SEPTEMBE R 2 0 1 6 ISSUE 41 // FREE
MYKKI BLANCO TEENAGE FANCLUB | JENNY HVAL CYMBALS EAT GUITARS | PWR BTTM | DOE | ANGEL OLSEN
WELCOME MYKKI BLANCO
Yessss, September is here and things are kicking back into gear. We’re done with camping in fields to see countless bands (well only End of The Road left to go - but not long now), the release schedule is unbelievably full and a ton of our favourite bands are heading to pack out London venues once again. You might have guessed, but we’re incredible excited for Mykki Blanco’s debut album this month. After seeing his insane show at Visions Festival it’s hard not to be in awe of his ability to spark a room into life. His album is a touching, hilarious and witty record, give it a spin and grab a ticket to his XOYO show - it’s the best advice I’ll give you all year. Dig in, and we’ll see you at all those excellent shows this September. DOE
STAFF ON REPEAT
the tracks we can’t stop listening to this month JESS: LIYV - YOU’RE NOT GOING TO RUIN MY LIFE DAVE: MALLRAT - TOKYO DRIFT LOKI: TAMU MASSIF - OK DANNY: LAMBCHOP - THE HUSTLE GEMMA: JACQUES GREENE - YOU CAN’T DENY JACK: DOE - LAST DITCH photo: emma garland
RACHEL: CARLA DAL FORNO - WHAT YOU GONNA DO NOW? LiS 03
CONTENTS 08. ON THE STEREO
LONDON IN STEREO IS:
13. NEW SOUNDS
Editor: Jess Partridge jess@londoninstereo.co.uk
15. TALES FROM THE CITY
Deputy Editor: Dave Rowlinson dave@londoninstereo.co.uk
18. TEENAGE FANCLUB
Online Editor: Rachel Finn rachel@londoninstereo.co.uk
22. JENNY HVAL
Sub-Editor/Sales: Loki Lillistone sales@londoninstereo.co.uk
26. MYKKI BLANCO
Staff Writers: Danny Wright, Gemma Samways, Jack Urwin.
32. ALBUM REVIEWS
Photography: Mykki Blanco cover story: Phil Sharp philsharp-photo.com
40. EVENTS 45. GIGS OF THE MONTH 50. LIVE LISTINGS 69. IN LONDON 70. LIVE REVIEWS 73. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Contributors: Woodrow Whyte, Rhian Daly Simone Scott Warren, Tim Hakki, Geoff Cowart, Sarah Sahim, Kate Solomon, George O’Brien, Jake May, Thomas Hannan, Lee Wakefield, Johan Alm, Grant Bailey, Richard Beecham.
TEENAGE FANCLUB
londoninstereo.com
@LondonInStereo
/londoninstereo
/london-in-stereo
londoninstereo LiS 05
SEPTEMBER 2016 ~ ~ LIV LIV E E~ ~ K Daunt + Mind Enterprises K Flay Flay // 9th 9th Daunt + Mind Enterprises 13th Mullallay + Loa Ra / 15th Gospeloke / 16th Nothing 13th Mullallay + Loa Ra / 15th Gospeloke / 16th Nothing 6th 6th
20th 20th
STANAJ Matt Wills / 22nd Phlake / 25th Chuka Royalty STANAJ // 21st 21st Matt Wills / 22nd Phlake / 25th Chuka Royalty 27th Flawes / 29th Avelino / 30th Toh Kay SOLD OUT 27th Flawes / 29th Avelino / 30th Toh Kay SOLD OUT coming up coming up
The oct Flyying Colours The Warlocks Warlocks // 5th 5th oct Flyying Colours 24th oct Adia Victoria / 27th oct Palace Winter 24th oct Adia Victoria / 27th oct Palace Winter
1st+2nd oct 1st+2nd oct
~ ~ LATE LATE ~ ~ every friday every friday
3rd 3rd
NIGHT CALL
10th 10th
THE DOCTOR’S ORDERS
Weekly Weekly Friday Club Friday Club
KATE BOSS
A A proper proper old old school school discotheque discotheque
Exploring Exploring every every year year of of the the 40+ 40+ year year history history of of hip hip hop hop 17th 17th
THROWBACK
24th 24th
80s 80s & & 90s 90s house house designed designed to keep keep you you dancing dancing to
TUCK SHOP
A A fresh fresh new new slice slice of of global global & tropical tropical sounds sounds &
Dates, Dates, times times & & tickets: tickets: w ww w w.hoxtonsquarebar.com w.hoxtonsquarebar.com
|| HOXTONSQUAREBAR HOXTONSQUAREBAR
LANY
NEW MOONS
K FLAY
SEP 01 HEAVEN
SEP 02 TOOTING TRAM & SOCIAL
SEP 06 HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
IZZY BIZU
NOAH GUTHRIE
JEZ DIOR
SEP 14 KOKO
SEP 14 BUSH HALL
NORMA JEAN MARTINE
GROUPLOVE
SEP 21 OSLO
SAMM HENSHAW OCT 10 VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
SEP 16 BIRTHDAYS
WATSKY
SEP 27 ELECTRIC BALLROOM
SEP 29 ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
SKIES
GOLD CLASS
OCT 19 THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY
OCT 26 THE VICTORIA
THE BEST IN NEW LIVE MUSIC L O
N
D
O
N
@LNSOURCE LIVENATION.CO.UK
BAT FOR LASHES
IN GOD’S HOUSE A very apt title to this song as we are literally in God’s house for Bat For Lashes’ MIRRORS set. We’re delighted that she received another Mercury nomination for her amazing album The Bride and it’ll be a massive moment for the festival having her play in the beautiful surroundings of St John at Hackney Church to headline this year’s event.
CHERRY GLAZERR
HAD TEN DOLLAZ
BAT FOR LASHES
This will be the first UK festival appearance for this young Californian garage band as they gear up for the release of their second album through Secretly Canadian. They released their first LP through Burger Records while still at high school and as soon as they finished education they went out on tour with Best Coast and Wavves. Now we’re excited to be bringing them over for MIRRORS 2016.
Line-up so far: Bat For Lashes, Allah-Las, Fucked Up, Bill Ryder-Jones, Cherry Glazerr, Diarrhea Planet, Babeheaven, Swimming Tapes, Liv Dawson, Caro + many more to be announced.
BABEHEAVEN
BABEHEAVEN
ALLAH-LAS
Flirting with trip-hop for the first time this new Babeheaven track has us begging for more. Still as celestial as ever, Nancy Andersen’s impressive voice ebbs and flows effortlessly over an electronic landscape. Babeheaven are really emerging on the London music scene and releasing a song this accomplished shows why.
Whilst not one of their newest tracks, this is the first song we heard by these guys and we’ve been humming it daily LE BON ever since.CATE This song will take you back to another generation and is perfect listening for a summer’s day. The new album by the LA-based surfgarage-psych-pop four-piece comes out in September on Mexican Summer (Best Coast, Washed Out) and we can’t wait.
SWIMMING TAPES
ALLAH-LAS
MOVING ON
TELL ME (WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND)
SET THE FIRE Swimming Tapes have grabbed a piece of summer and bottled it up for us with their delectably dreamy anthem ‘Set The Fire’. They’re new on the scene but have taken no time at all in achieving surf-pop perfection, combining playful guitars and shimmering melodies. They blew us away at our MIRRORS launch party in July. MIRRORS takes place October 29th at St John At Hackney, Oslo, Hackney Round Chapel & Moth Club. ONLINE: mirrorslondon.com // @mirrorslondon // facebook.com/mirrorslondon LiS 09
MUSIC MUSIC
LONDON’S FESTIVAL LONDON’S OF KOREANFESTIVAL MUSIC OF KOREAN MUSIC
15 SEPTEMBER –
15 OCTOBER SEPTEMBER – 25 2016 25 OCTOBER 2016
IDIOTAPE++PATIENTS PATIENTS IDIOTAPE 8PM,TUESDAY TUESDAY27 27SEPTEMBER. SEPTEMBER. RICH RICH MIX, 8PM, MIX, SHOREDITCH SHOREDITCH
JAMBINAI JAMBINAI MON 3 OCT MON 3 OCT
OSLO, HACKNEY OSLO, HACKNEY
DANPYUNSUN DANPYUNSUNAND ANDTHE THESAILORS SAILORS ++ASIAN CHAIRSHOT ASIAN CHAIRSHOT FRI 21 OCT
FRI 21 OCT
Bookings www.serious.org.uk/k-music BookingsFestival www.serious.org.uk/k-music Pass at £70 Festival Pass at £70
RICH MIX
RICH MIX
Produced by
Produced by
NEW SOUNDS by Gemma Samways
PWR BTTM As is abundantly clear in their choice of band name, their glitter-smeared “Kabuki falling down the stairs into a Wal-Mart” get-ups, and in lyrics like, “Am I making a fool of myself? I hope so,” Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce have no interest in blending in. But then, why would they when the alternative is to be their brilliant selves? Formed at college in upstate New York, PWR BTTM make DIY punk that combines the intricate shredding and heavy riffs of rock with the melodic nous of pop, and that balances the sombre introspection of emo with the wit and theatre of drag artistry. Their superb debut, Ugly Cherries, gets its UK release this October with two extra tracks, and is by turns joyfully frivolous and deeply sobering, ricocheting between lust and heartbreak, confidence and self-loathing. Imagine imperial phase
Weezer, but with songs written from a genderqueer perspective, and centred around a minimal set-up of drums and guitar. Their live shows are already legendary, and not just for their high-energy, instrument-swapping antics. In response to discriminatory laws like HB2, the duo insist that the venues they play provide gender-neutral bathrooms, with the express purpose of making their gigs safe spaces for all. In this respect, you can’t help but wish there were more bands like PWR BTTM in the world, even if creatively they continue to be total one-offs. Listen to ‘Projection’. Ugly Cherries is released October 7th via Big Scary Monsters LIVE: Shacklewell Arms, December 6th ONLINE: pwrbttmband.com // @PWRBTTMBAND // facebook.com/PWRBTTM666
LiS 13
TALES FROM THE CITY Cymbals Eat Guitars
For our first few years of touring, our home in London was “Memphis Towers”, the Islington offices waggishly dubbed-so by Matt and Ollie Jacob of Memphis Industries, our former label. Through a blink-and-you'll-miss-it gate with a "1/2" address on Thornhill Road and down a driveway strewn with dead leaves no matter the time of year stood a two-story brick (stone? stucco?) building that resembled a 90s-modern condo that had seen just enough neglect to lend it a rare charisma. The terracotta-tiled first floor would've been basement-dark if not lit by a back wall of sliding glass doors to a pretty backyard we never set foot in (something about neighbours and noise concerns). From the front door, one peered over a pool table piled shoulder-high with boxes of records and t-shirts to see Matt and Ollie, their backs to each other at work stations on opposite sides of the room. Up the stairs to the right there was a flat on the second floor: what would’ve been the kitchen, bath, and two bedrooms had the building been used as-designed. Furnished with IKEA and thrifted furniture, the space had almost certainly never been vacuumed, but it had such a warm, soothing frumpiness that we were never put off. The bathroom did not
have a shower, just a tub, so we were never exactly “clean” while we were in London during those years. Our former drummer used the tub to build a gravity bong, which our hosts seemed both genuinely fascinated and deeply perturbed by. Memphis Towers was next door to Thornhill Primary School, so there was no sleeping in after a late night because the children enjoyed screaming recess outside all. Fucking. Day. Even in the summer? Yep. Our van was broken into one night, parked on a seemingly posh cross street. They left the Fender Mustang undisturbed on the back seat and opted for the GPS charging cable. Who are we to assume to understand the market for stolen goods in a foreign country? Memphis Industries have since moved to less homey headquarters (literally an office and not a home), and since we make marginally more coin on tour now, we stay in hotels when we come to London. It doesn’t feel half as congenial, but we can sleep in if we need to. Cymbals Eat Guitars release Pretty Years September 16th via Sinderlyn. ONLINE: facebook.com/cymbalseatguitars @CYMBLS_EAT_GTRS // cymbalseatguitars.com LiS 15
COMMUNION PRESENTS
20 16 SATURDAY 18 JUNE
SHEPHERDS BUSH
ALBIN LEE MELDAU • BEAR’S DEN • BELLA FIGURA • CAPE CUB • CHARLIE CUNNINGHAM • CHARTREUSE DAN CROLL • DEAN LEWIS • FLYTE • GILLBANKS • HARRY FOXX • HAUS • HIDDEN CHARMS JOSEPH J. JONES • JÚNÍUS MEYVANT • KEIR • MARTHAGUNN • MATTHEW AND THE ATLAS MEADOWLARK • PALACE • PLEASURE BEACH • RATIONALE • SAFIA • SARA HARTMAN • SERAMIC SYD ARTHUR • TEMPESST • THE BIG MOON • TIBET • TOM PRIOR • VANT + FINAL HEADLINER & MORE BANDS STILL TO BE ANNOUNCED +
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COMMUNION PRESENTS BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CODA
COMMUNION PRESENTS BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CAA
THURSDAY 2 7 OCTOBER 2 0 1 6
O 2 ACADEMY BRIXTON LONDON
WEDNESDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2016 EXTRA DATE ADDED DUE TO DEMAND
THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2016
EVENTIM APOLLO LO N D O N
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JACKGARRATT.COM COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK
teenage fanclub words: simone scott warren “I suppose there aren’t many bands that have been around for as long as us.” Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake considers, down the line from Glasgow. “For whatever reason, people just move away from each other, or get into fisticuffs... ‘Musical differences’ usually means that they all hate each other. I guess, because we’ve always worked at our own pace, that’s really helped us stay around a bit longer...” Their own pace might be an explanation for their longevity, but it also means that we've had to endure a six year wait for Here, only the Fannies’ tenth record in a 26-year career. Jam packed with the glorious, shimmering harmonies that you'd expect from the sunniest band from rainy old Scotland, it’s a very welcome return, but what took them so long? “Partly inertia, on our part!” Norman laughs, “But also, just wanting to get it right. We started talking about making the record in 2012. Raymond found a nice studio in the South of France, a place called Vega. We were down there and doing that in spring of 2013,
maybe, maybe 2012, I can’t remember exactly what year it was, it was such a long time ago. We never tend to finish lyrics on the initial session, so then a few months later we recorded all the vocals at Raymond’s home studio. Then another few months went past because, you know, I guess all of us had some DIY stuff to do at home, or whatever… And then Raymond again found a great studio in Hamburg that we liked the look of, and we went there and mixed it quite quickly. That was last September or something... And that’s the last six years.” If the last half a decade has seemed quiet on the Teenage Fanclub front, the next few months should keep them busy; they're heading out on the road for a tour, which starts at End of The Road,
“There’s a thing that is Teenage Fanclub that we don’t want to mess with.” - Norman Blake
jets off stateside, before returning for a run of UK dates. The London date sold out so quickly, we exclaim. “Yeah, partly because we haven’t toured for so long. Maybe we’ve picked up some new fans? Dare I say it, some younger people?” Blake jokes, self deprecatingly. “Of course, you never know when you’ve gone away, whether people are going to stay with you, or be interested...” Truthfully, there’s nothing to worry about there, of course. At most, the only concern might be the potential criticism that Here is indubitably a
Teenage Fanclub record – if you had no idea whose record was playing, you’d guess straight away it was theirs. But, honestly, there’s a genuine comfort to that. “There’s a thing that is Teenage Fanclub that we don’t want to mess with.” Norman considers, “And a sound that we have… it’s probably a bit late in the day to go off on some kind of crazy tangent. People would really think that we’ve lost it if we do that.” Teenage Fanclub release Here September 9th via PeMa. LIVE: End of The Road Festival, September 4th // Islington Assembly Hall, September 5th // Electric Ballroom, November 22nd ONLINE: @TeenageFanclub // facebook.com/teenagefanclub.music teenagefanclub.com LiS 19
Photo: Jenny Berger Myhre
JENNY HVAL WORDS: DANNY WRIGHT
In the press release for her new album, Blood Bitch, Jenny Hval describes the record as “an investigation of blood”. More precisely “the purest and most powerful, yet most trivial, and most terrifying blood: Menstruation. The white and red toilet roll chain which ties together the virgins, the whores, the mothers, the witches, the dreamers, and the lovers.”
It was a provocative introduction, yet Hval is an artist whose work is far too complex to be reduced to that. After the spellbinding Apocalypse, girl, Blood Bitch sees her stretching her ideas into even deeper emotional shapes, continuing her exploration of sexuality, gender, language and identity. “For me it’s hard to say that the album is about anything, because that’s not how I listen to albums,” she explains. “But when I was writing the press release I was after a good paragraph - there’s a lot of blood on the album and I suppose there’s a homage to the hidden link between menstruation and actual horror blood.”
“I was improvising a lot of lyrics and watching a lot of horror movies from the 70s and that lo-fi horror movie universe found a way into my writing.” This theme of blood, vampires and lunar cycles emerged as she watched films, a common source of inspiration for her. “I was improvising a lot of lyrics and watching a lot of horror movies from the 70s and that lo-fi horror movie universe found a way into my writing. It’s a love affair with words, and a certain kind of grainy film medium… and bad dialogue.” The result is a futurescape of drone, dark electronics and rich textures - though it was nearly something very different. “When I started writing music after Apocalypse there was a vague plan of doing something acoustic but that didn’t happen. I tried for like half an hour!” she laughs.
Working with producer Lasse Marhaug, who not only produced Apocalypse, girl but has also worked with drone-metal greats Sunn O))), the album started to take shape. It was Lasse who encouraged her to view her music as a layering of sounds that create a dynamic whole. “Lasse relates to sound in an abstract way. That’s a better way to look at it than as individual songs because many times you end up with an illusion that can’t be broken. Looking at the album as a whole and then putting holes in it means you have these bits of reality peaking through. I love those moments.” And these unique moments are equally a part of her live show. “Me and the one musician I bring with me are always bringing in whatever’s in our own brains. Because we work with this ‘invisible’ set up it’s easy to add new sonic ideas. So even though everyone is filming it and putting it on YouTube there’s still something left that’s only there in the show.” The Apocalypse tour saw her wearing a velour sweat suit, wig and sitting on a small yoga ball. Will they still be used? “I don’t know. We’ll see. They won’t have the same function.” “I always try to change. That’s one of the reasons that I can’t play at all because I like to explore change in front of an audience.” It’s this constant, ceaseless experimentation that makes Hval such an engaging, captivatingly complex creative force. As she simply puts it, “Music is all about changes - whether it’s as simple as a chord change or melody.”
Jenny Hval releases Blood Bitch September 30th via Sacred Bones. LIVE: Oslo, October 19th ONLINE: jennyhval.com // @jennyhval // facebook.com/jennyhval LiS 23
PRESENTS
BAD BREEDING TUE 25 OCT ELECTROWERKZ
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
mykki blanco words: woodrow whyte photography: phil sharp
ykki’s busy. So busy, in fact, he’s taken a short trip to Athens for a break. It hasn’t gone quite to plan, as he confesses over Skype. He’s been having some boy problems. “I showed up to the Airbnb and the owners were like, ‘where’s your partner?’ and I started crying.” After a night out with friends, he’s feeling a lot better. In his distinctive raspy voice, he speaks in a rapid stream of consciousness, sometimes restarting sentences two or three times as he tries to keep pace with his own thoughts. It would be overwhelming were it not for Mykki’s uncanny ability to make everything sound so effortlessly interesting. The 30-year-old American rapper, real name Michael Quattlebaum Jr, is on the cusp of dropping his debut album, Mykki. In the last week, he’s completed a mini-tour of European festivals as well as a full diary of press engagements. London is fast becoming his base, both personally and professionally. “I like how, because England is smaller, people are more familial with each other. I think people take close friendships more seriously in London.” Clearly, Mykki hasn’t stayed here long enough yet for promises of ‘catching up for a pint’ to be made and quickly forgotten (or is it just me who that happens to?). Friendships aside, there
are other reasons. He hopes England might serve as a better springboard for success, following the well-trodden path of American artists who expand their fan bases in the UK first before hitting the big time Stateside. The potential move has Mykki reflecting on his journey so far. After running away from home in North Carolina at 16, he spent time studying at universities in California and New York before dropping out. He then established himself as a poet, publishing a collection in 2011. It wasn’t until 2012, aged 26, that he released his first music: Mykki Blanco and the Mutant Angels EP and the Cosmic Angels mixtape a few months later. They established Mykki as a unique talent among the so-called queer rap movement, his lyrical dexterity matched by his high-energy, theatrical shows. ‘Mykki Blanco’ started as a character, a teenage girl with a taste for the savage side of life. She was sinister, antagonistic, transgressive. People are often surprised when they meet him offstage. “For some reason people think I’m going to be bouncing off the walls and talking really loudly and I’m quite a mellow person. I can actually be a bit conservative at times.” I nearly spit out my tea. “All my really good friends call me the Charlotte [from Sex & The City] of the group.” LiS 27
“A lot of the elements of the aesthetic I was playing with, which people were completely clueless about outside of queer culture, they’re finally getting it.” Mykki, who often performs in drag, was a confusing proposition for some audiences. But the world might have finally caught up. “We’ve had all these cultural moments since 2012”, he explains. “Queer culture has become more and more mainstream; through RuPaul’s Drag Race, the passing of Gay Marriage in America, Caitlyn Jenner and this very trans-mainstream moment. A lot of the elements of the aesthetic I was playing with, which people were completely clueless about outside of queer culture, they’re finally getting it. I think it’s almost appropriate that I’m dropping this album, which I feel is the best music I’ve ever made, this year.” The album retains some of the party-ready beats of his early material (see ‘Wavvy’ and ‘Kingpinning’) but the tone is distinctly more personal. Before recording, Mykki spent two and a half months practicing to find the right words and rhythms to be able to rap about himself effectively. “I had to be really
honest with myself. So many people knew me as a superficial party persona. Not superficial in a shallow way but all of my songs have to do with a very specific issue or a topic completely unrelated to myself. It’s like night-time culture, rave-y, parties, drugs or punk, grunge, moshing, feminism, noise-rock, acid-rock, psychedelia and queer power anthems; but none of those things are personal, y’know?” Before writing sessions began, last summer Mykki decided to go public about being HIV positive. The weight of keeping his status secret had taken its toll – he had depression and had considered quitting music. But the announcement was a turning point, with unexpected consequences to his love life that are laid bare during a spoken word interlude on Mykki. “It completely changed my life because… whenever I’m anywhere where someone knows who I am and they feel like they are attracted to me, they want to flirt with me, or they want to be intimate with me;
they already know. It’s like they are making that choice to engage me romantically already knowing. So that’s one of the best things for someone who is HIV positive to experience because it’s releasing yourself from the stigma.” He recognises that, because of his profile, he has a unique experience in this respect. “I’m realising for thousands, millions of people they don’t get that privilege of saying, ‘hey this is what’s happening and people can comply or not comply with it.’” Though Mykki still considers himself to be a private person, he hopes to use his notoriety and considerable media profile to continue to push conversations forward (the aftershocks of #GayMediaSoWhite, in which Mykki and other writers critiqued the lack of diversity in gay media, are still being felt). For many he is a queer icon-in-waiting standing next to a wave of diverse LGBTQ voices that are infiltrating the mainstream like Frank Ocean, Tegan and Sara, Christine & The Queens, Olly Alexander and Big Freedia. It’s a movement he’s proud to be a part of. “It’s sad that we live in a world where money matters [so much, but] with the queer movement, when the mainstream really starts to understand how profitable it is and how profitable some of these artists can be, that’s going to transform everything greatly… it’s extremely important and I’m so excited to be a part of it.”
Mykki is released September 16th via K7! Live: XOYO, October 5th online: @MykkiBlanco // mykkiblancoworld.com facebook.com/MykkiBlanco Styling: Rachel Grace Almeida and Darkwah Kyei-Darkwah Styling Assistant: Julia Esgate Christmas Makeup: Zana Moses using OCC Cosmetics. Cover/pg26: Faux fur scarf by Emma Brewin. Necklace by Rokit Vintage. pg3: Faux fur coat by Emma Brewin. Knuckle ring by Imogen Belfield. pg28: Headband is stylist’s own. Blazer by Paul & Joe Homme. pg29: Jumpsuit by Ashely Isham. Necklace by Rokit Vintage LiS 29
ALBUMS
RECORD OF THE MONTH ANGEL OLSEN MY WOMAN
On her second album, 2014’s Burn Your Fire for No Witness, Angel Olsen decided that she wasn’t merely the artist she was on her first, 2012’s far more delicate Half Way Home. And now, on third record My Woman, she’s decided she’s not comfortable with just being what she was on its more boisterous rocker of a follow-up either. This is excellent news because, although artists who exhibit a notable change from album to album these days are rare, historically it’s always those ones who’ve been the most interesting. And Angel Olsen is a mesmerising songwriter, Jagjaguwar // September 2nd despite going around with only a pretty standard rock band set up for accompaniment. That’s a rare skill nowadays, too. Stand Out Tracks: Sister Olsen’s often misleadingly simple lyrics are lent a Shut Up Kiss Me complexity by her far from straightforward delivery, and the Intern ensuing squall in which she cloaks her carefully-chosen, Never Be Mine pithy sentiments. The gritty, melodic meanness of the Live: KOKO, October 17th excellent ‘Shut Up Kiss Me’ belies any romantic intentions, while starting number ‘Intern’ – whose opening gambit, Online: @AngelOlsen perhaps tellingly, gently berates a singer "going through the angelolsen.com motions as you sing your song" – lays it on the line over a cool synth backing that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Blood Orange record. Some tunes, such as the sparse and prettily despondent ‘Heart Shaped Face’, or the lilting lament of ‘Never Be Mine’, are arranged as if space has been left for some wall of sound-style production, only for Olsen to have ultimately found the blueprints preferable. My Woman has built into it gaps through which your mind can wander, but the magnetic pull of Olsen’s voice is enough to ensure attention is never fully truant. The longest, most spacious song here is also the best. For nearly eight minutes, ‘Sister’ does everything you want from a minimal rock ballad (and nothing more), and if anyone exists in a middle ground between The Velvet Underground’s ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rhiannon’, this is what they’re singing. Like the similarly lengthy, brooding wonder of the penultimate ‘Woman’, it displays the songwriting skill of someone who knows that ominous crescendos, lurking over the horizon but never actually materialising, are just as effective as those that hit right where they should. Yes, among the encroaching synths and gentle flourishes of production there are some respectful nods to classic rock (but hey, it’s classic, and it rocks). However, though an often wistful affair, the feeling here is not of nostalgia, but of pushing forward. You won’t have figured Angel Olsen out after spending time with My Woman any more than you had her pegged before, which one presumes is the point – that way, she can do whatever she likes on the next one. Thomas Hannan
PATTEN Ψ
Warp Records // September 16th Much of the criticism levelled at patten’s previous record, 2014’s Estoile Naiant, stemmed from its inability to feature as anything other than background noise. Odd, perhaps, when you consider that the largely anonymous duo had been famed in underground circles for championing a strain of electronica that baffled and hypnotised in equal measure. If their innovation felt somewhat strangled by the last album, Ψ (Psi) is a gritty, snarling bastard of a rebirth. There’s crunching industrial screech in the form of ‘Blade’ but plenty to marvel at too; the glistening ‘True Hold’ that mesmerises from its opening seconds, the haunting beauty of ‘Cache’ and the offbeat rave of ‘Used 2 b’. While nothing can compete with their live show, Ψ is an electrifying reminder of what patten can create. Lee Wakefield
BILLIE MARTEN
WRITING OF BLUES AND YELLOWS Chess Club // September 23rd Listening to Writing Of Blues And Yellows, it’s really no surprise that Billie Marten has been doing this since the age of eight. The connection between twanging, folky acoustic or melancholic piano work and Marten’s vocal is completely effortless from start to finish. Indeed, when even the beautiful accompaniment is taken away in the album closer, she flourishes as we’re given a true insight into the young Yorkshirewoman’s incredible understanding of melody; sounding ageless, classic and subtle all at once. Somehow the LP feels as thought-provoking and otherworldly as it is joyfully familiar and easy on the ear. Bucolic, gossamer and fairytale-like, it’s a debut of wild assurance beyond young years and you feel Billie Marten is in it for the long-haul. George O’Brien
THE WYTCHES
ALL YOUR HAPPY LIFE Heavenly Records // September 30th Following their 2014 debut Annabel Dream Reader, The Wytches promised its follow-up would be “lighter” and more melodic. That’s true of snatches of All Your Happy Life, but the Brighton trio haven’t forsaken all things gloomy. Recorded with dark master Jim Sclavunos, the group’s second album is still full of the sludgy riffs and raw-throated groans that made them so compelling first time round. ‘Crest Of Death’ begins with frontman Kristian Bell screaming staccato syllables before Pavement-style guitars whip back the blackout curtains and shine some light on things, while ‘C Side’ is the kind of spellbinding, punchy piece that first piqued interest in the band. By finding the light to their shade, The Wytches have added a new dimension to their already powerful sound. Rhian Daly LiS 33
BANKS
THE ALTAR Virgin EMI // September 30th Sometimes loving yourself can be the hardest thing to do. On her second album, The Altar, 28-year-old LA singer-songwriter Banks sounds more empowered and at ease with herself than ever before. Where debut Goddess was brooding but meek, this new collection stands tall. Writing The Altar, she’s said, helped her “come out of a depression” and there are plenty of breaking-off-theshackles moments throughout. Opener ‘Gemini Feed’ has her scorning “And to think you could get me to the altar/Like I follow you around like a dog that needs water”, while ‘Fuck With Myself’ is a slinky R&B ode to forgetting what everyone else thinks and being your own number one fan. ‘Weaker Girl’ has her casting off someone who’s trying to diminish her power and searching for “a bad motherfucker like me” in their place. Musically, The Altar has Banks matching her new lyrical toughness with crunching beats and elegant melodies. There are moments of softness, like the piano ballad ‘To The Hilt’, and forward-thinking pop anthems (the juddering charm of ‘This Is Not About Us’). Like her words, she never goes OTT, always giving just enough for you to clock her new tact, always keeping it classy. This album is a document of a woman, who she is and how she feels, regardless of who’s listening, and that alone should be enough to have you worshipping at Banks’ altar. Rhian Daly
HOW TO DRESS WELL CARE
Weird World // September 23rd Since How To Dress Well released his debut Love Remains in 2010, we’ve come to know a different faction of his effervescent musicianship as his journey progresses. After all, time is the largest contributor to a songwriter’s evolution. His third record, Care, is perfectly evidential of that, and he’s brought the big guns to prove it. Gone are Krell’s early days of fuzzy bedroom recordings, this time his output boasts production chops from Jack Antonoff of Bleachers and fun. and mixing from Andrew Dawson, the man partially responsible for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’s status as a classic. With superior production in tow, Care stands as a succulent synth pop dream, melded with slickness to create a dreamy soundscape. ‘Can’t You Tell’ bursts open the album with a chaotically seductive R&B-infused haze. Several vocal tracks of varying octaves are reverberated into oblivion, allowing for contretemps between Krell’s smooth deliveries. Though sex is a focal theme on the aforementioned track, Krell’s emotional vulnerability shines on this record too, in fact he admits “If you make a mess of me I wouldn’t change one thing” on ‘What’s Up’. How to Dress Well’s refreshingly individualistic take on pop allows for Krell’s sound to be given a tougher, fragmented, and almost digitised edge without abandoning that sense of creativity which earned him buzz in the first place. The results are something exciting, that forgoes the all-too-familiar myopic synth pop pastiche. Sarah Sahim
SOCCER96
AS ABOVE SO BELOW Slowfoot Records // September 9th Danalogue (Dan Leavers) and Betamax (Max Hallett) of London/Brighton synth and drums duo Soccer96 are busy boys. Better known as being two thirds of The Comet Is Coming, between them they also find time to play live with Henry Wu and Rozi Plain (Dan), be members of Super Best Friends Club (Max), and produce records by the likes of Flamingods (Dan again) – plus a hell of a lot more. So it comes as no surprise then that Soccer96 records are few and far between. In fact, it’s been four years since the release of their self-titled debut. As Above So Below is worth the wait. Dizzying, massive synths meet hypnotic, swirling drums and sparse vocal sounds, all weaved seamlessly between moods and grooves and tracks. It’s big. Jake May
CYMBALS EAT GUITARS
CHUCK
Sinderlyn // September 16th
Audio Antihero // September 9th
Since making their debut with Why There Are Mountains back in 2009 New York’s Cymbals Eat Guitars have been one of the most consistently exciting indie rock acts around, and Pretty Years is the band’s fourth full-length and first for Captured Tracks off-shoot Sinderlyn. The album finds band leader Joseph D’Agostino in full force, telling stories of adjusting to adulthood, growing up and dealing with your past – flashes of life and memories, bringing to mind the storytelling brilliance of Bruce Springsteen and Paul Westerberg. This is the band’s most accomplished, and genuinely rewarding, work to date: a remarkably intimate and affecting collection of stories, with an expanded sonic palette that finds Cymbals Eat Guitars continuing their journey as one of the best rock acts around. Johan Alm
Hopelessly optimistic? Or just hopeless? Massachusetts native and NYC transplant Chuck treads a fine line between the two with his warped jangly pop concoctions. Your entry point to this winning compilation and his curious world begins with ‘Happy New Year’s Babe’. It appears joyous on the surface. Until you discover its seedy underbelly as the ramshackle singer croaks: “Oh, what a gorgeous life/ I live while you watch the Price is Right/ And you dream of a paradise/ I got ten of ‘em.” Ouch. If you love a strummed acoustic, a catchy hook and a clever turn of phrase these thirteen songs will impress, whether it’s the cocaine binge break up tune ‘Death’ or the anti-romantic, hushed ballad of ‘Let’s Make Out’. Geoff Cowart LiS 35
PRETTY YEARS
MY BAND IS A COMPUTER
BEACH BABY
NO MIND NO MONEY Island Recordings // September 2nd Beach Baby’s debut suffers from a terminal lack of inspiration as the group trundles inelegantly from one half-baked idea to the next. Often it feels like they’re capable of good material - the energetic hedonism of ‘Limousine’ dangles the figurative fruit before our eyes, but like the myth of Tantalus any hope of gratification is often repealed by stock indie cliches. The chorus-soaked guitars of ‘Lost Soul’ for instance, ape that slacker tone which Connan Mockasin catted from Prince, but when the dram is this diluted it’s clear that nobody will be getting drunk tonight. ‘Ladybird’ is still their best song but the re-recording feels unnecessary and sterile. The playfulness of ‘Smoke Won’t Get Me’ offers possible hope for the future though. Tim Hakki
BEACH SLANG
A LOUD BASH OF TEENAGE FEELING Big Scary Monsters // September 23rd Beach Slang’s power-weepy debut, The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, delivered fans an achingly earnest, surprisingly profound slice of punk rock in 2015. The record felt like a real passion project, achieving well-deserved recognition after a hard slog for James Alex and co. to find their audience. A Loud Bash Of Teenage Feelings is the difficult sophomore. Awkward and a little familiar, the choice is made too often to rest on the strengths of previous material. Alex’s lyrics are still nursery-rhyme simple stories of underachieving in life and love, and while tracks like ‘Atom Bomb’ provide hefty thrills the album feels lean on firecracker moments as a whole, and too by-the-numbers for those looking for the deeper pop punk Beach Slang once hinted at. Grant Bailey
ZOMBY ULTRA
Hyperdub // September 2nd After playing it nice on his recent 4AD releases the British producer goes ultra dark and minimal. Relying on an arsenal of dusted loops he cycles and recycles through his grooves with reckless abandon. But it continually risks pushing a thin idea to its breaking point, whether it's all of the gunshots, the intentionally murky production or the spaced out Philip Glassesque meditations (check the track titled ‘Glass’, if you doubt). Perhaps he's just achieved a new zen-like reflection on apocalyptic beat-making? That’s the charitable way of listening to the cold and calculating - if extremely atmospheric and clever album. Its high point is the stunning partnership with labelmate Burial built around the degraded sample of ‘Get me fucked up’. We’re already there, dude. Geoff Cowart
Goldenvoice Presents
RIVRS
+ CUCKOOLANDER 15.09.16 KAMIO AT RED GALLERY
12.10.2016 UT SOLD OCLUB MOTH
JP COOPER 26.10.16 O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
KHRUANGBIN
XAMVOLO
25.10.16 ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
TOM WALKER
28.10.16 ROUNDHOUSE
19.09.16 THE WAITING ROOM 20.09.16 THE WAITING ROOM
JADU HEART 22.09.16 BERMONDSEY SOCIAL CLUB
MEADOWLARK
27.09.16 THE WAITING ROOM
HONNE
ADIA VICTORIA 24.10.2016 HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
SLEAFORD MODS 10.11.16 ROUNDHOUSE
LAURA DOGGETT
26.09.16 OUT SOLD ST GILES IN THE FIELD
16.10.16 THE SOCIAL 29.11.16 THE WAITING ROOM
THE INVISIBLE
YAK
CLARE MAGUIRE
28.09.16 OSLO HACKNEY
THE MAGIC GANG 28.09.16 SCALA
BABY STRANGE + HAPPY MEAL LTD 28.09.16 CAMDEN ASSEMBLY HALL
FUFANU
06.10.16 HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN
GABRIEL BRUCE 11.10.16 MOTH CLUB
+ GOAT GIRL 27.10.16 SCALA
CROWS 31.10.16 100 CLUB
ISLAND 02.11.16 SCALA
WAND
04.11.16 BOSTON ARMS
BILLY BRAGG & JOE HENRY 07.11.16 UT UNION SOLD O CHAPEL 08.11.16 UT O UNION SOLD CHAPEL
THE WYTCHES
11.11.16 CAMDEN ELECTRIC BALLROOM
THE SPECIALS 15.11.16 TROXY 16.11.16 TROXY
PHANTOGRAM 16.11.16 HEAVEN
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING 23.11.16
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
ANNE-MARIE 28.11.2016 KOKO
TOURIST
02.12.16 OVAL SPACE
SHURA
07.12.16 O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
SCHOOLBOY Q 14.12.16 O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
goldenvoice.co.uk
07.09.16 O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
MABEL
SEP – DEC
UNITY ROCKS PRESENTS THE LIBERTINES
WED.31.AUG.16
MON.03.OCT.16
MON.17.OCT.16
WED.05.OCT.16 THU.20.OCT.16
THU.27.OCT.16
MON.24.OCT.16
THU.01.SEP.16
SUN.09.OCT.16 THU.20.OCT.16
SAT.29.OCT.16
FRI.21.OCT.16 SAT.17.SEP.16
TUE.11.OCT.16 FRI.21.OCT.16
THU.22.SEP.16
WED.02.NOV.16
WED.12.OCT.16 MON.24.OCT.16 THU.03.NOV.16
TUE.27.SEP.16
FRI.14.OCT.16 WED.26.OCT.16 THU.03.NOV.16
SAT.05.NOV.16
THU.10.NOV.16
FRI.18.NOV.16
FRI.18.NOV.16
FRI.02.DEC.16
SAT.03.DEC.16
TUE.06.DEC.16
THU.10.NOV.16
THU.10.NOV.16
FRI.09.DEC.16
FRI.10.DEC.16
WED.15.DEC.16
TUE.22.NOV.16
TUE.06.DEC.16
SAT.21.JAN.17
WED07.DEC.16
TUE.28.FEB.17
THU.08.DEC.16
MON.17.APR.17
WED.23.NOV.16
THU.24.NOV.16
TUE.15.NOV.16
THU.17.NOV.16
THU.01.DEC.16
EVENTS
a selection of new stuff we’re excited about: AFROPUNK FEST
LOYLE CARNER (photo: Tim Boddy)
Afropunk has been a key cultural event taking place over the globe for thirteen years, with editions happening in Brooklyn, Atlanta and Paris. Now an inaugural London instalment is upon us, and holy hell does it look great. The ethos here is all about inclusivity; a safe space where no -isms or -phobias are welcome. Instead the focus is on multiculturalism, diversity and positivity. Celebrating all this is a frankly ridiculously strong line-up of British and worldwide talent including (deep breath) Grace Jones, Young Fathers, our former cover star Loyle Carner, Big Joanie, Ho99o9, Cakes Da Killa (who’s also heading up a coming-out celebration) and many more. So yeah, pretty damn strong. As well as this superb musical bill, Alexandra Palace will also be filled with artists and further exhibitions. Hopefully this is the first London Afropunk Fest of many. September 24th, Alexandra Palace, @afropunk // afropunkfest.com/london
BJÖRK DIGITAL For as long as we can remember Björk has been at the forefront of all things creative in the music world. A fearless embracer of technology with a constant desire to push the boundaries, she is surely one of the most ground-breaking artists of our generation. This continues in typically imaginative style at Somerset House with Björk Digital, an exhibition of video and digital works born out her experiments and collaborations with some of the very finest visual artists and programmers on the planet. You’ll participate in the exhibition via virtual reality technology, fully engaging yourself in Björk’s world. From her immersive film Black Lake to Mouthmantra VR capturing footage inside her mouth as she sings, this is sure to be a uniquely memorable experience. September 1st-October 23rd. Somerset House @SomersetHouse // somersethouse.org.uk LiS 40
BY THE SEA FESTIVAL Last year’s jaunt to Margate for a festival set in the newly revamped Dreamworld theme park looked tons of fun, but the degree to which the bar has been raised this year is phenomenal. So what do you get? You get access to all the attractions there (that mirror maze is pretty damn tricky), you get Super Furry Animals, Slow Club, Wolf Alice, Anna Meredith, Wild Beasts, The Big Moon (so a who’s-who of our favourites then) plus many more, and you get none other than Jarvis Cocker DJing the dodgems. See you be the seaside. Sept’ 30th-Oct 2nd, Dreamland, Margate, Kent. @ByTheSeaUK // bytheseafestival.com
THE HYDRA - THE FIFTH SERIES The Hydra’s reputation as one of the chief purveyors of stellar electronic times is already assured, and this fifth installment of their party series both confirms and rapidly advances that status. Assembling a dizzying collection of events boasting house, techno, disco and all manner of more niche electronic genres, we’re pretty much set to be dancing from here until December. The whole series is chocka with exciting acts, but we’re particularly looking forward to Ben UFO, Floating Points and Ninja Tune’s Bonobo. August-December. Various venues. @TheHydraLdn // the-hydra.net
YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION? RECORDS AND REBELS 1966-1970 A lot of hokey nonsense is said about the lack of protest music these days, but obviously we’re too smart to get drawn into that conversation. Instead we’re going to look back on an earlier era of revolution through music. A time of Woodstock, Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ and the Beatles writing, erm, ‘Revolution’. 60s music, fashion, film, design, political activism – and how they affect us now – are all focused on. Open September 10th, Victoria and Albert Museum @V_and_A // vam.ac.uk
SAM COOKE
LiS 41
GIGS OF THE MONTH
OUR PICK OF THE BEST SHOWS HAPPENING IN SEPTEMBER 2016
THE OLD BLUE LAST
06/09/16 FREE @theoldbluelast
LUCY DACUS // JESS WILLIAMSON A first London show for the alt-country-ish, indierock-ish newcomer everyone’s talking about, celebrating her ‘No Burden’ album.
BRIXTON WINDMILL
ALEX CHILLTOWN // DIGNAN PORCH // GLASS VAULTS // GORGEOUS BULLY + MANY MORE Another wonderful all-dayer in Brixton, rammed with a tons of the most fun bands around. Good times pretty much guaranteed. Plus ‘Alex Chilltown’ is one of our favourite band names. 03/09/16 £5adv @windmillbrixton
BRIXTON
OLD STREET
THE LEXINGTON
WEIRD DREAMS // GLASS The return of Weird Dreams has been one of the year’s best surprises. Their show earlier this year was a woozy artful delight, & this’ll be even better. 14/09/16 £7adv @thelexington
ANGEL
URBAN BAR
DOE // PERSONAL BEST + MORE Our love for the indiepoprock magic of Doe runs deep. An album launch show for a really great album. 09/09/16 £4 theurbanbar.co.uk
WHITECHAPEL
SHACKLEWELL ARMS THE GOON SAX
Their debut album, ‘Up To Anything’ met with huge praise, so a first UK tour from these Australians promises to be pretty special. Arty indiepop in the best traditions of The Pastels and Galaxie 500. THE GOON SAX
KAMIO
SHIGETO
27/09/16 £7.50adv // @Shacklewell Arms
DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND
30/09/16 £15.50adv @iamkamio
If you missed out on tickets to Shigeto’s other London shows, then make sure you get on this quickly, and don’t miss his unique textural electronica live.
OLD STREET LiS 45
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
THE GOOD SHIP
We were smitten with this Swedish band’s recent ‘Kinky Lola’ track. Giant, swirling pop wonder and oddness.
On the excellent Lost Map Records, this Scottish group do guitar pop with the sweetest electronic flourishes. Damn good.
19/09/16 £5adv @ServantJazz
15/09/16 £8adv @thegoodshipNW6
FRANCOBOLLO
KID CANAVERAL // COSINES
DALSTON JUNCTION / KINGSLAND
BORDERLINE
THE FRANK & WALTERS We try and resist nostalgia here at LiS, but The Frank & Walters made some of the wittiest, prettiest indiepop around once, so...
OSLO
09/09/16 £16.50adv @theborderline TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
HOXTON BAR AND KITCHEN
BASIA BULAT
K FLAY
Basis Bulat 'Good Advice' album feels slightly slept-on, but it’s one of the year’s more interesting, imaginative and rewarding pop records 06/09/16 £12.50adv @OsloHackney
KILBURN
HACKNEY CENTRAL
A LiS favourite, and brilliant live. Take a listen to her ‘Life As A Dog’ record and don’t miss this show. 06/09/16 £8.50adv @HoxtonSquareBar
OLD STREET
O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMY
NEW CROSS INN
SCANDAL
DEADWALL // TIGERBALM + MORE Reminding some of Big Star and Dinosaur Jr, Leeds’ Deadwall are an A+ band, and this super-cheap show will rule.
Coming from Osaka, Japan, this rock band have soundtracked anime series Bleach and more, and we’ve a feeling this is gonna be great.
17/09/16 £3 @NewCrossInn
24/09/16 £35adv @O2Islington
NEW CROSS / NEW CROSS GATE
ANGEL
THE DOME
FRANKIE COSMOS Frankie Cosmos wowed us at The Great Escape earlier this year, and her DIY bedroom-pop seems to get better and better. Her latest LP, ‘Next Thing’ is our favourite yet. FRANKIE COSMOS LiS 46
08/09/16 £10adv @DomeTufnellPark
TUFNELL PARK
RAY BLK (photo: Tim Boddy)
BUSH HALL RAY BLK
Last month’s cover star: Ray BLK is going to do great things, we’re sure of that. This special show, amid the glamour of Bush Hall is pretty much unmissable. 26/09/16 £11adv @Bushhallmusic
SHEPHERD’S BUSH
WAITING ROOM JUNK SON
The much-hyped (and rightly so) Junk Son does evocative, pulsing electronica which we can’t get enough of. 21/09/16 £8adv @WaitingRoomN16
DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND
A recent Chess Club Records (MØ, Hinds etc) signing, we were wowed by her ‘Porcelain’ track, and we’re not missing this show.
29/09/16 FREE @_Birthdays DALSTON JUNCTION/ KINGSLAND
BIRTHDAYS SKOTT
BEDROOM BAR
LES BICYCLETTES BLANCHES Formed in a barn of an old mill turned into a Native American ceremonial centre, blessed by Tibetan monks. We’re intrigued. 07/09/16 FREE @Bedroom_Bar
OLD STREET
PAPER DRESS VINTAGE
NICK FERRIO // DEAD FLOWERS Canadain Nick Ferrio recalls Kurt Vile, so that’s all good with us. The always great Dead Flowers fill out this sweet bill. 08/09/16 £6adv @paperdressed
HACKNEY CENTRAL
THE LOCK TAVERN
100 CLUB
Power punk from Oakland, California, and featuring Junx of Gravy Train!!!!, this is an absolute killer free show.
They split up in ‘81 but these mod revivalists are back, with all their hits and some new music too.
05/09/16 FREE @thelocktavern
02/09/16 £12.50adv @100clubLondon
THE CHORDS
THE YOUNGER LOVERS
CHALK FARM / CAMDEN TOWN
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD LiS 47
PLUS VERY SPECIAL GUESTS:
. .
FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER LONDON ROUNDHOUSE
FRIDAY 16TH DECEMBER
LONDON O2 FORUM
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BO ROCHA MON 12 SEPT RYE WAX
BEATY HEART THURS 6 OCT BUSSEY BUILDING
JESSY LANZA TUES 25 OCT SCALA
STEVE GUNN MON 14 NOV 100 CLUB
FAT WHITE FAMILY + THE BLACK LIPS SAT 17 SEPT O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
MITSKI THURS 6 OCT TUFNELL PARK DOME
GLASS ANIMALS TUES 25 OCT ROUNDHOUSE
SNOW GHOSTS THURS 6 OCT THE WAITING ROOM
EZRA FURMAN MON 31 OCT ROUNDHOUSE
LA FEMME THURS 17 NOV O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
FRAN LOBO MON 10 OCT THE PICKLE FACTORY
THIS IS THE KIT TUES 1 NOV UNION CHAPEL
PARQUET COURTS TUES 11 OCT O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
LAIL ARAD WED 2 NOV & THURS 15 NOV SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
DILLY DALLY THURS 22 SEPT SCALA LOOSE MEAT FRI 23 SEPT MOTH CLUB CHELOU WED 28 SEPT ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
BC CAMPLIGHT FRI 18 NOV OSLO HACKNEY ANNA MEREDITH WED 23 NOV SCALA PALACE WED 23 NOV BRIXTON ELECTRIC
MERCHANDISE WED 2 NOV THE LEXINGTON
HINDS FRI 2 DEC O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
FEAR OF MEN FRI 14 OCT CHATS PALACE
THE BIG MOON THURS 3 NOV SCALA
RHAIN WED 7 DEC THE WAITING ROOM
OPERATORS TUES 18 OCT THE LEXINGTON
GLASS GANG TUES 8 NOV THE WAITING ROOM
GIRL BAND THURS 8 DEC SCALA
MARTHA FFION FRI 21 OCT SEBRIGHT ARMS
EASTERN BARBERS THURS 10 NOV THE NINES
WOVOKA GENTLE THURS 29 SEPT CHATS PALACE
PLASTIC MERMAIDS THURS 13 OCT LONDON FIELDS BREWERY
THE MOONLANDINGZ THURS 29 SEPT OSLO HACKNEY WILD BEASTS TUES 4 OCT & WED 5 OCT ROUNDHOUSE
PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
SEPTEMBER’S FULL LISTINGS YOUR DAY-BY-DAY GUIDE TO ALL THE GIGS, AT ALL THE VENUES, IN LONDON THIS MONTH. FOR ALL THE LATEST & MOST UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS, AND TO SIGN UP TO OUR GIGS OF THE WEEK EMAIL, VISIT LONDONINSTEREO.COM THURSDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER
FRIDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER
SATURDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER
SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER
TUESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER
MONDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER
WEDNESDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER
THURSDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER
FRIDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER
SATURDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER SUNDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
MONDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER
TUESDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER WEDNESDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER
THURSDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER
FRIDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER
SATURDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER
MONDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER
SUNDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER
TUESDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER
WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER
THURSDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER
FRIDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER
JULIO BASHMORE + MOSCA
There’s a refugee crisis at the moment, it feels like we're told daily on the news of another horrific tale, another disaster, another needless loss of life. It is undeniable. It is fact. Sometimes this makes it hard to remember we’re talking about individuals, people with different stories, a different way they were forced to flee their homes. RAISING FUNDS FOR REFUGEES VIA LIVE MUSIC Because the issue is so vast, the humanity of it so hidden, it can be impossible to know how to help. Where do you begin? How can you make any kind of difference to a life? For us, hearing about the amazing work that Plus1 were doing in Germany was a turning point. Asking for just €1 from those lucky enough to have a guestlist place to gigs had already raised €40,000. What a simple idea, what an easy way to contribute. So that’s what happened: with a fantastic team of people, from across all areas of music who felt similarly helpless in the face of crisis, we’ve created and developed Support Act, the UK equivalent to Plus1. Donating funds to two incredible charities, Road To Freedom and Refugee Action, and with some of the finest promoters and venues the city has to offer already onboard together we can help create change, help foster compassion and be pro-active – in whatever small way – to get aid to those in need.
@SupportActUK // facebook.com/supportactuk // support-act.co.uk
presents KIRAN LEONARD
SUNFLOWER BEAN
COLLEEN GREEN & CASSIE RAMONE
100 CLUB
SCALA
MOTH CLUB
Wednesday 24 August.
Thursday 15 September.
Thursday 22 September
CHAD LAWSON
YUNG
BOXED IN
THE LEXINGTON
KAMIO
THE FORGE
Monday 26 September.
Thursday 29 Thursday.
Thursday 29 September.
Popular Culture:
By The Sea Festival
THE FINSBURY
DREAMLAND, MARGATE
THE DOME
Friday 30 September.
Friday 30 Sept & Sat 01 Oct.
Tuesday 04 October.
SWANS
BLAENAVON & TOOTHLESS
HOLY FUCK
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
SCALA
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
Thursday 13 & Friday 14 October.
Friday 14 October.
Friday 15 October.
YUMI ZOUMA
POLIÇA
AMBER ARCADES
OSLO
ROUNDHOUSE
MOTH CLUB
Monday 17 October.
Wednesday 19th October.
Thursday 20 October.
MØ
BRANDT BRAUER FRICK
HALEY BONAR
ROUNDHOUSE
OSLO
Saturday 22 October.
OSCAR
MOTH CLUB
Tuesday 25 October.
Thursday 27 October.
Illuminations Festival
Illuminations Festival
SPRING KING
THE BUG presents “SIRENS”
KOKO
AUTUMN STREET STUDIOS
OVAL SPACE
Friday 28 October.
Friday 28 October.
Sunday 30 October.
Illuminations Festival
XYLOURIS WHITE
BLACKOUT
Illuminations Festival
LET’S EAT GRANDMA
BARBICAN
THE FORGE
OVAL SPACE
Monday 31 October.
Tuesday 01 November.
Wednesday 02 November.
Illuminations Festival
Illuminations Festival
feat. Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood and the Rajasthan Express
RUN LOLA RUN
KEVIN MORBY
TROXY
MICKS GARAGE WAREHOUSE
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
Friday 04 November.
Tuesday 08 November.
JUNUN
Friday 04 November.
Illuminations Festival
THREE TRAPPED TIGERS
PANTHU DU PRINCE
FLUME
HEAVEN
ELECTRIC BRIXTON
ALEXANDRA PALACE
Friday 11 November.
Friday 11 November.
Thursday 17 November.
MUTUAL BENEFIT
BLACK MOUNTAIN
WILLIAM TYLER
CECIL SHARP HOUSE
THE DOME
BUSH HALL
Thursday 17 November.
Thursday 17 November.
Sunday 20 November.
HOW TO DRESS WELL
RADICAL FACE
BLACK PEACHES
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
SCALA
KAMIO
Monday 21 November.
Tuesday 22 November.
Thursday 08 December.
09—16 Shacklewell Arms 71 Shacklewell Lane London E8 Tuesday 6 September
FEELS Friday 9 September
KITE BASE Monday 12 September
KLAUS JOHANN GROBE Wednesday 14 September
LIONLIMB Thursday 22 September
Lanzarote
lanzaroteworks.com #lanzaroteworks
presents
The Waiting Room 175 Stoke Newington High St N16 Friday 2 September
D/R/U/G/S Tuesday 6 September
RENDEZ-VOUS Wednesday 7 September
THOSS Wednesday 14 September
FRIST HATE Thursday 22 September
CAMERA
VOX LOW
The Lock Tavern
MOTH Club
35 Chalk Farm Rd London NW1 Thursday 1 September
TRASH Friday 2 September
NANCY PANTS Monday 5 September
THE YOUNGER LOVERS Friday 9 September
OSCAR (DJ) Saturday 10 September
MURKAGE DAVE
Valette St London E8 Tuesday 6 September
THE CULT OF DOM KELLER Thursday 22 September
COLLEEN GREEN Friday 23 September
LOOSE MEAT Saturday 24 September
LA LUZ Monday 26 September
DEAD MEADOW
IN LONDON DOE w ith
photo: Emma Garland
Why do you live in London? Nicola: I get bored really easily and it’s harder to be bored in London. There’s also always going to be some kind of music scene here (I hope), even if it changes and evolves. Also most of my friends live here so if I move I’ll have no friends. Also the multitude of takeaway pizza options. Dean: Mostly ‘cause there’s loads of diversity. Growing up in Southern England surrounded by a million other white people sucked. Where do you like to eat and drink? Jake: The Lamb on Holloway Road is pretty cool and you can get Sorrento’s Pizza delivered straight to your table. Get an 18” to yourself, I promise it’s a really good idea. Honest. Nicola: I’ve lived in Finsbury Park for the whole six Doe release Some Things Last Longer than You years I’ve been in London and there are loads of September 9th via Specialist Subject Records. sneakily great restaurants around, my favourite is Cafe Mexicali cos it’s totally unpretentious but the LIVE: Urban Bar, September 9th food and service are amazing. ONLINE: doetheband.co.uk // @hellowearedoe facebook.com/hellowearedoe Summer’s (kinda) here, how do you like London when the sun’s shining? Dean: Summer in London is my fave time of year, although everything smells like trash. What’s a really great day out? Jake: The Bermondsey Beer Mile is my favourite day out I’ve discovered in the last year. Just pace yourself, innit. Your favourite outdoor space? Jake: Clissold Park. It’s really pretty and a five minute walk from my flat. There are butterflies and goats and deer and stuff but my favourite thing to do there is sit on a bench and just watch for hours as all the yuppie parents stop every five seconds to make sure the sun is still shining out of their kids’ arses. Does London ever influence the music you write? Nicola: I’m not sure if London as an entity explicitly influences the music, but certainly the experiences we’ve had and people we’ve met as a direct result of living in London do. Maybe there’s something in the urgency of London that makes its way into our mental state and in turn influences the way we write, but that’s quite convoluted. What’s the worst thing about London? Nicola: The unpredictability of pigeons. Dean: The smell of trash. Jake: The hostility of everyone on public transport, me included. How would you advise someone to get the most out of London? Nicola: Don’t get sucked in by the tourist traps. There are loads of independent shows and other interesting creative things going on, it can be hard to find them amongst all the noise. Oh also maybe we could all be a little nicer to each other/less impatient. Dean: Yeh, if everyone slowed down just a lil bit our average life expectancy might increase. Anything to avoid the Reaper. LiS 69 65
LIVE Photo: Nicolas Joubard
LA ROUTE DU ROCK - Saint Malo, France, August 12th-14th If you’re anything like me, August is all about letting out an annual listless sigh at the latest Reading Festival lineup. Seriously. Foals? Headlining? It’s enough to make you consider spending 300-odd smackers on an actual, real-life holiday instead. But why compromise? St Malo’s a few hours on the ferry from Portsmouth – and you can watch actual bands. You remember France, don’t you? With its superior weather, better food and general brilliant quality of life? If this sounds nice, La Route Du Rock may just be for you. The site, while small and flanked by goats (they watch the bands), is a marvel of functionality. Two facing stages with alternating time slots. No waiting for sound checks. Bars at the side, camping next door. No nonsense. Just music, drinks and free sun hats. It’s a much more creative lineup too – here were some of 2016’s highlights. If you’re going to invade the stage, it’s probably an idea to get the singer’s permission. Unperturbed, a throng of around 25 Belle and Sebastian fans took matters into their own hands during their heroes’ rendition of ‘Sukie in the Graveyard’. A golden sunset and a mass dance-along to Scottish twinkle-pop. What’s not to love?
It’s twenty years since their last album, but time has been kind to Lush’s sound. Kicking off with the soft-sharp dynamics of ‘De-Luxe’, Miki and co relied heavily on early shoegaze tracks, jettisoning their later Britpop sound. It’s good to have them back. Fat White Family chose the occasion to kick out their convulsion-laden garage rock sound. Singer Lias Saoudi cut an animated figure – shirtlessly throwing himself around the stage to a backdrop of bandmates’ faces contorted with concentration. It’s enough to feel nostalgic for Rock n Roll’s selfdestructive element that they represent. “I need a shit. You have to make more noise to help me keep it in.” Are Sleaford Mods real? A Fred Perry-clad 40-something shouting endless expletives at the crowd, while his mate stands next to a laptop, intermittently pressing play while sipping from a tinny and looking at his phone. It shouldn’t work, but when it’s there in front of you, it’s so hard not to love what they are. Their intro to ‘Jobseeker’ said it all: “This song’s about looking for a job – some of you may think this is a bit patronising, but we know how it feels. Anyway, fuck off.” Richard Beecham
Mykki Blanco Photo: Burak Cingi
Five from Visions Festival - August 6th, Various Hackney venues. MYKKI BLANCO: There are a few clues in this issue as to how we feel about Mykki Blanco. So it’s probably no surprise to hear my favourite thing at Visions was his performance at Oval Space. It wasn’t just good though. No, it was incredible. His DJ warmed up the crowd with an A+ selection of pop hits then he balled onto the stage, full of confidence, charisma and armed with a stunning new album to charm us all with. Hopping into the crowd he prowled, danced and reminded us what performance truly is. Jess Partridge THE DOG SHOW: If there’s one thing we love as much as drinking beers and watching bands, it’s drinking beers and looking at a load of dogs. So Visions’ latest addition was right up our street. From dogs donning Prince wigs and Bowie threads to a rogue greyhound who kept wandering into the arena, the whole thing, judged by Shura, Little Boots and The Big Moon, was a wonderful, tail-waggingly brilliant shambles. Kate Solomon YOUNG FATHERS: I’m always a bit uneasy with the idea of branding musicians “important”, but if any British group is deserving of your attention it’s Young Fathers. Their blistering headline set at St. John’s was a pressure cooker of warped electronics, percussive muscle and righteous polemics, and culminated with G Hastings exploding, “Black lives matter: if you don’t believe in that, you can go fuck yourselves,” to deafening cheers. An incendiary performance from one of the UK’s best live bands. Gemma Samways ESG: This was my first opportunity to see ESG. In all likelihood it will probably be my last one too. But, goddam, it was a good one. ‘The most sampled band in historyTM’ take us on a journey through their peerless dance and post-punk and it’s an ecstatic reminder of their legacy. A smile never leaves Renee Scroggins’ face throughout as she leads the band with a joyous cool, while her son, Nicholas Nicholas, dons alien fancy dress (for ‘UFO’ obviously) and throws badges into the crowd. The smile still hasn’t left my face. Danny Wright KELLY LEE OWENS: Last year’s early slot at the Brewhouse saw Loyle Carner turn heads with his quixotic raps and charming smile. This time it was producer/singer Kelly Lee Owens who wowed with her beguiling Space Age disco. Calling on a cellist and Phantasy Sound’s Ghost Culture on drum machine/laptop to bang out her nocturnal tunes, she’s able to channel the wild-throated playfulness of Bjork as well as the dusted grooves of hero Arthur Russell. All eyes surely now turn to her looming debut album. Geoff Cowart LiS 71
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INHEAVEN PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
BOSTON MUSIC ROOM 20.10.2016
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MYTICKET.CO.UK
by Lucie Grace Hey mister! I am conscious of your bias. We won’t call it casual sexism because you’re smarter than that and you hide it well but I’m writing to you so you know that I know that you do not really, in your heart of hearts, think punk music ought to be made by girls. You are a dying breed of punk bro but I’ve known you all my life. Scoffing, rolling your eyes, when we were teens, as girls shouting their message was funny to you, their riot guitars just a hysteria to you. You tried to make us girls small with our Bikini Kill tees because The Ramones were authentic, not just chicks hollering. You knew how to make your point without ever saying it; girls should be seen and not heard. Twenty years later and I still bump into you, your type of “punk”. You’ve learnt how to package your distaste differently. You don’t give scornful glances and have toned down your haughty air but now instead brush off female-fronted punk bands as “not your thing”. Let me tell you, this is a line, which us girls all see through. We know their male counterparts are entirely your jam, as we’ve seen you in so many macho man pits. Which begs the question; what is it that some guys just can’t handle about girls making noise? Do they scare you? Do they make you feel small? Whatever it is, you need to get over it, little man, as girls are getting ever-busier and are not going to put the guitars away. LiS 73
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S.J.M. CONCERTS PRESENTS
PLUS A$AP TWELVYY
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12 SEP / LONDON KOKO 13 SEP / LONDON KOKO
22 SEP / LONDON O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN
PLUS THE GREAT MACHINE
06 OCT / LONDON ELECTRIC BRIXTON 07 OCT / LONDON ELECTRIC BRIXTON
T OU LD SO
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04 OCT / LONDON SCALA
T OU LD SO
PLUS MAHALIA
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11 OCT / LONDON SCALA
11 OCT / LONDON ROUNDHOUSE
THE VRYLL SOCIETY HIDDEN CHARMS PLUS GUESTS
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21 OCT / LONDON MOTH CLUB
11 NOV / LONDON O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
PLUS RAG’N’BONE MAN
13 NOV / LONDON O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON 14 NOV / LONDON O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON T OU LD SO
0844 811 0051
PLUS GUESTS
16 DEC / LONDON O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE