MAY 2018 ISSUE 59 // FREE
JON HOPKINS
P R E S E N T S
01 | 05 | 18
SARAH BLASKO
- ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL -
| 05O| UT 03 18 SOLD
21 | 06 | 18
KIEFER SUTHERLAND - ELECTRIC BALLROOM -
GOMEZ
03 | 08 | 18
- ROYAL ALBERT HALL -
THE MENZINGERS
04 | 05 | 18
- O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN -
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STEVEN PAGE
PETER PERRETT
10 | 08 | 18
- UNION CHAPEL -
| 05O| UT 05 18 SOLD
12 | 09 | 18
GOMEZ
JIM WHITE
- O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN -
- THE LEXINGTON -
16 | 05 | 18
26 | 09 | 18
PEACE
FRANZ FERDINAND
- O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN -
16 | 05 | 18
- ROUNDHOUSE -
KEIR
- CAMDEN ASSEMBLY -
| 05O| UT 30 18 SOLD
19 | 10 | 18
DAHLIA SLEEPS - OMEARA LONDON BRIDGE
THE BREEDERS
24 | 10| 18
- ROUNDHOUSE -
ASH
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BULLY
- O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN -
- MOTH CLUB, HACKNEY -
30 | 10 | 18 - 03 | 11 | 18
06 | 06 | 18
“COME ON PILGRIM...IT’S SURFER ROSA” SPECIAL 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FOR FIVE NIGHTS
THE LAZYS + THE LOCKHEARTS
PIXIES
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13 | 11 | 18 - 15 | 11 | 18
TEENAGE FANCLUB
13 | 06 | 18
LION
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20 | 06 | 18
BELLY
05 | 12 | 18
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WELCOME
JON HOPKINS COVER STORY
I thought we'd lost you to the parks, beaches and fields of London. The sun comes out and no one wants to be in a basement at a sweaty gig, which leads me conveniently on to the fact that this, if you hadn't already noticed, is our festivals issue!!! So if watching music and sweating in a field is more your thing, then boy are you in luck. Other important things to note: because we are so generous you can win no less than two tickets to this year’s lineupof-dreams Field Day, see the next page on how to achieve that. And I want to take a moment to say a teary farewell to the lovely Rachel Finn who has been looking after the digital side of London in Stereo for what seems like forever, but is heading off to do new things. You've been a total joy to work with, Rachel.
PAGE 26
STAFF ON REPEAT
CARDI B
the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: Janelle Monáe (feat: Grimes) - PYNK DAVE: Let’s Eat Grandma - It’s Not Just Me LOKI: Sevdaliza - Observer DANNY: MorMor - Whatever Comes to Mind GEMMA: Cardi B - I Like It JACK: Ólafur Arnalds - re:member RACHEL: Kississippi - Easier To Love LiS 05
CONTENTS NEW SOUNDS
10
77
TALES FROM THE CITY by Baywaves
Sudan Archives, Isaiah Dreads & more 14
ON THE STEREO
79
LiS at the festivals 19
2018 FESTIVAL SPECIAL
81
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS by Fluffer Pit Parties’ Al Brown
Our guide to the best festivals this year 30
JON HOPKINS 38
WIN A PAIR OF FIELD DAY TICKETS! find this champ in the mag and send us a photo on Twitter*
SUSPECT
44
IN LONDON
with Charles Watson
EVENTS
Sweet stuff happening soon in London 48
ALBUM REVIEWS
Janelle Monáe, Beach House, Chvrches, Eleanor Friedberger, DJ Koze & more 56
GIGS OF THE MONTH
Our pick of May’s best shows 59
FULL MAY GIG LISTINGS Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
*
one pair of tickets available, winner chosen at random, May 25th
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
Online Editor: Rachel Finn rachel@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: Jon Hopkins cover story: Mathew Parri Thomas (mathewparrithomas.com) Contributors: Hassan Anderson, Emma Madden, Rhian Daly, Lee Wakefield, Kate Rockwell, Simone Scott Warren, George O’Brien, Tim Hakki, Henry Wilkinson londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
LiS 07
SPRING / SUMMER 2018 ~ LIVE ~ 03.05 12.05
06.05
Close Up Festival with Kyko /
20.05
The Aussie BBQ /
24.05 29.05 07.06
Jerome Thomas /
Mina Rose /
22.05
25.05
Knox Fortune /
15.05
10.05
Toundra
Towkio /
16.05
Reverend Beat-Man /
Courts /
30.05
Kyan /
26.05
Max Frost
23.05
Lova
Detroit Social Club
AKA George /
31.05
Elle Watson
Shay Lia / 11.06 Reykjavíkurdætur / 14.06 Cape Cub / 16.06 El Goodo 09.07
Moon Taxi /
27.09
Sola Rosa /
23.10
Stevie Appleton
Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com
| HOXTONSQUAREBAR
NEW SOUNDS SUDAN ARCHIVES Brittney Denise Parks suspects her musical identity was fated. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she received rudimentary violin training at elementary school and continued to learn playing by ear in church choirs. As a teenager Parks was nicknamed “Sudan”, purely in reference to her penchant for African-inspired fashion, but she coincidentally found herself drawn to the folky, percussive and often pizzicato style of violinists of that region. To this day, the 23-year-old applies these intricate techniques in her solo project, Sudan Archives, as part of a unique musical palette that also fuses loop-based electronics with her own caramel-smooth R&B vocals.
by Gemma Samways
Since moving to L.A. and signing with revered indie Stones Throw, Parks has already received widespread praise for her self-titled debut EP of 2017, and is set to release the follow-up, Sink, on May 25th. It’s no doubt destined to receive a similarly rapt critical reception. For a taster, head for the excellent lead single ‘Nont For Sale’, which features staccato string arpeggios and pentatonic harmonies dancing over an irresistibly low-slung groove, while Parks effortlessly asserts her authority, coolly laying down the law to anyone underestimating her. Fated or not, there’s no denying Parks’ artistic vision is exceptional, and that it elicits sublime results.
IN TEN: NEW SOUNDS JEAN-MICHAEL BLAIS OUTSIDERS
MIYA FOLICK DEADBODY
MAHALIA
PETAL
HARVE
HALEY
DENMARK VESSEY
OCTAVIAN
MAHALIA
NAV
AMANDA TENFJORD
BETTER THAN YOU
BRATT
HANDS
FRESHMAN LIST
READ
SUN GO NOVA
NO REPLY
FIRST IMPRESSION
FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS UPDATED NEW MUSIC
photo: Jack McKain
LISTEN TO: Nont For Sale @sudanarchives
@thesudanarchives
/sudanarchives
ISAIAH DREADS by Jess Partridge
LISTEN TO: Where Have You Been @IsaiahDreads
/isaiahdreads
LiS 11
Last month saw Isaiah Dreads release his much anticipated new South West EP, proving once again he’s as quick and talented as the old school MCs like JME and Bashy that he draws inspiration from. Standing out with rapid-fire bars and slick production, Isaiah makes each track feel like it could easily be top 10 and with the tickets to his headline London show going so quickly it won't be long until they are.
