By Sofia Ciechowska Illustration bi Basje Boer
Unruly Music Magazine October 2011
What’s Cooking
Food The Positive Issue
Lucky Dragons, Male Bonding, The Luyas Page 1
Win a pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars. See ‘free stuff’ page in this publication.
the right to get in
4 + 5 NOVEMBER 2011 ROND DE ENERGIECENTRALE, DEN HAAG
WASHED OUT [US] HYPE WILLIAMS [UK] VONDELPARK [UK] DIRTY BEACHES [CA] PLAID LIVE [UK] RUSTIE LIVE [UK] NILS FRAHM [DE] I AM OAK [NL] DORIAN CONCEPT [AT] MARTYN LIVE [NL] INFO & TICKETS
TROPICS [UK] oOoOO [US] EKLIN [NL] PETER BRODERICK [US] HOLY OTHER [UK] + MANY MORE
www.rewirefestival.nl
The Positive Issue
This is a photo of Male Bonding drummer Robin Silas Christian (right) and the crossed fingers of Male Bonding guitarist/singer John Arthur Webb in a dodgy gambling hall in Dalston, London, taken after they had done the interview that you can read on page 20. Robin is laughing with exitement while watching a dog race and John is crossing his fingers. Gotta stay positive when gambling! They were accompanied by their band mate Kevin Hendrick (bass) as well as Subbacultcha interviewer Zofia Ciechowska and photographer Laurence Von Thomas. They lost ÂŁ6.
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CROSSING BORDERS IN EUROPEAN DESIGN
Content
The Positive Issue
Male Bonding
Lucky Dragons
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Page 34
The Luyas
Agenda
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Top 5 New Music We Saw You male bonding The luyas vondelpark lucky dragons New Releases Featured Artist Film
11 14 18 20 26 32 34 40 44 49
Fashion Food Books 99 Problems Agenda subbacultcha shows other shows Free Stuff after midnight Overview
51 53 55 56 59 61 67 75 77 78
Good times are ahead of us. We’ve extensively recapped 9/11 and thereby concluded an era of fear, grief, violence and mourning. The Middle East was revolutionised overnight. The UK wasn’t. The worst summer ever is behind us. Organic food and local produce is the next big thing. So are community-driven projects. The art world is bursting with entrepreneurial creativity and the alternative music scene is flourishing like never before. The ‘don’t like’ button still does not exist on Facebook and crisis is nothing more than a six-letter word. Enjoy the Positive Issue. You deserve it. Page 7
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Who we are and what we do
Subbacultcha! Magazine is made at our office in Amsterdam Da Costakade 150, 1053 XC Amsterdam, the Netherlands www.subbacultcha.nl. magazine@subbacultcha.nl We are Editors: Leon Caren and Bas Morsch Editorial Assistant: Sarah Gehrke Design: Bas Morsch Interns: Marina Henao, Ryanne Lannoye, Freek van Heerikhuize Good Girl: Loes Verputten Printing: Drukkerij Slinger, Alkmaar Contributors: Carly Blair, Basje Boer, Brenda Bosma, Sarah Bradham, Leon Caren, Zofia Ciechowska, Daniel Evans, Sarah Gehrke, Viktor Hachmang, Nick Helderman, Marc van der Holst, Bas Morsch, Martyn F Overweel, Rafaël Rozendaal, Eno Swinnen, Laurence Von Thomas, Johanna Valdés, Gert Verbeek, Ciaran Wood, Karin Wolters and Isolde Woudstra Distribution: Amsterdam: Carly Blair, Tessel Dekker, Alice Driesen, Bauke Karel, Sandrine Mary, Ana Milheiro, Fedor Oduber, Ansuya Spreksel, Stefan Stasko, Patrick van der Klugt. Utrecht: Freyja van den Boom, Janna Smeets Groningen: Wout Merbis, Hedwig Plomp Den Haag: Leroy Verbeet Rotterdam: Ruben Rietveld, Ilse van der Spoel Breda: Marjolein de Vliegher Leeuwarden: Jan Pier Brands Leiden: Anne Hillebrand Almere: Remco Brinkhuis Haarlem: Yannick Tinbergen, Bert Zaremba Nijmegen Arno de Vreng Tilburg/Eindhoven: Kevin Jansen Belgium: Kasper-Jan Raeman Pick up Subbacultcha! Magazine here (among 500 other places): Amsterdam: Kriterion, Canvas, American Apparel, Episode, CREA, De Balie, Melkweg, Paradiso, OT301, De Nieuwe Anita, Restored, Zipper, Concerto Utrecht: Ekko, ’t Hoogt, Tivoli, The Village, Revenge, Plato, dB’s Rotterdam: Worm, Rotown, Lantaren Venster, De Witte Aap, Willem de Kooning Academie If you want your bar, venue, store or business to be on the distribution list, please send us an email. Advertising To advertise in Subbacultcha! Magazine send an email to magazine@subbacultcha.nl. Memberships Become a member of Subbacultcha!. For only €7 a month you get free access to all Subbacultcha! shows and the monthly magazine sent to your house. Plus, you get a fresh Subbacultcha! bag. Check the website to sign up. Cover by Rafaël Rozendaal Page 8
Last month at our office
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Top 5
Concerts: Subbacultcha! line-up
We don’t mean to brag, but the line-up we’ve cooked up for you this autumn is pretty, pretty, pretty good. Lucky Dragons, Peaking Lights, Girls, Pure X, Male Bonding, Craft Spells, Dirty Beaches, Sleep∞Over - to name but a few. See you there!
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Rooftop session: The War on Drugs
Which better way is there to spice up a drowsy Monday afternoon than having The War on Drugs over at the Subbacultcha! office to do an exclusive live session? If you weren’t one of the happy few in the audience, then watch it online on our website.
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Celebrations: 25 years EKKO
One of our favourite venues in Holland are celebrating their 25th anniversary this month with an outstanding lineup featuring The Field, Twin Sister, Crystal Antlers, The Ex and many more.
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Director: Woody Allen
Sure, the new Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris is not his best ever, but a new movie by the master always brings joy to our HQ. He’s still keeping up his impressive rate of one new film a year. Let’s hope he will do so for many years to come.
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05. Food: French cooking class
How to bone a duck, how to make Beurre Blanc, how to make chestnut soup, how to... it is all learned at the French Cooking Course at La Cuisine Française, gleefully attended by yours truly after the deadline of this bloody magazine. Page 11
Waking up with...
Austra
This is Katie Stelmanis of Austra jumping on a bed in a room of the Lloyd Hotel the morning after their stellar sold out show in OT301. The photo was taken by Isolde Woudstra.
Subbacultcha is all about a membership
Twin Sister 27/10 Free for Members Become a member of Subbacultcha! for only â‚Ź7 a month. The membership includes home delivery of our monthly magazine as well as free access to all Subbacultcha! shows. Plus, you get a fresh Subbacultcha! bag. Check the website to sign up. See page 61 for the full list of shows. Page 13
ExTRAoRDInARY FIlms, UnIQUE locATIons At Jameson, we want to share our love of film with the world. The Jameson Film Experience is all about watching our favourite films at spectacular screenings, staged to transport our members into the film’s universe. In cooperation with the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Jameson Irish Whiskey brings you this series of unique events that will inspire, intrigue and make you laugh.
JAmEson FIlm ExpERIEncE nº3 comIng soon! locATIon: AMSTERDAM - DATE: 27 ocTobER 2011
For more info, join: facebook.com/jamesonfilmexperience
DRINKWIJZER.INFO
Geniet, maar drink met mate.
