London in Stereo // October 2015
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OCTOBER 2015 ISSUE 31 // FREE OCTOBER 2015 ISSUE 31 // FREE
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October Issue of London in Stereo for the best in London gigs. Featuring Little Simz // Alex G // Trust Fund // Shopping // Francis Lung // Deerhunter and Tiny Mixtapes take over our stereo too.
Transcript of London in Stereo // October 2015
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5ISSUE 31 // FREEO C T O B E R 2 0 1 5ISSUE 31 // FREE
WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBERELECTRIC BALLROOM
GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKETMASTER.CO.UK STARGREEN.COM THEDISTRICTSBAND.COM A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH ATC LIVE
PLUS GUESTS
DEMOB HAPPY & BLAENAVON
ALBERT HAMMOND JR
WEDNESDAY 25 NOVEMBER
ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALLTICKETMASTER.CO.UK GIGSANDTOURS.COM STARGREEN.COM
ALBUM MOMENTARY MASTERS OUT NOW ALBERTHAMMONDJR.COM
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH WME
PLUS GUESTS
THU 3 DECHEAVENgigsandtours.com ticketweb.co.ukstargreen.comthisnao.com
Metropolis Music by arrangement with Primary Talent International presents
/thisnao
THU 03 DECEMBER • OSLOGIGSANDTOURS.COM ALT-TICKETS.CO.UK TICKETMASTER.CO.UK
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATIONBY ARRANGEMENT WITH PRIMARY TALENT INTERNATIONAL
PLUS GUESTS
TUESDAY 03 NOVEMBERISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKETMASTER.CO.UKOTHERLIVES.COM
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CODA
PLUS GUESTS
PRIORITY BOOKINGS
METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTS
THURSDAY 29 OCTOBERELECTRIC BRIXTONGIGSANDTOURS.COM | TICKETMASTER.CO.UK
NEW ALBUM ‘CALIFORNIA NIGHTS’ OUT NOW BESTCOAST.NET
A METROPOLIS MUSIC PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CAA
LiS 03
STAFF ON REPEATthe tracks we can’t stop listening to this month
JESS: FRANCIS LUNG - BACK ONE DAY
DAVE: ALANNA MCARDLE - BALLOONS
LOKI: DRÅPE - PIE IN THE SKY
DANNY: CHROMATICS - SHADOW
GEMMA: SHOPPING - STRAIGHT LINES
JACK: SKYLAR SPENCE - CAN'T YOU SEE
October is always full of brilliant gigs, they help us out of our post-summer, post- festival come-down. There are so many of our previous cover stars playing London this month though, so it makes it extra exciting. From Health, Battles and Julio Bashmore to the likes of Nadine Shah, Purity Ring and Girl Band, our listings section is bursting at the seams with great gigs. The show I'm most excited about? Well my favourite band ever, Mates of State, return to the city this month, after a nearly ten-year-long break. Needless to say, I'll be at the front.
Last month we reviewed the fantastic debut album from Little Simz, and as we enjoyed it – absorbing her every word – we realised there was no one better for the cover. With photos by the incredibly talented Lucy Johnson and a fantastic interview by Tim Hakki, it’s one of my favourite things we've ever published, and hopefully you'll enjoy it too.
FRANCIS LUNG
LITTLE SIMZ
WELCOME
Goldenvoice Presents
gold
envo
ice.
co.u
k gold
envo
iceu
kO
CT-
MA
R
SLEAFORD MODS+ STEVE IGNORANT’S SLICE OF LIFE02.10.15FORUM THE STRYPES+ THE MIGHTY STEF02.10.15KOKO BABY STRANGE+ CATHOLIC ACTION06.10.15BOSTON MUSIC ROOMS GENGAHR+ CASH+DAVID& PUMA ROSA08.10.15SCALA EKKAH11.10.15MOTH CLUB HACKNEY EDITORS+ THE TWILIGHT SAD13.10.15EVENTIM APOLLO LEFTFIELD14.10.15ROUNDHOUSE ALL WE ARE14.10.15SCALA DORNIK15.10.15BUSSEY BUILDING JP COOPER15.10.15KOKO ANNE-MARIE21.10.15OSLO HACKNEY SPEEDY ORTIZ+ TRUST FUND21.10.15DOME TUFNELL PARK
HONNE21.10.15DOME TUFNELL PARK SWIM DEEP+ PRETTY VICIOUS& THE MAGIC GANG22.10.15ROUNDHOUSE MARIBOU STATE27.10.15VILLAGE UNDERGROUND YEARS & YEARS+ SHAMIR27.10.15BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY28.10.15BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY HEALTH28.10.15HEAVEN METZ+ PROTOMARTYR& SPRING KING01.11.15SCALA BROKEN HANDS03.11.15OSLO HACKNEY ROME FORTUNE04.11.15LONDON FIELDS BREWERY RIVRS04.11.15BARFLY ALGIERS09.11.15THE LEXINGTON LEO KALYAN10.11.15THE COURTYARD VAULTS11.11.15KOKO
RYAN O’REILLY16.11.15SEBRIGHT ARMS LUCY ROSE+ FLYTE& C DUNCAN18.11.15FORUM ALABAMA SHAKES+ MICHAEL KIWANUKA18.11.15BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY 19.11.15BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY JOHN NEWMAN23.11.15KOKO LION BABE24.11.15HEAVEN PUBLIC SERVICEBROADCASTING29.11.15BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY AUTOBAHN01.12.15SEBRIGHT ARMS MEADOWLARK14.12.15THE LEXINGTON JASON ISBELL+ JOHN MORELAND22.01.16O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE THE LIBERTINES30.01.16THE O2 ELLIE GOULDING24.03.16THE O2
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
LiS 05
londoninstereo.com @LondonInStereo /londoninstereo /london-in-stereo londoninstereo
ALEX G
LONDON IN STEREO IS:Editor: Jess [email protected]
Deputy Editor: Dave [email protected]
Sub-Editor/Sales: Loki [email protected]
Staff Writers:Danny WrightGemma SamwaysJack Urwin
Photography: Little Simz: Lucy Johnston(lucyjohnston.co.uk)
Contributors: Tim Hakki, Kate Solomon,Dan McCormick, Geoff Cowart,Simone Scott Warren, Nick Mee, Hayley Scott, Woodrow Whyte,Lee Wakefield, Thomas Hannan,Johan Alm, Francesca Baker,Alan D Miller.
08. ON THE STEREO
13. NEW SOUNDS
17. TALES FROM THE CITY
20. ALEX G
26. LITTLE SIMZ
32. ALBUM REVIEWS
40. EVENTS
45. GIGS OF THE MONTH
48. LIVE LISTINGS
67. INTO THE NIGHT
69. IN LONDON
70. LIVE REVIEWS
73. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
CONTENTS
LIS_TEMPLATE.indd 1 11/09/2015 12:13LIS_TEMPLATE.indd 1 11/09/2015 12:13
@LNSource Tickets | Exclusives | Win | l ivenation.co.uk
RADKEYTHE DOME
THU 05 NOV
CLAY &KASSASIN STREET
BIRTHDAYSTHU 15 OCT
GOD DAMNBOSTON MUSIC ROOMS
WED 07 OCT
JOHN GRANTEVENTIM APOLLO HAMMERSMITH
THU 12 NOV
ELLA EYREO2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
TUE 10 NOV
PRIDESKOKO
THU 12 NOV
YO LA TENGOO2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
TUE 20 OCT
SAINT RAYMONDSCALA TUE 01 DEC
SCALA WED 02 DECSCALA THU 03 DEC
FIDLARTHE FORUMSAT 14 NOV
X AMBASSADORSDINGWALLSTUE 13 OCT
IMAGINE DRAGONSTHE O2 THU 04 NOVTHE O2 FRI 05 NOV
GRIZBIRTHDAYSTHU 12 NOV
LIANNE LA HAVASBRIXTON O2 ACADEMY
MON 14 DEC
JOSEF SALVATHEAVEN
TUE 20 OCT
WALKING ON CARSELECTRIC BALLROOM
FRI 23 OCT
SOLD OUT
DEJ LOAF
After an unexpected breakthrough in 2014, DeJ Loaf quietly dropped her major label debut this year. ‘Desire’ is #AndSeeThatsTheThing’s opening cut, and it outlines clearly what the Detroit rapper’s all about: determination, self-confidence, insatiability. But what fuels the fire here is DeJ Loaf’s commitment to playful melodicism and idiosyncratic cadences, boasting a dashing, acrobatic versatility over minimalist production.It’s a bold aesthetic statement from a precocious artist, with a hook that destroys in its effortlessness. Marvin Lin
DEJ LOAFDESIRE
A palpitating synth helicopters over If He Dies’ standout odyssey, rising through molten buzuq and shuddering electronics in the guise of the heat haze rising through Radwan Ghazi Moumneh’s native Lebanon. It soaks everything from the ground up, causing the hybridized Eurasian instrumentation to quiver in its pitiless warmth, to disintegrate into a thousand erratically sampled fragments. And even after it’s drenched the landscape it continues relentlessly, never stopping to grieve for its helpless victims. Simon Chandler
JERUSALEM IN MY HEARTA GRANULAR BUZUK
LiS 09
ILOVEMAKONNEN
COURTNEY BARNETT
Tiny Mix Tapes online: tinymixtapes.com //
@tinymixtapes // facebook.com/tinymixtapes
iLoveMakonnen opens the song imploring producer Danny Wolf to trust him – either to sell lotsa drugs or deliver a hit. Whichever, Makonnen belts this shit out so disarmingly, I’d trust (beg?) him to babysit my unborn children. It’s all the charm of his pre-fame crooning about crushes, but now, older and wiser, he’s crushing on his producers.Or drugs. Whichever. Benjamin Pearson
ILOVEMAKONNENTRUST ME DANNY
‘Somebody Home’ is a monumental moment. It’s a cropped sculpture hardened with 4D-midi composure, glimmering in melody tease and chiselled around fragmented pop, basking in a trove of layered treasures whilst brimming in musical euphoria. For the full visual, install death’s dynamic shroud.wmv’s release I’ll Try Living Like This via Dream Catalogue today. C Monster
DEATH’S DYNAMIC SHROUD.WMVSOMEBODY HOME
Thank CHRIST. It feels like forever sincewe heard an epic-length, dirge-y, triple-meter, guitar-oriented, mopey-as-heck Rock Song. On ‘Small Poppies’, Courtney Barnett somehow manages to mutter such mundane musings as "I make mistakes until I get it right" with just as much luscious ennui as the crackly, narcotic single-coil guitar skrunks that accompany those soul-crushing lines. Dan Smart
COURTNEY BARNETTSMALL POPPIES
T I C K E TS F R O M W W W. C O M M U N I O N M U S I C . C O . U K
MON 21 SEP, WED 7 & WED 14 OCT SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
FRANCESWED 30 SEP, THU 1 & FRI 2 OCT BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY
JAMES BAYTHU 1 OCTOBER UNION CHAPELNADINE SHAH
THU 1 OCTOBER THE ISLINGTONAIDAN KNIGHTTHU 1 OCTOBER THE LAUNDRY
JACK GARRATTSUN 4 OCTOBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
COMMUNION CLUBNIGHTMON 5 OCTOBER ELECTROWERKZ
SAFIATUE 6 & THU 8 OCTOBER BARFLY
KIMBERLY ANNETHU 8 OCTOBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
RAE MORRISFRI 9 OCTOBER KOKORHODES
TUE 13 OCTOBER ELECTROWERKZJONO MCCLEERY
WED 14 OCTOBER OSLOFYFE
MON 19 OCTOBER VILLAGE UNDERGROUNDNATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS
MON 19 OCTOBER ELECTROWERKZTHE ACADEMIC
MON 19 OCTOBER THE LEXINGTON
MARLON WILLIAMSWED 21 OCTOBER THE ISLINGTONCIARAN LAVERY
THU 22 OCTOBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERSRUKHSANA MERRISE
MON 26 OCTOBER KOKOHALF MOON RUN
TUE 27 OCTOBER ROUNDHOUSEBEAR’S DEN
TUE 27 OCTOBER KOKOSUSANNE SUNDFØR
TUE 27 OCTOBER OSLOALEX VARGAS
WED 28 OCTOBER THE ISLINGTONLIAM FROST
WED 28 OCTOBER HOXTON BAR & KITCHENNEW DESERT BLUES
THU 29 OCTOBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERSSTARLING
SUN 1 NOVEMBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUBCOMMUNION CLUBNIGHT
MON 2 NOVEMBER KOKOAMBER RUN
TUE 3 NOVEMBER THE ISLINGTONDAN OWEN & JACK WATTS
WED 4 NOVEMBER O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIREJACK GARRATT
THU 5 NOVEMBER DINGWALLSBOY & BEAR
MON 9 NOVEMBER ROUNDHOUSETHE STAVES
WED 11 NOVEMBER ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALLPATRICK WATSON
WED 11 NOVEMBER HOXTON HALLDAN CROLL
WED 11 NOVEMBER SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERSMIKE WATERS
FRI 13 NOVEMBER ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCHJUNIUS MEYVANT
WED 25 NOVEMBER ST STEPHEN’S CHURCHNEW FACES
THU 26 NOVEMBER ST GILES-IN-THE-FIELDSTHOMAS DYBDAHL
TUE 1 DECEMBER BUSH HALLCHATHAM COUNTY LINE
WED 2 DECEMBER THE LEXINGTONMEGAN WASHINGTON
SUN 6 DECEMBER NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUBCOMMUNION CLUBNIGHT
THU 18 FEBRUARY UNION CHAPELFRANCES
WED 23 MARCH ROUNDHOUSEHALF MOON RUN
TUE 29, WED 30 & THU 31 MARCH HAMMERSMITH APOLLOJAMES BAY
C O M M U N I O N P R E S E N T S
“...THE SIMPLY GORGEOUS SONG-WRITING IS EVIDENCE OF A SUBLIME TALENT.” - CLASH
FRANCES - LET IT OUT
“A BOLD POP STATEMENT, A COMBINATION OF SHARPLY HONED MELODY AND ENGROSSING
LYRICISM” - CLASH
STARLING - WILD HEART
“THE HARD-TOURING, HARD-ROCKING LLANDUDNO FOUR-PIECE ARE QUIETLY BECOMING THE SUCCES-SORS TO ARCTIC MONKEYS AND STEREOPHONICS”
- GUARDIAN
CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN - THE BALCONY
“A BOLD POP STATEMENT, A COMBINATION OF SHARPLY HONED MELODY AND ENGROSSING
LYRICISM” - CLASH
RUKHSANA MERRISE - SEPTEMBER SONGS
“ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ALBUMS I’VE EVER HEARD” - GREG JAMES
BEAR’S DEN - ISLANDS
NEWRELEASES
WWW.COMMUNIONMUSIC.CO.UK
THE NEW #1 ALBUM MARKS TO PROVE IT OUT NOW themaccabees.co.uk !tf
A Metropolis Music presentation in association with 13 Artists
THURSDAY 21 & FRIDAY 22 JANUARYEXTRA DATE ADDED
SATURDAY 23 JANUARYO2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
GIGSANDTOURS.COM TICKETWEB.CO.UK
SOLD OUT
LiS 13
LISTEN TO: Back One Day
ONLINE: francislung.co.uk/ // @FrancisLung //
facebook.com/francislungofficial
LIVE: St Pancras Old Church, November 16th
During WU LYF’s four-year tenure as Manchester’s premiere “heavy-pop” proponents, frontman Ellery Roberts provided a mesmeric focal point for fans.It was his gargling-with-razor-blades caw that reviewers extolled, and it was he that eventually called time on the project, justifying his decision with suitably elusive statements like, “There is nothing here that inspires/interests me beyond the emptiness for dreams… I don't want to spend my life asleep.” Three years on, it’s his less conspicuous co-conspirator who’s commanding our full attention.
Following work with Los Porcos, former WU LYF-bassist Tom McClung now creates gorgeous, alt-leaning pop under the pseudonym Francis Lung. His first official solo
release was 2014’s ‘A Selfish Man’, its gambolling melody and luminescent, pointillist guitar work
balanced by the words of an unrepentant protagonist. Last month, he shared the lo-fi,
piano-led loveliness of ‘Back One Day’ - the lead track from his debut six-track EP.
Due in November via Songs Records, Faehrer’s Son further showcases Lung’s refreshingly unguarded lyrical approach and also illustrates the breadth of his melodic scope, proffering the tender, Sufjan-esque melancholia of ‘Something Blue’, the sun-dappled, Devandra Banhart-flavoured ‘Oh My Love’ and a slide guitar-tinged, Big Star-worthy weepy
called ‘Where Love Comes To Live’.
Listening, you sense that Lung is finally set to receive the attention he deserves.
FRANCIS LUNGNEW SOUNDS by Gemma Samways
The 100 Club
Weds 07 Oct.
Corsica Studios
Weds 28 Oct.
The Laundry
Sun 01 Nov.
Union Chapel
Fri 06 Nov.
The Victoria
Tues 10 Nov.
The Victoria
Thurs 26 Nov.
The Waiting Room
Thurs 08 Oct.
Birthdays
Fri 02 Oct.
Oval Space
Weds 04 Nov.
The Laundry
Fri 06 Nov.
Bush Hall
Weds 11 Nov.
KOKO
Mon 30 Nov.
XOYO
Thurs 15 Oct.
Islington Assembly
Hall Thurs 29 Oct.
KO KO
Weds 04 Nov.
St. John at Hackney
Sat 07 Nov.
The Lexington
Weds 11 Nov.
Moth Club
Mon 30 Nov.
The Victoria
Thurs 15 Oct.
Moth Club
Fri 30 Oct.
Oval Space
Thurs 05 Nov.
Islington Assembly
Hall Sat 07 Nov.
Oval Space
Fri 13 Nov.
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club Thurs 03 Dec.
Electrowerkz
Wed 21 Oct.
The Dome
Fri 30 Oct.
Village Underground
Thurs 05 Nov.
Village Underground
Sun 08 Nov.
Dreamland, Margate
Sat 13 Nov.
XOYO
Tues 19 Jan.
Get tickets and full info at www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
UPCOMING LONDON SHOWSwww.rockfeedbackconcerts.comPresents
BORNRUFFIANS
U.S GIRLS
SILENT HILL LIVE
MARIKA HACKMAN
MICHAELRAULT
BLAENAVON
HOLLY HERNDON
SONGHOY BLUES
MYKKI BLANCO
JOSH T.PEARSON
ZOLA JESUS
ALELADIANE
MEAT WAVE
BOXED IN
FATHERJOHN MISTY
MICACHU &THE SHAPES
BILL RYDERJONES
CHASTIT YBELT
NOVELLAWAXAHATCHEE
TITUSANDRONICUS
ONEOHTRIX
POINT NEVER
SUNFLOWERBEAN
THE SOFT MOON
THREE TRAPPED TIGERS & LITURGY
By The SeaFOALSTHE ORB
WILLIS EARL BEAL CHEATAHS
NATALIEPRASS
Upcoming London Shows www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
Get tickets and full info at: www.rockfeedbackconcerts.com
RESTORATIONSLexington Islington
Thursday 18th July
PISSED JEANS1OO Club Soho
Thu 18 & Fri 19 Aug
CAYUCASSebright Arms Bethnal Green
Monday 14th September
CHASTITY BELTThe Victoria Dalston
Thursday 15th October
TITUS ANDRONICUSVillage UndergroundThursday 5th November
NATALIE PRASSKoko Camden
Monday 30th November
COSMO SHELDRAKEXOYO Shoreditch
Thursday 2nd July
VISIONS FESTIVALVenues across London Fields Saturday 8th Sep
JACCO GARDNERDingwalls Camden
Thursday 3rd September
GIRLPOOLScala Kings Cross
Tuesday 15th September
FATHER JOHN MISTYO2 Shepherds Bush EmpireWed 28th & Thur 29th Oct
MARIKA HACKMANUnion Chapel Islington
Friday 6th November
LE1FThe Nest Dalston
Wednesday 8th July
ARTHUR RUSSELL INSTRUMENTALSOval Space Monday 10th September
ALVVAYSO2 Shepherds Bush EmpireFriday 11th September
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRAO2 Shepherds Bush EmpireWednesday 23rd Sep
SONGHOY BLUESKoko Camden
Wednesday 4th November
THE ORBOval Space Hackney
Friday 13th November
London is the place where I have seen the most different types of M&Ms in one place (M&Ms World), and the place where I have seen the most people confused about what they ought to be doing (M&Ms World). The only time I have ever taken MDMA was in London. It’s that sort of place. You can stay up until one or two in the morning and almost no one will give a damn. I spent the next morning certain that I would never sleep again, curled around a human-sized plastic mould of Paddington Bear, begging him to achieve sentience in order to grant me the sweet release of death. I think Nick Grimshaw walked past and I maybe heard him do a fart. It’s that sort of place.Ellis Jones
What I like about London is the feeling of things happening, of the heightened sense of exhilaration and vulnerability that comes from being a fleeting participant-observant within a vibrant cultural epicentre. It’s the sort of place where you simply can’t avoid drama and incident. For example, my old band once played in a pub in London and the bassist from Radiohead (Gavin? Lucas? I don’t know) was in the same pub, although he didn’t come upstairs to watch us. London is that sort of place. Another pub in London that we played in we later saw on television – in the background of a talking head (Brett Anderson?) – on a documentary about Amy Winehouse’s death.It was in London that I watched someone watch all six of the Fast and Furious films. There were six at the time, but of course there are seven now, with an eighth apparently in the works, despite the death in 2013 of actor Paul Walker. London is just that sort of place.
LiS 17
Trust Fund release Seems Unfair October 30th via Turnstile.Live: The Dome, London (supporting Speedy Ortiz)October 21st // The Lexington, November 4thOnline: @TRUST_FUND // trustfund.bandcamp.com
TALES FROM THE CITYby Trust Fund
Craig RichardsTerry Francis
ApolloniaBen SimsCarl CoxDeetronDJ Qu
Eats EverythingEfdemin
Joseph CapriatiLaura Jones
Marcel FenglerMatrixxmanMatt TolfreyMike Dunn
Nina KravizParanoid London
(Live)Ricardo Villalobos
Ryan CrossonSoul Clap
Ste�Surgeon
Tama SumoTom Trago
VirginiaPlus Many More...
www.fabriclondon.com
fabricoctober
2015
CHIMPO B2B BARELY LEGALDBRIDGE / DJ HAUS / DJ HYPE
DJ MARKY / ED RUSH & OPTICALELIJAH / HUNEE / HUXLEY
ILLUM SPHERE B2B SEAN CANTYJACKMASTER / KASRA B2B MEFJUS
KRYSTAL KLEAR B2B TIGER & WOODSKURUPT FM / LOADSTAR
LOGAN SAMA / MONKI / ONEMANPÉPÉ BRADOCK / ROY DAVIS JR
SOUTH LONDON ORDNANCESPENCER / SPOR / TERROR DANJAH
WILEY / PLUS MANY MORE...
OCTOBER2015
www.fabriclondon.com
“My pl an was to get an
English degree and then
maybe use that to start
teaching or something.. .”
“My pl an was to get an
English degree and then
maybe use that to start
teaching or something.. .”
It’s been quite a time for Alex ‘G’ Giannascoli.After years of uploading lo-fi tracks to Bandcamp, 2014 was the year it all came together. DSU was a swoon of a record that was universally adored by ‘internet tastemakers’ and led to tours around the world, a contract with Domino and the nail in the coffin of his career as a busboy.
There’s a really easy way to see how far Alex G has come in the past few years, musically speaking. All you have to do is to search YouTube for a song called ‘Salt’. It’s a grainy recording of too-shrill acoustic guitars with Alex’s dreamy falsetto rushing in over the top. You can practically hear the outline of the bed in the corner of the room, the laptop screen glowing, a half eaten bowl of cereal. The song meanders along for a minute and a half as layered vocals and scales scamper around in the spaces between strums, and then it’s gone.
Next, put on his new album, Beach Music, and head to track five. It’s also called ‘Salt’ but it opens with a slow, fat tom roll like Phil Collins drumming through mud, an electric piano comes in to lend an elevator music vibe, the riff starts rolling and softer vocals slink into hearing. It’s three minutes before he hits the hook from the original version of the song and he sings, “Today I washed my hands / I want to be alone / I want to fry”.
It’s not the only track on Beach Music that grew out of his earlier work. Closing track ‘Snot’ was also written years ago, although all that made it through to the 2015 version was the chord progression. “I think sometimes there’s songs that I make that I feel that I didn’t do justice,” he tells me over the phone, his thoughtful drawl a transcriber’s dream. “So that’s why I revisit them, because I feel like it’s safe for me to say goodbye to the old version. Then I don’t feel guilty about erasing the old one and putting this new one out.”
There’s a kind of studied abstraction to Alex G’s new songs, inspired in part by his teenage love of The Knife. Pitching his voice all the way up to a point that even Alvin, Simon
Alex Gwords: K ate solomon
Beach Music is released October 9th via Domino.Live: 100 Club, October 20thOnline: @SANDYalexg // facebook.com/sandyalexg
and Theodore would struggle to reach is all part of the ambiguity he seems to be striving for, and while his lyrics may stem from personal experience they evolve to a point where they’re about everything and nothing all at once.
“I think any writer would say that no matter what they’re writing about it’s still coming from their own experience, to an extent - but I try to keep the lyrics pretty vague too. They’re not typically recounting a direct specific experience. I try and make them a little more abstract so they’re more universal. I like to boil things down to certain words and phrases - because I think when I was growing up that was the music that I could relate to, music that wasn’t very specific so I could hear a song and then apply it to my own life. That’s what I really enjoyed about listening to music so I try to do the same with mine.”
Despite being a full-time musician, things are still pretty lo-fi. Alex recorded all of Beach Music at home, while his sister did the album artwork. The trumpet on
‘In Love’ was courtesy of a friend from high school, “a real good trumpet player as far as I remembered, so I hit him up.” He did have to hand the album over to be mixed, though - “I was really apprehensive about it. But it turned out fine. I think I underestimated what they do” - which is part of what makes it feel like a more cohesive album than his previous records.
Alex struggles to come up with what he’d be doing if it weren’t for music taking off. “I probably would’ve graduated college and then - I don’t know. Probably still been working and doing some bullshit.My plan was to get an English degree and then maybe use that to start teaching or something. But I was just so lost. I was so lost. I don’t know...” He trails off.
“I’m really glad the music worked out.” Yeah, us too.
— T UE 2 9 S E P —
NEW CRUSH: PUPPYSPECIAL GUESTS
— T HU 0 1 O C T —
TRACE BUNDYJOHNNY LUCAS + KETE BOWERS
— T UE 0 6 O C T —
BALL PARK MUSIC— T HU 0 8 O C T —
WILL & THE PEOPLEMORE LIKE TREES
— F R I 0 9 O C T —
HOFFMAESTROSPECIAL GUESTS
— F R I 0 9 O C T [18+] —
BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB (DJ SET)
RACING GLACIERS + BLOODFLOWER + ALPHABETIC
— S AT 1 0 O C T —
HURRICANE #1 GOLDBIRDS + THE HACIENDA
— S AT 1 0 O C T [18+] —
MENSWE@RSPECIAL GUESTS + STAR SHAPED DJS
— M O N 1 2 O C T —
PIERCE BROTHERS SEAN MCGOWAN
— T HU 1 5 O C T —
AKUA NARUNOAH KIN
— F R I 2 3 O C T —
THE WOODENTOPSCAULDRONATED
+ MARK JONES / BACK TO THE PHUTURE DJ SET
— W E D 2 8 O C T —
VUKOVISPECIAL GUESTS
— T UE 0 3 N O V —
HOP ALONGSPECIAL GUESTS
THEGARAGEHIGHBURY.COM20-22 Highbury Corner, London, N5 1RD, United Kingdom.
Tickets available from ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 847 2424 (24hr)
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— EVERY FIRST SATURDAY —A MONTHLY BRITPOP PARTY
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It’s evening on August 27th. The defiant last rays of summer blaze through the early autumnal rain on London’s South Bank, varnishing the city in a brilliant golden veneer. On Tooley Street, a crowd of damp people are being let into Red Bull Studios earlier than scheduled by the sympathetic bouncers. Inside, the walls are lined with vibrant art composed by ten different art students from ten different universities. This is how Little Simz chooses to launch her debut album A Curious Tale Of Trials + Persons - the most vital debut that British hip hop has seen in years.
Simbi’s intentions are unequivocal. Both on wax and at the art show she espouses the message that mountains can be moved, that limitless creativity can happen given the right conditions: encouragement, motivation, self-belief and self-love. As she explains to me on Skype a week later, she didn’t want a traditional and sanitised album launch, she’d rather give an opportunity to others. She’s unsigned so she can do whatever the fuck she likes. Later that night, after revelling in hip hop and R&B classics and tanking up at the free bar, everyone bundles into the basement for an intimate secret show. On stage, Simz is uncompromising. Like the record, the show is a flawless communication of feeling. Tonight, in contrast to the high-budget technical peacocking at a Jay-Z or Kanye West gig, Simbi gets closer to the root of the emotions that inspired her music than her multimillionairepeers. There are no frills and no superfluoustechnical appendages.Simz’s story, as she chooses to tell it on her album, is the fundamentally human struggle to findpurpose and identity in a life which often throws up adversity. She explores it through several different voices - there’s the single mother who has missed the boat to all her dreams on ‘Gratitude’, the homeless person who may as well be invisible on ‘Dead Body’, but the one recurring voice we
little simzwords: tim hakkiphotography: lucy johnston
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hear is that of a young female rapper resisting people’s attempts to marginalise her creative output.“Women just aren’t as respected as men in hip hop and I get it, I just don’t agree with it”, she says on the Skype call from LA. “That’s probably where some of my frustration comes from, because if you wanna be tough then you have to dress tough, otherwise you have to be super sexy because that’s what’s been done before and sex sells. I found a formula that works just fine, and that’s just tobe me.” For Simz, the lines between her art and life are blurred. Her striking individuality isn’t just a calculated stage trick, it’s the expression of a firm belief that we’re all moulded by expectations from the cradle. “I’ve been feeling that forever, with just everything. In school I was moulded to be something that I didn’t feel I was. You don’t even realise you’re being moulded. The first thing is you have to wear a fucking uniform - that’s already telling you you’re just like everyone else, that you’re no different, you’re not unique, you’re not special. By the time I got out of school and I stepped into college I found my sense of style. I found what I was into and the music I really liked, as opposed to just putting on the TV and just being force fed shit that wasn’t really for me. Until then I was just a duplicate of anyone else, nothing special. Do you know how late that is? It’s so late in life, you’re eighteen years old and you’re only just beginning to understand yourself. For me that’s a scary thing”.Her recent Twitter activity has seen her take aim at people who have wrongly tried to box her as a grime artist. The headline quote of a Guardian interview reads ‘I’m not a UK female MC, I’m an artist’. It’s exactly this sort of eager and lazy labelling that she explains she’s grown out of. “I’m just so comfortable with who I am that it doesn’t really matter.
But in terms of putting information out there for someone that doesn’t know me, that’s what they’re gonna think or judge me on when they haven’t even heard anything. It’s frustrating. If you’regonna put information out there, at least be honest”.Watching Little Simz perform and listening to her, you get the sense that she’s really pushed her skill set as far as she can in every direction to form an aesthetic that’s completely her own. Even in the way she dresses, flat caps, linen, neutral tones - she’s not consciously trying to fit in with certain expectations about hip hop artists. But in terms of her musical artistry, her discrete lyricism is something that came after technique. “I feel like the flow came first because it was what caught people’s ears. I remember there was a period where I was rapping and writing every day and it just got a bit repetitive. There’s only so much you can talk about how you’re the best and no one can mess with your flow and this that and the other. When I came out of that and I just started living and experiencing real situations and just being more open and honest with myself, my music took a turn for the better.” At the centre of the album is the haunting ‘Gratitude’. Between the unforgettable harmonies provided by the Pimlico group The Hics, lies the story of a single mother whose life has been channelled beyond her control as she accepts the fact that her purpose is to look after her children. It’s a nightmare portrait of anguish that yokes the petitionary prayers of blues music (“Oh lord, why did you pick me lord? / What is it that you can see in me lord?” she cries at one point) to reveal one of Simz’s deepest fears, and conversely one of her driving forces: the fear of not living up to her ambitions.“My mum gave up what she wanted to do so that I could do what I wanted to do, or her kids could do what they wanna do.
“I found a formula thatworks just fine, andthat’s just to be me.”
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Sometimes life forces you to calm down. It’s not about you anymore. I think it’s a fear of everyone’s. You just don’t know what’s gonna hit you until it hits”.The next time I see her perform it’s the night before her album release at the O2 Academy Islington. She plays the album with a live band and their groove is unassailable. Words like ‘magnetising’, ‘rapt’, and ‘enchanting’ arecliches in music journalism.They mean something to do with connection but feel worryingly imprecise when summarising the chemistry between Little Simz and her audience. Between the emotion that births a song and the song’s listeners, there’s a layer of cultural references which the artist draws ideas from. All too often, an artist is an obvious collage of things that came before.With Little Simz though, you get the impression that the character shechooses to express in her music isthe purest distillation of her.Perhaps it’s the revelation thatshe’s only human that generatessuch a deep connectionwith her audience.
Little Simz’s A Curious Tale Of Trials + Personsis out now via AGE 101: MUSIClittlesimz.co // @LittleSimz // facebook.com/LittleSimz
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4ADOctober 16th
Stand Out Tracks:All The SameDuplex PlanetTake CareAd Astra
Live: November 7thShepherds Bush Empire
When Deerhunter released their fifth LP Halcyon Digest in 2010 they had their work cut out to provide a follow-up. It was a novel and important entry in the indie rock cannon: enterprising, psychedelic, and greeted by obsessive adulation. In contrast, 2013’s Monomania appeared a little untrimmed and rough around the edges, perhaps a little too all-American and resultantly harder to love. Whatever your opinion on Monomania, there’s no denying that Deerhunter’s founder Bradford Cox is enigmatically magnetic. His brief appearance with Jared Leto in the film Dallas Buyers Club as the transvestite Rayon’s boyfriend was a rare glimpse at his softer side. This is after all, the man who has mouthed off about Morrissey being pretentious and arrogant, only to call himself out as both of those things before giving us Morrissey-esque assurances of his celibacy. Like Morrissey too, Cox is eminently adept at crafting a wholly believable vision of indie as outsider pop.It’s reassuring then, to say that Deerhunter’s new album Fading Frontier is very nearly as believable as Halcyon Digest. It’s a new direction for the band who have noticeably mellowed out since Monomania. The smooth psychedelic groove of opener ‘All The Same’ almost immediately puts to bed the idea that Deerhunter may have grown out of their esoteric oddity: “My friend’s dad got bored / Changed his sex and had no more / No more wife, no more kids / Nothing left to live with” Cox sings, courting that familiarly ambivalent aesthetic once more.It’s often overlooked just how influential Deerhunter have been to the soundscape of teenies’ indie rock. The languid arpeggios and ambient noise of ‘Breaker’ recapture that uniquely Deerhunter feeling that the denizens of Slackerville USA have only aimed at. At moments, Fading Frontier is absolutely spellbinding. The immersive instrumental outro of ‘Take Care’ feels like consciousness borne on the waves of melody, like Can’s kosmische experimentation on Tago Mago. While Cox is vocal about his pride of American music, the synth heavy ‘Ad Astra’ sounds suspiciously new romantic and lead single ‘Snakeskin’ is pure Jimmy Page Zep-funk. Deerhunter have matured well, Fading Frontier is one of the best releases this year. They’re as wildly inventive as they’ve ever been. Whatever Cox’s opinions on Morrissey are, one can’t help but notice they’ve both built an impressively sustainable body of work on the foundations of their own outsiderness. Long may the weirdos reign. Tim Hakki
DEERHUNTERFADING FRONTIER
RECORD OF THE MONTHALBUMS
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Over five previous albums, !!! strode between the crusty rave and funky house club, fuelled by earthy melodic basslines and after-hours beats. There’s more on-trend conformity to As If: more breathless soprano, glistening synth, pop choruses and an ugly smear of auto-tune. The US band’s latest wears the
scent of the European dance scene, from Daft Punk’s lacquered funk to Disclosure’s pumped-up r‘n’b, while ‘Ooo’ sounds like high-fat Hot Chip, and ‘Every Little Bit Counts’ actually recalls Klaxons. But !!! haven’t wholly abandoned the abandon: the way the bass wrests control of ‘Freedom! 15’s scuzzy disco, and the phased plunge to tease back the baggy beat on the catchy ‘Till The Money Runs Out’, are moments of enormity on this unexpectedly glossy but reassuringly danceable sixth release.Nick Mee
Stepping out from the confines of indie behemoths The National, Matt Berninger and Menomena's Brent Knopf unleash El Vy’s debut; Return To The Moon. It’s a concept record (eek) about an imagined love story between Mike Batt and D. Boon of The Minutemen, from the scratchy funk of ‘The
Man To Be’, through to the heartbreak in torch song closer ‘Careless’. Yet it’s also intensely personal; we learn of Matt's loneliness (’No Time To Crank Up The Sun’), his disappointment at friends not turning up with weed (’Need A Friend’), and his youthful love affair with Hüsker Dü and The Smiths (’Paul Is Alive’). There’s more than enough here to keep fans of The National happy, but importantly, it’s a great listen if you aren't. Simone Scott Warren
It’s been a mere eight months yet here we are, being treated to the second Trust Fund album of 2015, like some sort of glorious mirage in the musical wasteland. If Seems Unfair has been ready for some time, there is nothing hurried in its execution despite a slight running time. Everything we adore
about Trust Fund remains, from the sugar rush immediacy of ‘Mother’s Day’, recalling the breakneck speed of early Los Campesinos! to the addictive choral refrain of ‘Football’. As immediate as the album is, it seems fitting that the title track demonstrates the band’s rapidly developing sound, all meticulously arranged group harmonies and whirring guitars. Trust Fund still gets you, you’re just going to have to share him with a lot more fans. Lee Wakefield
EL VYRETURN TO THE MOON4AD // October 11th
!!!AS IFWarp // October 16th
TRUST FUNDSEEMS UNFAIRTurnstile // October 30th
The title for Arthur Ashin’s third Autre Ne Veut album comes from marketing jargon. “Truth and transparency are just ways to sell things and honesty,” he’s said. Yet on opening track ‘On and On (Reprise)’ it feels like every bit of earnest truth is spilling out of him as he cries “Push me harder, baby baby babe” over chopped up, cut and pasted, distorted jazz, like tape unraveling off the spool.
Ashin recorded the album with a jazz combo but this is as close to jazz as he gets – the rest of the album remains closer to the warped approximations of 90s R&B that shaped his previous two albums. Yet the intense passion remains. The title track’s breathy, clipped swagger is majestic, ‘Switch Hitter’s’ chorus smashes it out of the park, and first single ‘World War Pt. 2’ starts like Usher’s ‘Climax’ - and though it can never hit those heights (what can?), it’s still damn magnificent.It’s the little details - like the detuned guitar line on ‘Panic Room’ that swoops in at the end of the track and the snarling riff that attacks the finale of ‘Cold Winds’ – that make the album.The brittle, handclap-filled ‘Over Now’ is dolefully beautiful while closer ‘Get Out’ is so theatrical it reminds you why one reviewer claimed Ashin’s music owed ‘as much to Broadway as it does with R&B’. Angelic gospel choirs, joyous handclaps, sermon-like falsetto – it feels transcendental rather than emptily transparent. Danny Wright
Bless John Grant for bending the idea of the ‘singer songwriter’ so far that the term now seems totally obsolete. Grey Tickles, Black Pressure is bookended with with biblical quotations on love, the ones from Corinthians you always hear at weddings, but that’s about as much tradition as you’re likely to find on the former Czars singer’s third solo record.
It’s a jauntier listen than the preceding Pale Green Ghosts, which saw Grant tackling with his HIV positive diagnosis, and it’s a delight to hear him having such a giggle. He even mocks his own previous misery on the title track, detailing how “there are children who have cancer, and so all bets are off – I can’t compete with that”. It’s a John Grant record, so of course eyebrows will be raised at a few turns of phrase. ‘Slug Snacks’ is full of them, with “you know it takes an ass like yours for me to develop such a high tolerance for inappropriate behaviour” probably the biggest corker. The song, and album as a whole, continues down a synth-laden, electronic path that carries him further away from the balladeering of his past. ‘Guess How I Know’ is probably the first of his tunes that could be given a passable Marilyn Manson cover.If it sounds all over the place… it is. There aren’t many instantly lovable songs here, but Grant’s verve and wit just about make up for their absence. Thomas Hannan
AUTRE NE VEUT AGE OF TRANSPARENCYDowntown // October 30th
JOHN GRANT GREY TICKLES, BLACK PRESSUREBella Union // October 9th
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Back in 2006, indie suffered from so much over-saturation that it became a parody of itself, culminating in the supposed “death of guitar music” as it pandered to a very male- dominated scene. Hatcham Social and their contemporaries however – though often berated for a lack of originality – were
actually a welcome contrast to the macho banality of bands like Kasabian and The Enemy. Informed by post punk and indie pop’s defiantly anti-macho past, Hatcham Social crafted a sound that was enduring as it was formulaic. But they’ve come a long way since the lo-fi bedroom pop of 2006’s Dance As If. Here it’s difficult to place them anywhere, as they experiment with myriad styles. Opener ‘Bucket of Blood’ stays faithful to their trademark psych-tinged gloom, while the strings on ‘Wondrous Place’ add contemplative warmth. Elsewhere, ‘Star Woman’ is aptly Bowie-esque and, though it veers close to pastiche, it’s lyrically cryptic and clever. Dark, melodic and intelligent, The Birthday of the World is more intriguing than expected. Hayley Scott
HATCHAM SOCIALTHE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLDCrocodile Records // October 11th
“Never let life’s troubles block your flow.” That’s an ironic opening line from the Bay Area hip hop duo considering it has taken ten years and ample
crowdfunding to make their fifth album happen. Was it worth the wait? No. Ok, so Gift of Gab’s tongue-twisting rapping is still extra fresh. That aside, the half-arsed and half-speed Chief Xcel beats slow proceedings to a painful crawl. It starts strong with the fierce ‘Blacka’ (“blacker than a black Santa”) and Gab’s mind-boggling rapping blazing through ‘On Fire Tonight’ before it starts to fizzle out. Even if you ignore the terrible soft funk of ‘Love’s Gonna Save the Day’ and the screwed-lite travesty of ‘Inspired By’, this is a terrible album with a great EP lurking somewhere within. Geoff Cowart
BLACKALICIOUSIMANI, VOL. 1Caroline International // October 16th
Ty Segall has been a mainstay of the garage and psych scene for almost a decade now, both as a solo artist and in
various bands. FUZZ is one of those, and his most high-profile one right now. Formed in 2011 by Ty Segall and guitarist Charles Mootheart (of Ty Segall Band, Moonhearts etc), the duo is joined by Meatbodies’ Chad Ubovich on bass, and on their second album of sludgy proto-metal they’re on top form, just like on the excellent self-titled debut LP two years ago. Clocking in at almost an hour and ten minutes II is something of a mammoth, but when it comes to loud and heavy seventies-style rock there are few better ways to spend your time. Johan Alm
FUZZIIIn The Red Records // October 23rd
Having personally spent the first eighteen years of my life in Loughborough, I can empathise fully with the four students at the town’s university who formed Cristobal And The Sea in response to their alma mater’s overwhelmingly sport-centric, laddish culture. Knowing that, it makes perfect sense that
their debut couldn’t be further from middle-England monotony: with members hailing from Portugal, Spain, Corsica and the UK, the influences of their respective countries are abundantly clear throughout. There’s obviously comparisons to be made with some of their better-known contemporaries, but in its bossa nova rhythms and bright Iberian melodies, Sugar Now doesn’t merely appropriate the sounds of various regions, but demonstrates actual, lived experiences - and it’s all the stronger for it. Jack Urwin
The DIY queer punk scene has experienced a resurgence across the UK, as evidenced by the increasing amounts of queer punk releases and specialist festivals, including London’s very own Bent Fest back in April. The Spook School have already achieved enough notoriety to tour internationally
and have a sit down interview with Laura Jane Grace from Against Me! for Rolling Stone. Try To Be Hopeful builds on this reputation with stacks of jangly pop with nuanced lyrics about identity and sexuality, delivered with exuberant glee on ‘Burn Masculinity’ and ‘Binary’. Sometimes the Edinburgh quartet can come across a little twee, and the production is muffled at points, but ultimately this record succeeds because of its earnest, uplifting spirit. A reason to be hopeful, indeed. Woodrow Whyte
Not only did Roland Barthes’ essay influence the name of Cheatahs’ new album, but the feel – present through the veneer of distorted guitar and hazy vocals – is a sense of shifting meanings and unclear symbolism.This may be their debut full length, but the record oozes
assurance. The driving rhythms and frantic drumming of their punkier early days remain but the overall sense is of swimming through colourful swamps, as acidic basslines slide beneath you and raucous energy waves above. Highlights include the expansive cinematic sprawl of ‘Murasaki’, the motoring pace of ‘Flux’, ‘Channel View’’s sonic pummelling, and ‘Seven Sisters’, a beautiful piece of euphoric shoegaze. The sound of sketchy back-alleys still underpins the traversing vibe - this is just further along the journey. And it’s a hell of a ride. Francesca Baker
THE SPOOK SCHOOLTRY TO BE HOPEFUL Fortuna POP! // October 9th
CRISTOBAL AND THE SEASUGAR NOWCity Slang // October 2nd
CHEATAHSMYTHOLOGIESWichita Recordings // October 30th
THEBARFLYLONDON.COM49 Chalk Farm Road, Camden Town, London NW1 8AN
Tickets available from thebarflylondon.com or 0844 847 2424 (24hr)
/THEBARFLYLONDON @BARFLYCAMDEN@THEBARFLYHQ
FOLLOW US
— WED 17 OCT —
BEACH SLANG— FRI 23 OCT —
SAMOANS + FREEZE THE ATLANTIC
BAD SIGN + DEATH & THE PENGUIN
— WED 28 OCT —
YOUTH CLUB— WED 04 NOV —
RIVRS— THU 12 NOV —
LEGENDS OF COUNTRY
THE MAGIC CITY TRIO + SIMON STANLEY WARD + LOUD MOUNTAINS
— FRI 20 NOV —
VYNCEPLEASURE HOUSE
— THU 10 DEC —
CANARY SWING
— THU 01 OCT —
MENACE BEACHMAN OF MOON + COREY BOWEN
— MON 05 OCT —
ONLY RIVALS— WED 07 OCT —
ALEXANDERVICTORIA
— MON 12 OCT —
DIZTORTION & FRIENDS FT. STYLO G
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— THU 15 OCT —
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— EVERY SATURDAY —
PROPAGANDA & XFM PRESENT CAMDEN’S BEST SATURDAY NIGHT OUT
— EVERY FRIDAY —
LIVE BANDS UPSTAIRS, INDIE CLASSICS DOWNSTAIRS
THEBARFLYLONDON.COM49 Chalk Farm Road, Camden Town, London NW1 8AN
Tickets available from thebarflylondon.com or 0844 847 2424 (24hr)
/THEBARFLYLONDON @BARFLYCAMDEN@THEBARFLYHQ
FOLLOW US
— WED 17 OCT —
BEACH SLANG— FRI 23 OCT —
SAMOANS + FREEZE THE ATLANTIC
BAD SIGN + DEATH & THE PENGUIN
— WED 28 OCT —
YOUTH CLUB— WED 04 NOV —
RIVRS— THU 12 NOV —
LEGENDS OF COUNTRY
THE MAGIC CITY TRIO + SIMON STANLEY WARD + LOUD MOUNTAINS
— FRI 20 NOV —
VYNCEPLEASURE HOUSE
— THU 10 DEC —
CANARY SWING
— THU 01 OCT —
MENACE BEACHMAN OF MOON + COREY BOWEN
— MON 05 OCT —
ONLY RIVALS— WED 07 OCT —
ALEXANDERVICTORIA
— MON 12 OCT —
DIZTORTION & FRIENDS FT. STYLO G
+ JACOB BANKS— TUE 13 OCT —
GET INUITOTHERKIN
— THU 15 OCT —
THE JAPANESE HOUSE— FRI 16 OCT —
RADIO ONHEATH + OTZEKI
— EVERY SATURDAY —
PROPAGANDA & XFM PRESENT CAMDEN’S BEST SATURDAY NIGHT OUT
— EVERY FRIDAY —
LIVE BANDS UPSTAIRS, INDIE CLASSICS DOWNSTAIRS
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JOSH T PEARSON
GIRL BAND
Illuminations is now a firm fixture in our diaries, with this year marking the fourth installment of Rockfeedback bringing us an impressive programme of live music, art installations and film screenings. With the likes of Josh T Pearson, Holly Herndon, Daniel Lopatin, Titus Andronicus and Oneohtrix Point Never playing one-off shows in grand venues these events promise to be more spectacular than ever before. The film section of this series is just as brilliantly curated, with a string of events and talks taking place at Hackney Picturehouse, The British Library and The Prince Charles Cinema. These include the like of Orion, about the life of an entertainer thought to be the spirit of Elvis, and They Will Have To Kill Us which focuses on the banning of music in Mali and the breakthrough of Songhoy Blues. Check out the full programme and don’t miss out on these very special events.October 30th-November 8th. Various venues.illuminationslondon.com/ // @rockfeedback
ILLUMINATIONS FESTIVAL
The recent boom in cassette popularity has been a source of both wonder and nostalgia for those of us who lost endless hours making mixtapes for friends and unrequited loves alike. Cassette Store Day, despite being a joyful celebration of the format, is more forward-looking than that though. Now in its third year, the day – started by the labels Suplex Cassettes, Kissability, and Sexbeat – offers up new albums by a bunch of our very favourite artists (including the extraordinary Girl Band). This is now a global event too, with the likes of the legendary Burger Records and New Zealand’s Arch Hill joining in the fun. And, for those who can’t attend stores on the day, all releases will be available online this year, meaning we can all join in.October 17th. cassettestoreday.com // @cassetteday facebook.com/CassetteStoreDay
CASSETTE STORE DAY
EVENTS a selection of new stuff we’re excited about:
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PHILIP GLASS
A restaurant refurbishment in Stokey has been catching our eye lately; ‘The Good Egg’ it says outside. We’re into food and new stuff, so we found out more. With an exciting menu inspired by the cafes and delis of Montreal, Tel Aviv and California, The Good Egg is going to be a relaxed all-day neighbourhood spot, which sounds pretty idyllically N16 to us. We’re especially excited to try the pastrami, served the Montreal way instead of NYC style. No idea what that means, but we’re 100% going to find out. Plus, there’s a burger. Phew.
Opens late Sept’. 93 Stoke Newington Church St thegoodeggco.com // @TheGoodEgg_
THE GOOD EGG
The Barbican hosts one of its most ambitious projects to date this month with Sound Unbound, a weekend festival aiming to release classical music from its traditional confines. From huge 100-piece symphony shows to intimate solo sets they’ve invited some contemporary voices of the genre such as Max Richter, Philip Glass and Steve Reich, to showcase their work and bridge the gap between old and new. There’s an incredible amount of events crammed into this brilliantly inclusive weekend; find out more quick.
Oct’ 31st-Nov’1st. Barbican Centre, EC2Y 8DSbarbican.org.uk // @BarbicanCentre
THE BARBICAN CLASSICAL WEEKENDER
You think we’re going to be impressed by an event claiming to be ‘the world’s biggest and best rum festival’? You know us so well, of course we’re impressed. So what does Rumfest have to offer? Well, just 400 of the rarest and most diverse rums from around the world, that’s what. With day and weekend tickets available, your entry price will give you tasters of pretty much every rum there (maybe have a good meal beforehand), but there are also tokens on sale to purchase tasters of some very special rums that can cost up to £2000 a bottle.
October 17th-18th, ILEC Conference Centre, SW6 1UD // rumfest.co.uk/ // @Rumfest
RUMFEST
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CHASTITY BELTSHACKLEWELL ARMSJURASSIC POP //HEAVY MENTHOL Rock songs about Jurassic Park? Check.Ridiculous lyrics? Check.Insane amounts of fun? Check
@Shacklewell Arms13/10/15 FREE
THE BARFLYTHE JAPANESE HOUSEU nique, brooding, melancholic electronica from19 year-old Amber Bain.
@TheBarflyHQ15/10/15 £8adv
THE GARAGEBALL PARK MUSIC More brilliant indie-pop from Australia. Touring their thirdalbum 'Puddinghead', this quintet will light up The Garage.
@TheGarageHQ06/10/15 £10adv
HIGHBURY AND ISLINGTON
BRIXTON WINDMILLTHE ST PIERRE SNAKE INVASION //I CRIED WOLF // FRAUDS + MOREThis whirlwind of a tour stops by theBrixton Windmill this month to give you adose of ferocious noise that you'll want tojump up and down to.
THE LEXINGTONCHASTITY BELTPost-post-punk energy, jagged rhy thms and tons of fun.
ANGEL@thelexington16/10/15 £6adv
@windmillbrixton07/10/15 £5adv
BRIXTON
BUSH HALLEAVES // RORY BUTLERA naturally gifted lyricist with a timeless and beautiful quality to his music,Eaves celebrates the release of hisdebut album ‘What Green Feels Like ’.
@Bushhallmusic22/10/15 £9adv
SHEPHERD’SBUSH
DALSTON JUNCTION /KINGSLAND
CHALK FARM /CAMDEN TOWN
GIGS OF THE MONTHOUR PICK OF THE BEST SHOWS HAPPENING IN OCTOBER
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HOXTON BAR AND KITCHENSHANNON SAUNDERS Mature and addictive electro pop,Shannon Saunders is already taking theinternet by storm.
@HoxtonHQ26/10/15 £9adv
THE GOOD SHIPDEAR LIFE // COPPER // SAMSARAAtmosphere and angst come togetherto make touching, melancholy indie .
@thegoodshipNW623/10/15 FREE
THE DOMESPEEDY ORTIZFull of hooks, crunchy guitars andeffortless vocals form Sadie Dupuis , wecan't wait to see Speedy Ortiz once more.
@DomeTufnellPark21/10/15 £12.50adv
TOTTENHAMCOURT ROAD
O2 ISLINGTON ACADEMYTURBOWOLFBack in London, riotous Bristolian rockers Turbowolf throw one hell of a party.
@O2Islington29/10/15 £10adv
BORDERLINEGRAVE PLEASURES //DESPERATE JOURNALISTSelf-styled apocalyptic post punks, GravePleasures (ex-Beastmilk) and goth rockersDesperate Journalist take overThe Borderline.
@theborderline13/10/15 £13adv
ANGEL
KILBURN
OSLO JANE WEAVER hailing from Liverpool Jane weaver writesnuanced pop songs that are as unusual as they are brilliant.
@OsloHackney22/10/15 £11adv
HACKNEY CENTRAL
TUFNELL PARK
OLDSTREET
SERVANT JAZZ QUARTERSFRANCES Strong but never losing its fragilitycompletely, Frances has a truly stunningvoice. Pop music with a real heart to it.
@ServantJazz7&14/10/15 £7.50adv DALSTON JUNCTION /
KINGSLAND
NEW CROSS INNTHE BLACK TAMBOURINES //SPOILERSA night of ridiculous fun, noisy garagepunk, headlined by our long-timefavourites, The Black Tambourines.
@NewCrossInn08/10/15 £5 NEW CROSS /
NEW CROSS GATE
SPEEDY ORTIZ
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MATES OF STATE
BEDROOM BARCRASH ISLANDA band from around the world playingdark tropical indie rock band, and nowbased in Stoke Newington
@Bedroom_Bar29/10/15 FREE
FABRICWILEY // LOGAN SAMA // ELIJAH //DBRIDGE // SKEPTICAL // LOXYButterz team up with Keeping It GrimyCEO, Logan Sama, to launch the longrespected DJ’s FABRICLIVE 83 project.
@fabriclondon09/10/15 £19adv
@thelocktavern09/10/15 FREE CHALK FARM /
CAMDEN TOWN
BIRTHDAYSMATES OF STATEOne of our favourite ever bands,Mates of State, head back to the UK for thefirst time in nearly ten years, to say we'reexcited is a huge understatement.
@_Birthdays29/10/15 £8adv
THE FINSBURYEVANS THE DEATH // SISTERS // GRUBS // /PLEASE/ It's All Happening take over The Finsbury, bringing the best indie kicks.
@TheFinPub09/10/15 FREE
MANOR HOUSE
THE LOCK TAVERNWORRIEDABOUTSATAN // CAPAC Worriedaboutsatan are back, they makesometimes crushing, sometimesuplifting electronic sounds like noother, come and be mesmerised
OLD STREET
WAITING ROOMBLAENAVONBlaenavon make addictive guitar pop.Signed to Transgressive, if you don'talready know them, you will soon.
@WaitingRoomN1608/10/15 £5ADV DALSTON JUNCTION/
KINGSLAND
100 CLUB ALEX GObviously we’re huge fans of Alex G’sbrooding and beautiful sound. With his new album coming out on Domino this month,this is bound to be a celebratory show.
@100clubLondon20/10/15 £11adv TOTTENHAM
COURT ROAD
FARRINGDON
DALSTON JUNCTION/KINGSLAND
MADE VIOLENTTHURS 24 SEPTTHE ISLINGTON
LADY LAMBMON 28 SEPTTHE LEXINGTON
SURFER BLOODWED 30 SEPTTUFNELL PARK DOME
RAKETKANONTHURS 1 OCTTHE LEXINGTON
SOCIETYMON 5 OCTDALSTON VICTORIA
LILIES ON MARSTUES 6 OCTELECTROWERKZ
GEORGIAWED 7 OCTCORSICA STUDIOS
LONELADYWED 7 OCTHEAVEN
ROZI PLAINWED 7 OCTST JOHN ON BETHNAL GREEN
BEACH BABYTHURS 8 OCTBOSTON MUSIC ROOM
ALEX GTUES 20 OCT100 CLUB
BO ROCHAWED 21 OCTSERVANT JAZZ QUARTERS
ROYCE WOOD JUNIORWED 21 OCTELECTROWERKZ
EZRA FURMANTHURS 22 OCTO2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
HABITATSTHURS 22 OCTTHE LEXINGTON
PALACETHURS 22 OCTSCALA
CURTIS HARDINGWED 28 OCTVILLAGE UNDERGROUND
OH SO QUIETTHURS 29 OCTDALSTON VICTORIA
OKAY KAYAMON 2 NOVST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
THE PHOENIX FOUNDATIONMON 2 NOVOSLO HACKNEY
MITSKITUES 3 NOVDALSTON VICTORIA
THE GARDENWED 4 NOVDINGWALLS
JOANNA NEWSOMMON 9 NOVEVENTIM APOLLO
JOHN JOSEPH BRILLMON 9 NOVDALSTON VICTORIA
LORD HURON+ RADICAL FACEWED 11 NOVO2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
MISTY MILLERWED 11 NOV100 CLUB
ASTRONAUTALISWED 18 NOVSCALA
ELVIS PERKINSTUES 24 NOVDALSTON VICTORIA
MERCURY REVTUES 24 NOVOVAL SPACE
LA FEMMETUES 24 NOVKOKO
THIS IS THE KITWED 25 NOVSCALA
EL VY (MATT BERNINGER& BRENT KNOPF)WED 9 DEC& THURS 10 DECELECTRIC BALLROOM
DEMOB HAPPYTHURS 10 DEC100 CLUB
PARALLELLINESPROMOTIONS.COM
SOLD OUT
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TUESDAY 27TH OCTOBER
THURSDAY 29TH OCTOBER
FOR THE LATEST LISTINGS, AND TOSIGN UP TO OUR GIGS OF THE WEEKEMAIL, VISIT LONDONINSTEREO.COM
FRIDAY 30TH OCTOBER
SURFER BLOOD
SATURDAY 31ST OCTOBER
The Battle Of Ideas: The end of Boozy Britain?battleofideas.org.uk/2015/session_detail/10101Can we handle a 24-hour City?battleofideas.org.uk/2015/session_detail/997ntia.co.uk // @wearethentia // facebook.com/wearethentia
– We, at London In Stereo, have been so concerned about the spate ofrecent venue closures, and attitude towards London’s nightlife, thatwe felt we had to do something to raise more awareness of the issues.Therefore we’ve invited Alan Miller of the The Night Time IndustriesAssociation (NTIA) to contribute a monthly column, celebratingLondon’s nightlife and highlighting the struggles it faces –
accountable for personal behaviour). The focus, instead, has been the way clubs and bars have been culled in one of our formerly most exciting and diverse areas. Soho and Westminster need to have a mixture of activities, and some of those are late-night and all-night premises for people to go to. We have seen some interesting developments both in the race for the Mayor of London and the leadership of the Labour Party. We shall be submitting questions and points to all runners for Mayor of London about the value of the Night Time Economy, and where they stand on it. We also have some ambitious further plans afoot, placing nightlife at the heart of debate around city planning, architecture, business and the economy. Watch this space for more. For now, you should come join us at this year’s Battle of Ideas Festival, which takes place October 17th and 18th, again at The Barbican. We are on a couple of panels; The end of Boozy Britain? and Can we handle a 24-Hour City? with speakers from TFL, health, policy and more. You should come and join in the discussion and argue for what you believe in. More than that, you should share this on social media; post your support, or view, on the Night Time Economy andNTIA – get friends, fellow clubbers and those that love London involved. The world is after all ours. It is only us that makes it what it is.See you on October 17th then, The Battleof Ideas. Alan D Miller
Last year I spoke on a panel at the Battle of Ideas Festival at the Barbican Centre, alongside concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith, club owner Alex Proud and head of Westminster licensing, Tim Mitchell. It was a lively and rambunctious debate about how the Night Time Economy in London and Britain was being over-regulated and suffocated.This led to the formation of The NTIA.Since then, the issue of UK nightlife has been discussed across the nationalpress, and a high profile campaign by residents in Hackney (We Love Hackney) has helped promote the idea that people can do something about the world they live in.Nothing is inevitable. We make the world every day. Just as creative inspiration for what kind of skirt one wants to design, nightclub to build or agency to run – or what drink to buy and music to dance to – we can also shape and direct the much bigger things if we come together to do so.Some in the press have blamed festivals, property developers and the gaming industry for issues with clubs and bars – the reality is that all of the above are positive and lively contributions to society, and part of the rich tapestry and ecosystem around night time and culture more broadly. The major issue faced by us all, in London and beyond, is the view that night time economy is a ‘crime creator’,a ‘nuisance’ or problem, rather than what it is; a massive cultural contributor and economic regenerator of cities and high streets.Westminster has been in the news recently with licensing and policing; the problem however has not been so much whether a few individuals (police, licensing) have behaved legally or not (as anyone, all should be held LiS 67
INTO THE NIGHT
Shopping release their second albumWhy Choose? October 2nd via FatCat Records.
@SH0PP1NG // facebook.com/weareshoppingLiS 69
Why do you live in London?I grew up in the countryside - so when I moved here I was desperate to find my people, the punks, queers and weirdos that make me feel empowered and inspired. I wanted to go to the biggest noisiest place to do that. The first queer punk show I went to in London was Drunk Granny, Corey Orbison, Husbands and a queer electropop feminist band from Berlin called Rhythm King and Her Friends, they were all the weirdest and coolest bands I'd ever seen and I instantly knew I needed to move here and make friends with these people and start a band.How would you advise someone to get the most out of London?Try to embrace the chaos!
What’s your favourite gig venue?Power Lunches in Dalston, also really excited about DIY Space, which is about to open in Peckham any day now.
Where do you like to eat and drink?Shopping spend a lot of time in various greasy spoons having fry-ups when we should be practicing. Alpino Cafe, in Angel, got a mention in the sleeve notes of our first record. Also we love Che- Men Cafe on Kingsland Road for their menemen and three quid lentil soup.
Favourite outdoor space?It used to be the top of the hill at Nunhead cemetery where you could squeeze through a gap in the fence and look at the best view of London, but they've put up a massive fuck off razor wire fence now.I also really like the Barbican, does that count as outdoors?
If you could live anywhere in London where would it be?Any place where the rent is not constantly increasing.What’s the perfect way to spend the day?When I manage to get around or do things for free…like reading graphic novels in Peckham library (they are stocked by Gosh comics, the best comic shop ever) going to free galleries like Tate and Whitechapel... The number 12 bus that never has conductors on it…Does London influence the music you write?Yeah I think so; the general desperate, frustrated sound of our music probably has a lots do with living in a crazy, stressful place like London. Living here demands a lot of time and energy as well as it being hard to find space to practice and record - so everything we do is pretty time constricted. If something is taking too long we get bored, ditch it and and only keep the songs that instantly get us excited. That also has to do with our personalities though. We're all pretty hyperactive and impatient people - which is also probably why we all like living here.Rachel Aggs
. . . IN LONDONwith SHOPPING
Sufjan Stevens photo: Rachel Lipsitzvisit londoninstereo.com for full gallery
LIVE
hushed and reverent “we’re all going to die” here builds to a surprisingly life-affirming climax.At times you can see how much the performance takes out of him – he looks to the ground, constantly seems to be gathering his thoughts. Yet it’s also cathartic, not least on the thundering climax of ‘Blue Bucket of Gold’ – which builds and swells for ten minutes to a roaring crescendo. It sounds like the whole venue might take off with them as the home video footage that has been playing slides away to reveal Nico Muhly battering the Festival Hall’s organ.The encore feels more celebratory as he brings out the ‘hits’. He plays the spellbindingly beautiful ‘To Be Alone With You’ and ‘That Dress Looks Nice On You’ from Seven Swans, his murder ballad ‘John Wayne Gacy, Jr’ and a reworked pared down ‘Chicago’. It’s the saddest, happiest party of the year.Danny Wright
As he comes out for the encore, Sufjan Stevens, a tatty baseball cap now perched on his head, looks upat the transfixed crowd. “Well, we’ve passed through the vortex and come out the other side together,” he says in his soft, Michigan brogue.He’s not wrong.For the hour before he has barely said a word to the audience as he played every song from ‘Carrie and Lowell’, the heartbreaking album about the loss of his mother. Yet where the album is intimate, confessional and brittle, live it’s coloured in and given muscle – drawn out in both variation and intensity.‘Should Have Known Better’ is more rhythmical, even seeing Sufjan gently dancing, and ‘Fourth of July’, a song which on the album closes with a
SUFJAN STEVENSRoyal Festival Hall, September 2nd
piano stage that looks like my nan’s lounge. We play croquet, we don’t care. Hinds, Oscar and Slow Club bring cheery, possibly beery, good times to the main stage, and remind everyone just why festivals can be the very best of occasions; surrounded by friends and so many of your favourite bands, and all in one beautiful place. The Big Top stage sees Crushed Beaks on wonderfully scrappy form. Huge crowds gather and are wowed by the ever-wonderful Girlpool whilst Brakes confirm their status as pretty much the best live band around.But c’mon, the reason why EOTR bosses all festivals this year is the presence of one Sufjan Stevens. Stood on the hill, at the start, we take a deep breath and pray for magic. Prayers are beyond answered. It’s mesmerising. It’s majestic. And, whenever you read this, you can be sure the version of ‘Vesuvius’ is still playing in my head and heart. Dave Rowlinson
I’ve done the maths and there are exactly a million and one reasons why End Of The Road emerges as the most triumphant festival of the 2015 season. I can’t fit them all in here. Three of them, though, are hotdogs covered in raclette – my taste buds forgive what my arteries never will. Away from cheese smothered reasoning: we give thanks to the weather gods who refuse traditional demands for precipitatious deluge and reward our slog to Dorset with not only dryness, but also blistering sun. We are blessed, and we are grateful.Bathed in solar glow we skip between stages, we revel in the woodlands where we see Nadine Shah engage in Tibetan throat singing and witness East India Youth play ‘Carousel’ on a
END OF THE ROAD FESTIVALLarmer Tree Gardens, Sept’ 3rd-6th
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PRESENTS
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by Dan McCormickThe best job I had as a teenager was waiting tables at a greyhound stadium. When I started I was a shy, goofy kid with bad hair. Eighteen months later, I was a shy, goofy kid with bad hair and a talent for being shouted at by alcoholic chefs.Once, Peter Crouch came in and ordered some fish. That’s just the kind of place it was – you never knew who might come in and order a bit of cod. One day it would be Peter Crouch, the next John McCririck – it was a who’s who of Noughties icons.But by far the best customer I ever served was Mike Skinner. I was a huge Streets fan. His first album helped steer me away from the dreary indie bands that had peppered my teen years. He was there for his birthday, we chatted for while and he ended up giving me his birthday cake (as well a very generous tip). I took the cake home and kept it in the fridge, showing it to select mates: "You won’t believe me but this is Mike Skinner’s birthday cake" I’d say, as they stood there unimpressed and a bit freaked out.It stayed in the fridge for months, rotting away, undoing all my mum’s best efforts at cleanliness, until she cracked and threw it in the bin. A part of my innocence died that day and obviously we’ve barely spoken since, but as I get older I can see why she did it and in time I’m sure the trust between us will be restored.That level of fandom, luckily, stayed in the era of teenhood. As much as I love, say, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, I wouldn’t want their leftover paella in my cupboard, because I’m an adult now. Last weekend I heard that Mac DeMarco had his shoes and socks pulled off by fans at a recent gig in London. My sympathy was not for Mac, but instead for the mother of that fan, who right now is desperately plotting how to rid her house of one smelly, much cherished, stolen sock. Thinking about how much I wouldn’t want Mac Demarco’s sock in my life made me feel old, but I suppose in many ways, part of growing up is realising that you can still love music, even without Mike Skinner’s leftover birthday cake. LiS 73
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PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS06 OCT – GARAGE
PLUS FOUR TET + MANSIONAIR27 NOV – ALEXANDRA PALACE
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS14 OCT – DINGWALLS
PLUS THE SKINTS + BABY STRANGE17 DEC – O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
PLUS CUPIDS + VIOLA BEACH15 OCT – VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS18+19 DEC SOLD OUT / 20 DEC EXTRA DATE
THE FORUM
PLUS THE WYTCHES28 OCT – ROUNDHOUSE
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS17 MAR 2016 – O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS03 NOV – SEBRIGHT ARMS
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS26 JAN 2016 – HEAVEN
DIY PRESENTS THE NEU TOUR 2015
VANT + INHEAVEN
+ THE BIG MOON
O H W O N D E R
