DIY, Summer 2011 by DIY Magazine

EDITOR’S LETTER AND STAFF LIST

Magazin e Sales: N igel Wells , Online S Matthew Richar d ales: Law rence Co s oke

Bracey Dacre J. bani Director: iU Creative Designer: Chid PM, eM oslin, Th achel G avid Flanagan R r: to D Illustra Davide heyenne Swan sanji, C a A m e n m e e a, G es: Ir Style Pag Neesha Sharm s: st li ty S

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Cover photography: Simian Coates

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EDITOR’S LETTER Festivals are great. A hundred thousand people stood in a field, mostly intoxicated, waiting for that band to play that song. Ninety nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine of them hating on that idiot in the stupid hat perched on their mate’s shoulders, blocking the view. Bliss. Seriously though, there’s something a little bit special about festival season. Even though increasingly you’ll find the same bands shuffled into a slightly different order, each event has it’s own personality. From the slightly crusty hippie of Glastonbury to the rebellious teenager on their first weekend away from home of Reading, each is brilliant in it’s own way. Especially Bestival (a wizard riding a unicorn, in case you were wondering).

To celebrate music’s true festive season, we’ve put together our very own Festival Survival Guide. Packed with interviews with some of the hottest bands of this year’s circuit (including Two Door Cinema Club, The Naked & Famous and My Chemical Romance), tips on how to survive a weekend in a tent, and some hints on how to avoid looking like a tramp by the last day, it’s essential reading.

and check out DIY’s guide to Glasgow. Right. Where’s my stupid hat?

Elsewhere we’ve talked to Death Cab For Cutie, Wolf Gang, ex-Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump and Scottish sextet Dananananaykroyd. You’ll also find some snappy shots of some of our favourite bands of the year so far, be introduced to DOM and I Break Horses, catch up with First Aid Kit in the studio,

DIY Magazine is contract published by Rewind Creative Media Ltd on behalf of Sonic Network Limited. 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 the publishers Rewind Creative Media Ltd. DIY Magazine: 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 Rewind Creative Media Limited or Sonic Network Limited holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of DIY Magazine or it’s staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. 4 thisisfakediy.co.uk

ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2011

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10 THINGS...

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10 THINGS Time waits for no one, so to help you keep track of what’s been going on over the last few weeks DIY has made a list, checked it twice, and brings you ten things we’ve loved this month.

1. THE HORRORS When The Horrors’ label told us their new album sounded ‘a bit Suede’, DIY had a good giggle. It couldn’t, really, could it? And then they played us ‘Monica Gems’, the penultimate track on new LP ‘Skying’. If Brett Anderson ever gets a bit bored, we think we’ve found a stand in. 2. DOCTOR WHO Clones, pregnancy, wibbly wobbly timey wimey plot devices - you don’t get this on Eastenders. The first half of Doctor Who’s most recent series has been a true tour de force of Saturday night telly, even if your Twitter feed has spent the best part of two months feeling slightly confused. 3. POSTER ROAST Posters are brilliant. We’re not talking about those you’ll find at freshers fairs up and down the country, but rather the works of art pushed by Poster Roast (posterroast.com). With regular exhibitions and some brilliant screen printed originals to be bought from their website, you’ll have those walls spruced up in no time. 4. TOM VEK We thought we were the only ones to have a regular ‘where is Tom Vek?’ session at DIY Towers. With six years between his brilliant debut and follow up ‘Leisure Seizure’, it turns out we weren’t alone. It’s no wonder the web has gone mad for Vek’s return - the record still feels ahead of its time. Here’s to 2016 and album three. 5. RADIOHEAD We might not be getting ‘King of Limbs’ part 2 as quickly as hoped, but that doesn’t mean Radiohead will be inactive over the summer. With a series of 12” remix releases, we can look forward to Caribou’s reworking of ‘Little By Little’ as early as July 4th. Happy independence day!

6. THE RAPTURE We’d almost forgotten we were waiting for The Rapture to return. Committing one of the biggest PR travesties of the decade by failing to announce their comeback on the day the world was supposed (cough - Ed) to end, they made amends a couple of days later, revealing new record ‘In The Grace Of Your Love’ will drop on September 5th. 7. ROSIE BYRNE The Aussie actress (Sunshine, 28 Weeks Later) has transformed into some freaky cinematic lucky talisman. In the last few weeks she’s starred in this year’s most profitable film Insidious, played a foxy Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: First Class, and now holds her own in the genius Bridesmaids. Want proof ? Search for her Get Him to the Greek audition on YouTube. 8. FRINGE We’re pretty sure by the time this goes to press Sky One viewers will have seen the finale to Fringe’s brilliant third season. If not - you’re in for a treat. Fast becoming one of the best shows on the box, there are some mightily big questions to keep you busy until the show returns in September. 9. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO The teaser for David Fincher’s take on the Swedish thriller premiered as a grainy bootleg, blasting us with Karen O and Trent Reznor’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’ and glimpses of a perfect Rooney Mara as twisted anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander, before finally declaring itself “The Feel Bad Movie Of Christmas.” 10. FESTIVALS With festival season underway DIY is getting excited. So much so we’ve got a huge festival guide sat in this very issue. Let’s face it, bands always sound better in a field. 9

NEWS: SOAP BOX

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE FORMAT?

Flashy formats are all well and good, but with Bronze still shiny and new, what are DIY readers’ favourite ways to listen to music? “Vinyl, because it looks, sounds and feels more real.” @deadpilotrecs, via Twitter “It has to be vinyl. It’s just a big lump of art and music. Although, it has to be said that if it comes with free downloads then it’s massively more practical.” Craig Jack Edward MacMillan, via Facebook “MP3. Listen to most of my music on the commute...much more accessible, cheaper and instant...do have decks also tho.” @webbyyeah, via Twitter

SOAP BOX It’s not every day a new music format gets invented. Bronze means you’ll never listen to the same version of a song twice. Co-creator Gwilym Gold, the first artist to release music through the downloadable software, explains all... Bronze is a new format created by myself and Lexxx with some brilliant help from Dr Mick Grierson and strangeloop. It provides a new realm for a song to live within where the sounds are not bound together in the way they are in conventional formats. In Bronze every sound is subject to a set of laws with a new and unique track being generated in realtime on every playback. The idea for Bronze was born while working on my new music with Lexxx. We were using software he had built to manipulate the sounds we’d been recording, effectively generating a myriad of different rhythms and arrangements of parts that worked around the same song. It seemed that there was a vitality to things that were being created in real time. It occurred to me that rather than capturing one outcome we liked it would make more sense if the music we released was regenerating itself as you listen. The idea presented itself to us that capturing one instance of music as a recording is a relatively new idea, and before the early 20th century music could only exist as a performance; each time unique. It seemed like a very 10 thisisfakediy.co.uk

natural thing to try and achieve in a format for recorded music given the platforms that a lot of music is listened to on these days. Although there have been many interesting and often brilliant excursions before into generative music it didn’t appear to us that there was anything out there that could work with the flexibility we wanted, so we set about building it ourselves. What we have arrived at is a format that allows a piece of music to be constantly in motion; the music rebuilding itself around a song anew on every listening. Perhaps one of the things that defines Bronze from past ideas is that the process is not intended to be audible. We would hope that the workings of it would disappear when you listen and you would just tend to the music in the way you would any other music. Just press play and listen. In a time when music seems to have become disposable, I like the idea of something that regenerates, only existing in the moment. Gwilym Gold’s new single ‘Flesh Freeze’ is out now via gwilygold.com.

“Cassette: it was the first proper customisable format. A lovingly made mixtape is better than any single album!” @disko_dave, via Twitter “Vinyl for the sense of excitement when you find an amazing record in a charity shop for £5, like I did with Purple Rain.” @martynyoung184, via Twitter “For now it is mp3 for ease, wandering around Glasgow with headphones on is like filming your own movie.” @murrayeaston, via Twitter “CD. I remember getting the first CD player at home when I was wee, and it being such a massive revolution to go from listening to tapes.” Fiona McKinlay, via Facebook “I love having vinyl but CDs are much more practical. Always physical though, I like to be able to hold it.” @dominicpipe, via Twitter “Non compressed digital, sound quality over fashionable nostalgia any day.” Mikey Rush, via Facebook “Nothing compares to kidnapping as many musicians as possible and forcing them to play in your cellar, on demand.” @JackMerlin, via Twitter

NEWS:

ON SECOND THOUGHTS ... Derek Robertson takes another look at The Sex Pistols, Bill Grundy and swearing on live television. The horror! Illustration: The MPM Swearing. Not particularly shocking, is it? One could say “Who cares?” and the answer would be “no-one.” But it hasn’t always been this way, especially not in TV land circa 1976. No, that was a (supposedly) rarefied world of restraint and decorum, overseen by people who considered it their duty to protect the moral fibre of the nation. The Guardians of Decency if you will. So quite why they thought it’d be a great idea to interview punk pioneers The Sex Pistols on live TV at 6.15pm – after plying them with booze – is anyone’s guess. Predictably, it all went very wrong. After Johnny Rotten had already let slip a “naughty word,” Steve Jones was goaded by host Bill Grundy into a now infamous sweary outburst. Cue national outrage. The Establishment, already frothing at the mouth over punk’s provocative dress sense and ear-splitting racket went into

meltdown at this rag tag bunch of ruffians and the danger they posed to the nation’s youth. Along with the “Filth & the Fury” headline, one MP was moved to describe them as “the antithesis of humankind.” All that was missing was a plaintive “Won’t someone please think of the children?” But was it really so bad? Apart from the pious, holier-than-thou, Conservative God Squad, was anyone really that bothered? Subsequent years have shown that all the “serious moral threat” rhetoric was as erroneous as it was facetious – we did not regress on mass to being Neanderthal thugs, nor did society crumble after hearing a few controversial tunes. The reality was that this was the opening salvo of a disenfranchised youth who weren’t prepared to accept the vertiginous class system still imposed by the privileged few. After the death of the Flower Power at the end of the 1960’s, the Conservative,

Christian right took hold with a vengeance, sheltering behind Bible babble and whipping up moral panic whenever threatened; but in one utterance, the Pistols ushered in a new rebellious spirit and summarised the disaffection of an entire generation. The kids weren’t gonna be told what to do anymore. Of course, we’re not there yet. TV may be a far more liberal place, but the media still routinely censors even the most anodyne of utterances; remember ‘Bandages’ by Hot Hot Heat? And while Rihanna gets to simulate oral sex on a banana, woe betide that anyone should hear “high”, “joint”, or “spliff ” on the radio. We are, however, slowly winning the war, and for that we should be thankful to Rotten & Co for bravely wading into the trenches, and taking the good fight to the f**king squares.

IN THE STUDIO FIRST AID KIT

In The Studio:

FIRST AID KIT Holed up with Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis, the Swedish sisters give us the lowdown on their second album. When First Aid Kit first entered a recording studio, it wasn’t to produce demos, or to work on their 2010 long-player ‘The Big Black & The Blue’. No, the teenage sisters spent a day in Third Man Records’ Nashville premises recording a single with Jack White, after the man himself took a liking to them at one of their many shows. Up until last autumn, their music wasn’t created with flashy gadgets, or well known producers. “Our last record was recorded at home with our Father and we were producing it ourselves,” explains Johanna - the elder of the two. “Now we’ve a completely different perspective on our music; we’ve been working in a completely different way. We’ve definitely grown musically.” The siblings are currently holed up in the States once again, working on their second record with Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis. “We’ve been writing songs for the past year, on and off tour,” Klara tells us. “It’s a special thing, getting to travel round and see the world; there’s a lot of inspiration. Just seeing places, seeing people, and hearing stories...” “We were nervous sometimes, if we had enough songs” continues Johanna, “but once we knew we were recording with Mike we got inspired and wrote so many - it was amazing. We’re huge fans of Bright Eyes so working with Mike and being in Omaha was like our dream. It’s really helped us. “People are always asking “why are you going to Omaha,”” she laughs. “It’s not really 12 thisisfakediy.co.uk

like a famous place in America where you go to make music, or go for any reason, but it’s been great being here. I think it’s definitely coloured the record, that we’re not at home. I don’t know whether it will help, but it’s definitely changed our music.” Their first album, understandably, was a fairly low-key affair - there’s only so much you can do when you’re limited to “just a computer and a microphone.” For the follow up, they’re pulling out all the stops. “We had a string quartet,” Johanna enthuses. “That was really something very special. On our last record we didn’t have anyone else come play, except for drums. It was extraordinary; sitting there, hearing them... Nate Walker came by and wrote string arrangements too. We don’t know anything about music theory really, we can’t read notes, so to hear [the musicians] play that song was incredible. We were almost crying because it sounded so beautiful. “We had people coming in for all the songs, playing different instruments, and Mike played the drums, so it’s new sounds on all the songs.” And how much is there left to do? “We’re almost done with mixing. We’re working on [the tracklisting], that’s what we’ve left to do. Arrange some songs. They sit together quite well I think. We’re thinking we’ll probably release a single in Fall, then we’ll see when the album will be released. Early next year is what we’re thinking right now.” “We’ve got some titles but we can’t reveal any just yet,” Klara adds. “We’re still figuring that stuff out.”

POP SCENE: GLASGOW

Pop Scene:

GLASGOW

Photographer and Artrocker.com reviews editor Stephen McLeod tells us about his hometown, Glasgow. Glasgow. Third biggest city in the UK. The city that at the height of apartheid renamed the street on which the South African embassy sat ‘Nelson Mandela Place’, forcing them to move; the people whose accent was voted sexiest in the Kingdom; the city that both prides itself on its friendly attitude yet also has the highest rate of serious assault in Europe, the poorest areas in Britain, and a huge social divide centred around football. Standing tall against adversity and taking the pish out of yourself and everyone around you whilst getting drunk is the order of the day… Glaswegian identity is written deep on the souls of its inhabitants. Don’t let the scare stories put you off though. Despite being ‘gritty’, the main areas that you’ll come across on your travels are perfectly safe as long as you avoid wearing football colours… especially if they’re related to Celtic or Rangers. Come to think of it, I’d leave that English top at home as well. The city has a reputation for having a thriving music scene. “Everyone in Glasgow’s in a band” is a statement oft-heard and not too far from the truth. There’s a myriad of venues from tiny to huge, and you can find live music of all sorts seven days a week. Of course, the caveat with that is that you need to do a bit of digging to find the good stuff. Whilst there’s a wealth of creative, innovative local and touring musicians, there’s also a pile of dross. Whatever you do, Glasgow’s a city to spend time in; not really one for turning up and seeing a few of the sights. Take your time, take a drink, and you’ll hopefully leave feeling like a local yourself. allmyfriendsarejpegs.com

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PLACES TO VISIT TCHAI-OVNA Otago Lane Affectionately known as ‘the tea place’, this is Glasgow’s worst kept indie secret. A tiny, wonderful haven of unusual teas, shishas and veggie food. STEREO 20 Renfield Lane Another venue in a basement, another veggie bar. Stereo plays host to some brilliant touring bands, and is open later than most pubs. ASHTON LANE Situated in the West End, this wee cobbled street is packed with pubs, bars, curry places, and the boutique Grosvenor cinema, where you can drink wine whilst watching films from the comfort of a sofa. POT STILL 154 Hope Street If you’re after some proper whisky and a typical Glaswegian pub atmosphere without venturing into some of the more err… ‘colourful’ establishments around, this is the place to go. NICE N SLEAZY 421 Sauchiehall Street One of the few bars in the city to stay open till 3am every night and not charge an exorbitant entry fee. 13TH NOTE 50-60 King Street Someone once said “If you don’t get the Note, then you probably won’t get Glasgow”. A vegetarian café-bar which has a tiny basement venue. THE BARRAS Calton If you get the chance to go to either the Market or the venue itself, you should grab it. Few gigs are put on in the old dancehall these days, but they’re worth the wait.

BANDS TO WATCH WE ARE THE PHYSICS wearethephysics.com The fact that this quad are signed to DIY Records is a coincidence; they really are a band you’ve got to see live to understand. Three Michaels and a Chris make up this choreographed ‘mutant punk rock’ group. Big specs, long ties and pressed shirts are all on the menu, as well as a healthy dose of Glaswegian humour and impeccable timing. OTHERPEOPLE myspace.com/otherpeopleloveyou Made up of members that have been involved in various awesome bands before, Otherpeople are wonderfully art-school without the pretense, and definitely ones to keep an eye out for. Brilliant indie with a twist, as it should be, before it got sullied by the likes of the View. EX WIVES myspace.com/exwives Scuzzy, dirty, and singing songs about jealousy over the size of your girlfriend’s horse, these guys are uncompromising and don’t play all that often. Fans of Future of the Left and similar should approve. DIVORCE myspace.com/puredivorced Loud, harsh music with unpredictable frontswomanship from a petite blonde that leaves you concerned for her safety as well as your own. Confusing and wonderful all at once. CLOSET ORGAN twitter.com/closetorgan Just to prove what was said earlier about everyone in Glasgow being in a band, I too am in such an entity (cheeky git - Ed).

MIXTAPE ISSUE2

MIXTAPE

Not content with giving you a free magazine, DIY Towers has been ringing out to the sound of music; free music that we’ve begged, stolen and borrowed from some of our favourite bands and labels. We’ve put it all together to make this month’s DIY Mixtape. To grab your free copy head to thisisfakediy.co.uk/mixtape now. 1 DZ DEATHRAYS

7 FAIR OHS

8 MEMORY TAPES

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Gebbie Street IDIOT GLEE Let’s Get Down Together (Dreamtrak Session) MAZES Go Betweens TELLISON Horses THEME PARK A Mountain We Love TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB Something Good Can Work (RAC Remix)

Helio

Wait In The Dark

9 OH LAND

Sun Of A Gun ( Jacob Plant Remix)

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GENTLEMENS CLUB A Card Trick With A Chimp 11 NIKI AND THE DOVE The Fox 12 BEAT CONNECTION In The Water (Night Angles Remix)

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FIRST ON: THE BEST NEW BANDS, BEFORE ANYWHERE ELSE

FIRST ON: DOM If you’re itching for energetic sing-alongs, effortless pop hooks and a certain sleaziness that’ll make your summer months feel everlasting, DOM might just be your band. Following plentiful blog acclaim for singles ‘Jesus’ and ‘Living In America’, Huw Oliver has a little chat with ringleader Dom.

Starting with the obvious; who are you, and what do you sound like? DOM is me, Bobby [drums], Erik [bass] and Cosmo [guitar]. This is my first band, so even now when I think about what I want to write, I don’t really have any idea what I’m doing when I pick up an instrument. But I’m getting more of a sense of it now that I’m a good year into it. In terms of the sounds, we have loads of electronic stuff, loops and weird keyboards, and also guitars, reverb, heavy vocals and harmonies. On the ‘Sun Bronzed Greek Gods’ EP you fused electronic sounds with a rawer garage edge. Everyone loved it. The blogosphere danced. But how have your lives changed as a result? Before, I was living in a boarding house. I didn’t have any family or anything. All my friends moved away to better universities, right across the map. I was pretty alone and I didn’t really have very much going for me. I had a crappy job and I was trying to hustle on the side to make some more money, but I wasn’t getting too far. I also got out of a serious relationship with a girl I was with for four years. I was just pretty aimless and very sad and lonely. When the song ‘Jesus’ got popular on the internet, I got psyched that people that were actually paying attention to me. People liked my song, which was also my first attempt at music. I felt like I’d scored. Songs like ‘Living In America’ and ‘Jesus’ are really catchy. Was that your in18 thisisfakediy.co.uk

tention? And are DOM a pop group? Yeah, I mean I always listen to pop music. I’m a huge Mariah Carey fan. Ever since I was really young, listening to Roy Orbison, I’ve really loved pop music. That was the intention - to make DOM a garage band with a pseudo-glam kinda thing going on. How do you go about writing these songs? When I wrote ‘Jesus’, I had a CASIO keyboard which I was just goofing around on, and I happened to write it like that. I was in a really low spot. That song was as sincere as possible. As for ‘Living In America’, that was total joke. I made the demo version in three loops. I just played around on the computer. It was really easy. It was ironic how the least effort went into it, yet it became an ironic socio-political statement that just sort of caught on. It was pretty hilarious. Tell us about the DOM live experience. Well, it’s interesting. The last two home town shows we had, we got banned from. We’re not jerks or anything, but we like to get rowdy. A lot of the time people expect to us to be pretty tame, but we’re a lot like Pantera live. It’s very intense. We like to make sure everyone has a really fun time and get a lot of crowdsurfing and other crowd interaction going on. But it’s all in the name of good fun. It’s never to spite anybody else, and never at the expense of anyone else’s fun. It’s just some people are tight asses.

Have you got any new material planned for release? Yeah, we’ve already recorded EP number two. It’s five songs, which we recorded at Nicholas Vernhes’ Rare Book Room in Brooklyn. He did Animal Collective’s ‘Water Curses’ and Deerhunter’s stuff, which I’m a big fan of, so I’m pretty excited. I’m writing other new material already, but I’m hoping people will dig this new EP too. You should hear it in late summer. You’ve previously worked with Gucci Mane and Cults. What is it you like about those guys? Well, I like Gucci Mane because he’s part of the Brick Squad crew. I was so psyched when he gave me a call. As far as Cults go, those guys are our buddies. They’re really good kids. I was recording a song in Brooklyn, and they were in the area, so I told them to come by and hang out at the studio. Then it just came as an afterthought: ‘Oh do you wanna jump on this?’ And so, yeah, Madeline ended up doing some singing on ‘Bowl Cuts’. Ultimately, who would be your dream collaborators, and why? Whoever wrote ‘Always Be My Baby’ by Mariah Carey. To write a song with them would be pretty sick. Collaborating with someone like King Tuff or Wild Nothing would be awesome too. DOM’s new EP ‘Sun Bronzed Greek Gods’ is out now via Regal.

FIRST ON: THE BEST NEW BANDS, BEFORE ANYWHERE ELSE

FIRST ON: I BREAK HORSES Swedish duo I Break Horses have recently teamed up with Bella Union for the arelease of their debut album, ‘Heart’. Peter Bloxham has a chat with Maria Lindén to find out more. You’ve been through a lot to get ‘Heart’ finished. What are your prevailing emotions as you wait for it to be released? I’m excited. It’s a bit of a relief too, that it’s finally done. You live with an album very closely until it’s out there, then you know it’s not possible to change stuff any more, and it’s easier to move on with writing new music, which I have started doing. What were the challenges of going to Poland to record? There were a few technical problems; the power was cut off one day, language barriers... The whole experience was a bit stressful. I deleted almost everything that was recorded there, took the songs back into the bedroom and started again. Wow. Well, this project started with bedroom demos, how did you begin to capture your ideas back then? I always start with finding a specific sound that sets the mood. Mostly I sit down with my synthezisers / guitar and 20 thisisfakediy.co.uk

CHRISTIAN AIDS effect pedals for hours until I find something that captures the right feeling and then I develop a song around that. I understand that it took some time to get the album to sound the way it needed to. How did you know when you’d cracked it? To me the music is based so much on it’s vibe and atmosphere, so when these elements were there I knew It was right. Given all of the development, trials and tribulations: Is there a moment on the album that you’re most proud of? It varies a bit depending on what mood I’m in, right now I think I’m most proud of the songs ‘Winter Beats’ and ‘Hearts’, they turned out exactly how I wanted them and they were also done in pure inspiration. Once the album is released, what are you most looking forward to? Making new songs and creating something special live. I Break Horses’ debut album ‘Heart’ will be released on 15th August via Bella Union. Read the full interview online at thisisfakediy.co.uk.

Christian AIDS’ live show consists of two producers, standing side by side, providing the musical backdrop. Beside them are five singers, only two of which step forward to utter words. The other three simply stand there like static mutes. The room is barely lit and the only truly visible image is that of a giant screen that’s placed behind: It projects images of the North Korean regime; a faux Royal Wedding; a compilation of people throwing their guts up. The purpose of it all is to make you stop, think and be challenged. You either deem it all to be a pretentious ridicule of art, or you’re completely entranced because it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Christian AIDS, hence the name, hence the live experience, are there to split opinion. The songs themselves are forwardthinking, evolving electronic efforts; steeped in a dense and heavy atmosphere, all contributing to the provocative nature of this whole project. Be prepared to start a feud when talking about this band. In our opinion, they’re utterly incredible. ( Jamie Milton) Christian AIDS’ debut single ‘Stay +’ is out now via Double Denim.

DZ PUSHING DEATHRAYS HANDS If you don’t quite get DZ DEATHRAYS on their few recordings (and yes, it always has to be in capitals), then you’d be well advised to see them live. Unfortunately, they’ve just finished their UK tour and they usually only play in their homeland of Australia. Even then, it might be worth considering taking the day long flight over there. Any two piece with a shedload of energy, crazy-mad guitars and songs that make you want to jump into people are always going to draw comparison with DFA 1979, but this time it’s actually justified. Most duos settle for hiding behind noise, but most other bands don’t have a team that can thrash like this - looking impossibly young, it’s as if they’re trying to channel a Heavy Metal compilation through their two lithe bodies, whilst harbouring a barely concealed desire to absolutely tear up everywhere they go. So have a listen to the EP - we won’t judge you if you end scouring the Qantas websites for cheap return tickets to Brisbane. (Matthew Britton) DZ DEATHRAYS’ new EP ‘Brutal Tapes’ is out now via I OH YOU / Shock.

Rarely do a band come as fully formed as Pushing Hands. Spawned from across London, the group developed from an initial friendship between lead singer Freddie and bassist Matt, drafting in Matt’s brother Andrew on guitar and eventually Chris, who replaced former drummer Kai. They deal in affecting alternative ‘indie rock’ with a grungy, yet electronic tinge. When asked to sum up their sound, Freddie tells us “it’s based around instrumentation and looks at music as the language, all of us put the instrumentation at the forefront of the music.” Coming from an outsider’s perspective you could easily compare them to Bombay Bicycle Club, half of whom Freddie went to school with, but that would be lazy; Pushing Hands are their own beast. They tell us Yuck, D/R/U/G/S, Smith Westerns, Baths and Gold Panda are all bands they’re into at the moment, with other influences spanning from Yo La Tengo to Mount Kimbie to Talking Heads. This comes across strongly in their songs; recent release ‘He’s Still Here’ features chiming guitars and rolling drumbeats, while others are firmly in Pavement-esque alt rock waters. This broad spectrum of sounds is explained by Freddie, who says they’re “creating those songs that we feel should exist that don’t;” a refreshingly clear sighted objective. Following recent recording in Norfolk, which produced an untitled track and regular live track ‘Waterbug’, Pushing Hands are planning on laying low, writing new material and possibly trying their hand at party planning. “One thing we’ve been talking about is organising our own gigs, around like a party, our own event, like a night out but not your typical band night out.” With self-made videos also in the pipeline, their ‘home-grown’ aesthetic looks set to propel them firmly out of ‘landfill indie’ territory. Just as I’m about to leave I ask the band if there’s anything else they would like to talk about, a collective “errr…” is followed by Freddie asking “how long will Odd Future last?” I’d give them six months. Pushing Hands? A whole lot longer. (Words: George Boorman; Photography: Phil Smithies) Watch a live session with the band at thisisfakediy.co.uk. 21

IN DEMAND GUILLEMOTS

IN DEMAND So far, 2011 has been a good year for music. With a bit of help from our friends at adidas, DIY caught up with a few of our favourite bands and artists of the year so far. Log onto thisisfakediy.co.uk to see the video interviews

GUILLEMOTS Guillemots may not be new, but with their latest and greatest full length they’ve shown that time to mature can lead to great things. Picture: Verena Stefanie Grotto Guillemots have just released their new album ‘Walk The River’ to a great reaction from fans, and after a stint recording in the Welsh countryside, it’s easy to hear a new dimension in the mix this time around: space. “It was a focus point really,” drummer Greig tells us, the band huddled on one of the DIY Towers sofas. “There were no distractions in the place and you couldn’t travel anywhere. It really helped with the fresh air.” “It’s the land of the mystics!,” frontman Fyfe interrupts enthusiastically. “We spent over a year just writing before we recorded, so it was quite a gradual process building up enough to record, rather than running into the studio to record ideas. We prefer that rather than recording way more than an album’s worth and then having to cut out loads of material and just keep the ones that go together. There are a lot of songs that we’re going to come back to for our next record.” A new record that may not be that far off. “We don’t exactly know what we’re going to do next,” Fyfe continues. “It might be an album, or some EPs, a single, or a rhombus! We’d love to do a Christmas song. Greig and Whitney, singing ‘Christmas Time’.” Before all that, the band have a myriad of summer festivals planned to showcase the material they’ve just released, including Glastonbury, Hop Farm and Secret Garden Party. After that? Who knows. With their penchant for secret gigs, they could turn up anywhere… “I’d like to play in that place in Athens, that theatre…,” Greig muses. “I’d love to play the pyramids actually,” Fyfe adds. “Playing outside in general’s great.” 22 thisisfakediy.co.uk

IN DEMAND MAVERICK SABRE

24 thisisfakediy.co.uk

MAVERICK SABRE If you turn on your radio, chances are you’ll hear the name Maverick Sabre before too long. Already sweeping up Hottest Record In The World Today style acclaim, Mav is one to watch. Picture: Verena Stefanie Grotto Maverick Sabre is the latest in a long line of hip-hop fuelled singer-songwriters (think an Irish Plan B and you’d be quite close), but he’s determined to make himself stand out from the crowd, through sheer hard work and productivity if needs be. “I signed my deal this time last year with fifty songs written already,” he tells us on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. “Then I wrote another thirty or forty songs.” “I’m really proud of what I’m sitting on at the minute,” he continues. “Everything I wanted to express has come out. I’m just looking forward to getting the music out there, and hopefully connecting. If people feel like ‘Oh yeah, I think like that too, there is someone else thinking like that in the world,’ that’s me feeling like I’m successful.”

“EVERYTHING I WANTED TO EXPRESS HAS COME OUT. I’M JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THE MUSIC OUT THERE, AND HOPEFULLY CONNECTING...” And success is certainly on the cards for Sabre after supporting a certain Mr. Dogg on a recent UK jaunt. “The Snoop Dogg tour was probably one of the most humbling moments I’ve ever had, not just in my career, but in my life,” he gushes. “Snoop Dogg walked by my dressing room door, and turned in, and actually said ‘Thank you very much it’s a pleasure to have you supporting,’ and came round and shook every single member of my band’s hand in the room, and he didn’t need to do that.” So, other than a heap of summer festivals, what’s next? “I’m doing the last finishing touches to the album at the minute so that’s going to be ready in the next, like, three or four weeks. Then hopefully have it out in maybe October or November. I’m just looking forward to getting the music out there.” 25

IN DEMAND THE XCERTS

THE XCERTS The Xcerts have long promised special things, with last year’s ‘Scatterbrain’ suggesting a big future for the trio. After bringing down the roof (quite literally) at DIY’s Great Escape showcase, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better live band. Picture: Verena Stefanie Grotto “We’re easy, just put on Rebecca Black and we’re yours,” Murray MacLeod informs us with a grin as we settle down with a cup of tea and a biscuit. Having released both an album and an EP of late, we’ve a bit of catching up to do. “Releasing an EP was made out to be a bigger deal to other people,” he explains. “We had a few songs left over from the New York sessions, it wasn’t like a bridge between the next record. A lot of people were like, ‘Oh, this is where they’re going,’ but actually that’s what we’ve done.” And speaking of sessions, we hear they’re working on new material? “We’re writing stuff,” Murray coyly reveals. “We have some ideas, but whether they’ll make a record, as of yet, we don’t know. Sounds good to me though!” 26 thisisfakediy.co.uk

“It seems a lot more open minded,” adds fellow founding member Jordan Smith. “We’re not throwing anything away, where before there was rigorous editing as we went along, now we’re accumulating as much as we can and the edit will come later.” With recent support slots with the likes of Taking Back Sunday and Fightstar, we ask whether they prefer to play to their own crowd or on a larger stage. “It’s a different kind of buzz,” Murray tells us. “Going out on a massive stage in a massive venue for some headline band with loads of people that you don’t know is a very good feeling. I like the kind of underdog feeling that you have when you’re supporting a band.” Because of course, everyone loves an underdog.

IN DEMAND TRUE TIGER

TRUE TIGER True Tiger may not actually be feline, but with production and remix credits for Professor Green, Dizzee Rascal and Plan B under their belt, and a debut single ripping up the airwaves, they’ve definitely got big pointy musical teeth. Picture: James Pearson-Howes “We came together as a group when we got our own studio and we got the chance to sit together in a room,” True Tiger’s Stanza begins. “We had been releasing stuff separately but under the same label, and then we got our own studio in St Albans in the middle of nowhere and we had this mad open space where we could all hang out. The music started progressing and

it seemed like the right time to start making an album. We’re just getting it finished and promoting the first single at the moment, ‘In The Air’ just to get the buzz out there and let people know that the album’s coming,” Stanza concludes. And if you weren’t aware of True Tiger before, consider yourself informed now, this trio of producers are set for big things. 27

IN DEMAND PETE & THE PIRATES

PETE & THE PIRATES Pete & The Pirates returned in 2011 with second album ‘One Thousand Pictures’; a record which has seen Reading’s finest back in the bosom of indie-pop. Picture: Verena Stefanie Grotto As Pete & The Pirates pillage and plunder their way through DIY Towers, we glean a little information from them about their latest album, ‘One Thousand Pictures’. “It was exciting for us because it’s been quite a big wait since our first,” Thom explains. “Reactions have been very positive so far, and it’s still early days. We think that it’s going to continue growing like a flower,” he grins mischievously. “Wikipedia says we’ve been working on solo projects, but they’re not really projects, just us making music,” he continues, explaining their absence. “You should never trust Wikipedia because you don’t know who’s writing it.” But the new album is slotting into their live set nicely. “When we play the new material live it seems much more natural, easier somehow, maybe due to the way we recorded it which was very live and spontaneous. It just has that energy.”