By Zofia Ciechowska
This month’s recommendations
New Music
Raleigh Moncrief www.raleighmoncrief.net
I have a crick in my neck that forecasts either hailstorms or the next big thing in the musical hipstersphere. And the name Raleigh Moncrief sends lightning bolts through my vertebrae, which means nothing but HOT HOT SHIT ALERT. To leave it brief: Moncrief has just been signed to Anticon, he has worked with the likes of Bjork, Dirty Projectors and Marnie Stern and his debut album Watered Lawn is coming out on 25 October. This album is the kind where each track sounds way different but they all tie in together in the end and you totally get it and it’s awesome. Expect rambling samples, electronica and a few guitar strums here and there. Also start unfastening your bra, because when this guy hits the stage you will wanna throw it at his face asap.
SpaceGhostPurrp
facebook.com/spaceghostpurrp Normally, if someone told me to ‘suck a dick for 2011’, I’d retort with something mildly threatening and storm off in a grrrly rage. And yet, when Miami-based 20 year old SpaceGhostPurrp shouts his verbal abuse through my headphones, I cackle and turn up the volume. Mixtape Blvcklvnd Rvdix 66.6 (1991) sounds what its cover looks like, if that makes any sense: it’s a boy’s shoebox collection of horrorcore, ’90s Southern rap and r&b, Mortal Kombat and dad’s old porn VHS stash. No artist before has made me want to swig whiskey, scatter all my Monopoly money on the floor and roll around in it butt naked, covered in Johnson & Johnson’s baby oil. Page 15
New Music
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Wavepool Abortion wavepoolabortion.bandcamp.com
Let’s just clear the air and come clean - we probably wouldn’t make that big a deal about these kids if it weren’t for the fact that they are from Russia (Yes, Russia!). Congratulations Wavepool Abortion (or Жертва Aборта, if I may introduce them in Cyrillic), you are, like, the first ever cool Russian band we’ve written about in our New Music section and it’s awesome to have you here. Teenage band members Pyotr Reznikov and Matvei Solovyov describe their band as ‘the Ramones and The Beatles taking a big shit.’ I couldn’t have put it better myself. It’s filthy and lo-fi in the best of ways; download this stuff and make your iPod more exotic.
Co La
soundcloud.com/co_la This is Ecstatic Sunshine’s Matthew Papich in a new musical reincarnation that will fool any search engine into thinking you are really thirsty. Well Matt, let me tell you, you had us fooled for a sec there, but after typing in a few select keywords, we found out you’re a pretty cool dude and other people should know about you too. Baltimore-based Co La mixes together a sonic soup of intergalactic electronic beats, a bunch of dub, soul, pop whatever-you-please samples that bubble and splutter in waves of rhythm. Keep your ears pricked for more from this fellow as the months get colder and his tracks get HOTTTER. Page 16
New Music
Silent Diane www.silentdiane.com
Christine Aprile and Malcolm Elijah belong to that ultra popular gothy circle from Austin, Texas (think Sleep∞Over and Pure X) and make mesmerising synthy music that sends you tumbling down the creaking staircases of dark noisy pop. Amidst the lingering darkness, Aprile’s glass-shattering vocals permeate the vintage drum machines and 8-bit bleeps and crack like a lightning bolt. The effect is startlingly sexy and mysterious. Check out their new single ‘Capella’ on True Panther. Witch house just got a run for its money!
Sunless 97
lesssun.tumblr.com Sunless 97 is one hell of a super-mysterious male-female duo who have no intention of casting off their invisibility cloak at the moment. All I know is that they reside in London and that they’ve released some pretty neat mixtapes not too long ago that feature the likes of Aaliyah and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Their track ‘Illuminations’ is simply delightful with its dreamy boy-girl vocals, warbling chimes and gentle melody. In fact I just played it on repeat, like, a bajillion times, and it sounds as amazing as the first time round. These two have got something pretty ace up their sleeves, don’t lose sight of them. Page 17
We Saw You
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Spotted at Subbacultcha
Photo by Isolde Woudstra
Which song makes you really, really, really happy? Ha! I think ‘Grinding Halt’ by The Cure. It’s catchy, it’s got a great bassline and pumping drums... and the lyrics are simple, but so true. If I die, I want them to play it at my funeral.
Natasja Alers, spotted at the Austra concert in OT301, Amsterdam on 30 August
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Male Bonding
Staying positive in today’s world can sometimes be a right old pain. Especially if you’ve just released a new album, been on tour in the US and don’t like pizza. And if that wasn’t enough, Male Bonding have six useless nipples in total. They try to stay positive nevertheless. After the interview we accidentally got them hooked on gambling, so they might not be releasing any new material for some time. Apologies in advance. Words by Zofia Ciechowska. Photos by Laurence Von Thomas
When you were little, who did you want to be when you grew up? John: I wanted to be a footballer. Kevin: For ages I wanted to be a hot air balloon pilot because they only have to work a couple months of the year and they get paid loads.
Robin: Michael Jackson, just because he was really cool. What do your parents think now that you’re in a band and have not become hot air balloon pilots? K: My dad would probably prefer me to be a hot air balloon pilot, he’s Page 21
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never seen our band. But my mum loves it. She texted me today to say that our album that she ordered from HMV still hasn’t arrived. J: My mum called me to say we were in the billboard charts. R: My mum’s coming to our gig next week. Who’s the manliest out of you three? K: John. J: (clearly not paying attention) Sorry, what? R: The manliest. J: Well it’s not hard. I’d say Kevin is, in a different way, not in a physical way. Robin is probably the least. R: You should’ve asked who’s the most womanly! What’s the manliest thing you’ve ever done collectively/separately? MB: Fight. J: Anal sex. Don’t write that. Building stuff. My dad bought me some tools for Christmas. He knows I’m coming of age, turning into a man. I built a baby gate recently. For yourself ? J: For the dog, to stop it from going upstairs. If you were a pro-wrestling team, what would your pro-wrestler names be? K: The Hammer. J: The Ultimate Warrior. R: The Spirit Level. Page 22
Why do men have nipples? J: You can get nipple cancer. That’s probably why, so you can get cancer. Or so they can get sore when you go through puberty. Or maybe they just got sore from school uniform shirts... R: I don’t think my nipples have been useful for anything. Apart from piercings. Nipples are good for piercings. K: My nipples are really far apart from each other, it’s like they’re about to slide off my chest. That’s normal, isn’t it? If your new album Endless Now was a pizza, which toppings would it have? MB: We don’t like pizza so it couldn’t be pizza. J: It would be a cheese-and-onion quiche. R: A bottomless flan. Belgians like flan. At least you have that. K: Well that’s the Belgian market taken care of. Do the Belgians read this? Have you seen any good films recently? J: Kevin and I watched this film called Win Win on the plane. It was a lovely story, the perfect airplane movie. K: I nearly cried. I usually cry when I watch airplane films. This time I couldn’t because I’d lost one
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‘My nipples are really far apart from each other, it’s like they’re about to slide off my chest. That’s normal, isn’t it?’
