JUNE 2015 ISSUE 27 // FREE
SOAK GIRLPOOL JAMIE XX | OUTFIT | GENGAHR | BRUISING
METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTS
+ GUESTS
THURSDAY 11 JUNE
SEBRIGHT ARMS GIGSANDTOURS.COM STARGREEN.COM A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH PRIMARY TALENT INTERNATIONAL
(12 ONLY)
EXTRA DATE ADDED
THURSDAY 11 JUNE T
D OU SOL12 JUNE FRIDAY
THE BARFLY GIGSANDTOURS.COM / TICKETWEB.CO.UK
BADSUNS.COM
/BADSUNS
/THEBADSUNS
PLUS GUEST
Big Joe Louis
TUESDAy 16 June
KOKo
ticketweb.co.uk Gigsandtours.com ticketmaster.co.uk jdmcpherson.com A Metropolis Music presentation byarrangementwith Coda
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH PRIMARY TALENT INTERNATIONAL
tess parks & anton newcombe saturday 18 july • oslo
alt-tickets.co.uk / gigsandtours.com
debut album ‘i declare nothing’ released 29 June a metropolis music presentation by arrangement with x-ray
SATURDAYD4OUJULY T SOL ASSEMBLY HALL ISLINGTON + special guest TOM MISCH (DJ set)
SAT 12 SEPTEMBER HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
F R I 2 0 N OV KO KO
seetickets.com / ticketmaster.co.uk songkick.com
TICKETWEB.CO.UK G I G S A N D TO U R S . C O M S TA R G R E E N . C O M
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NEW ALBUM ‘CHOOSE YOUR W E A P O N ’ O U T N OW
H I AT U S K A I Y OT E . C O M
A Metropolis Music and friends presentation by arrangement with The Agency Group
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE AGENCY GROUP
P R I O R I T Y B O O K I N GS
WELCOME
SOAK
Excuse us if we seem in a bit of a daze this month; between the whirlwind of The Great Escape, getting strong again for Field Day, putting a magazine together and releasing the fantastic new Colleagues EP, we’ve been a tiny bit distracted. That doesn’t mean, however, that we haven’t got together a bunch of this month’s most exciting music and stuffed as much of it as we could manage into the magazine. MATES OF STATE
From the heart-wrenching depth of SOAK’s voice to the energy and humour of one of our favourite new acts Girlpool, to the complexity and soul of Jamie xx’s jaw-droppingly brilliant new album, it seems we might just be a little spoiled for choice. Now excuse me whilst I go and put those on repeat and eat the cookies I made for a failed ‘Penny For Your Thoughts’ page...
STAFF ON REPEAT the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: MATES OF STATE - STARING CONTEST DAVE: TITUS ANDRONICUS - DIMED OUT LOKI: GENGAHR - HEROINE DANNY: BULLY - I REMEMBER GEMMA: ANNA B SAVAGE - III LiS 03
CONTENTS 08. ON THE STEREO
LONDON IN STEREO IS:
13. NEW SOUNDS
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
17. TALES FROM THE CITY
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
20. GIRLPOOL
Sub-Editor/Sales: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
26. SOAK
Staff Writers: Danny Wright Gemma Samways Jack Urwin
32. ALBUM REVIEWS 40. EVENTS
Photography: SOAK cover story: Tim Boddy (timboddy.com) Great Escape: Abi Dainton
45. GIGS OF THE MONTH 49. LIVE LISTINGS 69. IN LONDON 70. LIVE REVIEWS 73. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Contributors: Kate Solomon, Sam Duckworth, Thomas Hannan, Hayley Scott, Geoff Cowart, Francesca Baker, Simone Scott Warren, Tim Hakki, George O’Brien, Amy Gravelle, Woodrow Whyte, Nick Mee, Johan Alm.
GIRLPOOL
londoninstereo.com
@LondonInStereo
/londoninstereo
/london-in-stereo
londoninstereo LiS 05
— M O N 1 8 M AY —
— FRI 1 9 J UN —
FAILURE
STANLEY ODD MOD
— W E D 2 0 M AY —
HALFRICAN
FALSE-HEADS + THE PACERS + HOT SOLES
— WED 24 J UN —
THE WHITE BUFFALO SPECIAL GUESTS
— F RI 2 2 M AY —
— TH U 25 J UN —
PRONTO MAMA
REBELUTION
SILENT PARTY + MONTAGUES & CAPULETS
SPECIAL GUESTS
— SAT 11 J UL —
— SAT 2 3 M AY —
PLEASURE HOUSE
THE KLICK + SOUTHBOUND
THE FELICE BROTHERS
JACKSONS WAREHOUSE
— TUE 14 J UL — SPECIAL GUESTS
— T U E 2 6 M AY —
GALLOWS
— T H U 23 J UL —
CHERRY GLAZERR
BABY GODZILLA + CREEPER
— W ED 2 7 M AY —
STRAND OF OAKS SPECIAL GUESTS
— T H U 23 J UL —
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART SPECIAL GUESTS
— WED 03 JUN —
KIDS ON BRIDGES
— FRI 31 J UL —
LUNA
SPECIAL GUESTS
— F RI 0 5 J U N
[18+]
SPECIAL GUESTS + CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH. AFTER PARTY
—
DEAF SCHOOL
— SAT 1 5 AUG
EIGHTEEN NIGHTMARES AT THE LUX + THE SAVAGE NOMADS + CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH. DJS
[18+]
DELUXE
—
SPECIAL GUESTS
— F RI 0 5 J U N —
PANIC ISLAND
BLUE DEEP RUBY + BLACKWATERS
— WED 10 JUN —
SHANTY
— EVERY FI RST SATURDAY —
A MONTHLY BRITPOP PARTY
FUTURE DUB ORCHESTRA
FO LLOW US THEGARAGEHIGHBURY
THEGARAGEHQ
THEGARAGELONDON
THEGARAGEHIGHBURY.COM 20-22 Highbury Corner, London, N5 1RD, United Kingdom. Tickets available from ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 847 2424 (24hr)
SAMM HENSHAW THE COURTYARD THEATRE HOXTON TUE 16 JUN
WET
ZIBRA
THE VICTORIA DALSTON WED 17 JUN
SEBRIGHT ARMS WED 17 JUN
AQUILO
FIDLAR
TENTERHOOK
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND TUE 23 JUN
HEAVEN TUE 23 JUN
THE LEXINGTON WED 24 JUN
MINI MANSIONS
BRONCHO
OSLO TUE 30 JUN
DINGWALLS WED 01 JUL
NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS
BILLIE BLACK
GEORGE THE POET
WALKING ON CARS
THE WAITING ROOM WED 08 JUL
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE FRI 16 OCT
ELECTRIC BALLROOM FRI 23 OCT
AT CALLING FESTIVAL CLAPHAM COMMON SAT 04 JUL
ELLA EYRE
JOHN GRANT
TOBIAS JESSO JR.
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON TUE 10 NOV
EVENTIM APOLLO HAMMERSMITH THU 12 NOV
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE WED 25 NOV
@ L N S o urce
Ticke ts | Exclu sive s | Win | live n ation.co.uk
HOLY FUCK RED LIGHTS
GIRL BAND DE BOM BOM
An obvious choice sure; when one thinks of this band, they think of this song first. But it’s so damn funky its two million YouTube plays are totally deserved. The track plows on and on effortlessly like some weird twisted love child between Funkadelic and Can. Our only complaint is that we wish it was three times as long. The synths coming in at 1:15 really top up the euphoric little groove you get into whilst listening.
Dublin’s finest, Girl Band, are ridiculously good. We’ve yet to find someone who disagrees. In this track the drums are tight and dry, the bass is fuzzed beyond fuzzed-out, the guitar utilised as a noise-making device rather than anything melodic for the majority of the time, Dara Kiely’s yelping like a madman, it’s all so tense one can hardly bear it. Finally you’re led into this groaning, morbid feedback leading the outro through… it’s chaotic and harsh and great.
HOLY FUCK
SHAMIR CALL IT OFF
SHAMIR
Shamir is cool as hell. We love this track because it’s got a whole bunch of different influences going on. Clearly it’s got a firm hold on this modern brand of disco-esque pop but there is also a big slice of Prince in there, especially during the verses.
