Guardian and there’s no denying he’s got the new pop-wave on lock. Currently producing albums for Spark and Oh My!, A&Rs are waiting in line for sessions. Follow: @TheElite, @chrisloco_ and @amiramormusic. Twitter.com/chantellefiddy
ENOUGH ALREADY: Plastic Projectiles How many times have you been knee-deep in joy at a gig/ concert/ festival/ funeral only for the heavens to open and start raining bottles? It’s great when one busts off the back of an unsuspecting victim’s head, but when those mischievous missiles come close it’s time to say enough already... good ol’ moan by Danny Walker image by Jiro Bevis What is it about live events that make people want to hurl their empties into the crowd like a disgruntled Tourette’s stricken pub landlord? It’s hard to remember a festival that hasn’t had a 15 minute drink dashing interlude. Whether it’s moments before the main event, minutes after the doors open or seconds into a lull in a set, it doesn’t take long before plastic is being pelted. There must be a catalyst in that tepid, smoke filled, sweat stained festival air that triggers the idiot gene and sparks the inner retard into action; ‘Must throw empty Carlsberg. Bottle. At... Him. Over. There.’ And they’re the worst shot in the world too. What’s wrong with a bin, the floor or your girlfriend’s handbag to dump your discarded drink? Is conventional disposal too good for these Neanderthals? Instead of sending your cider skywards, plug your brain back in and think. Try picturing that projectile thumping on your face! Imagine that debris disfiguring your girlfriend’s forehead! What would you do if a can clumped YOUR mate in the eye? Sure, it would be ruthlessly hilarious for a second (maybe more, especially if he was 14 / RWDMAG.COM
screaming like a castrated panda) but it doesn’t take a Jeremy Kyle lie detector to work out that deep down you’d be angry. You’d be annoyed that a solitary piece of rubbish has ruined your day. No one wants to look after a mate with a dislocated pupil on a hot summer’s day, especially whilst trying to record every moment of his agony and upload it to YouTube. The most rancid event in festival Paralympics is terrible. We cannot condone, laugh or even cry at this one; P*ss Javelin. Who was the first person to urinate in a bottle and throw it at unsuspecting revellers? You dirty little no friend, micro-balled, anti-social, small willyied swine. What the hell were you thinking when you grabbed the tweezers and the magnifying glass and aimed your tiny tackle into that container? Unless you were intending at firing your WMD (Weapon of Mass Distraction) at Justin Bieber there’s no excuse (why are videos of bottles hitting that hormone hairball so funny?) We want to go to gigs to appreciate the alcohol, the VIP freeness, oh, yeah and the music... not the First Aid facilities.
POLITRICKS THE END OF THE WORLD
There’s been an awful lot of natural disasters recently. And an increasing amount of unrest around the world; Libya, The Congo, Afghanistan of course, and there’s even been a resurgence of problems in Northern Ireland. With various ‘predictions’ from the likes of old-timer Nostradamus, to the Mayan Calendar’s abrupt end in 2012 to David Ike’s space lizards, does this mean the world is coming to an end? Or is it all a load of conspiracy nonsense? Hattie Collins investigates. (We say ‘investigates’, we mean ‘surfs the web a bit’...)
APOCOLYPSE NOW…?!?! 16 / RWDMAG.COM
I took a taxi recently. Once we arrived at our destination, the cabbie (I say ‘cabbie’ I mean ‘mentalist’) made me sit in the car for an extra 20 minutes while he explained why Obama was the Antichrist because Barack means ‘lightening’ in Hebrew. While I thought the man was a bit bonkers (well, massively), I’m always interested to hear a good, if not somewhat bananas, conspiracy theory. Apparently former actor turned US President Ronald Reagan was the devil too – because each of his names had six letters. Though no one seems to have noticed that makes ‘66’ not ‘666’ but whatevs. [Fact Ed: No, but his middle name ‘Wilson’ does. Idiot). RWD’s general opinion is that you have to take these things with a pinch of salt. Remember back in 1999 when everyone said planes would fall out of the sky when we hit 2000 because computers wouldn’t know it was a new millennium. Well, that all worked out ok didn’t it? But does the current state of the world hint that a darker day is about to dawn? Is the end of the world indeed nigh? RWD takes a look at the various theories before offering our deeply considered conclusion and outcome for next year...
4
NOSTRADAMUS SAYS: Over 500 years ago, a man with a beard and quite the prominent nose made a series of spooky predictions, some of which, some people believe, have come true. This physician, astronomer and astrologist apparently predicted Hitler, the death of JFK, the great fire of London and 9/11. His cryptic wording could of course be taken in many ways and are definitely open to interpretation. ‘The blood of the just will be demanded of London, Burnt by the fire in the year 66...” To be fair, we’ll give Nosta that one, it even had a date in it (1666 there was indeed a great fire in London) and everything. Ok, next: ‘...The greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister... When the child of Germany observes nothing.’ I’ll be honest, he might have been crap at spelling, but that one’s a bit spooky too. Hitler, Germany. Tick and tick. Ok, Hurricane Katrina: ‘The cities of Tours, Orleans, Blois, Angers, Reims and Nantes are troubled by sudden change. Tents will be pitched by (people) of foreign tongues...’ Ok, he got Orleans, but he’s got the wrong country bruv! Some site reckons the ‘pitched tents’ could refer to aid workers in New Orleans, but this is very thin wethinks. Anyway, to the end of the world and there’s a whole lot of predictions about the end of this lil planet, including floods in the UK before Prince Harry is heralded in Malta (Um...) and, the assassination of George
Bush in 2006 (Oh.) Anyway, finally, a big massive comet kind of blows up the world in 2012 and what’s left of the world goes mad and kills each other... (Oh that’s nice). RWD SAYS: TBF, he did do quite good in places, but given he wrote them in a mixture of Italian, Greek, French and Latin and used a lot of symbolism, there’s an awful lot of room for mistakes, re-interpretations and, frankly, a large dollop of doodoo. Oh, and the book was only discovered in 1982, after JFK, Hitler etc., had happened. No, Nostra, we are not convinced.
3
THE MAYANS SAY: So the Mayans, right, they was quite good at a calendar, using like the moon and other stuff that I really don’t understand. There was no David Beckham’s down WH Smith for those guys to tick off in those days so they developed a load of calendars; one to calculate crop cultivation, one for the sun’s cycles and ‘The Long Count’ which is the one where we all die in a blaze of glory. Anyway, for complicated reasons too technical too explain right now (Fact Ed: Wikipedia is you] their calendar basically ends on 21 December 2012, signifying the end of a 5,126-year era. As to what will happen, and it depends on who you believe; Lawrence Joseph forecasts widespread catastrophe in Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific >>
17
POLITRICKS THE END OF THE WORLD
<< Investigation Into Civilization’s End. Spiritual healer Andrew Smith predicts a restoration of a “true balance between Divine Feminine and Masculine” in The Revolution of 2012: Vol. 1, The Preparation. In 2012, Daniel Pinchbeck anticipates a “change in the nature of consciousness,” assisted by indigenous insights and psychedelic drug use. It’s a bit hippy, but I’ll take the second prediction thanks. RWD SAYS: For whatever reason that the Mayans stopped their calendar in December of next year, it’s unlikely they thought it signified the end of the world, more the end of that calendar cycle. Or maybe they just got a bit bored of being dead clever and went for a few beers and never got round to finishing it, or figured by then we’d be clever enough to do it for ourselves.
2
DAVID ICKE SAYS: You know what, this former BBC sports presenter kind of has my attention until he starts banging on about George Bush being a lizard from outer space. Then, well, you kind of lose me a bit Dave. Oh, and he also thinks cancer can be cured with baking soda, so, yeah... Anyway, a bit like Nostradamus (minus the beard, the nose and the whole being dead thing), Icke has sort of predicted a few events in the last few years; namely the terror attacks in New York, Hurricane Katrina, and ‘manipulated wars’ with the Muslim world. He also thinks certain senior politicians are Satanic pedophiles, and that the Swine flu was a deliberate attempt to
cull the world’s population. Icke also believes that humans are a result of a breeding program conducted by a race of reptilians called Anunnaki from the Draco constellation, and that what we call reality is nothing but a holographic experience. Yeah, all kinds of crazy. If you remove some of his more bizarre ideas though, what he’s saying is that the world is essentially run by a select few and we need to question and think an awful lot more about what we’re told; for instance, the Kennedy, Clinton and Bush families that have dominated American politics, the oil billionaires and arms cartels who are ultimately responsible for an awful lot of the world’s financial climate and wars. Some of his theories at their root aren’t too bad, but he just goes a bit far does David. RWD SAYS: Does Icke dye his hair that colour or is naturally so sleek and blonde? Oh, the predictions, we just think he’s very politically astute and able to give considered opinions on the increasingly messed up state of the world while most of us are busy watching Eastenders and waiting for the latest Wiley adverts. C’mon Dave, the Anunnaki aliens have to go.
1
NATURAL DISASTERS AND WARS APLENTY SAY: There’s been some hugely devastating natural disasters over the last few years, with millions of people killed by hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis. Certain religions say these signify Judgment Day, and that God is on his way back to give us all a right good telling off. Not only catastrophic
natural disasters, there have been a number of downright odd happenings, especially this year. 2000 blackbirds dropping dead out of the sky in Arkansas and 100,000 fish dead along its river, 1000 dead doves found in Italy, 2million dead fish in Chesapeake Bay... But, it has recently been confirmed that some of these happenings are a direct result of the BP Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year, while others put it down to altitude sickness (That’s the best you could manage? What’s next? A seasick fish?) Scientists also argue that these natural disasters and mass death oddities aren’t more aggressive than before. But 2012 believers say it’s all a build-up to either be fried to a crisp, or that a random planet called Planet X: Nibiru is on its to collide with earth (Not true, says NASA) or that the ever shifting poles are overdue a very big shift, giving earth a somewhat serious kick in its posterior. “It’s totally random,” said Peter Kelemen, a geologist at Columbia University in New York. RWD SAYS: We don’t know if it signifies the end is nigh, but the environment is certainly teaching us some lessons; and that is that the world, and life, is extremely fragile. We should all try and do our bit; don’t leave the fridge door open while you wash up, don’t leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, don’t throw just one pair of pants into the washing machine... Also, watch Brian Cox’s amazing Planet Earth series, cos he thinks we’ve got a good billion years before the world blows up. That’s a theory we’re good to go with.
RWD’S PREDICTIONS OF 2012... Here’s what we think will happen over the next 18 months: Ke$ha will still be s**t. Gaga will still be nuts. And Wiley will most definitely be making his amazing adverts. We can also confidently predict that Glasgow will host the MOBO’s (well, in 2013, 2012 hasn’t been decided
18 / RWDMAG.COM
yet) and that Great Britain won’t win much in the Olympics, but hey, at least we try. Danny Walker will have about 50 cats and Lady Sovereign will make a massiv comeback, selling out Wembley Stadium and cleaning up at the Grammys. Well, maybe.
presents
ASICS BIKU CV
ASICS.CO.UK/SPORTSTYLE This spring, ASICS introduce their new low profile silhouette shoe; with its roots on the volleyball court, the ASICS BIKU CV is a great example of retro sport styling with an urban twist using clean lines and simple colours. It’s a real winner. Talking of which, we have three pairs to give away to three very lucky people. All you have to do is email (subject: ASICS) iwannawin@rwdmag.com and you’ll be in the running to get yours... Check RWDmag.com/terms for more.
