The Skinny Northwest September 2013 by The Skinny

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Northwest Issue 06 September 2013

STUDENT SPECIAL Film School 101 DIY Drinks Warsaw on a Budget MUSIC Oneohtrix Point Never PINS Hookworms FILM Irvine Welsh Aidan Gillen CLUBS Seth Troxler Auntie Flo FOOD AND DRINK Has the Craft Beer Bubble Burst? BOOKS Manchester Literature Festival The Future of Publishing THEATRE Write Now Festival FASHION Elaine Jenkins ART Penny Davenport SPACE IS NOT A VOID Tim Hetherington

New Perspectives

The city from above and below In the beginning of 2013 we met Vadim and Vitaliy, two young Russian photographers with a unique and unexpected way of looking at a city. They climb up to terrifying heights, to capture the city from places people would normally avoid. We visited them in Moscow and Siberia to find out more about where they’re coming from, and equally important: where they’re heading to next. The trip resulted in our second film about them,‘New Perspectives’, which we are proud to share with you on HUBFootwear.com.

Photo: Ruth Clark P.16 EMILY MUSGRAVE - SPACE IS NOT A VOID

Photo: Eoin Carey

Photo: Sam Huddleston

P.15 JAMES MCAVOY IN FILTH

P.47 OWEN PALLETT

P.24 CHVRCHES

SEPTEMBER 2013 I N D E P E N D E N T

C U LT U R A L

J O U R N A L I S M

Issue 06, September 2013 ÂŠ Radge Media Ltd. Get in touch: E: hiya@theskinny.co.uk T: 0161 833 3124 P: The Skinny, Second Floor, Swan Building, 20 Swan Street, Manchester, M4 5JW The Skinny is distributing 18,505 copies across Liverpool and Manchester, a wide range of advertising packages and affordable ways to promote your business are available. Get in touch to find out more.

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Editorial Northwest Editor Film & Deputy Editor Events Editor Music Editor Books Editor Clubs Editor Comedy Editor Deviance Editor Fashion Editor Food Editor Travel Editor Staff Writer Student Supplement Editor

Lauren Strain Jamie Dunn Laura Howarth Dave Kerr Ryan Rushton John Thorp John Stansfield Ana Hine Alexandra Fiddes Jamie Faulkner Paul Mitchell Bram E. Gieben Helen McCarthy

Production Production Manager Designer Sub Editor

Amy Minto Thom Isom Kristian Doyle

Sales/Accounts Northwest Sales & Marketing Manager Northwest Sales Executive Northwest Sales Executive

Caroline Harleaux Issy Patience Rob Hannible

Lead Designer

Maeve Redmond

Company PA

Kyla Hall

Editor-in-Chief Sales Director Publisher

Rosamund West Lara Moloney Sophie Kyle

Printed on 100% recycled paper

Contents

THE SKINNY

Contents Up Front

06 Opinion: Hello to the September issue;

Hero Worship; Mystic Mark juggles his BALLS. Plus; Shot of the Month; Stop the Presses; Skinny on Tour, and Online Only.

Heads Up: Your daily guide to the best

08 events in Liverpool and Manchester throughout September.

Features 10

Factory Floor’s Dom Butler describes how they had to go against instinct in order to finish their self-titled debut LP. “I have some dystopian tendencies:” Daniel Lopatin, or Oneohtrix Point Never, on digital hoarding and data dismantling. Ahead of the adaptation of Filth, Irvine Welsh revisits his charming novel about a dirty cop and his foul-mouthed tapeworm – with further insight from the the film’s star, James McAvoy. SPACE IS NOT A VOID, a new exhibition at The Royal Standard, interrogates ideas of space and place through the work of Laura Aldridge, Emily Musgrave and Lauren Printy Currie, as curated by Madeline Hall. Kieran Evans discusses Kelly + Victor, his Liverpool-set debut film, and the British film industry’s uptight attitude to sex, while Littlefinger – sorry, Aidan Gillen – has an identity crisis in Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy’s Mister John.

It’s here! Scottish synth-pop upstarts CHVRCHES' debut album is out this month. They tell us exactly what you can fit in a Renault Clio. “The lie had infected everything:” Jeanie Finlay spills the beans on The Great Hip Hop Hoax, her documentary about phoney duo Silibil N' Brains.

Food & Drink: Ale! We're well into it. But what's the future for it? Plus news, Phagomania and Around the World in 20 Drinks.

Film: David Lowery’s atmospheric drama Ain’t Them Bodies Saints marks the arrival of an exciting new voice in American cinema.

Competitions: We are bursting at the seams with stuff to give away: we've tickets to Indy Man Beer Con, Manchester Literature Festival, Live_Transmission and Sonica. Throw your hat in the ring.

Art: We preview the late Tim Hetherington’s war photography at Open Eye Gallery and Cornerhouse’s autumn exhibition Double Indemnity.

September 2013

SEPTEMBER 14 MICK FLANNERY leaf

OCTOBER 19 DEPTFORD GOTH leaf with bam!bam!bam!

WAVE PICTURES the kazimier with bam!bam!bam!

COLLEGE leaf with bam!bam!bam!

NOVEMBER 09 PHOSPHORESCENT the kazimier with evol

27 - 28

L’POOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF PSYCHEDELIA camp and furnace

SWEET BABOO leaf

JULIA HOLTER leaf

LOW the anglican cathedral

CRYSTAL STILTS the shipping forecast

JONATHAN WILSON the kazimier

OCTOBER 03 ZERVAS & PEPPER leaf 09

ESBEN & THE WITCH, TEETH OF THE SEA & THOUGHT FORMS the kazimier

FOSSIL COLLECTIVE leaf

PINS leaf

JOHN GRANT sold out east village arts club with evol

EUROS CHILDS & BILL RYDER-JONES leaf

DECEMBER 04 YO LA TENGO east village arts club

Tickets on sale from ONLINE: Ticketweb / Bido Lito! / Ticketline IN PERSON: Probe Records (School Ln) & The Brink (Parr St) FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @HARVEST_SUN @LPOOLPSYCHFEST

Comedy: Because the man himself never talks to the press, our Comedy editor explains why Daniel Kitson’s brand of heart-on-sleeve stand-up needs to be experienced; plus, win a bag of booze.

Books: Bats and books collide in a unique event for Manchester Literature Festival; plus new novels from Michael Pedersen, Chris Brookmyre and Roddy Doyle.

Theatre: A series of six one-act plays make up the energetic Write Now Festival.

Listings: Do all this stuff!!!

30 How to win friends with food and pimp

Some crib notes for film-school students, confessions of a student standup and how to bling your student pad on a budget.

Music: New albums from Jel, 65daysofstatic and CHVRCHES, and we look forward to live shows from Dinosaur Jr., Fuck Buttons and Laura Marling, as well as Liverpool Psych Fest.

Clubs: We catch up with Auntie Flo ahead of his Huntleys & Palmers party this month, scope out the nights ahead, and chill with Lone.

PINS take us to their favourite

Travel: The trials and tribulations of travelling as a couple.

29 Manchester haunts, and we get a crash

your Tesco-value booze; plus, we send our staff writer to Warsaw on a studentfriendly budget.

Fashion: A look at jewellery designer Elaine Jenkins’ Mother Nature-inspired pieces ahead of International Jewellery London.

Hookworms – Def 1: A parasite that inhabits the intestines of humans; Def 2: awesome Leeds-based psychedelic space-rockers.

Student Supplement

course in Liverpool's most exciting acts the NME won't tell you about.

Showcase: “Playing with your own mental vomit” is the method behind Liverpool-based artist Penny Davenport’s drawings, by turns amusing and eerie.

Lifestyle 27

Deviance: “Screw the gender binary,” says Luke; plus, why My Flatmate the Fetishist wouldn’t make for a great sitcom.

Review

are:” we take a tour of the cosmos according to Seth Troxler.

Wanna DJ? Some pro tips – and a rundown of the best places for music, art, theatre, dancing, beer, grub and more in Liverpool and Manchester.

LIVERPOOL LISTINGS

More Lifestyle

20 “Whoever you want to be, you already

Paradigm Shift: Now Turn the Page: In our final dispatch looking at the future of the creative industries we turn our attention to the destiny of the novel. The CEO of a certain tax-dodging website should look away.

A guide to LGBTQ support in the Northwest, and some real-life parttimers tell us the perks and hardships of their jobs (apart from the one working with cats).

Contents

Editorial

The Skinny on Tour When we were told the location of this month’s Skinny on Tour we said, “Struth, mate! That’s not much of a tour. It’s barely a half hour drive up the M90 from our Scottish office!” This city isn’t in the UK, though, but plenty of our dodgy ancestors were shipped off to its namesake to do porridge.

dentity! I’m gonna say this issue is about identity. In readying long-awaited debut albums, both our cover stars Factory Floor and ascendant Scottish synth-pop sensation CHVRCHES have had to challenge preconceptions of who they are and what they ‘should’ sound like, while Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never – ahead of the release of his first LP for Warp, the effervescent R Plus Seven – talks about how, in this brave new world of inexhaustible data and similarly infinite possibilities for using it to our own ends, the internet is “becoming us... I feel very free right now,” he says, thrillingly. “I’m perpetually curious about the artistic quotient in all of that. I feel like it’s endless.” In Film, Jeanie Finlay’s documentary The Great Hip Hop Hoax puts fake Dundonian rappers Silibil N’ Brains – who managed to fool Sony and MTV into thinking they were real – under the microscope and considers how, “If you tell lies for long enough, what you end up remembering is the lie.” Elsewhere, Aidan Gillen, himself something of a chameleonic actor, talks about the evolution of his character in Mister John, who slowly begins to transform (emotionally and physically) into his deceased brother; while, also in Film, director Kieran Evans’ Liverpool-set Kelly + Victor analyses the suddenly revealed, unexpected private life of a couple caught in that dizzying, disarming headon collision of ‘finding someone’ – wherein you tend to find out just as much about yourself. Meanwhile, vital Leeds band Hookworms try their hardest to remain nameless; in Art, a new exhibition at The Royal Standard in Liverpool, SPACE IS NOT A VOID, zooms out from the individual to tackle broader ideas of space and place and how they affect the perceptions of artworks positioned within them; and Staff Writer Bram E. Gieben’s three-part Paradigm Shift series comes to a close in considering the current and projected nature of book publishing. It’s a bleak but pertinent read. People who’ll be doing a lot of identity finding from September onwards are students. Hi students! Moving to a new city to start a new chapter of your life is both a terrifying

and exhilarating – and terrifyingly exhilarating – experience, and, without sounding like your mum (I can barely clothe and feed myself), it’s honestly one that won’t be repeated ever again in your life. To this end, we’ve put together a little supplement containing ideas, anecdotes and tip-offs to help you make the most of a) having all your mates living three doors down from you before they all inevitably bugger off to London and b) studying and partying in Liverpool and Manchester without having to spend your first year eyeballing blue vodka from a fishbowl. You’re welcome. Props go to Student Supplement Editor and real-life student Helen McCarthy, who did an amazing job of compiling it while we were all off blogging at festivals and making rafts out of things we found on a walk between the office and the canal (in an unexpectedly successful teambuilding exercise). Thankyou Helen. Looking ahead, we are chuffed to have been invited to programme the live music for the second Indy Man Beer Con, held at Victoria Baths, Manchester, 10-13 Oct, where we’ll be hosting the peerless BC Camplight, Young & Lost Club’s Being There, rising songwriter Elle Mary and the dynamic Harlequin Dynamite Marching Band (with more tbc). Come down. We’re also pleased to be media partnering The Warehouse Project – which kicks off 27 Sep – this year, and commence our excitement with a chat with Resident Advisor’s No #1 DJ in the world, Seth Troxler, who’s playing Welcome to the Warehouse on 28 Sep, and alongside the formidable Nicolas Jaar, Kowton and Move D on 19 Oct. No biggie. This issue of The Skinny was brought to you by: http://youtu.be/LFiupWwIZMY. [Lauren Strain] Cover: FACTORY FLOOR, by Georgia Kuhn Georgia Kuhn is a London-based photographer who shoots portraits, music and fashion for the the likes of the Telegraph magazine, Evening Standard, B magazine, Sleek, freundevonfreunden.com, record companies and various others. www.georgiakuhn.com

Shot of the Month BEACONS FESTIVAL BY NICK BOJDO

Chat

For your chance to win The Novel Cure by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkins (courtesy of those lovely folks over at Canongate), just head along to

www.theskinny.co.uk/about/cometitions and tell us where you think this Skinny reader is holidaying. Can you guess where it is yet? Competition closes midnight Sun 29 Sep. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within one week or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full T&Cs can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms.

First Person: Homeward Bound Last month we introduced three Fringe-bound acts at varying stages of preparedness. We check back in with them to see if they’re still alive and gigging Interview: John Stansfield

ugust. It was long, wasn’t it? But what may have been a slow month for the rest of us was terribly busy for these characters, who share their experiences of performing at the world’s biggest comedy festival.

reviewer who laughed at nothing; the rest of the audience was fine, but we were all too aware of the one person not amused. A close second was finding a load of veins in my hog roast. This lead to my subsequent falafel addiction which will mean as well as all the great experiences I will Mark Davison aka Mr Susie (@MrSusieComedy) also be bringing back about a stone and a half in “The beauty of a long run like this is that you can additional weight. fine-tune and experiment and play with your show “The stand out show for me was Michael J. all the time. I’ve stripped out all the flab and have Dolan’s Nothing Will Ever Be Alright Again, Ever. I found new bits and new business throughout, love Michael, he’s such a brilliant comic with an leaving me with a show that’s in much better original voice and I love that he’s not afraid of shape than it was a month ago. I’m hoping it will challenging his audience with a potentially bleak have a run somewhere else once the festival is show. He’s piss funny though so it’s hard to be over. I’ve had a couple of standing ovations, which depressed when you’ve laughed so much.” I’ve never had before, that’s been wonderful and Kiri will be performing at The Lass O’Gowrie, very humbling. On the flip side, I performed to an Manchester, as part of sketch group Gein’s Family audience made up almost entirely of non-English Giftshop on Mon 2 Sep. speaking Germans. Nothing worse than doing an hour of comedy to total silence. Oh actually, Brennan Reece (@BrennanReece) there is. It’s doing an hour of comedy to silence “Doing a double act show (with Hayley Ellis) we when there’s a reviewer in (and she didn’t menbecame more comfortable with the space and tion how tough the crowd were). the lines and each other throughout the festival “My favourite thing this year has been so [we] could ad-lib and found the show flowed Stuart Bowden’s She Was Probably Not a Robot. more freely as we went on. The best experience Absolutely magical. Very funny and ultimately of the Fringe was seeing so much stuff. I saw so moving that I couldn’t speak for an hour some amazingly inventive stuff and then some afterwards.” utter shit, but that is what makes the Fringe Mark will be hosting as Mr Susie in the brilliant. My favourite event was ‘The Wrestling.’ Massive in China tent at Bestival, Isle of Wight, Comedians vs pro wrestlers. It turned me into an Sat 7 and Sun 8 Sep. eight year old kid again. I also massively enjoyed Claudia O’Doherty. An oddball Aussie, and alKiri Pritchard-Mclean (@kiripritchardmc) though it wasn’t the most hilarious thing I saw, as “Performing at 1.15pm you soon find out what a show it was stunning. “I feel I have been lucky with my experiyour audience is expecting, so my show was adence; nothing went badly wrong, my only gripes justed to suit the crowd from pretty early on. I have been the rain, the stone travelator that is shared an hour slot with Pete Otway and now I’m Edinburgh and the lack of hot water in the flat. I terrified of bringing my first hour here because I’ve realised that you can’t be less than brilliant. will take home many valuable experiences, as well That’s daunting. I’ve also got a genuine respect as a bag full of washing for my mum, 2000 flyers and fear for the all-consuming machine that is we didn’t hand out, and an unopened pack of condoms. Sad times.” the Festival. We were really lucky with our audiences, which made every show a lot of fun every Read one million comedy reviews from the Fringe over at day. The worst experience was performing for a www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy

THE SKINNY

Hero Worship: Gene Krupa Black Sabbathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bill Ward, the original heavy metal drummer, salutes the profound influence of jazz percussionist Gene Krupa

Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;you know your Italo from your techno from your balearic disco? Can you write knowledgeably, accessibly and wittily about dance music of all ilks, past, present and future? Do you know the Northwest clubbing scene inside out? The Skinny is looking for a new CLUBS EDITOR to take the reins from the sterling John Thorp when he heads off after our October issue for pastures new. See theskinny.co.uk/about/get_involved for how to apply.

More tickets are up for grabs for the unique LIVE_TRANSMISSION, a sonic and visual spectacle celebrating legendary Salford band Joy Division â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the result of a collaboration between Scanner, the restlessly inventive Heritage Orchestra, and exploratory visual artist Matt Watkins. Performances at The Lowry in Salford (29 Sep, ÂŁ22) and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (30 Sep, ÂŁ26(ÂŁ20)). www.joydivisionreworked.com Blank Media Collective is calling for submissions for the TITLE ART PRIZE 2013, returning after a two year hiatus. Artists can submit up to five pieces of 2D (painting, photography, collage, printmaking etc.) or 3D (sculpture, installation, sound etc.) work for the chance to win the grand prize of ÂŁ500 and a solo exhibition at the BLANKSPACE gallery. For more details visit www.blankmediacollective.org

Do you want to help shape our digital future? Do you want to be part of The Skinny team? We are looking for a DIGITAL PUBLISHER and a DIGITAL MARKETER. Go to theskinny.co.uk/about/get_involved to find out more. By the power of voodoo, The Skinny is moving into the realm of moving image. To that end, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for VIDEOGRAPHERS, FILMMAKERS and ANIMATORS to help in the creation of content over the coming months â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re based in the UK, love The Skinny and want to be involved in our next chapter, we want to hear from you. E-mail peter.marsden@theskinny.co.uk for more information. MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL kicks off proper in October with some tantalising appearances from the likes of fantasy-man Neil Gaiman, psychogeographer Iain Sinclair and legendary crime writer Walter Mosley. Before that, though, there are some events taking place this month, including a chat with Nordic crime-fiction behemoth Jo NesbĂ¸ at Manchester Town Hall (13 Sep, ÂŁ8(ÂŁ6)) www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

INPRINT-EXCHANGE

While we confess that we know next to nothing about the print fair scene in Germany, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still excited to learn that Liverpool-based artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; collective Inprint are hosting their very first INPRINT EXCHANGE. Bringing together students from A-halt University in Dessau and Liverpool John Moores University, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see 30 German students exhibit their work alongside that of local creatives. Camp and Furnace, Liverpool, Sun 22 Sep, 12-5pm, Free, @INPRINTLPOOL

GENE KRUPA

f all my heroes, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have to go with a drummer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the guy who was my biggest inspiration. And that was Gene Krupa. He played big band swing, which Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been attracted to since I was a child. My mother and father had records where heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d play with different bands and players that came over during World War Two, so I owe it to them really. Picking up his cues from ragtime and the Jazz Age that came before in the 1920s and 30s, Geneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playing was rich and quite unique. There was a certain power there and he had a lot of be-bop about him, he was an innovator of new rhythms which were stepping stones into what would be defined as rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll in years to come, into the early 50s.

But Gene was also a troubled man, he was addicted to narcotics. I too have travelled that kind of a journey, so I feel like Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in a parallel world. He had a lot of hardship but continued to play and work his way through it. Although I saw him in the movies or when he was doing a spot on TV, sadly I never met him. I often felt that I had, in that rare way when you hear somebody play a certain piece of music, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve known them all your life. To the student drummers out there, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d recommend you listen to Gene Krupa. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good start. He was leading the way. Read our exclusive new interview with Bill Ward where he discusses life beyond Sabbath at www.theskinny.co.uk/music

September 2013

ARIES All those hours under a micro scope carving your CV in tiny hieroglyphs on to chicken beaks comes to nothing. Not a single employer even bothers to reply. You start to wonder what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing wrong.

Eyes to the website

Laeto drummer Robbie Cooper speaks to us about Human Is Not Alone, a new project featuring gigs, a compilation album and the cream of the Scottish underground united to raise money for cancer research. The album features tracks donated by a diverse array of bands, including Fugazi, The Shipping News and RM Hubbert, as well as Cooperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own band. theskinny.co.uk/music

with Mystic Mark

www.billwarddrumart.com

Online Only Prize-winning author Adam Marek talks to our sister paper about The Stone Thrower, his new collection of short stories exploring parenthood and childhood through a series of dystopian, near-future worlds. theskinny.co.uk/books

BALLS.

TAURUS According to your doctor that gaping hole in your face is called a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mouthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

LIBRA Your Tory lover takes your with Benefitsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; relationship a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Friends bit too seriously, making you fill out forms to prove youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve actively been seeking and/or have been available for sex each week. Your lover reminds you that you could lose your Friends with Benefits status for up to 13 weeks if you: leave a sex act voluntarily; fail to take part in a mandatory sex act; fail to produce a completed sex diary when asked.

SCORPIO If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t finger-bang the one you love, finger-bang the one youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re with.

SAGITTARIUS This month you finally give your heart to the person you love, throwing it through their bedroom window attached to a brick.

CAPRICORN Grappling with sanity, your psychiatrist suggests itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about time you moved out of that hall of mirrors.

GEMINI Wary of your allergies, you check the back of a tin of beans to find it reads â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;May contain traces of AIDSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

CANCER Next time you wake up with hideous memories of the drunken bullshit you spouted, send your friends an apologetic text in the morning rather than having a robotic terminator travel back in time to kill your mother and prevent you from ever being born.

65daysofstatic guitarist/keyboardist/knob twiddler Paul Wolinski confirms once and for all that his bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name has nothing to do with Adolf Hitler. He also talks movie soundtracks and the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new album Wild Light. theskinny.co.uk/music One million Edinburgh Festivals and Fringe reviews at theskinny.co.uk/comedy, theskinny. co.uk/theatre, theskinny.co.uk/books and www.theskinny.co.uk/art. DJ Cassy discusses her recent Fabric mix, her approach to DJing and her continually itchy feet. theskinny.co.uk/clubs

LEO To save on condom costs you simply have your penis laminated in a searingly hot lamination press.

VIRGO As a chemistry teacher with lung cancer and no way to pay the medical bills, you find your only option is to take out a massive loan in your wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, burdening her for decades after your death.

AQUARIUS Having recently invented the first economically viable means of commercial space flight so people can experience zero gravity in specially rented pods, you are aghast to find most punters merely use the service for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;space dogging.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Through your porthole window, floating scrotums, breasts and the majesty of the cosmos reflect off the weightless tears rolling all over your eyes.

PISCES You wake to find your entire life has been an elaborate screensaver.

Chat

As the days get shorter, we look forward to longer nights spent in fields (Rammy Festival), movie theatres (noir-athon) and on dirty dancefloors (Severino), while the midnight hours even inspire exhibitions (3am: Wonder, Paranoia and the Restless Night)

Thu 5 Sep

Dinosaur Jr., those bastard kids of Neil Young and Black Sabbath, continue to ride the wave of their reunion years, with J. Mascis' vocals proving as hefty as ever. Catch them touring on the back of their latest album, I Bet On Sky – their third since reforming in 2005, bringing the total up to ten since they started out in 1984. East Village Arts Club, Liverpool, 7pm, £20

Returning from a run at the Edinburgh Fringe, local writer Chris Thorpe brings his latest drama, There Has Possibly Been An Incident, home to the Royal Exchange studio. The piece follows myriad characters in everyday situations, during which decisions must be made as opportunities are presented. Royal Exchange Studio, Manchester, 7.30pm, £12

Virginia's own tragic hero Mark 'E' Everett and his everchanging line-up of musicians Eels bring the lo-fi blues to the UK for a mini tour, marking the recent release of their Wonderful, Glorious record – a fitting name for their tenth studio album. O2 Academy, Liverpool, 7pm, £23.50

DINOSAUR JR.

THERE HAS POSSIBLY BEEN AN ACCIDENT

Photo: Jonathan Keenan

Compiled by: Laura Howarth

Wed 4 Sep

Photo: Brantley Gutierrez

Heads Up

Tue 3 Sep

EELS

Loop lovers, unite! Glaswegian lo-fi/experimental pop outfit Conquering Animal Sound bring their snap, crackle and pop sounds to the back room of The Castle Hotel, with support from the equally experimental Claire Brentnall, taking to the stage under her Shield Patterns moniker for a live show awash with dark shadows and bass. The Castle Hotel, Manchester, 7pm, £5

No strangers to these pages, Fuck Buttons take their latest and darkest album, Slow Focus, out on a much-anticipated jaunt across the UK before hitting Europe. The Bristol-based duo – made up of Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power – will be taking to the cavernous space at Gorilla with their electro-noise. Gorilla, Manchester, 7.30pm, £14

In 2012, sun-kissed five-piece Cayucas changed their name from Oregon Bike Trails in homage to a sleepy Californian coastal town that felt the brunt of the 60s surfing craze and managed to retain its washed out feel – a vibe that’s reflected in their beachy, alt-pop sounds and utterly rocked-out vibe. The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 7pm, £8

SHIELD PATTERNS

FUCK BUTTONS

Sun 15 Sep

Mon 16 Sep

Can you hack it? Twenty-four hours of straight-up film noir served with a side of liquorice? To launch their Double Indemnity season, Cornerhouse are hosting a 24-hour noir-athon screening, with highlights including Double Indemnity, Bound and Insomnia. Take your pick of a few or catch the lot for £44. Cornerhouse, Manchester, from 2pm, £7.50 individual film (£44 for 11 films)

The three-day uber-local Ramsbottom Festival comes to a decidedly toe-tapping close as the talented, sibling-led five-piece The Unthanks share the headline spot with songstress Sinead O’Connor and Kansashailing Moreland & Arbuckle – all washed down with local grub and hoppy delights. Ramsbottom Cricket Club, Manchester, £25 day (£140 three-day camping)

If you weren’t already aware, puppets are like, totally cool. Jason Segel and anyone sitting front row at a Nina Conti show will back us up here. The BAFTA-nominated filmmaker and ventriloquist introduces a whole host of characters, including her nan and a stray dog. Can’t even see her mouth move or anything. The Lowry, Salford, 8pm, £15

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

MORELAND & ARBUCKLE

Photo: Gavin Peters

Sat 14 Sep

Sat 21 Sep

Sun 22 Sep

One quarter of the Horse Meat Disco DJ collective, Severino will be laying his eclectic, vinyl-junkie soul bare for a live set in Liverpool’s Blade Factory. The Italian ex- pat and pioneer of the all-are-welcome clubbing scene will be moving minds and feet well into the early hours, alongside a live set from Phantom Planet Outlaws. Blade Factory, Liverpool, 10pm, £10

Touring vintage fair Judy’s Affordable Vintage will be taking to Camp and Furnace with all manner of vintage wares, with everything from clothing, accessories and shoes to homewares. We hate to be the first to say it, but it may be time to start stocking up on the warm and woollies – but at least it won’t give your bank balance the chills. Camp and Furnace, Liverpool, 11am-4pm, Free

Brummie slacker-pop lot Jaws will be bringing their easy breezy sounds to Liverpool as they dip in and out of the festivals like it’s no biggie. The fourpiece will be taking their debut EP, Milkshake, out for a well-deserved airing in what will be their second visit to Liverpool this year. East Village Arts Club, Liverpool, 7pm, £5

HORSE MEAT DISCO

JUDY'S AFFORDABLE VINTAGE

Photo: Chris Saunders

Fri 20 Sep

CAYUCAS

Photo: Cara Robbins

Tue 10 Sep

NINA CONTI

Photo: Claes Gellerbrink

Mon 9 Sep

Photo: Lara Parsons

Sun 8 Sep

JAWS

Thu 26 Sep

Fri 27 Sep

Sat 28 Sep

Gizeh Records present the darkly chilling short film The Freemartin Calf by Jayne Amara Ross, shot entirely on Super 8 film and featuring a soundtrack by Farewell Poetry members Frédéric D. Oberland and Gaspar Claus. Oklahoma, Manchester, 25-27 Sep, 7pm, Free (booking required)

The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia – or Psych Fest – kicks off today, inviting a line-up of frontrunners in the psychedelic renaissance to congregate for a two-day festival of tripped-out bliss. Highlights include Moon Duo, Jacco Gardner (pictured), Clinic and Hookworms. Camp and Furnace, Liverpool, 27-28 Sep, £20 Fri/£25 Sat (£45 weekend)

Three in the morning: a time of nightmares, bogeymen and endless possibilities through dreams. It’s also a time that has captivated artists over the ages, and is the subject of this group exhibition, 3am: Wonder, Paranoia and the Restless Night, which compares this frightful time to our current situation. The Bluecoat, Liverpool, until 24 Nov, Free

THE FREEMARTIN CALF

Chat

JACCO GARDNER

3AM: WONDER, PARANOIA, AND THE RESTLESS NIGHT

THE SKINNY

Sat 7 Sep

Catch an exhibition of photography and film work by the late Liverpoolborn photojournalist Tim Hetherington (1970-2011); You Never See Them Like This is a collection of work taken from his book Infidel, documenting his struggle alongside American soldiers in northern Afghanistan, and exploring brotherhood and fear through the camera lens. Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, until 24 Nov, Free

The Liverpool Food and Drink Festival returns this month, spilling out over Sefton Park for two days of epicurean delights, inviting the likes of TV chefs Gizzi Erskine, Aiden Byrne and Levi Roots to show us all how it’s done. There’s also a chocolate garden (nom) and Pickled Walnut pop-up restaurant (double nom). Sefton Park, Liverpool, 7-8 Sep, 10.30am-6.30pm, £5 (£9 weekend)

LIVERPOOL FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL

Wed 11 Sep

Thu 12 Sep

Fri 13 Sep

At the time of writing, we have no idea what Daniel Kitson’s new show will be about. He hasn’t written it yet, so there’s no marketing spiel, no promo images; we don’t even have a running time. But if Kitson’s razor-sharp wit and unique brand of intelligent stand-up are anything to go by, it’ll be worth the gamble. Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, until 21 Sep, 8pm, £12

Pioneers of electroacoustic sound-art MANTIS (Manchester Theatre In Sound) are to be let loose from the NOVARS research centre for an evening of noise-making. In something that’s not quite a performance and not quite a sound installation, the musicians will use technology to manipulate sound across an orchestra of loudspeakers. The Capstone, Liverpool, 8pm and 9pm, £11.50 (£8.50)

Jo Nesbø – y’know, the other Stieg Larsson responsible for the Harry Hole thrillers, including The Snowman, hopefully set for a Scorsese adaptation in the near future – comes to Manchester for an in-conversation event with Barry Forshaw in advance of the Manchester Literature Festival in October. Good stuff. Manchester Town Hall, 7.30pm, £8 (£6)

DANIEL KITSON

MANTIS

Tue 17 Sep

Wed 18 Sep

Thu 19 Sep

We could hardly run a September Heads Up calendar without a nod to the latest influx of fresh blood to the city – welcome, freshers! To help you get suitably off your tits, NxNw are throwing a freshers’ welcome party that will likely mark the first of many nights spent sweating in Soup Kitchen’s basement. Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 11pm, Free (guestlist)

A celebration of saying more with less, the Liverpool Write Now Festival kicks off, showcasing a selection of new one-act plays and offering writers the chance to develop their work through critical dialogue. Day one sees Last Tango at St. Leonards, Guardian Angel, and Happiness get a well-deserved airing. Unity Theatre, Liverpool, until 21 Sep, see listings for full details

Setting out to grapple with the physicality of sound, Australia-born, Cornwall-based composer and sound artist Robert Curgenven will be dropping by Manchester to play a typically creative live set, utilising turntables, custom-made vinyl, lashings of guitar feedback and instrumental harmonics. The Bay Horse, Manchester, 7.30pm, £5

JO NESBØ

ROBERT CURGENVEN

WRITE NOW FESTIVAL

NXNW

Wed 25 Sep

Catch the nostalgia-driven electro pop stylings of Nantes-based producer David Grellier, aka College – famous for founding the blog-cum-label Valerie, collaborating with The Zonders and snagging a spot on Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive soundtrack. Expect bloops and bleeps aplenty, with support from Bristol indie noisepop lot The Fauns. Leaf, Liverpool, 7.30pm, £9

The inimitable Jon Hopkins takes a break from collaborating with Scottish folksters and such to take his latest LP, Immunity – created with visuals in mind – out on the road for a handful of dates across the country. Expect a fully immersive, nearing-on-the-hypnotic experience as he shows off his boundless creativity. Gorilla, Manchester, 7pm, £12.50

All My Sons was the pinnacle of Arthur Miller’s career, but it also landed him in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities for its attack on the American Dream – hey, you can’t win ‘em all. The play tells the true story of a self-made businessman wracked with guilt after providing faulty aircraft parts during WWII. Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, until 26 Oct, from £10

COLLEGE

JON HOPKINS

Mon 30 Sep

The largest art fair outside of London, Buy Art Fair will be taking over Spinningfields and offering economically challenged folk the chance to pick up a bona fide piece of art. With prices starting at 50 squids, you could land yourself a tidy little conversation starter that’ll make your parents think you’re finally getting your shit together. Spinningfields, Manchester, 26-29 Sep, from 11am, Free

Walking the line between clarity and chaos, Live_ Transmission dismantles the work of one of the most progressive and influential bands of our time, Joy Division, and then deftly reconstructs it, calling on the help of electronic music producer Scanner, the highly innovative Heritage Orchestra, and live visuals from artist Matt Watkins. Cool beans. Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 7.30pm, from £20

September 2013

BUY ART FAIR

Photo: Joby Catto

Sun 29 Sep

Photo: Steve Gullick

Tue 24 Sep

Photo: PJ Skyman

Mon 23 Sep

ALL MY SONS

HERITAGE ORCHESTRA

Chat

Photo: Prudence Upton

TIM HETHERINGTON

Photo: Tim Hetherington/Magnum Photos

Fri 6 Sep

Three in the Room Factory Floor’s self-titled debut LP is one of the most anticipated of 2013. The band’s Dom Butler describes how they had to go against instinct in order to finish it Interview: Simon Jay Catling Photography: Georgia Kuhn

t’s mid-October 2010: posturing gothic postpunks O.Children should be stalking the stage of one of Manchester’s more established basement venues, The Ruby Lounge, as part of the now-defunct In The City music conference. On arrival, though, it is not the menacing drawl of Tobi O’Kandi or his group’s wiry guitar lines that have stunned the audience apparently static. Onstage, spits of white light fleck the cloaking darkness; fleeting illuminations reveal limbs moving as pinions in and among wires-on-wires plugged into analogue boxes. Combined, they release an unerringly penetrative rhythm that pounds repeatedly into the quivering walls. Three bodies are just about visible, connected to one another in near-robotic synergy; the intermittent rumbles rolling forth from the stage, though, have the feel of fallen divinity, plumes of discord pouring forth as through from out of the cracks in the earth’s crust. It is relentless, hypnotic; the group are locked-in, lost together in their own chaos. As the rotations of noise draw ever more vast rings around the room, a fourth figure suddenly clambers onstage, his face desperate, furious. He doesn’t feel like a part of this scene, and it soon becomes clear why. It’s O.Children’s manager. He lurches towards the drummer and attempts to wrench the sticks from his hands. Cables are flailed at, tugged apart from their machines; the sounds rise in pitch and become more incoherent. In delirium, the spectacle collapses in on itself. Factory Floor’s Dom Butler remembers that gig. “He was really angry,” he chuckles down the phone, when reminded that his group ran nearly half an hour over their allotted stage time that night. “I think he sent a load of angry tweets about us afterwards too.” Such are the levels of immersion that subsume Butler and his bandmates Nik Void and Gabriel Gurnsey during their live performances that only an increase in profile and subsequent headlining slots have prevented other bands’ managers from baying for their blood. Be it late-night in one of Europe’s rabid techno holes, in the open air of a festival, or – over the last two years – in gallery spaces like London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts or the Tate Modern, the London trio now run until the night’s oil runs dry. “Those earlier sets were fuelled by nerves. They still are, really; these performances could just fall apart,” Butler says. “They go on because we lose ourselves in them rather than attempting to keep control. It’s like the brakes have broken and we’re just rolling down the hill, trying to hold on.” It’s fair to say that Factory Floor have cemented their live reputation with a bloody-mindedness in how they strive to meet their audience. Delivered at phenomenal volume, their music has always seemed to achieve a live connection through confrontational means: the power of

Feature

their industrial abrasion ultimately drills down into the core of their crowd with a force that at first overwhelms, then holds participants trancelike in its grip, leaving mind and often body at its mercy. “It gets to a temperature,” Butler agrees. However, he posits that such attrition is just the surface layer of what is a multifaceted onstage journey, citing My Bloody Valentine’s infamous ‘Holocaust’ – the remorseless blitzkrieg of noise delivered towards the end of their set that has, in many instances, stretched towards the half-hour mark – as an example of how hammering the decibels can help both artist and audience achieve a near-meditative state. “For myself, and I’d say the others too, it’s definitely escapism,” Butler says. “It’s this thing where you saturate yourselves with sound. It’s similar to being out in a thunderstorm and it’s pissing down; it’s that moment when you realise you’re drenched and there’s no point protecting yourself from the wind and the weather, and so you just accept it. It’s a peaceful state of mind once you’re there, amidst utter chaos.”

“Those earlier sets were fuelled by nerves. They still are really; these performances could just fall apart” Dom Butler

At odds with the turbulent balance between calm and calamity that makes up Factory Floor’s live set is their debut LP. Out on DFA, Factory Floor has been a long time coming in the eyes of the group’s steadily increasing following, many of whom tracked them down in earnest after 2010’s brutally affirming EP A Wooden Box, which featured collaborations with New Order’s Stephen Morris and Throbbing Gristle’s Chris Carter – apt, given the inflections of their respective acts in Factory Floor’s output at that time. Yet Factory Floor feels free of the latter connotations in particular; though still largely lying on rhythms of taut rigidity, there’s a real bounce and playfulness on tracks like Turn It Up and How You Say, with subtle hooks sneaking out from the interrotation of hissing machinery. The production, too, is altogether sleeker than one might expect. It’s some way from that early, gleefully torrid

and abruptly halted Ruby Lounge gig – and yet it was not, Butler insists, a consciously intended direction. The three realised early on during the album’s making that they couldn’t possibly replicate their live sound in a studio. “Live, we feed off the different spaces that we play, so when we had to go to our studio and capture it, it was hard,” he comments. “It was a definite learning curve, like, ‘right, we haven’t got a lot of elements that we have live. There’s no audience, the nerves aren’t there, we can’t be as loud.’ Plus the commitment of the live situation is that you can’t press stop, you just have to move with it.” For an act who have committed so much of their development to the natural environment of the live arena, the contrast between that and the studio has been marked. It’s one thing having so many options available when undertaking the recording process, but it also threatens much of the organicity that’s already known and intrinsically trusted, possibly burying it under re-edit after re-edit. “But the live situation is what we know as a group,” answers Butler, “so in the warehouse where we record we just set up a big PA and played for massive chunks of time and just recorded it. Then we’d edit back.” This went against their natural instincts: “A live show is a journey where even the bits that aren’t working and feel like they’re going to sink are still heading towards somewhere; they still affect the emotion and the experience. For the album, we needed to partially re-create that but then edit out the bits where it was falling. It was really hard; some of the ideas were 20 minutes long and it was like ‘shit… there’s not going to be enough vinyl!’” It may have felt like going against their instincts, but it hasn’t affected the finished album. Factory Floor is imbued with a light touch that belies its two-year gestation period. Retaining the unremitting directness of the group’s live shows means that its sonic path evolves through nuance rather than sharp changes of gear, and the structure of the record has clearly been considered – in between the arpeggiated grooves of Here Again, the juddering dystopian disco of Fall Back, and How You Say’s scything serration lie three short, disparate pieces: ‘One,’ ‘Two’ and ‘Three.’ Featuring separately a looping warped vocal, a brash guitar sample and an ominously burbling synth, One, Two and Three duck under the constant forward drive of the album and offer a portal beyond the fizzing friction of the group’s mechanical techno. They feel like short reveals of the individuals behind the scenes – glimpses of the human touch that sits just underneath the rest of the record. “They were ideas that came from each one of us,” Butler explains. “It’s similar to what we did on the Fall Back b-side where we took the elements that we individually brought to the song. We’ve always enjoyed the intricacy

MUSIC

in our set where things drop out and leave the other elements standing. It was important to have that on the album because it gives the listener a deeper understanding of how Factory Floor works. It reflects how we work live, too. Sometimes we can clearly recognise one of the others is doing something strong within the music, and so we allow that individual idea to push through and follow it.” The outside perception of Factory Floor is that it took a while to write. Singles Two Different Ways and Fall Back had almost two years between them, while album talk was circulating even around earlier standalone release (R E A L L O V E). Butler agrees to an extent, but points out that they were also playing live a lot during its creation – which was ultimately key in piecing together the ideas for the finished work. “Part of it was wanting to explore things as much as we could and so sometimes ideas would go beyond a certain point,” he explains. “So a track would have been ‘finished’ but we’d carried on with it and have to come back round on them to find that point again. We’re not just going to the studio and bashing out a load of songs. We put the ideas down and then start to tinker with them and shape them. It’s more of a sculptural way of working.” The last time Factory Floor spoke to The Skinny, they distanced themselves from any suggestion that they sought to place a narrative on their music. A year on, that hasn’t changed. “But then I don’t find it strange that people do put their own framework on it though,” Butler qualifies. “It’s a very visual sound that we create and I think that people will always draw their own conclusions. I see why people will apply a narrative because it helps them to try and understand and explain the music. For us, though, I don’t think we do; it’s more of a feeling thing. Sound and vision is the same language for me, it’s just different tools that I’m using. But I like that it brings out different readings. It’s when people don’t have much to say you have to start worrying.” Instead, Butler describes what he feels is “a very kind of primitive dialogue” between him and his bandmates. “There’s no ‘let’s do a song based around the colour blue’ or anything like that,” he adds. “As we’re playing, it might start to feel like something like that but we’re never consciously doing it. It’s just an instinctive direction that we follow.” Intuition is what links Factory Floor live with Factory Floor in the studio. The great success of their debut album is not that it defines what people already know of them; it’s that it retains that while presenting them through a fresh sonic prism – their snarling physical embodiment coming together with a sleek, jocund sound to create a blistering, brilliant whole. Factory Floor is released on 9 Sep via DFA Records www.dfarecords.com/artists/factoryfloor

THE SKINNY

September 2013

MUSIC

Feature

Through the Never Brooklyn prodigy Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never, opens up about his new album for Warp, harsh childhood piano lessons, and ‘object-oriented ontology’

Interview: Bram E. Gieben

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER

eplica was characterised by complex tonal shifts; echoing drones, esoteric samplecraft, treated loops and cold synth washes. By contrast, Daniel Lopatin’s new album as Oneohtrix Point Never, R Plus Seven, is full of joyful, almost tropical synths and exuberant, arpeggiated melodic patterns. “Its propensity towards being a joyful record comes from being surrounded by this overly-maudlin music,” he says. The mood has been bleak of late, from the crepuscular, doomy atmospherics of Raime to the nighmarish grave-scapes of The Haxan Cloak. “I would always end up on bills with these really grim acts,” Lopatin continues. “You can overdose on it... it loses its purpose.” There is a more structured melodic approach in evidence on R Plus Seven: “With the older stuff, I would work compositionally around samples that would dictate what I needed to do musically,” he explains. “For R Plus Seven, I was sitting down at a keyboard, typically with a pipe organ-type sound, sketching ideas, recording it, and then manipulating it… it was a different way of working.” Lopatin was first taught to play as a child. “Those early piano lessons are not pleasant memories,” Lopatin laughs. “My mother was a very serious and disciplined teacher. A taskmaster who was always correcting my posture and fixing my back, my hands. She was very intimidating, and didn’t treat me like a child. Thus, I think those memories are somewhat tainted! I really benefited from what she was able to teach me. But ultimately, I ran away. There is some regret there. When we get together, she’s always saying, ‘I wish you had stuck with it.’ Maybe one of these summers, I’ll just disappear, and we’ll work on harmony together, refresh a bit.” Nevertheless, that classical training did provide Lopatin with a starting point for R Plus Seven “I was a little bit more intrigued by that part of me, this time around, whereas I’ve been through

Feature

a long phase of thinking of that as an ancillary aspect of what I’m doing,” he says. “When it does come together, it’s such a rush. To make it all connect, and to feel the way that it does, there’s a lot of magic and trickery and voodoo involved. I’m really quite technically limited; I wouldn’t call myself a musician, necessarily.” When asked how he feels about releasing his first full-length record on Warp, Lopatin is only half-joking when he says: “I think they’re very lucky to have me.” He laughs. “They’re really focused and together individuals, in a way that I really need. Because I am not. I appreciate their calm. I feel like I’ve been kind of a journeyman... doing things to satisfy my own interests and inclinations. There’s very little feeling of labels dictating what I do, now or ever – I’ve never had that kind of relationship with any label.” Although in no sense a nostalgic or selfconsciously ‘retro’ album, R Plus 7 does contain some glitchy, complex beats that have a lot in common with the sonic realms of various figures from Warp’s storied past. “I do have this mimetic part of my personality,” Lopatin reflects. “When Carlos Giffoni started putting out my records on No Fun, I started taking a deeper interest in their back catalogue, because he was sharing with me this rich history that he was tapped into. With Warp, it’s quite different – what they’ve been, and what they are, is kind of ingrained in people’s DNA. If you love electronic music, you’ve almost got this hardened layer you can’t irrigate, that layer of hardened rock formation that is Warp. I don’t really know how to judge it. I think it’s always been a part of me.” He namechecks Autechre, Broadcast, and Boards of Canada as key inspirations. In the past, Lopatin has argued that there exists in his work a layer of humour that critics ignore or overlook, describing himself as “something of a musical satirist.” Does R Plus Seven

contain satirical elements? Lopatin laughs. “Lots, but I’m not gonna give it away.” Attempting to draw him out, The Skinny mentions the corporate video aesthetics of the ‘vaporwave’ microgenre, 90s video game soundtracks, and early rave synths. Are we getting warm? “I don’t know, maybe,” he replies enigmatically. He is equally tightlipped about any potential narrative interpretations of the album: “There is a narrative, just by the virtue of the process of making it,” he offers, “but not one that’s specific enough to share.”

“There’s a lot of magic and trickery and voodoo involved...” Daniel Lopatin

One thing Lopatin is happy to discuss is the process behind gathering the material and information used in the creation of his music. Many internet-addicted readers will recognise the description he offers of himself as someone with “the archiving bug.” Sorting through the various sources and reference points that lead to an album’s creation can be difficult, which, he says, is “a lesson I learned... I realised that making things hard for yourself is not necessarily a point of pride. I have this kind of... digital hoarding aspect of my personality. I’ll make audacious demands of myself, and others working with me, to create these piles or indexes of things to use. The task is less musical, and more like, ‘Go through this gigantic fucking pile, and find all the sweet spots.’” This tallies with his thoughts about the

MUSIC

generation to which he belongs, which he has collectively described as “a generation of linkmasters,” infinitely curious, always scouring the internet and both mainstream and disparate underground cultures for new sounds, new data. “It’s becoming us,” he says. He’s glad to see the back of the “boring, Orwellian conversation” that dominated the internet’s first two decades. “I have some dystopian tendencies, as well as this ability to just accept whatever morphological things are happening in our culture – I’m ready to be swept away in it,” he continues. “If I’m a typical example of a person living in a society with those kind of technocratic dictates, I feel very free right now – more free, perhaps, than earlier generations would have felt when global communications began to affect people on a daily basis. I’m perpetually curious about the artistic quotient in all of that. I feel like it’s endless.” The growing intersectionality between diverse levels and types of culture fascinates him. “There’s stratification going on, and then the breakage,” he explains, perhaps referring to traditionally observed cultural and artistic divides and subcultural ‘tribes.’ For Lopatin, exploring and discovering new cultural objects and trends is the fun part. “There’s a lot to enjoy in the actual process of that happening, as opposed to the analysis of the factions, which is where we were. I think now, people are more like, ‘So what does it feel like?’” This leads him to one of the major themes of his recent work, namely exploring what he calls “object-oriented ontology,” a concept he also sees in the work of sound and visual artist Mark Fell. “That’s one of the questions I’m always interested in as an artist, even when I’m not directly addressing technology. In my general curiosity about the world, I’m always asking, ‘What does it feel like to be this? What does it feel like to be that?’ It could be something animate or inanimate – it’s that liquification of poles that I’m into.” This object-oriented, ontological approach is also explored in the work of Takeshi Murata, who filmed the video for Problem Areas. “I was inspired by his still life work,” which features in the video, Lopatin explains. “That particular series he did is super inspiring to me. Specifically, this idea of musical objects – instead of focusing on music, thinking of sounds as these acute choices that are grouped together, that create a sense of place, a cultural sense of contrast.” What does he hope to achieve by creating these ‘musical objects’ and acute choices? It is “a way of giving inanimate objects a kind of secret life. By virtue of them interacting with each other in plain sight, with very little in the way of bells and whistles around it, you get a really deep experience of the sound, instead of the music. That’s really interesting to me.” As with Fell’s work, “it’s a weird hybrid of ideas about objectoriented ontology and music itself.” Lopatin, originally from Massachusetts, confesses he is less inspired by the musical culture of Brooklyn than he used to be. “Before, I would immerse myself more casually in what was going on musically around here, but it’s like I’m very gradually becoming a hermit. Not a misanthropic one, but a hermit.” If the fruits of these periods of splendid isolation are as intriguing as R Plus Seven, perhaps the hermetic life has value. Lopatin’s new offering displays a palpable unity of thought, inspiration and process. Or, as Hermes Trismegistus might say: ‘As above, so below.’ R Plus Seven is out on 30 Sep via Warp. Oneohtrix Point Never plays Islington Assembly Hall, London, 3 Oct www.pointnever.com

THE SKINNY

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28/08/2013 14:57

Screening the Obscene Ahead of its big screen adaptation starring and produced by James McAvoy, we speak to Irvine Welsh about his third novel Filth, a delightful tale of a dirty copper and his foul-mouthed tapeworm

Interview: Tom Seymour Illustration: Camille Smithwick

s yours truly sits to write this article, Irvine Welsh tweets to his 93,597 followers: ‘Maybe I should get a little sun on dem long Leith limbs. Maybe it’s time to say ‘fuck work’ today. Maybe it is. Yes sir, Mr IRS man.’ When we met earlier this year, he’d just flown in from the Cannes Film Festival (“bunch of kids spaffing their inheritance on rosé,” is his summary). He promoted Filth for a few days, and then did the rounds at the Hay festival. Then he returned to his new adopted Miami, his retirement home in the sun. Welsh’s skin has a leathery permatan to it; he flirts with the girl applying his on-air make-up like a veteran of the whole charade, and there’s a bit of a beer belly poking out from his leather jacket. He looks, just a little, like a cross between Crocodile Dundee and Charles Bronson. But don’t be deceived. The great gatecrasher of British literature, the lad that – in his own words – ‘went to London, made some money, but in the good Scots tradition, managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory’ isn’t packing up yet. Nor has he forgotten where he’s come from: he’s still the mohawked punk of the 80s intent on scaring the shit – by looks and by argument – out of any Thatcher-loving suit. He’s still as committed to the skagboys of post-industrial Scotland as he is to Hibernian FC. He’s still the guy who knows, as well as anyone, what it’s like to have the ‘best orgasm you’ve ever had... multiply it by a thousand’ as you plunge the needle and lie back on the floor of a squat.

“I think society is ill; Bruce is a character that came out of the Thatcherite, extremeindividualistic, very entitled, hubristic attitude” Irvine Welsh

And he’s still the basis of great movies. The author of Trainspotting, The Acid House, Porno and Ecstasy is rightly proud of Jon S. Baird’s adaption of his third novel, Filth, in which Bruce Robertson, an Edinburgh policeman, does everything in his power to abuse any power he has. As he writes in the book: ‘That’s the beauty aboot being polis: it doesnae really matter whether or not everybody hates you, as long as they’re civil tae your face and can put up a good front. You can only live in the world you ken. The rest is just wishful thinking or paranoia.’ “I wrote Filth at the crest of that wave of fame that came from the success of Trainspotting,” Welsh says. “The last book had

September 2013

gone straight to number one, and then Filth went the same way. Commercially, I was at the top of the pile, so I was writing the book from a position of strength. I wasn’t an unknown. But it made me want to write a novel that was completely incendiary, totally crazy. Trainspotting and Ecstasy were about skinny drug-lovers. So I started with the guy on the other side of the coin – who was putting these poor lads in jail.” But when news filtered through that Baird and James McAvoy, Filth’s star and producer, were to adapt the book, Welsh was concerned: “I couldn’t really imagine it as a film to be honest. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me. But the whole thing wouldn’t have been possible without James. A character on a page can be as bad as you want, but an audience needs to engage with a character on screen, in spite of all the things he does. James is capable of putting empathy into the character; you can actually see him fighting against it. Bruce is actually quite a decent guy going through a really hard time. He might be a bit of a bastard y’know, but he’s having it tough. James pushes that out there.” A bit of a bastard? Film titles are rarely so accurate; unless cinemas start providing live tapeworms to share your popcorn, it’s difficult to imagine how Filth could be more filthy. Because Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson – Filth’s hero – is not a man you’d want protecting your town. A homophobe, a racist, a misanthrope and a misogynist, he upends whisky, snorts his way through thin white lines, and plays his mates off against each other while working through their wives – and that’s when he’s not stealing from old ladies and raping young girls. Full-blooded, casually heinous, elegantly wasted but weirdly

heartfelt as well, McAvoy is perfect for the role: he makes you almost want to have a pint with Bruce. Even as he commits the most disgusting crimes. Even as he wakes the next morning not knowing who he is, guilt hanging off him. Even as he accepts advice from the tapeworm living in his intestinal tract. ‘Bruce,’ the tapeworm says. ‘You’re an ugly and silly old man. You’re very possibly an alcoholic and God knows what else. You’re the type of sad case who preys on vulnerable, weak and stupid women in order to boost his own shattered ego. You’re a mess. You’ve gone wrong somewhere pal.’ McAvoy’s opinion of Bruce is rather more compassionate. When we speak, he describes his take on the character as a study of psychosis: “Bruce is mentally ill, stemming from his self-esteem issues, his inferiority issues, his fear of everybody, which manifests itself in a superiority guise and a reality he writes in his own head,” explains the 34-year-old Glaswegian. “He’s terrified of being weak. So he drinks and does drugs to keep that sense of power intact. And he’s just gone deeper and deeper and deeper into it, until he can’t remember what it was like to be normal.” Welsh has never written his characters with sympathy. The author’s stance in Filth is evasive, ambiguous about Bruce at best. Does he accept McAvoy’s socially-minded take on the character? “I was interested in mental illness, yeah,” says Welsh. “It’s an ongoing issue I see with people who have bipolar disorder. They have their medication, they take it and everything’s fine, but they don’t feel they’re living life right on the edge or right to the full. So they skip back on the

FILM

medication and have a breakdown. I’ve seen that happen with quite a few people I’ve known over the years, so it’s something that’s always interested me. “But I wanted to look at mental illness in a broader sense,” continues Welsh, who seems destined to always return to the “shared universe” of lower-rung Edinburgh, to his love-torn fascination with Scottish community and the ravages upon it that veins its way through his work (the characters from Trainspotting make cameo appearances in The Acid House, Marabou Stork Nightmares, Ecstasy and Filth, although Baird is careful not to overplay the references in the film). “I think society is ill,” he says. “Bruce is a character that came out of the Thatcherite, extreme-individualistic, very entitled, hubristic attitude. That’s a mental illness in itself, in much the same way the extreme collectivism of 1984 was a mental illness. How does someone from a traditional working class background deal with cognitive dissonance? How do they deal with society’s beliefs being out of step with its actions? Bruce’s personal pathology is as much about social pathology.” Irvine Welsh shakes hands and moves on to his next interview. The self-made lad from Leith is now a celebrity, only popping home occasionally – but no one’s going to hold it against him. He could have had a quiet time of it. He could have chosen a fucking big television, washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. He didn’t. He chose life. Filth is released in cinemas on 27 Sep in Scotland and 4 Oct in the rest of the UK

Feature

Stage and Intervention A new exhibition at The Royal Standard in Liverpool seeks to question both the notion of collage and the very space it occupies. Curator Madeline Hall introduces us to exhibiting artists Laura Aldridge, Emily Musgrave and Lauren Printy Currie

Interview: Lauren Velvick

“I am interested in obscuring the viewing” Emily Musgrave

The three artists have not exhibited together before, and in the work selected by Hall, each of them approaches themes of temporality, familiarity and confinement in disparate but overlapping ways. Musgrave’s sculptural assemblages knowingly utilise materials that can create barriers to understanding for the viewer: “I often use materials that I have found or seen being used around the city,” she says, adding, “I am interested in obscuring the viewing.” Similarly, Printy Currie states that the pieces she will be showing “respond to a surplus in materiality,” evoking commonplace structures (in the form of swimming pool edges in work from the Divers series), and simultaneously disrupting artistic conventions with their use of paint on plaster. “Paint as a substance aspires to flatness,” she explains, “[covering] the object’s three dimensionality and creating visual propositions rather than tactile ones.” Laura Aldridge also recognises the power of altering a familiar subject at its core, and explains how the works that she will be showing “use the structural forms of procession and protest placards as a reference point – although mine are weighted with concrete blocks, as a kind of defiance to the temporality of a sign carried at a rally.”

Feature

LAURA ALDRIDGE - THINGS HELD INSIDE// THE NEW SEA (2012)

“We’re really lucky to have a space that is very flexible and adaptable,” Hall says of the gallery space at The Royal Standard, which, for previous exhibitions, has been split in two. “It’s also less precious than traditional gallery spaces, so we can often shift the space to suit the artist’s work as it develops.” In this case, walls will be ripped down and windows revealed, as Musgrave’s large, glassy works must react to their environment through light and shadow. It is also important for Hall that each artist’s work will be able to interact with the others, and she refers to a spontaneous and organic style of curating, allowing for a close relationship with artists. This flexible and open attitude towards the role of curator bodes well; in an exhibition that deals with space and place, it is vital that the work is coherent in its interaction with the gallery. This is of particular importance in the case of Musgrave’s work, which is altered site-specifically. “Each work is finalised on the site in which it is exhibited, and is usually destroyed after exhibiting,” Musgrave explains, “making it only familiar to the environment it is shown in.” SPACE IS NOT A VOID will contain both new works and others plucked from series and placed in a new context. Printy Currie describes how she is keen to see how works from Divers – a series of wall-based, plaster and paint sculptures first shown in Glasgow in January this year – will be altered as a result of their juxtaposition with

pieces from Musgrave and Aldridge. “I do tend to make work in series with the intention that they are viewed as component parts of one whole,” she says, “but I am interested to see how extracting parts of Divers and showing them with new work may bring them to life in a new way.” As well as showing parts of Divers, Printy Currie will also be producing new works on canvas towards the exhibition – allowing Hall to make use of the wall space in the gallery, as both Musgrave and Aldridge’s work is mostly free-standing. Hall’s selections of works by Aldridge – which were originally shown as part of a solo exhibition in 2012 – are also part of a series, or framework. “I could keep making them and have done – this is pretty typical of my work, never just one thing, always many... with different voices,” Aldridge comments. Musgrave, on the other hand, is producing completely new works that have grown out of a previous exhibition: “[They] are a development from the large sculptures I made for The Parallax Curtain at S1 Artspace in Sheffield last November,” she says, “[however,] I am using different materials, which is proving challenging.” The interplay between Musgrave’s delicate and temporary sculptures as they respond to the space’s environmental phenomena, and Aldridge’s weighted, stopped and silenced procession – which refers to the inherently sitespecific placard but refuses any particular message – will be intriguing to experience.

ART

Though material investigation plays an important role in each of the three artists’ practices – with Musgrave relating her method of “testing materials in order to explore their permanence, value and substance” – also integral are references to literature, philosophy and theory. Likewise, the title of the exhibition is inspired by Edward Relph’s Place and Placelessness (1976), an influential book that seeks to philosophically define ‘place’ – as Hall relates, “Relph’s central interest was the human experience of our spatial surroundings, which he argued was a fundamental aspect of people’s existence in the world.” It makes sense that, in an intellectual, material and aesthetic enquiry into an idea as abstract and intangible as space and place, there is this interplay between object and experience in the selected works. Significantly, also evident is a clear awareness of – and interest in – the spatial experience of the visitor, specifically in terms of gallery space and the viewing of art; something Aldridge confirms, describing how her artistic investigations have helped her to “realise and understand how important the space is between the work and the viewer, and how it functions.” SPACE IS NOT A VOID, The Royal Standard, Liverpool, 14-28 Sep, Friday, Saturday or by appointment, 12-5pm, free www.the-royal-standard.com

THE SKINNY

Photo: Ruth Clark

or her first solo curatorial endeavour at The Royal Standard, the forthcoming SPACE IS NOT A VOID, director Madeline Hall conducts an investigation into transient spatial experience, intending to present “a range of artworks that challenge and explore the medium of contemporary collage... works that could also be defined as sculpture.” An artist-run gallery, project space and studio complex based at the Vauxhall Business Centre on the northern edge of Liverpool’s city centre, The Royal Standard was founded in 2006 by four Liverpool artists and is now run by a team of up to six directors, who work in the role for a spell of two years. Hall is currently approaching the end of her tenure and explains how, usually, the three-week long exhibitions in the gallery space are curated collaboratively by the directors – so, she says, for SPACE IS NOT A VOID, “it’s great to have the opportunity to work in a different way and pursue my own research interests.” She describes how the organisation’s position in Liverpool’s arts ecology allows it to promote excellence while responding to artists’ needs: “We’re small enough to retain flexibility, which also allows us to take risks in programming, providing opportunities for artists working across local, regional, national and international platforms,” she explains. In line with this, SPACE IS NOT A VOID brings two Glasgow artists, Laura Aldridge and Lauren Printy Currie (who is also director of The Duchy), to Liverpool, along with Sheffield-based Emily Musgrave, who caught the curator’s eye exhibiting at the Cave Art Fair during the Liverpool Biennial in 2012.

BREATHTAKING ≥

≥ NEW CONCERT SEASON STARTS SEPTEMBER

SONIC ART FOR THE V I S U A L LY M I N D E D

AT THE BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER, 2.15PM THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER, 7.30PM SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER, 7.30PM

SIR MARK ELDER LESLEY GARRETT ELGAR’S ‘ENIGMA’ VARIATIONS Bax Tintagel Barber Adagio for Strings Barber Songs Elgar Enigma Variations

Thu 31 October – Sun 3 November Venues across Glasgow Full festival details sonic-a.co.uk

Voice

[ UK Première ]

An audio visual duet by Norwegian artist Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje and light designer HC Gilje Thursday 31 October / 19.30

TICKETS FROM £10 (PLUS BOOKING FEE*) STUDENT TICKETS AVAILABLE WEDNESDAY

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SIR MARK ELDER SHOSTAKOVICH’S ‘LENINGRAD’ BRITTEN WORLD PREMIERE Britten Britain to America world premiere Shostakovich Symphony No.7, ‘Leningrad’ TICKETS FROM £11 (PLUS BOOKING FEE*) STUDENT TICKETS AVAILABLE

SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER, 7.30PM

GUN TOTIN’ FILM SCORES CARL DAVIS WILD, WILD WEST The concert includes: The Lone Ranger Rossini High Noon Tiomkin Brokeback Mountain Santaolalla Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head Bacharach Billy the Kid Suite: selection Copland The Alamo: ‘The Green Leaves of Summer’ Tiomkin The Magnificent Seven Bernstein Blazing Saddles Morris

The Buffer Zone

[ Scottish Prèmiere ]

A multi-media opera set in the UN-policed buffer zone in Cyprus by Yannis Kyriakides Friday 1 November / 19.30

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Voice image: HC Gilje, The Buffer Zone image: Peter Kiers

September 2013

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THE SKINNY

Dark Passion We talk to director Kieran Evans about his forthcoming film Kelly + Victor, life in Liverpool and the conservative nature of the British film industry

ieran Evans’ debut feature, Kelly + Victor, is one of the most authentically Liverpudlian films in recent years. But you won’t see any picture-postcard shots of St George’s Hall, or characters shopping in Liverpool ONE. Instead, Evans shows Liverpool as it’s seen by the majority of its inhabitants – those on the outskirts, away from the glamour of the city centre. “What’s quite interesting about Liverpool is that it’s used a lot in big blockbuster films,” says Evans over the phone. “I was watching Captain America with my son the other day – forgive my sins – and the bit with the docks, that part was all Liverpool! So it’s used a lot, but just not in the way I see it. “The interesting thing is that we started the film around 2005, when Liverpool was in that period leading up to becoming the Capital of Culture, when it was right in the middle of being regenerated and cleaned up. But if you just walked ten minutes up the road, towards Kensington and places like that, the regeneration just sort of stopped. I thought it was gobsmacking – this is just ten minutes from city centre!” For Evans, who, though Welsh, loves the city like a native, the effect on people in such neglected areas can be devastating: “When you’re in Liverpool you meet people who are not really as connected to where they live anymore... They’ve been left behind,” he says. “People with no hope, or very little hope, finding other ways to escape, via drinking, drugs, sex, things like that – people end up doing all that because what else have you got?” This is the world of Kelly and Victor. In their twenties and leading fairly hopeless lives, they

meet one night in a club and quickly enter into a relationship that’s as sexually violent as anything you’ll see on screen: from the beginning, Kelly strangles Victor during sex with such determination that at first it seems like outright abuse. Victor, though, encourages her; and it’s clear that they’re interdependent, sharing what Evans calls “a dark passion.” In order to make such brutal scenes believable, Evans points out, Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Julian Morris, who play Kelly and Victor, “went above and beyond the call of duty.” Especially Morris, he says, who “wanted to make some of the strangulation look real. And there’s only one way you can make strangulation look real.” Sticking close to the source material – Niall Griffiths’ novel of the same name – the film, though in places filled with unexpected lyrical beauty, also contains scenes so harrowing they’re difficult to watch. It was, unsurprisingly, far from easy to get it made: “It was obviously, and I’ll put this in quotes, a ‘difficult project,’” Evans says. “Around that time people were very sensitive about films with strong sexual matter – I think Michael Winterbottom had just done 9 Songs and repulsed half the film industry with it. It was one of those things where if they’d seen 9 Songs they immediately said, ‘I don’t want it.’ But we were trying to say: ‘No, it’s something more beautiful than that, there’s a tenderness to what we’re talking about.’” The industry’s initial reluctance towards such a project speaks of broader problems. “For me, a lot of British films tend to focus on what they know best,” Evans says. “They don’t tend to push boundaries enough. I mean you’ve got your

Interview: Kristian Doyle

KELLY + VICTOR

zombies, you’ve got your gangsters, you’ve got your period dramas and you’ve got your romcoms. And then you’ve got Danny Boyle, a slightly out-there character, and Ben Wheatley... But other than that it’s very difficult to see what you can make out of British films.” Evans believes his film explores an important topic the way it should be explored: “Sex seems to be the last taboo subject that’s finally getting discussed and filmed in the right way – it’s not just a bunch of Hollywood actors pushing each other up against the fucking wall and hiking

their skirts up, doing these mad sex scenes on glass tables anymore. It’s a legitimate subject to discuss.” In Kelly + Victor, it’s “more real than anything you could see in a Hollywood film, or a rom-com,” and, he says – most importantly – “there are people like this out there. There are some really beautiful people out there, just with different ways of seeing the world. And that’s the film I wanted to make.” Kelly + Victor is released 20 Sep by Verve Pictures

Identity in Flux Aidan Gillen discusses his performance in Mister John, the enigmatic and bracingly original new film from Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy

t’s still quite amazing, that gap between actors and their on-screen personas. True actors, that is, as opposed to stars who merely project interpretations of themselves on screen. While sitting across from Aidan Gillen, it’s clear he’s one of the former, proving nothing like the ambitious and pugnacious Mayor Carcetti from The Wire, the role that forms our horizon of expectation. Gillen is very pleasant, but a little reticent to indulge in self-reflection. He’s more comfortable singing the praises of Mister John, the excellent, perplexing feature he’s here to promote, and of Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy, the filmmaking duo behind the movie. “They’re quite daring,” says the 45-year-old Irishman of his directors. “Say with Who Killed Brown Owl [the pair’s audacious, award-winning single-take short film], I admired the way they would go about things: saying we’ve got ten grand to make a film but we’re going to shoot it on 70mm, and the only way we’re going to be able to do that is in one shot, and to get the local girl guides and boy scouts and knitting group to act in it. They know what’s important to them and they just do their own thing, and it’s different to what a lot of people are doing.” It certainly is. It’s also challenging. Mister John languishes in the shadow of death, masquerading as a grieving brother’s journey to Singapore; but it is much more than that. It’s said that straight roads lead to progress and twisted

September 2013

Interview: Alan Bett

ones to genius. Well, Mister John is the next step: the compass is shattered, and all narrative hints prove wrong turns. “I quite like a film like that, with lots of space,” Gillen ponders, “so even as you’re watching you can drift off and think about other things and still be engaged. It’s not just plot coming at you all the time.” Actually, it’s closer to a breakdown evolving on celluloid, punctuated with dark and dirty humour – the inclusion of which Gillen firmly approves. “God knows we need it,” he says. “I think we were surprised when we came to it. I don’t think that fight scene [where, after a long and tense build, Gillen’s character is easily beaten] was written to be funny, or that snake scene [which results in a comedy erection].” The whole situation his character, Gerry, finds himself in has a Beckettion absurdity: “I’m at the end of a plane ride in somewhere I don’t know, my brother is dead, my family is fucked, my life is fucked, and I just don’t give a fuck.” It could be suggested that Gerry, who gradually morphs into his dead brother, might be an easy role for an actor. They are, after all, in the habit of continually transforming themselves, in Gillen’s case from pantomime villain across from Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights to Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish in Game of Thrones, and most recently on our UK screens to the chilling Dublin crime-lord John Boy Power in Love/

MISTER JOHN

Hate. “Do we all do that?” he asks, considering the chameleon-like nature of acting for a living. “I don’t know. I’m a bit of an escape artist and I find that at times in my life I have just gone off and got lost and enjoyed it. And I guess that’s what I identified with in this script. It can be what you need at times.” Our interview takes place before Mister John’s world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and we later hear that Gillen missed the post-screening Q&A. Perhaps he was never meant to make it, or it was just some mix-up, but it’s certainly difficult to imagine him suffering staged grillings or plastic press junkets gladly. His film choices perhaps

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reflect this stubbornness: there must be easier ways to earn your bread than sweating it out on an independent in Singapore; there must be little incentive to perform in outrageous jagged shorts like Spunkbubble? “Your mates go, ‘do you want to be in my film?’” says Gillen, “and I always go ‘um... yeah.’” When we bump into him the next day, he’s skulking around the DVD section of Edinburgh’s Filmhouse. As before, he’s nice and polite and chats away – then off he goes, the actor and reluctant star. Aidan Gillen to friends and family; Mayor Carcetti to us. Mister John is released 27 Sep by Artificial Eye

Feature

Inner Vision It’d be easy to take yourself too seriously as the world’s number one DJ; instead, Seth Troxler finds the time to chat with us about magic, fortune and smoked meats

Interview: John Thorp

and plays Liverpool’s legendary Circus club at East Village Arts Club on 28 September – two of three sessions DJing at as many events that day, suggesting that he is as aware of opportunities as he professes to be. Behind the decks, he plays with minimal fuss but an undeniable charisma, regularly indulging his more psychedelic sensibility with records that other DJs of his ilk would likely avoid. In 2012, he moved further away from [DJ software] Traktor and began playing all-wax sets again, creating weirder moments from his rich record collection of house and techno while pleasing even bigger crowds.

“I kind of don’t care about a lot of things, like, almost anything”

SETH TROXLER

eth Troxler was born to play music, or so he would have you believe. It’d be difficult to disagree with him. Born in the mid 80s and a kid on the outskirts of Detroit, he grew up amid the steady decline of a once-thriving motor industry, and yet, from an early age, managed to harness some of the creative energy the city was best known for. Troxler has DJed since his teens, mainly at underground warehouse parties in neighbourhoods that local suburban youths probably shouldn’t be hanging around in. Given that his dad was a locally known funk and house DJ with his own long-running club night, Troxler likely faced few repercussions for staying out late, which he did, a lot. Quitting his job at a sports arena at 16, where he steadfastly denied a managerial request to remove his dreadlocks, he took some time to focus on some of the new music-making software that was emerging. Shortly afterwards, he graduated from high school, and was flown to Berlin, where he played Panorama Bar with Omar S. Soon after, his teenage friend Ryan Crosson joined him in the German capital and house music mecca, waving goodbye to the Midwest and to luminaries such as friend and future collaborator Matthew Dear, who was a few years older while Troxler was at school. The same school, that is. It’s a mythology beyond anything a PR could conjure, and yet Troxler’s good fortune is, if anything, downplayed. Briefly speaking on the phone

Feature

to The Skinny while gathering “old records that sound good in the desert” in preparation for a whole week’s stay at the notoriously out-there Burning Man festival, where he’ll play simply “a bunch of times,” Troxler is as chatty and excitable as he appears in all his press appearances, though perhaps less so than when he infamously agreed to a video interview in Miami while wearing his girlfriend’s shorts and completely off his tits (since 2010, footage of Troxler ducking imaginary bats has been viewed more than 300,000 times. He was last year voted Resident Advisor’s #1 DJ of the year by readers internationally). “I mean, some people say coincidence, but I say luck or fate. I came from a middle class family and have been in the right place at the right time, with people who have been on the same sort of dream path,” says Troxler, whose influential Visionquest label – the name of which is derived from a Native American ritual – is co-run with aforementioned pal Crosson as well as Shaun Reeves and Lee Curtiss. The background of Troxler’s popular Twitter feed is adorned with a sort of gap year snap of the four of them in tribal make-up, grinning impishly. “That’s the thing, you have to be aware of opportunities; whoever you want to be, you already are, and if you grab the right opportunities, everything is truly possible if you get on the cosmic path. Just picking up the small details and conversations and conditions, recognising patterns in your life, and it almost becomes a sort of game.”

To his detractors, Troxler can sound a little too spaced, arguably naïve – a fortunate recipient of incredible circumstance. He’s known to wear crystals around his neck. “I am a little bit interested in magic, the unexplainable, forces beyond our control,” he happily admits. But there’s a sincerely odd and exploratory streak to Troxler that belies his undeniable mass appeal. While his friend Jamie Jones and associated label Hot Creations push their ubiquitous deep house sound towards the charts, Troxler, a true believer in psychedelic, communal experiences, has spent much of the last year devising Visionquest Thirteen; the events began by filling rooms two and three at Manchester’s Warehouse Project in April. “We hired actors in robes for when people walked in and the main room had this strange light tunnel. We had mirrors and a chill-out room. We’ve attempted to create a one-night experience, something temporary,” Troxler explains. “If you experience music while something is happening, it tends to penetrate more; the whole experience sticks with you longer.” His idealism is hardly synonymous with mainstream club culture. What motivates him into these projects? “I think it’s giving people more to think about,” he says. “It’s kind of doing something more and setting the tone for people to do projects and share things in their lives. If you’re exposed to different experiences and ideas, you’re encouraged to explore other ideals.” Troxler returns to The Warehouse Project

CLUBS

Photo: Stephanie Smith

Seth Troxler

Earlier this year, the largely male community of dance music fans online individually declared themselves aroused, disgusted or nonplussed by a documentary clip of fellow DJ Nina Kraviz in a bubble bath, discussing her career. Four months later, and in perhaps history’s strangest piece of festival promo, a portly, nude Seth Troxler stood in front of a fireplace, his genitals digitally blurred, holding a banana and a portrait of legendary director and convicted paedophile Roman Polanski. “Hi, I’m Roman Polanski, I like underage girls. Come to Eastern Electrics,” he whispered. “I kind of don’t care about a lot of things, like, almost anything,” he tells me. “I’m passionate about the things I do, but in terms of bullshit, I just don’t care about it. I’m kind of a chilled guy, I like to smoke a joint, watch TV, listen to music. I hate the hype, and all that stuff, it’s the worst.” While there’s always time to sod about on the internet with his cock out, Troxler is one of the busiest DJs and producers in the business. “I love to work,” he stresses. “My girlfriend thinks I have some sort of pathological disorder.” He is currently in the process of starting no fewer than three labels, including one focused on indie and folk. A huge fan of leftfield imprints such as Captured Tracks, he is currently working on a remix with feted dream-pop band Wild Nothing. He’s also just opened a pop-up restaurant and bar in Hackney Wick, Smokey Tails, in conjunction – as usual – with Crosson. The smoked meats are complimented by sauces and recipes passed down from relatives, and Troxler admits that it’s been “a dream.” As usual, he’s getting stuck in. “The meat shop has really gone well. It’s been open eight days, and I’ve been there for three.” Troxler is in fact a two-time champion of the Amsterdam Dance Event’s DJ Cook Off. (“If I win three times, I get to retire,” he explains with even more enthusiasm than usual. “I have to beat DJ Sneak.”) True to form, a brief visit to Smokey Tails’ Facebook page reveals solid evidence of Troxler behind both the decks and the counter at his latest venture. Just the world’s foremost DJ, wearing a hairnet and a dress, grilling and serving meat to the public. Seth Troxler plays The Warehouse Project, Manchester, and East Village Arts Club, Liverpool, 28 Sep. He returns to the Warehouse on 19 Oct www.thewarehouseproject.com

THE SKINNY

Photo: Philippe Carly

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FABOLOUS

Monday 28th October

Sunday 29th September

Saturday 2nd November

Wednesday 9th October

Thursday 7th November

Friday 11th October

Saturday 9th November

Monday 14th October

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ACE HOOD

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Monday 21st October

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Wednesday 18th September

LAURA MVULA

September 2013

Saturday 26th October Sean Fintan Morgan presents

LUCY SPRAGGON STEVE MASON

MOUNT KIMBIE SAVAGES

HAPPY MONDAYS Thursday 21st December

CHAMELEONVOX

plus special guests

Friday 13th Sept The Ritz, Manchester

tickets £14 adv - Ticketline.co.uk 0161 832 1111 - Ticketmaster.co.uk 0844 248 5117

22/08/2013 11:02

Paradigm Shift: Now Turn the Page Of all the industries going through the current paradigm shifts driven by technological change, book publishing is perhaps the most affected, and the most threatened

he Scottish writer Ewan Morrison, who recently began a satirical, dystopian series on the future of publishing for the Guardian, believes the restructuring of distribution networks, the rise of self-publishing, and increasingly generic, franchised notions of ‘content’ supplanting literature and culture have engaged the publishing world in a “race to the bottom.” “We’ve been taught how to behave like ‘masses’ since the birth of consumerism. People want to consume the same things,” he argues. People “didn’t even bother to read their copies of Fifty Shades of Grey.” Those in the top echelons of publishing are earning more than ever, while emerging and niche concerns are going broke. The ‘long tail’ model, proposed by Chris Anderson in a 2004 article for Wired, has failed. “There’s no smooth transition from that to things that sell smaller numbers – there’s a sudden drop. That notion that there would be healthy niche markets within the long tail internet model has collapsed. The paradigm shift has not overthrown the notion of receiving singular products of mass culture.” Does the future resemble the dystopia of Morrison’s Guardian piece, with fan fiction and franchise spin-offs dominating culture while new writers and publishers fall off what he calls “the de-monetised cliff”? Or does the rise of self-publishing and online retail merely offer new opportunities; a more democratic route to audiences?

NAVIGATING THE AMAZON

any of the authors we spoke to were devastatingly critical of Amazon’s business model. Amazon control around 75% of the UK book market, but complaints about the discounting of books and the de-monetisation of literature stem back to 1991, with the setting aside of the Net Book Agreement, which allowed a united publishing industry to charge a minimum price for their output. Marc Lambert, now Chief Executive at the Scottish Book Trust, worked for Waterstones in the 80s. He believes the high street model is “as good as dead... in one sense this is a pity. In another it is thoroughly deserved.” The chains “destroyed their own business model, all in the

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Interviews: Bram E. Gieben Illustrations: Emer Tumilty

name of free market thinking.” Mark Buckland, who runs the successful Glasgow-based publisher Cargo Press, agrees. “What we had before was an equilibrium where everybody got paid a fair amount. Should we bring it back? Maybe. Are we ever going to be able to? No. As soon as the supermarkets get involved, that is over as an idea.” The accusation that Amazon care more about profit than culture is almost impossible to refute, but Christopher Brookmyre, several of whose novels have been bestsellers, is a little more generous: “Amazon are always going to be drawn to something that is guaranteed to sell in large volume. I don’t think it’s therefore the case that they think it doesn’t matter about building up a readership around a particular author. They’ll be aware themselves that if there are a million books out there, and nobody knows if any of them are any good, people might not buy any at all.” Doug Johnstone, also a thriller writer, has seen benefits from Amazon sales, but finds the implications alarming. The problem is “they have a stranglehold on publishing. Both of my last two novels were Kindle ‘deals of the day’ and they both sold more in that day than all my other books combined, for my entire career – at 99p. I got 25% of whatever Faber got from Amazon. It’s staggering.” Ra Page, editor and publisher at Manchester-based Comma Press, tends to side with Morrison. “Not satisfied with thrashing the high street, they want to thrash publishers as well. They want a publishing industry that amounts to a virtual warehouse, that they own. No publishers, no editors. Just Amazon.” Buckland offers an insight into policy at the highest levels of Amazon: “They are not interested in retail. Why? Because they’ve already won. They are moving into crazy stuff now, like virtual offices, cloud computing, real estate.” He sadly believes the high street retail model is “just not sustainable, when the competition can deliver the same product direct to your door the next day.” His vision of the future is similarly grim: “There will come a day when a bookshop is just a giant print-on-demand machine in a

browse Amazon looking only at the books that are 50 pence, you could be browsing for hours before you find something that’s even worth that,” says Brookmyre. “If a writer achieves some good sales as a self-published Kindle author, you would hope that that they might then end up at a publishing house, where they’ll get the benefit of editorial advice that will nurture their abilities.” Brookmyre’s argument underlines the fact that the success of writers like E.L. James, author of Fifty Shades of Grey (the UK’s best-selling book last year, shifting 10.5 million units, outpacing James’ nearest competitors by a cool 8 million) is something of a shibboleth – although their viral success began on Amazon, they had to move to a traditional publisher to achieve the kind of volume and quality control that transformed them into worldwide bestsellers. On this point, Morrison’s views are excoriating: “There are really only about five people in the world who’ve done well out of self-publishing. Of those five, four have used it as a platform to get a mainstream deal. That is fundamentally different from the digital utopian premise of ‘life beyond the publishing houses.’” This jumping-ship is, he says, “a betrayal of the digital dream,” and “leaves what remains in the long tail of self-publishing devalued. It then becomes relatively cheap, amateur content that no-one’s looking at.” Lambert’s analysis is plausible – the E.L. James phenomenon means “what used to be seen as an exercise in vanity is now seen as a canny, businesslike approach to being read and getting paid for it.” This gives rise to “chaotic excess, which eventually will need to be mediated by... a DO IT YOURSELF certain kind of product at a certain kind of standany if not most people in the publishard. That is the opportunity for established, ing industry hold a dismissive view of the historically reputable publishers to find their way growth of self-publishing – and not, as popular in this market.” belief might suggest, out of a sense of elitism or “It reminds me of the punk explosion,” says snobbery. Rather, their skepticisim is based on Brookmyre. “It was very empowering, there was the statistics. The best that Adrian Searle, head something democratic about it. But there weren’t of independent publisher Freight Books, can offer that many bands who were any good, or whose is that occasionally, the vast ocean of self-pubwork has endured. I’m frequently appalled at how lished work now extant can be viewed as “a kind badly [self-published books] are written. People of crowd-sourced slush pile.” need to understand the value of professional The signal to noise ratio has increased, and editorial advice.” often it is hard to find work of quality. “If you Doug Johnstone, whose agent Allan Guthrie supermarket.” With print-on-demand, self-published ebooks and direct delivery via Amazon increasingly dominating the market, is there another way of looking at the internet distribution model? One that could perhaps accommodate a healthy and competitive publishing culture, rather than the emergent monoculture suggested by the recent merger of Penguin and Random House? “The only fix for this is a larger economic paradigm shift,” suggests Morrison, otherwise “the big media corporations are going to synergise across music, books, films. You will have an even more entrenched, exclusionary mainstream, and the rest of it will be this kind of hopeful fishing around the bottom.” Buckland, who recently enjoyed being treated as a whipping boy for the publishing industry at an Edinburgh Book Festival panel on ‘Writers in a Digital Age’, offers a few chinks of light. “We’re at a weird crossroads now,” he says. “The whole publishing industry is fracturing, at every level – from writers, to publishers, to distributors, to the bookstores themselves. Niches are becoming more and more prominent.” The sense that niche markets would emerge to replace mainstream literary movements and markets is an attractive one, which Morrison strongly refutes. But if these niches are going to thrive, will it be only through the support of publishers like Cargo? Will a new equilibrium emerge in the ever-growing, direct-to-market micro-industry grouped under the previously reviled term of ‘self-publishing’?

BOOKS

THE SKINNY

started digital-only imprint Blasted Heath, is a little less cynical. “I would self-publish, I don’t have a problem with that,” he says. Since 2006, when he published his first novel, he has seen a huge shift in attitudes towards self-publishing. “It was frowned upon – it was your bampots and Hitler theorists,” he says. This has changed, but “there are brilliant self-published novels which didn’t sell a bean, and total crap that sells 50,000 copies.” Luke Wright, a poet with a background on the spoken word and performance circuit who has just published his first full-length page collection with Penned In The Margins, can see why people entertain the notion of self-publishing. “I can go out and sell 1000 books a year,” he says. “So why don’t I just do my own book? It’s not like it’s not professional – I work with an editor. But if the majority of your sales are coming from live gigs, why give a publisher 90% of the money?” Wright set up Nasty Little Press rather than going solo via Amazon or similar platforms. For Brookmyre, “these are exciting times, despite the logistical problems.” Although he remains “far from convinced” by the self-publishing boom, he believes there are opportunities to be had, especially for small presses who can cater to niche needs. Mark Buckland agrees, and he considers Cargo to be a publisher that actively pursues niche markets. “Niche is a dirty word, and it shouldn’t be,” he says. “The niches are where we will try and do cross-platform stuff. The media of our time are TV, film and the internet, so you have to penetrate into that.” However, unlike with music and some film content, opportunities for sync deals are few and far between. “Books don’t lend themselves to an instantly-disposable culture,” Buckland laments. “If you release an album and one track is sold to advertise a car, you’ve pretty much just made your living out of it. You can’t do that with words. As publishers, we are going to have to get a lot smarter about how we bundle content together. We have to create offers the public actually want to buy. There will have to be more partnerships and collaborations. You share the risk a little.”

statistic. At the same time, there were 16 authors in the US last year who earned more than $12 million. The gulf is the problem.” This ties in to Ewan Morrison’s comments: “This is a much harsher world than the one I grew up in. I’ve managed to sustain myself as a creative person across different forms since about the age of 20, working in TV, journalism, film and publishing. I’ve noticed a decline in all of these industries, in terms of being able to have a living wage. TV is still healthy. Look at the BBC – they’ve got a poll tax, basically, and we’re subsidising it.” The key to the BBC’s ability, and that of US TV companies, to pay writers a living wage is that “they have a subscriber base.” For Morrison at least, “that is really the answer to some of the problems that we’re facing.” “Three or four years ago,” says Morrison, “across the board, every single writer I know suffered an 80 percent drop in their advances.” The result? “A mass exodus into teaching.” At an event during this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival, the authors Toby Litt and Rachel Cusk described how much of their income comes from teaching on creative writing courses at universities. A.L. Kennedy, also on the panel, confessed she would have mixed feelings about doing the same, saying such courses are “ripping off people’s dreams.” Morrison strongly agrees: “There are thousands of people in the UK who are never going to be published who are doing these courses.” Adrian Searle of Freight Books has publicly advocated state-funded stipends for the most talented writers, and believes “literature is the only artform where practitioners aren’t paid properly to do their thing.” He points out that much classical music, dance and theatre is almost entirely state-funded: “The fact that so few writers get even half a living wage is a national scandal.” However, he also believes “poets, novelists and story-writers don’t automatically deserve to write full-time. Writers have always had to do other things. How many writers from the 80s wrote fulltime unless they had a private income?” Marc Lambert’s advice for aspiring writers is pragmatic: “The truth is, it is very difficult indeed to make a living from the craft.” Asked if he SUSTAINABILITY sees the Trust’s role more as a necessary means ehind Mark Buckland’s comments about niche of support for emerging writers, or a potential markets, there is a deeper message – firstly, crutch for literary writers who don’t make many that if writers and publishers are to survive the sales, he hedges his bets. It should be “both, but paradigm shift, they must create content people always on a case by case individual basis which want to buy. Secondly, and more worryingly, identifies and privileges talent.” something must be done to support the creatives Brookmyre argues convincingly for the notion of cross-funding: “There are decisions taken in the field. “The writing has been on the wall for at publishers to publish an autobiography of a professional writing for some time,” Buckland boyband who are all only 21. But they know the believes. “The average earning for a professional money they will take in from that will help them writer in the UK is £3000. That’s a terrifying

September 2013

take risks on new, first time novelists.” One model that hasn’t been widely used in book publishing, at least so far, is crowdfunding, now an integral part of the business practice of record labels and film studios. But Ewan Morrison says this model is “just a slightly more democratic form of patronage. It's a sideline, a surrogate and a patch-up job for an industry in trouble.” Unlike musicians, who can still bring in revenue from touring, many authors find it difficult to find writing-related revenue streams, other than teaching. Even Luke Wright, who was making money from performance long before he published a book, confesses that the money to be made from performance is far from a king’s ransom. Like the novelists we spoke to, the poets he knows “don’t make their money from gigs, they make their money through education.” As for the notion that creative writing courses are a tax on the creative and ambitious, he chuckles and says: “We all pay for our dreams, in one way or another. I pay for my dreams in belly fat and sleep deprivation.”

SINKING LIKE A STONE?

“I

am sad that bookshops are vanishing,” says short story writer Adam Marek. “Browsing in bookshops is the best way to discover new books. Recommendations from Amazon’s algorithms can’t come close.” He predicts that “bookshops will continue to exist as a specialist shop, like the rare tobacconists, for at least the next 60 years, until every member of my generation, the last to reach adulthood without the internet, is dead.” Adrian Searle believes “indies will fill the gap on the high street,” and says “supporting indie bookshops is vital for the culture... They should get the same tax breaks as charity shops.” Brookmyre meanwhile says the failure of high street bookshops would be “utterly disastrous,” and is wary of the rise of e-book formats. “I wouldn’t like to think of books becoming this purely ethereal thing, rendered purely in software,” he says. “From toddlerhood upwards, it's a very important and empowering experience to be taken into a bookshop.” Buckland laments the fact that independent bookshops can be unreliable when it comes to paying accounts, and says that Cargo depends on the high street chains: “If there was a strong alliance of independent bookshops, one that could push publishers and distributors around, yes that would be a lot healthier. But they would still be a minority buyer.” He estimates that the loss of the major chains would cost his company as much as 90% of their business. For Doug Johnstone, the solution is for the chains to “mimic” independent stores: “You have

BOOKS

to trust their staff to recommend stuff to you. But they have been really slow to react,” he says, adding: “Hell mend them if they don’t adapt.”

CONTENT OR LITERATURE?

one of the publishers or authors were prepared to dismiss e-books as a fad, or to declaim them as the ‘death of the novel.’ Mark Buckland is enthusiastic about the possibilities of ‘enhanced content’ e-books, even though he agrees with Ra Page that for now, they are something of a novelty. However, the rise of the e-book has brought with it another phenomenon – the increasing popularity of fan fiction, cross-platform spin-offs, and franchises. “Things like Twilight are synergised commodities,” says Ewan Morrison. “The internet was supposed to liberate us into greater pluralism, a wider diversity. What’s happened is, yes there’s more diversity, but it has become de-monetised.” He warns of a situation where new art is worth nothing – franchises are all that sell, and fan fiction becomes increasingly legitimised. “We’ve become culturally impoverished. Hopefully people are going to wake up to the political reality of what’s going on here – I don’t want to spend the next ten or twenty years in this endless desert of cultural recycling.” What hope can Morrison offer? He speaks of a need for a “shakedown” from “beyond the culture industries themselves,” quoting Russia Today economist Max Keiser’s theory on the “looming sovereign debt crisis which is going to decimate the Western economies.” Morrison believes “it’s coming pretty soon... initially it will only make things worse, because we’ll all be plunged into further debt, and we won’t want to spend any money on culture at all. We have to gear our minds up – we have to have strategies for dealing with the collapse.” For Morrison, the solution to the de-monetised cliff, and the improvement of the selfpublishing sector is the same. “It’s time for the radical thinkers who put so much thought into how the internet revolution could be different to take an appraisal.” As publishers, writers and booksellers across the industry struggle to process changes continuing to engulf their working lives, and the un-regulated ‘brave new world’ of self-publishing continues to evolve and thrive, only one thing is certain in the grips of this paradigm shift – from here on out, the only constant is change. With thanks to Ryan Rushton, Ewan Morrison, Mark Buckland and the Edinburgh International Book Festival for advice, research and support

Feature

The Lovely Bones CHVRCHES are a bona fide Scottish synth-pop phenomenon. As they prepare to release debut album The Bones of What You Believe, we talk gear-packing Tetris, growing up in public, and expelling half-truths

Interview: Bram E. Gieben Photography: Eoin Carey

half-attended shows and making no money from it “never leaves you.” But, he says, it is “a learning experience. Although to a certain number of people it might appear as though it happened really fast for us, that’s not the way it is. We’ve all cut our teeth and put in the hours over the years, and learned as much as possible, and we were drawing on that experience when we were writing these songs and putting together this band.” “We don’t know if it will last forever,” Mayberry continues. “But that’s how you learn. That’s how I learned to be in bands, and to sing – I’ve never had proper formal training. That’s how I learned about songwriting. There was a lot of time spent driving about with an entire backline in the back of a Renault Clio. Those shows.” Doherty beams proudly: “We can still almost fit our entire backline in the back of a Renault Clio.”

“We’re not really in the business of writing chirpy pop songs about how much you love someone, so let’s go ride a bike in the sun, or whatever” Lauren Mayberry

CHVRCHES

o call CHVRCHES’ rise to fame meteoric is to understate – in an age of instant one-hit wonders, it might have seemed tempting to dismiss them on the basis of the wave of hype that followed the internet-only release of Lies back in May last year. Now, as the band prepare to release their first album The Bones of What You Believe, coming off the back of an extensive bout of touring which saw them hone their sound and performance with gigs across Europe, the US and Asia, the world is finally going to be in a position to judge them on their merits. Happily, Bones is an incredible record – not only is it filled with the intelligent, pitch-perfect synth-pop of Lies and the singles that followed, it also features more abstract, reflective tracks, and sees the band experimenting with form, complex lyrical acrobatics, and a wealth of retro-futuristic synth sounds. Far from the know-it-all hipsters or manufactured mainstream-baiting A&R wet dream that some sections of the press and the Scottish

Feature

music scene have painted them as, in person Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and Lauren Mayberry are incredibly warm, witty and down-to-earth – the viral spread of their fame has not affected them, and they remain grounded and incredibly passionate about the music they make. Mayberry is quick to underline the fact that although the scale of their touring retinue has increased, this is hardly new territory for any of them. Mayberry plays in another band, Blue Sky Archives, while Cook was a former member of both Aerogramme and The Unwinding Hours, and Doherty was the touring keyboardist with The Twilight Sad. “I think we would feel a lot more like fish out of water if this was the first band any of us had ever been in,” says Mayberry, “but we all have an understanding of what it’s like to tour and play shows.” Mayberry speaks of learning “boring stuff like balancing a tour budget,” while Doherty reflects that the experience of playing

Mayberry immediately one-ups him with a wicked grin: “I once got two guitar amps, a bass head, and an entire drumkit into the back of a Renault Clio. That’s pretty good. And a keyboard, and me, and one other person.” “That’s unbelievable!” Doherty has to concede, and Mayberry gives a nonchalant shrug. “We couldn’t see out of the back window. It was all about the packing. Gear-packing Tetris.” Having witnessed the band’s live show go from rather staid, experimental beginnings, and transform slowly into a polished, utterly absorbing synth-driven behemoth, perhaps the most significant development since CHVRCHES’ inception has been the growth of Lauren Mayberry’s confidence as a front-woman. Although her strong, sugar-sweet voice has always been superlative, it has taken a while for her to develop a confident stage presence – a process which is still ongoing. “This is the first band where the vocals have been my sole thing,” she explains. “It was a learning curve, figuring out what the possibilities were with the live set, and becoming comfortable with not really giving a shit what other people think about your performance. Because a lot of people have a lot of opinions. I’m just trying to figure it out, and I guess there was that aspect of ‘growing up in public’ to an extent.” “That’s something that we’ve all gone through,” says Doherty. “As the lead vocalist, the focus is on Lauren so it’s maybe more apparent, but we’ve all had to grow up on stage playing these songs, and really learn and understand the craft over that period of time. We were thrown

MUSIC

into this band, to an extent. No-one walks out on stage and is Jarvis Cocker or Dave Gahan on day one.” Twinned with CHVRCHES’ rise to fame has been a concurrent rise in the popularity of other retro-futuristic and synth-driven, synth-pop influenced bands, from Canadian avant-pop visionary Grimes to Nicolas Winding Refn favourite Johnny Jewel, the producer behind Glass Candy and Chromatics. Do CHVRCHES feel some commonality with this new wave of synth music? “To consider them peers or allies we’d have to know them personally,” says Doherty. “But we do appreciate them for sure, especially people like Grimes – what she’s done is massively inspiring.” “If there’s anything that I would hope people take from what we do, it’s just that you can foreground melodies in your songs, and it doesn’t have to be uncool,” Cook says. And what melodies they are – one listen to The Mother We Share, We Sink or Gun is enough to embed them firmly in the listener’s mind. CHVRCHES have pulled off the impressive feat of writing credible, wellstructured songs that are also absolute earworms, catchier than the norovirus. Everything on Bones was written in the 18 months since the band got together. “I didn’t change the way I write lyrics for this band, and I didn’t think about it much at the time but in hindsight, I’m glad of that,” says Mayberry. “If we had over-thought or overcooked it, that would have fucked up the way I write. We’re not really in the business of writing chirpy pop songs about how much you love someone, so let’s go ride a bike in the sun, or whatever. I’m fine with that, but it is not where I come from. I think people can tell that.” “It’s a good idea for a tune,” Doherty chips in. “Yeah, write that one down,” laughs Mayberry. “It was important to me that some of the stuff I wrote was uncomfortable to me at the time we were writing it,” she continues; “that’s a good thing, if things are a bit uncomfortable, or a little fucked up. That’s the way life is. Nothing is clean and boxed off and tidy.” So have CHVRCHES now shaken the ‘mysterious’ tag they were labelled with around the time Lies appeared online? “We didn’t want people to listen to it because of what we had done before,” says Mayberry. “We wanted to put the songs out, and see what the reaction was without any of that stuff. It wasn’t a weird marketing plan, or trying to seem hip.” And finally, what of Doherty’s oft-mentioned alternative career path as a rapper? He sighs wearily. “This has been taken a wee bit out of context. I’m a huge fan of hip-hop and rap, especially Young Fathers. Let’s just myth-bust on the spot right now...” “It was a joke,” says Mayberry. For once and for all, Doherty confirms, he has “no intentions of pursuing an actual rap career! Unless it’s ten to three, and I’m in a pub, and I’m looking for someone to rap battle...” With this final revelation, CHVRCHES leave to meet The Skinny’s photographer, laughing and joking together, displaying the kind of easy camaraderie and intimacy that promises a long and healthy career as a band. Even if Doherty did harbour ambitions of becoming the next Drake, it certainly seems like, for now at least, he has more important things to do. The Bones of What You Believe is released on 23 Sep via Virgin / Goodbye. CHVRCHES play The Ritz, Manchester, 14 Oct www.chvrch.es

THE SKINNY

True Lies Jeanie Finlay’s breakthrough film Sound It Out examined the plight of the independent record shop. In The Great Hip Hop Hoax, she turns her attention to Scottish hip-hoppers turned fake US rap stars, Silibil N’ Brains

Interview: Bram E. Gieben

THE GREAT HIP HOP HOAX

eanie Finlay is feeling triumphant after a packed screening of her new documentary, The Great Hip Hop Hoax, at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. As we sit down to speak, she hands over a lie-detecting fish, such as you might find in a Christmas cracker, and breaks out in a wicked smile. Her new documentary is all about the power of truth and lies. The film tells the story of Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, two Scottish rappers who assumed the identity of US hip-hop artists, convincing everyone from Sony to Eminem cohorts D12 that they were the real deal – up-and-coming rap artists from America’s West Coast. Like her breakthrough film Sound It Out, which told the story of a struggling but well-loved independent record shop in Stockton, it is a bittersweet tale: Boyd quit the band and returned to Dundee, while Bain was left almost penniless, and suffered a nearfatal drug overdose before eventually writing a highly fictionalised ‘tell-all’ account of their adventures, California Schemin’. Finlay came across their story in the Guardian, and was immediately captivated. “Sometimes you find things when you’re not looking for them,” she says. “It just offered so much, it’s really rich.” The story keyed in to what has become a recurring theme in Finlay’s work: “Reinvention, self-invention.” The tale began when Boyd and Bain were rejected at a London industry talent search run by Polydor, looking for ‘the next Eminem.’ The judges had compared them to a ‘rapping Proclaimers,’ a thoughtless put-down that will be familiar to many Scottish hip-hop artists. Their response? They created Silibil N’ Brains – drug-fuelled, Californian whitetrash rapper personas – and set about reinventing their origins. This plan, to Finlay, seemed like “a bonkers answer to a ridiculous situation.” Finlay’s

September 2013

father is Scottish: “The idea of denying your Scottishness seemed completely crazy. He was like, ‘Why would anyone do that?’” Did she have any sympathy for Boyd and Bain? “I did feel sympathy,” she admits. “I don’t really go into any film with an agenda. I’m going in to listen and to see what’s going on. It just seemed like what they did wasn’t logical. It’s not like they got turned down [by the record industry] a thousand times; they got turned down once. The next logical step was, ‘Okay, we’ll just become American.’” The thread of the story was the way in which her subjects’ lives began to break down under the pressure of maintaining the fantasy. “Like Billy says in the opening of the film, ‘It’s the lies about the lies about the lies about the lies.’ I had years of storytelling to unpick. It’s like unravelling a jumper. Things had been told and then re-told. I was trying to find where the truth lay, in all of that.” The film does a remarkable job of deconstructing these layers of fiction, and exposing the tragic consequences of the duo’s unlikely reinvention. As with her previous projects, the key was to conduct in-depth, “gruelling” interviews with the subjects. “I never come with any questions,” says Finlay. “I’ll sit with the guys for hours. I get them to slow things down, tell me everything in minute detail.” When did she feel she had found the kernel of the story? “It became apparent very quickly that this was a bromance that had gone horribly, horribly wrong,” she says. “The lie had infected everything. So I’m constantly trying to think, ‘What’s the reality of this situation, and how do I show that in the film?’ The reality is that they weren’t friends by the end of it. So the ending of the film is far apart, geographically, emotionally, physically.” Hip-hop seems like the ideal subject to examine the nature of truth and lies, with its

conflicting values of ‘keeping it real,’ the vivid braggadocio of its lyrics, and the larger-thanlife personas of rap stars. Did it feel like going down the rabbit hole? “A bit, yeah. There were points at the beginning where I asked myself, ‘Are these people out of their minds?’” says Finlay. “I even asked myself if I was just a bit-part player in another, bigger hoax. Once I started seeing the evidence, I realised it was real.” Still, there were layers of fictions and counter-fictions to sift through, including separating truth from invention in Gavin Bain’s book.

