Issue 54 / April 2015

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Issue 54
April 2015
Jane Weaver by Andy Votel
Jane Weaver
Anathema
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Circa Waves
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Bido Lito! April 2015 5
Bido Lito!
Issue Fifty Four / April 2015
bidolito.co.uk
Static Gallery
23 Roscoe Lane
Liverpool
L1 9JD
Editor
Christopher Torpey - chris@bidolito.co.uk
Editor-In-Chief / Publisher
Craig G Pennington - info@bidolito.co.uk
Reviews Editor
Sam Turner - live@bidolito.co.uk
STIMULATION SATURATION
Editorial
What is the first thing you load up when you turn your computer on? For me it’s normally emails, with a quick browse through Facebook notifications
and Tweetdeck while the email client downloads the morning’s new messages. And this is after flicking through Instagram or the Tranmere website
on my phone while having my morning cuppa listening to the local news on the radio. It’s amazing – if also a little worrying – that my first thought
after waking up is to boot up my laptop or re-connect with the world through my 4G connection, to see if I’ve missed something important, as if that
somehow makes me more awake. I caught my cat giving me a withering look the other day, when I was about to press ‘SHARE’ on a status update
over my morning toast. For once I agreed with her.
I’m not usually in the habit of conversing silently with my cat (well, at least not to the level I’m willing to admit), but it did get me thinking that
I’d become a bit of a slave to news, second-hand information, gossip, images, stuff, and I don’t think I’m alone in it. Are we all, in some small way,
becoming de-sensitised to stimuli through constant updates and refreshing of feeds?
This minor existential flap didn’t last long – about the time it took me to make and consume another cup of coffee actually – but it gave me enough
time to read Jesse Armstrong’s article in the Guardian Weekend about his month-long abstention from news. His experience – from refraining from
using Twitter to hiding from free sheets on the train – ultimately led him to question what he was actually missing out on by staying resolutely out
of the loop. The whole process made him re-appraise what he was getting from his news consumption, and if our data-hungry lives really are craving
the information we take in, or just the feeling of being up to date and not missing out. And in his leader interview in Issue 17 of Delayed Gratification,
artist Adam Neate takes the whole thing a step further: “You cannot beat the first-hand experience of walking round a museum and seeing a painting
that gives you a close-to-religious experience… Sometimes we have to experience something ourselves in person to fully understand it.”
With that in mind, I thought I’d spend some time enjoying the art of creation around the wealth of material that went in to this month’s issue, and
switch off a bit from news (only a bit). In both the recording studio (The Motor Museum, with Circa Waves) and the rehearsal studio (Crash), that spirit
of creating was there in spades. There's a joy to be had in watching that process of refining, finding out, testing the rules and making up new ones on
the spot. Live performance is great, but sometimes it's good to savour the process of making rather than the polished final product, especially when
the humanness of the bumps, scratches and bum notes is left in.
The same can be said about the art of craft brewing, which we’ve looked at in a little more depth in this issue. I had the pleasure of watching one
of the team at the Liverpool Craft Beer Company brewing a new batch of their Quokka ale, and I geeked out on the process from a scientific point of
view, but also a creative one. Whether you're mixing hops and barley together or arranging notes on a page – or constructing a photograph, writing an
essay or doing anything else creative for that matter – there's a thrill to be had in the act of creation.
And that goes for all the artists and doers featured in this here issue, and the writers, photographers, illustrators, designers, sub-editors and
proofers who’ve helped bring you their stories this month. Thank you for doing.
So the next time you’re about to hit ‘refresh’, think about the other stories you’re missing out on, the news that only the world around you can tell.
There’s stimulation all around us, we’ve just got to open our eyes..
Christopher Torpey / @BidoLito
Editor
Designer
Luke Avery - info@luke-avery.com
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Debra Williams - debra@wordsanddeeds.co.uk
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Natalie Williams - online@bidolito.co.uk
Words
Christopher Torpey, Craig G Pennington, Maurice
Stewart, Laura Coppin, Paddy Clarke, Sam
Turner, Ben Lynch, Josh Potts, Richard Lewis,
Paddy Hughes, Josh Ray, Alastair Dunn, Alex
Holbourn, Laurie Cheeseman, Christopher Carr,
Matthew Wood, Glyn Akroyd, Debra Williams,
Chris Hughes, Phil Gwyn, Ryan McElroy.
Photography, Illustration and Layout
Luke Avery, Andy Votel, Keith Ainsworth, John
Johnson, Robin Clewley, Scott Duffey, Jamie
Weddell, Glyn Akroyd, Gaz Jones, Darren Aston,
James Tweedale, Christian Davies.
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The T
views expressed in Bido Lito! are those of the
respective contributors and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of the magazine, its staff or the publishers.
All rights reserved.
bidolito.co.uk

6
Bido Lito! April 2015
Words: Maurice Stewart / theviewfromthebooth.tumblr.com
Photography: Andy Votel
Despite a career stretching over twenty years, incorporating
five singles with the Sleeper-esque Kill Laura, an album of
synth pop with Misty Dixon and five previous solo records, JANE
WEAVER is endearingly unprepared for stardom. The success of
her sixth album – the prog-folk masterpiece The Silver Globe
– has caught her somewhat on the hop. All of which explains
why she's spending a precious day off drowning under waves
of unread emails: “I thought I'd worked hard before, but actually
this is what hard work really feels like!”
As her melodic yet melancholic tales of intergalactic
misadventures racked up the column inches, and saw her
welcomed into the influential bosom of BBC Radio 6Music,
Weaver was claimed by Liverpool, Manchester and all parts in
between. My request for clarity causes the second hearty laugh
barely three minutes into the interview: “They can all have me!”
All claims appear valid. Currently residing in Marple (just
outside Stockport), Weaver was born in Liverpool, but grew up
in Cheshire. Returning for college, it was here that Kill Laura
was born, before crossing the M62 to sign with Rob Gretton's
Manchester Records. Working with Gretton brought Weaver
into contact with a multitude of talented musicians and future
collaborators, including Badly Drawn Boy, Doves and her husband
– DJ, producer and co-founder of Twisted Nerve, Andy Votel.
“I've never really belonged anywhere – while living in Liverpool
I was called a Woollyback because I didn't have the proper accent!
I was on Billy Butler's show a few years back and he was getting
complaints because I didn't sound Scouse enough to be from
Liverpool.” Thankfully those fiercely defended boundaries don't
exist in the musical realm. And in disregard of these boundaries,
Weaver has staged her latest album amongst the stars.
The Silver Globe is a concept album based on a film by madcap
Polish director Andrzej Zulawski that deals with a bleak apocalyptic
future. “It's about starting a new civilisation on another planet,
but it goes wrong. Andy was watching it at home, kinda checking
out the soundtrack. I was intrigued but it was so bizarre I had
to watch it again on my own to try and understand what was
going on. Then it broke my TV! It's very stark and depressing – the
cinematography, the colouring, full of greys and blues. The idea of
artists literally fighting to get their work out there really made an
impression on me.” Weaver is a long-term fan of science fiction,
dating back to a childhood obsession with Space 1999: “I loved
shows like The Tomorrow People, and Sapphire And Steel – I was
attracted to anything with a weird edge to it.”
Despite the otherworldly setting and spike in acclaim, in
Weaver's eyes The Silver Globe isn't a grand departure from her
previous work. She claims the difference to 2010's The Fallen By
Watch Bird – released during the rise of the Mumfords – is one
bidolito.co.uk
of motivation, rather than style. “The Fallen By Watch Bird was
exasperating – I was getting bored of being a singer/songwriter.
It was a time when it seemed everyone was OD'ing on folk. I
began looking to inject more experimental elements into my
music.” Finding inspiration in movie soundtracks, Weaver created
a score for Finnish director/designer Paloa Suhonen's 2011's
short, Intiaani Kesa (translation: Indian Summer). Employing and
enjoying a wider range of instruments, such as tubular bells,
bowed guitars and detuned pianos, Intiaani Kesa acted as a
bridge to the loftier ambitions of The Silver Globe.
In the wrong hands, a concept record can stifle creativity
just as easily as give it new life – narrowing the walls instead
of focusing the mind. In this case it was just what the doctor
ordered, as Weaver explains with unmistakeable vigour: “I really
enjoyed writing in that manner, with a narrative and a theme
running through everything. Rather than sitting down thinking
‘I've got to write a song from scratch’, there was a bigger sound
picture to work with. An enjoyable process, if not necessarily
a quick one.” The familiar struggle of fitting creativity into the
timetable of family life meant the album took nearly four years
to complete. “Eventually it all came together. At the start I did
worry about how they [the tracks] would all link together, but
the experience of being older made me realise I don't care if they
don't marry perfectly – an album is supposed to be a collection of
songs, and that's what it is.”
February's re-release of the record saw that collection expand
to a second disc. The Amber Light features four brand-new songs,
three instrumental scores and three tracks from The Silver
Globe re-imagined by Votel, The Horrors' Tom Furse and drone
rock virtuoso P.J. Philipson. They may be born in the same world,
but Weaver is keen to assert that The Amber Light is more than
just stale leftovers: “It's new stuff, from ideas that I didn't get a
chance to explore. Sometimes with a record you get to a point
where it just feels like it's done. Even if I’ve got more ideas, I feel
like I can't give any more to this. It's like a baby – you know when
it's ready!”
The Amber Light proves a fitting companion. Lead track I Need
A Connection deploys a gorgeous throbbing synth as Weaver's
trademark sweet vocals pierce through an arctic maelstrom, while
Furse brings an unexpected calm to Argent's kinetic krautrock
thrum. It's a joint release between Weaver's own Twisted Nerve
offshoot Bird Records and the re-issue label Finders Keepers, run
by Votel and fellow crate-digger Doug Shipton. All three labels
are part of a wider family of companies and artists including
Heavenly Records, who are set to release Weaver's collaboration
with Toy – Fell From The Sun – as a split single with H. Hawkline's
It's A Drag for this year's Record Store Day.
This raft of new releases are perfectly timed to capitalise on
a solid six months of perpetual goodwill – Don't Take My Soul
made Gilles Peterson's top ten global tracks of 2014, while
Manchester institution Piccadilly Records voted The Silver Globe
album of the year. Dues well and truly paid, Weaver has a deep
appreciation of the warm public reaction: “I've made lots of
albums, but it doesn't really mean anything unless people are
responding to them. When I heard how many records Piccadilly
had pre-ordered I was scared they wouldn't sell and I would have
to find a new record shop! Everyone has so been so positive, and
it's allowed me to go on tour, and get invited to play at some
amazing festivals.”
One of the benefits of a late career bloom is having a more
robust sense of self; a stronger insulation against insecurity and
the vagaries of what's trendy. In conversation Weaver exudes
a disarming realism, at odds with the perception born of the
fantastical imagery she creates. It's clear this is a woman entirely
comfortable with who she is as an artist, which is no mean feat
in a music industry with a worryingly lopsided attitude to gender.
Weaver created Bird Records as an outlet to help predominantly
female artists to find an audience, and has been vocal on the
pathetic female representation at two totems of British Rock –
the Reading and Leeds festival and the NME Awards. “It really
saddened me to see that Reading poster,” Weaver sighs. “I can
understand it at a heavier event like Download as there doesn't
seem to be that many female heavy rock bands.” At this Weaver
warms to the theme: “Although there might be – they just
haven't made it through the net. But in an indie world…? The
reason I loved indie music years ago was because I felt ‘there's
a place for me here’. Now it just means white boys with guitars.
It's so boring.”
There was a time when the only way this music would have
reached its rightful audience was if some intrepid musicphile
assembled it on a ‘Lost Ladies of Folk’ compilation – exactly
like Weaver and Votel did on their 2008 release Bearded Ladies:
13 Homegrown Selections Of Forlorn And Freakish Female
Songsmithery From The Past Four Decades. Maybe the music
industry, and those of us plugged in to it, still has a long way to
go in terms of gender equality, but thanks to artists such as Jane
Weaver it’s no longer a forlorn hope. Gems like her don’t stay
hidden for long.
The Silver Globe and The Amber Light
are out now on Bird/
Finders Keepers Records. Fell From The Sun is released on 18th
April on Heavenly Records.
Jane Weaver plays Liverpool Sound City on Sunday 24th May.
janeweavermusic.com

8
Bido Lito! April 2015
Are Craft Breweries
The New Independent
Record Labels?
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! April 2015 9
Words: Sam Turner / @samturner1984
Illustration: Scott Duffey / scottduffey.co.uk
Photography: Robin Clewley / robinclewley.co.uk
The past few years have seen a boom in the emergence
of craft breweries: small, independent start-ups
established by passionate individuals who care deeply
about their art. As the thirst for a more refined sup has
caught on, Liverpool has become home to a vibrant
community of its own homegrown independent
brewers.
Often these idiosyncratic organisations
are started for precisely the same reasons as those
cited by the single-minded music lover who’s driven
to press his or her favourite unheard band to 7”: an
impulsion to create, a sense of adventure, a drive to
celebrate and, most importantly, as a reaction to the
corporate structures that for so long dominated both
industries.
Maybe, as small-scale indie labels struggle for a raison
d'être in a digital age, the brew kettle is replacing the vinyl
lathe when it comes to defining alternative independent
culture? Maybe craft breweries are the new independent
record labels? We sent Sam Turner
to find out.
With lank hair, charity-shop knitted jumper and bright eyes, the
man sitting opposite me is excitedly telling me about the thrill
of pushing his art form forward whilst building on traditional
methods. But this isn’t the latest bedroom techno prodigy or folk
sensation. Gaz Matthews of MAD HATTER BREWING COMPANY is
at the forefront of Liverpool’s burgeoning craft beer scene. And
while ‘scene’ isn’t a word which can usually be ascribed to most
foodstuffs, it is more than appropriate for the community which
has bonded over keg beer in Liverpool and beyond. “It’s about
being artistic and doing something new,” is how Gaz describes
craft brewing and this seems to be the sentiment which excites
and cements devotees across the city.
Over the last few weeks I’ve been meeting some of the key
characters in the Liverpool brew community to try and ascertain
how this beer trend echoes movements within independent
music culture, a sub-sector that is traditionally seen as more
creative. It turns out that the parallels are plentiful. Nick Dawes,
editor of craft beer bi-monthly magazine HOP & BARLEY puts
it down to passion. “I liken it to bands or musicians, such as
[Bristolian DJ] Eats Everything, who set up their own labels in
order to put out the music that they love. It’s just guys who
love beer investing their own money into setting up their own
brewery to make beer that they love.” This is certainly the case
with the Liverpool brewers I met.
Liverpool’s craft beer scene has gone from strength to strength
in the last five years and, whilst it may still be behind London and
Manchester, it has certainly become more and more of a feature
of the city’s nightlife. THE LIVERPOOL CRAFT BEER COMPANY
(named by the Guardian as one of the country’s top three newwave
breweries)
can
perhaps
be seen as one
of the movement’s
forbearers in the city. They set
up their brewery in the railway arches of
north Liverpool in 2010, at a time when co-founder Paul Seiffert
attests “craft beer wasn’t really a thing”. Since then, more
breweries, brewery taps and craft beer pubs have popped up
and established themselves in the tapestry of Liverpool culture.
Those who frequent our city's array of much loved independent
haunts will be familiar with the brews of Liverpool Craft Beer.
The brewery have worked with Camp And Furnace to produce
Brown Bear (with grain smoked in the eponymous Furnace) and
with The Kazimier on their in-house Organo (made with wild
flowers found in the Kaz Garden). They’ve also made bespoke
collaboration brews with the likes of Tate Liverpool’s Mondrian
exhibition and Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia
over the past twelve months, highlighting just how deep the
alliances run. It is such community working which has forged
a real camaraderie amongst those in the industry. “We just like
doing nice things with nice people,” is how Seiffert assesses
the love-in. The beginnings of the brewery are testament to this.
When Paul and co-founder Terry Langton first made the move
from home-brewing in Terry’s Anfield bathroom, they sought the
welding expertise of WAPPING BREWERY (located in the bowels of
the
Baltic
Fleet pub)
and industry
know-how
of beer veterans
Liverpool Organic Ale to
set up their Love Lane base.
However, that is not to say the
beer community is without its tensions,
even if most of these lie in a rivalry which has arisen
between the new kids on the block (craft) and the lobbying
group CAMRA. CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) sees the kegbased
CO 2 process of the majority of craft beer as an affront to
the work that they have done since the 1970s to ensure that
what they see as more authentic, cask-conditioned beer is
sold in pubs everywhere. It’s an interesting battle which has
seen craft beer behemoths BrewDog stop selling cask beer
completely and many within the CAMRA community refusing to
sup anything which could be termed ‘craft’. Wapping Brewery’s
Angus Morrison is all together more diplomatic: “All I care
about is good beer, well made,” says the amiable Scot before
launching into a long and complex explanation about how the
definition of real ale is as confused and hypocritical as the term
‘craft beer’ has become meaningless.
As with the well-worn category ‘indie’ in music, ‘craft’ no longer
means a lot to industry circles and beer geek communities.
Inevitably, as the product has grown in popularity, bigger
companies have tried to capitalise and as a result beer which is
as ‘indie’ as whoever is headlining V Festival this year is being
labelled as craft. As is often the case with any area of culture,
bidolito.co.uk

10
Bido Lito! April 2015
there is a certain danger of craft beer becoming a victim of its
own success. As breweries such as BrewDog become bigger and
bigger and Derbyshire’s Thornbridge grow in size and are able
to sell their craft-style ranges to supermarkets at a low cost,
smaller breweries become priced out.
When asked how he sees the scene developing on
Merseyside, Seiffert paints a rosy picture but is obviously aware
of the hazards: “Another five breweries [in Liverpool] in the next
five years, more craft beer bars and shitty bars trying to jump on
the trend. We’ve had a few enquiries from bars who don’t know
anything trying to jump on the bandwagon, but they will end
up stocking the poorer end of the craft beer stuff which they
are prepared to pay for – the ones brewed by the big breweries
which look cool but is mass-produced stuff.” The more positive
side of this vision seems to be borne out by his own brewery’s
plans. LCB have owned premises on Bridgewater Street in the
Baltic Triangle for the last 18 months. Excitingly, they hope to
move there this summer and open their own brewery tap which
will sell twenty-five draught beers from Liverpool and further
afield. And with Mad Hatter already in the vicinity and new kids
on the block Ad Hop adding to Liverpool’s vibrant scene, drinkers
will continue to see the benefit of a burgeoning scene.
The latest indicator of the strength of the movement in
Liverpool was the opening up of the BrewDog bar, and, while
some may bemoan craft beer becoming mainstream,
the city’s brewers only see benefits in the
Colquitt Street beacon. “They’re a
recognisable brand so people
who don’t drink craft beer will
still know BrewDog,” says
Seiffert, “so they’ll go to
the bar ‘cos it’s a cool
place; they’ll try some
beer and that will
lead them on to
more; it can only
be a good thing.”
The Scottish brew
chain
certainly
seems to be giving
the local scene
a platform, with
‘meet the brewer’
evenings
featuring
Liverpool Craft and Mad
Hatter a regular fixture
of their events programme,
and
names
their
familiar
in
fridges
and on the
pumps.
The events
side of the
scene is another
dimension which
is making a bigger
splash in Liverpool’s
cultural
events
offering. The Liverpool
Craft Beer Expo was started
by its namesake brewery two
years ago and is moving this
year from Camp and Furnace to Baltic
neighbours Constellations. The event is the
centrepiece of a craft beer events calendar which
includes tastings and meet the brewer events at places such as
the craft drinkers’ favourite bar the 23 Club and pub The James
Monro. Music is a key element to the Expo with Paul (himself
a self-described failed musician) handpicking DJs and this year
laying down a vinyl-only rule to the jockeys – who will once
again include your own Bido Lito! taste-makers.
This vinyl-only policy seems to adhere to
a preference amongst the craft beer
community for the authentic. While
they don't work to rules that are
as strict as those imposed
on the real ale community,
those involved in craft
beer seem to prefer to
see links to traditional
recipes such as India
Pale Ale and Belgian
beer as well as know
where their drink’s
ingredients originate
from. Nick Dawes
sees this as a wider
phenomenon of UK
consumers
becoming
more conscious of the
source of their food as we
are developing into a nation
of foodies. When asked about the
explosion
in
craft
beer’s
popularity, Dawes
is keen to point out
the bigger picture of
“people’s discerning taste for
food generally – they’re so much more
aware of the quality, they expect much higher quality and that
should be the case with beer. So there’s been an increasing
demand for good quality beer, sourced locally with goodquality
ingredients and the industry has responded to that. It’s
interesting to note how many chefs are really starting to take
notice of beer, in terms of pairing it with food. It’s better than
wine, with millions of flavour combinations – that’s something
they do at the Clove Hitch and 23 Club really well.”
As well as authenticity there is also the aforementioned drive
amongst this vibrant community to experiment. Angus Morrison
appears to be making it his mission to move Wapping on
from being a traditional real ale brewer to joining the exciting
world of craft, where ideas ferment in the minds of people like
Gaz Matthews, who has exciting plans to bring out two new
“absolutely insane beers” on a kind of Mad Hatter mystery
subscription scheme every three months.
When Liverpool Craft Beer’s new premises and bar open on
Bridgewater Street, the city will be able to talk in earnest of a
new brewing empire, nestled in the shadows of the now-defunct
Cains brewery. Between LCB, Mad Hatter and Wapping’s sites,
Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle will stand alongside Bermondsey
and Manchester as a true craft beer destination. A revolution is
brewing.
We’ll be out and about this month exploring and enjoying
Liverpool’s independently brewed tipples. If you’re supping
on something local, tell us about it, tagging @BidoLito and
#CraftBrewedRevolutions.
bidolito.co.uk

Image The Unthanks

12
Bido Lito! April 2015
Words: Laura Coppin / @laaauuuwra
Photography: John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com
It goes without saying that a great deal can change in 25 years,
and there are few bands that illustrate that more perfectly than
Liverpool’s very own prog rock stalwarts ANATHEMA.
Though you may not be intimately aware of the band's back
catalogue (which stretches to ten studio albums, two live albums
and four compilations), Anathema's huge worldwide popularity is
something of a force of nature. The band have already completed
a sold-out stadium tour of South America in 2015, which makes a
run of shows at York Minster, Winchester Cathedral and our own
Anglican Cathedral seem like a bit of a comedown.
When the band took its first breaths in 1990 it was to make
an ephemeral foray into the burgeoning British doom scene,
alongside groups such as Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride. It
was not just the sound but the line-up too that was a far cry from
what we know as Anathema today, originally featuring Darren
White as the band’s vocalist. After only a year the band went
through its first of several radical transformations, with Jamie
Cavanagh leaving and being replaced by Duncan Patterson.
Five years later it experienced its second overhaul, with White’s
departure leading guitarist Vincent Cavanagh to step into the
breach. It was at this point that the band began to explore
melody in earnest, and the rest, as they say, is history.
In 2015 Anathema are celebrating their 25th anniversary
in style – playing not only a series of acoustic cathedral dates,
but also embarking on their Resonance world tour (featuring
the return of both Darren and Duncan) and releasing their Fine
Days 1999-2004 CD box set. As I wait to speak to the band hours
before the last date of their cathedral tour, standing beneath the
Anglican Cathedral’s intricate, soaring masonry, it’s impossible
not to feel awed by the band’s remarkable achievements. Despite
their puzzling lack of notoriety in their home city, the show sold
out far in advance – a nod perhaps to both the special nature of
the show and just how long it has been since they last returned
(in 2010 – a similarly sold-out, one-off charity show in aid of Alder
Hey children’s hospital).
It’s not long before Danny – the eldest Cavanagh brother and
lead songwriter – emerges, himself looking equally awed by
the sheer majesty of our surroundings. We skirt the stage, itself
dwarfed before the cathedral organ’s colossal golden pipes, as
we make our way up one of the many impressive stone staircases
to begin our interview. The intensely emotional nature of Danny’s
lyrics has always been a fascination to me, but it feels a bit
invasive to begin our discussion on this personal level. Perhaps
buoyed by the cathedral’s serene atmosphere I pluck up the
courage to broach the subject, and it quickly becomes apparent
that Danny’s mind has been dwelling on the more spiritual
dimensions of the sandstone monolith in which we’re sat.
“Yeah well, that’s me, isn’t it? It’s the story of my life really, all in
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! April 2015 13
songs…”
“I’m
unconsciously
afraid of becoming
a little self-indulgent,”
Danny continues in hushed
tones, “but I’ve experienced so
much internally… and also I find
that to my mind the meaning of life is
– well, there is a meaning. Which I think is
the biggest statement you’ll hear all day. The
meaning of life can be found only on the inside;
it’s something that can only be experienced. You can
have pointers from books and pointers from other people
but ultimately it’s about what you can find within yourself
and how deep you can get.”
“People can make spiritual breakthroughs, and sometimes it
comes through trauma. That can be part of the process in which
you break though the psychological structures of your mind and
into something deeper. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet
a person, or at least one, possibly more, who was able to help
me access infinitely deeper realms of life within, deeper than
everyday life would have you believe is possible.”
It is this breakthrough to which Danny credits his lyricism – a
breakthrough that came at an incredibly difficult time in his life
and proved to be transformative. “In 2005 I had this therapy in
which I was able to break through the psychological structures
and difficulties I’d been in and suddenly access something
incredibly beautiful and incredibly deep – a deeper state of
consciousness, a higher state of awareness.”
His frankness should perhaps have come as no surprise
considering the nature of the band’s music, but it’s nonetheless
remarkable to hear him talk so candidly about what is for many a
touchy subject. However, this touchiness, it seems, is something
he’s experienced first-hand. “I meet people who don’t know me
very well, and somebody might make a comment that playing
in cathedrals makes them feel a little bit strange because all
religion is evil, for example, and I could – and I did – speak for
three minutes on the subject and realised I was getting nowhere
and just dropped it. But life isn’t that black and white, and religion
isn’t that black and white.”
Having found his groove, Danny reaches for the most
fundamental thoughts this run of shows has called him to
reflect upon. “The best way I can put this is to say that at the
deepest level of reality there’s something incredibly profound
and beautiful and it’s timeless, it’s outside of time altogether. We
are life itself, and we are absolutely and indivisibly connected to
the heart of the fabric of reality, and because it’s outside of time
it can’t die. Only things that live in time can die, and that’s cells,
molecules, atoms; but this is something non-physical. There’s this
divine, almost inconceivably beautiful presence inside everything,
inside the heart of the fabric of reality, and no words can possibly
describe it, but everything that is comes from it. If there’s one
word in the English language that flows from this presence it’s
love – the truest word I’ve ever known.”
For many fans of Anathema, it is this focus on love which
creates such a deep connection between them and the music
– and something which has not gone unnoticed, as Danny will
soon be releasing a solo covers album called Memory And
Meaning, funded in part by offering personal performances and
dedications of their songs.
“Dreaming Light has been chosen almost twice as much as any
other song, and it’s almost always for a romantic reason, connected
to a partner. So I don’t mind doing that. I can’t sing it like Vinny
though, but I do a sincere version, and that’s the main thing.”
Whilst it’s Danny who writes much of the music for the band, it’s
his brother Vinny who brings it alive with his astonishing vocals.
As he explains, it’s the combination of talents and personalities in
the band which led them to be where they are today.
“The songwriting team that I’m at my happiest and most
comfortable with is Vinny, John Douglas, and me. We’ve grown
together so long – John understands music on a particularly high
level, and he’s a fucking lunatic [laughs]. In the best possible
way! He’s hilariously funny, absolutely hysterical, and people
who don’t know him can’t see it
because he’s so quiet. It’s been
a long time you know, and
I think there’s a lot of
love there. He’s not
scared to put
me down if
I
need
bringing down a peg or two, and he should never be afraid of that
– there’s no kingpin in this band, that would be inappropriate. I’m
very, very grateful to have them. They’re soulmates.”
The reflective nature of both Danny’s speech and the band’s
anniversary celebrations gives the conversation a rather intense
air of nostalgia, something which seems to be at odds with their
usual mantra of ‘make it, and move on’.
“It’s just for this year,” he explains of the quarter century
anniversary. “We’ll move straight on again next year. Vinny
was against the idea of doing any kind of nostalgic thing
at all, but I told him ‘Look the next album won’t sound any
different; we’ll just do it for a laugh!’ And that was the idea,
and it will be fun, and to be fair we do owe Duncan Patterson
and Darren White a debt – without them I don’t think we’d
have done what we’ve done. Who knows where we’d be – it
took Darren to get the band started really, his organisation
and focus. And it took Duncan to take the band into new
musical areas, melodically and in terms of songwriting –
writing with piano, and having Vinny sing that way… during
Alternative 4 for example, it wasn’t a happy time, it was a
horrendous time, but there was real musical growth. And then
when he left, which was coincidentally the day my mother
died, a very painful time, I was able to take that forward. I was
able to match Duncan as a songwriter, and we were OK. It
took us a couple of albums to get going, and I don’t think we
hit our peak until We’re Here Because We’re Here, when the
next level of songwriting came along. Songs like Dreaming
Light… that all came after the therapy.”
On stage in this grandest of settings, the band shed any
signs of insecurity, swelling to fill the vaulted cavern that
towers above the crowd. As the audience is plunged into
darkness at the beginning of A Natural Disaster, my mind
wanders back to the last thing I asked Danny before he
disappeared for the soundcheck: whether the remarkable
nature of that evening’s show had quite sunk in yet? “When I
walked in today, and I saw you, and I saw the stage, I realised
‘Yeah…OK’. I’ve walked in here a hundred times before, but to
see all of our stuff set up… I got it.”
Anathema’s latest album, Distant Satellites, is out now on
Kscope Records.
anathema.ws
bidolito.co.uk

14
Bido Lito! April 2015
A DAY AT THE MIXING
DESK WITH CIRCA WAVES
Words: Ben Lynch / @benlynch07
Photography: Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk
It's been a whirlwind couple of years for CIRCA WAVES, a
period where they've established themselves as one of the
hottest guitar acts in the country. This month we invited them
to record an exclusive live session for us with Al Groves at The
Motor Museum, and Ben Lynch caught up with them in between
some breathless takes.
“Likely to be massive” runs the latest prophetic statement
issued by the prolific Nostradamuses at the NME. The subject
of their most recent swell of enthusiasm is Circa Waves, a
band nurtured in Liverpool but with a fanbase that is truly
global. Having engaged with arguably the most meteoric rise
from one-man-band to fully-fledged international rock stars
bidolito.co.uk
in just under two years, the four-piece have well and truly
flown out of the blocks. From Japan to Australia, supporting
The Libertines, to being named one of iTunes’ New Artists
2015, there is little the lads haven’t done or played. And what
is perhaps the most impressive part of it all? They did it all
without releasing an album.
Though it might suggest otherwise, the lack of a full-length
release doesn’t reflect a poor work ethic on the part of Circa
Waves; on the contrary, the band have hardly stopped since they
settled as a quartet, and they haven’t been together as long as
their current popularity might suggest. What’s more, they seem
to be intent on doing things the good old-fashioned way. “A lot
of the bands we listen to didn’t have as quick a response as us,
so we wanted to really get good live and get a good fanbase
before we released an album,” explains Kieran Shuddall, Circa
Waves’ vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and founder. “Live was sort
of the proving ground for what would make it on to the album,”
concurs Sam Rourke (Bass), reiterating the sentiment that the
priorities prior to the release of Young Chasers (their debut
record) were very much rooted in establishing themselves as a
solid live act. And the hard work certainly shows. It only takes
a quick look at the fact that Circa Waves have already played to
a sold-out Alexandra Palace, and wowed the NME Awards Tour
alongside Interpol, Royal Blood and Temples, to see that all that
effort has rewarded them handsomely.
The benefits from all that grafting spread further than just

Bido Lito! April 2015 15
their live shows, however. The compelling, anthemic qualities
which have been cultivated on tour seep through into the spine
of Young Chasers, giving it a sense of life which so many other
contemporary releases find themselves lacking. Kieran describes
how the band “just wanted to sound as rock and roll as possible,
and raw and energetic, and not [with] too many like, you know,
bells and whistles. Just pretty simple and straight to the point.”
Now, “straight to the point” and “simple” are descriptions which
do indeed resonate, though it’s the first half of the description
which really typifies what makes Young Chasers such an
enthralling album. From the frenetic brilliance of Get Away to
the warming vibes of T-Shirt Weather, it’s a masterclass in how
to hone a sound and relay it with the same vigour and passion
on record. “We wanted our debut record to be much like other
debut records that we love, our statement of intent kind of
thing,” explains Kieran, while guitarist Joe Falconer expresses a
similar notion: “We didn’t want to come in with the first album
like a lot of bands… it’s quite easy to overplay your hand, I think.”
The ‘play the world and then release a record’ method is an
unorthodox way of going about things, however, with not many
artists either choosing to or able to do it. Arctic Monkeys could
probably have done it in 2005, such was the interest in their
pre-album activity, and perhaps that is the model being mirrored
in Circa Waves’ case. The Motor Museum, the recording studio
just off Lark Lane, was Arctic Monkeys’ home for their first two
albums, and when I meet Circa Waves they have just stepped
out of the hallowed building’s lush rooms after recording an
exclusive session for Bido Lito! “It’s funny to know that we’ve
sold-out big venues and we haven’t even played a track that
people are waiting to hear,” muses Kieran, as the band relax in
a pub round the corner from the studio, savouring one of their
few moments of respite in a hectic schedule. The demand from
their fans for more of them is reflected in a packed run of UK and
European tour dates that has the band’s time tied up for the rest
of 2015. Although it is testament to their prodigious ability in a
live capacity, it is an irregular phenomenon.
One such consequence, you’d assume, would be the growing
expectation for an album release, particularly in our current
environment where, as the band so adequately describe it, people
“consume” music far more than they ever did before. “They don’t
just want T-Shirt Weather,” Kieran notes, “they want the acoustic
version, they want the live version, they want the fucking a
cappella version.” Despite the jovial tone to his voice, his words
are undoubtedly true. With SoundCloud, YouTube and Spotify
making music available at the touch of a button, bands are far
more exposed and, as a result, expected to produce more, and
quicker. “I feel like people have been demanding an album from
us for quite a while,” says Joe, a notion which is surely somewhat
deceptive due to their relatively short life-span, yet reflective of the
following the band have amassed over the past couple of years.
Whatever pressures may have arisen, however, the lads seem
to have weathered them admirably, and there is a palpable
sense of excitement concerning the release of Young Chasers
and the next stage that it represents. Joe: “I think it’s definitely
the end of the first chapter in what we’ve been doing because
it feels that when we were just touring constantly it was all
about building that fanbase and, you know, really working hard
without having the thing to back it up that people can go and
listen to. People’s perceptions were 80 or 90% based on our
live shows, and once the album comes out I think all of those
strands are going to come together and people will have a really
clear idea of what we’re about. Then we can move on to the next
stage and be a proper band with an album out that people will
have heard.”
What that next stage will hold, only time will tell. The here
and now, however, could not be more promising. Young Chasers
is the sound of a band who have been willing to get their hands
dirty and are subsequently reaping the benefits. When asked for
any last comments on the album, Kieran jokingly responds, “It’s
the best guitar album of 2015”. And you know what? He may
bloody well prove to be right.
Young Chasers is released on Transgressive Records on 30th March.
Head to bidolito.co.uk now to stream three live tracks Circa
Waves recorded exclusively for us with Al Groves at The Motor
Museum. You can also see a video of Circa Waves performing
T-Shirt Weather
in the studio, and see a full gallery of photos from
the session by Keith Ainsworth.
circawaves.com
bidolito.co.uk

16
Bido Lito! April 2015
Soundtracking
ShakespearE
A Midsummer
Night’s
Dream: the James
Fortune remix
For their current production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, The
Everyman have opted for a bold approach by bringing in a forwardthinking
team that wants to give the Bard's mysterious adventure
a bit of a reboot. Arranger and composer JAMES FORTUNE has
been tasked with adding a contemporary musical edge to the
production, which begs the question, how do you soundtrack
Shakespeare? Josh Potts finds out.
“Oh wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss! Cursed be thy
stones for thus deceiving me!”
These lines are spoken by a man who’s been partially turned into
a donkey and back again, uttered at the mid-point of a disastrous
play within a play. His name is Bottom, and he’ll be familiar to many
of you reading this. He’s clueless, childlike, and committed to giving
the performance of his life. Through him, Shakespeare reminds
us that it’s somewhat gratifying to make an ass of ourselves. But
Elizabethan drama is a wall of understanding, pecked at by a trillion
English classes, the very stones of our culture that never yield lightly
to an ‘A-ha!’ moment. To appreciate the bliss of Shakespeare, we
must fight for it, because The Big Man is never easy. He makes an
ass out of a lot of us.
“I remember absolutely hating it growing up,” says James
Fortune. “Just finding it unnecessarily turgid and boring. Whenever
you see it at its worst, you can see people acting, not thinking the
language is real. But when you strip away the façade and speak the
text...” ” He holds up his hands, his flat cap a centre point for sheaves
of grey light at our window. Fortune has an air of contentment and
self-knowledge. At least in this context, he knows what he’s talking
about. The Everyman Theatre is following a barmy production of
Macbeth with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and he’s been hired
as its musical director. He’s seen a blood-drenched Coriolanus at
the RSC, a hilarious Twelfth Night, even jumped in to help out with
Midsummer, when his mate couldn’t make a few gigs. He’s scored
TV shows and sung in an a capella group. In short, he’s the kind of
curious soul who can edge out conformity and supply an audience
with fresh eyes to make sure they get their money’s worth.
Saying that, he’s candid about acknowledging Midsummer’s
reputation for whimsy and irreverence. The play, along with Romeo
and Juliet, is often seen as a gateway drug to the Bard’s more
complicated oeuvre, having been revived almost consistently since
its first staging. Its imaginative scope – faeries, sprites, and thwarted
lovers running amok in a dream-like forest on the borders of Athens
– has bred endless adaptations and re-workings, ranging from
psychedelic opera to a Levi’s ad. Schoolchildren respond to its
flights of fancy or visual gags, but there is a darker side that
can be kind of passed off as an innocent fantasy; one that
Fortune and his collaborators are keen to emphasise.
“The play starts with a death threat: ‘If you don’t
marry the guy I want you to marry, you’re gonna
die’. You have to take that seriously. Nick
Bagnall [director] has done a fantastic job
of capturing that darkness. The innocence
of the lovers is important; our actors are
young, which is lovely and correct. Maybe
that’s what kids relate to. I think our lovers are quite feral, of the
woods.” Encouragingly, he hates the kind of aural cues that could
bog a production down in tedious hippy-isms. “It makes you avoid
certain things,” he tells me, warming to the topic. “There are twinklytwinkly
sounds that are a bit on the nose, forcing you down more
imaginative ways to conjure magic. This could be in the form of a
triangle, a glockenspiel, whatever comes to mind.”
Fortune’s musical instincts have paid off for him before. Laura
Wade’s Posh, a caustic satire on the Bullingdon Club and its
associated politics, gave him a chance to mess with contemporary
pop songs, much to the amusement of the audience. “Every
character was pretty hideous,” he recalls, “and we were looking for
a way to give them a charm offensive. Posh ends badly – everyone
fulfils their promise of being sonofabitches. If that’s the only thing
you think about these kids, you can only see it on that level, so the
director and I created a mechanism where the actors sang modern
RnB hits in an extremely posh accent.”
So irony is important to your work, then?
“It was for that particular play, but I’d argue that a couple of them
did it rather well.” He laughs. “Our version of Dizzee Rascal’s Come
Dance With Me was hilarious.”
Although Posh debuted in 2010, Fortune’s affection for off-kilter
soundtracks is going strong. He hints that similar interludes may
penetrate the Everyman’s production of Midsummer, staying coy
about the details, yet openly laying ground for
a modern interpretation of Shakespeare,
with a capital M. “No-one’s going to
say ‘It’s a bit like Adele’, but there’s
enough rhythm for the kids to dig it.”
Right on, man. Digging further into
his influences, I find that echoes
of Belgian cabaret singer
Jacques Brel and the gypsypunk
of Gogol Bordello
will spice the play with
an anarchism it sorely
craves, taking it further
from the potential for
fluff and serendipity.
So things are looking
good for this production,
no
doubt
about it. Concessions to a Liverpool audience are shaping it into
a minor cause célèbre; the mechanicals, I hear, will be played by
genuine scousers, chirruping through Shakespearean verse like
sparrows on an endorphin rush (with a fierce intelligence to match).
Whether the same can be said of Midsummer’s grander characters
will depend on how Bagnall, Fortune and their cast handle the
play’s patriarchal tension, the duel of men and women between the
imagined and the real, with love as their battleground.
A question still nags at me, because, after all, does Shakespeare
really need
music? I mean the incidental kind. Aren’t his words pretty
much the perfect composition of sound in the first place?
Fortune stumbles slightly when he answers. “It’s easy to... no, no,
easy is the wrong word...”. He collects himself, and the confidence is
back: “That verse is very available for song structure. There are two or
three actual songs written into the play. It’s like you’re working with
the best lyricist ever because it just trips off the tongue.”
A bit faltering myself, I wonder aloud whether the rule of comedy
translates to performing songs that are over four hundred years old:
will he be a stickler for comic delivery, having the final say on how,
not what, is being sung?
He reveals that, since rehearsals have begun, around 60% of
his original demos have been discarded. There is an implicit trust
between the play’s constituents, simmering at a point of creative
respect. “I would never, ever tell an actor how to sing a song,” he
explains. “With a cast this experienced, you can rely on them to
discover character themselves.”
It makes sense. I can’t imagine someone telling a Hamlet how
to kill his uncle, or how an Othello might plant his final kiss
on Desdemona. The big moments we strive for and obsess
over are best when they’re off the bat, swinging. With A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, surprise is harder to eke
out, but the Everyman’s current stab at it might
just commit the unexpected, with a cracking
soundtrack to boot.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is
playing now at The Everyman Theatre,
running until Saturday 18th April.
Tickets can be purchased from
everymanplayhouse.com.
jamesfortunemusic.co.uk
bidolito.co.uk

LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL of PSYCHEDELIA
25th + 26th September 2015
CAMP AND FURNACE / BLADE FACTORY / DISTRICT
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Blue
SAINT
Words: Paddy Clarke / @paddyclarke
Photography: Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk

Bido Lito! April 2015 19
bidolito.co.uk
A BRAVE
NEW WORLD
It’s not often a figure like Daniel Sebuyange comes our way, and
rarer still at such a remarkably young age. The rapper, writer and
producer, better known as BLUE SAINT, is barely out of his teens,
yet unleashed a stunningly ambitious debut record in 2014 with
the lengthy EP Enter Mynd Part One. A concept album set amid
the grimy, dystopian milieu of his semi-fictional city of Mynd, it’s
audaciously ambitious, a vivid, realised vision from a mind, it’s
worth remembering, that’s still just 20 years old.
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
begin our conversation. “I’m starting to settle with it…” As soon as
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
is spilling out his vast visions on amazing tangents of enthusiasm
and urgency.
“In part one it chronicles Blue Saint,” he explains of the story
behind the record, “like, a few weeks in the life of Blue Saint. We
enter this place called Mynd, on the intro track. Then the story
follows Blue Saint in the high-rise part, where there’s prosperity;
then near the end of the story Razor Raze, the antagonist, wants
to create chaos, social upheaval. You start hearing him more.”
It’s a fictional vision, in which Sebuyange plays both characters
himself, that’s been a long time in the making. The musician
became part of Writing On The Wall’s Liverpool Young Writers
scheme at just 12, and along with music there’s a strong literary
bent to his influences. “Yeah I love literature,” he enthuses on the
subject. “It varies just as much as my music taste. Right now I’m
into George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Yevgeny Zamyatin, but
then I really like Harry Potter! It varies; it’ll go from Harry Potter to
Yevgeny Zamyatin… Genre-wise I’m into sci-fi, fantasy, dystopias.
They’re just weird, strange, out there.”
“I’m into story-writing; before I started rapping, I wrote stories
and stuff,” Daniel continues on the link between literature and his
music. “When I was really young I’d imagine I was different people
in a story. Before I chose the name Blue Saint I had this name
‘Razor’, but then I didn’t really feel like the name fitted well with
what I was trying to express. The theme of the EP is dichotomy,
duality. As human beings we’ll have two sides to ourselves,
different emotions and whatnot... It touches on my experience,
what I’ve been through, but also uses the alter-egos to express
it more.”
It’s not just writing and rapping that are the strings to this
artist’s bow, however. Daniel also flexes his muscles as an actor
alongside a straightforward university degree, and allows all
of that breadth of experience to inform his music. It’s perhaps
understandable, too, that it took a measured few moments to
decipher which of his myriad musical routes to actually follow.
“I took a break from music for a year to find myself, figure out what
I actually want to do,” Daniel remembers. “Enter Myd shows the style
I always wanted to go down but I was afraid to put in voices, skits
and sounds. I thought I’d have to just sound like a normal, standard
rapper. I was kind of afraid of doing that, then I took a year out and
spent time listening to artists like Janelle [Monae] and Kendrick. I
saw Kanye West saying ‘Just do you! Just do you!’”
It’s an ambitious effort, reminiscent in embryo of that new
brand of far-reaching conceptual urban music pioneered by Monae
and Lamar, and it’s a reach Daniel was aware of from the off. “It’s
weird,” he says of his earliest sessions. “When I first came in I
always had an idea of a concept for the EP, ages ago. I remember
being younger, I created characters. I’m into story-writing; before I
started rapping I wrote stories and stuff.”
“I’d already made that alter-ego, and when I went to the
studio about three years ago – [he corrects himself] got given the
opportunity to go to the studio – I didn’t really know if people
would wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
I went to the studio and thought ‘I’ll just release a mixtape,
random songs’, whereas I was talking to the sound engineer and
I remember telling him about this concept and saying ‘I’m gonna
release it in two years, when I’ve got a bit more of a name’.”
“But he said ‘you should definitely go with it’. That definitely
encouraged me, and I remember telling other people about it and
them saying ‘that sounds really sick, you should go with it.’” And
go with it he did, the finished result a vivid, precocious 42 minutes
that hints at a vision vastly beyond his years. Once a filmic,
introductory title-track gives way to Welcome, a masterful flow
begins to reveal itself recoiling against a leaping instrumental of
string-laced beats. Frankenstein unearths a sinister flipside of
glitchy electronics and an unhinged, distorted vocal, while there’s
also a sumptuous injection of mellow diversity on Conscientia,
and the record’s highlight, Lamith Tramell, unveils an affably
swaggering boom bap edge.
In short, it’s a remarkable first official effort, and sticks out for
more than just its quality in a Merseyside that, while indefatigably
well endowed when it comes to the arts, is still left lacking a little
when it comes to the likes of his own stylistics. Though Daniel
argues that “There’s a few more people doing hip hop, but we
need more: not just hip hop, new musical genres.”
Enter Mynd Part One reveals a vast breadth of influence, pulling
together that aforementioned literary edge and a deep-seated
surrounding of music in the rapper’s own life which informs that
desire for an infusion of the new. “It was a natural thing as there
was always music there, around me, whether it was Congolesebased
tunes, hip hop or RnB. I’d listen to music from my country,
a lot of RnB, Beyoncé and stuff. It was maybe around ten that I
started listening to more hip hop. I think that’s why I’ve always
been into a lot of different music styles; I’ve always listened to
other sounds.”
So will we see those other sounds informing on the upcoming
part two of the concept? A branching out towards neo-soul, for
example? “I don’t know about that,” Daniel muses. “I’ve already
been incorporating it into the music I’ve been making. The only
reason I don’t think I could do a neo-soul album and stuff is I’m
an… OK singer. I’d love to incorporate them a lot more, though.”
Whatever shape it’s going to take, the process is already very
much in the works when it comes to the next chapter. “I’ve
already come up with the beats, collaborated with a few of my
friends, producing on the side and figuring out what sound I’m
going for, and shaping the storyline as well.” We can only wait
with an open Mynd, then, for the next move from this most
remarkable of rising stars.
Enter Mynd Part One is available now from bluesaint.bandcamp.com.
Thanks to the people at Liverpool Central Library for letting us
use the Picton Reading Room for this photo shoot.
Bido Lito! April 2015 19
bidolito.co.uk
bidolito.co.uk
bidolito
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
It’s not often a figure like Daniel Sebuyange comes our way, and
It’s not often a figure like Daniel Sebuyange comes our way, and
A BRAVE
It’s not often a figure like Daniel Sebuyange comes our way, and
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
It’s not often a figure like Daniel Sebuyange comes our way, and
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
It’s not often a figure like Daniel Sebuyange comes our way, and
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
It’s not often a figure like Daniel Sebuyange comes our way, and
A BRAVE
rarer still at such a remarkably young age. The rapper, writer and
rarer still at such a remarkably young age. The rapper, writer and
A BRAVE
rarer still at such a remarkably young age. The rapper, writer and
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
rarer still at such a remarkably young age. The rapper, writer and
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
rarer still at such a remarkably young age. The rapper, writer and
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
rarer still at such a remarkably young age. The rapper, writer and
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
rarer still at such a remarkably young age. The rapper, writer and
A BRAVE
producer, better known as BLUE SAINT, is barely out of his teens,
producer, better known as BLUE SAINT, is barely out of his teens,
A BRAVE
producer, better known as BLUE SAINT, is barely out of his teens,
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
producer, better known as BLUE SAINT, is barely out of his teens,
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
producer, better known as BLUE SAINT, is barely out of his teens,
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
producer, better known as BLUE SAINT, is barely out of his teens,
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
producer, better known as BLUE SAINT, is barely out of his teens,
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
yet unleashed a stunningly ambitious debut record in 2014 with
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
yet unleashed a stunningly ambitious debut record in 2014 with
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
yet unleashed a stunningly ambitious debut record in 2014 with
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
yet unleashed a stunningly ambitious debut record in 2014 with
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
yet unleashed a stunningly ambitious debut record in 2014 with
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
the lengthy EP
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
the lengthy EP
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Enter Mynd Part One
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
. A concept album set amid
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
. A concept album set amid
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
. A concept album set amid
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
the grimy, dystopian milieu of his semi-fictional city of Mynd, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
the grimy, dystopian milieu of his semi-fictional city of Mynd, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
the grimy, dystopian milieu of his semi-fictional city of Mynd, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
the grimy, dystopian milieu of his semi-fictional city of Mynd, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
the grimy, dystopian milieu of his semi-fictional city of Mynd, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
the grimy, dystopian milieu of his semi-fictional city of Mynd, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
audaciously ambitious, a vivid, realised vision from a mind, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
audaciously ambitious, a vivid, realised vision from a mind, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
audaciously ambitious, a vivid, realised vision from a mind, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
audaciously ambitious, a vivid, realised vision from a mind, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
audaciously ambitious, a vivid, realised vision from a mind, it’s
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
worth remembering, that’s still just 20 years old.
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
worth remembering, that’s still just 20 years old.
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
worth remembering, that’s still just 20 years old.
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
worth remembering, that’s still just 20 years old.
A BRAVE
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
A BRAVE
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
A BRAVE
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
NEW WORLD
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
Yet when we meet the man behind that mind, Sebuyange is
NEW WORLD
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
A BRAVE
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
A BRAVE
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
NEW WORLD
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
completely understated. “It’s my third or fourth [interview] – I’m
NEW WORLD
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
A BRAVE
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
A BRAVE
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
NEW WORLD
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
still not very good at it,” he says with a self-effacing smile as we
NEW WORLD
begin our conversation. “I’m starting to settle with it…” As soon as
A BRAVE
begin our conversation. “I’m starting to settle with it…” As soon as
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
begin our conversation. “I’m starting to settle with it…” As soon as
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
begin our conversation. “I’m starting to settle with it…” As soon as
A BRAVE
begin our conversation. “I’m starting to settle with it…” As soon as
NEW WORLD
begin our conversation. “I’m starting to settle with it…” As soon as
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
begin our conversation. “I’m starting to settle with it…” As soon as
NEW WORLD
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
A BRAVE
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
A BRAVE
A BRAVE
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
A BRAVE
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
NEW WORLD
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
we're on the subject of his record, though, the Congolese-born MC
NEW WORLD
is spilling out his vast visions on amazing tangents of enthusiasm
NEW WORLD
is spilling out his vast visions on amazing tangents of enthusiasm
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
is spilling out his vast visions on amazing tangents of enthusiasm
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
is spilling out his vast visions on amazing tangents of enthusiasm
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
is spilling out his vast visions on amazing tangents of enthusiasm
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
and urgency.
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
and urgency.
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
and urgency.
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“In part one it chronicles Blue Saint,” he explains of the story
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“In part one it chronicles Blue Saint,” he explains of the story
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“In part one it chronicles Blue Saint,” he explains of the story
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“In part one it chronicles Blue Saint,” he explains of the story
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
behind the record, “like, a few weeks in the life of Blue Saint. We
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
behind the record, “like, a few weeks in the life of Blue Saint. We
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
behind the record, “like, a few weeks in the life of Blue Saint. We
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
behind the record, “like, a few weeks in the life of Blue Saint. We
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
enter this place called Mynd, on the intro track. Then the story
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
enter this place called Mynd, on the intro track. Then the story
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
enter this place called Mynd, on the intro track. Then the story
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
enter this place called Mynd, on the intro track. Then the story
NEW WORLD
follows Blue Saint in the high-rise part, where there’s prosperity;
NEW WORLD
follows Blue Saint in the high-rise part, where there’s prosperity;
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
follows Blue Saint in the high-rise part, where there’s prosperity;
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
follows Blue Saint in the high-rise part, where there’s prosperity;
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
follows Blue Saint in the high-rise part, where there’s prosperity;
NEW WORLD
then near the end of the story Razor Raze, the antagonist, wants
then near the end of the story Razor Raze, the antagonist, wants
NEW WORLD
then near the end of the story Razor Raze, the antagonist, wants
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
then near the end of the story Razor Raze, the antagonist, wants
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
then near the end of the story Razor Raze, the antagonist, wants
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
then near the end of the story Razor Raze, the antagonist, wants
NEW WORLD
to create chaos, social upheaval. You start hearing him more.”
to create chaos, social upheaval. You start hearing him more.”
NEW WORLD
to create chaos, social upheaval. You start hearing him more.”
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
to create chaos, social upheaval. You start hearing him more.”
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
to create chaos, social upheaval. You start hearing him more.”
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
to create chaos, social upheaval. You start hearing him more.”
NEW WORLD
It’s a fictional vision, in which Sebuyange plays both characters
It’s a fictional vision, in which Sebuyange plays both characters
NEW WORLD
It’s a fictional vision, in which Sebuyange plays both characters
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
It’s a fictional vision, in which Sebuyange plays both characters
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
It’s a fictional vision, in which Sebuyange plays both characters
NEW WORLD
himself, that’s been a long time in the making. The musician
himself, that’s been a long time in the making. The musician
himself, that’s been a long time in the making. The musician
NEW WORLD
himself, that’s been a long time in the making. The musician
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
himself, that’s been a long time in the making. The musician
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
himself, that’s been a long time in the making. The musician
NEW WORLD
became part of Writing On The Wall’s Liverpool Young Writers
NEW WORLD
became part of Writing On The Wall’s Liverpool Young Writers
NEW WORLD
scheme at just 12, and along with music there’s a strong literary
bent to his influences. “Yeah I love literature,” he enthuses on the
subject. “It varies just as much as my music taste. Right now I’m
into George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Yevgeny Zamyatin, but
then I really like Harry Potter! It varies; it’ll go from Harry Potter to
Yevgeny Zamyatin… Genre-wise I’m into sci-fi, fantasy, dystopias.
They’re just weird, strange, out there.”
“I’m into story-writing; before I started rapping, I wrote stories
and stuff,” Daniel continues on the link between literature and his
music. “When I was really young I’d imagine I was different people
in a story. Before I chose the name Blue Saint I had this name
‘Razor’, but then I didn’t really feel like the name fitted well with
what I was trying to express. The theme of the EP is dichotomy,
duality. As human beings we’ll have two sides to ourselves,
different emotions and whatnot... It touches on my experience,
what I’ve been through, but also uses the alter-egos to express
it more.”
It’s not just writing and rapping that are the strings to this
artist’s bow, however. Daniel also flexes his muscles as an actor
alongside a straightforward university degree, and allows all
of that breadth of experience to inform his music. It’s perhaps
understandable, too, that it took a measured few moments to
decipher which of his myriad musical routes to actually follow.
“I took a break from music for a year to find myself, figure out what
I actually want to do,” Daniel remembers. “Enter Myd
Enter Myd shows the style
shows the style
I always wanted to go down but I was afraid to put in voices, skits
and sounds. I thought I’d have to just sound like a normal, standard
rapper. I was kind of afraid of doing that, then I took a year out and
spent time listening to artists like Janelle [Monae] and Kendrick. I
saw Kanye West saying ‘Just do you! Just do you!’”
It’s an ambitious effort, reminiscent in embryo of that new
brand of far-reaching conceptual urban music pioneered by Monae
and Lamar, and it’s a reach Daniel was aware of from the off. “It’s
weird,” he says of his earliest sessions. “When I first came in I
A BRAVEweird,” he says of his earliest sessions. “When I first came in I
A BRAVEalways had an idea of a concept for the EP, ages ago. I remember
always had an idea of a concept for the EP, ages ago. I remember
A BRAVEalways had an idea of a concept for the EP, ages ago. I remember
A BRAVE
A BRAVEalways had an idea of a concept for the EP, ages ago. I remember
A BRAVEbeing younger, I created characters. I’m into story-writing; before I
A BRAVEbeing younger, I created characters. I’m into story-writing; before I
A BRAVE
A BRAVEbeing younger, I created characters. I’m into story-writing; before I
A BRAVE
NEW WORLD
being younger, I created characters. I’m into story-writing; before I
NEW WORLD
started rapping I wrote stories and stuff.”
A BRAVEstarted rapping I wrote stories and stuff.”
A BRAVE“I’d already made that alter-ego, and when I went to the
A BRAVE“I’d already made that alter-ego, and when I went to the
A BRAVE“I’d already made that alter-ego, and when I went to the
NEW WORLD
“I’d already made that alter-ego, and when I went to the
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“I’d already made that alter-ego, and when I went to the
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“I’d already made that alter-ego, and when I went to the
NEW WORLD
studio about three years ago – [he corrects himself] got given the
A BRAVEstudio about three years ago – [he corrects himself] got given the
A BRAVEstudio about three years ago – [he corrects himself] got given the
NEW WORLD
studio about three years ago – [he corrects himself] got given the
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
studio about three years ago – [he corrects himself] got given the
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
studio about three years ago – [he corrects himself] got given the
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
studio about three years ago – [he corrects himself] got given the
NEW WORLD
opportunity
opportunity
A BRAVEopportunity
A BRAVE
A BRAVEopportunity
A BRAVE
to go to the studio – I didn’t really know if people
NEW WORLD
to go to the studio – I didn’t really know if people
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
to go to the studio – I didn’t really know if people
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
to go to the studio – I didn’t really know if people
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
to go to the studio – I didn’t really know if people
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
to go to the studio – I didn’t really know if people
NEW WORLD
would wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
would wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
A BRAVEwould wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
A BRAVE
A BRAVEwould wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
A BRAVEwould wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
NEW WORLD
would wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
would wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
would wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
would wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
would wanna hear the big concept thing as a first release. So
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I went to the studio and thought ‘I’ll just release a mixtape,
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I went to the studio and thought ‘I’ll just release a mixtape,
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I went to the studio and thought ‘I’ll just release a mixtape,
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I went to the studio and thought ‘I’ll just release a mixtape,
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I went to the studio and thought ‘I’ll just release a mixtape,
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
random songs’, whereas I was talking to the sound engineer and
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
random songs’, whereas I was talking to the sound engineer and
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
random songs’, whereas I was talking to the sound engineer and
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
random songs’, whereas I was talking to the sound engineer and
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I remember telling him about this concept and saying ‘I’m gonna
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I remember telling him about this concept and saying ‘I’m gonna
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I remember telling him about this concept and saying ‘I’m gonna
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
I remember telling him about this concept and saying ‘I’m gonna
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
release it in two years, when I’ve got a bit more of a name’.”
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
release it in two years, when I’ve got a bit more of a name’.”
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
release it in two years, when I’ve got a bit more of a name’.”
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
release it in two years, when I’ve got a bit more of a name’.”
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“But he said ‘you should definitely go with it’. That definitely
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“But he said ‘you should definitely go with it’. That definitely
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“But he said ‘you should definitely go with it’. That definitely
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
“But he said ‘you should definitely go with it’. That definitely
NEW WORLD
encouraged me, and I remember telling other people about it and
NEW WORLD
encouraged me, and I remember telling other people about it and
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
encouraged me, and I remember telling other people about it and
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
encouraged me, and I remember telling other people about it and
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
encouraged me, and I remember telling other people about it and
NEW WORLD
them saying ‘that sounds really sick, you should go with it.’” And
them saying ‘that sounds really sick, you should go with it.’” And
NEW WORLD
them saying ‘that sounds really sick, you should go with it.’” And
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
them saying ‘that sounds really sick, you should go with it.’” And
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
them saying ‘that sounds really sick, you should go with it.’” And
NEW WORLD
go with it he did, the finished result a vivid, precocious 42 minutes
NEW WORLD
go with it he did, the finished result a vivid, precocious 42 minutes
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
go with it he did, the finished result a vivid, precocious 42 minutes
NEW WORLD
that hints at a vision vastly beyond his years. Once a filmic,
that hints at a vision vastly beyond his years. Once a filmic,
NEW WORLD
that hints at a vision vastly beyond his years. Once a filmic,
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
that hints at a vision vastly beyond his years. Once a filmic,
NEW WORLD
introductory title-track gives way to
introductory title-track gives way to
NEW WORLD
introductory title-track gives way to
NEW WORLD
NEW WORLD
introductory title-track gives way to
NEW WORLD
Welcome, a masterful flow
begins to reveal itself recoiling against a leaping instrumental of
string-laced beats. Frankenstein unearths a sinister flipside of
glitchy electronics and an unhinged, distorted vocal, while there’s
also a sumptuous injection of mellow diversity on Conscientia,
and the record’s highlight, Lamith Tramell, unveils an affably
swaggering boom bap edge.
In short, it’s a remarkable first official effort, and sticks out for
more than just its quality in a Merseyside that, while indefatigably
well endowed when it comes to the arts, is still left lacking a little
when it comes to the likes of his own stylistics. Though Daniel
argues that “There’s a few more people doing hip hop, but we
need more: not just hip hop, new musical genres.”
Enter Mynd Part One
Enter Mynd Part One reveals a vast breadth of influence, pulling
together that aforementioned literary edge and a deep-seated
surrounding of music in the rapper’s own life which informs that
desire for an infusion of the new. “It was a natural thing as there
was always music there, around me, whether it was Congolesebased
tunes, hip hop or RnB. I’d listen to music from my country,
a lot of RnB, Beyoncé and stuff. It was maybe around ten that I
started listening to more hip hop. I think that’s why I’ve always
been into a lot of different music styles; I’ve always listened to
other sounds.”
So will we see those other sounds informing on the upcoming
part two of the concept? A branching out towards neo-soul, for
example? “I don’t know about that,” Daniel muses. “I’ve already
been incorporating it into the music I’ve been making. The only
reason I don’t think I could do a neo-soul album and stuff is I’m
an… OK singer. I’d love to incorporate them a lot more, though.”
OK singer. I’d love to incorporate them a lot more, though.”
OK
Whatever shape it’s going to take, the process is already very
much in the works when it comes to the next chapter. “I’ve
already come up with the beats, collaborated with a few of my
friends, producing on the side and figuring out what sound I’m
going for, and shaping the storyline as well.” We can only wait
with an open Mynd, then, for the next move from this most
remarkable of rising stars.
Enter Mynd Part One
Enter Mynd Part One is available now from bluesaint.bandcamp.com.
is available now from bluesaint.bandcamp.com.
Thanks to the people at Liverpool Central Library for letting us
use the Picton Reading Room for this photo shoot.

20
Bido Lito! April 2015
CRASH
Believe it or not,
bands don’t just walk out
on to a stage, plug in and become Spinal
Tap. It takes a whole lot of hard hours of craft to step
up at a gig and be able to play through a set without making
a hash of it, even for those bands who you find utterly boring
and you wonder why they bothered. Even with all the advances
in technology that the music industry develops year after Autotuned
year, there’s still only one thing that can get you from
hopeful to headliner: good, solid practice. And lots of it.
In our ‘Who Are Ya?’ series we’ve been looking at the oftforgotten
people who make music happen – the people who
work in the shadows, thankless and without the credit they
deserve. This month we focus our eyes on Liverpool’s longestrunning
rehearsal studio CRASH, and try and cast a light on the
hardy souls who keep their rooms open for the noisemakers.
before the hustle and bustle of the changeover gives way to a
steady clatter from the warren of occupied rooms, creating an
anarchic soundtrack which underscores our discussion of where
it all began.
“Before this was Crash it was SOS Studios, which goes back to
the mid-70s I think,” Jon remembers. “Mark and I were in a band
together at the time and we rehearsed here. Everybody in the
early days did their stuff here – OMD, Black, China Crisis – recording
on 4-track. It was OMD’s machine actually.”
With Jon and Mark being part of the building’s community
already, they were the perfect new custodians when they took
the studio on, thinking from a musician’s point of view. And
that’s something that continues to this day, with the bar in the
communal area supplying everything from strings to plectrums
in until that’s tested. We’re used to 110V.’ We hurriedly got a local
electrician in to prove the mains were safe! An hour passed
quickly before we heard the police sirens approaching to collect
him. As he left Crash he was heard to say ‘so this is Liverpool?’”
Another service that Crash provided was in the form of
showcases for label A&Rs, from which The Zutons and The Coral
ended up getting their major label deals. “We’d send all the
demos down to London – to a couple of record companies – and
they’d choose who they wanted to see, if any,” explains Jon. “And
then they’d book a day with us, where you might have seven
bands on through the day. The A&R man comes in, sees one band,
finishes with them, sees the other band on the other stage while
the first band are packing down – kind of a festival vibe.”
Mansun signed to Parlophone off the back of one of these
Tucked away between Stanley Street and Cumberland Street,
the entrance to Crash Rehearsal Studios on Davies Street has
very little fanfare. The black door that hangs ajar underneath the
‘Imperial Warehouses’ sign is like a secret entry to a speakeasy,
but with decidely less glamour. It’s Friday night and there’s
already a knot of people gathered in the street clutching guitar
cases and having one last ciggie, before they duck inside for
their shot at glory. I’m here to speak to Jon White, one half of the
team that’s managed Crash since it opened in 1987: a man who,
alongside partner Mark Davies, has helped several generations of
Merseyside musicians by providing a place to come and play. They
can rightly claim to having given a leg up to dozens of local artists
who’ve honed their talents in these rooms: Ladytron, The Coral,
Carcass, Anathema, Cast, The Zutons, Clinic… The list goes on, and
is in fact pinned up on the wall in Crash’s foyer-cum-communal
area. “Clinic were one of the first bands we had in here,” Jon tells
me as he pours himself a shot from his flask (tea, sadly). “They’re
to spare leads, and that most vital of musical lubricants, beer.
What’s more it’s just a place to hang out: at one point our chat is
interrupted when a band comes in moaning to Jon that they’ve
got to learn two Bob Marley songs for a wedding they’re playing
the following week.
As well as catering for the regulars, Crash also serves as
a perfect spot for touring artists to come and get a bit of preshow
practice in before playing a show. In May 1990 a tribute
concert was staged in memory of John Lennon at the Pier Head,
with performances from some huge artists. Crash was pressed
in to action for the event, providing rehearsal space for some
of the stars. Mark remembers: “The room order for that day was
something else: Room 1 – Wet Wet Wet, Room 3 – Lou Reed!”
Wet Wet Wet arrived three days early and got to work straight
away. They formed a fast relationship with Jon and Mark, and on
one of their last nights the band invited the pair to join them
for dinner. So they all hunkered down on the floor of the band’s
showcases, having not even played a gig at that point. It was a
purple patch for Crash, when it was regularly visited by the industry’s
bigwigs come up from London, often at the behest of Deltasonic's
Alan Wills. Mansun went on to record four albums, and cemented
a bit of Crash folklore on their cult 1998 release Six by naming the
record’s central character (Dark Mavis) after Crash’s own Mark.
Those days are long gone now, with the brunt of A&R work done
via Facebook and SoundCloud: but Crash is still here, providing the
space, creating the vibe. They operate on very small margins, as
competition keeps the ceiling of what they can charge low. This
works out great for the bands, who can get a room with stage,
lights, drum kit and a Marshall stack for as little as fifty quid for
three hours. But it makes it a labour of love for the owners, who
shuttle up and down the stairs between the rooms to make sure
that the right gear is set up in the right room for each band, and
are on hand at all times to replace anything that’s faulty.
Every music community needs a Crash, just as it needs
using
it as a backdrop
for scenes in Foyle’s War, and
even turning the studio in to a replica of
The Iron Door Club for the recent production of Cilla.
Our conversation takes place on a busy Friday night, as the
evening session ends and the night sessions starts. It’s not long
still here now actually.”
studio for pizza, after Marti Pellow’s minder had chaperoned it
It’s obviously an important place in the development of a lot of
safely back from the pizzeria. On the day of the show itself the
these groups as the road outside – Crash Alley, as it’s affectionately
studio had yet more visitors, as Curtis Stigers set-up shop. And
known – continues to crop up in promo shots of bands based here.
then, in a whirl of police escorts and hangers-on, Lou Reed was
Under certain lighting Crash Alley can look menacing, but it’s always
ushered in to the building. “He was almost carried in by his
been a safe haven for musicians just out of the glare of the bright lights.
entourage of onlookers and helpers carrying his guitars and
The BBC has also taken note of the alley’s rough and ready charm,
baggage,” Mark remembers fondly of the slightly manic day, and
it wasn’t long before the guests had them running about – well,
one of the guests. “Lou needed an ashtray on a stand at all times
or he wouldn’t play, so we had to put in a small flightcase with an
ashtray on, which was pushed onto the stage next to him.” Then
there were the demands from the entourage: ‘No photographs
"Go and make some noise"
please’, and ‘Lou won`t be having any of the catering laid on.’
“They were concerned about the power too,” Mark recalls. “They
said to me ‘That’s 240V supply? He won`t be plugging anything
people like Jon and Mark, oiling the wheels of creativity. They’re
facilitators, and occasionally motivators. As the last of the bands
checks in and makes their way up to their room, Jon shows them
the way, seeing them through the door with a parting gift. “Go
and make some noise.”
crashstudios.co.uk
Words: Christopher Torpey / @CATorp
bidolito.co.uk
Black Neon Nights (Jamie Weddell)
Clinic
Cast

WWW.LIVERPOOLCRAFTBEEREXPO.COM

22
Bido Lito! April 2015
APRIL IN BRIEF
LIVERPOOL PSYCH FEST GOES SPIRITUAL
LIVERPOOL PSYCH FEST GOES SPIRITUAL
Iconic space-rock pioneers SPIRITUALIZED will headline 2015’s version of LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF PSYCHEDELIA, a move which promises to
take the event to cosmic new heights. Jason Pierce’s band of psychonauts are due to release their eighth LP later in 2015, and they will appear alongside
other confirmed acts including HEY COLOSSUS, VISION FORTUNE, ZUN ZUN EGUI, MENACE BEACH, and plenty more yet to be confirmed. The festival
organisers have revealed that this year's event, to be held on 25th and 26th September, will take place over four stages, with new venue District added
alongside Camp and Furnace and Blade Factory. Weekend tickets and accommodation bundles are on sale now at liverpoolpsychfest.com. JOIN THE PZYK.
Edited by Richard Lewis
VILLAGERS
Preparing the release of their eagerly awaited third LP Darling Arithmetic in April, VILLAGERS are set to play in the ornate surroundings of The Epstein
Theatre. Conor O'Brien’s dark and brooding alt. folk has found a highly receptive audience in the UK and Ireland, with both of his previous efforts –
[Awayland] (2013) and Becoming A Jackal (2010) – nominated for the Mercury Prize. Darling Arithmetic represents a brave next step for O’Brien, who has
played, recorded and mixed every track on this exquisite album, for which recent single Courage has stoked anticipation.
The Epstein Theatre / 19th April
MATTHEW E. WHITE
Virginia native MATTHEW E. WHITE takes a magpie approach to genre to create a sound that utilises classic RnB, gospel and soul with his own modern
twist, an approach which first turned heads with the stunning 2013 LP Big Inner. This year’s highly praised new album Fresh Blood has been the object of
much critical rapture already, as it marks the latest chapter in White’s work with musical partner Trey Pollard. Created in their analog studio and production
house Spacebomb in Richmond, Fresh Blood is a statement of intent, which becomes a spiritual happening when performed live.
Leaf / 18th April
APRIL @ CONSTELLATIONS
Following the devastating floods in Malawi in January, which saw almost a quarter of a million people displaced, AmityMalawi are hosting an event at
Constellations that aims to raise some much needed emergency funds. The 16th April event features a programme of musicians from both Malawi (HAZEL
MAK) and the UK (THE SOUL RAYS), with all money raised donated to the Rotary Malawi Disaster Fund. Later in the month (25th April), the Greenland Street
venue plays host to a thirteen-hour marathon of an event, co-headlined by Chicago acid house pioneer DJ PIERRE (pictured) and British dance music
doyens X-PRESS 2. Congratulations are also due to Constellations, having been shortlisted by the RIBA for North West Building Of The Year!
NIGHTMARES ON WAX
Marking their third collaboration, Hot Plate and Madnice hook up again to present The Garden Get-Together Tour, which visits 24 Kitchen Street on
Good Friday. Going out with a bang on its tenth and final season, The Garden Festival – established in Croatia – is mounting a pan-European trek with
groundbreaking dance pioneer NIGHTMARES ON WAX headlining. Hailed as the Godfather of seminal label Warp Records, NoW’s George Evelyn has proved
to be a master of the underground party, with his Wax Da Jam nights in Ibiza regularly attracting sell-out crowds.
24 Kitchen Street / 3rd April
FOCUS WALES
Combining music, comedy and interactive panel discussions, FOCUS WALES always offers a more cerebral multi-venue festival experience, and this year’s
fifth annual event (22nd – 25th April) looks set to stretch those aims yet again. SLAVES, FUTURE OF THE LEFT and BO NINGEN (pictured) headline each of the
three nights of music across a variety of venues in Wrexham (just a short hop on the train), which also features sets from EAGULLS, SWEET BABOO, YUCATAN
and comedian HENNING WEHN. The Smiths’ MIKE JOYCE hosts a discussion with RITZY BRYAN of The Joy Formidable in one of a series of panels debating
the music industry’s hottest topics. focuswales.com
#NEWWIRRALSOUNDS FOR FARM FEAST
Bido Lito! are joining forces with Wirral’s FARM FEAST FESTIVAL to offer the opportunity for local artists to play the festival’s main stage in June. In
addition, there will also be a Critic’s Choice Award, giving one act the chance to record a live session for the Merseyrail Sound Station Podcast with
ex-Factory Records engineer Michael Johnson, and a Popular Choice Award, with an artist winning a recording session with Michael at his Arrowe Park-
based Tankfield Studio. In order to enter, artists need to tweet a link to their original music, tagging in both @BidoLito and @FarmFeastFest, , with the
hashtag #NewWirralSounds. Tickets for Farm Feast - which takes place on 13th and 14th June - are available now at FarmFeast.co.uk.
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Bido Lito! Lito! April April 2015 2015 23
EPICURED HIT THE BEATEN TRACKS
Nestled on the up-and-coming Gradwell Street off Wolstenholme Square is EPICURED, a unique, family-run, independent and pocket-sized
foodie haven based on a simple but fantastic meat, cheese and bread concept. This month, we’ve married epicured up with Beaten Tracks – the
Liverpool-based collective of DJs who champion the rare, the dusty and the forgotten – to host a live, back-to-back funk and soul mix, which is
spinning at epicured throughout April; the perfect audio accompaniment for a picnic block and a craft beer. The mix is also spinning now on the
Bido Stereo at bidolito.co.uk. For more details visit epicuredliverpool.com or search epicuredL1 on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook.
LIMF 2015: NEW WORLD, NEW SOUND
LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL returns for its third instalment between 27th and 31st August. Sefton Park is once again home to LIMF’s
centrepiece three-day free festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend, featuring heavyweights BASEMENT JAXX, LAURA MVULA, RAE MORRIS, and a
special performance from ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, a string of commissioned showcases will take
place across various venues, under the tagline New Word, New Sound, with a notable highlight being the Tribute To Gil Scott Heron event. Bido Lito! is
also delighted to say that we’ll be curating artists on the itsLiverpool Stage again this year, which you can find more about at limfestival.com.
ZION TRAIN
Arts Club’s latest club night DUBABUSE is going strong on the third Friday of every month, bringing some heavyweight cuts of dub-infused reggae. As well as
resident DJs pumping the riddims, each night is headlined by an artist guaranteed to get the room skanking in unison. April’s event features one of the world’s
most prolific collectives, ZION TRAIN. Formed by mixer/producer Perch in 1988, Zion Train have long been a force in these circles, with their 2007 album Live As One
winning a coveted Jamaican Reggae Grammy. Polish whizzkids YOUNG PISTOLS are also on the bill.
Arts Club / 25th April
GAZELLE TWIN
As part of FACT’s ongoing Group Therapy: Mental Distress In A Digital Age programme, GAZELLE TWIN has collaborated with film maker Carla MacKinnon to
create a live AV performance titled Out Of Body. An animation constructed from organic matter (including animal flesh, organs, hair and milk) to portray the
nervous system, the piece explores the sensation of an in-body as well as an outer-body experience. Performing a live soundtrack Gazelle Twin provides
a backdrop that takes its cue from her last album Unflesh, released to widespread acclaim in 2014.
FACT / 9th April
LATE SPRING JAZZ SERIES @ THE CAPSTONE
Following the success of the Liverpool International Jazz Festival, The Capstone Theatre has programmed a run of shows off the back of the event that
amounts to a stimulating Late Spring Jazz Series. Kicking off with the Norwegian-born saxophonist MARIUS NESET (17th April), the series gets in to full
swing with the Copenhagen-based artist’s dazzling virtuosity. GWILYM SIMCOCK (22nd April, pictured) is one of the most decorated jazz artists of modern
times, which reflects his deftness for traditional and contemporary arrangements. Swiss trio VEIN round off the stellar run with their show of wonderful
interplay on 24th April. thecapstonetheatre.com
SOUND CITY LATEST
With just two months to go before LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY gets underway in its new docklands home, more acts gracing the stages of the three-day
festival have been announced. Indie stalwarts THE CRIBS have joined the fray alongside regular Liverpool performers PEACE and EVERYTHING EVERYTHING,
and hellraisers FAT WHITE FAMILY (pictured). SWANS, ICEAGE and HONEYBLOOD are among the other notable additions at this stage. Festival organisers
have also announced that they’ll be working with visionary festival site designers STAX Creations to transform Bramely-Moore Dock in to a stunning post-
apocalyptic setting. The full line-up can be found at liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk.
BISTRO HURRICANE @ THE EVERYMAN
Former La’s, Cast and The Stairs guitarist Barry Sutton has begun a monthly Friday night residency at the legendary Everyman Bistro with his band
BEATNIK HURRICANE. The Bistro is a venue that The La’s played scores of gigs at, and this particular night is a continuation of the marathon jam
sessions held at Cahoots in Smithdown Road over the past year. Essaying just about every genre of music imaginable, the Bistro residency, in
Sutton’s words, aims to be a “21st century re-imagining of 1950s New York bebop clubs, with us as the house band dropping super-hot grooves
until we can funk no more.”
OYÉ OYÉ – CALLING ALL
Summer festival season is already shaping up nicely as the announcements come pouring in for a busy season of music. AFRICA OYÉ has become a pillar of
the annual music calendar, and on the weekend of 20th and 21st June they have soul legend OMAR lined up to headline alongside DIABEL CISSOKHO (Senegal,
pictured), DERITO (Angola) and GORDON MASIALA (DR Congo). And one of our newer additions, LIVERPOOL CALLING, has unveiled headliner REVEREND AND THE
MAKERS for their 26th July all-day event at the gorgeous Bombed Out Church. VYNCE and SILENT SLEEP are among the local artists on the undercard for what
we hope will be yet another stellar festival.
bidolito.co.uk

24
Bido Lito! April 2015
Reviews
THE WAR ON DRUGS
bidolito.co.uk
Amen Dunes
Harvest Sun & Liverpool Music
Week @ O2 Academy
As a project that has gradually mutated
into a full-on band concern over the past
half-decade, New Yorkers AMEN DUNES
have steadily accrued a cult following. Now
expanded to a three-piece, last year’s excellent
Love LP saw Damon McMahon’s crew score
the best reviews of their career. Strongly
redolent of Cowboy Junkies and Mazzy Star,
Amen Dunes’ rustic psychedelia proves a spoton
complement to the headliners, reaching a
peak on Lonely Richard and Lilac In Hand.
“What’s the name of that club here, the
one with the balcony? ...The Kazimier?” chief
Druggist Adam Granduciel enquires a few
tracks in. Almost exactly three years ago
THE WAR ON DRUGS did indeed play The
Kaz while touring Slave Ambient, the album
that saw the Philadelphians decisively edge
overground. Come 2015 and delayed from
the original November date, the troupe are at
the sold-out O2 Academy to play Lost In The
Dream, the album that scooped more positive
critical notices than any other in 2014.
The band open with instrumental trawl The
Haunting Idle, which bleeds into a driving
take on Burning; the Dylan-esque Arms Like
Boulders played third is a sly curveball as
songs from 2008 debut LP Wagonwheel
Blues are rarely played live. Released back
when the band were still stitching their sound
together, the track is re-tooled from its original
incarnation to slot seamlessly into the set.
Now exhibiting far greater confidence as
a frontman, Granduciel’s recent interview
statement that the hard slog of touring has
greatly improved him as a guitarist is clearly
evident. Able to effortlessly boss the material
without losing sight of the original songs,
proceedings are aided massively by a shithot
bassist who instinctively knows when to
simply follow the chords and when to let rip
with improvisatory flourishes.
Assembled from keyboard patinas that hark
A superb cover of All Things Must Pass gem
back to Springsteen’s mid-eighties albums
Beware Of Darkness played late on makes
alongside endlessly repeating Spacemen
George Harrison’s song sound like a WOD
3-style synth motifs, the tracks effectively
composition, while a rapturously received
provide huge canvases to be redrawn into
Baby Missiles highlights Tom Petty’s influence
delirium. With the recently added baritone
The War On Drugs (John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com)
sax giving greater emphasis to the songs’
foundations, a stunning solo break towards
the close of Eyes To The Wind pushes the track
into exotic new pastures.
whatever form the band see fit. Moving from
and the Americana thread that runs throughout
processed beats to live drums, courtesy of a
Granduciel’s work generally.
By contrast,
sticksman behind a honeycombed-effect kit,
the transition in An Ocean In Between The
kosmische rhythms and shoegazing textures
come to the fore on Your Love Is Calling My Name
Waves is revelatory, outdoing even the studio
as Granduciel manipulates the FX boxes at his
version as a wealth of new basslines send the
feet into waves of overlapping feedback. The
track stratospheric.
mammoth, almost two-hour set extends right
Red Eyes, firmly installed as the band’s
up to the 11pm curfew; an encore is demanded
best-known song to date, is greeted with
but time constraints unfortunately prevail. Gig
huge cheers at the first sign of the intro’s
of the year so far? Indubitably. Gig of the year
synthesized strings while the now famous yelp
all told? Chances are.
that kicks the band into full gear triggers mass
Richard Lewis

This season at the
e&P
Productions
Tue 14 Apr
to Sat 18 Apr
The Original Theatre
Company & Birdsong
Productions Ltd:
Sebastian Faulks’s
Birdsong
Stage Version
by Rachel Wagstaff
Mon 30 Mar
to Sat 4 Apr
Children’s Touring
Partnership:
The Boy in the
Striped Pyjamas
Based on the best-selling
novel by John Boyne
Adapted by Angus Jackson
Tue 21 Apr to Sat 25 Apr
Visiting
Productions
Graeae Theatre Company, Derby
Theatre and Dundee Rep Ensemble:
Blood Wedding
By Federico Garcia Lorca in
a new version by David Ireland
Wed 8 Apr
to Sat 11 Apr
Box of Tricks Theatre:
Plastic
Figurines
By Ella Carmen
Greenhill
Wed 3 Jun
to Sat 27 Jun
The
Hudsucker
Proxy
Based on the Warner Bros. film, ‘The Hudsucker
Proxy’, written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen & Sam Raimi
Adapted for the stage by Simon Dormandy
Directors Simon Dormandy and Toby Sedgwick
A co-production with Nuffield, Southampton
Presented with kind permission of Warner Brothers Theatre Ventures
Photo of courtesy The Casa Bar, CasaBar,Hope Street
Sat 21 Mar to Sat 18 Apr
A Midsummer
Night’s Dream
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Nick Bagnall
The Everyman explodes once again
with an inviting riot of mischief and
wonder as Nick Bagnall delves deep
into the darkness for his timeless
interpretation on the delirium of love in
Shakespeare’s most magical of comedies.
Based on the Coen Brothers’ joyful, wise-cracking romantic
comedy which helped establish them among the most entertaining
and distinctive film-makers of our time, this timely take on
corporate greed is a highly theatrical, inventively staged treat.
Street
Wed 1 Jul to Sat 25 Jul
Arthur Miller’s
The Hook
Adapted for the stage by Ron Hutchinson
Directed by James Dacre
A co-production with Royal & Derngate, Northampton
Amidst the political tensions of 1950s
America, Arthur Miller’s The Hook
was
suppressed by the FBI for fear that it could
cause unrest in New York’s dockyards. Now,
to mark the centenary of the great playwrights’ birth,
we have brought it to the stage for the first time in a new
adaptation by Emmy Award-winning Ron Hutchinson.
Fri 1 May
& Sat 2 May
Rubberbandits:
Continental
Fistfight
Tue 19 May
to Sat 23 May
Royal Court
Theatre, London:
Constellations
Tue 21 Apr to
Sat 25 Apr
Out of Joint, National
Theatre Wales and
Arcola Theatre with
Sherman Cymru:
Crouch, Touch,
Pause, Engage
By Robin Soans
Thu 7 May
Phoenix Dance
Theatre: Mixed
programme
2015
By Nick Payne
Sat 30 May
Northern Ballet:
Elves & the
Shoemaker
For full details on all of our
productions visit our website
www.everymanplayhouse.com
Box Office 0151 709 4776
Tue 28 Apr
to Sat 2 May
Northern
Broadsides:
King Lear
By William
Shakespeare
Thu 14 May
to Sat 16 May
Originally produced by the
National Theatre of Great Britain,
by arrangement with Josef Weinberger
Limited on behalf of Music Theatre
International of New York:
The Cat in the Hat
Adapted and originally
directed by Katie Mitchell
Thu 21 May
to Sat 23 May
Turf Love:
Beating
Berlusconi!
By John
Graham Davies
Tue 2 Jun
to Sat 6 Jun
Fuel Theatre:
The
Spalding
Suite
Conceived by
Inua Ellams
Fri 29 May & Sat 30 May
Northern Ballet:
Madame Butterfly
with Perpetuum
Mobile

26
Bido Lito! April 2015
Reviews
Splinters/Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya medley, that
his band The Nightrippers come into their
own. As Sarah Morrow’s trombone soars over
an entrancing ritual beat, Rhoda Scott’s subtle
organ murmurs under the medicine man’s
mesmeric ceremony. However, instead of
merely trying to recreate the hazy energy of
the recordings, the incredibly tight band take
the voodoo sounds into faster-paced territory,
punctuated by the most frenetic of drum solos
courtesy of Herlin Riley.
Dr. John switches to his Nord synth and the
Bayou funk soon starts oozing out as he takes
on the album he worked on with The Meters,
In The Right Place – allowing Donald Ramsey
to come to the fore with the headiest of slap
bass sensibilities. The Nightrippers then play
through Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit Of Satch; Dr.
John’s tribute to another legendary musician
from the Third Ward, Louis Armstrong. It was
a given that the audience would be treated
to the uplifting What A Wonderful World
but the positivity is counterbalanced by the
markedly melancholic Sometimes I Feel Like A
Motherless Child.
After a brief stint on the guitar, which seems
to be as stabilising as his walking sticks, the
doctor moves back to the grand piano to
finish a brilliant performance doing what he
does best – pushing the keys to their limits.
Drawing deep into his reserves, The Night
Tripper’s incredible performance climaxes with
the explosive Mess Around. A sense of awe
and disbelief permeates the standing ovation;
perhaps he is a voodoo doctor after all…
Josh Ray / @josh5446ray
RICHARD DAWSON
Peter Smyth – Dave Owen
Mellowtone, Ceremony Concerts and
Harvest Sun @ The Shipping Forecast
DR. JOHN
Philharmonic Hall
When music has been a central part of your
life for more than half a century, it’s probably
fair to say you’ll continue playing until the day
you physically can’t. This is clearly the case for
Malcolm John Rebennack, better known to his
friends as “Mac”, better known to the world as
DR. JOHN, The Night Tripper. Born in 1940, Dr.
John’s mortality is becoming more apparent by
the year but it is also apparent that there’s a
driving force deep within that transcends any
physical limitations, allowing him to perform
for a set which lasts well over an hour and a
half.
Perhaps the voodoo skull atop his grand
piano serves more than an aesthetic purpose,
but most probably this seemingly impossible
feat is down to the fact that, when your life has
revolved so intrinsically around music, music
becomes the thing that keeps you alive. Born
in New Orleans’ incredibly culturally significant
Third Ward, Mac was exposed to a whole range
of sounds from a very young age in his father’s
record store. By the beginning of his teenage
years he was working with Professor Longhair
and remained active as a session musician
throughout the late fifties and into the sixties.
However it wasn’t until his 1968 Gris-Gris
album that the legendary Dr. John persona
was born. Merging blues, funk, jazz and soul
influences with native Creole, boogie woogie
Dr John (Glyn Akroyd)
and zydeco sounds, alongside an aesthetic
derived from Louisiana voodoo, Mardi Gras and
travelling medicine shows, Mac created the
perfect emblem for New Orleans’ rich cultural
heritage and captured the world’s imagination
in the process.
From the very first piano lick of his
performance, it becomes clear why this man
has been inducted into the Rock And Roll
Hall Of Fame and has picked up no less than
six Grammys in his time. Playing through the
hits of Dr. John’s Gumbo, he gives the grand
piano a real workout and, although his voice is
initially weak, it soon regains force as he ups
the showmanship in Tipitina.
However, it isn’t until the maestro revisits
his seminal album, in an I Walk On Guilded
It would be understating the fact to
describe tonight’s venue as snug, but I’m
sure the three blokes with guitars who are
performing in it are grateful for this intimacy.
DAVE OWEN brings a wealth of charisma to
this atmosphere by way of getting the ball
rolling. His brand of folk is influenced largely
by American country music, although the style
he plays, and his accent when singing, may
be a little bit too Americanised. But it can’t be
denied that Owen knows how to communicate
ideas, without sounding preachy in sharing his
overtly politicised views.
Mugstar’s PETER SMYTH is up next, his subtle
guitar style adding plenty of dynamism to his
acoustic balladry. While he plays he holds the
crowd’s undivided attention; while his voice
is not his strongest attribute it couples nicely
with his style of music and his melodic guitar
playing. The crowd is engrossed with Smyth’s
set – perhaps these departures from his much
louder band should happen more frequently.
bidolito.co.uk

02
03
04
10
14
15
17
19
21
23
27
28
29
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BIPOLAR SUNSHINE £10
GHOSTPOET £13
GIT AWARDS 2015 £invite
OVERTHROW w/ SEA WITCHES + ESA
SHIELDS + MORE £3
RAT ALLEY RAVE w/ ENGINE DJS
(Matlock) £2
DRENGE + PINS £12
LIVERPOOL ARABIC ARTS FESTIVAL:
TAMER ABU GHAZALEH £8
POLAR BEAR £15
OF MONTREAL £14
WIRE £18
PORTICO + SNOW GHOSTS £10
THE TWILIGHT SAD £12
MANU DELAGO HANDMADE £6/10
JAMES HOLDEN (LIVE) £13.50
The last time Newcastle native RICHARD
DAWSON played in Liverpool, it was before
an audience of perhaps thirty at Static Gallery
in a performance unforgettable for all who
witnessed it. Since then, Dawson’s most
recent record, Nothing Important, has been
released by Domino Records to widespread
critical acclaim, culminating in this, the final
date of an intense, short tour. Before the show,
Dawson explains to me how close he came to
cancelling the last couple of dates of the tour
due to a bad throat and broken voice. He feels
happy, and lucky, to be here now that he’s in
fine shape to perform.
He begins his set with two a cappella
numbers, one of which is The Brisk Lad, a
haunting piece that has this packed room
bristling with imagery. The crowd are hanging
on his every word. It’s as if he’s delivering coded
secrets through his music – those present are
lost in the mystery. He picks up his guitar and
treats us to tracks Wooden Bag, Black Dog In
The Sky and the instrumental The Bamburgh
Beast. During the more recent Judas Iscariot,
his guitar style remains visceral but somehow
still delicate and beguiling. This is possibly
the loudest folk music you can experience;
his voice bellows through the speakers during
more a cappella pieces such as Poor Old Horse.
Dawson finishes his set with The Vile Stuff,
his recent single and the breakthrough track
for this new phase of his career. He seems to
have a strange reaction when his mention of
the track receives loud applause. He doesn’t
seem comfortable with the prospect of his
rising renown. Unfortunately for him, if he
keeps playing as expressively as he has done
tonight, that renown seems unstoppable.
Christopher Carr
BLOSSOMS
The Vyrll Society – Hidden Charms
EVOL @ The Kazimier
If there’s one thing Stockport five-piece
BLOSSOMS are not, it’s deceptive. With a
dress sense described by the Manchester
Evening News as “turtlenecks and jewellery à
la Derek Trotter”, there’s no hidden heavy rock
sensibilities or the like; tonight we’re getting
a healthy dose of indie psych. Thankfully,
Blossoms are not an act which require any
sort of deception; their take on a well-worn
style has involved them taking it apart and
rearranging it as they see best – a sentiment
with which I’m sure every single one of the
mop-topped lads assembled would be quick
to agree.
Equally adoptive of a style of yesteryear is
HIDDEN CHARMS. Sucking the sixties for all it’s
worth, the instrument-swapping, old-school
rock’n’rollers from London inject the Kaz with
some early unexpected vigour. The pace is
sedated a little by THE VRYLL SOCIETY, though
only due to the fact their entire sound is
doused in a numbing aesthetic haze. Lead-man
Michael Ellis sways and croons like the Ian
Brown of old, and there is certainly more than
a customary Stones tint to their music, though
it betrays no sense of overt idolisation. Their
approach to a style since gone is admirable,
and reflects tonight’s headliners perfectly.
It doesn’t take long once the set has started
for Tom Ogden (Vocals/Guitar) to have qualified,
visually at least, why Blossoms have been
compared to the likes of Arctic Monkeys as
well as The Doors. Partially hiding behind a
split mask of long, brown locks, he struts from
one side of the stage to the other. You Pulled A
Gun On Me sees the band at their most Turnercum-Morrison
esque, as Ogden opens with the
most tantalising of questions: “won’t you make
love to me?”
Like every band tipped by the likes of
NME, Blossoms have a couple of those
songs in their locker. The sort that sound like
everything you’ve ever listened to before,
but simultaneously stand in their own hazy,
distinctive spotlight. As such, Cut Me And I’ll
Bleed and a particularly rousing rendition of
Blow elicit the most convincingly mumbled
participation from the crowd. However, the
most touching moment comes courtesy of
the acoustic-led My Favourite Room. Sweet
and simple but lacking none of the confidence
expressed elsewhere, it sees Ogden and co.
strip back their sound with ease, a move which
requires substance, and consequently wins
the favour of even the more leaden-hearted of
those assembled.
“The cold road is all I know,” Ogden laments
on Blow, before further bemoaning “I don’t
know if it’s love that you want”. Issues of
doubt are pervasive in the lyrics to the band’s
last track, a sentiment certainly not reflected
in the minds of the crowd. The dubbing of the
band as Stockport’s finest export is yet to be
qualified, but, as the mod-cuts and intricate
lighting can collectively confirm, they perhaps
aren’t a million miles away.
Ben Lynch / @benlynch07
THE STAVES
EVOL @ Arts Club
If we’ve learned anything from the last
decade of popular culture, it’s that three
things sell – sex, violence, and folk revival
acts. However, while the tweedier, more
gimmick-laden proponents of the genre have
been enjoying their time in the sun, acts like
THE STAVES have been busy paying their dues
on the toilet circuit, putting in the hours and
developing a fresher, more dynamic approach
along the way. Happily for them, it seems as
though the hard work is beginning to pay off,
and thus we find ourselves in a ludicrously
overcrowded midweek show in one of

Reviews
Bido Lito! April 2015 29
Liverpool’s largest venues. Considering how
utterly packed-out the theatre is tonight, the
crowd is remarkably quiet. You could hear a pin
drop at most points, and the (limited) audience
participation is decidedly muted. For another
act on another night, this might be considered
an off-putting lack of atmosphere. Tonight, it is
most welcome, and only leaves more space to
appreciate the intricacies of The Staves’ sound.
The material from new album If I Was sounds
great tonight, and sees them exploring a darker
edge to their music, as well as excelling as
writers while exploring new lyrical themes.
Steady is particularly interesting in a live
setting – hypnotising and somewhat frenzied,
while remaining coherent and disciplined. After
all, The Staves are very much a live band – that’s
how they started out, and it shows, through
their ability to give their songs room to breathe
without sacrificing their impressive chops.
Their sound in the studio is clean, crisp and
regimented, because ultimately that’s what
their oft-understated style requires. Thankfully,
The Staves seem to make a conscious effort not
to let their live interpretations become stale,
and just a little chaos is thrown into the mix, to
great effect. Debut album favourite Mexico is a
good example of this, where the trio manage to
do justice to the tricky three-part harmonies of
the studio version, whilst injecting just enough
feel and variation to make the performance
unique to this set.
In terms of popularity, The Staves are very
much hitting their stride right now. For one
reason or another, it’s no surprise that almost
every date of this tour was sold-out. Obviously,
a female folk group comprised of attractive
posh girls who happen to be sisters is any
marketing exec’s dream come true, but don’t
be fooled – The Staves are the genuine article.
The combination of their sound and image
could seem somewhat saccharine from afar,
but such is their songwriting pedigree and their
confidence as performers, you can see them
enjoying their imminent ascent into the Brit
rock mainstream without losing their artistic
The Staves (Gaz Jones / @GJMPhoto)
integrity. They certainly seem to be enjoying
the journey, and, musically, it’s a winning
formula that will likely stand the test of time.
It’s twee, it’s distinctly middle-class, and it’s a
little mawkish in places. But when they get it
right, it’s fucking beautiful.
Alex Holbourn / @AlexHolbourn
1 HESKETH ST
AIGBURTH, LIVERPOOL
L17 8XJ
020 7232 0008

30
Bido Lito! April 2015
Reviews
bidolito.co.uk
ECHO AND THE
BUNNYMEN
Philharmonic Hall
“Life takes its toll, cursed by mortality” Ian
McCulloch sings on the title track of last year’s
Meteorites. It’s heavy subject matter that ECHO
AND BUNNYMEN have rarely shied away from,
from their tenure as leading lights of 80s postpunk
through their 90s Nothing Lasts Forever
revival, right through to their recent return to
familiarly anthemic pop. However, now in their
forth decade of existence, are the Bunnymen
beginning to fear the reaper?
Things start off promisingly enough, with a
trio of early career favourites sounding as fresh
as anything else being played across a city
buzzing with top-quality gigs on this particular
weekend. However, the decidedly middle-aged
crowd remain seated, quietly appreciating the
spiky, acerbic classics.
It takes Seven Seas, tonight’s sixth song, to
bring the entire auditorium to their feet and it
is there they remain for the rest of the evening.
There’s a reciprocal love that adds an extra
dimension to a set bursting with top-drawer
counter-cultural gems. “There’s nothing better
than getting applause in your home town,” the
normally rambunctious McCulloch declares at
one point.
While beer paunches and bald patches are
liberally sprinkled throughout tonight’s crowd,
McCulloch’s voice shows no sign of succumbing
to middle age. Over The Wall is repeatedly
requested and the Bunnymen oblige mid-way
through the set and the soaring vocal is dealt
with with aplomb by both McCulloch and the
dancing gathering in front of the stage.
Tonight’s performance transcends trends
and eras in many ways. The Bunnymen
may no longer get many column inches in
the more fickle music papers, but they have
consistently created great music for the
duration of their career. While tracks from
their classic 80s albums Crocodiles, Ocean
Rain and their eponymous 1987 LP raise
neck hairs tonight, recent additions Holy
Moses and Constantinople more than hold
their own.
McCulloch is not the only superstar on stage
tonight, of course: guitarist Will Sergeant
constantly demands our attention with
virtuoso performances, most notably on the
incendiary Villiers Terrace/Roadhouse Blues
medley and the savage beauty of The Cutter.
Echo And The Bunnymen (John Johnson/ johnjohnson-photography.com)
the feeling that their career will provide many
more moments like tonight.
Sam Turner / @samturner1984
HAWK EYES
With claims of having written up to five of the
best songs in pop music history, McCulloch can
God Damn – Mothers – Elevant
be accused of hyperbole, but it is hard to argue
Monster Sound Collective @
when he affirms Sergeant as the best guitarist
Maguire’s Pizza Bar
in the world. Despite reports of a certain
animosity between the two, there is a requisite
As vocalist and guitarist Paul Astick thanks
telepathy which enables McCulloch’s lyrical
the crowd again for coming out on a Thursday
meanderings into other various rock anthems
night, a growing suspicion has been all but
to segue beautifully back into Bunnymen’s
confirmed: HAWK EYES are a nice bunch of
own impressive canon.
guys. From their warm introductions to crowd
Two encores are rapturously received and
interaction, this endearing sentiment steadily
McCulloch says he could do it all again. You get
gains clarity. Even the name of the band’s new
Hawk Eyes (Darren Anston)

32
Bido Lito! April 2015
Reviews
Hooton Tennis Club (Jack Thompson / m0nks.co.uk)
record, Everything Is Fine, lends emphasis to
such a perception. No niceties however can
blunt the relentless energy that Hawk Eyes
have become purveyors of, as track after track
bludgeons those gathered in a dogged flurry
of unforgiving riffs. Polite and considerate the
band may appear, but hesitant and tempered
their live show certainly is not.
Thankfully, there is a degree of preparation
prior to the Leeds-based four-piece taking
centre circle. Local acts ELEVANT and MOTHERS
consecutively pile on the sonic pressure and
provide our ears with a little bit of training. The
theatrical performance of Elevant’s Michael
Edward (Vocals, Guitar) is perhaps received with
more uncertainty than the mesh of post-punk,
psychedelia and anything-in-between his band
delivers, but it passes the baton into the hand
of Mothers in fine fashion. Mothers retract some
of the eccentricities and replace them with
more noise, as the three-piece subsequently
indulge in a dense, sludgy paradise.
Assaulting their instruments and our eardrums
in a manner so rabid the whole room feels feral,
GOD DAMN’s direct and unbridled approach,
executed most decisively on the volatile Heavy
Money, provides the final stage of our pre-amp
prep. Thomas Edward (Guitar, Vocals) wails like a
man possessed behind a curtain of blond locks.
It isn’t pretty, but it’s overwhelming, and, most
importantly, very, very satisfying.
A cursory breather in between sets has thus
far this evening been forgone, and the trend is
maintained as, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing,
Hawk Eyes descend into an unrelenting sonic
assault. Favourites Witchhunt, Headstrung and
I Hate This, Do You Like It? are delivered at an
impeccable pace, each riff as focused as it is
fatal. Astick’s vocals are typically robust, and
his performance equally vigorous. The perfect
balance of savagery and restraint, he throws
himself into every vocal and guitar line with
the intention to kill. He threatens to calm
things down a little bit when he dons a pair of
glasses and ties back his hair, though within
seconds he has reverted to the wide-eyed
force which suits him so well.
The true treat of the evening arrives in the
form of the band’s most recent single The
Ballad Of Michael McGlue, which Astick informs
us is “the first time we’ve played this song”. It’s
easy to forget tonight’s outing is as a result
of new material, with each track seamlessly
slipping into the next without losing any of its
feral, unbridled force.
As the aggressor fades, the pleasantries
again take centre stage. There is a wild spirit
which takes residency within the heart of
Hawk Eyes, and, for all the niceties on show, it
is this which guarantees the ride is so sweet.
Dangerously sweet.
Ben Lynch / @benlynch07
HOOTON TENNIS CLUB
Hannah Lou Clark – Rongorongo
Harvest Sun @ The Shipping Forecast
According to the Echo, RONGRONGO got
together over “a romantic leaning for extreme
metaphors”, and for once I’m inclined to
believe tomorrow’s fish and chip paper. The
band, while baby-fresh to the live circuit, let
an ominous atmosphere trail after them, the
sort that New Romantics used to look forward
to before the dry ice ran out. Musically, their
interests hook into the somnambulant ache
of a synthesizer, dispersing feather-light
vocals and doomy bass over a clutch of pop
songs that desperately need more chutzpah.
Riffs sludge and spike upon miserablist clifftops,
though if you think anyone’s going to
be jumping off anytime soon, think again.
Rongorongo are spooky enough without
being hair-raising, but there’s enough here to
suggest we keep an eye on them for the future
– they might discover Coleridge or Keats, and
then they’d be truly away.
By comparison, HANNAH LOU CLARK has all
the self-imposed cool of a cucumber on stress
medication. Her easy, distinctive voice carries
more than a hint of Waxahatchee about it; ditto
the soft distortion on her guitar, cutting the
bullshit out of fare like Kids In Heat, feeding
that sweet spot of regret and optimism perfectly
attuned to twenty-something anxiety and the
bloom of car-crash relationships. She pulls off
a classic bar-singer trick – this is emotional stuff
you’d listen to in the dark, by yourself, except
you’re happy to be in a full room watching
someone drag you into their orbit, teasing you
with the clash of foreign planets.
Whether you’re a curious gig-goer or already
aboard the bandwagon, HOOTON TENNIS
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LIVERPOOL
CLUB are riding a buzz that’s crying out for
a definitive show, and this might just be it.
Watching the quartet plug in and attack their
new material with barely a pause for breath
is like seeing ‘amateur’ wiped clean from a
chalkboard; it’s hard to believe they’ve come
this far in under a year, with tunes that spring
off the walls, recognisably tense with pep and
laconicism. Old favourites …And Camilla Drew
Fourteen Dots On Her Knee and Much Quicker
Than Anyone But Jennifer Could Imagine finally
have weight, yet remain fun to bop through,
offsetting Ryan Murphy’s dropout-rawk vocal
delivery. Minimal fuss between tracks means
the set blisters with the energy of a punk show,
although Hooton are decidedly not punk and
never will be – they’re having too much of a
good time for all that nonsense, especially
bassist Callum McFadden, who wobbles his
head more than can safely be endorsed. Ryan
and James Madden’s interplay on the mic is
spot on, nailing the sense of mates on an
adrenalin cruise, disarmingly slapdash, a centre
of ebullience crusted with casual feedback.
The Farm’s Carl Hunter gets a shout-out, being
instrumental in getting this single launch to
where it is – friends acknowledged, then, before
the band grind up for the long run, the leap to
a (hopefully) national conscious. Judging by
the reception Jasper gets at the end of their
forty-five minutes, in which barely a second is
wasted, we can stake our hopes that the rest of
the country will pay attention, and that a cadre
of imminent fans await.
Josh Potts / @joshpjpotts
GLASS ANIMALS
Tropics
EVOL @ The Kazimier
TROPICS may well be the most aptly titled
music project of recent times. It’s the moniker
that London musician Chris Ward chooses to
create under, and sets the tone for the evening.
There are definite shades of Jamie Woon and
SOHN in his music but this is unmistakably his
own sound. Drawing material from recently
released debut album Rapture there is a
freeform jazz and percussive nature to these
songs of which The Cinematic Orchestra,
Bonobo and Lapalux would all be envious.
GLASS ANIMALS’ full-length was an
interesting but subdued offering that all too
often felt too muted to reach its full potential.
Seemingly aware of this, their headline set has
an intensity and excitement that is somewhat
unexpected but whole-heartedly welcome and
tremendously well-received tonight. Frontman
Dave Bayley is not nonchalant to the warm
reception: “Last time we played Liverpool, there
were four people in the room. This is a bit
better,” he grins at a sold-out Kazimier.
Poor sound plagues their headline slot from
time to time as vocals get lost in the mix or
Drew Macfarlane’s keys and synth melodies
struggle to make an impact, but it would be
unfair to hold the group solely responsible
for these small miss-steps. There is too
much fevered enthusiasm in the room to be
dampened by a few technical errors, anyway, as
Bayley makes a habit of hopping off the stage
and taking a sabbatical in the audience for a
minute or two. Obviously this only adds to the
buzzing atmosphere.
The quartet play for around an hour but it
feels like half this as they storm through the
bulk of their album, Zaba. All the tracks have
an extra weight about them, like they were
created solely for the live circuit, and lead
single Gooey instigates an anthemic response
that will be priceless heading into the festival
season. WYRD and set-finishing Cocoa Hooves
are other highlights with their synth-driven trip
hop melodies breaking free from the chains
that they often felt held back by on record.
The encore gives Dave Bayley his rock-star
moment as the shoeless red sock-wearing
singer climbs the speaker rack to cover Kanye’s
Love Lockdown. He then struggles to get
down but if Glass Animals make a habit of
playing shows like this they might be better off
getting used to these heights as bigger venues
come calling.
GOGO PENGUIN
Fishprint
Matt Wood
Liverpool International Jazz
Festival @ The Kazimier
Anybody who hears the band name GOGO
PENGUIN isn’t about to forget it in a hurry,
and this memorable aspect runs deep within
the trio’s genre-bending jazz. Chris Illingworth
(Piano), Nick Blacka (Double Bass) and Rob
Turner (Drums) create a truly original sound,
fishing from a vast pool of influence with the
likes of Aphex Twin and Brian Eno named as
primary sources. They grace the stage for the
opening night of the Liverpool International
Jazz Festival as a subdued and somewhat
serious air fills The Kazimier as a predominantly
mature crowd form around the stairs and many
opt to sit. A traditional jazz feel surrounds us,
albeit lacking wisps of cigar smoke, as Nick
Branton of various local collectives takes to the
stage as FISHPRINT.
A haunting drone of a singular saxophone
opens proceedings, progressing into catchy,
almost patriotic bursts, accompanied by stamps
of feet as Branton displays his impressive lung
capacity. The short set features a Swedish tune
he “can’t pronounce the name of” along with
melodies of a Celtic feel, and others with more
of a growl. Branton sets the tone, as technical
ability and range of genres are to be the
cornerstone of this evening.
As The Kazimier reaches capacity GoGo

Reviews
Bido Lito! April 2015 35
Penguin modestly take up their instruments.
Opening with Ferg, a new track, the trio
summon an unforgettable ambience, with
violin bows and brushes flitting around the
drum kit while the piano and double bass
create a dreamy ebb and flow, allowing the
crowd to settle into a brief meditative state
before they proceed with the rest of their
performance.
Murmuration follows, the opener to their
latest album V2.0, a culmination of ethereal
piano chords carried exquisitely by preciselyplaced
ghost notes and the switching between
plucking and bowing of the double bass,
creating seemingly impossible layers with so
few instruments.
The bulk of the set is one that overwhelms
and inspires, taking each of us on an
interpretable journey. The tiptoeing, tinkling
piano of Break
is beautifully pensive, while
In Amber and The Letter explore darker, more
ominous avenues, all offering the impending
ascension into an almost spiritual realm.
As the set progresses, it becomes apparent
that there can be no ‘frontman’ in GoGo Penguin.
The trio stand on equal ground forming a
meticulously complex unit, accounting for their
transcendent, atmospheric sound, a sound that
The Kazimier does great justice.
Last Words and Garden Dog BBQ see the
set judder to a frantic close with the trio’s
most playful, dance-infused numbers. Oddly
infectious basslines and hypnotising hi-hat
lifts expose the band’s ability to not only create
a truly original sound, but also to structure
songs in a way that displays immensely
technical jazz-infused ability, while remaining
wonderfully accessible.
An eagerly anticipated encore of Hopopono
leaves a perfect cadence resonating around
the venue, with a sense of astonishment that
three young musicians could offer such a
unique musical experience.
Gogo Penguin (James Tweedale / flickr.com/james_tweedale)
KATE TEMPEST
The Kazimier
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36
Bido Lito! April 2015
Reviews
tUnE-yArDs (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk)
shop across the city. A year ago she was only
really known in dark and dusty poetry circles
as a spoken word artist with an impressive
command of the English language, but now
she is much more than that. Tonight in The
Kazimier her growing popularity is clearly on
display, and the venue is as busy as I have
ever seen it. Voices murmur and bodies
shuffle in anticipation of getting the best
view of the Mercury Award nominee.
Tempest arrives on stage with confidence,
spurred on by a raucous cheer from the sea
of voices in front of her. She is humble, she
is appreciative, and you could even begin to
believe that she is a little shy until she picks up
the microphone. Tempest is a performer who
thrives on intimacy but she has a voice loud
enough to fill any space in the UK. From the
off she’s in command of the crowd, speaking
about inequality, government legislation
and generally just how excited she is to be
in Liverpool. Whist she raps her way through
a tight set, her group create a soundscape
of electro/hip hop/dance fusion that carries
each song energetically to the next. Tracks
like Lonely Daze and Theme From Becky
use Tempest’s gritty pub-chat narrative and
squeeze it in-between elegant and heart-felt
melodic refrains that create a magical end
product. Her songs are powerful, slick and
engaging. Unfortunately at times the level
of the drum pads and the various electronic
sounds compete with the lyricism and very
occasionally the brilliantly crafted words
are lost. However, on this musical journey,
Tempest addresses us at every pause and talks
directly to the audience as if we’re all just sat
together on the back of a bus, putting the
world to rights. Tempest is not somebody who
is pretending to be something she isn’t, she’s
one of us. The highlight of the evening comes
in the form of her critically acclaimed work
Brand New Ancients, a spoken-word epic from
2012. Alone with the microphone, the Londoner
silences the room and performs the powerful,
brilliantly written verse that originally shot her
to fame.
Tonight, Kate Tempest has proved that she
truly is an artist worthy of a Mercury Award
nomination and not just a spoken-word artist
giving music a go. She is an exciting rapper
with an abundance of talent. As the lights
come on, the crowd turn into a queue of people
desperate to chat to tonight’s performer and
you get the feeling that she will stay around
and speak to each and every one of them.
Paddy Hughes / @paddyhughes89
TUNE-YARDS
Harvest Sun @ Anglican Cathedral
Going to church is normally a sombre
and sober event but tonight’s sermon offers
something a little bit different from the usual
stale communion biscuits and sickly-sweet
wine. Like pilgrims heading off towards the
Promised Land, hoards of people file into
the Anglican Cathedral. Inside, the building
transforms into a hotbed of pint-slurping TUNE-
YARDS fans awaiting a reading from the female
pastor of pop, Merrill Garbus. At first the dance
floor is subdued, as the excitable masses are
swarmed around a makeshift Liverpool Craft
Beer bar/drinks shack that struggles to keep up
with the demand of so many weary travellers…
but this soon changes.
The Anglican Cathedral is a beautiful
space and it is a perfect venue for live music
events. It is so picturesque that the time
in-between music is spent gawping at the
sheer exquisiteness and magnitude of
the building. When Garbus and tUnE-yArDs
do take the stage they are as agog as the
punters at the spectacle of tonight’s concert.
Struggling to maintain her composure, Garbus
storms through opening tracks Time Of Dark
and Sink-O before actually addressing the
congregation of sweaty worshippers. “Wow,”
she says… “just wow”. Tonight we truly believe
that the band are overwhelmed to be playing
in such a unique venue.
During the halfway point of the set it is clear
that tUne-yArDs have earned the right to play
such a historic venue. They are a band that
have grasped pop music by the throat and
forced it to dance with them to their own beat.
Songs like Gangsta and Water Fountain take
weird and wonderful syncopated rhythms and
challenge us to move to their music. By the
time we get to the big hitter and aptly titled
Bizness, the Cathedral is alive with energy and
excitement. After a strange rendition of Happy
Birthday for Garbus’s mum, we reach the end
of the evening and bodies pour out into the
cold Liverpool air with each and every person
taking a final look behind at the magnificent
structure that proved such a great host.
bidolito.co.uk

38 Bido Lito! April 2015
Reviews
There was a real feel of confession this
evening with the band exposing their
excitement and raw talent under the eyes of
the all-seeing and all-hearing Liverpool crowd,
but it was clear that everyone liked what they
heard. I for one am definitely hoping for a
second coming of Garbus and the gang.
Paddy Hughes / @paddyhughes89
CHIBUKU 15TH BIRTHDAY
bidolito.co.uk
Camp and Furnace
Fifteen years is a long time in any business,
never mind in the fast-paced world of dance
music where trends are born, grow and
wither in the blink of an eye. Doing this whilst
straddling the underground/mainstream
divide, no matter how anachronistic this
sounds in the post-internet world, is even
harder. But, happy birthday CHIBUKU, you
pulled off a banger of a party.
Partying in the day has always been a
strange concept, and relatively hard to pull
off when most of the punters are used to
getting sweaty and dancing ‘til their trainers
are worn through at 4am, rather than 4pm.
Whatever, Chibuku manage this seamlessly
with an early salvo of JOHN MCANDREW
going back to back with RICH FURNESS
warming up the crowd in the Furnace, before
and DAVE ‘RAM JAM’ RODIGAN brings his
anything-goes approach to selecting. From
reggae to dancehall, dubstep to Aaliyah,
Rodigan knows how to get them dancing.
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No matter how fun Ram Jam is, Furness and
McAndrew’s carefree choices bring the night
to a head, especially the Blue Monday segue
into Born Slippy .NUXX
which has people
nearly kicking the ceiling. And that’s no
mean feat in the vast Furnace. Later on in the
evening, the trouble people have getting in
to see DJ EZ is offset by ANNIE MAC’s crowdpleasing
choices; although her piano-house
set holds no revelations or surprises, the
audience laps it up.
The smaller Camp section of the three-tiered
daytime offering holds the more undergroundoriented
Abandon Silence room, and opening
the night FOUR TET carries on his foray into
dance music. Four Tet before 4pm is an alarming
idea but he pulls it off amazingly well, with the
energy in the room second to none. The rest of
the night is led by the tastemaker DJs. This has
been lost in recent years, and it is refreshing
to see its return. JACKMASTER’s immaculate
mixing and selection stands in stark contrast
to the relaxed selection of his Can U Dance
outfit with Oneman (a no show for the night);
Jackmaster doesn’t care what you want to
hear like Annie Mac does, it’s all about what
he wants to show you. The same is true of
BEN UFO and JOY ORBISON b2b GEORGE
FITZGERALD, who all oscillate seamlessly
through the techno subgenres.
Clearly this crowd differs wildly from those
in the main room, with those in Camp revelling
joyously in the DJ’s effortlessly tasteful
selections, as opposed to the big-room
bangers satisfyingly lapped up in the Furnace.
And that’s the great thing about the behemoth
that is Chibuku: it has something for everyone
whilst still maintaining relevance with a
commitment to hosting the finest mainstream
and cutting-edge dance music on offer. Fifteen
more years, please!
Mungo's Hi Fi (Gyn Akroyd)
Laurie Cheeseman / @lauriecheeseman
MUNGO’S HI FI
The Fire Beneath The Sea – London
Afrobeat Collective – Helena Johnson
FIESTA BOMBARDA @ St George’s Hall
Billed as their biggest event to date, FIESTA
BOMBARDA – whose previous happenings at
iconic sites the Palm House and the Anglican
Cathedral have been draped in praise – have
put together an eclectic mix of artists from
Glasgow, London and Brighton to join local
acts for their first foray into St George’s Hall.
Elmes and Cockerill’s 19th Century neoclassical
masterpiece has, over the years,
provided the setting for a parade of the highs
and lows of city life, from the grandeur of
innumerable concert performances to the most
dismal tragedies in its courtrooms. Tonight we
are hoping for something of the former.
First on is Liverpool-based chanteuse
HELENA JOHNSON who, along with her slick
nine-piece band, delivers a confident and
varied set which moves effortlessly between
RnB, Latin and jazz rhythms. Choppy guitars
and punchy brass create a bright platform for
Johnson’s rich vocal, which works as a perfect
counterpoint to Max Gavin’s flowing rap. The
small crowd enthuses, and Johnson gets the

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40
Bido Lito! April 2015
Reviews
party off to a swinging start.
Brighton’s EUPHONY elicit a great reaction
from the growing crowd, many of whom are
familiar with the band’s songs. Their mix of dub
and calypso-infused dance tunes sees some
energetic dance moves breaking out as lights
begin to swirl around the vast hall, picking out
the delicate plasterwork of the barrel-vaulted
ceiling.
LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE take to the
stage and slip into a prolonged instrumental
groove that allows singer Funke Adeleke to
showcase her joyful footwork. The crowd are
straight on it too and LAC don’t let them go
for a second during a set of the tightest afro,
Latin, highlife and funk grooves north of the
22nd parallel. The ten-piece troupe build up
the sound until, with a chop of her hands,
Adeleke cuts off the top end, leaving the bass
and drums to hold a rock steady beat. Dancing
up to the mic, she adds a vocal injection that
moves things up a gear before the guitars
and brass kick back in, lifting the crowd into
a frenzy.
After a short break, a scantily clad cowgirl
riding a pink flamingo enters stage left. The
crowd appear nonplussed at first but as she
slowly begins to disrobe, ably assisted by
the flamingo’s dextrous beak (think Rod Hull
meets Dita Von Teese), they soon warm to the
scenario. She is followed by belly, hula-hoop
and flamenco dancers who perform a risqué
mix of the classic and the comic. This is GYPSY
DISCO and the crowd lap it up.
Glasgow-based headliners MUNGO’S HI FI
make a fairly low-key entrance, in keeping with
their stated aim of “passion over presentation”,
checking out equipment and re-arranging
wires, before launching unannounced into a
heavyweight set. With Tommy Danger on the
decks and MC Kenny Knots on the mic, the
crowd are swiftly returned to serious party
mode. The bass is pounding out at a frequency
that could flatten a herd of cattle and Danger’s
mix of raga, dancehall and reggae lifts the
crowd to another level. Knots prowls the stage,
exhorting the crowd, handkerchief in hand,
mopping sweat from his brow like a Baptist
preacher during a fevered summer sermon. It’s
a good job that the Hall’s protective floor is well
sprung, it would otherwise have splintered
and the crowd would have been skanking
away on Milton’s exquisite tiles. Mungo end
their set with mixes of Max Romeo’s Chase The
Devil and Toots’ 54-46 Was My Number and the
crowd are screaming their approval, at times
a swirling sea of colour, at others frozen in a
stroboscopic slide show.
THE FIRE BENEATH THE SEA keep the rhythms
and beats alive for a crowd that looks like it
could party ‘til dawn. FBTS deliver, as always,
a high-energy, gleeful set, and the band look
like they want to play ‘til dawn, but, mid set
and to their obvious dismay, the houselights
suddenly illuminate St George’s Hall and,
despite the crowd baying for more, the sun
sets on another memorable Fiesta.
Glyn Akroyd
The Sundowners (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.k)
THE SUNDOWNERS
Sankofa – She Drew The Gun – Marvin Powell
EVOL @ The Kazimier
The superb line-up for this gig leads to much
counting of days before the appointed hour
arrives. Headliners THE SUNDOWNERS are part
of Merseyside music royalty – not only with Alfie
Skelly (Lead Guitar) and Fiona Skelly (Vocals/
Tambourine/Rhythm Guitar) continuing the
family tradition, but also Jim Sharrock (Drums),
channelling the drumming prowess of uncle
Chris (The Icicle Works, Robbie Williams, etc).
Completed by Niamh Rowe (Vocals/Rhythm
Guitar) and Tim Cunningham (Bass), the band
are back home after a short tour. Before they
appear, three other acts grace the stage.
MARVIN POWELL, a singer-songwriter with
a guitar and a double-bass player, has good
early support for his opening slot. Songs such
as Buried showcase his intricate guitar-playing
and delicate, folky vocals.
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Girl Friend Saturday 11th April (Ruby Lounge)
Toseland Wednesday 15th April
Finley Quaye Friday 17th April
Evil Blizzard Saturday 18th April (Ruby Lounge)
Portico Sunday 26th April
WIRE Wednesday 29th April
Only Real Sunday 3rd May (Ruby Lounge)
Lazy Habits Thursday 7th May (Ruby Lounge)
FM Saturday 9th May
Sleaford Mods Friday 15th May
Ozric Tentacles Friday 22nd May
Bad Manners Saturday 13th June
Jace Everett Friday 26th June
Jimmy Cliff Saturday 25th July
Mordred Thursday 6th August
Sugarhill Gang Saturday 8th August
Buzzcocks Saturday 10th October
Peter Hook & The Light Friday 30th October
Heaven 17 Sunday 31st October
The Wedding Present Saturday 14th November
Louisa Roach, aka SHE DREW THE GUN is
up next. A talented poet as well as singersongwriter,
she opens with new single If I
Could See, backed by guitarist Jack Turner. The
Kazimier’s stage had been graced by another
dazzling female poet and songwriter only two
nights previously (Kate Tempest), and, on this
evidence, Roach can certainly ‘hold her own’ in
such company.
In our political situation (general election
looming, ‘none of the above’ looking like the
best option), the remarkable If I Could See
illuminates a way we can express ourselves:
“I picked up my pen/I drew the gun”. Then,
explaining that “Sometimes life’s about fighting
for what you want to, sometimes it’s about
love”, she slips into some “soppy” numbers.
Roach also demonstrates that she can dial up
the pace with foot-tapping, chugging tunes; it
is just unfortunate that the chattering crowd
often drown out her words. Collaboration and
interaction are key to Roach’s vibe and, in her
hook-up with Skeleton Key Records, she has
a supportive base from which to continue her
assault on the apathetic.
Next up are five-piece SANKOFA – upping
both sound and tempo, although they mix
the pace well. Tracks include new single Slow
Killer City and its B-side, Vanishing Point, to
be released on Record Store Day (18th April).
They are an assured band, but seem a little
contained tonight, only really letting rip in the
bluesy jam with which they finish their set,
singer Stephen Walls’ sister Jodie joining them
for Got My Mojo Working, made famous by the
inimitable Muddy Waters.
The Sundowners, playing to a packed,
enthusiastic crowd, start their set with
Wild As The Season, the first track on their
eponymous debut album – a lovely piece of
vinyl, by the way. Tight harmonies, evocative
lyrics and fuzzy guitar riffs are the order of the
day, accompanied by the thrill of seeing two
women with Rickenbackers fronting a band –
heightened when Rowe slips on an Epiphone
for a kaleidoscopic trip Into The Light.
Half a dozen or so perfectly modulated
tracks later, the reverb and distorted guitar
sounds of single Medicine close the set, further
evidencing that the Sundowners are not just
one-trick ponies. From the sweet harmonies
of Hummingbird to the driving energy of Soul
Responding, this band have it all. My advice:
follow the Sundowners as they dance from star
to star.
Debra Williams
THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN
Mountford Hall
from THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN, was one of
them, and its appeal has endured in the twenty
years since its release. The charming roughness
of its production and simplistic song structures
have found even greater resonance in today's
musical climate, and so it was with much glee
that fans learned of the band's intention to play
it in its entirety for a whole tour. Tonight at the
Guild the anticipation is massive, and the huge
crowd ranges from those who witnessed the
band in their heyday to new disciples.
The band begin proceedings with a short set
of new material. Long gone are the days when
William Reid would emerge clutching a twostring
guitar, and the band's sound has become
more polished and full. Professional is the word
I'm trying to avoid, and though this is certainly
applicable, frontman Jim Reid's demeanour is
as withdrawn and sulky as ever.
After five new songs to whet the appetite
it’s time to get down to business; cue Just Like
Honey, the band's much-loved, signature tune.
The guitar sounds are lush and fuzzy, oozing
out of the PA system and begging comparisons
to, well, honey. Anyone expecting the brief
and violent performances of old has these
expectations quashed almost immediately,
and the slow tempo makes everyone present
aware that we are in it for the long haul. No
instant gratification here, but a slow-building
caress that is overwhelmingly satisfying.
Lazy sexual metaphors aside, the group have
clearly benefited from experience and know
how to keep an audience enraptured even
while providing little in the way of physical
enthusiasm on stage.
Never Understand, situated perfectly in
the middle of the set, provides the perfect
showcase for the kind of laconic yet captivating
vocals that Jim Reid has become famous for,
and there is even some tension between the
brothers when a guitar is adjudged to be too
loud. It's nice to see they haven't lost that edge.
Though the songwriting duties fall solely to the
Reids there are three other members who hold
the songs together, providing a steady base on
which the pair can build.
With the set nearing its end the attention
of the crowd is unwavering, with most people
evidently hungry for more. The Jesus & Mary
Chain could roll into any town and pull a crowd,
but it is hard to imagine them finding a more
receptive one than they’ve had tonight. Keep it
coming, Reids.
PLACEBO
The Mirror Trap
Mountford Hall
Alastair Dunn
Big Country Saturday 12th December
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THE MIRROR TRAP make theirs pretty

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44
Bido Lito! April 2015
Reviews
Sleaford Mods (John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com)
unambiguous, but luckily they have the
ability to back up a brassy introduction
with compelling songs. Having previously
supported the headliners throughout the past
three years, it's easy to see why they're such
a great fit, with just the right amount of alt.
rock scuzz and ethereal synthyness to appeal
to any fan of Brian Molko et al.
The opener is short, sweet and punky, though
songs like Piranhas demonstrate a sonic
deftness that pairs well with a pretty impressive
light show for a support act: red lights and
smoke mix with churning, intense swathes
of shoegaze distortion, interspersed with the
snarling delivery of frontman Gary Moore.
Enthusiastic and well put together, the only
thing working against the Scots is the fact that
the crowd now crammed into Mountford Hall,
all black clothes and pasty faces, are here to see
one band and one band only.
If The Mirror Trap teased the crowd, the
opening notes of PLACEBO’s mega-hit Pure
Morning takes one hand and rams it straight
down the front of their trousers, filling the
venue with ear-splitting screams as frontman
Brian Molko and drummer Stefan Olsdal stride
out onto the stage, bolstered with the addition
of extra musicians, including a violin player and
a couple of extra guitarists.
Abrasive buzzsaw guitars, pounding drums
which feel like a cannonball straight to the
solar plexus, and Molko's wailing vocals all
contribute to a colossal sound that's just as
powerful, if not better than, Placebo’s recorded
output. This is no doubt down to the fact that
the band have been on the road and living in
the groove for twenty-odd years. Regardless,
they still manage to conjure up an energy
and exuberance that would put the hungriest
of new bands to shame, where many of their
contemporaries would have been all too
happy to slide into the quagmire of half-arsed
complacency.
Plenty in the crowd will have been old enough
to remember when Placebo first burst onto the
scene in the mid-90s, providing an answer for
those looking for something a bit different than
the Britpop bands that dominated the charts;
and it's therefore unfortunate that the band,
whether intentionally or not, omit many of the
hits that cemented them as alternative heroes
in the first place.
Leaning heavily on new material, with a few
tried-and-trusted classics thrown in for good
measure, it's just slightly disappointing that
they miss a trick in not performing songs like
Nancy Boy, though particular highlights of the
set include For What It's Worth and the band's
2003 reworking of Kate Bush classic Running
Up That Hill (A Deal With God). Perhaps they’re
just getting a little sick of playing the classics.
Nevertheless, with the reception awarded to
set closers Post Blue and Infra-red, it seems that
when it comes to the crowd, the Placebo effect
is still just as powerful as it ever was.
Ryan McElroy
SLEAFORD MODS
EVOL @ The Kazimier
In an age of austerity where the workingclass
are once again being trampled upon by
waxy-faced Eton toffs and their banker friends,
whilst simultaneously being portrayed as lazy,
benefit-scrounging scum, it is natural that there
will be a reaction. Though politically-inflected
music can often be a painful and embarrassing
thing to witness there are those who wear it
well. Tonight's headliners SLEAFORD MODS are
prime examples.
With the room at fever pitch, they emerge
and launch into a predictably riotous display.
They are a strange spectacle to behold: as
Jason Williamson circles and attacks his
microphone like an amphetamine-pumped
hyena, producer Andrew Lindsay stays within
two feet of his laptop, swaying gently and
nursing his beer. This is not because he is kept
busy with producing live sounds, as he simply
presses play on a pre-recorded track at the
start of each song. But this dichotomy of onstage
personas really works, and Williamson
has enough energy to be up there on his own.
The set moves from one intense moment
to the next. Everything from the Job Centre to
Cameron to cheap cider to various celebrities
are subject to Williamson's poetic torrents
of abuse, and it becomes clear that the man
has a Malcom Tucker-esque gift for the use
of a swear word. Nihilistic and angry, the
lyrics take everything in scorn yet somehow
seem to turn inwards, signalling a certain
hopelessness and ideological void that
Williamson perhaps detects in himself. Lines
such as “I got called an anarchist, but that's
for the middle-class train spotters” signal
his attitude towards certain identities, and
the pair are undoubtedly a difficult entity to
summarise. For a generation that gets most of
their world news stories from Vice, Williamson
and Lindsay seem symptomatic of their times
and do a better job of reflecting it than most of
their contemporaries. Political apathy is utterly
pervasive, and though it is rewarding to see
everyone in The Kazimier enjoying themselves
and smiling wryly at the profanities raining
down from the stage, it is hard to imagine
anyone going home and having a proper think
about who they were aimed at. But maybe I'm
just being a killjoy. For now there's nothing
more to do than sway gently and nurse my
beer to the glorious strains of Tiswas.
Alastair Dunn
bidolito.co.uk

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46
Bido Lito! April 2015
THE
DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER
with Dig Vinyl
Bold Street’s latest wax junkies DIG VINYL know a thing or two about the weird and wonderful
depths of people’s record collections, and each month they’ll be rifling through their racks and
picking out four of their favourite in-stock records. This month they’ve picked out some limitededition
nuggets from the official releases for Record Store Day 2015 (18th April). Keep digging…
COURTNEY BARNETT
KIM’S CARAVAN
Melbourne singer/songwriter COURTNEY BARNETT has already attracted
worldwide acclaim largely down to the huge success of 2013’s A Sea
Of Split Peas. Her upcoming debut LP Sometimes I Sit And Think And
Sometimes I Just Sit expands on all the strengths of her double EP:
Bob Dylan-inspired lyrical witticisms, deadpan ramblings and musical
experiments that vary between grunge, indie and dream pop. This Record
Store Day 12” single makes for a future collector’s item as it features an exclusive and touching cover of
John Cale’s Close Watch on the flipside.
JOHNNY MARR
I FEEL YOU
Surely one of the most important alternative rock guitarist of the
last 40 years, JOHNNY MARR has forged a strong solo career of his
own and has recently demonstrated his continuing popularity with
a sold-out show at Liverpool’s own Arts Club. It should come as no
surprise then that there has already been massive demand and
interest in this 7” release, a cover of the Depeche Mode classic I Feel
You. With signature stabs of staccato guitar and dark, droning vocals, it’s a faithful homage that does
justice to the original. And if a version of The Smiths’ Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
as the B-side doesn’t whet your appetite, then the fact this RSD exclusive comes on numbered and
coloured vinyl should.
THE ZOMBIES
R.I.P.
After the positive reception of their now iconic LP Odessey And
Oracle, THE ZOMBIES began putting together material for a followup.
New songs were combined with old out-takes and demos, but
unfortunately the album never saw the light of day – cancelled before
its scheduled release date in 1969. Now, this album is being released
in its entirety on vinyl for the first time, as it was intended to be
put out in the United States. R.I.P. displays the autumnal baroque pop sound that made the band
famous at its best, and is an essential and undiscovered gem for casual fans and collectors alike.
TEMPLES
MESMERISE
Psychedelic pop rockers TEMPLES shot to fame with the release
of their debut LP Sun Structures, put out by our friends at Heavenly
Records. In their short existence they have earned the endorsement
of Noel Gallagher, who called them “the most important new band
in Britain” (we were just as shocked to hear Noel praise anyone, too).
With dreamy synth, spaced-out glam vocals akin to Marc Bolan, and
a roster of tunes as catchy as anything you’re likely to hear, the lads are certainly going places. This
extended live version of one of their most popular tracks demonstrates all these strengths, and
features a remix of Move With The Season by The Horrors on the reverse.
Head to bidolito.co.uk now to stream the latest Dig Vinyl Podcast, featuring a mixture of new, old
and half-forgotten classics.
FINAL
SAY
Words: Phil Gwyn / notmanyexperts.com
Illustration: Christian Davies
The general election deadline day of 7th May creeps ever closer, even though it seems as though
the electioneering campaigns began months after 2010’s election results were confirmed. Faced
with the prospect of another five years of austerity, Phil Gwyn argues that those of us in the creative
industries should be looking for a fairer deal.
It seems to me that although the beginning But can the two really be separated? Has our
of this general election campaign was
characterised by Russell Brand-isms declaring all
parties to essentially be the same, it now seems
of GDP not seen since the1930s – or a less severe
approach from Labour.
Austerity, as we have seen over the past few
years, is a policy that is levied disproportionately
on those who can least afford it, yet at least it
seems that we are aware that society is more
unequal than at any time in living memory.
Social media is groaning under the weight of
the music industry in particular has been
facing is that independent artists are finding it
harder than ever to make music into something
resembling a career. A recent New York Times
interview with Grizzly Bear centred on their
struggle to turn their worldwide acclaim into
anything beyond a hobby that allows them to
between these issues. It goes without saying
that austerity in the recent past has savagely
cut into what little expendable income ordinary
people had. Unfortunately, the music industry
is one that relies entirely on a thriving working
and middle class – people with just enough
expendable income to drop thirty quid on
the admittedly unbeatable combo of The War
generation’s culture, which considers it OK to
not pay for music, got nothing to do with the
fact that large parts of that generation actually
to be dominated by the issue of the economy couldn’t, even if they wanted to?
and rising inequality, and the choice has become The point is that we need to realise how
stark. Either further cuts from a Tory Party – who pervasive the consequences of inequality
intend to amputate public spending to a share are. Rather than being a distant and vague
concept that we associate with only the most
unfortunate, it’s time we realised the effect that
governmental policy is also having on society in
a wider sense, and on our creative industries.
Strangely, the official picture seems rather
different; in 2013 the music industry in the UK
grew by 9% to £3.8bn, outperforming the rest
of the UK economy. Our guess is that those
TED talks on “the 99%...”, the Occupy movement without the security of a major label marketing
is ingrained in the public’s consciousness, and budget would dispute how accurately this stat
the most influential economist of recent years, represents reality. Another interesting stat from
Thomas Piketty, has made his career by arguing that report was that exports of UK music jumped
that capital concentration is becoming ever 57% to £2.2bn; as has so often been said, it’s one
more polarised.
of our most successful exports. Not investing in
Another seemingly unconnected issue that it, and not giving it the conditions in which to
thrive by deepening austerity simply doesn’t
make economic sense.
Yet with a handful of weeks between us and
the formation of a new government, we’re left
in a situation where the Arts Council budget
has been slashed by £457m over the last four
years and more invasive cuts are planned.
subsist. Grizzly-bloody-Bear. But it’s a story that Not only that, but, despite frequent appeals
we’ve all heard hundreds of times, much closer from UK Music, government is yet to properly
to home.
commit itself to changing attitudes about
But it defies logic to not see the connection copyright infringement through education, and
to funding research and action on websites
that pirate music. Yet on the other hand you can
hardly move for ‘culture secretary’ Sajid Javid
grunting Conservative-Party-approved sound
bites outlining how crucial he thinks the music
industry is to the UK’s economy. We know it is,
Sajid; but it would be nice if policy reflected
rhetoric for once.
On Drugs and overpriced, plastic-tumblered
Guinness.
If you’ve not registered to vote in the General
Of course, the advent of piracy on the internet Election on 7th May, sign up now at gov.uk/
is also crucial to understanding this issue. register-to-vote.

Group
Therapy:
Mental
Distress
in a
Digital Age
Exhibition 5 March —17 May 2015
fact.co.uk
#GroupTherapy