Currently riding the wave of hip hop, indie and electronica, Kristine Flaherty aka K.Flay is fast becoming the one woman show everyone wants to see. Nardene Scott puts a call into the MidWesterner to find out more... When you attend the prestigious Stanford University and leave with not one, but two degrees in the bag, (sociology and psychology to be precise) you don’t expect that a couple of years down the line you’ll be sitting in your basement putting together an EP that will be garner the attention of Billboard, Spin and our extremely picky selves. Currently unsigned, K.Flay also has every major label knocking at her well-educated door. Whether it’s for her raspy vocals or quick-fire rapping skills, there’s many a K Dot supporter out there, which has enabled the 25 year-old to share stages with the likes of Snoop and Luda and tour with Passion Pit. “I actually didn’t really do music, I knew how to play the guitar and I was always a fan, but I didn’t actually get started until I got to university,” the Dizzee and Wretch 32 fan tells us about her entry into making nice noises. “I just happened to meet someone who produced house music, but he had a bunch of equipment and there was something about that process of creation that was really intriguing.” This intrigue has led to a number of big tracks including the smoked out No Duh, a unique cover of The Zombie’s Time Of The Season and the hype ex-beau hating Single and Famous. “My ex called me and was like mad or whatever, but actually I feel like if you
omit super incriminating details then no one can really figure out who you’re talking about,” the careless Kristine giggles. After visiting SXSW last year where she ate Cuban food and checked out new bands, Austin ‘11 saw K.Flay pack out all four of her shows in the blistering Texas heat. “Playing some of them in the hot sun zapped my life force,” she admits. “But, yeah, it was so cool.” Part of the voracious reader’s (she insists we all check out Margaret Atwood) diverse sound that had the TX crowds going crazy can be traced back to growing up just outside of Chicago. “My dad was really into blues and rock ‘n’ roll plus Chicago has got a great jazz scene. So there was that energy, and that really made me want to seek out new experiences and influences.” Mixing her love of Chi sounds with UK hip hop and heavy rotations of folk favourite Laura Marling has resulted in her forthcoming mixtapes being a lot more complex. “I’m starting to figure out that balance between energy up-tempo and a little bit more reflective down tempo kind of music,” she muses. Hitting fans in three installments throughout April, each edition includes three songs, a video and a special photo series. Continually stepping beyond the boundaries, the rapper/singer/ artist is as comfortable alongside an acoustic guitar as she is a trusty MPC. “The first theme is I Feel Nothing, the second theme is I Feel Everything and the third is Everything is Nothing. So they’re all kind of vibing off of that in different ways.” Take our word for it; you need to check out this hip chick flipping up your average ish when she plays The Great Escape this Summer. KFlay.com and Twitter.com/kflay. The mixtapes are out now
image by Alex Reside
MAC MILLER
20 / RWDMAG.COM
Hailing not only from the same town (Pittsburgh) but the same school (Allerdice) as his pal Wiz Khalifa, 19 year-old rhymer Malcolm McCormick is the latest name on every rap fan’s lips. His mixture debut K.I.D.S. featured the lyrically dexterous Nikes On My Feet, while his series of YouTube videos have won him over 30 million views. The recently released Best Day Ever tape has spawned the single Donald Trump, which shows, ahem, M and M imagining his life at the top. The tune racked up a pretty impressive 1m YouTube views in just a week; it now stands at 4m. Not one to rest on his proverbials, the self-confessed class clown has just put out the On And On And Beyond EP with the single Get Up looking to do for his career what Black & Yellow did for Wiz’s. Check Twitter.com/macmiller (HC)
photography by Tao Ruspoli
K.FLAY
AIMEE KELLY
Starring alongside Ashley Walters, Lily Loveless and Richie (“Who’s on the throne, Tyrone”) Campbell in SKET was not only this Newcastle lass’s first ever feature film, but her acting debut full stop. “I’ve been thrown in at the deep end with the lead role,” the 17 year-old laughs moments after the gritty film’s final photo call. Even though she wants to marry Prince Harry (“I know this has got nothing to do with it but pass on my number,”), she’s very much looking forward to the long promising career ahead. “I’ve only just got an agent, so everyone keeps saying I’m doing things backwards. I really enjoy acting and I want to do more work so I’ll just see what comes along, I really like it.” Facebook.com/SKETmovie
21
ASICS.CO.UK/SPORTSTYLE
presents
RIZZLE KICKS
Brighton via London duo Rizzle Kicks are currently reshaping hip hop in their own special way. Nardene Scott meets up with them... “We’ve known each other for a long time. Out of friendship groups it just grew,” Harley tells us before Jordan interjects abruptly. “I’ll tell you the story, it’s not fate, that’s cheesy,” he insists when we catch up with Island signed Rizzle Kicks in Hoxton. With Jordan’s auntie and Harley’s stepdad having worked together at the same indie label, and the teenagers playing on the same football team (“I was A Team, he was B team standard,”) and the pair moving to Brighton at the same time, plus them both attending the BRIT school, it kind of sounds like fate to us. To be fair, there’s some truth in what Jordan, 18, says, having rapped on his own for a while before becoming the duo they are today. Harley, also 18, was originally brought in to provide a hook for a track Jordon was working on. “Friends that hadn’t
really paid attention to my music before, now that Harley was on board were like, ‘This is quite cool,” so it made us both have a think.” Two years down the line and, after a little bidding war, they’re signed to Island Records. “We made the Down With The Trumpets video and five demos and then just out of the blue, some A&R’s got hold of it and snapped,” recalls Harley. Their Jessie J cover of Price Tag was also given the go ahead by the Mystic Meg hair stylin’ phenom herself. “We didn’t want to put up anything without her liking it,” Jordan admits. As well as a fan in form of Jessie J, their Lily Allen and Arctic Monkeys sampling EP Shun, The Non-Believer, quickly caught the attention of the Guardian and Artrocker, cementing the duo’s one to watch status. Performing at the upcoming Camden Crawl and Great Escape festival, and another confirmed date for Radio 1’s Big Weekend, make sure you catch the Kicks while you can. The Rizzle Kicks vs. Rural remix of Price Tag is out now on iTunes. Check rizzlekicks.com and Twitter.com/RizzleKicks
ENGLISH FRANK
He’s English and his bars are straight to the point. Frank, you might even say! Introducing a UK rap artist who has had the net going crazy over the past couple of months, notably for his SB.TV freestyle, English Frank has gone from just “fun rapping” back in the day, to being one of the most talked about underground acts of the moment. This lyricist is playing no more games. “The name is nowhere near big enough,” says English. “We’re going to try and blow it up as much as it can blow up, then we’re going to drop the album and keep it moving!” Twitter.com/englishfrank (JP)
22 / RWDMAG.COM
ABOUT TO BLOW: EMELI SANDÉ
Now and then, RWD get a bit excited about a new singer. But when you possess the incredible vocal and songwriting skills of Emeli Sandé, it’s hard not to get carried away. Words by Hattie Collins...
“I still haven’t met Wiley but I’ve spoken to him on the phone and he seems very cool,” laughs Emeli Sandé of working with the enigmatic Godfather of Grime on their chartblasting single, Never Be Your Woman. As well as that Naughty Boy produced No.8, she also scored a No.6 with Chipmunk on Diamond Rings, also created by the badly behaved boy beat maker. “It was a really good opportunity because it gave me the experience of the music industry without having to be at the forefront,” says the 24 year-old of her time hook singing. “It was also seeing how a record label works, who’s involved and the whole process from recording the hook, to sending it to the artist etc. I learnt loads.” The former medical student’s own sound is very different to that of the tracks she’s written for other people, who also include Tinie Tempah (Let Go) and Pro Green’s Kids That Love To Dance. After signing to EMI a year ago, the Frida Kahlo, Tracey Chapman, Mariah and Virginia Woolfe fan has spent the last year writing with Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian), Claude Kelly (Christina, Jessie J) Steve Robson (Paloma Faith), Al Shux (JayZ), Naughty and Mojam (Pro Green), for both her own album and potential tracks for other people, including Leona Lewis. Head to her YouTube channel to see Sandé perform the metaphor driven Kill The Boy, the heartbroken Maybe and the utterly incredible Easier In
finer details in relationships, Sandé’s strengths include being able to have the listener hooked from the first note. “I love storytelling. Being from Scotland, I have a love of folk music and the way it finds to say things in an interesting way. There’s so many intricacies in relationships, so I didn’t just want to write about when I broke up with somebody or when I got with somebody.” Singing since the age of four, Emeli’s parents realised their daughter could really make a go of music when they saw her harmonising at the age of seven. Keen for her to get an education, the self confessed “geek” studied Clinical Neuro-Science for five years before taking off to do music. “I was accepted into medicine at 16 and I loved it. But I found it very hard to balance music and such an academic pressure, because they’re so different,” she says of the career tug-of-war. “I tried to combine them, but it was impossible. I loved studying, but music was my passion and something that I graduated towards naturally. I’d love to find a way to balance them both. Maybe music therapy or diagnosing onstage,” she grins. Like Adele, Jessie, Janelle and Gaga, Sandé is one of a kind; standing out without even trying to, just by being herself, we’re confident that this time next year she’ll be selling as much as the Tinie’s, Chipmunk’s and Pro Green’s. “What I’m hoping for is that my style will separate me from everyone else
“I HOPE THAT BEING THE STORYTELLER OF THE POP WORLD WILL BE WHAT MAKES ME STAND OUT. BUT REALLY I JUST LOVE MAKING MUSIC, SO ALL I’M THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW IS THE HERE AND NOW. I’LL WORRY ABOUT THE REST LATER.” Bed, produced by Loco. “I don’t want to make people cry, but it’s very flattering to know someone has been moved or touched by something you’ve written,” says Emeli when we tell her some of her songs actually made our eyes water. “That’s very difficult to do in music, so it’s great to know that the emotion I felt that inspired the songs, comes across in the recordings.” She might not mean to make you boo, but the combination of the Scottish singer’s soul squeezing vocal and brilliantly written lyrics is enough to put a pinch on even the hardest of hearts. Encapsulating the 24 / RWDMAG.COM
out there,” she says of her ambitions. “Because I do write my own music, my lyrics are so specific to me and that’s the only way I can create my own path really, because the style of what I’m doing is quite different. I hope that being the storyteller of the pop world will be...” she stops to consider, “... will be what makes me stand out. But really I just love making music, so all I’m thinking about right now is the here and now. I’ll worry about the rest later.” YouTube.com/user/emelisande and Twittter.com/emelisande
25
STYLE GUIDE 3 TRENDS FOR SPRING | FASHION NEWS | REFRESHED | FASHION
>>
WHAT TO WEAR AND HOW TO WEAR IT...
2
1 DUCK AND COVER Daniel Jacket duckandcover.com, £80 2 LACOSTE Himos Red Loafers lacoste.co.uk, £47 3 TOY WATCH Plasteramic Fluo toywatches.co.uk, £125 4 THE DUFFER OF ST GEORGE Lakeside Flag Blue Hood jdsports.co.uk, £49.99 5 THE DUFFER OF ST GEORGE Tonnant jdsports.co.uk, £34.99
1
3
4
5
>> 27
STYLE GUIDE MENS
1 3 2
4 5
6
TREND TRIO We pick three trends to see your wardrobe through to the summer... directed by DJB images by Adrian Nettleship styling by Irene Asanji assisted by Cheyenne Davide
28 / RWDMAG.COM
7
9 10
8
11
12
13 14
15
16
1 KING APPAREL Signature oxford shirt King-apparel.com, £39.99 2 BBC bbcicecream.eu, £295 3 ALPINESTARS Camp Oxford Cap Alpinestars.com, £30
4 THE DUFFER OF ST GEORGE 7 LUKE bates plimsol luke1977.com, £70 jdsports.co.uk, £19.99 8 LRG 5 TED BAKER 020 8993 1010, £30 020 8970 6273, £65 9 BBC 6 ENERGIE bbcicecream.eu, £185 Jagger Jacket 10 SKULL CANDY energie.it, £132 skullcandy.com
11 ALPHA INDUSTRIES 14 Nike @ JD saturdaycasuals.co.uk, £65 Flash 12 WOLVERINE jdsports.co.uk, £51.99 1000 mile boots 15 TED BAKER wolverine.com, £330 Alorneck 13 FARAH 02089706273, £50 The Chamberlain 16 LUKE Farah.co.uk, £95 luke1977.com, £30 29
STYLE GUIDE MENS
1
3
2 4
5
6
7
8
9
1 ASICS Corrido asics.co.uk/sportstyle, £50 2 KING APPAREL Pre Polo King-apparel.com, £39.99 30 / RWDMAG.COM
3 MCKENZIE @ JD jdsports.co.uk, £12.99 4 BBC bbcicecream.eu, £185
5 URBAN EARS Plattan urbanears.com, £50 6 ADIDAS ORIGINALS @ JD Training PT 70s jdsports.co.uk, £64.99
7 NEW ERA Two snap Style neweracap.co.uk, £28 8 ENERGIE energie.it, £106
9 LRG Scout Belt 02089931010, £15
FASHION NEWS
PAINTING BY NUMBERS Eastpak and Antoine Peters put the design in your hands... EASTPAK’s Icon store on London’s Carnaby Street have teamed up with innovative Belgium designer Antoine Peters, to make a limited edition collection of customisable bags. The collection was directly inspired by a previous interactive installation called ‘The World is Flat’, for QUINZE & MILAN x EASTPAK’s Built to Resi(s)t collection. For ten days, gallery-goers were invited to decorate the sofas by colouring them in! The same ethos has been applied to three iconic Eastpak bags, the Delegate, Padded Pak’r and Flex. The bags start from £28 - £ 45. The bags are deliberately not coloured in to allow each owner to customise as desired, creating their own unique work of art. Only available in Benelux, Italy and now London, the collection just launched exclusively in the UK at the Eastpak store for one month (until 11 May) and then will be available online at Eastpak.com. Head to Carnaby St or over to the Internets right now to get your own rather ace Eastpak and get creative. EASTPAK Icon Store - No.1 Carnaby Street, London, W1F 9QF. 020 7734 0300
TOO SHORT It’s time to swap your full-lengths for a more summery style... ETO Jeans are celebrating the recent hot weather with a fantastic new range of mens shorts. Famed for their outstanding range of jeans, the new shorts are the perfect addition for the upcoming Summer months. With a variety of styles ranging from classic denim to coated black to cargo combat, ETO is providing the perfect style solution for barbecue and beer garden weather. The shorts are available on the official ETO website etojeans.co.uk where you’ll also find their incredible denim collection along with great polos, knitwear and hoodys.
