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spaced Arts & Culture

Fabric Reopening: We need to change our ways Culture clash: Asian families on creativity Producers at the forefront of Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music scene

editor’s letter Editor

Larry Gliddon @diskhat1

deputy editor Anisha Chowdhury @journobyanisha

art director Emily Fortune @em_fortune

writers Hannah Grafton @hannahgrafton Frances Cullen @francess22 Andrew Whiteford @andrewjcordan

n our first issue, we look at the niche situations associated to arts and culture in London. Page 19 asks the question whether music producers are the new artists, focusing on the Rinse FM presenter Tarq. Page 14 previews Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, while page 28 reviews a Christmas pantomime with Sink the Pink. Spaced is a happy reminder that you always have something to look forward to. Serious issues are covered too. Following Fabric’s reopening, page 7 looks into the attitudes towards drug

culture, and page 11 looks into why Asian families discourage their children doing creative degrees at university.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO… Felix Dobson. London based artist Felix provided the cover photo for us. He’s an illustrator and has worked on menswear design with Neith Nyer, and also makes music under the name Robert Young. If you like jazzy ambient techno, check him out on LG Soundcloud.

Contents Issue 001

Fabric re-opening: we need to change our ways

Culture clash: Asian families on creativity

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Producers at the forefront of Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music scene

Body and Art: Karis Crawford

Death, dating and drawing: Grace Helmer

Down the rabbit hole:Sink the Pinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas panto

Pop hell at Heaven: PC music

fabric re-opening: we need to change our ways By Larry Gliddon

he iconic club first opened back in 1999, and offers a wide musical exploration surrounding dance music, slowly transitioning to a centre of heavy techno. With a 2,500 capacity, the world-famous Farringdon venue is open until 8AM on Saturday’s, and has resident DJs like Ben Klock, Dixon and Daniel Avery to name a few.

mention, over £300,000 has been raised as part of the fundraising campaign. Clubs like Dance Tunnel have also closed down, and Sadiq Khan pointed out that London has lost 50% of its nightclubs within the last eight years, saying, “this decline must stop if London is to retain its status as 24-hour city with world class nightlife.”

The drug culture cannot go unnoticed there - we all know what goes on, let’s not kid ourselves. Fabric has this image of 18 year olds getting pilled up to deep house, but there is actually a huge diversity surrounding the demographic, like that elderly Polish couple who visited one night and chilled until 5AM - no other club could do that, could they?

A lot of theories have surrounded why the council decided to close Fabric, with a number of reports claiming that the whole thing was actually preplanned and the drug overdoses were just an excuse disguised by the Police, with local pubs around the area closing down, too.

Last month, Fabric announced its reopening. There are so many conditions After ongoing threats that will take place, about closures, the such as ID scanners, Islington Council finally covert surveillance, won the battle against people caught with Fabric in September possession or after two 18 year olds dealing of drugs to died in the club after have a lifetime ban, taking too much MDMA and no under 19 year during the summer. A olds allowed entry. It petition was put up to sounds like something save Fabric, with DJs out of a George Orwell like Annie Mac and book, but in reality the Chemical Brothers it’s just the dystopian among the 160,000 future we have to look signatures. Not to forward to.

The 19+ entry baffles me the most, and has caused massive debate within the youth of London. For those in their last years of being a teenager, these are the years you explore recreational drugs, and find out your what works for you and what doesn’t. One of the 18 year olds who died over the summer, Ryan Browne, bought more drugs inside the club because he was frustrated that he wasn’t feeling the effects after taking one pill, only ever taking MDMA four or five times beforehand, and this resulted in his fatal overdose on the 25th June. Honestly, I think a 21+ entry would be more fair, and I’m not even 21 yet. It seems like people in their twenties have their shit together more, people in their twenties have places to go and jobs to work, letting their 21 year old hair down to some late night breakbeat every other Saturday seems like something some-

one in their twenties would do, right? I spoke to my mate Fenn, who’s working on a documentary following the closure of Fabric. “Increasing the entry age by one year isn’t going to make a difference, because people are going to continue taking drugs no matter what age they are. Festivals like Farr and Secret Garden Party offer drug testing services and it proved fewer drug-related bodily harm incidents. Maybe Fabric should do something like that.” The different attitudes towards drug culture is what’s holding this club back. Authorities are only allowing Fabric to remain open if they become the thing they stood against in the first place. Fabric used to be a place for exploration into recreational drug use. The intimidating attitude they have towards controlling the distribution and possession of drugs only made