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earphone and was only 50 per cent into the film. What do you eat for breakfast? J: No breakfast. K: I am a big breakfast eater. I eat blueberries, strawberries and granola with hazelnut milk and porridge in the winter. I could skip lunch but I would never skip breakfast. I go fucking mental without breakfast. R: Shreddies, Rice Krispies. Rice Krispies are the best. Have you had any weird dreams recently? K: I dreamt a while ago that Tom Morello from Rage against the Machine took me for a hike through the country near his house. We ziplined through the forest and then we got to this long banister and slid down it. I was wearing his big leather shoes and they were weighing me down so much. And then it turned out we were in his house and the police opened fire on us. His house was next to a motorway and also next to a forest. I wonder what his house really looks like. To continue being positive, are there any particularly nice things and good stuff that you appreciate in life? ALL: Cycling. We love cycling. K: I’ve cycled down all the canals in London. But we never get to cycle
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on tour. But still, we are a really, really positive band. We were even positive in Minneapolis! We also like swimming. It’s something we try to do as much as possible when we’re on tour. We usually swim in pools, but if it’s warm outside, then anywhere. Our best swim on our last tour was in this hotel called Double Tree in Wisconsin. We scored a deal, we got a free warm cookie when we checked in and it had a sauna and spa, a spa so big you could swim in it! That’s what being a rock star is all about, staying at Double Tree hotels anywhere you go. And we also went swimming in the sea in San Diego with a bunch of sea lions. It’s the best way to survive a tour, swimming. Name three songs that you really like at the moment. K: ‘Child of the Moon’ by The Rolling Stones. R: ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’ by Morrissey, anything by Morrissey really! J: I like anything made in the ’90s. Doesn’t matter what it is. As long as it says ‘© The ’90s’, that’s what I’m listening to. Male Bonding play on 5 October in OT301, Amsterdam. This show is free for Subbacultcha Members. Other live dates: 6/10 Paradox, Tilburg Page 25
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The Luyas
Montreal-based band The Luyas have done some extensive touring since releasing their beautiful new album Too Beautiful to Work on Dead Oceans last April. And now, after a good few months of ‘listening to audiobooks on North American history while driving through the vastness of Alabama,’ the tour takes them back to the Netherlands. Fortunately. Photographer Nick Helderman bummed a ride and shared some days on the road with the band that is guided by the bright mind of Jessie Stein; unintentonial charmer and the only person to truly master Yuri Landman’s Moodswinger guitar. Mastering mood swings. How positive! Photos by Nick Helderman Page 26
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The Luyas play on 12 October in Worm in Rotterdam and on 14 October in De Nieuwe Anita in Amsterdam. These shows are free for Subbacultcha Members. Other live dates: 11/10 - Ekko, Utrecht. Page 31
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Vondelpark
When Lewis Rainsbury (aka Vondelpark) was in Amsterdam a few months ago to play a show with Subbacultcha! the van got broken into and Lewis’ laptop containing his entire new album got stolen. Time for a positive recap. ‘Life goes on and I like clean slates’ AIM chat interview by Bas Morsch. Photo by Ciaran Wood Page 32
Lewis Rainsbury: Hey man, sorry about the wait, I was eating a jam doughnut. Shall we start? Bas Morsch: We’ve already started! It doesn’t get more positive than eating a jam doughnut. So, did you call your mum when your gear was stolen? Yes. What did she say? It was a battle to try and persuade her it was best if I went to Vondelpark with my last bit of Strawberry Haze [a type of weed] instead of getting a flight home. Did that turn out to be the right choice? Absolutely, it sort of made me feel like we were in a dream world, quite literally… simply assuming that the world is safe sometimes. So are there any positive sides to your MacBook getting stolen? No Facebook for a day or two… that’s a good thing for example. Yeah, Facebook is shit. S’all about AIM. But it’s fine losing my Mac, life goes on and I like clean slates. Do you also like a clean hard drive when the dirty one contained your entire new album? It was a massive blow but the brand-new material is far better now, so I’m not bothered anymore. I can’t wait for people to hear the step-up that’s happened after my MacBook
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got stolen. After Amsterdam there’s been a surge of creativity, and you need things that straighten you out and remind you that the motives behind the music are genuine. Almost like a near-death experience? Yeah man, it’s serious shit to deal with and it did destroy us for a few weeks, but at the same time it’s probably the most beneficial thing that’s happened. So it is actually a very existentialist thing that happened to you in Amsterdam. Yeah, and if I can advise anyone, get robbed in Amsterdam and everything will follow. Kind of a funny idea that there is only one person in the entire world that has that other album now. It’s great in this ‘sharing age’, very modern! Haha yes, only one fan. Plus we’ve released that album with the complete package: it comes with a nice MacBook to listen it back on. … and now they are somewhere here in Amsterdam. Your album probably overwritten with porn. Hopefully Now that’s a positive ending! Thanks! Yeah bruv, see u x. Vondelpark plays on 22 October at ADE in Melkweg, Amsterdam and on 5 November at the Rewire Festival in Den Haag. Page 33
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Lucky Dragons Highly experimental Los Angeles duo Lucky Dragons believe that happiness is achieved by lightness. We talked to Luke Fischbeck and Sara Rara about the finer things in life: gardening, skin contact and sunsets at their studio that’s located at a strip mall nestled in between the mountains and the bustle of downtown LA . Words by Johanna ValdÊs. Photos by Sarah Bradham Page 35
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Happiness is a warm gun — what pulls your trigger? Luke: Things you can do for eight hours or more without stopping, such as sleeping, going for a hike or making music. We played a twelve-hour show a couple of weeks ago and didn’t take any breaks... I couldn’t really use my ears for three days after that. I heard the music on top of everything that was around me. Sara: I like thinking of happiness as lightness. Achieving lightness is achieving a pace of living that is both thrilling but still mellow enough for you to take time to think. Doing nothing is really important.
so there’s a lot of spacing out and spazzing out.
Tell us about your work den. What parts of your creative process are funkiest? Sara: If I go to the studio and produce a new sound or a new technique, then that is the best part of my day. But since it’s not every day that you’ll get something usable, the garden is always a reliable source of pleasure and a good time to think. Luke: Our studio is in sort of a disused strip mall in LA, which is actually a lot more beautiful than it sounds. It has all these trees growing everywhere. On one side you can see mountains, on the other you can What do you do every day that’s mun- see all of downtown. After most people have left for the day and the sun is dane but lovely? Sara: The first thing I do ev- setting, it’s just really nice, completeery day is going out to my garden to ly quiet. tend to the plants and harvest vegetables and fruit. Then I ride my scooter How do you see the sparks you set off in to our studio and spend a few hours people with your music? Luke: In the moment in which working on things. After lunch, I read a book. In the evening I cook dinner. people understand that they don’t need Luke: I like to sleep — I’ll sleep to listen in the same way they usualreally, really late. Usually at around ly do. If we have an instrument that’s two ‘o’ clock, I’ll start complete- pretty easy to teach someone, we can ly freaking out and running around show them and they can then become like crazy. LA is an insane city to try a teacher themselves. That’s where to get around in. The distances be- power is transferred — when people tween things are so long sometimes see that they can become teachers. Page 36
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‘It’s important to have all kinds of people supporting the music, as opposed to a specific niche. We kind of shoot for everyone on the planet’ Sara: We’re just trying to find a way to translate the connections between people into sound. One of our instruments works through human contact: you can make sounds by touching another person’s skin. We’re just taking a person-to-person connection and amplify it. You guys do a lot in the way of promoting positivity in all of your projects. What exactly do you do to spread the love? Luke: We make music that invites many people to come together and make something. It’s almost like gardening: nurturing a project or a collaboration. Sara: Our favourite shows to do are our all-ages shows with free entry. We play in punk clubs, outdoors locations, museums, galleries. We want to allow space for different groups to overlap and interact. It’s important to have all kinds of people supporting the music, as opposed to a specific niche. We kind of shoot for everyone on the planet.
Do you ever play for your vegetables? Sara: I sing them a song when I’m gardening sometimes. But the nice thing about gardening is that it is completely detached from my art or music practice — it’s just gardening. It’s the one thing that’s never stressful or business-oriented. It’s just about growing food. It’s very simple. What are some more really positive things you could say? Sara: It’s important to have attention for the common, everyday things. It’s all about being connected to the things around you and the people that you know. Luke: I feel like the ultimate positive thing is to do what’s difficult rather than what’s easy. Then you’re putting something into the world rather than taking something from it. Lucky Dragons play on 27 October in Ekko, Together with Twin Sister and Ital. The show is free for Subbacultcha! Members. Other live dates: 29/10 - Cultuurnacht, Tilburg. Page 39
Music Reviews
New releases worth your while
By Carly Blair
Veronica Falls self-titled
Active Child You Are All I See
After having released several singles over the past year or two, this Scotland-born, Londonbased quartet reveals their debut full-length. Their simple melodies, boy-girl singalongs and sweetly earnest lyrics undeniably take cues from Scottish twee legends such as The Shop Assistants and The Pastels (lead singer Roxanne has even worked in a coffeeshop co-owned by The Pastels). Their sound is unoriginal, and you could write them off for that reason alone, but then again, they’re a twee band, so they’re kind of inherently unpretentious and unambitious. Since their songs are so catchy, good-natured and well-executed, I don’t particularly care that they’re derivative and find Veronica Falls to be an enjoyably light listening experience.
After easing modern ears into the notion of harp-based dance music with last year’s thoroughly enjoyable Curtis Lane EP, ex-choirboy Pat Grossi returns with his debut full-length. Grossi’s quite the musical chameleon and his colours have changed subtly: the soaring falsetto and harp are still there, but most of the sort of cheesy, blatantly chillwavey synths of the EP are gone, having been replaced with somewhat more r&b-inflected vocals and a post-dubsteppy feel (perhaps inspired by tour mate James Blake). These shifts make the album very of-the-moment and its flagrantly gorgeous, sometimes bombastic elements easier to swallow.
(Slumberland)
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(Vagrant)
Twin Sister In Heaven (Domino)
Music Reviews
Girls Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther)
This Brooklyn-by-way-of-Long Island dream pop quintet generated plenty of buzz with their first two (free) EPs, and in particular with Color Your Life’s break-out single ‘All Around and Away We Go’, wherein Andrea Estella’s demure vocals enchanted over an irresistibly spacey disco backdrop. Now, on their long-awaited debut album, they’ve been digging deeper into the mines of ’70s disco and easy listening, offering up a fine collection of seductively mellow pop songs. The band purportedly want to make music which you could feel comfortable cheating on someone to. Now we wouldn’t go as fas as to suggest you should give it try. Maybe just listen to the album and take it from there.
For all the accolades their first two releases (Album and the Broken Dreams Club EP) got them, the accompanying singles never prompted me to look any further into this San Francisco duo’s music; it seemed proficient and catchy in an overly familiar way, and I was hungry for new sounds. I’m glad, then, that I finally got around to it this time. While growing up within the Children of God cult, lead singer Christopher Owens wasn’t allowed to listen to pop music; you get the impression that music we’re completely jaded to still seems completely novel to him. Girls’ myriad references to ’60s and ’70s rock and pop (I’m reminded of Pink Floyd especially) and Owens’ simple lyrics could come off as tired and obPage 41
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vious, if they weren’t delivered with such disarming sincerity. The band seem oblivious to any pressure to create something edgy or trendy, instead using well-worn tools to craft songs that are both emotionally resonant and timeless-sounding.
Real Estate Days (Domino)
thew Mondanile’s guitar stylings. On ‘Green Aisles’, Martin Courtney sings ‘All those aimless drives through green aisles, our careless lifestyle, it was not so unwise.’ Well, despite the minor contemplation, the record is no big leap from their trademark, laid-back melancholy pop sound. So if you’re planning any aimless drives in the near future, bring this album: it’s bound to get you lost and then back home again.
Nurses Dracula
Buoyed by good reviews of their debut full-length, this New Jersey lo-fi psych pop outfit relocated to Brooklyn prior to recording their sophomore release in upstate New York with Kevin McMahon (The Walkmen, Titus Andronicus). A bigger budget, better recording equipment and more confidence translate into more fully realised songs than those found on their debut. Slacker bros fear not, they’ve only started to get their shit together; they’re still coasting on good vibes and MatPage 42
(Dead Oceans)
For their follow-up to 2009’s Apple’s Acre, this Portland psych pop trio headed into a proper studio for the first time and enlisted production assistance from Scott Colburn (Animal Collective, Sun City Girls). The production quality isn’t a huge departure, but Dracula does feature more fleshed-out, brain-
ticklingly polyrhythmic percussion than Apple’s Acre. I think Aaron Chapman is one of the most appealingly odd-sounding singers out there nowadays, and Nurses’ delicately ramshackle pop is both distinctive and utterly winsome, containing all the nervous uncertainty, addictiveness and giddiness of a newfound love affair.
Balam Acab Wander / Wonder (Tri Angle)
Music Reviews savvy guy that he is, on his debut full-length Koone has shifted his sound towards something more along the lines of Glinda the Good Witch house: not the least bit creepy, the music here is more like a pastoral counterpart to Burial’s urban vibe, incorporating elements of hip hop, field recordings, folk and drone into a richly textured and meditative whole. In a scene obsessed with darkness, this album is as welcoming as the beam of light penetrating the cavern depicted on its cover.
20-year-old Ithaca college student Alec Koone, aka Balam Acab, achieved notoriety with his See Birds EP back when the whole witch house thing blew up last year, on account of using slow tempos and warped vocals and releasing on witch house stronghold Tri Angle Records. The hype bubble surrounding that microgenre-which-never-actually-existed has basically burst. However, talented and Page 43
Art
Featured Artist
Rafaël Rozendaal
Rafaël Rozendaal is a visual artist who uses the internet as his canvas. The main body of his work comprises a vast number of websites that contain no information and consist only of shapes and colours that create a wondrous world somewhere between animated cartoons and paintings. It seems the websites don’t make any statement at all, and they actually come across rather pointless at first sight; one can simply move the mouse around and do some random clicking. But hey! isn’t that what we all do, day in day out. Rafaël also makes installations and is the founder of the infamous BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer) nights, which are now organised all over the globe. His work has been on display in Athens, Tokyo, Berlin, New York, London etc etc etc. Virtually everywhere. www.newrafael.com Page 44
Art
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Art
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Featured Artist
RafaĂŤl Rozendaal
Art
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By Gert Verbeek and Basje Boer
Film
New Films and DVDs
Circumstance
Taking Off
Maryam Keshavarz, 2011
Milos Forman, 1971
Friday night at the club. Kids are slamming shots of vodka while dancing provocatively to techno. You’ve probably seen a movie scene like this before. But in Circumstance, the situation takes a grim turn when the coppers show up. The officers of the so-called ‘morality police’ shut the party down on religious grounds: welcome to Iran. Maryam Keshavarz’ bold drama echoes Heavenly Creatures, Peter Jackson’s brilliant take on female friendship bordering on lesbian romance, but uses the story of two teen girls falling in love to point out Iran’s predicament. The movie is both love story and thriller, coming-ofage film as well as political drama, and its soundtrack features Persian hip hop, Beethoven and Le Tigre. (BB) In Cinemas 6 October.
The first American film by Milos Forman (One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus) finally gets a re-release in Europe. Taking Off has the same loose structure and assortment of quirky characters as his classic Czech comedies. Inspired by the free spirit of the Swinging Sixties, shy teenager Jeannie (Linnea Heacock) takes her first steps into adulthood, looking for an alternative to her bourgeois parents’ life in New York. Worried Larry (Buck Henry) and Lynn (Lynn Carlin) fear their daughter has run away, or, worse, that something has happened to her. During Jeannie’s absence, they discover the benefits of the shift in moral sets. A pot smoking session is (quite literally) one of the highlights of the film. Most of the music on the soundtrack comes from female folk singers, with a very young and silkyvoiced Kathy Bates making her screen debut. (GV) Page 49
LP CD MC DL
THE ALBUM
D
A
Y
S
27 OK TOBER BIT TERZOE T AMSTERDAM www.dominorecordco.com
26 Oktober Rotown Rotterdam / 27 Oktober Ekko Utrecht 31 Oktober Paradiso Amsterdam LP / CD / DL www.twinsistermusic.com
By Karin Wolters
Worn Out
Fashion
These items of clothing were worn by several people on 8 September at the Rainbow Arabia show in Occi in Amsterdam. Page 51
By Zofia Sofia Ciechowska Illustration Photo by Basje bi Basje BoerBoer
What’s What’s Cooking? Cooking
Food
Devendra Ban-Tarts
Serves: 4 Ingredients: 2 medium-sized butternut squashes, peeled and chopped; 2 small courgettes, thickly sliced; 1 green pepper, chopped; 1 red onion 2 big slabs of feta Fresh thyme 1 sheet of puff pastry, readymade is totally acceptable Olive oil, salt, pepper; chilli flakes (optional) • Peel and chop the butternut squashes. Add the courgettes, green pepper and sliced red onion. Put all the veg in a tin, add olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 200C until soft, but not too soft, the veg will be going back in the oven later!
10 x 10 cm squares. Lay out on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Heap plenty of roasted veg mix on to the middle of each square. Brush tart edges with a bit of egg or oil. Scatter a few chili flakes on top if you like.
• Put your veggie tarts in the • Transfer the roasted vegetables oven and bake until crispy and into a bowl. Crumble in the feta. golden at 220C. Sprinkle with some fresh thyme, • Eat piping hot with a simple then season to taste. vinegary babyleaf and beetroot • Cut your puff pastry sheet into salad. Page 53
MOJO CONCERTS presenteert
FLEET FOXES + support act
29 NOVEMBER 2011 HEINEKEN MUSIC HALL - AMSTERDAM Kaartverkoop via
Entree: e 37,40 (incl. servicekosten). Aanvang: 20.00 uur. WWW.FLEETFOXES.COM
THE NEW ALBUM ‘HELPLESSNESS BLUES’ OUT NOW ON BELLA UNION.
FEIST ZATERDAG 15 OKTOBER CARRE - AMSTERDAM Kaartverkoop via Kassa Carré 0900 - 25 25 255 (e 1,30 p/g) en www.theatercarre.nl Entree: v.a. e 44 (incl. servicekosten), aanvang: 20.00 uur. Voor dit concert zijn alleen zitplaatsen beschikbaar
By Marc van der Holst Illustration by Viktor Hachmang
Books
How to read
David Foster Wallace’s masterpiece Infinite Jest (1996) is truly one of the most remarkable novels to have emerged in the late 20th century. However, it’s also notoriously hard to read. But not to worry, once you cut it into manageable pieces, it’s easy! Here’s how to prepare your copy of IJ so you can make it through TBBOAT1 (and again, and again...). No sweat. You need: 1 copy of Infinite Jest (the ‘small’ Abacus edition (the white one with the red and blue lines) (ISBN 978-0-349-12108-6)); 1 good pair of scissors or a good knife; 1 roll of tape; 1 computer with an internet connection. Take your copy of IJ, go to the title page after the foreword (page 1) and make your first cut here. Throw the front cover and foreword away.
Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace
Take the remaining part and go to pages 222-223 to make your second cut. Tape up the spine of the 1-222 part so you won’t lose any of the outer pages. On the second part’s front page (223) you now have the chronology of the years of Subsidized Time TM at your disposal.
Go to pages 620621 and make the third cut. Tape up the 223-620 part. This part now ends with (SPOILER) Don Gately getting shot, a major turning point in IJ2. For the last cut. go to pages 982-983 and cut loose the Notes and Errata. Tape up the two remaining parts. Read.
1 Acronym for The Best Book Of All Time 2 Thanks to Gregory J Carlisle for this cut
Page 55
99 Problems and the Bitch... knows the answer Lieve Bitch, Word je eerder kaal van het dragen van een hoofddeksel? Sommige jongens zijn kaal en dragen daarom een hoed of pet, maar er lopen er ook genoeg rond die een weelderige dos hebben en toch een muts of cap dragen. Beetje een kip of ‘t ei-verhaal misschien, maar worden die dan sneller kaal? Toedels, Koos. Ha die Kozer, Deze mythe schijnt te leven onder mannen. Ik vind het altijd behoorlijk schrijnend, maar ook vaak wel weer aandoenlijk (‘sue me’) als een man al op jonge leeftijd zijn vlassige plukken over de ene naar de andere kant van z’n kruin moet kammen. Lichtpuntje: Erasmus droeg zijn hele leven een gek zwart mutsje. Volgens sommigen ging daaronder een flinke haardos schuil. (Stop hier met lezen). Minpuntje:volgens anderen had hij een waterhoofd. Kus op je bips, B. Hoi B, Na 5 jaar trouwe dienst ben ik wegbezuinigd. Nu liggen de banen momenteel bepaald niet voor het oprapen, zeker niet voor Page 56
By Brenda Bosma Illustration by Martyn F Overweel
een dertigplusser zoals ik. Ik ben hierdoor nogal gedesillusioneerd geraakt en vindt hiervoor thuis niet genoeg steun. Ik heb het idee dat mijn partner veel liever met zijn vrienden voetbal kijkt in het café dan met mij praat over mijn ‘strengths and weaknesses’. Hoe zorg ik ervoor dat hij er voor me is, nu ik hem nodig heb? Dank je, Laura. Lieve Laura, Lees het Lof der Zotheid van Erasmus eens. Daar heb je immers nu de tijd voor. Lekker in een ruk een heel hoofdstuk uitlezen in plaats van na drie regels al in slaap vallen. In LdZ staat dat mensen zichzelf vaak te serieus nemen en dat het best gezond is af en toe om alles en iedereen te lachen, ja ook als het even minder gaat. Wijze raad die ik je bij deze graag doorgeef. Ga gezellig mee naar het café en laat je het begrip ‘buitenspel’ eens uitleggen na het atten van een paar Bacootjes. Wie weet ben je wel heel goed in drinken! In ieder geval hoef je, met alle respect, toch niet alleen maar openhartige en diepzinnige gesprekken te voeren over verloren dromen en verborgen angsten? De meeste mensen heb-
99 Problems and the Bitch... knows the answer
ben het gewoon over de textuur van zacht gekookte artisjokken of dat de ander niet moet vergeten dikbleek bij de supermarkt mee te nemen. En is die FBTO antwoordkaart nou al eens retour gestuurd? De emotionele connectie wordt bepaald door hoe men op elkaar reageert, en als dat gepaard gaat met
een lach... Wederzijdse herkenning vs. Diepgang: 1-0. Samen naar Ajax-Cambuur kijken of een aflevering van Jambers is niet minder belangrijk dan een week lang op retraite in Kutjebroek. En als je het ‘counteren’ een beetje onder de knie krijgt, krijg je hem misschien ook wel mee. :) B. Page 57
Check out the best contemporary concerts, alongside free cutting-edge side programmes and after parties in the ‘listen to this cafe’
on 15 october go check out Zapp 4 playing their work radiohunter in the main hall.
The free side programme features four record players, free jazz, dj’s and guerrilla shows good stuff.
Tickets €20 €10 for Early Birds Side programme is free
Programme starts at 18:00 Zapp 4 plays at 20:30 After party at ± 22:00
Call het Muziekgebouw or buy tickets at the register 020-788 20 00 | www.muziekgebouw.nl
Agenda On the following pages:
Subbacultcha! concerts, art and film, totally free for members Page 61
Other shows in October Page 65 Free tickets Page 72
The photo above is portraying Dam Mantle, who is playing at the Entree Late Night Cafe (ADE Special) in Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on 21 October. See page 64.
OKTOBER VR 7 KILL ALL HIPSTERS VR 7 RARA AVES@ KLINCH MET O.A. D.I.M. (BOYS NOIZE RECORDS) DO 13 BAND OF SKULLS MA 17 THE SUBWAYS ZA 22 ESKMO @ AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT ZA 22 SONIC WARFARE - R&S NIGHT @ ADE DO 27 DIGITALISM VR 28 THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT ZA 29 I LIKE TRAINS NOVEMBER MA 7 WILD BEASTS DO 10 LITTLE DRAGON DI 15 FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS WO 16 GIRLS DI 22 THE CROOKES WO 23 THE ANTLERS / DRY THE RIVER DI 29 M83 LET OP: DIT IS SLECHTS EEN SELECTIE UIT HET PROGRAMMA. KIJK VOOR HET VOLLEDIGE PROGRAMMA OP WWW.MELKWEG.NL
MELKWEG AMSTERDAM - LIJNBAANSGRACHT 234A - WWW.MELKWEG.NL - 020 - 5318181
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Crystal Antlers
04 October - Ekko, Utrecht 20.00 | €9 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
These charmingly offbeat Long Beach psych rockers may or may not have worked together as chimney sweeps at one point, but definitely did follow up two solid initial releases with a line-up change and a less dazzling but still thrilling second full-length, Two-Way Mirror, this summer. Their sound is seemingly aggressive but brittle and ultimately fragile, much like their name implies.
Male Bonding + Ping Pong Tactics 05 October - OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Male bonding are a London-based tropical noise punk trio who are touring in support of their sophomore album Endless Now. These guys are known for their loud, energetic live shows, so this one’s not to be missed. Lo-fi noise makers Ping Pong Tactic are also on the bill tonight. This show may blow out your ears but trust us, it won’t hurt. Page 61
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
La Vida Util
06 October - Melkweg Cinema 19.00 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members The screening of La Vida Util is part of the ‘The Operator in Film’ series, an ode to the near-extinct profession of film operators that’s taking place in Melkweg Cinema in October. The film portrays Jorge, who loses his job after the closure of the cinema where he’s been working for 25 years, and goes on a heartfelt quest to find love and happiness in the face of cultural decay.
The Luyas + Skeleton$
12 October - Worm, Rotterdam 20.30 | €tba | Free for Subbacultcha! members Worm is one of the Netherlands’ leading alternative venues, promoting both cutting-edge music and independent film. Needless to say, we are pleased to announce that we’ll be hosting shows there on a regular basis. The first edition includes Subbacultcha! favourites Skeleton$, who have just put out a new album, People, featuring more of their trademark African melodies and frantic rhythms. Montreal-based indie pop collective The Luyas are also on the bill. Talk about a smashing start to a wonderful collaboration. Page 62
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
The Luyas + Moon & Sun
14 October - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam 20.00 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members Montreal-based indie pop collective The Luyas have certainly taken hold of Europe this year, following the release of their stunning new album Too Beautiful to Work. When they’re sweet, they’re super-sweet, but their lulling ramblings are all the better when they dissolve into ruptured freak-outs. Support by Amsterdam-based dream pop darlings Moon & Sun.
Klub Radar ft True Widow, Hey Sholay and Basia Bulat 15 October - Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht 21.00 | €13 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Yes kids, it’s that time of the month: alternative music night Klub Radar hits Tivoli de Helling. This edition features Texas-bred slowcore shoegazers True Widow, Canadian folk singer Basia Bula and explosive UK indie pop quintet Hey Solay.
Craft Spells
16 October - Club Up, Amsterdam 20.00 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members These Cali kids would probably rather hide in their bedrooms making C86channeling synth pop than actually see the sun; luckily, we live in the Netherlands, and here it’s more fun to dance indoors anyway. With their catchy mix of dream pop and new-wave melodies, these four lads are bound to catapult you right back to the ’80s-you know, hairspray, cocaine, shoulder pads, the works! Page 63
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Entree Late Night Cafe ft Dam Mantle 21 October - Concertgebouw Cafe, Amsterdam 22.15 | Free for all
Entrée Late Night Café is a free after-party that follows performances by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as part of the AAA-Series. On 21 October, we’re joining the fun to bring you an Amsterdam Dance Event Special. On the bill: Glaswegian electro-magician Dam Mantle, who’s just released a dazzling new EP. Entrance is free for all, so dress up guys and dolls and get ready for a party at Concertgebouw!
T.R.A.S.H - Safe Absence
24 October - Melkweg, Rabozaal, Amsterdam 20.30 | €20 | Free for Subbacultcha! members Head down to the Rabozaal of the Melkweg for some progressive highbrow culture. In Safe Absence, theatre group T.R.A.S.H portrays six seductive women exploring themes of longing, sin and penance in a uncompromising performance that combines modern dance, live music and theatre.
Twin Sister + Lucky Dragons + Ital 27 October - Ekko 20.00 | €10 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
This month, EKKO in Utrecht are celebrating their 25th anniversary and to celebrate, we’ve cooked up one hell of a line-up that features Long Island dream poppers Twin Sister, who are touring on the back of their wonderful debut album In Heaven. Subbacultcha! favourites Lucky Dragons, who are bound to lift you to a higher ground with their sonically induced musical seance, are also playing. And the icing on the cake is provided by Ital, who sure knows how to get a party started with his pumping dance beats. Page 64
Shows in September
Agenda
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
Exhibition: Out of Storage
Until 18 December - Timmerfabriek, Maastricht Wed-Sun 11.00-17.00 | €10 | Free for Subbacultcha! members The beautifully renovated industrial space Timmerfabriek in Maastricht has been converted into the largest temporary art museum in Europe, featuring works by Superflex, Andy Warhol, Hedi Slimane and many others.
Foam Photography Museum
All month: Open daily - 10.00 - 18.00, Thur & Fri 10.00 - 21.00 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members All of October your Subbacultcha pass gets you into Foam photography museum for free. On display is the great expo Still/Life featuring a lot of Subbacultcha favs and former Featured Artists like Qiu Yang, Jaap Scheeren, Melanie Bonajo, Anouk Kruithof and many more. Don’t miss.
Coming Up:
04-11 Xeno & Oaklander 05-11 Dirty Beaches 16-11 Girls 19-11 Pure X and Sleep∞Over
23-11 The Babies 03-12 The Sandwitches + Peaking Lights 14-12 High Places
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UNCOMPROMISING DANCE PERFORMANCES AT A CROSSROADS OF ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES Explosive dance, enchanting music and intense emotional experiences in unexpected surreal settings Tilburg Haarlem Den Bosch Amsterdam Leiden Eindhoven The Hague Nijmegen Utrecht Rotterdam Breda Maastricht Arnhem www.trashweb.nl
Agenda
Shows in October
Craft Spells plays Club Up in Amsterdam, on 16 October
Little Scream
Male Bonding
02 October - Paradiso, Amsterdam Lauren Sprengelmeyer’s debut album came out this spring and features members from hotshots such as Arcade Fire, The National and Thee Silver Mt. Zion. The fact that she trades in lush and ornate folk pop, thoughtful and well executed, should come as no surprise.
05 October - OT301, Amsterdam 06 October - Paradox, Tilburg Bonding with your fellow moshers is a piece of cake once you’ve had an earful of this London trio’s deliciously catchy, grungey punk. Read more on page 61.
Crystal Antlers 02 October - Vera, Groningen 03 October - Paradiso, Amsterdam 04 October - EKKO, Utrecht These charmingly offbeat Long Beach psych rockers are touring on the back of their thrilling second full-length Two-Way Mirror. Read more on page 61
Eleanor Friedberger 03 October - Paradiso, Amsterdam The fairer half of brother-and-sister duo The Fiery Furnaces has made a bid for parental adoration and musical autonomy with her first solo release Last Summer. Only the most pretentious Fiery Furnaces fans (and that would be quite something) wouldn’t also dig her somewhat more accessible solo stuff, though it may still be too self-indulgently quirky for others.
The Field 06 October - Ekko, Utrecht Ekko is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and in doing so they’ve lined up a whole bunch of great shows including this one by Danish electronic dance wizard The Field. He’s just released his new album Looping State of Mind, and we’ve been spinning it rather heavily at the office lately. It’s his only Dutch show this time around, just so you know.
Incubated 10: Male Bonding + True Widow 06 October - Paradox, Tilburg Incubated is a monthly evening of cuttingedge music curated by the people behind the Incubate Festival. While Londoners Male Bonding may bogart the crowd’s frenetic part, self-described ‘stonegaze trio’ True Widow will warm up those aural muscles with their mix of psychedelic grunge, shoegaze, doom metal, postrock and slowcore. Page 67
Agenda
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Shows in September
Agenda
Shows in October
The Luyas + Skeleton$ 11 October - Ekko, Utrecht 12 October - Worm, Rotterdam 14 October - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam (without Skeleton$) The Luyas, the Montreal indie pop collective might be too beautiful to work, but they’re apparently not too beautiful to go on stage to dazzle listeners with their elaborate and endearingly odd indie pop. Read more on page 62.
Zun Zun Egui 11 October - Ekko, Utrecht Lord knows the indie folks love an oddball act with a Japanese female singer, and while Bristol’s Zun Zun Egui satisfy this craving, they do so in an extra-unusual fashion by specialising in a rather Africansounding type of experimental rock. Word on the street is they’re great live, so you’d be wise to sign up for some of their unpronounceable tribal grooveage.
TE3TH 13 October - Paradiso, Amsterdam This London-based electro punk trio are finally releasing their debut full-length this month on Moshi Moshi. Their dirty synths and driving rhythms make one think of a similarly druggy and sexy but less screamy version of Crystal Castles. You might still want to shag the lead singer, but you probably wouldn’t have to tranquilise her first.
SBTRKT 14 October - Trouw, Amsterdam After a series of high-profile remixes, London producer Aaron Jerome recruited a gaggle of guests vocalists, including Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano, to accompany him on his lauded debut full-length. It’s post-dubstep-ish à la James Blake or Ja-
mie Woon, but unencumbered by (potentially disappointing) live vocals and eminently more danceable than either; We’ve got high expectations for this one.
30 Years Tetterode ft Thomas Ankersmit, Gert-Jan Prins, The Wooden Constructions, Mermaids and The Secret Love Parade 15 October - Dijktheater & De Trut, Amsterdam For three decades, Tetterode has existed as a domestic squat/collective, housing, among other things, the DijkTheatre, the self-proclaimed ‘non-commercial dyke and faggot disco’ De Trut and Subbacultcha’s very own headquarters. The beautiful building structure and their varied and interesting residents and social initiatives are most definitely worth celebrating.
Klub Radar ft True Widow, Hey Sholay & Basia Bulat 15 October - Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht Yes kids, it’s that time of the month when alternative music night Klub Radar hits Tivoli de Helling. Read more on page 63.
Craft Spells 16 October - Club Up, Amsterdam These kids would probably rather hide in their bedrooms making C86-channeling synth pop than actually see the sun; luckily, we live in the Netherlands, and it’s more fun to dance indoors anyway. Read more on page 63.
Tinariwen 18 October - Paradiso, Amsterdam Consisting of several Tuareg nomad musicians from the Saharan Desert region of Mali, Tinariwen were formed in refugee camps in Libya in the ’70s. Several of their Page 69
Agenda
Shows in September
okt/nov 2011 okt / din
subbacultcha! presents
okt / zon
locatie: zijdebalen theater
04 crystal antlers 09 nils frahm zun zun egui 11 + the luyas + skeletons the ex & friends 26 sister + 27 twin lucky dragons josiah wolf (why?) + 09 liz wolf 18 sleeP ∞ oVer + Pure x le guess who? 24 okt / din
okt / woe
okt / don
subbacultcha! presents
nov / woe
nov / vrij
nov / v.a.
Page 70
le guess who? pre-party
Agenda
Shows ShowsininSeptember October
members served in Gaddafi’s army back in the day and later fought for the Tuareg rebel movement, and they built a following by recording politically-themed songs on cassette and circulating them throughout Saharan Africa. Their self-described ‘desert blues’ is as extraordinary as their story, mixing elements of West African, Arab and Berber music, as well as classic rock into an intricate and relaxing whole.
Amsterdam Dance Event ft Matias Aguayo, Vondelpark, Caribou, Apparat, Modeselektor 19-22 October - various locations, Amsterdam Over the past 15 years, this event has grown into the world’s largest electronic music conference and festival, with over 3000 professionals, 130,000 attendees and 700 artists from around the world. Not for the faint of heart (or the tight of budget), but if you love dance music, there is surely at least one can’t-miss night on their agenda awaiting you.
Fool’s Gold 20 October - Effenaar, Eindhoven 22 October - Vera, Groningen On their sophomore album, these LA Afro-poppers have trimmed their once swollen collective to a tighter five-piece lineup, resulting in a more focused and more personal release. Anglophiles may rejoice in the fact that their new material finds lead singer Luke Top singing primarily in English (rather than Hebrew, as on their debut) this time around.
The Monochrome Set 20 October - WORM, Rotterdam Formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1985, these witty English post-punks have reformed (again) and reunited (again). No-
nonsense, underrated and rollicking, they sound like a band you should have known for years, so if you don’t already, here’s your chance.
Cinema Soloriens and the Cosmo-Drama ft Marshall Allen (Sun Ra Arkestra) 22 October - dB’s, Utrecht Jazz omnivore, electronic music pioneer, poet and cosmic philosopher Sun Ra passed away nearly 20 years ago, but his legacy and that of his Arkestra lives on under the direction of now 87-year-old alto saxophonist Marshall Allen. This night will feature experimental films by James Harrar, rare films featuring Sun Ra and His Arkestra and live musical accompaniment by Allen and Harrar.
The Ex 26 October - Ekko, Utrecht 27 October - LVC, Leiden 28 October - 013, Tilburg These Dutch anarcho-punks have carved out quite the legacy for themselves over their 30-plus years of existence. They’ve added layers of intricacy and influences to the lo-fi backbone of their music, influenced countless other bands, built a worldwide following and set an excellent DIY example by booking their own shows and releasing and distributing their music themselves.
Sun Airway 26 October - Paradiso, Amsterdam This Philadelphia-based blissed-out pop duo went from the lameness double whammy of fronting an emo band (!) called The A-Sides (!!) to getting named in Pitchfork’s ‘Rising’ column when their full-length debut Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier dropped back in October. Fortunately, all they’ve retained of their old gig is the Page 71
Agenda
Page 72
Shows in September
Agenda
Shows in October
straightforwardness, replacing the black eyeliner and whiny lyrics about girls not liking them of yore with Merriweather Post Pavilion-esque sonic textures.
Twin Sister 26 October - Rotown, Rotterdam 27 October - Ekko, Utrecht 31 October - Paradiso, Amsterdam All up and away these Long Island dream poppers go, beyond the hype of their hit first single All Around and Away We Go to the confidence and comfort of a solid debut full-length In Heaven. Read more on page 64.
Tracks ft Martijn Cornet 27 October - Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Tracks is a really cool initiative by the Concertgebouw to bring classical music to a broader (and younger) audience, packing into one hour a potent mix of traditional and modern classical music and a speech by the musicians explaining what drives them, with cocktails afterwards to further lubricate one’s classical music initiation. This edition offers a fresh and youthful take on opera, featuring a ‘blind date’ performance with baritone Martijn Cornet.
Real Estate + Spectrals 27 October - Bitterzoet, Amsterdam These New Jersey natives relocated to Brooklyn, recently signed to Domino and are now set to drop their sophomore record in mid-October. Martin Courtney’s dreamy vocals and Matthew Mondanile’s distinctive guitar sound in particular set their tunes apart from the rest of the lo-fi pack. Overall, their lo-fi psych pop floats in and out of memory, like idle summers spent high on the beach or coasting along highways, proving that there’s much more to Jersey than Snooki and Guido bro bar brawls.
Jack Oblivian & Harlan T Bobo 27 October - Vera, Groningen 28 October - Merleyn, Nijmegen 29 October - Effenaar, Eindhoven Home of Graceland and an otherwise equally rich musical history, Memphis lives and breathes old school, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll. Jack Oblivian and Harlan T Bobo are regular features of the city’s garage rock scene, and should provide a fitting soundtrack for a night spent drinking your sorrows away.
Gardens & Villa 29 October - Paradiso, Amsterdam 30 October - Vera, Groningen 01 November - Merleyn, Nijmegen Not very beachy for a band hailing from Santa Barbara, these guys offer up a synthheavy stylistic hodgepodge instead, influenced by several decades of pop and rock music. Their sound is clean and casually catchy, and when their androgynous-sounding lead singer pulls out his flute, it might not be quite as spectacular as when Ron Burgundy does it in Anchorman, but it’s probably as close all you’ll get in real life.
Graphic Detour until 27 November - Graphic Design Museum, Breda The Graphic Detour exhibition showcases works of young designers that challenge the boundaries of graphic design. Inspiring. Featuring the work of Subbacultcha favourite Koen Taselaar, and others.
Out of Storage Until 18 December - Timmerfabriek, Maastricht This exhibition is a collection of hundreds of works compiled by the French contemporary art institute FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais. Read more on page 65. Page 73
GIRLS
FATHER, SON, HOLY GHOST
NU VERKRIJGBAAR
Live: 16 November Melkweg Amsterdam
Free Stuff
Free tickets and goodies
To win, sign up to our mailing list on www.subbacultcha.nl. 1x2 FESTIVAL PASSES AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT
3x2 TICKETS TRACKS (CONCERTGEBOUW)
3x2 TICKETS GRAPHIC DETOUR
19-22 October Various locations, Amsterdam
27 October Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
Until 27 November Graphic Design Museum, Breda
3x2 TICKETS REWIRE FESTIVAL
3x2 TICKETS REAL ESTATE
3 PAIRS CONVERSE ALL STARS
04-05 November Energie Centrale, Den Haag
27 October Bitterzoet, Amsterdam
Low and charcoal colored
We’re also giving away free tickets to Incubated 10, Museumnacht and Tinariwen Page 75
ENTRÉE LATE NIGHT CAFE LATE NIGHT CAFÉ IS A FREE AFTER 22.15 | FREE ENTRÉE PARTY THAT FOLLOWS PERFORMANCES BY
LIVE MUSIC, DJS & VISUAL ARTS
THE ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA AS PART OF THE AAA-SERIES.
FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER ADE SPECIAL FT. DAM MANTLE FRIDAY 16 DECEMBER // FRIDAY 27 JANUARY FRIDAY 13 APRIL // FRIDAY 22 JUNE www.entreeweb.n l
|
w w w . c o n c e rtg e b o u w . n l
Submitted photos
AFTER MIDNIGHT
Send photos that were taken after midnight to aftermidnight@subbacultcha.nl If your photo gets published, you win a good goodie This month’s photo was submitted by DeDe Frantic (bottom) and Edwin Lanson Page 77
Overview of all Subbacultcha shows in October
04 October
16 October
Crystal Antlers
Ekko, Utrecht Starts 20.30 | €9 | Free for members
Craft Spells
Club Up, Amsterdam Starts 20.00 | €7 | Free for members
21 October
05 October
Male Bonding
OT301, Amsterdam Starts 20.30 | €8 | Free for members
Entree Late Night Café ft. Dam Mantle Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Starts 22.00 | Free for all
06 October
Film: La Vida Util
27 October
Twin Sister + Lucky Dragons + Ital
Melkweg Cinema, Amsterdam 19.00 | €7 | Free for members
12 October
The Luyas + Skeleton$
Ekko, Utrecht Starts 20.00 | €10 | Free for members
Until 18 December
Worm, Rotterdam Starts 20.00 | €tba | Free for members
Timmerfabriek, Maastricht Wed-Sun 11.00-17.00 | €10 | Free for members
14 October
The Luyas + Moon & Sun
De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam Starts 20.00 | €7 | Free for members
15 October
Klub Radar ft. True Widow and more Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht 20.30 | €13 | Free for members
Out of Storage All month
Foam
Daily 10.00-18.00, Thu, Fri 10.00-21.00 | €8 | Free for members
Coming up: Girls, The Sandwitches, Pure X, Sleep∞Over, The Babies, Peaking Lights and High Places.
See all these shows for free. Join at www.subbacultcha.nl Page 78
RZA LOGOS:
RZA SHOT BY KAI REGAN ww w. w e s c . c o m / c h a m b e r s
5 November
Explore 45 museums
Subbacultcha! at Foam Pop-In / Matjesdisco at NEMO / Red Light Radio at W139 / Eddie the Eagle Museum at the EYE Film Institute / MC Fit, Deep-Soul & Video at Tropenmuseum / 22tracks at Het Scheepvaartmuseum / and more... Ticket sale starts October 8th online at n8.nl.