CHARLEE DREW
How do you describe your style? I just wear jeans and a T-shirt. Oh, and I will never wear a pair of shoes that aren’t hi tops. What’s the most expensive thing you own? I’ve got a few Y-3 bits, that was a bit of a silly approach with money. Any fashion faux-pas? I sometimes wear my girlfriend’s purple tracksuit bottoms; they’re quite cool from
32 / RWDMAG.COM
American Apparel. (RWD chokes with laughter) Nah, you can’t print that actually! Too late! Have you got any Skepta tour gossip yet? This is crazy, the guys are lapping it up... oh my gosh! I don’t know what is going on. Just follow me on Twitter and we’ll tweet. Twitter.com/CharleeDrew. Sugar Rush is available on iTunes now
Adeyinka Adepitan
We called up singer, songwriter and all-round ace artist Charlee Drew to talk about his strange fashion faux pas and crazy BBK tour antics...
EVERY DAY I’M HUSTLING HustleBucks provide fashion for thought...
K-SWISS HAVE GONE GONZO K-SWISS have realised that standard/ boring advertising is just about fat executives creating silly slogans and fake images that don’t mean anything in the real world. They needed a better way, so they decided to rip up the rule books and GO GONZO. But WTF is GONZO you ask? The term began with the journalist Hunter S. Thompson way back in 1970, after he decided that playing the game of life by normal society’s dire rules was a total waste of time. Since then, GONZO has become an international movement of people who want to change the world through imagination, fun, verve and spirit. GONZO stands for living life to the fullest, being optimistic and kicking normal up its arse. It’s about looking out at the rain coming down and seeing Californian sunshine. It’s about making sure your glass is constantly so full to the brim that your only problem is how to stop the juices of life pouring down the sides and down through your fingers. With GONZO in their veins they wake up every day, find the most fun thing they could do, film it, photograph it, and write about it and post it on the hilarious/ insightful portal that is GONZOWORLD.com. The team have made the best workout video ever with Tempa T, figured out how to pick up girls, eat right, dress right, and how to take a punch in the face! Don’t just go to the site... GO GONZO! To watch the latest madness check GONZOWORLD.com and the all new section of our very own site, RWDmag.com/GONZOWORLD
SINCE THEN, GONZO HAS BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD THROUGH IMAGINATION, FUN, VERVE AND SPIRIT.
Joining the likes of singer Mpho (who owns a tea room with her sister) in the creative hub that is Brixton Village is HustleBucks. A design agency which was founded in 2008 by the young people at 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, the Hustle Crew have a passion for design but also for making a difference in their community. Hustlebucks creates innovative and fresh design which give voice to the views of young people. Currently producing some super-fresh T-shirts and hoodies, bags and accessories will launch soon. The shop originally started as a two week pop up in 2010, but due to demand they opened on a more permanent basis. With an in-house vinyl cutter and heat press they are able to print their own clothing whilst offering a similar service to the public. So take your design and go and get your T made! Simples! HustleBucks also provide design services, offering professionally produced flyers, adverts and logos at competitive prices. Go down to the shop and not only can you pick up pieces not worn by every Tom, Dick and Harry, but you’ll be helping HustleBucks encourage people into further education, careers in creative industries and self-employment, as well as providing them with a platform for new ideas and creative talent. Run by Samuel Alebioshu (co founder and studio manager) and Kieza De Sousa (Head of clothing production) with a team of freelance designers. If you’re interested in joining, contact Kareen Williams on 020 7978 8309 or head down to HustleBucks, 45 Brixton Village, Brixton Market, Brixton SW9.
33
“Aftershave is the one thing that I won’t divulge on. It’s not a secret ting but things like [Paco Rabanne] 1 Million, even though it’s a heavy smell, I don’t wear it cos it’s too recognisable. Also, when it comes to shaving I let my barber deal with that.” RWD RECOMMENDS:
AGUA DE COLONIA CONCENTRATED EAU DE COLOGNE
(carterandbond.com, £39.95 for 400ml) If you’re looking for a fragrance that the copy cats can’t clone, get on over to Carter and Bond. With extracts of Lemon, this is a breath of fresh air.
REFRESHED No one likes a mucky puppy and those who use festivals as an excuse to look shabby and smell like a toilet seat should be ashamed of themselves. Luckily Starboy Nathan is always shining like a diamond; the music artist tells us his ReFreshment regime... words by Danny Walker
STARBOY NATHAN (24)
We haven’t spoken to you in ages, how’s life? It’s all going wicked. The single [Diamonds] is going well. It’s the first single off the new album 3D. I wrote it late last year. It’s not just about diamonds on your neck, it’s like feeling that way for a girl and saying ‘I’ll put diamonds on your neck’ but basically I’ll do anything for you. It’s gestures, so it could be diamonds or giving you my coat when I’m cold.
34 / RWDMAG.COM
Last time we spoke, you were ‘Nathan’ and now you’re ‘Star Boy Nathan’. Explain please. [Laughs] People look at it like it’s a change of name but it’s not really, it’s just kind of like an extension of myself. I’ve grown and I know a bit more about how to show personality. Where have you been for the last few years? I spent some time in Japan and America and did some writing, and working with
some Grammy winning producers and writers. Your reason for getting ReFreshed? You gotta stay fresh innit, you don’t even need a particular reason. You’ve just got to stay fresh all of the time [laughs]. I get a trim every four/ five days. To feature in ReFreshed, send us a pic and why you should be included. Email (subject: Refresh Me) refreshed@rwdmag.com
“I regularly use face wash and I’ve got the Listerine popping too!!!” RWD RECOMMENDS:
MOLTON BROWN FRESH BUSHUKAN CITRUS BODYWASH
(moltonbrown.co.uk, £17.50 for 300ml) We’re glad your Listerine and face wash game is tight. For that extra splash, add this bodywash to your routine. With bushukan fruit, bilberry juice and deep cleansing anti-oxidants, it will protect your skin beautifully.
MUST HAVES:
“Yeah I’m rocking the Mohican thing, I was just putting some gel in my hair too, its hair polisher and it’s mad, it’s only like 50mls and it’s like £8.”
We know festivals can be tricky so here’s some help...
RWD RECOMMENDS:
AMERICAN CREW CITRUS MINT HAIR GEL
“I wash my hair with Head and Shoulders. I’m looking in my shower as we speak.”
(01282 613 413, £9.95 for 200ml) Starboy, RWD don’t think you really need any help with your refreshment game cos it sounds like your bathroom cupboard is overflowing. To add to the collection, go for this provitamin B5 enriched styling gel gives you both hold and shine.
RWD RECOMMENDS:
D:FI HYDRATE:D MOISTURISING SHAMPOO
(feelunique.com, £7.35 For 350ml) If you ever need a little hydration for a dry head situation - let’s be honest we all need scalp salvation from time to time - look no further than d:fi’s moisturising shampoo. With cactus extract that caresses every follicle and Panthenol that guarantees softness you’ll be in that shower even longer now.
“Some guys get the women’s Sure cos it smells like baby powder, my bredrin ML does that. But I’m all about the men’s one. It’s can’t be about the white bottle can it?’
HAIR: VO5 sportsGel (Available from Tescos and Asda, £3.36 for 150ml) Crowd surfing or just surfing, this sweat and water resistant styling gel boasts 48-hour hold!!!
RWD RECOMMENDS:
RIGHT GUARD XTREME SILVER
(rightguard.com, £1.79 for 150ml) We know you and your boy ML are a fan of the Sure, but what about the black and green of Right Guard Xtreme? This works for 48 hours to fight against armpit nasties; Skin friendly, alcohol free and fresher than fresh.
SKIN: Rohto Dry Eye Relief (Pharmacies nationwide, £1.99 for 5x0.5ml) Pack these and your festival focus will be on the bands and not the nearest eye patch.
AFTERSHAVE OF THE MONTH JOOP! SPLASH
(joop.com, £37 for 75ml) When a fresh yet powerful fragrance passes through the RWD office, especially one that reminds us of those summer days in the park (when we’re not on deadline), you have to get everyone to have a whiff. This month nostrils picked up the sweet citrusy scent of Joop! Splash that consists of Wild Cassowary Fruit, Green Coriander which is injected with dashes of Calypsone and spicy Cardoman (to give it that peppery zest). Not only does it smell sugary but the bottle is sweet too, so make sure your chin, neck and groin area get a splash of Splash.
BODY: Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion (Available from supermarkets, £3.67 for 250 ML) Good for head, shoulders, knees and toes... and crusty elbows. 35
ART HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER: NATALIE J WATTS STYLIST: IRENE AGBONTAEN MODEL: JAMES COX AT AMCK MODELS STYLIST ASSISTANTS: DENIS TODOROVIC & FUNKE OLALEYE PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTANTS: MAX LETEK & DREW MORGAN HAIR: MAKI TANAKA MAKE UP: JESSIE OWEN
T-shirt by Fly 53, trousers by Topman, shoes by Bape, Wayfarers sunglasses by Rayban 36 / RWDMAG.COM
37
Jacket by Nike, beanie by Icon, Toy Watch, jeans by Carhartt 38 / RWDMAG.COM
Gilet by Bape, hooded jacket by The Duffer of St. George, T-shirt by PXL, shorts by Staple, boots by Palladium
39
Jacket by Nickelson, jeans by Levi’s, LTD watch
40 / RWDMAG.COM
Hoodie by Jeremy Scott for adidas, jeans by Volcom, Vans shoes, fingerless gloves by American Apparel
41
Polo shirt by Penguin, trousers by Nike, backpack by American Apparel, trilby hat by Beyond Retro, Icon necklace (worn as bracelet)
42 / RWDMAG.COM
Jacket by MHI, hoodie by adidas Originals, T-shirt by Justin Hustlin, jeans by Wrangler, shoes by Vans, wooden knuckle rings by Proper Goods
STOCKISTS adidas: adidas.com American Apparel: americanapparel.co.uk Bape: bape.com Beyond Retro: beyondretro.com Canterbury: jdsports.co.uk Carhartt: thecarharttsore.co.uk Fly 53: fly53.com Justin Hustlin: justinhustlin.com Lee: lee.com Leviâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: Levi.com LTD watches: blackiceindustries.com MHI: mhistore.com New Era: neweracap.com Nickelson: nickelson.co.uk Nike: nikesportswear.com North Skull: northskull.com Palladium: palladiumboots.eu Penguin: penguinclothing.com Proper Goods: realpropergoods.com Puma: puma.com PXL: pxlclothing.com Raybans: Ray-ban.com Staple: stapledesign.com Topman: topman.com The Duffer of St George: jdsports.co.uk Vans: vans.com Volcom: volcom.com Wrangler: wrangler.com
43
COVER STORY BANG ON!
“IT MEANS ‘BAIT’ OR ‘OBVIOUS’ DOWN HERE... ‘MR OBVIOUS’. EVERYONE STARTED CALLING ME ‘MR BANG ON!’ AND I WAS LOOKING FOR A NAME AT THE TIME. I DIDN’T WANT TO BE ‘GUNMAN BIG D*CK’ OR WHATEVER.”
44 / RWDMAG.COM
45
COVER STORY BANG ON!
“[GOT IT] IS ALL ABOUT THIS X FACTOR SH*TE. THE FACT THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE FAMOUS... I’M THERE TRYING TO GET MYSELF AWAY FROM THE PACK AND IT’S ME SAYING, ‘ER... I’VE ACTUALLY GOT IT.’”
