DIY, August 2013

DIY

free | i s s ue 2 1 | au gu st 2 013

thisisfakediy.co.uk

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Tour 2013

In association with

DIY

First band Announced

12th oct bristol louisiana headliners to be announced for: 28th sept MANCHESTER THE DEAF INSTITUTE

26th oct LONDON BIRTHDAYS

9th nov NOTTINGHAM SPANKY VAN DYKES

23rd nov GLASGOW KING TUTS

Keep updated on drmartens.com and thisisfakediy.co.uk for all the news, line up announcements and ticket details.

FOR MORE FULL INFO / T&C’S VISIT DRMARTENS.COM Charity partner: www.facebook.com/drmartens @drmartens #STANDFORSOMETHING @drmartensofficial

#standforsomething 2 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Set up by the friends and family of Joe Strummer in the year after his death, Strummerville seek to reflect Joe’s unique contribution to the music world by offering support, resources and performance opportunities to artists who would not normally have access to them.

Expect to see exciting new talent from Strummerville as part of the tour.

WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?

EDITOR’S LETTER

GOODVSevil What's on the DIY team's radar

Oh God. It’s Reading & Leeds again. Has it really been a year? While most of you may be planning who you’re off to see, what might clash and who’s sharing a tent with who, I’ve got one rule everyone should stick to. No prosecco.

Victoria Sinden Deputy Editor GOOD: Cold hot water bottles for summer are genius. evil: Autocorrect.

Emma Swann Reviews Editor GOOD: Yeah Yeah Yeahs up close and personal at Islington Academy. Please can I be Karen O? evil: Locking your passport in the office.

Don’t ask.

Louise Mason Art Director GOOD: Alternative Guide to the Universe at the Southbank and Anna Meredith at Latitude were both mind expanding. evil: Karen O’s disgusting misuse of an SM58.

I know. I also said this last month, but what kind of an idiot drinks prosecco at a festival, right? Yeah. Exactly.

But enough with the group therapy. Biffy Clyro are headlining, Foals are on the main stage, CHVRCHES are there - there’s loads to get excited about this August bank holiday. Just keep off the cheap bubbly substitutes.

Stephen ackroyd GOOD: The Naked

And Famous’ new single sounds like CHVRCHES with extra vitamin D. It’s brilliant.

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evil: Brand

New have pulled out of playing Reading & Leeds. This sucks.

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Packets of stick on hooks sent to the DIY office by a confused PR company.

Percentage of Mr J Milton’s Amazon reviews which are deemed helpful

Member of FIDLAR we filmed on the toilet

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Chairs we wheeled through London towards our new office

Objects thrown at various members of the DIY team due to bad James Blake impressions

Sarah Jamieson News Editor GOOD: I’ve heard awfully good things about Heston’s Salted Caramel Popcorn ice cream... evil: Is there an effective way to transport aforementioned ice cream in such ridiculous heat?!

Jamie Milton Online Editor GOOD: Spending ungodly hours finally understanding how great Lana Del Rey is. evil: Calling myself a new music editor and being two years late to Lana Del Rey.

Member of team DIY who watched Texas instead of Bloc Party at Latitude 3

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young guns

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e dwa r d s h a r p e

Editor Stephen Ackroyd

Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Reviews Editor Emma Swann News Editor Sarah Jamieson Film Editor Becky Reed Games Editor Michael J Fax TV Editor Christa Ktorides Staff Writers: Gareth Ware, Sam Faulkner Art Director Louise Mason Head Of Marketing & Events Jack Clothier Online Editor Jamie Milton Deputy Online Editor Jake May Assistant Online Editor El Hunt

12 Po l i ç a 14 F e n e c h So l e r 16 f e s t i v a l s 2 0 1 3 22 J a c k s o n S c o t t 31 r e a d i n g & l e e d s 2 0 1 3 : 32 b i f f y c l y r o

Photographers: Carolina Faruolo, Eliot Lee Hazel, Mike Massaro, Sam Bond, Sarah Louise Bennett, SinĂŠad Grainger, Torey Mundkowsky, and Michelle Heighway.

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For DIY editorial info@thisisfakediy.co.uk For DIY sales rupert@sonicdigital.co.uk tel: +44 (0)20 76130555 For DIY online sales lawrence@sonicdigital.co.uk tel: +44 (0)20 76130555

42 B a s t i l l e 44 S w i m D e e p 48 W a v v e s 50 w h i t e l i e s 52 V a m p i r e W e e k e n d 56 W a s h e d O u t 58 n o a g e

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Contributors Alex Yau, Aurora Mitchell, Coral Williamson, Danny Wright, Greg Inglis, Hugh Morris, Martyn Young, Matthew Davies, Nathan Standlee, Sam Cleeve, Tim Lee, Tom Walters, Neil Wood, Hayley Fox, Wayne Flanagan, Sam Cornforth and Dan Carson.

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DIY is published by Sonic Media Group. All material copyright (c). All rights reserved.

This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of DIY. 25p where sold.

Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which Sonic Media Group holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of DIY or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.

THE DEBUT ALBUM OUT 5TH AUGUST VINYL / CD / DOWNLOAD INCLUDES SINGLES ‘KING CITY’, ‘HONEY’ & ‘THE SEA’ “A ROCK-SOLID DEBUT WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE” - THE LINE OF BEST FIT “A MUCH NEEDED SPL ASH OF COLOUR” - Q

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NEWS

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First headline band announced

O

nce more with feeling. That’s what they say, right?

Music is always best when it’s got some guts behind it - a reason to exist. When it’s live, sweaty and in your face. With that in mind, it’s with enormous delight we’re teaming up with Dr. Martens to present the #STANDFORSOMETHING tour.

Five cities, five shows, five amazing headliners who produce music from the heart. Over the autumn we’ll be bringing the party to Manchester, Bristol, London, Nottingham and Glasgow to give you the best Saturday night you’ve had all year.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be announcing who we’re bringing along for the ride. First on the team sheet are Young Guns, who’ll be headlining the Bristol leg on 12th October.

“I think there’s an intimacy and a specialness about playing little sweaty shows that we’ve never grown out of loving,” frontman Gus Wood ponders. “It’s one of our only shows this year, which is gonna make it a lot of fun, and it’s in a part of the country that we’re close to. I’m really excited for it.”

It could well be one of the last chances to see them for a while too, as they’re about to start work on the follow up to 2012’s ‘Bones’. “We’ve been over in America, really, since September last year. It’s been a lot of fun, but now we’re in a place where we really need to get on and do the new record.”

WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR GUS WOOD? “I’m really empowered by the idea that - without any shady, industry people’s actions or amount of money or any of that stuff - me and my four friends have managed to achieve something through just working hard. I think there’s something important in that idea; that, to a degree, people can do whatever they want if they’re willing to put their head down and work for it.

For me, at least, that’s very much what the band is about: it’s shown me the meaning of working hard and being passionate about something that you love. That’s really important.”

tour 2013

In association with

DIY

THE DETAILS --------28th Sept Manchester Deaf Institute --------12th Oct

YOUNG GUNS Bristol Louisiana --------26th Oct London Birthdays --------9th Nov Nottingham Spanky Van Dykes --------23rd Nov Glasgow King Tut’s --------Keep updated on drmartens.com and thisisfakediy.co.uk for all the news, line up announcements and ticket details.

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“ Yo u h av e to m a k e t h e m o s t o f i t. ” Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros have teamed up with Mumford & Sons for their new album.

Words: Coral Williamson.

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Alex Ebert, founder of Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, is an interesting character.

After all, this is the guy who went into rehab and came out with the idea of a messianic figure who kept getting distracted by girls when trying to save mankind – the titular Edward Sharpe. Today, however, he’s a bit tired, having gotten stuck in traffic earlier and only just reaching the hotel where the band are staying in London.

“It was amazing to be playing to 60,000 people.”

When asked about the band’s recent support slot at Mumford & Sons’ Olympic Park gig, Alex is positive but honest about their set. “It was fun. It was a very hot gig, very 8 thisisfakediy.co.uk

wild. We were just... ramshackle through it, we didn’t have all our shit together, so we just bumbled through our set. But it was fun.” He continues: “It’s nice to have it all together, but when it’s a ramshackle affair…” He laughs. “It was all on us, it wasn’t Mumford’s fault, but that can be fun too, you just have to make the most of it. And of course, it was amazing to be playing to 60,000 people.”

When people are described as ‘so laid back they’re horizontal’, you normally don’t believe it. But with Alex, that really does seem to be the case. Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros’ newest record is being released through Mumford & Sons’ own label, Gentlemen Of The Road, and it seems Alex has no complaints about being their first signing. The new album is self-titled; is there some deep reasoning behind it? Well, no. “We couldn’t really come up with a name,” Alex admits,

but he doesn’t seem apologetic about it. “We came up with a bunch of names but it just felt right, none of them really felt like they were sticking, and the one that felt really good was to have it be self-titled.”

He doesn’t seem to dwell on the hows and whys of much; things just are, for him. The writing process for ‘Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros’, he says, was “similar in some ways, different in the sense that it was more collaborative.” He adds: “I didn’t demo any songs and then we recorded it, so it was more of a singular process.” The result is a mixing pot of tracks, a record that has “its toes dipped in pain, and its fingertips grasping for a horizon.

It’s a more confrontational album, defiant.”

Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros’ self-titled new album will be released on 26th August via Gentlemen Of The Road.

Washed Out ParacOsm LP | cd | dL 12.08.13

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news bloc party

H i at u s I s A S t r o n g W o r d

I n

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b r i e f london grammar have announced plans to release their debut album next month. The trio will unleash ‘If You Wait’ on 9th September, ahead of their UK headline tour this autumn.

Arcade Fire will return later this year, having revealed that their new album – the follow-up to 2010’s ‘The Surburbs’ – will be released on 28th October. yuck might’ve lost a member earlier this year, but that hasn’t slowed them down. They’re currently working on the follow-up to their self-titled debut, and have given us a taste in the form of ‘Rebirth’l listen now at thisisfakediy.co.uk. panic! at the disco’s new album

‘Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die’, the follow up to 2011’s ‘Vices & Virtues’, is set to be released on 7th October. They’ll also visit the UK for four headline shows in November. jay-z will celebrate the release of his latest album ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ by heading to the UK for a massive tour this October. He’ll make appearances at Manchester Arena (03, 04), Birmingham’s NIA Arena (08) and London’s O2 Arena (10, 11, 12, 13).

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And Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke really, really doesn’t seem to like it. I n t e r v i e w : E l H u n t .

f there’s any band who are more on-again off-again than Ross and Rachel, it’s Bloc Party. Or, at least, that’s what certain corners of the media would have you believe.

Having allegedly returned from a hiatus last year, the band brought with them their aptly titled fourth album ‘Four’. Now, with their touring schedule complete, there’s been whispers of another H-word rearing its head, but whether that’s just internet-driven hyperbole, no one seems to really be sure.

quite mapped out just yet. “I don’t know what the future is going to be, but I do know that I’m a creative person, and I’d be surprised if there wasn’t some other outlet for that. I’ve actually been writing with a bunch of other people; I just finished a session this week and that was fun. I think with ‘The Boxer’ [Kele’s debut solo album] I realised that there was more to my musical identity than just being a singer in a rock band.”

What we do know is that Kele Okereke sees things much more plainly: “I haven’t said anything of the sort.” See, told you. “We’ve been on tour for a year and a half, so when we stop touring, we’re going to decompress for a while and do other things. It’s not that exciting. As far as I’m concerned, after Latitude, we’re going to do our own thing, and when the time is right, it’s right.”

As if to prove that, he’s even contemplating a new moniker. “I’m thinking about a project where I’m going to make, like, house music, probably under a different name. It’s not going to be about Kele. It’s not going to be about my voice. The one thing I’ve been doing constantly over the last three or four years is DJing.

I really enjoy it, as much as – if not more than - when I walk out on stage. I like the idea of focusing on that more.”

Okereke has also given a hint as to what might be included in his ‘own thing’, even if he doesn’t have it

Bloc Party’s new EP ‘The Nextwave Sessions’ will be released on 12th August via Frenchkiss Records.

The Maccabees Are Taking Control “We’re just less than halfway through writing our fourth album.”

I n t e r v i e w: T o m Wa lt e r s

T

he Maccabees’ ‘Given To The Wild’ was one of the stand out records of 2012, and now that they’re gearing up for album number four they’re taking things into their own hands.

“I don’t think there’s particularly a reason for it,” guitarist Hugo White explains, on the decision to selfproduce their newest full-length.

“I think when we started as a band we were quite naïve to [production] really. We were just writing music and in terms of how things sounded... it was never something that we really analysed. With ‘Given To The Wild’, it got to the point where we were writing music with the production in mind.”

The art of self-production also seems to be something that has aided the band to become even closer. “There’s an understanding and a bit of trust between everyone. I think if you’re worried about not being totally in control of it - if we were, anyway we would get a producer on board to pull us together. But I think the fact that we’re doing it like this shows that everyone is pretty confident.”

Granted, things are still in the early stages for the London five-piece’s new record, but White is happy with the pace so far. “We’re really getting somewhere with it now,” he enthuses. “We’ve been writing it since the beginning of the year really. We’re waiting on two songs

to be mixed, and I’d say we’re maybe just less than halfway through writing it. But we did a session recently just to try and, you know, make sure everything was working.

Because we’re in our own studio it’s a different process. Two songs are done and the rest are waiting to be sorted out.

“I think [the songs are] as strong as they’ve ever been, and I think the thing about the timing with making the record is that it sort of just evolves over the time frame we’re in. It just sort of gradually falls into place.”

The Maccabees’ third album ‘Given To The Wild’ is out now via Polydor.

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news Poliça

Giving Up The

GhosT

P o l i ç a m ay h av e o n ly r e l e a s e d t h e i r d e b u t a l b u m l a s t year, but they’re already set to unleash a second.

Words: Tom Walters.

W

ith the sounds of Poliça’s debut record from last year still fresh in our minds, it pleases us no end that a follow up is just around the corner. Haunting, emotional and intricate beyond expectations, the subtle yet hypnotic voice of Channy Leaneagh defined ‘Give You The Ghost’ as one of 2012’s most sublime slices of stripped-back, R&B-tinged electronica.

It may seem hasty - albeit generous - for the band to offer up another record so soon, Channy doesn’t see the timeline of events quite like the rest of us. “I guess I’m getting confused about dates,” she jokes. “I finished ‘Give You The Ghost’ almost two years ago in July, and we finished recording the new record in April of last year... and we’re putting it out in October.”

Titled ‘Shulamith’, their newest album was recorded in part at Justin Vernon’s April Base studio in Wisconsin, with other sections taking shape in Austin, Texas and even back in producer Ryan Olston’s bedroom – the place where the majority of the first album took place. “Some of my favourite stuff [on this record] is recorded in Ryan’s 12 thisisfakediy.co.uk

room,” Channy says. “The reason we like it [at April Base] is because it’s very comfortable. It’s very unpretentious.

“We were thinking, ‘how can we still have fun and still keep it playful?’ A lot of the things about Poliça that I like are capturing these instinctual kind of demos. And how do you do that in a studio? It can get a little over thought out for us. So how do you prevent it from getting too over polished, you know?”

Whilst ‘Give You The Ghost’ was written and demoed intensely by Channy and Ryan during a solid two week period, Channy explains that ‘Shulamith’ had a more casual birth: written in between her travels on the road, indebted to her first experiences of constant touring. “I didn’t see Ryan as much, and you know, when you’re used to your writing partner, who you haven’t seen after a couple of months... It was very exciting to work on new music, but it also took a lot longer. We had to be more patient this time.”

Listening to some of the new material, there’s definitely a distinctive difference in sound this time around. For

one, it’s bolder and brighter than before, with tracks like ‘Chain My Name’ and ‘Vegas’ coming with a new-found thickness, that Channy says boils down to some of the “heavier music” her and the band have been listening to lately, such as Crystal Castles and Lightning Bolt.

“It’s mostly coming from Marijuana Deathsquads,” she explains, which is Ryan’s main band (“It’s like his baby”).

“That band is about drumming. It’s about blast beats.

That’s music that’s all a part of our vocabulary. That’s music that we’re excited about. The time we have where we’re not playing in Poliça, is probably spent playing in that band. It’s also interesting to us to have that R&B, sweet and smooth sound to [‘Vegas’] that has this element of blast beats and this intense drumming, ‘cause that’s the emotion you’re feeling in the song.”

On the other hand, the emotional intensity that most fans were able to relate to the most on the first record is still there. “The heart of our music is very reactionary and emotional in the sense that I’m still operating and writing these songs as less cerebral and more emotional reactions to the music,” she points out, acknowledging the effect having more patience had on this record. “We did have some ideas that we sat down and talked about, but it’s still very important to me that it remains instinctual. We work well with less talking, more making music.”

“Lyrically there’s a lot more repeated ideas and there’s a lot more lyrics going on in this record,” she continues.

“It’s thicker with words, it’s thicker with sound... Oh, and the drums. To me, this is really like a drum ‘n’ bass record. If you’re a little kid that wants to be a drummer, this is an exciting record.”

Poliça’s new album ‘Shulamith’ will be released on 21st October via Memphis Industries.

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news fenech-soler

An Unexpected Jo u r n e y Fenech-Soler are gearing up to release their second album, ‘Rituals’. Words: Sarah Jamieson.

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I

t may feel like a while since we last heard from Fenech-Soler, but that’s set to change very shortly. The story of the band so far is an intriguing one. Having been born into the scene of indie-turned-dance music of the late Noughties, their contemporaries included the likes of Friendly Fires and Delphic. Showcasing an enigmatic blend of the genres within their self-titled debut, they began upon many a tour before stopping short when the band’s Ben Duffy was diagnosed with cancer.

Whilst he underwent treatment – leading to a quick recovery, we hasten to add – the band continued on as best they could, but there was still a lingering feeling of frustration, with their second record delayed. Now though, as they stand firmly at the end of that tunnel, the excitement is tangible. “I think we were a bit annoyed that we got stunted on the first album,” confirms Ross Duffy.

“We’re raring to go and get back out.”

“We’re looking back and being quite happy with the album,” adds Ben. “It’s certainly been a considerable journey from the first album to the second, but a journey that I think was quite necessary for this band.”

The “ journey” they embarked upon wasn’t just a personal road to recovery. After taking the break, the band found themselves a little lost in terms of recording. “When we got to the end of the tour on the first album,” explains Ross, “it kinda felt like we had to learn how to write an album again. The first one came together without us even thinking, and the second one was was a learning curve.”

Ben agrees wholeheartedly. “It felt like it took us about a year, mentally, to get to the stage where we were just knocking the tracks out. For quite a while, it wasn’t sounding how we wanted, but we didn’t wanna rush it.

It was about bettering ourselves and hitting the level that we wanted to.”

Setting up camp in Andrew Lindsay’s back garden, where he had built the band’s home studio, this album also marks the first collaborative production efforts in their career. Teaming up with DFA’s Tim Goldsworthy was one of the highlights.

“What was really nice was the times in between recording,” comments Ben. “It was the conversations that you have while you’re sat there doing stuff. Tim’s insight to the industry, and his experience, was just fascinating. He really wanted to do this thing where we sent him a playlist, and he sent us a playlist of just stuff that he likes, and it was cool to have that in terms of mentality. It was a healthy process to us: coming out of quite a claustrophobic way of making music, as we always have done, to open up.”

With such a breadth of new influence, it’d be understandable to wonder

if the foursome have decided to explore a new musical realm, but it seems to be a little more simple than that. “I think we just like pop music, so we write it.” Ross’s words are to the point. “That’s why why we write pop music: because we listen to it. We just got better at writing songs, and I’m not scared of writing pop songs either, so... I think it’s just a bit of a bigger sound, because we’ve gotten better at doing production.”

“It feels like we can see further into songs, through becoming better as writers and producers,” backs up Ben. “We’ve still kept a very DIY ethos with how we approached this album.

For us, it’s just about connecting with people. It wasn’t something that we set out to do, but to me, it makes the first album make more sense in a way. We haven’t changed hugely, but we’ve progressed up to another level.”

Fenech-Soler’s new album ‘Rituals’ will be released on 2nd September via Warner Bros. Records.

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1 6 t h - 1 8 t h Au g u s t, H e s l a k e r Fa r m , S k i p t o n

Hoping this year’s event doesn’t succumb to the weather like 2011’s – biblical downpours flooding the site making it unusable – Beacons might’ve lost Solange to the worthy cause of her son’s education, but it still boasts an impressive line-up over the three days it takes place.

Mercury nominees Django Django perform alongside Detroit rapper Danny Brown, ferocious Canadians Fucked Up and noisy brothers Drenge, to name just four.

Elsewhere there are local faves Sky Larkin, Hookworms and Bonobo, plus Neu alumni The Wytches, Traams and Splashh. And that isn’t the half of it. There’s a showing of locally filmed movie Sightseers with a Q&A from the director, all kinds of food and drink stalls and – if you really fancy it – yoga. Yes, yoga.

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arctangent 2 9 t h - 31 s t Au g u s t, B r i s t o l If the name looks like something you’ve long forgotten from that weirdo calculator you were forced to use in maths classes way back when, it’s no surprise – the three-day event in Bristol (with which DIY’s partnering) features a whole lotta math-rock and associated types. From headliners Fuck Buttons and 65daysofstatic via the likes of Rolo Tomassi, Brontide and Three Trapped Tigers, don’t expect any time signatures to remain the same for, oooh, about three seconds?

But it’s not all full-on stop-start guitars; there’s also space for the city’s next local hero, with Neu favourite and Bristol boy, Oliver Wilde.

1 5 t h - 1 8 t h Au g u s t B l ac k M o u n ta i n s Once again the Brecon Beacons will be taken over with all kinds of pleasant noise as Green Man returns this August. The Horrors, Fuck Buttons, Parquet Courts, British Sea Power and Swans are among the names due to appear across the weekend, with other notable additions including Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Low and Local Natives.

The cinema tent will host showings of LCD Soundsystem’s swansong Shut Up And Play The Hits and The National’s Mistaken For Strangers among others, while there’ll be talks from the likes of Caitlin Moran and Bob Stanley. Add to that Einstein’s Garden with its assortment of all things science-y, and just maybe the fancy beers on tap won’t rot so many brain cells.

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End of the Road 30th August - 1st September Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset

The three-day event might be just slightly off with billing itself as the end of festival season while there’s still a handful to go, but Dorset will again host what we’ve never before affectionately termed the uncle of music festivals at the end of August. Appearing over the weekend are the likes of Sigur Rós, Belle and Sebastian and Eels, with other notable sets from Warpaint, Savages and David Byrne & St Vincent. And Palma Violets – how the raucous south Londoners’ frantic on-stage antics will sit with the considerably more genteel environs of EOTR is a mystery yet to be solved...

As well as the music there’s the usual selection of ‘other stuff’. Comedians appearing include Michael Legge and Robin Ince, Mark Watson and Pappy’s, there are quizzes and bingo, even origami. And yoga. Again with the yoga.

10th Au gu st, Lon don One-day event Visions sees three of the city’s foremost live promoters collaborate to create a multi-venue festival boasting an impressive and diverse line-up. Rockfeedback, SEXBEAT and Bird on the Wire’s individual tastes give us a bill which features Iceage alongside Still Corners; !!! against The Wytches; Jeffrey Lewis and – here’s the one we’re really excited about – brilliantly noisy Ohioans Cloud Nothings.

Visions will take over a trio of venues in Hackney: London Fields Brewhouse, Oval Space and Netil House, where a food market will be set up featuring the city’s brightest cult food brands including Lucky Chip.

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“What the fuck are we doing?”

Bestival organiser Rob da Bank ponders the festival’s first ten years.

Wo r d s : H u g h Mo r r i s

“It’s only really now after ten years I’ve been able to sit down, look back and think about where we’re going to go next,” Rob da Bank muses. But just because the DJ and promoterextraordinaire has some time to ponder the past doesn’t mean he knows where Bestival is going to be in ten years time. And why should he? The exponential growth of the Isle of Wight festival over the last decade has been a product of Rob da Bank’s somewhat blueprint-less planning.

“Five-year plan? I’m not even sure we had a five-minute plan,” he says.

“We [his Sunday Best crowd] just sat in a pub six months before the first festival and were like, ‘yeh, yeh, yeh, we should do our own festival’. It was very last minute. The first few years just flew by in a whirl of ‘what the fuck are we doing?’ It was complete 20 thisisfakediy.co.uk

mayhem. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing.”

Yet that didn’t stop Bestival from doubling in capacity for the first four or so years of its existence. And now, weeks away from the tenth festival and fresh from yet another capacity bump [it’s 55,000 ticket-wise, with a 79,000 potential limit], Rob is happy to cap the numbers at Robin Hill country park and set his sights further afield.

“We don’t have any crazy plans to expand, but I think the key thing for us is to expand in other territories,” he says. “We’ve had people ringing up for years wanting to do it in Australia, South America, even China, and that could be really exciting for us. We definitely want to have another festival up and running in the next 12 months in another

territory.” He adds another Camp Bestival, Bestival’s younger familyorientated sibling, could be on the cards too.

Bestival itself will not be immune to change and innovation either. “I can finally admit after 10 years I probably book too many bands,” he says sheepishly. He explains there will be a gradual shift away from bands and towards other entertainment, including art and cinema. But with his love of booking – he’s normally blown his band budget fairly quickly – it’s unlikely to be a seismic shift. Oh, and he wants AC/DC to headline.

Bestival will take place from 5th - 8th September at Robin Hill Country Park, Isle Of Wight.

Moderat ft.

Pantha Du Prince

- Modeselektor

These New Puritans

- Apparat

The Field

Jon Hopkins

Portico Quartet

No Age

Craig Richards

Connan Mokasin

Darkstar

Jazzy Jeff

Benjamin Damage

Dopplereffekt

Doc Daneeka

Motor City Drum Ensemble

Hyetal

King Midas Sound

ITAL

The Invisible

Ital Tek

Tall Ships

Planet Mu DJs

Letherette

Vessels

Seams

Wet Nuns

Mazes

Islet

DjRUM

Hookworms

Fear of Men

Outboxx

Paws

Eagulls

Typesun

Oliver Wilde

Artifact

A.z.&T.o.r

Futureboogie DJs

Pardon My French

Glass Animals

My Panda Shall Fly

Moko

Girl Band

No Ceremony

+ More TBA

simplethingsfestival.co.uk

Various Venues, Bristol

12 October, 2pm - 6am

Very Limited ÂŁ30 Tickets left from crackmagazine.net/tickets

21

neu Jackson Scott

NEu new

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20-year-old Jackson Scott is an oddball pop prodigy. He lost himself inside his own head during the recording process of his debut album ‘Melbourne’, while at his student digs in Asheville, North Carolina. The finished product is meticulously polished despite being slathered in warped and twisted sounds. His vocal style is incredibly distinctive and his music is as leftfield as you can get, combining a slow-burning croon that aches of youthful confusion with jangly and ethereal guitar work that often gets experimental just for the hell of it. It’s a sound that so many other 20-somethings are quickly finding themselves being able to relate to, whether it’s because they’re going through postgraduate nightmares or just find themselves lying awake at night with what Jackson refers to as “indescribable feelings”.

In terms of songwriting, Jackson’s a huge fan of the first two Weezer records – ‘Weezer’ and ‘Pinkerton’ – and finds himself inspired by their direct, to-the-point and easily relatable lyrics. “Honestly, in my opinion, most artists that get remembered essentially write pop songs in an artistic manner or a weird way, and on the one hand Weezer’s a good example of [a band] that does that. Take Nirvana songs, they sound really raw and harsh, but if you strip ‘em down on a piano most of them just end up as really beautiful melodies. They’re really nice pop songs and that’s why people respond to them. I think with me, it’s kind of halfway between trying to make stuff like that, but also finding a synthesis between the poppy and happy and the dark and unsettling.”

“I think people shouldn’t be scared or whatever of getting really absurd,” he tells us from his hometown of Pennsylvania, his current retreat after the lease on the house where ‘Melbourne’ was recorded ran out.

Jackson reckons people like to read his work because he turns depression into something that isn’t a bad thing.

“Everyone’s pretty capable of having [his or her] own weird thoughts,” he goes on to say. “Life is just really, really weird. It’s all kind of one big, goofy, sick joke I guess. But it’s really beautiful too, and I’d like to help people understand that. It’d be really cool if I could help anyone feel a little bit better about anything.”

That dark and unsettling aspect of his music definitely comes across as a sense of lethargy on ‘Melbourne’ – which is also the name of the road in the “Donnie Darko suburbia” where his Asheville house was situated.

Personal issues are something that Jackson struggles with, and spending a lot of time alone in his room recording has led to a lot of these thoughts seeping through into his songs. “The annoying part can be going too far into my own head,” he explains. “I wasn’t like, anti-social, but I definitely wasn’t hanging out with friends non-stop. I was pretty much hanging out with my roommates and then just hanging out by myself and recording.”

‘Melbourne’’s a record that finds Jackson not only getting his thoughts down on religion (‘Evie’), Sandy Hook (‘Sandy’) and any other number of personal thoughts and experiences he finds himself thinking about. “Lyrics are fun because you can make ‘em kind of abstract, but at the same time really direct too,” he explains. “The funny thing is that with a lot of the songs, you can spin ‘em a bunch of different ways. I’ll have an exact meaning about what one song is about and somebody else would never be able to guess the same.”

Will he be clearing his head and moving into a more palpable recording space? Sure, but not just yet. “I pretty much know that I’m going into the studio to record at some point,” he tells us, “but I’ve decided to record the second album in the same way I recorded the first one.

When I started recording, I learned it mainly through digital recording. It was during ‘Melbourne’ that I switched over; right now, I’m just really, really obsessed with the sound of analogue recording, so that’s kind of the train that I’m on right now.”

22 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Jacks on

Of T h e

Scot t:

T h e Way

Weirdo wo r d s : To m W a l t e r s

23

neu josef salvat

NEu

NEu NEu Josef S a lvat : F ro m M au d l i n T o More, Please

Words: Jamie Milton, Photo: Emma Swann

G

oing through the motions as a new artist is difficult.

Josef Salvat’s story is one of years of writing, prepping, saying no and eventually building up to the point he’s at today. Although he only has two songs to his name, ‘This Life’ and ‘Hustler’ are enough to propel him into the public consciousness, all ears alert on the fact that he’s an exciting new solo artist. What they don’t hear about is the years preceding. The decisions, decisions, decisions that Salvat had to take.

He moved to London to pursue music. Studying in Canberra, Australia, Josef played shows at university, and it was all fairly comfortable. “I knew a lot more people and a lot more people knew me. It was easy.” With the London 24 thisisfakediy.co.uk

move, he was exposed to a city of various fragmented ideas; it’s a tough place to settle into.

His first fully produced non-demo changed all this. ‘This Life’ emerged at the very beginning of the year, where post-Christmas bloated blues defined the agenda. The only thing required was a downtrodden pop song. “Somebody described the lyrics as ‘maudlin’,” Josef explains, of a style he’s already being distinctly attached to. “But being too indulgent, too wallowing - you always have to offset it with something else.”

While there’s a clear awareness of where he’s currently at, where he feels he deserves to be, beyond any ambition or hard-work ethic is an acknowledgement that musicians

are here to do their own thing.

His involves humour, poking fun at the confessional guy behind the microphone. “Listen to David Bowie’s stuff: It’s really intelligent.

He never took himself too seriously.”

Salvat’s still very much in development, even after years of practice. But it’s relief that coats these experiences. A sense of gratitude that sure, he might not have skyrocketed years back with rougher versions of these songs, but he wouldn’t have been cut out for it anyhow. “In hindsight I could look back and be thankful about things going slowly.” Things are about to speed up for Josef. Infact the process is well underway. But you’d be hardpicked to find anyone more prepared for the experience.

NEu

Rising Stock:

I t ’ s t i m e yo u i n v e s t e d i n

F T S E Words: Jamie Milton

Y

ou might recognise Sam Manville’s name.

Particularly if you spent time worshipping bands on the Big Scary Monsters roster and beyond. Hymns, Blakfish, and so on and so forth none of this really matters when you consider Sam’s current project, FTSE. Because it’s clearly one he’s sticking to for years to come.

“People tell you that if you do something you like then other people will too - I never believed that really,” says the producer, backstage ahead of his debut show, supporting AlunaGeorge in Brixton, which, by the way, he’s totally unfazed about.

Experience in other genres, particularly towards the heavier end of the spectrum, isn’t especially unique. George was immersed in

such a scene before he met Aluna on Myspace, or so the story goes.

FTSE initially began in mysterious circumstances. Oddball demos emerged. The project was nameless beyond the stock market reference.

stars proper. And it left him at his wit’s end. “The whole thing is so fucking vacuous - I’m shit at writing lyrics for other people... Writing a song about fancying a girl isn’t something I can do.”

But then out spilled the beans, and thereon Sam’s real identity.

“The internet’s a bastard like that,” he quips. Not that there’s any embarrassment about the past. “I just wanted what I do to not be associated with anything other than itself.”

What he can do, however, is much more crucial. Music was packed in for a while, and stepping aside paid dividends. “I decided to prioritise other things in my life and I think that was pivotal to the emergence of FTSE.” Debut EP ‘FTSE 1’ is a mission statement, wherein wellcrafted productions mix with Sam’s distinct, low vocals. There’s very little that can stop him from going ever onwards following this debut.

“With FTSE, I feel for the first time I’ve got the freedom to do whatever I want.”

FTSE is Sam’s truest expression to date. That’s all you need to know.

It’s the sound of a guy who’s been involved in various distinct corners of music finding his comfort zone.

Post bands, he took time out, attempting to write songs for pop

25

neu recommended

NEu Recommended

1 T W IN

PEAKS

Forget B-Town, it is all about Chi-Town right now.

Recently, Chicago’s Psychic Twin and Touching Voids got us hanging off the edge of our proverbial seats with excitement, whilst The Orwells did one better and made us jump to an ovation after they went down a storm at The Great Escape. There are no signs of this golden streak drying up either, with Twin Peaks confidently emerging with their effortlessly cool debut track, ‘Stand In The Sand’.

The band’s name - you might have noticed - is derived from the cult classic by David Lynch. Such a brave name-gracing feat made them stand out before a second of their scuzzy pop tunes had graced our ears.

Thankfully, their music also lives up to the promise with the songs on debut album ‘Sunken’ packed with youthful exuberance and garage rock goodness. (Sam Cornforth)

2 S O L ID G O L D D R A G O N S

2

Sam Scott comes from a rich musical background. From disbanded cult band Youthmovies to being an integral part of tropical folk-pop group Jonquil, the Oxfordian trumpeter-cum-soloist is making his own way under the new moniker of Solid Gold Dragons.

Scott’s musical output naturally differs from any typical ‘indie’ stereotype. If anything, his composed and confident style evokes a classic feel. Whether it’s playing trumpet, bass or being a front man, Scott’s project is diverse and intriguing, and one that sounds like nothing else around. (Wayne Flanagan)

3 ANCIENT

MARINER

Gabriel Jorgensen isn’t the first musician to have scrapped a project previous to start something more ambitious.

But at the same time, Ancient Mariner isn’t your average turning of a page. Last year something clicked, and out came the songs that make up 2013’s debut EP ‘In Solitude’. Sonically, it’s linked to the pagan-like wistfulness of mid-2000s Midlake, the seemingly effortless beauty of Radiohead’s ‘Nude’, even.

The title suggests as much, but Gabriel’s first work is clearly about isolation. Rather than it being a cold sense of loneliness, these songs creep up on you, offering quiet calm from any lurking demons. Jorgensen had some of his own to grapple with before starting work on the EP, both personally and in terms of finding some kind of eureka moment with his songwriting. (Jamie Milton) 26 thisisfakediy.co.uk

3

3

4

1

4 L O R D E

Earlier this year, New Zealand’s Lorde released the ‘Love Club’ EP and has already racked up mammoth play counts and an NZ No.1 with lead track ‘Royals’. So she’s not exactly begging for fans these days.

But in two new tracks - ‘Tennis Court’ and a cover of The Replacements’ ‘Swingin’ Party’ - Lorde has far outgrown her age (she’s only 16) and delivered a pair of pop gems that will surely see her become a household name worldwide. We say household. If every house had awesome parties. ‘Tennis Court’ is a Lana-infused, mid-tempo whirl of low synths and infectiously jittering percussion, and it’s just about as instant as a single comes.

With Lorde already reaching out of Auckland, it’s surely only a matter of time until this young lady is, like it or not, taking over the world one perfect pop song at a time.

(Neil Wood)

5 STA Y

B LESS

London’s Stay Bless are fronted by George Cassavetes, former brains behind experimental beats project, FAMILY. Sonically leaner and more benevolent than similarly expansive recent contemporaries WU LYF and Youth Lagoon; the solitary track we’ve been gifted thus far - ‘Always’ - centres around Cassavetes’ peaceful, breathy tones, reminiscent of a less waifish Sean Nicholas Savage.

Drawn from their debut EP, ‘Faded’, pencilled in for a summer release on London independent 37 Adventures, ‘Always’ couldn’t be further from the cut and paste hiphop patchworks Cassavetes was making a year or two back. What we have now is meticulously arranged choral pop with a remarkably lived-in aesthetic.

Stay Bless have shaken off the torrid personal circumstances that dogged the recording of ‘Faded’ and made bombastic power-ballads sound beyond cool, for possibly the first time in history. (Dan Carson)

6 SNAKEHIPS

4 5

5

Production duos are cool at the moment, right? You’ve got Disclosure ripping up the charts with their uber slick production with strong vocal collabs and the equally well-oiled Bondax, among others. Snakehips have it all worked out, loitering around this past year, the Londonbased duo couldn’t have planned a more precise time to start exposing their electro approach to R&B. It’s as if they were tipped off by an fortune teller, one just as anonymous as the duo are.

Their latest track ‘Make It’ features some near earthshattering vibrations with the rushed vocal loop tightly twisted around the elongated keys. Previous single ‘On & On’ is graced with George Maple’s soulful Jessie Warelike vocal against the confused electro blips, while ‘Bliss’ sees the mood swing around again into a big, shuffling club track. Whatever sounds this duo are creating to get to the top, they’re most definitely heading the right way.

(Hayley Fox)

27

neu mixtape

N o t c o n t e n t w i t h g i v i n g yo u a f r e e m ag a z i n e , w e ’ v e p u t t o g e t h e r a f r e e m i x ta p e f u l l o f o u r favo u r i t e n e w b a n d s ; d o wnl oa d fro m thisisfakediy.co.uk /mixtape

neu mixtape Snakehips Make It

Caveman Where’s The Time

Arguably the hottest production duo out there, London’s SNAKEHIPS are tapping into the Disclosure club-ready culture while bringing something refreshing to the table.

‘Make It’ is the pair’s most riotous dance cut to date.

Matthew Iwanusa is a one of a kind vocalist. And though New Yorkers Caveman (pictured) are all about their harmonies, their frontman takes a dazzling lead, reaching notes you didn’t deem possible.

Astral Pat tern Sitting In The Sun

Gunwaif Playgue

Hibou Sunder

William Arcane Want Somebody

‘Playgue’ sounds not too dissimilar to a horde of insects Astral Pattern is formed of members from now departed crawling into your ears. Acute, oddly-styled vocal loops London group S.C.U.M. Their debut ‘Light Poems’ EP is unmatched in its sense of delicate escape. Like Korallreven settle in, with the line “you and I / it’s a sickness” an apt summary of our relationship with this fascinating new act. made by Brits instead of zen Scandis.

‘Sunder’ is a lead track from Seattle’s Peter Michel’s new ‘Dunes’ EP. Schooled in DIIV-esque spirit, boundless energy circuits the scene as clipped guitars go head-tohead with a frenetic pace.

South London producer William Arcane has an uncommon knack for putting emotion at the very forefront of his tracks. ‘Want Somebody’ will become one of the electronic highlights of 2013.

THE TEEN AGE Ventura

Glass Gang Waves

Oh, the rush of ‘Waves’. Slowdive comparisons set in, but Brooklyn ‘doo-wop garage’ peddlers The Teen Age run there’s some intense grasp on the heart pulling you even amok with hedonistic escape in ‘Ventura’. Upfront to the very brink with joyous guitars and raspy vocals, rock ‘n roll further into Glass Gang’s charms. This being the Brooklyn group’s debut track, it’ll be a tough act to follow. gains a further sense of fun with this track.

The Night VI Skyline

The Night VI played a recent Neu Presents show in London, packing the place out, with Dave from The Invisible and even one Tom Odell popping along for the occasion. Their London Grammar-styled melodrama is gorgeous, and well aware of its huge potential.

28 thisisfakediy.co.uk

SALES renee

SALES’ first outing owes everything to its production.

Yes, the song is sweet, the melody sweeping. But it’s the perfect placement of distinct, acoustic loops that take it to some dreamy territory that’s barely been encountered by bands previous. Stupidly clever.

NEU

In S oun d s F rom My Ci t y, Neu asks som e of mu s ic’ s cre ative tal ents to t el l u s all abou t t h e mo st exci t i ng band s on t h e i r d o orst ep.

sounds

from

my

NEU n e w s

cit y:

Birmingham

clean bandit have announced details of a UK tour, following on from the London classic-meets-pop quartet’s appearances at various summer festivals. They’ll kick off on 20th October in Nottingham.

Puntastic Cardiff-based

radstewart have signed to

Alcopop for the release of a new EP, the follow up to this year’s ‘Whig Crooks & Beer Swindlers’.

Liverpool’s outfit have shared a new track from their debut album, ‘Performance’, out 12th August on Double Denim Records. Listen now on thisisfakediy.co.uk.

Superfood are at the forefront of Birmingham’s ‘second wave’ of B-town groups, following hot on the heels of Peace and Swim Deep, joined by fellow DIY favourites JAWS in keeping their city’s rep at such heady heights.

We asked the newcomers to refer to some even fresher faces, detailing a potential ‘third wave’, if that’s even possible.

Sugar

Birmingham is great. The first of our picks is a band called Sugar. They’re great, they sound wonky but straight at the same time. Check them out ‘cause you’ll hear about them soon enough anyways.

Bunny

There’s also a guy called Bunny who produces electronic music we love. He’s been working on some really cool stuff and is going to be debuting his first EP pretty soon.

Cardiff-bred joanna gruesome have announced their signing to Slumberland records, alongside word that they’ll be releasing debut album ‘Weird Sister’ on 9th September.

Neu and Kanada are proud to present the debut UK show from Danish newcomers blaue blume. They’ll play Dalston venue Birthdays on 20th August. Entry’s free.

Birmingham’s hottest prospects superfood will soon play their debut UK headline tour, encompassing 22 different dates from September - October.

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WEEKLY

DIY

available in the app store now

thisisfakediy.co.uk

30 thisisfakediy.co.uk

BA N D S BEER

AND

( HO P E F U

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a bit

of

s u ns h i ne

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by s t ep guide

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m i ss n o t h i ng * * A PA R T F ROM TH E HA N G OV E R S . TH E Y ’ R E O N YOU .

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f the hare and the tortoise taught us anything, it was that slow and steady always wins the race. Biffy Clyro must have paid attention in class. After all, their entire career is testament to the moral of that story. From dingy Glaswegian bars, to the top of festival bills all over the world, their steady rise has been unquestionably dignified and deserved.

Now, they stand on the cusp of one of their most career-defining moments, so close you can almost touch it, and it’s all set to happen as the sun begins to sink on a Bank Holiday weekend in August.

“When we were kids in school, I remember Simon…” bassist James Johnston begins. “You know how you used to write on your jotters, and put stickers on and things like that? He wrote this imaginary Reading festival line-up, with Pearl Jam, Nirvana… probably Rage Against The Machine, and us at the top of it. You know how other kids dream of being a movie star or going to the fucking moon or something like that? We kinda dreamed about headlining Reading festival.”

That dream is set to come true this summer, when they take to the stage 32 thisisfakediy.co.uk

}

I

Biffy Clyro After nearly twenty years, everyone’s favourite Scottish rock trio are stepping up.

Words: Sarah Jamieson.

}

as the closing act of Reading & Leeds 2013; something they still, evidently, can’t quite get their head around. “I almost don’t believe it’s gonna happen until it does,” James laughs. “I guess I’ve spent all summer so far ignoring it, but it’s a huge honour. And I guess a huge responsibility. It’s a really surreal feeling.

I’m starting to get nervous as we talk!”

“We’re trying to keep it out of our minds a little bit...” his brother, drummer Ben Johnston trails off.

“Yeah, I mean,” adds in frontman Simon Neil, “it still feels like a bit of a dream, but we’re now a few festivals into the festival season, so we’re gearing up for it.

When you’re just doing normal touring, the thought of headlining a festival is so alien. Now, we’re kind of in the swing of things, it’s really gonna be the exciting moment at the end of the summer. So, hopefully we’ll be flying by that time!

Hopefully everyone will have a great fucking time. It’s such an honour, and such a historic festival and it’s great to be a part of that; a part of headliners history!”

Not only is the event itself a historic part of any music fan’s life, but Reading

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“It’s really gonna be the exciting moment at the end of the summer.”

}

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& Leeds bears a particular importance to Biffy Clyro themselves. 2013 may mark their first time headlining, but it will be the eighth time they’re set to perform. This is a weekend that has been woven into the fabric of this band, and that’s something that the trio don’t take lightly.

“We’ve had a strong connection with the festival for many years,” James confirms. “I remember back in the days when we were playing some of the smaller stages, and - all playing in a row - there was us, Jetplane Landing, Hell Is For Heroes, Hundred Reasons and a bunch of other bands like that. At that point, it felt there was a really good vibe with British bands, and I think there still are a lot of great bands out there. I guess in a way, we feel kinda responsible to play a good show in honour of all of these great bands. It feels like this honour’s been bestowed upon us to go up there and do it, and we feel like we wanna do a good job for those bands as much as for ourselves.”

said that it wasn’t from nerves - that he just felt a bit rough - but I wasn’t so sure. There was such an elated feeling at that point. We still hadn’t played too many shows outside of Scotland, so it still felt like a real adventure for the band. It was such an amazing feeling; we just got the bug and knew that we wanted to keep coming back.”

“We

dreamed about

Luckily, they’ve been invited on numerous occasions, with their latest slot taking place midway through the day on the main stage back in 2010.

Fingers crossed that they won’t be faced with a rogue monitor like last time. “When you’re up there singing, you can’t hear fucking anything on stage!” laughs James. “It’s often difficult to hear what’s going on and I think the monitor was just making a really nasty sound. Of course, Simon couldn’t hear what he was singing or what he was playing, so the best place for it was just off the stage. He just picked it up and launched it - not into the crowd - just into the photo pit.

Surely then, with seven notches already on their belts, the band have some great memories from years gone by? “I guess the strongest memory is of the first time we played. I remember we all jumped into a van and probably left Glasgow at about one in the morning.

You’re sitting there, trying to sleep in a chair, but everyone was too excited to sleep. Eventually, the tiredness takes over and you kinda find a corner: there’s people under seats, and people under tables. People wrapped up in little balls just trying to get a little bit of sleep. Then you just hear the kick drum come from the main stage as the bands start sound checking in the morning. As soon as you hear that kick drum, you wake up and remember where you are, and you’re like, “Shiiiiit’, we’re gonna do a festival here.”

And like anything, their career has come with hardships as well as good times. In fact, it was during the making of their most recent album ‘Opposites’ that the band nearly tore themselves apart from within, but there seems to be nothing that they haven’t been able to overcome in the last thirteen years. So, this year’s Reading & Leeds looks to be a true celebration of a band’s hard work.

“I remember just how nervous we were that first time: I remember Ben walking to the stage, and being sick. He

“It’s been hard, but it hasn’t always felt like it,” offers James. “We’ve enjoyed doing what we’re doing. When we

headlining Reading

festival.”

34 thisisfakediy.co.uk

“I think that drew a pretty good reaction from the crowd. I think they could see that we were having our issues, but were still trying to give it our all and go forward. That’s all you can you do at a festival. It’s about going up there and giving it everything that you’ve got. You might be pissed in the rain, but you just have to go up there and try to be one with the audience.”

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were thirteen, we wanted to headline, but when we finally got to play, we thought, “we’re happy with that.” I mean, we wanted to play a little bit later in the day, but once we had hit our twenties, I guess you have a bit of a reality check and the naivety of youth fades and you realise that maybe you won’t headline a festival. I’m sure every band dreams of it, but not every band gets to do it. We accepted that, in a way, and just enjoyed the process of being a band; of touring around, and kept doing that. We worked our way up.

“You know, like I said, we can’t quite believe it’s come to this, but I guess we can be proud of the journey so far. It’s hard not to sound like we’re writing ourselves some sort of obituary, talking in these grand. sweeping statements. We don’t feel like a big band. Mentally, we still feel like the same guys who played at 12 o’clock in the afternoon,

so, that’s why it’s an interesting thing to talk about. We’ve been trying not to think about it, to just try and be ourselves and appreciate where we are.

“It’s a really emotional thing and that’ll be a big part of the show, seeing all of those people out there. It’ll hopefully feel like a congregation, like we’re all in it together. We’re celebrating being there, but I hope the audience is celebrating with us.”

Slow and steady wins the race. A lesson we could all learn from these Scottish-boys-done-good. DIY m a i n s tage LEE D S : F RI 2 3 REA D IN G : SUN 2 5

Win Tickets Reading about a festival you're not attending? Fear not! We've a pair of tickets for each leg of Reading & Leeds to give away to two lucky readers.

To be in with a chance of winning one of them, visit thisisfakediy.co.uk/readingandleedscomp and answer the simple question.

Don't forget to say which leg you'd like to attend (Reading or Leeds); you don't want us guessing.

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D r e n g e

T h e b r o t h ers pl a y t h e i r f i rs t R e a d i ng & L ee d s t h e wee k en d a f t er their debut lands.

Words: Danny Wright Photo: Emma Swann 36 thisisfakediy.co.uk

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“It’s been a crazy seven days,” Eoin Loveless laughs. A week after their incendiary Glastonbury performance and a few days after MP Tom Watson recommends them to Ed Milliband in his resignation letter, it’s a strange time for Drenge. But they’ve managed to avoid the media scrum by escaping to Denmark, playing in front of a crowd that knew little of British politicians. “It was a lot of fun to play Roskilde, ‘cos we’d just found out about the resignation letter and we found ourselves playing to a crowd of people that didn’t know who Tom Watson was, and didn’t care.”

it’s no. Which is good, it’s a really healthy thing for our band not to disappear up our own arses.” He laughs, “if it was just me it would sound really shit - so everyone’s lucky that my brother’s in the band.”

It doesn’t seem like luck has played much part in what has been a rapid ascent for the band, who honed their talent in the clubs and bars of Sheffield. Now they find themselves touring with The Cribs and Deap Vally, earning a reputation as a ferocious and captivating live act. “It’s been non-stop,” admits Eoin, but touring with The Cribs makes it all worth the effort. “It’s amazing. They’re the band that when I was growing up seemed to believe in what they were playing, and what they were doing.”

It would certainly be a shame if this overshadowed the release of their self-titled debut record, but it seems unlikely. The two brothers - Eoin on guitar, Rory on drums - have created an album that is a melodic thrash of rock; a dark, raucous noise with a sense of humour, pounding drums and crashing guitars. “I think the album With their debut album ready to drop and the band gets stronger and stronger throughout gearing up to rip Reading & Leeds as we’ve become better players and “It’s a really healthy Festival apart it seems there have been better performers. It culminates with some positive consequences to those thing for our band not this really tongue-in-cheek song dark school lunchtimes. Have they ever to disappear up our [‘Fuckabout’] which I really like; that made the trip to Leeds festival? “I’ve own arses.” might be my favourite track.” never been - I never had enough pocket

And Eoin says it’s the honesty between them that helps make sure the level of their music doesn’t drop. Rory, in particular, is not one to pull any punches. “I take what I’ve written on the guitar to Rory and he’s pretty much the guy who says yes or no, and most of the time

money, I used to spend it on sweets.

But Rory went once. We were going to go in 2009 but our cousin was having a wedding about a mile away from the site so we could see all the Radiohead lights going off in the sky. We’re definitely excited about it. We really like how young people get into our music and these are festivals for them.”

Festivals, touring with their heroes, being praised by politicians and a brutal debut album, Drenge’s rise seems irresistible. Where will they go next? “I’m kind of worried about us slowing in tempo and soundtracking more episodes of Top Gear, so I’d like to try to keep the pace.” You get F es t i va l R ep u b lic S tage the feeling no one can stop their READING : s at 2 4 velocity. DIY LEEDS : SUN 2 5

“

Now, with the record finished, the band can concentrate on making music rather than having to deal with hype. “I don’t feel like we have that pressure of making a debut record anymore,” Eoin explains. The pressure is also lessened by having a sibling in the band. “I think we just find it easier working with each other than we do with other people. It’s easier to justify why you’re arguing when it’s your brother, and it’s also easier to make up.”

l ly e a p Va Tr o y D y se d Lin “Skrillex is headlining!

Oh my god, we’re huge Nine Inch Nails fans but they’re not on the same day as us, we’re gonna miss each other. And Tame Impala would also be awesome, but I think they’re on a different day to us too. And Haim, they’re friends of ours, so it’d be fun to see them. But they’re on a different day… Peace are good right? I keep hearing great things about them. I’m excited to check them out.”

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Bands

y o u nee d see

to You’ve a couple of guarantees with HAIM at a summer festival: fancy shades and some of the most intense bass-face you’ve ever witnessed. If the term ‘bass-face’ is new to you, by the way, just keep your eye on bassist Este.

The LA sister-trio essentially stole the show at Glastonbury, playing set-after-set (some in less than glamorous, diabetes-affected circumstances) to crowds in their thousands. You wouldn’t bet against them having a similar impact on this year’s Main Stage.

HAIM

Busying himself with film scores - award winning ones, at that - you wouldn’t have blasted Trent Reznor for taking another couple of years off from Nine Inch Nails duties. But thankfully he’s returned, and he’s not doing things in half measures. The artwork for new album ‘Hesitation Marks’ comes in 30 pieces, which ought to give hints as to just how much thought he’s putting into his second-from-top headlining slot on the main stage.

His last Reading & Leeds set came in 2007, triumphantly closing with ‘Hurt’. But if the recent David Lynch-collaborations and ultra-ambitious concepts are anything to go by, this year’s performance will be a completely different draw.

AI L S N CH N NINE I

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The very purpose of Reading & Leeds is to find a reason to take liftoff, get drenched in sweat, maybe lose an item of clothing in the process. If Skrillex’s bounce-en-masse communion isn’t your kind of dig, there’s a similarly colossal opportunity in the form of Foals.

Third album ‘Holy Fire’ isn’t exactly an introverted, shy being. It’s designed for nights such as these, where picturesque countryside sunsets are coupled with complete carnage on the ground. If you don’t find yourself in rapture, arms raised, at the sheer force of ‘Inhaler’, or if you don’t find yourself hugging a grubby looking stranger during ‘My Number’, you’ve probably come to the wrong festival.

SKRILL

EX

Ask any average punter at this year’s fest and you’ll find two completely opposite perspectives on Skrillex.

Some associate him the that-which-must-notbe-named EDM term, others celebrate him as music’s ultimate party-starter. One thing’s for certain: he’s huge. Shunning the dance stage for a headline slot at the NME / BBC Radio 1 tent, expect hell-raising electronics, immersive visuals and plenty of those famed ‘drops’.

F OA L S

CH V R CH E S

They’re still pre-debut album but Glasgow’s CHVRCHES have been flung headfirst into the spotlight, asked to perfect their live game before they’d barely released a single piece of music. They’ve since refined their loop-heavy, frenetic pop to absolute perfection, gaining a ridiculous amount of fans Stateside and lending this increased popularity to their live shows.

Debut ‘The Bones of What You Believe’ will be previewed, no doubt, which essentially means you’ll be rained down on with stop-start pristine pop. There’s an act every year at Reading & Leeds who pack out their chosen tent, and then some. Last year it was Alt-J, a few years before that now-main-stage-staple Foals.

CHVRCHES will be this year’s champions of the over-subscribed.

Chances are you’ll be anything but ‘Settle’ed for Disclosure. Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence have built their rep not just on chart-worthy floor-fillers, but also on the mighty occasion of their live shows. Don’t expect them to shirk their responsibilities during one of their biggest homecoming sets to date.

DI S C L O S U R E Maybe bring along a checklist if you’re feeling ultra-prepared: Special guests? Check. A frenzied crowd? Check. All bangers, no mash? Naturally.

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S p l a s h h With their debut on the horizon, Splashh are l oo k i n g f o r w a r d t o a w e e k e n d o f m a y h e m .

S

Words: Emma Swann

plashh’s Sasha Carlson has never been to what he calls “a massive UK festival”. The band’s previous appearances at the likes of Field Day and Latitude are, it seems, ill preparation for this August Bank Holiday.

“I think it’s going to be quite wild,” he guesses, as we ask him what he thinks might happen at Reading & Leeds.

And, on explaining the festival’s proximity to youngsters getting their GCSE results, adds “So there’ll be a lot of loose kids running about? Oh, that’s good.”

We’ll take a punt that the term ‘loose’ is a tad ‘lost in translation’ between Carlson’s New Zealand-viaAustralian English and ours. But it’s likely the Londonbased quartet’s glorious fuzz-pop will suit the weekend’s party atmosphere – even if the temperamental British climate doesn’t want to play ball.

Because if there’s one word that could describe the music 40 thisisfakediy.co.uk

of Splashh, it’s ‘summery’. Somehow, the sun-drenched youth of three of the band’s number has seeped through every pore of every note on debut album ‘Comfort’.

The album’s been a long time coming – it’s a year, Carlson explains, since they began working on it. And much of it’ll be familiar to listeners already: singles ‘Need It’, ‘Vacation’ and ‘All I Wanna Do’ all feature, while the remainder have long been mainstays of the band’s live set.

“We didn’t know we were recording an album,” he says. “We did these songs within a stage of the first few months of us starting. We didn’t know we were making an album, they were just songs we recorded.

“I guess we don’t treat it like our big debut album, it’s just a collection of songs that we’ve had for a while that we feel F es t i va l R ep u b l i c S tage . is the first part of Splashh to get REA D IN G : s at 2 4 LEE D S : SUN 2 5 out there.” DIY

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Brand New

They may have pulled out of Reading & Leeds, but don’t fear - this isn’t the end of Brand New.

A

few weeks ago, Brand New caused the internet to fly into rumour overdrive as they announced they would be cancelling their forthcoming UK and European dates; including their appearance at Reading & Leeds, where they’ve been replaced on the bill by Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, The Creator’s project, EarlWolf.

It was sad news all around, but their statement blaming “insurmountable personal issues” seemed to make things that little bit more worrying.

Thankfully, the band’s drummer Brian Lane has confirmed that they will return to the UK in the near future. Speaking to him about his side-project, Shone, he assures us that “there’s Brand New stuff happening.”

Whilst the drummer’s unable to make further comment on the cancellation of the tour, he does offer some further reassurance: “I can say that we will be back and I apologise.”

In the meantime, Lane will be releasing the debut album

from Shone later this month. “I feel as though it’s a project that I’ve worked long and hard enough on that I don’t want to just put it out and lay it to rest. I would like to give it the support that it deserves. I mean, even this week I feel like I wanna try and write some more, but there’s Brand New stuff happening and there’s also the APK production stuff, so it’s just about trying to balance it as best as possible.” DIY

Debut Album CD/LP/DL 19th August 2013 Playing live near you - see more at www.drenge.co.uk

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h ere

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h elp

Heading to a festival can be problematic at the best of times. Believe us, we know. So, to help you prepare for any impending disaster that could try to ruin your weekend, we’ve posed a load of festival-related problems to Bastille’s Dan Smith. We cannot be held responsible for any bad advice offered.

As you arrive at the festival to put up your tent, you realise that you’re a few pegs missing.

Go ask the people next to you, and hope that they’re not bastards. Or, maybe just have a little wander and if there’s a particularly fancy tent that’s weighted down, you could borrow a couple. Or! Just go without. You’ll be fine. If it’s not windy, you don’t need to peg it down. The guy ropes are just a bit of wasted material anyway.

You’re desperate for a wee, but stuck in the middle of a Main Stage crowd watching Eminem.

You don’t wee into a cup and throw it because that is fucking disgusting! If you’ve got a bottle with a sealed lid on it... that’s maybe a possibility? There’s no real way to answer this question without sounding either disgusting, or a bit weird, other than going to the toilet.

It’s raining and your tent (minus pegs) has washed away. It’s pitch black because those darned fairy lights in the campsite aren’t working.

I’d go home! Take it as a hint that someone doesn’t want you to be there, and go home! I dunno - maybe head back into the festival and find somewhere to sleep? Or, if you’ve got friends there, it’s boringly obvious to crash in your mates’ tent. If you can find them - I forgot about the light situation! Just keep wandering and see what happens. Hopefully, it’ll sort itself out.

It’s a really windy day and you’ve run out of your trusty hair gel. You’re a little bit worried about heading outside, but your favourite band are about to start.

I would just go anyway, and risk the hair. Or put a hat on.

I wore at hat for most of Glastonbury because my friends were like, ‘You need to wear a hat’. So, I did to save them any embarrassment, but the hat that I chose to wear was quite embarrassing anyway, so that showed them.

You got a bit carried away with moshing and fell in a big puddle of mud. One of your friends offers you their onesie.

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I guess you’d take it? You could kit yourself out in really overpriced merchandise, but then, I don’t know many bands that sell, like, jeans. Oh man, just take the onesie.

Don’t be so self-conscious, take the onesie!

The ultimate disaster: your welly has a hole in it.

Oooh, that is a disaster.

Just succumb to the inevitable trench foot and get on with it. Be happy that one foot is nice and dry, because some people don’t have any wellies. Just suck it up and get on with it! I’m quite unsympathetic in these scenarios, it turns out.

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swim deep “A bit of this, a bit of that. A bit of unicorn piss” Ahead of Reading & Leeds, the boys have conjured up a rather, um, interesting formula for their debut.

I

Words & Photos: Emma Swann.

t’s probably impossible for Swim Deep to release their debut album at any other time of year. Well, not impossible maybe, there are hardly set rules against these kind of things, but highly improbable. These are four boys from Birmingham who belong in the summer. If singles ‘King City’, ‘Honey’, ‘The Sea’ and ‘She Changes The Weather’ weren’t enough of a hint – all four tracks feature on the forthcoming full-length – then titles like ‘Make My Sun Shine’ or ‘Francisco’ (with its “I’ve found a place the sun shines forever”) will do it. It’s a reaction, frontman Austin Williams tells us, to the quartet’s home surroundings.

“It’s a bit grim in Birmingham,” he admits of the city that hasn’t only bore Swim Deep in the past eighteen months, but also B-town brethren Peace, JAWS and hot

44 thisisfakediy.co.uk

newcomers Superfood, “but this is more hopeful music.

It’s not about drinking K cider in a warehouse; that’d be a boring song, it’s more about what you could be doing, not just waiting for something. It’s a very escapist album. It’s pretty optimistic. It’s got a bit of this, a bit of that. A bit of magic powder, a bit of unicorn piss...” The band all laugh.

“I think it’s a special album,” he finally decides, “I’m going to say that.”

The band recorded in Brussels, with producer Charlie Hugall, known for his work with the likes of Florence + The Machine and Lucy Rose. “We wanted to get out of England,” explains bassist Cavan McCarthy, “We wanted to go away, have some fun.” “We didn’t want to go to a ‘normal’ place to record our album,” continues Austin.

“One of the advantages of being a musician is that you can

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travel – and you get paid to do it. Though obviously we’re paying for our album in our own little way.”

“You’ve got to feel inspired as well,” adds drummer Zachary Robinson. “We were going to go somewhere else too, where were we going to go?” Cavan asks, “like the Ukraine or something?” “We wanted to go to Ibiza originally, actually,” Austin states, much to the confusion and surprise of his bandmates. “Well I did”. They all laugh. Surely Ibiza isn’t exactly the place for hard work and concentration – would they get much done on the White Island? “Naaaahhh”, he agrees. “Lots of pills, not much tracks.” He pauses. “I think we want to go to Colombia for our second album.”

The album features all four of the band’s singles to date, a move which Austin appears to have spent some time debating. “We had lots of new music as well,” he explains, “even just straight after the album. But we wanted to keep the album just what it was then, we didn’t want to forward-think too much about what we were going to be writing in two months’ time. It’s good to keep it in the past a bit, keep it cemented to what it was then. I think it’d be the worst thing we could do,” he notes, of leaving the band’s best-known songs off the record, “for our, like, fans and people who like us. It’s good, though, because on the second album we can go a bit loopy.”

That’s the second time talk of a follow-up has appeared; it transpires that before their debut’s even been heard by more than a handful of people, they’re well on the way with a second full-length. “We went to a cottage recently,” Austin tells us, “and started writing songs. When you’re on tour you write so much, and you just want to jam it, but you never can, you haven’t got time. It’s good that we’re looking forward already, because as soon as this record’s out, I want to start making another one.”

If it sounds as if Swim Deep are getting ahead of themselves; consider this. It’s little over a year since they released their debut single. There are artists who’ve not given us more than a couple of SoundCloud uploads in that time. Comparatively, the rise of Swim Deep feels, well, quite quick. “Everything’s been perfect timing,” agrees Cavan, “we’re all really proud of it [the album]. I think we just want to get it out there now.” Austin agrees.

“I’d probably release it tomorrow if it was up to me.” DIY F es t i va l R ep u b lic S tage READING : s at 2 4 LEEDS : SUN 2 5

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CLash Decider The s tag e times fo r thi s year’s Reading & Leeds aren’ t q u ite ‘o ut there’ yet, b ut alre ady we’re eyeing u p potential cl as hes . Swim Deep’s Au s tin William s tell s u s who he’d pick fro m s o me o f the likely head -to -heads .

Friday FIDLAR vs New Found Glory “Oh, definitely FIDLAR! Their record is amazing. I’ve never really listened to New Found Glory so, maybe I’d like them but FIDLAR’s record blew my balls off!”