“This was a bromance that had gone horribly, horribly wrong. The lie had infected everything” Jeanie Finlay

“There are parts in the book that didn’t happen in reality,” Finlay explains. “So for example, the BRIT [Awards] – in the film I show the truth, that Billy went on his own. But in his book, Gavin describes it in minute detail.” This allowed Finlay to show one particularly pertinent truth: “If you tell lies for long enough, what you end up remembering is the lie,” she says. “There are different layers of invention in all of our everyday

FILM

lives. When I get up in the morning, I decide what colour my lips are going to be today, whether I’ll have a curl in my hair or not. It’s all about presenting a face to the public, and a lot of my films are about that. But in hip-hop, it’s presented as authenticity. They were ‘genuinely fake.’” After the success of Sound It Out and The Great Hip Hop Hoax, Finlay has formed her own production company. “It’s called Glimmer Films because I’m always looking for that one moment, that glimmer that gives you the heart of the story,” she says. “I had always been a directorfor-hire. I realised I wanted to be much more involved in that, because you live and breathe these films, day in day out. So why not make my own company?” She often works in co-production with Met Films, who co-produced Hoax. Sound It Out was entirely crowdfunded – one of the first UK films to achieve a 100% budget this way, it went on to be distributed in 50 cinemas in the UK, and five international territories, thanks in no small part to its making a big splash at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The story of the film’s genesis is now used as a case study on crowdfunding by the British Film Institute, and Finlay has gone on to lecture on the topic at universities. She is pragmatic about crowdfunding: “There are issues with everything,” she says, “but we live in interesting times.” For her, the key advantage is audience engagement. “Some people came up to me at the screening at Edinburgh International Film Festival and said, ‘I crowdfunded Sound It Out. It’s really good to see you’ve made another film.’ Part of the battle was that no one had heard of crowdfunding – I had to explain what it was.” She cites Zach Braff’s controversial Kickstarter campaign as one of the signs that crowdfunding has become mainstream. “I think it works best if it acts like a pre-buy,” she says. Her new film, Orion, will be partly funded this way. “If you’re doing it for the money, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons,” she offers. “I think you need integrity – but I like the idea it’s democratic, that anyone can do it. It depends what kind of films you want to make. I’m an independent documentary maker, so the budgets are always going to be within reach. If you can nurture a good relationship with your audience, they’ll find your work.” Orion touches on one of the greatest stories in rock‘n’roll. “It was inspired by buying a record at a car boot sale ten years ago, with a mystery man on the cover, with a mask. I uncovered a rollercoaster story of the music industry that ended in murder. It’s 1978, in the months after Elvis Presley’s death. Another singer was signed to Sun Records and was given a Zorro mask to wear, and hundreds of thousands of people believed he was Elvis, back from the grave. So it’s about the Elvis myth, and the pressures of living as a ghost.” Another film about the music industry – is this the completion of a trilogy? “My producer keeps joking I’m making the box set,” she says with a chuckle. “I don’t know. They all just appealed to me as stories – they had lots of rich layers. I’m working on another film called Pantomime, which is very similar to Sound It Out in tone, but it’s about an amateur dramatic pantomime in Nottingham – about their lives and loves, on and off-stage. It’s more about reinvention,” she says, returning to her favourite theme. “What happens when you’re not yourself? A mask enables a fantasy.” The Great Hip Hop Hoax is released 6 Sep by Vertigo Films @JeanieFinlay www.jeaniefinlay.com

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The Exceptional WineCompany LTD presents

www.theexceptionalwinecompany.com wine@theexceptionalwinecompany.com +44 7787 510383

THE SKINNY

Beer Necessities With real ale festivals and stores popping up all over the shop – but pubs on the decline – our Food editor asks, is the craft beer bubble about to burst?

ugust answered a lot of questions. The kind of probing, eternal questions that plague a sleepless night. Like: How would lab-grown meat actually taste? What would a 12-course tasting menu look like when compressed into a tin? And, do Dr. Oetker frozen pizzas taste better if you serve them in a restaurant? Answers: surprisingly okay; something resembling an edible version of a geological map; and no – just no. So now we know. It was also, conveniently enough, the month of beer festivals. At least, that’s what an overenthusiastic copywriter somewhere dubbed it, having noted the timely confluence of the Great British Beer Festival and the London Craft Beer Festival. However, exhaustive research (Google + beer festivals) reveals that every month is beer festival month. In fact, almost every day is. The calendar for CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and non-CAMRA events lists well over 50 of them in September alone. At the time of writing, it’s only 54 days and six hours until the start of the second Independent Manchester Beer Convention

Interview: Jamie Faulkner Illustration: Dom Kelly

(IMBC), a new breed of “inclusive and modern” event. The implication here is that craft beer is no longer an old man’s game. Granted, that’s not news. We’ve got bottle-shops dedicated to the stuff and more than 1200 brewers now looking to get their beers on pumps and in the fridges. This explosion in microbreweries over the past few years sits in stark contrast to the fact that pubs are closing at a rate of over 25 per week. For a beer lover, it’s a time of mixed emotions, and it begs the question: Is the beer scene going to collapse under its own weight like the head on some poorly-brewed beer? The Americans have been asking themselves the same question recently. They saw it happen in the 90s. As Britain’s movement expands, these new brewers are going to be left with fewer and fewer pubs to supply; and those who don’t innovate and maintain standards will be left by the wayside. These are concerns echoed by Terry Langton, director of Liverpool Craft

Around the World in 20 Drinks: Russia R

ussia has been in the news a bit recently, with its ‘Section 28 on steroids’ law that criminalises mentioning homosexuality anywhere near kids. But what are they drinking over there to turn them into such unpleasant, pig-headed homophobes? Let’s go on an educational journey to find out! Let’s start with the soft drinks, which are alcoholic and made from fermented bread. Kvass takes your humble lump of rye bread and turns it into slightly boozy brown liquid, which is then flavoured with fruits, herbs and other things

September 2013

that you might want to put into your soft drink. Y’know, stuff that isn’t bread. It’s been around since the 1500s, and gets name-dropped in Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, so it must be nicer than we’re making it sound. If you just want to eat bread rather than brew it up, you’ll need something to go on it, like jam or honey. Well, honey is the magic ingredient in medovukha, a Russian alternative to mead. What with all the mead the kids are drinking these days, this development comes not a moment too soon. Medovukha dates back to the

“It’s all well and good if the standard of beer is high but the distributors and bar staff need to know how to store and handle the beer properly,” he says. This approach extends to sustainability practices: transforming used beer pallets and kegs into tables and lamps, for instance. Training and ethically-minded brewing is one thing: but how will changing tastes matter? Jamie Hargreaves of Port Street Beer House in Manchester has pointed out the positively scientific-sounding ‘lupulin threshold shift.’ The phrase, coined by Russian River Brewing Company co-founder Vinnie Cilurzo, describes a phenomenon whereby people crave increasingly hoppier beers. “More people are being affected by the lupulin shift, which means they need more hoppy goodness and flavour in their beers,” he offers. Not everyone is convinced, though. Joseph Mountain, manager at The Gaslamp in Manchester, has fears that a reliance on heavily hopping beer, common in many a pale ale these days, can mask poor brewing technique. “This extremely prominent style,” he says, has led to a “parade of ultimately samey, latehopped pale ales.” This trend for brashly hopping beers is certainly an American influence. Langton describes the relationship between the UK and the US as “international tennis with beer styles,” and it’s one that Hamilton thinks has longevity: “The love Beer Co.: “There aren’t too many microbreweries of all things American has legs on it yet, as only – there’s just not enough decent pubs and bars a tiny percentage of breweries and beer makes to take their beer.” He continues: “The next two it across here at the moment, and the rate of to three years will see the unimaginative dabnew openings is even more prolific than here,” he blers in the microbrewing scene drop off.” says. Those who prefer a ‘less is more’ approach What, then, can brewers do to brace themin their beer can only hope that new waves of selves for the coming storm? Rob Hamilton, British brewers buck this trend. former brewer at Marble in Manchester, founded Most things considered, the ‘craft beer Blackjack Brewery last year. His answer is: turn bubble’ is unlikely to burst any time soon. After your brewery into a bar. At least, temporarily. all, craft beer only represents 1.9% of total beer August saw Hamilton install a pop-up bar with volumes in the UK, according to consultants CGA Juke Joint Bars at the brewery and he is optimisStrategy. There’s evidently plenty more crafttic about the future: “Hopefully within a year we beer converts to be made. And it would be mywill be bottling, exporting and [I’ll] have a brewery opic to think that the market as a whole is sometap of my own!” how saturated – an idea easy for a city-dweller This can only be a good thing for the to subscribe to. The likes of such specialist beer Northwest scene and the quality of the beer. houses as Port Street and The Gaslamp are still After all, the acid test will be whether brewers, very much in the minority. As the ever-insightful new and old, can maintain a certain standard to Langton points out: “I can name 20 rubbish pubs their brews. But that’s only part of the picture. and bars off the top of my head, but I struggle to John Hartley, of Juke Joint, believes there needs name 20 great ones.” Here’s hoping all these new to be a more holistic approach in the industry: brewers are also this country’s future landlords.

Our booze cruise continues in Russia, with bread, honey, and a possible resolution for Russia’s anti-gay laws

days of the proletariat being unable to afford mead because it took too long to ferment, only to find that honey and heat would speed that process right up. Clever proletariat, don’t know why they’ve never bothered trying to rise up, we’re sure it would go well for them. The lack of successful workers’ uprisings across Russia in recent times may be because they’re too busy making samogon, or Russian moonshine. It follows the standard formula – get some water, add some sugar, leave to sit, hope you don’t go blind – but its popularity is slightly

FOOD AND DRINK

Words: Peter Simpson

terrifying. There seem to be two reasons for this, the first being that it is, incredibly, legal in Russia to make your own distilled spirits, and the second is that making your own booze is ten times cheaper than buying a bottle of vodka. By 2014, samogon will be the most popular drink in Russia, an unsettling fact until you realise that getting this anti-gay stuff sorted may be easier if everyone is off their pans on homemade hooch. Those are the kind of negotiations we’ll be happy to mediate. Catch up on our world tour at theskinny.co.uk/food

Lifestyle

Phagomania: The Birth of the Burizza Breaking news from the cutting edge of the international food scene: the diets of British students and New York foodies are a lot closer than you would have thought

Food News If you’re that lucky combination of foodie and agoraphile, then September is going to feel like one long wet dream Words and Illustration: Lewis MacDonald

hether you are a discerning food aficionado or someone with no self-respect who shoves together whatever food they have to hand, it seems we’re all doing much the same thing. The latest trend in the hip-and-happening New York food scene is for adventurous ‘hybrid foods’. Think exhibit ‘A’ is pretty good, but love exhibit ‘B’? Well, why limit yourself to one when you can have both? It all started in May with the invention of the Cronut™, thought up and trademarked by the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York. It can be roughly described as ‘half croissant, half doughnut’. The recipe involves a folded pastry similar to a croissant, deep fried, filled with cream, rolled in sugar and glazed. I know! They have sold out every day since invention to massive queues and gone viral on the interwebz. Things move fast among food scenesters, and no sooner had we met the Cronut™ than it was time for ‘the new cronut’. Behold, the mighty ramen burger (not trademarked). It is a beef burger with ramen noodle buns! Conceived by a ramen noodle blogger, Keizo Shimamoto, it features a special shoyu sauce and spring onions. How those fried ramen buns work is a guarded secret, but expect to see more of this fella on a tweet near you. It seems there is a front-runner to the movement – the ‘patient zero’ of pointless food mash-ups. The Dutch Taco from Flavour Spot in Portland, Oregon, is a waffle taco filled with

Lifestyle

Words: Jamie Faulkner

a breakfast fry-up. The most popular version is several slices of bacon and maple syrup housed within the waffle taco. Yep. It turns out that our perverse preference for outlandish food combinations is right on the money for this craze, and here at Phagomania we don’t just report, we act. So here’s the burizza (not trademarked, yet). It combines two established, fairly unhealthy fast foods and results in one artery-clogging, building-smashing Godzilla of a fast food. You may have already noted our convenient illustrated guide, but here’s what you do. Start off with your pizza (thin or thick, your choice). Thin pizzas give multiple folding opportunities, whereas thicker ones are happy just slapped in half. Next, prepare your fillings.

anchester Food and Drink Festival gets underway at the tail-end of the month; there’s a recurring band of itinerant street food traders every year at the hub on Albert Square, and we’re looking forward to see who wins out of Crêpe Lucette and Pancake Corner. 26 Sep-7 Oct, www.foodanddrinkfestival.com. Across the river, the Salford Food and Drink Festival goes all month long. An ale cruise from Worsley to Moston with the guys from MaltDog beer shop sounds about as adventurous as ale drinking can get, and The Mark Addy’s Gourmet Night sees Robert Owen Brown, one of the region’s finest and most versatile chefs, serving up six courses. 1 Sep-6 Oct, www.visitsalford.info. Rice, fried beef or pork strips in taco seasoning, There’s more to look forward to post-payday guacamole, sour cream, grated cheese, salsa, with Liverpool Organic Brewery hosting the jalapeños, you name it. city’s biggest ever beer festival in St George’s The premise is simple: fill your pizza like you Hall. It’s a chance to drink beer in a more opulent would a burrito. Fold carefully and you’re ready to setting than your local, and you’re unlikely to get say ‘Buon appetito provecho’. Upon the first trial bored with 300+ ales and ciders on offer. 26-29 our grateful testers said, “this is one of the best Sep, £8 entry, www.liverpoolorganicbrewery.com. things I’ve ever eaten”, “you could open a shop Finally, a concession for those who prefer selling these”, and “I’m really going to regret this socialising in smaller groups with less extranetomorrow”. Yes fellow Phagomaniacs, the catch is ous noise and fewer distractions: a supper club that even the most spritely and able body will be is no place for diagnosed xenophobes, but if you don’t mind meeting ‘randoms’ then sign up for out of action for a good while after one of these Wendy’s House in Chorlton, Manchester. It’s run bad boys. You’re welcome. by professional chef Wendy Swetnam, who will be Regular readers looking forward to our further experiments putting on two events in late September – a vegin smoking meat as mentioned in last issue will have to hold tight another month gie feast and the enigmatic Mexico Monday. See wendyshousesupperclub.co.uk for tickets.

FOOD AND DRINK

THE SKINNY

STUDENT SUPPLEMENT You’ve already read 15 different recipes for pasta bake. Hopefully, the following pages will introduce you to what you really need to know about making the most of student life in Manchester and Liverpool, from eating to blagging to clubbing Editor: Helen McCarthy

Girls on Tour W

e had no idea how much of a microclimate Manchester’s Northern Quarter really is until we met PINS, a local foursome whose videos – artsy yet playful, impossibly cool but not intimidating, much like the girls themselves – we are addicted to, and whose debut album, Girls Like Us, is out this month. A world of bars-cumrestaurants-cum-venues, record shops that are still quite comfortably in business, and creative facial hair, the ‘NQ’ is somewhere many students might not consider to be their first stop in freshers’ week; indeed, PINS themselves – singer Faith Holgate, bassist Anna Donigan, guitarist Lois Macdonald and drummer Sophie Galpin – didn’t really discover this hipster capital of the North until after they’d graduated. “I did realise fairly quickly that during freshers’ week you meet loads of people, go to loads of places, and after freshers’ week, you never see those people or go to those places again,” says Sophie, summing up the bizarre and expensive hurricane that is new undergraduates’ first week. The aim of today, then, is for them to take us somewhere well out of the way of the Oxford Road corridor. First up, we chat in the Castle Hotel on Oldham Street. A treasure of Edwardian furniture and dark wood, it’s PINS’ favourite place to play

Interview: Helen McCarthy

and drink. “You can come here by yourself and either see someone you know or make a friend,” says Faith, which is apt because she sees about four people she knows within five minutes of entering the place. Further down the road is LP-haven Piccadilly Records, where Girls Like Us will be available come late September. “We thought of it as a vinyl record, with interludes and reprises,” Faith says of the album – hence, perhaps, their excitement when discussing one of Manchester’s most popular wax dealers. Girls Like Us was made at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, where they spent a week both recording and going to gigs; they recorded everything in the same room, as though playing live, and laid down their backing vocals around a couple of mics, completely unmanufactured or doctored. “We wanted to make something that didn’t sound overproduced,” they nod in agreement, explaining that it “was an extension” of their infectious 2012 EP, LUVU4LYF, all steely guitar and haunting calls. Parr Street seems a continuation of their keenness to record in strange places – like Salford’s SWAYS Records’ ‘Bunker’, an extremely bare space that’s being held up with wooden scaffolding when we investigate.

PINS

They also show us Oklahoma, a café on Turner Street that sells trinkets and rents out world films. “I hang out in here on my days off,” Anna says in an email. “It’s run by the faces behind Comfortable on a Tightrope, who put the coolest gigs on and release only the coolest bands. I think pretty much everyone who works there are in bands such as Waiters, Irma Vep, Sex Hands and Queer’d Science, to name a few.” Their favourite thing on the menu? The group’s three vegetarians suggest the goats cheese on rye bread, while Sophie, the one meat-eater, offers the chorizo toastie. The tables outside are shaded by light blue parasols, fringed with tinkling silver beads; this seems a cool place to hang with a hangover. They then tell me about Gulliver’s pub, where a friend of theirs poured a pint over regular Mark E. Smith’s head; who their favourite promoters are; what it was like being photographed by Kevin Cummins (“He’s really nice, he’s coming to our Paris show”); and, when we get to Port Street Beer House (the beer garden of which, Faith emails, “our rehearsal

Liverpool, from (almost) A-Z A is for AFTERNAUT, whose background is rooted in video game sound design and whose music is a positively gripping experience of HD-ready electronica B is for dub-house producer BANTAM LIONS, who’s one to watch having received many plaudits for the warm synth jams of his One to One EP C is for Liverpool’s hidden pop gem CHIZ TURNROSS, one of the most captivating live performers on the scene

G is for GIGANTES, the weirder older brother of their other more rocky project Mind Mountain. Taking influence from kraut and prog, it’s a heady experience of baroque composition situated in John Carpenter-esque production H is for HARLEQUIN DYNAMITE MARCHING BAND. The Harlequins have been the soundtrack of the city’s summer, spinning New Orleans jazz with a more European vibe

D is for DOGSHOW, one of the Kazimier’s inhouse acts who’ve been at the centre of the Wolstenholme Square’s creativity, mixing live percussion and synthesis and an unrivalled lighting set-up. The trio are the closest to a mobile disco as you can get

I is for ISOCORE. As well as co-managing mostly free releases label Upitup Records, where you can hear some of Europe’s most out-there dance music, Isocore has been cultivating his own brand of acid-infused techno for many years. I is also for tape loop experimentalist IN ATOMS, whose very rare performances are a doomy, ambient delight

E is for hip-hop kingpin EVIAN CHRIST. Still yet to play the city, instead Evian’s profile has received a massive injection with his contribution to Kanye West’s Yeezus

J is for JOHN HECKLE, who delivers amazing live analogue sets and whose album The Second Son has been an inspiration for many dance producers in Liverpool

F is for FOREST SWORDS, arguably Liverpool’s best known act right now. His creative output is fairly sparse but each composition is a masterpiece of meditative and cinematic dub and R’n’B. Obviously listen to his new album Engravings

L is for LUNAR MODULAR. Eschewing laptops for vintage synthesisers and live mixing, the techno trio’s record is slated for release in the next couple of months, having sharpened their sound over a series of ecstatic live performances

September 2013

room overlooks... so we’ve spent many a cigarette break perving on hotties”), they get giddy over the wasabi peas and create a PINS peas edition, finding Lois’ bob depicted on one of them. It really feels like PINS are making music in the best possible place, especially as most of them studied in the city and grew up in its outskirts. “It’s like living somewhere residential and having real neighbours, like when you were a kid,” Faith says of the area, before adding, “except everyone’s a hipster.” At the end of our tour we feel like we know the Northern Quarter better than we could have wandering about on our own: everything, including their practice room at Sunshine Studios, is within pointing distance. Macdonald can think of a downside, though. After eating her assigned wasabi pea, she turns to us and admits: “It is a bit dangerous living near so many good pubs.” PINS’ debut album Girls Like Us is released 30 Sep on Bella Union. They play Leaf, Liverpool, 15 Oct www.wearepins.tumblr.com

Newcomers to Liverpool’s music scene, consider yourselves welcomed

Words: Jon Davies

M is for psych rockers MUGSTAR, who over the past decade have perfected their ability to hypnotise listeners through monolithic riffage, wild atmospherics and complex rhythmical structures

T is for TOMASU, one of Liverpool’s most promising upcoming producers. His online presence is sparse, but his darkwave techno sets have blown audiences away at DIY venue Drop the Dumbbells

N is for bedroom experimentalist NADINE CARINA. Located between Liverpool and Switzerland, Carina’s music ranges from twee folk to ambient and rather unsettling pop akin to Julia Holter

U is for UNION JACQUES aka Jacques Malchance, the other brain behind Upitup Records, whose EP Dub Pets showcased his smart, freeform dance cuts. Live, Jacques performs his organ works, a beautiful Italo homage to his Electone HS-6

O is for OUTFIT, whose debut album Performance has wowed critics across the world for its darkened charm and pop reinventions; it’s also for instrumental power duo OTHER EARTH, whose blend of power rock and new jack swing rhythms is one of a kind

W is for screamo outfit WE CAME OUT LIKE TIGERS, who have the music – abrasive catharsis balanced with delicate folk interludes – to back up their DIY ethics

P is for PHILIP JECK. Best known for his hauntological vinyl loop performances Jeck is also one of Liverpool’s most famous installation artists; his works are showcased around Europe and beyond R is for RIVER CAVES, who take their influences from 90s punk and post-hardcore; it’s also for jazz noise ensemble THE ROYAL WEDDING, developing their live reputation for caustic free improvisation and soundscaping S is for psych-pop trio STEALING SHEEP, who need no introduction; it’s also for SALEM RAGES

STUDENT SUPPLEMENT

X is for EX-EASTER ISLAND HEAD. Led by composer Benjamin Duvall, their development has been a fascinating journey into minimalism, touring through gamelan and minimal techno influences. Their current live set-up sees them freed from austere textures, with the groove to the fore Z is for ZOMBINA AND THE SKELETONES. Taking influence from horror punk, cabaret and new wave, Zombina’s brand of quirky rock music has created a dedicated following www.theskinny.co.uk/music

Lifestyle

Photo: Elinor Jones

New to Manchester? Up and coming band PINS give us a guided tour of their home turf

Win Friends...

DIY Drinks You’re down to 3% stubbies and value vodka. It’s time to bring it all back home, depending on your skillset/stupidity

...and influence people. With food Words: Jamie Faulkner Illustration: Kim Thompson

Words: Jamie Faulkner

cooking proficiency warrants. If you’re lucky enough to have taken a gap year in Asia or South America, then draw on those experiences. A theme helps. Your budget doesn’t have to be ambitious to match: a combination of using independent grocers and plundering the Reduced sections of supermarkets at opportune times can yield a smorgasbord of cheap ingredients. Once you’ve hosted a few for friends, you can start upping the ante and open your doors to the general public. (This might of course work better once you move into a house.) As far as getting the word out and selling tickets goes (if

you’ve got that far), Eventbrite and Facebook are your friends (the former will charge a small processing fee for ticket sales). Selling tickets gives you the capital to go out and get ingredients, so use them if you’re planning something extravagant. In terms of legalities, you don’t need to register as a food business unless you’re planning a supper club every week for more than five consecutive weeks. Supper clubs are on the rise in the Northwest, but there’s plenty of room for newbies – so come and teach us not-so-old dogs some new tricks.

Warsaw Rising You deserve a holiday, but we’re guessing money’s tight. With that in mind, we stuck our Staff Writer on the cheapest flight we could find to see the sights, check out the culture and meet the people without spending all our cash...

tepping off a £40 Ryanair flight into Warsaw’s sweltering 40-degree heat, The Skinny’s cab driver assures us this is the hottest summer since World War Two, establishing something of a theme for the break. After checking in at our absurdly cheap hostel, we head out to the Old Town, Stare Miasto, all sun-bleached walls in pastel colours, slate roofs and church spires. Tourists applaud a newly-married couple walking the cobbled square, and local film-makers re-enact a scene from the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, running out of a building in period costume. If Stare Miasto resembles a film set, perhaps that’s because of the history – established in the 13th century but razed and destroyed by the Nazis, Stare Miasto was faithfully rebuilt with its original stones; but it’s a little too perfect. The Palace of Culture and Science dominates Marszałkowska and the surrounding skyline. The view of Warsaw from the 11th floor terrace of this 231-metre high tower is breathtaking, and a trip up will only set you back 18 zloty (about £3). We head to Łazienki Park, a 76-hectare stretch of shaded walks, lush grass, former royal palaces and architectural extravagances. It’s a beautiful place to spend a few hours, and the perfect place to go when you don’t want to blow the budget. At Rozdroże, we try our first Polish cuisine. Red borscht – a spiced beetroot soup with meat pierogi, or dumplings – is delicious, while jadło drwala, a potato pancake filled with spicy ghoulash stew and topped with sour cream,

Lifestyle

is ridiculously filling, but probably better suited to a cold winter day. Keen to try something beyond the ubiquitous Zywiec (Poland’s answer to Carling), we go in search of beer with the help of some enthusiastic locals, who take us first to Beirut on Poznałska for delicious middle-Eastern tapas and drink Noteckie, an independently-brewed pale ale. Opposite Beirut is Tel-Aviv, another restaurant – our friend Boris says the the pair’s close proximity tells us a bit about the Warszawa sense of humour. Then it’s on to Koszynska, a former covered market converted into a bar. It’s packed with a hip, young crowd; everyone seems to know each other. The story’s the same at Plan B, on Rondo Romana Dmowskiego, known locally as ‘hipster square’. Drinkers lounge on the grass outside. A DJ spins hip-hop in the narrow bar, staffed by tattooed waitresses, the walls covered in graffiti and paste-ups. “I come here at 2 in the morning when I really need a beer after work,” says another pal, Marcin. “There’s always someone to say hello to.” Next morning, breakfast is at a boho, outof-the way café, Posłaniec Uczuć, on Glogera Street. It’s hard to find, but well worth it, with a great all-you-can-eat breakfast on Sundays for just 20 zloty (about £5). Equally tasty fare is available across town at Kawiarnia Fawory on Mickiewicza Street – where by night they put on bespoke gigs and serve Polish craft beer, like the delicious, dark-hued Juraskje, and wickedly strong imperial ale Pinta Imperium Atakuje. At

eginners: Pimp your spirits! Or, ‘take a cheap spirit and make it better’, rather than having to go out and buy loads of spirits – and other things – to mix together. A one-spirit cocktail, if you like. A not-tail? No. Vodka’s a nice neutral base for most flavours, so go mad. Not literally. Citrus peels can transform it, as can chilli, tea and coffee. With rum, try adding vanilla and cinnamon; or amp up gin’s aromatics with juniper, rosemary and lemongrass. Simply mix your chosen ingredients in a container or pop spices directly into the bottle and leave to infuse at room temperature. With infusions, don’t overdo it (work on a 5:100 flavouring to alcohol ratio for strong spices like cinnamon and vanilla, upping it for more subtle ones) and taste your mix every couple of days to check the progress of the flavour extraction. Equipment costs are minimal: we’re talking a sieve and a funnel for removing the aromatics and putting the booze back in a bottle, respectively. For a quintessentially English cocktail: blend a bottle of gin with a whole cucumber (as in, put the cucumber in the gin, don’t attempt to smash up a bottle with a blunt vegetable) and allow to infuse in the fridge overnight. Sieve the mixture and use one part gin to one part apple juice, and top with soda and a squeeze of lime. Zzzing.

Words: Bram E. Gieben

just 10 zloty (about £2.50) a bottle, it’s no more pricy than bog-standard cooking lagers like Tyskie. Appetite sated, it’s time to tackle the city’s often tragic history. The monument to the Warsaw Uprising, with its blocky, brutalist style, is incredibly kinetic – young soldiers burst from brick walls clutching machine guns and bombs, while in the foreground, priests mumble and pray. Across the city at the Uprising Museum (free entry on Sundays), we explore a three-floor examination of this complex and vitally important moment in Polish history, which saw the Warsaw people take on the better-armed, betterequipped Nazi occupiers. It is a story of a fiercely proud, indomitable people, utterly essential to understanding modern-day Warsaw. Later, as we sneak through narrow alleyways off upmarket Nowy Swiat, we enter a venal system of nameless bars with dim lights, graffiticovered walls and a young, trendy crowd. Scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll see that Warsaw is a great place for a student holiday. It’s as exciting and cosmopolitan as Berlin or Amsterdam, it’s a city on the rise that’s strongly connected to its history, and appropriately for you, students, it’s got its gaze fixed firmly on the future. Flights found on skyscanner.net Hostels from £5 a night for a dorm bed on booking.com Best beer: 10 zloty (£2), Pinta Imperium Atakuje Reading matter: China Miéville’s The City & The City

STUDENT SUPPLEMENT

Photo: Jamie Faulkner

ale Carnegie’s 1936 self-help bible How to Win Friends and Influence People overlooked a very important ice-breaker: food. Sure, you can be the guy with the toastie-maker and the backup instant noodles. That’ll get you pretty far. But what if you’re slightly more ambitious? Me? Before I went to Uni I had the accumulated experience of microwaving several Chicago Town pizzas in a caravan in Wales. Yet this year, here I am, graduated and running my own supper club in Manchester. Hosting your own supper club is a great way to put said skills into practice (and you’re not likely to encounter much competition from your fellow undergrads), and incentivise yourself to move past the microwaveables. Logistically, it’s not too difficult either. Just don’t overstretch yourself in the beginning: start out small, maybe with a few friends, to practise. If all this sounds too much like organising something akin to a middle-aged dinner party, don’t be so hasty. Think of it as an alternative to a night out. At 2am in the smoking area, you’ll talk shit to anyone; so why not invite some random people around and get them drunk? I’ve met some interesting types this way: food bloggers, robot builders, lawyers, and ex-high-end chefs. Oh, and the odd sociopathic loner. Kidding. Ideas-wise, you can be as high-flying as your

Advanced: Home brew! If you’ve got the time, inclination and balls you might want to dabble in home brewing. This is, however, more of a precise affair. You’ll need to invest in some kit initially, but it’ll pay itself off, and you will be literally everyone’s mate. By all means, search around for bargain equipment, but a ballpark figure is £60 for a kit containing barrels, fermenting bins, siphons and so on. There’s other technical stuff like hydrometers (for measuring the alcohol content of your brew) and Campden tablets (for sterilisation). If you want to spread the cost, get a few mates in on the action or find a brewing cooperative (Manchester’s can be found on Facebook), who will provide equipment and knowledge for a small fee. Once that’s done, you can start brewing at a cost per pint of less than 40 pence. LESS THAN 40 PENCE*. It’s outside our remit to go into the full brewing process, but suffice it to say the internet is awash with in-depth guides. *did we mention it was less than 40 pence?