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ON THE STEREO
END OF THE ROAD PHOTO: RACHEL JUAREZ-CARR
1 act, 1 festival: the LiS picks You can try really hard, but you just can’t go to every festival - c’mon, some of them even fall on the same weekends. So which do you choose? You might not decide to visit a specific festival based on just one artist or band, but that giddy thrill when your eyes are glancing from act to act on a festival bill and you see one of your absolute favourites is always a precious moment, and can definitely help tip the scales. Here at London in Stereo we’re faced with the same tantalising choices, so here we’ve picked five acts at five festivals (from the green fields of End of The Road to the seaside capers of The Great Escape) that have prompted that ‘Yep, that’s the festival for me’ moment. LiS
AJ TRACEY
AJ TRACEY @ Field Day AJ Tracey + Field Day is a match made in heaven. Tracey’s chilled-pop beats were made for big stages and big sun (and we’re placing bets on Field Day being a scorcher this year). The bravado we love in the likes of ‘Mimi’ and ‘Quarterback’ is going to bring Brockwell Park to life and I’m gonna be soaking up every minute. Jess Partridge
KRAFTWERK LiS 14
FLOHIO
VAMPIRE WEEKEND @ End of The Road When Vampire Weekend headline EOTR it will be their first show in four years. It will be 10 years since their self-titled debut album. Their new album - with the wonderful working title Mitsubishi Macchiato - could well be out. Ezra Koenig has contributed to a Beyoncé album and worked with Kanye. Enough scoffing about Vampire Weekend, let’s just admit they’re really very, very good and this headline show will be one brilliant party. Danny Wright VAMPIRE WEEKEND
FLOHIO @ Great Escape If you’ve heard a song that hits harder than Flohio’s ‘Bands’ in the year 2018 then please let me know, and if you haven’t heard it yet then please stop reading right now and fix that. In a year which has already seen some pretty mind-blowing UK rap Flohio’s emergence is just about as exciting as it gets. Incredible technique backed with production that straddles the best of UK rap genres mean that her shows at Great Escape are gonna be rammed and exhilarating. Saturday, 9.30pm at Shoosh. See you there. Dave Rowlinson
BROCKHAMPTON @ Reading & Leeds Festival Kevin Abstract’s L.A.-based hip hop crew ruled 2017 by redefining what it meant to be a boy band, splitting roles between them from video director to webmaster, and spitting bars tackling homophobia and racism. They haven’t been to the UK since the final instalment in their Saturation mixtape trilogy dropped in December, so it’s going to be a tight squeeze for their sets. Gemma Samways
KRAFTWERK @ Dimensions Croatian festival Dimensions always has strong programming, and 2018 is no different. This year the opening night concert – every year a highlight – will see Josey Rebelle, Nubya Garcia, Moodymann and Nils Frahm supporting the mighty Kraftwerk. Honestly though, can you think of a better way to kick off a festival than Kraftwerk’s 3D show in a 2000 year old Roman amphitheatre? Didn’t think so. Katie Thomas LiS 15
BROCKHAMPTON
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Field Day Photo: Samantha Milligan
FESTIVALS SPECIAL 2018
the London in Stereo guide to festival season ur 2017 festival season kicked off early February in freezing Trondheim and finished early November in, erm, freezing Iceland. After 10 months of long weekends, countless hangovers and having taken in a mind-blowing amount of music, it can feel like time for a break. But then the first lineups start coming in for 2018 and suddenly rest seems like the worst idea you can have because holy-hell do we ever love festivals... Here in London we’re blessed with some of the very best the world has to offer, and the comfort of knowing the journey home is, at worst, the night tube. But equally the joy of taking yourself away from real life and either returning to an old favourite or embracing a brand new festival is something to savour. The moment when the tent is finally pitched and you open the beers that are just about still cold. The moment when you step off the plane and feel warm, thick air hit you straight in the face. Scouring sites to see if The Cheese Truck is there. Settling down on a grassy hill to let the day drift over you. Checking the festival app and knowing you need to be on the other side of town in 15 minutes and seeing your friends all scurrying the same way... Everything about this time of year is a pure thrill, so we’re real happy to bring you our guide to our 2018 festival favourites. LiS 19
LONDON FESTIVALS 2018 FIELD DAY
JUNE 1 ST-2 ND
A change in location has brought out the absolute best in Field Day, with a lineup that plays perfectly to their unique strengths. It’s dance and rap heavy, with a healthy dose of left-field, cutting-edge artists from the worlds of soul, R‘n’B, jazz, electronica and whatever genre you want to ascribe the wonderful Fever Ray. We’re thrilled the Barn is back, we’re excited to see the new site, and, honestly, we’re just really fired-up to experience the reborn Field Day. They’ve absolutely aced it.
FIELD DAY> Don’t Miss: AJ Tracey, Daniel Avery, Helena Hauff, Tony Allen, Cornelius, Sudan Archives fielddayfestivals.com // @fielddaylondon
CHVRCHES
CITADEL
GALA
CITADEL> Don’t Miss: Chvrches, Shame, Goat Girl, La Femme citadelfestival.com // @CitadelFestival
MAY 27 TH
There’s a whole host of things to like about Gala, taking place in Peckham Rye Park. First off you’ve got our fave festival food vendors, The Cheese Truck, dishing up their wonder sandwiches, then you’ve got Peckham locals Rye Wax and YAM hosting a record fair, but more than that, you’ve got a sweet-as-you-like lineup of house and disco DJs that’ll keep purists and casual revellers dancing equally hard all bank holiday.
JULY 15 TH
Citadel is focussed on being the best summer Sunday that caters for people of all tastes and all ages. As always they boast a massive music line-up where huge pop acts meet the likes of Goat and Shame. This year the extra-curricular activities are looking better than ever with a science camp from the Science Museum and Guerrilla Science, broadsheet debates and of course a whole world of excellent food and drink.
GALA> Don’t Miss: Derrick Carter, Bradley Zero, Mr Scruff, Honey Dijon, Horse Meat Disco, Midland thisisgala.co.uk
LiS 20
VISIONS FESTIVAL
VISIONS> Don’t Miss: Girlhood, Idles, Nilüfer Yanya, Sampa The Great visionsfestival.com // @VisionsFestival
INNERVISIONS
JULY 5 TH-14 TH
Innervisions is taking over some of London’s finest venues for no less than 10 nights this July. With shows dotted throughout the city from Barbican to Roundhouse, Union Chapel to KOKO, the lineups are a carefully curated mix of soul, jazz, hip-hop and more, you’ll find big hitters like Mavis Staples and Black Star alongside more intimate shows from Janet Kay and Fred Wesley. It’s a showcase of talent that transcends genres and embraces talent and influences from all over the world.
VISIONS DOG SHOW photo: Ruth Kilpatrick
AUGUST 4 TH
Visions has long been the total boss of London’s multi-venue festivals, breaking new acts and welcoming more established artists to good old Hackney, and 2018 is already shaping up to be another vintage year. And, yes, before you ask, the dog show is back! Punk rock karaoke, record fairs, plus top-notch street food and craft beer markets are all set to handle any of those between-band distractions, and you’d be a fool not to soak them up, but let’s savour the music for a bit first where, whatever your tastes, you’re going to find a ton to keep you enraptured all day long. We’re especially happy to see our cover stars from last August, Girlhood, playing.
INNERVISIONS> Don’t Miss: Mavis Staples, Black Star, Blackalicious, The Pharcyde, Jimmy Cliff innervisionsfestival.com
DA VE
MAVIS STAPLES
LOVEBOX
LOVEBOX> Don’t Miss: Dave, SZA, Vince Staples, Peggy Gou, Ms Banks, Jon Hopkins, Skepta, Bicep, Mura Masa loveboxfestival.com // @LoveboxFestival
LiS 21
JULY 13 TH-14 TH
Another festival that’s left Victoria Park and thrived on the change of scenery. This year’s lineup is a veritable who’s-who of exceptional rap talent from the UK and further afield, backed up by some of the most essential electronic artists out there. People’s impression of Lovebox can sometimes be a bit off, but with a new site in Gunnersbury Park and this damn lineup, it’s 100% time to give it another go. C’mon SZA’s there!
UK FESTIVALS 2018 THE GREAT ESCAPE
MAY 17TH-19TH
Festival season never feels like it’s really started until The Great Escape. It’s really one of our most treasured weekends of our year: a chance to catch countless new acts, a holiday less than an hour from London, a time to hang with friends in one of England’s best cites... It’s just about the most fun you can have and you know you’re going to come home with a favourite new act. Genre? TGE don’t care, everything’s here and it’s in plentiful supply. We’re real psyched to see the new Beach site, too.
THE GREAT ESCAPE> Don’t Miss: Flohio, Drahla, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Tirzah, The Go! Team, Suspect, Sportsman, Rina Sawayama, Self Esteem, Octavian greatescapefestival.com // @thegreatescape
BESTIVAL
BESTIVAL> Don’t Miss: M.I.A, Jorja Smith, Mabel, Biig Piig, Martha bestival.net // @Bestival
NASS photo: Alex Rawson
NASS FESTIVAL
JULY 5 TH-8 TH
NASS Festival sounds like a non-stop party, there’s no way around it. With a killer lineup consisting of some of the most exciting names in hip-hop and R&B, alongside some of the world’s top BMXers, skateboarders and street artists there won’t be a single second to waste. Good job they’ve got a 3am music license ready to go because we’re gonna need every second.
AUGUST 2 ND-5 TH
Was being on the Isle of Wight holding Bestival back? By the looks of the last two year’s lineups, that might just be the case. Now held on the same patch of grass as the equally compelling Camp Bestival, the festival is a melting pot of our favourite acts. Especially at the Big Top stage which is rammed with total greats. Expect the regular riot of invention, parties and spectacular array of fancy dress on the side, too.
NASS FESTIVAL> Don’t Miss: Vic Mensa, Flohio, Stefflon Don, Run DMC, Dizzee Rascal nassfestival.com // @NASSfestival
LiS 22
END OF THE ROAD
EOTR> Don’t Miss: St. Vincent, Gruff Rhys, Hookworms, Soccer Mommy, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Yo La Tengo endoftheroadfestival.com // @EOTR
BLISSCAMP
JULY 5 TH-8 TH
Springing from the ever-fertile imagination of the Blissfields team, Blisscamp makes its festival debut this year, and we’re really liking what we’re hearing so far. Essentially what you’re looking at is all the frivolous fun and frolics of Blissfields distilled into one tiny festival, albeit with big ambitions. With a capacity of just 2000, the lucky few who gather will find 5 unique stages, bubbling over with (mostly) electronic thrills’n’spills and a party that’ll last all weekend, and then some. One of the year’s most intriguing new festivals.
EOTR photo: Sonny Malhotra
AUG’ 30TH-SEP 2ND
The longer you’re away from End of The Road the harder it is to believe it’s as idyllic as you remember. But then you get on site and it all comes flooding back. EoTR is, in many ways, the ideal UK festival: the place is beautiful, the crowd are calm and friendly, the food and drink offerings are spot-on and the lineup is always a treasure trove of surprisingly eclectic acts. Add in to that the woodland adventures and treats, the peacocks, the secret sessions, the silent discos, the light-up dancefloor, being able to bring your own beer across site, the exceptional comedy lineups and, well, just about everything else and it’s a wonder we ever leave in the first place. And we’ve not even mentioned St. Vincent yet.
BLISSCAMP> Don’t Miss: Gold Panda, Mr Jukes, Justin Robertson, Viper Recordings, JFB blissfields.co.uk @Blissfields
BLISSCAMP
PARKLIFE
PARKLIFE photo: Carolina Faruolo PARKLIFE> Don’t Miss: Dave, Jon Hopkins, Sigrid, Kelela, Lorde, Skepta, Giggs, Jamie xx, Chvrches, J Hus, Four Tet parklife.uk.com // @Parklifefest
LiS 23
JUNE 9 TH-10 TH
Unconcerned with the bells and whistles so many festivals are embracing now, Manchester's Parklife festival is all about the music and we’re getting a bit starry eyed just looking at that lineup. Lorde! Skepta! Giggs! Jamie xx! Chvrches! Damn, what an incredible couple of days. It’s clear that after nine years the team behind Parklife know how to nail it, and this year there’s a little bit of something for everyone.
REST OF THE WORLD FESTIVALS 2018 NOS PRIMAVERA SOUND
JUNE 7TH-9TH
The Barcelona edition of Primavera is one of the wildest weekends you can have but, you know what? We’ve done it, and this year we want to take things easier. The Porto site is tranquil, all grassy hills and open spaces. It feels like time out of life. Not that things are ever boring, because enough of Barca’s lineup makes its way to Portugal to ensure you’re always presented with genuine star power. We know this: when Lorde drops ‘Green Light’ and the whole places goes off, we’re gonna be so happy to be there.
leguesswho.nl @LeGuessWho
NOS PRIMAVERA> Don’t Miss: Lorde, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Tyler The Creator, Abra, Ibeyi, Arca, A$AP Rocky nosprimaverasound.com
LE GUESS WHO?
NOVEMBER 8 TH-11 TH
Hanging out at the end of the standard festival season, Le Guess Who? quietly had one of the most interesting and forward thinking lineups going last year. It’s too early to know who will be gracing the many venues across the beautiful city of Utrecht, but last year saw everything from James Holden, Grouper, Aldous Harding, Metz and more. It’s clear that so much care and attention goes into finding stand-out acts that will keep the audience guessing. MELT photo: Stephan Flad
MELT FESTIVAL
JULY 13 TH-15 TH
What do you get when you put a huge lineup, bright sunshine, Ferropolis (a city of iron - that used to be a coal mine) and a beautiful lake together for three days? A completely surreal, magical time. Melt has been built from a 1,000 capacity festival in 1997 to today’s behemoth of an event that attracts people from all over the world looking for a unusual and beautiful festival experience and this years lineup is particularly tasty.
MELT FESTIVAL> Don’t Miss: Fever Ray, Princess Nokia, Kali Uchis, Nina Kraviz, Jon Hopkins meltfestival.de // @meltfestival
LiS 24
NOS ALIVE
NOS ALIVE> Don’t Miss: Wolf Alice, Sophie, The National, Perfume Genius, Japandroids, Nine Inch Nails, Sampha nosalive.com // @NOS_Alive
DIMENSIONS
AUG’ 29TH-SEP 2ND
So, that’s just your cutting-edge electronic festival, set in an abandoned fort on the Croatian coast? Yep, take us to Dimensions festival, and maybe just leave us there. If you’ve been before you’ll know it all kicks off with an opening party in a 2000-year-old amphitheatre, but new to this year is Resident Advisor opening up tunnels underneath Pula to host a back-to-basics raving experience like no other. The lineup is everything you’d expect, and more but, seriously, how incredible is the Kraftwerk 3D experience gonna be?
NOS photo: Hugo Macedo
JULY 12 TH-14 TH
We experienced our first ever NOS Alive last year and if you have to ask if we’re returning then you probably didn’t run into us babbling happily about it for days after. Let’s keep this nice and simple: NOS Alive is in a truly wonderful city, full of cool bars, a funicular, and as much pastel de nata as a human can eat - and on top of that it’s got an incredibly fun festival, with beer prices that don’t make you cry, a whole lot of sunshine, a rich supply of local bands and absolute superstars plus a dreamy setting on the banks of the Tagus. In short it’s got the lot and if you like having a real good time and watching great music while the sun makes everything feel better, then this is for you. Tell us you don’t want that?
DIMENSIONS> Don’t Miss: Kraftwerk, Ben UFO, James Holden, Jon Hopkins, Floating Points, Sonja Moonear. dimensionsfestival.com @Dimensions_Fest
DIMENSIONS
MUTEK MONTRÉAL
MUTEK photo: Bruno Destombes MUTEK MONTREAL> Don’t Miss: Pye Corner Audio, Chagall, Cora Novoa, TMRW, dj. flugvél og geimskip, Lanark Artefax mutek.org // @MUTEK_Montreal
LiS 25
AUGUST 22ND-26TH
Last year MUTEK Montréal moved from early spring to deep summer and to be honest it’s never been so appealing. An electronic treasure trove, it brings together cutting edge musicians and visual artists from around the world. This year they’re making a statement by hosting a two day symposium for Women in Digital Arts and Electronic Music - to highlight and advance issues of diversity in this historically male domain.
SUSTAINABLE FESTIVALS 2018 NORTHSIDE
JUNE 7 TH-9 TH
Going green with the Icelandic queen is the name of the game for Denmark festival NorthSide. The Scandinavian festival operate with their mantra ‘lead the way’ which governs their decision making. NorthSide were proud to announce that in 2017 100% of the food and drink sold at the festival was organic. This year they’ve curated arguably the strongest lineup in their nine year history, with the likes of Warpaint, The Internet, Rhye, Thundercat and Tyler, The Creator all joining Björk on the bill.
NORTHSIDE> Don’t Miss: Bjork, The Internet, Rhye, Thundercat northside.dk @NorthSide_DK
PARADISE CITY
PARADISE CITY> Don’t Miss: Laurent Garnier, DJ Koze, Jayda G, Willow paradisecity.be // @paradisecityfst
WE LOVE GREEN
JUNE 2 ND-3 RD
We Love Green takes place in La Belle Étoile in the Bois de Vincennes just outside Paris. A festival run on core values of reduce, reuse, recycle, We Love Green is proud to run on 100% renewable energy, and 70% of all the waste is recycled after the event. Highlights across a particularly stellar lineup include the mighty Björk, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Daphni, Jorja Smith and our lovely past cover stars Ibeyi.
JUNE 29 TH-JULY 1 ST
Belgium’s Paradise City had led the pack for sustainability since their inception in 2015. The festival takes place at the stunning Castle of Ribaucourt in Perk. Their award winning commitment to partying green includes a campsite that is powered entirely by solar energy, all food on site is locally sourced and organically grown, and all generators are run using biofuel. This year’s lineup includes the likes of the mighty Laurent Garnier, DJ Koze, Jayda G and Willow.
WE LOVE GREEN> Don’t Miss: Bjork, Jorja Smith, Daphni, Ibeyi welovegreen.fr // @WeLoveGreen
LiS 26
SHAMBALA
SHAMBALA FESTIVAL> Don’t Miss: DJ Paypal, Nubiyan Twist, GRRRRL, The Last Poets, This Is The Kit shambalafestival.org // @ShambalaFest
SHAMBALA
AUGUST 23 RD-26 TH
You only have to visit Shambala’s website to see their commitment to sustainable partying, it opens with a click-through to the Association of Independent Festivals’ initiative: Drastic on Plastic. Another pioneering festival leading the way for greener partying, this year Shambala continue their efforts to become waste free. They run on 100% renewable power, and they’ve reduced the overall carbon footprint of the festival by 80%. In the midst of a waste free wonderland, highlights for 2018 include Teklife’s DJ Paypal b2b DJ Taye and Nubiyan Twist.
BEST OF THE REST BUSHSTOCK
LOVE INTERNATIONAL
WHEN: JUNE 23RD WHERE: SHEPHERD’S BUSH, VARIOUS VENUES ONLINE: bushstock.co.uk DON’T MISS: Aurora, Amaroun, Feet
WHEN: JUNE 27TH - JULY 4TH WHERE: CROATIA ONLINE: loveinternationalfestival.com DON’T MISS: Four Tet, Joy Orbison, Midland
FARR FESTIVAL
MEADOWS IN THE MOUNTAINS
WHEN: JULY 5TH-8TH WHERE: BELGRAVE WOODS ONLINE: farrfestival.co.uk DON’T MISS: George Fitzgerald, Kelly Lee Owens
WHEN: JUNE 7TH - 10TH WHERE: CROATIA ONLINE: meadowsinthemountains.com DON’T MISS: TBC
AVA
MAD COOL
WHEN: JUNE 1ST-2ND WHERE: BELFAST ONLINE: avafestival.com DON’T MISS: Bicep, Mall Grab, Or:La
WHEN: JULY 12TH - 14TH WHERE: SPAIN, MADRID ONLINE: madcoolfestival.es DON’T MISS: Dua Lipa, Eels, Sampha
GOTTWOOD
LENTE KABINET
WHEN: JUNE 7TH -10TH WHERE: ANGLESEA ONLINE: gottwood.co.uk DON’T MISS: Andrew Weatherall, Avalon Emerson
WHEN: MAY 26TH - 27TH WHERE: HOLLAND, AMSTERDAM ONLINE: hetkabinetfestival.nl DON’T MISS: Kelela, Hunee, Essaie Pas LiS 27
4TH MAY
THE CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB DON LETTS
9TH JUNE
NORMAN JAY MBE
26TH MAY
DAVID RODIGAN
ADRIAN SHERWOOD
22ND & 29TH JUNE
PETE OUT OLD STONG
RAF DADDY
18TH AUGUST
26TH MAY
SARA COX PRESENTS JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH 80S
8TH JUNE
FLEETMACWOOD RUMOURS RAVE
28TH JULY
ORBITAL LIVE
ANDY (808 STATE)
DJ SET
4TH AUGUST
TROJAN SOUND SYSTEM
25TH AUGUST
RONI SIZE ‘NEW FORMS’ LIVE
for more info and the full event line-up
DREAMLAND.CO.UK Book tickets now
GROOVE ARMADA
25TH AUGUST
RAY KEITH AFTER PARTY
SOME VOICES PRESENTS
FRIDAY 18 MAY 2018
FOR LOVERS OF THE 80S 1 CHOIR. 150 SINGERS. 3000 DANCERS. FEATURING CLASSICS FROM
ERASURE | EURYTHMICS | MADONNA | PAUL SIMON QUEEN | PRINCE | BOWIE | INXS | GEORGE MICHAEL TEARS FOR FEARS | FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD
PRINTWORKSLONDON.CO.UK
interview
Jon Hopkins words: Danny Wright
photography: Mathew Parri Thomas
hat do Donald Trump’s election win, binge watching the Sopranos and an intense form of meditation that induces a psychedelic state through exposure to ice cold water have in common? The answer is that they all helped shape Jon Hopkins’ new record, Singularity.
“I wanted to make something that didn't MXVW UHŴHFW KRZ IXFNHG up everything is I wanted to emit some EHDXWLIXO IHHOLQJV Ő
It began with negative feelings that overwhelmed him after Trump’s rise to power. “My brain is very sensitive and takes in energies from everywhere around it and it can be incapacitating. I remember after the US election I spent a few weeks at home on the sofa just watching The Sopranos. I needed an injection of positivity and new energy after that.” LiS 30
interview
He found this positive energy through the discovery of the Wim Hof method: a breathing technique that, using long intakes of oxygen coupled with exposure in freezing cold water, increases energy levels, boosts serotonin - and, according to Jon, was “profoundly important” to how the album came into being. “It was just after the aforementioned Sopranos viewing and I was very drained. Every time I went to the studio I started feeling dizzy, as if my body was trying to say ‘You can't write, you need to go home’.” “The doctors tried to get me to go on antidepressants and I said ‘I don't feel depressed. I feel dizzy, I feel worried about the world but I don't feel artificially boosting my serotonin is the answer’. It seemed like a really blunt and insensitive approach.”
“It was then that I heard about the Wim Hof method - about the effects of taking in more oxygen because we don't take in enough. It’s a simple rebalancing thing. And then a week after starting that I was back in the studio and I was working a couple of hours a day and then three and then four. So yeah, the album really wouldn’t exist without that technique.” That album, Singularity, his first album in five years, has that sense of rejuvenation and exploration. It’s an intricate, expansive and immersive piece of work; an album made in the shadow of those external factors - of political turmoil, the world turning to shit - but refracts them through an internal lens, using his deepening interest in transcendental meditation to find a sense of peace and beauty in the face of everything happening around him.
LiS 32
“The first track has a lot of foreboding and that’s probably a reaction to some moods that I was picking up. But I made a conscious decision in the end that I wanted to make something that didn't just reflect how fucked up everything is - I wanted to emit some beautiful feelings.”
“It showed me that whatever is going on in the world, it's still possible to experience joy and stillness.” “That’s a state of mind that I've accessed through meditation and, for me, rather than it being an escape from reality, it's more like a deeper connection to reality. It showed me that whatever is going on in the world, it's still possible to experience joy and stillness.”
The success of Hopkins’ last record, Immunity, changed the course of his career completely. He was more in demand than ever before, he started DJing around the world and it meant he was given time to make this record exactly what he wanted it to be. “There was a lot more stress around making Immunity because I had done three solo albums already and none of them had made their way out of the underground. With this record I took my time. I think it's really important not to rush to the starting point, because you can often start writing things that sound like off-cuts from the last record.” He spent some time mapping out the album and came up with a concept, though he soon realised this was futile. “I’ve completely ditched the idea that I could possibly know where it's going - what I really do is working in the dark, until I hit on a spark and then I pursue that relentlessly.” That spark came out of a track called ‘Neon Pattern Drum’. “It's the most experimental track on there in some ways - it begins with a solid pattern then it disintegrates into rhythmic chaos. You can't really hear the rhythm and then the bass line comes in and I was like ‘Ah, OK, I like this’. After I found that things started to flow a bit quicker.” As songs began to take shape it was then about weaving disparate sounds and contrasting ideas together. There’s a moment on the record where ‘Everything Connected’ - a huge monolithic “techno bastard” - segues into ‘Feel First Life’ a tranquil, still, choral number. Getting that journey right for the listener was something he thought a lot about - in fact he had the tracklisting decided a year before he’d finished the album. “I know it’s not particularly relevant to the way a lot of people listen to music these days but it's one of the main things for me. That particular transition is a very good example of it - trying to make that bridge between techno and choral music in just a minute was a challenge. You couldn't just bring the choir in straight at the end of ‘Everything Connected’, it would be ridiculous.
LiS 33
“I have to be in London and I love it for many reasons. At the same time a deeper part of me is constantly yearning for untamed nature.” So it's trying to get a path through that single connecting drone and and then the choir kind of swims up from underneath. I love all those unexpected moments.” Hopkins’ ability to see his songs as physical places or, as he says, “a sort of dimensional space in my head. I just have this strange way of seeing music in my head”, helps him to build these immersive sonic worlds. They are worlds that bring together the electronic and the organic, with sounds from the natural world incorporated as part of the songs. These ‘used sounds’ have been a core part of Hopkins’ previous albums and they’re here too: this time a recording of thunder is tuned to the sub bass in the title track and the sound of an owl is used as a melody on ‘Recovery’. “It’s almost a little piano meditation really and while I was working on it a friend of mine was in Greece on holiday and could hear the Scops owl we'd heard when we were both on holiday in the south of France. It just makes this beautiful little beating sound every few seconds. She’d recorded it on her phone and I listened to it and thought 'That is going in!’. It was a moment of perfect synchronicity.”
This idea of abrasive electronic noises rubbing up against these sounds of nature is central to the themes of the record. “That's really a constant conversational battle going on in my head. I have to be in London and I love it for many reasons. At the same time a deeper part of me is constantly yearning for untamed nature. I think that results in a really interesting tension in the music Immunity had these very heavy sections and very peaceful sections and I think you need the craziness of cities. If it was all fluffy and pretty then that would be meaningless.” This returns us to the Wim Hof method, that to achieve peace you need that dramatic exposure to the ice cold water first, or as Jon says “There’s no comfort with discomfort.” I ask whether I should be investigating this technique for myself. “If you want to feel amazing,” he laughs. LiS Singularity is released May 4th via Domino. LIVE: Village Underground, May 10th. o2 Brixton Academy, November 2nd & 3rd. FESTIVALS: Primavera Sound, Parklife, Latitude, Melt!, Wilderness, Dimensions.
LiS 34
@Jon_Hopkins_
@jonhopkinsmusic
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interview
o be honest, I’ve tried to write things down on paper before but it feels like I’m snitching on myself,” South-London’s Suspect explains. The up and coming MC is currently on tour supporting UK rap giant Giggs, and over the phone, breaks down his approach to writing. “I don’t need a pen. I don’t write anything down. I get in there with Flyo (Suspect’s dedicated producer), he’ll start making a beat, I’ll get inspired by that beat, and we make a banger from nothing... ”
A non-stop attitude is part of the environment Suspect finds himself working in, as he elaborates: “I’m around people like Giggs that work crazy. I’d be stupid not to be absorbing what I see and learn from it.” It’s a lesson he seems to be putting into practice almost immediately as even the day before we speak he had laid down a new verse in a studio in Germany, which he later released as the heavy track ‘Tour Bus’.
It’s this method that means Suspect ends up committing all of his rhymes to memory so that he can play them live rather than write anything down on paper. “The first time I’ll see my lyrics written down is when a fan has them online… Bare times they get it wrong but still, it’s cool”
words: Hassan Anderson photography: Ashley Verse
Though most MCs can make rhymes up on the spot, their spontaneous verses don’t usually result in hooky singles that mean guys like Frank Ocean stop and take notice. Last year, Ocean chose Suspect’s slow, low-end banger ‘FBG’ to be on his Grand Theft Auto radio station playlist, which was somewhat of a dream come true for Suspect, as he explains, “To say I was surprised is an understatement. Frank Ocean doing that is obviously crazy. And GTA is a huge part of my childhood, my cousin used to copy the games for me on CD.” Suspect’s off-the-cuff approach to writing seems to be working across the board. Over the past year his notoriety has grown ten-fold, both due to him dropping his heavy debut mixtape Loading as well as releasing several singles, with features from the likes of Skepta and Giggs. His output shows no signs of stopping either, with a second full-length mixtape Still Loading dropping later this month.
SUSPECT This is fairly impressive given that the single and video were written and completed in just under two days but this sort of output seems to come almost as second nature to Suspect. “Rapping is something that everyone always knew I could do, I cant even say that there was a starting point, I was just known for it.” UK rap and UK drill are genres that have been thrust into the mainstream over the last few years due to artists like Giggs, Section Boyz, 67 and more recently Harlem Spartans (who also feature on Suspects Loading mixtape). With this increase in interest has also come an increase in concern for the ultra-violent lyrical content of the genres, in which, some claim, murder and gang violence are glorified. Articles have been published in numbers claiming that in fact the rise in popularity of these genres, are what’s behind the latest surge in London murders this year. Suspect’s take on it is somewhat more considered however: “Groups like Harlem Spartans, it’s a culture they’re reporting on, not starting. And in my lyrics I wouldn’t say I’m promoting it, but I’ve come from a certain background.” LiS 38
interview
“Rapping is something that everyone always knew I could do, I cant even say that there was a starting point, I was just known for it�
“The party gives me life man, and you know when you’re making music it’s a party anyway”
He agrees that the problem is a systematic failing rather than the result of youths spontaneously deciding to act out lyrics, but adds that he doesn’t think it is the task of the MC to tell anyone what to do: “If you’re in an environment where you are being hunted, how can I tell you to put down your weapon? I just can’t do that.” Though Suspect is from the kind of environment that is often the subject matter in UK rap, he says that it’s a life that is firmly in the past: “It’s where I come from so I have to keep it real but I have people that look up to me now, I’m in a new space.” For now, he is looking forward to playing more shows with his producer Flyo. “He’s taking DJ lessons at the moment, so I think he’ll come on tour with me next time.” Being on tour with Giggs is something that seems to have been quite a learning curve for Suspect. “Just seeing a whole room of people sing back your songs, and English
isn’t even their first language, it’s crazy.” This, plus the perks of the lifestyle from having ‘loads of liquor’ on the rider to the catering on Gigg’s tour bus (See Giggs’ Instagram post on chicken stew and dumplings as an example). Given the often hectic lifestyle of being on tour, does Suspect not worry the party might get in the way of his hunger for productivity? He demurs: “The party gives me life man, and you know when you’re making music it’s a party anyway. I get the thrill of seeing people react to what I’ve done.” Given his current rate of getting things done, Suspect can expect to see a lot more reactions this year. LiS
Still Loading is released May 18th via Rinse. LIVE: O2 Islington Academy, April 27th. FESTIVALS: The Great Escape
LiS 40
@Suspect_OTB
@officialsuspectotb
AUGUST ROSENBAUM TUES 1 MAY SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
SAM EVIAN TUES 22 MAY THE ISLINGTON
PET DEATHS WED 13 JUNE SEBRIGHT ARMS
KEDR LIVANSKIY THURS 3 MAY THE PICKLE FACTORY
BASEMENT REVOLVER TUES 22 MAY PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
ROSTAM THURS 14 JUNE SCALA
JAMES HEATHER WED 9 MAY ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
EZRA FURMAN WED 23 MAY O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
GROUP LISTENING MON 9 JULY ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
THE LONGCUT THURS 10 MAY THE LEXINGTON JERKCURB THURS 10 MAY OMEARA
CAR SEAT HEADREST WED 23 MAY ROUNDHOUSE PALM THURS 24 MAY CORSICA STUDIOS
TONY NJOKU SAT 12 MAY OFF THE CUFF
ERLAND COOPER THURS 24 MAY OUT SOLDOLD ST PANCRAS CHURCH
HALEY HEYNDERICKX WED 16 MAY THE ISLINGTON
RINA SAWAYAMA FRI 25 MAY THE GARAGE
BECKIE MARGARET THURS 17 MAY ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
LICE FRI 25 MAY SEBRIGHT ARMS
COMMON HOLLY FRI 18 MAY THE ISLINGTON
THE MEN FRI 1 JUNE OSLO HACKNEY PINK KINK TUES 5 JUNE SEBRIGHT ARMS
JIM GHEDI THURS 27 SEPT ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH MARTIN KOHLSTEDT MON 8 OCT ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH GWENNO THURS 18 OCT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
BEDOUINE MON 9 JULY THE LEXINGTON
SOLOMON GREY THURS 25 OCT UNION CHAPEL
KING TUFF THURS 16 AUG MOTH CLUB ALEX NAPPING MON 20 AUG SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS (SANDY) ALEX G WED 5 SEPT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL JOSE GONZALEZ THURS 20 SEPT ROYAL ALBERT HALL MITSKI WED 26 SEPT O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
LORD HURON FRI 26 OCT ROUNDHOUSE KELLY LEE OWENS THURS 15 NOV VILLAGE UNDERGROUND LUKE HOWARD TUES 20 NOV BUSH HALL HOOKWORMS SAT 24 NOV O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
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EVENTS new things in London you just don’t want to miss out on
A FOOD AND BOOZE WITH KILLER VIEWS THING QUEEN OF HOXTON’S LOST VEGAS ROOFTOP All year round Queen of Hoxton’s rooftop is one of the more fun places to spend London evenings but, when the summer months loom, the place really comes alive. This year they welcome the sunny times with Lost Vegas: twisting Las Vegas in their own inimitable way to create what’s basically a boutique festival on a rooftop. Expect exceptional craft cocktails, top quality food for vegans and non-vegans alike (we are naturally very interested in the Out‘N’In Burger), a Little Vegas Wedding Chapel, a yellow school bus bar and a whole host of Nevada-themed treats and surprises. WHEN: May 3rd-Ocotober. WHERE: Queen Of Hoxton, 1 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX INFO: queenofhoxton.com // @_QueenOfHoxton_
A LONDON BECOMES A STAGE THING LIFT FESTIVAL
East Wall by Hofesh Shechter Photo: Victor Frankowski
If you’re walking past the Tower of London and see the moat filled with 150 dancers and musicians performing to everything from grime to gospel you’ll have found Hofesh Shechter and East London Dance’s contribution to Lift Festival. What’s Lift? Well, it’s a lot of things, but you could say it’s an extraordinary exploration of London with a focus on community and battling preconceptions. Take a teenager-led night walk through East London, absorb Session’s thrilling dance-party celebrating youth and belonging, or watch Fly By Night as 1500 LED-lit pigeons soar over the Thames. And, honestly, that barely scratches the surface of Lift. WHEN: May 26th-July 22nd. WHERE: Various locations across London. INFO: liftfestival.com // @LIFTfestival
A MOVIE FESTIVAL THING SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: LONDON The 2018 London edition of Robert Redford’s Utah-based behemoth film festival brings us a typically exciting array of UK film and documentary premieres, plus engrossing talks at Picturehouse Central. Highlights for us include Amy Adrion’s Half The Picture doc in the wake of #metoo, and U.S. Grand Jury Prize winner film, The Miseducation Of Cameron Post. WHEN: May 31st-June 3rd. WHERE: Picturehouse Central, W1D 7DH INFO: picturehouses.com/sundance // @picturehouses The Miseducation Of Cameron Post
A LEARNING IN THE PUB THING PINT OF SCIENCE FESTIVAL We like pubs. We like learning. So cheers to Pint Of Science Festival for bringing three days of science lecturers and talks in a host of London pubs including favourites like Farrs School of Dancing, The Colonel Fawcett and The Star of Kings. There are way too many events and talks to list here, but Goats Who Stare At Scientists at Putney’s Boma Bridge probably wins on name alone. WHEN: May 14th-16th. WHERE: Various London pubs. INFO: pintofscience.co.uk // @pintofscience
A CULTURE WHEN THE SUN’S DOWN THING MUSEUMS AT NIGHT Museums At Night sees London’s bastions of culture open their doors past normal hours, allowing us to experience the settings in fresh new ways. From The London Transport Museum’s jaunt through the swinging sixties, to a unique exploration of coral reef at the Horniman Museum and Gardens, to the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising’s dive into Twitter’s brand story, there’s something for everyone, and cocktails too. WHEN: May 16th-19th. WHERE: Various London venues INFO: museumsatnight.org.uk // @MuseumsAtNight LiS 45
ASE SHOWC
Three dynamic female-fronted Korean rock bands
3RD LINE BUTTERFLY, GONNE CHOI, BILLY CARTER
THURSDAY 10 MAY 2018 / RICH MIX IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
ALBUM REVIEWS
RECORD OF THE MONTH Sometimes an album is released that almost all of our writers want to review, and the triumphant return of Janelle Monáe might just be the most requested yet. That being the case, Danny Wright gathered Tim Hakki and Katie Thomas to talk all things Dirty Computer. What are your feelings about Janelle Monáe? Tim: She’s one of the people really standing out right now. I think she has a kind of Bowie/Prince thing going on, but in this current social climate, where we’re realising things about identity at quite a rapid pace, she seems to be really exploring these issues further than many of her peers, challenging how we see ourselves in a very radical way. Katie: LOVE her. I'm so into this Janelle that Dirty Computer seems to be about - like Jenna Wortham says in her ace piece in the NYT, this time she’s expressing her true self rather than hiding behind her alter ego. Seeing Moonlight and Hidden Figures kinda made me see her in a different light and focus on the content and the context of this new music. I think she's a
JANELLE MONÁE DIRTY COMPUTER out now via Atlantic Records @janellemonae
fantastic role model for women, and - I would imagine - a beacon of hope for women of colour. She's colourful and fun and articulate and, yeah, I have a huge girl crush. Does this record live up to your expectations? Tim: Since ‘Django Jane’ dropped I’ve been expecting it to be brilliant. It was a great rap song in a year that’s already had an alarming number of great rap songs. So I knew this was going to be a fiercely lyrical project. And yes, it lived up to my expectations, then went one further. Katie: Absolutely. She set the bar high with the singles but it's definitely met that bar. I'm very excited to see the supporting visuals - if the visuals so far are anything to go by. Does the multimedia album idea excite you? Katie: Yessss it 100% does! I feel like JM loves Queen Bey as much as me, so here's to the visual album! I think you can piece together a visual in your mind by listening to the record independently. But then if you take, say ‘PYNK’, it's even more powerful when you watch it. Because, vaginas! And the celebration
LiS 48
Those videos definitely seemed to build on the themes of the record - do they all come across clearly through the album? Katie: Yes I think so. To refer to Jenna's piece again - there's that distinction throughout the record of Reckoning, Celebration, Reclamation. This is a record for women, for women of colour, for anyone that identifies as female, or anyone that is marginalised in some way. It's a very empowering record, a celebration of sex and sexuality in all its forms, and a reminder to love yourself, to be confident, and to embrace your own sexuality and sensuality. It embraces all the people that US politics is currently stamping down on. Tim: Her agenda is really about basic human decency. Just be whoever you want to be and let others be that way too, that’s more or less what the whole album is saying. Of course there are some sexy hedonistic moments in there too. That’s where Prince fits into the recipe. A perfect segue into a Prince question... can you hear his influence on the record? Tim: Less so than before, I think. She’s grown into a lot of new influences now, some of the most powerful ones are her collaborators, Brian Wilson and Grimes. This felt like a sci-fi Pet Sounds, covered in harmonies and really going for more of an uncomplicated feel-good vibe than her earlier work. And what’s the stand out track? Katie: It's gotta be ‘Make Me Feel’. It makes me feel good, it makes me want to dance, the video is INCREDIBLE. Tim: ‘Dirty Computer’. Lyrically it's such a tragic and relatable metaphor, sonically it's more psychedelic than anything off the last Tame Impala album. Brian Wilson stepped in with Android Janelle to basically show the revivalists how it's done... Or ‘Django Jane’ or ‘PYNK’. Argh man, what a hard question... Finally: how important is Janelle Monáe as an artist now? Is this her stepping up to Beyoncé levels of superstardom? Katie: I think this is Janelle stepping up to Bey levels of superstar-ness. But I’m going to be controversial and say that I think she’s pushing the envelope a little harder. Lemonade taught us it’s ok to be vulnerable but you’ve gotta empower yourself, however I feel to a certain extent Beyoncé was saying political things because the time was right commercially. Dirty Computer is subtler, and is really celebrating individuality in a unique and surprising way. Tim: I think Janelle, Beyoncé and Solange are all putting out these complex, beautiful pieces of art that are vital right now. They're bringing race to the fore in a brilliant way. She’s already a superstar in my eyes, at least. LiS 49
photography: Juco
of fluid sexuality would not be so overt if you listen to ‘Make Me Feel’ rather than watch it.
BEACH HOUSE 7
Bella Union // May 11th
Undulating synths, shimmering guitars, swooning vocals: after gorging on more than a decade’s worth of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally’s exquisite dream-pop, we all know what to expect from future Beach House releases before even listening to a note. Of course, the danger of carving such a distinct musical universe is that the artist’s vision can become stale, or niche to the point of parody. It’s a potential pitfall that the Baltimore duo have purposely swerved on album number seven, first by clearing out the “creative closet” with the successive releases of 2015’s Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars – plus last year’s B-Sides and Rarities compilation – and then by relinquishing established working methods, in pursuit of a fresh inspiration. In practise this meant beginning songs at their home studio, working without a hands-on producer, and removing the necessity to replicate arrangements live from any creative decisions. Haunting album centrepiece ‘Black Cab’ is a standout, beginning with bubbling electronics and ticking percussion before synths are daubed in fluid strokes across the canvas, intertwined with Legrand’s half-whispered incantations. A paranoid darkness seeps into the set, capturing what the band term “the societal insanity of 2016-17,” but equally there’s an enveloping intimacy in the likes of ‘Lose Your Smile’. And while the results are still unmistakably the work of Beach House, 7 is arguably their freshest sounding and texturally-rich set since 2010’s breakthrough Teen Dream. Gemma Samways
DJ KOZE
AKUA NARU
Pampa Records May 4th
Code Black April 27th
KNOCK KNOCK There’s a weird internal logic at work in DJ Koze’s music, and Knock Knock is no exception: Where else could you hear Roisin Murphy transformed into a sort of cyborg D’Angelo? Or Bon Iver sampled over a seismic bass wobble? Speech from Arrested Development pops up with a Brainfeeder blender too but somehow it all makes sense. The gloriously off-kilter world of 2013’s Amygdala is pressed into a more dancefloor-ready mould as Koze puts his hip hop and house roots back under the microscope. With it he proves that time is not a physical reality, but an illusion that we are asked to look beyond; on the other side lies the strangely euphoric Knock Knock. Henry Wilkinson
THE BLACKEST JOY Steeped in history, politics and influenced by black music throughout the world, Akua Naru’s latest body of work is an experience to savour, a place to visit and soak up, something entirely of itself. Displaying the strength in the history of the oppressed, sampling James Baldwin, celebrating Serena and Venus Williams, Naru works to educate and inform as she raps and rhymes within the intricate instrumentation. At times her words feel drowned by the huge production, without the space and height to give them enough prominence within the tracks, but lead single ‘Made It’ is a glorious example of all the elements coming together to display Akua Naru’s talents at their strongest, a stand out moment in a cerebral work that is so suited to its title. Kate Rockwell LiS 50
“Remember the name, Slow Buzz is fast fun with disguised depths.” - George O’Brien
LA LUZ FLOATING FEATURES Hardly Art // May 12th
AÏSHA DEVI
DNA FEELINGS Houndstooth // May 11th
Of The Matter And Spirit, the debut album from Aïsha Devi, was far more than a tentative first long player from your average club producer. Majestic stretches of calm would splinter against industrial lurches as meditation, and thus a deeper state of consciousness, guided her on an ambitious, exhilarating musical journey. If DNA Feelings is a further extension of that trip, it does so immediately with a more cohesive intensity. The title track swallows up the listener and barely relents, ‘Aetherave’ and ‘Hyperlands’ proving particularly haunting in their claustrophobic stranglehold, while ‘Light Luxury’ is a thrashing battle between cascading, shrieking synths and Devi’s brooding vocals. A disorientating but ultimately rewarding listen, this is a fractured, challenging spin on electronic music that sidelines the club and encourages total immersion. Lee Wakefield
Floating Features is La Luz’s first album since relocating from Seattle to Los Angeles at the end of 2015, and their new home’s influence on the record is instantly, palpably clear. The title track immediately conjures images of cruising down palm tree-lined boulevards in a vintage car - top down, shades on, feelings of cool at an all-time high. The heat of the west coast oozes through the four-piece's third album, melding into their psychedelic haze like melted ice cream into the pavement. ‘Golden One’ begins with claustrophobic layers, Marian Li Pino's drums clanging through the fog until Shana Cleveland's velvet vocals make everything dissipate. Elsewhere, ‘Walking Into The Sun’ is a soft waltz, and ‘Cicada’ brings a stormy twinge to what is easily La Luz's best move yet. Rhian Daly
REMEMBER SPORTS SLOW BUZZ
Father/Daughter Records // May 18th
After two years and a name change Remember Sports both an inquisition and an imperative - return. Slow Buzz, which comes via ever-loving US indie home Father/Daughter, is the Philadelphia-based four-piece’s third LP and their most rambunctious and life-affirming to date. Yet below all the punk-fueled fun, which at times recalls The Libertines and at others effortlessly conjures beat-up Converse and grazed knees (see the explosion in ‘Otherwise’), there is a melancholy which comes from the album’s central break-up theme: ‘No Going Back’ is perhaps the best example of this, as Carmen Perry’s vocal and songwriting prowess is allowed to shine through with all the brilliant bedroom, garage feel that puts Remember Sports towards the very top of the pack. Remember the name, Slow Buzz is fast fun with disguised depths. George O’Brien LiS 51
CHVRCHES
LOVE IS DEAD Virgin Records // May 25th
Is this Chvrches at their best? No, but almost. Love Is Dead wouldn’t work so successfully as a debut, but it will take Chvrches from Alexandra Palace to The o2. The sound is maximised, the mythology more ambitious and it’s their most cohesive work yet. It takes place in an environment not dissimilar to Stranger Things or even Riverdale - where everything is all neon and artificial, a romanticised re-imagining of the creators’ 1980s childhood. It’s an era that makes sense as a reference point for the band. Not since the 1980s, a decade which gifted the likes of Depeche Mode and Eurythmics (Dave Smith of the latter mentored Chvrches), have we claimed electro-pop as a prestige genre. While Chvrches restore that style, Love Is Dead is also the sound of an unstable, eternal now. Emma Madden
ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER REBOUND
Frenchkiss // May 4th
Last time Eleanor Friedberger wormed her way into our earholes, she was busy channelling Neil Young on 2016’s New Town. Fast forward two years, and her distinctive alto vocals and intricate lyricisms are still (thankfully) in place, but Rebound is a different proposition from her past solo outings. There are some suitably jagged guitars, but it’s very synth heavy; a more film soundtrack-ready affair. ‘The Letter’ is tailor-made for the Bang Bang Bar at the end of an episode of Twin Peaks, ‘Everything’ is a perfect danceathon, and ‘Showy Early Spring’ is all dramatic and gorgeous. But it’s ‘Nice To Be Nowhere’ that steals the show, you can almost feel the sun on a lazy summer holiday, without any of the sunburn. Winner. Simone Scott Warren
PARQUET COURTS WIDE AWAKE!
Rough Trade Records // May 18th
Produced by pop mogul Danger Mouse, Wide Awake! is Parquet Courts both as you’ve heard them before, and as you haven’t. Initial release ‘Almost Had To Start A Fight/In and Out of Patience’ might have led fans into thinking the band would be delivering another dose of demurring art-punk, but the following title track saw the Texan four-piece toying with chant-laden funk grooves, aiming at something like an explicitly political ‘We Want The Funk’. It is the latter track that the album as a whole leans towards. Wide Awake! is Parquet at their most playful, but still teems with serious fury. Tracks such as ‘Violence’ splice funk with political rage, placing the band in the vein of 80s hardcore experimentalists Minutemen, and elsewhere on the Austin Brown-led ‘Mardi Gras’, the band try out 60s style harmonies before plunging into a galloping refrain, that is sure to put ripples in ciders at festivals this summer. On signature-style album opener ‘Total Football’ Savage sings ‘and I bet that you thought you had us figured out from the start’, Wide Awake! will shake fans into realising how wrong they were. Hassan Anderson LiS 52
saturday 28 april | 7:00
friday 25 may | 6:30
sunday 29 april | 7:00
sat-sun 26-27 may | 1:00
LEAVES’ EYES
THE HOMELESS GOSPEL CHOIR tuesday 1 may | 7:00
NOVELISTS
MARDUK
RAW POWER FESTIVAL
monday 28 may | 7:00
GAZPACHO
saturday 5 may | 7:00
wednesday 30 may | 7:00
sunday 6 may | 7:00
friday 1 june | 7:00
JADIS
JUNIOR
monday 7 may | 7:00
AURA NOIR
monday 7 may | 7:00
MADCHILD
tuesday 8 may | 7:00
CASPIAN
thursday 10 may | 7:00
POLY-MATH
thursday 10 may | 7:00
PINKSHINYULTRABLAST friday 11 may | 7:00
VULVODYNIA
sat-sun 12-13 may | 1:00
INCINERATION FEST monday 14 may | 7:30
NOW, NOW
wednesday 16 may | 7:30
STEVEN ADAMS & THE FRENCH DROPS thursday 17 may | 7:30
THE EVER LIVING
HEART OF A COWARD CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL friday 8 june | 7:00
WAVVES
sat-sun 16-17 june | 12:00
PORTALS FESTIVAL monday 18 june | 7:00
BELPHEGOR
thursday 21 june | 7:00
OCEANS ATE ALASKA thursday 21 june | 7:30
ORANSSI PAZUZU friday 22 june | 7:00
NEAL MORSE
tuesday 3 july | 7:00
LIVING ISLAND
wednesday 11 july | 7:00
TOUCHE AMORE friday 13 july | 7:00
FRANK CARDUCCI friday 13 july | 7:00
POWERFLO
monday 21 may | 7:00
saturday 28 july | 12:00
tuesday 22 may | 7:00
saturday 22 august | 7:00
PVMNTS
BOKASSA
WONKFEST
HOCKEY DAD
GIGS OF THE MONTH O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE NADINE COYLE
Our pick of the best upcoming shows around London O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON RACHEL KERR
May 15th £27.50adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
May 28th £17.50adv // @O2Islington
Angel
THE LOCK TAVERN BREATHE PANEL + HAPPY COUPLE + WHITE FLOWERS May 18th FREE // @thelocktavern
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS NADINE COYLE
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS RUBY FRANCIS May 15th £8adv // @ServantJazz
HORSEFIGHT + WEIRD SEX + THE STARLIGHT MAGIC HOUR + MORE May 24th FREE // @shacklewell Arms
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY BLOOM TWINS May 17th £7adv // @CamdenAssembly
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
THE DOME & BOSTON MUSIC ROOM RAW POWER FESTIVAL: GODFLESH + CIRCLE + SNAPPED ANKLES + GHOLD + MIRRORED LIPS + HOUSEWIVES + ACID CANNIBALS + THEE HYPNOTICS + PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS + MADONNATRON + MORE May 25th-28th // £50adv Tuffnell Park @DomeTufnellPark / @BostonMusicRoom
STELLA DONNELLY
THE LEXINGTON STELLA DONNELLY May 8th £8adv // @thelexington
Angel
BRIXTON WINDMILL SAY SUE ME + BILLY CARTER + ELECTRIC MUSE May 16th £8adv // @WindmillBrixton
Brixton
MOTH CLUB
BUSH HALL
BULLY + DUDE YORK
CARMODY
May 30th £10adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB
Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
ODETTE May 22nd £7adv // @slaughteredlam
May 24th £12adv // @Bushhallmusic
BASEMENT REVOLVER Farringdon/ Old Street
May 22nd £7adv // @paperdressed
Hackney Central
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN ELLE WATSON May 31st £8adv // @HoxtonSquareBar
Old Street
THE WAITING ROOM HELENA DELAND ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER CRAIG RICHARDS
FABRIC CRAIG RICHARDS & SETH TROXLER ALL NIGHT LONG + TRISTAN DA CUNHA + SILENT SERVANT + AMATO + JAY CLARKE May 5th £16adv // @fabriclondon
Farringdon/ Chancery Lane
May 24th FREE // @WaitingRoomN16
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN PEACE + WHENYOUNG May 16th £17.50adv // @O2ForumKTown
Kentish Town
NAP EYES photo: Matthew Parri Thomas
ARCHSPACE THROWING SNOW + MY PANDA SHALL FLY + MATT EMERY May 26th £7.50adv // @Archspace_Ldn
Haggerston
OSLO
JAZZ CAFE
NAP EYES + HALEY HEYNDERICKX
MANU DELAGO May 24th £15adv // @TheJazzCafe
Camden Town
May 8th £10adv // @OsloHackney LiS 57
Hackney Central
FULL MAY LISTINGS
LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Your full listings guide to all the best shows happening across North, East, South and West London this month. Tuesday 1st May
Wednesday 2nd May
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday 3rd May