Bring Me The Horizon vs Peace “I’ve seen Peace a million times, but they keep getting better and better live. I’ve never listened to Bring Me The Horizon either, they’ve got way more tattoos than Peace.

Buuut, I’m gonna have to go with Peace, yeah. My fellow boys!”

Surfer Blood vs A$AP Rocky “A$AP Rocky, for sure. I used to really like Surfer Blood actually, but I’m a big fan of A$AP Rocky. If I could be anyone, any rapper, I’d be A$AP Rocky. Yeah, he’s cool as fuck, and in interviews, he seems like such a wellmannered guy.”

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Saturday CHVRCHES vs Green Day “Oh man! That’s quite similar actually; they’re not the same, but they’ve both got that poppy punky sound. I really like ‘The Mother We Share’ by CHVRCHES, it’s got such a hook, but Green Day. Yeah, definitely Green Day. I’m not as much of a fan as I used to be, but they’re one of those bands you can watch live and, with every song you go, ‘Oh shit, yeah, I know all the lyrics!’”

EarlWolf vs Palma Violets “Oooh, that’s a hard one! I love the boys in Palma Violets, but Earl [Sweatshirt] is one of my favourite rappers at the moment. He’s all about the lyrics, which is great. Ooh, it’s so hard, but I’m gonna have to say…

Palma Violets.”

The Bronx vs Tame Impala “The Bronx sound great, and I’ve watched Tame Impala recently, but I really like Tame Impala; they’re gonna be really cool. The Bronx, I reckon maybe I’d pass by them.”

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Savages vs Jake Bugg “Oh, this is a great one! I think I’m being really predictable but, we had the Jake Bugg album on repeat in the tour van a couple of tours ago. It’s such a good album, I think, and the second half of it has such good songwriting. He’s a bit of a legend already actually… Savages, I saw them at Glastonbury and they were so good. They’re so intense. I think I’d pick Savages.”

Eminem vs Alt-J “This is really annoying because I won’t get to see Eminem as we’re playing on alternate days, but obviously Eminem, without a doubt. He’s one of my childhood heroes. We all had posters of him on our bedroom walls. I hope he does a really old school Eminem performance, and comes out in a mask.”

Sunday

“ en t z Pete W Boy t u O l Fa l

Hadouken! vs AlunaGeorge “My friend plays bass in AlunaGeorge, and they’re really interesting. Their producer George finds really good sounds. Hadouken though… this is really embarrassing as I saw them three times when I was 15. I did like their music, but we went different ways. But, yeah, I’d watch AlunaGeorge!”

Nine Inch Nails vs Disclosure

“It’s an honour that someone somewhere picks us to do that kind of thing. There’s just such a different appreciation for music and festival culture over here.”

“Oh, that’s so hard! Do they clash?! In real life, I’m probably gonna watch both. I’d wanna lose my shit to Disclosure, but with Nine Inch Nails, I’d kinda want to watch from the back. I’ll go with Nine Inch Nails, as I’m really interested as to how their live performances are.”

Azealia Banks vs Mount Kimbie “Ummmm, ohhh. I’m not really a fan of Azealia Banks. She’s really good at rapping, but Mount Kimbie are sick, so I’m gonna see them.”

Biffy Clyro vs Phoenix “Phoenix are cool. I’m way more into dancing at the moment, so I’d probably say Phoenix, but Biffy Clyro are incredible live. They’re just so powerful.”

“

“I’m not a huge festival-goer, but I went to see Radiohead a few years ago, when they headlined [in 2009].

It was the most recent one they did. We’re excited to play. Last year we got booked on a stage that was just happening at Leeds, and that G e o rge R e i d was absolutely alunageorge amazing.”

“ An d y H u F a l l O u rle y t Boy “It’s awesome that we get to [play]. Part of doing the smaller shows was that we didn’t know if we could do bigger shows [after our reformation]. We didn’t know what the response would be.”

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W a

v

B

E ver y o ne ’ s favo u r i t e sl a c k ers t h e i r

f i rs t

R e a d i ng

&

pl a n t r i p

t o

L ee d s .

Words: Aurora Mitchell, Photo: Emma Swann

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v

e

s

efore we can even sit down, Wavves frontman Nathan Williams fires off the first question. As someone whose merchandise has included weed grinders, and who recently partook in a feature for Rolling Stone trying marijuana edibles with Wiz Khalifa – it’s no surprise that it concerns exactly that. Situated in a dressing room right at the back of Camden venue The Underworld, Wavves are getting ready to play a sold out show in the sweaty, tiny venue just a couple of hours later. Playing just a few big cities and occasional one-off dates such as tonight, as Williams states, is mostly to do with financial reasons.

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They mention Reading & Leeds, a first for them. “I’ve never been before but I’m definitely excited to be able to play,” Williams enthuses.

“I’m surprised that anybody cares, even at small shows, so it’s always exciting.” As their new album ‘Afraid Of Heights’ has a recurring theme of depression, is this something that affects their live show? “I’m not crying or anything, I don’t think so; it’s still pretty lively and energetic. I think there’s probably more people now jumping on stage. There were points in the process of making the album where I thought about how I’d have to sing every night, holding a gun to my head or stuff like that.”

The lyrics on ‘Afraid Of Heights’ are very personal and, as Williams’ personal life has become quite public, it’s not just the music that people care about. When it comes to listners prying into his personal life, he’s unsurprisingly not too fond of it. “That’s extremely annoying, but it’s part of it and I’m pretty active on Twitter. I get drunk and say stupid things – it’s really my own fault.

[Twitter] is like a massive drunk text

that I go on every night. I hope my mum hasn’t seen them yet, but she’s doesn’t care anymore.”

When it comes to technology, it’s clear that Williams has a love/hate relationship with it. Not too long ago, his laptop was stolen from his mother’s house – containing a fair amount of potential Wavves material.

“Before my computer got stolen, I had probably 250 demos on there and we’d pick and choose from little parts.” Losing that much work was something that hit him hard. “It sucked. It was really, really shitty.

The thing is, I actually backed up the computer and the drive broke too.” It was incredibly bad luck but they’ve been able to move forward from it.

Getting closer to tonight’s show at The Underworld, Nathan talks about the reception they sometimes get to their shows. “We get a lot of people saying afterwards, ‘That was my first show’, or ‘That was my first punk show’, and that’s a pretty cool thing.” It’s funny for Williams and Pope because the first shows they went to were far from punk. “I think about my first show, it was Everclear – not as cool,” says Williams. “Mine was Alanis Morissette,” adds Pope.

They’re a world away from their beginnings; selling out shows, playing major festivals, working with

major pop producers – as Nathan sang on ‘King Of The Beach’, “It would be something, to take on the world.” Whilst they’re not just yet, they’re certainly one step closer. DIY nme / bbc radi o 1 s tage READING : SUN 2 5 LEEDS : FRI 2 3

“ H a rr y

K o i sser PEA C E

“I went to Reading when I was seventeen, and every year since.

I can remember seeing bands playing and thinking, this is the biggest thing ever. I never thought I would do anything like that. Last year, when The Vaccines finished on the main stage, I just walked on. Just to see.”

“I met Sam [Fryer, co-PV frontman] at Reading festival, and I saw him playing all these great songs and I was like ‘this guy’s a genius’. Turns out he’s not really a genius. But he writes fucking good songs. We all just got together and went for it. Bang.” n J ess o C h i ll i ets l o i V Pa l m a

“

“I would love to tour more,” he says, “but for some reason the UK pays everyone less – every band and every hip hop artist.” Bassist Stephen Pope adds, “All the shows are fun in the UK, the people who come to the shows are fun – it’s just usually the venues. I mean this one [The Underworld] is actually treating us well.” The subject of finance in relation to live shows is something that’s starting to become painfully familiar, with DIIV being a recent example – their trip to Europe not being worth the money that they would have lost in the process.

However, Wavves are hopeful that a full European tour could become reality in 2014.

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Words: Coral Williamson Photo: Eliot Lee Hazel

wh it e

Lies

W h i t e L i es a re m o v i ng u p t o t h e m a i n s t a ge a t t h e i r f a v o u r i t e fes t i v a l .

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a d i ng & L ee d s >> R e a d i ng & L ee d s >> R e a d i ng & L ee d s >> R e a d i ng & L ee d s >> R e a d i ng & L ee d s >> R e a d i ng & L ee d s >>

First up is a three night residency at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the band’s first ever gig, which just so happened to be at the same venue.

Harry admits he’s excited but also nervous ahead of the appearances.

“I get slightly nervous before every show, it wouldn’t be a great position to be in if you didn’t, I don’t think.

For me, it would mean that I didn’t really care as much as I should.”

It’s a good point to ask how he’s feeling ahead of the band’s main stage debut at Reading & Leeds.

Again, he notes, “I am slightly nervous about that, it’s slightly terrifying. [Reading was] the first festival that we went to, when we were youngsters. We’ve played it a few times now and they’ve always been really amazing shows for us.

‘favourite in the world’. Nearly four years later, has that changed at all?

“I think that’s definitely still true,” Harry says. “It’s a festival that we grew up on, so it’s one we always come back to. I think it’s just the right crowd for White Lies’ music.”

He has his overseas favourites too, of course. Open’er is one of them, and he has fond memories of the Polish audiences. Harry also remembers the show they played with Foals in Japan, when we discuss the Oxford band being above them on the Reading & Leeds line-up. He notes: “They’re nice boys and they’ve killed it this year, haven’t they? That should be a great show for them.”

But Reading is clearly number one, and you can tell Harry is excited to grace the main stage, nerves and all.

So excited, it seems, that he hasn’t really looked beyond their southern set at the weekend. “We’re playing on the Saturday at Reading, I don’t know what day that means in Leeds,” he laughs.

“But this is the first time we’re playing the main stage and it’s very difficult to know what to expect. It’s one of the biggest festivals in the UK, so it’s always slightly nerveracking to walk out on a massive crowd like that, and you have to work that little bit harder to win everyone round. Hopefully we won’t get pelted off the stage with bottles of piss,” he laughs.

It’s a good thing he has his laptop to hand to check these things. It also gives him a chance to see the line-up.

He’s amused by Eminem headlining, calling it a blast from the past, but there’s plenty of other acts who catch his eye. “I love Nine Inch Nails, they always put up an incredible show.

I’d probably go and see Phoenix, I haven’t seen them play this year, and they had a really big record out earlier this year didn’t they? Tame Impala, I love Tame Impala. In fact I might go and see them, they’re on the same day as us.”

Well, hopefully not. Once upon a time a far younger White Lies proclaimed the festival as their

So that’s Harry’s picks, but what can we expect from White Lies’ sets?

He’s naturally excited for new album,

‘Big TV’’s, release. Even better, he says, “Reading & Leeds is going to hopefully be really good because the record will have been out for a couple of weeks, so our fans will have heard the new songs.”

He talks about the songs that have already been released, and touches on the video for the “athletic” ‘There Goes Our Love Again’, with its excellent dance routine. Sadly, we won’t be getting a dance routine during their festival sets, as Harry admits he’s “a rubbish dancer”, but he laughs at the idea of learning and making it their “big reveal”. Even without the dancing, it’s sure to be a good weekend for the band, and the crowd will m a i n s tage surely be just READING : s at 2 4 LEEDS : SUN 2 5 as happy. DIY

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t’s a good thing Harry McVeigh has just come back from a holiday in New York. Jetlag aside, that is. But he’s not going to have much time to relax now before Reading & Leeds, when White Lies make their main stage debut at the festival.

ith Tom Sm s Ed i t o r

“It’s been a long time: we played [Reading & Leeds] on our second record, so that will have been 2008.

It’s one of those big important UK summer festivals, and when you’ve got a new record, it’s important to do them because they take you to people that you wouldn’t necessarily play to. Certainly with us being away for so long, it’s good to get to these stages and have people say, ‘Oh, they are still alive’.”

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interview vampire weekend

n ew y rk o

The Big Apple has turned out an almost unparalleled string of musicians.

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ne w y r o k

Vampire Weekend ponder the influence of their hometown. Words: Emma Swann.

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love New York. A phrase which wouldn’t be such a cliché if it weren’t true. Who’d have thought the then-broke city’s 1977 advertising campaign would’ve become one of the world’s best-known pop culture icons, emblazoned worldwide on baseball caps, t-shirts, hoodies...

Musicians and the Big Apple have gone guitar-in-hand since rock’n’roll began. The CBGBs of Blondie, the Ramones, Talking Heads, Television; LCD Soundsystem and their DFA brethren; The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the scuzz-rock resurgence of the early 00s; The Velvet Underground and the Max’s Kansas City conveyor belt; The Beastie Boys; Bob Dylan. Ryan Adams and his spookily-timed release of ‘New York, New York’ in 2001.

Add Vampire Weekend to that list.

The cover for the band’s latest, and third album, features a black and white image, taken by New York Times photographer Neal Boenzi in 1966 from the Empire State Building looking south across a Manhattan besieged by smog. That, and the record’s title – ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’ are wholeheartedly evocative of Gotham; a version of the city popularised by Batman, all noirish intrigue, darkness, introspection.

It’s hardly a surprise, of course. Three of the four members - vocalist Ezra Koenig, drummer Chris Tomson and bassist Chris Baio - were born in the city, Koenig and Baio recently having discovered they were even born in the same hospital, just months apart (keyboardist / producer Rostam Batmanglij was born and raised in Washington, DC). They met while studying at Columbia University, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was only natural the city and its environs would seep in to the foursome’s collective consciousness; even if their music doesn’t sound very, well, New York.

It’s something Koenig readily admits. “In a lot of people’s estimation,” the verbose frontman ponders, wearing, almost comically given the band’s preppy reputation, his sunglasses on the collar of his jumper, and espadrilles without socks, “our music doesn’t particularly sound like what you might expect New York music to sound like, whatever that may be. So it’s cool that the association just really comes from us.”

If ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’ is Vampire Weekend’s

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most New York album yet, it’s also their most American. References to baseball; the citydropping road trip of ‘Hannah Hunt’. And while the influence of their ‘homeland’ might have seeped in unannounced, this time it’s something the quartet have evidently given more than a few thoughts to. “We thought about what pieces of American music that we can make our own,” Ezra explains, “what ways we can get past the clichés of Americana and still pull something together that reflects the history of American music, but also who we are.

immediately obvious. “It was definitely rap that I felt most associated with New York. Wu-Tang, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest. They all made albums that captured some sort of manic energy of the city. They’re all very different from one another, but that’s the type of shit that gives New York its reputation. Because just being a big city doesn’t mean anything culturally.”

“With our first two albums, they were associated with New York, and we certainly talked about specific places, like Cape Cod or whatever, but there was a sense, especially among our fans, that there was nothing particularly American about them. When we first toured, multiple times we’d have people come over and say ‘Oh, when I first heard your music I didn’t think you’d be American’.” What did they think? “Oh, they thought we were British.”

The influence of hip hop, while playing a part even at the band’s early beginnings – Koenig and Chris Tomson apparently started making music together at Columbia as part of a ‘rap collaboration’, has only just made itself known sonically. ‘Step’, half of that first single from ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’, features Koenig spitting rhymes over a not-quite-sampled beat from ‘Step To My Girl’, a track featured on an early 90s demo tape

by Souls Of Mischief.

It’s “an interpolation,” Baio explains, “it’s like, if you covered it, so you’re playing the music, but then you wrote stuff over the top that’s not there in the original.”

When asked which of New York’s many artists resonate the best with Vampire Weekend, Ezra’s answers are not the most

The reasoning, Koenig explains, for it having taken so long for these hip hop sounds to seep in to Vampire Weekend’s

lexicon, is one of confidence. “You have a better sense of what the band is,” he says of now being three albums deep, “so in some ways some of the music on this album kind of reminds me of stuff that I was in to earlier, before the band started. But it takes a degree of confidence, and a degree of experience to know how to work it in.”

“When I look at the three albums,” he continues, “sometimes I have to put myself in someone else’s shoes to realise how different from one another they are. Because to me they’re all part of the same story, and they all bleed in to one another. But of course, when you put them all side by side, you’re like ‘that song could never have gone on that album’. We make sure there’s a difference, because we don’t like to repeat ourselves. ‘Step’, to me, is so much about nostalgia and music and growing up.”

“Our music doesn’t sound like what you expect New York music to sound like.”

Ah, growing up. If there’s another overriding theme running through ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’, it’s about coming of age; whatever age that might be. Where the self-titled and ‘Contra’ were buoyant, joyous; the sense of invincibility that comes with youth; this time there’s the faint whiff of a ponderous resignation. ‘Diane Young’ as the pun it is. The removal of wisdom teeth.

“I’ve been hesitant to describe the album as ‘mature’ or ‘grown up’,” Koenig admits, “ just because I don’t really like the connotation. But I also like the idea that every album is reflective of when we made it. When you’re in your late 20s, early 30s, are you grown up? It’s a personal question that everybody has to define for themselves. I like the idea that it [the album] would reflect where we’re at now.”

2013 is – as we’re barely more than half-way through – somewhat of a boom year for records. If they’re thinking about number four, are they doing so with

half an eye over their collective shoulder?

Koenig says not. Well, not really. “We’re kind of in our own universe,” he explains, “we’ve never felt particularly connected to other rock bands or indie bands. Not because we hate on them – we hate on some of them [he laughs, refusing to name names “of course”] - but mostly because we started our band at college, and have always been very DIY; everything’s come from our own little world.

“So we’ve never really felt part of a ‘scene’ or anything like that, and because of that, we can take inspiration from anything. I don’t really think of our peers as other guitar bands; our peers are anyone who’s making music, period. So whether it’s a feeling you get from listening to something that’s very different from what you do, it does want to make you up your game when you hear something great.

“Like, listening to albums that everybody likes, not that interesting to say, but Kanye and Daft Punk for obvious reasons. When you listen to that stuff, our music’s very different, and yet if you see other people really taking the artistic form of making an album seriously, working really hard to do something

that people haven’t heard before, of course it’s going to get you excited.

“It’s the process of figuring out how you can take that feeling and do something cool with it that’s difficult.

So everybody’s been listening to ‘Yeezus’ obsessively, and it gives you an exciting feeling just to know there’s somebody who’s pushing themselves so much to make new shit.

So you get this feeling that you really want to start coming up with new ideas.

And the dangerous part is the easy way which is to be, ‘let’s get some fucking distorted synths and start rapping over it.’

“Odds are, that probably wouldn’t be that good for Vampire Weekend. But, you know, sometimes you just have to try. But how does inspiration become a concrete thing? That to me is basically what making an album is. All the trial and error, trying to produce in yourself that excited feeling that you get from listening to other stuff. To be making music when other people are making great music is exciting, and is inspiring, but it doesn’t make it any easier to do your own thing.” DIY Vampire Weekend’s new album ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’ is out now via XL Recordings.

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interview washed out

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Wa s h e d O u t ’ s E r n e s t G r e e n e h a s n ’ t h a d a d ay o f f i n f o u r y e a r s , b u t h e ’ s y e t t o l o s e h i s e s c a p i s t s i d e . W o r d s : Ja m i e M i lt o n .

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rom late 2009, early 2010, a newly-engaged musician approaching his 30s had his strange, hobbyist creations thrust into the public eye. From that moment on they never really disappeared.

Accused of being both at the forefront of an exciting movement and, on the flipside, a musical amateur, Ernest Greene experienced the double-edged sword process that tends to meet an artist doing something new.

Three years on and he’s undoubtedly less constrained by genre-tags, but the man still has plenty to prove.

thing of the past. Most crucially, he doesn’t throw aside ‘Within And Without’’s aesthetic like it’s a grubby habit - he builds on it.

“I thought, ‘the least trendy thing I could do right now is put a 12-string acoustic guitar on the album’,” Ernest says.

And indeed, these songs are covered in breathy acoustics, tying otherwise evocative works to something that mimics “a rock album”, as Greene professes. He grapples with the customary, pre-release nerves: “I don’t know if everyone’s gonna love that or not...”

Second album ‘Paracosm’ is the product of Ernest saying no to as many things as possible. He describes debut ‘Within At its core, ‘Paracosm’ is a natural follow-on from ‘Within And Without’ as a process of “trial and error”. Following And Without’. An album about the outdoors, Ernest says EP releases and a steady build of anticipation, a Washed it represents “slipping into a dream, an alternate thinking Out record was due, and, very much aware of it now, space,” which all very much sounds like the kind of mindErnest reacted by throwing every idea into a melting pot. frame you could attach to the debut. Forget supposed “I was drowned in all these possibilities,” genres that the guy might’ve coined, he’s he admits. With the follow-up he reflects always been an escapist at heart. In a way, on having “a palette of sounds” to work following a supposedly of-its-moment, “I had a with. “Having some conceptual boundaries fad-like release with something sonically re a l really helped the process.” similar, is about the most punk reaction free d o m t o Washed Out could possibly provide. “I sl a ve a w a y The phrase “palette of sounds” is one of can see some musicians who are slowly the least formal, technical tidbits Greene following the trends. That was something at i t. ” refers to. Post ‘Within And Without’ I was consciously trying to avoid.” he became a studio geek. He speaks of a record that’s less “quantised” in terms of Greene has essentially discovered the percussion, using “non-traditional sounds” and “squeezing musician behind the sensation, these past few years. as many different textures into a song as possible.” He’s He’s taken Washed Out from being a personal project to excitable, and for good reason. Building his own studio in a full force, and he’s lost none of his initial enthusiasm.

Georgia, he returned home a different musician, following Frustrated at sitting on ‘Paracosm’ for the past four a spiralling process that barely gave him a day off after months, he talks about having a third record in the works Washed Out gained its early momentum.

- “it was one of the most prolific stages of writing I’ve experienced” - and being restless to begin work on it. “I’m Instead of seeking time away, Greene went straight into finding out new ways to approach making Washed Out building the studio necessary to make his second record. songs,” he says. “It’s just about keeping a mental checklist “Every other place I’ve written and recorded in has been a of these ideas.” converted bedroom. I’d have gear stacked to the ceilings.”

Asked if he felt a desire at all to escape from Washed Out, The project’s initial success had every means of being a he states: “I consider touring a creative break in some flash-in-the-pan fad, something that faded out as quickly ways... I did a lot of thinking about music.” as it flared off. In staying ahead of the pack however, and in keeping loyal to the very foundations of Washed ‘Paracosm’ doesn’t desire to defy expectation, but many Out, Greene seems to finally be free of the shackles that might have expected - might have wanted - Greene to attempted to belittle his first album. And he’s very much detach himself from the dreamy escapist sound of his early aware of it. DIY works. Instead he uses this newly-fledged expertise to his advantage. He plays all the instruments himself, in live Washed Out’s new album ‘Paracosm’ will be released on 12th takes. Synth patterns and cut-and-paste methods are a August via Weird World.

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interview no age

Object ____ Of Desire

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This time, they also physically manufactured the records themselves.

All 10,000 of them. “It was more of a challenge than a difficulty,” explains guitarist Randy Randall, talking from a much deserved holiday in France.

“It would feel difficult if we didn’t want to do it.” Instead, it made him appreciate the sheer number of records that they had to produce. “Something out of nothing becoming a form and getting a sense of what this record is and what it’s become - to see that grow into 10,000 pieces of things, to see it multiplied over the space really struck me with awe, just the number of records.”

The idea of manufacturing the album was something that fellow band member Dean Allen Spunt had thought of before music or lyrics even came into the equation. “He came up with this idea that the album was going to be about construction – from a conceptual and theoretical end on his part, so I think that was his jumping off point.” So how did they come up with the concept around the name, ‘An Object’? “It’s hard to distil a body of songs, to give it one name that means anything. You almost could just call it ‘Pizza’ and it would mean just as much.

“It was so vague but on a conceptual

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veryone talks about difficult second albums, but for noise duo No Age, it’s their fourth that was a little trickier.

Comfortably settling into a sound that was inherently their own on 2010’s ‘Everything In Between’, the following three years have been full of touring, art and challenging themselves to explore uncharted territories. Whilst in some aspects they’ve pushed further towards pop on their new album ‘An Object’, they’ve incorporated the genre with some technical elements of noise which makes for an interesting balance.

For No Age, “art” isn’t a dirty word.

Words: Aurora Mitchell.

Photos: Emma Swann.

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level, it works – it’s a little bit tonguein-cheek, also kinda snarky. It’s just about everything now; it’s like with ‘Everything In Between’, those moments in between places. These euphemisms for big things or small things, so ‘An Object’ goes along that similar vein but this album also dealt with ideas of objecting, standing in defiance. With ‘An Object’, it’s simplifying an idea but also the multiple meanings of the word ‘object’ or ‘to object’. There are some themes on the record that are about objecting and also objectification.”

However, they’re not necessarily expecting listeners to view it that way, being more of a personal interpretation of the album to them. “Simply, it’s just a thing; the meaning is within the eye of the beholder.” Having always viewed art with this kind of eye, Randy feels it should have more significance than any meaning an artist may have attached to it. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what the artist’s intentions are. Over years, time and space – the only thing that stands is the work itself and really the meaning is created when a viewer or listener interacts with it. Intentions disappear quickly.”

It was writing the songs though that proved to be more difficult once they had formed a tight-knit concept. “There were moments in actually writing the songs that were difficult, I would think of something I wanted to play on guitar or try to accomplish something in the mix and it’d be difficult because I wanted it to go there but I didn’t know how.” In order to get to where they wanted ‘An Object’ to go, they had to leave their comfort zone. “We presented ourselves with a challenge to go into places that were uncomfortable which resulted in that feeling of, ‘Oh, we made a mistake.’ Part of that was on purpose.”

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interview no age

Whilst they had to get to a different place musically, location-wise they actually went back to their roots - a rehearsal and recording space in a friend’s converted warehouse in LA. Having recorded some of the tracks for 2007 compilation ‘Weirdo Rippers’ there, Randy comments that it was “like going back to where we started from.” Being in a friend’s space rather than a third-party studio made the whole process a lot more casual. “It didn’t cost a lot of money so it helped us to feel comfortable trying out different stuff, we’d usually work for 14 hours at a time. It made sense for us to work on our own rather than pay for a studio space whilst we were experimenting.”

the song ‘An Impression’ which comes before it on the album and played it into a kaleidoloop – kinda like a kaleidoscope, and it create loops in an analog way. You can loop something and then slow it down and reverse it. I recorded ‘An Impression’ off the speakers into this kaleidoloop and then ran it through some effects and that was what created the sounds for the song.”

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‘An Object’ was not the follow-up to ‘Everything In Between’ that they started off with. In the first half of 2012, they started work on a different beast. “We came up with a body of songs that sounded similar to what we had done in the past, so we spent six months writing songs and playing shows with these new songs, recorded them and then scrapped them.” Something didn’t quite click for the duo, which prompted them to start anew.

“It felt like a different album, a change in direction, was needed. It felt like we had to go somewhere else to arrive – our little plot of land that we stood on wasn’t holding us any more.”

“I think Elijah

Wood talked me

Part of that experimentation involved some nature samples on one of the new songs, of birds and water, that Dean recorded whilst they were on tour. They also wanted to experiment with ideas of rhythm and percussion. Using contact mics as drumsticks, Randy explains: “Dean would hit those on his legs then we would take that contact microphone, put it into these massive bass amps to distort them and then mic the bass amps so he’d be creating this strange electronic, acoustic drum sound for a few songs.”

Another piece of equipment that played part in the making of the song ‘Running From A-Go-Go’, was a kaleidoloop. “I took 60 thisisfakediy.co.uk

into getting the kaleidoloop.”

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“It’s almost as if the album begins to eat itself,” he continues, “and creates this feedback element. It’s strange using the album as its own source material, sampling ourselves.” The buying of the kaleidoloop was prompted by a visit to LA record store Mount Analog where Randy bumped into Elijah Wood. “I was looking for records and then he came into the record shop at the same time and I was talking to him and we were both playing with these funny little boxes. So there’s some Elijah Wood influence by accident – I think he talked me into getting the kaleidoloop.”

In between touring and making ‘An Object’, No Age haven’t just been “lazing in the house in our underwear,” as Randy suggests some people might think. They took on various projects including one involving a loop of their acoustic sounds being played at a show for French fashion designer Hedi Slimane, and some projects with New York artist Doug Aitken, one in which they performed on a barge in Greece for four nights whilst Chloe Sevigny acted out scenarios that Aitken had written. Indeed, art is something they always have in mind when it comes to their music. “Without anybody looking, we somehow slipped some art in there,” Randy laughs, “between the headbanging and the crowdsurfing and the moshing. Sorry, we got a bit of art on your shoulder.” DIY No Age’s new album ‘An Object’ will be released on 19th August via Sub Pop.

“Sorry, we got a bit of art on your

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8

Franz Ferdinand

Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (Domino)

If all music must be a progression, then Franz Ferdinand might be in trouble. Their fourth album, ‘Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action’ is a thumping beast full of deliberate, sudden movements and big melodies. It’s Frankenstein on the dance floor of a Transylvanian indie disco. It’s art pop after dark. It’s, at least on the surface, exactly what’s expected of them.

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But - but! - who said all music must move things forward?

In the twilight hour that ‘Right Thoughts…’ resides the answer is almost certainly that, while it’s always nice to try something new, it’s preferable to do something good.

With their finest threads on and a distinct whiff of Old Spice in the air, Franz Ferdinand are out to show exactly what has ascended them to that level of classic British bands; the ability to do what they do better than anybody else.

See, Franz have something special; a calling card groove that, once firmly slotted in place, is undeniable. Like a well oiled machine, if found everything else slots in to place perfectly. Riding the high hats and the clipped guitars of ‘Stand On The Horizon’, it’s impossible not to

admire their unquestionable pomp.

While, as time passes, other bands start to question the sound that made them, they’re unflinching in their self confidence. ‘Bullet’ - the perfect riposte to all the pretenders to their indie throne - is equal parts forceful and catchy, hinting that this is a band closer to their breakthrough brilliance than they have been for a good while.

From the spooky, swivel eyed horror of ‘Evil Eye’ to the lothario in cuban heels of ‘Love Illumination’, there are slight evolutions to the Franz

Ferdinand template. The odd bit of brass here, a vintage synth or string section there; but, crucially, they never let things get too ostentatious.

There’s a plan, and nobody - not even a band who could, by this point, do whatever they wanted - is forgetting it.

Does 2013 need a guitar act with an unquenchable thirst for sleazy, angular, hook laden pop? Why worry? They aren’t. With an arched eyebrow and a pair of freshly pressed trousers, Franz Ferdinand are asking; are you dancing? (Stephen Ackroyd)

TRACKLISTING Right Action Evil Eye Love Illumination Stand on the Horizon Fresh Strawberries Bullet Treason! Animals The Universe Expanded Brief Encounters Goodbye Lovers & Friends 63

reviews albums

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No Age

An Object (Sub Pop)

Everything about No Age’s fourth album, from the ambitious accompanying art - ‘An Object’ is being pitched as this big, box-like object with a capital O, the band acting as manufacturers as well as songwriters - to the spirit of the record, points to a DIY approach. The pair aren’t new to this, but they are taking things up a gear. It’s similar song-wise. While familiar expressions aren’t a regularity, the anti’s been upped, centrepiece ‘An Impression’ being the endpoint of four albums of hard work, gung-ho songwriting and testing, testing, testing. Musing on “perfected harmonies” while unexpected string sections peer into the foreground, we’re witnessing a group confident enough to start afresh while giving forceful nods to their celebrated past. (Jamie Milton)

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MONEY

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Crocodiles

The Shadow Of Heaven

(Bella Union) Manchester’s MONEY may have already established themselves as laureates of the unconventionally enthralling live performance, but capturing the energy and passion of a live performance on record is easier said than done. Luckily, their hotly-anticipated debut ‘The Shadow Of Heaven’ throws down the gauntlet for what a truly organic and emotive album should be. A thing of beauty, it gets better with every listen. It tells of finding meaning in moments of total despair, of discovering that you’re alone in the world and wholly embracing it.

Spectacular. (Nathan Standlee)

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Washed Out Paracosm (Domino)

It’s easy - almost necessary - to consider context when thinking about Washed Out. The moment debut ‘Within And Without’ arrived was the moment a movement ended. Its emotive appeal had drowned, quite literally, in a sea of bands and producers trying to replicate the breathless charge of his early demos and ‘Life Of Leisure’ EP. But the remarkable aspect of Washed Out, and especially ‘Paracosm’, is just how far removed it is from context. Any context, even. Its fairground, fairytale concept is one you’d draw way back to the 1960s. It’s fantastical. It’s not the vacuous, ‘take-a-tokeand-relax-maaan’ vibe his music was so ruthlessly pegged in with. And although it’s undoubtedly about escapism, above all things, it’s a clever summation of a sense of adventure. (Jamie Milton) 64 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Crimes Of Passion

(Zoo Music) Crocodiles have a potent vision on ‘Crimes Of Passion’. It wastes no time whatsoever in twisting the dimmer switch and drawing the curtains.

Within one second of pressing play, Brandon Welchez secretively drawls “I like it in the dark,” quickly making way for an entire album of sugary melodies tainted with a slightly smutty touch of twilight lyricism. ‘Just Like Honey’, with its suggestive, racy undertones, keeps coming to mind – and Crocodiles do sound like The Jesus And Mary Chain, with a bronzed American sheen. Playful, real, genuine, and just a bit naughty. What more could you wish for? (El Hunt)

he said in interview, that “you get to a point where so many noises might be carrying the song, rather than the song carrying everything else. So that’s my excuse for having nothing in there.” He’s right. Reid has an expert handle on production, and he propels pop of perfect saturation.

The tracks we’ve heard so far from the duo remain the strongest songs on the album; the skittering minimalism and sultry hook of ‘Your Drums, Your Love’ is ‘Body Music’’s finest moment. ‘Attracting Flies’ is a whizzing catherine wheel of bloops and Body Music (Island) stifled snares that spark as Aluna smoulders The bluebottle of expectation has been throughout. Off the back of these two swarming around Aluna Francis and George singles alone, AlunaGeorge have cemented Reid since the release of their first EP ‘You their status as dancefloor staples.

Know You Like It’ last year. People clearly ‘Body Music’ is not sawdusty dance-fodder knew they liked it, too – people with even with a few glorious peaks in form, though. more taste-making influence than DrengeOther than the squelching ‘Friends To repping MP Tom Watson.

Lovers’, that totters awkwardly along like Aluna dominates the album artwork, with a clumsy high-school slow dance, there’s her much-discussed feet getting nearly as not a single weak moment. Actually, it’s a much pixel-space as the reflected George gargantuan challenge to shake yourself free Reid in the background. In truth though, of AlunaGeorge’s gossamer of commercial, it’s Reid who brings the innovation to the immediate melodies and equally delicious table, and his stark approach transforms R&B and Garage tropes. ‘Body Music’ ‘Body Music’ from a fairly palatable pop delights and satisfies because it teeters effort into something rather brilliant and between an irresistible core of good old unique. On the likes of ‘Body Music’, fashioned pop and a slightly oddball ‘Diver’ and ‘Lost And Found’, Reid’s subtle packaging. Aluna and George balance each touch of playful vocal manipulation proves other in the perfect see-saw, and ‘Body absolutely pivotal in carrying Aluna’s Music’ is an absolute playground of pop sugar-sweet, childlike voice to higher music. (El Hunt) realms. It’s “so easy to get lost in software,”

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alunageorge

TRACKLISTING Outlines

You Know You Like It Attracting Flies

Your Drums, Your Love Kaleidoscope Love Bad Idea Diver

Lost & Found

Best Be Believing Superstar

Just A Touch Body Music

Friends To Lovers

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8 Drenge

Drenge (Infectiouss) Drenge’s self titled debut could be remembered as one of the high points of British rock music, it’s just that good. The young duo of brothers Loveless have blended the intoxicating fury of Mclusky with the driving haze of Queens Of The Stone Age in a take-no-prisoners reworking of The White Stripes’ one drummer, one guitarist approach. Part of the genius is the seemingly-naïve lyrics, painting vivid and dense images. With a straightforward, detached, delivery they steer clear of angst, instead providing songs like opener ‘People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck ’ with a strange fatalistic honesty. It’s all teeth, blood and bones, spit, grease and sweat but it’s a snarling yet intelligent beast of an album that stalks the landscape of British music like the unstoppable monster it threatens, and with a certain bloodlust, deserves to be. (Matthew Davies)

6

Little Green Cars

Absolute Zero (Universal)

Folk rock is fast becoming the Ikea of genres. Always packed, often full of identical products and an absolute nightmare to get to a checkout - for the masses who are partial, there’s a lot to love about Little Green Cars.

For those who’d rather avoid it at all costs, they may not seem so appealing.

First impressions don’t always ring true. This isn’t an album of reductive Mumfordesque twiddly dee. On occasion, especially on standout ‘The John Wayne’, ‘Absolute Zero’ sounds more like the high reaching North American guitar jangle Band Of Horses would be proud of. Few can aspire to horizons so wide. (Stephen Ackroyd) 66 thisisfakediy.co.uk

7

Ty Segall

Sleeper (Drag City)

The info that comes with ‘Sleeper’ stresses this will be Ty Segall’s only album in 2013. It seems like a strange point to make since most artists barely manage an album every two years, but last year he released three, one with one of his side projects, one with his touring band and a solo effort.

Though there are other musicians on the record, ‘Sleeper’ is more a sonic exploration of Segall’s own mind.

And it’s trippy. His vocals range from Dylan-esque drawls to Bowie-esque squeals, and built predominantly on an acoustic guitar with country edges, Segall’s drone collides perfectly with the raw instrumentals to create a very intimate record. (Hugh Morris)

7

pinkunoizu

7

White Lies

The Drop (Full Time Hobby) So many influences flat packed into one might be higgledy-piggledy in the hands of another band but on ‘The Drop’ Pinkunoizu do it effortlessly, guiding you between polar opposites.

The band has referenced the Iraq War and America’s gun control legislations previously and they waste no chance in taking wry swipes at certain issues here. See ‘The Swollen Map’: a somber piano medley snidely criticising pointless journeys (“Hide the treasure in your chest / You can’t spell the secret word / When there’s no riddle to be solved”). A promising album that should make the next journey with them all the more exciting. (Alex Yau)

Big TV (Fiction) White Lies’ third album, ‘Big TV’, as a whole, is an entirely successful effort. The concept is interesting, it fits well with the sonic ambitions of the band, and for the most part it flows effectively and has good changes of timing and pace.

At moments they may have stuck too rigorously to the tried and tested White Lies formula of old, but at others they’ve pushed the boat out into waters anew with beautiful results. Three records deep, White Lies are fast becoming seasoned veterans of this music business, and ‘Big TV’ shows just why they’ve managed to stick around for so long.

(Nathan Standlee)

cominG

UP

5

Pure Bathing Culture Moon Tides

7

Zola Jesus Versions

(Memphis Industries) Pure Bathing Culture might sound like magenta sunsets, swaying palm trees and faded pastel paint peeling off the front of quaint beach houses, but they’re actually landlocked by seventy miles in Portland, Oregon. It’s more likely, then, that Daniel Hindman and Sarah Versprille swim in the Willamette River. It’s less daunting, the wild waves replaced by gentle ripples and a warm unobjectionable breeze.

Pure Bathing Culture make music of similar docility. ‘Moon Tides’ is a refreshing enough dip, but don’t expect it to take your breath away. (El Hunt)

(Sacred Bones) If you’ve heard ‘Conatus’ or ‘Stridulum II’ most of Zola Jesus and JG Thirlwell’s collaborative re-working ‘Versions’ will have a degree of familiarity. But it is an odd kind of familiarity. The common thread throughout, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Danilova’s voice. It’s always been distinctive, with an authoritative sense of controlled power, but here, more than anything, she sounds closer. This gives the songs a warmth previously unheard. Yet, you do kind of hope it remains a one off. Because by the end you do feel the point has been proven.

(Tim Lee)

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8

White Hills

So You Are... So You’ll Be

(Thrill Jockey) The chaotic guitar thrashing of ‘In Your Room’; the propulsive psychedelia of the album’s title track; the menace of ‘Circulating’s glacial industrialness: New York’s White Hills are vying for every ounce of your attention as their cranked up seven-minute guitar jams can muster. But amidst all these moments of anarchy are calm, pulsating moments. ‘The Internal Monologue’ is as parred down as White Hills could ever get, its sleek synths and mesmerising feedback as icy as a Vicks Vaporub. ‘So You Are... So You’ll Be’ is all you’d expect from a White Hills album – both aggressive and ferocious.

(Alex Yau)

outfit

Performance

(Double Denim) The clue’s in the name. Strap into your outfit of choice and put on a performance. Liverpool expansionists Outfit’s debut is a remarkably affirmed musing on how to construct an identity, how to be a different individual in certain circumstances. Funnily enough, this first work stays true to one fullyformed, honest persona. ‘Performance’ projects eerie, melancholia-inclined soul, all enhanced by giant guitar sections and Hot Chip-style quirky pop. Supremely intelligent production helps hold these wild ideas together. It’s a debut defined by exactitude and clever concepts, none of which alienate in the slightest. (Jamie Milton)

02/09/13 babyshambles Sequel To The Prequel glasvegas Later, When The TV Turns To Static holograms Forever nine inch nails Hesitation Marks splashh Comfort 09/09/13 Arctic Monkeys AM Factory Floor Factory Floor Janelle Monae Electric Lady Summer Camp Summer Camp jackson scott Melbourne 16/09/13 Cloud Control Dream Cave manic Street Preachers Rewind The Film MGMT MGMT Placebo Loud Like Love Sebadoh Defend Yourself

23/09/13 CHVRCHES The Bones Of What You Believe Kings of Leon Mechanical Bull 67

reviews albums

8 Swim Deep Where The Heaven Are We

(RCA) Away with all this B-town drivel, because ‘Where The Heaven Are We’ is not an album built around new fads and bandwagons. Swim Deep’s debut has its foundations cemented in lasting nostalgia and a overarching love of great music.

Fusing spacey, wavy psychedelia with baggy Hacienda, and then smashing in angsty shoegaze and a waft of synthpop for good measure is the sort of ‘reckless’ genre-clashing that might prompt a town hall meeting of angry devotees withering on about integrity. Swim Deep, though, have a brilliantly flippant pick and mix attitude to music bygone that only a young, enthusiastic, hungry band can pull off. They’re not shy about their influences either; in fact they are positively brimming with them. Cherry-picked nostalgia with a shimmering polish. (El Hunt)

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Julia Holter

5

Johnny Borrell

Loud City Song

(Domino) ‘Loud City Song’ is a concept album of sorts, one that starts with the choice of whether to run out in the wild and be free of others, or to be one with the city and embrace it. It draws parallels between the title character in Colette’s 1944 novella Gigi and L.A.’s modern celebrity-soaked culture, exploring her relationship with her hometown and modern life. Achingly poignant and full of warmingly luscious sounds, this album takes Holter’s rare gift for experimentation and merges it with her pop sensibilities. Superficiality and loneliness have never sounded so tender and dazzling. (Danny Wright)

8 pond

Hobo Rocket

(Modular) Pond first bubbled into life, allegedly underneath a Mulberry tree, a mere five years ago. Since that first conversation about alchemising magical psychedelia, the band have released four albums. ‘Hobo Rocket’ is their fifth.

That’s a stream of constant activity that has only been

surpassed by Rihanna and her #777 antics as of late.

‘Hobo Rocket’ is a rather brief affair, over in just half an hour. It rushes along with the pace of a live show, but it has the finesse and the sheer sound quality of a carefully assembled album. Listening to Pond always feels like picking up a dusty old vinyl from Jefferson Airplane or Can, and discovering a slant that makes you fall headlong in love with music all over again. Allbrook, Watson, Avery, Ryan, and Terry clearly grow newly infatuated with music every time they play a note – ‘Hobo Rocket’ is a genuinely believable, and extremely successful celebration. (El Hunt)

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Borrell 1 (Record Makers) Heroic. That’s what Johnny Borrell is.

In the face of adversity he’s unrelenting.

The first work under his own name most certainly isn’t a return to Razorlight’s ‘glory’ days - instead it’s an expansion on where they may have been going next: round the twist. Like Dexys Midnight Runners coated in Reggae Reggae sauce, Johnny’s been feelin’ the rhythm: ‘Borrell 1’ is at no point a record to recommend. Musically confused, it’s frequently lyrically painful. But here’s the thing; by being so self assured, Borrell has made a record that’s genuinely interesting. Not that it matters what anyone else thinks. Johnny knows he’s right in the end. (Stephen Ackroyd)

THE BEST OF

TRACKS 8

Braids

Flourish // Perish

(Full Time Hobby) Now a three-piece - keyboardist and vocalist Katie Lee having handed in her resignation last year - Braids have found themselves a more refined and focused sound. The electronic aspect of their music has risen up and found a stronger, more definite voice. On ‘Flourish // Perish’ it’s still the Braids we fell in love with, but the focus of their organic-synthetic hybrid sound has shifted. It’s winter to ‘Native Speaker’’s summer, icy electronics taking the place of velvet guitars. In short, ‘Flourish // Perish’ is a thoroughly rewarding listen. (Sam Cleeve)

manic street preachers Rewind The Film

Indicative of the largely acoustic mood of Manics’ forthcoming eleventh album, ‘Rewind The Film’ is a slow-building ballad that’s graceful, tender and quietly stirring. The primary feature is the dolorous croon of guest Richard Hawley who sings almost the whole song aside from a couple of rousing James Dean Bradfield interludes. (Martyn Young)

yuck Rebirth

Yuck are keeping it immediate, but instead of relying on the quirks of their debut they’ve gone down a similar route to the likes of No Joy in using shoegaze for all its worth.

It’s foggy, it drenches all around it, but it offers something tangible and piercing, hoisted up by Max Bloom’s stargazing vocals. If ‘Rebirth’ is indeed the beginning of something entirely detached from a celebrated past, it might not be such an unwise move after all. (Jamie Milton)

arctic monkeys Do I Wanna Know?

5

DIANA

DIANA ( Jagjaguwar) DIANA’s self-titled debut is a heady concoction of jazz, soft rock and Eighties pop, the last most keenly felt on ‘Strange Attraction’ whose intro channels the shuddering industrial clunk of early Depeche Mode before digging its teeth into synths and ever more yearning vocals to create genuine drama.

But much of the record is bland, notably ‘Strange Ambition’ and ‘New House’ which leave you wanting something with bite and hooks. The lyrics meanwhile are a tidal wave of cliches about needing to be saved from oneself and other such platitudes. In many ways ‘Perpetual Surrender’ is the average British weather forecast; patchy, dull and cloudy with occasional sunny spells. (Greg Inglis)

Sounding this huge; the bombast, the pure confidence that oozes from every sweatypalmed pore throughout ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ suits Arctic Monkeys perfectly.

If we weren’t already aware that Alex Turner’s graduation to man was complete, it’s in his just-as-broad-as-ever Sheffield accent salivating over lines like “I was sorta hoping that you’d stay.” (Emma Swann)

king krule Easy Easy

King Krule’s ‘Easy Easy’ is all the punk spirit of the late 70s Instagrammed via a filter marked ‘mid-to-late-00s’. For while there are analogue vibes running through, and the audible frustration at an out-of-date sandwich from Tesco almost comical (yes it’s probably an allegory), it’s also a sound that bears more than a small resemblance to one Peter Doherty. (Emma Swann)

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peace

live ph otos: s inĂŠ ad g r ain g er

t in the park B a l a do , K i n r o s s - s h i r e

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kraftwerk

chvrches

I

t’s amazing what a difference that great big yellow thing in the sky makes. While last year’s mud-splattered T In The Park resembled something akin to a post-apocalyptic disaster movie, this year’s twentieth anniversary celebration is bathed in near unbroken sunshine.

Friday begins with the planet’s hottest rapper Kendrick Lamar having the unenviable position of following local heroes The Proclaimers on the main stage. It’s a challenge that King Kendrick is more than prepared for. Phoenix then provide a burst of Gallic flair

in the King Tut’s tent. Were it not for the presence of four keyboardwielding Germans, the French group would be a perfect headliner.

Before Kraftwerk take to the stage there’s a palpable sense of excitement and intrigue in the air. The crowd have all donned their 3D glasses in anticipation of an all round sensory experience from the legendary group and they certainly do not disappoint.

Peace take to T on Saturday afternoon like seasoned veterans, while Palma Violets are even more wired and frenzied than usual.

Saturday night belongs to a band making their first appearance at

T: My Bloody Valentine’s bonecrushing, retina-bulging sonic assault succeeds in shaking the festival to its very foundations.

Sunday is also Bastille Day. Fittingly then, today’s biggest singalong is prompted by Bastille. Midafternoon is given over to skewed R&B pop as AlunaGeorge entertain the Transmissions Tent before Aluna hops over to join Disclosure at the rammed King Tut’s tent for a euphoric ‘White Noise.’ As the night draws in and anticipation for the headliners grows, home-grown stars CHVRCHES make their case for possible future headlining. The trio charm the crowd, creating a close-knit intimacy. Finally, closing the festival in fine style are Yeah Yeah Yeahs: you couldn’t get a starker contrast between last year’s gloomy trudge and this year’s joyous, colour splashed celebration. (Martyn Young)

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reviews live

the kil l e rs W e m b l e y S t a d i u m , Lo n do n p h o t o : T o r e y M u n d k o w s k y .

Emerging alone centre stage, Brandon Flowers almost looks as though he’s sneakily snuck through the back door of Wembley Stadium. His face is plastered with a cheeky grin, spread wide from the moment he looks out upon the legions of fans stretching in front of his eye line. It’s a smile that we should get used to seeing this evening. Tonight is a gigantic feat for The Killers. A band truly born of the Noughties with just four albums to their name, some naysayers were still shaking their heads at the venue choice just moments before the band’s stage time. Festival headline sets they could manage, but was this a leap too far? By the end of tonight, there’s a good 80,000 people who might dare to disagree. The songs – whether they’re the rarely aired ‘This River Is Wild’ or the anthemic (and still grammatically confusing, but who cares anyway?) ‘Human’ – pulsate with that energy only reserved for such massive shows, and there’s

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not a moment of their time that doesn’t feel special. A greatest hits set of the finest pedigree filled with lasers and pyro, that’s not the sole charm of the show: their tender moments are exquisite, and their playful moments, namely their cover of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’, are brilliant. But the real gem this evening lies not in the enigmatic ‘Battle Born’, the intoxicating ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ or the tremendous closing number ‘Mr Brightside’, but a new song, written especially for the show. Simply titled ‘Wembley Song’, it’s again one of their more personable moments and, as Flowers guides his audience through the number - a song detailing their history, Wembley’s history and just how the pair finally met in the middle - it’s evidence enough that here are a band deserving of the stage they’re gracing.

Welcome to the big league, boys. We’ve been expecting you. (Sarah Jamieson)

download D o n i n g t o n Pa r k photo: Sar ah Lo u i s e B enne t t

It’s the start of summer, we’re in the middle of a racetrack and it’s raining. That can mean only one thing: it’s time for Download to begin.

During the somewhat sunny Friday afternoon, the fearsome Phil Anselmo leads his sludgy supergroup Down through a thunderous nine song set on the main stage, before Korn arrive to ignite the hearts of many a nu-metal lover of years gone by. On the other side of the site, pesky LA punks FIDLAR are causing a ruckus singing about the beer that their crowd inevitably had to leave back in their tents, trading it in for pints priced at £4.50. So much for the simple joys of cheap beer, eh? To close the first evening, look no further than those infamous men from Des Moines. Running through a greatest hits set, there’s nothing that’s not impressive about Slipknot’s performance; but there does feel to be a spark missing.

Blasting their way through a set full of their pop-laced rock anthems on Saturday, Young Guns seem to suit the larger stage well, but the crowd are left a little bewildered at their cover of Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘Today’. There’s something about the way that Queens Of The Stone Age hold themselves on stage, meanwhile, that is incomparable. Even in the face of appearing ahead of Iron Maiden, the band’s frontman seems solid and unshakable, giving the audience a long hard stare before launching into ‘Feel Good Hit Of The Summer’. Continuing with what they admit is a ‘heavier’ set, it feels perfectly weighty in terms of classic and new material, giving the crowd a taste of their new dark darling ‘...Like Clockwork’, and inciting flawless sing-alongs.

Undoubtedly one of the most special sets of the weekend.

Following an evening jumping around with Howlin’ Pelle of The Hives yelling, “I am made in Sweden!” in jest of the band playing across the field, Sunday morning is spent with the rather amiable Cancer Bats, who bubble with ferocity throughout their short set. Closers Rammstein confirm themselves as more than worthy advocates of the headlining title; watching Till Lindemann march dementedly around the stage, whilst setting himself on fire, it’s easy to wonder who on earth could take on the challenge next year. (Sarah Jamieson) 73

reviews live

no age Co r s i c a S t u d i o s , Lo n do n p h o t o : e m m a s wa n n

There are stories floating around about No Age’s live reputation. So when you get the opportunity to see them play, you go. It’s that simple. The fact that you have to travel to Elephant & Castle – which seems to be permanently encapsulated in 1971 - is irrelevant.

Opening with new track ‘No Ground’, drummer and vocalist Dean Allen Spunt surprisingly takes to a bass to kick off proceedings.

“We’re gonna play some new songs, and we’re gonna play some old songs,” he declares. And by the time the last twenty minutes roll in, the air is potently muggy and thick. “Let’s play a few more, what do you want to hear?” Spunt says, still trying to catch his breath during a rare break in this ultimately blistering performance. “Everybody’s Down!” is the general consensus. Reputations are hard to live up to, especially in dingy, dark corners such as these, but bit by bit the LA duo remind everybody of their unparalleled cause. (Tom Walters)

open’er G dy n i a , Po l a n d

It’s Blur’s very first show in Poland on Wednesday, and the extra sense of occasion only adds to the sheer electrifying impact the band have onstage. Then in a rather abrupt mood change, Kendrick Lamar comes on to a roaring reception. He’s confident, and his flow is effortless.

Thursday is chock-a-block with bands and Tame Impala soundtrack the fading sun with swelling psychedelic jam sections.

Angry dark clouds surge overhead just in time for Arctic Monkeys, who, fittingly, open with ‘Brianstorm’ before Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds continue tonight’s run with a set rammed with classics.

After a day of recovery, Open’er resumes in style with These New Puritans, who conjure sheer wonderment from thin air.

Queens Of The Stone Age are, in contrast, anything but subtle – ‘No One Knows’ hits with breakneck force.

Then on Saturday, Animal Collective close the festival with some strange, otherworldly spell. (El Hunt) 74 thisisfakediy.co.uk

tame impal a H a m m ers m i t h Ap o ll o , L o n d o n p h o t o : C a r o l i n a Fa r u o l o

Hammersmith Apollo isn’t just any stage; it’s an amphitheatre with tiered seats reaching vertigo-inducing heights. Sold out tonight, there are 5,000 tiny people furnishing the place. To put that in perspective, you could’ve fitted the entire population of my West Country hometown in the venue tonight. They would’ve been in for a treat, too, because Tame Impala deliver a resplendent performance that is both introspective and completely engrossing. Kevin Parker is not flailing around the stage throwing cliched shapes; he’s concentrating too hard on delivering glimmering psychedelia for any of that nonsense. Subtly shepherding his band through complex jam sections and improvisation that thrills the crowd, he’s every inch the quietly commanding frontman, presenting songs from both ‘Innerspeaker’ and ‘Lonerism’ with dreamy perfection. The band revisit their first eponymous EP, too, with the pounding guitar

romp ‘Half Full Glass Of Wine’. It’s an apt song choice because tonight feels like such a celebration of Tame Impala’s cemented status that the air of optimism is inescapable. The glass isn’t just half full, it’s positively over-brimming with bubbly effervescence. Excitement also appears in the formidable shape of ‘Elephant’, which inspires some questionable dance routines and awry limbs being waved in trunk-like fashion. It’s a loud, brash, stomping affair complete with a winding guitar solo that rings right to the dizzying back row. After a playful encore that sees the band wander round the stage for at least five minutes having casual conversations, they wrap up the night with the relatively modest ‘Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything That We Could Control’. Tame Impala have owned Hammersmith in a way only a band of their unique calibre could manage. (El Hunt) 75

reviews live

yeah ye ah ye ah s I s l i n g t o n A c a d e m y, Lo n do n P h o t o : e m m a s w a n n

Warm-up gigs are strange beasts at the best of times, not least when the last thing London would seem to need is a rise in temperature. Praise be, then, for the overworked air conditioning units of Islington Academy, where tonight Yeah Yeah Yeahs prepare for their Latitude appearance with a relatively intimate gig. Few, if any, front-people have the presence of Karen O, and it is perhaps only she who could get away with adorning not only a holographic short-and-blazer suit, but sparkly knee support to match. The setlist’s a beast, too: opening with oldies ‘Bang’ – Karen sliding up to Nick Zinner, thrusting at his (gloriously glitchy) guitar – and ‘Black Tongue’. The smaller venue might not have the lights or backdrop the quartet on stage (they’re once again joined by David Pajo) are used to, but there’s still room for pedal-operated confetti canons.

They’re let off at will throughout – most aptly during

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‘Heads Will Roll’’s “glitter on the wet streets”. Boasting a grin almost constantly throughout, there’s a palpable sense that the band are enjoying being able to see the crowd. There’s even a rare outing – after a few false starts - for ‘Wedding Song’, as Karen beams “because the love of my life is here tonight”; a gorgeously frantic ‘Art Star’, her vocals as guttural and visceral as ever; her movements every bit as hardcore punk. There’s an added sharper edge to tonight’s gig; even the quieter, or more synth-led tracks on show (‘Despair’, ‘Cheated Hearts’) sound more raw; harsh, almost. But inevitably, it’s the double-whammy of the encore that well and truly steal the show; a delicate, soothing rendition of ‘Maps’ paving the way for the familiar aural assault of ‘Date With The Night’. Still grinning while throwing her mic to the ground faster and faster, it’s like this has been less a gig, more a party. (Emma Swann)

t he nat ional T h e r o u n d h o u s e , l o n do n . P h o t o : e m m a s w a n n

As The National finish playing ‘Secret Meeting’ they reminisce on stage about having played the same song years earlier at the tiny Camden Barfly just a few hundred yards down the road. How things have changed.

No longer your best-kept secret, this ‘last-minute’ 3000-strong Roundhouse show sold out immediately.

The new and expensive-looking video display screens are brightly lit and huge behind them and you get the feeling frontman Matt Berninger might be swigging from something a bit classier than Blossom Hill.

They certainly rise to the occasion tonight, delivering an almost faultless performance that shows that they know how good they are. It’s near pitch perfect; a two-hour long journey that mixes their best material with a large chunk of the equally mesmerising new record ‘Trouble Will Find Me’.

The mix of the old and new is fascinating; ‘Graceless’ matches that song’s urgent intensity. The National make people do things other bands don’t, they’re a band for the people, and at last the people are realising this.

(Danny Wright)

Bilbao B B K L ive Kob e ta m e n d i , B i l b a o , S pa i n

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect setting for a festival than up a stonking mountain overlooking the Basque country. After a glimmering early evening set from Mercury Prize winners Alt-J, Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros thrill with a raucous brass-filled set of stomping melodies before Biffy Clyro shake us to life with the aptly titled ‘Mountains’ on the nearly Heineken Stage. “I wish we could play all fucking night,” says Simon Neil, “because this has been the best night of our summer.” The next day it’s drizzling as The Vaccines play ‘Wetsuit’, and by ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ we’re wishing we had a wetsuit ourselves, running through a lightningfilled downpour. On Saturday a serious nostalgia-trip is in order, so it’s over to Green Day for a set chocka with hits from ‘American Idiot’, classics from ‘Dookie’, and wrapping up with with ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’, true to the lyrics, we have had the time of our life this weekend. (El Hunt) 77

extra fashion

It’s nearly time to spend far too long in the stationery aisles of your local high street. Whether you’ve got to go back to school or otherwise.

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1 Knee-high socks £8, americanapparel.co.uk 2 Head Girl badge £5, cambridgesatchel.com 3 Navy slim tie £6 asos.com 4 Skirt £50 wesc.com 5 Gymphlex Oxford button-down day shirt £65 gymphlex.co.uk

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6 Dr Martens iPad holder £15 drmartens.com 7 Clear to black glasses £14 topman.com 8 Martie T-bar shoes £32 topshop.com 9 Extra Fine merino V-neck sweater £19.90 uniqlo.com

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extra film

film

The World’s End Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost discuss their new project.

Words: Becky Reed.

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A

bittersweet ending to the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy, The World’s End is a slice of pure fried gold from its creators Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Pegg plays Gary King, a troubled party animal who rounds up his childhood friends (Frost, Eddie Marsan, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman) in a desperate bid to complete the small town pub crawl that marked the parting of their ways as youths. A touching, hilarious and nostalgic example of everything that is likeable about the trio’s work, it’s their most personal film to date.

putting something to bed.”

I ask Wright if the spectacular action scenes were a result of his work on Scott Pilgrim. “I think Simon saw Scott Pilgrim and what all the 20 year olds had done, and thought ‘I can do that!’ We wanted to do these really intense brawls, and the thing I’m most proud of is that it’s apparent in the movie the actors are really doing it. There are no knives, no guns, and it feels slightly different, like a bar brawl that’s become surreal and out of control.” Surreal it certainly is, and Wright reveals a rather charming influence for the peculiar locals who haunt Gary’s home town: “Me and my brother designed the ‘blanks’ like action men. We liked the idea of dismembered action figures. The blue [blood] is because I wanted to make the actors feel like little kids - when I was at school I used to end the day with fountain pen ink all over my hands and face.”

Star and co-writer Pegg is the first to admit the sci-fi comedy has a touch of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Stepford Wives about it when we chat in a London hotel. However, both he and Wright point out that they weren’t keen to litter The World’s End with movie references, as the film has its own distinct agenda. “There are themes The chemistry of the actors is superb, Simon and I have discussed as far back and Frost reveals it was his idea to cast as Spaced that we wanted to wrap up a scene-stealing Marsan in a rare nice“ W e wa n t e d in this movie,” says Wright. “In all guy role after having a whale of a time on t o do a f i l m three films we touch upon the idea of Snow White and the Huntsman. Pegg a bo u t p e r p e t ua l perpetual adolescence, and the joys and adds: “He refers to himself as ‘Rent-aa do l es c e n c e . ” the dangers of that. We had to be honest c-word’ Marsan, and we loved the idea about the age of the actors. There’s a of him playing a sympathetic loveable thing about the American manchild character.” Considine provided comic comedies, where people pretend to be relief on set. “Paddy’s got a terrible stoner flatmates forever, and that’s not true. It’s one of habit of talking right up to the point of action,” says Pegg. the reasons we didn’t do a third Spaced, as it would be Frost mimics Considine’s Burton accent to replicate one extremely false to pretend to be 26 forever.” outburst during an emotional scene: “’It’s like fucking Donmar Ware’ouse. Who the fuck’s going to watch eight Music plays a huge part in the story of Gary, whose minutes of acting?’” Meanwhile, as the sole woman in the beloved mixtape forms the joyous soundtrack. “Me and boys’ club, Rosamund Pike was treated to rather suspicious Edgar had a 200-song playlist,” reveals Pegg. “’Loaded’ “penguin cuddles” from the men during the freezing shoot. was something integral to the story and the script, The Happy Mondays, The Soup Dragons, The Stone Roses, Considering Wright, Pegg and Frost have made one of then stuff like Kylie.” Wright bashfully admits, “I would the best films ever about a pub crawl, their own anecdotes like to think of myself as an indie kid, but I don’t think are sadly lacking. Wright attempted one at 19 - “I got I was ever that cool.” Anyone who remembers Frost’s through six and got black-out drunk and wandered off awesome moves from Spaced won’t be surprised to learn before finding my friends at 2am.” Frost embarrasses him he’s “still a raver... except for the fashion.” For Pegg, further: “We had one with Edgar a few years ago which playing Gary was a chance to relive his teenage goth years: lasted about three pints and we had to take him home.

“The big names for me at the time were my favourite band We’re not pub crawl people to be honest. If I did a pub The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, The Cure, Balaam and the crawl now it would be in a beautiful Spanish city - we’d Angel, The March Violets. And a lot of hairspray, tight stop and have sherry and chorizo, and then move on and trousers and winklepickers. I relished going back as I never have potatas bravas.” Pegg can beat that for maturity: “I’d dyed my hair black when I was young - for some reason do a cafe crawl now, with a nice bit of cake and a cup of I thought it would upset my mum, so to do it was like tea.”

81

back page uncle eddie

E d d i e Arg o s i s h e r e t o h e l p w i t h a l l yo u r p r o b l e m s .

Can you suggest an effective way to circumvent the numbering system at Argos and jump the queue?

Gruff Rhys, Cardiff.

Dear Gruff, As part of the Argos dynasty my experience at our retail outlets is very different to that of the usual customers.

My father - Lord Argos of Wiltshire - has ensured that our highly trained staff recognise myself and my step sister Elizabeth Duke on sight, and consequently if I visit any Argos store I am treated like a travelling dignitary - the majority of our stores even have a bed prepared for me should I need it.

However, I am aware that for the general public the Argos queuing system can on occasion be an infuriating and time consuming 82 thisisfakediy.co.uk

experience. I probably should not divulge this, but I once heard a horror story of a man having to wait 23 minutes for a set of garden chairs and a patio table.

I have to say though our number based queuing system has been developed over a number of years

by Swiss mathematicians and is rigorously tested by an independent body of regulators every three months. It is as fair as humanly possible.

So, Gruff, while I unfortunately cannot tell you a way to circumnavigate our numbering system, please let me assure you that we are under constant review and always striving to find new ways to improve our service. Hopefully a tragedy such as “the garden furniture incident” will never happen again.

I hope you enjoy your next Argos shopping experience and thank you for your letter.

Eddie Argos. .......................

What’s the right amount of Marmite to put on toast?

George Reid (AlunaGeorge), London Dear George from AlunaGeorge, None whatsoever it is disgusting.

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