46 / RWDMAG.COM
After tapping on the industry door for five years, Bang On! has changed tactics and is ready to kick that mother right off its hinges. With a ferocious flow that spews out sick imagery, humour and memorable metaphors the Liverpudlian lad – who’s signed to Big Dada – lets us know why he’s ready to blow. The 20 yearold talks streaking, trackies and explains why everyone will be ‘Going GONZO’ this summer... words by Danny Walker directed by DJB images by Andres Reynaga styling by Neesha Sharma make up by Maria Asadi
“I know everybody was doing this like 10 years ago but I’ve just started,” the rapper born Elliott Egerton laughs of his smarter attire as the RWD cover shoot draws to a close. “For the most part I wear trackies and that, so I’m actually scruffy. In fact I proper hate getting pictures taken in social situations but this is fun. There are people out there sitting in offices staring at the wall so I’d much rather be mucking about with a disco ball all day, d’you know what I mean.” After rocking several looks (“I’m not at the suit level just yet though. I’m just getting me toe in the water with the jeans,”) and telling RWD about his love for God’s Son (“I was always a big Nas fan. I started by just mimicking him; thought he was amazing.”) we soon move on from snapping Bang On! to delving into his big bang and how he turned from a lairy so-and-so to a lairy so-and-so with talent and a record deal. “Basically I got into rapping when I was like nine or something,” recalls the MC in a thick, barely transcribable Liverpool twang. “I went down to this youth centre and there’s this fella, TL, who’s like a legend in Liverpool, who was doing a workshop or whatever. He said, ‘Does anyone know how to freestyle?’ I put me hand up and started freestyling. It all started from there really.” Even at such a young age Elliott showed determination, desire and a thirst for music (well he is from Liverpool, home to the Beatles)... now all he needed was love a name. After being bestowed the non-prestigious title of ‘Mr Bang On’ from his older brother and coincidently another friend, a moniker was soon born. “It means ‘Bait’ or ‘Obvious’ down here... ‘Mr Obvious’. Everyone started calling me ‘Mr Bang On!’ and I was looking for a name at the time. I didn’t want to be ‘Gunman Big D*ck’ or whatever.” And the differentiation between the two identities? “I dunno, sometimes I get lost between the two,” he smiles. “When people see me they probably expect me to be a bit more... I dunno... just bad or something. Or a bit more hyper and that. Or a bit more confident but sometimes I’m quiet or just shy. There’s probably not much of a difference.” When Big Dada came along and signed the Walton resident, just over a year ago, we seriously doubt they saw a shy, retiring, introvert. “It was surreal really,” the non-timid side of his ego recalls of signing on the dotted line.
“You might get deals down in London but it’s not really an option up north. I didn’t think it was going to be on the table at all but it just came out of nowhere. So I didn’t really know what to make of it. I didn’t even know somebody who’d been in the situation before. There was no one to call. I just felt weirded out by it. I was 19 at the time so it was just proper boss. Just realising a lifetime ambition pretty quickly.” On his debut track Hands High, Bang On! is again far from shy. Shot in a local pub (“The Blob Shop,” he calls it) and directed by Goetz Werner [Dizzee Rascal’s Graftin’ and Off To Work] the video was a bold statement. “We’ve joked for years that we’ll have to go down there. We got all the locals there, doin’ it, we just thought, f**k it. [Goetz] was boss like, getting us motivated; he was sick.” So after achieving another goal of making a ‘fun’ debut single with a ‘hilarious’ video, the Everton fan (“I used to go to every game, but I haven’t been able to afford it the past couple of years,”) ticked another box. “I only had like an hour’s notice,” Bang On! stresses when detailing the impromptu link up with label mate Toddla T, for a rendition of the producer’s ruthless Chart Attack, which appeared on Radio 1. “I still haven’t met him but yeah, I laid down a freestyle that ended up on his [In New DJs We Trust] and he’s been supporting since, so it’s sick.” Any Wiley link-ups in the pipeline, we hear you ask? “Yeah, that would be sick,” he beams about working with the Godfather of Grime, who is still with Big Dada. “There are proper sick artists on the same label and that, so yeah it would be great to do that. I think as well you don’t really want to do too many [collaborations], I just need to solidify my own identity first.” >>
INTERVIEW FACTS Bang On! has lived “all over” Liverpool. He grew up in Toxteth, lived in Garston and now resides in Walton on his own. He did live with his mum until he was 17/18. Bang On! prefers UK music better than US at the moment, “I think we’re sh*tting on America.” Big Dada have described Bang On! as the ‘most exciting’ artist they’ve signed recently. When asked ‘Night out with the mates or night in with the Mrs?’ he replied, “Ahhhhhh... no!!! I’ll be diplomatic, night in with the Mrs.” Why? “I don’t care, I wanna have sex!” 47
COVER STORY BANG ON!
48 / RWDMAG.COM
GOT IT: THE VIDEO SHOOT
We get an update from Bang On! after his second video shoot... So how was yesterday? Yesterday was boss. We hear it went very well, especially as you tweeted [@bangonmusic] at 12.25AM, ‘Am so f**kin done in, boss video shoot tho’... Jamie Robertson was the director and it was a proper ‘in the studio’ sort of vibe. The lighting and the framing were amazing; he was doing all of this technical stuff that I don’t even know what it is. It just ends up looking amazing. All those subtle things. What clothes were you rocking? K-Swiss decked me out for the most part. I left me trackies on for some parts. For other parts I was done up a little bit more. Sort of smart, but you’re definitely getting my whole wardrobe throughout the video. What would you say was the best scene? There were so many, I got to meet the queen... well a lookalike anyway. At one point I was being carried around on a chair. There were all of these strange extras too, like a mad scientist!?!?! Any funny stories from the set, did you throw up or anything? [Laughs] No, I didn’t throw up unfortunately but I suppose playing footy with a big [polystyrene] ‘it’ was pretty out there. Doing keep ups. It was too much. ‘It’ must be ruined now [laughs]... [Laughs] Oh yeah, it was fun at the end of the day though. The [final version of the video] should be proper sick. And lastly, why should people stop being all normal and boring and ‘Go GONZO’? It shouldn’t even need an explanation, really. Normal is just so BORING!!! Normal is so normal, innit. Why not, why not???
<< The new outspoken track, Got It, cements his sound and is ready to blow open doors. “Basically it’s just swaggy bars for the most part and, I dunno, I suppose it’s all about this X Factor sh*te. The fact that everybody wants to be famous... I’m there trying to get myself away from the pack and it’s me saying, ‘Er... I’ve actually got it.’” Looking closely at the lyrics, the bars are certainly swaggy, humorous and reload worthy; ‘...Cos I’m bored sh*tless now, get the beak out lets rumble kidda, see the meat’s ground and then put in pita, I’m kicking off cos it’s three pound for a f**king bitter’... I know, I can’t even imagine what [the price of beer] is like in London. Some places are doing it like that by us now, so three pound is not even that bad. I’ll get like a proper cherry beer; I’m on fruit lagers at the moment. And then I come down here and I’m drinking Fosters for a price of a cherry beer [laughs]. I cracked up on ‘I float like a dead body, sting like gonorrhoea’... Is that from personal experience? [Laughs] Yeah, it’s a little spin on the Muhammad Ali phrase but someone said to me ‘Cream rises to the top... and so do dead bodies.’ I just chat sh*t and went with it. ‘This lad, well he looks a bit mad, took a bird home, said he owns 26 cats, a mishmash, of mismatched kidders that live fast, picking fattys with big racks to lick their p*** flaps...’ break that down for us please... [Laughs] That is like just squeezed in; it’s a bit of everything really. That is a nice little tongue twister as well. [Laughs] it’s pretty self-explanatory really. Yeah.
With Bang On!’s video premiering on GONZOWORLD.com, K-Swiss’ home for all things crazy where they’ve not only ripped up the rule book they’ve p***ed on it, has this pineapple cocktail drinking, jerk chicken eating, Jeremy Kyle watcher done anything off the wall? “There are a couple things but you probably couldn’t print them, people will get a proper bad opinion of me,” he grins before reeling off what we hope is a former pastime. “I suppose flashing people... I used to flash people and stuff like that.” Has it ever gone wrong? “Yeah, quite a lot of the time [laughs]. My mates used to bail off on me in the car. Just when I’ve pulled me trousers down.” Nice, this seems like the tip of the prank iceberg though. “I’d love to tar and feather somebody that would be so good; it’s probably the ultimate slapstick innit.” If you see a car driving towards you at speed with a giggling (far from shy) rapper hanging out of the window... run!!! Got It is out now. To view the video, along with a series of fun, humorous and insane films, photography and writing check GONZOWORLD.com, you can also visit RWDmag.com/GONZOWORLD for more
FESTIVAL FROLLOCKS To fest or not to fest...
Where are you looking to play this year? I’ve got a Big Dada showcase coming up on 12 May. What festivals have you been to? The Big Chill is the only big festival I’ve really been to, but yeah, I wanna go to some of the really weird ones. Like Bestival looks good. Obviously V Festival or whatever would be good with the big names but I go for a bit more leftfield stuff.
Would you be one of the ones who are drunk straight away or rocking out to every main act? Probably rocking out with a couple of drinks I reckon. If you were going to headline a festival what would you do in your set? Just push the boat out, I think nonindie artists or whatever are seen to not put enough work in compared to indie bands and pop acts. It would be good to do stuff like that and push the boat out.
49
INTERVIEW FRIENDLY FIRES
“SPEECH DEBELLE, THAT WON THE MERCURY PRIZE [IN 2009], I HAVEN’T SEEN MUCH OF HER SINCE? IN SOME WAYS IT CAN BE A CURSE...”
The second album from St. Albans three-piece, Friendly Fires, Pala, follows on perfectly from their Mercury Music Prize shortlisted self-titled debut. Partly produced in lead vocalist Ed Macfarlane’s garage and with Paul Epworth [Adele, Cee Lo] it’s a slice of electro tinted, ‘80s inspired instrumentation that has the potential to finally acquire them some accolades. Ed takes Danny Walker through Pala track-for-track, divulges a love for Backstreet Boys and explains why they prefer being nominated for awards than actually winning them...
FIRE IT UP 50 / RWDMAG.COM
Just as he’s about to jump into a cab to somewhere exciting, (probably a nine-star hotel so he can throw a widescreen out of a window or something of similar ilk), we catch up with friendly Friendly Fires frontman Ed Macfarlane (“I’m actually going to see a mate on my day off. Give me a second just got to make sure the house is all locked up.”) A couple of Chubb Locks later and we discuss all things fire... RWD: Hello Ed... How you doing man? Do you guys feel like bridesmaids and never the brides with loads of nominations (Mercury Music Prize, Brit Awards, etc.) but with nothing to put on the wall? [Laughs] Erm, in a way yeah because we have done more than most. Speech Debelle, that won the Mercury prize [in 2009], I haven’t seen much of her since? In some ways it can be a curse... I was the kid that never won awards at school so it’s like if I’m not winning awards now, it doesn’t really bother me. It’s nothing new (laughs). What’s your favourite Fires track? It would have to be a tossup between Hurting and Show Me Lights, which are on our new record. [With the new album] it’s pushed our sound in a new direction, it’s very kind of soul-y. Kind of almost mid ‘80s, slow jams kind of thing...
ED TALKS RWD THROUGH THE ALBUM: On Pala... It’s taken a year and a half to write it and finish it. We built about 80% of the tracks in my garage and Paul Epworth kind of pull it all together and gave it that sort of pop feel. We’re really pleased with it. To me it sounds like what the UK really needs now, something bright and colourful, especially with summer coming up. We played on Jimmy Fallon in New York recently and ?uestlove (I’m a massive fan) said ‘Friendly Fires music really touches my soul.’ It was really amazing. Live Those Days Tonight It’s the first single off the record; really punchy and grounded straightaway. The lyrical theme came from YouTube and looking at really old Ray videos. All the top comments were like ‘Kids don’t know >> 51
INTERVIEW FRIENDLY FIRES
<< how to dance these days,’ ‘Back then we had so much fun.’ I wanted to write a song about breaking free from the shadows of the past so I could enjoy myself in the moment. ?uestlove loves it so that’s alright. Pala is a very spiritual track... Yeah definitely the slowest song I’ve ever written and very stripped down and bare. You can hear my voice is quite isolated. But we were trying to push things in terms of production. Like all the sounds you’re hearing - the windup toys and sounds of camera - if you go back you can hear those. Our favourite track Show Me Lights... The starting point of that track is based on a [music producer] Flying Lotus track. I wanted to write something that was almost like our heyday of boy band music, like N*Sync and Backstreet Boys. I miss the day when pop music had soul and funk. If there was another Back to the Future, True Love would be on the soundtrack... Yeah, I like Back to the Future, so that’s a great compliment. It was the first track that was written for the first 52 / RWDMAG.COM
record, I think it’s got a kind of Talking Heads/ stuttering feel to it. Pull Me Back To Earth, I thought it was very Vampire Weekend-ish... Yeah the verses are quite Afrobeat, they’ve got that kind of vibe to it. And Chimes? We recorded that one with Paul Epworth, it was quite deep and clubby and housey. The lyrics are about coming out of a club at three in the morning after spending your whole night trying to escape. And last but not least, Helpless... We actually went down to this beach house in Rye, out of season, and we were the only people living in this entire street, it pretty freaky. When we finished this track, we went down to the beach, bought a load of fireworks, took a load of ketamine and [bursts out laughing]... Right at the end of the track you can hear us laughing. It felt like a nice personal way to end the record. Like an actual staple of that actual moment in time. Pala is out 16 May. wearefriendlyfires.com
FESTIVAL FROLLOCKS
Where are you playing this summer? Reading, Leeds, Glastonbury, Party in the Park and Oxygen in Ireland; we’re only doing the big ones. If you were going to put on a festival in St. Albans, what activities would you have going on? I’d definitely be on the phone to The Roots if they’d be up to it, I’d love to have Aphex Twin come down to play. And then as far as entertainment, I’ve always wanted to go on one of those massive metal slides, the sort they have on big hills.