SON LUX EASY (REMIX FT. BUSDRIVER) The original Easy is clearly an amazing piece of work - a beautiful collage of sounds with Ryan Lott’s fragile vocals crooning over the top, accompanied by a rich baritone sax hook. We recently discovered this collaborative remix with the equally gifted Busdriver, which makes an already incredible track extra sweet.
CAMERA OBSCURA THE SWEETEST THING This track is infectiously happy, and we’re fine with that. We’re big fans of how well Camera Obscura channel this Be My Baby kind of Phil Spector-esque aesthetic, which this track demonstrates perfectly. Hearing them in the beautifully classic setting of St John at Hackney Church was a fantasy of ours all along. words: Bird On The Wire team, co-founders of Visions Festival Visions Festival takes place Saturday August 8th, across six Hackney venues. facebook.com/visionsfstvl // @VisionsFestival visionsfestival.com
CAMERA OBSCURA LiS 09
C OM M U N ION PR ESENTS
SATURDAY 13 JUNE SHEPHERDS BUSH 6 STAGES / 30+ BANDS
ADAM FRENCH • ADY SULEIMAN • ALL WE ARE • BANFI BEACH BABY • BEANS ON TOAST • CHARLOTTE OC DAN OWEN • FRANCES • GEORGE COSBY HONEYBLOOD • JACK WATTS • LAKE KOMO LISA MITCHELL • LUCY ROSE • MATT WOODS MICHAEL KIWANUKA • MISTY MILLER • NADINE SHAH NATHANIEL RATELIFF AND THE NIGHT SWEATS PORT ISLA • RACING GLACIERS • REBECCA CLEMENTS RUKHSANA MERRISE • SAMM HENSHAW SOPHIE JAMIESON • STRONG ASIAN MOTHERS THE ACADEMIC • THE AMAZONS • THE BEACH TORA • VAULTS • VILLAGERS
w w w. b uuss h sto ck . c o . u k
METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTS
PEACE PLUS VERY SPECIAL GUESTS
AND
FRIDAY 9TH OCTOBER
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
TICKETWEB.CO.UK GIGSANDTOURS.COM STARGREEN.COM DICE.FM A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH 13 ARTISTS
NEW ALBUM ‘HAPPY PEOPLE’ OUT NOW PEACEFOREVEREVER.CO.UK
THU 29 OCTOBER / ROUNDHOUSE R O U N D H O U S E .O R G .U K / 03 0 0 678 9 2 2 2 / G I G SA N DTO U R S .CO M A M E T R O P O L I S M U S I C P R E S E N TAT I O N BY A R R A N G E M E N T W I T H P R I M A RY TA L E N T I N T E R N AT I O N A L
P U R I T Y R I N G T H I N G .C O M
4 A D.C O M
P R I O R I T Y B O O K I N GS
NEW SOUNDS by Gemma Samways BRUISING
As if there weren’t already a gazillion good reasons to give thanks for Meredith Graves, Bruising’s existence provides another. The story goes that the pair met in a nightclub, a little under a year ago, when singer and guitarist Naomi Baguley complimented guitarist Ben Lewis on his Perfect Pussy t-shirt. Intriguingly, Bruising’s fuzzed-up indie-pop is significantly less heavy than their mutual influence might suggest, closer to Menace Beach's and Joanna Gruesome’s more sugary moments than it is to Say Yes To Love. The one thing the Leeds duo do have in common with their hero is their DIY ethos. After sharing a hugely promising, if extremely lo-fi, demo of Honey on SoundCloud, Baguley and Lewis put out their debut single through London
imprint Beech Coma. Aside from it benefiting from sharper production, Can’t You Feel showcased Bruising’s aptitude for balancing dark and light, pairing grimy guitar distortion with the arresting purity of Baguley’s candyfloss coo. Their latest track only accentuates this shared love of extremes. Included on Art Is Hard’s Family Portrait pt. II compilation, Think About Death sets the saddest of lyrics to the most euphoric of melodies, and is as perfect a paean to unrequited love as you’ll hear all year. Watching the pair improving exponentially – and at such a rapid rate – you have to wonder how long it'll be until a band forms over a communal passion for Bruising. LISTEN TO: Think About Death ONLINE: @BruisingMusic facebook.com/bruisingmusic LiS 13
METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTS
WITH VERY SPECIAL GUEST
O UNTO V E M B E R W E D N E S DS AY O L D1 8
UTH B OT HUU RRS DNAYE1 9MNO OVEMBER A YT I O N O L D FOI2RAEC ASD ET M E X T R A D AT E A D D E D
2B2 R/ 5I X/ 1 4T O N
GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKET WEB.CO.UK STARGREEN.COM AXS.COM A METROPOLIS MUSIC & GOLDENVOICE PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH 13 ARTISTS
NEW ALBUM ‘SOUND & COLOR’ OUT NOW AL ABAMASHAKES.COM
W E D N E S D AY 25TH NOVEMBER
THE FORUM GIGSANDTOURS.com T i c k e t m a s t e r. c o . u k S TA R G R E E N . C O M
P R I O R I T Y B O O K I N GS
TALES FROM THE CITY by OUTFIT
When I first moved to London it felt like a really high-pressure holiday, its landscape made up of wildly different parts of culture crammed in together, with no order or structure. I was younger and greener then, so spent time doing all the things you do when you first get to London. I was ripped off for curry on Brick Lane, pissed money away and struggled to fully understand what it was that everyone actually liked about this expensive shithole. On and off it’s been four years that I’ve lived in the UK capital. Only in the past twelve months have I really thought of London as home. It is an unforgiving mammoth of a city – filthy, fucked up and hostile, but ultimately beautiful; its airless subways and chugging night buses, its tarry veins, its thousands of different nationalities, its lifeblood. I hold the lingering suspicion (one never quite knows) that I’ve changed dramatically as a result of having lived in London. No-one gives a fuck about you. Absolutely no-one. Coming from a fairly insular city in which everyone knows each
other, it’s refreshing to feel anonymous and also healthy to be reminded that you’re unimportant, one of many lost amongst the cacophony of inner city existence. It took a while for me to feel independence rather than alienation, but I miss it when I’m not there. There’s a certain feeling I get when I step off the train at Euston now. Once I felt like I was visiting somewhere, whereas now it feels like returning. It’s a simple instinct that informs how I feel. Similarly, when I cycle over Tower Bridge I’m instantly addressed by a sense of peace. It feels calmer, quieter, more serene. Psychological or not, this regular hit of stillness has led me to swear that I’ll never live North of the river again. I would always advise someone who was thinking about moving to London to just do it, because you can always leave. "It’s fucking terrible here," I might say. "But you’ll love it." Thomas Gorton Outfit release Slowness June 15th via Memphis Industries. They play Field Day, June 7th and Rough Trade East, June 17th.
LiS 17
fabric — June 2015
Craig Richards Terry Francis Adriatique Art Department Dense & Pika Dewalta & Shannon (Live) Droog Eats Everything Function Ivan Smagghe & Chloe B2B
Joseph Capriati Kenny Glasgow Maxxi Soundsystem Mr. C Nitin Peter Van Hoesen (Live) Scott Grooves Skream Steve Bicknell Tobi Neumann Plus Many More...
www.fabriclondon.com
Brookes Brothers Buraka Som Sistema (Live) Calibre Curses Cyantific Cause & Affect DJ Hype DJ Marky DJ Q Drumsound & Bassline Smith Fabio Friction
www.fabriclondon.com
June 2015
Hazard LTJ Bukem Icicle (Entropy Live ft. Skittles) J. Phlip Jack Beats Huxley Leftwing & Kody Matrix & Futurebound Royal T S.P.Y The Prototypes Tom Shorterz Plus many more...
words - gemma samways For all the unnecessary fuss about Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad’s age and gender, it’s easy to miss what matters to them: their friendship. It’s this mutual affection and respect that drives their work as Girlpool, and it’s this almost sisterly closeness that helps make the duo such a magnetic musical proposition. “I remember thinking I had met someone who felt similarly about things, and that was a cool feeling,” recalls Tucker of her first encounter with Tividad over two years ago, when the pair were sixteen and seventeen respectively. Both active participants in Los Angeles’ DIY punk scene, they met at influential independent venue The Smell, and bonded over a shared love of Moses Campbell, Elliott Smith and Conor Oberst. Taking their name from a chapter in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle, Tividad and Tucker first put out the eponymous Girlpool EP through a friend’s label, before self-releasing it for a second run. In 2014, Wichita caught whiff and signed the pair, and the EP was re-issued once more, to widespread acclaim. For the majority of us, the bluesy swagger of Jane served as our introduction to the band. Underpinned by a sparse set-up of just bass and guitar, and overlaid with tight-knit vocal harmonies and piercing shrieks, it culminates in the battle-cry, “You were born for a reason / Share all your feelings / If you are a Jane put your fist up too.” For Tucker and Tividad, it’s less a lyric than a mission statement. “We just say whatever feels true at the
LiS 21
Girlpool photography: Alice Baxley
moment,” explains Tucker, describing the creative process. “We usually just jam, talk about whatever’s going on or the stuff we’re feeling, and then explore where we could take that creatively. That doesn’t have to be specifically culled from something we have experienced; there are really no boundaries or regulations.” Tividad continues, “We wrestle with each other’s thoughts. We stretch each other by delving into this communication pool.” On the EP, the pair poured scorn on racial discrimination, gender stereotypes and a series of sleazy suitors. Their full-length debut, Before The World Was Big, seems to display an equally broad lyrical scope. “We really like to take in the entire world around us,” Tucker confirms. “We like to observe people, and to understand ourselves better through our environment, so a lot of [the album] is about exploration of identity, and awareness of the things we’re living through. Everything is constantly blooming and developing within you - and you’re constantly re-examining and reappraising your environment - and that’s really what the record is about.” Having permanently relocated to Philadelphia – where Tucker lives with
current tour-mate Katie Crutchfield – the duo set down the new tracks in just two weeks at the beginning of the year, with Swearin’ guitarist Kyle Gilbride. From the gradually unfurling warmth of Emily to the staccato energy of Magnifying Glass, the unobtrusive production and sparse arrangements lend a raw beauty and a striking intimacy to an innately empathetic set which celebrates the human experience in all its messy, complicated glory. Listening feels like being confided in, by close friends. “It’s kind-of beautiful that everyone is this sack of sensitivity, grappling with all these intense feelings of fear and anxiety and hope and beauty,” Tucker laughs. “You know, we have a lot of fun, and it’s really special that we get to make music together. So our goal is to continue to remain honest and true to ourselves, and to always incorporate ourselves into everything we make.” Before The World Was Big is released June 1st via Wichita Girlpool play RTE June 9th, End Of The Road September 6th, and Scala September 15th
HOXTON SQUARE BAR AND KITCHEN GIG LISTINGS THU 14 MAY 8PM 18+ £6
DMA’S POPSTRANGERS + PROM + SCARLET RASCAL
MON 25 MAY 8PM 18+ £16
THE SOFT MOON NOVELLA + BLUSH_RESPONSE TUE 26 MAY 8PM 18+ £8
OSCAR & THE WOLF SPECIAL GUESTS
FRI 15 MAY 8PM 18+ £8
KADEBOSTANY LIONFACE MON 18 MAY 8PM 18+ £8
PITY SEX + CREEPOID PUPPY
FRI 29 MAY 7:30PM 18+ £6.50
TUE 19 MAY 8PM 18+ £8
SAFIA JERRY WILLIAMS
COLLEEN GREEN SPECIAL GUESTS MON 01 JUN 8PM 18+ £6
SHAKE SHAKE GO LOUIS BAKER WED 20 MAY 8PM 18+ £8
ATTAQUE SPECIAL GUESTS
THU 21 MAY 8PM 18+ £11
WED 03 JUN 8PM 18+ £10
BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT SPECIAL GUESTS
CYMBALS EAT GUITARS SPECIAL GUESTS
FRI 05 JUN 8PM 18+ £5
FRI 22 MAY 8PM 18+ £13
JOE PUG SPECIAL GUESTS
THE UKRAINIANS TATCHO DROM
STATE OF PLAY SPECIAL GUESTS SAT 06 JUN 7PM 18+ £8
CLUB NIGHTS FRI 15 MAY 9PM-2AM 18+ £5
AARON WALKER FRI 22 MAY 9PM-2AM 18+ £5
FRAU
SAT 23 MAY 9PM-2AM 18+ £5
LAURENT SCHARK SELECTON LIVE DANNY SANCHEZ (RACKET 808) SAT 30 MAY 9PM-2AM 18+ £5
DJ ODIN
DJS EVERY WEDNESDAY – SUN DAY UNTIL LATE Hoxtonsquarebar
@HoxtonHQ
@HoxtonSquareBar
2-4 Hoxton Square, London, N1 6NU Tickets from hoxtonsquarebar.com or 0844 847 2316 (24hr)
HOXTONSQUAREBAR.COM
Upcoming London Shows www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
PANAMA
HEEMS
DU BLONDE
JAM CITY
OSLO Hackney
Birthdays Dalston
1OO Club Soho
ICA The Mall
Tuesday 2nd June
Tuesday 2nd June
Thursday 4th June
Friday 5th June
HOLLY HERNDON
WAXAHATCHEE
BOXED IN
LIIMA
XOYO Shoreditch
Electric Ballroom
OSLO Hackney
Village Underground
Wed 1Oth June
Wed 1Oth June
Thursday 11th June
Mon 15th June
KEVIN MORBY
THE WAVE PICTURES
FLO MORRISSEY
NATALIE PRASS
Lexington Islington
Dome Tufnell Park
Wed 17th June
Thurs 18th June
Courtyard Theatre Hoxton Thurs 18 June
Islington Assembly Hall Wed 24th June
COSMO SHELDRAKE LE1F
RESTORATIONS
XOYO Shoreditch
The Nest Dalston
Lexington Islington
Thurs 2nd July
Wed 8th July
Thurs 18th July
PISSED JEANS
JACCO GARDNER
ALV VAYS
1OO Club Soho
Dingwalls Camden
Thu 18 & Fri 19 Aug
Thurs 3rd Sep
O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Fri 11th Sep
CAYUCAS
GIRLPOOL
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
Sebright Arms
Scala Kings Cross
Monday 14th Sep
Tuesday 15th Sep
SONGHOY FATHER JOHN MISTY BLUES O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Wed 28 & Thu 29 Oct
O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Wed 23rd Sep
Various venues London Fields
Saturday 8th Sep
CHASTITY BELT Victoria Dalston Thurs 15th October
THE ORB
NATALIE PRASS
Koko Camden
Oval Space
Koko Camden
Wed 4th Nov
Friday 13th Nov
Monday 30th Nov
Get tickets and full info at: www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
Goldenvoice Presents THE STRYPES
YOUNG KATO
ALGIERS
WOLF ALICE
HEALTH
GENGAHR
NATASHA NORTH
EDITORS
09.06.15 TUFNELL PARK DOME 09.06.15 SOLD OUT SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS 10.06.15 SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
DORNIK
11.06.15 LONDON FIELDS BREWERY
YEARS & YEARS
12.06.15 O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE 13.06.15 SOLD OUT O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE OUT SOLD
METZ
16.06.15 UNDERWORLD
LEFTFIELD 12.06.15 FORUM 13.06.15 FORUM
OUT SOLD
WHILK & MISKY 08.07.15 BIRTHDAYS
SHURA
17.09.15 BRIXTON ELECTRIC
26.09.15 BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY 08.10.15 SCALA
13.10.15 EVENTIM APOLLO
ALL WE ARE 14.10.15 SCALA
SPEEDY ORTIZ
21.10.15 DOME TUFNELL PARK
SWIM DEEP
22.10.15 ROUNDHOUSE
LUCY ROSE 18.11.15 FORUM
ALABAMA SHAKES OUT 18.11.15 SOLD BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY 19.11.15 BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING 29.11.15 BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY
goldenvoice.co.uk goldenvoiceuk
02.06.15 MIRANDA AT ACE HOTEL
17.09.15 THE BORDERLINE
JUN – NOV
02.06.15 TUFNELL PARK DOME
SOAK words: kate solomon photography: tim boddy
“Maybe I'll just become a heavy metal artist. Total 180. Like, bing! Here I am, Reading.�
LiS 27
“In about two hours I'm going to be really nervous,” says Bridie Monds-Watson, otherwise known as SOAK. In about two hours she’s going to be on set recording a few songs for Later... With Jools Holland. It’s a far cry from her first London headline gig at St Pancras church or the years of support slots in her native Derry as she gigged her way into recognition, but for now she sounds pretty chill about the whole thing, giggling down the phone as she tries to find somewhere at the BBC with decent reception. It’s less than a month until SOAK’s debut album comes out. Before We Forgot How To Dream is, fittingly, a dream of a record, the sort of authentically sad, nostalgic album only a teenager could make. It meanders through those messy adolescent years, woozily contemplating what it’s like to become who you are through impenetrable teen friendships and how changing from a child into an adult can make you feel sad and alone. With the album written across the course of her teens, SOAK started playing shows before most of us were out of short trousers, absorbing her parents’ musical influence with everything from ABBA to Joni Mitchell regularly spinning on the Monds-Watson record player. It’s fun but intimidating to talk to Bridie on the phone. At nineteen, you get the impression that she knows exactly who she is while I am significantly older and still have no idea. I keep saying “That’s cool, that’s cool” like a spinster aunt who’s forgotten how to talk to young people and there’s a feeling that any minute now I might try to rap a couple of verses, throw a gang sign and melt into a puddle of shame. She’s very sure of herself now, but when SOAK started out Bridie was very shy - ironically, performing and writing was a sort of escape from that. “Because I was so shy,
when it came to performing it felt a lot... I don't know, it was just kind of easy,” she remembers. “I wouldn't count myself as shy in any way now, but back then I'd never done anything in front of an audience or anything of that kind. It was quite an odd thing.”
“All I’d hear was ‘you’re pretty good…for a girl’” Despite the burgeoning career and record execs sniffing around, Bridie’s teens were pretty normal. The fact that she came out to her parents at fourteen was no big deal. She describes her hometown Derry as having “not much going on,” which goes some way to explain the dinosaur tattoos she now calls “stupid, but I like them”, the home-made Avril Lavigne music videos she hopes will never end up on YouTube and her welldocumented fondness for skateboarding. “I was a massive tomboy. All I’d hear was ‘you’re pretty good…for a girl’," and the music industry wasn’t much better. “When I was starting out and I did some support slots, some sound guys wouldn't take it seriously,” she says when I ask if she ran into any stick for being young and, you know, female. “They'd just like whack on anything and it'd sound shit. You'd fight with them about the monitors and they'd be like, ‘No, they sound good to me.’ And they didn’t, they just couldn't be fucked to do anything else. That was annoying.” People tended to change their tune when they heard SOAK play; and her steady success allowed her the freedom to side-step venues that had treated her
poorly on the way up. Even now Bridie prefers playing smaller venues. “I think I'd rather sell out like two nights at a reasonably intimate venue than sell out one big night at a big, impersonal arena or something. It wouldn't suit my kind of music - unless I wrote an album that was really arena-like.” Would she ever do that? Pull a Kate Nash and go in a completely unexpected direction? “I reckon if I put my mind to it I could, potentially. Maybe I'll just become a heavy metal artist. Total 180. Like, bing! Here I am, Reading.” She’s joking - I think - but she’s also not
about to rest on her laurels. While Before We Forgot How To Dream is only just about to come out, she’s hard at work on a follow-up. “The next album won't sound like the first album, I know that much,” she says. With more time to write on tour than she’d expected, there’s already a growing library of SOAK lyrics and poems on the go that she describes as “a little more grown-up – I guess because I am a bit more grown-up”. “I haven't changed my style of writing or anything but I'm writing a lot more interesting things. Obviously, on Before...
there are a lot of moments and nice stories - but now the stuff I'm writing is a bit more... articulate? Is that the right word without sounding like a dickhead?” Although she won’t record any demos until she has some downtime back home, there are musical ideas percolating too. “I just don't like the idea of repeating things, I'd rather come up with a different kind of sound,” she says - not, I note, ruling out hair metal as an option. “I think that'll just happen naturally the more I play and the better at the instruments I get.” A melting pot of musical influences will go into it, if what Bridie’s been listening to on tour is anything to go by - Taylor Swift, Sun Kil Moon, Japanese House and The Blue Nile are all on the playlist. Nineteen is a weird age whether you’re touring the world playing music or not. As we talk about what it’s like to do the PR circuit and the questions she’s always being asked, I try to imagine Bridie in twenty years. The album that no one has heard yet will have soundtracked countless strangers’ lives, and the memories they’ll embed in her songs will change them. Years of playing them live will have changed them too, “like a natural progression,” she says. Will she still remember what it was like to be the teenager who wrote so empathetically about her friends being bullied and her parents’ divorce? Will Bridie still be patiently explaining “the whole, like, ‘Where did SOAK come from?’ thing” that she’s
already sick of being asked when she’s 29? 39? “It's just got a really shitty meaning,” she sighs. “It's not even a meaning, it's just, like, a word. I hate explaining that. If I had a good story then fair enough, but I don't.” But for now, it’s all ahead of her. In two hours: Jools Holland. Then in June, the album comes out. Then touring and writing and catching up with friends over FaceTime. And, maybe one day, just to keep us guessing: a heavy metal album. She could do it if she wanted, she reckons. With confidence like that, SOAK could do anything. Before We Forgot How To Dream is released June 1st via Rough Trade. SOAK plays Bush Hall June 4th, plus both Latitude Festival and Bestival. Online: @Soakofficial facebook.com/Soak0fficial soakmusic.co.uk
ALBUMS
RECORD OF THE MONTH JAMIE XX
IN COLOUR These days, the prospect of listening to a Jamie xx record is far more exciting than that of putting on an album by The xx themselves. Though his debut solo effort hasn’t persuaded me to reassess the work of his parent band, it does make me wish for one thing – that this excellent album went on about a half hour longer. Jamie xx owns steel drums – both literally in that he must do because they’re all over his music, but also in that anyone using them for the next, say, ten years, will get compared to Jamie xx. This is fine – he uses them wonderfully – but signs abound that his signature sound is already developing beyond their regular, sunny flourishes. Gobsmacking opener Gosh, with its breathy percussion and simple but expertly manipulated melody, is the pick of the Young Turks bunch. Always teasing toward a climax that never comes, June 1st you notice the absence of the drop but never long for its Stand Out Tracks: arrival. Like much here, it ends on a contented sigh, like Gosh the smugness of knowing you left the carnival just before I Know There’s Gonna Be... things got out of hand. Loud Places Both Romy and Oliver xx provide vocals, but some of their Obvs contributions are so slight it’s as if they’re wary of facebook.com/jamiexxofficial encroaching on Jamie’s limelight. Though relatively brief, both See Saw (Romy) and Stranger In A Room have a rich, St Johns Church, June 5th wistful quality severely lacking on The xx’s unerringly bleak Brixton Academy, Oct 15th Coexist. Neither tune is a patch on the lilting Loud Places, where a super Romy vocal details the endlessly relatable feeling of regret and hope that comes from looking for love on a night out, always battling with the fear that whatever love you find won’t match the one you just lost. It’s the most ‘xx’ of the songs here, but would also probably be The xx’s best song. As if to emphasise his singularity from the band though, the best guest spots are reserved for Young Thug and Popcaan on I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times), a remarkable curveball of a tune that sounds like a Jamie xx remix of a Sean Paul hit. Imagine that, in the summer. There’s not likely to be a better, more uplifting 42 minutes of electronic music released this year than In Colour, a fantastic record which makes a strong case for its author taking dominion over The xx’s next album. If there even needs to be one. Thomas Hannan
WOLF ALICE
MY LOVE IS COOL Dirty Hit // June 22nd “Keep your beady eyes on me / To make sure I don’t turn to dust” begins Ellie Rowsell on Wolf Alice’s feverishlyanticipated debut. Fittingly, she sums up the band’s modus operandi so far. If My Love Is Cool tells us anything new, it’s that they needn’t worry about holding our gaze any longer. The record triumphantly offers a different Britishness to the machismo propounded by Blur and The Libertines, aligning itself smartly to the contemporary flair of The xx and PJ Harvey. There are hints of pan-Atlantic pop adulation in the Britney-esque melodies of Silk or the Foo Fighters-style coda to Swallowtail – all executed with dizzying aplomb. Ellie can sleep soundly knowing she won’t turn to dust anytime soon. Tim Hakki
THE CATENARY WIRES RED RED SKIES Elefant Records // June 1st Two decades on from indie pop’s pinnacle, and the music press that initially reviled it have had a sudden change of heart. The likes of Sarah Records were routinely berated in weeklies like the NME, only to declare them the second greatest indie label of all time in 2015. Always ones for sticking to their words, then – but it indicates just how much its infallible, amateur pop sound remains more relevant now than ever. Catenary Wires being a case in point: indie pop royalty Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey depart from their usual predilection for fuzzy 60s girl-group hooks on mini-album Red Red Skies and replace it with a more gentle, melancholy sound, though an innate knack for melody remains a constant theme, with Amelia’s saccharine voice being a familiar and prevailing aspect. Red Red Skies will no doubt tug at the heart strings. Hayley Scott
LEFTFIELD ALTERNATIVE LIGHT SOURCE Infectious // June 8th If the showpiece of 1995’s Leftism was John Lydon’s splenetic presence on Open Up, then another collaboration with state-of-the-nation provocateurs provides a highlight of Leftfield’s third album. Head And Shoulders finds Sleaford Mods spouting comical last-orders lingo over woozy pubstep, as Leftfield henchman Neil Barnes again liberally guest-lists singers to blur clubland distinctions. Polica’s Channy Leaneagh bares sinewy soul to intense electro-pop on Bilocation, while Tunde Adebimpe is submerged by Bad Radio’s unswerving android throb. But Leftfield didn’t get the progressive-house rep for nothing, and it is big-bottomed astral bangers, such as the granite-hewn techno of Universal Everything and the clammy acid surges on Little Fish, that will keep this superstar soundsystem in arena-sized sellouts. Nick Mee LiS 33
SATURDAY 8TH AUGUST CAMERA OBSCURA / HOLY FUCK / FAT WHITE FAMILY THE ANTLERS / TOY / JENS LEKMAN / ANDY STOTT SON LUX / HINDS / SHAMIR / CEREMONY / MERCHANDISE HO99O9 / PEAKING LIGHTS / LUKE ABBOTT / JJ / GIRL BAND GAZELLE TWIN / TORN HAWK / OSCAR / JONES / LOYLE CARNER THEO VERNEY / PIX / THE BIG MOON / CLAW MARKS
+
STREET FOOD FESTIVAL, MARKETS, SCREEN PRINT CLASS, AV INSTALLATIONS ACROSS SIX HACKNEY VENUES
www.visionsfestival.com
BREAKFAST IN FUR
FLYAWAY GARDEN Bar/None // June 1st The debut album from this trio of New York pals is one of navigation. A dense and cinematic fizz of sounds keeping one foot rooted in the pastoral folk of their 2011 EP whilst pushing sonics in the direction of psychedelic melodies and engulfing texture. Jangly opener Shape sets up a pacey dynamic, hiding the bruises of more subdued and claustrophobic tracks such as Episode. Ghum and Flyaway Garden swirl with ambient idiosyncrasies, dream-like interludes in the busy and incessant thrum of the city. Setting Stone is a broody and soaring track whilst Aurora Falls sparkles with nervous melody. There’s a tension to the sound, just like that in life, in its exploration of the place between agitated commotion and blissed-out contentment, Flyaway Garden makes the blurry middle sound like a damn fine place to be. Francesca Baker
JAAKKO EINO KALEVI
JENNY HVAL
Weird World // June 15th
Sacred Bones // June 8th
The Finnish synth maestro Jaakko Eino Kalevi first introduced himself outside of his homeland with 2013’s excellent Dreamzone EP, a disco-infused lesson in synth pop perfection. On his self-titled debut LP Kalevi uses the template he set forth with on the EP while expanding the palette. Synth pop and disco sit next to lounge-y psychedelia, melding diverse influences ranging from techno to eighties pop and post-punk into a cohesive sound. Kalevi has developed a style that is distinctly his own while constantly evolving, a warm and smooth sound hinting at further exploration yet to happen. Coupled with his impressive songcraft the Berlin resident offers up a more concise version of himself than before, a confident collection of tracks begging to be played on repeat. Johan Alm
Jenny has a way with words. Both filthy and poetic, she returns to push the sonic boundaries of her hallucinatory and warped pop music. Her follow-up to 2013’s Innocence is Kinky sees the Norwegian lyrical prankster open with the (borrowed) lines: “Think big, girl, like a king, think kingsize,” as she resumes her assault on the senses that veers between empowering and lewd, absurd and intimate, without warning. Joined by a stellar cast of musicians including pianist Øystein Moen (Jaga Jazzist/Puma) and drummer Thor Harris (Swans), she drifts in and out of computer loops and ambient netherworlds to deliver up her acerbic, entertaining and dark fantasy worlds where her voice and music become equal partners in crime. Geoff Cowart LiS 35
JAAKKO EINO KALEVI
APOCALYPSE, GIRL
LA PRIEST INJI Domino // June 29th
In 2008 Late of the Pier released Fantasy Black Channel, an eclectic, bonkers maelstrom of demented, ludicrous synths and irresistible hooks. Then, save for one more single, they disappeared in a haze of glitter and capes, leaving a technicoloured gap in the musical landscape. Now, seven years since that album, their lead singer Sam Dust (née Eastgate) is back as LA Priest and, with Inji, he’s created a record which both captures the spirit of that band but also feels more wilfully adventurous. Over five years (including time in Greenland, where he looked into “the effects of the Ivittuut region’s electro-magnetic phenomena on recorded sound”. Of course he did.) he’s crafted a wonkily experimental album of otherworldly squelches that drips with human emotion. Inji is a strange but beautiful beast, a glowing journey into a spacey, bizarre landscape. Different influences slowly come into focus and when they coalesce it becomes mesmerising. At times the experimentation means it’s reminiscent of Prince, Arthur Russell and Bowie but it possesses an alien, idiosyncratic charm that’s all its own. Singles Oino and Learning To Love have already been number one for 25 light years in another dimension and, from Lady’s In Trouble With The Law’s sea breeze synths and warped hall of mirror vocals through to the nearly-Culture Club falsetto bounce of closer Mountain, the rest of the record shows off an eccentric and inventive mind, one seemingly brimming with out-of-the-ordinary ideas. Late of the Pier are dead, long live LA Priest. Danny Wright
SON LUX BONES Glassnote // June 22nd
“This moment: change is everything!” exclaims Ryan Lott on the opening line of his latest pop-opus Bones. His voice is part Brandon Flowers, part Freddie Mercury; a thrilling, if slightly overblown, start to what is otherwise a deeply affecting sonic orgy of sounds, technological wizardry and anthemic melodies. Those familiar with his breakout song Easy from 2013's Lanterns might be surprised by the direction here. In essence it's all the things Lott does very well thrown together. It has the noodling musicianship from his early postrock days, evocative soundscapes as found on his compositions for film soundtracks and a deep love for hiphop beats and production. It's a lot to take in at first. Lott's classical training and geeky studio antics don't allow much room for simplicity but at the heart of this record are ornate, beautiful songs with moments that stop you in your tracks. I Am The Others has one of the sweetest melodies you'll hear all year. Undone is full of frenetic percussion and twiddly guitar licks before its metamorphosis into a downbeat jazz number. White Lies ends in a cacophony of Morse Code industrial sounds that would give The Prodigy a hard on. The only annoyance here is Lott's explosive warbling on the aforementioned Change Is Everything and Your Day Will Come. It's just too much. Aside from this, Bones is an unpredictable and expertly-crafted album by an artist at his peak. Woodrow Whyte
ROLO TOMASSI GRIEVANCES
Holy Roar // June 1st Experimentally thrusting mathcore down our throats for ten years, Rolo Tomassi bring their anniversary home in style with the release of their ambitious fourth studio album Grievances. Opener Estranged is a song hell-bent on applying mayhem, with Eva Spence roaring over an explosion of furious breakdowns between magical musical epilogues, which allow necessary intermissions – and a chance to breath – from the uproar. Although, amid the constructed chaos is beauty; with Chandelier Shiver presenting syncopated jazz-inspired drumbeats and a melodic daydreamy vocal, whilst Stage Knives throws down stylishly thought-out time signatures within juxtaposing choral clashes. Rolo Tomassi have managed to merge together complex muscular grooves with melodic hardcore sensibilities to craft an album that’s the equivalent to perfectly unbalanced musical kryptonite. Amy Gravelle
FFS
FFS Domino // June 8th If, as we're told on the penultimate track here, Collaborations Don't Work, then Franz Ferdinand and Sparks having a quick fumble and giving birth to this record is a stupid idea. Except it's genuinely excellent; the angular artrock of Franz suits the lyrical arch-witticism and theatrical flourishes of the Mael brothers. It may be easy to spot where the Scottish quartet end and the LA duo pick up – most obviously on The Man Without A Tan and Things I Won't Get – but it's also the most fun Franz Ferdinand have sounded in years, especially album closer Piss Off, which comes on like a number from the daftest musical you've never heard. This town is definitely big enough for the both of them. Simone Scott Warren
EMILIE NICOLAS
LIKE I'M A WARRIOR RCA // June 29th From the sumptuous openings of Nobody Knows, Emilie Nicolas has our full attention. With Like I'm A Warrior, alongside mind-blowingly talented producer/drummer Eivind Helgerød, the young Norwegian has created an LP filled with as much raw power (Fail) as delicate, romanticism (Us). Marrying a sweet-as-honey vocal with intricate, James Blake-esque production and seductive themes it yanks on heartstrings, induces tears and clenches somehow all at once. Grown Up remains her masterpiece and incorporates all of the above, crescendoing out of a humming organ and twitching FX into the moment of the album. It's a faultless and stunningly beautiful piece of writing that simply never fails to inspire. Not only is Nicolas a warrior, she is undoubtedly responsible for one of the most impressive and unforgettable debuts of the year. George O’Brien LiS 37
EVENTS
a selection of new stuff we’re excited about:
GOLD SOUNDS AND SOCKFORMATION PRESENT: IDAHO #2 A few months ago we gathered for the inaugural Idaho in a Kings Cross pub, watched bands, ate burgers, drank booze and had exactly the level of good times you’d expect from a combination of those three things. The good news? It’s back. The gooder(?) news? In true sequel style, it’s bigger and better than ever. This time everything’s happening in one of our favourite venues, The Shacklewell Arms and so that leaves us with, erm; bands, burgers and booze again. Hooray. The line-up is just an absolute blast, ranging from a collection of long-time London In Stereo favourites like Shinies, Keel Her and King of Cats through to R N Taylor (the new incarnation of Sparky Deathcap) and the first ever live show from Finish Flag. Get on it, Idaho #1 sold out, and you don’t want to miss this. June 13th // £6 // The Shacklewell Arms, E8 2EB @sockformation // @_goldsounds
OPEN GARDEN SQUARES WEEKEND For two days this month, some of London’s most exquisite outdoor spaces - normally not open to the public - will throw open their gates and welcome us in. In association with the National Trust, over 200 private gardens will be accepting visitors in a fantastic opportunity to see the spaces of schools, churches and historic buildings. This annual event just keeps getting better, with 23 new spaces taking part this year, there’s a beautiful mix of courtyards, squares, roof terraces and more, with some of the most famous buildings opening their grounds. One ticket gains you entry to the entire array of gardens (though for some you may need to book in advance) and there’s basically no better way to get the most out of your time than grabbing a bike too see as many as possible. Never before has The Secret Garden felt so close to real life. June 13th & 14th // £10 // Various sites @OpenSquares // opensquares.org LiS 40
PATTY & BUN IN LONDON FIELDS Burgers? In the LiS Events section? Okay, we’ll concede this is not the first time, and almost certainly won’t be last, but you know we only bring the best, and this is no exception. Patty & Bun’s Ari Gold is one of our favourite London burgers – and oh god, their chicken wings – so news of this relatively low-key, fun sounding site is something to celebrate. Situated in a railway arch near London Fields, this spot promises to be the perfect setting for P&B’s patented party vibes, and the yard offers potential for some pretty serious bbq action. Mid-June // Arch 397, Mentmore Terrace, E8 3PN @pattyandbunjoe // pattyandbun.co.uk
FOUND FESTIVAL Another regular pick in this section; the guaranteed partyparty kicks of Found Festival. They’ve got themselves a new setting this year, taking over the sprawling Brockwell Park in Brixton, but you can be sure that will only add to the enjoyment levels. One peek at the line-up confirms that, with a plethora of techno and house (plus countless off-shoot genres) pioneers from all over the world gathering to keep us dancing hard. Pick of the line-up? Well, there’s tons to choose from, but Berlin’s BPitch Control head honcho, Ellen Allien, is sure to get things fired up. June 13th // Brockwell Park, Brixton, SE24 0PA facebook.com/foundseries // foundfestival.com
photo: Dan Medhurst
ATP CELEBRATE THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOGWAI Somewhere on our collective record shelves sits a split 7” featuring Bis-inspired upstarts Dweeb and a noisy bunch by the name of Mogwai. Smart money was always on the band with the Gremlins-inspired moniker lasting the distance, but twenty years? An astonishing achievement by one of the most thrilling and inventive bands around. This celebration of that doube-decade sees the likes of Lightning Bolt, GZA, Prolapse and Mogwai themselves gather for a run of explosive shows. Probably best to take earplugs. June 24th - July 5th // The Roundhouse // @atpfestival // atpfestival.com LiS 41
THE BIG MOON WED 17 JUNE CORSICA STUDIOS
PLASTIC MERMAIDS THURS 1 OCT OSLO HACKNEY
PALACE THURS 22 OCT SCALA
WE ARE THE CITY WED 17 JUNE BIRTHDAYS DALSTON
LONELADY WED 7 OCT HEAVEN
SHINY DARKLY WED 10 JUNE THE WAITING ROOM
SEA OF BEES TUES 30 JUNE ST JOHN ON BETHNAL GREEN
BARLI THURS 8 OCT ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
CURTIS HARDING WED 28 OCT VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
CROCODILES THURS 11 JUNE BOSTON MUSIC ROOMS
EARLY GHOST THURS 2 JULY THE WAITING ROOM
BEACH BABY THURS 8 OCT BOSTON MUSIC ROOM
HOLLYSIZ TUES 9 JUNE HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN OSLO PARKS TUES 9 JUNE THE WAITING ROOM
EVVOL WED 17 JUNE THE WAITING ROOM HENRY GREEN WED 17 JUNE THE ISLINGTON
FINE PRINT MON 20 JULY SEBRIGHT ARMS WYLES & SIMPSON WED 23 SEPT THE WAITING ROOM
ROSIE LOWE WED 28 OCT OSLO HACKNEY LA FEMME TUES 24 NOV KOKO
EZRA FURMAN THURS 22 OCT O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
THIS IS THE KIT WED 25 NOV SCALA
PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
GIGS OF THE MONTH
OUR PICK OF THE BEST SHOWS HAPPENING IN JUNE
SHACKLEWELL ARMS THE PARROTS
More ridiculously fun lo-fi guitar sounds from Madrid, dancing and good times are guaranteed
24/06/15 FREE @Shacklewell Arms DALSTON KINGSLAND/JUNCTION
THE LEXINGTON
BUSH HALL
Varied, relentless and intelligent punk rabble that promises to be nothing but tons of fun.
Harmony laden indie-pop with powerful and moving vocals.
LUX LISBON
PILE
11/06/15 £8adv @thelexington
12/06/15 £12adv @Bushhallmusic
SHEPHERDS BUSH
ANGEL
BRIXTON WINDMILL
BLACK PEACHES // TWIN DIALS Confident, laid back and brilliantly crafted, Black Peaches are unusually excellent. 11/06/15 £5adv @windmillbrixton
BRIXTON
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
EARL SWEATSHIRT Odd Future’s Earl Sweatshirt returns celebrating his critically acclaimed new album ‘I Don't Like S**t I Don't Go Outside’ EARL SWEATSHIRT
03/06/15 £20adv @o2sbe
SHEPHERDS BUSH
THE GARAGE
DEAF SCHOOL // EIGHTEEN NIGHTMARES AT THE LUX Intelligent lyrics, sharp arrangements and high-end musicianship
05/06/15 £16adv @TheGarageHQ HIGHBURY AND ISLINGTON LiS 45
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS MIRROR SIGNAL
Soulful and huge productions in a beautifully intimate environment for this EP launch.
22/06/15 £6adv @ServantJazz DALSTON KINGSLAND/JUNCTION
HOXTON BAR AND KITCHEN
OSLO
A former member of Noah & The Whale and Little Mammoths, don't miss Owen's solo material.
The White Denim front man does it again, urgency and attitude in all the right measures.
MATT OWENS // INDIGO HUSK
18/06/15 £6adv @HoxtonHQ
OLD STREET
O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMY
03/06/15 £10adv @OsloHackney
HACKNEY CENTRAL
THE GOOD SHIP GRACE PETRIE
CRIMSON TIES // THE SUNDAY ROAST Bringing a thoughtful edge to a heavier sound, get ready for Crimson Ties. 27/06/15 £10adv @O2Islington
BOP ENGLISH
ANGEL
Grace Petrie celebrate the release of her album with an intimate show at The Good Ship. 06/06/15 £10adv @thegoodshipNW6
KILBURN
BORDERLINE
INDIGO HUSK // RYAN GREEN Indigo Husk mix blues and grunge with a dash of fierce energy.
19/06/15 £6adv @theborderline
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
THE DOME HEALTH
Our favourite intense, loud and brilliant quartet are back. HEALTH LiS 46
09/06/15 £12.50adv @DomeTufnellPark
TUFNELL PARK
DU BLONDE
FABRIC
MR C // IVAN SMAGGHE & CHLOE B2B XO CHIC // DANCE SPIRIT // PETER VAN HOESEN Superfreq take over Room 1, whilst Function celebrates the release of his Berghain mix in Room 2. 20/06/15 £24adv @fabriclondon
FARRINGDON
100 CLUB
DU BLONDE Beth Jeans Houghton is back under a different pseudonym; bolder and more brilliant than ever. 04/06/15 £11.50adv @100clubLondon
THE FINSBURY
HAPPY HOLLOWS // REYKJAVIK KIDS // CRASH ISLAND LA’s Happy Hollows bring their sparkling electronica to London.
THE LOCK TAVERN Angular guitar pop at it's finest from this London quartet. CHALK FARM / CAMDEN TOWN
BIRTHDAYS
POSTCARDS FROM JEFF // SPY FROM MOSCOW Electronic dream pop from Joss Worthington. 17/06/15 FREE @StrongroomBar
LIVERPOOL STREET
WAITING ROOM
HEEMS + DA$H A rapper, visual artist and record label owner, Heems’ hip hop sound comes to Birthdays. 02/06/15 £12.50adv @_Birthdays
09/06/15 FREE @TheFinPub MANOR HOUSE
STRONGROOM
DIOS MIO
03/06/15 FREE @thelocktavern
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND
TAMU MASSIF // OUR MOTHER Psychedelia, lo-fi indie and bedroom pop rolled into one. 22/06/15 £7adv @WaitingRoomN16
DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND LiS 47
DINNER
THU 4 JUNE — SEBRIGHT ARMS
VISIONS FESTIVAL
SAT 6 JUNE — SHACKLEWELL ARMS
ULTIMATE PAINTING
WED 10 JUNE — BIRTHDAYS
VIET CONG
THU 11 JUNE — THE LEXINGTON
WOODS
VERY SPECIAL GUESTS
SAT 8 AUG — LONDON FIELDS
PRINCESS CHELSEA
FRI 14 & SAT 15 AUG — POWER LUNCHES
PILE
WED 19 AUG — SCALA
JENNY HVAL
SUN 14 JUNE — CAFE OTO
ALDEN PENNER (THE UNICORNS) & MICHAEL CERA TUE 23 JUNE — 100 CLUB
THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH SOLD OUT TUE 23 JUNE — KOKO
WEAVES
TUE 23 JULY — SEBRIGHT ARMS
MICHAEL PRICE
THU 20 AUG — OSLO
RYLEY WALKER
WED 2 SEP — HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
JUAN WAUTERS THU 3 SEP — THE VICTORIA
JESSICA PRATT TUE 8 SEP — BUSH HALL
MAC DEMARCO SOOULDT WED 9 SEP — ROUNDHOUSE
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS FRI 11 SEP — HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
VESSEL
THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH
RODRIGO AMARANTE
SON LUX
THE VERY BEST
LOWER DENS
WED 24 JUNE — ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH THU 2 JULY — RICH MIX
MON 19 OCT — ROUNDHOUSE
WED 22 JULY — HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
WED 21 OCT — VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
WED 5 AUG — OSLO
THU 29 OCT — SCALA
MORE INFO & TICKETS AT BIRDONTHEWIRE.NET
MONDAY 1ST JUNE
TUESDAY 2ND JUNE
WEDNESDAY 3RD JUNE
THURSDAY 4TH JUNE
FRIDAY 5TH JUNE
SATURDAY 6TH JUNE
SUNDAY 7TH JUNE
MONDAY 15TH JUNE
TUESDAY 16TH JUNE
WEDNESDAY 17TH JUNE
THURSDAY 18TH JUNE
FRIDAY 19TH JUNE
SATURDAY 20TH JUNE
MONDAY 22ND JUNE
TUESDAY 23RD JUNE
SUNDAY 21ST JUNE
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THURSDAY 25TH JUNE
SATURDAY 27TH JUNE
FRIDAY 26TH JUNE
MONDAY 29TH JUNE
TUESDAY 30TH JUNE
SUNDAY 28TH JUNE
FOR THE LATEST LISTINGS, AND TO SIGN UP TO OUR GIGS OF THE WEEK EMAIL, VISIT LONDONINSTEREO.COM
Orange Yard, off Manette St, London W1D 4JB Orange Yard, off Manette St, London W1D 4JB Orange Yard, off Manette St, London W1D 4JB
WED 10 JUN 7PM 14+ £9 ADV
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JUAN ZELADA
SAT JUN 7PM 14+ £8adv ADV Fri13 20 Feb 7pm £8
Fri 20 Feb 7pm £8 adv
ALICIA WITT & TIMBARRY BARRY TIM STEWART MAC CORYBRANAN BRANAN + +CORY
THU 18 JUN 7PM 14+ £8 ADV SAM RUSSO + +SAM RUSSO
SAT 15 AUG 6PM 14+ £13:50 ADV
THE CREEPSHOW
SAT 29 AUG 7PM 14+ £10 ADV Thurs 05 Mar 7pm £15 adv Thurs 05 Mar 7pm £15 adv
SARABETH KINGKING KING& KING
MITCHELL +LAURENCE LAURENCE JONES + GLEN JONES
RUSTY SHACKLE Sat2121Feb Feb7pm 7pm£6 £6adv adv Sat
WED 02 SEP 7PM 14+ £7 ADV Sat1414Mar Mar 7pm £16 adv Sat 7pm £16 adv
Weds Feb 7pm£16 £16adv adv RYAN GREEN + BLACKWATERS Weds 2525Feb 7pm + GRACE BARKER
BIRDTO TOWHISTLE WHISTLETOUR TOUR BIRD +ALBERT ALBERTHOPKIN JONES + VERY JONES
FORTHOPE HOPE FORT INDIGO HUSK
FRI 19 JUN 7PM 14+ £6 ADV
THETREACHEROUS TREACHEROUS THE ORCHESTRA ORCHESTRA LONG TALL TEXANS SAT 20 JUN 7PM 14+ £13 ADV THE SURFIN’ WOMBATZ Thurs 26Feb Feb 7pm£7£7adv adv Thurs 7pm + ADIOS26 PANTALONES
FIERCEPANDA’S PANDA’S FIERCE
WED 01 JUL 5PM 14+ £15 ADV
JACE 21STEVERETT BIRTHDAY 21ST BIRTHDAY DAN COHEN + BLACK VOLITION FT.LONGFELLOW LONGFELLOW FT.
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS PLUS SPECIAL WED 08 JUL 7PMGUESTS 14+ £10 ADV
JONAH MATRANGA Mon02 02Mar Mar 7pm£9.50 £9.50adv adv Mon 7pm
KIMCHURCHILL CHURCHILL KIM PAUL CARELLA FRI 24 JUL 7PM 14+ £12 ADV
AND HIS BAND DEXETER
THU 30 JUL 7PM 14+ £16 ADV
CARAVAN MARTIN MARTIN OF THIEVES HARLEY BAND HARLEY BAND WED 09 SEP 7PM 14+ £12 ADV
-Weds AN Apr7pm 7pm£9 £9adv adv Weds 0101EVENING Apr WITHOUT CHAMPS CHAMPS MARY HOPKIN
CRAIG &Apr WILLOUGHBY Fri03 03Apr 7pm£14 £14adv adv Fri 7pm
THU 10FURROW SEP 7PM 14+ £12 ADV THE FURROW THE WARNER E. HODGES COLLECTIVE COLLECTIVE SPECIAL GUESTS
Sat2525 Apr7pm 7pm£12 £12adv advADV Sat TUE 15Apr SEP 7PM 14+ £10
LISA RONSON ZERVAS PEPPER ZERVAS &&PEPPER VITA AND THE VICIOUS TUE 22 SEP 7PM 14+ £10 ADV
MIRIAM JONES
ANGALEENA PRESLEY (PISTOL ANNIES)
SAT 17 OCT 7PM 14+ £12 ADV
SAT 01 AUG 7PM 14+ £12 ADV
WED 04 NOV 7PM 14+ £12 ADV
BEN MILLER BAND
WILLE & THE BANDITS
THE GRAHAMS
...IN LONDON with
GENGAH R
Why do you live in London? We were all born here and grew up here. I guess, like any place you’re brought up, it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else. London being the city it is, it’s never short of excitement or inspiration. Eating and drinking? We live in Stoke Newington and one of the places we always end up drinking is The Rochester Castle. There’s a huge variety of places to eat in our area but in particular an amazing Turkish community, with great food. You’re in London, it’s sunny out, where do you go? Greenwich Park, then hit up the Planetarium. It’s a bit of a trek from Stokey but it’s a nice day out. Favourite gig venue? The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington is an awesome little venue, seen some great shows there. If you could live anywhere in London where would it be? We’ve always lived in the North of London. We have lots of friends who moved out to the South and we head over the river quite often. But Hackney is somewhere we can all imagine staying and living in. How do you get the most out of London? Oyster Card.
What’s the perfect way to spend the day? Arthur’s Cafe, record store day at Spitalfields Market, Yum Yum’s cocktails. Favourite outdoor space? Clissold Park! Does London ever influence the music you write? There’s so much music happening in London and plenty of chances to see cool shows. Seeing live gigs is definitely a great way to fuel the excitement in writing your own music. Best London show you’ve ever played? Probably our third headline show ever which was at the Boston Arms. It was the first real sense of a crowd there just to see us and the reception was great. Gengahr release A Dream Outside June 15th, via Transgressive Records. They play Rio Cinema June 12th, Blissfields, Latitude, Longitude plus London Scala October 8th. LiS 69
LIVE
THE GREAT ESCAPE 2015 Brighton, Various venues May 14th-16th We’re here? Again? Oh yes. We’re on the train from London Bridge. We’re all gin and ill-thought out pastry decisions. Choo choo. We’re in sunny Brighton. It’s raining. It’s raining hard, but our spirits are tougher than precipitation and we’re dropping bags off, we’re collecting wristbands and, c’mon Great Escape, let’s do this. We see Josh Dots & Dashes, “come see Florrie” he says. We try but there’s no Florrie, there’s drab sub-Dawson’s Creek acoustica. “Let’s run up the hill to Mile Me Deaf” we yell. Us and Josh, we run, and they sound swell but we encounter queue and there’s no time for queue when there’s so much to do. “Holy Holy are good” we say. Holy Holy are not good. We were thinking of Holy. Josh D&D gives up on us. It’s fair enough. Breathe. Start again. Upstairs at Patterns Cold Fronts are up on the bar. Cold Fronts are having so much fun. Love it when bands get on bars. To the Best Fit stage, to Hælos. Oh yes. Hælos are perfect for this. Review notes full of cliché. Full of ‘dreamy’ and ‘pop wonder’. Aquilo next. Review notes contain an enthusiastic emoji. Is there a finer endorsement? It’s Clarence Clarity that wins Thursday though, more straightforward live than his glorious oddpop records, but just as fun and just as chaotic and just as ‘wow, what a guy’. You done good, Thursday.
Morning, Friday. Breakfast on the beach. Rumours of secret Blur shows quashed in succession by Weller, Vaccines and Maccabees. We don’t need Blur, we’ve got Bully at Sticky Mikes being grungy-great, being jaw-drop adrenaline-rush radness, being new favourite bandness. We like Bully. Joyce Manor are playing in a ten person span tunnel, Joyce Manor blow that tunnel a mile wide. So much fun, so much dancing, so much love. We pile out and go get heart tattoos. Oscar remains the indiepop guy with the sweetest voice you’ve heard, with an ever-increasing arsenal of swooning indiepop pop hits to back it up. Ho99o9 are ridiculously entertaining. Do they care that ‘93 wants its rock-rap crossover back? No, they do not. Are they about as brilliantly riotous as a live band can be? Does Eaddy perform the hugest stage dive in history? That’s a double yes. It’s probably a hell yes. Oh my god, Tkay Maidza is the best. Giddy joy, giant smile, whole crowd dancing to Uh-Huh like tomorrow’s Saturday. Hey, Saturday. Hello sunshine. We hear talk of Pinkshinyultrablast destroying fragile minds with reckless abandon, but we’re at K.Flay and the pummelling drums and fizzing fun are slapping us back into life. All weekend we’ve been about Girl Band and they do not let us down; gut-punchingly vicious, thrilling, enthralling. Best live band around. House party? Yeah, f’sure. Gengahr and Yak fill a living room beyond whatever living is, gear is trampled, crowds are surfed, moments are definitely had. Oh. Sunday. We’re on the train, there’s no gin. There’s still-drunk grin. There’s “until next year, friends” as there will always be.
photos: Abi Dainton
LiS 71
ASBO
CHANNEL 8 3 SPECI AL
B E N R Y M E R ( D FA ) DAMON MART IN
( D I S C O B L O O D B AT H ) R I O T OU S R O C K E R S • A LV I N C
• Saturday 13 June T h e L o c k Ta v e r n 3 5 C h a l k Fa r m R d N W 1 • 8 p m —1 a m F r e e E n t r y
Lanzarote presents
REPEATER
YOUNGHUSBAND. RATS ON RAFTS. THE NATURALS. STRANGE COLLECTIVE. FRANCOBOLLO. MEDICINE BOY. LAZY DAY. PHOBOPHOBES. FEATURE. MELLAH. with Black Wax Record Shack. 5 Points Ale Fest. Art Fair. Free Sailor Jerry. Tickets at shacklewellarms.com The Shacklewell Arms. July 10—12 2015
by Sam Duckworth Weeks after one of the biggest shocks in General Election history, it’s hard not to still feel shellshocked. Where did it all go wrong? It’s open to debate as to how the pollsters were so off the mark. Politicians claim to have known all along, talk of swings and shy Tories dominate the political discourse. Twitter is up in arms. It would appear to me that this was an election won on economics. The rise in the minimum wage and its effects on small business, fear of immigration and job security, GDP growth and the European monkey on our backs. Many who voted Tory did not take gleeful pride in "condemning" us to another five years of front line cuts. They believed that trickle down economics works and Cameron was the man to lead us to safety. My problem with this, is that the current economic system doesn’t work. Topshop, Boots, Vodafone, Amazon and many more are robbing us blind. They are setting unobtainable price points based on offshore status, unfair labour practice and tax loopholes. They are pricing out the independent retailer and failing to contribute the billions they should be paying in corporation tax and in some cases, VAT. Regardless of who you vote for, tax justice is essential. If you put small business first, this is their biggest challenge. If you believe in free health care and welfare, the budgets are being slashed because corporate business is avoiding playing its part in society. It’s going to be a long five years, cuts will run deep and anger will disconnect us further. I suggest saving a bit of that anger for the biggest offenders. It’s easy to be angry at the anonymous voter on Twitter, but much harder to shop elsewhere. We’re a country that votes with our pockets. Lets show the tax avoiders they are not welcome in the only way they will understand. For more information on corporate tax avoidance please visit: www.ukuncut.org.uk LiS 73
PRESENTS
Monday 14 September Islington Assembly Hall ALBUM RELEASED 28.AUG.15 FOR TICKETS & ALBUM PRE ORDER VISIT:
WWW.BROTHERANDBONES.COM
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT KILILIVE.COM
PRESENTS
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SJM CONCERTS PRESENT
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS GNARWOLVES & APOLOGIES, I HAVE NONE
15 JUN – ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
18 JUN – CAMDEN ELECTRIC BALLROOM
TV ON THE RADIO PLUS HAELOS
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30 AUG SOLD OUT - 31 AUG EXTRA DATE THE ROUNDHOUSE
21 JUL – KOKO
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PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
28 SEP – O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
30 SEP – OVAL SPACE
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10 OCT – O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
15 OCT – VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
0),@0 PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
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03 NOV - KOKO
20 NOV – O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
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