things worse. Introducing sniffer dogs scared the people in the queues to just down all of their party powder in one go, and the frisking made people think of sneakier ways to smuggle their drugs. The policies didn’t act as a repellent, it just made things a lot worse. It’s not just authorities, club goers need to chill the fuck out, too. When I asked guys what they thought about Fabric reopening, it revolved around how many different kinds of weird and wonderful drugs they were going to consume. “I’m already preparing myself for the hell I’m gonna put my body through”, said Jerry, aged 18. Thanks Jerry, that’s the kind of demographic Fabric is going for now, is it? People putting hell through their bodies? Fabric will reopen in the first week of January next year. Tickets are sold out, unsurprisingly. I wonder how many pills you’d have to trade for one?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It seems like people in their twenties have their shit together moreâ&#x20AC;?

Culture Clash: Asian Families on Creativity by anisha chowdhury

easuring success has always been a subjective matter. For some, such as many Asian communities, it’s based on a wealth of knowledge and prosperity, while others base success on the horsepower of their car and the price of their watch. Although, it is difficult for Asians in a western society to aim as high as wealthy white folk, as the playing field is far from level. For as long as I remember, my mother would tell me about how her father came to this country and struggled for years to make ends meet, just to give his children the future they deserve. She then went on to tell me that she has also spent her whole life doing the same, getting married at 19 and providing for us so we could go to university because she never got a chance to go there herself, and I will never understand that burden. However, this didn’t mean that I was allowed to pursue anything I wanted in the future. My parents, along with many other Asian parents, needed to feel like they had produced a human being who would save

lives and do people taxes and win cases in court, rather than someone who could paint.

needed to sit down and decide what I was going to do at university. However, my parents were always pretty open about creativity Even if it’s unsaid, it since they’re both arwas almost an chitects and have a litunwritten code growing tle bit of background in up, and may young creative thinking/workasian creative suffer for ing. I think they always these ideologies. Even knew I was going to though I really enjoyed go into something with writing poetry and art (might have been studying literature, I the time I was 14 and subconsciously leaned decided to write and towards journalism paint all over the walls because it seemed like of my room haha!) a more streamlined career choice to focus on, because let’s face Have they supported it, writers never make that? any money. Oh yeah, for sure. Many of us, howevThere have been times er, manage to break where they’ve been away from those ideas. hesitant at the decision Whether its semi-libI made but I wouldn’t eral parents or simply be here if they weren’t unadulterated courage, paying for it so I some young people definitely feel like they break away and are supporting me in become the creative that sense! Lucy Lui’s of the world and excel in doing so. What do your parents Spaced caught up with feel about you doing Amal, 20, who comes a fine art degree? from an Arabic background and has started They are somewhat studying Fine Art at confused about it. On Central Saint Martins. one hand they are so excited about the Have your parents things I’m learning, always known about reading, writing and you wanting to purexploring. Also they sue art? aren’t sure where it’s headed. It’s a tough I didn’t really know I one. was going to go to art school until I actually

Does the opinions of your parents ever hold you back in any way? whether it’s with art or with life? Oh yeah, like everyday. I’m constantly thinking about how to tell them about what I’ve been researching or what my work is doing. It’s also tough because my work goes into ideas around romance and desire. I feel like if I open up too much about my work and life with them, I will either never come back to uni again or just get long lectures on how taboo everything I do is! Why do you think Asian parents may not be as welcoming to the arts compared to a non Asian family? I think there’s a huge stigma that Asian parents don’t want their children to pursue art-related subjects. And I suppose for the most part it may be kinda true (There’s only 4 brown people in the whole of my Fine art year!) But I think the root of the issue of Asian parents not being in favour of creative education is mainly a cultural thing. It’s a weird one. Some

parents just don’t like anomalies of the system. Art is a big anomaly; it goes against and for everything and anything. I would say some Asian parents just don’t realise the benefits of not sticking with the system and doing a business, law or political science degree. Eurgh, political science… what the fuck does that even mean? You’re telling me politics can be a science, to learn? Nope, politics is a made up system by humans to control the values of exchange through a piece of paper with a number on it $$$. We’re all being brainwashed. It’s all about the money these days. And why do art when you can make money, pay rent, be comfortable. It’s a scary world we live in. What would you say to young Asian students trying to pursue the arts? Go go go! Do your thing! Don’t let anyone get you down. Even though it feels like a never-ending existential crisis, at least you’re a real person expressing real feelings!