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MAY LISTINGS Friday 4th May
Saturday 5th May
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday 7th May
Sunday 6th May
Tuesday 8th May
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MAY LISTINGS
Thursday 10th May
Wednesday 9th May
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Friday 11th May
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MAY LISTINGS
Saturday 12th May
Sunday 13th May
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday 14th May
Tuesday 15th May
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MAY LISTINGS
Wednesday 16th May
Thursday 17th May
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 18th May
Saturday 19th May
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MAY LISTINGS Monday 21st May
Sunday 20th May
Tuesday 22nd May
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Wednesday 23rd May
Thursday 24th May
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MAY LISTINGS
Friday 25th May
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday 27th May
Saturday 26th May
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL MAY LISTINGS
Monday 28th May
Wednesday 30th May
Tuesday 29th May
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday 31st May
Want every issue of London in Stereo through your letterbox? Friday 1st June
Just visit londoninstereo.com/ magazine/subscribe
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
05—18 MOTH Club Valette St London E8 Tuesday 8 May
SPECTRUM Sunday 13 May
GNOD Wednesday 16 May
THE BUTTERTONES Tuesday 22 May
OUR GIRL Sunday 27 May
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
Programming
The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Sunday 6 May
JOSH CHEON Friday 18 May
KHIDJA Saturday 19 May
MACHINE WOMAN Tuesday 22 May
BUZZ KULL Sunday 27 May
EXPLODED VIEW
THE GOLDEN FILTER
Shacklewell Arms
The Lock Tavern
71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Wednesday 9 May
QUEEN KWONG Thursday 10 May
HATCHIE Saturday 19 May
PETER KERNEL Thursday 24 May
HABIBI Sunday 27 May FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Thursday 10 May
TRIPTYCH Sunday 13 May
BOYTOY Tuesday 15 May
RASCALTON Wednesday 16 May
BODEGA Tuesday 22 May
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
TALES FROM THE CITY
“For us, London used to mean waking up hungry”. photo: Fer Valenti
by BAYWAVES Thinking about what London means for us, Baywaves, I’ve realized that every time we’ve been there, it felt like a different city. On one hand I can clearly recall a cold and grey Dickensian morning, being late, trying to fit a huge instrument hardcase in a crowded Victoria Line carriage, thinking “they have so many airports and yet they are all so far away”. But then I can also remember a spring day, taking a stroll trough ‘Love Walk’ (real street name, somewhere in Peckham, I believe) thinking “How would anyone live anywhere else but here?”.
chicken and off-license fruit juices. For us, London used to mean waking up hungry.
But if there is something that’s always the same, it is having dinner after a show. As Spaniards, we are used to having dinner later than most European countries, so when in London we tend to think “We’ll grab something to eat after the show”. The thing is, show times in London are quite peculiar, just like the closing time of restaurants. Therefore, most of our British feasts have consisted of late night fried
It doesn’t matter where we end up sleeping, there will always be a close Wetherspoon to forget last night’s fried chicken. Our own private London ritual.
Until the day everything changed: we were introduced to the wonderful world of Wetherspoon’s breakfasts. I want to believe it was in the Brixton one, and since then London mornings have become a whole different story. Every British person we’ve met has raised an eyebrow with this story, so I can’t stress enough the importance of this discovery: the breakfast is so cheap, yet so good. Tasty vegan sausages; the mix of bacon and maple syrup; instanthangover-cure porridge with blueberries…
As told by Baywaves’ Fran
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Baywaves’ new EP, It’s Been Like, is out May 18th via Art Is Hard Records. @joinBaywaves
@wearebaywaves
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IN LONDON
Photo: Laura McClusky
with CHARLES WATSON Why do you live in London? I moved to London as I was spending half my time there anyway. I don’t really remember having a particular reason other than thinking it seemed like a good idea at the time. Funny what you’ll do when you're 20. What are your go-to places to eat and drink? El Parador, best tapas place in London. Tonkotsu, I’m a sucker for that seasoned egg. Pride Of Spitalfields, one of the only pubs still serving Brewers Gold. Spring’s sort of happening at last, do changing seasons affect your time in London? Yeh, it stops me being a miserable bastard. I’m ready for some sunshine. I’ve never understood why people like Spring and Autumn so much. I’m just like hurry up with the good stuff already! What’s a good way to spend a single day here? I went to see the Erno Goldfinger house in Hampstead once which was pretty amazing, if you’re into being nosy and looking at mid-century stuff. Do you have any favourite outdoor spaces? I ride home through the marshes between Clapton and Walthamstow and am always amazed that it exists. I spent a New Year’s
Eve in the middle of it once. You can see 360 degrees. Ace for fireworks! I’m also a huge fan of the North Circular between Tottenham and Muswell Hill. There are so many fascinating things to see there. I guess that’s why everyone drives so slowly. Gotta take it in! Name one thing Sheffield’s got that London needs? A reasonably priced housing market. What’s the worst thing about London? Diesel fumes. Do you have any favourite venues? Scala I’ve got a sweet spot for. Five Miles has a cool sound system. Kings College - do they still do shows there? There’s an amazing view of the river from the bar! Does living here influence your music you? I would say ‘no’ but I guess there’s no way of knowing.
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Charles releases his debut album Now That I’m A River May 18th, via Moshi Moshi Records. LIVE: LSO St Luke's, May 26th FESTIVALS: The Great Escape, Green Man Festival, Sea Change Festival. @HelloCharlesWatson
@CharlesWatson__
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS Into the party pit by Al Brown Hi, I’m Al. I founded and run Fluffer Records and Fluffer Pit Parties. We started it in order to provide a wider, more inclusive platform for new music. A platform that gives a chance to new bands and artists that are outside of the music industry bubble... and some that are in. We’re a fully independent promoter who started in a 50-person basement five years ago. From there we’re trying to build a platform for artists where music and fans are at the heart of everything we do. Fortunately for us they seem to be loving it and we’ll keep grafting to make sure that continues to be the case. We’re a new bag, trying to mix things up a bit and offer an alternative from the corporate dominated live scene. That’s important in our eyes. Viva the independent revolution! But what’s a Fluffer Pit Party? Well, we find obscure venues and either put on floor shows in the middle of the room or build a stage and have the crowd all around at bigger venues. The experience is completely different to a normal gig. Unique. Having the 360º set-up changes the way the crowd has to approach the night and also the artists. It offers something different. It certainly seems to encourage people to let go of their inhibitions and go crazy. The 360º mosh pits are often very feral, but loving too. We like the feeling of everything teetering on the edge of collapse, it brings a thrilling element to each and every Pit Party. To see that positive reaction to the artists playing and the experience we have helped to create is heart warming. Hopefully that feeling enriches people’s lives as much as the events and releases enrich ours. Come along and see for yourself at the next Pit Party on May 4th, featuring Pulled Apart By Horses, Husky Loops, Baba Naga and Girls in Synthesis. It’s a huge line up! Fluffer Pit Parties’ (and their exceptional posters) dedication to brightening up London’s gig scene continues at Hackney Arts Centre on May 4th. pitparties.com // @pitparties // tickets: bit.ly/2HXyNJm
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PRESENTS
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S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
GAZ COOMBES PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS PINEY GIR
22 MAY OSLO
OUT & 23 MAY 22SOLDMAY OMEARA
23 MAY PALLADIUM
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
24 MAY BORDERLINE
30 MAY JAZZ CAFE
31 MAY BUSH HALL
MT. DESOLATION PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
06 JUN BORDERLINE
13 JUN ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
14 JUN BORDERLINE
MOON TAXI PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
25 JUN OMEARA
09 JUL HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
17 JUL O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
CARBON LEAF PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
17 JUL THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
17 OCT O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
PLUS AMBER MARK
17 NOV O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON