Dork, August 2016 by Dork

ACADEMY EVENTS & TINY COW presents

Thu 15th Sept M A N C H E S T E R O 2 R I T Z Fri 16th Sept L O N D O N O 2 F O R U M K E N T I S H T O W N Sat 17th Sept C O V E N T R Y E M P I R E Sat 24th Sept N E W C A S T L E O 2 A C A D E M Y Sun 25th Sept L E E D S O 2 A C A D E M Y Mon 26th Sept G L A S G O W O 2 A B C Thu 6th, Fri 7th & Sat 8th Oct C O V E N T R Y E M P I R E

T U O D L O S

FINAL SHOWS ADDED Sat 3rd September LONDON O 2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN Sun 4th September BRISTOL O 2 ACADEMY Wed 7th September MANCHESTER O 2 RITZ Thu 8th September LEICESTER O 2 ACADEMY Fri 9th September LIVERPOOL O 2 ACADEMY Wed 21st September GLASGOW O 2 ABC

Farewell Tour 2016 TICKETWEB.CO.UK | 0844 477 2000 & ALL USUAL AGENTS |

THIS MONTH, WE’VE BEEN M O S T LY LISTENING TO... Moose Blood Blush What an album.

Doe - Some Things Last Longer Than You What an album, part 2.

Against Me! Shape Shift With Me What an alb... you get the idea.

THIS MONTH... U P D AT E

F E AT U R E S

04. READING & LEEDS 0 6 . B I F F Y C LY R O 08. 15 NEW BANDS N OT TO M I SS 10. S LOW C LU B 12. BANG ERS 13. THOM SONNY GREEN 14. WHITE LIES 15. HONEYBLOOD 1 6 . F O R M AT I O N 18. THE GUIDE

24. G L ASS A N I M A LS 30. M O OS E B LO O D 32. WILD BEASTS 36. EZ R A F U RM A N REVI E WS

HYPE 20. 21. 21. 22.

TO OTH L ESS B L AC K FOX X ES T H E PA R R O T S LANY

38. G LASS ANIMALS 3 9. G A R O R O C K 41. BLOSSOMS 41. WILD BEASTS 4 2 . B E AT Y H E A R T 43. ANGEL OLSEN 44. BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH 4 5 . L AT I T U D E 20 QUESTIONS WITH... 4 6 . D E A P VA L LY

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Editor: Stephen Ackroyd stephen@readdork.com Deputy Editor: Victoria Sinden viki@readdork.com Assistant Editor: Ali Shutler ali@readdork.com

Contributors: Ben Jolley, Corinne Cumming, Heather McDaid, Jade Curson, Jamie Muir, Jasleen Dhindsa, Jessica Goodman, Josh Williams, Martyn Young, Phil Smithies, Richard Davies, Rob Mesure, Sam Taylor, Sammie Maine, Sarah Louise Bennett, Steven Loftin, Tom Hancock All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. P U B L I S H E D F RO M

THE BUNKER W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M

“SHI TTES T. FONZ . EVE R.”

UPDATE n do cen s e ld r. wil me ds um n s a e of b f th so eds l r a d iv . hun est iss nd, st f e e k om g e t g e i d b w r he ay ff o ’t a of t olid n h e a c ank r on ou ty s fo st b a d u h e g e u w &L sA e’s Thi ing Her d a Re

What’s Going Down? 4

Foals MAIN STAGE, FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS) Even when Foals first played Reading & Leeds, back in 2007, they must have known that eventually this is what they were aiming for. Certainly, when they took to the Main Stage last in 2013, everyone knew what was coming next. Groomed for the top job, as time moved on the Oxford troupe have armed themselves with the perfect arsenal to take on Reading’s notoriously riff-ready crowd. As they popped up last August in a secret slot to unleash ‘What Went Down’, their CV was complete. This Bank Holiday Weekend, British rock crowns another set of kings - a band who can be smart or direct, clever or crushing. A lifetime on the A-list awaits.

2007

2008

2010

CARLING STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

NME/RADIO 1 STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

NME/RADIO 1 STAGE SUN (READING), SAT (LEEDS)

2016

2015

2013

MAIN STAGE FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS)

NME/RADIO 1 STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

MAIN STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

eading & Leeds is more than just a festival. Partially because it’s actually two festivals, but that’s not what we’re getting at. It’s a coming of age event, even if you’re far too old to be hitting any significant markers any time soon. A mix of bands, it’s unlike anything else.

Traditionally focused on rock and indie, as the years have moved on it has embraced a number of musical genres. From the 1xtra and Dance tents, through to Boy Better Know on the Main Stage, that’s more true than ever before. All your favourite bands, and some that you’ve yet to discover, thrown into one giant melting pot. So much, so ‘yeah, but you get that at Glastonbury

TIMELINE

They’ve been building towards this moment for years. Finally, Foals will headline Reading & Leeds.

too’, but the two festivals are radically different beasts. Glasto, bluntly, is nice. Friendly. Up for a hug. Reading is different. It’s all in, all on the line - a weekend where nothing goes slowly. When Foals or Biffy Clyro hit their headline slots, there’ll be no mugs on the Main Stage. Nobody is ever going to invite Coldplay - the bottles of steaming hot piss would see to that. While some may think it’s uncouth, it’s anything but. Reading & Leeds are where the bands in our not-sohumble pages come to life. When you’re trying to get into that tent to see The 1975, you’ll know that you’re part of something bigger. Something to be celebrated. Over the next few pages, we’re picking out some of the things you should be seeking out this year. That, and the toilets in Reading Tesco. It’s worth the walk in the morning, trust us. P

UPDATE “ Fo a ls o r B iff y C ly ro . I’ ve li ve , b u t n eve r s e h a ve h e e n e it h e a rd ve ry r good th both ba in g s a b o n d s ’ li ve ut sets. Un C ly ro is f o rt u n a p la y in g t e ly, B if d iff e re n fy t d a te s h a ve t o than us, wa it t o s o I’ ll c a tc h t h e m .” - R il ey, T h ri ce

“We know we can do it this time.” Biffy Clyro

“100% RHCP, even though they don’t have John Fruscia nte playin g guitar for them anymo re, I’m sure it will be amazin g.” James , Deaf Havan a

Scottish giants Biffy Clyro return to headline Reading & Leeds for a second time. Words: Heather McDaid.

MAIN STAGE, SUN (READING), FRI (LEEDS)

hen you say time off, you think curling up with a hot chocolate and Netflix, probably binge watching House of Cards. When you’re Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro, it means writing three albums - the new Biffy album, a ZZC solo album, and another fourteen track Biffy album for the back pocket, just for good measure. “As much as it was a year off from touring, we spent the whole year just trying to make music and trying to feel inspired,” he explains. “It took me a wee while to get going after touring ‘Opposites’, I didn’t really feel incredibly creative so to speak, so it took a couple of months to get going. It seems likes a quieter year than it was!” To get going, he headed over to LA. “I’ve got a lot of friends over there and most of them are musicians, so it was nice to work with people who aren’t in bands and who write music for a different reason. That was really liberating. I wrote three songs in one day when I came home, and one of them was ‘Rearrange’. That was when I realised that the album was on track.” He, Ben and James Johnston were going for something different this time, and it was about keeping the core of Biffy while going wherever the process took them - it helps explain why a country song made its way onto ‘Ellipsis’. “On all our previous albums, we basically just tried to record the sound of our band and document what we do. On this record, we wanted to make it more of a studio record, less of a three piece rock band album. The songs led the way, which is why I think this album - there’s quite a lot of sharp left turns, it’s probably our most eclectic. That stems from just wanting to have the best songs that we had.”

The result is an album that they believe to be their best yet, and a labour of love and exploration of the studio. Next, they take it to the stage. A few songs have had their live airing, but from their point of view, the focus is on not mucking up for the first half a dozen times before being able to really take in the audience. “When you play a new song for the first time it’s weird because you’re figuring out how to play it live yourself, you get all excited and your adrenaline’s pumping, so you forget how to play it a little. I almost don’t notice what the crowd think because I’m just worried about doing it right. “Normally when people hear a song for the first time there can be a level of excitement but also all good music takes a couple of listens. It’s a weird one; I think I probably denied to myself that even the crowd’s there. Now that we’ve played [‘On A Bang’] about half a dozen times at shows I feel that the new songs have been going down an absolute treat.” And what better place to showcase these new songs than in their headline slot at Reading & Leeds, with a one-off Glasgow date in the middle? The festival is one that’s been integral to the band, both as fans and musicians, and the title of headliner isn’t one they take lightly. “I can’t wait,” says Simon. “We were worried if we could do it last time, and I think we’ve got a lot more confidence. We know we can do it this time and I’m just so excited. I want it to be the best shows - I want that weekend in Leeds, Glasgow and Reading to be the best three shows that anyone sees all year. That’s my fucking mission. “We’re going to pull out all the stops. So bring it on! I can’t wait to see a sea of thousands of people swinging their shirts over their heads and singing at the top of their lungs. It’s truly a wonderful, wonderful moment. It’s hard to describe - it’s as close to God on earth as anyone will see.” P

e fis t pu mp ing . Ma yb “D isc los ur e. I love t me up an d gu es t fis th ey ’ll as k me to co y fo r a co up le of pu mp an d pr es s pla e dr ea m. ” - Se b, so ng s. Th at ’d be th SW MRS

Sundara Karma MAIN STAGE, SAT (READI NG), SUN (LEEDS)

Reading natives, Sundara Karma’s Oscar Lulu are inviting the whole family to their Main Stage set. YOU’RE PLAYING READING & LEEDS NEXT MONTH, ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IT? Yeah it’s the big one for us, all our mums are going. ARE THERE ANY BANDS PLAYING THAT YOU’RE ESPECIALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING, OR CATCHING UP WITH? Watching the Chilis is something we’re excited about.

Be funny if we bump into Spring King as each time we bump into them we are always totally hammered but the funny thing is they always seem to be pretty much sober. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING SPECIAL PLANNED FOR YOUR SETS? Yeah we’ve got a little something special up our sleeve for these two shows, would be rude not to. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, READING OR LEEDS? As we are from Reading… Leeds. P

f o e l t t Ba s r e n i l d the Hea

hing wa t c l o o c e a l ly s s i ve i t ’s r , s l e ma a h t h “ Fo c e to crus l ly n i a e them r ’s d i t ’s s s i ve es an sg re n s ta g a r T ds.” l l of r wa r e t see a f es a n d fac n a vo prou Blae , s i r Har

ye a r: fr om Le ed s th is & g in d ea R y in g ll a d lin er s p la u n k ki ng s Fa p p in g fi ve he re , to p op p u ho os w cl a is re D a ro a nd T he re - a nd ls , B iffy C ly r fa vo u ri te he ro es Fo a ne ha s th ei yo er Ev s. er ho m eg row n p ot C h ili P ep p ic k th ei rs . , wel l, Red H th e lin e u p on s nd a O u t B oy, to b r ot he few of th e we m a d e a “ Fo a ls

“ We we re lu c ky e n o u g h to C ly ro in p la y w it B e lf a s t h B iff y re c e n t ly a n d t h e ir in c re d ib le . I a ls o s e t wa s re a ll y w c o m in g a nt to s o f- a g e s e e Fo a ls lo t , I t h in ’ k it ’s g o ve ry s p e in g to b e a c ia l m o m e n t .” - M a t t ie , VA NT

, it ’l l b e a be a u t if u mome l n t .” J a m es and C h lo e , I NHEA VEN

ey ar e y ti m es an d th en Bi ff y so m an se e I’v ly e, on “Tou gh in g w ill be re al em cl os e Re ad th ng ei Se . us eo m ai nl y al ways ou tr ag ab ou t pi ps it , th is ye ar ju st s al Fo k in th I ca us e th ei r sp ec ia l. Bu t ye t, bu t al so be e liv em th en n’ t se be ca us e I ha ve Bl ac k Foxxes or ld !” - M ar k, w is th of t ou dr um m er is

“ It wo u ld b e g re a t to se e R 1 3 ye a rs H C P. I s a w them a go. The p la y H yd y used t I’m exc it o b e my e p a rk a e d to se f a vo u ri t bout e h ow t h e band b exc e p t io ey h a ve ack then changed n of hav , so in g a d if li ve , w it f e re n t g h the ob u it a ri s t .” v io u s - Ad a m , A rc a n e Ro o t s much. ike s o L . m e ir e e th we a s p s e I lov bands becau , e h ls t a f o o “F .I e ly o n e g ev ity d e f in it e e r lo n r e a ’r c y f e o Th o the erms S H IT t ke in t y li m e g b s in to one o b e lo a p ic k t I’d a ls u g o tt o y t u p r e d ic ,b s ers to o Fr ie n d e a d li n i, F ic k le other h t t a N so… ” ey ’re al ways on “D is cl os ur e. Th ro om be fo re in th e dr es si ng , Bl os so m s sh ows. ” - To m

THE WINNE R: Foals got the most shout outs from their fellow bands - but since Fall Out Boy got zero name- checks , we clearly asked the wrong people .

“Mon

t h e B if f!” - M a tt , H eck

Re m e m b e r W h e n? If you ask bands for their favourite stories from Reading & Leeds of years gone by, you get a surprising number involving poo and wrecked tents, which frankly makes going to a festival sound like the worst thing ever. Think we’re exaggerating? Well…

their tent, turns out the poo chucker was our other mate Mark.”

HECK

BLOSSOMS

“The most memorable and debauched stories always come from the camp site, I remember us having a designated poo tent in one of my first years which was a rather glamorous affair that ultimately resolved in a drunken member of our group swinging a bag of fresh poo around his head. I nearly cried.”

SUNDARA KARMA

“A few years back some friends who we weren’t camping with said they got poo chucked at

INHEAVEN

“Someone pissed on my tent whilst I was sleeping the first year I went.”

“I was at Leeds with Myles in 2012 before we were friends and I saw him jump on someone’s tent and they kicked him in the head whilst he was on the floor.”

FICKLE FRIENDS

“Chris told me a story about this girl who dropped her phone in one of the open hole pit toilets and stupidly decided to go in after it - she ended up being stuck inside there for like 20 mins as she needed help to get out - fucking bleak.”

Disclosure The Lawrence brothers have headlined their own festival, but this is another kettle of fish. MAIN STAGE, FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS) When was the last time a dance act headlined Reading & Leeds you ask? Well aside from The Prodigy, Disclosure stand in a field of their own. Systematically changing the sound of modern dance music, these siblings from Surrey have well and truly blazed a trail that’s been leading directly to the Reading & Leeds headline slot which they once admired from afar. Their debut ‘Settle’ burst through the airwaves, while follow-up ‘Caracal’ saw a refined move into effortlessly cool bangers. Special guests or not, their headline set is a true defining moment in modern dance. Get off your feet. Get moving. The party begins now.

15 New Bands Not To Miss At Reading & Leeds 2016 Mura Masa

Chvrches Subbing the Reading & Leeds Main Stage isn’t bad for a band that started five years ago. MAIN STAGE, FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS) Over the past twelve months, Chvrches have well and truly stepped up to the plate. From a huge date at Alexandra Palace, to a monumental homecoming show in Glasgow, to a rapturously received set at Latitude - it’s reached the point where nobody can deny how important they really are. Last year’s ‘Every Open Eye’ cemented their position, and now they’re ready to take it even further. Expect powerful anthemic gold when the trio take to the stage on both sites, as a modern UK success story celebrates in emphatic fashion with a slot to remember for years to come.

With more hooktastic beasts than the UK mainland could ever be ready for, the Guernsey-born producer is one name the has remained a constant over the past 12 months. From Radio 1 playlists to late-night underground club sessions, Mura Masa is everything right about electro- dance in 2016. Disclosure may be top of the Main Stage, but Mura Masa could well offer the most exciting beats of the weekend. NME/RADIO 1 STAGE FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS)

Fickle Friends Many may call him a miniature Jamie T, It seems like Fickle Friends have been waiting for their defining moment for a while now. They’ve got the undeniable indie-pop bangers (from the likes of ‘Swim’ to ‘Say No More’), they’ve got the incredible live presence the has seen sold out dates around the country before they were even signed. Now, with Reading & Leeds, they have the platform.

This is the performance we’ll be looking back on in years to come, as the place where it truly all began. NME/RADIO 1 STAGE FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS)

Rat Boy Many may call him a miniature Jamie T, but Ray Boy has become larger than any comparison could ever do justice. Full of bouncing riffs and unfiltered youthful energy, he’s turned pubs into war zones at the flick of a wrist, and with his debut album on the horizon, Reading & Leeds is the perfect home for the ultimate indie party. A set for those looking to jump straight into the deep end in all the right ways. NME/RADIO 1 STAGE SUN (READING), FRI (LEEDS)

Black Foxxes Last year Black Foxxes were opening The Pit. This year they’re opening the

The 1975 They’re going to blow away R&L 2016, and everyone’s aware of it. NME/RADIO 1 STAGE, SUN (READING), FRI (LEEDS) If you haven’t been caught up in The 1975 hype yet, then brace yourself. Having released their second album ‘I Like It When You Sleep…’ to mass acclaim, and gathering what can only be described as cult-like status, Matt Healy and co. are bringing the madness to Reading & Leeds. Set to be filled with their brand of guitar pop music that few can resist, this is just another step on the ladder that will see world domination lit up with fluorescent pink neon lights.

Twenty One Pilots

Die Antwoord

Rock’s dirty little secret was exposed this year as ‘Stressed Out’ dominated the airwaves. Twenty One Pilots know these sets are the difference between academies and arenas. The pair already give everything during their shows but this is a band with more than a few tricks up their sleeves.

Few bands are as baffling as Die Antwoord. Everyone remembers ‘Enter The Ninja’ but beyond that, they’ve built a back catalogue of warped anthems. Expect decadence, confusion and euphoria as the band turn the Main Stage into the biggest underground rave you’ll see this year.

Whitney NME/RADIO 1 STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS) Now we can’t guarantee what the weather may hold over, but wherever Whitney goes it’s sure to be a sun-filled cocktail that will send us dizzy. The ex-Smith Westerns duo have carved one of the underrated gems of the year in debut record ‘Light Upon The Lake’ and their summertime fillers are an unmissable treat. There may be a load of noise kicking off all over the place at Reading & Leeds, but a moment in Whitney’s company may be the real magical moment that tops them all.

