The Mic - Issue 30 by The Mic

NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY’S OFFICIAL MUSIC MAGAZINE

GHOSTPOET TUBELORD NOUVELLE VAGUE YOU CRY WOLF

ISSUE 30 FREE

FESTIVAL SPECIAL.

CONTENTS

FEATURES

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LEEDS OUTLOOK GLASTONBURY LATITUDE DOT TO DOT

INTERVIEWS

Bodega gig list

4 7 11 13 14 16 31

EDITORIAL

Another year at Notts and another freshers issue of The Mic! After what we’re sure has been an admirably hectic summer of festivals, gigs, raves for all of you, we at The Mic are happy to kick off another year at the greatest university in the world with a brand spanking new issue of your favourite (and official) Nottingham University music magazine! Jam packed with festival, album and live reviews to recap what’s been going down over summer, interviews with your favourite up and coming artists and a map of the city to guide for you freshers and returners to our favourite places to shop, dance, eat and be merry we are happy to start another year with you enjoying and reporting on what Notts has to provide, one of the best music scenes in the UK. We have plenty opportunities for all of you to get involved this year with huge amounts of free gigs and music for all of you here at Notts (not meaning to sound too much like the cheesy ‘Get Involved’ speech I’m sure you all heard on your first day) – so whether you’re into techno or trip-hop, want to interview your favourite bands or spread your opinion on the future of UK music, or even just rant about how fucking bored of the Noel/Liam Gallagher feud you and the rest of us are (seriously, nobody cares anymore. Get over it you two.) then feel free to browse our freshers issue and brand spanking new website and get involved with The Mic! We’ve had a big shake up with the new team coming in and we’re going to be bringing some big nights of music for you to all look forward to. Next week, once you’re bored of the chart shite in the Big O etc be sure to hit up rescue rooms on the Tuesday for our night with Rescue Rooms, with 2-4-1 drinks and the best indie night in town. Then be sure to listen out for our affiliated nights with Electric Banana at The Bodega, and our exclusive gig in mid-October at the Red Room of Rescue Rooms! With some of the best live venues and underground music in the UK as your new editors we look forward to another exciting year of incredible music and nights out, neglecting our studies and writing with all of you! Peace! Kraig and Tom x

Your Committee: Editors: Tom Jenkin, Kraig Rutland. Treasurer: Nic Redfern. Reviews and Features Editors: John Bell, Amy Lodder, Sam Moore, Luke Atkins. Designers: Max Bolton, Maria Krasteva. Advertising: Annie Davies, Cara McGoogan. Thanks to Rhian and Derin for all your help.

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Thanks go to: All our contributors who have made this issue properly sick, last years committee for all your help in directing us in our takeover, Ben at Rescue Rooms, Alec at Bodega, Matt and Ed at Malt Cross, Matt Greaves and all at Spectrum Printers, Robin at Wild, Martin and Tom at Ride, Rob and James at Sonic PR, James at Pamona, Ian, Jen, Warren and all the team at Chuff media, Anthea at PCPR, Georgia at Zeitgeist Agency, Kate at Work It! Media, Luke Leonard and James Andrews at Guts’n’Glory, Angela Lee and everyone in the SU, and if ive forgotten anybody, big props to everyone who has made this happen. Cheers! The Mic |1

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The Mic |3

GHOSTPOET

We managed to catch up with the spectacled trilby wearing up’n’comer that is Ghostpoet. Mercury Prize nominated for his LP and with exclusive gigs being staged all over the country right now, THE MIC questioned his tastes, on both music and food, his music career and recent nomination. THE MIC: So Ghostpoet, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. First thing to mention, congrats on your mercury prize nomination for your ‘Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam.’ Excited? GHOSTPOET: Yeah thank you very much. Once the nomination was announced I was really excited on the day and tried to get back to business really but it took a while to settle in. So yeah its gonna be a good night and I’m just pleased to be a part of it.

THE MIC: Pretty prestigious really and you’re against some big names, Adele, James Blake and Metronomy included. The XX won it last year and they’ve received wide acclaim since. GHOSTPOET: I just wanna enjoy the night you know and use the nomination to move my career forward.

THE MIC: What’s the idea being the title of the LP? Food makes an appearance in your lyrics as well. GHOSTPOET: Well when I ﬁnished the album I had to come up with a title and I wanted it to reﬂect the emotions within the album. I thought to myself after listening to it those were the kind of emotions coming out of it, you know. Melancholy this idea of being down, and gray and blues and that’s how it came about. And i wanted to look at my own life and see what I associate with being down and out and I guess I’m a comfort eater like most people.

GHOSTPOET: I would say London was where i grew up so musically i was soaking up a lot of sounds when i was young. But Coventry was where i started to make music with a real purpose.

wanna restrict myself by ﬁtting into certain genres.

until i got to uni and got into grime and mc’ing in clubs that i started to think of it as possible, possible career so it was more like a serious hobby for a long time till i got an opportunity to do it for real.

THE MIC: And was it always the idea to be a musician then or did you used to have other ideas? GHOSTPOET: Dunno really I knew from an early age i loved music but it wasn’t

THE MIC: Your music is pretty lyrically based and almost story like, especially with the track ‘Gone.’ Is this how you think lyrics should work in music? GHOSTPOET: I think they’re al as important as each other. But i started writing before i started making music so personally I make tunes that have a lyrical direction rather than all words that don’t go anywhere. THE MIC: They do seem to be based around the lyrics and beats take a bit of a back seat. GHOSTPOET: Yeah i think its a case of trying to marry the two together and ﬁnd a balance between the two. I try to match the beats with lyrics when I’m making the tunes i don’t just have a collection beats and lyrics and try make them work. THE MIC: Listening to your stuff it combines a diversity of genres. Sometimes you sing, sometimes you

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rap. Then the music itself switches between electronic beats, to sort of indie riffs to a bit of hip hop. Is this a reflection of your influences? GHOSTPOET: I would say so. I like many more things than that but when I’m making the tunes i guess thats what came out. But when I’m making the music i try not to think about genre and just do it and flow with it. Don’t really

THE MIC: Where’s home then? GHOSTPOET: Well at the moment South London but it was Coventry for a few years when i studied and stayed for another ten years. But been gigging quite a lot so home’s kind of the van or the means of transport. THE MIC: That where you started the music career then?

THE MIC: You’ve got a few big gigs coming up. Scala in London on the 13th October, and importantly Rescue Rooms on the 7th October. What can we expect from your live shows? GHOSTPOET: Yes, well The Mic |5

the live show its livelier that the album experience I have a drummer and a guitarist so i guess its a love expansion of the album. It’s fun to do because we try make it a bit different every time on stage. Obviously if you have open mic and you can have a good time! THE MIC: You’ve played a few festivals over the summer as well including Bestival. How did they go? GHOSTPOET: Really good its been interesting with the nomination and the buzz being created. Its a different kind of atmosphere. THE MIC: So would you say its gone up a level? GHOSTPOET: I guess so its partly recognition and expectation. So there’s new people ﬁnding out what’s it all about. THE MIC: So you’ve got a bit of a loyal fan base then... GHOSTPOET: I couldn’t tell you to be honest but I’m lucky because people have always appreciated what I’ve been doing and it’s increased in number over time so i count myself lucky really. I’m happy that its happening like this cos I’ve just done what i want to do not do it one particular way. THE MIC: There’s a remix of ‘Cash and Carry Me Home,’ with Kano. What was it like working with someone of his calibre? GHOSTPOET: Yeah it was amazing I’ve been into his stuff for a long time. And when his people spoke to 6| The Mic

my manager about putting a few bars on the track it was a dream come true. The video was the ﬁrst time i met him and he was real cool and a nice guy. And i guess doing something with a different type of audience opened doors that wouldn’t have been open before necessarily. It’s important to collaborate with people who you feel musically and to have the audience you wouldn’t have normally and vice versa.

THE MIC: Well thanks for your time and we look forward to seeing you in Notts. GHOSTPOET: No problem brother, I’ll see you in Nottingham...

THE MIC: Who would you like to work with in the future then? GHOSTPOET: I’m kind of the person who just wants to work with people who have the same interests as me in pushing things forward and just wanna make music instead of putting it in a box you know. So i don’t have anyone in particular but just wanna create something a bit different and just make music for music’s sake really. THE MIC: When you’re not writing or composing your own music, what do you listen to? Who’s big in the game for you right now? GHOSTPOET: At the moment i’m listening to shabazz palaces new album, err a group called tarwater who are king of interesting rosy, kinda happy Monday stuff. Erm little dragons new album, horrors...You know a mixture of old and new, I’m always listening to music, something new and interesting.

tubelord interview

With their new release R O M A N C E recorded and soon to be released, Tubelord are back in the swing of performing their melodic alt. pop anthems. John Bell caught up singer Joseph to talk about poetry, totem poles and cloud atlases; and the new album of course. Ghostpoets newest album, Peanutbutter blues & melanchony jam is available to buy now. Find out more at: http://www.ghostpoet.co.uk http://www.facebook.com/ ghostpoetfb and on twitter @ghostpoet