INTERVIEW KATE MOROSS
54 / RWDMAG.COM
A ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO… 24 year-old London based creative Kate Moross is one of the most exciting young designers, illustrators and directors working in the capital right now. Mahta Hassanzadeh catches up with Ms. Moross via Skype....
CHECK THE TECHNIQUE...
The name is Kate Moross. The CV is a lot... Illustration. Graphic design. Art direction. Founder of Isomorphs, a design-led, vinyl only record label and of creative co-op, ISO. Maker of garms. RWD could continue listing but we’ve got a word count to consider. The basic gist being, the girl is mad talented. Rising through the ranks after starting out producing free flyers
than circles which don’t really link together. Squares are just a bit boring. And triangles have lots of funnier references like alien cults and the Illuminati. I was walking down the road, wearing one of my big triangle necklaces and this little boy came up to me and shouted ‘Freemason’. I just thought, ‘Wow’ because usually they shout ‘K**b’ or something. What else gets you all geeky? A Chinese takeaway and bad television. Building up my dollhouse and record collecting. Give us some advice then... I guess the ability to blag is important. Back that up with some common sense and confidence and you normally have a winning combination. You need to be humble too. I think the most paralysing thing with young people is this fear of the unknown; this idea of a seven foot high fence between you and your goals. Just imagine the fence isn’t
“I STILL FEEL LIKE THERE’S THIS TERRIFYING PRESSURE TO ACHIEVE FROM A MUCH YOUNGER AGE. TO BE WILLOW SMITH OR JUSTIN BIEBER AND MAKE MILLIONS BEFORE YOU’RE ELEVEN... YOU DON’T NEED TO GO AND LOOK FOR WORK, YOU JUST NEED TO MAKE IT FOR YOURSELF...” and posters to get into gigs and clubs, the London-born zeitgeist now boasts an insane client list with the work to match. She describes what she does as “everything and nothing”. But how does a geeky childhood obsession with isometric shapes and triangular grids turn into working on campaigns for Nike, art directing for Simian Mobile Disco, designing watches for Firetrap and illustrating for the likes of Glastonbury and Vogue? You said you got into this by accident... It wasn’t something I had planned or thought was achievable as a career. It was a very natural experience. I was always drawing or being creative for people and then it turned into people paying me to do it, so I happily accepted. Explain the triangle obsession... At school we did these isometric drawings using triangular grids and I loved them. I explored them more throughout my degree and in my personal work. Triangles have potential; way more interesting
there, because it really isn’t. I still feel like there’s this terrifying pressure to achieve from a much younger age. To be Willow Smith or Justin Bieber and make millions before you’re eleven. I always say in my lectures, you don’t need to go and look for work, you just need to make it for yourself. Has anything made you step back and rate yourself? The video I did for Alpines with Hans Lo (best friend and ISO cohort). I’m moving into using film, story telling, narrative and editing to portray a concept rather than things that I’m used to. It was quite scary but working with Hans was amazing and I think we produced something really great. And if you weren’t Kate Moross; the designer, illustrator, director, et al? I think I’d be a good plumber or electrician or something. I’d spend my time going round people’s houses like, ‘Awwwwwight love? I’ll fix ya boiler, don’t worry!’ Katemoross.com 55
INTERVIEW WIZ KHALIFA
UP IN SMOKE The owner of one of the hottest songs of 2011, Wiz Khalifa is this year’s hottest newcomer. Selling out two dates in London in less than an hour and with a UK No.5 to his name, Hattie Collins felt it was only right to pop to Texas to meet the 6’4 spitter at this year’s amazing SXSW...
SUCCESS It feels really
good. I’m glad it took so long because I got the experience and I got the know-how to be able to run my business and do it the right way and really be proud of it and happy with it. I’ve grown with the situation I was in with Warner [Khalifa parted ways with the label in 2008]. WIth that not working out I figured out what does work. So I feel like it was a blessing and it made me the business man I am now.
HIS PARENTS Even when
I wasn’t moving around [Wiz’s parents were in the army], my parents were separated so I would live with my mum, and then go to my dad’s for the summer and decide I wanted to live there for a bit so we would kick it for a year and a half. They always gave me the choice, they never fought over me, they supported whatever I wanted to do. We have a totally great relationship. I talk to my mum all the time. My dad has been a big influence on me, because he’s always had his own business. So he really taught me business sense and how to be a focused individual and also to have fun and make everyone around you have fun. I learned a lot from my dad. >>
56 / RWDMAG.COM
“MY FORMULA FOR WRITING IS REALLY NATURAL; TO PEOPLE IT MIGHT BE CATCHY, BUT THEY DON’T REALLY KNOW WHY THEY LIKE THE SONG. BUT I PROGRAMMED THEM TO LIKE THE SONG.”
57
INTERVIEW WIZ KHALIFA
58 / RWDMAG.COM
HIS FIRST EVER RAP It
was called Kool Kat (laughs). I don’t remember exactly how it went but it was about me being a cool little dude (laughs). I started writing songs when I was really, really young. My uncle, Mo, was writing raps back then and I thought that was cool. I just wanted to be like him. When I got to 13, that’s when I started freestyling, and writing down raps, keeping them and recording at that age. I was 14 when I released my first album and from there I never took any steps back. I did something bigger and better the next time and that motivated me and it motivated the people around me too.
NICKI MINAJ Nicki’s really
tight man, and it’s nothingz against her but I look for certain things. I can listen to her music and appreciate it and definitely respect her and her hustle, and I really respect where she’s going in her career and how she modelled herself... that’s what I really look up to as far as Nicki goes. I look up to Gucci, Wacka, Tyler, The Creator is tight. He’s a little wild. I support people who are fully themselves like him, Lil B. That guy’s like my friend. Rick Ross of course and then my man Curren$y, I got a dude out in Jersey called Neeko who’s been really putting it down, my man Chevy has been really putting it down. Nipsey Hustle, Big Sean..
ROLLING PAPERS I wanted to make the biggest album. I wanted to combine to where I’m making big records but it’s still with an edgy, raw sound and I really felt like we perfected that. I went in with ID productions, who got the bulk of the album, and then with Jim Jonsin. It was narrowing it down, calculating it and then accomplishing it.
SMOKIN’ It’s just my
thing. I don’t think it’s just the infatuation with weed, it’s just the peace that comes with the culture. People try to make it negative, but it’s such a positive thing and it’s such a common ground for so many people.
SELLING OUT LONDON
England’s gonna love me. When I go there and perform? I’m gonna be blond streaking it up (laughs).
BLACK & YELLOW I think
it’s just years of hard work and building it up and building this ball and then hitting them with it. My formula for writing is really natural; to people it might be catchy, but they don’t really know why they like the song. But I programmed them to like the song (laughs). And I got more songs where I’m programming. I’ve used that formula on mixtapes and songs before and it finally hit. Everybody knows what the formula is, they just don’t know what it is. But it seems to be working these days.
WORKING WITH STARGATE The people at
Atlantic they really know me and my sound and I really trust them enough to let them magnify it. I’m not going to sit around and be like ‘I know everything and you can’t tell me nothing’. If you guys want to put me in the studio with the No.1 pop guys, lets make some records. I think they thought I was going to make a totally different type of pop record but we made what worked (laughs). It’s still hard.
BEING NUTS My family
would say I was a nut! I’ve always been crazy, but not in a bad way, I’ve just always felt the need to express myself. And I do it in my own little ways; whether
“MY FAMILY WOULD SAY I WAS A NUT! I’VE ALWAYS BEEN CRAZY, BUT NOT IN A BAD WAY, I’VE JUST ALWAYS FELT THE NEED TO EXPRESS MYSELF. AND I DO IT IN MY OWN LITTLE WAYS; WHETHER IT’S HOW I DRESS, DYING MY HAIR, TATTOOS, RAPPING”
it’s how I dress, dying my hair, tattoos, rapping, dancing... I used to dance a lot when I was little. I was really outgoing and not afraid to dance for people.
HIS 8000 TATTOOS
Anywhere back here [points to back of neck], really hurts. The back really hurts. The throat didn’t really hurt that much. On my stomach it’s a Martin Luther King Jr quote. It’s not one of his big ones, but it’s one of the best ones. You find out who somebody is when they’re down and that explains my whole career. When nobody was looking at me and I was working my hardest and I wasn’t getting the love, that’s when I really built up my biggest buzz in my career and that’s what made me who I am now. I didn’t get frustrated, I got motivated.
THE TABLOIDS AND AMBER ROSE That’s my
baby. Yeah. She’s actually here right now. But, um, it is what it is, with like the tabloids, I’m not tripping on that. At the end of the day, people are going to have fun picking on people’s lives but they’re not going to catch me doing anything bad or anything crazy. All I do is tight stuff, everything with me is tight.
THE HAIR Yeah, just trying
to diversify man. I want to be an icon. To be an icon you gotta dye your hair... (laughs). Nah, to be an icon you just got to not be afraid, whether that’s hair, tattooes, your music... Even if people still stopped going crazy about it I would still do it because it’s completely, 100% me. Wiz plays Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 17 May and The Forum on the 18 May. Rolling Papers is out now. Twitter.com/realwizkhalifa
INTERVIEW DIONNE BROMFIELD
FIELD OF DREAMS She might only be 15 years-old, but Dionne Bromfield is already onto her second album. With her Diggy Simmons featuring single Yeah Right steaming up the charts, we ask Amy Winehouse’s goddaughter about some of the music that informs her life...
“THE FIRST ALBUM I BOUGHT WAS THE FIRST STEPS ONE! OH DEAR. I DON’T LISTEN TO IT ANYMORE. IT’S LONG IN THE BIN.” The song on my new album Good For The Soul that means the most to me is... Muggin’. It’s about, well I’m not going to say who it’s about cos I don’t want to give it away, but it’s pretty much about not mugging yourself off, don’t make yourself look like a fool. When I said first said ‘mugging’ everyone thought it was about getting mugged, but no! Is it based on someone I know? Well, you never know...! The song that makes me cry is... Ohhhh. I don’t know! That’s a tough one. Oh, Beyoncé’s Listen. That’s such 60 / RWDMAG.COM
a good song. It’s the words and the way she sings it, it’s so powerful. It’s massive. I’d love to see her live. The song that influences me most as an artist... Aretha Franklin’s R.E.S.P.E.C.T. The first time I heard it I was probably about seven or eight. I remember my mom had a video of Aretha live and she put it on and I was blown away. Her voice is phenomenal. If you want to know what real music is about, you have to look her up. She’s the real deal. My favourite teen pop singer is...
I met him Justin Bieber a year ago and then I met him again at the Brits this year. He’s a really, really nice boy. I’d love to sell as many albums and singles as Justin Bieber, anyone would, but you have to work at that and stick to what you love... Justin and Willow and them lot are close to my age and I think they’re amazing at what they do. We’re all doing the same thing in terms of we’re all lucky to be doing what we love to do. The music I like to do is very old skool, and Justin is very modern and pop. I like the real deal, old ‘60s stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I do
love today’s music but my heart is in old ‘60s soul. The first piece of music I bought was... The first Steps album [Step One]. I know that’s terrible! Oh dear. I don’t listen to it anymore, no. It’s probably long in the bin. The song that reminds me most of my godmum Amy... It’s got to be Doo Wop by Lauryn Hill. She’s always playing it, to be honest, in her house. It’s the most played song on her iTunes. It’s always on. When I recorded the album, she was in the
studio all the time, she helps me with writing and stuff. She’s my boss as well as my Godmother! It’s good to have a family member as your boss cos sometimes you can talk to them in a way you wouldn’t talk to someone who was just your A&R. The song I wish I’d written is... It would have to be L.O.V.E. by Jessie J. It really comes from the heart, that’s why I really like it. My new album is basically my diary put into songs. I live such an exciting life at the moment, so there’s a lot for me to write about.