Fantastic beasts and where to find them >>

magical emporium of props, art and collectible items lies in the backstreets of Soho. The House of MinaLima contains four floors of intricate and detailed art and graphic design to blow Harry Potter fans away.

By Hannah Grafton

windows full of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts images, there’s no doubt that I’m in the right place. Just inside the floor is printed as if it’s littered with Hogwarts letters a la Philosopher’s Stone, but there’s no Uncle Vernon to kill the magic here. The walls are lined with boxes of delicate prints Tucked away in a quiet street in Soho, nestled in tiny and hue sizes to flick through and candles between a pub and a corner cafe, is the magical and stars hang from the ceiling great hall-style. House of MinaLima. MinaLima, a convergence of Miraphora (Mina) and Eduardo (Lima), (could their The ground floor acts as a shop for souvenirs names be any more Harry Potter?!) met on the set and prints, but just up the spiral staircase is a of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone in 2001, treasure trove of floor to ceiling art and graphics and went on to be the primary graphic designers evoking fond memories of Potter films gone by. As on every Harry Potter film. Now having worked on a fan of the books and films, this was as close to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, they Potter heaven as I had ever been. Obviously the have opened an emporium boasting four floors of Warner Bros studios in Watford provides a their graphic art and props spanning nine films. place for fans to see behind the scenes of the film-making process, but the House of MinaLima Sitting quaintly just behind the Palace Theatre somehow feels more special and intimate, not like which is currently playing Harry Potter and the seeing behind the scenes but more like being Cursed Child, the small gallery glows among the actually immersed in the Fantastic Beasts world. dark brick of the surrounding buildings. The rich There’s something to be said about the intimacy purple shopfront with it’s lime green 1920s style and quaint atmosphere, as makes the whole thing lettering and glittering fairy lights wouldn’t look feel less Hollywood and more genuinely real. out of place in Diagon Alley itself, and with the

‘Have you seen Fantastic Beasts yet?’ a man wearing MinaLima overalls asks from the corner. After explaining that I hadn’t just seen it, I loved it (way to sound like a complete nerd), he went on to explain how the gallery had stayed open until 3am on the morning of the Fantastic Beasts release, just so that fans who went to midnight showings could come and see the artwork after watching the film. ‘It was like a load of zombies coming in and looking round, they were so tired’, he adds. Maybe not the best way to appreciate the exhibition, but this is defi-

nitely not one for any Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts fans to miss. The prints vary in price depending on the size and intricacy, and each are sold in both standard and premium. While the standard prints are far more inexpensive, the premium options come embellished with foils in gold and silver and include colour where the standard prints do not. The premium is also individually signed by Miraphora and Eduardo and is a much rarer item, with four times more standard prints being produced. With the larger prints be-

“it’s lime green 1920s style lettering and glittering fairy lights wouldn’t look out of place in Diagon Alley itself” ing priced at around £100 standard and £300 premium, having my own magical wall decor may be a bit unrealistic, but the exhibition gives me a chance to dream, at least. If you want something to take away from the House of MinaLima but don’t have a spare £300 lying around or, like me, the curse of renting means you can’t hang frames and art on your walls, postcard sized prints are available, as well as magical themed stationary, diaries and fun print souvenirs like an

application for a ‘wand permit’ or your very own Hogwarts letter. These are way more affordable, and make a perfect little Christmas present for a Harry Potter loving friend. For any Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts fan this place will surely feel special, and I’ve been shamelessly gushing about it to other fans ever since. So whether you want to revisit the films or you just want to appreciate some spellbinding art and graphic design, the House of MinaLima is mystical perfection.

Producers at the forefront of London’s music scene By Emily Fortune

From the increased popularity of electronic dance music in the mainstream to London’s very own grime scene, producers are finally being celebrated fairly, instead of being the person in the shadows. Over the past couple of years, the rise of the producer/performer has started to shift the music industry towards a new future of artists who make exactly what they want, and with that comes the fortunate death of men in suits deciding what they feel we all want to hear. Although producers from all over, especially those from the hip hop and electronic scenes are beginning to change the face of the music industry, London is doing it in it’s own way. Starting way back in the 1990s, a wave of new music swept through the city, this genre being the predecessor of London’s beloved Grime. Garage

music filled venues South of the Thames, allowing those who produced, to DJ nights and eventually get their own music out there.

piece of music from start to finish myself”, was far more appealing than learning an instrument or being “one part of something bigger”.

In order to learn more about the complexities of producing and with the grime scene being one of the most envied in the world, Spaced talked to London-based producer Tarquin on how he views the industry and where he sees London in the future for producers similar to himself.

When speaking on a lack of respect for producers, he said he feels it is becoming “a more recognised art form as electronic music is getting bigger”. However, we should respect those who were producing electronic music first, the pioneers “should be respected and held in the same artistic regard as people pushing the boundaries now.”

Tarquin makes electronic music and hopes to “challenge conventional practices and structures within club/electronic music to offer something more than a functional workout in the club”, starting out using his Grandad’s PC to make music on Garageband to playing mixes on Rinse FM and DJing all around the city. For Tarq, the idea of producing and “creating a complete

Being based in London, no matter how much talent is bursting through to the surface, it can still be a struggle. He spoke of the present issues within the city saying: “London is a place where the poor struggle as costs are so high and for a lot of artists/producers they find themselves in

that category. So as a result I think we probably strive to work harder at our craft to survive but also to compete with stiff competition. So as a result the music constantly evolves and constantly sustains a leadership.”. It’s not all doom and gloom with London being one of the most diverse places in the world, it makes for a lot of inspiration to draw upon, “As far as the scene goes I think its pretty healthy, especially in regards to the variety of club music out there now. London and the UK have always drawn inspiration from around the globe and this has never been more evident in club music. If you’ve got a goal or something to achieve London can be the place to be and the same goes for trying success as a producer - there are so many avenues, people and facilities at hand.”

The Body & Art: Karis Crawford By Anisha Chowdhury

n 1866, French artist Gustave Courbet created the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Origin of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, illustrating close ups of the female genitalia, in its most honest form. The eroticism of the pieces was heightened by its true and rich representation, without the need for flattery or sugar coating. As the female body image evolves, female artists are now more concerned than ever to keep us aware of the warts and all image visual. Through this, that is the actual women are able to female form. reclaim their body in the 21st century to For the past years, girls open up new realms of around the world have freedom and been using art to individuality. express their own version of what female Spaced spoke to body image should young female artist represent. Amongst Karis, 21, about what young artists in the implications are for western society, it has artists including their become an increasing naked bodies in their trend to be vulgar and work in the modern art unapologetic with their world.

Why is it important that women are more comfortable with embracing their bodies in art? ‘You’re in a society where they’re going to show naked women. So, that’s where you choose; do you show naked women to represent yourself to even the playing field?’ ‘You’re always going to be misrepresented, so you might as well run a campaign next to them. Even if you don’t win, you’ll make enough noise to draw the attention away from them.’ How and why does your work incorporate sex into its message? ‘With my work I’m trying to make people feel the things that I feel, so a lot of the work ends up making people feel anxious. The last piece I did was a piece in which there was a voice in a dark room talking about how terrifying the darkness is, and saying how does it feel doing an art degree when everyone has a real job and hates you…

‘The work needs to be hideously honest, it’s not made to appeal to artists but more to actual people who may not necessarily want to be honest with themselves about th e way that they are. My boyfriend and I did a piece where we covered ourselves i n paint and had sex on a bed sheet, which people found hard to look at. It’s kind of like how people find it gross when someone else has sex in their bed. Its easy to look down on sexually liberated people, especially for those who may not be as liberated themselves. ‘Maybe people thought the piece was just rubbish, which is perfectly valid, but I also feel like a lot of people saw it and thought ‘we could’ve done that, but we didn’t. Because we aren’t disgusting sex slobs like you.’ Why is sex and naked bodies still a taboo? ‘I’m usually quite a mouthy person who isn’t scared to talk about sex, but other people can find that quite vulgar so they hold themselves back. If people are exposed

to that kind of language and behaviour more, they might feel jealous at the fact that they’re not able to express themselves as freely.’ What do young girls looking to explore their bodies in art need to hear? ‘I think most young girls are really self-conscious of their own vaginas. My boyfriend told me about how he had been with this girl from the ages of 13 to 16 but he just couldn’t remember what her vagina looked like, along with any of the other girls he had been with. I was exactly the same, I couldn’t ever imagine having sex while not being under sheets. You shouldn’t let society do that to you. It’s not fair.

‘I wouldn’t want people who innately sexualise nudity, to see my photos. There’s such a difference between nudity and sexuality. You can see a naked baby and think that’s beautiful, even a naked woman on a beach is alright, but a woman in sexy lingerie is seen as this crazy sexual thing. Some old man somewhere is going to jerk off over anything, so just don’t worry about it.’ Do you think that art is the only platform where being naked is okay?

‘Yeah. I think it’s the rise of feminist art, the whole glitter armpit rubbish on skinny white girls who don’t really understand the plights of those who really, really need feminism. The white skinny ‘Everyone’s got a body. female body is kind of There’s no one who uninteresting because hasn’t got what you its so overdone.’ have. You should never be scared if you have “There is nothing more your reasons, nobody rare, nor more is above you.’ beautiful, than a woman being What about your unapologetically body being seen by herself; comfortable the wrong people? in her imperfection. Isn’t that something To me, that is the true to consider? essence of beauty.”

Death, Dating and Drawing:

Grace Helmer by emily fortune

What kind of illustration do you do? Helmer: I use oil paints with a bit of Photoshop mixed in. I mainly work for books and magazines, though have done the odd animation and other bits!

ased in South-London’s Peckham, Grace Helmer reaches beyond her everyday view to create light-toned landscapes, beautiful nature scenes and even her comic ‘Small Hours’, detailing the life of a freelance illustrator in London, with all of its glory from what she describes as ‘Death, Dating and Drawing’. As an oil paint connoisseur of today, Helmer is able to uncommonly bring this technique in to play with humorous cartoons.

In order to find out more about Grace’s work and London’s illustration scene, she agreed to answer some questions about everything drawing:

How did you get into it? I took an Art Foundation course in Brighton and they told me I should do Illustration. So I did. Then I moved to London to do an Illustration degree at Camberwell and carried on from there. I initially had no idea I could carry on painting in illustration, at first I thought it was all fine liner drawings, I didn’t

really know what it was. But I learnt it is so broad and you can have a lot of freedom within it, if you keep pushing yourself. What is the illustration scene in London like? Hmm. There are quite different pockets of Illustrators in London. For a long time I didn’t feel like my work really fit the London ‘scene’, actually I still don’t think it does really. That’s where the internet comes in, and realising that there’s a much broader audience/scene out there, and you don’t have to conform to what everyone is interested in where you are if you don’t want to.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Personal work reminds me who I am when commissions can feel a little like you just have to churn it out.â&#x20AC;?

How does living in London influence your work? I was definitely influenced by shows I went to whilst at university. The Pick Me Up Graphic Arts Festival at Somerset House often has so much colourful and exciting work, after I interned there my work definitely got a lot more colourful and playful. I think the pace of London life has had an effect on my rate of work though. Everything moves quite fast here, people have limited time, so I’ve got faster at working. Who are your favourite illustrators/ inspirations? At the moment I’m excited by more abstract shapes and colours – I love looking at weavings and tapestries where designs have to be paired down to fit a certain amount of colours and work within restraints of the materials. I treated myself to a throw from Slowdown Studio in the US recently which I’m in love with… Also been making more of an effort to read and collect

comics this year. Collections like ShortBox are amazing – they put out a diverse selection of really great comics and prints every few months.

Charlotte Mei and I managed to set up an exhibition in Tokyo of our collaborative work, which we also showed in London when we came back.

What projects have you been involved with?

Personal work reminds me who I am when commissions can feel a little like you just have to churn it out.

I suppose some highlights would be illustrating Another Escape magazine – for the last 6 volumes I’ve been the main illustrator, working closely with Rachel Taylor who runs it. It’s nice to be given a little more time for their briefs, and to have quite a collaborative planning process. Other great commissions have been making a hand painted animation for HarvardX, painting VR headsets for Google, and an animated loop for VRAK TV in Canada. Commissioned work is interesting as I learn about lots of different subjects or ways of looking at a topic. In my spare time I’ve been working on an autobiographical comic called ‘Small Hours’, and doing the odd painting for fun. It’s hard to find time! Last year, my friend

www.gracehelmer.com

Down The Rabbit Hole : Sink The Pink’s uproarious Christmas panto.