The MIC: So –ﬁrstly- congratulations on the new album. What can we expect from it? Is there a story that the songs collectively tell? J: The story behind the songs is a lyrical project, using found words from female poets; words were pieced together to form sentences to which then I continued to produce a complete song. The initial project was supposed to eradicate any of my own words but as time

passed and certain phrases I had written ﬁtted alongside the rhythms of the music, my own words kind of acted like mortar. Every word used by a poet has been footnoted for the reader to reference to. The MIC: That’s fascinating; were the poems love poems then? I don’t want to over-generalise, I’m just interested behind the meaning of the album title... The Mic |7

J: The poems chosen were not specifically love poems. As the writing process went underway, it was an attempt for myself to disappear; I didn’t want there to be any part of me in these songs, yet inevitably, ‘I’ picked out certain words and in the process of choice, ‘I’ would unfortunately reappear; this is where the title stems from. If you or anyone is writing outside of a critical context, is it not for the pleasure of describing a romance you would feel towards a moment, a person or a place? The MIC: Your debut album was released on the renowned Hassle records, what made you choose to release R O M A N C E on the new independent collective Pink Mist? J: When Simon Morleone (Blood and Biscuits/Pink Mist general chief commissioner) expressed an interest in wanting to release ‘R O M A N C E’ through Pink Mist I just felt it would be the perfect home for the record and for those who would care to listen to it. It just felt like returning to the family after having been away for a few years. The MIC: Your artwork has always been intriguing, in particular Luke Jinks’ Aztecstyle designs on Tezcatlipoca. What’s the story behind the cubic design of R O M A N C E? J: Inspired through combined conversations with a few friends of mine, we were discussing tessellated patterns and the hierarchical meanings behind totem poles, all this whilst the drums were being recorded. But really, I was just digging the illusion of whether you see the cubes coming out or going in. The MIC: What other non-musical aspects influenced the album? You’ve expressed your literary interests, what’s really blown your mind recently, be it book, film, or experience? J: The first story in Little Kingdoms by Steven Milhauser, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, and reading Sam Riviere’s 81 Austerities has been entertaining. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives was a twisted and aesthetically clever film to watch, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 8| The Mic

(1974)too... for someone who doesn’t enjoy watching films I watch a lot of films! The MIC: Have you read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell? I’ve just finished it and I can imagine you enjoying it. J: I haven’t read any of David Mitchell’s writing; I’ll get onto it though. The MIC: It’s made up of five stories expanding in time from the 19th century to a future dystopia, all connected somehow, and then it goes back in time to where it started. I thought it sounded like it could be the story behind a Tubelord release. J: Yes I would definitely enjoy reading this. I’m sorry that link didn’t work out for you, would have been perfect. The MIC: I had hoped! I mentioned the inter-album release Tezcatlipoca. Is it fair to say this acted as a bridge from the sound of the first album to that of the second, what with the full-band sound of ‘Bazel’ and the synth-heavy sound of ‘Ratchet’, for instance? J: If you want to see it like that yeah that’d be fair to say I think, although it was a similar practice to any of the past EP releases. EPs act as more an extended song than a short album. It was a case of practicing dynamics and instrumentation. The first album was rerecorded acoustically and within this process a lot of the melodies and structures to the songs perhaps shone through and were more of an enjoyable listen than with the full-bandamplified setup of the album. With ‘Tezcatlipoca’ it was a case of working out where Tubelord would fit more comfortably, bathing in electronica, rock or acoustic; turned out to be none of the above. The MIC: I was going to ask you if progression in sound is a conscious decision, but it seems like you let the magic happen au natural? J: The progression of which sound?

The MIC: The difference from say, Square EP to R O M A N C E; essentially from the beginning to now.

you think the hindrances of the past have made you the band that you are today? Experience the best teacher and so on…

J: Through conscious choices the sound progressed naturally.

J: Yeah the bassist problems didn’t help matters. The hindrances have made us into what feels to be an entirely different band; it’s just completely new, tabula rasa and all.