A song I really hate is... Chris Brown’s Yeah 3x. I don’t hate it but it’s not my favourite song of his. I think I’ve gone off Chris Brown a little bit, so it makes you not like his songs. He’s a talented artist, but... My hopes for my new album are... A No.1 album and single would be really cool, but more than that being able to perform; I can’t wait to show people my new stuff. Muggin’ Ft. Lil Twist is out in June. Twitter.com/dionneofficial 61
INTERVIEW URBAN NERDS
ATTACK OF THE NERDS Hardly needing an introduction, Urban Nerds are already a household name on the UK underground music scene. Nardene Scott unravels their story and finds out what 2011 has in store...
62 / RWDMAG.COM
After being described as an Urban Nerd by friend Luke, James (who alongside Mark and another James aka Rompa) decided to develop their geeky knowledge of all things urban into becoming the leading advocates of cutting edge parties dedicated to underground music. “Be it grime, garage, even electro, reggae, hip hop,” James says of the scene they’ve fully repped since back in March ’07. Throwing cheesy dress codes aside and focusing purely on the music allowed them to stand out amongst the trend conscious crowd. “There was a big emphasis on the live graffiti and the roots element of London culture too,” he says. Event after epic event, the Nerds never fail to sell out venues, be it the coolest known haunts (93 Feet East, XOYO, The Macbeth, Fabric, Matter) to warehouses, which Urban Nerds were
the first to turn into a common urban occurrence. Of course the event to top them all will be May’s Birthday extravaganza at Scala; featuring Roska, EZ, Ms. Dynamite, Redlight and many more. Not content with providing raves to rival any other, the urban warriors are set to make a big splash on the fashion scene next with their clothing range; a capsule of which they’ll collaborate on with Addict. “We don’t just want to be seen as a club night who have just got some t-shirts printed with the logo, we want to define it as a clothing range,” Mark explains of their sartorial venture. “It’s bespoke... all ethically sourced in India, all carbon neutral. A lot of thought has gone into it,” James points out. It’s defo time for the revenge of the nerds... urban-nerds.com and @urban_nerds for news on events and the clothing range
FESTIVAL GUIDE Food in Facts...
The age old saying ‘You are what you eat’ couldn’t be truer at a festival. Eat the right grub and you’ll be great, eat a bloody burger and you’ll be knee deep at your own personal Portaloo party before you can even grumble the words ‘Damn, there’s no loo roll’. So whether you’re a falafel fairy, a chip chomper or a pizza-faced pill popper, have a think about what you’re necking... words by Danny Walker images by Rachel Goslin Some festival food is seriously suspect, despite the checks, the sausage sampling (pause) and the Food Standards Agency regulations, a few bad seeds slip through the net. It’s not all bad though so here are a few facts you might want to consider before you take a bite... 12%* OF THE PORTALOO SMELL COMES FROM EPIC FAILS WHEN TRYING THE ‘HOVER TRICK’. THIS IS WHEN A DIRTY SO-AND-SO ATTEMPTS AN ACROBATIC AERIAL STRETCH OVER THE TOILET AND ENDS UP MISSING THE BOWL COMPLETELY, RESULTING IN THE CONTENTS OF THE POSTPENDULUM CHINESE CHOW DOWN DRIBBLING DOWN THEIR LEGS. - RWD Magazine
64 / RWDMAG.COM
WHEN YOU ARE SERVING OR DISPLAYING FOOD AT A FESTIVAL 38%* OF THE TIME IT LOOKS LIKE HOT RHINO DUNG. - RWD Magazine
*This figure has been blatantly made up for comedy effect.
FESTIVAL TRADER TIPS
Festival food traders you can learn a lot from the Food Standards Agency website (food.gov.uk), we hope RWD’s advice helps... HOW TO WASH YOUR HANDS
It is very important to wash your dirty claws before you make our festival food as it will help stop bacteria spreading, especially if you’ve been picking your bum 10 minutes before...
First wet your hands thoroughly with warm water. Squirt liquid soap (have you heard of it?) onto your palms. Now wash your bloody hands!!!
CLEANING A WORK SURFACE When you remove food, dirt and bacteria from your work environment properly it significantly reduces the risk to your customer...
“Every single burger we sell is made from 100% ground beef, with nothing else in it. I can’t talk for anyone else but there are lots of cheap food stalls that sell their food cheaply because it is largely made up from mechanically recovered meat... you pay for what you get!” - Sam Steele (The Fine Food Company)
45%* OF MALE FESTIVAL GOERS THINK DOWNING A STELLA IS THE SAME AS DRINKING A PINT OF WATER. - RWD Magazine
PURE PIE’S TOP 5 PIES OF THE 2010 FESTIVAL SEASON 1. STEAK, HORSERADISH AND ALE 2. CHICKEN AND GAMMON 3. CLASSIC MINCE BEEF 4. CHICKEN BALTI 5. PORK, KENTISH CIDER AND MUSTARD
First wipe off any obvious dirt, bacteria and food. Wash the surface with hot soapy water and then repeat with disinfectant. Leave the disinfectant on for a bit. Rinse with CLEAN water and then dry with a disposable cloth. If a burger, a hot dog bun or half a tub of sweet and sour sauce falls on the floor... THROW IT AWAY!!!
RAW MEAT
Quite a few traders have a problem with this one so we’ve spent the best part of an afternoon coming up with a foolproof, step-by-step detailed guide so festival goers can avoid the dreaded Pink Chicken Effect... Do not serve raw meat.
65
FESTIVAL GUIDE FOOD IN FACTS...
47% OF BEEF IS THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF MEAT REQUIRED BY LAW TO CALL AN ECONOMY BURGER A BURGER. ALSO 10% OF MEAT IS THE MINIMUM REQUIRED BY LAW FOR A MEAT PIE. - surrycc.gov.uk 12,532 PEOPLE WERE CONFIRMED TO BE INFECTED BY FOODBORNE (NON-TYPHOIDAL) SALMONELLA IN ENGLAND & WALES IN 2006. - The Institute of Food Research Over 25%* of those people were probably idiots. - RWD Magazine 66 / RWDMAG.COM
GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL REQUIRES MORE THAN 1 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER EACH YEAR. - Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk *This figure has been blatantly made up for comedy effect.
So there you go, make sure you spend your food budget wisely during festival season because you don’t want to miss out on anything due to being glued to the toilet bowl puking up from a putrid pie... from both ends.
“[OUR MOST POPULAR ITEM IS] A PIE [FOR] £4.80, WHICH IS STILL CHEAPER THAN OUR MAIN COMPETITOR. [AND THE CHEAPEST IS] CHIPS FOR £2. THEY ARE GREAT 12MM CHUNKY CHIPS. WE HAVE SOLD PIES TO THE BOYS FROM KASABIAN.” - PATRICK ROBERTSON (PURE PIE)
FESTIVAL GUIDE
LIBERTY X NIKE Blazer Mid office.co.uk/Liberty.co.uk, £72
O’NEILL Tweed River Dress oneill.com, £29.99
NUMPH Garden numph.dk, £45
GET
WEDGE WELLY wedgewelly.co.uk, £40
IN
PROTEST Favourite protest.eu, £27.99
THE
AMPLIFIED Sounds like summer sugarbullets.co.uk, £30
O’NEILL Straw Shopper Bag oneill.com, £29.99
MINIMUM minimum.dk, £65
PALLADIUM Baggy lite palladiumboots.com, £60 68 / RWDMAG.COM
FREEWATERS The Friday snowandrock.com, £22.95
WESC Blaine weekend bag wesc.com, £80
NICKELSON nickelson.co.uk, £35
STAR IN THE HOOD Inkblot Tee starinthehood.net, £25
FESTIVE GIO-GOI @ JD jdsports.co.uk, £49.99
FAT FACE Point check shirt fatface.com, £40 CONVERSE Star Player Classic schuh.co.uk, £42
LRG 020 8993 1010, £60
ALPHA INDUSTRIES saturdaycasuals.co.uk, £75
ADIDAS ORIGINALS adidas.com/originals, £50
SPIRIT... 69
FESTIVAL GUIDE
FESTIVAL LISTINGS MAY 30 April - 1 May Camden Crawl OFWGKTA, MNDR, Giggs, Toddla T, P Money, Yasmin. Check out RWD’s stage on 1 May @Camden, London 6-8 Southport Weekender DJ Swerve, Joy Orbison, Benji B, Norman Jay, Naughty By Nature @ Minehead, Somerset 12-14 The Great Escape Various Locations, Brighton Friendly Fires, The Naked and Famous, Devlin, Spark, Beardyman 19 Stag And Dagger Cockandbullkid, Warpaint, New Yong Pony Club, Toro Y Moi @ Shoreditch, London
JUNE From 1 June to 20 September Ibiza Rocks and Mallorca Rocks Plan B, Dizzee Rascal, Labrinth, Fatboy Slim, Example, Wretch 32 @ Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks Hotels
CAMDEN CRAWL Taking place over the May bank holiday, the Camden Crawl is two days of bands, beer and brilliant fun. Last year RWD were joined by I Blame Coco and Skepta; this year at the Jazz Cafe, we’re super excited to have Yasmin, MNDR, Marques Toliver, Piney Gir, Housse De Racket and a VERY special guest to join us on the 1 May. While you might be more than familiar with Yas, make sure you check out amazing popstress MNDR, who we featured in our ones to watch 2011, and Marques, whose violin-based music literally makes us cry. Kansas born, London living Piney is best described as country electronica, while Parisian duo Housse defo make a racket, but in a good way. After you’ve checked out RWD’s night, there’s plenty more to enjoy; over the 31 and the 1, everyone from OFWGKTA (you HAVE to see Odd Future play), The View, Razorlight, Toddla T, P Money, Giggs and Maverick Sabre will be roaming the streets of Camden. To get tickets, head to Thecamdencrawl.com
70 / RWDMAG.COM
11 deadmau5 Live Mark Ronson, Zane Lowe, Skrillex, Modestep, Calvin Harris @ Victoria Park, London
10 - 12 Isle Of Wight Kings Of Leon, Foo Fighters, Eliza Doolittle, Plan B, Pixie Lott @ Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight Download Festival Linkin Park, Skunk Anansie, Def Leppard, Alice Cooper @ Donington Park, Donington 16 - 20 Beach Break Joker, Modestep, Sub Focus, Jamie Woon, Redlight, SBTRKT @ Pembrey Country Park, South Wales 21- 28 Innovation In The Sun Goldie, Nicky Blackmarket, DJ EZ, Boy Better Know, Sub Zero @ Colossus Complex, Lloret De Mar, Spain 22 - 26 Glastonbury Beyonce, Coldplay, U2, Big Boi, Janelle Monae plus many, many more @ Worthy Farm, Pilton
JULY 1-3 Hideout Festival Urban Nerds, 2manydjs, Caspa, Redlight, Breakage @ Zrce Beach, Island of Pag, Croatia Wireless BEP, Tinie, Plan B, The Streets, Bruno Mars @ Hyde Park, London
FESTIVAL LISTINGS CONT. 1- 31 iTunes Festival Adele, Rumer, Jessie J, Foo Fighters @ Roundhouse, Camden, London 8 - 10 T In The Park Jessie J, Plan B, Swedish House Mafia, Benga & Youngman, Calvin Harris @ Balado, Kinrossshire, Scotland 8 - 10 Lounge On The Farm The Streets, Ellie Goulding, Devlin, Katy B, Jamie Woon, Example @ Merton Farm, Canterbury 10 T4 On The Beach Alexis Jordan, Example, Wretch 32, Jessie J, Katy B @ Weston-SuperMare 14 - 17 Latitude KT Tunstall, Paloma Faith, Rumer @ Henham Park, Suffolk 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 17 Lovebox Snoop Dogg, Ed Sheeran, Fenech Soler, David Rodigan, Jessie J plus more @ Victoria Park, London 29- 30 Global Gathering Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status, Professor Green @ Long Marston Airfield ,StratfordUpon-Avon
AUGUST 4-7 The Big Chill Line-up TBC Underage Festival Yasmin, Giggs, Janelle Monae, Maverick Sabre, Labrinth, Devlin @ Victoria Park, London 6/8/11 Field Day Anna Calvi, Cockandbullkid, Jamie Woon, Hype Williams @ Victoria Park, London 10 - 14 Boardmasters Breakage, Zane Lowe, Maverick Sabre, Liam Bailey, Klaxon, Sub Focus @ Newquay, Cornwall 20 - 21 V Eminem, N-Dubz, Dizzee, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Chase & Status, Rihanna @ Weston Park/ Hylands Park 26 - 28 Reading And Leeds The Strokes, Muse, Two Door Cinema Club, My Chemical Romance @ Richfield Avenue, Reading and Branham Park, Leeds 27-28 Creamfields Mark Ronson, Calvin Harris, Magnetic Man, Katy B, David Guetta, Example, Swedish House Mafia @ Daresbury, Cheshire
BLOC WEEKENDER, BUTLINS, MINEHEADMARCH 04/03/2011 Bloc Weekender is the Mecca for future sounds and electronica. The three-day festival celebrated its fifth birthday by inviting Magnetic Man, Addison Groove, dDp, Rustie, Ramadanman, Modeselektor and more to tear Butlins Minehead a new one. Highlights included sets by Chicago juke spinner DJ Funk who destroyed the dance floor with his hyperactive booty anthems and Nottingham producer Lone who played an awesome nostalgia infused set. Ravers were also treated to the full Butlins experience with a water park, arcades and a beautiful sandy beach. Bloc out a space in your diary for the same time next year! (HJ) 71
UNWIND
GADGETS | FILMS | GAMES | ALBUMS | REVIEWS | FINAL WORD THE BEST OF STAYING IN... AND GOING OUT...