BY Frances Cullen

escribing themselves as a “world famous genderfuck army. Queering the norm and taking over the planet”, Sink The Pink have been throwing the best parties in London for years. Their base is currently Troxy in East London where they host four balls a year, attracting the likes of Nick Grimshaw, Sophie Ellis Bextor and Sam Smith.Creator Amy Redmond tells Wonderland “we wanted a space that felt like a house party where you could just be really silly, like just put on each other’s clothes and

There are no rules to Sink The Pink. The collective of creatives is ever-growing and the main aim always seems to be to have as much fun as possible in the silliest ways. They don’t take themselves too seriously at all but have managed to build such a strong and loyal following and have created a space reminiscent of the club kids scene in New York in the nineties. They’ve moved on from just club nights and branched out to festival appearances and pride events. The collective are building up their brand and are changing the norms of the current club scene. “I think there’s something really bonding about dressing up. If I put

“Everything is executed to perfection and could easily feature on a runway at fashion week.”

some glitter on me and then I put it on you, we’ve got something in common. That’s what Sink The Pink is about” Redmond tells The Guardian. This Christmas they’re delving into the theatre world with their first ever panto. Down in the basement of Selfridges, you’ll find a glitter-filled cave that’s home to the Rabbit Hole, a spellbinding place that you’ll never want to leave. The refashioned theatre was built to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. This Christmas its taking a break from Shakespeare and inviting the glittering outrageous world of Sink The Pink. Set in a magical forest,

Landlady Bunny faces off with the villainous Fat Cat in order to save The Rabbit Hole club from being turned into luxury flats. A parallel that pulls on the heartstrings of Londoners whose favourite clubs are being closed down as we speak. It’s a small space, seating only 100, which gives it an exclusive, intimate vibe. The staging is inventive and uses every inch of the theatre. The ingenious use of treadmills for the chase scene was firstly hilarious and secondly wildly impressive, as Landlady Bunny and Rodent Decay keep up their dance routine whilst running on treadmills for the entirety of Blondie’s One Way or Another.

The walls are covered with pink shimmering streamers creating a cosy yet fabulous atmosphere. The costumes were not your average campy panto outfits but shimmering, fashion forward pieces that you couldn’t take your eyes off. Everything is executed to perfection and could easily feature on a runway at fashion week. As you would expect from a bunch of drag queens, the makeup was also impeccable and simply mesmerising to look at. Everyone was coated in a suitable amount of glitter and contoured to the gods. Maxi Moore’s Hungry Like The Wolf

performance was a standout. From the ultra-glam wolf outfit to the hysterical audience participation, the performance left us covered in mushed up apple and dying for more. The show stays on top of current affairs with several mentions of the newly elected Donald Trump and a dance performance to a remix of Hilary Clinton dissing him. Out of the many classic songs used in this production this is the one that remained stuck in my head for days after.

was interrupted with her sidekick shooting her. We were all then doused in fake snow whilst singing along to All I Want For Christmas Is You.

It was a triumph on all accounts. The only negative I have is how short it is. The show began at 8pm and we The ending had the were out by 9.15pm audience screaming and that was including with laughter as all an intermission. The morals were thrown out show was so the window and Fat entertaining that it Cat’s emotional speech could have lasted all night and the audience would still be sat eager for more. This is the group’s first pantomime but hopefully it will be a yearly occurrence getting bigger and more elaborate each time.

POP HELL AT HEAVEN : PC MUSIC By Andrew Whiteford When PC Music established itself as a music label in 2013 releasing their music for free via their SoundCloud, it was near impossible to think that they would be able to sell out a 1,500 capacity venue. The difference with all the artists under PC Music is that there is an equal amount of time spent

on creating the visual and the music and sometimes, the visual comes before the song. If we take Hannah Diamond, one of PC Music’s most successful artists: retro-futurist, innocent melodies set against a back of backdrop of twinkling production compared to GFOTY (Girlfriend Of The Year), a manifestation of consumer culture switching through hip-hop, pop punk and noise. It is all harmless fun with her furious vocal delivery and idiosyncratic, unpredictable compositional ideas. Central London music venue Heaven was the scene for PC Music to showcase how far they

have come from their virtual debut nearly four years ago. A simple glance at the crowd is enough to demonstrate the reasoning for their success: the diversity of the fan base which happens when your label is all interlinked but so dissimilar. SPINEE opened the showcase with a demonic set (in theme with the ‘pop hell at heaven’ dress code). Overwhelming red and black lightning silhouetted SPINEE in front of their turntable. Euphoric early noughties Ministry Of Sound inspired beats over glitchy overproduced reworks of pop rock classics such as Evanescence – Bring Me To Life glides through the sound-

waves of Heaven. It is clear that SPINEE takes the trashiest, mainstream pop music and puts it through her glossy dance-pop machine. With a quick transition set to set, EasyFun promptly begins his set with an eruption from the crowd. A fastpacked, high pitch version of Ariana Grande – Love Me Harder with a solid trance beat throughout. EasyFun’s visuals is a parody of EasyJet advertisement with palm trees, lilos and blue sea – cheesy, yes. But that’s what EasyFun’s set was at the most unapologetic level. Confetti, whipped up pop dreams and batshit crazy colourful fun. The elusive Felicita was next up. However, he never came on stage and decided to play his DJ set backstage. For his whole half an hour set, five people wearing ‘FELICITA IS NOT REAL’ t-shirts entered the stage and slowly

stumbled about wwhilst blowing bubbles. Ambient Aphex Twin style music contrasted with riffs of heavy metal guitar. Best described as the sound of a dial up modem trying to find connection from the depths of call – it’s polarising where half the crowd were moshing whilst the others were left confused. Next up was the founder of PC Music, A.G. Cook who was finishing off his music production degree when he founded his infamous label. Since co-signing with label Columbia, his music output has been slower and performances are scarcer and fewer. A.G. Cook continues to rhythm and tempo, things seem to be decelerating in pace. Mozart & Beethoven are played throughout the set – mashed up with a vigorous dance beat. A highlight of the set was unexpected live vocal of performance of emotional pop-banger >> ‘Beautiful’.

London-born Hannah Diamond then stormed on stage in full early 2000’s ski ranch attire: a long-sleeve purple jumper, fur gilet, mini skirt and furry heeled boots. Fittingly, Hannah Diamond begins with her hit-song ‘Hi!’ which debuted earlier on i-D. It’s challenging to hear Diamond soft-spoken vocals over the tirade of chanting crowd. Confetti exploded from glittery cannons whilst Diamond drifted through her discogra-

phy: Attachment, Fade Away, Keri Baby and Every Night. Diamond became visibly emotional at the end of her set, the reaction she received was electrifying and she spoke of her nerves and anxiety when she plays for a London crowd. The contrast from the soft sounds of Hannah Diamond to GFOTY was like a different gig. The penultimate act of the evening is GFOTY - a materialistic, psy-

cho-girlfriend character created by Polly-Louisa Salmon. GFOTY’s style of spoken-word over a penetrating, synthesised barricade of sound. Her performance style is half hilarious, half captivating to watch and is almost deliberately poor and sloppy. She stumbles round the stage with a bottle of champagne whilst belting out lyrics such as ‘I found a sandwich / I’ll eat it quickly / If you eat my sandwich’. Everything about

Girlfriend Of The Year should not work – but somehow, and some way it is so charismatic and addictive. At one point, she poured the champagne over her face and screamed to the crowd “I actually can’t see!”.

best, playing track after track with With its electronic sheen and avant-pop feelings. Harle stops during his set to talk about how proud he was of the success of PC music and how his identity and music did not match. But, that’s the Danny L Harle is clos- charm. There’s a ing the showcase. He’s push pull effect of experienced the most Danny L Harle, success from the label something so strange – entering the charts but something so with his dance-pop infectious. track ‘Broken Flowers’ as well as collaborating The argument critics ofwith pop heavyweights ten use against PC Musuch as Carly Rae sic is the questioning of Jepsen and Charli XCX. their talent and authenHe does what he does ticity. At this point, I

think the past three and a half years, each artist has demonstrated what they offer to the label. This Heaven showcase has shown that there’s legitimacy and heart to the brand but prove that they are enthusiastic to have fun with what they do and create an atmosphere of not-give-afuck, which is greatly absent in pop music today. Recent collaborations with mainstream stars like Charli XCX and Carly Rae Jepsen Roberts are tributes to their progressive audacity to catapult pop music into innovative, unknown areas.

“At one point, she poured the champagne over her face and screamed to the crowd “I actually can’t see!”. 35

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