The MIC: With that in mind, then, are there songs that you dislike? Old favourites like ‘Arm Watches Finger’ are rarely played these days… J: When Tubelord started I think it was to experiment and pull apart the seams of the typical ‘rock’, heavier alt type band. Let me re-answer that: when Tubelord started I think it was to experiment with pulling apart the seams of what we thought would be the typical alt-rock-heavy band. Then it just wasn’t fun because we’re not those types of people. It felt like lying all the time. The MIC: And of course you had bassist problems? Tubelord have been a fourpiece for a while now- it must be- relieving to ﬁnally have some stability- but do

John Bell

http://asktubelord.com R O M A N C E will be released 10/10/11 on Pink Mist. Tubelord will be touring the UK throughout September and October, and will be playing the Nottingham Chameleon Arts Centre 15th October. The Mic |9

So, Robyn, thanks for speaking to us. Wild is pretty much entrenched in the Nottingham scene. How long has it actually been around for and how did it all start? WILD openned its doors for the ﬁrst time on the 16th April 1983, twentyeight and a half years ago. Since then we have had branches in Cambridge and Leicester, but compared with the Broad St shop, these were somewhat shortlived. We openned our second Nottingham shop WILDER in 2006, in a more central location on Market Street in case people weren’t willing to go to Hockley. Which, given the size of Nottingham beggars belief! It’s quite a sobering thought, to me anyway, that Wild Clothing is now the longest running ‘independent’ fashion retailer in the City, the only one that has been here longer is Paul Smith, and I’m not really sure that he can be classed as independent anymore! But it was at Paul Smith that I worked and struck up a friendship with one of his 2 employees ! We decided that we fancied getting into this clothing business together, and seeing that this ‘second hand clothing’ but gave it a bit of a twist by selling new stuff alongside the second hand clothing, Levis, plain t shirts sweatshirts, that sort of thing. Without wanting to sound too triumphant, it was an instant success, and the pair of us never looked back. Is there a certain ethos behind what you do here? The Wild ethos has always been to provide our customers with the best quality used clothing around, presented in a way that allows it to be worn straight away. That means it’s repaired where necessary, laundered and pressed. Alongside the ‘vintage clothing’, we have always offered new clothing that we feel compliments the second hand. We have 10| The Mic

been responsible over the years for pioneering many brands which have gone on to be bigger things, Supreme Being, Ringspun, Insight, for example. But the biggest and most important brand we carry is Stussy, which we have been doing since 1991. However, even though that is always popular, the hottest most sought after brand at the moment has to be Obey, which we introduced to Nottingham 3 years ago. Are you conscious of the part you play in the Nottingham scene? It is deﬁnitely a hotspot for music lovers and more to acquire their vintage fashion. We are very conscious of the part we play in clothing Nottingham, but we never seek publicity or look for plaudits. We are simply a business that tries to give customers a good deal and a pleasant friendly shopping experience, that hopefully they will remember, and therefore come back. And we have always been a popular destination for music lovers, as we try to play stuff that is a bit different, its very important to us and we hope people like what they hear. What do you think makes the music scene in Nottingham so good? Nottingham has certainly come on as a music town. When I was growing up in the 60’s 70’s 80’s, it was pretty poor for live music here ‘til Rock City openned. And to this day there has never been a ‘big’ Nottingham band. But, alongside Rock City, the Rescue Rooms, the Social etc are bringing great new music to the City. And as music and fashion go hand in hand, thats good for us.. What would you say to our freshers if you had to give them some advice about their time here in Nottingham? We are currently looking to welcome a new set of students to Nottingham, my totally unbiased advice to them would be to look no further than Wild and Wilder for all their clothing needs ! If not that, then certainly support our local independents shops >Tom Jenkin The Mic |11

How to judge a record by its cover Tash Duff and Esther Moriarty report on �indinig lost music, and its highlights and perils

A couple of months ago I was wandering round Beeston’s charity shops, desperately trying to ﬁnd a last minute birthday present for my sister – a task which I’d liken to attempting to compose a meal for Gordon Ramsay.... standards are high, criticism inevitable. On spotting a second hand record collection, I decided to rifﬂe through, see if there were any good ones which could justify me treating myself to a record player on the side. I spotted an album called ‘Accordion de Paris’ by Jo Basile, and on the basis that anyone with good taste likes accordions and everyone with... well, everyone likes Paris, I decided to buy the EP for my sister, and even if it was crap, the novelty of playing an album we had no expectations or preconceived ideas about was instantly exciting. We sampled the album, and adored it; it was the epitome of French cafe music – jolly, cosy and very, very French. Needless to say, Accordion de Paris turned out to be the crème de la crème of Ramsay’s favoured dishes. More thrilling, though, was the unknown element; the fact that we really had no idea what to expect, and the subsequent 12| The Mic

joy at discovering a new album entirely by guesswork. No recommendations or biased reviews. Of course, it could have been complete shit, but that would’ve at leastYou givenCry us something Wolf to laugh at. It’s a win-win situation. So I decided to introduce Esther to the idea, when visiting her in Berlin... ...Early in April, Tash visited me in Berlin, where I was living for a few months this year. During her stay we wandered the streets discovering vintage stores, flea markets and junk shops. Occasionally we stumbled across diamonds in the rough, but more often than not we would have to rummage through bric-abrac stalls and bargain bins, finding charity shop’s rejects. One morning after a heavy night out, feeling hungover and on our way to find a decent breakfast that didn’t consist of bratwurst, we passed a run-down shop with a few boxes of CDs outside. In our woozy and still slightly drunken state, we decided the best idea was to each pick out the weirdest cover art we could find, and buy that CD. Gleefully we delved through the unorganised box

and settled on our choices. At one euro each it was worth the gamble. Returning home we realised that the CD I had chosen - a collection of repetitive African drumming, grew monotonous over time. Yet we concluded that we hadn’t wasted our money because the process of choosing and waiting to listen to the CD was worth the euro. But listening to Tash’s choice - the album Fever In Fever Out by Luscious Jackson deﬁnitely made up for my failure of choice. Neither of us had ever heard of the 90’s alternative rock girl band before and we were interested to search more of their songs on spotify.

You Cry Wolf

For the rest of Tash’s stay we continued to buy one euro CDs from various stalls and stores, ﬁnding many gems and a couple of duds too... ...In this sense, it’s kind of like a blind date, but with an album; you naively hand over an hour or so of your time to someone else without knowing what you might get – it could be a crap hour, during which you experience the rubbish taste and bad presentation of a total stranger. On the other hand, it could be an hour you’ll repeat many-a-time. My only advice would be: don’t, as I did, go for an album simply for the novelty. I picked one covered in cartoon animals, with track one named ‘adam the ant’, and somehow ended up a paedophile in the blind date/ CD analogy. (It was an album for babies).

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ho are Guts and Glory? Guts&Glory are an art and design duo, existing as an arts and lifestyle brand, deﬁning this crazy world with crisp designs and raw colour – because, like those who wear our tees – we’ve got the guts to get the glory! Inﬂuenced by global culture, fashion branding, photography, partying and other random life events we bring you creativity in its goriest most glorious form. We’re not trying to start a revolution, or re-invent the wheel; we just want to provide to those who appreciate slick art some fresh tees and cool threads.

Nouvelle Vague

hat has been your journey to success after university? Like surfing a massive tidal wave – difficult...but really awesome fun! After university we both took some time out, to travel the world, but also to re-define exactly what we were trying to achieve. It became obvious to us both that successful brands are focused and driven. So this is what we concentrated on – focusing ourselves so we could achieve exactly what was needed and necessary. This involved developing a distinct artistic style and making contacts/building relationships. People in the independent-brand world are really friendly and the whole community is all about sharing opportunities and helping each other out. After building a presence online, we finalised our designs and took the plunge – got those tees printed!. Throughout the ‘independent brand’ world, competent artwork plus friends in shops/brands/promotion/production, equals exposure, popularity and a good brand. From this foundation we aim to evolve into a key and respected brand in the independent clothing-brand world.

ucts follow the same line – creativity, application, production, delivery. Creating worthy art and graphics is what we’re passionate about, whether the application is to t-shirts or canvases. It’s just that we both really love wearing cool tees!

here can you see yourself in ﬁve years time? We would love to be a house-hold name for those in-the-know about street wear brands, not for producing ‘really cool tees’, but for putting in the work and making genuine good quality products. To have this at an international level would be a great achievement for us. It’s a tough goal to set ourselves, but we feel with our

ould you see yourselves as more artists or fashion designers? I think artists. All creative prod14| The Mic

The Mic |15

continued determination, deﬁnitely achievable. Plus, you’ve got to aim high if you want to achieve greatness.

ow long did it take to launch Guts and Glory? Well originally it started out as an online art shop with the sickly name of “The Pukey Arts Studio”. This then developed into an arts collective of a few people called “The Pencil Pushers”, until ﬁnally we spilt off and rebranded ourselves as you see us today – as Guts&Glory. That process of change took about a year. From the beginning of Guts&Glory, however, it probably took us about 4 months. We really knew nothing about how to start a brand, and were feeling our way in the dark. We started with a blog and a bit researching about production, and just let the ball roll from there.

like listening to. So who knows, maybe there is a subconscious musical inﬂuence in there somewhere that we have no idea about! Some songs you just can’t escape from. Might accidently ﬁnd ourselves producing Lady Gaga lyrics without even realising!

ow did living in Nottingham inﬂuence you-if at all? The best thing about starting all this in Nottingham was the exposure to other artists who were doing the same as us – getting their work displayed in bars and restaurants. There are some really great opportunities in Nottingham if you look for them. The biggest help was the Ropewalk bar. They displayed our art for free, and then if they sold Ropewalk didn’t take any commission. This way we had a whole series of work pass through the bar, replacing each picture once it sold, and really got our names out there. There are also some great art events and galleries in Nottingham, who are all keen to get artists and buyers alike involved.

hat sets you apart from the designs we can find in high street stores? Consideration, thought and time. We’re not churning out design after design, ripping off artists for their imagery, carelessly producing anything to maximise profits. Each design is special and particular. You know when you buy a Guts&Glory tee that we’ve put a lot of time and effort into it making it individual, new and specific. We are a fastidious duo. We honestly don’t think there is anything quite like our designs out there. Each piece of work was originally a hand drawn concept. The digitised ‘Love Is In The Air’ tee had endless hours spent over it having the imagery produced. So I guess, without sounding too corny, you own a piece of artwork when you own a Guts&Glory tee. Also, with every internet order from us direct we include an individually hand drawn swing tag.

ow does music inspire your clothes? To be honest I wouldn’t say music is a massive inﬂuence on what we do. I mean there are certain genres that go hand in hand with the ‘street wear’ world and culture. Also there are certain people you admire and really

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There is such a mix of students/ people at Nottingham too, which helps you deﬁne who your target audience is, and who isn’t.

here can we buy your clothes? You can buy them online from us at www.gutsandgloryuk.bigcartel.com, at the Bristol based Donuts Store (http://www. donutsthestore.co.uk) or for a limited time only at the newly launched style site Roktic (http://www.roktic.co.uk).

Keep

up-to-date with Guts&Glory

via their site and blog -

www.gutsandgloryuk.com

or follow them on twitter -

@gutsngloryuk

Rhian Brighton reports on the Dot to Dot festival

Festival Artwork

Bank holiday weekends are always a good start for madness, drinks and a night full of bands to supply endless entertainment for those willing to nurse a hangover the next day instead of heading back to the office for the regular nine to five. The annual Dot to Dot festival speaks to music lovers across Nottingham, Manchester and Bristol, but today Rhythm Circus dedicates its weekend to the land of Robin Hood and some of the best live music venues the country has to offer. Spread over the infamous Rock City, Recue Rooms, Trent University and The Bodega Social, over 50 bands played a set of anthems and new talent to shake the city around. Local Nottingham University band Childhood open up the show with their short set at the Rescue Rooms, packing out the venue and play it extremely cool for their first ever festival appearance. Their sound, reminiscent of American surf pop pleases those who have come to watch them. During the day the city is completely transformed into the scenes we would expect from a field festival, with fresh food stalls and vintage clothes on sale outside the venues complete with picnic benches opposite

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the acoustic tent and the Fred Perry Subculture tour bus. The Rescue Rooms is also transformed with an outdoor barbeque and frozen slush cocktails. Of course it is when the lights go down than the fun begins to happen, and the party begins. After hearing about the hyped Braids, the packed Trent student union looks more like a sold out headline show than a new and upcoming band, with interesting boy girl vocals, sounding a mix between Dirty Projectors and Foals like guitar, and are the perfect soundtrack to a chilled out summer.Braids are deﬁnitely a band to check out this summer at the small tents for a chilled out dance.

Each venue came with a struggle to get through the doors, as crowds were determined to catch as much music as possible on the day, especially at Rock City where The Naked and Famous, We Are Scientists and Hurts headline. The Naked and Famous belt out some tunes that prove extremely popular with those who have come to see them, including the massive ‘Young Blood’, which brings the whole of Rock City to a jumping mass of crop tops and polo shirts, until suddenly everyone disappears to run off to another venue to catch some more new bands and dj’s. We Are Scientists are perhaps one of the best bands playing the festival, running on to the stage claiming their love for ‘The Nottingham Crew’, and entertain with their endless chatter and onstage comedy inbetween songs. Playing a mix of songs from their brilliant debut and continued...

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their most long... played among a half of ‘After Hours’, Next to play are aged to get through atmospheric songs set of old and new of noise and joyous double bass that and love for the song Of course the fun sing-song of until the early hours catch and local talcontinued...

recent album Barbara, the crowd surfing and the moshing were in full tow during their hour ...set. Hits including ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt’, ‘Rules Don’t Stop’ and ‘After Hours’ are wave of screams and the band end their set with Keith Murray diving into the crowd for the last brave man. the beautiful Guillemots, today in a small and intimate venue the lucky audience who manthe doors in time were presented with one of the best sets from the days festival. With their of love and loss, Fyfe Dangerfields voice projects perfectly in the small settings, and a delicious songs. ‘Made Up Lovesong’ is delivered as perfectly as we would expect, developing into a cloud movement from the crowd. The band use an array of instruments tonight, including a beefy takes up the stage. The stunning Sao Paulo ends the set, and is projected with so much passion by the whole band that no one wants the gig to end. Perfection. did not stop there, with silent discos finding their way into beer gardens leading to a random ‘Parklife’, and dj’s run into the night, including local boy Matt Horne who took over Rock City of morning. Dot to Dot is worth every penny of the cheaply priced ticket, with so many bands to ent, its an event that this city will be talking about until its return next year.