THE SKINNY

September 2013

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THE SKINNY

Digested Watch So you’ve arrived at Uni and realised you’ve wasted your life watching Adam Sandler movies and episodes of Hollyoaks. Never fear, for a) you will continue to do so, and b) here’s our blagger’s guide to those film-school staples – plus some lesser-known recommendations Words: Jamie Dunn BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN What you need to know: If you’re under the impression that Sly Stallone invented the montage with Rocky, then think again. That honour goes to wild-haired genius Sergei Eisenstein, who turned the until-then stagey medium of cinema into a dynamic collage of rhythms, textures and symbols. Battleship Potemkin, his unabashed propaganda piece attacking the Tsarist regime, is the film in which Eisenstein developed his influential theories of montage. The deeper cut: Montage is all well and good, but Russia’s filmmaker de rigueur, Aleksandr Sokurov, rejects editing altogether in his audacious Russian Ark, which condenses the whole of Russian history into a single take tracking shot. CITIZEN KANE What you need to know: This cautionary tale, which looks back on the life of a media tycoon who realises too late his great love for tobogganing, is where cinema as we know it was invented. Every shot is an innovation; every scene a revelation. Orson Welles starred in, directed, wrote and produced Kane when he was just 26, meaning the freshers reading this have around eight years to get their shit together

and make a masterpiece. No pressure. The deeper cut: Never trust the consensus. The popular story goes that Welles spent the rest of his career in ignominy flogging frozen peas and lending his dulcet tones to Transformers: The Movie, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Although they were always a struggle, almost all of his subsequent films are of interest, from his elegant period drama The Magnificent Ambersons through to his deliciously meta swansong F for Fake.

Like Psycho, John Dahl’s film begins with its lead (Linda Fiorentino) skipping town with some stolen loot and hiding out in the sticks – but that’s where the similarities end. Neither Norman Bates nor ‘Mother’ would have stood a chance against Fiorentino’s character’s unbridled ruthlessness.

PSYCHO What you need to know: Hitchcock loved to manipulate his audience, and Psycho finds him at the height of his powers. This macabre tale, about a young woman (Janet Leigh) on the lam who checks into a budget hotel that even Lenny Henry would balk at endorsing, is where the modern horror film was born and when audiences could no longer rely on their favourite stars making it to the final reel. The deeper cut: Psycho, along with film noir, helped set cinema’s template for women being brutally punished for their moral digressions. (Actually, that’s been the narrative since Eve munched on that Red Delicious.) That’s why a film like The Last Seduction is so bracing and brilliant.

THE 400 BLOWS What you need to know: The coolest of the new waves is the French one, but it was kicked off by the Nouvelle Vague’s resident square. Godard’s films were funkier, Chabrol’s more mysterious, Rivette’s more daring, but those critics were all able to fly the Cahiers du Cinéma coop thanks to the success of Francois Truffaut’s deeply felt tale of a wide-eyed lad growing up quick in Paris. The deeper cut: Looking at the history books, you might think the Nouvelle Vague was an all-male affair. Not so. The inimitable Agnes Varda was also in Paris at the same time making cinema that was equally as experimental and lyrical. The best of these is Cléo from 5 to 7, which recounts two hours in the life of a pop singer while she

CITIZEN KANE

waits to learn from her doctor whether she’s terminally ill. THE GODFATHER What you need to know: Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster epic is 70s New Hollywood, a pulp gangster yarn elevated to art by a movie brat schooled on the history of cinema and who earned his stripes making exploitation movies for Roger Corman. The deeper cut: It wasn’t just American cinema that was having a renaissance in the 1970s. As well as New Hollywood, there were influential new waves happening in Germany, Japan and Australia. Less discussed, however, is the brilliant 70s cinema from Africa, and in particular Senegal. The best of these films, and certainly the most experimental, is Djibril Diop Mambety’s first feature Touki Bouki, which follows a young hothead who takes to the road on his motorcycle with his girlfriend to escape his humdrum life as a herdsman. www.theskinny.co.uk/film

BA (LOLs)

Big Pimpin’

Bright lights, big city: it’s time to make it big! Or at least medium. Chortle Student Comedy Award regular Freddy Quinne introduces us to the tightrope walk that is life as a student comedian

Student digs: cheap furniture, bad decorating and Withnail & I-esque kitchens, right? Here’s how to bling them out on a budget Words: Helen McCarthy

Words: Freddy Quinne MONDAY I hate Mondays. I have a three-hour lecture at 9am for a module called ‘Advanced English Grammar.’ Given that I didn’t take last year’s ‘Foundations of English Grammar’ module, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on. Rather than try to catch up, I make up superheroes with phenomenally underwhelming superpowers while everyone else debates whether the subject of a sentence can also be the direct object. No gig tonight which is good because there’s a huge essay due Friday that I’ve yet to start. TUESDAY Tuesdays are my day off. Given that this is my last day off from gigging this week I decide my time would be best spent getting this essay done, so I go to the pub with friends. I tell them about my underwhelming superheroes – in particular a new character called ‘Subject or Direct Object Man.’ They all laugh and I go home to work on a routine about superheroes with rubbish powers. WEDNESDAY I spend all night writing my new routine and most of this afternoon’s lecture editing it. I don’t worry about not learning anything, convincing myself I’ll use the university website to read the lecture notes later. Tonight I’m doing 20 minutes at a working men’s club in Wigan, excited to be debuting my new rubbish superheroes bit.

THURSDAY I am a complete idiot. It seems 80 pissed-up working-class men aren’t too enthusiastic about superheroes with awful powers. I rip up my notes. With another gig tonight including a fourhour round trip, I decide the need to finish my essay is outweighed by my need for money. FRIDAY My promise of an early start on the essay is broken as I opt for a nice lie in. On the way to the lecture I decide to tell my tutor that I’ve been unable to finish the essay because someone’s died. I get an extra weekend and practically dance out of the lecture feeling untouchable. Tonight’s gig is a short ‘try-out’ spot for one of the biggest bookers in the country. I have a fantastic gig and convince myself I’ve mastered the delicate plate-spinning of comedy and student life. MONDAY A weekend of procrastination and backslapping follows and such is the cloud of smoke billowing up my own backside I forget all about the essay again. I spend the ‘Advanced Grammar’ lecture weighing up the believability of someone else’s dying over the weekend. This time the tutor doesn’t buy it. My head sinks to the ground, and I see the floor around me is covered in broken plates. @FreddyQuinne

September 2013

student house or room in halls is probably like nowhere you will ever live again in your life. Pretty much every house or flat you will find yourself in during your degree will be a plain, basic, empty shell of naff fake wood, dodgy showers, and almost constant noise from the other side of the partition. Let’s start with the walls. The overwhelming trend for red fairy lights is the epitome of quirk for some, but if you’re anything like us they’ll just make you think of overpriced hipster bars or a twinkly brothel. Don’t do it, don’t go down that road. A section of wall can be transformed with posters (avoid Che and Le Chat), or, more interestingly, tiled postcards. A friend patchworked hers with train tickets accrued over two years: that’s one way to track fare increases over time and count down the days to the end of your 16-25 Railcard, RIP. Next: the living room, or, if you’re in halls, your Small Room, which will become your living room, dining room, bedroom and everythingroom. Until it drives you mad and you never want to go in there ever again, you can jazz it up no trouble by channelling Elizabeth Taylor on a budget. Faux fur is the perfect material to drape over those hideous floral sofas your landlord hasn’t replaced in 15 years. It looks luxurious, it feels luxurious and yet it can be found all over the high street dirt cheap. If you’re in halls with nothing but a single bed and a desk to your name, you are by no means exempt from the fur. A throw is essential for damp northern weather, and flicks a

STUDENT SUPPLEMENT

V at the heating bill. Speaking of the cold: Christmas! The festive season will creep up very quickly during your first semester, and one or more of your flatmates will inevitably get into the spirit enough to spend money on it. So when their cheer hits your living space, there are two options: embrace tack, metallics and the pound shop, or go out and find some pine cones and arrange them artfully next to the TV. If a real tree is beyond your house or flat’s collective budget, some Pine Fresh and tinsel won’t go amiss. Much like a genuine tree, other forms of organic life tend to fall by the wayside during one’s student years, but you can freshen up a room in an instant and improve that really nasty smell of last night’s Jacob’s Creek with some flowers. If you want something more long-term, try a houseplant. Most of them are so low maintenance that all you need to do is water them when they wilt, which happens approximately every ten days – far easier than a goldfish, or indeed a girlfriend or boyfriend. And if you’re inclined to not getting scurvy and cooking properly, pots of fresh, living herbs on your windowsill are not only convenient and economical but also decorative. They might even deter your local opportunist thief, who’ll take one look at your herb garden and assume that this is not an easily accessed student house filled with MacBooks beyond an open window somewhere. Basil can be your burglar alarm. Turn to page 36 to find out exactly where to buy this tat

Lifestyle

Support in the City University can be a tumultuous time for many students exploring their sexuality and identity. We look at the range of networks and services available in the Northwest

oving to a new city can be tough, and it can be even tougher for LGBTQ people who aren’t familiar with what their new home has to offer; but both Manchester and Liverpool have a wealth of services, groups, and organisations – including counselling services, sexual health services, sports teams, book clubs, and more – available to anyone who needs them. Details of these can be found in outnorthwest, a free magazine that you can pick up all over the place, but there are also some key organisations that can offer a lot of support for LGBTQ students who find themselves in a very new environment, which we've outlined at the end of this piece. Most universities in the Northwest have LGBTQ societies, and Manchester and Liverpool in particular are close to large and varied gay districts. “It’s a great support system,” says Joe Newton-Smith White from the University of Manchester’s LGBTQ society; “they can assist you with problems you are having regarding your studies, or provide you with contacts if you have any problems with the (gay) Village.” Tom Hillsdon, another active member of the society, agrees that “having a good, strong and present LGBTQ society is important for Manchester, specifically due to the well-known LGBTQ scene and gay village here, which can all be quite scary and daunting for those who may be new to it all.” Liverpool is much the same, its Pride parade being one of the biggest free festivals in Europe. So what can Manchester and Liverpool’s villages offer an LGBTQ student? “There is a lot of variety,” both Tom and Joe agree. “There are bars that are more quiet and relaxed which will suit those who want to chat with friends and possibly have something to eat. There are also venues for people who want to dance the night away.” So with more social and support groups,

Labour Party

societies, clubs and bars than you can shake a rainbow flag at, Manchester and Liverpool should be ideal places for LGBTQ students to explore – and, more importantly, feel comfortable. 42nd Street is a service for “young people under stress” that has been established in Manchester for 30 years. It’s entirely free and confidential; and though it isn’t a strictly LGBTQ service, it is a safe zone for all. It offers counselling and dropin sessions, and runs social media projects and leadership programmes. 42nd Street, the SPACE, 87-91 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, M4 5AG, 0161 228 1888 www.42ndstreet.org.uk

MORF is a social group for trans men that is associated with – and located in – The Lesbian & Gay Foundation in Manchester. They “welcome all female-assigned/raised, transgendered, transsexual, gender-questioning, genderqueer and gender variant people over the age of 18, no matter what stage of transition,” and have regular meetings on the fourth Monday of every month, with diverse speakers and themes, including sexual health, pre- and post-surgery mental health, and trans rights and self advocacy.

GYRO, YPAS, 36 Bolton Street, Liverpool, L3 5LX, 0151 203 0824 www.gyro.org.uk

LGYM (Lesbian and Gay Youth Manchester) is an organisation for 14-25 year old lesbian, gay and transsexual youth that is safe, supportive and very social. They’re located near Manchester Metropolitan University, so super convenient for students, and run lots of different activities that are both artsy and outdoorsy. They do lots of campaigning throughout Manchester, and offer a peer-mentoring support system as well.

TSS (Trans Support Service) is a new service – an empowering organisation that aims to give trans people medical advice in a supportive environment – that’s part of Liverpool Community Health. People using the service are generally referred by their GP, but they will answer any queries regardless.

The Joyce Layland LGBT Youth Centre, 49-51 Sidney Street, Manchester, M1 7HB, 07900 680725

www.liverpoolcommunityhealth.nhs.uk/health-services/ trans-support-service-tss.htm

0151 284 2500

www.lgbtyouthnorthwest.org.uk

www.morf.org.uk

liverpool.ftm@gmail.com www.livfastnetwork.webs.com

TREC (Trans Resource and Empowerment Centre) provides a safe space for trans people and runs a wide range of activities. Their evening sessions are on the third Friday of every month, and they’ve previously run workshops on staying safe and trans health, among many other topics.

the service. They recently made a film called Are We There Yet? From Homophobia to Equality that features young people’s personal experiences of homophobia and transphobia.

www.transcentre.org.uk

MORF, The Lesbian & Gay Foundation, 5 Richmond Street, Manchester, M1 3HF, 07948 243289

GYRO (Gay Youth ‘r’ Out) is open every Thursday for LGBTQ people aged 18-25. They’re part of Liverpool’s Young Person’s Advisory Service and offer a wide range of services, with advice on coming out written by the young people who use

Brook is a crucial organisation that provides free contraception, STI testing and unbiased support for people under 25. Centres are located all over the Northwest, with ones in Liverpool, Manchester, Wigan, Salford, Oldham, and the Wirral. www.brook.org.uk

Stonewall has written a gay university guide that rates the LGBTQ societies and services of universities throughout Britain, including the University of Manchester, University of Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan, Liverpool John Moores, and Liverpool Hope. www.gaybydegree.org.uk

It’s all very well us recommending all these opportunities for debauchery if you don’t have the cash to enable it. Below, we speak to some students with very different experiences of part-time work: good news, you don’t always have to dress up as an elf

daunting at first. All the children had great imaginations, they loved creative activities like making comic strips. In the afternoon, we had a four hour break due to the heat, then we organised treasure hunts, art, drama, and swimming sessions. In the evening, there were discos, karaokes, and talents shows for the children. They stayed at the summer school from Monday to Sunday, then our next group arrived, so we were kept really busy.

So you get to spend all day with dogs and cats? Sounds amazing. Yeah. Mostly I love the attention and all the different personalities are hilarious. Downsides are spending the day surrounded by poo. And when people cry when they leave their pets. It’s sad. But it’s insane taking them back to their owner when they pick them up, they get so excited.

What was the most rewarding thing about it? The improvement in their language skills by the end of just one week with native English speakers was so drastic. It was also great receiving thank you cards they’d made for me – it really made me feel like I’d made a difference.

Alex taught English at a summer school in Romania. What made you want to go to Romania, Alex? I’m a social geography student, so I’d been looking to do some type of aid work abroad for a while, but no organisations had felt quite right until I found this particular one. So what was a typical day like? In the mornings we taught three hours of English classes, completely independently, which was

Lifestyle

Trans Resource & Empowerment Centre, The Lesbian & Gay Foundation, 5 Richmond Street, Manchester, M1 3HF, 07513 880 647

LIV.FAST Network is a female-to-male transsexual support group in Merseyside for people no matter what stage they are at in their transition. They provide a safe space where people can meet each other and socialise, and also run two meetings twice a month, the first being more social, and the second more focused on guest speakers and workshops.

Bracken works at a kennels and cattery. What’s a typical day like in kennels? It’s a half nine start. Then I clean three blocks of kennels, give the dogs their breakfast, and clean and feed the cats. I sterilise any empty kennels, feed the dogs and cats again, hose down the outside pens. And before I lock up I check all the animals are happy and have enough water, and then I leave around half five.

They also have a SOFFA group (Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies of Trans People), and loads of keynote speakers.

Words: Helen McCarthy

Arran worked as a glass collector in a large nightclub. So what did your job involve? I worked as floor staff in a nightclub in my third year. I thought it would be a good idea as I’d have all day to go to uni and work on my dissertation and then be able to work nights. Did it work out like that? I’d get home at 5-6am, and physically couldn’t get up until at least midday the next day, which has an effect on all subsequent nights. It was generally exhausting.

Words: Helen McCarthy Illustration: Caroline Dowsett

What was the absolute worst thing about it? It wasn’t uncommon to find glasses full of vomit or piss. Josh worked as a street salesperson. So what does a street salesperson do, Josh? It was field sales, so the people who bother you in the street. We were selling whatever they told us to sell – monthly subscription stuff, teeth-whitening kits, even charity. We got more money for signing up old people – I imagine because they’re more likely to forget about their direct debits, and to give in to the hassle of somebody phoning them up asking them to increase their donation. Really sinister. Very sinister. It was cult-like; like a huge brainwashing ritual. They had us all shouting positive slogans at each other while they showed us “positive thinking” videos. There were high-fives all around. Wow. What were your hours like? This is a job that takes over your life. I found myself working 6am-5pm most days, including Saturdays. This was during the summer at first and the plan was to be able to sustain it during term time, but I knew it just wasn’t going to be possible.

STUDENT SUPPLEMENT

Did the pay make it worth it? Entirely commission, but we were promised we’d be “managers within the year”, which was a good prospect but seemed unlikely. Our manager claimed to be a millionaire, though I never saw him driving a car and all his shirts were from Primark.

THE SKINNY

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September 2013

New Bailey Street, Manchester M3 5FS

City Guides

Where to go, what to do and how to find it. We’re not gonna say ‘simples’

Words: Helen McCarthy, Laura Howarth, Lauren Strain and Jamie Dunn Illustration: Kim Thompson

which hosts backyard raves (recently featuring Adam Shelton and Midland). 1 New Wakefield St, M1 5NP, www.soundcontrolmanchester.co.uk The Shipping Forecast, Liverpool: The downstairs club space (‘The Hold’, natch) hosts the likes of local stalwarts Abandon Silence as well as big names (recently, Four Tet). 15 Slater St, L1 4BW, www.theshippingforecastliverpool.com

SHOPPING Incognito, Manchester: Wanna instantly rose-tint your halcyon days while you’re living them? That pinboard won’t fill itself. Incognito is one of only two UK partner stores for Polaroid’s replacement, Impossible film. They also sell rude cards. 5 Stevenson Sq, M1 1DN, www.incognito-uk.co.uk

DRINKING

The King’s Arms, Salford: Boozer with gigs and indie plays in its intimate upstairs theatre space as well as a pissed cast of Fresh Meat during filming. 11 Bloom St, M3 6AN, www.kingsarmssalford.com Berry and Rye, Liverpool: Non-tacky speakeasystyle den. The exterior is unmarked (you have to knock). L1 4JQ, @berry_and_rye Wahlbar, Manchester: Probably the best bar in Fallowfield, where you will inevitably live at some point (Fallowfield, not the bar). Their cocktails are varied and tasty, but also cheap – triple threat. 310 Wilmslow Rd, M14 6XQ, @thewahlbar

THEATRE

Three Minute Theatre, Manchester: Independent and oddball venue, oozing charm. Catch new work in progress alongside polished pieces. Afflecks Arcade, Oldham St, M1 1JG, www.threeminutetheatre.co.uk The Lantern Theatre, Liverpool: A family-run theatre offering a haven of creativity in the socalled ‘Baltic Triangle’ area. 7 Blundell St, L1 0AJ, www.lanterntheatreliverpool.co.uk The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester: Under 26s get £5 tickets every Monday and Friday, and it looks like a spaceship. Bonus. St Ann’s Sq, M2 7DH, www.royalexchange.co.uk

EATING

ART

Mughli, Manchester: If anyone says this isn’t the best restaurant on the Curry Mile, they’ve never tasted the meat from their charcoal pit. 30 Wilmslow Rd, M14 5TQ, www.mughli.com

Penthouse NQ, Manchester: Hidden away near the top of the dilapidated-looking Hilton House, this not-for-profit, by-appointment space host films and residencies. On now: Holly Rowan Hesson (until 14 Oct). Hilton House, 26-28 Hilton St, M1 1EH, www.thepenthousenq.com

Egg, Liverpool: A relaxed veggie place in a Victorian warehouse. Not a jacket potato with cheese in sight. 16 Newington, L1 4ED, www.eggcafe.co.uk Pancho’s, Manchester: Two fast-food stands in the Arndale Market that outrun Barburrito for best burrito in town largely due to their hot as fuck habanero sauce. Arndale Food Market, 49 High St, M4 3AH, www.panchosburritos.co.uk Salem, Liverpool: Amazing Eritrean food. ‘Nuff said. 341 Smithdown Rd, L15 3JJ

GIGGING Kraak, Manchester: Total sweatbox. Upcoming: Mcr Scenewipe's 'All Killer, All Dayer' with Irma Vep and Temple Songs (21 Sep). Find it down the alleyway on Stevenson Place (off Lever St), www.kraak.co

The Royal Standard, Liverpool: An artist-run gallery and studios; exhibitions have short runs but big impact. Upcoming: SPACE IS NOT A VOID, 14-28 Sep. Unit 3, Vauxhall Business Centre, 131 Vauxhall Rd, L3 6BN, www.the-royal-standard.com Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool: An independent photography gallery and the only one of its kind in the Northwest. On now: Tim Hetherington: You Never See Them Like This (from 6 Sep). 19 Mann Island, Liverpool Waterfront, L3 1BP www.openeye.org.uk

CLUBBING

Retro Rehab, Manchester: Vintage clobber merchants specialising in upcycled dresses (for the boys, there’s Ryan Vintage over the road). 91 Oldham St, M1 1JR, @Retro_Rehab News from Nowhere, Liverpool: A radical and community store with the biggest range of left and socialist publications we’ve ever seen. 96 Bold St, L1 4HY, www.newsfromnowhere.org.uk

FILM FACT, Liverpool: four-screen indie(ish) cinema showing a mix of arthouse and mainstream flicks. 88 Wood St, L1 4DQ, www.fact.co.uk Cornerhouse, Manchester: three-screener catering for true cinephiles. 70 Oxford St, M1 5NH, www.cornerhouse.org FILM CLUBS: Darkness Into Light bring new or rarely screened films to Camp and Furnace (campandfurnace.com); Cultivate Film Club keep the double feature alive with sharply curated nights at Joshua Brooks (joshuabrooks. co.uk); Certificate X Cult Film prefer cinema of the grindhouse variety – a pop-up outfit, so best to follow on Facebook (facebook.com/ CertificateXCultFilmScreenings).

ALTERNATIVE NIGHTS OUT MANCHESTER: Have your photo taken with a Dalek, buy a shitload of sweets and pretend you’re in space at Fab Café (fabcafe.co.uk); catch a temporal art installation by Volkov Commanders or have your mind turned inside out by clubnight-cum-laboratory Gesamtkunstwerk at Islington Mill (islingtonmill.com), and giggle away at any number of lo-fi comedy nights including Dead Cat at Sandbar (sandbarmanchester.co.uk), XS Malarkey at Jabez Clegg (jabezclegg.co.uk) and Quippopotamus at Fuel in Withington (fuelcafebar.co.uk).

HAUS, Liverpool: Fronted by trusted local heads Waxxx, the bigger interesting shizz comes here. Don’t miss Zed Bias and Happa on 20 Sep. 35-39 Greenland St, L1 0BS www.waxxx.co.uk

LIVERPOOL: Plate-smashing at Christakis (christakisgreektaverna.com); alternatively, witness 13-strong literary performance collective The Wild Writers The Kazimier, Liverpool: The epicentre of (wildwritersimaginarium.wordpress.com); meet Soup Kitchen, Manchester: Our favourite club Liverpool’s alternative music scene, the Kaz some new mates and get your gnashers around hosts late-night garden parties and the New Year venue packs out its grungey basement with the some top nosh at Liverpool Supper Club (livweirder, cleverer end of bass, techno and house to end all New Years. Upcoming: Swim Deep (18 erpoolsupperclub.com), an alternative dining Sep), Phosphorescent (9 Nov). 4-5 Wolstenholme – top regulars include meandyou. (with resident experience in a warehouse loft apartment in the Joy O), and Kraut und Owt in the kitchen. 31-33 Sq, L1 4JJ, www.thekazimier.co.uk historic docklands, and express your artistic side Spear St, M1 1DF, www.soup-kitchen.co.uk at Draw the Line at Django’s Riff (drawtheonline. Leaf, Liverpool: Tea and cake downstairs and (discom) – taking place the first Thursday of every co) balled-out gig room upstairs – try Deptford Sound Control, Manchester: The drinks are month, there’s paper and pens everywhere and Goth (19 Oct). 65-67 Bold St, L1 4EZ, cheap and the soundsystem is boss. It’s matched you can draw pictures with your mates, with a www.thisisleaf.co.uk in stature by South (southnightclub.com) in town, beer. Woo.

Lifestyle

STUDENT SUPPLEMENT

Put No Donk On It Making it as a student DJ Words: John Thorp

Js have never been as hot as they are right now. Well, apart from about 15 years ago, and then probably around 15 years before that, but basically, DJs are undeniably really cool and some are incredibly popular and mind bogglingly lucrative. Unfortunately, if you’re beginning your time at University, you are very unlikely to be one of those DJs. But worry not. The DJ Calvin Harris, a former manager at Marks & Spencer’s in rural Scotland, now commands around $300,000 a gig when in Las Vegas, even though he’s really mainly a producer. Meanwhile, the American selector Steve Aoki will play for slightly less than that, but is now best known for throwing cakes at the crowd, as if he’s the star of some absurd EDM version of The Great British Bake Off broadcast on the internet: teenage girls, hard partying jocks and, most recently, even a wheelchair-bound raver all line up to feature on YouTube getting a literal taste of Aoki’s baked goods and bass-heavy style. If you’re bold enough to DJ as your University time begins, or humbled enough to be asked, it’s true to say that throwing cake at people will win you few friends. Only Aoki himself has the talent and charisma to perform such a delicate balancing act. Undoubtedly, such extravagance as starting out DJing is often met with extremely sharp angled nose-turning, the sort that has been around since records began. Or at least when they began being mixed into each other. “DJs are just playing other people’s music and getting the credit,” or so will declare one of two bassists in a seven-piece post-metal group called The Dark Conundrum, who you will encounter while buying a Subway on the way back from a foam party in a club called Scandal. But actually, playing records to people to make them dance is fucking great, and many of relatively recent history’s most important and vibrant cultural transitions have revolved around such a basic principle. Though don’t actually say that, of course. You’ll sound mad. Here are a few top tips to allow your student DJ career to flourish… If you’re planning to DJ off your computer, some basic DJ software, such as VirtualDJ, is now completely free, and surprisingly effective as. Worth a go before you spend the majority of your loan on two Pioneer CDJ 3000s, the latest DJM mixer and a series of professional press shots of you staring forlornly into the middle distance. Have a good time, give a good time. There are plenty of great clubs in Manchester and Liverpool to turn up to and hear weird, more outthere club music – but you have been placed with what Stewart Lee would term a ‘mixed ability’ crowd. Don’t feel obliged to play what you don’t want to hear, but realise that the relentless techno like what you heard in Berlin isn’t engineered to accompany a round of Apple Sourz. If in doubt, play Prince. Chat to people at any party. You will meet music lovers swiftly, and they will hopefully have plenty of recommendations to blow your mind. If the gig goes well, stay humble. Do not claim that you are Burial. Or the third brother in Disclosure, “the one who actually does all the production work.” Ignore old pricks like me.

Find your way around Manchester and Liverpool’s club scene at theskinny.co.uk/clubs

THE SKINNY

Bound by Binaries Luke, a bi-gendered person, discusses what it feels like to have two gender identities

ender is really fucking complicated. I know; that’s a bit of a shocker that you weren’t expecting in a sex and gender section like Deviance. But seriously, for some people gender is a really fucked up concept. Take my gender identity. I’m bi-gender, in that I have two gender identities. For a while I thought maybe I was genderqueer or androgynous… someone beyond gender who could express themselves however they liked. ‘Screw the gender binary!’ I thought, ‘Having only the options of male or female is too restrictive!’ But my gender is quite binary. Some days I wear my breast binder and call myself ‘Luke’ (like I am in my byline here), and some days I wear a bra and go around as a cis(ish) woman. It’s not perfect as a system, but I find it suits me better to flit between the two. It doesn’t suit everyone. A lot of my friends have transitioned completely and successfully from female to male (or, indeed, male to female) with no explicit regrets. They dressed exclusively in male clothing, cut their hair short, went to

Words: Luke Cockayne

their doctor, passed their psychological tests, got their testosterone injections and became the men they always were.

“Trying to exist outside of the gender binary is really difficult” Some of my friends haven’t done that, instead choosing to use completely genderless names. Think about that for a moment… a genderless name. Pig Thequeer, for instance, chose to adopt a name that has no gender signification. It told me: “Pig has been my nickname since I was a kid because I was a guinea pig in a game once... But as an adult I have liked

My Flatmate the Fetishist

pplying online to live with strangers is like playing Flat Roulette. They could be anyone. They could be sociopaths, dirty-knicker-hoarding kleptomaniacs or sleep-eaters that wake up with roast chicken carcasses in their beds. I have lived with all those types before, and those were people I knew. Advertising a spare room online is tantamount to sending a bat signal to the wealth of crazies that exist beyond the weirdos you already know and love. My new flatmate is a nymphomaniac fetishist and self-confessed kinky bitch, although she didn’t say that in her interview. She drip-fed the kinky hints for a fortnight, starting with the penchant for bodices and corsetry, building to the crescendo of her sado-masochistic photo gallery. As rope-bound breasts and spanking paddles stared back at me from the laptop screen, I felt we’d taken our flatmate friendship to the next level. Is bonding over bondage the 21st century house-warming? The new ‘fancy going for a pint’?

September 2013

being neutral and even prefer the pronoun ‘it.’ Partly that’s because I don’t feel I fit in and others generally agree I don’t, and partly because many people see ‘it’ as offensive! Plus ‘it’ fits in that a pig is just a pig, most people don’t care if it is a sow or a boar.” Trying to exist outside of the gender binary is really difficult because it’s so ingrained in our society. Today, for instance, I was taking a short course in setting myself up as a freelance writer. I needed to go to the loo. I was planning to use the disabled, because although I was dressed entirely in male clothing, was wearing a breast binder and had introduced myself to everyone in the private venue as Luke I didn’t want to impose myself on the cis guys and invade their space. Unfortunately there was no disabled toilet, only a male one and a female one. So I had to choose. That’s the gender binary. Some people just don’t fit in the binary. I admit that this piece is difficult to write without falling into the trap of it. I admire anyone who can

live in a fluid, genderneutral space, any intersexed person who refuses to conform to a system that doesn’t even factor them in, anyone strong enough to embrace all the different aspects of their gender. But that’s just not where I’m at. I started hormone blockers a few weeks ago for a medical procedure unrelated to my gender issues. A trans guy friend of mine told me once that testosterone seemed to just correct an imbalance in his body. I feel kind of the same way. I don’t want my hormonal cycle to come back. Would rather just keep taking the suppressants. A few years ago I made an appointment with a gender clinic, but chickened out and didn’t go. Maybe I’m a coward, but a full medical transition just doesn’t seem… like the solution. ‘Bi-gender’ really does seem to be the best term to describe how I feel. I don’t want to have to choose. I can’t choose. And I see absolutely no reason why I should.

What’s it like living with a nymphomaniac fetishist? We bake cakes, actually

I started to get concerned about my house becoming a playground for dominatrix sex games. Would my pull-up bar become a prime asphyxiation rail to hang lovers from? Would my dressing gown ties become restraints? My bio yoghurt a delicious, digestion-aiding lubricant? I’m all about consenting adults getting their kicks in the boudoir (or dungeon) in whichever way is most pleasurable for them, but masochism, ball-gags and whipping don’t tickle everyone’s pickle. When I think of rope burning my wrists, having my nipples electrocuted or pouring burning candlewax on someone’s chest, my brain-to-vagina nerve pathways go into complete shutdown. Try as I might to get a tingle on, nothing happens. It’s not that I haven’t dabbled in the lifestyle either. As a teenager, my first Sapphic partner was an enthusiastic masochist, but I always put it down to her infatuation with Placebo and her hyperactivity disorder. She’s now a sex club cage dancer and gets impaled and hoisted by

industrial meat hooks for fun, so it’s safe to assume it’s more than just Brian Molko and an attention deficit. Perhaps it’s all to do with believing in different kinds of sexual freedoms. I like the let’s-puthallucinogens-in-the-reservoir Woodstock-type free love scenarios; she prefers Guantanamo interrogation torture and vampire porn. We’re like nymphomania’s yin and yang. Even when faced with pictures of my flatmate’s tits and men gagged with PVC being prodded with needles, I kept my sexual cards close to my chest lest they all be trumped in one foul swoop. She then called me vanilla. Vanilla! I’d like to think I’m more mango sorbet, or a fucking raspberry ripple at least. The only flattery is that my butter-wouldn’tmelt disguise is working – everyone knows wolves get luckier when they’ve got their lamb costumes on. Although she’s active in a sado-masochistic sex subculture and likes to get freaky-nasty in a plethora of pain inducing ways, the rest of the

DEVIANCE

Words: Twinkle Illustration: Caitlin Clancy

time we just hang out. Sometimes we build furniture. We make crafts. We bake. We do a bunch of family-friendly activities and eat ice cream. She is arguably the least mental flatmate I’ve ever had – she doesn’t steal my underwear or shake breakfast cereal over the house in midnight food raids. I wouldn’t swap her for the Spanish couple that needed a summer let, or the prim receptionist who was worried about a residential parking space. Her exploits no longer faze me. We compare bruises – mine from everyday clumsiness, hers from sex beatings. She tells me there are spanking paddles that can imprint flower petals on your arse cheeks and a cat tail butt plug you insert in your bum before meowing around the room. When I asked her how she celebrated Andy Murray winning the tennis, she answered nonchalantly: ‘With a victory flogging.’ Which blew my Pimms-and-strawberries celebration to smithereens. Shit, maybe I am a bit vanilla.

Lifestyle

WAKING NOSTALGIA (2012)

Penny Davenport L

iverpool-based artist Penny Davenport makes drawings of characters and scenes.

immersion is what I depend on. Play, and the panic that’s induced from mistakes that seem unrecoverable get me excited. “I always struggle with the explanation that is “Dualism is something that I find very interrequired and expected when justifying my work, esting; the dualistic conceptions of nature, hot or enabling a better understanding of what I do. and cold, good and evil, and so on. Subconsciously Unless you are a writer, and have a fine fluid way, collected imagery, regurgitation; I suppose playing words can pin you down and make you withdrawn. with your own mental vomit until you feel satisfied. I feel it is important to say this. Part of what I do “I think (going off track here) revealing what and the reason I do it is because it is non-verbal you do for the cold judgment or joy of others is a expression and communication. funny business in itself. I hopefully will try to publish some stories that would accompany the draw“The drawings I make are never planned or sketched. I find that whenever I have attempted to ings. I have some stories that exist but are locked plan a drawing it becomes stiff and it seems I need away. This locking away can become a problem. I to slip into a sort of trance, to feel removed, trans- think there is a danger sometimes that marketing ported and completely detached in order to do it. skills can often seem more important than the art, “Play is very important. I used to draw conwhich is a harsh blow to the shy reclusive sort who stantly when I was little, and that feeling of being recoils from networking or feels vulgar or unsetcompletely immersed was lost over time until I tled when speaking of money and sales.” started to draw again purely for me, not for a uniwww.pennydavenport.org versity, a grade or a tutor, just for me. This state of

SHOWCASE

THE SKINNY

BIRDCATCHER (2013)

September 2013

SHOWCASE

Nature’s Bounty A host of Northwest designers are exhibiting at International Jewellery London this month, including Elaine Jenkins, whose work takes its inspiration from tiny environmental details – even blades of grass

hen it comes to fashion, we all spend a lot of time discussing the clothes. The shape, the colour, the silhouette, the mood. But what about the little things that make the outfit? What about the accessories, and, more specifically, the jewellery? With the International Jewellery London exhibition approaching, we thought it was about time we took a closer look, and focused on the smaller touches that so often give an outfit that little something extra. International Jewellery London (IJL), running 1-4 September, is an annual jewellery trade exhibition that gives gallery owners, retail buyers and enthusiasts the chance to discover hidden treasures and up and coming talent. With more than 100 new jewellers and even more returning attendees setting up shop at this year’s exhibition, it is the perfect place to showcase fresh and exciting designs and jewellery trends. Here in the Northwest there is no shortage of talented jewellers, many of whom are attending this year’s exhibition. One of them is Elaine Jenkins, who, having graduated from Liverpool Hope University in 2008, has forged forward with her beautiful jewellery and silverware designs. Primarily based in Liverpool, she is continuing to add skills to her already impressive CV while designing collections that stand alone but also complement the current fashion trends. She also designs and makes commissioned pieces, working closely with the customer to create something truly one of a kind.

“When the grass is dry, the edges have a silver shimmer that catches your eye at dawn” Elaine Jenkins

Interview: Charlotte Geoghegan

of a moss formation” was the focus of the Moss collection, and the “subtle outline of the shadows cast by a butterfly wing” was the driving force behind the new Wings collection, which is aimed at a more trend-conscious buyer. When it comes to the type of person she designs for, Jenkins tells me she is not specific, and that there is truly something out there for every jewellery lover among her work. The Moss and Marram collections are aimed at customers looking for a statement piece in the higher price bracket – something that is the focus of an outfit, rather than a simple accessory. The Fall and the new Wings collection, meanwhile, are designed to work with the changing trends and appeal to a wider market. These are the pieces that add the extra ‘oomph’ to an outfit. As well as these collections, Jenkins’ commissioned pieces are striking and trend-led but more focused towards the individual’s style and specific requirements. “My commissioned work is based on the person who has come to me with a design in mind,” she explains. “Whether it be an engagement ring or a birthday present, I try to get my customers as involved in the design process as much as I can. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of handing over one of these pieces and seeing a customer’s face light up.” Each collection brings something unique and interesting to the table. The Moss collection is littered with small diamonds, and some of the limited edition peach necklaces and bangles are so simple but would be a beautiful addition to anyone’s jewellery box. The Wings collection gives an edge to the girly and feminine connotations of the butterfly, while the pieces from the Fall collection add a twist to a simple autumn leaf. So what’s next for the designer? Quite a bit, it turns out. With Christmas on the horizon (yes, the countdown has nearly begun, folks!), there are commissions to be completed and galleries to be stocked with work. On top of this, Jenkins is starting a course on stone-setting at Holts Academy in London and the British Jewellers’ Association mentoring programme – never a dull moment. For those of you lucky enough to be heading down to IJL 2013, keep an eye out for Jenkins’ work being featured in the ‘spot the winner’ trail, which gives customers the chance to vote for and win their favourite pieces. Of course, Jenkins isn’t the only independent designer that’s caught our eye, and for those keen jewellery collectors out there or for those who are just searching for something beautiful, take a look at some of the other designers that belong to the Manchester Jewellers Network: Gemma Scully, Karin Sheldon, Charlotte Verity and Kate Wimbush. Let’s take our time to appreciate the jewellery that so often gets forgotten but always adds the finishing touch to a look, – and the jewellers who can take simple things such as the sheen of grass on a sand dune and transform it into something covetable, wearable and completely timeless.

Lifestyle

FASHION

Photos: Craft Jewellery Photography

This year is Jenkins’ first attending IJL, and she will be doing so with a number of peers from the Manchester Jewellers Network. She tells us that “by exhibiting at IJL I am opening up my products to a higher market,” and in order to coincide with the exhibit her new Marram collection will be launched at the show. Although she describes her new work as “sleeker than past collections,” it still holds true to her main inspiration: nature. Jenkins tells us that ultimately, the starting point for the Marram collection comes from “the long marram grass on the sand dunes at Ainsdale Nature Reserve.” She explains that, “When the grass is dry, the edges have a silver shimmer that catches your eye at dawn. This and the simple form of the grass is the main focus point for this collection.” www.elainejenkins.co.uk The simplicity of nature’s beauty is the jumping-off point for all of Jenkins’ work; she then www.manchesterjewellersnetwork.org www.jewellerylondon.com deconstructs the whole to focus on one small specific aspect, and then promotes this throughout certain collections. “The simple ball shape

THE SKINNY

The Couple Conundrum Selling everything you own to travel the globe with the person you love; it’s a romantic notion many loved-up, travel-hungry minds only ever dream about. In 2011 my boyfriend and I set off to fulfil that dream

hey say opposites attract; I guess that’s how I ended up on top of a karst mountain in Xingping, China, yelling at my moronic boyfriend to stop doing his best Karate Kid impression immediately next to the edge. “Just take the photo and I’ll get down,” Pete yells across at me. I refuse. I’ve known this boy for 15 years; I’ve been stupid enough to have been his girlfriend for about six of them. ‘Girlfriend’ is a loose term. ‘Parent’ or ‘guardian’ may be more apt. Our home life in Australia was constantly marred by 2am trips to the hospital after Pete had drunkenly severed an artery in his hand or split his head open walking into a slot machine. For the record, my hospital tally is zero. Pete’s is nearing double figures. When we left Australia over two years ago to work and travel around the world, our friends and family thought we were crazy. Our best friends began to place bets on how early we would give up and come home. Safe to say, we are owed quite a few beers upon our return at the end of the year. But who can blame them? Pete, the notoriously lazy procrastinator and Kate, the anxious over-planner; we aren’t exactly a great match in life, let alone long-term travel companions. Before we left Australia we hadn’t so much as lived together and now we were embarking on an adventure that would require us to spend every waking (and sleeping) moment together. With two very different approaches to life, Pete’s ‘she’ll be right’ versus my ‘she’ll be right because I’ll plan every last step and then rehearse it for two weeks prior’, working together to tackle the world proved to be more of a challenge than we had expected. The morning of our departure from Australia, after packing my backpack in the way I’d practised for the previous four weeks, I stood under a cold shower sobbing in a state of panic. Pete installed the lights his mother had been pestering him to do for the last seven months and casually threw random articles of clothing into his bag. Twenty-six months and 28 countries later, we’ve managed to devise a system to prevent ourselves from killing each other. “Kate does the planning, logistics and budget, and tells me where I need to be. I do the talking,” Pete explains to our new Scottish friends over dinner and Efes beers. “It’s a system.” Hearing this system verbalised, I realised I had somehow managed to get the raw end of the deal. That was until we got to China, the land of squat toilets with no doors and chicken feet in vacuum seal bags, and where virtually no one speaks English. After countless hours spent finetuning our itinerary, searching for the cheapest flights, and fretting over whether our Chinese visas would be approved in time for our flight the following day, watching Pete mime ‘toilet’ to a girl in a supermarket made all my hard work seem worth it. Much of our first year of travel was spent bickering about how many euros Pete had spent on Weis Beer at a Berlin nightclub the night before or whose turn it was to be the annoying tourist asking random strangers where the nearest metro entrance was. By the time we reached Portugal, seven months into our trip, to meet up with an Australian friend, our romantic world adventure had become anything but romantic. It was bordering on all out war.

September 2013

Words: Kate Morling Illustration: Cat O’Neil

“I never wanted children, yet somehow I ended up travelling the world with a six-foot-five child and his drunken mate,” I tell our seven new best friends around a table covered in beers in party town Lagos, Portugal. “I’ve become a walking, talking Lonely Planet guidebook. I’m ready to leave them both.” They all laugh. I’m not joking. After farewelling our friend in Florence, as he travelled north to Germany (led by Cupid’s firm grip), the pressure pot that had become our relationship finally exploded. Where better to have a lover’s quarrel than the city of love itself, Venice. “The hotel must be that way.” Pete points in the wrong direction. “It’s not that bloody way. Here, look.” I thrust the upside down map at him. “There’s San Marco Square,” I point with more force than necessary, “so it must be down that way.” “Just chill out, OK? I’m just trying to help. You don’t need to speak to me like I’m a four year old.” He turns on me as a loved up couple stroll past openly staring.

“We aren’t exactly a great match in life, let alone long-term travel companions” The romance that oozed from the city did little to quell our blatant loathing of each other. We eventually reached our costly Venetian hotel and Pete immediately left to find an Irish bar playing the Tottenham game. I was so glad to have planned our trip to coincide with the football, at his request. At least I had the luxurious room to myself. Italian TV and a slice of pizza in bed was all the romance I wanted at that point. Had Pete taken this trip alone he likely would have flown to England, blown all his money in the first weeks on beer, burgers and football tickets and returned to Australia within three months. Vanity would have me think that I could have done it all alone. In reality, however, I would probably never have marched myself from under that cold shower and taken the flight in the first place. When he returned an hour and a half later, it was that notion that had us both disarming our weapons and waving our white flags. Hence, our system was born. Long-term travelling is no holiday. It’s frustrating, humbling, confronting and, at times, exhausting. It’s buses at five in the morning, directions written in English when the street signs are all written in Cyrillic, it’s seeing small sari-clad girls pooping in the streets, it’s getting food-poisoning in Kashmir and vomiting rice for the next 24 hours. We had just arrived in Luxor, Egypt, after a short journey north from Aswan, where I had endured two hours of cat-calling and leering from two men in the seats across from me. Pete had been dozing unaware in the chair behind me and although I was dressed in a long-sleeve tunic and jeans that covered my flesh in the 48 degree heat, I had become their entertainment for the ride. I’d been warned by guidebooks and other

tourists simply to ignore such behaviour or risk making the situation worse. I simply continued to read my book, as the pit in my stomach grew larger. When Pete began to rouse, their leering seemed to ease. I explained briefly what had happened. He spent the rest of the trip leaned forward with his arm on my chair ready to send a warning stare right back to any more that came my way. “I know it’s frustrating, but you’re OK. You just need a nice long shower and a good dinner.” He looks at me sternly and says this as though it is fact. I’m not so sure; I’m fast approaching my culture-shock threshold and I just want to give up and go home. But, as is often the case with Pete, he was right. After him searching out a decent restaurant serving western food and summoning the comforts of home by settling in with me to watch Harry Potter on our laptop, my frustration at having to bite my tongue in such situations began to ease, and my world became a little brighter. As night fell, I knew just as strong as ever, that I could never have done this without him, nor would I have wanted to.

TRAVEL

Certainly there have been days where I thought our story would end with Pete locked up in an Indian prison cell for murdering me after I dragged him halfway around New Delhi in search of a shawl with the perfect shade of turquoise. Sometimes I wonder what would have played out if I had gone it alone in my own rendition of Eat, Pray, Love. But mostly, looking back with rose coloured glasses, I see that our story was indeed a romance; we were falling in love with the world, and each other. The memories which our minds share are now like an invisible thread that weaves our lives together. No-one else remembers that time we followed a junkie down a Bucharest alleyway at midnight in search of a hostel after missing a connecting train. No-one else can re-live our relief when he actually took us to a hostel and only demanded the equivalent of $2 as a tip. Noone else can savour the taste of the pancakes we were given the next morning by the hostel owner. It is our memory; and ours alone. Equally, no-one else can share in my annoyance at watching Pete do karate moves on the edge of a cliff.

Lifestyle

SEPTEMBER 3RD - CLASSIC SLUM present DINOSAUR JR @ EAST VILLAGE ARTS CLUB, LIVERPOOL 4TH - CLASSIC SLUM present BLACK YAYA (DAVID IVAR HERMAN DUNE) + TURNER CODY + SUN ELECTRIC BAND + MY NAME IS IAN 6TH - SKA FACE + SKABILLY REBELS + DJ DARREN JAMES 7TH - IAN MCNABB & COLD SHOULDER + guests THE BLUEBOTTLE VEINS + SKELETON SUITE 7TH - REMAKE REMODEL - THE NATION’S SAVING GRACE OF ALTERNATIVE ROCK’N’ROLL 8TH - KATMAN (FEATURING SLIM JIM PHANTOM + DARREL HIGHAM) 11TH - CLASSIC SLUM present KRYSTLE WARREN + guest GWYNETH HERBERT + LUCY & THE CATERPILLAR 13TH - CLASSIC SLUM present HEARTLESS BASTARDS + MIDNIGHT RAMBLE + DAVE FIDLER & THE CORVETTES 14TH - DEATH TO THE STRANGE 14TH - CLASSIC SLUM present THIS MORNING CALL @ THE ANTHONY BURGESS FOUNDATION 18TH - COVER UP FOR CANCER featuring HIS DISGRACE + YEAH DUCKS + RED HOT CHILLED PEPPERS + CONTRABAND 19TH - EXIT CALM 20TH - FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - A WILD NIGHT OF CLASSIC SLEAZE & HARD ROCK, WITH A TWIST OF PUNK & METAL 21ST - ULTIMATE POWER - DEDICATED TO THE GLORY OF THE POWER BALLAD 27TH - BBC MANCHESTER INTRODUCING LIVE present GOMA + LISA ELLA + RED SKY NOISE 27TH - HOLY CIRCUS - GARAGE / LO-FI / SOUL / REGGAE / ALT / PSYCHE / 60s 28TH - ENRAGED - A TRIBUTE TO RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 28TH - CAGED ASYLUM OCTOBER 3RD - MY DARLING CLEMENTINE 4TH - JOHNNY BORRELL & ZAZOU 5TH - KING KRULE 5TH - REMAKE REMODEL - THE NATION’S SAVING GRACE OF ALTERNATIVE ROCK’N’ROLL 9TH - THE JIM JONES REVUE + guests THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS 10TH - SPEAR OF DESTINY ‘YEARS AND COUNTING TOUR 1983-2013’ + guests TENSHEDS 11TH - AHAB + guests THE HUMMINGBIRDS 12TH - B.I.Z.Z.Y. B BIRTHDAY BASH 13TH - TOM HINGLEY & FRIENDS - A CONCERT IN AID OF FOOD BANKS + guests LOUIS BARABBAS + THE LOTTERY WINNERS + SNOWAPPLE 14TH - CLASSIC SLUM present ISLET 16TH - DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP 17TH - COMMUNION 18TH - CLASSIC SLUM present GIANT STAR 18TH - FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - A WILD NIGHT OF CLASSIC SLEAZE & HARD ROCK, WITH A TWIST OF PUNK & METAL 19TH - ULTIMATE POWER - DEDICATED TO THE GLORY OF THE POWER BALLAD 22ND - CLASSIC SLUM present BLEACHED @ THE CLUNY, NEWCASTLE 23RD - CLASSIC SLUM present SUSHEELA RAMAN 25TH - THE LOVELY EGGS 25TH - HOLY CIRCUS - GARAGE / LO-FI / SOUL / REGGAE / ALT / PSYCHE / 60s 26TH - KNOTSLIP - A TRIBUTE TO SLIPKNOT 26TH - CAGED ASYLUM 29TH - THE WEEKS 29TH - STEVE CRADOCK (OCEAN COLOUR SCENE / PAUL WELLER BAND) @ THE CLUNY, NEWCASTLE 31ST - ST MARY’S HOSPITAL BABY UNIT CHARITY CONCERT featuring DUB SEX + MARK BURGESS & FRIENDS + THE CORNELIUS CRANE + MARY JOANNA & THE SOUTHERN ELECTRIKK + DJ TIN TIN (NEW ORDER DJ) + PHIL BECKETT (STONE ROSES DJ) NOVEMBER 1ST - CLASSIC SLUM present RIDING THE LOW featuring PADDY CONSIDINE + guests BONE-BOX 2ND - CLASSSIC SLUM present RED KITE featuring DANIEL FISHER from THE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE 2ND - REMAKE REMODEL - THE NATION’S SAVING GRACE OF ALTERNATIVE ROCK’N’ROLL 3RD - TUNDE BAIYEWU (LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY) 7TH - CLASSIC SLUM present THE GODFATHERS + guests HEY BULLDOG + WAREHOUSE RIOTS 8TH - MAD DOG MCREA 9TH - CLASSIC SLUM present CUD 10TH - KITTEN & THE HIP 12TH - YOUNG KATO 13TH - QUADRON 14TH - CLASSIC SLUM present THE BLOCKHEADS + guests JERAMIAH FERRARI 15TH - ANE BRUN 15TH - FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - A WILD NIGHT OF CLASSIC SLEAZE & HARD ROCK, WITH A TWIST OF PUNK & METAL 16TH - SCARY MONSTERS present DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER - CLASSIC 70’S GLAM ROCK & POP 18TH - THE FAMILY RAIN 21ST - COMMUNION 22ND - KASSOMA 23RD - KING KURT + guests CHEAPSKATES + WASTED DAZE 25TH - CLASSIC SLUM present JASON ISBELL (DRIVE BY TRUCKERS / THE 400 UNIT) + guest AMANDA SHIRES 27TH - THE LEISURE SOCIETY 28TH - ARCANE ROOTS 28TH - CLASSIC SLUM present JONATHAN WILSON @ GORILLA 29TH - BBC MANCHESTER INTRODUCING LIVE 29TH - HOLY CIRCUS - GARAGE / LO-FI / SOUL / REGGAE / ALT / PSYCHE / 60s 30TH - RAMMLIED - A TRIBUTE TO RAMMSTEIN 30TH - CAGED ASYLUM DECEMBER 5TH - CLASSIC SLUM present DEAN WAREHAM (GALAXIE 500 / LUNA / DEAN & BRITTA) 7TH - URBAN VOODOO MACHINE 7TH - REMAKE REMODEL - THE NATION’S SAVING GRACE OF ALTERNATIVE ROCK’N’ROLL 12TH - THE VIEW 19TH - COMMUNION 20TH - FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - A WILD NIGHT OF CLASSIC SLEAZE & HARD ROCK, WITH A TWIST OF PUNK & METAL 21ST - THE STRANGE DOORS - A TRIBUTE TO THE DOORS 21ST - CAGED ASYLUM 22ND - SCARY MONSTERS present DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER XMAS PARTY - CLASSIC 70’S GLAM

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Sunday 27 October 7.30pm £28.50, £34.50 –

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MADELEINE PEYROUX

Tuesday 3 December 7.30pm £24, £30

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ROCK & POP

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THE SKINNY

Gig Highlights

Day Tripping

With bands back in business after a summer spent glugging grog in ditches, and with the return of The Warehouse Project, September brings the big guns in all genres, from Dinosaur Jr. to James Blake – and goddammit if we're gonna ignore Paramore

Words: Joe Goggins

Words: Will Fitzpatrick

for far too long when they return to The Deaf Institute on 18 Sep, and cult favourites Art Brut stopping by the same city’s Academy 3 on 24 Sep. Anyone wanting to indulge their pop-punk-loving, borderline-emo inner 13-year-old can catch Jimmy Eat World at Academy 1 on Friday the 13th (oo-er), while Liverpudlians would be well-advised not to miss Giant Drag when they hit one of the region’s finest venues, The Kazimier, on 14 Sep (they play The Deaf Institute, Manchester, the night before). The title of their latest record, March’s Waking Up Is Hard to Do, might provide some explanation as to why it’s only their second in eight years, but there’s been little sign of lethargy in their recent live performances. Your best bet for a big-hitting hip-hop show this month is at Manchester’s Apollo on 12 Sep; Macklemore & Ryan Lewis crafted one of the genre’s most interesting albums for a long time with The Heist, though the intelligence and insight displayed on tracks such as anti-homophobia anthem Same Love and the introspective Starting Over might be lost among a crowd baying for the (admittedly riotously fun) likes of Thrift Shop and Can’t Hold Us. The end of the month also sees The Warehouse Project juggernaut whirl back into life, and the opening night on 27 Sep promises an impressive blend of old and new, with Mark

Knight and Swedish House Mafioso Axwell joining still-vital veterans Armand van Helden and Alan Braxe on the line-up – but things officially get underway the following night, with the now-customary ‘Welcome to the Warehouse’ party. House and techno are the order of the day (or, rather, night), with Seth Troxler and Loco Dice heading up a bill that also includes the new project from Maceo Plex and Danny Daze, Jupiter Jazz, as well as turns from Warehouse old hands like Joy Orbison and The Martinez Brothers – making the trip to Trafford seem an enticing one. A strong final week sees an unmissable appearance from post-punk legends Wire at Gorilla (26 Sep); their 13th full-length, Change Becomes Us, met with a rapturous reception earlier this year. Those with more esoteric tastes will be delighted by CocoRosie’s headlining date at Manchester’s Academy 2 on 28 Sep; the ‘freak folk’ sisters are out in support of their most abstract effort to date, Tales of a Grass Widow. The best, though, has most definitely been saved ‘til last; Laura Marling plays Salford’s Lowry on 30 Sep, outing tracks from recent masterpiece Once I Was an Eagle as well as choice cuts from years gone by – all of it totally acoustic. Festivals? What festivals?

DO NOT MISS: Live_Transmission: Joy Division Reworked, The Lowry, Salford, 29 Sep, and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 30 Sep

LIVE_TRANSMISSION

September 2013

ith the Ian Curtis cottage industry always in full flow, you may have thought that when it comes to Joy Division you’d seen it all. Think again. Live_Transmission is a collaborative reworking of the band’s music, but it’s not the kind of collaboration you see every day. Making up the wildly disparate group of performers are visual artist Matt Watkins, electronic musician Scanner, Ghostpoet bassist John Calvert, and Three Trapped Tigers' drummer Adam Betts and guitarist Matt Calvert. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also the strings, brass, voices and percussion of the Heritage Orchestra,

orchestrated by Tom Trapp – and finally, keeping this ragtag bunch in check is conductor Jules Buckley. And Curtis thought he had it tough. Laura Ducceschi, who came up with initial demented/inspired idea, says of Live_ Transmission that, far from being some sort of weird orchestral Joy Division cover band, “it is a project that steps into new terrain whilst paying homage to the punk, poetic, visual and experimental band that was Joy Division.” The show promises to be a fitting and unique tribute to a band who, though much imitated, remain truly sui generis. [Kristian Doyle]

MUSIC

eady to freak out? The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia is back, and, as you’d hope, it’s both bigger and better in its second year. A two-day festival of musical and space explorations (both inner and outer), it takes place on 27-28 September in the adjoining Camp and Furnace and Blade Factory venues, deep in the city’s formerly industrial Baltic Triangle. Festival organiser Tom Lynch eagerly talks of hosting “the cream of the current psychedelic crop,” adding: “It’s a dream line-up for all of us.” Headliners include the city’s own weird-punk outfit Clinic, whose Velvet Underground-inspired racket has now been going strong for 16 years, and the motorik wash of krautrockers Moon Duo. There’s also a rare visit to these shores from punishingly loud Washington DC types Dead Meadow, and a wealth of lesser-known treats to devour, from the molten riffage of local trio Mind Mountain to Eat Lights Become Lights’ blissedout electro-kosmische. Those with their fingers on the pulse will be particularly excited about the critically acclaimed Hookworms, as well as the Sabbathesque Fuzz – chiefly notable for the presence of the terrifyingly prolific Ty Segall behind the drum kit. And if that wasn’t enough, Chicago’s hipper-than-thou Trouble In Mind Records will be curating a stage, promising a veritable banquet culled from their delicious roster, complemented by their very own DJ Psyched Alex spinning his favourite mind-benders. Additional DJs include 6 Music’s Marc Riley and Finders Keepers Records founder Andy Votel.

MOON DUO

As grand as this all sounds, it’s worth noting that the DIY ethic pervades Psych Fest’s every endeavour. Promoting alongside his regular Harvest Sun events, in conjunction with Craig Pennington of Bido Lito! magazine, Tom talks of extra-curricular plans: “We’ve started a label, PZYK, so we’ll be scouring all four corners of the earth, looking for the sounds of tomorrow.” Indeed, the label’s first release (now sold out) was a special limited edition 7” featuring contributions from Clinic, Moon Duo, Maston and Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, while PZYK 0002 is a mix-tape cassette – limited to 50 copies – featuring 12 of this year’s Psych Fest acts, which you can pick up only when buying a Psych Fest ticket at one of the three in-stores they’re holding with The Lucid Dream (Sat 7 Sep at Piccadilly Records, Manchester, at 10.30am; Jumbo Records, Leeds, at 1pm; and Probe Records, Liverpool, at 4.30pm). It’s certainly an action-packed weekend, and, bearing in mind Liverpool’s ongoing fascination with the psych sound, Tom’s keen to see the festival continue to expand. “The Northwest waters are certainly bubbling of late,” he reflects. “Long may it continue.” Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia, Camp and Furnace/Blade Factory, Liverpool, 27-28 Sep, £45 (weekend), £20 (day Friday), £25 (day Saturday) www.liverpoolpsychfest.com

Preview

Photo: Page Bertelsen

JAMES BLAKE

Photo: Euan Robertson

f there’s a reason to celebrate – rather than mourn – the dying days of summer, it’s that the month of September usually sees the innercity gig calendar getting back to something like normal, with festival season having left July and August looking like a wasteland for live shows. Finally, bands are getting away from the mud and back into the more familiar territory of clubs, theatres and arenas – and this year’s billings across the Northwest are particularly strong. Liverpool sets the tone early, with two killer shows in the space of three days: Dinosaur Jr., who’ve already comfortably beaten My Bloody Valentine to the title of ‘loudest band we’ve seen this year’, play East Village Arts Club on 3 Sep, while Eels appear at the O2 Academy on 5 Sep – their Manchester show back in March was a triumph, with a career-spanning setlist and masterful audience interaction. East Village Arts Club particularly impresses with a superb selection of bookings in the coming months, including the hotly-tipped No Ceremony on 13 Sep. Over in Manchester, the live scene is in typically rude health – but you might not be, after Fuck Buttons play Gorilla on 9 Sep. With new record Slow Focus matching the acclaim of their earlier efforts, the Bristol duo are on serious form, as their incendiary turn at Glastonbury proved. Expect retina-scorching visuals and brutal noise levels (and support from The Haxan Cloak), and plan accordingly. If you recover in time, 65daysofstatic – a band not averse to foundation-shaking volume themselves – bring their excellent Wild Light to Sound Control on the 23rd. Christmas has definitely come early for local earplug manufacturers. If you’re after something mellower, James Blake plays his biggest Manchester show to date at The Ritz on 20 Sep – expect cuts from one of 2013’s strongest album-of-the-year contenders, Retrograde, though only if you can manage to tear yourself away from the Phones4U Arena, recently rebranded in hideous fashion, where Paramore, yes, Paramore, appear in support of their surprisingly excellent self-titled release (the editor of this magazine has definitely not been belting out Still Into You in the shower for the past three months). Speaking of surprises, this is one of the few arena shows these days that doesn’t necessitate remortgaging your house to afford a ticket. The traditional guitar-based side of things is also well catered for this month, with Smith Westerns playing their first Manchester show

Plug in, wig out and feel the love for Liverpool Psych Fest’s sophomore outing

Album of the Month

Jel

Late Pass [Anticon, 23 Sep]

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Jel’s third album proper, a follow-up to 2006’s impeccable Soft Money, is difficult to appreciate with the proper awe until you have seen him play live. The foremost practitioner of sample-based MPC production and performance, Jel uses hip-hop’s favourite drum machine in a manner that can only be described as symphonic – every single note is played via his intricate, polyrhythmic finger-drumming as samples loop and trigger, creating intensely psychedelic hip-hop patterns and textures. Sonically dirtier than its baroque predecessor, the new material combines that album’s depth and scope in terms of sound with filthier, more upfront beats. The raps, when they come, are

Oneohtrix Point Never

CHVRCHES

RM Hubbert

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R Plus Seven [Warp, 30 Sep]

Daniel Lopatin delivers another finely wrought album of boldly experimental electronica, this time making his Warp Records debut. Although the album’s construction and intricate structure will be familiar to fans of Lopatin’s earlier work, the sonic palette is refreshed, with a joyful, almost tropical feel to the synths, which bubble and shimmer with an exuberance seldom seen in Oneohtrix Point Never’s sometimes gloomy, downbeat soundscapes. Chopped and timestretched vocal samples are used as instrumentation, while the melodic counterpoints take in everything from gently-plucked shamisen (He She) to vaporwave synths (Americans, Boring Angel), to yearning strings (the beatless palimpsest of Inside World). The improvised feel of some of the passages nods to cosmic jazz, but structurally each track contains distinct movements, bearing out the occasional comparisons made between Lopatin’s work and classical composition. A visionary artist at the height of his powers, this is in many ways his most accessible and uplifting work so far. Tremendous. [Bram E. Gieben]

Factory Floor Factory Floor [DFA, 9 Sep]

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Factory Floor’s long-anticipated full-length debut doesn’t deviate much from its mission statement – the trio, who define their music merely as ‘industrial,’ make stripped, loop-based techno on analogue machines, revelling in repetition and replete with mysterious, minimal vocals. It’s a perfect foil for DFA, stripping back the punk-funk/nu-disco framework of their classic sound into something leaner and colder. Opener Turn It Up is an exercise in delayed gratification, 808 sounds slowly building with patterned tom hits and deceptively complex snares, finally bursting into the tightly-wound proto-Italo of Here Again, with its surprisingly poppy hook. Fall Back delivers tough, Detroit-influenced techno, building to acidic madness. How You Say and Two Different Ways are the album’s spine; pitch-perfect, restrained industrial disco. This is intelligent, experimental dance music, created using methods quite unlike most Pro Toolsand Ableton-led producers. Searingly unique and engagingly familiar, it more than delivers on the London trio’s early promise. [Bram E. Gieben]

CHVRCHES’ full-length debut is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of 2013, partly due to the familiarity of such slices of perfect synth-pop as The Mother We Share, Gun, Lies, and Recover, which combine widescreen musical bombast and sharp lyrical focus. Lauren Mayberry’s vocals contrast saccharine sweetness with a knowingly cynical, incisive lyricism, effortlessly outclassing lesser peers AlunaGeorge and Disclosure. They have more in common with the dark-edged, sugary fables of Purity Ring, although musically they are closer to Chromatics and Com Truise’s 80sreferencing synth excursions. The hits are matched by the instantly infectious likes of We Sink, and the more introspective likes of Tether. The only weak links are Under The Tide and You Caught The Light – without Mayberry front and centre, CHVRCHES are less inspiring. The glitchy perfect pop of Lungs, however, is unmatched, guaranteeing the trio’s dominance on a worldwide stage. CHVRCHES are simply irresistible; Scotland’s finest pop band. [Bram E. Gieben]

Manic Street Preachers

Rewind the Film [Columbia, 16 Sep]

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With five singers and a musical style that veers from folk, through Motown via euphoric indie rock and back to cinematic brooding, the Manics’ 11th album is a strange, disparate beast, easy to like but difficult to love. Opener, This Sullen Welsh Heart, has bassist Nicky Wire singing like a man on a long walk home after closing time, before frontman James Dean Bradfield saves it with a reflection on identity and defiance. The number of vocalists adds as much as it detracts, giving Rewind the feel of a rarities collection more than a record with something unique to say for itself. Folksters Lucy Rose and Cate Le Bon’s contributions are lovely – their own understated, wistful tones adding layers to the overall introspection and sadness, while veteran Sheffield rock’n’roll troubadour Richard Hawley is less impressive on the ponderous title track. Their teeth are finally bared on album closer 30 Year War, with an attack on the government’s “endless parade of Etonian scum,” but their fondness for ending records on a duff tune hamstrings the admirable sentiment, leaving it hard to shake the feeling that the Manic Street Preachers still have better in them. [PJ Meiklem]

Breaks & Bone [Chemikal Underground, 27 Sep] Stripping arrangements back to one man and a guitar again (after the broader, guest-filled canvas of Thirteen Lost & Found), Breaks & Bone firmly underscores RM Hubbert’s technical genius. On Bolt, percussive throbs underpin a flitting guitar line and poignant, almost-whispered vocals, while on tracks like Dec 11 his dancing strings maintain both elaborate melody and the rattling bass beneath – a layering that belies their single-take, single-player creation. But it’s not just his guitar skills that continue to amaze. Perhaps it’s the presence of self-sung lyrics, imprinting his abstractly expressive playing with more tangible sentiments (“If life’s a happy song then we’re tone deaf”; “sometimes it’s just too late to expect forgiveness for half-imagined slights”), but Breaks & Bone is Hubby’s most emotionally affecting record yet, with songs like Feedback Loops heartbreaking in their sincerity. Though inspired by letting go, Breaks & Bone is an album to clasp on to tightly. [Chris Buckle]

Jesu

Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came [Avalanche Recordings, 23 Sep]

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2011’s Ascension showcased the guitar-led melancholia present on past Jesu staples, but it lacked the aweinspiring sense of atmosphere that made Justin Broadrick’s postGodflesh guise such an alluring presence in the first place. He consciously addresses that record’s shortcomings here, reinstating the right textures and moods while continuing to look forward. Length-wise, Closer to the Light strikes a newfound balance, its running time sitting comfortably between leaner previous EPs and epic, drawn out albums. The arrival of his first child likely inspired the record’s light, wondrous tone; Comforter radiates pain and beauty in equal measure, whereas Homesick’s low-tuned shoegaze harks back to the Silver EP’s grey-hued romanticism. The Great Leveller is the weighty, dynamic, 17-minute centrepiece, featuring a one-man orchestra masterminded by Italian composer Nicola Manzan. Those expecting to find the ghost of Godflesh at this point in the game would be to misunderstand Broadrick’s intentions with Jesu: this is grand, introspective music, slow-moving and soul-searching. [Ross Watson]

King Khan and the Shrines

Midday Veil

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It’s tough to dislike a band like Randolph’s Leap. Their bright, a-bit-folk-but-kinda-indierock sound, and sharp-as-a-box-of-self-reverential-brass-tacks ethos, fits so neatly into the Scottish tradition. And even though the band themselves acknowledge the above in the chuckle-worthy Indie King, it doesn’t make it any less true, or any less difficult for the nine members to carve out a unique identity. Founder and frontman Adam Ross has clearly given the ‘twee’ label some thought, and decided that wit will out (or that he couldn’t give a cup of camomile tea what anybody calls his band...). This mini-album is peppered with enough laugh-out-loud lines to make a stand-up comic blush; Psychic – the tale of a skint worker turning to clairvoyance phonecalls to make ends meet – is a particular treasure. Though it’s the opening, more sombre note of Conversation which hints at the emotional heft of which the band are capable, after the laughs have subsided. [PJ Meiklem]

Review

The Bones of What You Believe [Virgin / Goodbye, 23 Sep]

Randolph’s Leap

Real Anymore [Olive Grove, 9 Sep]

swathed in static and distortion; the basslines nod to his more recent funk and boom-bap inspired breaks for Serengeti, or to Anticon’s more song-based output on tracks like Bubble. Jel is right to say that “motherfuckers are late” to recognise his talent – as the beatsmith behind Themselves and Deep Puddle Dynamics, he defined the Anticon sound, and his majestic solo work deserves wider attention. In particular, the grinding, fuzzedout psychedelia of Look Up is superlative, but the beauty of his work is its consistency – this is an album that demands to be listened to as a whole, preferably on vinyl, and experienced in its raw, uncut form in the live arena. [Bram E. Gieben]

Idle No More [Merge, 23 Sep]

This Berlin-based collective, known for their anarchic live performances, combine influences including Sun Ra, James Brown, the Velvet Underground and the Monks; and while Idle No More is somewhat more coherent and controlled than that mélange might suggest, it does succeed in fusing elements of jazz, soul, funk and garage into something that still retains an air of effortless spontaneity. The restlessly uptempo rhythm section rarely lets up, but the variation in styles prevents the LP’s insistent tone from grating. As Khan himself notes, Idle No More is probably the outfit’s most refined release yet, but it succeeds in exploring some impressively accomplished arrangements and structures without losing the Shrines’ immediacy and intensity. The LP might be in thrall to the past, but the exuberant energy of these songs, coupled with the gloriously bright, trebly production, demonstrates a rare ability to mix diverse ingredients into a punchy and cohesive whole. [Sam Wiseman]

RECORDS

The Current [Translinguistic Other, 2 Sep] In terms of tone and atmosphere, the second LP from this Seattle psych-rock sextet brings to mind similarly trippy work by stoner rock outfits like Om, although the bruising riffs are eschewed for an emphasis on analogue synths. Throw in Emily Pothast’s ritualistic vocal delivery and the rhythm section’s penchant for hypnotic grooves, and The Current acquires an authentic 70s space-rock character while retaining a distinctive edge through its particular combinations of those elements. The approach is most accomplished on the 11-minute closer Great Cold of the Night, on which David Golightly’s synth arpeggios underpin slow-burning guitars, ultimately building into a wall of squalling noise. However, The Current does tend to rely upon repetition to maintain its energy, and on instrumentals like Choreia, it cries out for Pothast’s powerful vocals to renew its focus; yet Midday Veil’s studied understanding of their influences ensures there are peaks of genuine intensity here. [Sam Wiseman]

THE SKINNY

Seams

Volcano Choir

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Quarters [Full Time Hobby, 16 Sep] The debut LP from James Welch, a Berlin-based British producer, moves beyond the understated tone of his previous work towards a more explicitly dancefloor-oriented approach. While the BPMs on Quarters are at the slower end of the 4/4 techno spectrum, Welch’s deft use of shuffling snares and high-hats generates an air of restless enthusiasm; and his ear for dreamy, Nathan Fake-esque melodies (particularly on Constants and Sitcom Apartment) also contributes to the record’s playful vitality. Quarters has no pretensions to grandiose themes – Welch himself explains that he was not concerned with any ‘overarching concept’ in the process of composition – and each track feels self-contained, the realisation of a specific, isolated vision. As a result, the LP can feel slight, and lacking in narrative direction; yet it’s impressive in both its consistency, and its integration of a dancefloor sensibility with a characteristic emphasis on melody and texture. [Sam Wiseman]

Machinedrum

Vapor City [Ninja Tune, 23 Sep]

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After a slew of releases on labels like LuckyMe, and a stunning album for Planet Mu, 2011’s Room(s), Machinedrum returns with his Ninja Tune debut, reportedly “inspired by a dream city” in the artist’s mind. From Gunshotta’s opening, which sounds like a fistfight between Burial and Congo Natty – with the former’s glacial calm and timestretched vocals battling the latter’s infectious jungle rhythms and muted ragga vocal stabs – it’s a fascinating place to visit, taking in rhythmic flourishes from juke and footwork (Infinite Us), dreamy electronic shoegaze and hypercolour synths (Center Your Love), to the gothic, R’n’B-inspired night-work of oOoOO (U Still Lie). Far from a dystopia, Vapor City is an enchanting destination, and the complex, interlocking styles on show align with remarkable coherence. Machinedrum is one of the most inventive producers at the high-tempo end of modern bass music, and this is his strongest, most coherent work to date. [Bram E. Gieben]

Delorean

Apar [True Panther, 9 Sep]

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For a band named after a time machine, Delorean could do with working on their timing. Apar arrives at the tail end of a summer it could, in another universe, have soundtracked from the start, with its dazzling production and dreamy demeanour tailor-made for dawn afterparties. With fewer vocal samples and a greater emphasis on lyric-led songwriting than on last album Subiza, Apar moves the Basqueborn, Barcelona-based quartet incrementally away from the dancefloor while retaining that intangible ‘eyes close/arms in the air’ hedonistic feel. It takes their style to a stable already occupied by Passion Pit, recent M83 and Chairlift, so it’s fitting to hear the latter’s Caroline Polachek on highlight Unhold – a glittery whirligig that pivots around her warped vocal. Elsewhere, the closing Still You is their most overt cap-doff in New Order’s direction, and with a beating heart beneath the flash and flair, Delorean’s future looks bright indeed. [Chris Buckle]

Emerging in For Emma…’s slipstream, Volcano Choir’s 2009 debut couldn’t help but be framed in relation to Justin Vernon’s other creative outlet. With its prominent electronics and poppier bent, Unmap was received in some quarters as Vernon’s Give Up, but any comparisons with the Death Cab/Postal Service dyad must surely expire with the arrival of Repave. Not only does Volcano Choir’s recorded output now match Bon Iver two-for-two, but the quality and clarity of these eight tracks makes it difficult to justify its relegation to the status of junior partner. Credit is of course due to the band’s non-Vernon contingent (current and former members of Collections of Colonies of Bees), who wind back the glitches and deliver something more straightforwardly anthemic this time out – for instance, Acetate’s groupsung coda. But with his characteristic vocals front and centre, Vernon remains pivotal to the end result’s success; may his muse continue to be dual-fed for years to come. [Chris Buckle]

Following on from a series of strong split releases, LA’s most inviting hardcore outfit make their highly anticipated return. Less immediate than their 2011 breakthrough – the stellar Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me – Is Survived By distances itself from straight-up aggression and finds the band on experimental form. Harbour is mid-tempo by their standards and concentrates more on texture and melody, whereas Non-Fiction builds up in its first half before bursting into cathartic release in its climax. Jeremy Bolm’s impassioned screams carry echoes of other post-hardcore vocalists more so than usual; he’ll often break into a half-spoken word style reminiscent of La Dispute’s Jordan Dreyer. The lyrics are painfully honest and head straight for the gut, carrying the rare ability to resonate with people’s lives in truly profound ways. There’s a big, beating heart at the centre of the chaos. [Ross Watson]

65daysofstatic

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Composed in 1964, Terry Riley’s In C is one of the landmarks of minimalist composition, comprising 53 musical phrases in the key of C; and Riley’s emphasis on the role of interpretation and improvisation has ensured that the piece allows for seemingly infinite variations. Here, Portishead’s Adrian Utley brings together an orchestra of 19 electric guitarists, four organists and a bass clarinet, in a sumptuous version recorded live at St George’s Hall in Bristol. While the concept of the guitar orchestra may bring to mind the epic swathes of sound utilised by Rhys Chatham, in Utley’s hands the individual instruments are more pronounced. No waves of distortion or feedback are permitted to disrupt the piece’s gentle progression, although there are passages of ambient noise, which feel dreamier and less structured than in other interpretations. Utley thus succeeds in demonstrating the distinctive potential of the guitar to bring out new elements of Riley’s endlesslyadaptable composition. [Sam Wiseman]

Wild Light [Superball Music, 16 Sep] “No one knows what is happening...” repeats a ghostly voice at the start of Wild Light. A bleak way to begin, you could reason, but then the synth kicks in: big, blustering, almost operatic in its futuristic grandeur, stately in gait. The vocal sample implies nihilism and helplessness; the music suggests it’s not too late, or at the very least, we can make a bit of a racket until it is. 65daysofstatic’s fifth studio album maintains their patented blend of instrumental guitar-driven electronica, but they seem more confident than ever in exploring darker, weirder territories. Tone and pace switch without a moment’s notice – the scattershot mathy energy of knowingly-titled Sleepwalk City contrasts sharply with the pared down acoustics of subsequent track Taipei. Safe Passage, meanwhile, offers an appropriately epic epilogue, drenching your ears with a collapsed dam of beatific noise. Basic post-rock blueprints are still under the bonnet, but 65daysofstatic have somehow emerged more original than ever. [John Nugent]

The National Jazz Trio of Scotland

Sebadoh

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Standards Vol. II [Karaoke Kalk, 16 Sep]

As if the double fib in their name wasn’t enough (not jazz; not a trio), Standards Vol. II is not, as its title implies, an assortment culled from the songbooks of Gershwin et al. Rather, it’s a collection of bandleader Bill Wells’ original compositions (give or take a borrowed lyric and a Moondog cover), brought to life with the help of vocalists Lorna Gilfedder, Aby Vulliamy and Kate Sugden. Try not to hold the dastardly deception against them, though, for no amount of misdirection can distract from the airy beauty stamped through these 13 pieces: from wistful opener We Grow Accustomed (sounding of a piece with Wells’ Lemondale work) to the hushed farewells of closer Unexpectedly, via such highlights as Hillwalks’ winsome glide and Things We Got Up To’s tiptoeing bossa nova undertones. In fact, add another lie to the rap sheet: work of this calibre is far from standard. [Chris Buckle]

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September 2013

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In C [Invada, 30 Sep]

Esmerine

Rough-hewn fuzz merchants and indie pop sensations Joanna Gruesome named their debut album Weird Sister – a Shakespearean nod to the witches from Macbeth, and all things hysterical and outsiderish, it seems. Unsurprisingly then, the album itself scores highly in the disciplines of wailing and stubborn defiance. It’s all scuzzy pop melodies and boy/girl vocals engaging a war of attrition. So far so Yuck, but there’s an underlying punk attitude that comes out of the woodwork on the likes of Secret Surprise, which allows Joanna Gruesome to neatly sidestep the majority of their grubby dream-pop contemporaries. Lemonade Grrrl seizes the lemons of all things Portland and Riot Grrrl, sweetened with Alanna McArdle’s gentle but fearless vocals. Satan reveals a more delicate side to the Cardiffbased five piece. It closes the explosively raucous album with subtle ease, showing that beneath their carefully orchestrated rowdiness, Joanna Gruesome know precisely what they’re doing. [Lucy Holt]

Is Survived By [Deathwish Inc., 23 Sep]

Adrian Utley’s Guitar Orchestra

Joanna Gruesome Weird Sister [Fortuna Pop!, 9 Sep]

Touché Amoré

Repave [Jagjaguwar, 2 Sep]

Dalmak [Constellation, 2 Sep]

Initially, the first outing from Constellation mainstays Esmerine since 2011’s La Lechuza signals no departures from their chamber sound: opener Learning to Crawl is a subtle, meditative string-led piece. The LP title, however – a Turkish verb meaning to contemplate or be absorbed within – indicates a new trajectory for the Montreal quartet, who recorded much of Dalmak in Istanbul, where they collaborated with local musicians. The resulting record perfectly balances Esmerine’s darkly ambient leanings with folk rhythms and instrumentation. It’s a blend that works most effectively on Dalmak’s two-part tracks, Lost River Blues and Translator’s Clos: the former builds from a swamp of strings and marimba into a rocky, lolloping crescendo; the latter is a more grandiose epic, drawing upon classical Turkish instruments including bendir, darbuka and erbane. In lesser hands, fusing Eastern and Western traditions in this way can have cringey results, but Esmerine mesh them together seamlessly. [Sam Wiseman]

RECORDS

Defend Yourself [Domino, 16 Sep] Lou Barlow’s place in rock lore is already sealed via Dinosaur Jr basslines and fronting cult heroes Sebadoh, so the 47-year-old can just put his feet up, right? Well no, it turns out the quiet life isn’t for Barlow – after a 14-year absence from the studio, Sebadoh are back with Defend Yourself. Much in the same way that the mid-noughties return of Dinosaur Jr. cemented rather than soiled the band’s reputation, this record is a good reminder of why the furious, distorted guitars of Sebadoh are still revered. Barlow’s rough twang holds it all together rather well, with Can’t Depend’s more laconic sound allowing him to leisurely articulate the angst that only a forty-something ‘slacker’ can truly feel. Inquiries is a slight misfire; its yee-haw novelty rockabilly shtick jars badly with the rest of the record, which concentrates on drawing out the band’s fractured melodic aggression. Still, the young pretenders of US alt rock really should be taking notes. [Stu Lewis]

The Top Five 1 2 3 4 5

Jel

Late Pass

Oneohtrix Point Never

R Plus Seven

CHVRCHES

The Bones of What You Believe

RM Hubbert

Breaks & Bone

Factory Floor

Review

Saturday 12 October, 7.30pm The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Juanjo Mena Conductor Midori Violin

Arnold

Overture ‘Peterloo’

Walton

Violin Concerto

Prokofiev

Romeo and Juliet – excerpts

Inspiration with every note Bridgewater-hall.co.uk | 0844 907 9000

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SEPTEMBER

LIVE Tue 3rd Wed 4th Thu 5th Fri 13th Thu 18th Mon 23rd Fri 27th Sat 28th Mon 30th

FRONTIER RUCKUS Michigan folk rock JETPLANE LANDING cult Irish, post-hardcore quartet BIRD TO BEAST Manchester based psych-folk duo. THE ORWELLS arriving with a clutch of raucous, melody-fuelled tunes THE BORN RUFFIANS BROKEN HANDS ardent students of rock’s evolution. Psychedelic, Garage and Blues WAVE PICTURES BC CAMPLIGHT Philadelphia’s most loved songsmith YETI LANE + LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE

CLUB Fri 6th Sat 7th Fri13th Mon 16th Tue 17th Fri 20th Sat 21st Fri 27th Sat 28th

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THE SKINNY

Camp and Furnace, Liverpool, 24-25 Aug

OWEN PALLETT

Band on the Wall, Manchester, 12 Aug

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“I might have to insist on this track being the walk-on music for all my future gigs, can you imagine?” Owen Pallett smirks, frantically motioning to the soundguy to cut the atrociously heavy rave horns that some unknown twerp decided would make a fitting entrance for the 33-year old Canadian violinist. Tonight is actually the last leg of Pallett’s European tour, an in-between-albums escapade designed to warm up new material for forthcoming record In Conflict, his second full-length effort since ditching the Final Fantasy moniker back in 2009. Reason suggests he’d had quite enough of being confused with the equally acclaimed Square Enix video game series of the same name. With the horns eventually muted, and any danger of an unlikely techno-driven set quelled, things get going with a couple of choice selections from Heartland. Layering intricate multiphonic loops from his fiddle through a

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ALLAH-LAS

Allah-Las

win us over with their laid-back vibe and sense of Leaf, Liverpool, 21 Aug surfer ‘cool.’ Though the mesmerising instrumentals of Sacred Sands and Ela Navega channel 60s rrrrr “Out on the water, where you gonna find me,” garage and psychedelia, they remain fresh and sings Miles Michaud, evoking the dreamy shores innovative. of California, from where this Los Angeles quartet Leaf’s upstairs space is packed to the rafters with a mixed crowd bobbing beneath the hail. Allah-Las’ sound is so drenched in sunsets dangling disco balls, and as the Wednesday evenand an almost blissful nostalgia that the crowd find themselves verily transported to the Golden ing draws to a close, the group’s jangly guitars and perfectly harmonised background vocals State during tonight’s 70-minute set. create a wave of sound that you just want to keep After Scottish psychedelics The Merrylees have warmed up with their Western pop and sea- riding long after the set has reached its conclushanty melodies – Forever More stands out, with sion. Heading for the exit, the only misgiving of the evening is that we’re stepping out onto Bold its dancing guitar licks and skiffling percussion Street rather than Venice Beach. proving the diversity of their fused influences – [Natasha Linford] Allah Las’ simple yet carefully constructed lyrics

September 2013

It’s a bank holiday weekend, and Liverpool International Music Festival and everything else that’s going on seem perfectly aligned as the sun beams down on the first ever Summercamp festival. The two-day, three-stage event treats us to a delectable line-up, and the imposing Camp and Furnace buildings feel like an industrial musical haven away from the madness of the city. Kicking off proceedings Saturday afternoon, Parisian trio We Were Evergreen take to the Furnace stage crafting electro-indie with calypso beats and synth-pop to an appreciative crowd. Twee might not be your cup of tea, but their twinkling melodies are ideal for raising the energies of the audience. As darkness sets in, London duo Mount Kimbie deliver a seamless, hypnotic set with the assistance of a drummer and trippy lighting and effects – and a visceral excitement runs through the crowd during Blood and Form and Made to Stray, both of which bring attention to Kai Campos’ delicate vocals. The echoing

combination of Max/MSP and SuperLooper, Pallett gradually builds soaring synthetic soundscapes of immense complexity. Backed by a sparse rhythm section, he picks, plucks, bows, scratches and smacks his way through each track, exploiting every possible noise that a violin can make. A thunderous rendition of Tryst With Mephistopheles is enough to confirm that the guy has an entire concerto at his fingertips. You cannot question his talent in arrangement, but, at times, the layers upon layers of melody are a little cacophonous; they often sit cluttered in the mix, verging on over-indulgence. The mid/treble range is also a bit off and masks Pallett’s delicate falsetto during the songs that involve drums and bass. It’s a shame because alone he frequently shows glimpses of an innate ability to mesmerise, particularly on Song for 5 and 6, and This Lamb Sells Condos. He ends with self-confessed “hit” Lewis Takes Off His Shirt, an experimental blend of twee baroque pop – not Blondes the easiest finale to digest but one that is still, Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 24 Aug somehow, strangely palatable. [Daniel Jones]

Photo: Marie Hazelwood

Owen Pallett

Photo: Sam Huddleston

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In an age when electronic music is saturated by bar after bar of aesthetic perfection, the mounting exposure that Brooklyn electronic two-piece Blondes – aka Sam Haar and Zach Steinman – have received over the past year or so is largely due to their imperfect approach to production. Recent LP Swisher is by far their most percussive effort to date, and indicates the duo’s desire to transfer an innate brutal energy from the studio to the club. Tonight is Blondes’ second appearance at Soup Kitchen in just over a year, and they are joined by Manchester-based up-and-comer James Booth, who has recently been championed in the States via cult LA imprint 100% Silk. Booth treats the earlybirds to a variety of funk, acid and techno, epitomised in his choice

Ducktails

Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 23 Aug

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Though Ducktails were brought into the world as a solo project, Real Estate’s Matthew Mondanile hosts tonight’s show with a full band. The already intimate surrounds of Soup Kitchen lend an even cosier atmosphere to Ivy Covered House – the opening track on most recent album The Flower Lane – its dreamy, mellow pop arrangements reminiscent of a summer anthem; guitar twangs ripple through the air as the track drops into the sea of audience. Ducktails are characteristically modest as they flow through their set, the only ornateness left to paisley shirts James May could have personally selected. Mondanile’s soft and prudent

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atmospherics they create reverberate around the walls of the historical warehouse, and tonight’s performance solidifies their status as an innovative, ascendant live act. On Sunday, Summercamp returns with Obaro Ejimiwe, aka Ghostpoet, whose unique blend of lyrically driven, electronically infused R’n’B has the crowd engrossed. Steve Mason, formerly of The Beta Band, gets the evening soirée underway as his selection of anti-establishment tracks seems to strike a chord with the crowd. “Violence is a tool of society; we need to use more subtle tools like love, compassion and forgiveness,” Mason preaches emotively in between songs, and his set ends with the brandishing of an anarchist flag. Competing with Creamfields and various free musical events across the city, Summercamp fails to draw in huge numbers, yet it accomplishes a leisurely, family-oriented atmosphere with a fantastic line-up; and it isn’t until the night draws in – the crowds in the vast spaces dwindling, unfortunately, during The 2 Bears and Ewan Pearson – that you feel as though the festival has failed to reach a satisfying finale. [Natasha Linford]

DUTCH UNCLES AT SUMMERCAMP

selection of The Globe’s genre-bending classic Adventure Party. By 1am the crowd has filled out nicely, just in time to see Haar and Steinman station themselves behind an array of knobs, keys and FX units. Their sound is marked by layers of synthetic washes gradually built, deconstructed and rebuilt over the course of each track. But as they bustle through Aeon and Bora Bora, it soon becomes clear that the rugged charm of the record cannot be consistently maintained as a live spectacle. Yes, the unpredictable movement is there, and the chemistry between the two is obvious, but the more delicate nuances found on Swisher are frequently smothered in a barrage of sonic fuzz. It’s difficult to distinguish between each track at the best of times, and it’s only when they get around to playing Elise that any sense of familiarity is reconvened; though by then the damage has already been done. [Daniel Jones] vocals gloss over the music’s layers with a sense of togetherness; he gives a nod to bassist Luka Usmiani, and Under Cover breezes through, with Peter Gutteridge’s Planet Phrom following shortly after. Punters gently sway to rhythms by turns forlorn and jazzy as a beach-aura dissipates around the venue. It’s a painlessly well-coordinated performance, but one that ultimately fails to pack a punch. Their set is comfortably cloudy, all tranquil, fuzzy coastlines – and somewhat vacant for it, never able to veer away. Mondanile’s vocals are evocative and sentimental, but his mellow, mellifluous tones appear to anaesthetise the audience somewhat more than intended. More vigour, please. [Edwina Chan]

Review

Photo: Stuart Moulding

Summercamp festival

From the Inside Out Following the release of their debut album Pearl Mystic and ahead of their appearance at Liverpool Psych Fest, Hookworms’ MJ talks – or tries not to – about noise and necessity

t almost feels wrong to interview Hookworms. It’s probably the last thing they’d care for. As a band, the Leeds five-piece stubbornly retreat from the spotlight. They refer to themselves solely in initialisms and insist that their relative success is purely a product of accident and quirks in the system. Even their name is deliberately uninviting. In fact, it’s wilfully grotesque, and just another barrier you have to actively traverse when attempting to figure them out. Like their parasitical namesakes, their music is a destructive force that’ll find its way under your skin – but more fool you if you try to get under theirs. Not only do Hookworms care little for the trappings of press exposure, but there’s also the nagging feeling that it’s all just a waste of their time. A 15-minute phone call could be 15 minutes better spent on their part, attending to one of the many other plates each member is currently spinning (note: there are a lot of them). Admittedly, when we speak to singer and guitarist MJ, he’s watching tofu marinate in real time, but don’t be fooled by the illusion of domestic idleness – Hookworms are busy. In March they released their debut record, Pearl Mystic, to roaring approval. Since then, MJ, MB, SS, JN and JW haven’t stopped running the entire post-album gamut of touring and promotional duties. It’s only the sort of stuff to be expected from a band in their position, but you have to factor in all the peripheries to get the full picture: MJ runs an increasingly in-demand recording studio in Leeds, the popularity of which has lately been positively correlating with that of the band, and the rest of the band have ‘real jobs’, some of which are in schools, restricting touring plans – and then there’s their multitude of side projects, which reads like a directory of Bands That Are Doing Things At The Moment. “Everyone in the band has a day job, and are very strict about keeping Hookworms as a hobby, but it’s a very involving hobby, over-arching our lives,” explains MJ. There’s a sense that the

Preview

Interview: Lucy Holt Illustration: Rachel Davey

recognition and approval genuinely took them unawares, and is not always in their best interest. That’s not to say they don’t put the work in, but it seems they use a different scale by which to measure success. They were drawn together after years of playing in what MJ affectionately refers to as “rubbish garage bands,” and have since avoided even the faintest delusions of grandeur. “We don’t have any aspirations to be the biggest band or the best band, we just want to make good records and enjoy each other’s company,” he says. Such statements could easily reek of tiresome ‘anything else is a bonus’-isms, but there’s a certain conviction that suggests they’re not just toeing a well-worn party line, and that Hookworms is just another plate to be spun. The insistent perfectionism that plagues everything they create, however, seems somewhat at odds with their refusal to be consumed by the process of creating it. MJ describes their attitude as somewhat “anti-aspirational,” yet admits to finding it hard to listen to Pearl Mystic without wincing. As the sound engineer at his self-run Suburban Home studios by day, he can’t help but meticulously pick out the bad, the corrections that should have been made, though it may not just be from this perspective that it’s a difficult listening experience – the album has some deeply personal issues at its heart. Scratch below the contorting winds of reverb and heavily distorted vocals, and there’s the altogether more human story of loss and depression. Sonically, it’s back and forth from distant and spacey sweeps to heavy anti-melodies, but lyrically it’s painfully close to the bone (though it takes a few listens to begin to decipher what those lyrics are). You get the impression Hookworms aren’t making things easy for themselves, and have no intention to do so, either. In fact, they might just be their own worst enemies, with MJ as a comprehensive self-critic. He talks of an “imposter syndrome” cropping up at every stage of their steady but sustained rise

to a certain sort of fame. “I don’t feel anything we do is ever on the same level as Peaking Lights or Melody’s Echo Chamber,” two bands they particularly admire, he says. Hookworms are oft quoted in the same breath as genre-mates TOY, but have more of an affinity to their contemporaries on the Leeds DIY scene, citing That Fucking Tank and Nope as examples. They don’t consider themselves any better than their peers, who don’t tend to procure as much attention, and they “never expected to sell any records.” Weird World, an imprint of Domino Records, thought otherwise, and have signed them up for their next album.

“Hookworms is a very involving hobby, overarching our lives” MJ

Despite all the validation a band could reasonably want, the band still refuse to put all their eggs in one basket. Galaxians, Menace Beach and Cowtown are all credible and wildly diverse spokes of the Hookworms wheel, and, in a testament to their work ethic, all four acts featured on the line-up of the recent Beacons festival in Skipton, Yorkshire. Hookworms played a typically compelling and physically exhausting set on the main stage, after which MJ promptly slipped away to play with Menace Beach in a considerably smaller marquee, looking in need of a nap. Hookworms are perhaps the most prominent anomaly in a landscape of musical apathy, so it makes sense that they profess to feel “an affinity to the ethics, as opposed to the aesthetics,

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of a band.” Naturally, then, MJ talks of carrying on much the same for the second record as they did the first; that is, as oblivious to external pressures as possible. But with all the noblest intentions in the world, the awareness that more people will be listening has unavoidably crept into the picture. “Pearl Mystic was in some ways a half-andhalf album of songs we enjoy playing live, and the more blissed-out textural ones that used the studio as an instrument,” he says, tentatively describing the second record as “faster and heavier” – which would point to an expansion on the likes of single Away/Towards’ drone melee, as opposed to the woozy aural dunes of interludes i, ii and iii. He also reassures that it will be a “more interesting, concise record on the whole” and, perhaps most significantly, more “fun” – an adjective you wouldn’t exactly leap to apply to the noisescape of light and shade that comprises Pearl Mystic. Even if they don’t believe it themselves, what Hookworms create on their evenings and weekends and in the summer holidays is more interesting – and more fuelled by interest – than much of what is produced by careerists. The cynical observer could be forgiven for thinking that their dedication to avoiding publicity in all its guises is a clever construction of reverse-psychology – it’s the standard modus operandi for much new music, after all. But Hookworms are simultaneously more normal and more abnormal than that: normal in the sense that they make music for its intrinsic act, rather than as a means to some unspecified end, and abnormal in that such an ethos is all too alien. Hookworms play Festival No. 6, Portmeirion, 13-15 Sep and the Saturday of Liverpool Psych Fest, 27-28 Sep, Camp and Furnace/Blade Factory, Liverpool. Their debut album, Pearl Mystic, is out now via Gringo Records www.liverpoolpsychfest.com www.parasiticnematode.blogspot.co.uk

THE SKINNY

Future Rhythm Machine Introducing thousands to Highlife at T in the Park? Reducing crowds to ritualistic frenzies, begging for the sun? All in a day’s work for Auntie Flo, who teams up with Huntleys & Palmers label boss Andrew for a party in Manchester this month

AUNTIE FLO

balmy Thursday evening outside of Kinross, summer 2013: 10,000 ravers gather in a huge marquee, losing their mind to a live performance of traditional African music in anticipation of the likes of Rihanna, Mumford and Sons, Calvin Harris and the rest of T in the Park. It’s a spectacular semi-local gig for Glaswegian producer Brian D’Souza aka Auntie Flo, and testimony to the unique position he now finds himself in. Together with Andrew Thomson of boutique label Huntleys & Palmers, the pair have, over the last few years, maintained a unique ascent with their celebrated Highlife parties in Glasgow, featuring unique live acts and a genre policy that defies pigeonholing as well as various other expectations. Shortly celebrating its sixth birthday, Huntleys & Palmers’ early form in Glasgow was far removed from the world-influenced dance music it has become known for today – although initially Thomson was booking acts as smart and diverse as Border Community’s James Holden and psych pioneers Silver Apples. Meanwhile, as a student down the line in Edinburgh, playing live and DJing, D’Souza’s Auntie Flo project began in 2003 before, in the wake of education and business (D’Souza also founded a musical consultancy company) – and even a divergence into field recordings and electro-acoustic music – the act fell on the backburner. It wasn’t until 2010 that the tracks for D’Souza’s debut LP, Future Rhythm

September 2013

Machine, were produced and helped form the catalyst for the label in its current form. The release was last year longlisted for Scottish Album of the Year, after which D’Souza was gifted by the organisers “two very expensive bottles of whiskey.” Not quite the £20,000 prize, but a regionally appropriate and thoughtful reward nonetheless.