>>
WHATUY B CAN IAD OF INSTEIPAD 2 AN
HTC FLYER
(htc.com, £TBC) The same day HTC launched their first phone with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, the HTC Sensation (check RWDmag.com for more on that) we got our hands on the impressive HTC Flyer. Not only is it their first tablet with HTC Sense, it’s a super fast (1.5 GHz), HSPDA+ enabled, Flash 10 supporting mega tab with a seven-inch display and a unique 3D home screen. Buyability: With a video service from the get go (in HTC Watch) and an interesting/ innovative little stylus, this device will easily go toe-to-toe with Apple’s iPad 2. Longevity: The first HTC Sense enabled tablet from the company so watch this space. The J Factor: Jealousy will definitely become a problem. >> 73
GADGET GUIDE IPAD 2 ALTERNATIVES For those who didn’t queue up for a month to get Apple’s latest instalment and have no intention of investing in an oversized iPhone, you’ll be pleased to know there are other ways to spend £399. With summer approaching we look at some great gizmos that will shine through festival season and beyond... words by Danny Walker
HANNSPREE HANNSPAD
(Available exclusively from The Carphone Warehouse, £249.99) For those who have been on the fence for the past couple of months, now is the time to seriously start thinking about that tablet investment. The lightweight HANNSpad was a joy to use (another device that has people staring at you on the train) and with Flash support, 1080p output, 1GHz dual-core processor, 10.1 inch LED and 16GB of memory it should definitely be on your shortlist. Buyability: This Android 2.2 device is a little (shiny) dark horse. Longevity: The 16GB memory is expandable to 32GB via good ol’ microSD slot... a nice inclusion. J Factor: It needs a lot of work but could be a real contender to make your friends jealous.
ASUS EEE SLATE EP121
(amazon.co.uk, £999) After stepping up their notebook game with the sonically rich Bang & Olufson powered NX90, ASUS have remixed their tablet range with the Eee Pad Transformer and this, the Eee Slate EP121. We’re glad they’re here too as the Slate boasts a full-power dual-core Intel Core I processor (which is a tablet first), Flash 10.1 support, 64GB SSD drive, 2MP front facing camera, Bluetooth 3.0, HDMI output and Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit). Big! Buyability: It might be a tad more than other tabs but its well worthy. Longevity: The powerful processor will keep this in season. The J Factor: Load up Flash file (or Photoshop!?!?) and sit next to any iPad 2 owner with pride.
VIEWSONIC VIEWPAD 10
(viewsoniceurope.com/uk, £449) Although you can boot the device in Windows 7 Home Premium and Android 1.6 you’re constantly distracted by the build quality. Saying that, the ViewPad 10 moves on from where its predecessor (the ViewPad 7) left off and the inclusion of the dual operating systems really is genius. With a whole host of assets like the 10.1-inch multi-touch LED screen, 1.66GHz processor, Flash support, 16GB SSD hard drive and a lot more it’s certainly not out of the running. Buyability: With the price actually falling, a good look around could see you pick it up at the sub-£400 mark. Longevity: At this price who needs a lifespan? The J Factor: Don’t go to places where iPad 2s are. 74 / RWDMAG.COM
ARCHOS 43
(archos.com, £199) This 16GB internet tablet sits bang in the middle of the latest range of Android-enabled gizmos from this media on the move focussed company. Whether you’re listening to your MP3s, watching a flick on the 4.3-inch screen or simply playing the latest game from the Android Market, this device is ready to take it all on. Buyability: Only 480 grams but WiFi, 720p and Flash 10.1 ready. Longevity: The 2MP HD camera adds another couple of months to its lifetime but it’s not looking good; especially if the larger versions keep calling your name. The J Factor: Jealously is at a minimum here. Keep your head down and enjoy it in private.
MACBOOK PRO (13-INCH)
(apple.com/uk, £999) Ok, so we have a theory; If you’re going to buy a 64GB iPad 2 for £559 you might as well buy a magnificent MacBook Pro for a couple of hundred more (just raid your little sister’s piggy bank if you fall short). With half of the RWD office owning a Pro (the swines) you’ll be in good company too. 13-inch screen, 2.3GHz dual-core Intel processor, 320GB hard drive, 4GB RAM, 7 hours of battery life... and HD Facetime. A much more economical purchase. Buyability: Did you not read when we mentioned HD Facetime? Longevity: New Thunderbolt technology allows superfast data transfer (20 times faster than USB 2.0), whatever next? The J Factor: Just watch the frowns of hate.
PHONE OF THE MONTH
THE GOOD, THE SWAG AND THE LOVELY: If you can’t even afford a case for an iPad 2, let alone a unit itself, have a look at these portable options...
GOOD: Drywipe Board (rymans.co.uk, £5.99) Although it has a larger writing surface than the iPad 2, the zero-core processor needs to be addressed.
SWAG: 3M Post-it Notes (staples.co.uk, From £13.49) Apparently the next version of Post-its will be the same but with a camera???
INQ CLOUD TOUCH
(inqmobile.com, From £Free) Have you ever had to press about six buttons just to access your Facebook timeline? Well, this quad-band Android 2.2 device, with Spotify pre-loaded, is aimed at the social media savvy who love to be in the know. The 3.5 inch (320x480 pixels) multi-touch display isn’t the best (and nor is the 5MP) camera but the weight (122g), the Android integration and the way you can feed your home screen with YouTube vids, pics and status updates is pretty genius. Sync with all things Google, load your Spotify Premium account and Facebook Chat to get the best from this handset. Great for Facebook-a-holics and those who live online.
LOVELY: Etch a Sketch (amazon.co.uk, £14.99) Relive your youth and save hundreds. Just don’t expect to play Angry Birds on this slab of sorryness.
75
Unwind With... KEITH LEMON
Consistently attempting to give Trousersnake Timberlake a run for his money with his super tight outfits, Nardene Scott talks all types of Shaa-ting with Yorkshire funny man Keith Lemon at The vinspired National Awards...
FESTIVAL FROLLOCKS What’s the typical festival experience like for Keith Lemon? “I went to V Festival last year, I’ve been there twice, the second time I went Celebrity Juice was a lot more popular and it took me three hours to go for a p*ss. Eventually I wore a mask, a Victorian cardboard mask. I’ve got that on my phone (pulls out iPhone). Oh look who I bumped into at V Festival - my dad I hadn’t seen him for ages (shows pic of him and Noel Edmonds).”
76 / RWDMAG.COM
So how are you doing? How was it presenting a vinspired Award? Oh yeah it was fun, it was nice to be asked because normally I don’t get asked to do these sort of real things. Yeah, we can’t imagine why that might be at all... It’s because they’re scared that I might say something that I shouldn’t say. You did pretty well; you just danced your way through it, so that’s good. If you’re in doubt, do a dance. Everyone likes dancing because it represents fun. I would have stayed up there longer, me, because I’m a show off. I wasn’t planning to do anything, I don’t plan. vinspired are all about praising young people for their volunteering. Have you ever volunteered for anything yourself? Yeah, I volunteer to stand up on tube when someone’s got a baby or they’re old or they’re shaped exactly like the logo that says ‘These seats are the priority seats’. What else...? I volunteered to do this, I volunteered to do Comic Relief and I’ve got my own charity called Lemonade; not that I’m competing with Red Nose Day. What does Lemonade do? It gives money to everyone else that no one gives money to, like the more serious sort of illnesses, like people that are scared of bread. Don’t you smile (shouts at RWD) there’s people that won’t go eat in a restaurant because they’re scared of bread. That is a phobia, it’s a proper phobia. Stop laughing, (RWD laugh more). I went out with a girl who was scared of buttons and Levi’s 501’s had just come out. I remember I were very young and I thought ‘What is the point of me and you going out together if you’re scared of buttons?’ I’m not wearing those zip fly things, I’ve got buttons, we’re over!’ Well we’d not gotten that deep so it was still like, you know, I want to get some action. So Celebrity Juice; we need to know
once and for all who is the most bang tidiest out of Fearne and Willoughbooby? Right, well snogging wise Holly has got very voluptuous lips, so for a snog her and for vigorous sex, Fearne; I’d throw her all over the place. A lot of people think we don’t like each other but we do in real life. We hear you’re also an aspiring singer? Yeah, me mate Jade from Damage, we’ve got our own band starting called Up North. He’s gonna get the southern
“SNOGGING WISE HOLLY HAS GOT VERY VOLUMPTUOUS [SIC] LIPS, SO FOR A SNOG HER AND FOR VIGOROUS SEX FEARNE. I’D THROW HER ALL OVER THE PLACE.” audience and I’m gonna get the northern audience and we’re gonna take ‘80s songs and give them more of an R&B spin. So I don’t know if you know (starts singing, really badly) ‘Don’t you forget about me...’ by Simple Minds? To give that an R&B spin, you just go ‘hey, hey, hey, oooh woo hoo hoo baby’. That’s what Dane Bowers does and he does R&B music (laughs crazily again). He does! Well he did, I don’t know what he does now. What sort of music do you listen to? I say pop music. Is Paloma Faith pop music? I like her, she’s a good friend of mine so I’ve got to say her, her album was amazing and Adele is amazing. I think they’re gonna wreck her up by playing her too much on radio though. Have you got any last words for RWD? Celebrity Juice comes back in September; hopefully they’ll be a nice surprise over the summer and a bigger surprise at Christmas. Ta ra. Celebrity Juice is on ITV2 Thursday’s at 10pm. The vinspired National Awards celebrated young volunteers for the great work they do for their communities. Check out vinspired.com
77
GAMES If you’re very keen on in-tent handheld action mid-festival, try playing computer games instead... words by Danny Walker
MONTHLY MUST TRY MOTORSTORM: APOCALYPSE Sony Computer Entertainment PS3
78 / RWDMAG.COM
Just when your sore thumbs thought it was safe to come out for spring, Sony and their 3D enabled PS3 have gone and got another ideas; the ruthless geniuses. It’s been a long wait to get our greasy mitts on the fourth game in the series which we first played last June. Now it’s finally silently spinning away in the black box of badness we can easily say this is the best
Motor adventure to date. With the inclusion of superbikes, hot hatches and big meaty muscle cars, you’re soon ripping up tarmac, exploding roads, train tracks and dodgy post-apocalyptic neighbourhoods before the start menu has even faded. This is a big and brash title that prides itself not in expensive licences, superb renders and weighty graphics but in sheer fun.
ADVANCE PREVIEW OUT 20/09/2011 GEARS OF WAR 3 THQ Xbox 360
After playing the multiplayer beta (which drops at the end of April) we can’t wait to link up with Delta Squad this September so we can smash some Locust sculls all over again. The third edition of this impressive series is looking (and playing) like the best yet; with new maps, finishing moves, refined controls and weapons. Make sure you get the beta too if you want to unlock exclusives for the main game like a Flaming Hammerburst, a Gold-Plated Retro Lancer and of course the legendary Trashball Cole... this is Cole like you’ve never seen him before. Bring on September.