Cults – Bodega Social Club 29/05/2011 (Dot to Dot Festival)

Alpines – Rock City

29/05/2011 (Dot to Dot Festival)

“We’re gonna try and play you another song!” is the statement of reassurance from front-woman Madeline Follin when technical gremlins gnaw through the opening tracks of Cults’ much-anticipated set. First to succumb is Brian Oblivion’s amp, leaving him helplessly air-guitaring before Follin’s mic cuts out at the top of an impassioned vocal blast.

‘Night-pop’ is perhaps an ambiguous label for South London’s Alpines to ascribe themselves –but it does neatly express their alignment with those other nocturnal ¬star-gazers (Jamie Woon, The xx) who have shared a similar inspiration in the light of the moon. Catherine Pockson is Alpines’ centre-piece. Draped in flowing black gown and mystic head dress, her ethereal howls and almost ghostly theatrics are reminiscent of Lykke Li’s ‘Wounded Rhymes’ or even Kate Bush’s darker dabblings. Beneath her banshee vocals lie thick synth lines which are every bit as swarthy and brooding, pulsing up and down as if the musical interpretation of Pockson’s beating heart. Singles ‘Drive’ and ‘Ice & Arrows’ are the highlights of an epic set which celebrates influences far and wide, stretching from an arcane disturbia and alluring gothic mystery to dub-drenched fist-pumping and rave lights. For the sake of the MySpace tag, perhaps ‘night-pop’ will suffice for the time-being.

facebook.com/alpinesmusic alpin.es twitter.com/alpinesmusic

Reports from Jack Dixon

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Yet somehow the persistence of these practical misadventures doesn’t dampen the spirits of a committed crowd who’ve packed out the Bodega with bated breath and beer in hand. Cults’ allure is in their brand of 60s-inspired bubblegum pop, adorned with twinkling xylophone and Drums-esque onestring guitar melodies, as exempliﬁed on the glowing singles ‘Go Outside’ and ‘Abducted’. It would be far too cliché to suggest that ‘cult-like status awaits’ for this much blogged-about duo, the best of a top crop of boy-girl twosomes emerging this spring. But it certainly looks as though Cults will have their work cut out to shake their ‘Most Wanted’ tag.

cultscultscults.com http://www.facebook.com/ cultscultscults http://twitter.com/CultsCultsCults

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Latitude

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Latitude

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CROATIA, CROATIA! Sun, sea, and one of the most diverse line-ups ever to grace the Croatian coast. Welcome to Outlook festival. From Drum & Bass, Jungle, Dub, Dancehall, Reggae, Roots, Dubstep and Hip Hop on the 1st to the 5th of September Pula plays host to quite possibly “the best four days of bass music in the world”. Arrive to soundsystem fuelled beach parties that never ﬁnish, camping literally on the waters edge, and main stage line-ups that range from Jehst, Pharoahe Monch, Foreign Beggars to Flux Pavillion to performances in the abandoned Fort Punta Christo from the likes of Cooly G and Benny Page. Boat parties hosted by the likes of Indigo, Synkro and Rich Reason tour the coast for a solid four hours of bass, where skanking is the only way to ensure not falling over.

main stage on the Friday night. Submotion Orchestra created a truly unique and chilled vibe, compared to The Bug and Flowdan’s intense hour set, this to the truly bizarre six hour set from Jah Shaka, where you lost count the amount of times you heard ‘Rastafari.’ David Rodigan, a veteran of reggae and dancehall, produced a set with a vibe like no other. Outlook’s location could not be more ideal, with arena’s such as the Ballroom, a crowded pit in the abandoned fort where you can dance all night and look up to see the lit up trees, this in many ways sums up the festivals unique combination of 18th Century Croatian architecture and bass music and soundsystem culture. With such an enjoyable atmosphere, you’d be a fool to not consider going, but I will certainly be returning to Outlook next year.