NME/Radio 1 tent. There are two very good reasons for this leap: 1. Live, the band have grown into something unpredictable, wild but always brilliant; and 2: With their stunning debut out the week before, expect this special band to put on a very special show. Bring your hankies, this could get emotional. NME/RADIO 1 STAGE SUN (READING), FRI (LEEDS)

Will Joseph Cook We’ve been grooving and moving to everything Will Joseph Cook has been pumping out, and it’s clear that Reading & Leeds could well be that pivotal moment we’re all waiting for. These delicate electro-pop vibrations that run through ‘Take Me Dancing’ and ‘Girls Like Me’ are set to take on another life in the live setting - making sure Will is the 18-year-old having the most fun that weekend. FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE SUN (READING), FRI (LEEDS)

Vant If you missed the interview with Mattie Vant in our first issue then you should know, VANT are here to right the world. With songs full of angst, fury and political undertones, the voice in music is back and it’s taking no prisoners. With three singles and one EP so far, and a debut album on its way, VANT are not ones to miss. This is a band to lose your shit to, and get angry at the world with your friends. FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

Clean Cut

regret it.

Kid

FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

Beards are flowing aplenty, but none are as established as Clean Cut Kid frontman Mike Halls’. The potent sound coming from his mouth is an equally powerful kick, with the Liverpudlian dreamers making a true name for themselves with a ferocious live show that guarantees smiles all round. Taking things to another level with an explosive nature on stage, expect riffs, hooks and joy when Clean Cut Kid take Reading & Leeds into their undeniable world. FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE SUN (READING), FRI (LEEDS)

The Magic

Brash and brilliant, it’s an approach that has garnered more than a few fans. Recent single ‘Ashes of Love’, featuring Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek, is a banger for the ages. With a new cut featuring no less than anointed Queen of Cool Pop Carly Rae Jepsen inspiring waves of devotion wherever it airs, expect the perfect antidote to all the grubby rock types.

The Japanese House Amber Bain remains a true enigmatic force in electro-pop swoons. Across stunning EP releases, she’s remained one of the most adored and tipped artists of recent times. After touring around the globe with The 1975 (who’ve helped produce a string of her releases), returning to play on the Radio 1 Dance Stage may seem like an odd choice. But with grooves and gritty emotional pop aplenty, The Japanese House is well and truly open for business at Reading & Leeds this year.

Consisting of four of Brighton’s most creative and soulful minds, The Magic Gang really are just that: magic. Having released their debut EP, the aptly titled ‘EP’, this year, they’ve been hitting the festival circuit hard and are making sure they’re your new favourite band. On the same day as The 1975, they’re the perfect warm up to get into that sexy, soulful sound that should help out your day three hangover. ‘All That I Want Is You’ will get your dancing on the spot as if you’ve never heard of The Cure. Trust us. You’ll love it. FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE SUN (READING), FRI (LEEDS)

INHEAVEN If you’re looking for cinematic classic rock for the 21st century, then look no further than INHEAVEN. With enough anthems-in-waiting to make Reading & Leeds seem like a walk in the park, there’s a real sense that these Londoners could become a defining voice of a generation - and after taking over stages throughout the year, the August bank holiday could well mark the start of a true tidal wave in euphoric bangers. Miss it, and you’ll

Beach Baby

Lewis Del

It doesn’t take a genius to work out Beach Baby’s brand of indie jangle is the kind of thing that could do very well for itself. With a debut album arriving shortly after their appearance at this year’s Reading & Leeds, they’re sure to see their Festival Republic Stage slot as a launchpad to bigger things. With the hangover-battling opening slot on the Saturday to deal with, their smooth-as-silk recent single ‘U R’ is the perfect weapon to fix splitting heads and unsure guts.

Mar

FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

RADIO 1 DANCE STAGE SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

Gang

RADIO 1 DANCE STAGE FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS)

If you’ve caught Lewis Del Mar’s breakout track ‘Loud(y)’, you’ll already be wise to the duo’s charms. Echoing the mixed-media oddity of Alt-J, they’re an intriguing prospect. Two lifelong friends from NY’s Rockaway Beach, they’re all about texture, soundscapes, percussion and acoustic experimentation - but still manage to come out with the odd Actual Song too. With a debut album due soon, Reading & Leeds 2016 could be their big introduction to the UK alternativemainstream. FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS)

Danny L Harle Part of the PC Music megamind, Danny L Harle isn’t exactly subtle with his direct brand of sugar spun electro pop.

Fun ‘n’ Games Red Hot Chili Peppers are headlining this year’s Reading & Leeds. Isn’t that ‘fun’? Here’s a word search with all of their good songs hidden within! See how many you can find! MAIN STAGE, SAT (READING), SUN (LEEDS)

Creeper If there’s one new band to check out at Reading & Leeds 2016, there’s a pretty convincing argument to make it Creeper. However eclectic Reading & Leeds may become, at its core is the black, beating heart of rock - this year, though, it’s turning purple. A cult concern that won’t be restrained to the underground, Creeper have the spirit of My Chemical Romance - but that’s where the lazy comparisons end. Their own band, they’re rabble rousers to believe in, able to inspire devotion with a wave of the hand and a rumbling bass line. In Will Gould, they possess a frontman who already feels iconic. Once their debut album drops, expect things to really kick off in earnest. You wouldn’t want to be late to the party, would you? THE PIT FRI (READING), SAT (LEEDS)

UPDATE

SLOW

re a m ke ep in g a d zz g u ys to ja h it w t g ou em Fr om ha ng in lb u m se es th lu b’s new a C w lo S , ts or et ho d s. jo u rn a l- of-s u nt es te d m p revi ou sl y h it w ng ti ex p er im en Wor d s: S a m my M a in e.

t’s 2016, which means Slow Club are celebrating their tenth anniversary as a band. Time flies when you’ve given up on love, completely surrendered and cried tears of joy (eh, eh?). In all seriousness though, Slow Club are a fantastic band with fantastic albums to show for it. Their fourth, ‘One Day All Of This Won’t Matter Any More’, was produced by country crooner and all-round great guy Matthew E. White and sees them push in a different direction, all over again. That’s what Slow Club do best; a sort of unintentional reinvention that brings something completely new to the table. “We didn’t know if we were going to do another album,” Charles Watson explains. “We didn’t really know what was going to happen, and we did a little tour, and then on the last night of the tour we said, shall we just make another album?” He says that they didn’t really feel too much pressure with their fourth outing and that essentially, it’s not completely up to them. “If you release a shit record, it’s a shit record,” Charles laughs. “I think there’s a lot of people who expect something from being a musician, that somehow your life is going to change in ways you can’t imagine. But really, they’re just songs, and it’s just a band. A lot of people get really tied up in the mystique of it, and that’s the way it’s set up when you’re a teenager, to view the music world like that. I think really, sometimes when the magic’s been dispelled a little bit, you’re free to do the really exciting

stuff, where you’re not nervous of breaking anything.” The band live apart these days – Charles in London and Rebecca Taylor in Rotherham – which means a lot of the writing happens individually. Charles spends roughly around six hours at the piano a day – “I see it as a craft, like someone making a table” – with a lot of the early production on ‘One Day...’ happening at his own place. “When I make stuff at home, my tendency is to make things slow, and every producer we’ve worked with has decided to speed our songs up,” he continues. “But with Matthew, every song he recorded was slower than the demo. It felt like quite a bold move.” At the beginning, most of the track demos were “more Mercury Rev-y, space-y, shoegaze-y stuff”, but with the help of Matthew and the core musicians of Spacebomb Studio, the album came out like a, err, delicious curry. “You never try and make a curry from some onion and some salt, which is what we’ve got,” Charles explains. “But they have all these amazing beautiful textured sounds, and a wealth of knowledge, and it’s all so unpredictable in the studio – the things we arrive at – and you can’t even dream of making that at home.” Charles also points out that a lot of Spacebomb musicians are “jazz guys”, which also made a huge impression on the album. “When I knew we were going to play with Alan, who’s the guitar player, I started learning to play lap steel because I knew that he was really good and I wanted to talk to him on a level that wasn’t totally ridiculous.”

Charles often finds his song subjects immersed in his short story or open narrative writing. Attending St Martins back in 2014, he began working with writer Joanna Pocock after he suffered a rut in terms of lyric writing. “She recommended doing this thing where you wake up every morning and just write for 30 minutes. You don’t think about what you’re writing, and you don’t read it afterwards, you just write,” he says. “It’s an exercise to get the first words out, and it doesn’t matter what they are. Most of it is dream sequence.” He’s currently writing a “long, short story” with a lot of lyrical output on the record stemming from the story’s subjects. “It’s a bit of a daunting task, because I don’t actually know what I’m doing,” he admits. While novels are a huge inspiration to the writing aspect of Slow Club, there’s also a distinct humour to their outputs, especially in terms of visuals. In the video for lead single ‘Ancient Rolling Sea’, you’ll see a band absolutely poking fun at themselves. “You can take your music seriously, but taking yourself seriously is a totally different thing,” Charles continues. “Piers [Dennis] and I are really good mates, we’ve got a really similar sense of humour. When he directed that video we thought ‘are people gonna get the joke?’ We were really worried that it was just going to look like a shit video rather than a funny one.” The song itself was recorded in just one take. “That was it,” Charles says. “We just started recording straight away, played it once, and thought ‘shit, that sounds pretty good’. There’s only

“If you release a shit record, it’s a shit record.” one recording of that song that exists. I like the idea of being really definite with decisions, and not doing loads of stuff just because you can. It’s so easy to pile loads of instruments on, when really, it’s nice to have it super bare and see where it goes.” With ‘One Day...’, the band have arrived at a point in their career where their successes should be duly noted. “We’re in a position that is so privileged, and not a common thing,” Charles continues. “I know so many incredible musicians – so much better than us – that aren’t able to do the stuff that we do. So in a way, the fact that we do do these amazing things makes you realise how lucky you are. We’re really fucking lucky.” So, after ten years, what’s their secret? “It’s like a marriage, really. You’ve got to both be pulling in the same direction, or it’s going to fall apart.” P Slow Club’s album ‘One Day All Of This Won’t Matter Any More’ is out 19th August.

LIFE

THE NUMBER ONE ALBUM OUT NOW 9/10 Rock Sound ★★★★ Upset 4KKKK Kerrang!

UPDATE

BANG ERS T H E B EST N E W T R AC KS F RO M T H E L AST M O N T H

Honeyblood

AlunaGeorge

Jamie T

Jagwar Ma

Brilliantly direct, ‘Ready For The Magic’ is a writhing, hundred mile an hour stormer that can speak to the mind but aims for something far more primal. From witchcraft to dance-floor dynamics, this is garage punk where the numbers add up to something more, but the sum is irrelevant. Whatever it is, the answer is right. Honeyblood’s debut was a five star record that delivered a counterpart to the ‘how loud can we go’ two piece invasion. That they’re returning bigger, more brash, pushing the big red buttons like the apocalypse is no big shakes, proves their days as a best kept almostsecret are long gone. The bubbles are bursting. That’s a kind of magic.

The best track AlunaGeorge have put out since 2012’s ‘You Know You Like It’. Hands down. ‘Mean What I Mean’ sees George’s tantalising synth pads gradually build the energy before Aluna’s sensual vocal, about playing by her own rules, gets the track off the ground: it’s an instant summer banger. The duo, who are set to release their hotlyanticipated second album in September, also enlist the talents of two rising US hip-hop artists: Dreezy and ski mask-wearing Leikeli47 to add some extra fire and fierceness. It’s a real pop banger that’ll get you amped up for a night out, and then have you moving on the dance-floor.

This may be the dawning of a new phase for Jamie T. Like a bulldog let off the leash, ‘Tinfoil Boy’ crashes into ghostly gaps before diving head first onto cataclysmic breakdowns of dank hiphop beats and reverberating riffs like a demolition team in full flight. “It’s times like this I feel tricked into waking up” is a particular insight into the shadows of the night that Jamie has long basked in, and finally it seems he’s well and truly living within them. Mentioning he’s listened to a lot of RATM in the run up, we can only imagine the depths of intensity awaiting Jamie’s next chapter. This is exactly what his return is all about. Buckle up.

In-between going away and, y’know, coming back again, Jagwar Ma have found their swagger. It’s not that they didn’t have it before - that confidence is what marked them out in the first place, but on ‘O B 1’ they’re a band who know they’re onto something. While it’s a track that’s obviously seen its fair share of bucket hats and beers, the Aussies are far from playing a Manc tribute act. It’s that inner confidence that shines through - a free spirited arrogance that, actually, they’re better than the competition. While their influences may play to the same old faces in massive fields, Jagwar Ma aren’t looking to the past. This is the future.

Ready For The Magic

Mean What I Mean

B a n g e r o f th e M on th

Tinfoil Boy

t took them just half a day to record, but ‘Ghoster’ is unequivocally our banger of the month. Like a genetic splicing of 90s heroes [Shampoo, Republica and Garbage is what we’re going with, if you were wondering - Ed], it’s a 10 out of 10 stormer. We caught up with the gang face to face in Latvia (obviously) to quiz them on it. So, ‘Ghoster’, how did that come about? Theo: Originally we were approached to write a song that was going to be in a specific scene, that’s why it has the lyrical ghost thing. I don’t think it’s actually in the film anymore. We now have a song about ghosts out in the world though, so good. That’s happened.

Wolf Alice Ghoster

With ‘My Love Is Cool’, Wolf Alice proved themselves as a cut above the rest of their class. It wasn’t just the music – as great as it was – but something less tangible and infinitely more rare. More than simply a band, they had the magic too. Magic that drove them within a broken rock star leg of a Number 1 album, saw them explode across the airwaves and start the ascent to the biggest of big leagues. With every step made so perfectly,

where they go next is the hardest of all. That’s where ‘Ghoster’ comes in. While offerings to summer soundtracks of major Hollywood blockbusters shouldn’t be the measuring stick of much at all, at the very least it’s a (not so) calming tonic. Their contribution to a Ghostbusters OST that has some, let’s say, divisive moments isn’t a bending to the will of guided execs, but proof their DNA can’t be broken.

How was writing to spec? Theo: We quite enjoyed the idea of writing to spec. We’ve never done something like that before, so it was interesting. And how did the track come together? Ellie: We didn’t have much time to be honest, we were touring and focusing on writing a new album, but we put our heads down and came up with a few demos here and there and sent them off as shells of ideas to see if any of them were of any interest to anyone. They came back and asked if we could work on this one, we spent maybe half a day in the studio making it. It was pretty fun, like Theo said, we’d never written to spec before and I think we all really enjoyed it. It was a different

OB1

way of writing and it’s fun. Is ‘Ghoster’ a good indication of what we can expect from your second album? Joff: No. I don’t know, we’re not really sure yet. We’ve made a good start on album two but we’re still very much in the formative stage of it so, I wouldn’t want to say ‘yeah, they’re all going to be ghost-related dance rock… things’. Bangers? Think we can call them bangers. Joff: I was going to say bangers but I didn’t want to seem like a dick. It’s different but it still feels like a Wolf Alice song. Do you feel, as a band, you’ve got a voice? Theo: I mean, it’s always got Ellie’s voice. Sometimes Joel’s but not often. I mean anything us four collectively work on is going to have that Wolf Alice DNA so I suppose. It’s not like a departure from anything. Also, it’s a very random detached thing, it’s not too much in our consciousness. Obviously people are already asking about album two, is it difficult to step away from the pressures and expectations? Theo: You’re definitely aware that there’s an amount of pressure on you, we never like to get in the studio and let that dictate what happens. It’s good not to let the pressures inform your writing for anything. P

T his is

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Here come Pixies

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alt-J’s Thom Sonny Green discusses his debut solo album’s creation, his label, Sudden, and writing in solitude. Words: Ben Jolley.

ost people probably wouldn’t recognise the name Thom Sonny Green, but you’ll definitely have heard his music. Drumming for world-conquering art rockers alt-J has been Thom’s full-time career for more than a decade, though he’s always been making his own experimental electronica. Stepping out of the drumming shadows, Thom’s debut album, titled ‘High Anxiety’, clocks in at twenty one tracks long and touches on themes of isolation, loneliness and anxiety. Moody and atmospheric, he reckons his debut solo project, influenced by the abstract soundscapes of Arca and Clams Casino, would sit better in churches and galleries than gig venues and clubs. What made you want to go solo? I’ve been producing music on my own for about four years now and with alt-J taking some time off this year I thought it would be a good opportunity to compile some of what I’d written into an album. It’s not so much about going solo but more that I need to let go of a lot of this stuff so that I can move forward artistically. And how long have you been working on this project? I started producing music on my laptop four years ago whilst on tour with alt-J. I’d been really keen to start making electronic music after becoming more interested in the genre. ‘Cologne’, from my debut album, was the first track I wrote once I got a laptop and Ableton. The project was entirely written and produced by myself. I’ve been lucky enough to write with other artists over the last couple of years but that was mainly for their projects. Where did you record? It was written all over the world. A lot

of the track titles come from the place of which the track was conceived. I can work quite well on tour as it really helps me relax. What themes does the album centre around? The music on this album comes from coping with anxiety and depression. Writing music on my own in solitude gives me a place to go and focus. I think it comes down to having control over something. Being able to manipulate and engage with sounds and to then form a piece of work from that is an amazing thing - maybe the best thing. Can you explain why it’s called ‘High Anxiety’? My friend Nichola who I’ve been working with on the videos for this album sent me an image from the movie ‘High Anxiety’ and I’d never heard of the film before, but I really liked the phrase. I have to deal with anxiety on a daily basis and thought this would be a good title for the work based on where it came from. What do you think alt-J fans will make of it? So far based on the response to the single ‘Vienna’ I’m fairly confident they will like it. No doubt the hardcore alt-J fans will be like “sorry WTF is this??” but I don’t blame them. It’s not alt-J at the end of the day. Which artists were you listening to while working on it? When I started learning how to produce I was heavily into Clams Casino’s instrumentals and also Skrillex’s first EP. The production on both projects was, and still is, something I aspire to. Clams’ ability to make heavy sounding beats with luxurious and emotional soundscapes appealed to me massively. I’m a sucker for melodies. I tried producing some dubstep and found it

really difficult to get the structure right. If the drop wasn’t built, then it just falls flat. Is there an overall message to the album? I think that anything I do artistically is an honest projection of myself. Like a self-portrait. I’d like people to connect to me through it. How do you want people to feel when they listen to these songs? I’d like people to feel good, the way I did when I made it. It’s an uplifting album I feel. You’re releasing ‘High Anxiety’ on your own Sudden imprint. Why do you think it’s a good fit, and what else have you got coming up with the label? Having the opportunity to set up the Sudden label is really exciting for me. It means that any solo music projects I release can all be under that umbrella. I’d like to create a place for my work to live and potentially other peoples’ too. I’m fortunate to know some very talented people and I would love to be able to work with them. I’d like the label to host interesting work - not just one sound. What does the rest of the year look like for you? At the moment I’m working on a couple of projects with friends and I’m soundtracking a short film Nichola is working on. alt-J are looking to get together to begin work on our third LP, which I’m looking forward to. I’ve not played drums since December of last year which is absurd. I generally like to keep busy working on things. I’d like to put together a photography book too but I’m not going to stress out about that yet… P Thom Sonny Green’s album ‘High Anxiety’ is out 19th August.

Pixies have a new album on the way: ‘Head Carrier’ will be released on 30th September, followed by a UK tour in November and December. Visit readdork.com for dates - it includes two shows at London’s Brixton Academy.

M.I.A’s album is no longer m.i.a. After much back and forth, legal threats and everything in-between, M.I.A. has finally confirmed that her upcoming album will be called ‘A.I.M.’, and is due out on 9th September. The follow-up to 2013’s ‘Matangi’ was originally meant to land in July.

Lordy Lorde Lorde’s new album is coming along well, if her Tweeting is anything to go by. “Took a helicopter out into the wilderness,” she revealed. “Spent three days alone writing and made some of the most exciting breakthroughs on this record so far.” It’s set to be the follow up to 2013 debut, ‘Pure Heroine’.

Shape shift with Against Me! Against Me! have announced their new album: ‘Shape Shift With Me’ will be released on 16th September. Their seventh studio record is the follow up to 2014’s ‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues’ and last year’s live album ’23 Live Sex Acts’, and will be followed by a UK tour this December.

UPDATE

NEW ALB U ALE M RT !

T his is

HAPPENING

Christine and the Queens UK tour Christine and the Queens will play a few shows in the UK, with a run that currently visits: Brixton Academy, London (2nd, 3rd December), O2 Apollo, Manchester (4th) and O2 Academy, Glasgow (7th). It’s already been extended once, so there’s a chance there may yet be more dates to come.

Hola Hinds Hinds have announced a new UK tour, including a huge London headline show for later in the year. The Spanish four-piece – who’ve not long released debut album ‘Leave Me Alone’ – will play the Forum on 2nd December, with further dates in the lead up.

Tame Impala tease deluxe ‘Currents’ Tame Impala are teasing a new deluxe version of their most recent album ‘Currents’. A post made on Instagram to celebrate the album’s one year anniversary ends with: “PS. Deluxe + B sides in the works! Stay tuned.”

Merchandise have named their new album what? Merchandise have announced firm details for their new album. Titled ‘A Corpse Wired For Sound’, it’s set for release on 23rd September and marks the band’s first ever sessions in a recording studio – laid down in Rosà, Italy.

S D N E I R F S T I F E H N T I E W B

lb u m s, b u t re e To p 5 a th d ha y d ve a lr ea er 1, th a t’s h it e Li es ha in a t N u m b W ht ve ig ie ra el st b t , ... ’ wen It ’s ha rd to th ei r fo u rt h Lo se M y Li fe la u nc h in to 9 d eb u t ‘To to 0 t 20 ou r b a ei th re tr io a si nc e on th e h fi lls u s in ch ieve d . T he a rr y M cVei g t th ey ’ve a H ha n w a ly tm ct on a Fr ex is O ct ob er. s’ a rr iv in g th w it h ‘Fri en d lo r. d s: S a m Ta y d et a ils . Wor You were briefly without a label while putting ‘Friends’ together, what impact did that have? The lack of a label definitely gave us a lot more time to write the album. As a result we finished the process with a good body of material and eventually had to fight over which songs would make it on the record, which is a good problem to have. We also have loads of extra tracks which I’m sure everyone will hear eventually, including the title track of the album, which didn’t make it!

strange and Charles re-wrote them to what they are now. I remember when Charles spoke to me about the idea for them and showed me this dudes videos and he was a real nut job but it’s really fascinating that you can connect with these people through the power of the internet, in medieval times he would probably have been a hermit. I really hope we can release a version of this song with the original lyrics because they were really interesting. It was the wildest idea that Charles has ever come to me with!

How representative of the release is new track ‘Take It Out On Me’? Do you explore any new territory on the album? There is a good variety on the record, we have a few upbeat and faster tracks like this one and a lot of atmospheric and down tempo moments as well. The main area of exploration on this album was actually trying to write a few songs with a real groove. We played a few shows towards the end of the last campaign where we felt it would have been really nice if we could get people dancing. So we wrote a couple of songs, “Hold Back Your Love” and “Is My Love Enough”, with a sort of dusty disco feel to them, I think they work really well.

Would you say ‘Friends’ is the band’s best album to date? I really don’t know, I hope so! I think you have to get a lot of distance from a record in order to appreciate how well it stands up against other records. I’m definitely looking forward to playing this material live and I think you get a good idea of what songs work well when you start playing them.

You’ve said that the single was inspired by “a lunatic on Instagram who kept commenting on a friend’s photos” - is that the most unusual source of inspiration on the record, or do you have more tales like that? Charles writes lyrics based on all sorts of weird and wonderful experiences, unfortunately the original lyrics for this song ended up being a little too

The changing nature of relationships is one of the record’s themes - what do you think is the hardest part of growing up? The hardest part of growing up is when you face a challenge and realise that you have to conquer it on your own. In that sense I don’t think I’ve ever really grown up because I go through moments like that every day! What did you find most challenging while making ‘Friends’? The new challenge for us was that we were much more in charge of this record than we have been with any of our others. We had to piece together the parts of the album being

engineered and produced by different people in different places. Looking back at this process I can see how far we’ve come as a band. Is there anything else we should know about the album? We played instruments that were used on the first two Roxy Music albums, how cool is that!! Working in Bryan Ferry’s studio you were surrounded by pieces of musical history, it was very exciting! Album release aside, what are you most looking forward to between now and the end of the year? Jack is getting married. It’s going to be a wonderful moment for all of us. P White Lies’ album ‘Friends’ is out 7th Octobe.

Out of Haim

You were expecting the buzziest three piece on the block to return at Reading & Leeds this month, right? With new songs in tow too, hopefully? Sorry guys, it turns out they won’t be making the trip - instead staying Stateside to finish off their second album. Gutted.

Honeyblood’s Essential Scottish Bangers Scottish duo Honeyblood play Scottish festival Electric Fields at the end of this month, so Cat and Stina have compiled a playlist of their essential Scottish bangers. Stina Tweeddale The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - The Hammer Song My dad got me into SAHB when we used to watch re-runs of the Old Grey Whistle Test. I love 70s rock, especially stuff that has a theatrical twist.

Postcards from the frontline When bands bugger off on tour we worry about them. Are they eating okay? Has anyone gone missing? They’re not having too many fizzy drinks, are they? To put our minds to rest, we’re insisting they check in and keep us updated from the road. This month: Black Peaks They write... “Dear Dork, We’re having a lot of fun on this tour. We’ve been to a lot of interesting places in the last few weeks. The people we’ve met have been lovely. However, today

Honeyblood are back, with a brand new album set to drop before the end of the year. Previewing the release with a banger for the ages, ‘Ready For The Magic’ [see page 12 for a quick review - Ed], the duo will release the brilliantly titled ‘Babes Never Die’ in November. “The title is my own mantra,”

Arab Strap - New Birds My best friend made me a mixtape when we were about fifteen and introduced me to Arab Strap. They’ve recently reunited which is very exciting.

N DS O N A B R! TO U

I did stack it in a museum trying to find you a post card and fell into a Viking throne. At this point we’d like to point out we’re not liable for any damage caused in the making of this feature. The Black Peaks party continues tonight so hopefully I won’t fall into one of Stoke’s famous canals.

Martha Ffion - No Applause When Claire put this song online, I must have listened to it a good twenty times and then asked her to support Honeyblood at our next Glasgow show. Be prepared to fall in love. Cocteau Twins - Aloysius A friend at school gave me a copy of Heaven or Las Vegas and I bought ‘Treasure’ from a guy clearing out his LP collection. I love ‘Treasure’ the most because it’s dark in parts whilst still so beautiful. The Waterboys - Fisherman’s Blues I got given Mike

Scott’s Adventures of A Waterboy as a Christmas gift from my Uncle and have just started reading it. He has written some great songs with universally touching lyrics, which really is the end goal.

Cat Myers Idlewild - A Film For The Future Around 15 years ago I moshed so hard at an Idlewild gig that I passed out... twice. They don’t make mosh pits like they used to. Hidden Orchestra - Wandering Two amazing drummers, epic soundscapes and awesome live shows. Belle & Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap This tune brings back great memories from the East Coast American tour we supported them on last year. Mogwai - Remurdered So much love for Mogwai. They’ve been on my Discman / minidisc player / MP3 player and iPhone constantly for well over a decade! Average White Band - Cut The Cake Total classic! Funky as and still fresh.

Big love Willy Gee / Black Peaks Black Peak’s debut album ‘Statues’ is out now.

frontwoman Stina explains. “I think it’s something I tell myself every day. Indifference is a plague. Giving up and turning a blind eye will be the end of us. Never before has that been more true.” Honeyblood are off on tour this September and October, with a show at London’s Scala also scheduled at the start of December.

UPDATE 2015, 2016 op d uo s of p t es tt ho e th e A s on e of th lo ok b a ck on Fo rm a ti on o, to 17 ve 20 a nd likel y en ts th a t ha nc es a nd ev ue fl in of on a m a lg a m a ti th is p oi nt . Wor d s: Ja m le d th em to ie M ui r.

f there’s anybody keeping groove alive in 2016, it’s Formation. Lead by twin brothers Will and Matt Ritson, there’s an undeniable sense of destiny for these South London movers, combining unabashed pop with an unfiltered box of electro treats that makes them one of the most exiting propositions in joyous dance celebrations since LCD Soundsystem first opened for business. Growing up in Wimbledon, the brothers’ first introduction to music was the vast swathes of Northern Soul running through the household, and it’s that soul that lives and breathes in Formation - formed from years of experimentation and trying their hands at every musical style possible. It’s a full beast, and one built upon the power of a youth spent in mass ensembles and true collectives of sound. “At school, the first instrument I had was a recorder, and then we were kind of forced to sing in our local church…” explains Matt. “Not ‘kind of’,” interjects Will. “We were forced! But Northern Soul and classical music were both huge influences, so for us it was constant rehearsals with the choir and the orchestra we joined.” If there’s a perfect combination of those worlds, it could be in the form of Queen. The outlandish, open and expansive signs of the time clearly left their mark on the brothers - and it seemed to be the first moment where those classical worlds they had been exploring finally entered rock’n’roll. “Before we properly got into music the only band I can remember passionately being into was Queen,” recalls Matt. “It was the ultimate bridge between the mad operatic choral music we were getting into with the choir, and the soulful pop music we’d been hearing in our record collection at home.” Specifically, Freddie Mercury was an icon that Will says left a lasting impact on him, and something that has given a key direction in Formation’s music so far, an infectious soundscape that beneath the surface is a damning kick on control and

power in the modern age. “That power, when you see him as a kid and you have no reference in terms of sex or gender or anything like that being important or sold to you, Freddie Mercury is such a figure of power, way more powerful than anyone you could see as a kid - he was like a superhero, a Transformer or something - and I think that still resonates with kids,” he continues. “That definitely still resonates with us, having a fucking soul that expounds power.”

know, you need a Plan B - because you think you’re going to be a rock star’. I still don’t want to be a rock star. I think it’s bullshit. Like what is that? I just wanted to play music.” Their call to arms and statement of intent so far is ‘Pleasure’, the concise discoinfused punk attack that sounds like a gritty London nightclub at closing time, a sea of bodies and late night revelry bursting with exotic vibes and cowbell cocktails. If there ever was an example of rock’n’roll in the digital age, then this is it. P

Power is definitely the word that hits you in the face from the get go with Formation. Their 2014 white label release was a delectable introduction of DFA-inspired beats and expansive cuts, which Matt notes was funded by their manager and saw them walking around Soho dropping it into record stores. Born out of an improvised music project first started by Will, the brothers came together as Formation after their posteducation years saw them head down different paths after both were booted out of school. “When we got kicked out, I remember the teacher saying ‘You

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“I still don’t want to be a rock star. I think it’s bullshit.”

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18th - 21st August There are worse places to hold a festival than in the Brecon Beacons. The setting is only one of the reasons why Green Man is one of the must attend festivals this summer, though. The line-up is pretty great too. With James Blake, Laura Marling and Belle & Sebastian headlining, we asked Dork faves Gengahr to pick out some of their favourites from the bill.

Gengahr Sunday, Mountain Stage

Gengahr’s Green Man picks... Battles

Conan Mockasin

Formation

Saturday, Far Out

Friday, Mountain Stage

Saturday, Far Out

Floating Points

Friday, Far Out

“Saw Battles at Primavera this year and it was possibly the highlight of the festival (after Radiohead...). One of the best live bands around, a must see.” 18

“Saw Conan Mockasin a while back and have been huge fans ever since. Brilliantly odd psych pop. Always puts on a good show.”

“Friends of ours! Incredible live production, awesome rhythms and just great dudes!”

“Super impressive musicianship and awesome electronic soundscapes collide, really looking forward to seeing this.”

On tour Some dates for your diary. Blossoms Gorilla, Manchester 7th August

Beach Ready Beach Slang drop their second album this September. Before that, they’re here to tour. Beach Slang return with new album ‘Loud Bash Of Teenage Feelings’ this autumn. Due on 23rd September through Big Scary Monsters, it’s preceded by a bunch of tour dates in the UK and Europe. “We’ve a UK/EU tour in August,” say the band, looking ahead to the rest of their year, “our second album comes out on 23rd September, a US tour in September/October and then back to the UK/EU in November. “I suppose we do what a rock’n’roll band should do - make records, play

shows and find trouble. The good kind, you know?” Their UK tour leg will kick off on 22nd August in Milton Keynes, taking them through Birmingham, Hull and Huddersfield, before culminating with sets at Reading & Leeds. AUGUST 22 Milton Keynes, The Craufurd Arms 23 Birmingham, The Sunflower Lounge 24 Hull, Adelphi 25 Huddersfield, The Parish 26 Leeds Festival 28 Reading Festival

Death Spells What are you excited about for August, Frank Iero from Death Spells (and, y’know, other stuff)? Touring with Death Spells. It’s amazing. It’s my girl’s birthday, and then a few days later we leave for tour. I’m psyched, it’s going to be fucking great. We haven’t been able to bring this project over to the UK before so it’s a dream come true.

And what can people expect from a Death Spells show? Oh man, I hate that question. I’m sorry. I think they can expect to see something they haven’t seen before. You better come.

UK tour 9th - 12th August

Sulk UK tour 11th - 13th August

Everything Everything Deaf Institute, Manchester 12th August

Motion City Soundtrack UK tour 17th - 19th August

Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival 19th - 21st August

V Festival Festival 20th - 21st August

Citizen UK tour 22nd - 25th August

goin “ I t ’s

n ’ d ow

.”

Lower Than Atlantis + Milk Teeth O2 Academy 2, Oxford 24th August

Electric Fields Festival 26th - 27th August

Reading & Leeds Festival 26th - 28th August

Biffy Clyro, Fall Out Boy + Wolf Alice

Kings of the SWMRS In ‘Drive North’, SWMRS already dropped one of the most fun albums of the year. Now they’re coming to put it into practice. SWMRS are planning to make the most of the gap between Reading & Leeds and Bestival, with a UK tour running from 29th August through to 8th September.

mostly just praising Satan, the lord and saviour of rock’n’roll!”

“Pig blood, pentagrams, and sacrificial practices involving goats and their hearts,” says bassist Seb Mueller when Dork asks about the band’s plans. “But

The tour includes the band’s largest UK headline show to date at The Garage in London, and is in support of their excellent debut album ‘Drive North’.

Thanks, Seb.

AUGUST 29 The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham 30 Glasgow, Broadcast 31 Edinburgh, Electric Circus SEPTEMBER 01 Manchester, Deaf Institute 02 Liverpool, Studio 2 03 Norwich, Owl Sanctuary 05 Nottingham, Bodega 06 Southampton, The Joiners 07 Bristol, Thekla 08 London, Garage

Bellahouston Park, Glasgow 27th August

Two Three Four Festival Festival 27th - 28th August

LANY UK tour 30th August - 2nd September

Festival No. 6 Festival 1st September - 4th September

End of the Road Festival 2nd - 4th September

HYPE ESSE NTI AL NEW BANDS

He’s already been part of one wildly successful British band, but now Ed Nash is stepping out on his own.

Words: Ben Jolley.

oothless is the dream-folk solo project of Ed Nash, bassist of Bombay Bicycle Club. Delicate debut single ‘Terra’ was produced by bandmate and BBC frontman Jack Steadman and mixed by Chris Coady (Beach House, TV On The Radio) after the indie-favourites announced their hiatus in January to pursue different solo projects. Now he’s got an album all but ready, Ed is treating Toothless as his full-time career, as if Bombay never existed… Since joining Bombay Bicycle Club at 15, Ed has performed all over the world as the group’s bassist. During that ten-year plus period, his solo ideas remained in the background, but now they’re coming to the forefront of his creativity. “I’ve always made music myself; either playing instruments on songs, producing or being in different bands,” he says, from his garden studio in Hornsey. But it was when BBC announced their hiatus that Ed decided to start letting his creations breathe.

Toothless 20

“When we finished ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’, I had all of this music that I’d been making just sitting, waiting,” he recalls. He originally thought of putting out just an EP, but after some time off, he recalls thinking, “I really need to do this full-time because I love doing it. Now is my opportunity. I had all the songs, I’d been getting ready for this for the last five or six years - writing songs and learning about the music business.” The first time anyone heard Toothless’ blend of dream-folk was when Zane Lowe premiered debut single ‘Terra’ on his Beats 1 show, and since putting some tracks out, Ed says he’s been thrilled by peoples’ compliments. “A lot of people have said they find my voice quite soft and breathy, which I’m flattered by.” In terms of the live shows

. C h e c k o u t .. Francis & The Lights

The Tuts

Lauren Aquilina

On the grapevine The Japanese House plots new UK tour

Talk about ‘Friends’ in high places. Francis & The Lights has a feeling of inevitable superstar status. Appearances on Chance The Rapper’s latest mixtape and the Bon Iver/Kanye Westfeaturing single ‘Friends’ make this electro genius one you’ll be seeing on the biggest records of the next twelve months.

Hyperactive, brightly coloured and smirking somewhere between The Libertines and The Spice Girls, The Tuts have been perfecting their craft for the past few years. Now with a debut album about to drop, all bubblegum sweet and razor sharp, the trio are out to ‘Update Your Brain’.

Following a trio of EPs that tell stories of love and heartbreak, Lauren Aquilina took some time to work out what sort of album she wanted to make. If the twitching power of ‘Kicks’ is anything to go by, it looks like she decided to make ‘Isn’t It Strange?’ a great one.

The Japanese House has announced her biggest headline tour to date. The run – which includes a hometown show at London’s Heaven – will kick off on 27th October in Bristol. The dates follow on from her two EPs ‘Pools To Bathe In’ and ‘Clean’, with new music also promised to be on the way.

Dua Lipa confirms huge London show

his new band has played so far, those watching have been “incredibly generous and kind,” he says. “It’s starting from the beginning again, but the audiences have been incredibly receptive.” So receptive, in fact, that they sold out their first ever show, at London’s Moth Club. “It was one of the most fun shows I’ve ever played. It felt like how people must feel on the opening night of their play or their art show, because it’s showing the world – and a lot of family and friends - what I’ve been working on for the last few years. Until then no-one had really heard anything. I felt like I was exposing myself,” he laughs heartily. “I’m finding it incredibly rewarding – to see people respond to it, even if it was just one person, it’s genuinely lovely.” Whilst performing live is going well for Ed and his new band, that doesn’t mean he’s not nervous. “I don’t think you can separate being nervous and excited. It’s a huge step because now it’s all on me. All the songs are my ideas and it’s my face standing up there. It’s a weird place to be,” he confirms. “It’s something I’ve taken a long time doing and I’m very proud of what I’ve done – I want people to hear it. You’ve just got to take the gamble of people maybe not liking it in the long run. That’s why you do it.” Ed’s debut album has gradually pieced itself

together from his garden studio. “It’s properly soundproofed,” he says excitedly. “So you can play drums all night long. That’s where I make music and get everything ready. I don’t really leave the house – or Hornsey – very often anymore.” As for the inspiration behind the record, which he says is “pretty much ready”, there’s a wide-ranging spectrum of influences. Citing Kurt Vile and Sufjan Stevens as artists he’s listened to while making the record, Ed says: “Some of my songs sit in that world of being melodic and concept-driven with a lot of finger-pick guitar.” There are also some electronic influences; he declares that “a lot of Animal Collective went into the songs: crazy, looping synths over and over to build up and reduce momentum in songs. I think other people have picked up on that as well.” Discussing the theme of the as-yet-untitled record, Ed refers to the passing of time. “I realise that’s very clichéd and very ambiguous too, but all the songs in some way touch on time, just observing it as it goes by – not necessarily in a negative way. A lot of the songs are very positive, but they’re all tied together by that idea.” He’s worked on it with most of his Bombay crew, getting Jack Steadman – who has a studio right around the corner – to work on coproduction and Suren de Saram to drum on a couple

of tracks. “It sounds a lot like a Bombay album,” he laughs.

“No-one really expects

Marika Hackman is also featured on the dreamy ‘Palm’s Back’. “She’s such a nice person. I love her work, I love her voice and I thought she’d be a great counterpart. It was really nice of her to say yes because noone knew me at that point, no-one had a clue what was going on with the project but she signed up to it and had faith.” Further down the line, Ed says there are some more collaborations in store, but wants to keep those guest spots secret for now.

the bass

A pop superstar in waiting, Dua Lipa has announced her biggest headline show to date with a stop at London’s KOKO confirmed for 10th October. It follows dates in Dublin (5th), Manchester (7th) and Birmingham (9th).

player to do

something.”

“I’m also trying to get a couple of people to finish off the album and do some singing, but I won’t say who they are in case they deny me and then I’ll look like an idiot,” he jokes. But what about the name, Toothless? “It came from an artist called Raymond Pettibon. He did all the Black Flag artwork and was a comic book artist from the 80s onwards. There’s a drawing by him that I saw years ago and it’s a picture of a tiger biting a boy’s head – it’s not a very nice picture,” he admits, laughing. “The caption reads ‘Even toothless she can still bite off a boy’s

Cabbage gross out with new ‘Dinner

head’. I thought about the painting for a long, long time and it stuck with me… “I like the idea of people underestimating something; this lion because it was toothless. Then when I started to put this project together I thought Toothless would be a good name because no-one really expects the bass player to do something – or one of the other members in a band that isn’t the frontman or guitarist. I thought it would be quite unexpected for me to come out and do it. “Aside from that I thought it was a really cool name and no-one else has used it. Just as a word it looks good. It’s fucking better than Bombay Bicycle Club,” he chuckles. “It was such a passing thing when we were kids – we were literally 15 – you don’t think it will affect the rest of your life. We had to explain it for ten years, so I thought I might as well get a good name this time.”P

Lady’ video Cabbage have released a video for their terrifying new single ‘Dinner Lady’. It features singer Lee Broadbent… well, we’ll let you watch it on readdork.com, because trying to describe it just brings more nightmares. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Nick McCarthy announces new project Following his departure from Franz Ferdinand, Nick McCarthy has moved quickly to announce new project Manuela. Teaming up with his wife Manuela Gernedel, it’s stripped-back indie in all its glory.

HYPE

Meet the UK rock underground’s latest heroes in waiting. Words: Ali Shutler.

lack Foxxes album is probably one of the strongest debut albums for bloody ages. Crafted with care and written in a scout hut, it’s recklessly noisy, brilliantly heartfelt and utterly triumphant. There’s an arching vision to the record which, as vocalist/guitarist Mark Holley admits is ”pretty selfexplanatory with a name like ‘I’m Not Well’. We wanted to go down that route. We didn’t want to make it too intense though. There are still some lighter moments on the record but it has an obvious theme. I think that’s why people are connecting to it, the honesty.” Formed in 2013 the band, Ant Thornton, Tris Jane and Mark, released their ‘Pines’ EP the following year and have been on the road ever since. They’re a band on the rise. Last year they opened The Pit Stage at Reading & Leeds. This year, they open the NME/ Radio 1 Tent. After you hear this album, you wouldn’t bet against a main stage slot in the coming years either. It’s a growth that can be seen across the board. “We’re just a little bit older, a little bit wiser, we’ve been around the block a few times. We know what we want,” admits Ant. Lyrically, ‘I’m Not Well’ is drenched in pain and anxiety but backed by horizon-stretching scope and an intense sonic desire to move up and over, the record doesn’t dwell. Instead it confronts the issues head on and rises above. “I think that all comes from playing live, we just

want to be loud.” “You can’t really put your finger on it but it’s like when you play a show, you just let out that emotion. I couldn’t tell you what I’m doing but that’s just how I feel I need to express myself. And I feel like the guys are the same way with the way they write their own parts,” ventures Mark. “It’s all an expression of their own creativity, coming out in their own individual instruments. It just so happens we’re all really connected in the way we do that.” With ‘I’m Not Well’, Black Foxxes are sat on something great, on the cusp of even more. But it’s not been an easy ride. “It’s been up and down,” admits Ant. “Obviously the stuff we’re doing is amazing but there are also times you don’t get the things you want to do and you’re not sure why you’re doing this.” The band have been sat on their album while others have released theirs and reaped the benefits. It’s frustrating to be sat on the sidelines, ready to go but “I feel like we’re doing it the right way,” offers Mark. “We’ve got stuff like Riot Fest in Chicago lined up so we’re obviously doing something right.” There’s an air of self-confidence to Black Foxxes. They know what they’re doing and they’re doing it well but people latching on to their music still blows their minds. “I knew that the music would speak for itself but I ask myself ‘how do people know us?’ Sure, we’ve had a bit of radio play but still, how they you know us?” Face to face, “it becomes a lot more real but it’s so cool. I get massive anxiety before shows but as soon as I step on stage and there are that many people, I’m completely calm. It’s a beautiful thing and hopefully it only gets bigger for us.” P

The Parrots If you’re from the UK you must know the Queen, and if you’re from Spain, well, you probably know Hinds. Meet their buds The Parrots. Words: Martyn Young.

ife is pretty sweet right now for Madrid punks The Parrots and their super chilled frontman Diego García as he lounges in the same bedroom in which he created The Parrots’ rousing garage punk, thrill-a-minute debut album, ‘Los Niños Sin Miedo’. The Parrots’ charm is simple yet wonderfully addictive, marrying raucous free wheeling rock’n’roll jams to a subtly tender heartfelt underbelly. “We’re all about raw energy,” says Diego. “We tried to be raw and sincere. We’re very open about ourselves.” While The Parrots’ rise has been swift, following fellow Spanish upstarts Hinds, the band have, in fact, been writing for years with Diego stockpiling hundreds of tracks. “Most of the songs I write here in my room,” explains Diego. “It’s just me recording for hours in my room.”

Black Foxxes 22

“It’s way easier,” he continues. “I used to have lots of free time because I had no job at all. I would stay in my room 24 hours with my microphones and guitars and try to make as many things as possible. We have four albums ready to be released but never made it to the final cut.” He laughs as he ponders a future Parrots box set of unreleased gold in 20 years time. “Like the Wu-Tang box and sell it for £1 million,” he laughs. Wu-Tang and, in fact, hip hop in general is a big influence for The Parrots.

Despite their garage rock jams, a lot of Diego’s influence comes from the challenging social and musical ideals of contemporary rappers. “Recent hip hop is more interesting than most ,” he says. “The guys making hip hop now want to do it all the way. Most indie bands are comfortable people and they don’t say anything to me.” The fun-time thrills of their debut hide a darker side from The Parrots that emerges on more post punk-influenced cuts. The album was born from troubled times. “The theme is learning to deal with leaving stuff behind,” reveals Diego. “We went through some difficult personal years. I had to learn how to deal with people leaving and me leaving people. Sometimes it’s difficult and you have to live the best way you can. This is about dealing with the difficult stuff.” Despite blowing up in different countries across the world, The Parrots still closely value the link to their home city, with many songs sung in Spanish. The burgeoning rock’n’roll scene in Madrid is something they are particularly proud to be a part of. “Madrid is getting better. We feel partly responsible for that,” begins Diego. “There were a lot of clubs that played crappy house music. Bad Latin house music. There are more bands coming out now in Madrid with a rock’n’roll inspiration. It feels good because we’re home. It’s where we live and it’s good to support projects from people who you really like who you’ve known for ages. It’s a fun place to be.” Right now though, the future for The Parrots expands far beyond the chilled out rock vibes rippling through Madrid. As always though, they like to keep things simple and focus on what excites them: “We want to travel as much as we can, and get drunk for free as much as we can. We just want to meet new people.” P

On the grapevine

“We have the chance to define what 2016

Nimmo to hit the road

sounds like.”

Electro-dance soundscapers Nimmo have announced their biggest UK tour to date. Taking their euphoric nightclub vibes to the nation, the duo will visit Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, Glasgow and Leeds before finishing up at XOYO in London this October.

Beach Baby reveal debut album Beach Baby have announced their debut studio album ‘No Mind No Money’, set for release on 2nd September. The band will celebrate the release with a massive headline show at London’s Scala on 9th September.

LANY A trio of old school pals who are destined to be one of this summer’s breakthrough acts: LANY know where it’s at. Words: Jamie Muir.

“I

feel like our society and culture, people right now are so obsessed with calling anything cool 80s or 90s, like you can almost replace the word cool!” For Paul Klein, LANY is the perfect antidote to the nostalgia-driven world we currently live in. And we just so happen to agree. “Friday, wine and the internet” pretty much sums up the way we close out each and every week, so a band that can croon about this over sultry synth grooves is always going to be one we want to get to know. Welcome into frame LANY, the hook-packed LA trio whose ability to make pop suave again has seen them become the next heirs to that throne of future anthem kings. But don’t think this is any old new pop wave, LANY’s story is one that almost never came together. Frontman Paul Klein had met fellow members Jake Goss and Les Priest years earlier when the three of them stumbled into each other in Nashville

around Belmont University. “We just became friends y’know? We never talked about doing music together, we never tried and was never really a thing we talked about,” explains Paul, enjoying a rare day off back in Santa Monica after an extensive run of dates around the world. “I moved to LA and through a series of events I was so close to just giving up completely on music - it just seemed it wasn’t really working out, and in a last ditch effort I called Jake.” While Paul had headed into the LA wilderness, Jake and Les had been working on tracks together, not knowing they were pulling together the foundational parts of the LANY puzzle. As Paul flew back into town, it clicked and things quickly headed in a far more promising direction. “In those first four days we worked on music together as a trio, we wrote our first two songs called ‘Hot Lights’ and ‘Walk Away’ and we put them up on the internet. We had zero followers and everything and within six days we got our first email from a record label, and it’s been growing non-stop ever since.” Still oblivious to what exactly they’d created, Paul flew back to LA - before demand continued to knock on their door and once again, the trio found themselves working on songs in Nashville. Producing tracks such as ‘BRB’, ‘Made In Hollywood’ and ‘ILYSB’

with the latter in particular getting mouse-pads clicking, that body of work finally sealed the deal on LANY. “After that moment where ‘ILYSB’ took off, which was pretty unexpected, we all looked at each other and said ‘Wait, we’re actually a band - this is real’, so Jake and Les moved into my tiny one bed apartment in LA and just worked and worked from there,” reflects Paul. It’s hard to imagine such pristine and effortless pop to emerge from such cramped living conditions, but working off of an old Dell computer and a lot of passion, LANY formulated two stunning EPs that have grabbed the attention of many more admirers. The smooth vocals and chilling synths that accompanied tracks on both ‘I Loved You’ and ‘Make Out’ found themselves a rabid audience, and lead to them recently taking that arena-ready sound to those very stages supporting Ellie Goulding on her massive UK tour. “I think our favourite part of it all, was just how our songs sounded in such enormous rooms - like we really saw their full potential there,” notes Paul. “Realistically, we were playing almost two hours before Ellie was so those rooms were not full of people looking to discover a new band - it was a challenge, but it taught me how to be a frontman in all situations. Most bands will never get to play two nights at the O2 so getting to do that is an incredible honour.” P

Yassassin run around London in new video Yassassin – the new band from former members of LUST and The History of Apple Pie – have released a new video: watch ‘Social Politics’ on readdork.com. The song’s about “standing up to the bullies, both in personal life and in today’s society,” the group explain.

Baby Strange’s debut record is due soon Baby Strange have announced their debut album: the Glasgow three-piece will release ’Want It Need It’ on 2nd September. “It’s a loud, energetic record,” says the band’s Johnny Madden. “We are very proud of what we’ve created and we can’t wait for people to hear it.”

Wor d s: Je ss ic a G oo d m a n. P ho to s: P hi l S m it hi es .

L A M I AN MAG IC W it h th e wor ld a s th ei r p la yg ro u nd , G la ss A n im a ls ha ve ta ke n th e b u ild in g b lo ck s of lif e it se lf a nd fo rg ed a re co rd th a t op en s u p th e ve ry he a rt of h u m a n na tu re . 25

at in frontman Dave Bayley’s mum’s kitchen the afternoon before they embark once again to foreign shores, every thought is geared towards the future. “We’re going to France, then straight to Australia, then straight to America,” he states. “And then back, and then back to America, and then here, and then Europe, and then back to Australia – I think,” drummer Joe Seaward adds, tentatively. “Tomorrow is like the apocalypse,” Dave concludes. Indeed there’s every sense that, sat in the “epicentre of Glass Animals”, this is the eye of the storm. The shed where the group first played together sits, slightly damaged, at the bottom of the garden. The living room where the band chose their name is behind a closed door a few metres away. But none of this really matters right now. With their second album about to see release and a seemingly endless string of tour dates about to start, the group – completed by Drew MacFarlane and Edmund Irwin-Singer – are on the verge of something truly spectacular. “It’s a good apocalypse,” Dave affirms, supported by his band mate’s likening of the situation to “an apocalypse full of unicorns.” “It’s the a-pop-calypse. THE A-ROCK-ALYPSE!” the frontman exclaims, laughing. Shooting down the idea of naming one of their tours as such as quickly as the notion arises, the group contemplate how they “might sell the name of that tour to Slayer.” The band are no strangers to madcap ideas. Debut album ‘Zaba’ is a tropical venture through abstract lyrics and “peanut butter vibes” that captured the imagination of hearts and minds across the globe – though it’s been a gradual rise. Birthed from all the strange and sensational experiences the group have encountered since then, their new record ‘How To Be A Human Being’ showcases the band at their boldest yet. With a history stretching back a number of years, they had a lot to draw from. Friends since high school, the fourpiece began to make music together in their early twenties. “It’s Dave’s fault,” Joe accuses. “Yeah, I forced everyone,” the frontman admits with a smirk. Initially born out of Dave’s habit of early morning creativity after his late night DJ sets, the group’s addictively out there sound didn’t take long to garner the attention of producer extraordinaire Paul Epworth. “Dave was so nervous that he fell

over on the stage,” Joe fondly recalls of their first performance. “It was awesome!” “Our first show ever, and that was the first thing I did,” Dave cringes, “tripped on a cable and SMACK!” Thankfully, what followed was plainer sailing. The first band to sign to Epworth’s label Wolf Tone, Glass Animals released their debut album in 2014. Vibrant though ‘Zaba’ is, the record gained little momentum upon release. “We sold about five copies in the first week, but we thought it was cool,” Dave shrugs. “I think our biggest sales week ended up being a couple of months ago for that record.” Reaching new heights two years after it hit shelves, it’s a slow burner, but for those who encountered it ‘Zaba’ is a record with no shortage of spark. The adoration that surrounds the group is impossible to miss, even at home. Part way though this interview Dave’s mum arrives back to the house. “I love them!” she exclaims, throwing her arms around the band, “and I’m their greatest fan!” Such statements aren’t uncommon to hear around the Oxford outfit. Adoring though their supporters are, it’s taken the four musicians a lot of hard work to reach the point we find them at now. “We kind of got completely ignored by all of the press,” Joe remarks, thinking back to the release of their first record. “So after that it was either sink or swim. We were either going to do something or just disappear off the face of the earth.” Not ones to vanish completely, the band instead disappeared abroad, where they nurtured a strong following over a series of increasingly large tours. “For some reason, we managed to skate around underneath the radar, and grow this thing in quite a natural way,” Joe explains. “It’s a really cool way round because I think it’s meant that people feel some sort of ownership of [the first album].” Amassing something of an underground following, the group’s status has steadily been on the rise ever since. “Seeing this thing grow has been a really satisfying way of doing it. It’s meant that we can make a record now that we wanted to make without anyone telling us what to do.” Cue ‘How To Be A Human Being’, an album that explores the very nature of human life in all of its twisted beauty, sadness, and wonder. More direct as it delves into darker topics, the record is a stark contrast to the first album the band released. “We were living alone in our isolated world making music in a shed,” Dave remembers of their debut, “then we were put in this tour bus and shipped off and made to be real people in the real world.” “It’s a result of being out and about in the world, and experiencing

“SOME OF THE STORIES ARE MA D, A B S O L U T E LY MAD!” things and people and excitement,” Joe expands of their new release. “I think we’ve probably changed a bit as people. Or I hope we have. That probably is reflected in the music.” Bolder, braver, and richer, the album is worlds apart from the music the band was making two years ago. Travelling from country to country as they forged their strengths and their sound under the stage lights, the band’s exploration led directly to this second record, charting their journey “from being little glass animals into actually becoming real people.” The songs themselves are inspired by the real people the group encountered along the way. “We were waking up in different cities every day, meeting so many people,” Dave recalls. “I started recording them on my phone and making these little stories. I thought it might be interesting to write my own versions of those.” Tumbling through a rabbit hole of possibilities as he imagined behind the curtains of strangers lives, the resulting songs are each a world of their own creation. “People say really striking things to you, amazing things,” Dave marvels

of their time on the road. “Some of the stories are mad, absolutely MAD.” From heart-breaking tales of loss, death, violence, confusion, to people trying (and failing) to give themselves a blow job every morning, the frontman took this “weird array of stuff” and began to weave a web of addictive melodies and enthralling narratives. Drawn from real lives, the songs paint a picture of existence in all its messed up, muddled up, topsy-turvy glory. “The way that people tell you all of those things is so funny,” Dave describes. “Listening back to all of it, people tell you things with this frankness. They’ll tell you a very sad story, and be kind of smiling. Not because they think it’s funny, but because it’s conversational.” Pushing the dual elements of emotion and elation into his writing, the resulting songs are upbeat with an undercurrent of very real anguish. Multi-faceted, contradictory, outrageous in places and contagious in others, each track is a glimpse through a usually closed window of existence. It can be dark, it can be dismal, it

“IT’S

THE

” E S P Y L A A-POP-C 27

can even be euphoric, but whatever the emotion, Glass Animals convey it with an unshakable candour and sincerity. “There are all of these people living very strange lives, amazing lives, weird lives,” Dave explains of the concept. “Their stories are in the songs, along with the things that hold them all together.” “What I tried to take away from the original stories is the way that people told stories. I’d try to write them in that style,” he continues. “Then I took that even further and I started writing about what they ate, what they wore, where they lived, what their house looked like, what their favourite thing was, their fetishes, everything.” Compiling a series of documents from which these lives bled through, as the band returned from touring abroad the frontman got a taxi straight to the studio to immediately begin bringing these characters to life. “He crafted these little beasts and brought them to us,” Joe recalls of the earliest demos for the record. “We sat down together and threw as many ideas as we could around.” “It was definitely the most productive week I think I’ll ever have,” Dave chuckles. Building from brainwave after brainwave, it took only a matter of weeks before the group had their second album written and ready to record. “It was this thing that just kind of snowballed,” Joe describes. “It felt very natural. It happened in a very satisfying way.”

Bringing their vision into cohesion, and giving it life, ‘How To Be A Human Being’ was born out of a strikingly different process to the album the group recorded only two years earlier. “I think the main thing that was different is us, in a weird way,” Dave ponders. “We were quite self-conscious making that first record. We over-analysed everything. I was worried what my friends would think of it, and what my mum would think of it. The lyrics are really cryptic. The music is a bit safe in parts. It’s shy.” Having spent two years performing miles from home, the group had shaken off their musical inhibitions, and their reaffirmed confidence became a defining aspect of the new sound they went about creating. “If we had crazy ideas we weren’t afraid to put them down,” Dave portrays. “There are some crazy, very angular structural chord changes going on. The lyrics are definitely a bit gnarlier. The whole thing’s more raw.” Less afraid of making mistakes, ‘How To Be A Human Being’

incorporates a lot of first takes and cuts from the initial laptop-recorded demos, showcasing a more fervent and more organic side to the band. “You can get the nicest guitar and amp and studio and microphones in the world and not be able to capture the same thing,” Joe explains of their more instinctive approach to recording. “It may be that you can play it better, and the sounds could be better, but you just lose some of the instantaneousness. Sometimes the mistakes are the things.” No longer striving for a perfect ideal, the band instead drove towards “something that offers more feeling.” Making a record so focused on human character, feeling is an integral aspect of the record. To bring that to life, the group began to extend the concept of character beyond the album itself. “What we actually ended up doing was running a casting based on my documents,” Dave reveals. “We cast all these actors.” Portrayed in the album artwork and the record’s accompanying music videos, this cast of eleven allowed the band to recreate the worlds within their songs in

their own reality, quite literally. “Actors are pretty good,” Dave embellishes. “They read these documents, and they show who they think the person is in their face. You can really start to do interesting things when you have it scripted like that, and you’re using actors instead of models. It becomes a bit deeper.” Creating varying artworks to be used across the varying formats, each version of the record gives a greater insight is given into the lives of the songs. “In different album covers you can see some of the different aspects of each character,” the frontman illustrates. “Inside the album there’s even more. We built a room for each of the characters: a living room, or a bedroom, or where they worked, so that’s an even further look into their lives.” An ever-broadening concept, it’s increasingly difficult to tell where the line between each product or tale ends or begins. “It’s one of those things that you can kind of look into it as much as you want to,” Joe clarifies. “If you just want to see a nice picture or listen to a simple song, then that exists, but there’s

“IF

WE HAD CRAZY IDEAS WE WE RE N’T

AFRAID TO PUT THEM DOWN.” 28

‘LIFE ITSELF’ IS LISTENERS’ FIRST FORAY INTO THE WORLD OF ‘HOW TO BE A HUMAN BEING’. THE REAL LIFE INSPIRATION FOR THE TRACK IS CHUCK ROGERS, A STORYTELLER AND INVENTOR OF THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL. HOW WEIRD AND WONDERFUL, YOU ASK? HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF HIS BRIGHTEST IDEAS... Tired of bending over to clean dirt off the floor? Look no further than TOE SWEEPS. Keep your house tidy and and your back straight with this nifty alternative to a dustpan and brush. the opportunity to invest in everything, which is really cool. If someone wants to know more, there’ll be wormholes you can disappear down. It’s been really exciting to create.” With a bolder sound and a bigger concept comes even bigger stages: the group are gearing up to play their biggest UK show to date at The Roundhouse this October as part of their upcoming UK tour. “That’s why we’ve chosen The Roundhouse, you can fit our new stage design in there,” Dave laughs. Having played shows in America on stages decked out with twenty foot palm trees and giant lamps, the group couldn’t be more excited to be bringing that sense of theatricality back to the UK. “We’ve done some big places in America, but it feels much bigger doing it at home,” Dave enthuses. “It’s what we know, it’s what we’ve grown up with,” Joe continues. “Our friends understand it. And finally we’ll be there.” “It’s definitely more meaningful to us,” Dave agrees. “It’s more personal.” Venues like this one are a far cry from where the band started out. “I remember going up to our show in Liverpool and we’d sold about three tickets,” Dave admits. “They told us they hadn’t made

enough to buy any water for our rider,” Joe divulges. The days of sharing one beer between the four of them have long passed. Since then, the band have sold out every one of their headline tours. “Maybe we’re just booking really, really small venues all the time,” Joe muses with a grin. “It just makes us feel really good about ourselves. It’s a consistent confidence boost. Ten tickets. Sold out. We’ve done it.” The days of worrying about ticket sales are also far behind them. “Selling out a venue’s cool because it means it’s full, and that normally means that’s the atmosphere’s kind of electric,” Joe describes. “But if we sell less tickets and everyone’s excited to be there and we’re in a beautiful place and having a good time… The performance and the atmosphere and the relationship between whoever is in the crowd and the band is much more important.” Not that they need worry – the excitement that surrounds the band right now is so rich it’s practically corporeal. With their new album ready to drop, and a lot of tour dates imminent, Glass Animals’ future is shining brighter than ever. As for what else could lie down the road? “Blueberry muffins,” Joe hankers.

“I can tell Joe’s hungry,” Dave laughs. “We’ve got a lot of ideas, crazy ideas,” he continues more seriously. “We’ve got huge ideas for the stage, so it’d be good to expand that. There’s a lot of artwork and stuff in the pipeline that I’ve been slaving away on. And then there’s more music…” he hints. “We’re always doing collaborations. We’ll do a couple more. Things are always happening.” Unwilling to reveal any more just yet, for now the group are keeping their tricks hidden firmly up their sleeves. “We’re keeping ourselves busy. There’s always a lot cooking.” Evidently not ones to slow down, Glass Animals are sat at the start of a brand new chapter of their lives – and it’s sure to be spectacular. “We are really proud of [the new album],” Joe gushes. “Ultimately, we’re the people that have to live with this thing. It has our name on it. We have to play it every day and talk to people about it and be excited about it. If other people get it and like it too, then that’s really fucking cool,” he concludes. “And quite strange. It still slightly blows my mind.” P Glass Animals’ album ‘How To Be A Human Being’ is out 26th August.

Left the house in a hurry and desperate for a way to clean yourself up before you face the rest of the world? SHOWER IN A CAN is your new best friend. Perfect for freshening up on the go, this would prove more than a little useful through festival season. Out and about and desperate to share your music with the world? THE BOOM BRA is everything you’ve been waiting for. Fitting (probably rather uncomfortably) under your clothes, the built in speakers are bound to make sure your playlists leave a lasting impression. Want an environmentally safe way to power your gadgets and gizmos? MELON POWER is here. Simply connect your device to a fresh melon and let the fruit do the rest. Honestly, we’re not sure how this one would work, but it sounds good in principle, right?

“IT ’S

TH I S

MASSI VE U N K N O W N ... ” R I G H T N O W , T H E U K ’ S R O C K U N D E R G R O U N D I S H O A R D I N G I N C R E A S I N G LY SHINY G EMS. WITH THEIR SECOND ALBUM, MOOSE BLOOD SHINE SO BRIG HT T H E Y ’ R E H E A D I N G S T R A I G H T F O R T H E S U R FAC E .

“T

his one ain’t like the last one,” promise Moose Blood on ‘Sway’. Sure, they’re not actually talking about the differences between debut ‘I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time’ and ‘Blush’ but the message still rings loud and true. See, Moose Blood can’t help but sing about being Moose Blood. Everything Eddy Brewerton, Kyle Todd, Glenn Harvey and Mark Osbourne live, finds a home in their music. And a lot has changed for the band between then and now. Despite everything though, ‘Blush’ makes sense of it all. Where their debut was lit with a comforting reflection and not-sosubtle nods to Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab For Cutie and Brand New, the follow up is wholly theirs. “You get a better understanding of your own ability,” starts Kyle, before Glenn adds: “Or what makes something good.” And with ‘Blush’, Moose Blood are very good indeed. Bigger than just an emo record, it’s an album poised to cross over, all breakaway songs, spirited adventure and heart. So much heart. Growing up surrounded by people who played music, Moose Blood were drawn to each other. “We were definitely part of a good little clique where everyone was making music for fun,” explains Kyle. “Everyone was doing it for the passion of wanting to play and go see these shows. This spirit of music was definitely there. And it still is.” Despite the band swiftly growing out of the pubs and back rooms of Chatham and Canterbury, they haven’t outgrown the excitement that came with it. In the eighteen months that followed their debut, Moose Blood were constantly on the move. From a free entry album release show at London’s Old Blue Last, to a gruelling summer

WO RDS: A L I SH UTL E R. PH OTO: PH I L SM ITH I ES. in the US on the Vans Warped Tour, through a gallant return to Reading & Leeds alongside a host of other tours and then onwards to announcing and swiftly selling out KOKO at the start of this year, the band have been on a hectic, dizzying journey. There hasn’t been a ‘moment’ to set it all off - just a growing investment in what the band are doing. “More people are singing along to the songs, but apart from that I don’t think anything massively changed,” offers Eddy of their story so far. “We never felt it change because we never thought ‘oh, we’re playing to a bigger audience’ or ‘we’ve been all around America and people have been singing on every date of Warped Tour. It’s like,” Mark stumbles. “I don’t know how we take it in.” Instead of focusing on what’s going on around them, Moose Blood like to focus on what they can control; the music, the visuals, the merch and their connection to their fans. They want to inspire others to create but ask them about their position as head of a UK scene that includes the likes of Creeper and Milk Teeth, and Mark’s reasoning is that “maybe we’ve just been around longer.” “We don’t really think about that outsider perspective. They’re all bands we’ve toured with,” adds Glenn. “Creeper are our mates.” And while the band are never going to “sit around with our head up our own arse”, Moose Blood can’t help but feel things start to change with ‘Blush’. As the release draws near, it’s getting scarier, but their excitement is holding steady. “It’s this massive unknown,” says Glenn. “Once the record’s done, it’s done. You can’t change it. It just comes down to whether people want to accept it or not.” “We’ve done our job,” smiles Eddy.

But it wasn’t an easy one. Going into the studio under-prepared because of the sheer amount of touring the band had done, their only vision was to create a record that was better than their first. They thought and rethought every angle of ‘Blush’. “We just wanted to get the best out of ourselves,” claims Mark. “If we didn’t think something was good enough, we’d go over it. I don’t think we over-thought stuff in a way that was bad; we just needed to do it so we could do the best possible thing. We didn’t want to settle. I don’t think we could really afford to. Maybe you can have more of that attitude and mentality towards it if it’s the first thing you’re ever going to put out but wanting to make a better record than our first, we did really think about it.” ‘Blush’ is definitely a Moose Blood record, but it’s a Moose Blood record written after two years of touring. This one ain’t like the last one. There’s a comfort within the band. Mark can check with Kyle about the name of the pedal he was playing around with to create ‘Sway’ and the group are quick to poke fun at what each other are saying. It’s a bond that sees the band at ease in each other’s company and, extended to Beau, can be felt across ‘Blush’. ‘Freckle’ is about being away a lot. “You fall out because you don’t speak as much as you should do and that strain goes into a relationship. It’s about falling out with your girlfriend, or your wife, and them giving you a bit of gip,” while ‘Sulk’, one of the first songs written for the record, came from “a living room jam session,” and is simply about family. Moose Blood have always had an openness to them, it’s probably one of the reasons why people feel such a strong connection to the group, but ‘Blush’ takes that further. There are songs about death, about loss and about the fear of losing. ‘Pastel’ picks up where ‘Cherry’ left off.

“When we wrote the first record, I was engaged, about to get married and about to start this new life,” explains Eddy. “It’s just following on from that. It’s a song for my wife,” he continues before breaking into a smile. “She likes it.” It’s a similar story for ‘Sway’, which is about his brother-in-law. “He had a bit of a tough time and he did some silly things. It was me telling him that he’s better than this because he’s a lovely person. And he loves it too.” Every song on ‘Blush’ has a meaning and every moment is there for a reason. But again, beyond that, the band aren’t focusing on what they can’t control. They want people to get whatever they get from it. “We haven’t written a bunch of songs where we want people to feel a certain way or anything like that. Whatever people get from it and if people are into it, that’s great. If it can go down or be as anywhere near as well-received as the first record, we’ll be over the moon,” beams Mark. “As long as it doesn’t go the other way.” Moose Blood’s “just go with it and see what happens” attitude has carried them this far and while that’s unlikely to ever change, ‘Blush’ has seen them take ownership like never before. “We’re definitely in control of every decision that we make. I think we’re really lucky to have that,” offers Glenn. “We’ve got some great people around us but at the end of the day, everything is our decision,” starts Mark. “And they’ve made that clear to us, it is our call at the end of the day. We do feel in control of what we’re doing, which is awesome. Maybe not the future of the band, because you never know what’s going to happen.” But right now it’s a privileged position to be in, they say, to be “doing what you love and have full control over that.” And that feeling, like ‘Honey’, will only get better. P Moose Blood’s album ‘Blush’ is out now.

F IT FOR A

Words: Martyn Young. Photos: Tom Andrew.

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Wild Beasts have rarely sounded as fun as they do on new album, ‘Boy King’. “The more ridiculous it got, the better it felt,” the band explain.

here comes a time in every band’s career when they have an itching desire to shake things up and make a scene. For Kendal quartet Wild Beasts, the last ten years have seen a gradual climb from oddball indie outsiders to becoming one of the most well-respected, critically acclaimed bands in Britain. That’s in the past though. With their fifth album ‘Boy King’ the band are now ready to shock, challenge and thrill while changing every preconception you have about them. Speaking from their rehearsal room as they fine-tune a brand new set for summer festivals and beyond, multi-instrumentalist and co-vocalist Tom Fleming is full of confidence for a record that the band believe is their best yet. The fact that they’ve certainly paid their dues plays a part in their desire to do something different this time around: “In some ways it’s unexpected to still be here,” he begins. “But I think in life we’d be unemployable anywhere else,” he laughs. Wild Beasts are a band who have always been artistically forward thinking but this time around, their attitude was one of regeneration and revolution rather than consolidation. “We felt this album was a re-engagement with a lot of our youthful passions. It’s much more of a rock record,” says Tom. “There’s quite a lot of energy in it. We’re re-engaging with stupid guitar hero playing.” The freedom to be stupid and cut loose runs through all of ‘Boy King’ or, as Tom explains: “This record was an attempt to shake off some of the layers we’ve put on over the years. It’s more direct. We wanted to unburden ourselves of any self consciousness.”

something of a reset as the band hold nothing back. There are no boundaries here. The freedom to allow the band to cut loose and indulge in all their rock star fantasies in part came from a change of recording environment and change of producer. The band decamped on an adventure to Dallas to work with esteemed producer John Congleton who has had enormous recent success with like-minded pop creationists like St Vincent. “It’s the first time we’ve been to the US,” says Tom of the recording process. “John was great; he’s kind of a punk rocker who happened to be good at recording stuff. He wanted us to work quickly and not respond too much. We wanted to bring our A game. That was an amazing motivator.” Aside from the actual process of recording, their time spent in Dallas allowed the band to reconnect with each other: it was just the four of us on this amazing adventure living in the suburbs of Dallas, driving around in the sunshine and eating burgers. It felt like an adventure, it wasn’t everyday and we have to make the most of this. Equally, we could have done it in Prestwick or something away from usual but it was Dallas and John and

fallibility and feminist thought. ‘Boy King’ is about macho performance to disguise weakness. It’s going right back to our debut ‘Limbo Panto’ really. I think a lot of themes on this record are about male performance, stupidity and hurting people and not caring. It is consistent with what we’ve done before but we’re doing it in a much more obvious and upfront way. That suits what we’re doing musically, it’s a lot more brash and forward.” The album is also a response to a change of circumstances within the personal lives of the band members and a reaction against getting older: “Not to get too heavy or too personal,” says Tom. “But we’ve all had some difficult adult stuff to deal with since the last record where life gets a bit more real as you start to get past 30. Things have heavier consequences and you have to face more things. The outcome of that is that you give much less of a fuck.” When you give yourself in to doing what you want to do rather than what people expect suddenly life becomes much easier or, as Tom puts it: “We

it felt. We were trying to invert those rock’n’roll tropes.” Perhaps the most exciting thing about ‘Boy King’ is the emergence of a brooding, sleazy but deeply addictive pop sound. Present on slinky, filmic grooves like ‘Big Cat’ or on the outlandish processed funk of lead single ‘Get My Bang’ the album flutters between styles and approaches effortlessly, a push-pull between the differing approaches of the band members: “Hayden wanted to make a soul record and I wanted to make a rock record,” says Tom. What they ended up with is an album that marks the start of a new phase for Wild Beasts and points a way forward for a hugely exciting future. “It’s energised and we feel that we’ve really cracked something open that’s got legs,” says Tom confidently. “It suggests things and this record suggests what we might do next. I can see there’s plenty of space here to run with.” The band are in a combative mindset as they approach the album’s release. They know they’re onto something special despite the risk that some people might take their sordid songs of sex and grim despair the wrong way. “It’s always a risk that people don’t understand but you can’t concern yourself with that,” says Tom. “You don’t hear most people’s opinions. Whenever I think something has missed the mark I’m usually wrong and someone gets it.” “I’m quite prepared to be considered an arsehole,” he laughs. “That’s what you do when you put stuff out. We’re not trying to come over as nice people; we’re probably nicer than we come over. You have to be quite precise with your meanings but ultimately you throw it to the dogs when you put it out into the world.” “We’re not doing our jobs if it’s all comfort and cosy,” he adds.

“ W E F E LT F RU ST R AT E D AT B E I N G T Y P ECAST AS A C L EV E R BA N D. ”

In some ways, you can consider ‘Boy King’ almost like a debut album by a refreshed and hungry band. It’s certainly Wild Beasts’ most vital album. While the band are suitably excited, they do concede it’s an album that may confound some long-term followers. But that’s all part of the thrill. “There’s always nerves,” says Tom. “It feels natural though. It feels like the shoe fits. You always hope for everything and expect nothing with these things. Every time we put a record out the ground is just beneath our feet. You kind of just have to surf the wave a little bit.” Musically ‘Boy King’ can be considered

he brought a lot to the record.” The album is full of brash statements and bold expression. The band revelled in being silly and having fun. “I was the one who bought the pointy guitar,” confesses Tom. “A white Jackson, it’s quite a statement to walk in with a guitar like that to Wild Beasts. I wanted one for a while; I was like, can I pull this off? Fuck it just do it.” That carefree attitude was part of a feeling of kicking against people’s preconceptions of the band: “It’s also a bit of a wink as people see us as an effete art band and when they meet us and we all have Northern accents and are drinking beer they’re a bit shocked. We tried to do what’s not expected of us but in a natural way.” While the music is big and bold and in stark contrast to the refined beauty of the band’s last three albums, the album has a link with themes the band have explored throughout their career. It’s an album that pushes towards the future but is informed by the past: “There’s definitely a line you can draw between the albums,” says Tom. We’ve always spoken about macho

felt an unburdening of insecurities. If we’re going to do this then let’s just do it.” ‘Boy King’ is about trying to tear down the reputation Wild Beasts have gained: “We felt frustrated at being typecast as a clever band or an art band, not because we don’t want to be clever or arty but because those connotations can be quite negative and it puts you in a certain box.” Lyrically the album takes Wild Beasts’ obsession with sex and desire to new-found extremes, led by the astounding voice and rich imagination of co-vocalist Hayden Thorpe. “There’s lots of sex but there’s no love on this record,” says Tom. “It’s quite nihilistic.” The interplay between the two singers provided the opportunity for the band to inspire each other during the recording process. “I see this as something of a sunset strip record, a smooth processed rock record,” he says. “There’s sequenced synths, big drums and distorted guitars. This shit-storm going on while Hayden is crooning about his pain. That’s the sound. There was a one-upmanship between us all. The more ridiculous it got, the better

The band’s fighting talk extends to their relationship with their peers and challengers to the British indie crown. Wild Beasts are ready for the fight and ready to enthral a new audience. “I do think there’s a lot of people out there who’ll enjoy this who have never heard of us,” says Tom excitedly. “I hope it is a short, sharp shock that will differentiate ourselves from the sea of British indie bands. I think it’s our best record and we’re really pushing at what we can do. We’ve redrawn the map for ourselves.” P Wild Beasts’ album ‘Boy King’ is out now.

“EMBRACE YOUR FUCKED-UP-NESS A N D G O C R A Z Y. ” E N D L E S S LY C R E AT I V E , E Z R A F U R M A N E X P L O R E S T H E D E P T H S O F H I S L AT E S T E P .

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’m sick of ordinary life,” Ezra Furman laments. “It’s supposed to be extraordinary.” Rallying against every preconception, crying out just to be heard, ‘Halley’s Comet’ isn’t the only song on ‘Big Fugitive Life’ to indicate towards the musician’s outstanding worth.

“It would feel lazy if I wasn’t trying to be serious and talk about things I really mean in my work,” Ezra confesses. “To only sing about girls, cars, surfing…” He breaks off, laughing. “I guess I’m thinking of The Beach Boys right now,” he grins. “But it just seems like a waste not to talk about what you really mean.” Tackling deep, divisive, and often intensely personal topics in his own writing, the sincere nature of his songs give them the characteristic ability to speak to whoever cares to listen to what they’re saying. Ezra’s resolute sense of character inspires just as much as his music. With bright lipstick and even brighter hair, often taking to the stage in skirts, dresses, and pearls, he wears his eccentricities and quirks of personality as a badge of honour – because, frankly, why should anyone have to do otherwise? “Everything that you think is wrong with you is actually the best thing about you,” he affirms. “Embrace your fucked-up-ness and go crazy.” A message he learned from punk bands in his early teens, Ezra perpetuates that same self-acceptance to audiences in the way only he can. “I want to be like one of the greats,” he admits. “I’ve never had that instinct of embarrassment about being too close to home, or too personal. I just have the drive to confess things. I want to be a really good songwriter, so I’d feel silly if I didn’t go there.” With a deep-rooted appreciation for artists such as Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, and long-founded adoration for groups like Green Day, Ezra Furman isn’t one to shy away from dreams of greatness, “I have trouble treating anything like it’s not the last thing I’m ever going to do,” he explains, matter-of-factly, “so it always has to be the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”

W O R D S : J E S S I CA G O O D M A N . P H O T O : P H I L S H A R P.

Sure, he might not be endeared to the masses in the same way as Tom Waits quite yet, but with a flair for poignant sentiment and poetic statements, Ezra Furman’s music is a declaration of self-affirmation for anyone who’s ever felt less than their worth. For those who heed its call, the music resonates with just as much meaning. “It never will be the greatest album ever made,” he states of his work, “but you can aim for that, I think - it helps me make it better.” Talking on a sunny morning in California ahead of his new EP release, every thought is geared onwards and upwards. “I have a lot of crazy ideas that I probably shouldn’t say,” he laughs, turning the conversation towards the past. “It felt like there was this era of ‘Day Of The Dog’ and ‘Perpetual Motion People’, and they are all like the same mood. Now it’s like that period has passed.” With change in the air, the future is certainly looking bright. Stressing how important it is “to not linger on being the exact same type of band,” the musician is approaching the next step in his evolution. Marking the end of this chapter is ‘Big Fugitive Life’, a six-track EP made up of songs that “didn’t find their home” on previous album releases. Part all out rock and roll, part heartrending acoustics, the EP is, as Ezra poetically depicts, “like an old log.” “The top side is shiny, manic rock’n’roll,” he explains, “the other side is rotting and filled with bugs – that’s the sad, acoustic guitar side.” Indeed, ‘Big Fugitive Life’ homes a lot of sadness. So what prompted the cover choice of a perky looking pet dog? “The real answer is sad, pitiful, and embarrassing – I’ve got to think for a second if I want to make something up,” Ezra mumbles, pausing. “I’m not good at designing what things should look like,” he eventually starts to explain. “It was like ‘we need to know NOW what the album cover is going to be. You’re the only one who can make it.’ I was sort of in the midst of a deep depression, and I was like ‘I don’t fucking know. I don’t care. Stop, PLEASE. I can NOT make this decision.’” He stops for a moment to let the exasperation fade. “I was

like ‘just put a goddamn Dalmatian on it and send it out!’” he half-chuckles. “So, to tell you the truth, it’s a result of depression and having no idea how to present myself to the world.” Questioning himself and his own nature, and questioning it aloud in his music, Ezra Furman gives voice and outlet to the best and the worst of life. It’s not always pretty or bright, fair or hopeful, but likewise it’s not always dark or confused, angry or chaotic. Strikingly candid and unconventionally expressive, ‘Big Fugitive Life’ is an intimate portrayal of the artist who wrote it. “To me, part of the point of these records is that life is very big, and has all this stuff in it that contradicts itself. It’s all just a big mess,” Ezra exclaims. Whether raging against unfounded assumptions or recounting heart-breaking tales, the record is as lost, hopeful, driven, and confused as every one of us. All crucial ingredients of the final creation, the music doesn’t try to hide anything. “I feel like I’m often writing about being on the run, and not having settled anywhere, and maybe being someone who is pursued in the world or who is not safe,” Ezra explains of the title (which was initially intended to be used to name ‘Perpetual Motion People’). “That’s imaginary, but that’s how I often feel about my place in society.” Wrestling with the thoughts and notions in his head, on this record it’s not just his own demons he faces. Closing track ‘The Refugee’ is an imagined rendition of Grandfather Furman’s childhood spent fleeing Europe as a refugee from the Nazis. “He never really told anyone that much about his early life, so I wrote this imaginative thing,” Ezra illustrates, as he hammers the story home. “My life would not be possible if it weren’t for the United States taking in refugees after World War II. It scares me how many people and nations are so against trying to accommodate refugees.” An ever imperative voice of reason, Ezra Furman’s music breaks through notions of distinction and prejudice with a message for everyone. “You’ve got to

remember what’s real and vital about what you’re doing,” he advises. “If that starts to get whittled down, (the music) will probably become terrible, or turn into something really bad. So you don’t think about success. You think about being really good. Not that I know anything,” he laughs. For someone who knows nothing about making music, he’s sure proving successful at it. Preparing to headline London’s Roundhouse on Halloween, the sense of excitement feels “happily rapturous.” “There’s no use in telling you about it, but we’re going to make it special. Come, see what happens,” Ezra teases. With support coming from Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon (a darkly anthemic rollercoaster ride through everything from Nine Inch Nails to Amerie), the night will no doubt prove a spectacle to behold. And there’s even more to get excited about. “I decided to work on some new things that feel very different,” Ezra hints. “I’d like a water park show, with dolphins that catch fish. That’s our next project,” he announces. Not one to drop a ball once it’s rolling, he continues to sell the premise. “No music at all, just dolphins. It’s a concept album done entirely through dolphin tricks.” Sure, the idea might be a little out there, but could the band pull it off? “We’re thinking of doing it for Halloween,” he continues. “We’re going to have to take a lot of the seats out to put in a giant pool. We’ll probably have to set that into the ground, actually. It’s actually going to be very dangerous - for the audience. They might fall in. It’d be hard to avoid that.” Muttering through the logistics of inserting a large body of water into the Roundhouse for one night only, Ezra Furman’s conviction to his ideas is impossible to fault. When questioned on what else the future might hold, there’s a stilted pause. “Oh, you didn’t believe me?” he smirks. Maybe pack some armbands, just in case. P Ezra Furman’s EP ‘Big Fugitive Life’ is out 19th August. 37

REVIEWS

Glass Animals

How To Be A Human Being eeeee

enturing out of the jungle and onto familiar streets, Glass Animals’ second record is a far cry from the otherworldly nature of their debut. Each track the soundscape to a train of thought, the album is an intricately woven exploration of - you guessed it - ‘How To Be A Human Being’, Delve deep enough and the eleven tracks encapsulate everything from love, lust, and loss, through to outright peculiarity, all wrapped up in rhythms and grooves

purpose made to keep the body moving. If ‘Zaba’ established the group’s knack for unshakable hooks, ‘How To Be A Human Being’ sees that reinvigorated. Lead single ‘Life Itself’ wears it’s eccentricities with pride, grabbing listeners at the hips and swaying with a resounding confidence into the inscrutable nature of what makes us tick. ‘Pork Soda’ runs with a similar momentum, paralysed cries transformed into an instantly addictive chorus.

Take note of what’s being sung, and the whole record is deceptively dark. Whether it’s the haunted lament of ‘Mama’s Gun’ or the youthful reflections of ‘Poplar St’, the album runs with an undercurrent that verges on the sinister. The rising discord of ‘The Other Side Of Paradise’ meticulously depicts slow motion panic rising in the instant a bullet hits its target.

Lifting these intense narratives out of the shadow is the outfit’s characteristic brand of alt-pop. ‘Youth’ might be rooted somewhere in despair, but ringing with hope along breezy refrains whilst melodies sprawl in sunkissed delight, the weight of the words couldn’t feel further away. Similarly, the lingering chorus cries of ‘Agnes’ land as if from the heavens, an instant anthem primed for stadium sized sing alongs. Bittersweet yet completely euphoric, the track embodies the dichotomy of everything this record is. Shining a light behind the closed doors of everyday life, ‘How To Be A Human Being’ is an inwards exploration of the world that exists right in front of you every day. All you’ve got to do is open your eyes to it. Jessica Goodman

How To Be A Human Being 1. Life Itself 2. Youth 3. Season 2 Episode 3 4. Pork Soda 5. Mama’s Gun 6. Cane Shuga 7. Premade Sandwiches 8. The Other Side Of Paradise 9. Take A Slice 10. Poplar St 11. Agnes

Slow Club

One Day All Of This Won’t Matter Any More Moshi Moshi

eee Slow Club’s rise endearing folk pop duo to fully fledged glorious pop group has been one of the more charming musical success stories in Britain over the last decade. Now, four albums in the duo of Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor find themselves pulling in slightly different directions on their fifth album ‘One Day All Of This Won’t Matter Any More’. The best moments here are the glistening, soul pop and bruised, heartfelt ballads performed by Rebecca. You’ll shed a tear to ‘Come On Poet’ and sashay a hip to the swinging ‘Champion’. Elsewhere, she’s wonderfully assured on the easy going Fleetwood Mac pop of ‘Rebecca Cassanova’ while throughout her vocals are often stunning and frequently impressive. Charles’ songs are more slow burning and low key, tender countrified slow ballads and gentle pop that slightly lack in vibrancy despite the impressive songwriting chops. This album is definitely Slow Club’s most musically developed and luxurious but it’s also their most understated. The pop hooks are definitely here but it just takes a little longer to find them, when you do you’ll be as charmed as ever. Martyn Young

Tobacco

Health&Beauty

Owen

Ghostly International

Wichita Recordings

eee

eeee

This new release from the elusive Thomas Fec aka Tobacco is a listen for an acquired palette. With songs that flirt between being listenable and just downright insane, it occasionally comes across as a Transformer having a bad day. Opener ‘Human Om’ begins with an ominously terrifying synth riff before breaking deeply vocoded words join the party. This is concurrent with the rest of the record, where you’ll also find things just abruptly move into loud and chaotic. Trying to keep up with what’s happening is like watching a child on too much sugar. It’s entertaining, but at some point you know it’s going to backfire and nightmares will be had. ‘Wipeth Out’ is the electronic version of a motorbike revving without due course. Absolutely manic and bordering unlistenable, unless of course you’re aided by many, many chemicals. ‘Home Invasionaries’ is a more approachable track that takes a mildly 80s approach, matching a bass line with an unobtrusive drum beat. Of course there’s some more of that deep vocoder, just to make sure you don’t get too comfortable. If you make it through the end of this record, chances are you might even grow to like it, in the same way Stockholm Syndrome kicks in eventually. There are moments that are pleasant and don’t drive you away, but it’s just getting to these through the torrential amount of noise... Steven Loftin

Wonderfully flirting between depressive and happy, Health&Beauty nail this fine line. Merging garage with psych-rock, the band manage to take an album that’s only seven tracks and give it a shelf-life that seems never ending. They compose a wealth of genres into each song. Through the winding ups and downs of the previous six tracks, at the end we’re left with a nicely tied bow that closes off this rollercoaster journey. Health&Beauty bring the madness, but present it well. Steven Loftin

Mike Kinsella has a history of influence. From Cap’n Jazz to American Football, he’s played a part in defining whole scenes. While ‘The King of Whys’, his ninth solo album as Owen, dwells on the past, it never gets tied down in nostalgia. As beautiful and haunting as you’d expect, Owen still finds room to surprise. Just when you’ve figured it out, songs like ‘A Burning Soul’ cry, “in his defence, he never asked to be born,” as Owen makes and breaks your heart all over again. Ali Shutler

Cold Pumas

Happy Diving

Hardly Art

Topshelf Records

Sweatbox Dynasty

NO SCARE

The Hanging Valley

The King Of Whys

Electric Soul Unity

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It’s four years since Cold Pumas’ debut record, 2012’s ‘Persistent Malaise’. Now a four piece, ‘The Hanging Valley’ sees a band pushing themselves higher. The coiled tension at the heart of ‘Fugue States’ - all six and a half minutes of it - never shows sign of faltering, while ‘A Change Of Course’ is a less intense, more freely flowing affair that’s equally as effective. Though it may lack a couple of peaks to puncture the stratosphere, Cold Pumas’ return is a welcome one. Richard Davies

‘Electric Soul Unity’ may be Happy Diving’s fourth album in less than three years but there’s not a moment of fatigue throughout. Tightly wound and wonderfully fuzzy around the edges, the record bounces between fast and furious but never seems reckless. ‘Head Spell’ is sleek and noisy, while ‘The Call, It Thunders’ sees the band spiral off into wig-out country. The edges may be tough to define but ‘Electric Soul Unity’ is a fiercely cohesive rampage. Ali Shutler

lass Animals’ dreamscape laden electro-pop is the perfect remedy to a slightly cloudy day at Garorock. Going down a treat, they know exactly how to use the stage to their advantage and incite a relaxed dance. ‘Gooey’ from 2014’s ‘Zaba’, is an instant crowd pleaser. The Kills’ set highlights the perfection they can achieve with their songwriting. Unfortunately there’s just a missing something. With Alison Mosshart prowling around the stage and Jamie Hince rooted into the music, it’s a performance that takes nothing from the day but sadly doesn’t add anything either. DJ headline sets at festivals can be a hit or miss affair, but Jamie xx brings a disco-central set that has the crowd in the palm of his hand and dancing. By far one of the of the best received acts, with 2011’s phenomenal hit ‘Midnight City’ causing the entire festival to congregate around the Scène De La Paine stage, there’s something quite inspiring about seeing M83 live, bringing the intricate and

Garorock Festival Marmande, France eeeee

expertly produced sound to life.

the stage, they’re an unstoppable beast.

Savages put on, well, a savage performance. The band come out with an air of attitude and it’s just about the most elegantly abusive thing ever. Once frontwoman Jehnny Beth takes to

Sunday night closers Disclosure ensure the crowd leaves the festival suitably impressed. With a stage setup that looks eerily like two spaceships hovering above the crowd, brothers

Howard and Guy Lawrence take command of their controls. It’s an impressively elaborate and wellexecuted set that provides a closing that perfectly celebrates the 20th anniversary of this hidden gem of a festival. Steven Loftin

Cass McCombs Mangy Love ANTI

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Pop Up In Tufnell Park eeeee One of the line-ups of the year, nothing is stopping this one going off.

e brought our picnic. We brought out wellies. But the only thing we were knee deep in at the Pop Up was good fucking rock bands, and - after a quick move from its original leafy venue at the last minute - we didn’t need Hyde Park to show us that. Opening up such a bill is a tough task, yet Dream Wife nail it in an unmistakable flurry, unleashing their bratty-punk daggers with enough charm to shatter hearts. Tracks from their recently released ‘EP01’ sound even more ferocious live, with closer ‘Lets Make Out’ ringing around the packed hall with a sugary pop pulse that seems set to make their crystallised take on 80s glam sound sophistically cool. Spitting in the face of such a sheen, Brixton’s Shame could well be the most exciting live band in the country right now. Flipping the finger in the face of all who doubt them, their take of melodic punk is lead by captivating frontman Charlie Steen, who stalks the stage like a blend between Shane McGowan and Shaun Ryder. Tracks such as ‘Last Rizla’ live up to the gritty show that follows, with invasions, chucked pints and mounted speakers all of which could easily descend into a shambles at any moment. Either way, it makes Shame completely unmissable. Trying to maintain some sort of festival mystique, the transition between venues at Tufnell Park means the larger

There are a couple of tracks on Field Mouse’s new album that come courtesy of a little help from their friends, as the band explain.

Do You Believe Me Dome bares witness to a trio of acts ready for the big time. “Hi Hyde Park how’s it going?” opens The Magic Gang, who precede to unleash a set of classic pop sounds on a rapturous crowd who bellow every word. Becoming the band we always knew they’d be, there’s a sense of ownership tonight, and it comes from an EP that’s as infectious as any Top 40 banger of the past few years. ‘Jasmine’, ‘All That I Want Is You’ and ‘Feeling Better’ typify why their anthems-in-waiting are shouted back. As ‘No Fun’ slays any that are left standing, The Magic Gang have well and truly left their spell - and it’s one that wont shake off anytime soon. Spring King will always have a soft spot in our hearts. But tonight is about business, and smashing yet another stage with their rollicking garage bangers. Tracks from ‘Tell Me If You Like To’ incite a charged audience into a frenzy, yet its the sign of the band that EP cuts such as ‘Mumma’ and ‘Better Man’ are equally as adored. With the record out, there seems to be a level of swagger that oozes charm and power, smacking hit after hit with brutal efficiency to the point where even the air-con starts to splutter and crumble at their feet. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again - Spring King are the real deal. After such hysteria. The Wytches have a tough job in closing out the evening, but any sense of doubt is punched out with their opening flurry. Where they were once newcomers with a point to prove, now they sit with the presence of a headliner. Tracks from their debut still sound as fresh as ever, while a glance into the future promises an even more unfiltered glimpse into their heavy minds. Now if only we can find that aftersun we packed earlier, so much heat in one place has its effect y’know. Jamie Muir

Now (feat. Sadie Dupuis, Speedy Ortiz) I asked Sadie to sing harmonies throughout the entire song. I love her voice and she is insanely good at harmonising. I knew I wanted it to have sort of a Veruca Salt vocal vibe, with the two voices going the whole time. Before she sang on it, I was pretty lukewarm about the song in general. Afterwards it was one of my favourites.

Out of Context (feat. Allison Crutchfield, Waxahatchee and Joseph D’Agostino, Cymbals Eat Guitars) Allison came in and sang harmonies on the verses and put some lovely “oohs” on the... I guess you’d call them choruses? Her voice is lovely and she just filled out the sound and texture of those parts so perfectly. Joe’s guitar brings in the second half of the song, which I asked him to do because he has a real knack for tone and I wanted the song to sort of explode into this jarring other side.

Cass McCombs’ eighth album ‘Mangy Love’ is a serious record for serious times. Always an astute and prolific songwriter, he’s now channelling his ire to a wealth of sociological ills that blight the world and his home country of America. It’s an album of big themes and direct action. His targets are predominantly the government and the misogyny of the broken US justice system. While these themes could potentially make the album heavy and overbearing, it’s a testament to McCombs’ songwriting chops that it always sounds compelling and fresh. You don’t often hear such accomplished playing and ambition. Martyn Young

Field Mouse Episodic

Topshelf Records

eeee Skimming the usual echoing pools of sound, the Brooklyn dream-poppers’ second album ‘Hold Still Life’ pushed Rachel Browne’s vocals to the front, a delicate confection cutting through the haze. Two years on, ramping up the fuzzy, melodic edges even more, Field Mouse roar out of the traps with ‘The Mirror’, alternately glistening and bristling. Picking through the shards of a shattered relationship, Browne coos “You want to see ego?,” before she throws the looking-glass down. “I’ve held it up enough,” she snaps. It’s a giddy sucker-punch, kicking off the first album the band have conceived from scratch as a fivepiece - the most focused and full they’ve sounded yet. There’s the propulsive ‘A Widow with a Terrible Secret’, sharpened and driven home by crunching, abrupt left turns. Or ‘Never Would Have Known’, which layers lush harmonies over scuzzy, squealing guitar. And ‘Beacon’, which builds from a rumbling, subdued intro to a warm, hopeful light in the dark - “Today was different, because I made it so”. By adding to the sparse, shoegazing two-piece template of Browne and guitarist Andrew Futral, they’ve arrived at a sweetly brittle grunge-pop. Cosily familiar, yes, but never uninventive, with the jerky stop-starts of ‘Do You Believe Me Now?’ or the fizzing, fractured synths of the yearning ‘HalfLife’ keeping things interesting. Best of all, there’s the slow-burning ‘Out of Context’ and the gleeful bounce of ‘The Order of Things’, one of the best throw-yourself-around-an-indie-disco songs in a while. Whether it’s down to new members, or just the benefit of six years’ experience, Field Mouse really click on ‘Episodic’. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here. Rob Mesure

Q+A

Blossoms Hello Tom from Blossoms. What have we interrupted? I’m currently sat in a hotel room in Norway with Myles demoing keyboard ideas for a song I’ve wrote for our second album. You teamed up with The Coral’s James Skelly for your album - have you known each other long? How did the collaboration come about? We’ve known James since March 2014. He heard a demo version of our song Blow and he got in touch with us saying he’d like to produce it and release it with us. We did so and continued to work together on all the singles and the rest of the album. What’s your favourite thing about the record? I think the record has a timeless quality to it that a lot of our favourite records have. Also lyrically, it’s coming from an honest place so I think people will find themselves relating to it. Do you think you’ve managed to achieve everything on the record that you intended? Yeah we always said when we’d eventually make an album we wanted it to be an album full of singles and great pop moments, I think that we did that and more. We also wanted to sound current, you can have all your influences from throughout the years but ultimately it’s 2016 and we want to sound as modern as we can. Are there any other sides to the band you hope to explore? I think as a band we’re constantly evolving, however it’s never a conscious thing. We’re a different band today than we were 2 years ago, whether that’s down to a breakthrough in songwriting or specific keyboard sounds, we’re always looking to better ourselves and to stay open minded. We definitely see ourselves as band that will grow and delve into different corners as we progress. What do you think is most important for prospective new fans to know about Blossoms? That this hasn’t happened overnight, we’ve done the toilet tours up and down the country and gathered a solid fan base for the last three years. So having that experience makes all this more real to us, and we take nothing for granted. We want to be around for a long time, we’re a band they can believe in. P

Blossoms Blossoms Virgin EMI

eee The wave of hype and anticipation that Blossoms have been riding over the past few years has seemed to be guaranteeing only one direction. Since bursting out of Stockport with their infectious melodic grooves, they’ve grown an incredibly devoted and loyal fan base with track after track of indie-joy that comes to a head with their self-titled debut. For many, Blossoms are the next great British guitar band to take on arenas and festival fields, coming from the same class as Catfish & The Bottlemen, Circa Waves and The Courteeners. Yet over the course of twelve tracks, ‘Blossoms’ demonstrates the complex and intriguing directions that make them far more than just another indie band. In fact, the record is wholeheartedly pop, and not ashamed of dipping its toes into a pool of different influences and eras. ‘Getaway’ is the soothing Americana cross-country drive distilled into a three and a half minute neon kick, while ‘My Favourite Room’ and ‘Smashed Pianos’ show a knack for 60s infused psych-pop that The Kinks would be jealous of. For all its experimentation, Blossoms are at their best in full on anthem mode, ‘Charlemagne’ remains their definitive calling card, an untouchable synth laden benchmark for 2016. While ‘Blossoms’ doesn’t sprint out of the trap to take no prisoners, it solidifies why these Stockport boys have the credentials to take classic pop songwriting to the masses. Watch this space - the best is yet to come. Jamie Muir

Wild Beasts Boy King eeee

n first listen, Wild Beasts’ new effort ‘Boy King’ might not click, but soon it takes on a different light entirely. Opening with the smooth electro of ‘Big Cat’, the album weaves its way through what lyricist Hayden Thorpe describes as letting his “inner Byron” out. ‘Big Cat’’s refrain of “big cat top of the food chain” will loop its way around your head for days while ‘Tough Guy’ captures the feeling of male bravado almost perfectly through the way it sounds frail yet confident. The album is filled with clever hooks such as in ‘Alpha Female’ (“Alpha female, I’ll be right behind you”) and ‘Eat Your Heart

Out Adonis’ with its bass synth looping its way around the vocals masterfully. There’s no specific high point on the album – it’s consistently good. In particular, the run from ‘Celestial Creatures’ through to ‘Eat Your Heart Out Adonis’ is sublime. ‘2BU’ sees bassist Tom Fleming take the mic over a Radioheadesque rhythm topped off with glittering synths and is definitely one of the best songs on the album. Finisher ‘Dreamliner’ starts stripped back before delivering a sampled choir in place of lead synths. Overall, it’s a great record. Slightly lacking in places, but overall it’s consistent and at the end of the day, that’s what you need from a fifth album. Josh Williams

Q+A

Hello Joshua from Beaty Heart. What have you been up to today? Busy watching the glossy sack of slime that is our government slowly coagulating, live on TV. I’ve got a beer and I’m necking it.

Beaty Heart

Your new album is out soon, did you have a clear idea of how you wanted the record to sound? When we finished the last one we were pretty clear that we wanted to change our path with the new stuff. From that we initially had a bunch of disparate ideas floating around, but towards the end of the process it clicked and we were able to go back and readdress using this new aesthetic, and the results were incredible. Where did you record? Most of it was recorded in our friends dusty ass basement in Peckham, which was kind of like a building site, which definitely influenced the sound of the record. There’s heaps of sharp, abrasive, staccato sounds in the mix. What did you find most challenging about working on your second album? The asbestos poisoning from that basement.

Beaty Heart The Hunna 100

High Time Records

e Google ‘hunna’ and the first result not related to The Hunna which pops up is an entry on Urban Dictionary. There are, apparently, two definitions: the first is a “short term for hundred” – which would explain the album title while making it no more imaginative; the second – and the funniest in this case – is a “term of endearment, much like honey, but cool and edgy”. Why is that funny? Because ‘100’ is about as edgy as a balloon. And not the helium variety – it never gets off the ground. From the moment second track ‘We Could Be’ re-uses a lyric from opener ‘Bonfire’, it’s obvious that this is going to be a painful, wince-inducing experience. Yes, we get it, you “blew up like a bonfire” – except this bonfire isn’t accompanied by any fireworks. At 16 tracks and just shy of an hour long, ‘100’ looks like an epic on paper, but the results all sound so forced, so horribly, transparently contrived. The Hunna – or whoever’s running their social media – don’t half like a lot of tweets about The 1975. If they’re attempting to appeal to the band’s fans, they’re not going to have much luck. The 1975 worked the model of boy band with guitars to stunning effect on their latest album, and while The Hunna seem to be going for the same model on ‘100’, the results are decidedly cringeworthy. Tom Hancock

Till The Tomb

Caroline International/NUA Entertainment

eeee South London synthy indie pop trio Beaty Heart’s second album ‘Till The Tomb’ is everything you could want. ‘Flora’ is a gem, ‘Soft Like Clay’ deters into The 1975 self-titled territory with its shiny, hand clapping pop, and Jungle co-produced ‘Raw Gold’ is easily the best track on the whole album. Good natured and good fun, as Joshua Mitchell utters on the album’s sixth track: “No sour grapes here, we’re a pretty good bunch.” Jasleen Dhindsa

Puppy Vol II

Self-Released

eeee It’s a little bit silly, it’s a little bit progressive and it’s a whole bunch of fun. Taking cues from the legacy acts of metal and then doing their own thing with it, Puppy’s ‘Volume II’ is a little bit of everything. Stitched together by a gang of mates showing off, the band delves into the ridiculous and the sincere with nothing more than a smirk. It’s only five tracks long but this is a record is full of madcap ideas, handled with the slightest touch of genius. Ali Shutler

Ezra Furman

Black Foxxes

Bella Union

Spinefarm Records

Big Fugitive Life

I’m Not Well

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For some, that afteralbum EP is much like a dry hangover. All the fun’s been had the night before and all you’re left with is the crusty remains of a dodgy Subway that leaves you wanting to go back to that glorious evening prior. Yet in the case of Ezra Furman, ‘Big Fugitive Life’ is the Bloody Mary of all mornings, jumping straight back in the game with a collection of tracks that smashes you straight back into life with a concise bang. Hair of the dog? Go on then. Jamie Muir

Milk Teeth, Creeper, Moose Blood, Muncie Girls - the UK rock underground continues to provide us with new talent to believe in. It’s a breakout tier that Black Foxxes more than belong to. As a debut album, ‘I’m Not Well’ is fearsomely well developed. From the growl of ‘Husk’ to the building explosions of ‘River’, with its flickering epic guitar solo burning bright, they already sound like the finished article. With room still to grow, they could end up the top of their class. Stephen Ackroyd

Are there any songs on the release that stand out as meaning a lot to you? The first single ‘Flora’, is the song that we feel artistically represents the band the most significantly, at least in terms of where we want to take it from here. You’ve toured the world since the release of your debut. What’s your best story from your time on the road? We met Anna Wintour in a lift in NYC the other day. She said, ‘Is this your floor?’, and we said, ‘Yeah’. If you had to choose between only ever being able to create recorded music, or only ever being able to play live, which would you go for? Mah fevrit is creating recorded music. Live is cool though, it’s all great. What’s the most exciting thing album aside - you’ve got planned for over the summer? We got a bunch of festivals, we’re heading back to the USA, we got a new video coming out. Intranet content coming out of our arses. We’re also planning on going to Mexico to record our third album. Is there anything else we should know about what you’re up to right now? Watching Bread Face Girl on repeat.

Moose Blood Blush eeeee

Dinosaur Jr

Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not Jagjaguwar

eeee Eleven years after they reunited, it’s tempting to take it as a given that the original trio of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph are still around. And not just walking the earth, but making records as good as ‘Beyond’ or ‘Farm’ - their abrasive, tuneful assault present and correct. From the second a humming amp gives way to the chugging, fuzzy riff of ‘Goin Down’, it’s business as usual on ‘Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not’. “Are you with me, come along,” invites Mascis, bass and drums almost tripping over each other to keep up. ‘Tiny’ follows, buzzing like Teenage Fanclub hyped up on additives, before ‘Be A Part’’s arpeggios break the pace. If you come to a Dinosaur Jr album with expectations, ‘Give a Glimpse...’ definitely delivers - the half-awake vocals and Barlow’s fuzzy bass are here, along with Mascis’ guitar solos: explosive and needling on ‘Tiny’, shrill and trebly on ‘Good To Know’. Is album eleven more of a glimpse of what they are than what they’re not? Sure. But you can take them to your heart, you can take them or leave them, but try not to take them for granted; this Dinosaur won’t be around forever. Rob Mesure

The sound of a band

RCA

on their own terms.

eee

confidence with her new LP. She’s here to put the world to rights.

“I

t’s clear I’m not going anywhere,” Angel Olsen says on ‘My Woman’ lead single ‘Shut Up Kiss Me’ and tbh, she’s not wrong. Crafting albums up to this kind of standard, she’ll be around for a while yet. ‘My Woman’ is the follow-up to 2014’s ‘Burn Your Fire For No Witness’, portraying an Olsen that continues to write punching indie-pop but with a bite that’ll sting you right in the feels. It’s emotive – devastating at times – yet Olsen is a master when it comes to not taking herself too seriously. You’ll find yourself shouting “preach!” to the frustrated ‘Not Gonna Kill You’; you’ll marvel at the droning beauty of opener ‘Intern’, before tearing up to the line “Still gotta wake up

For All We Know

approaching a breakthrough

f every band suggested to have potential for great things actually fulfilled their promise, we’d be drowning in classic albums. The fact is, most don’t come anywhere near the lofty predictions pinned to their chests as they make their early steps. Most. Not all. Some make it - though it may take years to realise. A very few find their stride quickly. It’s to that gilded group Moose Blood belong. ‘Blush’ is that most wondrous of second albums one that manages to step up several levels, and yet not compromise itself in any way. Possessing an ease in its own skin, Moose Blood’s appeal is that they’re completely believable. There’s no grandstanding, no outlandish claims or forced persona. They’re a band on their own terms, with an album that forces nothing. In a good way. Take ‘Knuckles’. Wearing the care free uniform of sunny side up rock, it leaps boundaries through sheer force of will. The more downbeat ‘Sulk’ is equally effective for the same reasons. In knowing who they are, Moose Blood are able to thread a DNA through every track. It makes for a cohesive record and standout cuts at the same time - a formula too rare to bottle. Stephen Ackroyd

Angel Olsen oozes

Nao

If you head to a roof terrace in London, looking for a suave evening that just breathes “coolness” then Nao is surely soundtracking it. It’s been a long time coming but ‘For All We Know’ perfectly encapsulates everything that makes this Londoner an essential voice in the neo-soul scene that we’ve seen emerge over the past few years. Combining distinctive vocals and a knack for atmospheric charm like no other, this is the modern soul record we’ve been waiting for. Its the variation between tracks such as ‘Get To Know Ya’, ‘Adore You’ and ‘Give A Little’ which shows the scope and ambition that the record deserves, dipping between ambience and straight on eager with ease. What Nao manages to accomplish, is the ability to sound completely unique, yet distinctively relatable over the course of 18 lengthy tracks. With interludes and plenty abound, it’s a complete album in the sense of a body of work, dipping electro with R&B s if it was a natural reaction, rather than a necessity drew together upon chart success. A perfect accompaniment to patrolling metropolitan life, ‘For All We Know’ welcomes a new voice with plenty of distinctive features. Jamie Muir

and be someone” and you’ll definitely need to find a nice quiet place to lie down after the crushing ‘Woman’. ‘My Woman’ is an established, almost polished Olsen, that sees the songwriter wearing her heart on her sleeve but with a confidence that wasn’t immediately noticeable on her previous releases. Her vocal delivery is poignant and impressive throughout, the production providing a well-thoughtout platform that allows Olsen’s best work to shine. ‘My Woman’ is the perfect example of an artist moving forward, without losing any of the magic that first brought her to our attention. Sammy Maine

Angel Olsen My Woman eeee

Stuff I Like...

Benjamin Francis The Parrots Los Niños Sin Miedo Leftwich Heavenly Recordings After The Rain Dirty Hit

eeee It has been five years since the release of Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s debut. A record that sold over 100,000 copies, it was the platform for an artist of promise to hit the next level, but a five year gap to its follow up put all of that at risk. Caring for a father between tours, who later passed away, what was lost in momentum is gained in perspective. “I knew that I needed to not do this for a while,” he explains. “I just needed to live outside of music.” Written during those lowest ebbs, ‘After The Rain’ sees all that potential realised and more, its peaks soaring higher than ever before. Stephen Ackroyd

Boys Forever Boys Forever Amour Foo

eeee HEY BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH, RECOMMEND US SOME STUFF.

Last good records you heard Kano - Welcome To The Manor.

Favourite ever book Memoirs Of A Geisha and The Life Of Pi.

TV show I couldn’t live without Game Of Thrones.

Best purchase of this year Moveable LED Ikea Lights for my flat.

Anything else you’d recommend? Music: DVSN, New PJ Harvey record. Food: Mangal (Turkish Food) on Arcola street in Dalston. BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH’S ALBUM ‘AFTER THE RAIN’ IS OUT 19TH AUGUST.

Boys Forever may sound upbeat, but under the surface there are both sweet and salty flavours at play. Created following a bout of depression, which coincided with former Veronica Falls drummer Patrick Doyle [for it is he - Ed] not having a musical outlet for the first time in over a decade, it’s that juxtaposition that allows his self-titled debut album to shine. Recalling classic Scottish indie pop, it’s a sound that works remarkably well. Echoes of Teenage Fanclub make opener ‘Poisonous’ sound anything but, while single ‘Voice In My Head’ has the sardonic lilt of Belle & Sebastian. Forever isn’t long enough. Stephen Ackroyd

Crystal Castles Amnesty (I) Fiction Records

eee The extent to which people will be concerned with the sonic output of Crystal Castles mk 2.0 remains to be seen. It seems inevitable that Alice Glass’ departure from the duo - replaced with new vocalist Edith Frances - will dominate any and all narratives for the foreseeable future. Despite their best efforts, it’s easy to see why too. While ‘Amnesty (I)’ has enough of the Crystal Castles DNA to carry the name, it lacks the aggressive intensity to live up to the spirit. A song titled ‘Sadist’ should never result in a limp fade, while too often tracks feel thinly stretched. It’s not a bad album, it just pales in comparison to what came before. Stephen Ackroyd

Baby Strange Want It Need It Ignition Records

eeee

Viva España. That’s what we say. And it’s not because of the cheap booze or happy go lucky holidays, but because they may have just given birth to the next garage-psych heroes in the shape of The Parrots. Tipped and revered by bands around the country, their debut record ‘Los Niños Sin Miedo’ is a woozy and hypnotic opening gambit that lays out exactly why these guys are a must-listen for those dry summer days. From the windmill chime of opener ‘Too High To Die’, it’s clear the gates are open - even if their range of styles is hidden under a ramshackle garage umbrella. Through the 60s pop punch of ‘Let’s Do It Again’, the deep psych wave of ‘A Thousand Ways’ and the rockabilly-swing of ‘EA Presley’, The Parrots’ number one priority is embracing the moment around them. The standout number is ‘James Gumb’, an adrenaline-induced descent into insanity that combines everything that makes this band so refreshing. A cocktail of influences, ‘Los Niños Sin Miedo’ captures the joys of youth. Over in a flash and right to the point, it’s a digestible chuck of summer goodness that we all need right now. Why walk through life when you can fly? Jamie Muir

Leave your inhibitions at the door, because this is a record that runs purely on instinct. Baby Strange’s rambunctious rock‘n’roll has always been suited to the tightly packed, sweaty venues they frequent. The group have made their name as a voice of rebellion. With their debut album, the Glasgow trio lay the foundations for something bolder. Building from the same frenetic energy that’s made them such a formidable force on stage, on ‘Want It Need It’ the band’s garage rooted rock aesthetic takes full form. The real test will be to see where they go from here. If the songs gathered on this record are to be taken as sure indication, it’s sure to be far. Jessica Goodman

A very short Q&A with Kevin from Of Montreal What did you find most challenging about this album? Nothing. No challenges beyond muting self-consciousness. To what extent do you think this record is of its time? It was made recently. How do you continue to find new inspiration so many albums in? I don’t look back or carry the past with me. Every day I’m born again, just like Jesus. Are there any aspects of the human psyche that you’re yet to write about, but would like to? Hmm that’s a tough question. The answer is probably yes, but I don’t know what it is yet. What’s the most fun thing about being of Montreal? Dressing in drag. Do you have anything else coming up that you’re excited about? A poetry book and lots of touring.

Thom Sonny Green High Anxiety Sudden Records

eee It’s not as if alt-J are the most straight down the line of bands. For a set of legitimate festival headliners, they’re more than happy to head to the leftfield. Drummer Thom Sonny Green rather likes it out there, it seems. So much so he’s struck out alone, with an album of instrumental electronica. Not exactly the kind of faire for those who struggle to get beyond ‘Left Hand Free’, once the immediacy of vocal hooks are cast aside, his debut ‘High Anxiety’ is a rewarding listen. Coming in at a mammoth 21 tracks, there are enough ideas to keep even the hungriest alt-J fan happy until album three. Richard Davies

Of Montreal

Innocence Reaches Polyvinyl

eee Now on their thirteenth studio album, of Montreal have bestowed upon us a pulsating treat that shows they aren’t quite done morphing. Drawing from the straightforward ‘indie’ sound they so encompassed in their earlier years, there are major call outs to dance and electronic music, both straightforward beat-laden as well as funk drenched. Absolutely irresistible, ‘Innocence Reaches’ was made to haunt you, like a secret dish at that restaurant you can’t quite remember how you ordered. of Montreal have mastered over their career the ability to create not just albums but containers of vibe and atmosphere. Steven Loftin

Latitude 2016 Henham Park eeeee

T h e M a cc a b ee s

eep within the heart of Henham Park in Suffolk, some of music’s biggest and brightest names gather for Latitude. A mix of newcomers and legends, it’s a weekend of momentous occasions and statement making. Local (enough) duo Let’s Eat Grandma have been riding the hype train for a while: there isn’t anyone who sounds like this. The tent is simply not big enough to handle the buzz. Courtney Barnett’s set is a raucous explosion of her trademark dead pan lyricism and raw instrumentation. Opening with ‘Dead Fox’, the slightly off kilter sounds and relaxed delivery matched with an enthusiastic stage presence suits the festival atmosphere perfectly. The church of Father John Misty definitely gains more followers with his set. Filled with soul and romanticism, it’s hard to escape the draw that Josh Tillman posits, but even that pales in comparison to Grimes. The experimental selfconfessed art angel brings an inordinate amount of energy to the 6 Music tent. Her crazy world comes to life, showing she’s more than just a

performer - she’s a creative genius. Packed with attitude, Chvrches return to Henham Park to a rapturous reception. Having played in 2013 in one of the smaller tents, they’re now second from the top on the Main Stage and easily prove they deserve to be there. Opening with ‘Never Ending Circles’ from last year’s ‘Every Open Eye’, Lauren Mayberry dances around the stage with confidence, knowing the crowd are hooked on her every word. Topping the bill at the festival that gave them their first ever headline set back in 2011, The National show off what they do best: sorrowladen tracks that are filled with an intelligence only the minds of this band can construct. Lauren Mayberry makes an appearance during ‘I Need My Girl’, while ‘High Violet’ cut ‘England’ receives a spectacular reception and ‘Mr November’ proves once again that although there may be melancholy at every turn, The National can still be savage. Fickle Friends’ bright and summery sound is an instant draw. Irresistibly catchy and doused in melody, they’re a perfect precursor

Orlando Weeks and Felix White have a chat over some lime and ginger tea

to M83 later in the day. Nottingham’s Kagoule pack out the Alcove with furious riffs and pounding drums taking no prisoners, while Oscar brings his melodic yet deadpan music to an avid hillside crowd at the Lake Stage, and Barns Courtney rips through his ‘Hands’ EP as well as the breakout ‘Glitter & Gold’ and ‘Fire’, laying bare what makes him tick. The headline sets this year arc through music’s legacy. Beginning with headlining newcomers The Maccabees, followed by more wellestablished bill-toppers The National, Sunday hosts a band who have carved a legacy over the course of 30+ years: New Order. Taking the crowd through highlights from the band’s discography, the mixture of original and new members sound as if they’ve spent an entire lifetime together. Particularly poignant, the encore, consisting of ‘Blue Monday’ and a cover of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, celebrates what would have been frontman Ian Curtis’ 60th birthday weekend with an homage on the visual screen. This emotional response cements the set’s place in Latitude history. Steven Loftin

So, your first ever headline set! How are you feeling? Orlando: Feeling a little bit better actually. As with most things, I feel like if I just talk about them quite a lot, it slowly starts to ease that release valve a bit so I feel a bit better. Felix: Imparting a bit of lime knowledge has helped. Do you see this as your career defining moment, or are there others? Orlando: I think we’re quite lucky in that there hasn’t had to be a defining moment, we just plugged away at it and we’ve learned as quick as we could learn. Sometimes that’s felt really slow and sometimes it’s felt like we’re getting it, but that’s been one of the secret to how we’ve managed everything: we’ve been able to go at our pace. How has that progress happened? Orlando: The first record was just what we were getting away with playing in live venues, the second one was what we were aspiring to make, not knowing quite technically how to achieve it, the third one was sort of knowing how to make those things but not really thinking about how it would translate to live, and with this new one we’ve got all of that together all of a sudden.

Yes. We know this isn’t how 20 questions really works, but STFU, OK? This month, Deap Vally run the gauntlet of our random, stupid queries. 1. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? Julie: Hi. Stressed to the ballzzz. Hungry. You? Lindsey: I’m great, thanks!

6. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP? Julie: Critically acclaimed actress of stage and screen. Lindsey: Rock star or movie star—some species of star.

2. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO TODAY? Julie: What have I not been up to? Getting buried in an avalanche of emails, wiping baby vomit off the floor, dropping my husband’s amp off to be repaired, eating quinoa, sweating. Lindsey: I’m currently multi-tasking: Babysitting my nephew in San Diego, doing laundry, and watching the documentary ‘Being Elmo’ with my boyfriend, whilst checking and responding to my emails.

7. WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Julie: Mortality as it relates to sharks. Lindsey: Not living up to my fullest potential. 8. WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT? Julie: Doing 20 Questions for Dork Magazine, duh. Lindsey: Deap Vally. 9. HOW DO YOU RELAX? Julie: I don’t. Lindsey: Going to the Korean Spa, hiking, and watching movies.

3. TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF. Julie: I only ever wear one colour of toenail polish. Lindsey: Beans are my favourite food. 4. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT BEING A MUSICIAN? Julie: Melting faces. Next? Lindsey: Being on stage.

Q 20

5. WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY? Julie: No clue at all. If I told you one I’d be lying. Lindsey: Standing in my crib.

10. WHICH DEFUNCT BAND WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO REFORM? Julie: The Strange Boys. Next? Lindsey: Led Zeppelin. 11. WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE

S N O I T U ES

TYPE OF PIE? Julie: Banana cream. Lindsey: Blackberry.

stuck to his horn that he found. He wins her over with the antlers. It’s so cute and hilarious and mind-blowing.

12. DO YOU PREFER THE CITY OR THE COUNTRY? Julie: Something in between is nice. Lindsey: The country.

17. HOW PUNK ARE YOU OUT OF TEN? Julie: ð Lindsey: 7

13. WHAT’S THE BEST SONG YOU’VE WRITTEN OR PLAYED ON? Julie: ’I want What’s Mine’. No one’s ever heard it but trust me it’s bonkers. Lindsey: ‘Critic’, off our new record.

18. YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT EITHER U2 OR RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ON TOUR. WHO DO YOU PICK? Julie: I would be lying if I said Red Hot Chili Peppers. Lindsey: Red Hot Chili Peppers.

14. WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU WERE UPSET TO FINISH? Julie: Goodnight Moon. Lindsey: The Last Bad Man by Miranda July. 15. WHAT’S THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THING YOU CAN COOK? Julie: an Iced almond milk latte. Lindsey: Spanakopita (spinach pie). 16. WHAT LAST MADE YOU LAUGH? Julie: My answer to the next question. Lindsey: This amazing moment between rhinos that was caught on film in the BBC series ‘Africa’. This male rhino is trying to woo a female. She’s not interested at first, she starts to go off with a bigger male, until the smaller one comes back with a pair of antlers

y l l a V ap e D . . . w i t h stupid question... As k a

19. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SMELL? Julie: Doorknobs. Lindsey: Sweet pea flowers. 20. HAVE YOU EVER WON ANYTHING? Julie: A microwave oven in a box of crackers, the Citizenship Award, Best Defensive player in 7th grade basketball, Perfect Attendance Trophy (never missed a day), Most Valuable Cheerleader (I kid you not), Most Improved in Soccer (I sucked), Most Valuable Volleyball player (I won whole games on my serve), and upwards of $40 on scratchers. Lindsey: I won $700 at roulette in Vegas last time we played there.

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