“WHEN WE PLAY THE NEW MATERIAL LIVE IT SEEMS MUCH MORE NATURAL, EASIER SOMEHOW, MAYBE DUE TO THE WAY WE RECORDED IT WHICH WAS VERY LIVE AND SPONTANEOUS. IT JUST HAS THAT ENERGY.” Speaking of live performances, the band are currently working to a rather interesting plan… “We’ve got a five-step plan that we conceived about seven or eight years ago,” Jonny tells us. “Step one was do a gig, step two was do a gig in the pub down the road, step three was play in the town centre, then London, then it was play Reading Festival, and then it’s play Wembley Stadium! At the time we thought that Reading was as unlikely as Wembley, but we did Reading, so who knows?” And with that, they sail off in to the sunset (er, get a black cab home) with their pockets full of DIY’s treasure. 28 thisisfakediy.co.uk

FESTIVAL GUIDE Everything You need to know For Festival Season...

FESTIVAL DO’S & DONT’S

FESTIVAL DO’S & DONT’S Everyone has their own festival tips, but if you need some knowledge to get through the summer we’ve got some experts to give us their best suggestions. We say experts - we mean bands. Pictures: David Flanigan

MORNING PARADE Use stink bombs to make space in big crowds and get better views of your fave bands!

“JUST WEAR SOME BOOTS AND GET IT OVER WITH.”

PATRICK STUMP Wear shoes. I see a lot of people go in with sandals or flip flops or something, and you always get cut up and your feet get all ruined. It might be comfortable or it might look cute but you’ll lose toenails and stuff and it’s stupid. Just wear some boots and get it over with.

CLOUD CONTROL Carry a pack of Cigarettes. You might feel this is odd coming from a person who doesn’t smoke, but they’re valuable currency, particularly at those three day camping festivals where supplies become low and people become desperate. 32 thisisfakediy.co.uk

MAX RAPTOR Inflate a blow up paddling pool, fill with water and use as a beer cooler. When the water has evaporated, use as a comfy seat or a windbreak for your camp. WILD BEASTS A good supply of water to wash, to drink, to cleanse is the key at festivals. GARY POWELL (THE LIBERTINES) Make sure that you are with trustworthy souls. There’s nothing worse than being left at the site miles from home, slowly coming round from your drunken malaise only to realise that you are on your own! MAZES Find a the hot shower as soon as you get there, then stay in it until it’s all over. BROTHER Give yourself loads of time to get to whatever stage you need to be at. I always miss the first ten minutes of a band.

“ INFLATE A BLOW UP PADDLING POOL, FILL WITH WATER AND USE AS A BEER COOLER.”

TOM BAKER (FIELD DAY / UNDERAGE PROMOTER) Make sure you check out the bands you have not heard of as well as the bands you love, as you will always discover something exciting and new. COPY HAHO Anyone who says to get ‘stuck in’ with the mud and grime associated with camping festivals is insane. Bring more clothes than you need and shower if you can. The more hygiene products you use, the better.

“SLOWLY COMING ROUND FROM YOUR DRUNKEN MALAISE ONLY TO REALISE THAT YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!” 33

DON’T STAND AND PEE AGAINST THE FENCE.

DON’T THE TWILIGHT SAD Don’t be a knob.

JAMES YUILL Don’t pitch your tent too close to the toilets... THE BLACKOUT Don’t get fleeced by in house alcohol prices that can clear out your budget. Bring your own booze. You’ll need that cash for the over priced food. GET CAPE. WEAR CAPE. FLY Stay away from the tray of £2 vodka jelly shots. They seldom contain alcohol. 34 thisisfakediy.co.uk

DON’T TWEET - IT’LL ANNOY THOSE AROUND YOU,

JOHNNO BURGESS (THE APPLE CART ORGANISER) Don’t just eat from the first burger van you come to, no matter how hungry you are, as there will be an amazing pie stall or fancy crepe place round the corner that will make you want to spit out your burger with envy. KISSY SELL OUT No faffing! The amount of times I’ve found myself wasting time waiting around for friends when I could be raving brings a tear to the eye. EDDIE ARGOS (ART BRUT) I don’t believe in doing things by halves. If I’m going to a festival I want to fully immerse myself in the experience. To do

I SUGGEST THAT YOU DON’T BRING ANYTHING WITH YOU - NOT EVEN A CHANGE OF CLOTHES OR A TENT.

the same, I suggest that you don’t bring anything with you - not even a change of clothes or a tent. Actually, scrub that. You do need to bring one thing with you, and that thing is booze. SLOW CLUB Don’t kiss anyone you only just met. It’s probable that your judgement is impaired (by the sunshine, the music, the boredom or all those drugs you’ve taken) and they are a total bag of spanners and not the hedonistic, interesting guy of your dreams that you thought. COPY HAHO Don’t Tweet - it’ll annoy those around you, annoy those at home having a boring weekend and will drain your phone battery, preventing you from finding your friends’ tent late at night, leaving you to die of exposure.

FESTIVAL CHALLENGE FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS

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FESTIVAL CHALLENGE FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS We put our favourite Mackems’ knowledge to the test in our festival challenge. Pictures: James Pearson-Howes If you’re going to play festivals, you better know your stuff. With Frankie & The Heartstrings set to embark on a summer of field based action, we thought it was only fair that someone made sure they were ready. So, purely in the interests of community service, DIY created our Festival Challenge. If Frankie and Heartstring Michael fail to pass, we’re giving their summer festival slots to Toploader.

ROUND ONE IN THEIR FESTIVAL RIDER WHO REPORTEDLY REQUESTS... 1 A packet of Crunchy Nut cornflakes, six bowls, six spoons and a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne. Frankie: Oh! Who is this? I know this. Well, I did know this. Michael: I’ve got no idea. F: Blur? Is it a funny band? M: Is Goldie Lookin’ Chain? 2 A private bathroom that’s cleaned with disinfectant & anti-bacterial products before she/he arrives & Juicy Baked Chicken: legs, wings & breast only. F: Mariah Carey M: Beyonce. 3 A dressing room decorated in Union Jack bunting and complete with traditional British food and drinks, including fish and chips, gin and Pimms. M: It’s got to be someone American, I guess. No British person would want British bunting around, would they? F: Unless it was someone like Elton John or something? M: Lady Gaga!

ROUND TWO 4 WHICH FESTIVAL IS FAMED FOR AN OUTBREAK OF E COLI IN 1997? M: Must’ve been Glastonbury.

F: Ouch. M: I’ve had E Coli. I’m not even going to go into it. Four weeks of hell. 5 WHERE CAN YOU BUY BURGERS FROM THE FESTIVAL’S OWN ‘MERTON FARM’ CATTLE? F: Latitude? M: I’m going to go for...Leeds? F: Lounge on The Farm? 6 WHICH ICE-CREAM BRAND PUTS ON ITS OWN ANNUAL FESTIVAL? F: Ben & Jerrys. M: Well done, Frank.

ROUND THREE 7 WHO CURATED THE FIRST ATP, BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN IT WAS BOWLIE? a) Belle & Sebastian b) Peter, Bjorn & John c) Daphne & Celeste F: Belle & Sebastian 8 STAYING ON THE CURATOR SUBJECT, YOU’RE PLAYING IT SO YOU SHOULD KNOW, WHO CURATES CAMP BESTIVAL? a) Tim Westwood b) Huw Stephens c) Rob Da Bank F: I know. Rob Da Bank. I didn’t even need the answers. Knowledge is key. M: It’s a Lazarus style come back from Frankie here, isn’t it.

FESTIVAL CHALLENGE FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS

“I’VE HAD E COLI. I’M NOT EVEN GOING TO GO INTO IT. FOUR WEEKS OF HELL”

9 WHICH BAND STARTED TRUCK FESTIVAL? a) Goldfrapp b) Goldrush c) Goldie Lookin’ Chain F: Goldfrapp. M: The middle one. F: Goldrush. 10 WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ACOUSTIC STAGE AT GLASTONBURY IN 2005? F: Burnt down? M: Did somebody play on it with an electric guitar? Did they lose power? Did it flood? 11 WHO FELL OFF THE READING MAIN STAGE IN 2003? F: 2003. What was around then? Indie music, I guess. Julian Casablancas? M: Marilyn Manson 12 WHO GOT IN A LITTLE BIT OF A PANIC! WHEN THEY WERE BOTTLED IN THE FACE AT READING IN 2006? F: Daphne & Celeste? 50 Cent? M: Was it Jack White? F: Who do people hate? Both: Panic! At The Disco. 38 thisisfakediy.co.uk

ROUND FIVE 13 FINALLY, IMAGINE DIY WAS CURATING A FESTIVAL. TELL US WHY WE SHOULD LET YOU PLAY IN ONE SENTENCE EACH: F: Best band you’ll see live this year. M: Is it a good festival? Do we wanna be at this festival? Why would you want us? I don’t know. I should be trying to big us up or something. F: We won’t leave much mess. M: Yeah, we’ll leave it nice and tidy.

TOTAL POINTS: 9/12

CORRECT ANSWERS: ROUND ONE 1. The Prodigy 2.Beyonce 3. Lady Gaga ROUND TWO 4. Glastonbury 5. Lounge On The Farm 6. Ben & Jerrys ROUND THREE 7. Belle & Sebastian 8. Rob Da Bank ROUND FOUR 9. Goldrush 10. Struck by lightening 11. Damon Albarn 12. Panic! At The Disco

ROUND FOUR

FANTASY FESTIVALS KISSY SELL OUT

KISSY SELL OUT’S FANTASY FESTIVAL As more and more festivals make line ups increasing familiar, it’s easy to think you’ve seen all the bands already. But what if you could pick anyone to play your fantasy festival, dead or alive? We got Radio 1 DJ and maker of music Kissy Sell Out to pick his ideal bill. Opening act: KELE Since this is a dream list I could have gone a lot more crazy, but Kele’s album ‘The Boxer’ was my favourite of last year. It had a slight whiff of electro tourism but it really grew on me after I saw him smash it at T in the Park. Whenever I listen to it now it just reminds me of being drunk at house parties – a nice vibe to open the festival with! Next: THE KNIFE Occasionally I forget how much I like The Knife’s first two albums and then feel very annoyed with myself and insist on playing a couple of my favourite tracks on Radio 1 to prove it. Their live shows are notorious for being wild and atmospheric. Next: THOSE DANCING DAYS I’ve always really liked bands with female singers, like The Long Blondes and Operator Please, but Those Dancing Days have won over my heart the most. The last three tracks on their debut album are beautiful. Next: DEVENDRA BANHART Surely the most charismatic folk artist currently walking the planet! I like the idea of everybody having a good knees up to ‘I Feel Just Like A Child’ and indulging in a bit of free love. Next: GARY NUMAN It may well have something to do with how many Mighty Boosh episodes I’ve seen, but if you’ve ever heard a live album by the famous electro pilot then you’ll understand why he’s made this list. DJ in between bands: FELIX DA HOUSECAT Time to dance to a legendary DJ mixing Devo records with The Human League all the while sporting his trade-mark bot40 thisisfakediy.co.uk

tle of Mezcal! Felix said recently that the mistakes in his DJ sets are as much part of his style as the tidy banging bits and it’s just that type of attitude that would be perfect for this point in my festival line-up. Next: ROBERT PALMER I got into Robert Palmer mainly from hunting through the records on sale at charity shops when I was younger. I’m a big fan of American Psycho too so hearing ‘Simply Irresistible’ on full blast to a huge crowd would be awesome! Next: ART VS SCIENCE I love this band so much! I’m always amazed how LARGE their live sound is on stage – I just wish they didn’t live in Australia so I could see them more often! DJ in between bands: DJ EZ A few years ago no one would’ve believed there could be a UK garage revival but now here we are with DJ EZ, in my opinion, being one of the most unique sounding heavy-weight DJs still on the circuit. He embodies an entire genre which is a very inspirational thing for a young DJ like me. Next: MAXIMO PARK I first met Paul Smith when I got into a cab in Vienna and from the pure shock of accidentally meeting them I said “f**k off, you’re not Maximo Park, they’re one of my favourite bands!” like a total div and turned round to face the other way for a few seconds until I realised from their Geordie accents it really was them! Not the best story in the world but I’m glad I’ve at least bumped into them in real life a few times (and apologised!). Next: NIRVANA I know it might seem like a bit of an obvi-

ous choice picking Nirvana as the overall headliners, but I didn’t take the decision lightly! Swans are my favourite band in the whole world but the DVD of Nirvana playing live at Reading Festival is truly the best live performance I’ve ever seen. The way that they filled the stage with only three people (and only three instruments plus vocals) is gob-smacking when you compare it to all the super complicated and techy set-ups that modern bands now use. You can catch Kissy Sell Out at Mallorca Rocks, Ibiza Rocks, Wakestock, Shakedown and Big Chill. His new album ‘Wild Romance’ is out now via San City High.

I KNOW IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A BIT OF AN OBVIOUS CHOICE PICKING NIRVANA AS THE HEADLINERS, BUT I DIDN’T TAKE THE DECISION LIGHTLY!

FESTIVAL SPECIAL TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

Bands To Watch

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

Two Door Cinema Club’s 2011 sees the band firmly encamped on Radio 1’s A-list and more than successfully fixed in the mainstream conciousness. With both Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage and Reading & Leeds’ Main Stage to come, we check the nerves of Northern Ireland’s latest musical heroes. Photography: Simian Coates Tickets for your Glastonbury warm up show sold out in minutes. What made you decide to do a practice run? Kev: Glastonbury’s important. We’re doing a pretty big slot on the Pyramid stage. Alex: When you’re doing festivals you’re only gigging every weekend; we feel out of practice if we haven’t played together for five days, so I think to go and play a small show the night before is probably the right thing to do to get into the right mindset. Is Glastonbury the main festival for you this summer? A: It’s definitely my favourite festival. We always make a point of trying to stay for the whole weekend, which we’ve done for the past few years that we’ve played. It’s one of those all encompassing festivals where no matter what mood you’re in, you can go and enjoy it. I guess this year for me it’s the most important because it’s the Pyramid Stage, and I think it’s every band’s dream in the world to come do Glastonbury and play on that stage. It is the most iconic stage in the world so it’s a huge honour. What your best memory as a festival punter? A: I’ve never been to a festival as a punter. We started playing festivals when we were 17 or 18. Sam: We usually turn into punters as soon as we’ve finished playing. Punters with access to backstage, so it’s even worse probably because we get the whole rider there 42 thisisfakediy.co.uk

and we just go and cause havoc. Talk us through some of this havoc. K: The first year we were at Glastonbury we played three shows over the weekend and camped at the same time, so we were carrying our guitars through the campsite. There were so many memories from that. We did Isle of Wight and had one night of debauchery, but Glastonbury was just ridiculous because so much happened. S: We had a rental car because it was just us and our sound guy [Stu], and he got royally trashed. Falling all over the place. K: He threw vodka over some girl. A: He also pushed me over. I landed face first and it had just been raining so I ended up brown from head to toe. S: He was running around the whole campsite and lost his bag. A: We’d all split up, and I’d gone to watch Bloc Party. They were headlining The Other Stage and I’d heard about half a song before Stu, out of the 200,000 people at Glasto, fell into me. We had to carry him back to the campsite and undress him and put him to bed. S: He woke up the next morning and had lost his bag with the rental car keys in, and all of our equipment. K: This was a period of two hours where everything went wrong. I was on my own, too drunk and trying to get back to the campsite. After walking for about an hour, I decided that I was never going to find our tent so I got into someone else’s. I was so hammered I didn’t really know what to do.

I got into their sleeping bag and took off my shoes and all, and just went to sleep. Then they obviously came back to their tent later that night and were like, “Who the f**k are you?” They stood in the door way and watched me get dressed, and in my panic to get out of there I left my glasses behind. This was the Friday night, so I just had no glasses for the rest of the weekend. S: At the time it was horrible, but looking back it’s probably one of my favourite festival memories. What’s in your festival rider? A: It’s just booze and food. Quite a lot, but simple stuff. You know, bread and salad. Meat and cheese. K: There’s nothing ridiculous on there. S: It’s just like whenever your mum does a great shop and you’re the first one in the fridge. A: Every day. Do you have any festival do’s and don’ts? K: There are a lot of don’ts that we’ve ended up doing. Like, don’t get really, really drunk and then fall asleep in a portaloo because that causes a big security risk, especially if you’re backstage. A: It was our very first festival - Isle of Wight - and Kev did that. People thought that there was someone dead in the toilet. They had radios going throughout the site. K: But I’d just fallen asleep; I’m just a heavy sleeper. That’s a definite don’t, but I don’t think there are many. At festivals you can

FESTIVAL SPECIAL TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

What do you think of secret sets at festivals? Would you ever consider one? A: Last year at Glastonbury Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood did a secret set on the Park Stage; it was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen. More so because no one knew it was happening. I’m hugely in favour of secret spots, because when it’s a big band it really lifts the mood and gives an amazing atmosphere. You’re in high demand at the moment with sold out tours and festival appearances here, there and everywhere. What’s been the highlight for you this year so far? K: We’ve had such an incredible year that it’s hard to pick out individual moments. There hasn’t been a time we’ve thought, “Why are we doing this?” or “Crap, this isn’t going very well.” S: I think every time we go to America now, there’s always a little highlight there because it’s almost like starting afresh. Our album [‘Tourist History’] came out a couple of months later over there so it’s kind of like just starting to happen over there and it’s nice to relive the whole success of the album again - hopefully that’ll happen. What’s more important to you in defining success: awards or chart positions? A: I think the most important thing to us is when we play shows and see people’s reactions. Awards can be given to anyone by anyone. S: Something that we’ve been very proud of our album about chart-wise is that it didn’t ever go in at a really high number, but we’ve been shocked at the sustained success of it. It’s been in the Top 40 pretty much constantly. Loads of bands get a really big 44 thisisfakediy.co.uk

marketing budget behind them and it’ll go into the chart in the Top 10, but then people forget about it and that’s it, over. How are you adapting your live sets to the bigger venues you’re playing thanks to the album’s popularity? K: More lights! A: I think that’s about the only thing that’s changed. We obviously have a bigger crew now, and we have more techs to help set up, but in terms of the show itself we’ve kept it much the same. We just play a rock show and that’s what we enjoy. We just enjoy playing songs. We feed off the music on stage and I think that provides a big enough performance in itself. I think if you get carried away too much with production and gimmicks, you lose that intimacy and you lose that connection with your audience. I would never want to do that. What are reactions like for you when you go back home now? A: I was home two weeks ago and I got recognised a little more. One thing I have noticed is that people we knew when we were back home, guys we went to school with who we didn’t hang around with, all of a sudden are trying to be our best friends; it’s just because we’re Two Door Cinema Club now and that’s something they want to be a part of. K: It’s embarrassing. You always watch what you’re doing a bit more. Recently, I was out in a bar with a couple of my good friends and we were quite drunk at the bar doing shots. I was like, “Can I have six shots of tequila?” and the girl was like, “Yeah, are you that guy from Two Door Cinema Club?” I was like “Nooooo…” A: It’s an uncomfortable feeling when you know everyone around you knows who you are.  So what’s next for you, are you working on new material now? S: We are, yeah. We’ve been working away. We all live in the same house, so we’ve got a few new songs that we’re playing at the minute just to keep people interested. We’ve probably played the same set in London like four or five times now, which is ridiculous. So we’re working away and we’ve got some new ones ready. We’ve just got festivals this summer and then we’re doing one last tour of the States in September and then it’s just heads down with the new album. You can catch Two Door Cinema Club at Glastonbury, Oxegen, Lollapalooza, and Reading & Leeds.

Tom Watkins/ Rex features

get away with most. S: Don’t be a dickhead, that’s a good one. There are so many dickheads at festivals. Don’t throw cups of beer. K: That’s a big one. Festivals are one of those opportunities at which you can do something that you wouldn’t normally do, or that wouldn’t normally be acceptable, like wearing a ridiculous outfit. I saw this girl at Coachella the other day and she was just walking around and just had x’s on her nipples and the American flag and that was it, and for some reason, it was kind of acceptable because it was a festival. A: I think the main thing is don’t bring anything that you care about because you’re either gonna break it, lose it, get it stolen or something’s going to happen to it. K: Wellie boots are pretty essential. Even if it’s not raining, just in case.

“IT’S EVERY BAND’S DREAM TO COME DO GLASTONBURY AND PLAY ON THE PYRAMID STAGE.”

FESTIVAL SPECIAL THE NAKED AND FAMOUS

Bands To Watch

THE NAKED & FAMOUS

Appearing on the scene in 2011, much of festival season will be new to The Naked & Famous. How exactly does a band who only know of Glastonbury through DVDs prepare? We collared the band to find out. Picture: Verena Stepahanie-Grotto Are they any festivals you’re especially excited to be playing this summer? Thom: None of the stuff we’re doing this year we’ve ever done before, so I don’t know if we have any real idea what we’re getting ourselves into, if we’re honest! I hear Glastonbury’s like another planet. David: My familiarity with these festivals has been Slayer and Pantera DVDs, that’s what I know of Glastonbury so to play is pretty sweet. Without Slayer, it kind of sucks, but you know… Aaron: I’m looking forward to Fuji Rocks and to experience Japan as well. None of us have ever been before and it always looks pretty impressive on the festival side.

You’] has been out so hopefully everyone who’s coming to the shows will know stuff. The first time we came to the UK, we didn’t know what the hell to expect, we didn’t know where we were going, weren’t familiar with any of the towns. We were just completely oblivious and ignorant, which was fun because it was surprise overtime! We had such wonderful, wonderful shows and turnouts and audiences; there wasn’t a dull moment.

and I couldn’t sleep because I had too many stupid thoughts about album number two. So yeah, quite a few thoughts.

How do you plan your festival sets? T: We’ve had enough performing experience to know what stuff is crucial, what stuff works the best and how to get an accurate live flow. We definitely have a live festival set that doesn’t really move around a lot; it’s difficult for us to because of the amount of electronics, and because of the way we’ve sequenced our songs. Festivals feel a bit like your fifteen minutes of fame - you’ve got to prove yourself in the little bit of time you have.

Are you more a studio band or live performers? Where are you the most comfortable? A: At the moment we’re more of a live band because all we’ve been doing is playing live shows, but the band started as a studio-based project. Our first EP was done before there was even a live band sorted. T: It’s almost been forced, the whole live thing. The reality of being in a band these days is that you have to tour; it’s become such a large part of what we do. I feel like it’s going to change the way we approach the second album as well because they’ve become sort of inseparable for us, the album and the live show.

Do you view the band as a job these days? Alyssa: I don’t think I could ever view something like this as a job. It’s such a privilege to be able to travel to all of these places, and to wake up and get to sing everyday, you know? How can that be a job? T: There are aspects of it that’s blahblahblah being professional, stuff like interviews and photoshoots. You look at that as an opportunity to spread the word. Music is not about image, it’s not about fashion, it’s nothing to do with opinions, ratings, reviews, judgements. It’s nothing like that at all. It’s like a really, really pure, honest, decent thing and you have to make a conscious effort to separate that because I think that’s what happens to a lot of bands when they get big. They get sucked in by all the crap that comes with the industry. There’s nothing above the music. Everything else below is just unimportant. All the promo and stuff, that part you can count as work, but it’s just a passion, a privilege.

You’re heading out on your second headline UK tour in November. What’s going to be different for you this time around? T: The album [‘Passive Me, Aggressive

Have you had any thoughts about a second album yet, or is that still quite a long way off? T: I was stressing out about it last night

You can catch The Naked & Famous at Glastonbury, Wireless, Oxegen, T In The Park, Latitude, Lollapalooza and Reading & Leeds.

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“FESTIVALS FEEL A BIT LIKE YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME.”

FESTIVAL SPECIAL MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

Bands To Watch

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

This summer is going to be a pretty big one for My Chemical Romance. With several festival appearances lined up they’ve come a long way since the days of the Daily Mail’s emo cult. But when they’ve been on the receiving end of some hostility at UK festivals in the past, are they worried about how the crowd will react this time? Sam Lee spoke to Frank Iero to find out.

How are you preparing for your UK festival appearances this summer? Man, it’s crazy. When we were first talking about these festivals it felt like there was a lot of time, but there’s not at all. We did a headline tour here in the States, playing an hour-and-a-half every night, honing the songs that we hadn’t played in a long time. Now it’s like getting in shape for the big race. Reading & Leeds will be the first time you’ve headlined a UK festival since 2007. What’s changed for MCR since then? Life’s definitely changed. We’re all married now and some of us have kids. We took some time after ‘The Black Parade’ to re-assess why we love doing this and who we are as people, then came back older and wiser, more comfortable in our own skin, and wrote a record that we’re really, really proud of. So you have a band that’s matured and grown up. Do you feel like you deserve it? It’s having the confidence without being 48 thisisfakediy.co.uk

cocky. I don’t think I’ll ever feel like, “Holy shit, we deserve these sets that legendary bands have had!,” y’know? But, at the same time - do I feel like we deserve what’s come to us because we’ve worked that hard? Yeah. I guess it depends on the day you ask me. You’ve been on the receiving end of some - ahem - rather unfriendly welcomes. Are you hoping to put an end to that this year? Who knows? I think the one thing that’s working for us is that Slayer’s not on the [Reading & Leeds] bill! Haha. But yeah, it’s one of those things. You can either f**kin’ be a pussy about it and walk off, or you f**kin’ get up there and you man up and you do it. I mean, it’s a Blues Brothers moment, y’know? So what can we expect from your festival appearances this year? Presumably they won’t be low-key affairs... Yeah, I don’t think we ever do anything low-key, except for the aftershow! I think that’s the thing about the band - I mean,

I don’t even know what’s expected. It’s fun being in a band where nothing’s planned. I think you can expect us to give our all blood, sweat and tears - but that’s all I can promise, that we’re going to give it 150% every single show. You recently played at Radio One’s Big Weekend in Carlisle - did it feel a bit strange to be playing in between Taio Cruz and Lady Gaga? You know, it’s strange, man. It’s something that we’ve never gotten to do before, but I like those kinds of things because you’re playing for people that you’ve never had the opportunity to play in front of before, and you’re getting to play with bands that you never would have played with before. It’s a strange situation, I feel very fortunate that our band is able to do those kind of things. You can catch My Chemical Romance at Sonisphere, Oxegen, T In The Park, Reading & Leeds and Rock En Seine. Read the full interview online at thisisfakediy.co.uk.

FESTIVAL SPECIAL SIMIAN MOBILE DISC0

Bands To Watch

SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO

Whilst Primavera Sound is a predominantly indie festival, it’s not all skinny jeans and boys with guitars. Enter electronic behemoths Simian Mobile Disco and their unique take on dance music. Derek Robertson sits down with James and Jas in the calm before the storm to chat about festivals, guest vocalists, and what not to eat for breakfast in foreign lands.

You play festivals both live and DJing. How different are the two sets? Jas: Very different. The live show is us playing all our own stuff; we bring with us a miniature, portable version of our studio, so we have old drum machines, synths, a desk and stuff. DJ-ing is just DJ-ing; we play very little of our own music. When you play big festivals do you feel pressure to play all your hits? Do you still enjoy playing them? James: It’s a bit churlish not to play songs that people might know, so we will play a few of them. As our live set up is quite flexible, we can change every aspect almost on a whim. We’ll do different versions, or play with the arrangements and the way they sound so there’ll be elements that people recognise, just presented in a different way. Jas: And we’re definitely not gonna play ‘We Are Your Friends’! We never have, and we’re not about to start. Before you go on, do you have a concrete set list in mind, or do you just choose the

first tracks and then see where it goes? James: We have a list of the songs, but within the songs there is a lot of fluidity. There are sections where we don’t know what’s going to happen, but there are always touch points of the actual songs that we include in the set. When you’re DJ-ing, how do you take turns? James: We generally go back to back. It’s quite interesting - if you don’t do it right it might zigzag a little bit, but then sometimes you can get on a real flow. Jas might throw a curveball in there, or it’ll go in a direction I didn’t think it would, and you have to knit a way through the night. So is there any humour involved, like if one of you plays something really leftfield, as if to say “Follow that!”? Jas: To a certain extent. What’s nice as well is that playing with someone else gives you a little bit longer to think about what you want to do next. Is there any difference playing a big stage

compared to playing in a tent? James: We always enjoy tents actually, as a large part of our show is the light show, and we’ve spent a lot of time and energy getting that part of it to work. If we play in the daytime on an outside stage then we really don’t enjoy that. Speaking of visuals, have you ever had a turn down a festival because a stage wasn’t suitable for what you wanted to do? Jas: The visuals are an important part of the live show, and we would definitely knock back a festival if we thought we couldn’t make something interesting happen. To a large extent, because we’ve had the lights since day one, they have a similar interplay to how James and I play off each other. Our lighting guy Dave does a lot of it on the fly as well, so it’s important that everything can work together, otherwise it’s not really worth doing. You can catch Simian Mobile Disco at BeatHerder, Reading & Leeds and SW4. Read the full interview online at thisisfakediy.co.uk. 49

FESTIVAL SPECIAL PENDULUM

Bands To Watch

PENDULUM

When it comes to festivals, you can guarantee a couple of things. Firstly, it will almost certainly rain. Secondly, Pendulum will be there. Playing a staggering twenty festivals (and counting) across Europe this summer, the drum and bass collective are quickly becoming more omnipresent than wet-wipes and glowsticks. We give bassist/DJ Gareth McGrillen a quick grilling. What’s your first festival memory? The Big Day Out in Australia when I was 15 or 16. Me and Rob [Swire] broke into the festival without a ticket to see The Prodigy, which is something that I probably shouldn’t encourage kids to do now that we play these festivals and rely on ticket holders. How do you go about deciding your festival setlist? It doesn’t change too much but we slightly alter it for the type of festivals. When we supported Tiesto, for example, we played more of the dance stuff and then two days later, we supported Iron Maiden and we played a bit more of a rocky set. Speaking of different types of festivals, which is your favourite to perform at? A lot of the people at rock and metal festivals will be more accepting of dancey music, especially seing as they’re at a festival and all they’ve had all day is metal, metal, metal and then some punk, some rock and then metal. To have dance music on, as long as it’s heavy, is quite refreshing for them. For me, it doesn’t really matter as long as the festival’s big because the audiences across the UK are quite diverse. What’s the most memorable performance that you’ve seen at a festival? We opened Sonisphere festival in Holland 50 thisisfakediy.co.uk

a few years back and Korn and Metallica’s performances that day were incredible. About two thirds of your European festival appearances this summer are outside of the UK. Is there a big difference in performing across the rest of Europe? The UK is the benchmark for festivals so a lot of the other festivals around the world try to compare themselves. Some of them are doing really good jobs; they might not be the best festivals as far as the line ups are concerned but in terms of organisation, they beat the UK hands down. The backstage areas are sometimes more plush than your house! What do you do about food at festivals? Do you DIY with BBQ’s or are you more van men? We always seem to have a platter of vegetables on our rider. I never, never eat before a show. For some reason it just feels like I’m going to vomit if I do because I’m moving around so much so I never eat. I just probably nibble on vegeta-

bles and stuff. There’s usually catering back stage so the other guys always hit that up backstage. We very rarely venture out to the vans. That’s a last resort. What’s in your festival rider? Nothing too mental. There’s lots of different towels. Obviously because we’re wearing black clothes, if we have a white towel, it leaves white fluff all over us. So we get black towels and that’s not just because we think we’re hardcore. Every single time our rider seems to have two cans of Guinness and no one knows where it came from or who ordered it and no one drinks Guinness so it’s like the mysterious tale of the two Guinness cans. We don’t really know what it’s about. What’s your favourite song to play at a festival? Sometimes it depends which one is newest, but songs like ‘Watercolour’ always get the crowd going. ‘The Island’ always makes the crowd go mental as well. But personally, I like playing ‘Crush’, it’s one of my favourite songs. You can catch Pendulum at Download, Glastonbury, Oxegen, T In The Park, Benicassim, Global Gathering, V Festival, SW4 and Bestival.

FESTIVAL SPECIAL STYLE

STYLE FEST

Like a good Boy Scout, when it comes to festivals, you need to be prepared. Very prepared. Here are our tips for tent-based action... 1

1 Levi’s x Vans Era Jacket vans.com, £50 2 Pretty Green jacket prettygreen.com, £75 3 Dr Martens bag drmartens.com, £65 4 Eastpak bag 0845 601 1151, £66 5 Trikki T shirt trikki.co.uk , £30 6 Lyle & Scott shorts lyleandscott.com, £50 7 Rockola star shorts rockundies.com, £31.95 8 WeSC shorts 0207 287 9548, £60 9 Levi ‘s pocket T eu.levi.com, £50 52 thisisfakediy.co.uk

10 THTC T shirt thtc.co.uk, £18 11 Onitsuka Tiger T shirt onitsukatiger.com, £25 12 Rum Knuckles T shirt rumknuckles.com, £30 13 Penguin holdall originalpenguin.eu, £50 14 Luke jacket luke1977.com, £155 15 The Duffer of St. George plimsole jdsports.co.uk, £39.99 16 K•SWISS HOF trainer kswiss.co.uk, £34.99 17 Vans Era trainer vans.com, £50

12 15

14 17

FESTIVAL SPECIAL STYLE Chris wears jeans by Lee @ Scotts, top and cardigan by Richard Chai for Penguin, trainers by Onitsuka Tiger Abigail wears top by Miss Selfridge, bottoms by Freddy, necklace by lovemycustom.com

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PARK LIFE Photography: Ewelina Stechnij Fashion Styling: Neesha Sharma Makeup: Kinga Markavic using Mac Hair: Magdalena Tucholska using L’Oréal Models: Chris Whitmore @ MandP & Abigail @D1

FESTIVAL SPECIAL STYLE

Chris wears top by The Duffer of St George, hat - stylists own Abigail wears playsuit by Miss Selfridge, necklace by lovemycustom.com 56 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Abigail wears blouse and shorts by River Island, gilet by Zara, glasses by Dsquared

FESTIVAL SPECIAL STYLE

Chris wears jacket by The Duffer of St George, T shirt and shorts by Nike Abigail wears hat by Beyond Retro, T shirt by Fame & Fortune @ ruffleshuffle.com, shorts by Volcom denim, boots by Dr Martens, cuffs by funkybling @ Year Zero London 58 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Chris wears shirt by Luke, chinos by Dockers @ Scotts

FESTIVAL SPECIAL STYLE Scotts: scottsmenswear.com Lovemycustom: lovemycustom.com Funky Bling @ Year Zero: yearzerolondon.com Beyond Retro: beyondretro.com Fame and Fortune: truffleshuffle.com Amplified: truffleshuffle.com Luke: luke1977.com Lipsy: lipsy.co.uk Lacoste: lacoste.com Topman: topman.com Andrew Buckler: andrewbuckler.com Freedom Jewellry: freddomjewellry.com Miss Selfridge: missselfridge.com River Island: riverisland.com 0nitsuka Tiger: onitsukatiger.com Penguin: originalpenguin.com The Duffer of St George: jdsports.co.uk Volcom Jeans: volcomeurope.com Wrangler: eu.wrangler.com

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(opp page) Abigail wears dress by Lipsy, shirt by Wrangler, wellies by Lacoste (this page) Chris wears shirt by Topman, cardigan by Andrew Buckler, shorts by Volcom Denim Abigail wears Bolero jacket by Beyond Retro, vest dress by Amplified @ truffleshuffle.com, necklace by Freedom, ring by lovemycustom.com

Herbie Knott/ Rex Features

STYLE CLASSIC CUTS

PAUL WELLER

The Modfather has always been a style icon to many; he certainly managed to pull off this yellow polo with ease. James wears Lacoste 1212 Polo £64.99, Original Penguin Shorts £54.99 all from scottsmenswear.com

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Herbie Knott/ Rex Features

MIKE SKINNER Mike might not have intended to be a style icon, but the man off the street could learn a lot from his casual efforts.

James wears Fila 100 Jacket £54.99, Fila 100 Polo £39.99, Icon sunglasses £14.99§ all from scottsmenswear.com

Everyone has to get their fashion inspiration from somewhere. DIY has trawled the archives to find some iconic musicians, then matched up their style with Scotts - the brand authority for every essential item you need to be seen in this summer.

scottsmenswear.com Stylist: Neesha Sharma Photography: Jake Green Model: James @ MandP Models Grooming: Oriona Robb

Terry O’neill/ Rex Features

STYLE CLASSIC CUTS

MICK JAGGER There’s more to Mick than a swagger and those lips. Sadly, we couldn’t recreate the hair cut.

James wears Fred Perry Cutaway Polo £54.99 from scottsmenswear.com

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John Chapple/ Rex Features

ALEX TURNER We can’t really talk about the Arctic Monkeys frontman without an ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ reference. So there you go. James wears Pretty Green Windrunner £74.99, Fenchurch Shorts £24.99, Pretty Green Polo £59.99 all from scottsmenswear.com

Geoff Robinson/ Rex Features

STYLE CLASSIC CUTS

THOM YORKE

Granted, Thom himself might not sport these shorts, but the man certainly knows how to pick a suave polo shirt. James wears Original Penguin Earl Polo £54.99, Fred Perry Chino Shorts £59.99 all from scottsmenswear.com

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Herbie Knott/ Rex Features

DAMON ALBARN

Back in the Britpop days, our Damon was something of a trendsetter. We just enjoy suggesting he’d wear a Liam-esque hat. Trouble makers? Us? James wears Original Penguin Ratner Jacket £84.99, Adidas Originals Bucket Hat £14.99, Henri Lloyd Milton Polo £45.99 all from scottsmenswear.com

INTERVIEW DANANANANAYKROYD

DANA NANA NAYK ROYD

Scottish sextet Dananananaykroyd have been through the wringer, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. With new album ‘There Is A Way’ sounding more vital than ever, second time round promises to be a charm. Simone Scott-Warren corners the band to find out more. In 2009, the oft used tag line ‘the hardest working band in popular music today’ could have been tattooed upon the foreheads of Dananananaykroyd without fear of contradiction. Barely a day seemed to pass without them gracing the stage of a venue somewhere, introducing their frenetic live show to a wider audience and touring the s**t out of debut long player, ‘Hey Everyone!’ And then, 2010 came knocking, and musically, nothing appeared to be happening. Instead, we were greeted with tabloidesque news stories about the band parting ways with... everyone. “It was the worst”, lead singer John Baillie Jnr confirms, “We went through a major personnel change. We had to leave our label, change management, it was basically one lawsuit after another.” Fortunately, their saviour came knocking in the shape of erstwhile music producer Ross Robinson, who worked on the band’s sophomore record ‘There Is A Way’. Robinson came complete with a reputation as the ‘godfather of nu-metal’, with previous credits including Korn, Slipknot and, more recently, Klaxons, who left the building just as Dananananaykroyd arrived. “They were there the whole summer. If you see Ross’ mansion, three months is just ridiculous, it’s like... three months in a hot tub on the roof.” And working with Robinson, that must’ve

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been interesting, right? “There were tears, skateboarding, tantrums... the full spectrum of human emotions,” guitarist David Roy confesses, before John expands on the story. “It was very full on, making you feel uncomfortable, and getting all the raw emotion out of you. Basically prodding you with a big stick, until you cried music. The first two days, he wouldn’t speak to us. He eventually told us it was so we trusted the unknown. And it worked.” So now the hard work begins, because there’s even more riding on this record, as the band are releasing it on their own Pizza College label. “When you’re signed,” John tells us, “you get paid an advance, but all the money that’s spent on the record gets paid off on your tiny chunk. We were never going to make any money, ever. And it’s better to have all the creative control.” But if the pressure of going it alone is weighing heavily on the band’s shoulders, it doesn’t show. Talk turns to their namesake, Canadian actor Dan Aykroyd, and whether they were the ones to edit his Wikipedia entry to mention themselves. “We definitely didn’t do that!,” John denies emphatically, “Apparently he likes Scottish indie music though, he likes Sons and Daughters. Who we don’t sound anything like. But aye, he maybe knows we exist. We did meet Bill Murray in Chi-

“RECORDING THE ALBUM WAS VERY FULL ON. BASICALLY PRODDING YOU WITH A BIG STICK, UNTIL YOU CRIED MUSIC.” cago, and they have a chain of restaurants together. Maybe he told him?” As our time together draws to an end, we touch upon the video for recent single ‘Muscle Memory’, which saw Dananananaykroyd larking around in different coloured Adidas tracksuits. So are they preparing to give it all up and secretly work towards a new deal as official Adidas supermodels? “All we did was ask them if we could have some tracksuits so we could look like Ben Stiller in the Royal Tenenbaums,” David confesses, “That’s what we were going for, and it meant we got the tracksuits for free. As the slightly chubbier one, I got the big yellow jumpsuit thing, I wasn’t very happy with that. I got to keep it though, I sit in the garden drinking whiskey, thinking about my old career as a tennis coach. If they want to give us more, that’s fine! We’ll dance in their adverts. Please?” Dananananaykroyd’s new album ‘There Is A Way’ is out now via Pizza College.

60 SECONDS WITH PATRICK STUMP

60 Seconds With:

PATRICK STUMP

Patrick Stump is perhaps most famed as the Fall Out Boy frontman who took a backseat. With his band on an indefinite hiatus, Patrick is finally ready to step into the limelight, and this time, he’s doing it his way. The ‘Truant Wave’ EP was your first solo material to be made public, that must’ve been quite nerve-wracking for you? It was to put it out! Writing and recording, the artistic side of things is always easy and fun, kind of effortless. I’m not really thinking, I’m just enjoying and focussing on it. I just wanted to know that somebody got it; that anybody heard it. You always believe in your records. How have reactions been to it so far? Great! I feel like you are, to a certain extent, cocooned with people that support you so I play these shows and it’s all people who want to see it; that’s kind of misleading sometimes. There’s been some negative, of course, but any departure is going to be just that. I’m happy with it, and I think there are enough people that are happy with it that it’s all I really was hoping for.

ing process work with your solo material? Oddly, exactly the same. I talked to other song writers who’d never had the experience of writing music to someone else’s lyrics and it’s a very different experience. When you’re writing your own stuff, you’ll typically come up with the melody and worry about the words last. Pete and I have completely different lyrical styles but the way I’m applying my lyrics to the music ends up being very similar to the way I do it with his. Except I’m a lot more willing to change things after I’ve put it in. If I’m not 100% sure on a word here or there, I can tweak it forever. It’s a totally parallel experience to Fall Out Boy. I can’t imagine that they would ever sound like each other because I can’t write the way Pete writes, it’s just not possible.

Did you do all of the instrumentation? On the EP, I played everything but the strings and there are a couple of guests so it is a little bit more collaborative. On the album though, I did every note, everything. I recorded the EP after the album partially because I’d played everything and it was like, “Man, it’d be really nice to have someone else in the studio right now.” It gets a little lonely after a while.

You’ve been through album campaigns before, but what’s been the strangest part of this release to do solo? I guess the strangest thing is how not strange a lot of it has been. I was really scared of a lot of it. I was scared of talking on stage. And videos. Of photoshoots, of being the centre of the photoshoot. I was scared of playing all these instruments in front of people. Everyone knows me as a guitar player and I’ve never played a lot of these other things in front of people. All that stuff. My lyrics, I was terrified of people seeing my lyrics! And there are a lot of people that like my lyrics, which was great. I guess to a certain extent it feels like split personalities, but everyone’s multi-faceted, I guess. No one is one thing. Comedians get sad and The Cure have happy songs.

With Fall Out Boy your music had to fit around Pete’s words. How did the writ-

Patrick Stump’s new album ‘Soul Punk’ will be released later this year via Mercury.

Your album is due out this summer, is that going to be similar stylistically? Energy-wise it’s a bit less all over the place. The album’s a little bit more nuanced, but it’ll be hard to describe until you hear it.

70 thisisfakediy.co.uk

INTERVIEW DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

Having a Billboard Number 1 album, selling out arenas and marrying the beautiful Zooey Deschanel within two years would suggest that life is pretty sweet for Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard. With the release of ‘Codes and Keys’, the frontman tells Alexia Kapranos how his new experiences and old life have shaped their latest musical output.

Your last record ‘Narrow Stairs’ was apparently influenced by heavy sludge music, and ‘Codes and Keys’ is said to be less guitar centric. Is this the case? Well, it’s not our ‘Kid A’. There are certainly guitars on this record, but they’re more textural rather than being used to prop up the songs. It’s kind of like Death Cab up in Space, but with the focus of seeing Earth. Maybe this could be the next record they play on the Moon? I hope so, but if I ever go on the Moon, I’m playing Brian Eno’s ‘An Ending (An Ascent)’ from ‘Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks’, which is the most beautiful piece of music ever recorded. Good to hear you’re not a vain rocker then! But if you were to choose one song on the new record that you’re most proud of, which would it be? ‘Doors Unlocked and Open’ because I tend to be a verbose songwriter and I use the first verse of a song to set up a scene, but with this it’s as focused a picture as I could make. I like how it opens up, the fact that it’s longer and the change from a very minor to a very major key. Single ‘You Are A Tourist’ says “If you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born, then it’s time to go.” Does this refer to your move from Washington to LA? It was certainly inspired by it! It’s about coming home and suddenly it feels very foreign to you because people have been living their lives in one place while you’ve been living your life in many, so the place 72 thisisfakediy.co.uk

becomes less familiar. Moving to a new city made me realise how little I knew the people in the place I called home for so many years – not in a bad way, but a bittersweet way. On record I know I have trash-talked Los Angeles, but I’ve grown to love it. So how has being married coloured your perspectives in your latest songs? I pride myself as being very honest as a songwriter. Not that the songs are about me, but what happens to the circle of people around you is always going to make it onto the album. You’ve spoken about how your writing is more balanced since you stopped drinking. Was alcohol ever a benefit for getting your creative juices flowing? Even when I was a drinker, I always wrote sober! There’s always someone worse than you and there’s always someone who drinks more, but for me, enough was enough. Drink was never an inspiration for me. It’s pathetic when artists hide behind vices and use them as a crutch for their creativity. I don’t think it’s necessary to be a drug addict or womaniser to make good art. Pink Floyd didn’t do as many drugs as the people who listened to them! Kerouac was not good because he drank but because he was an amazing writer. Have you seen Shane MacGowan recently?! It’s really sad – one of our generation’s greater songwriters – and he’s so far gone… he’ll never write something great again. What sparked your shooting a one-take

live music video for ‘You Are A Tourist’? No one has ever shot a live video before, so we took the idea to [our record label] Atlantic, who suggested Tim Nackashi as director. They did all the hard work, heavy lifting and we just had to waltz in! What is the message of the title ‘Codes and Keys’? The secret codes we have in our lives and the secret languages we have with those people – inside jokes, slang and the codes that connect you to a person so that only the two of you know that language. Or to Chris, it’s the code to get into your apartment or open your phone or other lines of communication. Key is the other part of it – there’s the key to open up your heart or a door, which is also metaphorically between you and other people. Finally, with your band’s name being Death Cab, have you ever had an inspirational taxi ride? One time I had an Eastern European cab driver who was working 20 hours a day to put his daughter through college. He was an example of someone working so hard to make a life for himself and his family, which was moving when there’s such negativity and bullshit that people come to our country and “take jobs” when immigrants are the backbone of this country. I can’t imagine – even with all my travelling in the band – how hard it must be to leave everything you’ve ever known and start over. Death Cab For Cutie’s new album ‘Codes & Keys’ is out now via Atlantic.

“I KNOW I’VE TRASH TALKED LOS ANGELES, BUT I’VE GROWN TO LOVE IT.”

INTERVIEW WOLF GANG

“EVERYONE IN LONDON WANTS TO BE A MUSICIAN”

LONE WOLF Never formally trained as a musician, Max McElligott is about to find himself thrust into the big time. With a debut album imminent, the man better known as Wolf Gang tells us why he’s determined to make it big. Photography: Adrian Nettleship “I was in my third year of university. I came down to London to study, got three years down the way, and dropped out because I wanted to do music,” Max McElligott begins, leaning casually back into the swanky sofas on the Atlantic Records roof terrace. With his confident manner and assertive tone, you almost find yourself agreeing with his logic.

neers to do all of their dirty work, and they just come in to say ‘turn that up’ or ‘turn that down,’ but he’s very hands on.

“I didn’t tell my parents until after I’d done it,” he smiles. “My mum was really upset and everyone was saying, ‘Max, you know, everyone in London wants to be a musician.’ But I was really serious about it and worked really hard.”

“Growing up in a village, surrounded by mountains and the sea, definitely has had an effect in terms of the soundscape of my music. Maybe if I’d lived in a city all of my life the music would mirror that, but I think because there was all this space around me, there’s a lot of space in the music.”

These days, more commonly known as Wolf Gang, our protagonist is a major label contract away from his past conundrum, and with the release of his debut album on the horizon, it looks like McElligott’s gamble has paid off. After being tracked down and transported to North America by established producer Dave Fridmann (MGMT, Flaming Lips), Wolf Gang found himself holed up in a woodland studio. “It was very low key,” he says. “It was just me and him and no one else. Most big producers will have engi74 thisisfakediy.co.uk

“It was really intense, just me and him,” Max fidgets, “But we got on really well and worked really fast together.” And the wooden landscape turned out to be a familiar backdrop for the self-taught musician.

Never receiving any formal music tuition, McElligott prefers to opt for what feels right when writing new material. “I usually just start with the piano or a guitar, and I stumble across some chord progression or melody which might become a chorus or just a verse. Then I build on that, add other instruments, start to get more of a feel for it and think about lyrics. It’s a very natural process,” he explains. “It’s all by ear and just recording and feeling my way forwards.” In order to take his musical creation on the

road, Max is joined by a live band on tour, all of which emulate his by-ear approach when learning the material. With a recently acquired pianist freeing up the frontman from behind the keys, Wolf Gang have not long finished a pre-release tour. “People always say that it sounds quite a bit heavier than the record,” he grins excitedly. “I think the record’s like a pristine example of these songs: it’s all very clear and sparkly almost with weird elements to it but the band thing is definitely a different beast, it’s got more of a swagger. “I was stuck behind this piano for most of last year, singing and trying to be a frontman as well. It was very difficult to juggle all of that without hitting the wrong notes.” But what is he making of his new found freedom? “I was a bit worried at first! I was a bit like, ‘Oh, my moves, will they cut the mustard?!’ but I’m really enjoying it. “I don’t think about it too much,” he concludes. “But I do enjoy it. You can express more with your voice when you’re not having to worry about other things as well.” Wolf Gang’s debut album ‘Suego Faults’ will be released on 25th July via Atlantic Records.

BACK STORY TELLISON

ALBUMS Back Story...

Behind every album is the story of it’s inception. Occasionally, it’s actually quite interesting. DIY caught up with Tellison lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Stephen Davidson to hear the story of how their latest album, ‘The Wages Of Fear’, came into being.

About a year ago I was in Henry’s [Danowski, drums] basement in Hammersmith putting the finishing touches to some demos for ‘The Wages Of Fear’. We’d spent the previous three years doing roughly similar things: meeting up on days off and recording whoever happened to show up to practice that day. About thirty songs later we settled on fourteen to record with Peter Miles and his glamorous assistant James “Rhythmic Jim” Bragg. We all went into a rehearsal studio in Shepherd’s Bush and they listened to everything and we pulled all the songs apart and glued them back together. Mostly this involved Pete telling us to take the Oasis guitar solos out and actually work out how to play our instruments. The start of June saw Henry, Andy [Tickell, bass] and I drive to Devon to collect Pete’s “studio” in many weighty flight cases from under Jim’s house. We loaded up two van’s worth of equipment and drove to the Scot78 thisisfakediy.co.uk

tish borders. The house we recorded most of the album in was on the side of a massive hill in Innerleithen. It used to belong to the man who owned Glenmorangie Whiskey. We spent the next few weeks recording three different drum kits in different rooms, countless combinations of guitars and basses through myriad amplifiers and pedals and committing take after take of vocals to record. One night we ate some Chinese food. There was a lot of pizza and the World Cup going on. I remember an aborted BBQ, a wild dog and a lot of door slamming. We recorded the vocals to ‘My Wife’s Grave Is In Paris’ in the middle of the night with all the lights off and the moon shining through the windows. I think the other guys all went off for lovely country walks, picked wild strawberries and played badminton in the garden. I remember there being a lot of sun. I generally had to stay indoors with Pete and stare at his computer until my brain began to dissolve.

After three weeks we drove back to England and everyone went back to work: Peter [Phillips, guitar / vox] was managing an arts cinema in Cambridge, I was selling mobile phones, Andy was an office temp and Henry got some session work. We took some time away from recording to let the dust settle and then came back together in Henry’s basement for the finishing touches. We recorded over several weeks until the thing was fairly finished and started to show it to various labels. Very few were forthcoming. Happily Simon Drake at Naim Records ended up getting in touch with our management. As a label they’re forward thinking and realise that being in a band now is quite different to how it was ten or twenty years ago. Also Simon, like myself, supports Yeovil Town Football Club so we kind of had to sign with them. The album’s title, ‘The Wages Of Fear’, comes from a 1950s French film but also references the circumstances of the record’s

Tellison

The Wages Of Fear Well, this is a turn up for the books. Did any of us see this one coming? Not very likely. We have the best indie-pop album of the year on our hands, and it’s by Tellison. Tellison?! Really?! Yes, really. If we had been told, a year or so ago, that the same band who made ‘Contact! Contact!’ would return with a record like this, we would have been hard-pressed to believe it. Then again, this would have been well before the lead single from what would eventually become ‘The Wages of Fear’, the superlative ‘Collarbone’, was unleashed. Believe us when we say it’s not even close to being the best song on the album. Tellison have always been an immediate band at heart, but this time around they’re wearing it on their collective sleeve. If it was covered up before, now it’s in plain sight. Even before ‘Get On’, a song about the group’s struggles with writer’s block, has finished, the message is clear: after a few years in the wildnerness, the band are back, and they’re not fucking around.

creation. I saw the film on my first trip to New York in the summer of 2008. Tellison has always had to be a part-time venture to allow its members to complete their educations and pay their bills. It’s forced us to make sacrifices as far as careers go so that we can continue to make music, release records and go on tour. I think the title works as a hook from which you can hang all sorts of elements: working bad jobs you don’t enjoy, worrying about if, when and how we’d ever make another record, the frustrations of trying to exist in an industry that is falling apart. I think it works well as a warning too, it reminds us (hopefully) not to let so much time go before the next record. The songs on this record are an attempt by us to crystalise what it is we enjoy about making music. In the four years it took to put together we worked our way through two or three album’s worth of quite varied songs. Ultimately we realised that we liked things best when we kept stuff simple, and

...MOSTLY THIS INVOLVED PETE MILES TELLING US TO TAKE THE OASIS GUITAR SOLOS OUT AND ACTUALLY WORK OUT HOW TO PLAY OUR INSTRUMENTS. we concentrated on pairing music that was interesting, impactful and fun to play with lyrical content that was real. Personally I took my cues in terms of song-writing for this record from people like Dave Bazan, Devon Williams, Al Paxton and The Weakerthans. They can all put together a simple three or four minute pop song that really hits you hard in the gut and that you can listen to over and over, finding new levels of meaning and texture.

After its stunning opener, a string of potential hit singles follows: the ‘Hamlet’-referencing ‘Say Silence (Heaven And Earth)’; ‘Know Thy Foe’ (which features the biggest chorus on the whole album, and that’s saying something); and ‘Collarbone’ itself - let’s be honest, in a different world, that song would have catapulted them to prominence. In much the same manner as ‘The Wages of Fear’ seems set to, in fact. Throughout most of the album, things are kept upbeat. There are three notable exceptions: the brilliantly-titled ‘Freud Links The Teeth And The Heart’; ‘Tell It To Thebes’; and ‘My Wife’s Grave Is In Paris’, which, as its title would suggest, isn’t the most cheerful song in the world, but fair dues to Tellison, who manage to turn a song with a chorus of ‘I wish I’d never met you’ into something almost euphoric. This is quite telling: the band are entirely rejuvenated, having changed direction and created what is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the albums of the year. Nobody could possibly blame them for being so optimistic. They’re in a rich vein of form - hopefully something that ensures we don’t have to wait another four years for album number three. (Gareth O’Malley) 79

REVIEWS ALBUMS

BATTLES

WU LYF

Following Tyondai Braxton’s premature departure many doubted Battles’ ability to create another album as charismatic as their debut. ‘Mirrored’ was a math-rock odyssey, with twists and turns around every twist and turn. It was an amazing ride of a record. It’s hard to recreate that amount of energy for any band, let alone when you’re minus one member.

The ongoing stalemate between WU LYF and the UK music industry has been leading to this point. ‘Go Tell Fire to the Mountain’ is the self released, self produced debut of the most subtle yet effervescent band in the UK. But are the tunes any good? Time for the collective sigh of all the hyper-uppers and clarion callers; yes is the definitive answer. After what seemed like a never-ending stream of mysterious PR stunts, we can finally put flesh on the translucent bones of WU LYF.

Gloss Drop

ARCTIC MONKEYS Suck It And See

If popular music has taught us anything, it’s that the law of probability dictates that Arctic Monkeys’ career trajectory should be plotted thus; release outstanding debut album, and then fail to ever match it’s artistic merits, despite exclamations that each subsequent album is definitely (maybe) better, before disappearing into a cocaine fuelled fog and/or spending the rest of their days hiding in their f**k off big house in the country and/or joining Primal Scream. But the Arctic Monkeys don’t appear to follow the rulebook, as fourth album ‘Suck It And See’ proves rather emphatically, they haven’t even bothered to read it. What should be a foray into middle age, after all they’re (cough) mid twenties, this is anything but the turgid rock album that by rights they should now be turning out. Instead, it’s an altogether poppier affair, more instantaneous than ‘Humbug’, less frenetic than ‘Whatever You Say I Am...”. It’s packed to the rafters with Generation XX’s Official Poet Laureate, Alex Turner’s trademark caustic lyrics, whilst Jamie Cook throws out guitar shapes that Johnny Marr himself would be proud of. Having returned to James Ford’s production fold, the influence of previous collaborator Josh Homme is felt only sporadically, most notably on ‘Brick By Brick’. Elsewhere, the sound is less classic rock, more vintage rock’n’roll. ‘She’s Thunderstorms’, with a solitary guitar riff driving it forward, introduces the listener to the heartfelt tone of the album. Fresh from it’s outing on Turner’s solo EP, ‘Piledriver Waltz’ is reworked as a band effort, the atmospheric effect of the guitars complimented by Turner’s pithy lyrics. Moreover, if the euphoric ‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala’, isn’t a single, nay, the single, of the summer, then someone needs to be fired. But it’s album closer ‘That’s Where You’re Wrong’ that really sparkles, making a genuine play for Best Arctic Monkey’s Song Of All Time. Filled with crashing, joyful guitar lines, and underpinned by an urgent drum beat, it’s just begging to fill indie discos across the land. And when that does happen, I bet we all look good on that dancefloor, too. (Simone Scott Warren)

Thankfully, ‘Gloss Drop’ is looking to follow much the same trajectory; this is an album on the move. Opener ‘Africastle’ flits from brooding guitars and synths to full throttle rifforama in a matter of seconds while ‘Ice Cream’, with its ever contorting guitars, is also deliciously nimble on the ears. It’s on tracks like ‘Wall Street’ and ‘Futura’ where the record really reaches its groove, the former being an absolutely skitz amalgamation of distortion and chirping keyboards. Regeneration at this speed makes ‘Gloss Drop’ an album destined for the live experience. You can imagine any of the songs here being the soundtrack to an amazing night in a dingy North London venue. What ‘Gloss Drop’ shows is that Battles are not a mere one trick pony; they have plenty of mileage left in their collective tank. It may not be greeted with the same adoration as ‘Mirrored’ but through perseverance this album reveals itself to be more than equal. Battles’ trademark avante garde-ness remains, but with a poppier aftertaste. A frenetic, kinetic, unsympathetic behemoth of an album.(George Boorman)

Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

Opener ‘L Y F’ fades in with regal organ chords before descending into a reverb laden emotional stretch, Ellery Roberts gravelly call echoing into the abyss of the church in which the album was recorded. The acoustics of the recording environment are apparent in every song, bringing an atmospheric reverberation to every vocal stretch and organ chord. Despite Roberts’ lyrics being almost unintelligible, there is a strong theme throughout the record, and it’s as loopy and symbolic as we’ve come to expect; the story of a boy who sees the superficiality of his father’s living, so is exiled. Not that you can hear any of it through the emotional screeches. ‘Go Tell Fire to the Mountain’ is an album of highs and lows, not allowing you to settle in to one sound. WU LYF don’t do mediocre. For those acquainted with the band it’s plain sailing; this voyage is one too compelling to miss. (George Boorman)

WOLF GANG

WILEY

The more you listen, the more Max McElligott’s musical vision in the form of Wolf Gang’s debut album sounds like Patrick Wolf at his happiest (‘Stay and Defend’) or ‘Congratulations’-era MGMT (‘Back to Back’). Produced by Dan Fridmann (who worked on this album around producing Flaming Lips), ‘Suego Faults’ is full of enjoyable, easily accessible, well-arranged tracks that either bounce athletically or flow effortlessly like a gentle stream. Single ‘Dancing with the Devil’ and ‘The King and All of His Men’ show McElligott at his finest: synth poppy, peppy and faultless. An excellent first effort. (Mary Chang)

Grime’s slow dilution into a form that more pop-loving audiences will accept has put the once-vibrant genre into stasis. ‘100% Publishing’, so named because it was created entirely independently, is Wiley’s reaction to seeing the the scene he helped create slowly dissipate. This is a statement of intent, solidarity and independence all rolled into a single package of slick, sparse beats underpinning Wiley’s relentless flow. It might not be successful for just that reason, but it’s nice to know that there are still flagbearers for the scene. As Wiley himself puts it on the title track, “I know some don’t care about the grime scene, but I’m gonna ‘til I die.” ( Joe Skrebels)

EMMY THE GREAT

IS TROPICAL

As ‘Virtue’ begins, it’s already apparent that this is a very different Emmy The Great. Her debut album ‘First Love’ was a nice collection of songs, but it lacked any real structure; the follow up, however, is brimming with purpose, clever lyrics and wonderfully grandiose backing vocals. At times, the record is in danger of being slightly anonymous, as if it couldn’t quite be decided on a particular sound, but it’s a minor fault; there is enough of the original Emmy to make it captivating. Despite being inspired by the loss of a relationship, it is anything but self indulgent; it’s a beautifully observed piece of commentary on an obviously heartbreaking event. (Leah Henson)

The clattering guitars and sundrenched synths of Is Tropical beckon with all the vigour of a 1960s Beach Boys party on the sandy shores. Insistently dreamy or dreamily insistent, ‘Native To’ plots points everywhere on the fuzzy pop map. The most prominent feature of this landscape is ‘The Greeks’, with catchy riffs, marching synths and a deceptively simple structure. Elsewhere opener ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Zombies’ (imagine Klaxons making a better, more tuneful, B-side to ‘Four Horsemen’) offer the delights. The slow middle section of the album is perhaps uninspiring but ‘Native To’ never lacks quality, each track offering something to someone. (Matthew Davies)

Suego Faults

Virtue

100% Publishing

Native To

THE HORRORS Skying

We’re pretty sure Brett Anderson isn’t dead yet (and he better not be by the time this goes to press - Ed), yet on ‘Monica Gems’ Farris Badwan is channelling him like a particularly flamboyant poltergeist. It might sound mad; in fact it’s The Horrors’ career high to date. Reinventing themselves yet again with third album ‘Skying’, this time there’s more than a hint of the British revolution of the early 90s. Not the overblown arse end of Britpop, you understand, but that early spark of Suede and Blur passed through a spectrum of wondrous discord. More accomplished than before, lead single ‘Still Life’ sums up The Horrors Mk III the best - a potential festival anthem without the slightest hint of lad rock, pop punk or even a chorus, it seems the balance between immediacy and art may finally have been found. (Stephen Ackroyd)

REVIEWS ALBUMS

DANANANANAYKROYD

FOSTER THE PEOPLE

After his critically acclaimed EP ‘Pictures’, comes the first fulllength from Benjamin Francis Leftwich. The question is whether he can sustain the same level of quality over the course of an album. Whilst perhaps a couple of songs outstay their welcome, there are few nits to pick in what will surely be remembered as one of the best debuts of the year – blending a mixture of moods from melancholia to bright-eyed optimism with great style. With unwavering composure, Leftwich offers us an album that meets all expectations – an album of refreshing depth. (Maxwell Baker)

If there’s one album that Dananananaykroyd base their entire fun, gung-ho disposition on, it’s At The Drive In’s ‘Relationship Of Command’. Suitably, step two in the six-piece’s grand plan involves hiring the producer of said LP (Ross Robinson) for ‘There Is A Way’. Whilst this record does nothing to break a previous mould, it further embeds the band’s potential of becoming cult heroes on the live circuit. Crowd chants are etched in between tracks, encapsulating the heroic live experience the group provide. As you might have expected, it’s completely devoid of any dull moments. ( Jamie Milton)

Mark Fosters’ Californian three piece Foster The People are a major label executives’ wet dream: combining ‘Oracular Spectacular’ era MGMT with the first Scissor Sisters album, their hooks are catchier than a damn catchy thing, and the strength of their melodies means the likes of ‘Helena Beat’, ‘Call It What You Want’ and summer smash ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ storm your brain like they’re the police to your crack house and refuse to leave. Whilst it’s not a life changing record, ‘Torches’ could well be the one which represents Summer 2011. Sometimes, you don’t need more than that. ( Joe O’Sullivan)

SBTRKT

FAIR OH

CRYSTAL ANTLERS

Ideally, you want your debut album to be the moment that you break through – though the mysterious SBTRKT has never really been an artist to indulge in such egotism. So instead this self titled LP is used as a canvas for fellow Young Turks artist Sampha to announce his arrival on the pantheon of aspiring greats, providing the standout moments with his many guest appearances particularly on ‘Trials of the Past’. Still, this is a splendid effort with some delicious beats and production never short of spectacular, a heady mish-mash of ideas and guile that is consistently rewarding, even if it does somehow end up the bridesmaid at it’s own wedding. (Matthew Britton)

If you’ve already heard the title track of Fair Ohs’ ‘Everything Is Dancing’, then you already know what to expect from this debut: throughout it’s 35 minutes, there’s hardly a moment that doesn’t yearn to be described as sundrenched. The fact that they’re from London rather than L.A. hasn’t stopped them making one of the albums of the summer, all twanging guitars and awkward harmonies – if Good Shoes had an ounce of cool and a bit more talent, they’d probably want to make an album like this. The style might be limiting, but they’re so good at it it’d only take a genuine grouch to actually care. (Matthew Britton)

Leaving the best song on your album until last is just fine if you have enough good material before it to keep the listener interested.

BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH

Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm

SBTRKT

There Is A Way

Everything Is Dancing

Torches

Two-Way Mirror

Disappointingly, this is not the case with Crystal Antlers’ ‘Two-Way Mirror’, a tame album with but a handful of tracks to redeem it. The LP is occasionally obnoxious, as demonstrated by the saxophone noodling in ‘Always Afraid’, and ultimately directionless. Though ‘Dog Days’ is a pretty epic track in both sound and length, you can’t help but feel this would work much better with half the songs, released as an EP. ( Jack Urwin)

YACHT

Shangri-La ‘Shangri-La’ is a mid-tempo dance album that wants to be the feel good (although dystopic) hit of the summer. Unfortunately for Yacht, their last LP ‘See Mystery Lights’ already conquered this territory. A unique summer dance album, it was constructed from strange synthesizer sounds, shout along choruses, and skittery drums. ‘Shangri-La’ tries to mine similar territory but falls flat, lacking the crucial builds, breaks, and buoyancy. Many of the same elements are still in place but there is a certain equilibrium to the album that rarely changes. ‘Shangri-La’ is still a good album in its own right, but it lacks the charisma to define your summer dance party. (Willis Arnold)

PATRICK WOLF Lupercalia

This album is not the promised second half of ‘Battle’; important because the first was such a patchy record. ‘Lupercalia’, by contrast, flows perfectly, songs linked by sound as well as theme. The result is Patrick Wolf ’s most cohesive full-length since ‘Wind In The Wires’, this time shamelessly poppy. These songs are all cut from the same cloth: bold, sweeping statements that declare that Wolf has exorcised his demons once and for all. (Gareth O’Malley)

ALEX CLARE

The Lateness Of The Hour If the hype is to be believed, there is much pressure on Alex Clare’s highly anticipated debut. With Switch and Diplo on the producer credits, Major Lazer seem to once again work their magic on ‘The Lateness of the Hour’. This is a slick, smooth, sexy affair which will no doubt soften the more cynical and hardhearted among us. From a thumping bass to unashamed love ballads with a dubstep backdrop, Clare’s honey dipped vocals and song-writing talents finds this record a perfect antidote to the vacuous milieu of what passes for genre mixed dance / pop / dubstep affairs these days. (Aysha Hussain)

TOM VEK

Leisure Seizure We don’t mean to alarm anyone, but Tom Vek might be a Time Lord. It’s not just that his music has always seemed a step ahead of it’s time, but who else could lose six years between albums and not break step? It turns out tales of breakdowns are far from the truth; ‘Leisure Seizure’ is the record fans would have hoped to hear. With a mix of the familiar and the new, the off kilter chimes of ‘We Do Nothing’ spell it out best: “I can’t believe you’ve taken all of this time.” (Stephen Ackroyd)

REVIEWS SINGLES

Celebrity Singles

WITH KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES You know what they say - people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. We like going against the grain, though - we’ve given Kids In Glass Houses’ Iain Mahanty a whole heap of half bricks to throw at this month’s singles. Hard-Fi, start running now.

GROUPLOVE

TWIN ATLANTIC

WASHED OUT

I’d hoped the hand claps that book end this song sum up their ethos, and it seems as the chorus belts in they do. There’s a 90s american indie feel; it seems like they’re having fun. Reminds me of a more poppy Bear Hands. Good flow to the song, builds and drops really nicely. I’m really into the guitar solo at the end.

Twin have been kicking around for a while now and it’s good to see that their sound has progressed. It’s refreshing to see bands in the UK not afraid to play rock music with their guitars. The chorus is pretty soaring and I hope it’s the year they get the recognition they’ve been working for all this time.

Synth pop of an 80s ilk with a vocal from the early 90s in a poppier Primal Scream kind of way. The band name sums up the song, in that the vocals are drenched in reverb. There’s a little twist that you can’t quite put your finger on. I’d be really interested to hear the rest of the record, as I really like this tune.

ANNA CALVI

HARD FI

Good For Nothing

THE HISTORY OF APPLE PIE

There’s an Arcade Fire feel, in that it’s a really interesting, theatrical song. I’m sure there are Kate Bush references to every talented, female vocalist / songwriter, and I get Nick Cave from the delivery and to a certain extent lyrics as well. That’s a compliment by the way. The build that pulls you out of the middle 8 is epic, really takes you somewhere.

Sounds like Happy Mondays covering Jay-Z, maybe Perry Farrell has turned up for a little sing song too. The over processed feel has killed all the swagger. By no means is this a bad song, it just feels like the potential has remained potential. I think lyrically a lot of people will be able to relate, which is maybe what has always drawn people to Hard Fi?

The late 80s early 90s revival thing, I’m into it. It ticks all the right boxes of Dinosaur Jr, MBV, Sonic Youth etc. The History Of Apple Pie have a great lo-fi feel, pop sensibilities and a hint of noise. With bands from the UK like Yuck doing really well for themselves you can see this, hopefully, following suit.

Itchin’ On A Photograph

Desire

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Time For You To Stand Up

Eyes Be Closed

You’re So Cool

REVIEWS LIVE

LIVE LIVE

DOT TO DOT

Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester DIY was at Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester’s Dot To Dot Festival as a swanky ‘media partner’ this year. As well as helping the revellers pick out some ace bands to watch, we also got chance to bring you some snaps of the event itself. It’s like you were there, but everyone was being really still. Photography: Victor Frankowski.

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GIG GUIDE

Most months, there are a lot of gigs; especially true if you’re in London or one of the other big cities. It can be difficult to know what to go and see, can’t it? Well, we’ve trawled the July listings for you to pull out a few of the best. JULY 01 I Like Trains @ Brudenell Social Club, 01 Beardyman @ Trinity College, Oxford 01 Charlie Simpson @ O2 Academy 3,

THE KILLS

Roundhouse, London It’s almost shocking that a band who sound like The Kills are as popular as their headline set at this 3300-capacity north London venue confirms. After all, this glitchy art-rock duo - Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince - had to communicate across the Atlantic via mail in their early days, unable to find others sharing their musical visions closer to Florida and London respectively. Even on their latest album, the Top 40-brushing ‘Blood Pressures’ released earlier this year, the pair’s niche noises appear more suited to damp, dingy basements than the pseudoarena they find themselves in tonight. Then again, it’s not really that much of a surprise. While we’re now years past wondering whether two can make enough racket to fill a venue - Alison’s sometime collaborator Jack White’s ‘other band’ and recent comeback kings Death From Above 1979 just two examples of definitively answering that question - The Kills will never be potential stadium-fillers. Thankfully, due to the exposed brickwork and iron columns of the Roundhouse

make it less huge plastic box and more warehouse. Here, the giant space above the crowd’s heads is matched by that of the duo’s songs. From raucous opener, ‘No Wow’, to the twisted country riff of encore closer, ‘Fried My Little Brains’ via oddball recent single ‘Satellite’, it’s as much the gaps left by what isn’t there as it is the gorgeously distorted riffs. That’s not to suggest The Kills don’t control the venue tonight: while Jamie’s managing the noise, flitting between staring out front with his guitar and down at the drum machinery to the side, his bandmate spends her time dancing erratically around the microphone, hairflinging and standing on monitors. By the time a rousing ‘Last Goodbye’ sees a sequinned Alison climbing atop the speaker stack, she’s long conquered the rest of the leopard print-clad stage itself. (Emma Swann)

Birmingham 01 Sons & Daughters @ SWG3, Glasgow 01-03 Beat-Herder @ Gisburn, Lancashire 01-03 Hop Farm @ Tonbridge, Kent 01-03 Wireless Festival @ Hyde Park, London 02 The Hidden Cameras @ Barbican Centre, London 02 The Flaming Lips @ Jodrell Bank, Manchester 02 Villagers @ Komedia, Brighton 03 Vetiver @ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 03 Bjork @ Campfield Market Hall, Manchester 04 Death Cab For Cutie @ Academy, Manchester 05 Beady Eye @ Roundhouse, London 06 Eels @ The Dome, Brighton 06 Weezer @ O2 Academy Brixton, London 06 Tame Impala @ Sound Control, Manchester 07 The Beach Boys @ Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom 07 Morrissey @ O2 Academy, Leeds 08-10 Lounge On The Farm @ Canterbury, Kent 08-10 NASS @ Shepton Mallet, Somerset 08-10 Oxegen @ Punchestown Racecourse, Naas 08-10 T In The Park @ Kinross, Scotland 08-10 Sonisphere @ Knebworth House, Hertfordshire 09 1234 Shoreditch @ Shoreditch Park, London 11 Braids @ Prince Albert, Brighton 12 Bright Eyes @ The Sage, Gateshead 12 Odd Future @ HMV Institute, Birmingham 13 Blondie @ Somerset House, London 13 Basement Jaxx @ Barbican Centre, London 14 Isobel Campbell & Mark

Lanegan @ Manchester Cathedral, Manchester

Tom Watkins/ Rex features

REVIEWS LIVE

PRIMAVERA SOUND 2011

Barcelona, Spain DAY 1: Anticipation: Man it’s hot. Only mad-dogs and Englishmen are out. Should be buying into mañana, mañana, should be indulging in afternoon kip. But no way, not today, we’re at Primavera and it’s all about fiesta not siesta. Sky and sea melt together in purest blue, the sun blasts vitamin D upon pasty faces. The site is a giant waterside concrete playground. Just picture the setting and compare the Reading dustbowl or Green Man downpour. This place drenches everyone in Sunshine Attitude. This place makes people happy. No one could hate Sufjan Stevens’ jubilant show though; an art installation full of love. Simultaneously preposterous, celebratory and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Baroque folksiness, giant swan wings, pure 80s synth, spaceships, outsiders and the most euphoric ‘Chicago’ imaginable. 88 thisisfakediy.co.uk

You think you’ve seen everything and then you see Grinderman, you see Nick Cave grab an unsuspecting Warren Ellis by the arm and hurl him to the floor, you see Nick Cave skipping about singing “tippy toe, tippy toe” before standing stock-still and bellowing “I just wanna… RELAX” while the brutal drums punch us in the face, slug us in the gut. Can the Flaming Lips step to that? Of course they can, of course they’re great, of course the balloon and glitter barrage still thrills, and of course ‘Do You Realize?’ is still the most important song of a generation. Occasionally though, and it hurts to say, it feels a little flat, even tired. Now other bands can match the Flaming Lips live experience they need to raise the bar once more, blow us away again. DAY 2: Tension: Jesus we’re so nervous about Pulp. Aias relax us and do cute

shambles Spanish indiepop boasting double sax attack, but M.Ward serving up cheeseball rock’n’roll when he should do coffee-drowned blues isn’t helping. Thank gawd The Fiery Furnaces are jagged, schizoid and cool beyond reproach. And thank gawd for Belle & Sebastian, thank the Lord for their pop suss, for a ‘Sinister’ heavy set, for dancing, joy, tears and dreams of horses. But, even amongst this, there’s still just one word gnawing at our minds: Pulp. “Oh, now it’s getting late. He’s so straight. (deliberate pause) Do you remember the first time?” The.Place.Explodes. These songs that we know so well, that we love so hard, these songs destroy us, are absolutely colossal, I swear Pulp were never this good. When Jarvis dedicates ‘Common People’ to Spain’s disaffected youth, it’s neither contrived nor condescending,

GIG GUIDE JULY 14 Frankmusik @ XOYO, London 14-17 Latitude Festival @ Henham Park

it’s just his touch. Setlist? ‘Babies’? ‘Something Changed’? ‘Underwear’? ‘Misshapes’ aside, we get it all, and the cheers that drag an unplanned encore of Razzmatazz are still forcing goosebumps. An event, an occasion, a little slice of pop history and one hell of a comeback. People may ask if you were there one day. Say yes. DAY 3: Comedown: Does today stand a chance? It needs to start gentle. It needs to be lower key. A trip away from the main arena to see Tennis. It’s early, here’s an easy comparison. Tennis are Lucky Soul with cute electroinca instead of grand pop ambition, and boy are they ever sweet. The day feels ok. The Tallest Man On Earth is one dude in a vest, bleeding his acoustic heart all over the stage. He plays a new song that oozes Bacharach. He’s in my good books. Cloud Nothings play kick ass power-poprock-stuffs on the dock at the Pitchfork

stage, play power-pop-rock-stuffs that make us love them more than a little bit. We love Dean Wareham too of course, and his history lesson run through of Galaxie 500 classics, but The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are sad and washed up. He seems worn-out and disinterested, and doesn’t even say ‘blues explosion’ that much any more. Odd Future demand to be seen, you can’t comment unless you’ve witnessed. They’re the last thing you’d expect them to be, and the last thing they’d want to be: a bit dull. So we climb high up the giant hill that overlooks the festival, savour the sights of the crowds, breathe in the atmosphere for one last time, watch Animal Collective from afar - as ever they’re great playing focused songs and interminable when noodling - and raise final beers to a truly spectacular weekend. Salut and adios Primavera, we’ll be back next year to find the little piece of our hearts we left behind. (Dave Rowlinson)

Estate, Suffolk 15 Plastic Animals @ Electric Circus, Edinburgh 15-16 2000trees Festival @ Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 15-17 Guilfest @ Guildford, Surrey 15-17 Lovebox Weekender @ Victoria Park, London 16 Wu Lyf @ Great Bridgewater Streel Tunnel, Manchester 16 Allo, Darlin’ @ The Haymakers, Cambridge 16 Vivian Girls @ Coalition, Brighton 17 My Morning Jacket @ Somerset House, London 18 Rufus Wainwright @ Royal Opera House, London 19 DD/MM/YYYY @ The Green Door Store, Brighton 19 Liam Finn @ Deaf Institute, Manchester 20 Ed Sheeran @ Boileroom, Guildford 20 Electrelane @ Komedia, Brighton 20 Tom Tom Club @ O2 ABC, Glasgow 21-24 Secret Garden Party @ Huntington, Cambridgeshire 22 Godspeed You Black Emperor! @ Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow 22 Robots In Disguise @ Central Station, Wrexham 23-24 Truck Festival @ Abingdon, Oxfordshire 23-24 Ben & Jerry’s Sundae @ Clapham Common, London 23-24 I’ll Be Your Mirror Festival @ Alexandra Palace, London 24 Gideon Conn @ Millenium Music Hall, Cardiff 24 Flashguns @ Flapper & Firkin, Birmingham 24 Portishead @ Alexandra Palace, London 24 Josh T Pearson @ Leadmill, Sheffield 26 YACHT @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, London 27 Iron Maiden @ Capital FM Arena, Nottingham 28 Pajama Club @ XOYO, London 29 Gruff Rhys @ Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate 29 Nicolas Jaar @ The Arches, Glasgow 29-30 Global Gathering @ Stratford On Avon, Warwickshire 29-31 Camp Bestival @ Lulworth Castle, Dorset 29-31 Indietracks Music Festival @ Butterley, Derbyshire 29-31 Kendal Calling @ Hackthorpe, East Cumbria 89

REVIEWS FILMS

FILMS

X MEN: FIRST CLASS

X-Men: First Class is the year’s slickest superhero film. We speak to writer and director Matthew Vaughn about Bond and Batman influences, as well as his killer leading men James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender.

Exhausted and slightly delirious with flu, one wouldn’t expect Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn to give up a Sunday afternoon to meet with a gaggle of film geeks, all still giddy over how spectacular his latest film X-Men: First Class turned out to be. “This is the first time I’ve made a movie where I’ve had no time to think,” he explains.

and Magneto’s relationship. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender step into the shoes of the young Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, immortalised in the film franchise by Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Jennifer Lawrence fleshes out the red-hot cast with her young Mystique, as the very first mutants learn they are not alone.