“the best four days of bass music in the world”

By Hannah Bayley

Leeds

Jamie XX makes a perfect start to the festival with his final offering of Gil Scott Heron’s “I’ll take care of you”, making the thirty five hour sunshine bus to Pula entirely worth it. Highlights include an incredible hour long set from Shy FX, during a torrential downpour to rival Glastonbury, with Original Nuttah taking the set to euphoric heights. Congo Natty’s version of Bob Marley’s One Love united the audience as they filled in the last spot on the

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Glastonbury

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Glastonbury

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Albums

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Live

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Packages

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Malt Cross

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GIG GUIDE /21st September Breathe Carolina/ 22ns September – The Wombats/ 23rd September – The Eyes of a Traitor/ 24th September – Feed The Rhino/ 29th September – Rise to Remain / 30th September – Ellwood/ 1st October – Y&T/ 1st October – Girlfixer/ 2nd October – The Revival Tour/ 5th October – The Feeling/ 6th October – Noh And The Whale/ 6th October – Sylosis/ 7th October – Imperial Leisure/ 8th October – Black Veil Brides/ 8th October – Smokehead Rocks Tour/ 9th October – Detonate Alldayer/ 10th October – Ed Sheeran/ 12th October – Kids In Glass Houses/ 13th October – Shadows Chasing Ghosts/ 13th October – Ghost Brigade/ 14th October – Blitz Kids/ 15th October – The Sights/ 17th October – Bombay Bicycle Club/ 18th October – Katy B/ 20th October – Sound Of Guns/ 21t October – Firefest 2011/ 24th October – The Union/ 24th October – The Artery Foundation Across The Nation Europan Tour/ 25th October – Enter Shikari/ 26th October – A Day Overdue/ 26th October – The Horrors/ 27th October – Funeral For A Friend/ 29th October – Hit the Deck Reunion Clubnight/ 29th October – The Rifles/ 30th October – The Return/ 31st October – The Defiled/

/29th September – David’s Lyre/ 1st October – Fenech-Soler/ 1st October – Folks/ 2nd October – Wilko Johnson/ 5th October – Emerge NME Radar Tour Featuring Wolf Gang/ 6th October – Sylosis/ 7th October – Dollop Featuring Ghostpoet and The 2 Bears/ 8th October – Electric Boys/ 8th October – Nedry/ 10th October – Wakey!Wakey!/ 12th October – Mencap’s Factor/ 13th October – Ghost Brigade/ 14th October – Herman Dune/ 15th October – the Doors Alive/ 17th October – the Answer/ 18th October – It Bites And Mostly Autumn/ 19th October – Sharon Shannon/ 20th October – The Twang/ 21st Octoober – Wu Lyf/ 22nd October – The Smyths/ 22nd October – Submotion Orchestra/ 22nd October – Bastille/ 23rd October – DZ Deathrays / 24th October – The Artery Foundation Across The Nation Feat. Miss May I/ 25th October – Tribes/ 27th October – Zion Train/ 29th October – The Riﬂes/ 29th October – Man Like Me/ 30th October – Toploader/ 31st October – Jeffery Lewis & The Junkyard/

/24th September – TEETH/ 30th September – Detonate – Shy DX, Caspa, Brookes Brothers/ 1st October – Fenech Soler/ 1st October – Folks/7th October – Dollop – 2 Bears & Ghostpoet/ 14th October – Basslaced – Joker, Breakage, Zinc/ 27th October – Moles Music Present…Zion Train/ 28th October – Detonate – Andy C : alive, 16 Bit, Spy/ 29th October – Man Like Me/

/26th September – Cosmo Jarvis/ 27th September – Various Cruelties/ 28th September – Danny & The Champions/ 1st October – Marcus Foster/ 7th October – Frontiers/ 9t October – David Dondero/ 11th October – Cave Painting/ 14th October – Spotlight Kid/ 16th October – Spectrals/ 18th October – The Crookes/ 19th October – Visions Of Trees/ 20th October – Sam Duckworth/ 23rd October – Foreign Ofﬁce/ 24th October – Ben Howard/ 25th October – Dave Giles/ 28th October – Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo/ 29th October – Other Lives/ 30th October – Mona/ 31st October – Japanese Voyeurs/

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Malt Cross 16 st James Street, City Centre (Just off the old Market Square)

Pub Quiz Every Monday

- £2 per Team to enter - Prize is a Free round for team - Teams no bigger than 6

Live Bands Every tuesday - Free Entry - Bands start from around 8pm - See website for listings

Real Ale Great Food Leaf Tea & Coffee - Changing seasonally - All food is made fresh - Yummy cakes - Loose leaf Tea - Our own blend of Coffee

A Victorian Music Hall

Nottingham’s best kept secret

www.maltcross.com

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