REVIEWS: CRYSIS 2 EA PC, PS3, Xbox 360
We know everyone is going mad over this first-person shooter, but we’ve not warmed to this futuristic sci-fi adventure. Yes it’s centuries better than the first outing (A.I. and graphics have improved) but when we strapped into our Nanosuit it just wasn’t the one. Loving what they’ve done to 2023 New York, liking the controls but there’s just a little too much Call of Duty here to warrant the spend.
APPSOLUTELY FABULOUS: WORDS WITH FRIENDS Zynga Android, iOS
Games aren’t always about kicking old ladies out of moving vehicles and sticking landmines onto toddler’s backs. If you want a little more sophistication in your software Words with Friends is a crossplatform, cross-network, cross-word, Scrabble rip-off mash-up that engages the brain. Play now to get those triumphant triple word scores. No, this is not gay.
MORTAL KOMBAT Warner Bros. PS3, Xbox 360
“Finish Him!!!” When we say ‘him’, we mean this franchise.
GAMING FACTS Microsoft Kinect, the amazing Xbox accessory that allows controllerfree gaming, sold an average of 133,333 units per day, for a total of eight million units in its first 60 days on sale from 4 November 2010 to 3 January 2011. This means another goldplated toilet for Bill Gates. On Saturday 19 March 2011, a couple of gaming geeks from Minneapolis, Minnesota, America set the record for the most continuous matches on the Nintendo Wii’s Super Smash Bros. 30 hours of play and a few sofa sores later they racked up an impressive 474 games. We wonder what their blow up girlfriends had to say on the matter!!!
79
REVIEWS HED KANDI
UKG / GRIME / DUBSTEP CHART BY DJ CHEWY 01 EMELKAY
Back to Disco Hed Kandi Records
FEM FEL Eyes Closed Ten Ten Records
Fem has been putting the work in and it’s paid off; 2010 saw Runnin start up the buzz while Put It In A Bag literally flooded the internet; now Eyes Closed proves it was well worth the hype. Dan Dare’s Hero, amongst many of his other album contributions, scream good quality music. The M Dot E produced Floating, which sees Wretch 32 spitting about his rise into the spotlight is equally strong. As Fem promised us, he’s letting his emotions pour out, pulling listeners even more. Track To Check: Fem Fel Ft. Kurt Collins Hero (NS)
The clubbing kings release their latest compilation and this time they’re celebrating all things disco. A three-CD collection, the first disc is a dedication to original ’70s anthems, with the second and third being house classics and remixes. This album has a range of music that will cater to everyone from your mum to the new generation Ibiza crowd. Track to check: Armand Van Helden Ft. Duane Harden U Don’t know Me (ML)
Fabrication / Massive (Dub Police)
This could be Emelkay’s year as dubstep reaches every sector of the world. Simply menacing. 02 FLUX PAVILLION
FRANK OCEAN
Lines In Wax EP
Nostalgia
Featuring Foreign Beggars and various vocal samples, this is an excellent release all round.
Free Download
Having written for Justin Bieber and recently called on by Beyoncé, Frank Ocean is the R&B sector of the most hyped collective ever, OFWGKTA. Thankfully, he’s ready to really show and prove. The Mr. Hudson sampled There Will Be Tears and the MGMT borrowing Nature Feels prove Ocean’s willing to step outside generic boundaries, while the drug and sex metaphors in Novacane and Lovecrimes, reminds you just which group this budding artist sprouts from. Basically amazing. Track To Check: Swim Good (NS)
K KOKE
BRITNEY SPEARS
Pure Koke: The EP
Femme Fatale
BOB SINCLAR & DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Jive Records
Knights of the Playboy Mansion
Given the presence of some serious dubstep flourishes on this album, it’s a surprise to check the album credits and find no sign of Rusko etc.. Instead, it’s the predictable Dr. ‘Yawn’ Luke and Max ‘Churn Em Out’ Martin on the buttons, providing whitewashed inauthentic interpretations of the Croydon scene. Yes, there’s some good pop tunes here, but they’re all devoid of any actual personality. To be honest, we’re just a bit bored of American/ European producers ‘borrowing’ our sound without much credit. Track to check: Inside Out (HC)
Defected
USG
The Stonebridge spitter might have signed to Sony, but he still keeps his similes strictly in the streets. From the opening track to the EP’s closer, Koke keeps his rhymes raw, with snitches, straps and Trident all among his targets. There’s occasional redemption though; My Note expresses his struggle at being a father while maintaining the illegal side of life. Always emotive, you might not agree with everything Koke says, but you feel every single word he says. Track To Check: Lord Knows (HC)
80 / RWDMAG.COM
Bob and Dimitri (the men who brought us more disco than the ‘60s and ‘70s put together) put their musical heads together for the latest mission back to that funky era. Whether you’re a d-i-s-c-o lover or not, brace yourself for this timeless record, as it packs a blend of old skool classics and house jams. Tracks from Candi Staton take us on a time machine back to the all things flared with the pair producing the perfect compilation for a dance party. Track to Check: Candi Staton Young Hearts Run Free (WA)
(Circus Records)
03 SKREAM
Where Should You Be (Rinse)
This is an absolutely outstanding banger from one third of the Magnetic Man, ft. Sam Frank. 04 WILEY
Therapy Battling (Soundcloud/Eski) With two sending tracks in the charts, memories of the true MC era is rekindled. 05 GEENEUS
Gypo Ting / ALB Soundcloud/Rinse Mr Rinse FM releases two banging funky tracks that have been locked away for a minute. 06 DURRTY GOODZ
Battle Hype (White)
Goodz goes in on the UK grime premier league, mocking MC’s with their own bars. 07 COKI
Boomba (Tempa)
Chinese piano, terrifying bass chords, electric keys and monster bass overload. A winner. 08 J BEVIN
Zulu / Cha
(Deep Teknology Records)
Think Todd Edwards meets Crazy Cousins before bumping into the Wideboys. Mash up time. 09 KROMESTAR
Mental Universe / Trianglez (Get Darker)
Starting out laid-back, this soon twists into a contorted, ear drum splitting, killer bassline monster. 10 THE ALIENS
Shallow Grave / Sick Like That (Aliens)
After an explosive debut with Terminator the Aliens deliver two more future anthems.
VARIOUS ARTISTS R&B Street Anthems Vol. 1 Street Sounds
FRIENDLY FIRES Pala XL Recordings
The new album from the St. Albums-bred three-piece is a bag of sh*t... that’s if you consider crunchy electronic beats, catchy hooks and immense instrumentation, all laced with the smooth introspective warbles of Ed Macfarlane, to be sh*t. We’re glad they took time on this LP and we’re delighted they’ve hooked up with awardwinning producer Paul Epworth [Adele, Cee-Lo] again, because it’s resulted in an improvement on 2008’s critically acclaimed debut. It’s just a case of finding your favourite track now. Track to Check: Show Me Lights (DW)
As compilations go, this is certainly unique in that you won’t find your generic R&B songs that are on constant radio rotation. Made up of two CD’s, the first is rammed full of soul jams from the ‘90s up to today, perfect for those lazy summer afternoon vibes. The second CD takes you into the club with more up-tempo bangers. If you’re having a BBQ and can’t be bothered with playlists, then whack this in and you’ll be cooking with gas...! Track to Check: Glorie – Haters, Cameras, Lights (OD)
THOMAS TANTRUM
WIZ KHALIFA
Mad By Midnight
Rolling Papers
Stranger Records
Atlantic
One of singer Lily Allen’s favourite bands, Thomas Tantrum is back with their second album. With subject matter ranging from insomnia to depression, underpinned by smooth, dreamy, indie-pop melodies, it’s clear this four-piece will be playing plenty of festivals this year. Track to check: Tick Tock (ML)
After two underground albums (and a zillion mixtapes) the hype around Khalifa has been immense. Rolling Papers starts off with a introduction reminding us that all he ever talks about is ‘b***hes and champagne.’ This LP consists of the usual bragging and surprisingly more singing than rapping with a commercially driven sound. The Too $hort collaboration On My Level definitely adds a southern swag, and it’s a good introduction to the mainstream. But get the mixtapes for the real Wiz. Track to Check: Rooftops Ft. Curren$y (WA)
ALBUM OF THE MONTH KATY B On A Mission Rinse
Firstly, all the people that have been raving to Katy B’s dubstep stonkers in moshpits need to fall back. The Peckham singer’s debut offers a sophisticated amalgamation of broken beats, funky house, soul and dubstep perfect for her live tour. There’s no massive highs but there’s no, let me repeat, no lows. Like, none at all (okay, maybe Movement). This is a strangely addictive album, with tales of raving, frustrating relationships, etc. Granted, these are subjects expected from a young woman, yet, the ease and comfortableness in her delivery is what sets the 21 year-old apart from the others. Track To Check: Go Away (NS)
RWD’S REWINDS Ace Hood Ft. Rick Ross & lil Wayne Hustle Hard Remix (Def Jam) Oh My! Run This Town (679) Sky Ferreira As If EP (EMI) Lil B Illusions Of Grandeur Mixtape (Free Download) Emeli Sande Easier In Bed (EMI) Domo Genesis & Hodgy Beats Tang Golf (Free download) Mary J. Blige Ft. Lil Wayne Someone To Love Me (Geffen) K. Flay Less Than Zero (Free Download) Footisie Ghost Train (Freestyle) Jess Mills Vultures (Photek Remix) (Digital Soundbwoy) Example Changed The Way... (Tom Starr x Mensah remix) (MOS) Marques Toliver Butterflies Are Not Free EP (Bella Union) Ny Ft. Giggs Be With You (Dream Juice) Akira The Don Jamie (Living In The Future) Oh Land Son Of A Gun (RCA) Wacka Flocka Flame Benjamin Flocka (Mixtape) Lil B Charlie Sheen (Cooking Music) Jim Jones Ft. Aaron LaCrate Everybody Jones (E1) Rick Ross Ft. Drake Made Men (MMG)
81
FINAL WORD: EMILY EAVIS Alongside her dad, Emily Eavis is co-organiser of the legendary festival Glastonbury. The former teacher took time out from her busy schedule to discuss Jay Z, plans for this year’s event and her top festival essentials. Words by Maisha Lewin
How’s Glastonbury 2011 shaping up? Really good, thanks, this is the really busy bit, cos we’re cementing the last bit of the line-up, getting the last bits of site layout done, and sorting the infrastructure, so it’s really busy. It’s only going to get more crazy. What’s been the biggest challenge? The build up was difficult in 2008, not just cos of Jay-Z... We were under attack, but there was something quite good about it in the end. It was a bit of a transition, but it was like ‘How dare you mess it up by getting Jay-Z’. That was a couple years ago and we stuck with it thank God! So no regrets on Jay-Z as headliner? Jay-Z is one of the world’s best rappers, and it was just a total dream to get him. I didn’t see that it was going to be controversial in any way to be totally honest, and I really didn’t get it at the time. I think by doing something different sometimes, you can cause an outrage when there’s nothing else going on, but actually, when you looked at his show, you’ll see that he was totally justified as much - if not more than - a lot of the other bands (laughs). 82 / RWDMAG.COM
You’re do a lot of urban these days too... The music scene is not dominated by white guitar music anymore... we’re representing what’s happening elsewhere and what we think is good, we put on. If that’s urban music, so be it. What has been some of the weirdest requests you’ve had on an artist’s rider? Nigel Kennedy asked for an air conditioned cabin for his poodles. We heard that this year you’re trying to make Glasto a lot less brand-led? Where did you read that (laughs)? We, um, just heard it! Really? That’s interesting. Umm, we are in a way. You see these things sneak in, and before you know it there’s deals, and there’s the presence of various corporates and I think we really need to be away from that. It’s an important part of the integrity of a festival. Who’d you like to perform that hasn’t? Dolly Parton would be quite good (laughs) cos she’s never played. The Rolling Stones haven’t done it, so maybe one day... Led Zeppelin... Please can you get Lady Gaga, Kanye
West and Rihanna to play? Is that who you want? Ok, cool (laughs). Rihanna, Kanye, I mean definitely, probably not for this year but maybe in the future. Glasto is a great showcase for new acts - any tips for who we should be looking out for this year? Have you heard of The Dells? They’re great, like a new hip hop act. Also the singer Kate Rowe, and I think Sweet Foxes album is going to be really good. What are your Top 3 fest essentials? A hat and socks for cold nights because you’ve got to keep your head and feet warm. Also, leave your preconceptions at the gate; that is an essential ingredient, be guided by your instincts. What are some of your best memories? 1995 was great, I just finished my GCSE’s, and I hung out. It was really, really hot and all my mates came and I wasn’t working! To see Beyoncé, Coldplay, U2 and Big Boi (amongst many, many more) go to Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk to apply for tickets.