“I’ve carved out an identity in which I’m not stuck in one sort of world” Brian D’Souza

“I got really into electro-acoustic music, really out-there sound art, and I did that for two years,” D’Souza recalls. “There was noise, quite a lot of noise. The artier, more experimental side of music is still really interesting to me and I hope I can get back into it at one point.” Although D’Souza is not directly involved in Huntleys & Palmers, Highlife is a shared baby,

best known for intertwining strands of music from afrobeat and kwaito into the form of classic house, disco and electronica. Sharing a city with seminal whatever-works clubnight Optimo, Highlife comes with the blessing of Optimo founder JD Twitch, who has described it as the night he ‘always wanted to put on.’ D’Souza acknowledges that what he and Thomson do at the club is fairly unique as nights out go – but does he believe that club audiences are more receptive to different kinds of music than previously? “People’s tastes are undoubtedly diversifying massively,” he observes. “Even in pop music, you have someone like Avicii, making a dance record with a country influence and a soul singer. And that’s pop music, you know? We’re doing things differently, as we’re not market-led.” Earlier this year, Huntleys & Palmers began a ‘Sun Ritual’ party during which the DJ has full control of the lights throughout the set, eventually generating so much brightness in such a small space that the sold-out club turned up with their own shades, leading to a bombastic finale to the tune of Caribou’s transcendent Sun, as well as Auntie Flo’s own Sun Ritual. “People were craving the light throughout until by the end, they just wanted more of this fake Vitamin D injection,” D’Souza laughs, at least for now declining The Skinny’s collaborative idea of a Seasonal Affective Disco.

CLUBS

Photo: soandso.me

Interview: John Thorp

“Before Highlife, I’d come off the back of a night called Slabs of the Tabernacle, which was focused on Italo disco and Detroit techno and so on,” he explains, describing the all-vinyl affair as “very purist but very fun.” The genesis of Highlife happened gradually in his record collection. “My interests had moved on to Afro-futurist, Fourth World, however you want to describe it… I come up with really crap names for it,” he admits. The ‘Highlife’ name itself is derived from a term for a Ghanaian genre of music, popularised at the beginning of the 20th century – “I knew it represented a particular type of music, but it made sense; the name in terms of the literal meaning of it being a party” – and the Auntie Flo Rhythm Machine is about to go full circle with a show in South Africa later this year. D’Souza is already wary of the dangers of playing a set of music adapted from the very crowd he’s playing for, not to mention keen to avoid a “roots label” in any genre or scene. “There’s as much Chilean and Argentinian influence in what we do, for example, and nor did we ever want the night to be categorised as ‘global bass,’” he says. Nonetheless, despite dipping in and out of mainstream music as part of his career and creative life, it’s not easy to imagine D’Souza visiting South Africa with a swap box of our greatest dance-pop exports. “One of the reasons we started to listen to music away from the norm was to offer something a bit different, but I’ve carved out an identity in which I’m not stuck in one sort of world. But maybe the next big thing will be Africaninfluenced music, which leads to me getting a lot of attention, and then what happens after that? What’s interesting in pop music is that there’s a weird semiology going on, all these genres are forming, dance and soul and country, because people have realised you can make money from it” – though even in the relatively underground world of alternative dance music, D’Souza doesn’t see much difference in these trends. One of the biggest influences on Highlife’s inception was the Chilean-German label Cómeme, founded by true techno one-off Matias Aguayo in devotion to ‘self styled electronic primitives’ and translating as ‘a body that gives way to itself.’ Thomson and D’Souza moved their project forward when the former booked Cómeme staple Rebolledo for one of his parties, and now, neatly, Cómeme is set to release Auntie Flo material in the near future. D’Souza has also just contributed a production to JD Twitch’s charitable release Autonomous Africa Vol 2, a politically savvy fourtrack that also features music from Midland as well as Twitch himself. “The music that we’re doing is driven by a selfish and personal interest, as a music fan, as a DJ and a crate digger, to break out of this tribal mode,” D’Souza comments. “In Glasgow, what we did was introduce the sort of night that supposedly couldn’t be done – but we’ve made Highlife work.” Huntleys & Palmers Showcase with Auntie Flo and Andrew, Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 6 Sep, 10pm-4am, £5 (£7 otd) www.huntleyspalmers.com www.auntieflo.in

Preview

Clubbing Highlights Fresher? Addled second-year? Panicking third-year? Either way, order your books second-hand and instead blow your loan on Plastician, Bondax, Seth Troxler and Auntie Flo Words: John Thorp Illustration: Sophie Freeman

t’s September, and The Skinny clubbing column would like to welcome back the hundreds of thousands of students soon about to flood our clubs, streets and Domino’s branches during promotional periods. While we’ve had to put up with surprisingly beautiful weather and international arts festivals for the past few months, it’s bound to be a delight to see our dancefloors full and our taxis once again taking conspicuously long routes back to halls. Before then, however, there’s still a few weeks of relatively low key but on-point events to keep residents out and about. Manchester’s ever reliable Soup Kitchen bring colourful Glaswegian party Highlife below the streets on 6 Sep, featuring feted and far-reaching producer and DJ Auntie Flo as well as Huntleys & Palmers label boss Andrew J Thomson for an evening of worldinfluenced and out-there dance (£5). The following evening, Canal Festival (it’s more exciting than it sounds) culminates with a back-to-back set at 2022NQ from Disco Mums and Dance Lady Dance, spinning cuts from their own respective fail-safe collections of disco, pop and soul (7 Sep, free). There’s usually a babysitter involved in the former too, but, irresponsible parents be advised, she’s off duty. A regular night shamefully ignored by us so far, Haxan at Common falls on the third Sunday of each month (15th this month) and promises a free, atmospheric evening of what’s described as ‘radiophonic disco and film score techno.’ It might sound a bit heady for a Sunday evening, but the soundtrack, provided by DJs from local distributors du jour Boomkat, is, more often than not, warm, weirdly hypnotic and perfect for a Sunday evening as autumn draws in. After a slimline August, the latter half of September sees Liverpool get very lively once again. On 20 Sep, promising local party starters The People’s Balearic Disco bring a gathering as inspiring as their name to the Blade Factory at Camp and Furnace, featuring Horse Meat Disco’s Italian ex-pat and bonafide house expert Severino (£10). Having been importing records from all over the world since he was in short trousers, he’ll be veering away from the lighter touch of his weekly Sunday sessions in London to dip into the more acidic end of his collection. In support are Phantom Planet Outlaws, a local group of machine freaks featuring Creme Organization’s John Heckle among others, playing live on an enviable arsenal of analog synths and drum machines. Less balearic but just as inviting, the following evening of 21 Sep sees promoters Freeze return following their trips into tunnels and churches all summer long, having nabbed almost the entire Innervisions gang to command the Haus space for a ten-hour session from 6pm4am. Label boss Dixon, one of the most considered and in control DJs operating today, will be headlining with what is certain to be a typically thrilling and no doubt sensitive set, while further house and techno thrills come from label associates Ame, Guy Gerber and Jemmy (£19). While freshers’ week kicks in, the smart move for the more sufferable nights out in Manchester remains with some of the best independent promoters in the city. Chow Down, a bass heavy collective with a fine set of residents and previous bookings from Jacques Greene

Preview

CLUBS

to Butterz, are eschewing trends by bringing dubstep originator and pirate radio veteran Plastician to Mint Lounge (18 Sep, £5). Still a relevant and respected figure in the scene, Chris Reed, unlike many of his peers, has yet to disappear to the US, focusing instead on his acclaimed compilations and weekly Rinse show, staying true to his roots and moving with the current, mutated dubstep and grime scene. Expect fresh cuts and a few classics. It’s freshers’ week after all. Similar – albeit somewhat mellower – stylings can also be expected from Andres, brought to you by So Flute at Manchester’s Roadhouse (20 Sep, £8). After years of underground support from the likes of Moodymann and Theo Parrish – who, let’s face it, probably know what they’re talking about – Andres had a proper dancefloor smash last year with the irresistible and ubiquitous New 4 U. Since then, his technical prowess has come directly to the fore while playing more high profile gigs, and he remains the sort of DJ you’ll do well to see in a venue as lovingly sticky as the Roadhouse. His back-to-back with Parrish himself at Beacons festival last month saw him smashing through slabs of boogie, disco and R’n’B like an absolute needle demon – perhaps, dare we say it, even overshadowing Parrish’s rather more portentous set. Over in Liverpool, new groups of BFFBTWUTUA (Best Friends Forever Before The Washing Up Tears Us Apart) could do worse for freshers’ fun than Bondax, who headline East Village Arts Club on 27 Sep (£15, £13 NUS discount for those on it enough to have grabbed their card). Not far removed from that other UK duo mixing R’n’B, garage and bass sounds in a properly live set – you know the ones – Bondax are enormous fun for those of a playful disposition, and the support line-up includes similarly smart and soulful young electronic producers Snakehips and the atmospheric Tropics. Circus, meanwhile, celebrates its birthday the following evening at East Village Arts Club, as does headliner Seth Troxler, joined for some undeniably proper fuckin’ techno by Cassy and Scuba, the latter of whom is rumoured to be planning to spring from an oversized cake in celebration (28 Sep, £20). It’s not the only gig on 28 Sep for Troxler: he’s also popping up at The Warehouse Project, Manchester, along with Carl Craig, KiNK, Davide Squillace, and essentially half of house music for the currently sold out WHP opening party, Welcome to the Warehouse. You may have heard of The Warehouse Project in the past; it seemed to have done alright last year and is back again for a series of low key and intimate gatherings, more of which next month. Rounding out the month, 27 Sep sees the ever reliable Soul:ution offering another night of drum’n’bass in perhaps Manchester’s smartest, easiest going club, Band on the Wall (£10). This month, Marcus Intalex’s stomping ground is blessed with a two-hour ‘90’s Headz’ set from Grooverider, who’ll be digging deep and doubtlessly delivering a blissful few hours reminiscent of him at the height of his powers. Probably something of a fresher-free zone, this is proper old skool, but without the uniforms. Ticket prices are advance unless otherwise specified; some events may be more on the door

THE SKINNY

Fantasy Tracks

BAND ON THE WALL

THE HOME OF REAL MUSIC

With recent single Airglow Fires having proved an underground hit and Azealia Banks adopting his Pineapple Crush, prolific producer Lone reflects on his recent return to a more hip hop-influenced sound

Fri 6th Sept

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREAD ft. PRINCE TONY + MIKEY D.O.N.

Interview: John Thorp

Sun 8th Sept

SUNDAY ACOUSTIC SESSIONS Tue 10th Sept

KATHRYN WILLIAMS Thu 12th Sept

ODDARRANG Fri 13th Sept

THE PRETTY THINGS + THE WATCHMAKERS Sat 14th Sept

WHEN WE WERE KINGS Pt.3 - THE JOURNEY HOME Tue 17th Sept

ZOMBIE ZOMBIE

LONE

September 2013

preferring to record from home, Cutler acknowledges a lot of discipline is required in simply “not feeling bad when you have an off day. Sometimes I’ll feel like I’ve lost it, but then I’ll come up with something amazing, so it’s always up and down.” When it comes to road-testing new productions, Cutler has the benefit of a long-standing residency at Manchester’s Hoya:Hoya, perhaps one of the finest underground clubnights in the UK, where the pedigree of guests includes Illum Sphere, Krystal Klear and Eclair Fifi, not to mention one of the most broadminded and appreciative audiences you can find in a sweaty basement. “My girlfriend and I are from Nottingham, but she was studying in Manchester at the time, and I’d come and visit her, and we’d go to Hoya. After two or three times, I heard Ryan (Illum) play one of my tunes, so I introduced myself. We hit it off and he made me a resident.” Despite the busy radio and production schedules between them, could Cutler envision a release between the Hoya residents? “We’ve spoken about it a lot in the past, but it never tends to happen. I always feel a bit weird and self-conscious when working on tunes, so that might be a factor,” he admits. Having featured Lone’s Pineapple Crush on her breakthrough tune Liquorice, Azealia Banks has had Cutler work on two more tracks for her long-gestating debut LP, and Lone says he would love to work with a rapper such as Action Bronson after the two met at Manchester’s Parklife festival earlier this summer. With Lone in support of Jon Hopkins this month at Gorilla, Manchester, those in attendance can expect a set touching on both his own back catalogue as well as classics from R&S and beyond. “I probably do more digging than [keeping] an eye on what’s new,” reckons Cutler. “It’s always cool to find a classic record that you can play among new stuff, and it just works.”

(E.S.T)

Fri 20th Sept

POLICE DOG HOGAN Sat 21st Sept

THE BLACK DHALIA MURDER Sat 21st Sept

SOUL BOUTIQUE Sun 22nd Sept

SUNDAY ACOUSTIC SESSIONS Mon 23rd Sept

TIM BURGESS Thu 26th Sept

BRINSLEY FORDE Fri 27th Sept

MUSICCONNEX LIVE SHOWCASE Fri 27th Sept

SOUL:UTION Sat 28th Sept

CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB ft. THE SWEET VANDALS Tickets / Info:

bandonthewall.org ticketwall.org 0845 2 500 500 Band on the Wall, Swan Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 5JZ

Lone supports Jon Hopkins at Gorilla, Manchester, 24 Sep, 7pm, £12.50 www.soundcloud.com/lone-1

one, known as Matt Cutler to his friends, reckons he’s made more than 20 full-length albums over the last decade. Having previously described his music writing and creative process as ‘keeping a diary,’ his work, currently for R&S Records but previously also Werkdiscs and his own label, Magic Wire, sees public release slowly for a man with such a wealth of music in the bank. As autumn arrives and it suddenly seems impossible to escape adverts for compilations of ‘Summer Anthems’, the euphoria of Lone’s recent a-side Airglow Fires is bound to be a touchstone for those having spent their time in and around the more underground festivals and clubs this summer. Combining vivid elements of early UK rave and 90s hip-hop, it is – at least at this stage – a good marker of what to expect from his coming projects. “I used to do hip-hop all the time, and it’s back to being pretty straight up from me in that sense, as well as having a sort of house influence,” he says, discussing the current state of his forthcoming follow-up to 2012’s ecstatically received LP Galaxy Garden. “Gardens was very clean, whereas this is a total reaction to that. There’s also a lot of great hip-hop out lately that has that 90s sound, which went out of fashion for a while, but now it’s back and sounding completely fresh and inspiring to me.” Of the current wave of young hip hop artists, Cutler cites Earl Sweatshirt, Underachievers and Joey Bada$$ as favourites. The b-side to Airglow Fires, meanwhile – Begin to Begin – is an equally spirited but more downtempo number. It hits softer than its counterpart, culminating with an enigmatic vocal snippet – “Am I dreaming, am I awake?” – extracted by Cutler from a documentary on lucid dreaming. Is a contrast between euphoria and introspection a running theme in a canon of work that, tellingly, includes titles such as 2009’s Ecstasy & Friends? “I just love working on albums, and trying to reflect different moods and get a sort of big picture together,” Cutler says. “My studio is at home, so if I’m not away touring then I’m just working on music constantly, collecting a body of work, so I think that’s where that comes from.” While

Photo: Dec Lennon

Thu 19th Sept

MAGNUS OSTROM

www.magicwirerecordings.com

CLUBS

Preview

September Film Events This month sees a celebration of sex and celluloid, with some kinky double-bills from Certificate X Cult Film and a 24hour marathon of that sleaziest of sub-genres, film noir AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

The Great Hip Hop Hoax

rrrrr

Director: David Lowery Starring: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster Released: 6 Sep Certificate: 15

Director: Jeanie Finlay Starring: Gavin Bain, Billy Boyd Released: 6 Sep Certificate: 18

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints might ultimately be a triumph of craft over content, but when the craft is this impressive it seems churlish to complain. David Lowery has clearly set out to make his second feature a mythic tale of tragic love in the west, and he certainly knows how to capture an evocative mood, with Bradford Young’s magic hour cinematography and Daniel Hart’s wonderfully imaginative score giving the film a distinctive, beguiling atmosphere. He also draws subtle and sympathetic work from Affleck and Mara as the lovers separated by the law, and an unusually subdued Foster as the cop who tries to cast himself as Mara’s protector. All the film really lacks is an emotional impact to match its gorgeous surface; the inexorable nature of the story means there’s little to surprise, and the final scenes play out much as you’d expect. Still, the film has a haunting quality that allows it to linger in the mind, and leaves us with a sense that Lowery has great work in his future. [Philip Concannon]

A follow-up to Sound It Out, her 2011 documentary about a Teesside record shop, Jeanie Finlay forays into darker aspects of the music industry with The Great Hip Hop Hoax. Described by subject Billy as, “the lies behind the lies behind the lies,” it follows the rise and fall of a pair of Scottish musicians who, in a search for musical fame and fortune, donned phoney American accents. In a Behind the Music fashion, Finlay follows Silibil N’ Brains’ trajectory from Dundee clubs to MTV’s TRL through interviews and archive footage of the boys behaving extremely badly. Early on, Finlay’s doc trades on its frenetic energy and some suitable shock value, but as the story progresses and Jackass moments proliferate, these deplorable characters and their elaborate and unrelatable egos become increasingly tiring. Some of the film’s most interesting moments come from the pathological behaviour of its subjects, but the wall of lies is as impenetrable as the search for sympathetic characters in this documentary of the damned. [Nicola Balkind]

Kelly + Victor

Mister John

rrrrr

Director: Kieran Evans Starring: Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Julian Morris Released: 20 Sep Certificate: 18

Director: Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy Starring: Aidan Gillen, Zoe Tae, Claire Keelan, Michael Thomas Released: 27 Sep Certificate: 15

Adapted from Niall Griffiths’ novel of the same name, Evans’ debut feature follows the perilously intense relationship between two Liverpudlian twenty-somethings. After meeting in a club, Kelly (Campbell-Hughes) and Victor (Morris) go home together. They start having sex, but it quickly takes an unexpected turn: she (with his consent) begins strangling him until he almost passes out. Such encounters recur with greater intensity as their relationship progresses, each an ecstatic peak in their otherwise quotidian lives. What’s remarkable about these scenes is the skill with which Evans, aided by the leads’ rapturous performances, combines violence with tenderness, and thereby captures the complementary, turbulent yet harmonious nature of Kelly and Victor’s relationship. If only they didn’t have to talk. Not only are their attempts at Scouse accents risible, much of their dialogue is soapishly clunky. Their intimacy, so authentic and vital when non-verbal, feels a little like fakery as soon as they open their mouths. In all seriousness, as a silent film it could’ve been a small masterpiece; as it is, it falls short. [Kristian Doyle]

This cinematic enigma opens with reflections dissolving into one another on the surface of a lake. Like those merging images, the film shows a distorted truth: an exotic fantasy punctuated with surreal dark humour. Aidan Gillen is Gerry, brother of the deceased, drowned John, the Irish owner of a Singapore hostess bar. He has travelled east towards his estranged inlaws, but most importantly away from domestic trouble at home. Like last year’s Berberian Sound Studio, this is a complex experiment on evolving identity and the need to escape a damaged life. While Peter Strickland’s film hid in the dark excitement of giallo, here Gerry runs from grief through a humid, post-colonial illusion. A snake bite acts as a shamanistic doorway: Gerry’s life becomes a sweat-drenched delirium, peaking in a fever dream scene reminiscent of Miike. But themes also stray close to Houellebecq’s Platform: The East opens its legs to be exploited by sleazy white men, and dialogue is stilted and unnatural, widening the separation between truth and fiction in which this challenging, disjointed film exists. [Alan Bett]

Filth

About Time

rrrrr

Director: Jon S. Baird Starring: James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots Released: 27 Sep Certificate: 18 Bruce ‘the Stallion’ Robertson: alcoholic, drug addict, compulsive liar, amoral sociopath, sexual pervert – and senior Detective Sergeant. This cheeky adaptation of the novel by Irvine Welsh is a giddy dive into the bleak underbelly of Scottish policing. Bruce (James McAvoy), as with many of Welsh’s anti-heroes, is a ruthless hedonist with a silver tongue, gunning for a top promotion at any cost. But apparitions of his wife and brother (estranged? dead?) suggest he is more complex than your average Glaswegian dipsomaniac. McAvoy, whose formative years were spent in Drumchapel, clearly revels in playing a grotesque, scheming bastard, and he’s never been better. Yet in spite of the often grisly material (we witness forced underage fellatio within the first 20 minutes), director Jon S. Baird keeps things broad and playful. The odd tone – a Brit-com head with a gritty arthouse heart – won’t be for all tastes, but for the most part, Filth is savagely entertaining: a cathartic, darkly funny portrait of self-destruction. [John Nugent]

Review

Director: Richard Curtis Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy Released: 4 Sep Certificate: 12A Richard Curtis rounds off his trust fund trilogy with weddings (not four, thankfully) and love (not actually, mercifully) in this return to the vanilla, upper-middle-class universe of comedic purgatory from which he refuses to shift. Domhnall Gleeson is awkward gangly Tim, with nothing to live for but the guarantee of a wealthy future. At 21 he discovers the ability to time travel within his lifetime by climbing into a wardrobe, fists clenched and face contorted in a constipated scowl. Instead of betting upon previous Grand Nationals, he decides to iron out the minutiae of his romantic life. Rachel McAdams plays the signature Curtis American, while Bill Nighy (admittedly always charming) as Tim’s father takes a method approach to his playing of Bill Nighy by actually existing as Bill Nighy for 63 years. Unlike the peerless Groundhog Day there is no dissection of love or the human condition here, only a syrupy river flowing away from the comedy zeitgeist that’s so sweet it should come with a shot of insulin. [Alan Bett]

FILM

Words: Simon Bland

reaking Bad may have tense telly addicts glued to their screens this month but there are still plenty of reasons to go cold turkey and venture outside. Maybe something a little naughty? Certificate X Cult Film Screenings can certainly provide that. This Mancunian operation have three events scheduled throughout September, each celebrating forgotten formats and frisky films. The UK premiere of Frank Henenlotter’s documentary That’s Sexploitation! kicks things off on 2 Sep at Manchester’s Three Minute Theatre, or 3MT, offering a risqué ride through the history of American sexploitation with the ‘Mighty Monarch of Exploitation’ David F. Friedman as your guide. More docs follow on 12 Sep with Rewind This and Adjust Your Tracking, a double-bill celebrating the resurgence and importance of VHS. Meanwhile on 24 Sep at 2022NQ, you could find yourself playing the third part in a ménage á trois with racy classics Café Flesh and Pussy Talk – talk about guilty pleasures. Part of Scalarama.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

Cornerhouse in Manchester celebrates all things noir on 14 Sep with its 24-hour noirathon. This mainly monochrome event marks the beginning of the art centre’s My Noir season and features consecutive screenings of eleven genre classics, including The Killers, Stray Dog, Bound, Brick, Wild Things, Night Moves, Insomnia, Gilda, Out of the Past and The Big Sleep. What’s more, the cinema and gallery will also be hosting an art installation inspired by and named after Billy Wilder’s landmark noir Double Indemnity. Grab your fedora, light up a cigarette and get involved. Liverpool’s FACT makes you an offer you can’t refuse on 1 Sep with a digitally remastered screening of Francis Ford Coppola’s mafioso masterpiece The Godfather, while on 19 Sep the very same venue will host a special sneak peek of Hawking. Directed by Stephen Finnigan, this insightful biopic invites Professor Stephen Hawking to talk you through his astonishing life, from PhD greatness to his motor neuron disease diagnosis and worldwide fame. Viewers will then be treated to a post-screening Q&A with Hawking himself and some special guests, live from the opening night of the Cambridge Film Festival. Clearly the smart choice for cinema fans. And finally, you’ll find a new quotable classic each Monday in Manchester as the Printworks’ Flashback Film Series attempts to keep you warm as the days grow colder. Expect The Departed on 2 Sep, followed by Withnail & I, This Is England, The Goonies and ending with Goodfellas on 30 Sep. With all this to enjoy, who needs Walter White?

THE SKINNY

WIN TICKETS TO LIVE_TRANSMISSION

The show pivots around the virtuosic ferocity of drummer Adam Betts, guitarist Matt Calvert and bassist John Calvert (Ghostpoet). This unhinged nucleus is kept in check by conductor Jules Buckley who battles with equal force using the incomparable strings, brass, voices, and percussion of the Heritage Orchestra and the unique sounds of Scanner. The musicians play sandwiched between two huge screens hosting the projected artwork of Matt Watkins, whose vast visuals complement the orchestra by switching between clarity and chaos.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets to EITHER the Salford Lowry (Lyric Theatre) show on 29 Sep OR the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall show on 30 Sep, head along to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/ competitions and correctly answer this simple question: In what year was Joy Divison's Closer released? A) 1983 B) 1978 C) 1980 Entrants must be 18 or over. Competition closes midnight Sun 22 Sep. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms. For more information about Live_Transmission: www.joydivisionreworked.com

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO INDY MAN BEER CON – PLUS £40 WORTH OF BEER TOKENS

SARAH HALL

Running 7-20 Oct 2013, Manchester Literature Festival offers a unique programme of internationally renowned authors and poets, award-winning graphic novelists, industry insights, bespoke walking tours and exclusive performances of specially commissioned work. Authors appearing include Neil Gaiman, Audrey Niffenegger, Jeanette Winterson, Carlos Acosta, Malorie Blackman, Eoin Colfer, Xiaolu Guo, AL Kennedy, Lionel Shriver, Ali Smith, Jackie Kay and Lemn Sissay.

We have two pairs of tickets to give away to a session of your choice. To be in with a

September 2013

On which road is Victoria Baths situated? A) Hathersage B) Hatherthyme C) Hatherbasil Entrants must be 18 or over. Competition closes midnight Sun 22 Sep. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms. For more information about IMBC: www.indymanbeercon.co.uk

A) Paddy Clarke Ha Ha B) The Commitments C) Two Pints Competition closes midnight Sun 22 Sep. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms. To see the full programme visit: www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

For your chance to win two tickets to see Patrick Ness, Roddy Doyle, and Deborah Levy & Sarah Hall, simply head over to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/competitions

@mcrlitfest

WIN TICKETS TO SONICA AND A THREE-NIGHT STAY AT MARKS HOTEL GLASGOW

SONICA

chance of winning a pair, plus £40 worth of beer tokens, simply head over to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/competitions and correctly answer the following question:

Which Roddy Doyle novel introduced Jimmy Rabbitte to the world?

We’ve got a prize bundling up pairs of tickets to three of the Festival’s headline events to give away to one lucky winner.

IMBC

Independent Manchester Beer Convention (IMBC), held 10-13 Oct at Victoria Baths, Manchester, is brought to you by the team behind Common, Port Street Beer House, and The Beagle. IMBC came about through being inspired by the UK’s craft beer movement and frustration that beer festivals in their current form weren’t really representative of this exciting and dynamic part of the industry. The plan was to put on an event that has amazing beer (obviously) but was open-minded, inclusive and modern – and to put customers in direct contact with the people who make the beer, and have the brewers prepare a special exclusive for the Convention.

and correctly answer the following question:

Sonica returns to Glasgow for the second time to ravish the senses with sonic art for the visually minded. Singing mosquitoes from France, an involuntary string quartet from Australia, whispering trumpets from the Netherlands and a multi-media opera set in the UN-policed buffer zone in Cyprus are all set to delight at various venues across Glasgow city from Thu 31 Oct to Sun 3 Nov 2013. To ensure you don’t miss a moment of it, we are offering FOUR talented and sound-art loving Skinny readers: •

Tickets to Voice (Thu 31 Oct), The Buffer Zone (Fri 1 Nov), Compositions for Involuntary Strings (Sat 2 Nov), Suspense

COMPETITIONS

• •

(Fri 1 Nov) – Sonica’s secret performance at an undisclosed location 3 nights stay at Marks Hotel Glasgow A dinner reservation at Bloc+

To be in with the chance of winning, head to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/competitions and send in the reason (in no more than 50 words) why you should win and how you will document your Sonica experience on your social media profiles. Entrants must be 18 or over. Competition closes midnight Sun 15 Sep. Winners will be notified via email within five working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms. For more information about Sonica: www.sonic-a.co.uk

Review

Photo: Richard Thwaites

Live_Transmission: Joy Division Reworked is an electro-orchestral and visual reinterpretation of Joy Division. A first of its kind, the show is a unique audio-visual collaboration between electronic music pioneer Scanner, Heritage Orchestra, and visual artist Matt Watkins. The production tours the UK this Autumn and visits Salford on 29 Sep and Liverpool on 30 Sep.

Photo: HC Gilje

HERITAGE ORCHESTRA

Photo: Philippe Carly

WIN A GOLDEN TICKET TO MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL

Tim Hetherington: You Never See Them Like This

Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, from 6 Sep Infidel. A person who does not believe in religion, or who adheres to a religion other than one’s own. The word has become synonymous with the so-called War on Terror: for many, war has become a religion in itself, requiring a belief in the ‘superpower’ of Western governments to fully support it. It is also the title of a book by awardwinning photojournalist Tim Hetherington, from which Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery has taken work for a new exhibition, You Never See Them Like This. For the first exhibition under the auspices of director Lorenzo Fusi, the team at Open Eye haven’t shied away from emotional and political intensity. “When I first saw Tim’s photos they had a very powerful effect on me,” Fusi says passionately. “They managed to shift my attention from the general political context to focus on the ‘human factor.’ He portrayed the US soldiers stationed in the Afghan outpost as human beings, not just as war professionals.” The Infidel photographs show American soldiers at work, at rest, and off duty while stationed in the stunning but war-ravaged landscape of north-eastern Afghanistan; images of the soldiers asleep are especially – and unnervingly – tender. Hetherington gives them individuality and humanity despite their generic uniforms.

Photo: Tim Hetherington/Magnum Photos

KORENGAL VALLEY, KUNAR PROVINCE AFGHANISTAN. APRIL 2008

Double Indemnity

Cornerhouse, Manchester, from 14 Sep

The Merseyside photographer’s work strikes a balance between gritty reality and his own personal expression. “Tim realised that objectivity in photography does not exist, there is always an editorial line and a context to take into account,” says Fusi. “He was fully and painfully aware of his role, that is, not to stop a conflict by means of his photos but to document a war that somebody else had started.” Hetherington’s personal story is as uplifting as it is tragic. Born in 1970 in Liverpool, he studied literature at Oxford University and photojournalism at Cardiff University before ascending to a bright international career as a photographer with positions at the Big Issue and Vanity Fair. Sadly, Hetherington died while covering the Libyan civil war in 2011 – and although this exhibition is a tribute, it does not intend to memorialise the photographer. “Tim was very busy experimenting at the time he was killed,” Fusi observes. “He had a lot questions and was still searching for the answers.” Hetherington died still committed to the pursuit of his task to document – and challenge misconceptions of – modern day warfare. You could almost describe the images at Open Eye using one of the messages on Tim’s tribute blog: “such a blow in my face, a hit in my heart and soul.” [Linda Pittwood] Tim Hetherington: You Never See Them Like This, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, 6 Sep-24 Nov, free www.openeye.org.uk

When Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck) comes into your life, everything changes. Don’t believe us? Then see for yourself at Cornerhouse’s autumn exhibition, Double Indemnity, named after that little ol’ Billy Wilder noir of the same name. You might walk into that Oxford Road arts joint as plain old you, but you’ll walk out with dollar signs in your eyes and that dame’s scent dancing in your nostrils. That’s what happened to Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), the sap who goes gaga for Phyllis and her anklet in Wilder’s film. “Desire is a central question in this exhibition,” says Michael Connor, the fella curating Cornerhouse’s film noirarama, speaking to us from the Big Apple. “It’s a really complicated thing to think about” – no kidding, Connor, we’ve seen Phyllis’s anklet – “but that’s really what a lot of the work in the show is examining.” Connor called in some favours: the exhibition features work from high-profile artists including Sophie Calle, Jenny Holzer, and Frances Stark. He’s also roped Ming Wong and Anicka Yi into his scheme, and commissioned them to create new works. “What’s great about [Ming Wong] is that he’s such an amazing film nerd,” Connor says. Wong is particularly interested in Stanwyck. He argues she’s a dame who just won’t quit, an archetype who persists through time, cropping up in the 70s in Chinatown and in the 90s in Chungking Express. Wong has responded to Connor’s brief by cooking up After Chinatown, a twisty video installation where he himself gets decked out in Stanwyck’s femme fatale get-up. You know the look: little black number, platinum locks and sunglasses as black as her heart. “That wig and sunglasses look for Stanwyck is a kind of symbol of her bad taste,” says Connor,

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KORENGAL VALLEY, KUNAR PROVINCE MING WONG, AFGHANISTAN. APRIL(2013) 2008 AFTER CHINATOWN

“and so he was interested in that direction, of her as an object of desire while at the same time quite crass.” Wong transports this character across the globe, into different settings, specifically bringing in questions of race in film noir: “Chinatown has a higher racial dimension [than Double Indemnity] and then Chungking Express transposes the noir to an Asian context, so there’s a cultural translation going on and [Wong is] interested in making that visible.” And what about this Anicka Yi dame? What’s her angle? “I wanted her to make a perfume for Stanwyck,” Connor explains. “There’s something in the film that I wanted to be in the exhibition, which is about the consumer world in which Double Indemnity operates.” Which begs the question: what does Barbara Stanwyck smell like? “She’s cold and metallic,” says Yi, “very menthol. I wanted the sent to be alienating – not warming. But I also wanted it to smell desirable. There are elements of sperm, a little bit of bourbon, and, of course, something that would smell like car headlights in the dark.” [Jamie Dunn] Double Indemnity, 14 Sep 2013 – 5 Jan 2014, Cornerhouse, Manchester, free www.cornerhouse.org/art/art-exhibitions/doubleindemnity

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