JUNE 2018 ISSUE 60 // FREE
JUNGLEPUSSY
P R E S E N T S
06 | 06 | 18
COURTNEY BARNETT - ROUNDHOUSE -
06 | 06 | 18
THE LAZYS + THE LOCKHEARTS
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE T U E S DAY 19
JUNE 2018
SCALA
- THE BLACK HEART, CAMDEN -
12 | 06 | 18
LONDON
BLACK HONEY
- OMEARA, LONDON BRIDGE -
13 | 06 | 18
LION
- THE LEXINGTON -
20 | 06 | 18
BELLY
- O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE -
21 | 06 | 18
KIEFER SUTHERLAND
DEATHCABFORCUTIE .COM BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CAA
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02 | 07 | 18
CRX
- MOTH CLUB, HACKNEY -
The Triumphant Return of
21 | 07 | 18
CORDUROY
- OMEARA, LONDON BRIDGE -
03 | 08 | 18
THE MENZINGERS - O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN -
10 | 08 | 18
STEVEN PAGE - UNION CHAPEL -
14 | 08 | 18
JENNY LEWIS - KOKO -
12 | 09 | 18
JIM WHITE
MONDAY 02 JULY 2018
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
- THE LEXINGTON -
18 | 09 | 18
ERIKA WENNERSTROM - THE LEXINGTON -
The World’s Number One Entertainers LONDON
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P R E S E N T S
26 | 09 | 18
FRANZ FERDINAND - ROUNDHOUSE -
17 | 10 | 18
JOHN BUTLER TRIO - EVENTIM APOLLO -
19 | 10 | 18
DAHLIA SLEEPS
- OMEARA, LONDON BRIDGE -
23 | 10| 18
SOPHIE HUNGER
- OSLO, HACKNEY -
PLUS SPECIAL GUEST
23 | 10| 18
THIRD SHOW ADDED TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018 T SOLD OU
WEDS 27
T SOLD OU
THUR 28 JUNE
EVENTIM APOLLO HAMMERSMITH
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
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24 | 10| 18
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ASH
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30 | 10 | 18 - 31 | 10 | 18 UT UT - 02 | 11O | 18 | 11 |O | 11O | 18 01LD 18UT - SO 03LD SOLD SO “COME ON PILGRIM...IT’S SURFER ROSA” SPECIAL 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FOR FIVE NIGHTS
PIXIES
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Friday 29 June 2018
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TEENAGE FANCLUB
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THE CAT EMPIRE - ROUNDHOUSE -
05 | 12 | 18
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Ft. Ft. WILEY, WILEY, CONGO CONGO NATTY NATTY (Live) (Live) JAZZIE JAZZIE B, B, NORMAN NORMAN JAY JAY MBE MBE (DJ (DJ sets) sets)
A A celebration celebration of of the the evolution of bass evolution of bass culture culture 07 07 JUL JUL 2018 2018
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JUNGLE PUSSY COVER STORY PAGE 30
I swear to you, we could’ve had about eight different covers this month and they would’ve all been pure gold. Junglepussy just has that something about her and, well, that something about her music too. I'm so excited to have this absolute star on the cover and to be drawing attention to her politically outspoken, completely addictive new album. I'm also really happy we’re a small part of the Mayor of London’s Sounds Like London campaign this month. We work really hard to bolster and illuminate so many of the great things going on in London music: from grassroots venues to world class arenas there's a place for everyone, and that's what I've always adored. So it’s really special to be asked to be part of the festivities, we have Amy Lamé taking over our stereo this month to highlight some of the most exciting events taking place. Also, head over to our website for a series of articles about incredible women in music across this city of ours.
STAFF ON REPEAT
Mitski
the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: Jennifer Lopez - Dinero (Feat. Cardi B) DAVE: Gruff Rhys - Limited Edition Heart LOKI: Basement Revolver - Baby DANNY: Flohio - Watchout GEMMA: Tirzah - Gladly JACK: Mitski - Geyser BETH: Captain Over - Sick (ft. Trim) LiS 05
CONTENTS NEW SOUNDS
10
54
14
GIGS OF THE MONTH
Our pick of June’s best shows
Slowthai, Clairo & more
EVENTS
57
FULL JUNE GIG LISTINGS
Sweet stuff happening soon in London 18
22
76
GRUFF RHYS
ON THE STEREO
79
with Sounds Like London 25
81
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS by Danny Wright
by Mallrat
30
IN LONDON
with Matt Maltese
TALES FROM THE CITY 26
LIVE REVIEWS
Soak up that Great Escape magic
DJ TARGET
JUNGLEPUSSY
38
LEON VYNEHALL
44
ALBUM REVIEWS
Lykke Li, Lily Allen, Jorja Smith, serpentwithfeet, Kamasi Washington and many more MALLRAT
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
Online Editor: Beth Sheldrick beth@londoninstereo.co.uk
Sub-Editor: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
Festival Editor: Katie Thomas katie@londoninstereo.co.uk
New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin
Advertising sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
Photography: Junglepussy cover story: Ebru Yildiz (ebruyildiz.net) Contributors: Hassan Anderson, Lee Wakefield, Emma Madden, George O’Brien, Nick Mee, Kate Solomon, Thomas Hannan, Rhian Daly, Tim Hakki, Geoff Cowart, Tom Walters. londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
LiS 07
SUMMER 2018 ~ LIVE ~ 06.06
Grace Carter /
07.06
11.06
Reykjavikurdaetur /
16.06
El Goodo / 20.06
17.06
Krrum /
25.06
09.07
Moon Taxi /
06.09
Holy Esque /
Indian Queens /
Cape Cub
Matt Owens
Rachel K Collier /
12.10
14.06
Peggy’s Big Sunday
29.06
22.09
Shay Lia
06.07
Himalayas
The New Coast
27.09
23.10
Sola Rosa
Stevie Appleton
Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com
| HOXTONSQUAREBAR
NEW SOUNDS SLOWTHAI
by Gemma Samways
Amongst the most enjoyable anecdotes to emanate from The Great Escape this year were eye witness accounts of slowthai’s Friday night set downstairs at Patterns. Featuring a gas mask-clad hype man and startled punters pinning themselves to the back wall of the venue before being sucked into a room-wide moshpit, the 23-year- old’s performance was one of the standouts of the weekend. Of course, the intensity of slowthai’s set won’t surprise anyone who’s been exposed to any of his output so far. Though his stage name was inspired by a former proclivity to mumble, the Northampton MC
spits with a quietly-seething aggression redolent of his early-hero Eminem. Combined with impressively grimy production – often underpinned by sparse piano and doomy subs – searing verses variously referencing Theresa May’s immoral arms policy, petty crime in the suburbs and ‘Cash In The Attic’, and a string of unsettlingly vivid music videos, it’s hard not to be blown away by how fully-formed slowthai’s creative universe is, even at this early stage in the game. At the half-way stage of the year, he’s already five-tracks deep, and there’s reportedly more material due before summer’s out. Check out the brilliant visuals for latest single ‘Ladies’ while you’re waiting.
IN TEN: NEW SOUNDS FOXTROTT WAIT
TWO PEOPLE
I'M TIED, TO YOU
TIRZAH (photo: Claire Shilland)
CAPTAIN OVER
TIRZAH
HARVE
MONRO
GIRLHOOD
ASHNIKKO
SQUIRREL FLOWER
KLLO
SICK (FEAT. TRIM)
CITY SCAPES
MILK & HONEY
CONDITIONS
GLADLY
GONE CLEAR (FEAT. FLOHIO)
BLOW
POTENTIAL
FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS UPDATED NEW MUSIC
SLOWTHAI
LISTEN TO: Ladies @slowthai
@nospacenocaps
/slowthai
CLAIRO by Jess Partridge
LISTEN TO: Flaming Hot Cheetos @clairo
@clairecottrill2
/ccottrill
LiS 11
I'm writing this more as a PSA to those of you who have somehow missed the Internet sensation that is effortless pop star Clairo. When I say ‘effortless’ I mean it wholly and truly. Clairo, aka Claire Cottrill, just exudes chill. She comes across so blasé she almost crosses over to bored. It might just be that charm, with an added self-aware edge, that makes her music completely irresistible. Oh and another PSA to the dude on YouTube trying to say she's not as authentic as she claims: Who gives a shit? We're still into it.
