P R E S E N T S
14 | 11 | 18
COURTNEY BARNETT - 02 ACADEMY BRIXTON
FAYE MEANA
08 | 11 | 18
HENGE
08 | 11 | 18
08 | 11 | 18
- THE ISLINGTON -
- THE LEXINGTON -
- SHACKLEWELL ARMS
| 11OU | 18T 15LD SO 16 | 11 | 18
THE CAT EMPIRE
485C
16 | 11 | 18
SOEUR - THOUSAND ISLAND
- ROUNDHOUSE -
15 | 11 | 18
JEALOUS OF THE BIRDS - THE ISLINGTON -
19 | 11 | 18
BALESSI’S ARK + CHARLOTTE CARPENTER - THE ISLINGTON -
16 | 11 | 18
KOATES - THE LEXINGTON -
22 | 11 | 18
LUSTS
LYDMOR
27 | 11 | 18
29 | 11 | 18
- SHACKLEWELL ARMS
- WAITING ROOM -
- OMEARA -
SOAK
T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M
SEETICKETS.COM - GIGANTIC.COM - STARGREEN.COM ROUNDHOUSE.ORG.UK - TICKETMASTER.CO.UK - DICE.FM
P R E S E N T S
05 | 12| 18
BUFFALO TOM - ELECTRIC BALLROOM
04 | 12 | 18
12 | 12 | 18
14 | 12 | 18
MICAH P. HINSON
LIELA MOSS
RAZORLIGHT
- OSLO -
- THE LEXINGTON -
- 02 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
| 19T 26| 01OU SOLD
01 | 02 | 19
SNOW PATROL
THE WOMBATS
- THE O2 -
- SSE ARENA WEMBLEY
02| 02 | 19
SNOW PATROL
01 | 02 | 19
- SSE ARENA WEMBLEY
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - EVENTIM APOLLO -
07 | 03 | 19
SHE DREW THE GUN - THE GARAGE -
14 | 02 | 19
WHITE LIES - 02 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
14 | 03 | 19
04|05|19 - 05|05|19
- HEAVEN -
- EVENTIM APOLLO -
METHYL ETHEL
T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M
SEETICKETS.COM - GIGANTIC.COM - STARGREEN.COM AXS.COM - EVENTIM.CO.UK - TICKETMASTER.CO.UK
DEAD CAN DANCE
GIGS Insecure Men
Federico Albanese
The Honey Colony:
+ support from Mellah and Honey Hahs
2 Dec Purcell Room
Bonnie Banane, Lafawndah & Trizah with Coby Sey and Mica Levi
6 Nov Queen Elizabeth Hall
Mala & The Outlook Orchestra Hidden Orchestra 30 Nov Queen Elizabeth Hall
Celebrating the dubstep sound with a 20-piece orchestra
6 Dec Purcell Room
Bedouine 22 Mar 2019 Purcell Room
2 Dec Royal Festival Hall
Visit southbankcentre.co.uk for tickets and to sign up for the latest announcements
Hiya! Here it is! Issue two of the London & Bristol in Stereo magazine and I just want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who’s been so supportive and as thrilled as we are about the growth of these pocket-sized guides. It’s been such an exciting time. This month’s cover star, Maggie Rogers, might not have her album out until January, but we can very much promise you it’s worth the wait. After two huge, sold-out, nights at KOKO she’s almost ready to unveil these massive pop tracks, and if you need a taster, don’t miss latest offering ‘Light On’. It’s a treat. This time of year is just so ridiculously generous when it comes to new music, from chatting with Tasha and Vessel to discussing the stunning new Robyn album and our Spotify playlist absolutely bursting with our favourite acts. Dive in and get ready for ‘big in 2019’ season. Speaking of which, our December/January issue is coming, who do you reckon we’re rooting for? My lips are sealed.
STAFF ON REPEAT
the music we can’t stop listening to this month Jess: Empress Of - Just The Same Dave: Dave - Funky Friday Loki: IDER - Mirror Danny: Buke and Gase - Derby Gemma: Spencer - Want You Back Jack: Sharon Van Etten - Comeback Kid Beth: Jus Now ft. Eva Lazarus - Hair Flip DAVE
Katie: Kelela - Badsista_feat_Linn Da Quebrada_Better_125 Bpm London in Stereo: 05
T H E C H A N C E TO S E E T H E F I R ST F I F T Y A RT I ST S
SHEY BABA ASKJELL JEFFE WALT DISCO ED THE DOG
O F T H E G R E AT E S C A P E F E ST I VA L I N 2 0 1 9
JC STEWART
SKYND
HIMALAYAS FUZZY SUN TURNER EMILY BURNS IE LL MI SAM TOMPKINSBLACKWAVE. CHAPPAQUA WRESTLING REN SELF ESTEEM TIANA MAJOR9 JVCK JAMES EMERSON SNOWE SQUID PENELOPE ISLES LUCIA KAWALA NIA WYN SICK JOY DAYO BELLO STEAM DOWN FONT AINE S D.C ZUZU MATHILDA HOMER REBECCA GARTON BRÍET
L DEVINE
KARA MARNI KWENGFACE CASEY LOWRY CONNIE CONSTANCE KRUSH PUPPIES JOCKSTRAP BOBBIE JOHNSON DUENDITA RADIANT CHILDREN INDOOR PETS BEA1991 DBOY JUNIORE
PIP BLOM CRACK CLOUD
£5
GREATESCAPEFESTIVAL.COM
WOOZETHE HOWL AND THE HUM
INTERVIEWS 18
30
WHAT’S ON
TASHA
14
MAGGIE ROGERS 38
52
VESSEL
55
GIGS OF THE MONTH
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
FEATURES 10
22
27
EVENTS
Maggie Rogers Cover Story: Page 30
NEW SOUNDS
ON THE STEREO
TALES FROM THE CITY 79
81
IN LONDON
THOUGHTS...
REVIEWS 44
ALBUM RELEASES Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
Online Editor: Beth Sheldrick beth@londoninstereo.co.uk
Sub-Editor: Loki Lillistone loki@londoninstereo.co.uk
Festival/Clubs Editor: Katie Thomas katie@londoninstereo.co.uk
New Sounds Editor: Gemma Samways
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Jack Urwin
Advertising: sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
Photography: Maggie Rogers cover story: Mike Massaro (mikemassaro.co.uk) Contributors: Hassan Anderson, Rhys Buchanan, Kezia Cochrane, Geoff Cowart, Rhian Daly, Andrew Hannah, Thomas Hannan, Ross Jones, Jon Kean, Charlotte Krol, Eva Lazarus, George O’Brien, Stephanie Phillips, Kelly Ronaldson, Harriet Taylor, Lee Wakefield, Simone Scott Warren. londoninstereo.com
@londoninstereo
London in Stereo: 07
WINTER 2018 ~ LIVE ~
01.11
Mt. Joy /
05.11
07+08.11
12.11
23.11
Lotto Boyzz /
06.11
04.11
14.11
Lambert & Dekker /
The Virginmarys /
22.11
Bryn
Boniface
Jojo Mayer & Nerve /
09.11
The Vex
Kara Marni
20.11
Huntar
Jamz Supernova
Lucien Parker / 27.11 First Fifty: Kwengface 28.11
29.11
Raffer /
Four Of Diamonds /
19.11
21.11
02.11
First Fifty: Mathilda Homer
First Fifty: Steam Down / 30.11 The Ninth Wave
04.12
Only The Poets /
17.12
Misty’s Big Adventure
Dates, times & tickets: w w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com
| |HOXTONSQUAREBAR HOXTONSQUAREBAR
FAUNESS
TOP TEN: New Sounds Jamila Woods - Giovanni Flohio - Wild Yout Slowthai - Rainbow Frigs - Crop Circles Lafawndah - Joseph Freelove - Playing As Punks Yaeji - One More Nadia Nair - Bricks And Sandstorms Ambervalent Feat. Iman - Tatu Denzel Himself - Higher
YAEJI (photo: Micaiah Carter)
FOLLOW OUR SPOTIFY ‘ALL THOSE TRACKS OF THE WEEK’ PLAYLIST FOR ALWAYS-UPDATED NEW MUSIC
Fauness by Gemma Samways Was pineal-pop already a thing? If not, this London-based musician and visual artist just invented it on ‘Street Song’. Released via Jam City’s new Earthly Records imprint, Fauness’ debut single was reportedly the product of a period of chronic insomnia, and it compiles the visions and emotions experienced once she finally succumbed to sleep. What follows is a uniquely hallucinatory mix of pastel-hued homes, toxic waste and neurological jargon, featuring fantastically odd couplets like, “We all have a pineal gland, AKA the third eye / Too much fluoride in your toothpaste makes it calcify.” We’ve seen her sound described as “electronic fairy rock music”, and it’s GREENTEA PENG photo: Stefy Pocket
actually a pretty decent descriptor. ‘Street Song’ is a barbed lullaby in the vein of SOPHIE-era Let’s Eat Grandma, its airy prettiness subverted by distorted electronics and screamed backing vocals. The accompanying visual is fittingly sinister too, portraying exaggerated ideas of femininity - plus literal pony tails - in a bucolic setting, before the tension ramps up and our hero vanishes from the middle of a boating lake in a billow of pink smoke. Fauness’ excellently-titled Toxic Femininity EP is due before the year’s out. Here’s hoping it’s as weird and wonderful as this initial intro. LISTEN TO: Street Song /fauness.bandcamp.com
Greentea Peng by Jess Partridge Greentea Peng is a standout name (which takes its root quite simply in Aria’s love for green tea and well, all things green) for the type of person that you just can’t ignore. Her dreamy, textured vocals connect with syncopated beats and trippy effects, making her music feel almost visual. On debut EP, Sensi, each track has a comforting depth that makes it the sound of the after party, the soundtrack to being half-awake and an ode to appreciating the moment you’re in. Dive in. LISTEN TO: Mind @Greenteasensi
@greentea_peng London in Stereo: 11
CHROME SPARKS
NAKHANE
MON 05 NOVEMBER
TUE 06 NOVEMBER
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
OMEARA
GEORGIA DEER TICK ANNE MULDROW
WED 07 NOVEMBER MON 10 SEPTEMBER ISLINGTON
THU 08 NOVEMBER
OMEARA ASSEMBLEY HALL
DINGWALLS
JARREAU VANDAL NIGHTMARES + LOUIS VI + SKINNY MACHO ON WAX
+ EQUALS
ALEX CLARE
POPPY AJUDHA
FRI 09 NOVEMBER
FRI 09 NOVEMBER
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
TUE 13 NOVEMBER
WED 14 NOVEMBER
FINDLAY
PNL
LOVEBITES
YUNG LEAN
THU 15 NOVEMBER
THU 15 NOVEMBER
WED 21 NOVEMBER
WED 21 NOVEMBER
DUCKWRTH
JMSN
JODIE ABACUS
ONE ACEN
THU 22 NOVEMBER
THU 22 NOVEMBER
FRI 23 NOVEMBER
FRI 23 NOVEMBER
BEARCUBS
THIS FEELING ALIVE:
THYLA
LOLO ZOUAÏ
SAT 24 NOVEMBER
WED 28 NOVEMBER
WED 28 NOVEMBER
FRI 30 NOVEMBER
+ SOPHIE & THE GIANTS OMEARA
OSLO
XOYO
KOKO
HEAVEN
TRAMPOLENE
DINGWALLS
BUSH HALL
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
+ JOSEPH LAWRENCE & THE GARDEN
OMEARA
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
JAZZ CAFE
WINGS OF DESIRE WITH GUESTS
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
ELECTRIC BALLROOM
CORSICA STUDIOS
VISIT METROPOLISMUSIC.COM FOR TICKETS + TO SIGN UP FOR LATEST ANNOUNCEMENTS
new things happening soon that you just don’t want to miss out on SLOW CLUB OUR MOST BRILLIANT FRIENDS
DOC‘N’ROLL FILM FESTIVAL Celebrating five years of bringing together music and cinema, Doc‘n’Roll returns with what’s probably its most diverse and exciting programme yet. We’re really looking forward to Our Most Brilliant Friends, the documentary detailing Slow Club’s last ever tour. But that’s just one of many riches that include such treats as Rudeboy - the story of Trojan Records, an exploration of gender in the DIY scene in So, Which Band Is Your Boyfriend In….? and Doc’n’Roll Shorts which includes a feature on Tony Allen and afrobeat we definitely don’t want to miss. NOVEMBER 1ST-8TH. VARIOUS LONDON VENUES @docnrollfest / docnrollfestival.com
FIREWORKS NIGHT ACROSS LONDON It doesn’t matter how old you are, Fireworks Night is always wonderful. True, at our age, that wonder is often bolstered by the seasonal treat of hot booze but looking up, marvelling how fireworks are “y’know, really good”, grinning and “ooh‘n’aaahing” is something that never gets old. London’s blessed with a plethora of spectacular displays - some still free and there’s always the option of just getting up high and watching the sky. Lambeth Fireworks (Brockwell Park), Alexandra Palace’s Fireworks Festival and Wembley Park’s joint fireworks and Diwali celebration all sound like solid choices. Us? We’ll be in Victoria Park on the 4th, and then getting hot booze.
SPACE SHIFTERS The Hayward Gallery celebrates its 50th anniversary with a vast exhibition, Space Shifters, that’ll tease and play with your perception and understanding of space. With brand new commissions inspired by the surroundings, and other works from the past 50 years, there’s going to be plenty to wonder at. Anish Kapoor’s Sky Mirror, Blue is a highlight, and Richard Wilson’s 20:50 – a perfectly still oil-filled room – is simply one of our favourite ever installations. ON NOW UNTIL JANUARY 6TH Hayward Gallery, @haywardgallery FIREWORKS NIGHT
CHRISTMAS AT KEW
CHRISTMAS AT KEW Sometimes, just sometimes, we need a break from the hustle‘n’bustle of city life, time amongst nature, a chance to be dazzled by twinkling lights that welcome fuzzy Christmas feelings. Luckily Kew Gardens have put together their most impressive winter display yet, so we can wander, find Insta gold and feel good about ourselves. NOVEMBER 22ND-JANUARY 5TH, KEW GARDENS, TW9 3AE @kewgardens // kew.org/christmas
CHEESEBURGERS AND COLD WAR STEVE AT THE SOCIAL RICHARD WILSON: 20:50 (1987) photo: Mark Blower
COLD WAR STEVE
They’ve got a new burger on the menu, and they’ve got a Cold War Steve exhibition plastered all over their wooden walls. Which pretty much makes The Social the place to be right now. The burger, from those champs Sonic Sandwich/ BurgerShack, is a triumph of burger simplicity. Not to indulge in hyperbole, but it’s pretty much the perfect cheeseburger. And Cold War Steve? If you’ve not seen his mindblowing collages all over Twitter, then get to Little Portland Street now and marvel at his astonishing take on global events, all told through the travels of Phil Mitchell. Yes, really. ON NOW 5 Little Portland St, W1W 7JD @thesociallondon // thesocial.com London in Stereo: 15
here’s always a lightbulb moment in every artist’s life. For the Chicago poet, activist and songwriter Tasha VietsVanLear, known mononymously as Tasha, it was Nikki Giovanni’s poem ‘Ego Tripping’. “It was cool to read a poem from a black woman about her talking about how she's the shit,” says Tasha. Giovanni’s positive affirmations introduced Tasha to the majesty of language, with which she would create songs that contained worlds where black women could be fully themselves.
“We cannot save the world if we are burned out...”
Released on Father/Daughter records (whom she was introduced to by New York singer-songwriter Vagabon), Tasha’s debut release Alone At Last is a succinct seven-track album made up of delicatelycooed acoustic songs about love, healing and self-care. “I try to make music that will allow folks that respite for a moment,” says Tasha. “We cannot save the world if we are burned out.” Tasha was born and raised in Chicago with her mother and two brothers. As a kid she was involved in theatre and her mother taught her how to play guitar at the age of 15. Musical theatre classics and folk singers from her mum’s music library were the soundtrack to her early years. As she got older her stereo was taken over by Michelle Branch and eventually R&B and soul in high school. After studying at the majority-white liberal arts college St. Olaf in Minnesota, Tasha became more politicised but found her attempts at organising weren’t working, so she moved back to Chicago after graduating. There she organised around racial justice and police violence with Black Youth Project 100. For Tasha, politics and creativity are always intertwined and are based on her identity as a black queer woman.
Tasha words: Stephanie Phillips photography: Grace Coudal
Her sound is reminiscent of early Lianne La Havas or the sparser offerings of Laura Mvula. Though she takes cues from soul, she’s reluctant to allow it to define her musical output and aware of the racialised categorisation that can go along with the label. “If I were on a set of all soul singers I don't think I would fit.” She adds: “One of my biggest inhibitors comes from trying to fit into other people's expectations of what I should make.” Tasha is one of many young women of colour who are creating on their own terms regardless of genre. Her fellow Chicago musicians Jamila Woods (whom she toured with), electro R&B singer Kaina, and the neo-soul influenced Akenya all follow this path. London in Stereo: 19
Tasha’s first release the Divine Love EP (2016) was a far cry from her later musical explorations as she melded black positivity with relaxed neo-soul beats. Her musical interest shifted when she fell in love with the guitar again in late 2016 and focused on the soft sounds that would become her debut.
drummer for The O’My’s, Eddie Burns. Burns helped Tasha keep the lo-fi aesthetic of her early demos while adding a hazy, dream-like quality to each song.
Mostly written at her grandfather’s house in the woods of Wisconsin, Tasha took those early Alone At Last demos to Chicago producer and
have our exceptionalism
“It’s an amazing thing to praised and recognised in such a way but then it turns into a pressure...” The album’s message of healing is directed specifically towards black women, turning the term ‘Black Girl Magic’ on its head on ‘Lullaby’ to question why black women always have to be perfect. “It’s kind of a rebuttal almost to this expectation of black women to always be sharing their magic with people and using their magic,” explains Tasha. “It’s an amazing thing to have our exceptionalism praised and recognised in such a way but then it turns into a pressure.” As a black woman playing across indie circuits Tasha knows the power her identity can bring. “My presence in spaces and on stages will mean something different than a white man being on those stages or a white woman being in those spaces.” Though she has had to cut down the amount of organising work she took on, her activism can still be heard and seen on every stage she graces. She says: “If there's a young black girl who comes to a show and sees me playing guitar I want her to think that's something she can do. Whenever I see women leading bands or being on really big stages it makes a huge difference.” Tasha releases her new album, Alone At Last, October 26th via Father/Daughter Records. @wowtashawow
@wowtashawow
GOLD STAR MON 29 OCT THE WAITING ROOM SERPENTWITHFEET THURS 30 OCT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL LUCY DACUS WED 31 OCT ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL THE KVB WED 31 OCT CORSICA STUDIOS THE GARDEN WED 31 OCT & THURS 1 NOV THE GARAGE
CAR SEAT HEADREST THURS 8 NOV O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN GLOWS THURS 8 NOV BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB WOVOKA GENTLE THURS 8 NOV ICA OLDEN YOLK SAT 10 NOV SEBRIGHT ARMS PARQUET COURTS MON 12 NOV ROUNDHOUSE
MADELINE KENNEY THURS 15 NOV SEBRIGHT ARMS W. H. LUNG THURS 15 NOV CORSICA STUDIOS OH PEP! FRI 16 NOV THE ISLINGTON THE LONGCUT SAT 17 NOV SEBRIGHT ARMS LUKE HOWARD TUES 20 NOV BUSH HALL
SNEAKS THURS 1 NOV THE ISLINGTON
LAURA JEAN TUES 13 NOV SEBRIGHT ARMS
CREWEL INTENTIONS WED 21 NOV ELECTROWERKZ
VICKTOR TAIWO THURS 1 NOV BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB
FLASHER TUES 13 NOV THE LEXINGTON
GLORIA WED 21 NOV THE LEXINGTON
GOAT GIRL FRI 2 NOV KOKO INSECURE MEN TUES 6 NOV QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL CURTIS HARDING THURS 8 NOV KOKO
PELUCHE JUNIORE WED 14 NOV THURS 22 NOV THE PICKLE FACTORY DALSTON VICTORIA KELLY LEE OWENS THE WAVE THURS 15 NOV PICTURES VILLAGE THURS 22 NOV UNDERGROUND KOKO LOST UNDER HEAVEN THURS 15 NOV BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB
HOOKWORMS SAT 24 NOV O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND TUES 27 NOV OSLO HACKNEY
PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
HUGAR WED 28 NOV ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH HINDS SAT 1 DEC EARTH JOCKSTRAP THURS 6 DEC ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH DILLY DALLY WED 30 JAN THE GARAGE YANN TIERSEN TUES 19 & WED 20 FEB ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL JUNGLE THURS 21 FEB ALEXANDRA PALACE LALA LALA THURS 21 FEB SEBRIGHT ARMS MOTHERS WED 27 FEB OSLO HACKNEY GENTLY TENDER WED 6 MARCH OSLO HACKNEY BEDOUINE FRI 22 MARCH PURCELL ROOM BC CAMPLIGHT THURS 11 APR SCALA
with The Great Escape Festival’s First
Fifty
INTRO We’ll keep this simple: we love Great Escape those few days down in Brighton are always one of the year’s highlights. We hang with all our friends, find new acts to treasure and just have the best time. Next May is a helluva long way off though, but thankfully the festival are once again bringing us First Fifty. What’s that? Well it’s pretty straightforward: the first fifty acts that have been announced for the 2019 edition are coming to east London to play a series of exclusive shows. We’ve got our own stage at The Curtain on November 27th - but there’s so much more going on we wanted to talk about the five acts we’re most excited to see... LiS FIRST FIFTY happens November 27th-29th in various east London venues. greatescapefestival.com/first-fifty
KWENGFACE BEHIND BARZ Kwengface has an undeniably attention grabbing style, his rhymes and flawless flow confidently KWENGFACE placed over heavily compressed 808 samples have him rising to the top of ones to watch lists for 2019. Launching his career with a guest on Lookmarr it’s been non-stop since, with his Link Up TV session being a massive highlight (search it, watch it, you won’t regret it). File alongside some of our faves from this year’s Great Escape Festival including Suspect and Flohio.
KARA MARNI
KARA MARNI MOVE We’ve been watching Kara Marni’s progression from intriguing talent to RitaOra-world-tour-support level of pop star over the last year and it’s been quite something to behold. From the upbeat glamour of debut single ‘Golden’ to the playful energy of latest release ‘Move’, her powerful vocal and dramatic flair have us completely hooked. We’re more than a little excited to have her playing our very own stage ahead of what is bound to be a huge 2019 for her.
SQUID
SQUID THE DEAL Squid are great on record, the sharp drumming and mathy guitars filling up every inch of space, with Ollie Judge’s wild vocals propelling you through the intricate dynamics of each track. But that’s nothing, just wait until you see Squid live, they’re a burst of pure energy that’ll cleanse you of your worries. SELF ESTEEM (photo: Charlotte Patmore)
SELF ESTEEM ROLLOUT Long term London in Stereo readers will know what huge fans we are of Slow Club, so it’s no surprise that we’re thrilled for one half of that brilliant duo to step out on her own. With this musical reincarnation Rebecca Taylor brings the confidence and strength she brought to Slow Club and makes it brighter, bigger and even more exciting.
MILLIE TURNER
MILLIE TURNER SHE WAS A DANCER The multi-talented Millie Turner has such an incredible knack for minimal-pop songs that put her simple-but-brilliantly-effective hooks front and centre. The messages of empowerment and warmth bring you into her multi-coloured, emotionally-charged, endlessly-creative world, and to be honest we don’t want to leave. London in Stereo: 23
VAN C E J OY
B AN FI
N OAH K AH AN
13 NOVEM BER
17 N OVEM B ER
20 NOVEM BER
ALE X AN DR A PAL ACE
MOTH CLU B
TH E GAR AG E
I S A AC G R AC I E
TAM I N O
N AD I N E S H AH
26 NOVEM BER
3 DECEM BER
4 DECEM BER
E ARTH
OM E AR A
H E AVE N
B E N H OWAR D
AM Y S H AR K
S AM FE N D E R
1 6 , 1 7 & 1 8 J A N U A RY
3 0 J A N U A RY
2 8 F E B R U A RY
O2 ACADE MY B RIXTON
H E AVE N
E LECTRIC B RIXTON
SOPHIE
FRIGS
SHIGETO ENSEMBLE
PUMA BLUE
CRUMB
ALELA DIANE
PEAKES
BONIFACE
FATOUMATA DIAWARA
ELDER ISLAND
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
CRUMB
MICHAEL RAULT
HALEY
U.S. GIRLS
NATALIE PRASS
SUNFLOWER BEAN
ALICE PHOEBE LOU
DRAHLA
23 & 24 Oct Fabric 23 Oct Scala
25 Oct The Waiting Room
SNAIL MAIL
25 Oct The Dome
ANEMONE
29 Oct Shacklewell Arms
MUTUAL BENEFIT 30 Oct Oslo
HATER
30 Oct The Lexington
VALLEY MAKER 30 Oct The Islington
MINT FIELD
6 Nov Old Blue Last 6 Nov Moth Club 6 Nov Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen 6 Nov Village Underground 7 Nov Rye Wax 8 Nov St Pancras Old Church 8 Nov Electric Brixton
30 Oct Sebright Arms
11 Nov Village Underground
DREAM WIFE
CASS MCCOMBS
31 Oct KOKO
HEMBREE
1 Nov Sebright Arms
KACEY JOHANSING
1 Nov The Slaughtered Lamb
CUBICOLOR
12 Nov Hoxton Hall
SNAIL MAIL
13 Nov The Dome
SWAMP DOGG 13 Nov Rich Mix
CHINAH
1 Nov The Pickle Factory
13 Nov Bermondsey Social Club
PETITE NOIR
MILLIE TURNER
3 Nov EartH
POLICA 3 Nov ICA
15 Nov Ghost Notes
3 Dec Union Chapel
JOSH T PEARSON
19 Nov Union Chapel 20 Nov EartH
4 & 5 Dec St John on Bethnal Green
BLISS SIGNAL
4 Dec Corsica Studios
MILLIE TURNER
21 Nov Royal Albert Hall
5 Dec Paper Dress Vintage
21 Nov The Stags Head
ICEAGE
22 Nov Islington Assembly Hall
7 Dec EartH
CHYNNA
7 Dec Corsica Studios
CALEBORATE
22 Nov EartH
8 Dec Birthdays
SWEARIN’
26 Nov 100 Club
29 Jan Moth Club
KIRAN LEONARD
CLOUD NOTHINGS
27 Nov Moth Club
31 Jan EartH
SAINTSENECA
ELDER ISLAND
27 Nov Sebright Arms
1 Feb EartH
THE SOFT MOON
BILL RYDER-JONES
28 Nov Scala
COSMO SHELDRAKE 29 Nov EartH
19 Feb EartH
DU BLONDE
26 Feb The Lexington
CALPURNIA
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
29 Nov KOKO
8 Mar Roundhouse
14 Nov Paper Dress Vintage
THE ORIELLES
TRUDY AND THE ROMANCE
BEASTIE BOYS BOOK: LIVE & DIRECT
14 Nov Moth Club
COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS
29 Nov Heaven
G FLIP
15 May The Garage
30 Nov EartH
rockfeedback.com
“Why do you like fitted carpets so much?” by
Indian Wells
My first time in London was in 2013, thanks to Songkick who got me to play at the Shacklewell Arms with Patten. Since then I’ve happened to be back several times, both to say ‘hi’ to friends who live here and to play. The feeling is alienating every time, as if it were a reality too big and complex for me to understand. But, for all that, London is always very fascinating and full of surprises. I link many contrasting and surprising memories with the city. Like the time I played with a bad fever and cough - it was really terrible. Or when I played at Birthdays; to this day one of the best gigs I remember playing in my small music career. London is a truly amazing city, you never know what to expect, and would you ever expect to be not paid for two dates in a row, right [redacted]? Of course the city is a living songbook and the centre of European music, but for me it's
photo: Nausicaa
not just that. Once we stayed in an Airbnb room around Haggerston. It was a very nice apartment and we knew there was a dog. We knew it because we had seen the bowls but we would never see him or even hear him when going around the entire apartment. Only at night we could hear him breathing but still today we do not know if he really existed or if it was just the result of bad dreams... I remember every time I felt inadequate for my English leading to incredibly awkward social moments; the unbelievable choice of places to eat, from the Peruvian to Japanese and the huge variety of cultures that live together. I also remember a great ramen lunch with Gold Panda in Soho. And fitted carpets in hotels, why do you like fitted carpets so much? Indian Wells releases his new EP, ‘Phase Transition’, October 26th via Friends of Friends. @IndianBells
@Indianbells London in Stereo: 27
SOLD OU
T
SOLD OU
T
SOLD OU
T
SOLD O
UT
THE NEW ALBUM AVAILABLE NOW - 2LP/2CD/DL “UNFETTERED, CATHARTIC, MAGNIFICENT” 8/10 UNCUT THE FOLLOW UP TO HER ACCLAIMED ALBUM ‘HAVE YOU IN MY WILDERNESS’ MOJO AND UNCUT’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2015
“...this record is about me saying ‘yes’ to all of it...”
M aggie R ogers words: Hassan Anderson photography: Mike Massaro
hen I was 18 I saw St. Vincent play on a small stage. I was on the second row and suddenly she made eye contact with me during the song ‘Cheerleader’ and held it for the entire song... I swear to god, at that moment, if she had told me to jump off a cliff I would have done it. It felt like she was daring me to look away.” On a sunny morning in a café on East London’s Brick Lane, Maryland-born Maggie Rogers tells me this awe-inspiring story as I try my hardest not to finish my tiny almond latte in one go. Fast-forward four years from this staring contest with Annie Clark and Maggie is gearing up to release her debut album, Heard It In A Past Life, to equallyadoring fans. The album, Maggie tells me, “mostly catalogues the period June 2016 to around the middle of 2017, which was my year of big change”. The catalyst for this change involves Maggie's single ‘Alaska’ and Pharrell Williams. In 2016, unbeknownst to Maggie and the rest of the students on her music course at NYU, Pharrell had been invited to their class to give feedback on tracks they were working on. As if that wasn’t terrifying enough, the students had to sit next to Pharrell while he reacted to their unfinished work, all while being filmed by the university for online content. London in Stereo: 31
Thankfully for Maggie it went pretty well: Pharrell’s reaction to Maggie’s track is like one you hope your best friend will give when you play them a new song you’ve discovered (but sadly never does). Pharrell was totally astounded and essentially concluded: “I have never heard anything like this before”. Needless to say, Maggie was equally stunned, as were most people who saw the video when it was released in June of that year (the hype reached absurd levels when headlines were published stating things like ‘NYU Student Makes Pharrell Cry With Her Song’). The one issue with all the online excitement, however, was it sort of made it seem like Maggie had just had a quick go at songwriting and was now being carried away on a tide of Pharrell’s tears. “People just sort of assumed that was it, like it had happened instantly,” she explains. “Because of this video that was put on the internet – without me really even knowing – people were just like ‘OVERNIGHT SENSATION’, but I went to school for this and had been working on it for ten years. I didn’t just get lucky one day.” She pauses before countering herself, “but then also I did: I got really fucking lucky.” Work or luck or both, it was, at base, Maggie’s impressive song-writing that took her on a near two-year journey across the world where she played shows in “North America, Europe, Australia and Africa”. Stating it as plainly as if recalling a shopping list. Quite quickly it becomes apparent that Maggie is someone who takes a pragmatic approach to most things she’s involved in. She pauses and repeats herself if a loud car goes by to ensure my voice notes are clear. She tells me she does most of her recording at home to keep things quick and reduce studio costs, and I even find out that she steals hard-boiled eggs from hotel buffets before she leaves in the morning. “It’s to keep me going throughout the day!” she laughs, when I quiz her on this last point. “Sometimes food gets a bit overlooked when you’re on a busy schedule and so I just put a few up my sleeve before we leave and I’ll have them throughout the day.”
“Suddenly here it is: the opportunity to do the one thing – the one impossible thing – that I always wanted to do, I mean it’s insane!”
Being a practical person, Maggie describes being thrust into the limelight and zipped around the world not as her “dreams coming true” but rather as “graduating from college with a job” and pontificates that “being a musician kinda feels like being vulnerable as a sport”. Despite the fact that Maggie embraced the chance to move into the professional ranks of this sport, there was a hidden side to her success that she was not exactly ready for, and one she says was hard to express to anyone. “Suddenly here it is: the opportunity to do the one thing – the one impossible thing –that I always wanted to do, I mean it’s insane! But then at the same time it…” she trails off before explaining, “The reality of it was a lot less glamorous than it appeared to be. The irony of it was that being a musician meant I was too tired to make music. I felt really overwhelmed, really vulnerable, and there were times when I felt really lonely.” This lowness in the middle of all Maggie could have ever hoped for understandably led to a conflict, one both internally and externally, as she continues: "The thing is, I was incredibly grateful for it all, and the highs were incredibly high but at the same time I was labelled the ‘Happy Girl’ and people would be like ‘Happy Girl, why aren't you happy?’ and I was like ‘I am happy, but it's complicated.’” This sentiment is no more 0evident than on the song ‘Light On’. She pauses as she tries to recall the words out-loud without music, perhaps for the first time “Wait, hold on...” she says, more to herself than me: “Oh I couldn’t stop it/Tried to slow it all down/Crying in the bathroom/Had to figure it out/With everyone around me saying you must be so happy now”. Hearing the 23-year-old’s candid words without music makes them resonate in an even more personal way, and you could feel sorry for her, but sympathy is really not what Maggie is gunning for. She emphasises that the album is really about “me actively choosing all of this”, and elaborates: “Functionally this record is about me saying ‘yes’ to all of it. I went through all this conflict, I didn’t know if it was for me, but London in Stereo: 33
“...people would be like ‘Happy Girl, why aren't you happy?’ and I was like ‘I am happy, but it’s complicated...’” “not for an entire song but for 30 seconds or so. It’s a much better way of connecting, especially in the big venues”. As we are talking about this, three girls come over to our table to tell Maggie how much they loved her show last night at London’s KOKO. She seems genuinely flattered and after taking photos with them chats about how it was one of her favourite headlines so far.
at the end of the day, the plan was always to make music, Pharrell or no Pharrell.” The joy of playing live to fans who are just as passionate about Maggie’s music as she is seems to have vindicated her decision, “It’s actually what the chorus of ‘Light On’ is about,” she says, “It’s a positive song for those people who believe in what I’m doing.” To connect with those fans, Maggie has now adopted the St. Vincent method of making eye contact with one person in the crowd
I catch Maggie back at KOKO that night, for her second sold-out show. I can’t make it close enough to the front to engage in a staring contest but her performance is captivating from every standpoint in the venue. Her voice and movement soar across the room and she delivers her songs with no trace of routine whatsoever. To use Maggie’s pragmatic phrasing: they’ve definitely hired the right person for the job. Maggie Rogers releases her new album, Heard It In A Past Life, January 18th via Polydor Records. LIVE: Roundhouse, October 23rd @maggierogers
@MaggieRogers
26 - OCT - 18
LORENZO SENNI + SHYGIRL, ASTRID SONNE, GIGI FM
30 - OCT - 18
C O N C R E T E L AT E S - S O U T H B A N K , L O N D O N
IGLOOGHOST + SUPPORT
14 - NOV - 18
PURCELL ROOM, LONDON
DAV I D A U G U S T + SUPPORT
24 - NOV - 18
ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON
BEARCUBS + SUPPORT
28 - NOV - 18
XOYO, LONDON
AUNTIE FLO + SUPPORT
29 - NOV - 18
GHOST NOTES, LONDON
FREE LOVE + T H E G O L D E N F I LT E R & F L O D I L L
03 - DEC - 18
FOLKLORE, LONDON
W W WAT E R + SUPPORT
12 - DEC - 18
JOJI + SUPPORT H E AV E N , L O N D O N
14 -FEB - 19
06 - DEC - 18
T H E WA I T I N G R O O M , L O N D O N
JIMOTHY LACOSTE + SUPPORT KOKO, LONDON
D O L L O P D O L L O P. C O M FAC E B O O K . C O M / D O L L O P D O L L O P
02.11
CHASE & STATUS
23.11
REEF
30.11
RIDE
01.12
MATT JAM LAMONT
08.12
SIGMA
15.12
BASEMENT JAXX
15.12
BAD MANNERS
31.12
PENDULUM
01.02
BEANS ON TOAST
08.02
BRUTUS GOLD’S LOVE TRAIN
15.03
DUB PISTOLS
+TURNO
+ BROKEN WITT REBELS
UNPLUGGED 30TH ANNIVERSARY ACOUSTIC TOUR
‘HISTORY OF GARAGE & BASS’ + DJ LUCK & MC NEAT
DJ SET - PRESENTED BY SOUTHBEATS
DJ SET + THEO KOTTIS
+ MAX SPLODGE (SPLODGENESSABOUNDS)
DJ SET - NEW YEARS EVE SPECIAL
‘A BIRD IN THE HAND’ TOUR
THE GREATEST DISCO SHOW IN THE WORLD
DUB PISTOLS LIVE
Music events all year-round
DREAMLAND.CO.UK Book tickets now
VESSEL words: Kez ia Co c hr an e p h otogr a p hy: Ch r is t al la Fa n n o n
t’s curious how we’re often attracted to sensory experiences that unsettle or unnerve, yet simultaneously offer a certain intoxicating hedonism. Something which Vessel’s music has perpetually offered through the wealth of warped and disquieting arrangements they’ve crafted within their records, eliciting a kind of eloquently distorted reverence. “The only thing I ever really look for is to feel strange when I’m making anything,” Vessel, aka Seb Gainsborough, expresses, musing on the fusion of orchestral and electronic sounds on Queen of Golden Dogs. “It’s funny, I haven’t really listened to electronic music for years now. All I’ve listened to is classical music and that’s what I find really thrilling or exciting or strange, because I’m an outsider to it. I know experimental music and I know electronic music but, actually, I came to a point where none of that music was telling me anything new. So listening to classical music was like a whole new world of language and expression and feeling and, to me, that actually seems really punk.” Gainsborough continues “That seems really, really, really experimental – even the more conventional stuff – so I guess the desire to work with it wasn’t even a desire. It was just something that felt like the language I could use to express what I needed to express.” Further contemplating this organic way of composing Gainsborough adds “The sounds you’re drawn to, I think you can’t really choose them. We have an actual physical response to sounds and, as a musician, that’s your language.” At the core of Vessel’s music is an undeniable fascination with juxtaposition; experimenting with extremes to reach new sonic terrains. “I’m interested in this idea of the third thing. You can call it non-binary or you can call it the third thing,” Gainsborough details, “it’s this moment where you have two principal ideas and there’s actually this whole world of expression in between those two things, and it might feel kind of strange, or unnatural, or awkward, or painful, or joyous or whatever… but it comes about precisely because of this contrast. It makes this third point. Which, I guess, is why I feel like it’s the only thing I ever want to pursue”.
“...listening to classical music was like a whole new world of language and expression and feeling and, to me, that actually seems really punk.” London in Stereo: 39
“They were all talking about basically ways to not understand, to be okay with not understanding. Which I just found incredibly generous and liberating...”
Inspired by the works of surrealist artist Remedios Varo, as well as a range of writers including John Ruskin, Dante, Tove Jansson and Maggie Nelson, Gainsborough elucidates, “I feel like there was a real thread connecting them. They were all talking about basically ways to not understand, to be okay with not understanding. Which I just found incredibly generous and liberating”. Whilst hesitant to say there are narratives as such within the record, Gainsborough notes, “the story behind the name is quite good: my lover and I were at a dinner party with some really nutty friends, about four years ago, and the conversation came up with this friend of ours – this mad Chilean poet – who said the three most used words in the English language are ‘queen’, ‘gold’ and ‘dogs’ because any product that has those words in sells more than any other, so that was actually the germ of the idea that kind of settled in my head. And obviously it was nothing to do with the idea of wanting to sell
more,” they add quickly, “but the combination of the words created a kind of image and a universe for me I suppose.” Having crafted the record in an extended period of solitude in rural Wales, Gainsborough contemplates, “I wasn’t ready to do it emotionally and spiritually. I think it was really, really difficult. Of course those are often the times to do that kind of thing, but it was incredible. I love the countryside and actually just having the space to go kind of insane was really amazing because you think differently. If you don’t see people, and you don’t talk to people then it feels to me like it’s a kind of short-cut to a certain kind of creative energy.” And the result born from this is, ultimately, a quite staggering, breathtaking record; a work of pulsating, visceral grandeur. Vessel releases their new album, Queen of Golden Dogs, November 9th (digital), November 23rd (physical) via Tri Angle Records. @vesselyoungecho
@TriAngleRecords
SAT.03.NOV.18
TUE.06.NOV.18
FRI.09.NOV.18
MON.26.NOV.18
FRI.09.NOV.18
TUE.27.NOV.18
SAT.10.NOV.18
TUE.27.NOV.18 THU.08.NOV.18 TUE.20.NOV.18
THU.29.NOV.18 THU.08.NOV.18 FRI.23.NOV.18
TUE.04.DEC.18
SAT.12.JAN.19
FRI.03.MAY.19
SAT.19.JAN.19
FRI.28.JUN.19 WED.12.DEC.18 WED.16.JAN.19
THU.13.DEC.18 SAT.19.JAN.19
SAT.12.JAN.19 FRI.15.FEB.19
ROBYN HONEY Robyn describes Honey as “this sweet place, like a very soft ecstasy. Something that’s so sensual, and so good...” And finally, to save us from god-awful acoustic covers of her finest moments, it’s here. Danny Wright sat down with Rhian Daly and Kelly Ronaldson to find out whether the wait was worth it. Spoiler: it was. It's been eight years since the last record so how excited were you for this? Rhian: SUPER EXCITED. I wasn't really into Robyn when the last album came out but that’s changed a lot in the intervening years. I’ve had a lot of moments that her songs have soundtracked and helped me through, so I was very ready for a new batch of music to do that. Kelly: It doesn't even feel like that long ago to me. After the success of ‘Dancing On My Own’ there’s been a lot of hype. She reached a new level of emotional depth with Body Talk, which is important to me when I hear a new album, so I was excited to see if this record could match up to that. Do you listen to an album in a different way when it has those expectations? Were you surprised by it on first listen? Rhian: Hype definitely can have some effect on the way I listen to things so I tried not to
photo: Mark Peckmezian
read anything about the album before listening to it. I was surprised on first listen but I also wasn’t, if that makes sense? I was expecting more heartbreak bangers but then I wasn’t surprised by the musical direction with more house/techno sounds because that kind of stuff has been present in Robyn’s work with La Bagatelle Magique, so it seems quite a natural progression. Kelly: I was definitely surprised. Even with stronger dance elements, this album feels more stripped-back than previous releases, focusing on more simplistic beats and her vocal work. She mostly worked alone during the writing of the album, and it's given her a chance to show off her own tastes, and it makes it feel so much more raw. ‘Missing U’ seems like a bridge into the album… Rhian: There's this arc to the album, both in terms of lyrics and sound, where it grows from the sad pop of 'Missing U' and gets warmer and brighter as it progresses. It feels very minimal in places where, like Kelly said, the focus is very much on Robyn's voice. There’s also a lot of subtle, Prince-y funk basslines - like 'Ever Again'. As a whole, it feels like a laid-back Ibiza record.
photo: Heji Shin
Kelly: I don't think the single releases are a fair indication of what to expect. 'Honey' and 'Missing U' have an infectious synth-pop sound, but the other songs all seem to have their own individual influences. 'Ever Again' caught me off-guard, I heard the Prince influence there too, but for me it was very Fleetwood Mac. I hadn't thought of Fleetwood Mac but that's a great shout. What's your favourite song? Rhian: That's tough - so I'm gonna choose three (sorry): 'Honey' is such a perfect pop song - it has this magical quality to it where it feels like you're floating. It makes me giddily happy. 'Beach 2k20' is a great, inventive, house-y track and I love the joyous, slightly naïve declaration in 'Ever Again' of "I'm never gonna be broken-hearted ever again". It's such an about-turn from songs like 'Be Mine!', so optimistic and beautiful. I also hadn't picked up Fleetwood Mac until you mentioned it, but I really hear it now! Kelly: All I could hear for the first few listens of 'Ever Again' was ‘Dreams’, haha. My favourite has to be 'Missing U'. It's such a heartbreaking track, but the synth-pop element gives it such an uplifting tone. It represents her journey towards overcoming loss and using music as a coping mechanism, essentially outlining the entire album. She’s obviously been through a lot since the last record, and talks of how she’s had to ‘reboot’. Can you hear that? Kelly: I can definitely hear that. There's such a strong theme of loss throughout the record, but it seems focused on her loss of self, more than anything. I loved how 'Human Being' came across as this musical embodiment of her trying to find herself again through dancing. The whole album seems to say "This is what I've lost, but I'm finding it again". Rhian: Yeah, on 'Human Being', it's almost like she has to remind herself that that's what she is - human - and, then, she's on this path to healing, for want of a better word. Has she managed to stay one step ahead with this album? Kelly: I think she's always been one step
‘Honey' is such a perfect pop song - it has this magical quality to it where it feels like you're floating. It makes me giddily happy. - Rhian Daly ahead, but with this record she hasn't been afraid to experiment a little more. With so many styles, I don't know if it's going to stand out as one of her more popular releases, but it's a significant contribution towards the kind of artist she's becoming. To me, it's a record that opens itself up to you the more you listen and gives you new things to love every time. Rhian: I think so. She could’ve come back with something more similar to Body Talk and it would’ve been amazing, but she's a musician who always wants to be moving forward. Maybe this won't be my go-to record when I'm crying over trash boys but I can definitely see myself coming back to it for a long time to come. Robyn releases Honey October 26th via Konichiwa Records / Island Records. @robynkonichiwa
@robyn London in Stereo: 45
JULIA HOLTER AVIARY
Domino October 26th
BAS JAN
INSTANT NOSTALGIA EP Lost Map November 23rd Post-punk meets art-pop on Instant Nostalgia, as Bas Jan suggests we frequently knacker our own well-being and relationships. We waste time, then say we’ve ‘No Time’. Sentient and sedentary isn’t a good mix, as ‘I Am Animal’ indicates. ‘Profile Picture’ satirises ‘life’-lacking Twitfacers, lusting for likes. And nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. That’s not even a crap play on words anymore. It’s true. We can have ‘Instant Nostalgia’, as the title track states. We record and recall things via digital, not mental images. Hopefully, you’re reading this in print, but you may read this via a phone. If so - Do you need that phone beside you? Find you’re unable to concentrate? Are you frequently with others, but not really present? Answered ‘yes’ to all three? You need Bas Jan. Jon Kean
I’ve never been quite sure whether Julia Holter is first and foremost an experimental musician with a preternatural gift for melody or a more traditional songwriter operating with a weird set of tools. Aviary certainly lands on the more ‘out there’ end of the spectrum, but don’t be surprised if she doesn’t stay there for long. ‘I Shall Love 2’ - the album’s lead single, and the only real candidate for the role - puts Holter’s poignant melodic gifts on display to their fullest, but the rest of Aviary prioritises atmosphere over accessibility, presenting over an hour and a half of mini epics of strings, piano and ghostly vocals to get lost in or tell to get lost, depending on your stomach for this sort of thing. Thomas Hannan
ART BRUT
WHAM! BANG! POW! LET’S ROCK OUT! Alcopop! Records November 23rd It’s been a bazillion years since we last heard Eddie Argos shout his diary over some blistering guitar pop, but HOORAY! Art Brut are back and there’s so much to catch up on. There’s been a break-up, documented with brilliantly bitter optimism on ‘I Hope You’re Very Happy Together’ (“and if you’re not, that’s even better”), an ill-advised one-night stand (‘Awkward Breakfast’), parties crashed, and a brand-new love that our hero Eddie is so excited to see, he can’t even wait for the ticket queue to dissipate in order to purchase a ticket. Chuck sweaty guitars, a bit of brass, and even some twee-less glockenspiel, and count the number of times you grin as you listen; I dare you. Simone Scott Warren
NAO
SATURN RCA/Little Tokyo October 26th “Saturn is the planet of karma,” a woman says over a crackly radio transmitter on ‘Love Supreme’, the centrepiece of Nao’s new album. “You will find yourself with spiritual realisations you couldn’t have even contemplated in earlier stages of your life.” It’s one of several references on the record to ‘Saturn Returns’, the concept that significant changes happen in one’s life after Saturn completes its 29-year orbit. Nao, now 30, certainly aligns with the trajectory: “I’d hit my late twenties and everything was in flux...I genuinely had to ask, ‘how do you make it out of here?’” The answer lies in the follow-up to her brilliant 2016 debut For All We Know. On Saturn, the east Londoner retains the hallmarks of her soulful ‘wonky funk’ but propels new sounds into orbit. There’s warped rumba rhythms on ‘Love Supreme’ and loungey ‘60s girl group-influenced ballads (‘Don’t Change’). Elsewhere, ‘If You Ever’ renovates the tiresome dancehall pop zeitgeist with opulent strings and peppy beats while Nao appeals for a brush with love. Subdued tracks such as the piano duet with Kwabs on ‘Saturn’ and the skulking ‘Orbit’ may fall short of the rousing, gravitational pull in Nao’s existential contemplations, but the propulsive Afrobeat of ‘Drive and Disconnect’, with its sunny guitar lick, is the perfect soundtrack for the escape the singer seeks. Nao’s command of a throughline on Saturn is impressive, as is the broadening of her musical palette. The sky’s the limit. Charlotte Krol
BOYGENIUS
OBJEKT
Matador Records November 9th
PAN November 9th
BOYGENIUS EP When an image of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus sat together on a sofa appeared online, the rumours seemed to good to be true; could three of the most accomplished new singer-songwriters on the planet really be collaborating? The answer an emphatic yes in the shape of boygenius, a flawless self-titled, six-track EP. Consisting of one original from each of the three artists - Dacus power on ‘Bite The Hand’, epic Baker emotion on ‘Stay Down’ and arguably Bridgers’ most complete effort to date in the form of ‘Me & My Dog’ - and three immaculate collaborations, which showcase how the trio’s work sits so perfectly together. They each sing on ‘Souvenir’, while the timeless, live-sounding acoustic closer sees them join in three-part harmony beautifully together. Genius, indeed. George O’Brien
COCOON CRUSH Cocoon Crush could be the name of a gimmicky new energy drink. But thankfully there’s nothing sickly sweet about the second album from English DJ and producer TJ Hertz. Since his PAN debut Flatland in 2014, he’s been perfecting his quixotic DJ sets in his adopted home of Berlin. His love of the unpredictable is on display here as he masterfully bounces between obtuse sound collages (‘Silica’) to dialled-in funky basslines (‘Deadlock’). Across its 11 tracks and 47 minutes, it’s painstakingly stitched together around a haunting central theme. Repeated spins reveal its tricked-out geekery, with moments of harsh distortion or woozy keys both charming in equal measure. It may be born on the dancefloor but offers a far more sophisticated and cerebral adventure. Geoff Cowart London in Stereo: 47
GORGEOUS BULLY CLOSURE
Breakfast Records November 9th Ever since the release of The Young Obese back in 2012, Gorgeous Bully’s Thomas Crang has been the ever-prolific auteur behind some of the UK's most underrated and honest songs. Now returning with Closure, Crang decants the most personal and succinct characteristics of his songwriting into his best record yet. The album is a forthright and tender affirmation on the anxiety of growing up, watching the world and its inhabitants turn as if you're frozen to the spot. 'Tripping' lingers with sullen self-depreciation, while 'Can't Give You Up' offers a glimmer of fight, Crang resolute and unflinching as he mutters "I know you don't want me". While the record's title may hint at finality, Crang continues to blossom into one of the most relatable of songwriters. Ross Jones
YOSHINORI HAYASHI AMBIVALENCE
Smalltown Supersound // October 26th Blurring lines between organic and synthetic (try stopping yourself playing “Sample or Not?” as you listen), Tokyo producer Yoshinori Hayashi’s debut album Ambivalence is a heady journey through jazz and club music. Playing and producing everything, Hayashi ties an eclectic record together through a red thread of jazz piano (Cecil Taylor is an influence) and echoing percussion that shifts from 4/4 house to narcotic dub. Highlights are the loose keys, woodwind and watery handclaps to be found on ‘Overflow’, the metronomic murk of ‘Bit of Garden’ and the hypnotic brilliance of thirteen-minute centrepiece ‘0208’. Ambivalence is an unpredictable listen that serves to highlight Hayashi’s class as a DJ, but also more than hints at a musician capable of turning in coherent and fascinating albums. Andrew Hannah
TOMMY GENESIS TOMMY GENESIS
Downtown/Kobalt // November 9th “I have always gone where other people don’t. It’s not to shock you, it’s just who I am,” Tommy Genesis proclaimed in our September cover feature. After scrapped tracks and delayed releases, feverish anticipation surrounds Tommy Genesis, and it’s a remarkable snapshot of one of the most fascinating artists operating today. From the bubblegum pop of ‘You Know Me’ to the abrasive ‘Tommy’ and closer ‘Miami’’s effortless groove, it’s a breathtakingly multi-faceted listen. Production-wise too, Tommy Genesis sounds phenomenal, crisp beats and sleek rumbles of bass impeccably arranged to land Genesis’ lyricism with genuine explosiveness. Undoubtedly a phenomenal addition to the landslide of blistering pop records we’ve been blessed with in recent years, Tommy Genesis should reign somewhere near the top. Lee Wakefield
MR. MITCH
PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE EP Gobstopper Records October 26th Holding hands, a father and son walk away from the camera in the artwork for Mr. Mitch’s latest EP. The palette is rich, but the colours are blurring. It’s an ode to the strength of his relationship with his father, wavering in the face of him suffering from the rarest form of multiple sclerosis, from which the name of the EP - Primary Progressive - is taken. “Even though you’re here I still miss you”, Mitch sings in pensive cut ‘Show Me’. Inspired by the emotions surrounding his father’s illness, there’s hope, sadness, gratitude and reflection to be found across these five tracks: take the aching strings of opener ‘Restart’ and the melancholic high-pitched vocal loop on ‘Settle’, a sample from Brownstone’s ‘If You Love Me’. With elegant progressions and rumbling basslines, Primary Progressive cements Mr. Mitch’s position as the producer of softly aesthetic grime instrumentals. Katie Thomas
MIYA FOLICK
PREMONITIONS Terrible Records/ Interscope Records October 26th Clearing your mind of the bad stuff and living your best life lies at the heart of Premonitions, the debut album of Los Angelesbased Miya Folick; her candid world-view and polished indie-pop sensibilities set to capture the hearts and minds of many. Opener ‘Thingamajig’ clears the mental slate, as a call to take ownership and move forward from one’s past mistakes; ‘Leave the Party’, with its brassy, bold and infectious chorus sets the album’s blissfully cathartic mid-section between pre-release singles ‘Stock Image’ and ‘Stop Talking’ respectively; finally, ‘Baby Girl’, with its dreamy 90s tinge, and ‘What We’ve Made’ pair up for a rapturous conclusion. Ultimately, Premonitions implores you to be happy, loved, and to pay it back in like kindnesses – and is that so much to ask? Harriet Taylor
LAURA GIBSON GONERS
City Slang October 26th Grief can be messy and confusing to say the least, and with Laura Gibson tackling loss head-on with her fifth album, Goners, it’s naturally a teary affair. Gibson has always made music for time spent alone, and with her songs here offering a certain space for contemplation, the sounds are vivid and tinged with sadness, while tracks like ‘Slow Joke Grin’ and ‘Marjory’ showcase her technical language and songwriting ability. Despite the album’s gentle fragility, Laura manages to perfectly capture the spontaneity behind sadness as the listener surfs through bouts of her personal process in this album: you’re very much working through the murky times with Gibson here as her thoughts fall onto the page. Nothing short of an astounding songwriter, she’s proven once again just how masterful she is when it comes to excavating the beauty in life (and death). Rhys Buchanan London in Stereo: 49
thursday 1 november | 7:00
thursday 15 november | 7:30
friday 2 november | 7:00
friday 16 november | 7:00
CALIGULA’S HORSE MYSTIFIER
friday 2 november | 7:00
THE OCEAN
saturday 3 november | 7:00
WELSHLY ARMS
OMNIUM GATHERUM friday 16 november | 7:30
HAPPY ACCIDENTS
saturday 17 november | 7:00
BAND MAID ABOUT TO BREAK (FEAT. BITCH FALCON, HAGGARD saturday 17 november | 7:00 PHIL CAMPBELL & THE CAT + MORE BASTARD SONS saturday 3 november | 7:00 monday 19 november | 7:00 WILL HAVEN NERVUS sunday 4 november | 7:00 tuesday 20 november | 7:30 SIRENIA IDRIS ACKAMOOR & THE monday 5 november | 7:00 PYRAMIDS VADER + ENTOMBED wednesday 7 november | 7:00
tuesday 20 november | 7:00
thursday 8 november | 7:00
thursday 22 november | 7:00
ART BRUT
ANGEL NATION
friday 9 november | 7:00
TOSKA
friday 9 november | 7:00
MONUMENTS
saturday 10 november | 7:00
DESSA
sunday 11 november | 5:00
OHHMS
tuesday 13 november | 7:30
SNAIL MAIL
wednesday 14 november | 7:00
THE GREAT OLD ONES
wednesday 14 november | 7:30
FIRE! ORCHESTRA
thursday 15 november | 7:00
THE FRIGHTS
SHEAFS
VENNART
friday 23 november | 7:00
FROGLEAP
friday 23 november | 7:30
DUCKING PUNCHES + SPANISH LOVE SONGS friday 23 november | 7:30
ESBEN & THE WITCH
saturday 24 november | 7:00
CETI
monday 26 november | 7:00
ABORTED + CRYPTOPSY tuesday 27 november | 7:00
>
BEAK
tuesday 27 november | 8:00
URANIUM CLUB
our selection of the best shows coming up this month O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
JON HOPKINS
BIG TOBZ
November 25th £40.65 adv // @o2sbe
Shepherd’s Bush
November 16th £12.90adv // @O2Islington
Angel
THE LEXINGTON PIP BLOM November 22nd £9.50adv // @thelexington
Angel
THE WAITING ROOM JOHN HOPKINS (photo: Matthew Parri Thomas)
HAARM
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
November 22nd £6.60adv // @WaitingRoomN16
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
MALKA November 13th £6adv // @ServantJazz
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
THE DOME BEAK> + UNMOOR KIVA November 27th £17.50adv // @DomeTufnellPark
Tuffnell Park
THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
CHEST PAINS + TREEBOY & ARC + BO GRITZ + MORE
CALL ME LOOP + ABISHA + FOLLY RAE November 16th £7.50adv // @CamdenAssembly
Chalk Farm / Camden Town
November 25th FREE // @shacklewell Arms
Dalston Junction / Kingsland
BRIXTON WINDMILL
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM
GAYGIRL + ALICE & THE BUGS + RICHIES + HONKIES
HAPPY ACCIDENTS + HURRY November 16th £8adv // @BostonMusicRoom
CHEST PAINS
Tuffnell Park
November 27th £3adv // @WindmillBrixton
Brixton
MOTH CLUB
BUSH HALL
KISSISSIPPI & TANCRED + THE WINTER PASSING
LUKE HOWARD + VLMV
November 23rd £12.50adv // @Moth_Club
Hackney Central KISSISSIPPI (photo: Megan Thompson)
November 20th Shepherd’s Bush Market / Shepherd’s Bush £15adv // @Bushhallmusic
HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN KARA MARNI November 14th £8adv // @HoxtonSquareBar
Old Street
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE SHIT & SHINE November 10th £10adv // @paperdressed
Hackney Central
SHIT & SHINE
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB WINTER MOUNTAIN November 22nd £10adv // @slaughteredlam
Farringdon/ Old Street
SOUTHBANK CENTRE HIDDEN ORCHESTRA November 30th £15adv // @southbankcentre
O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN Waterloo / Embankment
HOOKWORMS + OUGHT + SAUNA YOUTH November 24th £17.50adv // @O2ForumKTown
XOYO HUNEE + MARIE DAVIDSON + INTERGALACTIC GARY + JON K + PATRICK LITTLE
OSLO
November 23rd £18.50adv // @XOYO_London
November 6th £14adv // @OsloHackney
Old Street / Liverpool Street
DRINKS + BAS JAN Hackney Central
JAZZ CAFE
DREAMLAND RIDE (UNPLUGGED) November 30th £22.50adv // @DreamlandMarg
Kentish Town
POPPY AJUDHA Margate (Kent)
November 14th £14.30adv // @TheJazzCafe
Camden Town London in Stereo: 53
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
LONDON’S GIG GUIDE Your full listings guide to all the best shows happening across North, East, South and West London this month. Thursday 1st November
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 2nd November
Saturday 3rd November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Sunday 4th November
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday 5th November
Tuesday 6th November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Wednesday 7th November
Thursday 8th November
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo Friday 9th November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Saturday 10th November
Sunday 11th November
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Monday 12th November
Tuesday 13th November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Wednesday 14th November
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Thursday 15th November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS Friday 16th November
Saturday 17th November
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Sunday 18th November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Monday 19th November
Tuesday 20th November
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Wednesday 21st November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Thursday 22nd November
Friday 23rd November
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Saturday 24th November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS
Monday 26th November
Sunday 25th November
visit londoninstereo.com for all the latest listings, & to sign up to our Gigs Of The Week email
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Tuesday 27th November
Wednesday 28th November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
FULL NOVEMBER LISTINGS Thursday 29th November
visit londoninstereo.com/subscribe to get London in Stereo delivered every month
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Friday 30th November
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
DECEMBER LISTINGS Saturday 1st December
Sunday 2nd December
Monday 3rd December
see londoninstereo.com/venues for up-to-date listings at all our favourite venues
LONDON TICKETS: WeGotTickets.com/LondonInStereo
Tuesday 4th December
Thursday 6th December
Wednesday 5th December
WeGotTickets.com | Simple, honest ticketing
DECEMBER LISTINGS
Friday 7th December
Sunday 9th December
SUBSCRIBE NOW LONDONINSTEREO.COM/ SUBSCRIBE Saturday 8th December
GET THE NEW ISSUE OF LONDON IN STEREO DROPPING THROUGH YOUR LETTERBOX EACH MONTH
find us on Spotify at London in Stereo to keep up with our weekly new music playlists
11—18 MOTH Club Valette St London E8 Friday 2 November
LYDIA LUNCH’S BIG SEXY NOISE Friday 9 November
CRACK CLOUD Monday 12 November
SHINTARO SAKAMOTO Wednesday 14 November
TRUDY AND THE ROMANCE
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
Programming
Tuesday 20 November
JC SATAN Sunday 25 November
CHEST PAINS Friday 30 November
TRIPTIDES The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Friday 2 November
ABYSS X CIARRA BLACK
Sunday 18 November
TERMINAL CHEESECAKE Monday 19 November
KAGOULE Tuesday 27 November
KIRAN LEONARD
Saturday 3 November
HOLIDAY SIDEWINDER Wednesday 7 November
IMPERIAL DAZE Tuesday 13 November
NOVA MATERIA Shacklewell Arms 71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Thursday 7 November
FLOAT Friday 9 November
EASTERN BARBERS Thursday 15 November
CC HONEYMOON
Tuesday 20 November
HAARM Thursday 29 November
KAUKOLAMPI Multiple Venues Saturday 27 April 2019
TEST PRESSING FESTIVAL
photo: Holly Whitaker
with
“Cycle. Watch live music. Wear what you want. Kiss whoever. Be a star...”
Jockstrap
Why do you live in London? Because we got into music school in London! But I guess we chose London because that’s where all the cats go. What are your go-to places to eat and drink? Jai Krishna in Crouch End, Ali Baba (get the halloumi wrap) and Mangal 1 in Dalston. Sam Bal Shiok in Highbury & Islington. The Rochester Castle in Stoke Newington! Maccy Ds... Winter’s (in theory) nearly here. Where are the best places to hunker down away from the cold? In The Rochester, on the tube, or on the sofa. The bus gets kinda steamy! We don't really hunker down in nice coffee shops... just in the living room really. What's the best way to spend one really good day here? Do the charity shops, go on a long walk in a park, see some art, go to a gig. Treat yourself to a nice dinner. Do you have any favourite outdoor spaces? I love Hampstead Heath ponds. Ally Pally is cool - great ice rink. What’s the worst thing about London? Being a cyclist in London and nearly dying every time you travel. But we wear helmets.
What’s the bit of London that you live in got that the rest of London hasn’t? North London has some fantastic venues and fewer smelly students. We have the Emirates Stadium. We have 30-year-old hipsters and warehouses. Do you have any favourite venues? I do like Moth Club... the sound's always great, nice interior and it’s not too far away. Always home by 1am! Heaven's wicked - we had a great time playing there with Let's Eat Grandma this year. 5 Miles is also snazzy. 100 Club feels posh. Superstore does a great Negroni! Does living here influence the music you write? Yeah, massive urban vibes from the city. Our music wouldn't be the same if we lived in the country! How would you advise someone to get the most out of London? Cycle. Watch live music. Wear what you want. Kiss whoever. Be a star. As told by Jockstrap’s Georgia Ellery. Jockstrap release their mini-debut album, Love Is the Key to the City, November 2nd via Kaya Kaya Records. LIVE: St Pancras Old Church, December 6th. @jockstrapmusic1
@jockstrapmusic London in Stereo: 79
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
Don’t Touch My Hair by Eva Lazarus The fact that in 2018 people still approach me and without one single word or even eye-contact walk right up to me and put both hands into my Afro is insane. Just in case you’re reading this and you’re the sort of person that would do this, it’s not a compliment, it’s not okay and you need to stop. People need to stop losing their senses when they see Afro hair. They need to stop grabbing fistfuls of braids and asking “Is this fake hair!?” Or touching people’s dreadlocks and asking how/if they wash them and asking Black people with straight hair “Is that a wig or a weave?” Just leave people alone. We don’t want to give our life story to everyone who stops us to talk about how and why we wear our hair like this and how we look after it. GOOGLE IT! If you love my hair just say “I love your hair” and keep it moving. I love compliments and you don’t need to touch my hair to give me that.
I know I’m not alone in this, I know that other POC have these experiences and it’s honestly exhausting. There are lots of magical things about being a black woman, one of my favourites is the thick soft curls I’ve been naturally blessed with. I love that my hair is so diverse! I can wear braids, cornrows, twist out, a wash and go and 100 other styles with my hair. It’s political without doing anything other than existing and it smells like a floral shea butter dream. I felt like it was ugly, frizzy and unprofessional when I was younger because of a lack of representation in the media for natural hair. It took a long time to love it but now I live for these bouncy natural tresses, I love to see so many people accepting their natural hair as beautiful and wearing it with pride! If you love it too then I am here for it, thank you, but please, use your words. Don’t touch my hair.
Big voice, big bass and big hair is what multi-genre Singer/MC Eva Lazarus is all about. Her newest collaborative release with Jus Now, ‘Hair Flip’ is out now. Follow Twitter/Instagram @Evalazarus
London in Stereo: 81
PRESENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
PRESENTS
Experience moments of magic from the movies S TA R R I NG
LISA GER R A R D
CONDUC TED BY
GAV IN GR EENAWAY
CU R AT ED BY
HANS ZIMMER
SATURDAY 23 MARCH THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
PLUS CABBAGE
24 NOV / ALEXANDRA PALACE
07 DEC / PRINTWORKS
15 DEC / ROUNDHOUSE
06 DEC / O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
11 & 12 DEC / EVENTIM APOLLO
SOLD OUT
18 JAN / VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
PLUS LET’S EAT GRANDMA
07 FEB / ALEXANDRA PALACE
22 FEB / ROUNDHOUSE
LAUREN AQUILINA 26 FEB / THE GARAGE
27 FEB / ROUNDHOUSE