Quite how fine they cut it is the stuff of legend in itself: “We made the whole film in ten months. I had nine weeks post, and I only saw the final film five days ago. I got given two weeks for the director’s cut. When I say it was madness, there were times when I thought we won’t get the film finished and God knows what it’s going to be like to watch.” Just fine, it turned out. Strictly the fourth film in the franchise (not including X-Men Origins: Wolverine), First Class reboots the story from the very beginning of Professor X

Vaughn reveals what drove him on the film, which he wrote with his Stardust and Kick-Ass scribe Jane Goldman. “The whole superhero genre has been f**ked up by a lot of Hollywood trying for big explosions, and lots of glossy and corny costumes and outfits,” he bemoans. “I was very inspired by what [Christopher] Nolan did with Batman Begins. I just thought, why not try to do the same thing? I’m a big [Tim] Burton fan, and then you see what happened - the first two Burton Batmans were great, and then [ Joel] Schu-

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macher took over, and you were just like, what is going on?” “You do want to hear what the concerns are, and if you can address them,” he admits, when asked if he allowed himself to be pressured by hardcore fans of the comic. “But at the same time, you don’t know who the hell is writing it. If you met these people, you’d be like, I’m listening to an eightyear-old on how to construct a film?” Set in the Sixties, it was producer Bryan Singer (director of the superb X-Men and X2) who came up with the central premise that the newly formed X-Men get caught up in the Cuban Missile Crisis. “The idea that we nearly went to nuclear war, you cannot believe that happened. If there was a bad supervillain making all that s*** happen, it makes far more sense,” Vaughn laughs, referring to his suave baddie Sebastian Shaw. (Becky Reed)

REVIEWS FILMS

FILMS BRIDESMAIDS Raise your hand if you winced at the title and ran a mile from the poster for Bridesmaids. It’s okay! It’s perfectly understandable that you’d think this was just another frothy romcom about a 30-something singleton. Trust us: Bridesmaids is not only the sharpest and wittiest comedy to hide under a pink frock since Mean Girls, it’s also a hugely original take on raucous and outrageous humour. These women make The Hangover’s Wolfpack look like an unsophisticated, witless bunch of apes. Oh wait, The Hangover Part II did that already... Saturday Night Live stalwart Kristen Wiig proves herself to be miraculous gift to film after supporting roles in Paul, McGruber and Whip It. She co-writes (with Annie Mumolo) and stars in this unique, femalecentered movie from the Judd Apatow producing stable, directed by Freaks and Geeks creator Paul Feig. Wiig plays Annie, a woman who’s just lost her business, and is stumbling through life. So far, so romcom. She’s also in a no-strings-attached “relationship” with a cameoing Jon Hamm. 92 thisisfakediy.co.uk

Ladies, don’t be too jealous, as this guy is a swine, so cringe-inducing are his awful, demoralising bedside remarks to Annie: “this is really awkward, but I need you to leave.” However, this is a film about friendship, with Annie constantly sidelined as chief Bridesmaid to her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) by rival friend and trophy wife Helen (Rose Byrne). Annie’s insecurities manifest themselves in multitudes of socially embarrassing situations. A tremendous engagement party speech would put Alan Partridge to shame, and an extended drunken flight to Vegas builds up to a crescendo of hilarity so relentless it’s impossible to see, hear, breathe or maintain bladder control for its duration. Wiig’s gift for physical comedy manifests itself in a priceless moment of sweat-drenched terror in a bridal shop, where the film does toilet humour so, so extreme, and with such riotous abandon, that it feels the very first time diarrhoea has appeared onscreen. How sweet. The highest laugh count of any

THE SHARPEST AND WITTIEST COMEDY TO HIDE UNDER A PINK FROCK SINCE MEAN GIRLS. comedy in the last few years, it’s a struggle to think of any comparison; the scenarios come thicker and faster than anything in memory. However, for such sharp minds, Wiig and Mumolo don’t allow any daring subtext in their film (no room, too many jokes), and its message is surprisingly conformist. That’s us struggling to find a fault so as not to appear fawning. There you have it. In a film that manages to be biting, bighearted, feel-good and squirm-inducing in one hit, Wiig shines as both a sympathetic heroine and a master of slapstick. In the US, where the film has been out for some weeks, stereotypically geeky film critics have implored men to watch it. That’s an incredible breakthrough. (Becky Reed)

BAD TEACHER

STAKE LAND

HOLY ROLLERS

Cameron Diaz is on scorching form as the educator equivalent of Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa. Of course, Jake Kasdan’s film is nowhere near as outrageous - in fact it’s tamer than the trailers suggest. She’s a snarling, surly riot as the golddigger drifting along waiting for Justin Timberlake’s wealthy volunteer teacher to set her up for life, while ignoring Jason Segel’s gym teacher. Worth it just to see Segel as the charmer and Timberlake as the fool (a snide discussion about slavery and sharks is gleefully patronising), the cast get top marks just for making the most out of a tiresome and, sadly, unfunny script. Timberlake is particularly game, with atrocious singing and unfortunate wet patches. The slim premise sees Diaz corrupt her way through the school term to get breast implants, but it’s too ridiculous to get invested in and the bad teacher isn’t worthy of redemption. An adult School of Rock minus the laughs and emotion. (Becky Reed)

A superior indie horror that meshes vampire and zombie lore into a chilling postapocalyptic nightmare. This intimate tale of teenager Martin (Connor Paolo) left orphaned by an outbreak of braindead bloodsuckers, and the wandering bounty hunter Mister (Nick Damici), who takes him on the journey to a promised Eden in Canada. A hugely epic feel for the low budget, director Jim Mickle has his bloody finger on the pulse of fear. As always, it’s humans that pose the greatest threat, as Kelly McGillis’s nun discovers, however the aggressive religious nutjobs irritate in what is otherwise a stunningly original film. A particular mass vampire assault on a safe camp is a twisted moment of perverse genius that comes out of nowhere. Paolo and Damici (who co-wrote the screenplay) are subtle and convincing as they face mortality and humanity. Stunningly shot, weighty and meaningful, with truly shocking moments, it’s spiritual Monsters meets ultraviolent Mad Max. (Becky Reed)

Did you know that in the 1990s, Hasidic Jews were used to smuggle Ecstacy into the US? Neither did we. Kevin Asch makes his fact-based debut with this intriguing Brooklyn tale, starring one preSocial Network Jesse Eisenberg. Now released post-Oscar nomination, the actor is hugely compelling as a young man from an Orthodox community who is persuaded by his neghbour Justin Bartha to become a drug mule. Eisenberg finds his feet in the underworld, earning the trust of the Israeli dealer (Danny A. Abeckaser) while still maintaining his piety. The film is more character study than crime thriller, and is nicely shot and paced. Even a clichéd romance with the boss’s girlfriend (Ari Graynor) is handled well. An in-depth look a secular community, the first half is the strongest, but a streak of black humour runs throughout. Bartha and Eisenberg’s tense relationship leads to a surprisingly moving, if rushed, conclusion. Look out for the cameo from Q-Tip. (Becky Reed)

Preview: TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON On 29th June, Michael Bay is set to atone for the dreadful Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with the second sequel to his actually-bloody-good 2007 film. Paramount Pictures have launched a tremendous campaign of spine-tingling teasers, indicating Bay may be combining jaw-dropping spectacle with, you know, a story. Beginning with the weighty premise that man’s first lunar landing disturbed more than moon rock, present day Shia LaBeouf is once again caught between Autobots and Decepticons. There’s no Megan Fox this time, after the actress departed production in a maelstrom of badmouthing. We can see her point - in an almost insulting move, Bay picked his new lead from the pages of Victoria’s Secret. Model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley makes her acting debut as Shia’s new squeeze Carly, and we expect she’ll have little to do other than pout and scream. John Malkovich and Frances McDormand lend their considerable acting chops to balance things out a bit.

TECH CHECK CAMERAS

TECH CHECK:

CAMERAS Little known fact; it’s actually illegal to go to any show or festival without trying to take a shaky, badly lit phone snap of the band. If you really want to make your night on the town or live shots stand out, though, you’ll be needing one of these DIY recommended cameras.

BEST BUY PANASONIC G3

CANON 1100D

OLYMPUS-TOUGH-TG310

SAMSUNG ST95

RRP £629.00 A dinky number promising “creativity without limits,” this Panasonic model is home to the world’s smallest and lightest interchangeable lens. And that’s not the only record it’s breaking, with the world’s fastest pinpoint autofocus speed, you can shave off those all important seconds to get the shot you want, when you want it. Intuitive shooting modes and rich colour reproduction make this piece of kit a good bet.

RRP £179.99 Be honest, how many of us have dropped our cameras in the sink/toilet/sting ray pool? Well, worry no more. Olympus have come to the rescue. This camera is waterproof up to 3m, shockproof to 1.5m and freezeproof too – just in case. It sports a handy Eye-Fi card to allow users to upload to PCs or social networks wirelessly. 94 thisisfakediy.co.uk

RRP £459.00 Canon’s entry level DSLR allows you to shoot like the pros without all of the cons. Boasting a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, 2.7inch screen, 9 autofocus points and 720p HD video capture it’s a good all-rounder and comes in at just under 500g complete with battery and memory card. Available in three different colours, it’s not the looker of the bunch but it is choc-a-bloc with handy features.

RRP £179.99 The fashionista’s camera of choice, this model is thinner than thou and plays host to a smorgasbord of Magic Frames. Want to look like you’re on holiday? Check. Prefer to rock an old record look? No problem. Moreover, its Smart Auto 2.0 technology analyses key composition elements and automatically adjusts to capture your perfect shot. Nice and easy, just the way we like it.

NIKON S9100

RRP £299.99 Curvacious, sultry and super-slim, the Nikon S9100 comes in a choice of three colours but it’s not all about aesthetics for this mid-range model. With impressive anti-Blur technology for those days where you’d just prefer a bit less Britpop in your pictures and full HD filming capabilities with stereo sound, you’ll always catch those must-document moments.

REVIEWS GAMES

GAMES

OUT NOW & COMING SOON

Drool with anticipation over these future faves

SHADOWS OF THE DAMNED (EA) PS3, Xbox 360

Release Date: 24/06/11 Grotesque survival horror from the makers of Resident Evil in which you play a demon hunter seeking to rescue the love of his life in the bowels of hell. With gruesome combat and weapon customisation, all soundtracked by a pounding score by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill), this isn’t looking like one you can play while eating your tea. Or any time soon after.

BRINK

(Bethesda) PS3, Xbox 360, PC Taking the exciting premise of a floating, post-apocalyptic island called The Ark in which two sects are fighting to stay or leave, and then rendering that entire story moot by replacing it with lengthy gun battles, please welcome Brink! This is a first-person multiplayer shooter. And that’s it. The problem is Brink’s entire package feels like the multiplayer option of any other popular shooter.

RED FACTION: ARMAGEDDON (THQ) PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Release Date: 10/06/11 Moving beneath the surface of Mars, the next chapter in the Red Faction franchise throws players into the boots of Darius Mason, fighting to save humanity from an evil that threatens to extinguish life on the planet. Players of this sci-fi shooter will get a chance to try out a wealth of new strategic options, including reconstruction technology and the Magnet Gun.

With more than a nod towards Team Fortress, you take on the role of one of the two sects – The Security or The Resistance and play through, basically, large objective-based deathmatches. Choosing from a range of basic and predictable classes (Soldier, Medic, Engineer, Operative), each of whom have their own skills and attributes to level up, matches require specific classes to complete objectives. Unfortunately, Brink’s controls are clunky. While traversing the environment is often a fluent joy, trying to aim and fire is a chore. Its only saving grace is the unpredictability of online play. However, Brink is designed so that the gameplay mechanics lean so far towards ‘mass is might’ that, pretty much, the only way to succeed is to group your entire squad together, change your classes to suit the objectives, and just camp out in front of them. Brink isn’t a game for lone wolves and heroes – it truly is about teamwork. And teamwork means ganging together like a big bunch of cheats. Brink looked and sounded like it was going to define a new era of online shooters – but it’s managed to excel only in disappointment. 96 thisisfakediy.co.uk

F.E.A.R. 3

(Warner Bros) PS3, PC, Xbox 360

Release Date 24/06/11 The third instalment in the first-person shooter series that terrifies your face off. As well as adding co-op gameplay and an evolved cover system, one of the listed features is ‘more scares’- it’s not likely to have tamed much. Playing as two either a protagonist and antagonist, you’ll be able to utilise telekinesis, stun enemies and slow down time, just like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12.

RETRO GAME OF THE MONTH

LOS ANGELES S.W.A.T. (Mastertronic, 1987)

Commodore 64 Celebrating the recent release of Rockstar’s epic (original definition) crime thriller L.A. Noire, we’ve checked out some vintage L.A.based games in a tenuous link sort of way. Los Angeles S.W.A.T. is a vertical shoot ‘em up that sees you play one of three members of the S.W.A.T. team defending the city from an onslaught of thugs in vests carrying batons and bombs. And these thugs are heavy duty! One step too close you’re bludgeoned to death like someone at a festival. Once one of your cops has met with the pavement, you take the reins of a remaining S.W.A.T. dude until your entire trio have bit the biscuit. Occasionally, passer-bys will wander through nonchalantly, but shooting them will cost you 1000 points. And this is a gaming era where points count and it’s not all about this ‘story’ thing. Which is just as well because the story here is ‘Shoot a lot of people. The end’. These passer-bys are easy to spot though as they’re kitted out in bright pink suits and make no haste through the riotous streets. Oddly, the thugs only have it in for the coppers and totally ignore these foppish civvies. Curiously, none of your S.W.A.T. team seem to be wearing shoes, and you can simply sneak up the side of levels to reach the end since scoring mostly comes from the distance you’ve travelled. The thugs won’t even notice you, presumably because they’re too busy accidentally blowing themselves up with their own petrol bombs. S.W.A.T. is simple, but effective. The fact you take over another member of your team when you die is a real nice touch, and its run and gun spirit is one that’s still a core ingredient of games today. We just hope modern games have depicted the wearing of shoes in a much more realistic fashion. Watch our video review at thisisfakediy.co.uk/games

CATHERINE (Atlus) PS3, Xbox 360

26/07/11 (USA)

Atlus recently acquired the rights to this Japanese hit dubbed as a ‘relationship horror’ and are unleashing it on an American market this July. From the makers of the Persona series, Catherine is an “unprecedented exploration of the pleasures and horrors of love”, just like Gears Of War 3 (ahem Ed). Players control Vincent, a man recently succumbed to the irresistible beauty of the game’s leading lady and find themselves swept into a treacherous and surreal love triangle that promises to keep gamers thinking and terrified long after the game is over. We just can’t wait! We don’t have enough worry in our lives, so let’s pay for some. Relationship horror as a genre sounds terrifying, and it’s something we’ve probably all encountered. So, that got us thinking what other usual and mundane situations could become amazing games... Argument About What To Watch On TV Horror Take the reins as one half of a couple in a tense power struggle over the remote control. Uses Playstation Move controller (one only) for added realism. Unpaid Bill FPS As the final reminder letter plummets through your letterbox, there’s only one course of action. Take to the streets with a whisk and a can-opener that used to be stuck at the back of the kitchen drawer to destroy capitalist society and save the planet. And ultimately pay your bill. Bad Haircut RPG Warning, adventurer. Good haircut seek you do! But barber mis-calculated scissor trajectory! TRAGEDY! Dear adventurer, build XP by defeating rude strangers in random street encounters who do stare and do pointeth at your bonce. These are probably all too specific. How about a game that encapsulates that feeling of dread when you think you’ve left your mobile phone on the train? Maybe we’ll just stick with Catherine...

FIRST AND LAST JOE CORNISH

First and Last:

JOE CORNISH We get aquainted with the BBC 6music DJ, Attack The Block director and Cornballs shaped half of ace duo Adam & Joe by finding out a few of his first and lasts. Gig attended? FIRST: Kid Creole and the Coconuts at the Hammersmith Odeon, as it would’ve been then. I enjoyed it enormously, but I couldn’t listen to their music for months afterwards. There was something depressing about finding out there were thousands of people like me. LAST: Bloody hell, I’ve been making this film for 18 months... does Glastonbury count? The last proper gig I went to was Raphael Saadiq, who I’m a huge fan of. Album bought? FIRST: ‘Let’s Go to Mr Land’ by The Mr Men. I was a big fan of the Mr Bump song. Whenever people are asked that question, they always tell you their first cool album, not the actual one. I bought it in Woolworths in the Elephant and Castle. LAST: Boring, as it was Raphael Saadiq’s last one, ‘Stone Rollin’’. Film seen in cinema? FIRST: Snow White, with my mum. The cinema opposite Stockwell Tube, which is now a restaurant. I just remember being 98 thisisfakediy.co.uk

scared when the witch appeared, ducking down behind the seat. LAST: Last trip where I paid money was in L.A., and it was Sucker Punch. I found a huge amount to enjoy in the design work. [DEATHLY, KNOWING SILENCE]

Film that scared you? FIRST: Picnic at Hanging Rock in 1976. I would’ve been seven. That film is fucking creepy and terrifying and weird. LAST: Insidious scared me, it was great. Even when the title came up!

Film hero? FIRST: The boy in The Black Stallion. It was the first film I saw on my own in Odeon Haymarket. I was exactly the same age as the kid, and I was totally swallowed up by it. It would’ve been Luke Skywalker, or Indiana Jones. I loved Flash Gordon unironically. LAST: I liked Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code. A very well-written hero.

Film cried at? FIRST: Black Stallion. LAST: Au Revoir les Enfants, that made me shed a tear.

Film crush? FIRST: Ornella Muti in Flash Gordon, in that flipping suit. I didn’t know what was going on, in my brain or my pants. LAST: Ellen Page in Super. There are things she does in her superhero outfit that trouble me. Although she’s too small for me - it would be like a lamppost going out with a football.

Script written? FIRST: I used to write little adventure books when I was a kid, and the hero was called Foggo. They were little TinTin ripoffs, only they were written word. It was Foggo in America, Foggo Goes to Russia. It was basically just me. I had a guy called Hyde Pilchard as well. Instead of studying for O-level maths I did an elaborate comic strip that was a rip-off of Robohunter from 2000 AD. He looked like Magnum PI, and in retrospect, he looks like the world’s first gay superhero. I thought he was the height of machismo. LAST: Ant-Man, we just delivered it.