Academy Events present presents
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MIKE LOVE PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
TUESDAY 31ST JULY 2018
O2 ACADEMY2 ISLINGTON LONDON
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PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
BOBBY ALU | DROP LEGS
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S O N S TOHFE E A S T PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
AC A D E M Y E V E N T S B Y A R R A N G E M E N T W I T H S E DAT E B O O K I N G S P R E S E N T S
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GROUNDATION PLUS
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LUNA
S U N D AY 12 T H A U G U S T 2 0 18 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON LONDON
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2018
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS + SONIC CATHEDRAL DJs
THE LEGENDARY JAPANESE GUITARIST RETURNS TO LONDON
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plus special guests
THURSDAY 6th SEPTEMBER 2018 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON, LONDON
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HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
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AMA LOU
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FRI 08 JUNE
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TUE 12 JUNE
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WED 20 JUNE
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MON 16 JULY
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EVENTS new things in London you just don’t want to miss out on
A FRIED CHICKEN FAVE GETS SOME BRICKS THING MOTHERCLUCKER’S FIRST RESTAURANT Motherclucker’s exceptional fried chicken – whether as strips, their wonderful chicken sandwich (the Cluckwich) or anything else they ever serve up – has existed about the same amount of time as this magazine, and they’ve always seemed to be part of our lives. Office parties? There’s Motherclucker. Record shopping near Rough Trade? Yep, them. Life-saving festival-fuelling? They got us... and the glorious list goes on. Given that, we couldn’t be happier to see they’ve finally landed a place to call their very own. Motherclucker Exmouth Market, we’ll be seeing you soon, and often. WHEN: Open now. WHERE: 49-51 Rosebery Avenue, Exmouth Market, EC1R 4SD INFO: motherclucker.co.uk // @motherclucker
A 700 ONE-OF-A-KIND 7” SINGLES SALE THING SECRET 7s After six years of brilliant art you probably have some idea of what Secret 7s is. In case you’ve missed the pure genius of it though, let us go over it: This year 700 (which seems like a huge amount of organisation) artists and musicians will produce one-off 7” singles. They are displayed (anonymously) then bought for £50 each. Which means you could own a piece of art by Jeremy Deller, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Modern Toss, Jane Pollard and many others for a mere £50. In the meantime you’ll be raising a whole load of money for mental health charity MIND. Such a beautifully simple idea, that has creativity at its core. WHEN: June 8th-23rd. WHERE: The Jetty at Greenwich Peninsula INFO: secret-7.com // @Secret7s
AN ALL-FEMALE VINYL TAKEOVER THING SOHO MUSIC MONTH INDIE LABEL MARKET If you've ever seen seen the documentary Play Your Gender you'll know that only 15% of record labels are majority-owned by women. Ridiculous right? Well if you want to know some of the 15% better then a good place to start is Berwick Street as Independent Label Market curates an all-taste-making, all-woman line-up for the first time. A glimpse into a better future, hopefully. WHEN: June 16th. WHERE: Berwick Street, Soho, London, W1 INFO: IndependentLabelMarket.com // @IndieLabelMkt
A FIGHT FOR EQUALITY FILM THING BRITAIN ON FILM: LGBT BRITAIN The National Archives in Kew is the next stop on the LGBT Britain tour. See original documents related to the historic struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and delve into the world of sexuality in film. From some of the earliest depictions of LGBT people on screen to informative documentaries that remind us of the ongoing persecution the LGBT community faces. Bask in an array of films whilst enriching your knowledge on such an important topic. WHEN: June 13th. WHERE: The National Archives, TW9 4DU INFO: nationalarchives.gov.uk // @UkNatArchives
A SUN’S DOWN, LIONS OUT THING ZOO NIGHTS It must finally be summer because Zoo Nights are back and they’re looking better than ever. As the sun goes down, soak up the atmosphere of the zoo at night. Creatures great and small sleep, come alive and interact, as we see them in a totally different way to daytime visits. Drinks, comedy, street food and, of course, no children to get in your way. WHEN: Fridays, June 1st-July 20th. WHERE: ZSL London Zoo, Regent's Park INFO: zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo // @zsllondonzoo LiS 15
www.fabriclondon.com
fabric June 2 01 8
Âme DJ C as s y (A l l Ni g h t Lo ng) De e tron De ns e & Pik a Jay C l ar ke Jos h Win k Kevin de Vr ie s L e n Fak i L or y D ( l ive) Mode s e l e k t or rRox ym ore Sam Paganin i Sasha (A l l Ni g h t Lo n g) Skee Mas k Solid Bl ake Steve Bu g Tale O f Us Terry F ranc is Trikk Vatic an S hadow Zøe
interview
GRUFF RHYS Words: gemma samways
ollowing two multi-disciplinary travelogues tracing long-lost descendants in Brazil, Patagonia, and America’s Midwest, a theatre adaptation of 2007’s LP Candylion, various soundtrack work, and a projection-packed tour with Super Furry Animals in celebration of 20 years of Radiator, Gruff Rhys is finally keeping it simple with his fifth solo album, Babelsberg. Aside from the inclusion of a 72-piece orchestra, that is. “It’s not a particularly experimental record,” Rhys insists, speaking in languorous tones over the line from his record label’s offices in Paris. “And it was recorded extremely simply, with a four-piece band doing live takes for three days. But then, by coincidence, I met [composer] Stephen McNeff, while working on a different project, and I got to sit in on him recording an orchestra, and it was mind blowing...” With Rhys, you sense there’s always a “but”. Initial recordings were set down by Rhys with former-Flaming Lips drummer Kliph Scurlock, Stephen Black of Sweet Baboo and pianist Osian Gwynedd – in Ali Chant’s, then soon-to-be-demolished, Bristol studio
– and then material was handed over to McNeff for arrangements, accompanied by a playlist of reference points. Think Serge Gainsbourg, The Free Design, Gil Scott-Heron, Bobby Gentry and Steve Reich, rather than, say, Muse. “A lot of symphonic rock can be horrific,” Rhys laughs, without naming names. Eighteen months later, McNeff and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales had finished fleshing-out the sunny-sounding songs on Babelsberg. And yet, beneath those beatific melodies lie some pretty bleak subject matter. “[The music] sounds quite joyful now,” Rhys agrees, “But definitely, working on it, I thought, ‘This is my really dark album.’ I’ve been mostly preoccupied with the paranoia of the political age, but I also think the songs deal with life as a songwriter, and ageing, and trying to juggle through life in precarious times.” ‘Drones in the City’ provides one of the best examples of this juxtaposition, pairing mellifluous woodwind and tremolo strings with ruminations on the proliferation of drones. “I’m all for romantic music, but it has to be subverted in some way or it doesn’t work for me. And every international convention is being broken now by drone warfare. I don’t know when it’s going to start happening here, you know?”
LiS 18
photos: Andy Martin
“...definitely, working on it, I thought, ‘This is my really dark album.’” LiS 19
“now I wake up at three in the morning worrying about Mel Gibson and his mental state...” Don’t let the breezy, Glenn Campbell-charm of lead single ‘Frontier Man’ fool you, either. As well as being an attack on toxic masculinity and Donald Trump’s promises to build a wall with Mexico (“He’s this out-of-touch cowboy who’s still out in the desert talking about frontiers when the world’s moved on”), there are parallels with “anyone working in music or politics.” Rhys adds with a laugh, “I suppose music is a haven for the deluded, but at least musicians don’t have a nuclear button.” But for all its dark themes, there’s plenty of hope to be found on Babelsberg too, albeit infused with the sort of surreal humour found in SFA classics ‘Hermann Loves Pauline’ or ‘Fuzzy Birds’. “There has to be hope in a way, or it’s all over,” Rhys agrees, adding with a chuckle, “So [the album] finishes with ‘Selfies in the Sunset’, which is about taking beautiful pictures in front of the apocalypse. Which is a silver lining on a cloud, I suppose.” That song also features the winning couplet, “Mel Gibson howls with rage / The worst Hamlet of his age.” Rhys laughs at the reminder: “I feel quite bad for Mel. It’s just some words that came out, and I felt were funny at the time, and now I wake up at three in the morning worrying about Mel Gibson and his mental state...” ‘Architecture of Amnesia’ deals with state and media-incited hysteria and “not learning from history and the mistakes of the past.” Meanwhile, ‘Oh Dear!’ finds Rhys reciting a laundry list of worries, from technology to tooth decay, over – what could be – an alternative western movie theme, powered by an increasingly manic succession of ascending key changes. “I suppose it’s a list of the various ailments of the time we live in, but the initial idea was about the gig economy and how the practices of the music industry – which is basically zero regulation – have been adopted by everybody, with horrific consequences.”
Rhys plans to perform the album live for the remainder of the year, first at a small run of special shows featuring an orchestra, and then during a longer European tour, backed by a band. And beyond that there’s the concluding instalment in his genealogical film trilogy to finish, plus a raft of other projects that are currently at various stages of completion. As Rhys puts it, with trademark understatement, “There’s plenty going on.” LiS Babelsberg is released June 8th via Rough Trade Records. LIVE: Rough Trade East, June 13th. Barbican, Sep’ 12th. FESTIVALS: End Of The Road
LiS 20
@Gruffingtonpost
@Gruffingtonpost
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ON THE STEREO
As if there weren't enough reasons to get excited about June, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is making it extra-special by launching Sounds Like London, a celebration of live music in the city. Throughout the month you'll find gigs, events and a whole host of workshops aiming to get Londoners involved in the grassroots music scene. As part of the wider #behindeverygreatcity campaign they will also be shining a light on women in music, celebrating inspiring figures, addressing the issue of gender inequality in the industry and supporting women in discovering new skills. We're real excited to have London’s Night Czar, Amy Lamé, taking over our stereo, and giving us her top pick of artists to look out for across this electrifying month. LiS Sounds Like London runs the entirety of June throughout various London venues. Info: london.gov.uk/sounds-like-london
MABEL
MABEL @ Apple’s June series It should come as no surprise that Mabel was destined to follow in the footsteps of her music royalty parents, Neneh Cherry and Cameron McVey. Mabel has spent the past few years paving her way to international stardom on her own terms. As known for her collaborations as her solo work, Mabel recently released a track with acclaimed acts Raye and Stefflon Don. Look out for Mabel as part of Apple’s June series in partnership with Sounds Like London. LiS 22
TIANA MAJOR9 @ BBC Music Introducing The Lexington, June 7th
TINA MAJOR9
Tiana Major9 is breathing some fresh life into the UK R&B soul scene. Her part spoken-word alternative jazz vibes are the perfect soundtrack to summer and can’t fail to make you smile. Catch Tiana at BBC Music Introducing showcase at The Lexington alongside breakthrough acts Kara Marni and Olivia Nelson.
JADE BIRD
JADE BIRD @ Airbnb series Tower Bridge, June 1st Jade Bird has been making waves across the globe. She’s gone from playing the capital’s grassroots venues to critically acclaimed showcase gigs at SXSW earlier this year. And now she’ll be the first artist to playing the North Tower in the iconic Tower Bridge as part of our Airbnb series.
BIG JOANIE @ Fightback London Electrowerkz, June 21st You can attend a gig every night of Sounds Like London in the capital’s grassroots music venues. Amazing talent will be representing the best of London. My pick of the crop is Big Joanie – a female trio who describe themselves as black feminist sistah punk. Check them out.
THE GRIME VIOLINIST @ Girls of Grime’s Female Takeover Birthdays, June 17th Grime music is synonymous with London. While male artists dominate the headlines, there’s a wealth of female talent who are taking the capital by storm. 17 June sees Girls of Grime host a Female Takeover in Dalston. The Grime Violinist brings an amazing infectious energy by weaving classical into grime. THE GRIME VIOLINIST LiS 23
TALES FROM THE CITY by MALLRAT We were in London to meet with potential booking agents and play a show at The Old Blue Last. The show was fantastic and we met some wonderful booking agents but I don’t know how to make that sound interesting to a London in Stereo reader. So I am going to talk to you about a party that we went to! I'm a straight edge vegan (as punk as can be) so I don’t often look forward to parties unless I know that my most outgoing friends are going to be there, or that the DJ will be fantastic. I’m sure drinking is fun but it’s not for me and too many events are boring unless you’re in an altered state. So we walked into the party and I made a beeline for the back corner of the dance floor, next to the water cooler on the bar, so that I could always be holding a glass of water and wouldn’t have to fidget with my phone as much as I would if both my hands were empty. After about three minutes of people watching (Summary: Americans wear Jordans and Brits wear Air Max; this DJ talks too much) a stranger approached. Uh-oh. She’s spilling her drink everywhere and we just made eye contact. SOS! I tried to make a run for it but it was too late: she was already dancing with us and there was no way to back out without being a dickhead. Then I realised that I already was being a dickhead - this girl was so nice! I should chill. The music was too loud for us to hear what her name was but I think she said she was from Ibiza. My friend and I ended up dancing with her and her friends until her mate took my phone and followed himself on Instagram. I discreetly unfollowed him, then we left and I went to bed.
Mallrat releases her In The Sky EP June 1st, via Nettwerk Records @lilmallrat LiS 25
@lilmallrat
interview
wouldn’t say I see myself as a historian of grime. Historians usually look at an event from the outside. My account comes from the inside, I was there standing right next to Henry VIII...” Darren Joseph, aka DJ Target, has witnessed the birth, decline and re-birth of a genre of music comparable to punk in its cultural significance for the UK and the world, as he explains over the phone: “Grime is the UK’s voice of inner city youth. It’s the UK’s answer to hip-hop, it even has a similar sort of history, arising from the same kind of social conditions… Ours just sounds different, and is influenced by jungle, garage, and dancehall.”
DJ Target
Not only has Target witnessed grime bloom into what it is, he has also been a part of it, producing early grime tracks and spinning tunes for the UK’s best MCs, in grime collective Roll Deep. Today, he hosts his own radio show on BBC 1Extra and is able to give a platform to emerging artists that are doing new things in grime and beyond. He details his journey from naïve kid to grime veteran in a new book he is releasing this month: Grime Kids. On the cover is a photo of him and the ‘Godfather of Grime’, Wiley looking freshfaced and fearless. Wiley, aka Richard Kylea Cowie, was one of Target’s childhood friends. The pair grew up together and got into the same kind of music at the same time. They even got their first job together, packing food at a Jamaican patty place, and were subsequently fired when they got caught having a food fight by the owner, Wiley’s uncle: “Even Wiley got fired, and it was his uncle who owned the place!” Target laughs.
words: Hassan Anderson
“I wanted people to know that the history of grime isn’t all just people with hoods up being all serious, there were a lot of clumsy mistakes along the way...” LiS 26
the 38 year-old DJ explains: “I haven’t written since school. At time it felt like I was doing an English assignment but one that I was actually passionate about… I think the moment I realised I would be able to do it was when I sent the first chapter to my editor and it was sent back with barely any corrections, barely any red pen on the page.” The history of grime could almost be taught in English classes as if it were Shakespeare, given the amount of drama there is in it. Target’s book, however, reveals the side of the tale in which a bunch of kids were just changing music forever without really knowing what they were doing: “I wanted people to know that the history of grime isn’t all just people with hoods up being all serious, there were a lot of clumsy mistakes along the way”, he explains when I mention how much humour there is in the book. He adds further: “The thing is, if you had said to me when we started doing all this that we would be here 15 years later making a living out of it and talking about the importance of what we had done I don’t think anyone of us would have believed it. We were just doing what we wanted to do for fun and making it up as we went along.”
photo: Ray Fiasco The book is bursting with stories like these, from trying to sneak into clubs with Wiley using mascara to paint on moustaches, to selling jungle vinyl to a baby-faced Dylan Mills aka Dizzee Rascal. What makes the text different is that the stories are all raw, first-hand accounts, as Target points out: “The book goes into my life but it’s not about me, it’s about me witnessing the birth and continuing life of grime... I think I knew I could tell the story in a different way because I wasn’t telling it from a distance, I had witnessed everything first hand.” One of the most astounding things about the book is the fact that Target had no ghostwriter when doing it, despite it reading so smoothly. This was a challenge at first,
With such a detailed insight on such a significant narrative, could we very well see a film or a TV series commissioned in the future? “Literally the minute I finished the book, I was getting people calling me up asking about commissions, so I think it’s something that could definitely happen,” Target replies with barely a pause. And here is an organic opportunity to ask a clichéd question: who would you want to play you in a film, if you could choose anyone? Target laughs and replies humbly: “Someone cool I guess... To be honest, the fact that I am here being asked who I would like to play me in a movie is surreal, it’s not something I would have ever thought would have happened.” LiS Grime Kids: The Inside Story of the Global Grime Takeover is out June 14th, published by Trapeze. @DJTarget LiS 27
@DJTarget1
interview
Junglepussy photography: Ebru Yildiz words: Katie Thomas
“I never planned it, I just put out a song and people liked it...”
onestly, I used to think that I had too much talent, that I could only let one skill shine. Now, I’m learning to share my gifts.” It takes a few attempts for Junglepussy and I to talk, but when we eventually do, she’s as uplifting and as brimming with confidence as I had hoped...
It’s been three years since the release of Pregnant With Success, the sophomore album that saw Shayna McHale dissect the patriarchy with brash non-sequiturs spat over Shy Guy’s glitchy hip hop production. In the time since, McHale has been working with new producers, experimenting with new sounds and deliveries, and learning to negotiate and tolerate the music industry’s sometimes duplicitous tendencies. Standing resolutely to do things her way despite the bullshit, in the opening track of her new third album JP3 Junglepussy tells it like it is: “Everybody here knows I’m the baddest.”
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interview
Where her penchant for tongue-in-cheek bars remains, alongside her unapologetic celebration of female pleasure, JP3 is markedly different from Junglepussy’s previous projects. “I wanted to mix things up a bit and really show my range” she says, explaining why there’s been three years between albums, “JP3 is more chill, more love, more relatable, I want my fans to hear that I’m advocating for them in my music.” Junglepussy has succeeded in making JP3 an expression of her versatility; as the album spans silky R&B, funky rhythms, and trap beats infused with bright piano melodies. As a woman, there’s something about Junglepussy’s music that makes me feel strong, finding comfort and power in her lyrics in spite of their oft explicit or silly nature. So it seems fitting that when I ask McHale how she would describe Junglepussy to someone that’s never heard of her, she says: “A large oxtail with rice and peas, extra gravy and plantains, with a fresh ginger beer on the side.” Junglepussy is Caribbean comfort food washed down with fizz and spice. In the wake of the release of JP3, as Junglepussy continues on her mission to help her listeners in “love, getting their needs met, and empowering themselves”, we talk about sex, painting, and learning to love yourself. Born into a Trinidadian and Jamaican household, Junglepussy grew up surrounded by music. “It was always lively, a constant dance party” McHale explains, telling me that her formative experiences of music involved a host of different styles from gospel to reggae; calypso to R&B. The New York based rapper admits she never really set out to become a musician, “I never planned it, I just put out a song and people liked it”. The song she refers to is “Cream Team”, a no holds barred, Erykah Badu-endorsed first offering with a visual that featured McHale popping bottles and rapping from the bathtub. After ‘Cream Team’ came ‘Stitches’, and “then I felt I owed them a project”, Junglepussy says of
her early fans. “I thank God”, she says, acknowledging her beginnings and where we are now, three Junglepussy projects deep. Occasionally, McHale will have “one of those magical days”, where new music blossoms in a heartbeat, like the breezy and groove-laced album cut ‘All Of You’, written in one studio session. Otherwise, new material needs to be nurtured, she explains: “I might capture LiS 32
interview
overt ode to oral sex; “All the way down is where I need you most”, Junglepussy purrs, “fill a vacancy in my pink submarine”. Whilst she remains tight-lipped about how these collaborations came to fruition, thinking aloud that sharing the details may strip them of their significance, Junglepussy tells me happily how the features on JP3 came together slowly and organically, and resulted in genuine artistic connection.
“Don’t let anyone
define you. Know your worth. Do not settle.
Thematically, JP3 shares a space with Kelela’s acclaimed Take Me Apart, and Janelle Monae’s newly released Dirty Computer. These remarkable women are celebrating sexuality in a way which is refreshingly honest, open, and fluid. There is joy to be found in sex without love, and much as men might not think it, women are up for it too. “What’s love got to do with making me cum?” Junglepussy shrugs in ‘I Just Want It’, before she hollers “I just want the head!” on loop. “It’s just to meet a need, a desire, we’re not doing it because it’s a love thing” McHale explains, “free yourself, do you, and be responsible.”
Speak up.
Say no. Do your research. Prepare for
opportunities...”
melodies in voice notes, write lyrics down, and then I just have to take the time to flesh those ideas out.” Where Junglepussy used to put a lot of pressure on herself, her creative process is now freer. “I don’t beat myself up over the process anymore” she explains, “it must be flexible.” JP3 features collaborations from Rico Love, Gangsta Boo, QUIÑ and highlight Wiki, whose feature on ‘Ocean Floor’ is an LiS 33
As a young woman who radiates confidence and has no qualms in telling it like it is, and how she likes it, I’m curious to know what advice McHale would give to younger women of colour who are negotiating the transition from girl to woman. “You will make mistakes for sure” she says, “forgive yourself! It’s already known that we are looked upon differently because of our skin colour. Lighter, darker, in between, we all have our crosses to bear. Don’t let anyone define you. Know your worth. Do not settle. Speak up. Say no. Do your research. Prepare for opportunities, and be grateful that the path is already being cleared by those who came before you.” The Junglepussy mantra is underpinned by self-love and self-fulfilment. What is the key to learning to love yourself unconditionally, I ask? “It’s just that” she exclaims, “the key is learning. It’s a process, easier for some than for others. Take time, be gentle, be patient,
“Self-love is my M.O.”
be kind to yourself.” On being kind to yourself, I wonder what challenges McHale has come up against, and how she has overcome them. “Self-love is my M.O.” she reiterates, “gaining acceptance from the mainstream media was initially a challenge, but times are changing. The New York Times recently featured me in their Sunday paper.” By choosing to focus on her work, instead of focusing on discourse surrounding her work, Junglepussy believed that they would get the message, and eventually they did: “I come for love, not for fight.” As we talk about the rest of 2018 and beyond, McHale tells me assertively that she intends to receive everything she deserves, with an aim to help her mother retire early, “so she no longer has to deal with the institutional racism of corporate America”. As we loop back to Junglepussy allowing herself to celebrate all of her talents, she tells me that her tattoos are all replicas of her own paintings and drawings. The artwork for JP3, too, is a Junglepussy original. When I ask her what she’s listening to at the moment, she’s quick to say that she’s listening to Junglepussy. Junglepussy loves
Junglepussy. As well as painting, modelling, and writing, McHale has recently finished shooting her first acting role in the Andrew Bujalski directed Support The Girls. “Ya girl got an IMDB now!” she says excitedly. “This year I will be prospering, excelling, and writing more popping music”, she says with a confidence that is increasingly infectious. “I’m up in Trader Joe’s shopping cart full of health”, McHale sings in ‘Nah’, a cut from her debut 2014 mixtape Satisfaction Guaranteed. Assuming we’ll all now aspire to these voracious levels of assertion, what’s in Junglepussy’s shopping cart full of health? Ginger, turmeric, garlic, coconut oil, chocolate coconut ice cream, Shea butter, ginger beer, fruits, vegetables, and most importantly, spinach. LiS
LiS 34
JP3 is out now. LIVE: Melt Festival, Germany @Junglepussy Stylist: Heather Bickford Hair: Andrita Renee Makeup: Raisa Flowers
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“a Sha ng ri-La of new music, with a rtists often on the cusp of g reatness as they perform – it’s been kind of a ba rometer for the pop la ndsca pe for the yea r a head ” The Line of Best Fit
interview
ood records remind you where you were when you first heard them. Great records do the same, of course, but are also gloriously transportive, immersing you within their own narrative in a move that’s engrossing, unsettling and wondrous. The swelling strings that drive ‘From The Sea/It Looms’, also known as ‘Chapters I & II’, are similarly absorbing and drop me back on that windswept boat, a new land emerging through the drizzle... “I think that’s the beautiful thing about music and literature, it’s so visceral and you’re encouraged to project yourself into the art, almost become part of it,” Leon Vynehall reflects in a sleepy beer garden in North London. “And that’s the key thing when you say about feeling the responsibility with my nan and pops’ story, while it’s personal to us, I think it’s a story that everyone can relate to one way or another. It’s about home and family, belonging, love, doubt. It is a vanity project in a sense, but I hope it’s one where the doors have opened rather than being exclusive.” The “vanity project” in question is Nothing Is Still, the breathtaking album, novel and short film that traces Vynehall’s grandparent’s search of a new life in New York, an expedition of dizzying proportions that only properly came to light after his grandfather passed away. “It’s one of those things when a family member dies, everyone sort of comes together and the way you start the grieving process is just by talking about them and exchanging stories.” The first body of work that he feels fully comfortable labelling an album, due to it feeling “a lot denser and a lot more concrete”,
Nothing Is Still explores new sonic territory for Vynehall, incorporating a ten-piece orchestra alongside his experimental electronic compositions that notoriously yearn for nostalgia. While the story certainly benefits from a newfangled, cinematic scale, it also allows the gaps between previous releases Music For The Uninvited and Rojus... to be subtly bridged, linked by his love of lush, layered compositions, either in the club or for more reflective listening. “It’s a departure, but I don’t think it’s that sharp of a left turn,” he admits. “I totally understand it’s a stylistic departure, although I think it still sounds like me. I was talking to someone the other day and they were asking ‘have you learnt anything different about how you write this time around?’ I don’t think I have, I’m still doing the same things, I’ve just got a bit more gutsier at doing them. I’ve always littered other records with slightly slower tracks, it’s not always been purely four-tothe-floor kicks, I’ve always tried to do something different.”
“It is a vanity project in a sense, but I hope it’s one where the doors have opened...” Having always been a DJ that insists on aiming beyond the parameters of dance music, Nothing Is Still swerves from woozy sparseness (‘Drinking It In Again’) to the growling gut-punch of ‘Trouble Parts I, II & III’, each chapter constructed in painstaking, unorthodox fashion. “Everything in the music, whether it’s
LiS 38
LEON VYNEHALL
words: Lee Wakefield photography: Phil Sharp LiS 39
“I think it was that I didn’t want this family story to get lost for future generations” figuratively or directly, is connected to the book. The book was finished and I printed everything out and went through the whole lot and highlighted words and phrases that I could use as tools to write the songs. If it says the word ‘shuffling’ in it or ‘slow-spoken rhythm’, I knew that I needed to make it like that. For the mood and the pace of the chapter, for example ‘Movements’ is pretty optimistic, it’s got to have that feel to it, but also foreshadow things to come so you hear dissident chords, it’s always bubbling under. It’s super-intricate, everything considered, which is why it look a long time. I feel like it would have been such a disservice to write a whole book and then not to be considerate with the music and how it all connects. Even the film, the whole project is how these different mediums have a relationship with each other and connect.”
His meticulousness appears to have paid off, as Nothing Is Still boasts the strongest emotional connection Vynehall has perhaps ever forged with a listener. “I think it was that I didn’t want this family story to get lost for future generations,” he concludes, “and I was glad because I didn’t want it to be diluted or turn into Chinese whispers.” There’s nothing disjointed here; through the overlapping mediums that make up Nothing Is Still, we are part of the ambitious journey that Leon Vynehall pieces together with devastating clarity. LiS
Nothing Is Still is released June 15th via Ninja Tune. LIVE: Hackney Showroom, July 3rd, 4th & 5th.
LiS 40
@vynehall @LeonVynehall
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ALBUM REVIEWS
RECORD OF THE MONTH The return of the multi-talented Swede, Lykke Li, is always a reason to celebrate, so Danny Wright has brought together LiS’ chief Lykke fans Emma Madden and George O’Brien to talk so sad so sexy. Lykke hasn’t made a solo album for four years – is so sad so sexy worth the wait? Emma: Definitely. I think what we have here is a really nuanced reflection on what it feels like to be in a bad relationship. It’s detailed in a way that few other works are. It has every feeling, and all the feelings we don't usually want to talk about. Like wanting to stay with someone who’s bad for us, the feeling of wanting to feel alone with someone rather than simply feeling alone. George: I think she’s one of those artists with a following where she can do no wrong really fans will love anything she's involved with. I’m definitely a fan. I remember I lost all my friends when she played Glastonbury - they wanted to see something else – and I didn't find them for about 24hrs after that. It was worth it. This is definitely a departure with a lot more of an RnB / hip-hop influence, but her songwriting and that voice still shine
LYKKE LI so sad so sexy RCA Records // June 8th @LykkeLi
through. It’s worth the wait and always nice to see sonic development. Talking about the themes of the album, were there any songs or lyrics that really brought that out? Emma: I think the album has a narrative so that's tricky to answer. It begins with Lykke wanting to appease her bad lover - “If you like the hard rain I can give you the ocean” but by the time we get to the end, she's making the hard decision to leave - “I’m better alone than lonely with you.” There's also a running theme of smoking/cigarettes. Lyrics like “Took a drag off the cigarette you said you were quittin’” illuminates the idea of being addicted to something that’s bad for you. George: The idea of being better alone than lonely is such a timeless idea and she delivers it with that bit of hope you need from the Lykke sadness. So, what’s the stand out track? Emma: Definitely ‘Two Nights’ for me. It's one of the best songs I've heard all year. I played it on repeat after the first listen. When I listen to it I'm totally in the world of the song. It's really as effectively devastating as any Robyn song and I
LiS 44
LiS 45
Photography: Chloe Le Drezen
liked the verse! Aminé rhyming ‘Lykke’ with ‘damn Dickies’ is also really fun to me. George: ‘Utopia’ or ‘Hard Rain’ for me - the bookends of the album. After the first few listens I wasn't sure about Lykke with that production and vocal delivery on ‘Hard Rain’ but she pulls it off like she‘s been doing it her whole career. It’s so subtly powerful - the gentle build with strings and sparse piano lets her voice shine through. ‘Utopia’ is a slow-burning anthem - I love its simplicity and the new video with her mum and her son in it shows how much family has clearly become such an important thing to her between the last record and this song. She’s said “I feel like I’m always doing opposite things... I’m accidentally doing pop, in a very non-shameful way.” Does it feel pop to you? Does this new sound suit her? Emma: I really think it does and I really hope that people don’t compare her to Taylor Swift just because of the hip-hop inflections. I also love that you have a pop album about simple sadness when it feels like there’s an increased pressure on female pop stars to sound empowered. It’s dishonest. When Joni Mitchell sang “I’m selfish, I’m sad, now I’ve gone and lost the best baby I've ever had” on ‘River’, it was revolutionary. That Lykke gets to straight-up sing “I'm a bad woman” is a luxury not usually afforded to women. George: I think this record proves she’s comfortable in any genre. At times it sounds like she’s been listening to Frank Ocean with her delivery. Hearing her rapid singing on ‘Jaguars In The Air’ is so interesting to listen to - it’s pop but it’s still so obviously her. She has always been an effortless pop songwriter, dressed-up in different ways. It never feels like she’s trying to be something she's not. Emma: That’s also true. I feel like this is the record she's always wanted to make. She’s a pop star. And it feels like it’s all on her own terms - there’s nothing forced or uncomfortable about her borderline rapping. And what about the producers she's brought into help with the sound - can you hear their influence? Emma: I feel like Rostam is a really smart choice because he, a bit like Lykke, has dabbled in both pop and indie worlds. George: I was surprised by the names - they didn't seem like the obvious choices if she was going to pull on this RnB influence. But it helps keeps the departure subtle. Emma: The pop star I’d compare this album to most is actually Nelly Furtado. George: Shout! Definitely on ‘Deep End’. Emma: Yeah and I think ‘Jaguars In The Air’ could definitely be a Nelly song. George: You've cracked it Emma. Well, I didn’t think we’d be talking about Nelly Furtado but I’m very glad we are. Thanks guys.
JORJA SMITH
LOST & FOUND FAMM // June 8th
It’s endearing to us islanders that British pop stars on the world stage are known more for their voices than their decadent videos. Amy gave us Adele. When Adele retires the world will be looking to Jorja Smith, a Walsall-born twenty-year-old who has already been exported around the globe as a megastar-inwaiting on Drake and Kendrick features. Her debut album Lost & Found is so utterly flooring vocally, on that merit alone you could argue she deserves the early acclaim. As the eponymous opener whirs into life like Lauryn Hill in Blade Runner, Jorja’s reflexive R&B habits colour the record, with her harmonies lifting songs like ‘Teenage Fantasy’ into resplendent displays of her inner superstar. The record consistently weaves its futurist magic as her unforgettable melodies play off the cutting-edge production. In ‘The One’ she displays an Adele-style ear for hooks, but sometimes, like on ‘Tomorrow’, her classical training shines through, presenting us with her amazing versatility. Where lies the problem then? Her lyrics are often either about love or self-realisation. Even while the album gets better musically with every listen, the inward-looking nature of the songs often means that lyrically they can blur into one. The incredible ‘Blue Lights’ is the only real attempt to harness the empathic power of storytelling. If Jorja makes her story our story too, it won’t be an exercise in mis-education, she’ll be unstoppable. Tim Hakki
serpentwithfeet
HILARY WOODS
soil
Secretly Canadian / Tri Angle June 8th
For fans of the dark, dramatic electronics of Arca, and the swooning R&B vocals of Frank Ocean, soil is an amalgamation of all the above. A classically trained musician who merges R&B, gospel, performance art and experimental electronica, Josiah Wise, aka serpentwithfeet, startles on his debut album. soil is a challenging listen in its jarring layers, dissonant organ melodies and fuzzy, thudding percussion, but Wise’s beautiful falsetto and the dizzying choral harmonies retain a sense of romance amidst the pain. An ode to love, an ode to the loss of love, and an ode to trying to make love work, soil sees serpentwithfeet unfolding, revealing his most intimate and vulnerable self for the world to see. Katie Thomas
COLT
Sacred Bones June 8th
If Grouper’s stark, intense minimalism is best visualised as the darkest corner of the coldest house, then Colt - the debut album from Dublin artist Hilary Woods - is the desolate, cinematic landscape outside it. Beautiful and grizzled, its eight tracks range from sombre ambience (‘Prodigal Dog’) to Twin Peaks-esque balladry (‘Black Rainbow’), tackling grief and abandonment with outstanding confidence. Full of anguish and endlessly cathartic - but surprisingly bright-sounding in places Colt is a remarkable debut, one best experienced with closing track ’Limbs’, which is all cathartic drone, Hollywood piano and Woods’ pristine voice. Woods says Colt was created “as a way to process and make sense of the everyday” - a feeling she’s captured perfectly, as if in gossamer. Tom Walters LiS 46
“The only barrier to enjoying it is not having any soul.” -
Thomas Hannan on Kamasi Washington’s Heaven and Earth
LILY ALLEN NO SHAME
Parlophone // June 8th
KAMASI WASHINGTON HEAVEN AND EARTH Young Turks June 22nd
Kamasi Washington occupies a commanding but peculiar place in music, being as he is one of the few jazz artists who’s adored by people who don’t exclusively adore jazz. But Heaven and Earth is a record made to be enjoyed by all humanity, and the only reason anyone might enjoy it less than his triple album debut The Epic is that there’s slightly less of it. Still amply filling a double LP with some of the most audacious, luscious modern jazz that any ear – trained or untrained – will have heard in an age, it’s a second consecutive triumph, and you really should own it. If you don’t have any jazz, that’s not an issue. The only barrier to enjoying it is not having any soul. Thomas Hannan
Lily Allen’s career was founded on a two-pronged attack of searing lyrics and blissfully sunny melodies, making the busy productions and confused messaging of her last LP doubly disappointing. As Allen herself admits, 2014’s Sheezus was a misstep: the by-product of an identity crisis and label pressures. By contrast, No Shame finds the singer-songwriter abandoning that distracting slickness, and exploring personal traumas to create her strongest set since Alright, Still. Dissecting her divorce, struggles with alcohol, low self-esteem and parental guilt with both wit and bravery, Allen’s vulnerability becomes her strength, and that candour is echoed in the simplicity of arrangements, which extend from Caribbean-flavoured pop (‘Your Choice’, ‘What You Waiting For’) to silvery ballads (‘Everything To Feel Something’, ‘Apples’), and feature perfectly-pitched cameos from Giggs, Burna Boy and Lady Chann. Gemma Samways
LET’S EAT GRANDMA I'M ALL EARS
Transgressive Records // June 29th
As fun as I, Gemini was, it often resembled a debut that had a lot thrown at it with the hope something would stick. Whatever your feelings on that record, I’m All Ears is a confident next step, as Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth sharpen their effortless knack for a hook and return with shimmering pop smashes that bristle with identity. If singles ‘Hot Pink’ and ‘It’s Not Just Me’ are stratospheric, ‘I Will Be Waiting’ is offbeat balladry in an enchanting Let’s Eat Grandma mould. Always a giddy live prospect, closing track ‘Donnie Darko’ has been stomping through sets for years, yet feels fleeting on record despite clocking in at over eleven minutes. Over far too quickly, much like I’m All Ears in general then. Lee Wakefield LiS 47
ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER HOPE DOWNS Sub Pop // June 15th
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever's name feels claustrophobic, like the suffocating feeling of an incoming storm looming on the horizon; the stifling atmosphere before all hell breaks loose. Hope Downs, the Melbourne band's debut album, feels like both that prelude and the aftermath. Opener 'An Air Conditioned Man' is dense and heavy, thick bass perforated by spiky guitar licks as Tom Russo details a growing sense of panic. 'Bellarine' is similarly brooding, twin guitars weaving in and out of each other with nagging urgency. On the flipside, 'Sister's Jeans' glimmers with a surf-y lethargy, while closer 'The Hammer' is jagged but bright. No matter what mood Rolling Blackouts C.F. are in, you'll want to weather the storm with them. Rhian Daly
TENDERLONIOUS
THE SHAKEDOWN 22a Records // June 15th
His mother calls him Ed Cawthorne. But he’s better known as Tenderlonious, the hard-working South London label-founder, flautist, saxophonist, producer and DJ. For his debut he’s grabbed his flute for a deep dive into southern hemisphere tropical jazz. Recorded in a single eight-hour session, the tunes sound fresh with Yussef Dayes’ sizzling and shuffling drums as the engine room. The tight grooves on ‘Togo’ see him channel Seventies-era Donald Byrd, while the title track is a more ambitious composition aiming for the cosmos. The keys of Hamish Balfour and bass of Fergus Ireland add ballast to the exciting session with fellow 22archestra percussionists Konrad, Jeen Bassa and Reginald Omas Mamode offering depth. It’s an original, sophisticated and challenging slice of modern jazz. Geoff Cowart
LUMP
LUMP Dead Oceans // June 1st
A project born of mutual appreciation, LUMP is a collaboration between Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay of Tunng, a producer who knows that a voice as expressive and bright as Marling’s will give any partnership a head start. Lindsay’s graceful compositions feature spacious layers of intimate electronica and precise instrumentation – plucked, blown and sequenced – over which Marling’s cynical, often caustic lyrics contend that modern life, at least the tech-driven narcissism of it, is rubbish. This prismatic collection, hard to compartmentalise aside from its consistently catchy melodiousness, peaks with ‘Curse of the Contemporary’, a kind of loungey trip-hop number on which Marling goes full chanteuse to weave a gloriously itinerant vocal that’s both sassy and operatic. It’ll stay in your head for days. Nick Mee LiS 48
THE MEN FRI 1 JUNE OSLO HACKNEY
BEDOUINE MON 9 JULY THE LEXINGTON
RAF RUNDELL THURS 7 JUNE BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB
KING TUFF THURS 16 AUG MOTH CLUB
LOKKI FRI 8 JUNE ROSEMARY BRANCH THEATRE PET DEATHS WED 13 JUNE SEBRIGHT ARMS
ALEX NAPPING MON 20 AUG SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS EZRA FURMAN TUES 4 SEPT O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
ROSTAM THURS 14 JUNE SCALA
(SANDY) ALEX G WED 5 SEPT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
VIVE LE VOID TUES 19 JUNE THE LEXINGTON
KEDR LIVANSKIY T WED 19SOSEPT LD OU THE PICKLE FACTORY
VACATION FOREVER WED 20 JUNE THE WAITING ROOM
JOSE GONZALEZ THURS 20 SEPT ROYAL ALBERT HALL
GROUP LISTENING MON 9 JULY ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
MITSKI WED 26 SEPT O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
JIM GHEDI THURS 27 SEPT ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH IDER TUES 2 OCT VILLAGE UNDERGROUND MARTIN KOHLSTEDT MON 8 OCT ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH GWENNO THURS 18 OCT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL GIANT PARTY WED 24 OCT THE LEXINGTON SOLOMON GREY THURS 25 OCT UNION CHAPEL LORD HURON FRI 26 OCT ROUNDHOUSE LUCY DACUS WED 31 OCT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
GOAT GIRL FRI 2 NOV KOKO CURTIS HARDING THURS 8 NOV KOKO LAURA JEAN TUES 13 NOV SEBRIGHT ARMS KELLY LEE OWENS THURS 15 NOV VILLAGE UNDERGROUND LUKE HOWARD TUES 20 NOV BUSH HALL THE WAVE PICTURES THURS 22 NOV KOKO SUBURBAN LIVING FRI 23 NOV SEBRIGHT ARMS HOOKWORMS SAT 24 NOV O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
FoRMs June — July
Adriatique Bas Ibellini Bobby Pleasure B2B Adam Curtain Carly Foxx Claude VonStroke DJ Tennis Dub Healy Eli Brown Elliot Adamson Funster Huxley Jesse Calosso Luna City Express Matt Tolfrey Matthias Tanzmann Pan-Pot (All Night Long) Paranoid London (DJ set) Route 94 SG Lewis (DJ Set) And Many More...
GIGS OF THE MONTH O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE THE ZOMBIES
Our pick of the best upcoming shows around London O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON TINK
June 14th £28.75adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
June 26th £31.50adv // @O2Islington
Angel
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS EZRA BRUNO June 26th £6adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
THE DOME WAVVES + DUNE RATS
DRAHLA
June 8th £17.50adv // @DomeTufnellPark
Tuffnell Park
THE LEXINGTON DRAHLA + CRACK CLOUD + MUSH June 6th £8.25adv // @thelexington
Angel
THE LOCK TAVERN CHARMPIT June 21st FREE // @thelocktavern
SHAMIR
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
SHAMIR
CRACK CLOUD
June 27th £11adv // @CamdenAssembly
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
June 10th FREE// @shacklewell Arms
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM
BRIXTON WINDMILL
DU BELLOWS + DEAF EMPIRE + THE SUITCASE JUNKET
THE REBEL + PEEPING DREXELS + HONKIES
June 12th £7adv // @BostonMusicRoom
June 20th £5adv // @WindmillBrixton
Tuffnell Park
Brixton
MOTH CLUB
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
ESSAIE PAS
MISHKA SHUBALY + GLENN WOOL
June 23rd £9adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central
June 28th £10adv // @slaughteredlam
Farringdon/ Old Street
BUSH HALL
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
GOSPELBEACH + THE HANGING STARS
NYC’77: CBGBS VS STUDIO 54
June 4th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £16adv // @Bushhallmusic
June 30th £8adv // @paperdressed
Hackney Central
REYKJAVÍKURDÆTUR
FABRIC JUNCTION 2 AFTER HOURS: TALE OF US + ÂME + TRIKK + LEN FAKI + DENSE & PIKA + JAY CLARKE June 9th £27.5adv // @fabriclondon
Farringdon/ Chancery Lane
OSLO
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
AISHA DEVI + ORGAN TAPES + ENGELISA + COVCO
REYKJAVÍKURDÆTUR + FRAN LOBO
June 14th £11adv // @OsloHackney
Hackney Central
June 11th £8adv // @HoxtonSquareBar
Old Street
THE WAITING ROOM JOHN June 21st £5adv // @WaitingRoomN16
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN TY SEGALL + MIKE DONOVAN
YASMINE HAMDAN
JAZZ CAFE
Kentish Town
ARCHSPACE
YASMINE HAMDAN June 13th £20adv // @TheJazzCafe
June 9th £21.50adv // @O2ForumKTown
TELEFON TEL AVIV + PBSR Camden Town
June 24th £14adv // @Archspace_Ldn LiS 53
Haggerston
friday 1 june | 7:00
wednesday 11 july | 7:00
friday 8 june | 7:00
saturday 21 july | 7:00
saturday 9 june | 8:00
wednesday 25 july | 7:00
saturday 9 june | 7:00
saturday 28 july | 12:00
CHURCH OF THE COSMIC TOUCHE AMORE friday 13 july | 7:00 SKULL SON OF MAN saturday 2 june | 7:00 friday 13 july | 7:00 HOT VOX: ROGUES’ POWERFLO GALLERY WAVVES
SARAH COLLINS BAND THE GIFT
RUINER
FRANCK CARDUCCI WONKFEST
tuesday 12 june | 7:00
thursday 16 august| 7:00
sat-sun 16-17 june | 12:00
saturday 22 august | 7:00
monday 18 june | 7:00
FRI-sat 31-1 aug-sept| VARIOUS
thursday 21 june | 7:00
tuesday 4 SEptember | 7:00
DU BELLOWS
PORTALS FESTIVAL BELPHEGOR
OCEANS ATE ALASKA
SADISTIC INTENT HOCKEY DAD READY FEST
CAMP COPE
thursday 21 june | 7:30
friday 7 SEptember | 7:00
friday 22 june | 7:00
wednesday 12 SEptember | 7:00
tuesday 3 july | 7:00
saturday 15 SEptember | 1:00
ORANSSI PAZUZU NEAL MORSE
LIVING ISLAND
AARON WATSON ESPIRIT D’AIR
LOUD WOMEN FEST
wednesday 4 july | 7:00
sunday 16 SEptember | 6:30
Thursday 5 July | 7:00
monday 24 SEptember | 7:00
friday 6 july | 7:00
thursday 27 SEptember | 7:30
sunday 8 july | 7:00
saturday 29 SEptember | 7:00
CRYSTAL LAKE EZXP
VISIGOTH
JONAH MATRANGA & FRIENDS (FAR’S WATER & SOLUTIONS IN FULL)
DEMILICH
DANISH DEMOLITION LA LUZ
HAYMAKER
thursday 4 october | 7:00
LAUREL
UPCOMING LONDON SHOWS
W W W. R O C K F E E D B A C K . C O M
LOS CAMPESINOS! O2 KENTISH TOWN FORUM
FRANCOBOLLO OMEARA
LIDO PIMIENTA DIY SPACE FOR LONDON
DRAHLA
THE LEXINGTON
BORN RUFFIANS OSLO
AMBER ARCADES OMEARA
ALASKALASKA CORSICA STUDIOS
WAXAHATCHEE OVAL SPACE
AISHA DEVI
VISIONS FESTIVAL
WESTERMAN
ARIEL PINK
PUMA BLUE
KEVIN MORBY
PEAKES
ANNA BURCH
SNAIL MAIL
TITUS ANDRONICUS
DREAM WIFE
SOCCER MOMMY
ELDER ISLAND
LOST HORIZONS
HALEY
HACKNEY
HEAVEN
HACKNEY ARTS CENTRE
MOTH CLUB
ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
SCALA
QEH @ SOUTHBANK CENTRE
OSLO
SCALA
THE WAITING ROOM
THE DOME
KOKO
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
OSLO
QEH @ SOUTHBANK CENTRE
BILL RYDER-JONES
NATALIE PRASS
YAMANTAKA// SONIC TITAN
OSCAR JEROME
TRUDY & THE ROMANCE
ELECTROWERKZ
STARCRAWLER THE GARAGE
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER BARBICAN
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
HORSE FEATHERS
SEBRIGHT ARMS
LET’S EAT GRANDMA
HEAVEN
BY THE SEA FESTIVAL
FATOUMATA DIAWARA
HACKNEY ARTS CENTRE
SUNFLOWER BEAN
TELEMAN
THE ORIELLES
MYSTERY LIGHTS
CECIL SHARP HOUSE
FUCKED UP
OVAL SPACE
HANGAR
UNION CHAPEL
S. CAREY
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
THE 100 CLUB
ALELA DIANE
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
MAMMUT
CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
MOTH CLUB
JULIEN BAKER
JOYFUL TALK
MARGATE
BIRTHDAYS
ELECTRIC BRIXTON
ROYAL ALBERT HALL
HACKNEY ARTS CENTRE
HEAVEN
FULL JUNE LISTINGS
LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Your full listings guide to all the best shows happening across North, East, South and West London this month. Friday 1st June
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Saturday 2nd June
Sunday 3rd June
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FULL JUNE LISTINGS
Monday 4th June
Wednesday 6th June
Tuesday 5th June
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 8th June Thursday 7th June
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FULL JUNE LISTINGS Saturday 9th June
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LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday 10th June
Tuesday 12th June
Monday 11th June
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FULL JUNE LISTINGS
Thursday 14th June
Wednesday 13th June
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 15th June
Saturday 16th June
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL JUNE LISTINGS Sunday 17th June
Monday 18th June
Wednesday 20th June
Tuesday 19th June
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday 21st June Friday 22nd June
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FULL JUNE LISTINGS
Saturday 23rd June
Sunday 24th June
Monday 25th June
ESSAIE PAS
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Tuesday 26th June
Thursday 28th June
Wednesday 27th June
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FULL JUNE LISTINGS
Saturday 30th June Friday 29th June
MIKE SKINNER
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Sunday 1st July
Monday 2nd July
Thursday 5th July
Tuesday 3rd July
Wednesday 4th July
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
JULY LISTINGS
Friday 6th July
Sunday 8th July
Saturday 7th July
Monday 9th July
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Tuesday 10th July Thursday 12th July
Wednesday 11th July
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PRESENTS
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SOLD OU
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LIVE REVIEWS THE GREAT ESCAPE ou can’t talk about The Great Escape without talking about the weather. It’s actually illegal. The annual migration south for chips and beer and bands and GAK - the pro audio shop based on North Road, obviously - was awash in sunshine for the first time in living memory, which was good news for the festival’s new beach venue... The hodge-podge of open air pop-ups and pebbly beach would have been the most depressing place on earth in the festival’s usual horizontal rain, but given the weather gods were smiling we schlepped down the promenade to catch NAO’s fizzing headline set. You remember NAO, right? Cast your mind back to 2016, she had approximately three good songs and it turns out those songs are still good. So that was good. Former cover stars Girlhood turned in a sunny set of neo-pop-soul; Tessa’s incredible vocal performance and literal dance moves were a joy to behold. The pop train rattled along with Joan’s mid-afternoon set of synth-layered anthems that, if you didn’t know were being performed by two lads with guitars and drums, you’d swear were being sung by the coolest boyband of the early 90s. The Minaj-endorsed Ms Banks had the crowd twerking (to varying degrees of success) with her bullshit-averse flow and we didn’t get in to ALMA’s show but hey, Bossy Love’s pop‘n’b had us dancing for a solid half hour so we weren’t devastated for long. The Scots’ cover of Blu Cantrell’s ‘Breathe’ was something else - Amandah does a very impressive Sean Paul.
LiS 76
BRIGHTON, 17th-19th MAY
He may do a less-good Sean Paul (we’ll probably never know), but Novelist served real notice he’s ready for the next level, then a couple more, with a blisteringly versatile set that transcended grime roots, flung genre casually to the floor and utterly ruled Fader’s impeccable stage. Because The Great Escape puts some gigs on in venues that are more usually employed as, like, utility cupboards and cocktail bars, dodgy sound dogged a few shows. Tirzah’s much-anticipated set fizzled almost immediately, a combination of bad venue, bad crowd and a U-turn directionally speaking. The mid-point of the festival is a tricky place to find yourself and even more so when you don’t have a DJ and you’re stuck hitting play on iTunes by yourself, but Paigey Cakey’s DJ-less set was warm and inclusive, she easily filled the wide, empty stage and an impromptu beatbox showdown was goosebump- inducing whether it was staged or not. It takes a brave soul to have a go at covering Solange but Poppy Ajudah’s ‘Cranes In The Sky’ cover had the crowd agog; her effortless jazz-soul was entrancing. It was south Londoner Flohio that blew us away, though. Turning in three sets over the course of the weekend, it was thrilling to see her spitting lines and quizzing the crowd on their postcodes; she has the potential to be up there with the grand high masters of UK rap, if you ask us. Pop, jazz and rap ruled the festival, and women turned in the best performances of the weekend. Add in the relentless sunshine and Cardi B’s album for between-band downtime - recipe for a good TGE, that. Kate Solomon
LiS 77
06—18
Lanzarote
MOTH Club Valette St London E8 Monday 4 June
MAGIC WANDS Wednesday 6 June
GOLDEN DAWN ARKESTRA Friday 8 June
WARMDUSCHER Tuesday 19 June
GIRLS NAMES Saturday 23 June
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
Programming
The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Saturday 2 June
BROKEN ENGLISH CLUB Friday 8 June
PHUONG DAN Wednesday 13 June
SOHO REZANEJAD Friday 22 June
FANTASTIC TWINS Saturday 30 June
ESSAIE PAS
ZOMBIES IN MIAMI
Shacklewell Arms
The Lock Tavern
71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Thursday 7 June
BEECHWOOD Friday 8 June
THE MANTIS OPERA Sunday 10 June
CRACK CLOUD Wednesday 20 June
THE PLAINVIEWS Saturday 23 June
SCHONWALD
35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Saturday 2 June
PROM Thursday 7 June
DITZ Friday 8 June
BAD NERVES Thursday 14 June
H0NKIES Wednesday 27 June
JOHN MOODS
IN LONDON
with MATT MALTESE Why do you live in London? I moved to Camden to pursue music when I was 18 - I’d saved up some money buying vinyl collections from strange men on Gumtree and then reselling them online. It was slow and miserable at first living in Camden, but I discovered a lot of music I loved in South London and met people like Alex Burey, which really changed my experience of living here. What are your go-to places to eat and drink? Hmm. It’s very predictable but I love the Wetherspoons in Camberwell called ‘Fox on the Hill’. It’s definitely one of the best drinking holes in London, despite the unsettling propaganda in their newsletters. I don't eat out a lot but there’s a top-drawer falafel place in Camberwell called Falafel & Shawarma which I’ll go to every so often. Summer’s finally about to happen, how much does that affect your time in London? A lot. I actually want to leave my house and do things. It also allows for a lot park-time reflecting. Do you have any favourite outdoor spaces? Camberwell Green, but also Burgess Park is one of the best. I don’t get there too often but the outside area at Barbican is one of the best seating areas round in my humble opinion.
What’s South London got that North hasn’t? I’d say space, mainly. There’s a feeling that you’re outside of the city but still close to so many different kinds of experiences. I’d also say I’m a lot more inspired by the kinds of bands I discover around here. What’s the worst thing about London? The big empty houses all over the place, and the rising rent that is slowly pushing culture and people who don’t earn seven-figure wages further and further out. Do you have any favourite venues? Yes, The Windmill in Brixton most definitely. I’ve discovered countless bands that I'd write home about there. And not to get spiritual and corny, but the welcoming feeling it gives off as a place is special. Does living here influence your music? Yes, without a doubt, it’s where I’ve discovered music that’s changed me and people that have changed me. I wouldn’t have written a lot of the songs on my record without this place.
LiS 79
Matt Maltese releases his debut album Bad Contestant June 8th, via Atlantic Records. LIVE: Scala, June 6th FESTIVALS: All Points East, Citadel, Deer Shed. @MattMaltesemusic
@matthewmaltese
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PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS They Think Hits All Over by Danny Wright I wake up to the news that Will Smith and Diplo have made the official World Cup song for Russia 2018. Following in the footsteps of Anastacia, Ricky Martin and Pitbull (though, to be fair, Pitbull has featured on every song recorded since April 2007). And it makes me very excited about the World Cup. Because the World Cup might be about the summer, getting to watch four football games in a day and endless, grinding, inevitable disappointment But it is also really about ridiculous pop songs. Think about it: all your World Cup memories are tied up in these songs. Yes, I know ‘Three Lions’ and ‘World In Motion’ are the ones we all remember, but I can never get ‘We’re On The Ball’ by Ant and Dec out of my head whenever I picture 2002 and Beckham’s penalty against Argentina. As you start to think about it your mind starts playing tricks – did Dizzee Rascal and James Corden really record a song together? Did Embrace not even 90s heyday Embrace, but 2006 Embrace – really do our song? And remember when the Spice Girls and Echo and the Bunnymen inexplicably worked together? When else would that happen? And for every 'Nessun Dorma' and John Barnes singing “Beat the man, Take him on, You never give up, It's one on one”, there are the classic, clichéd players looking uncomfortable as they stand in the studio together, one hand on their headphones, as they tone-deafly shout their way through a chorus that involves the words ‘football’, ‘world’, ‘feet’ and ‘kick’. And I love them all. England’s song for 1982 was called ‘This Time (We'll Get It Right)’, a song title so brilliantly, terribly, apologetically English that it should have remained our song for the rest of time. But really, I can feel it lads. This time. This time we will get it right. Danny Wright will be humming the tune to ‘We're On The Ball’ for the entirety of the World Cup and repeatedly posting a gif of that amazing Diana Ross penalty miss. Find him on Twitter at @dethink2survive
LiS 81
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S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
TORY LANEZ PLUS LILLY AHLBERG
25 JUN OMEARA
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
25 SEP O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
28 SEP O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
CARBON LEAF PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
10 OCT OMEARA
11 OCT LEXINGTON
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
17 OCT O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
SG LEWIS PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
15 & 16 NOV O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON SOLD OUT
PLUS AMBER MARK
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17 & 18 NOV O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
07 DEC PRINTWORKS
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