DIY, June 2014: Wolf Alice cover

DIY
free / issue 30 / june 2014
diymag.com
SPECIAL COVER
3 of 3
# THISISDIY
UNMASKED
JUNGLE
THE GODFATHERS
PEACE
PLUS
THE ORWELLS
JACK WHITE
GEORGE EZRA
FIRST AID KIT
+ more
WOLF ALICE
N E X T I N L I N E T O T H E T H R O N E

2 diymag.com

EDITOR’S LETTER
Hello, Summer! The sun is out, the festivals are here, and DIY is showing a bit of skin.
Metaphorically, obviously.
This month we’re launching a brand new website. It’s moved - you’ll find it at
diymag.com - and it’s got more bells and whistles than a raving herd of Friesians on a
Friday night. As part of that, we thought it was about time we took the pulse of music.
It’s been looking a bit excited recently, after all. Under the banner #THISISDIY (cos,
y’know, DIY is music) you’ll find the most exciting bands, most essential movements,
and the big questions pondered. Get an eyeful, we’re not shy.
GOOD DIY’s mastermind
of the party, Jack Clothier,
dressed as a Viking for a
photoshoot pushing a ‘unique’
Nordic fragrance. Priceless.
“
QUOTE
OF THE
MONTH
“NECROPHILIA
IS WORSE THAN
KASABIAN.”
“
Stephen Ackroyd
EVIL When Morrissey joined
Twitter I thought we’d never
go hungry for a good story
again. Then it turned out to
be fake. Heaven knows I’m
miserable now.
LISTENING POST
WHAT’S ON THE DIY
STEREO THIS MONTH?
Jungle -Jungle
The debut of the year. Funk, dance, whatever you
want to call it - there’s a reason why JUNGLE are the
most exciting band in the world.
Alvvays - Alvvays
If there’s a record more summer-ready and exciting
than this debut from Toronto’s Alvvays, the iced
lollies are on us.
GOOD
VS
EVIL
WHAT’S ON THE
DIY TEAM’S
RADAR?
Victoria Sinden
Deputy Editor
GOOD DIY’s first three festivals
of the year (Live at Leeds,
Liverpool Sound City and The
Great Escape) were top notch.
EVIL We’ve run out of caffeinebased
drinks in the DIY bunker.
Someone send help.
Sarah Jamieson
News Editor
GOOD So, errrr, this Gerard
Way album, ey? That’s gonna be a
thing, isn’t it!
EVIL I’ve never had to deal with
winds like at The Great Escape. I
genuinely did start to believe that
I might blow away.
Louise Mason
Art Director
GOOD Girl Band at the Great
Escape were the best new band
I’ve seen in ages. Twice.
EVIL Nearly electrocuting a
lot of the UK music scene with
my crap wiring of the bulb on
the cover.
Jamie Milton
Online Editor
GOOD The World Cup!
Especially Chile’s official World
Cup slogan: “Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le!
Le! Go Chile!”
EVIL England’s World Cup
slogan: “The dream of one team,
the heartbeat of millions!!” Good
luck lads.
Emma Swann
Reviews Editor
GOOD Jack
White’s brilliantly batshit
‘Lazaretto’ 12”. Could he fit any
more ideas in?
EVIL The wind in
Brighton during The
Great Escape. Everything since is
a light breeze.
3

12
36
40
54
CONTENTS
NEWs
6 T H E O R W E L L S
8 CHILDHOOD
11 KLAXONS
12 GEORGE EZRA
14 FUCKED UP
16 T OM VEK
18 FIRST AID KIT
20 C EREBRAL B ALLZY
22 THE ANTLERS
NEU
32 ALLIE X
34 H A P P Y N E S S
35 COSMO SHELDRAKE
36 K W A B S
38 SYLV AN ESSO
#thisisdiy
40 JUNGLE
The most exciting band the world
48 DISCO//V ERY
Finding new music
54 PEACE
The Godfathers
60 W O L F A L I C E
Next in line for the throne
Editor Stephen Ackroyd
Deputy Editor Victoria
Sinden
Reviews Editor Emma Swann
News Editor Sarah Jamieson
Art Director Louise Mason
Head Of Marketing & Events
Jack Clothier
Online Editor Jamie Milton
Assistant Online Editor
El Hunt
Contributors Aurora Mitchell,
Coral Williamson, Danny
Wright, Dominique Sisley,
Greta Geoghegan, James
West, Matthew Davies, Nathan
Roberts, Stuart Knapman, Tom
Morris, Tom Walters
Photographers Carolina
Faruolo, Mike Massaro
For DIY editorial
info@thisisfakediy.co.uk
For DIY sales
rupert@sonicdigital.co.uk
tel: +44 (0)20 76130555
For DIY online sales
lawrence@sonicdigital.co.uk
tel: +44 (0)20 76130555
DIY is published by Sonic
Media Group. All material
copyright (c). All rights reserved.
This publication may not be
reproduced or transmitted in any
form, in whole or in part, without
the express written permission
of DIY. 25p where sold.
Disclaimer: While every effort is
made to ensure the information
in this magazine is correct,
changes can occur which affect
the accuracy of copy, for which
Sonic Media Group holds no
responsibility. The opinions
of the contributors do not
necessarily bear a relation to
those of DIY or its staff and
we disclaim liability for those
impressions. Distributed
nationally.
78
rEviEWs
68 ALBUMS
78 LIV E
4 diymag.com

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JIMMY EAT WORLD
DEAF HAVANA
BLOOD RED SHOES
CROSSFAITH
HACKTIVIST
FOSTER THE PEOPLE
THE HIVES
PEACE
DRY THE RIVER
PULLED APART BY HORSES
GNARWOLVES
A DAY TO REMEMBER
SLEEPING WITH SIRENS
PAPA ROACH
YOUNG GUNS
TONIGHT ALIVE
THE STORY SO FAR
CLOSING SET FROM:
\ STAGE
LIVE
SBTRKT
WARPAINTTEMPLES
TWIN ATLANTIC
MALLORY KNOX
DRENGE
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
LOWER THAN ATLANTIS
LONELY THE BRAVE
THE HORRORSTHE KOOKS
CLEAN BANDIT
JUNGLE
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
TWIN SHADOW
ANNIE MAC
GORGON CITY
WILKINSON
ALUNAGEORGE
PLUS SPECIAL GUEST DUKE DUMONT LIVE
LOCK UP
JIMMY EAT WORLD
BRODY DALLE
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PUSHA T
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BEAR HANDSBIPOLAR SUNSHINECATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMENDARLIAMARIKA HACKMAN
MERIDIAN DANP MONEYTHE DISTRICTSTHE ORWELLS
OTHER ACTS ALREADY ANNOUNCED
KLAXONS
ELECTRIC YOUTH
LOCK UP
GOGOL BORDELLO
MÖNGÖL HÖRDE
A WILHELM SCREAMBASEMENTDAVE HAUSEEAGULLSEVERY TIME I DIEISSUESLETLIVE.
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5

NEWS
ALL
ABOUT
THE
MUSIC
C HICAGO NOIS E M AKERS T H E
ORWELLS HAV E S O M E S T U F F T O
GET OFF THEIR CHES T S . W O RDS:
DOMINIQUE S ISLEY, PHO T O : M IKE M ASSARO .
Scattered awkwardly around a backstreet studio in
Dalston, The Orwells seem a little out of sorts. A
red-faced Mario Cuomo is sat silently in the corner
– his hood up and gaze steely – whilst the others
stand uncomfortably by. A night of hard partying
is apparently to blame, something that makes more sense
when you remember they’re technically not old enough to
drink back home in the USA. “We’re not really young anymore
- 20’s not young, is it?” Henry Brinner pipes up, blearily, “…
We’ve been in a band for, like, four years - so it doesn’t really
feel like we’re young.” Dom Corso shoots him a baffled look,
“20 is pretty young, man… You were like 15 when we started.”
6 diymag.com

When you consider their relatively diminutive age, The
Orwells’ last few months read as pretty impressive: there’s
the performance on David Letterman that received pleas
for an encore, the comfy slot supporting Arctic Monkeys
on their mammoth US tour. All of this, and they’ve barely
got two albums under their belt. “We don’t just take it for
granted,” Grant Brinner quickly asserts, “When something
huge happens to us we’re happy - but it’s not as huge as you
think it’s going to be. It’s also a lot of work to do.”
Understandably, the term ‘rock’n’roll’ has been used
repeatedly when it comes to describing The Orwells - but
this doesn’t come to them as much of a compliment. “People
are probably just getting bored of [rock] because it’s been
happening for so long.” Grant ponders, “I don’t think rock
music is a good genre to put things under.” Matt O’Keefe
nods, “Rock’n’roll is like John F Kennedy - it’s like a huge part
of the country but it’s not there anymore,” he says, before
being sensitively cut off by Dom - “Yeah. Its brains exploded
in Texas... It’s a ghost of itself.” They seem equally jaded by
the older music idols they looked up to whilst growing up,
collectively agreeing that they all appear to be victims of
their own success. When asked if they could think of anyone
they still look up to, there’s a bit of a pause. Matt mumbles
something about Jack White, but then dismisses it - “Nah. He
got hit by the blunderbuss bullet.”
They have a similar attitude towards their former tour mates,
Arctic Monkeys, who are currently celebrating great success
Stateside. Although they insist they were grateful for the
opportunity, something still niggles. “It was cool seeing, like,
their production,” Dom remembers, “they bring a semi-truck
with all their stuff, and two buses… but all we really learned
was – this is it. This is as far as you go. They’re huge...” Matt
cuts in – “They try and mash together genres. [They’re] kind
of like the hip Backstreet Boys or something... the set list was
always the same. If you saw the show once, you saw every
show that they played. I mean, we learned lessons from
good things that they did, but then also - let’s not fucking
do that.”
With their hotly anticipated album ‘Disgraceland’ released in
June, as well as a big bout of touring planned, The Orwells’
hype only seems to be building. After being so vocal about
their worries of success killing creativity and spontaneity,
it’s interesting to hear how they feel about their future.
“I just want everyone to hear [the album],” Matt shrugs.
“It’s hard for me to know what I really think of the songs
anymore, because we’ve had them for so long - you’re
playing them every night so you’re just like, fuck this song!”
However, when it comes to any worries about The Orwells
’selling out’, they all seem confident it won’t happen. Matt
continues, “There are bands who did it really well. If you look
at, like, The Velvet Underground… they never really made a
shitty album. Then also you see someone cool like Modern
Lovers who just put out one badass album and then call it
quits. I think as long as you’re just thinking about the music
then you’ll never put out a shitty record.”
The Orwells’ new album ‘Disgraceland’ will be released
on 2nd June via Atlantic Records / Canvasback. Read the
full interview in DIY Weekly. DIY
“A rctic Monkeys
are like the h i p
B ackstreet B oys.”
Matt O ’ K eefe
Mario Cuomo’s not into smoking e-cigs,
so he’s opted for fireworks instead.
7

NEWS childhood
IN THE STUDIO
CHILDHOOD
t the tail end of 2013, a very new
sounding Childhood emerged. These
A Nottingham-formed, London-based
youngsters still knew a thing or two about
packing a ton of ideas into the space of one
song, but this song was stretched out, all of
a sudden.
‘Pinballs’, a seven-minute giant of a track,
was the band’s first alongside producer Dan
Carey. Recorded in just one day, it proved
that breakthrough moments can happen in
a flash. “I remember thinking ‘I can’t believe
we just made that in a day’,” recounts Ben
Romans-Hopcraft. “We’d never made a song
like that ever. It was daunting, initially.” On
record, it sounds like a group of guys staring
a completely different band in the eye and
embracing their new beings.
Following this watershed moment, out
stepped an album. ‘Lacuna’ is partly the
product of four years’ worth of work, although
Ben’s keen to state that they only felt like a
“proper band” in 2012.
“I think we’ve surprised ourselves,” he says.
“The main thing for us is we’re really happy
with it. I never wanted to do an album that
was in any way personally underwhelming.
We could have recorded most of the songs
that people already know, stuck it on an
album and moved on. We made a conscious
effort to do lots of new stuff; just for us,
mainly.”
‘Lacuna’, in Ben’s words, is said to
“encapsulate everything about guitar music
that I really enjoy.” There’s a balance between
“wig-out moments” (like ‘Pinballs’) and the
more tightly-packaged pop they became
renowned for through ‘Solemn Skies’ and
‘Semester’, the kind making Childhood such
a fixture in festival tents. Arriving midway
through the summer, it’s a record that’s set to
assert these newcomers as something truly
special, ready to challenge the heavyweights.
Be it through prog freakouts or hookcrammed
pop triumphs, they’re reaching
these heady heights very quickly.
Childhood’s debut
album ‘Lacuna’ will be
released later this year
via House Anxiety /
Marathon Artists. DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
Childhood will play
at Latitude. See
diymag.com
for details.
A WORD FROM
THE PRODUCER
At the desk for
‘Lacuna’ was Dan
Carey, the Speedy
Wunderground
label boss known for
filling his studio with
strobes, smoke and
chaos.
“With Childhood
they were up
for seeing what
happened. It was
interesting - after
doing ‘Pinballs’,
I remember Ben
texting me that night
and saying ‘That’s
the most fun day of
making music I’ve
ever had in my life’.
Because it’s exciting,
letting a song drag
you along... They
were really up for
the idea of it, the
whole Speedy
Wunderground thing
of doing something
in a day and seeing
where it goes. Not
having that much of
a pre-conceived idea
of it.”
8 diymag.com

9

NEWS
NEWS
I N BRI E F
NONE OF YOUR
BUSINESS
Morrissey has confirmed plans to
follow-up 2009’s ‘Years of Refusal’. Moz
will be releasing his new solo album
‘World Peace Is None Of Your Business’
next month, and the tracklisting is
set to boast such gems as ‘Kick the
Bride Down the Aisle’ and ‘Earth Is the
Loneliest Planet’.
HEAR THEM ROAR
Little Dragon have announced a
new set of UK tour dates, in support
of their ‘Nabuma Rubberband’ LP.
The Swedish group return to our
shores this November, when they
head out on an eight-date run,
which includes a stop off at London’s
Brixton Academy.
DOWN ON THE WEST
COAST
Lana Del Rey has unveiled plans to
release her brand new album later
this month. The singer will unveil
‘Ultraviolence’ – the follow-up to
2012’s ‘Born To Die’ – on 16th June,
ahead of her appearance at this year’s
Glastonbury Festival. Watch the video
for lead single ‘West Coast’ on
diymag.com
GET LOST IN BEIRUT
Zach Condon’s Beirut have
announced details of a one-off
show - their only in the UK beyond
an appearance at this year’s Green
Man Festival. The show takes place
at Manchester’s Albert Hall on 14th
August. Expect the band to preview
material from a forthcoming new
album, the follow-up to 2011’s ‘The
Rip Tide’.
IN THE
WYTCHING
HOUR
T h e s c u z z y n o i s e n i k s a r e c o m i n g o u t o f t h e
da r k n e s s t h i s s u m m e r t o r e l e a s e t h e i r d e b u t
full-length.
The Wytches are ready to unveil
their debut album: recorded at
the infamous Toe Rag Studios
in London over just five days
last year, the trio will release ‘Annabel
Dream Reader’ on 25th August through
Heavenly Recordings.
“I just wanted it to sound scrappy,”
admits the band’s frontman Kristian Bell,
who also lent his hand to production
duties on their first full-length, alongside
Bill Ryder-Jones. “I wanted [the
recordings] to complement the songs.”
“There’s a nice bit of tape hiss on there
too,” the band’s drummer Giani Honey
interjects. “The recording was hard
work though, we tracked about fifteen
songs in something like two days! It was
fucking ridiculous; it was ambitious.”
“We wanted to do it all live,” Kristian
continues, “just the three of us in a room.
If you just listen to the drum track, you
can still hear the guitar and the bass just
as clear.”
The album’s not going to be wholly
characterised by their previous output
either. “I guess one thing that you
wouldn’t expect,” offers Kristian, “is that
it’s not as dark. The majority of the tracks
are softer; not happy-sounding songs,
but more upbeat.”
The Wytches’ debut album ‘Annabel
Dream Reader’ will be released on
25th August via Heavenly Recordings.
DIY
HEADING BACK
TO PARADISE
E lly Jacks on an d c o. have
announced t h e i r l o n g - awa i t e d
second album.
It’s been five years since La Roux released their first
album. In that time an awful lot has changed, but
Elly Jackson’s quiff - and her exciting take on pop -
remains very much the same.
The band have unveiled plans to follow up their
self-titled debut with a second record. ‘Trouble In
Paradise’ has been confirmed for release in July,
with track titles including ‘Sexotheque’, ‘Uptight
Downtown’, and lead single ‘Let Me Down Gently’.
La Roux’s new album ‘Trouble In Paradise’ will be
released on 7th July via Polydor Records. DIY
10 diymag.com

Quiff I could change your mind -
Klaxons are proving a point.
“WE’VE HAD
TO CHANGE
AND MAKE
IT WORK.”
There’s no denying that Klaxons have grown up.
They’re a vision of health as they stroll through
Islington, frontman Jamie Reynolds excitedly
explaining that he ran 10K this morning whilst
sipping a smoothie and beaming about guitarist
Simon Taylor-Davis recently running the marathon. But as
he chats over juice in a café, it’s clear that the Technicolor
madness attracting everyone to their weird pop world is still
very much present.
“I’ve got one eye on the future,” comments Jamie. It shows,
in the bouncing synth lines on their new album and and in
the ambitious video for ‘Love Frequency’. Featuring alien
abduction, religious iconography and three figures - Jamie,
Simon and keyboardist James Righton - positioned within a
kaleidoscope of colours, it’s everything that’s ever come to
be expected of Klaxons. Time is on the band’s side, as Jamie
brings up an article from a Russian news website on his phone
with the headline “Alien Baptism! Pope Francis would welcome
Martians to the Church,” laughing at the relevance.
With an interest in extra-terrestrial beings infiltrating their
world, having their music sent to space is something that
Jamie seriously considers but isn’t logistically possible at
the moment. His mind is stuck on a more imminent future:
Klaxons’ tenth anniversary. “That’s all I can think about!” he
says, matter-of-factly. He remembers the date they formed
right down to the day, 5th November 2005. If he had the ability
to time travel, that exact date in 2015 is where he’d end up.
“Find out what the hell is going on at our tenth anniversary!
What has gone on for ten years? It doesn’t feel like that long.”
Approaching their tenth
anniversary, Klaxons are still
moving with the times. Words: Aurora
Mitchell.
During the last decade the dynamic of the band has had to
change for them to progress. Jamie states, “We have to exist
in a contemporary culture, we wanted to make an electronic
album and wanted to see how that would sit in the current
climate.” A lot of their new record ‘Love Frequency’ comes
from a place of frustration, of wanting to get the record
finished and out there in the world. “We finished touring, we
lost our drummer, we got new management... there’s loads
going on in the group but at the same time, we wanted to
make electronic music. It took 18 months. I know it seems
weird because our albums aren’t that quick but I like to work
fast. I was writing songs about being frustrated.”
It’s not only his work that’s felt the wrath of his frustration. He’s
also confused about what other musicians are saying, or rather,
the lack of what they’re saying. “Nobody’s saying anything
political in music at the moment. There’s apathy towards
writing about social situations and there’s a lot to be sung
about.” He follows it up with an explanation of why he feels it’s
missing from music. “I realised funding from the Arts Council
or record labels, there was a certain amount of money that
went into the arts that was openly critical so if you’re being
paid to stand up and say fuck this, you’re going to do it. If
there’s no security in what you’re doing and nobody’s backing
you – that’s why people are scared to say it.”
“They’re trying to have this pop moment which we’re guilty
of doing,” Jamie readily admits. “Everything’s changed in our
world and we’ve had to change and make it work.”
Klaxons’ new album ‘Love Frequency’ will be released on
16th June via Akashic Rekords / Sony Red. Read the full
interview in DIY Weekly. DIY
11

NEWS george ezra
A Sweet
Ezcape
Bristol-based
songwriter
George Ezra
likes travelling,
taking the piss
out of himself
and avoiding
seriousness like
it’s the plague.
All in the name
of escapism.
Words: Jamie
Milton, Photo:
Emma Swann.
“Wait, I’m not allowed to
take a selfie?”
12 diymag.com

Several audiences in Europe have just
witnessed George Ezra play for the first
time. ‘Budapest’ - a song devoted to a
city he hadn’t even bothered visiting at
the time of writing - is striking gold in
almost every European capital going.
It’s one of the twenty most played songs on the
radio (“It’s probably my mum in the kitchen,” is the
explanation) and for the first time in his life, George is
being treated like a star. He doesn’t like it.
“It’s weird seeing people treat you different. Doing a
TV programme and there’s a runner, someone’s going
‘Do you need anything George?’ I’m like no, I know the
tap’s there and water’s over there, if I need something
I’ll get it’,” he says, having just returned from a three
month trip. “This came up in conversation when I was
in Europe. They said, ‘You seem to take the piss a lot.
Will some people be offended?’”
If Ezra’s beginning to be treated as serious business
elsewhere in Europe, back in the UK he shouldn’t be
under any illusion: people expect big things over
here, too. But one of the underlying reasons why the
acoustic guitar-wielding George stands out in a crowd
of fellow strummers, is because he does - with every
inch of his being - take the piss. There doesn’t appear
to be a serious bone in George’s body, but he puts it
well by saying: “What I don’t take seriously is myself,
because I’ve lived with myself for twenty years. I know
there’s no point in taking myself seriously. I don’t
get why people take themselves seriously. People
who complain about their passport photos - that’s
definitely you. That’s what you look like.”
If there’s one thing this musician takes wholly
seriously, it’s the songs he’s writing. Yes, they’ll
contain inside jokes, tongue-in-cheek references. A
track about the fleeting passing of time? Sure, he’ll
name that ‘Cassy O’’ (following a quick legal check
with the actual watch company - they wanted to make
sure they weren’t being ripped off). But deep down
behind the hashtags and the retweets, there’s some
genuine meaning to what George is doing.
‘Wanted On Voyage’ documents the time he went
travelling on his own, penning songs as he discovered
new cities. It possesses everything but the typical
“gap yah” mentality. There’s no banter cruise, no
regaled tales of winding up naked and bleary eyed
on a Prague riverbank with a lost passport. Before the
album comes out and in part a tribute to its themes,
George is taking fans on a great big trip to - you
guessed it - Budapest. The Ezra Express, as it’s been
labelled, picks up fans at various train stops across
Europe. “It’s going to be a nightmare,” he laughs.
“There will be falling outs, stuff I can’t police - you
can’t police sanity… There’s no doubt this is going to
be the most bonkers time of my life.”
George Ezra’s debut album
‘Wanted on Voyage’ will be
released on 30th June via
Columbia Records. Read the
full interview in DIY Weekly.
DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
George Ezra will
play at Latitude. See
diymag.com
for details.
NEWS
I N BRI E F
IN YOUR VEINS
Post-rock instrumentalists
Brontide have announced
details of their brand new album,
‘Artery’. Set to follow-up the
Nottingham-based trio’s longawaited
debut ‘Sans Souci’, their
second record is due for release
on 30th June through Holy Roar
Records.
IN THE JUNGLE
JUNGLE have announced
a string of UK dates this for
autumn. The elusive duo of
Londoners ‘J’ and ‘T’ are already
looking forward to bringing
their massive funk collective to
another handful of venues this
autumn. They play eight shows
this October, including sets in
Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and
Brighton.
THERE WILL BE
BLOOD
Pulled Apart By Horses will
release their brand new album
‘Blood’ on 1st September.
Following on from their last
record ‘Tough Love’, the Leeds
quartet have also given us a taste
of their third full-length through
new single ‘Hot Squash’. Listen on
diymag.com now.
HAPPINESS IS
TOURING
Taking Back Sunday have
announced plans to return to
the UK for a seven-date tour
this December. The five-piece
will play: Portsmouth Pyramids
(07), Bristol O2 Academy (08),
London Roundhouse (09),
Birmingham Institute (11),
Manchester Ritz (12), Glasgow
O2 ABC (13) and Oxford O2
Academy (14).
13

NEWS
MERE
MORTALS
Fucked Up’s idea of musical chairs
isn’t to everyone’s taste.
With their last effort, Fucked Up brought David back to life. This time around,
it was more about resurrecting themselves. Words: Sarah Jamieson.
With their last two
albums, Canadian sextet
Fucked Up ventured
into territory wholly
unexplored by hardcore punk bands
before them. With ‘The Chemistry Of
Common Life’, they dared to delve
into the mysteries of life itself before
transforming their efforts to create the
all-encompassing, concept-laden rock
opera that was their third album-slashopus,
‘David Comes To Life’.
After that – having stretched
themselves further than ever, creating
the most material they could hope to
– it seems they weren’t too sure what
would, or even could, come next. “I
think the last time,” offers the band’s
amiable frontman Damian Abraham,
“I can’t even remember writing that
record. I stopped writing songs at a
certain point. I was just like, ‘I have
nothing left to say. I’m done! I don’t
know what I’m going to write about,
Mike’. That’s why Mike [Haliechuk,
guitar] wrote the vast majority of songs
on ‘David Comes To Life’.
“I think this time around, I was engaged
the whole time. I was definitely aware of
the number of songs I was working on,
and able to focus on them. I was even
writing from my own perspective, and
it felt really easy to find my voice in the
songs. It was really easy for me to be
like, ‘This is what I want to say.’”
What Abraham decided to deal with on
the band’s fourth record was, in fact,
that much closer to home. Gone was
their “attempt at a fairy tale”, and in its
place came real life. He turned to his
own voice for the first time in a long
time, casting aside the narrator costume
that he had so often worn before. “The
protective costume of hiding behind a
character is gone,” he confirms. “Very,
“ I S TAND
BEHIND
E V E RYT H I N G
I ’ V E S AID O N
THIS R ECOR D”
DAM IAN A B R AHAM
very early on in this band, I would write
songs that were personal, but they were
very angry because I was going through
a terribly angry time in my life. Then,
as the band carried on, I became very
much a distant observer, talking more
about the grand themes of this world.
“This is the first time, since the very
beginning, that it’s written in the first
person. There’s a vulnerability that I
don’t necessarily always want to admit
- about crying and missing my kids - but
it’s real. It’s the honest way that I feel. At
least I stand behind everything I’ve said
on this record, and I can get behind it.
I feel like if I hadn’t, then that would be
lying. I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t a
little more apprehensive of this album
coming out; being simultaneously so
proud of something but at the same
time, being so anxious and nervous
of something because it’s just an
extension of who you are.”
Fucked Up’s new album ‘Glass Boys’
will be released on 2nd June via
Matador Records. DIY
14 diymag.com

“I WANTED
TO GET BACK
INTO THE
STUDIO.”
Johnny M a r r ’ s
s e c o n d s o l o a l b u m i s
c l o s e r t h a n y o u m a y
think...
Johnny Marr is one of the most
productive guitarists there is.
If he’s not working alongside
Pharell Williams and Alicia
Keys on the soundtrack for a Hollywood
blockbuster, he’s playing shows
alongside Jake Bugg with a unbeknown
broken hand. That’s not stopped him
putting together a second solo album,
either. Less Johnny Marr; more Johnny
Marr-vellous.
Having released his debut solo album,
‘The Messenger’, just last year, you’d
be forgiven for thinking this might be
a little soon for the songwriter. “It was
always my idea to be as quick following
up this first album as possible. Even
before I did ‘The Messenger’, I wanted
this part of my career to be quick, have
some energy.
“Nowadays, it’s all about campaigns
and optimum times. I didn’t want to
do things like those bands who every
time they put a record out, it’s like the
releasing of the Titanic and everybody
has to come and watch. I just wanted to
be in a band who work all the time; you
do the shows, you write songs and you
do it again.”
Unsurprisingly, Marr’s constant touring
has served him well as a source of
inspiration. “It’s a big part of what I
do. The shows are pretty high energy
affairs; I play a lot of up tempo songs as
that’s the kind of band we are. I wrote
some of the songs on tour, so that did
seep in. That’s another reason for not
going away for too long: I wanted to get
back into the studio and capture that
excitement.”
As a man constantly in demand, it’s
hard to find time for everything. For
Johnny, setting aside a slot in his
schedule was key. “I didn’t want to go
away, but you really do have to dedicate
some time to it. I’m lucky that I’m so
busy but I was doing the Spiderman
film at the same time, so I had to try
and carve out whatever time I could.
Also, me and my band went to South
America. In between the movie, and
South America, every other available
second I was in the studio.” DIY
UNLEASH
THE
GODDESS
C lass o f 2 0 1 4 a l u m n i
BANKS w i l l r e l e a s e
h e r d e b u t t h i s
autumn.
B
ANKS has announced that her
debut album, ‘Goddess’, will
be released on 8th September.
The news comes after the rising star
unveiled her latest single by inviting
fans to hear it in London’s Rough
Trade East, via a very special listening
station in the store.
The track, which matches the
album’s title, is the LA songwriter’s
most dagger-like cut to date, a kick
to the teeth that gives a suckerpunch
to whichever mysterious individual
it was that treated her the wrong
way. “You should have crowned her,
’cause she’s a goddess, you never
got this,” runs a lyric in the verse, no
prisoners to the extreme. Lil Silva is
at the production desk, maintaining
the foggy synths and pulsating bass
of songs that formed last year’s
‘London’ EP.
The fourteen-track record will land
after a string of live dates including
Roskilde and Open’er, as well as
BANKS’ next UK appearance at
Lovebox Festival,
which takes
place in London’s
Victoria Park from
18th - 19th July.
DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
BANKS will play at
Open’er. See
diymag.com
for details.
“ Y o u d o t h e
s h o w s , y o u
w r i t e s o n g s
a n d y o u d o i t
a g a i n . ” J o h n n y
Marr
“The name’s Marr. Johnny Marr.”
15

NEWS
LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY
tom vek’s new album isn’t quite what it seems. W ords: A u r o r a
Mitchell, Photo: E mma Swann.
Tom Vek doesn’t want to give away any of his
secrets. Having realised that artists aren’t the
mysterious, shadowy figures that he once thought
they were, he’s very careful and measured in
what he gives away, often trailing off if he feels
he’s about to say too much. Thus, his new album ‘Luck’ is
completely open to interpretation. But he does reveal some
clues to the public.
The subject of ‘Luck’ was a common theme. “It’s come along
with this subconscious thing I’m thinking: I’m lucky to be able
to be doing music. It’s like getting your wish granted – like
winning the lottery! It’s a fascinating thing to think that the
winner of the lottery might be a depressed person because
then there’s the wisdom of being like, ‘It’s not money that
makes you happy!’ But the pursuit in order to make money
would probably make you a lot happier than just being
given it. I’m not saying I’m a lottery winner but it’s even
more interesting when it’s an advanced version of that,” Vek
explains.
Being personal or delivering a “message” is not something
that fuels his music, instead it’s “the noise and the notes”:
lyrics are just placed within his songs to give them a narrative.
He starts a sentence and stops mid-way. “With music, there’s
certain personal... It’s not completely personal - I keep a
distance from it. I like to put in things which might appear
to be personal then disown them. It’s a way of thinking, it
interests me to find ways to disconnect with it or not. The
process of writing a song, you listen to it back as an emotional
outpouring which is exciting but I can also place a character
in there which I find is important to realise.”
Speaking of characters, Tom Wolfe’s novel The Bonfire of
The Vanities is one of Vek’s few direct reference points, as
‘Sherman (Animals In The Jungle)’ alludes to the character of
the same name in the book. “Tom Wolfe deals with shooting
down those first world problems quite well. You’ve got this
character who’s suicidal, there’s a lot of moral humour in
the book.” But then, he disowns this personal connection, “I
don’t want to dwell on it too much. I know what the reference
point is.”
It’s obvious that first world problems have been playing
on his mind a lot. “I don’t actually seek an existence as an
emotionally unstable person because in growing up I realised
that moaning about stuff doesn’t actually get things done.
Especially when you’re in a world where everyone’s emotions
are very much at the forefront,” he comments, “It’s a culture
of being very spoilt for choice so it’s a natural thing to
reset your standards based on what you’re used to without
realising. It’s definitely a consumer
world we’re living in.”
Tom Vek’s new album ‘Luck’ will
be released on 9th June via Moshi
Moshi. Read the full interview in DIY
Weekly. DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
Tom Vek will play at
Latitude. See
diymag.com
for details.
16 diymag.com

17

NEWS
first aid kit are
hit ting their s tride.
Words: Tom Walters,
Photo: Emma Swann.
STAY
Familiar things happened in Omaha,
Nebraska last autumn when First
Aid Kit headed back into ARC
Studios to work on the follow
up to 2012’s gorgeous effort ‘The Lion’s
Roar’. Mike Mogis returned to production
duties for the second time, and long-term
collaborator Nate Walcott, also of Bright
Eyes, came back to work on the string
arrangements. This time, however, the
finished product would be for Columbia - a
far cry from the band’s Wichita Recordings
roots. Did the sisters Söderberg let the
pressure get to them? Definitely not, as
‘Stay Gold’ - the band’s third full-length to
date - is a true testament to their abilities as
a folk-pop band - “whatever that means”.
Those familiar with the First Aid Kit formula
won’t find anything groundbreakingly
different this time around - there isn’t any
wild deviation off path, but they sometimes
get the urge to do exactly that. “We just
felt this wasn’t the record to [experiment]
on,” Johanna explains. “We just felt like
we wanted to continue establishing
our style - there’s plenty of time in the
future to do those sorts of things.” Klara
interjects - “I don’t know if it was really
about establishing anything - I think it
would be fun to try different sounds but on
this record it didn’t feel like there was any
need for it.”
They’re both right. ‘Stay Gold’ is First Aid
Kit’s most confident and striking album to
date - it’s wide-eyed, youthful, shimmering
folk-pop. Having started the band when
they were 16 and 14 respectively, Johanna
and Klara have gone on to tour for seven
years, and the confidence they’ve acquired
by doing so really shines through on ‘Stay
Gold’. “I mean, the fact we worked with
Mike again really helped too,” says Johanna
on the album’s bold stride. “I think we’re
more confident now for sure. Having toured
the past six or seven years, that’s bound
to have helped too… it’s made us more
comfortable and is sure to have influenced
what we do.”
Their newfound self-assurance wasn’t
necessarily brought on by a desire to go
bigger and better though. The album
does feature huge string arrangements
and intricate instrumentation, but on
stage the band has only just expanded to
a four-piece - there’s still no means of fully
bringing their ever-expanding sound to life
without an orchestra. This isn’t something
that bothers the sisters though - rather, it’s
something they totally embrace. “I think
we like simplicity and sometimes when we
go to shows, there’s too much going on,”
Johanna says. “We’d love to do some shows
with an orchestra one day, that would be
really amazing - but it’d be for something
special.”
Klara continues to explain that the bare
elements of folk music’s beginnings are
what makes their own music really tick.
“Our songs always start with guitars and
vocals, and they always kind of work like
that - that’s important for us,” she divulges.
“In my opinion a good song should be
able to just stand on its own with simple
piano and vocals or guitar and vocals. You
shouldn’t need much more to evoke a
feeling.” While the songs on ‘Stay Gold’ are
anything but raw and bare, the Söderbergs’
lyrics are increasingly personal and
mature - they’ve truly grown up alongside
their music. “The fact the songs are more
personal wasn’t a conscious decision,”
points out Johanna. “I think that just might
be part of growing up and gathering more
experiences, you know? We just didn’t write
so many songs about an old woman or an
old man as we usually do!
GOLD
“Lots of old folk songs were written at a
time where you couldn’t listen to recorded
music,” she continues. “That’s what we love
about folk music - you had to make the
melodies and the lyrics very strong. Those
songs are our role models!” While they’ve
never strayed too far from their folk roots,
‘Stay Gold’ is undeniably their poppiest
album to date. But the pair are still unsure
about their current mindset - are they
aspiring pop stars or maturing country
musicians? “I don’t know what that means,
honestly!” Johanna laughs. “We just go up
and do our thing, and we do whatever feels
good. It’s a boring answer but that’s the
way it is! We try not to be so intellectual -
whenever we do that it just feels forced and
not honest. Honesty for us is important,
and so is being intuitive and going from the
heart, you know?”
First Aid Kit’s new album ‘Stay Gold’ will
be released on 9th June via Columbia
Records. Read the full interview in DIY
Weekly. DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
First Aid Kit will play
at Latitude. See
diymag.com
for details.
18 diymag.com

Daisy chains are for life,
not just for festivals.
19

NEWS
COMING
INTO
FOCUS
Cerebral Ballzy
are growing up.
Words: Sarah
Jamieson.
don’t wanna
make the same
album twice,”
declares Honor
“You
Titus, the sixfoot-something
ringleader of New
York’s blistering punks Cerebral Ballzy.
“It’s just different, and it’s got a good
vibe. Ballzy is all about the vibe and as
long as we can maintain that, we do
whatever we want.” While the band’s
mission statement may seem simple
from the outside, the plans going into
the making of their second effort were
anything but. “When we started,” the
frontman continues, “we were just
young drunk kids. Now, we care about
the songs that we write.”
“The first record was almost
haphazard,” explains bassist Mel
Honore, detailing the rough-and-ready
feel that ran through the veins of their
self-titled debut. “We started touring
with four songs, and once we had the
opportunity to put out a record, we had
to actually write one. That all just flew
together last minute, but we were still
proud of it. This time, though, we had a
bit more of a mature approach, and had
more time to think about it, to figure
out our direction. We’re giving our
fans something that’s new, while also
pushing ourselves.”
The abundance of time wasn’t the
only element that aided their new
approach; the addition of David Sitek
in the production seat threw a whole
new skill set into the mix. “He’s a great
guy to work with, without a doubt,”
assures Honor. “He’s an encyclopaedia
of sounds,” continues Titus. “We knew
what we wanted to achieve with the
rhythmic, melodic punk aspects, a lot of
power pop ideas went into the songs,
and he harnessed them so well. He
helped us find the sounds, he directed
us a bit more, he helped me with my
voice. He’s just a brilliant guy. He did
the Beady Eye record just before he did
ours and he’s just a guy of ideas and
that’s so nice in the studio.”
Sitek isn’t the only new player in
team Ballsy: after “just hanging out”
together, the band were signed to
Julian Casablancas’ label Cult Records.
“He loved our record,” the frontman
confirms. “He loved our sound and he’s
a homie. We met playing basketball in
New York and it was so organic.”
Despite having made their name
through carnal live shows and skate
punk agendas, the most important
element – at least, according to Titus
- was another simple sentiment. “No
barriers.” No worries or pressure to
continue with a certain aesthetic or
succumb to certain expectations.
“Although our first record is very
reverential, I feel like our influences
carry not only a sound, but an idea;
bands like The Velvet Underground
and Bad Brains, we respect those bands
so much, and they come from a place
of honest emotion. There was never a
barrier for us, because we just do what
we want. We wanted to keep our punk
fans stoked, but we wanted also to
portray something different. A lot of
people will be enlightened with this
next record.”
“A lot of people will be enlightened
with this next record.” Honor T itus
Cerebral Ballzy’s
new album ‘Jaded
& Faded’ will be
released on 16th
June via Cult
Records. DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
Cerebral Ballzy will
play at 2000trees.
See
diymag.com
for details.
“Whadda ya mean, pass
the ketchup?”
20 diymag.com

NEWS
I N BRI E F
SWEAR TO
SHAKE IT UP
Swedish duo The Knife have
announced plans to release a
new mini-album this July, entitled
‘Shaken-Up Versions’. The follow-on
from ‘Shaking The Habitual’ sees
new edits of tracks being snapped
up from the Dreijer’s five albums,
including the celebrated 2006 LP
‘Silent Shout’. It’ll be released on
16th June.
BIFFY CLYRO
APPROACH SEVENTH ALBUM
Following their domination of 2013 festival bills, and
more recent worldwide escapades, Biffy Clyro are already
plotting new material.
O
ne of the UK’s biggest exports
right now, Biffy Clyro are already
keeping one eye on what’s
coming next. Despite the fact that the
Scottish trio only released their hugely
successful double-album ‘Opposites’ at
the start of last year, the band are busy
thinking about its follow-up. As though
their lives on the road aren’t enough
to keep them occupied, bassist James
Johnston has admitted that they’ve
already begun to pen a few songs, and
have some firm ideas in mind for their
seventh record.
“I’m looking at my calendar,” he explains,
“and we have a couple of weeks before
we go off to Russia, so we’ll be back into
our farmhouse working on some songs.
We do have about fourteen songs, but it’s
difficult to say whether even one of them
will be on the record. That’s not quite
where we’re at right now; we’re just trying
to make music to have fun, and do things
that make us smile. The idea of putting it
all together and making it an album is still
a little bit off just now, but it’s exciting.
We feel blessed to be going into making a
seventh album.”
What they are sure of however, is that this
album will mark the start of a new era for
Biffy; following their previous pattern
of creating records in trios, their next
full-length is set to open a new chapter.
“I think that’s about the only thing that I
am truly sure of. We’re trying to set some
perimeters to work within: we won’t be
working with GGGarth [Richardson] on
this record. He’s been a big part of the last
three records, he’s a big part of the Biffy
family and always will be, but it’s time to
move on, so that’ll be different.
“Obviously, we lost [the late] Storm
Thorgerson so the artwork is going to
be coming from a different angle. I know
that’s not necessarily talk about the
music, but it’s just painting the picture
that we are trying to attack things from
a different direction. It’s not gonna be
a double album. I think there’s a good
chance it’ll be about ten tracks, quite
short and probably quite punchy. At the
moment, there are a lot of big riffs in there
and it sounds pretty fucking rocking!” DIY
LOOKING ROSY
Nashville folk musician Caitlin Rose
has announced plans to headline a
show at London’s Union Chapel this
July. The gig takes place on 11th July,
the night before Rose supports Neil
Young and The National on 12th July
at London’s Hyde Park. These dates
follow on from her 2013 LP ‘The
Stand-In’.
AN AMERICAN LOVE
LETTER
Foo Fighters have revealed a few
details about their forthcoming new
album, due for release ‘this Fall’. The
band have confirmed plans to unveil
an eight-part HBO documentary,
which sees the band visit eight cities
and writing a song in each, to create
what the band’s frontman Dave
Grohl has called “a love letter to the
history of American music.”
MORE REFLEKTORS
Alongside two Earls Court shows in
June, plus a Glastonbury headline
slot, Arcade Fire have announced
one more UK headline show to
take place in London this summer.
The ‘Reflektors’ will headline a BST
Hyde Park date on 3rd July. There’s
support from Wild Beasts, Future
Islands, Band of Skulls and many
more yet to be announced.
21

NEWS
“THE FLAWS ARE WHAT
MAKE IT HUMAN.”
T he A ntlers’ new album, ‘Fa m i l i a r s ’ , s e e s t h e
band take a new approach to narrative. W ords: Danny W right.
yourself as
multiple people is going to
make you insane – especially
when it’s in addition
“Imagining
to all the sleep deprivation
and obsessive workload that occurred
making this album.” The Antlers aren’t
ones to do things by half. Their records
are ones of full-blown intensity and detail,
records to pore over and get lost in.
From the novelistic ‘Hospice’, the story of
an emotionally abusive relationship told
through the analogy of a hospice worker
and a terminally-ill patient, to the breathtaking,
emotionally brutal ‘Burst Apart’,
they have created albums that demand
as much from the listener as the band
have poured into it: that is to say every
fibre, every sinew of their being. So much
so that it can drive the band to the brink.
This time around, for new album
‘Familiars’, Pete Silberman decided to
write and sing as two sides of the same
person. What grew out of this was the
idea of a Familiar. “I wanted these two
characters to be a creation of the same
person, as if they are a manifestation of
different qualities within one person’s
psyche.” But it also had a negative impact
on his mental well-being. “It made the
record gel but it also made me kind of
“It made
m e k i n d o f
insane.” P e t e
Silberman
insane, because in order for me to write
these kind of songs – and this goes for a
lot of Antlers songs – there’s a degree of
living as these characters and it definitely
fostered this duality in my own head. But
I don’t think it’s that an unusual thing: A
lot of us have these different ideas of who
we are and we see ourselves as different
people in different situations - like people
who get out of control when they’re
fucked up: ‘Oh that’s the werewolf version
of me!’”
It’s clear this record – as with previous
ones – took a lot out of the band. Peter
is currently recovering after damaging
a nerve in his ear and has been living
in a ‘music-less universe’ for a month
while he waits for it to heal. “Making this
record was an exhausting process but I
remember when we finished it - when it
got to the point of being unchangeable -
there was a real feeling of relief that it was
perfect in all of its imperfections. Which
is a hard concept for me to wrap my head
around sometimes. It’s that point where
you can’t do anything and you just have
to leave it – because the flaws are the
thing that make it human and make it
alive.”
The Antlers’ new album ‘Familiars’
will be released on 16th June via
Transgressive. Read the full interview
in DIY Weekly. DIY
22 diymag.com

23

FESTIvaLS
2014
Festival season is in full swing. It’s time to get muddy,
smelly and boozy with months ahead of dodgy toilets
and brilliant bands to ease the pain. Get planning.
24 diymag.com

GLASTONBURY
27th - 29th June
lastonbury needs no real
introduction. Steeped in history,
G mythicism and magic, the Worthy
Farm event boasts more than its fair share of
stories from the last forty years. In 2014, it’s
as important as ever. With tickets sold out
months in advance, without even the line-up
to sway decisions, there’s no denying its pull
is huge, and that’s not only for the punters.
“I always say...” laughs Chlöe Howl, as she
realises the irony of her statement. “Well,
‘always’... I tell my manager that I’m not gonna
do anything else the whole weekend.” The
singer, who performed last year and will be
returning this month, has been bitten by the
Glasto bug. “He’s like, ‘But there are other
festivals!’ and I’m all, ‘No, no!’ No, no! I’m
staying for the whole weekend!”
Despite having only spent the last year
playing shows, it’s clear that Michael Eavis et
al were enamoured by the nineteen-year-old
when she last performed at the event. What’s
even more special is that they’ve invited her
back for a second round, allowing her to
showcase to an even bigger audience.
“My sound guy and I have been working
together for exactly a year now,” she reveals,
at the beginning of festival season. “It’s
interesting because I hadn’t really played any
live shows before last year and I had no idea
what was gonna come out of me, at all. Then, I
sort of threw myself into shit loads of festivals
and went, ‘Oh, this is how it works, okay!’”
Her performance, which comes at the end
of time spent in Los Angeles working on the
final touches to her debut album, is also an
opportunity for her to unveil more of what
we can expect from that very full-length. “I
wrote it from the age of sixteen to eighteen,”
she explains, “so it’s all about that period of
literally not knowing what the fuck is going
on! Being that age where you’re aware that
you should start being an adult now, but
don’t know how to do it.”
Even the fact that her own life has been a tad
different to that of a regular teenager didn’t
manage to affect things too much. In fact, it
offered Chlöe a new perspective. “It was good
because I got to see it from an outsider’s
perspective. That’s why I think a lot of my
songs are quite observational: I was actually
observing. I think that I had sixteen years of
stuff to say on this one. I reckon the second
album will be, I don’t know!” she laughs. “I
think it’ll be slightly less bitter. This album has
got a lot of pent up angst!” DIY
METALLICA
If any of the 2014 bill are
a bit of a curveball for
this year’s proceedings,
it’s Metallica. But if Eavis
has his faith stored in
the massive metallers,
closing the Pyramid
stage will be safe in their
hands. Watch them lay
Pilton to waste on the
Saturday evening, and
expect it to be loud.
HAIM
During their appearance
last year, Haim were
given more than just
the challenge of playing
in front of thousands
of people: bassist Este
actually had a diabetes
episode during their set.
The elder sister and her
infamous bass face is set
to return though, as the
trio take on The Other
Stage with a vengeance.
LANA DEL
REY
She may have already
promised to take us
to the West Coast, but
this month, Lana’s
allegiance lies more in
the West Country. Set to
preview cuts from her
forthcoming sophomore
album ‘Ultraviolence’,
LDR’s all ready to bring a
bit of Hollywood sparkle
to the Tor.
DOWNLOAD
13th - 15th June
W
ho other than Download would
book nu-metal heavyweights
Linkin Park to play their
infamous debut album ‘Hybrid Theory’ in
full? Or challenge cynics who claim that the
pool of festival headliners is running dry,
by giving Avenged Sevenfold their first
opportunity to top the bill at Donington?
This year, the line-up is as littered with
heavy metal as regular visitors could hope;
from Trivium to The Dillinger Escape
Plan, Steel Panther to Rob Zombie, there
are no complaints due. There’s also all kinds
of noisy counterparts: from those relentless
brothers in Drenge, to punk rock heroes
Against Me!. Royal Blood will be earning
their heavier festival stripes, while Bring
Me The Horizon will be bidding farewell to
their ‘Sempiternal’ album in style.
There’s also another band on the Main
Stage who are true pros.
“We didn’t grow up on festivals the same
way that I think people do over here,”
explains Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, who
will take to the stage ahead of Linkin
Park on the Saturday evening. “So our
experience was like watching Metallica at
Donington on videos, or our first festivals
over here, which were all part of a learning
process. Once you really get there, you
realise you’re maybe not playing in front
of Fall Out Boy fans, but we really need to
earn them. Creating music that will earn you
fans; there was some urgency in that.
“We have to be able to adjust, and I think we
have a big enough back catalogue where
we’re able to change our songs up enough
that we’re able to do that. You know, going
out there and taking your art seriously, but
not taking yourself so seriously.” DIY
25

FESTIVALS
CC14
20th - 21st June
ON THE DIY STAGE
THE UNDERWORLD, SATURDAY
Johnny Foreigner, Slaves, God Damn,
Gnarwolves
his year, the Camden Crawl is
returning under an ever-so-slightly
T new guise: CC14. Whether you’re
planning to see Brolin in the Lock Tavern,
or Brontide in the Purple Turtle; if you’re
trying to get into of Montreal at Electric
Ballroom, or Big Deal at Black Cap, there’s
plenty to take in over the two-dayer.
“I can’t wait,” begins Slaves’ guitarist
Laurie Vincent. “On a tour it’s sick but you
see the same bands every night, so it’s
gonna be nice to catch some of the other
bands that we like.” Coaxing you in with
their brash, loud brand of garage-punk,
they’re guaranteed to be like no other
band on the bill.
“It’s like a test of how far you can reach,”
continues Vincent, reminiscing of their
last major festival slot. “At Reading and
Leeds, there was a core group of people
at the front, but then there were people
as far as a couple of hundred metres
back. You have the challenge of stopping
them and making them watch you. I
feel like that’s what we do, we try to pull
people in.
“It’s very intimate,” chimes in drummer
Isaac Holman, who also takes on vocal
duties. “Usually it takes a good few songs
for a crowd to get it. Usually, they’re
halfheartedly clapping and being like,
‘What is going on?’, but then by the
end of the set everyone’s laughing and
dancing and singing along.”
The sense of bewilderment seems to be
a constant when performing. Having just
finished up a tour of the UK with Blood
Red Shoes and DZ Deathrays, they’re
prepared for the challenge of taking on
new crowds. “Making people stop and
think, ‘What the fuck is that?’ is the best
challenge,” the guitarist concurs.
“I think we do get that quite a lot! The
biggest thing we always hear is, ‘I don’t
usually like the type of music, but that
was cool.’ I think every gig we’ve ever
played, someone has come up to us and
gone, ‘I don’t like this music, but that
was cool’.
“There have been reviewers say that
we’re scary and intimidating; that it’s an
intense show. I think it’s chilled out now
but when we first started and we were
trying to find our feet, to combat our
nerves we just went over the top.”
“We were really angry,” Holman casually
throws into the conversation. “Now,
we’ve been at it, it’s a bit more fun. It’s
still angry and it’s still really energetic,
but some of our shows now are
becoming more like a comedy show!” DIY
ELSEWHERE AT
CC14...
ALEXIS TAYLOR
The Roundhouse, 20th June
Alexis Taylor is one productive
man. Not only does he provide the
unmistakable vocals for Hot Chip,
and take part in About Group, he’s
now all set to release his brand new
solo album later this month. Alexis
Taylor will be bringing his weird but
wonderful brand of electropop to the
iconic venue on the Friday evening.
MAZES
Electric Ballroom, 20th June
Having spent the first half of this
year working on their new album,
Mazes are due to make the return
to the stage this month. Get
reacquainted with the band ahead
of their third full-length proper,
and get lost in their scuzzy, kraut-y
offerings.
THUMPERS
Camden Town Brewery, 20th June
Euphoric is one word to describe the
brand new album from Thumpers,
and stopping by to see the duo at
Camden Town Brewery is set to be
nothing short of that. Having already
made quite the mark on festival
season so far, their set’s promised to
be filled with joyous hooks and giddy
sing-alongs. ‘Galore’-ious!
26 diymag.com

FESTIVALS
ELSEWHERE AT
OPEN’ER...
INTERPOL
Open’er Stage, 2nd July
Already daring to air some new
material on their recent jaunt
to the UK, there’s definitely
something cooking away in the
Interpol camp at the minute.
When news of the follow-up to
their 2010 self-titled effort will
arrive, no one is quite sure, but
in the meantime, listen to them
recount ‘Turn on the Bright
Lights’ and pretend it’s 2002 all
over again.
DAUGHTER
Tent Stage, 5th July
Having released their debut
album ‘If You Leave’ last year,
Daughter have since proved
themselves to be masters of
stirring emotions and brooding
intensity. On record, they bear a
hypnotic presence which entirely
envelopes their live shows. Watch
them at this year’s Open’er and
you’ll be dragged under the
surface before you know it.
OPEN’ER
2nd - 5th July
oyal Blood are fast becoming one of the key bands to watch this festival season.
Thanks to their guiltless bass riffs and pounding drums, the rock’n’roll trio have
Rblazed a trail across the world, already packing out the city festivals, and gracing
the stage alongside Arctic Monkeys at Finsbury Park. Now, they’ve got a summer of huge
events on their to-do list, including a stop at Poland’s Open’er Festival. That’s not all that’s
coming up for the two-piece: the band are gearing up to release their debut album, and
they’ve got some clear intentions.
JACK WHITE
Open’er Stage, 4th July
Singer, songwriter, guitarist,
producer, entrepreneur, record
label owner. Sometimes it’s easy
to wonder if there’s anything
Jack White can’t turn his hand to;
probably not, though. With his
new solo effort ‘Lazaretto’ finally
being revealed this month, what
better time to witness the rather
talented Mr. White?
“I think the main thing about this album is just trying to capture who we are as a band, at
this point in time, as accurately as possible,” offers bassist and vocalist Mike Kerr. The band
aren’t messing around; their first release is set to be more of a documentation of the duo’s
life so far. “It felt too contrived to throw in different types of genres and music just for the
sake of it. In a sense, we’ve stuck to what we know, but that’s not to say we haven’t taken
the songwriting to places that we haven’t already gone. We actually feel like it’s eclectic
enough for it to be a body of work.
There’s another element that comes into play with their full-length. There are no bells and
whistles here; it’s all them, just as they’d be playing live. “I think, you know, everything
we do controls the live show. The way that we record is very much reflective of how we
play live. We don’t add any guitars while we’re recording; it’s just bass. We don’t add any
extra instruments. We’re very clear about not
cheating and not trying to throw you off. It’s really
important for us to keep it as close to the live show
as possible. It’s hard but I mean, you can find a
much more creative solution.” DIY
WIN
Visit diymag.com/openercomp
for your chance to win a pair of
Open’er tickets.
27

SOUTHSEA
14th September
Southsea has announced its first
batch of names for 2014. Confirmed
to play the Albert Road, Portsmouth
festival on 20th September so far
are Brighton’s Fear of Men, Leedsbased
group Menace Beach, Slaves,
Brontide, Pawws, Lyger, Mazes,
Kagoule and much more. Stay tuned for
details of the DIY Stage; early bird tickets
are priced at £12. The full list of acts
playing this year is as follows: Beautiful
Boy, Big Sixes, Blessa, Boy Jumps
Ship, Brawlers, Brontide, Charlie
Boyer and the Voyeurs, Dinosaur
Pile-up, Eliza and the Bear, Eighteen
Nightmares at the Lux, Fear of Men,
Fickle Friends, Fred Page, FURS,
Happyness, House of Thieves, Holy,
Kagoule, Kill Moon, Laurel, Layers,
Looks, Lyger, Mazes, Meadowlark,
Menace Beach, Nothing But Thieves,
Osca, Passport To Stockholm,
Pawws, Pixel Fix, Racing Glaciers,
Raglans, The Ramona Flowers, Slaves,
Tigercub, Trampolene. Uncle Luc,
Violet Skies and We The Wild.
FESTIVALS
KENDAL
CALLING
1st - 3rd August
Kendal Calling has once again
confirmed the involvement of Tim
Peaks Diner, the musical, cultural and
foodie pop up set up by The Charlatans’
Tim Burgess.
Open from 10am until 10pm, this year’s
Tim Peaks involves Frankie and the
Heartstrings’ Pop Recs Ltd. store, and
Nick Hodgson from Kaiser Chiefs’ new
band Albert Albert are set to perform,
alongside Seahawks and dance outfit
Wigan Young Souls. Other activities
include Oasis’ Bonehead providing
a track by track guide to ‘(What’s the
Story) Morning Glory?’
Tim Burgess had this to say: “Our
amazing log cabin will once again be
the place to be for damn fine cherry
pie, secret gigs, not so secret gigs,
fantastic coffee, brilliant music and
unforgettable memories. Plus we’ve
got our own astrophysicist and a record
shop too.”
TRUCK
18th - 19th July
Blood Red Shoes and DZ Deathrays
are leading the third wave of additions
to the line-up of this year’s Truck.
Also on the list of new bands, are The
Twilight Sad, Roots Manuva and Little
Comets, who will be joining The Cribs,
White Lies, Peace, Los Campesinos!,
Lonely The Brave, Andrew WK and
Swim Deep.
The full list of new additions is: Roots
Manuva, Gang Of Four, Blood Red
Shoes, Jaguar Skills, Little Comets,
DZ Deathrays, The Twilight Sad,
Amber Run, Accolective, MC Lars, The
Impellers, Hans Chew, Mary Epworth,
Poledo, Trevor Moss & Hannah Lou,
Society, The Cedars, Co-Pilgrim,
The Goggenheim, Paul McClure,
Samo Hurt & The Beatnik Messiahs,
Gabriel Minnikin, Don Gallardo,
VerseChorusVerse, Jack Harris, Stevie
Ray Latham, Pete Kosanovich, The
Shapes, Alphabet Backwards, Flights
of Helios, The Relationship and The
Family Machine.
blood red shoes
2000TREES
10th - 12th July
DIY is pleased to announce that we’re officially partnering
with year’s 2000trees Festival, sponsoring none other
than the Main Stage. Set to take place at Upcote Farm in
Cheltenham, the weekender runs from 10th - 12th July, and
tickets are on sale now.
This year, Band Of Skulls, Blood Red Shoes, Kids In Glass
Houses, Arcane Roots, Itch, The Computers, Slaves,
Native and EMPIRE will all be gracing the Main Stage on
the Friday, before Frightened Rabbit, PUBLIC SERVICE
BROADCASTING, Tall Ships, Maybeshewill, Canterbury,
Blitz Kids, Little Matador, The JB Conspiracy and The
Dead Formats each appear on the Saturday.
Other acts playing across the weekender include current DIY
cover stars Wolf Alice, DZ Deathrays, Trash Talk, Cerebral
Ballzy, Baby Godzilla, The Blackout, Lonely The Brave,
Youth Man and Three Trapped Tigers.
28 diymag.com

FESTIVALS
BEACONS
7th - 10th August
Beacons has announced a new batch
of names, with British Sea Power,
65daysofstatic and DZ Deathrays all now
set to appear.
Also at the Skipton, Yorkshire Dales festival
Jaws, Famy, Beaty Heart, Pawws and Joan
As Police Woman will be taking to the stage,
along with Indiana, Capua Collective,
Charlie Straw, Fickle Friends, Goodbye
Chanel, James Bay, Jarbird, Kult Country,
Paris XY, Paul Thomas Saunders, Post
War Glamour Girls, September Girls,
Serious Sam Barrett, Temple Songs, The
Garden, The Horn The Hunt, The Witch
Hunt, Vaults, Vessels, Volte-Face and Yumi
Zouma.
The new additions join Jon Hopkins, The
Fall, Darkside and Daughter, who are
already confirmed.
T IN THE PARK
11th - 13th July
The legendary Paul Weller is heading
up additions for Scotland’s T in the Park,
alongside Charli XCX.
The Amazing Snakeheads and Lonely
the Brave are also on the bill, with Wilko
Johnson, Earl Sweatshirt, Hudson Taylor,
Soul II Soul, King Charles, Darlia, Dolomite
Manor, Little Matador, Becky Hill, Jess
Glynne, The Minutes, The LaFontaines
and Neon Jungle completing the list of
additions.
These new acts join headliners Biffy Clyro,
Calvin Harris and Arctic Monkeys, as well
as the previously confirmed Haim, Elbow,
Rudimental and London Grammar.
VISIONS
2nd August
London all-dayer Visions has confirmed a
new list of names for its second year in 2014.
Perfume Genius heads up the additions,
with Deptford Goth making an appearance
and Yumi Zouma scheduling in their first
ever show in the UK. There’s also Uncle Acid
and the Deadbeats, Trust, Lower, Eleanor
Friedberger, Eyedress and Kiran Leonard.
New additions join previously announced
acts Poliça, Andrew WK, Baths, Eagulls,
The Range, Young Fathers, Perfect Pussy,
Jacco Gardner, ARABROT, Sean Nicholas
Savage, Josef Salvat and Rainer.
A Record Fair hosted by Flashback Records
has also been revealed, in addition to the
Comic Book convention, Tattoo art exhibition
and Netil Food truck market.
The multi-venue festival will take place
across Oval Space, The Laundry, London
Fields Brewhouse and New Empowering
Church.
FIELD
DAY
7th - 8th June
espite being born from humble beginnings, over the last eight
years Field Day has become the perfect London all-dayer. Now,
Das it steadily grows with each year that passes, it’s time for a new
challenge: a second day.
Priding themselves on bagging an array of talent, from those right on
the cusp of success to some of the biggest names in alternative music,
this year’s event is set to be closed by none other than Metronomy on
the Saturday, before hosting the return of the
legendary Pixies to our shores the following
evening.
“We never write a set list before we go on stage,”
reveals Pixies drummer Dave Lovering, on what
to expect from their headline slot. “We do one
opening old song that we all know, from that point
on we just call the shots. Just bang bang bang, in
succession, as fast as we can, just picking songs
out of the air. Because of that it’s a great adventure
and a great challenge, but then again you really
can’t tailor it.”
And with the release of their new album ‘Indie
Cindy’, are more new songs going to be aired
live? Bassist Joey Santiago isn’t so sure. “We’re
still working it out live,” he admits. “We choose
five, or maybe six new ones every night. This is a
festival circuit, they wanna reminisce, and that’s
fine. We’re still trying to learn. The new stuff is
fresh.” DIY
ELSEWHERE
AT FIELD
DAY
Warpaint,
The Horrors,
Sky Ferreira,
Blood Orange,
Temples,
SBTRKT,
Courtney
Barnett, Future
Islands, SOHN,
The Wytches
and Thurston
Moore are just
a handful of
the artists set
to appear at
the London
weekender.
29

FESTIVALS
Elliphant
LATITUDE
17th - 20th July
Henham Park’s Latitude Festival has announced more names for its 2014
bill, joining headliners Two Door Cinema Club, Damon Albarn and
The Black Keys.
New to the July weekender, Ásgeir and Augustines are on the BBC Radio 6 Music
stage, while the iArena welcomes Scottish pioneers Young Fathers, Baltimore’s
finest Future Islands and fledging producer James Holden.
Over on the Lake Stage - curated by Huw Stephens - Childhood and D. D Dumbo
have been added to the bill. The festival also sees Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
(formerly of the Beautiful South) and Chrissie Hynde performing.
BESTIVAL
4th - 7th September
Bestival have announced 39 new bands:
Tune-Yards, Factory Floor and Wolf
Alice lead the additions, all set to play
Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight this
September.
Festival organiser Rob da Bank says:
“So in our humble opinion these are the
breaking acts of 2014 from the worlds of
rock, indie, electronics and pretty much
any genre - a delve inside the musical
brain of Rob da Bank to find the ones
to watch, the ones who’ll make records
you’ll love this summer and the ones
who’ll make you dance ya socks off in
September.”
The confirmations in full are as follows:
Tune-Yards, Factory Floor, MNEK,
Wolf Alice, The Amazing Snakeheads,
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, The
Wytches, MØ, Fat White Family,
Say Lou Lou, Glass Animals, John
Wizards, Ezra Furman, Joel Compass,
Woman’s Hour, Pional, Rosie Lowe,
Childhood, Kate Tempest, Jessy
Lanza, Melt Yourself Down, The
Front Bottoms, Hockeysmith, Wild
Smiles, Black Orange Juice, Rag N
Bone Man, Vaults, FTSE, Tourist,
Sivu, God Damn, Happyness,
The Correspondents, Bo Saris,
Congopunq, Indiana, The Bulletproof
Bomb, Fé, and Cousin Marnie.
mø
Further musical adaditions arrive in the form of MNEK, Tycho, Rhodes, Vaults,
Syd Arthur and Elliphant.
“I’ve done some festivals before,” reveals Ellinor Olovsdotter, the Swedish artist
behind the Elliphant guise, “and it’s usually beautiful and a bit crazy because
there are no real soundchecks and things like that. [There can be] bad weather...
to good weather… but we remember where we come from at festivals. It’s like
tribe life. I love it. The audience is brilliant because they let go of all that stiffness
when they’re around all this sweaty happy energy so, at least for Elliphant, it’s the
perfect crowd.”
Having just completed a handful of tour dates in the US alongside M.I.A (“It was
the first time I saw M.I.A perform and I got to share the stage with her. I was
super inspired!”) after releasing her ‘Loves Like You Love It’ EP earlier this year,
Olovsdotter’s not just looking ahead to her Latitude slot; she’s also hard at work
on a full-length proper. “I’m making my album, trying to bring my dreams to life
and collect my creative crew. I want my Phants [Elliphant fans, geddit? - Ed] to be a
part of this and I need good ways to interact with them. I want to be a canal for all
my creative people out there. That’s the plan.”
DIY is an official media partner at this year’s Latitude. We’ll be bringing you
exclusive interviews, reviews and extensive coverage. You’ll also be able to pick
up a copy of DIY at the Latitude supermarket along with your beers and bacon.
DIY
FLOW FESTIVAL
8th - 10th August
Finland’s Flow Festival has announced
two exciting new names for its 2014
bill: Neneh Cherry - who returned this
year with her ‘Blank Project’ record
- and Danish star MØ join a line-up
that already features Outkast, The
National and Janelle Monáe. Neneh’s
set to play alongside percussive duo
RocketNumberNine, who contributed
to her latest album.
The festival takes place this August,
with Bill Callahan and Slowdive also
featuring.
30 diymag.com

What makes one roller coaster more exciting than
another? There’s got to be a good old fashioned
build-up for one; the cart needs to take its
time carrying its passenger to the top before
throwing them into an abyss of relentless twists and turns.
There needs to be some elegant pacing, too - slower dips
that break things up and give you a second - just a second - to
catch your breath. Throw some blistering sunshine into the
background in order to really heighten the mood and we’ve
got a winner, much like what Parquet Courts have achieved
with their excellent new record, ‘Sunbathing Animal’.
“The roller coaster comparison is right I think - it’s supposed to
give that sensation to the listener,” frontman Andrew Savage
explains on the phone from his home in Brooklyn. “A song
like ‘Sunbathing Animal’ is supposed to give the listener the
feeling that maybe they’re on a ride they can’t get off.” He’s
right - the title track is an all-out assault on the senses albeit
Parquet Courts at their most stripped back, and listeners
heading into ‘Sunbathing Animal’ expecting more of the
same won’t find more exactly, but they will find themselves
pleasantly surprised.
Originally recorded in the same session as last year’s
phenomenal ‘Tally All The Things That You Broke’ EP, the band
came out of the studio in May 2013 with over thirty songs
and the foundations of a new record. “We had the whole
thing planned out,” says Savage reflectively on the album’s
beginnings. “Then people wrote new songs and people
wanted to redo things and so we went back [to the studio] in
October, and again in January.”
“ I T’S A
R EALLY
D IFFER E N T
R ECORD.”
ANDR EW
SAVAGE
Savage was especially glad
about that last session, as it
led to the creation of three
songs that ended up being
“pretty crucial.” “It’s a really
different record, I’m not
even going to count ‘Tally...’
because it’s just a five-song
EP,” he tells, adding, “it’s
definitely a different record
than ‘Light Up Gold’ or
‘American Specialities’. One
of the main differences is
the composite of actually
having an audience this
time because when ‘Light
Up Gold’ and definitely
‘American
Specialities’ were
released we didn’t
really have much of an
audience at all.”
UP ALL NIGHT
FESTIVALS
In comparison to ‘Light Up
Gold’, ‘Sunbathing Animal’
is Parquet Courts at their
rawest, and the songs found
within it could be labelled
as “bare” or “stripped-back”.
But they’re not: the density
comes in Savage’s lyrics, of
which he says build up to a
running theme that wasn’t
necessarily obvious to him
at first. “I kind of became
fascinated by the idea of
captivity and confinement
vs. freedom, because I think
it’s something we can all
relate to,” he divulges.
Parquet Courts’ new album
‘Sunbathing Animal’ will
be released on 2nd June
via Rough Trade. Bilbao
BBK Live will take place
from 10th - 12th July. DIY
Ahead of this year’s Bilbao BBK Live,
Parquet Courts are releasing a new
album. Words: Tom Walters.
31

32 diymag.com

NEu
Allie X
B ehold, the modern-day leader of generation ‘X ’ .
W ords: Jamie Milton.
LA-based, shade-sporting, willing to spin round
in a circle for three successive minutes, Allie
X is a gif-embracing, hashtag-hugging pop
phenomenon. Real name Allie Hughes, the
Toronto-based musician started out in the midst
of a scene that didn’t exactly embrace pop. So she broke
out. “Toronto’s an amazing city for music but it’s not an
amazing city for success in music,” she says, speaking
from her new home in LA, after moving to the city in
2013. “In the sort of scene that I was in, there wasn’t really
anywhere for pop music to go.”
This desire to break free and embrace truths is
represented in every splintering, synth-packed second
of Allie’s music. On ‘Prime’, she channels CHVRCHES to
malicious, giddy intent. The same goes for ‘Catch’, while
recent single ‘Bitch’ gets more sinister. Videos linked up
to each track consist of one, constantly looped gif, mostly
showing Allie in surreal environments, spinning in a circle
while looking like the coolest thing on the planet.
By channelling her inner superstar, Hughes also digs into
the darker depths of her self. “I’m definitely an extreme
personality,” she says, citing every part of her day-today
existence, from working to partying (although she
“doesn’t do that anymore”) as an example. “I’m not good
at moderation. That’s definitely come through in the
music.”
These songs dive in headfirst from the opening second.
There’s zero hesitation, no pointless fucking around. If
chart-conquering songs are being aired out, they might
as well declare their intentions from the off. Within the
tracks, Allie is projecting her “shadowed self”, a concept
coined by Karl Young and since embraced by an artist
“tapping into an unconscious part” of her being.
“It’s a side of yourself that you’re usually ashamed of,
embarrassed to show the world. It sort of personifies
everything that you refuse to acknowledge about
yourself. The more you suppress the shadowed self, the
more dangerous it becomes. I love that idea. I love that
you have to let that part of yourself out, or it actually will
drag you down.”
Darkness stands firm in a track like ‘Bitch’ in particular,
which sounds like Crystal Castles aiming for a goldselling
record. There’s a sense of triumph too. ‘Prime’
claims that “we are in the prime of our existence,” and
she’s not kidding. “I want to be at the forefront of
innovators in these changing times,” she
says, referring to the free downloads and
shunning of a major label that’s defined
these early months. “I believe that people
will respect that, and I’ll be able to have
success in non-traditional ways.”
There’s ambition to back these colossal
tracks, and while Allie might claim to
be an amalgamation of personalities,
she’s essentially one of the most exciting
pop prospects in years. “Whether I’m
writing or grocery shopping, I feel like
there’s ten versions of myself,” she says.
“I’m always trying to figure out which
one I am, which one’s good, which one’s
bad.” But it’s in this wild exploration, this
crazed journey of discovery that she’s
successfully managed to stand out in a
crowd of chancers. Her ascent’s only just
beginning. DIY
AN
#XPLANATION
With each track and gif-tastic
video, Allie X comes up with a
hashtag. Here’s what they might be
referring to.
#XSISTENCE ‘Prime’ is a song all
about people being on their A-game,
asking for something and getting
what they want. Example lyric,
“Forgot what I need / Give me what I
want / And it should be fine.”
#FEELINGX ‘Catch’ is true to its
title in being Allie’s most infectious
track. It’s also one of several medical
references which “come through in
the lyrics” and “have always been
there,” according to Hughes.
#XCHANGE ‘Bitch’ is the ultimate
expression of a “shadowed self”,
kicking and screaming with primal
energy. “I’m your bitch, you’re my
bitch,” she sings, citing evil as a
reciprocating energy. Sinful stuff.
33

neu happyness
NEu
Happyness
Haunted churches, songs about Jesus - South London band Happyness are
promising a debut like no other. Words: Jamie Milton, Photo: Emma Swann.
TITLE ‘Weird Little Birthday’
LABEL Weird Smiling.
RECORDED 2013
PRODUCER Self-produced
and mixed by Adam Lasus.
RELEASE DATE: 16th June.
TRACKLISTING
1 Baby, Jesus (Jelly Boy)
2 Naked Patients
3 Great Minds Think Alive,
All Brains Taste The Same
4 Orange Luz
5 Retrigerate Her
6 Pumpkin Noir
7 Anything I Do Is All Right
8 Weird Little Birthday Girl
9 It’s On You
10 Regan’s Lost Weekend
(Porno Queen)
11 Leave The Party
12 Lofts
13 Monkey In the City
Happyness are a brilliantly odd bunch. A trio from South London, their debut album
is about a kid who shares the same birthday as Jesus, right up until the point where
intense jealousy gets the better of him and he heads out on a rampage. ‘Weird
Little Birthday’ is the name of the record, and it’s grown out of one of several
“movie ideas” the trio of Benji Compston (guitar, vocals), Jonny Allan (bass, vocals)
and Ash Cooper (drums, vocals) form while in the studio.
“They’re big-budget,” says Benji of the movie concepts. “And we’re very specific about the
people we want involved - for example, the guy born on the same day as Jesus has to be done
by the Coen Brothers.” ‘Weird Little Birthday’ is situated in the Deep South of America, where
if No Country For Old Men and True Detective are anything to go by, insanity is king. “This guy
goes fucking insane. He goes on a Jesus-fuelled rampage,” enthuses Jonny.
Another idea - yet to make it into a record - revolves around famous celebrities being based in
a town (“Dundee - or maybe Bradford”) where they’re no longer famous. “So in my version Brad
[Pitt] gets married to Jen [Aniston] and Angelina [Jolie] becomes an old spinster who lives with
loads of cats,” Ash lists off. He’s got competition. “Your one doesn’t work as well as mine,” butts
in Benji. “Brad and Angelina are big property developers. They’re trying to buy up the whole
town and everyone else is fighting it.”
Oddities that work their way into sort-of album concepts probably stem from the strange
environments Happyness expose themselves to. ‘Weird Little Birthday’ was initially recorded
in an abandoned church, but the band had to jump ship when they got too creeped out. “We
turned up one day and there was a headless crow with its babies in a nest all squawking. And
we thought, ‘That’s it - we’re not staying here anymore’,” remembers Benji. It sounds like one of
the band’s own movies. Perhaps if their career is at all autobiographical, this is the beginning of
some Spinal Tap style adventure, without the downfall. DIY
34 diymag.com

NEu
NEu
NEWS
I N BRI EF
COSMO
SHELDRAKE
L ondon, Sebright A rms
w o r d s : D o m i n i q u e S i s l e y,
Photo: C arolina Faruolo.
P
acked into a sold-out and sweaty Sebright
Arms, Cosmo Sheldrake’s audience are clearly
excited - and for good reason. The gangly
multi-instrumentalist has built up quite a name for
himself, and it’s mainly because of his (quite frankly)
mad musical abilities. Using a loop station, he creates
a caboodle of sounds that are nomadic, adventurous
and playful - one minute you’ll be floundering in
the deserts of the Aussie outback, the next you’ll be
getting dirty in a hillbilly pig pen.
Taking the stage in a red floral shirt and rucksack,
Cosmo begins with a series of hums, ticks and
mumbles, before breaking into the didgeridoo-laden
‘Prefusify’. He then follows with a “traditional New
Orleans carnival song” titled ‘Jockomo feena nay/Iko
Iko’, before launching into latest single ‘The Moss’. Each
track features an array of unusual samples teamed with
some drubbing drumbeats.
At one point, he begins an impressive improvisation
with the support act’s leftover marimba - one of many
improvised moments of the show - that shines a light
on just how talented a musician he actually is.
For those that might dismiss Cosmo as being a bit
novel, this show is pretty silencing. Sure, he might
use recordings of sunbeams in his samples, but he
manages to pull it off. It’s a great demonstration of a
very special kind of creativity - and one that not many
have the style to get away with. DIY
Q&A
What got you into music?
I started playing the piano
when I was four. It was the
Suzuki method, where you
just learn by ear. Then I started
playing blues piano when I
was 7.
Would you describe yourself
as ‘folk’?
Folk is a particularly nebulous
genre because it’s bandied
around in so many different
contexts. I guess it’s like pop
in a way. I’ve certainly been
influenced by a lot of folk.
‘The Moss’ sounds a little
like bit like a folk tale, is
that something you’re
influenced by?
Certainly, yeah. I was always
really into fairy tales, and I
used to have nightmares… I
think that’s part of the reason
I studied anthropology [at
university] - I’ve got a real
interest in folklore, and how
folk tales actually instruct us
in subconscious ways.
ACID TEST
Exciting new trio The Acid
recently played their first ever
UK show at London’s Chat’s
Palace. Ry X, Steve Nalepa
and Adam Freeland return
in June ahead of the release
of debut album ‘Liminal’.
European shows include
London Cargo (2nd) and
Brighton’s The Haunt (3rd).
NOT PEAKING
TOO EARLY
Chicago’s Twin Peaks have
announced a new album,
‘Wild Onion’. It’s the band’s
second, quickly following up
on last year’s ‘Sunken’. In the
UK, the band are putting out
a ‘Flavor’ EP, which brings
together the new song and
three highlights from last
year’s LP. It’s out 7th July.
SLOWLY DOES IT
Sampha is sending out the
feelers for his debut album,
streaming ‘Slow Lights’, an
instrumental cut that he “just
started”. Three minutes long,
it stretches out the extremes
of Sampha’s production
ability, scattering twisted
vocal samples on top of
buzzsaw synths and playful,
off-beat percussion. Listen
on diymag.com.
NEXT OF KINS
Brighton group Kins have
confirmed plans to head out
on a UK tour this June. The
Aussie via UK band also just
put out a new free download
‘Mockasin’s’, which you can
stream on diymag.com.
35

neu kwabs
NEu
kwabs
With a voice that shakes the foundations of pop, Kwabs might be a musical graduate, but
they don’t teach this stuff at schools. Words: Jamie Milton, Photo: Phil Smithies.
still young and I still feel there’s something in it.” This was the basis for
Kwabs’ pursuit into music. Before becoming one of the UK’s most exciting
solo stars, he spent time studying at the Royal Academy of Music, working
on various projects, appearing on BBC show, ‘Goldie’s Band: By Royal
“I’m
Appointment.’ Already on the fringes of something special, this twentysomething
decided to take things into his own hands.
“Writing for myself as a means of self-expression has been a pretty new thing,” he says,
speaking ahead of the ‘Pray For Love’ EP, which boasts production from blog-darling SOHN
and the politically charged Plan B. When Kwabs started, the musician - real name Kwabena
Sarkodee - wasn’t sure about his intentions. “I did a cover of a Corinne Bailey Rae tune.
People seemed to dig it and then all of a sudden it seemed to make sense that I should try [to
continue].”
Today, everything seems mapped out. London-based, early tracks have seen him
collaborating with big names, but he’s still been able to stamp his own motifs on everything.
“It would be a shame for me to do something that isn’t forward looking,” he says, summing up
the mentality that ties together these soulful, electronic pop songs.
Songs are about “personal development and progress.” There’s a definite darkness to
‘Wrong or Right’, which fuses a 90s R&B synth line with bellowed, half-doubtful chants of
“It’s alright!”. If there’s anxiety in the lyrics, there’s zero doubt in Kwabs’ execution. “I love
that palette, that dark sound,” he admits. “Through that darkness I want to achieve a sense of
hope.”
Attention’s now turning to a full-length. Having an album out this year is
“important.” He’s appreciative of Sound of 2014 lists that he’s cropped
up on, but the focus is on a debut. “There’s been encouragement but
not massive hyperbole. Now I can give fans something that they want.
They can have ownership of it.” Expect Kwabs to be less a stampeding,
breakthrough success, more a permanent voice that defines the year. DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
Kwabs will play at
Latitude. See
diymag.com
for details.
BY ROYAL
APPOINTMENT
Before selling out
shows across the UK,
Kwabs’ biggest gig
was at the Royal Albert
Hall, performing in
front of Prince Harry.
“That was a lot of
fun,” he reminisces.
“Harry’s great - he’s a
really cool guy. It was
a pleasant experience;
a strange and slightly
surreal one. We all got
to meet him and shake
hands afterwards -
very formal. But he’s a
very informal guy. He’s
just a bit of a dude
really.”
36 diymag.com

NEu RECOMMENDED
This new London electronic artist is already asserting a genuine trademark.
London producer TĀLĀ made a huge statement with ‘The Duchess’, the title track from her first EP. For a debut track, it already
signals serious intent: twisting and contorting expectations on what to expect from electronic music, it stamps and stabs in
several directions. But it’s in the newcomer’s latest, ‘Serbia’, that she really sets her stall. Of Iranian descent, the previously
unknown artist brings in a genuine voice. Thumping, head-spinning percussion latches onto wonky production. It’s nearly offbeat
in execution. Odd to the extreme, it sounds futuristic and ritualistic all at once, like the kind of music space cults might play
in their downtime. True to her ink-stamp logo, TĀLĀ is already asserting a genuine trademark. (Jamie Milton)
LISTEN ‘The Duchess’
FOR FANS OF Forest Swords, cult gatherings.
OLIvE DRaB
Emotionally charged pop music
- this is anything but drab.
Moving to Philadelphia for school in
2011 could well be the best decision
Reid Maynard has ever made. Catching
the city’s highly contagious thirst for
creativity, he demoed a couple of songs
before sending them to his classmates
Scotty (guitar, vocals) and Ben
(drums). Slowly but surely Olive Drab
blossomed, their ‘Girl’ EP a hazy, lo-fi
take on melodic grunge. Fast-forward
three years and debut ‘The Big Sleep’ is
inspired by long distance relationships
and girls; Maynard describing writing
most of the songs as a result of him
“being a crybaby”. (Tom Walters)
LISTEN ‘King of Cancer’.
FOR FANS OF Confession booths,
communal crying sessions.
BULLy
Saviours of scrappy garage
punk.
Nashville’s Bully have everything: the
hooks, the dynamism, the face-melting
force required to be an exciting garage
punk band. And they’ve got the
following. Their 2013 debut EP sold out
700 pressings in a split-second. New
7” single ‘Milkman’ b/w ‘Faceblind’
goes further. It carries a more blitzing
pace, with pop punk influences
tearing through and splintering the
surface. Primarily the project of Alicia
Bognanno, it’s in her vocals that things
get seriously exciting. Consider this
2014’s answer to Cloud Nothings. (Jamie
Milton)
LISTEN ‘Milkman’
FOR FANS OF Bruises, playground
scraps, fuzz binges.
JaRBIRD
Jarbird reach an instant level
of sophistication.
It’s usual for bands these days to throw
out a couple of scrappy SoundCloud
demos, or a heap of fuzzy bedroom
recordings to test the water, however
the first two tracks from Londonbased
Jarbird reach an instant level
of sophistication; the sound of a band
honing and perfecting each intricate
beat and pitch-perfect note to a
masterful standard. Ric Hollingberry
and Lara Verney’s voices entwine in
an almost indistinguishable fashion,
whilst the flawless production coaxes
everything to fit together in a neat,
jigsaw puzzle-like fashion. (Laura Eley)
LISTEN ’Such Is The House’
FOR FANS OF Grammatics (RIP),
Alt-J.
37

neu Sylvan Esso
“ D o n ’ t
b e
s c a r e d
o f
h a v i n g
fun.”
A m e l i a
M eath
Sylvan Esso
Electronic pop for dummies: how to break out of the bedroom and make a
game-changing debut album. Words: Greta Geoghegan.
When Amelia Meath of indie folk bringers Mountain Man struck up a friendship with Nicholas Sanborn (aka
electronic producer Made of Oak), something unexpectedly magical happened. “We became instant friends,”
says Amelia as she reminisces the fateful night Nick watched one of her band’s shows in a bar. “We just really got
along,” Nick agrees. “So we decided to lay something down and then thought we should continue from there.”
What was meant to be a one-off collaboration developed into Sylvan Esso, a band consisting of Amelia’s gentle melodies layered
over Nick’s reverberating electronic beats.
The duo clearly bounce off one another’s talents and find making music together comes naturally. “It’s all very intuitive,” explains
Amelia. “There’s no real formula for what we do,” Nick adds. “Sometimes Amelia comes to me with something she’s come up
with and I work around that, sometimes it’s the other way round.” It’s this musical chemistry between the duo that causes Nick
to place Sylvan Esso in a different league to his previous collaborations. “Everyone you work with is so different but this is going
really great so far, it’s so fun. Every track we work on together has something different about it so yeah, I think we’ll be playing
together for a while yet.” For Amelia, the transition from singing and playing acoustically to becoming half of a pop-electronic
duo seems a daunting prospect, but she isn’t fazed by it. “I feel the same as Nick. Working together that first time was a trigger for
something new.”
That “something new” comes in the form of an album mainly recorded in Nick’s bedroom and he admits the process was
somewhat an experimental act. “As we started recording we were still figuring out what kind of band we were, by just writing
and playing and improvising.” They aim to share that experience with listeners through the order in which they release singles.
“We want them to be in an order that will kind of keep changing what people think the band is,” says Nick. “I like to think about it
as being like dates,” Amelia analogises. “Think about the first single being the first date, the second single being the second date.
You can’t only take them out for dinner and a movie, you’ve got to switch it up and keep it interesting.” Latest single ‘Play It Right’
showcases Sylvan Esso’s desire to keep changing, as its stomping beats beg to be danced wildly to, a far cry from the chilled
out gentleness of its predecessor, ‘Coffee’.
Each track possesses an individuality, but they all share Amelia’s mantra: “Don’t be scared of having fun and being a dummy.”
Sylvan Esso are all about experimenting with pop music, emphasising its fun factor but leaving behind its ‘I’m in the club - let’s
get YOLO’ style lyrics, as Amelia tunefully chirps. “We want to make music that we’d enjoy listening to and we just hope other
people enjoy it too.”
Sylvan Esso’s self-titled debut album is out now via Partisan Records. DIY
38 diymag.com

LITTLE
label
Neu takes a look at the record labels responsible
for breakthrough releases, big or small.
SpEEDy
WUNDERgROUND
NEu
mIxTapE
NOT CONTENT WITH GIVING YOU A FREE MAGAZINE, WE’VE
PUT TOGETHER A FREE MIXTAPE FULL OF OUR FAVOURITE NEW
BANDS; DOWNLOAD FROM DIYMAG.COM/MIXTAPE
1
B aby I n Va i n
Corny #1
Harsh, scrappy, relentless Danishbred
fuzz from one of the best
bands at this year’s Great Escape
in Brighton.
6
JiN i l s s o n
Heartbreakfree
Arms-in-the-air Swedish pop
doesn’t get more oddball - or
effective - than this.
7Fake L augh
FOUNDED: 2013.
KEY RELEASES: Childhood,
‘Pinballs’; JUCE, ‘Braindead’.
Speedy Wunderground is less
a label, more producer Dan
Carey’s way of putting out
music physically, as quickly as possible. Over 24
hours, a band will visit his South London studio,
pen a song, zip it up and wait for it to be released
(usually a couple of weeks later digitally and then
as a 7” single). Carey just put out a compilation
bringing together all of Speedy’s singles so far on a
500 run of 12”, plus CD and download.
What’s this about you having smoke, strobes and
‘extreme working conditions’ in the studio?
It sounds a bit silly - this idea of doing it with the lights
off in a room full of smoke - but it’s really unbelievable
how much effect that does have on people. It feels
like a surprise. Even when everyone knows it’s going
to happen, suddenly there’s a *swooosh sound* and
everyone responds in an interesting way.
When you started Speedy was it a reaction against
making a song and waiting ages for it to come out?
It’s partly about the waiting after recording. It’s just
frustrating when you’ve finished something, you’re all
excited about it and then it’s nine months before the
thing gets released. It just doesn’t feel so new.
What’s next for Speedy?
I’d like to keep on - I’m really happy with the way it’s
going. I think I might try and organise a couple more
collaborations that bring people together that might
not otherwise. In the beginning that was one of the
ideas; getting people from different spheres together.
DIY
2
G e n g a h r
Fill My Gums With Blood
One of the best bands from
Liverpool Sound City - think
90s-era Radiohead meets
Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
3
CANCER
Same Color As Digital
Photography
Forget the name and bask in
the beauty of this Danish duo’s
debut track.
4
L uca Del G eorge
Myshkin
Mysterious Glasgow producer
isn’t exactly a ‘Blue Jeans’
carbon-copy - like a weirder,
more tongue-in-cheek Jai Paul.
5
COMPN Y
Begging Me To Come Back
Brighton band with escapist pop
at the centre of their intentions
- expect big, chart-bothering
things from these guys.
Ice
Produced by Theo Verney,
‘Ice’ is Kamrin Khan’s
scrappiest effort to date - an
essential for bedroom pop
addicts.
8A lpha Maid
Body Chores
Curious, playful grunge from
a new band emerging out of
South London.
9
N icky Sparkles
It’s Your Life
The latest addition to Nicolas
Jaar’s Other People label -
some people think it might be
Nico himself.
10
T he Death O f
P o p
Circles
Living up to their early
promise, ‘Circles’ is London
band The Death of Pop’s
finest moment so far.
39

#THISISDIY
I n a d i g i t a l
w o r l d o f a l l
y o u c a n e a t
s t r e a m i n g
a n d i n s t a n t
g r a t i f i c a t i o n ,
t h i s m o n t h
D I Y ’ s o n l i n e
a r m i s
reborn. W i t h
d i y m a g . c o m
k i c k i n g a n d
s c r e a m i n g
a b o u t t h e
b e s t b a n d s
a n d h o t t e s t
n e w t r a c k s
2 4 / 7, o v e r t h e
n e x t 2 8 pa g e s
w e ’ v e t a k e n
a s n a p s h o t
o f w h e r e t h e
w o r l d o f
m u s i c f i n d s
i t s e l f i n 2 0 1 4 .
F r o m t h e a c t s
t h a t g e t t h e
p u l s e r a c i n g
t h r o u g h t o
h o w y o u g e t
y o u r a u d i o
f i x , i t ’ s j u s t
t h e t i p o f
t h e i c e b e r g .
Y o u ’ l l f i n d
l o a d s m o r e
o n l i n e t o o .
E x c i t i n g ,
o p i n i o n a t e d
a n d n e v e r ,
e v e r d u l l -
this is DI Y.
40 diymag.com

#1 JUNGLE
In less than a year, JUNGLE have gone from nothing - not even a
whisper - into quite possibly the most exciting act in the world.
THE MOST EXCITING BAND
IN THE WORLD TODAY?
Avoiding the term band, they’d prefer to be labelled a ‘collective’ or
a ‘movement’. It’s in this simple refusal to be pegged in that they’ve
wound up here, ready to release the debut album of the year.
Photos: Mike Massaro, Words: Jamie Milton.
Out step JUNGLE, from
beyond the smoke.
41

#THISISDIYJUNGLE
In the end, the faces behind JUNGLE have proven to be the
least important part. From a breakdancing six-year-old to a
duo of synchronised rollerskaters, right up to the palm trees,
knock-off Vauxhall Astras and vintage jackets that grace their
imagery, the face of JUNGLE is unidentifiable. It splinters
off in different directions, invites anyone and everyone into
its circle. Like any movement, it threatens to explode at any
second. This summer could be that very moment.
The minds leading all of this - Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom
McFarland, aka ‘J’ and ‘T’ - aren’t shy, retiring figures. They profess
the ‘let the music speak for itself’ line, but they’re not doing this out
of fear. There’s a purpose. “Although we do the music, I never ever
wanted it to be about us,” says J, in-keeping with countless bands
who begin mysterious, identity-free.
But then there’s the rest of JUNGLE - the way ambitious ‘band
photographs’ link hand-in-hand with viral videos, the fact that their
self-titled debut album is described as a “movie” and a “video game”.
They declare the sound to be a “virtual reality”, and J cites Gorillaz as
the main influence behind this - “it’s so important to us, those songs
painting pictures.”
“ E v e r y d ay i s a
c h a n c e t o d o
s o m e t h i n g b e t t e r
t h a n yo u d i d
yesterday. ”
Josh L loyd-Watson
It started with ‘Platoon’, a song that lit fire on a career that started
ten months ago. Since then, everything’s spiralled out; a Haim
support tour; SXSW shows; signing to one of the biggest labels in
the world. A sense of control and selectivity that defined ‘J’ and
‘T’’s early days has since been tested. “There’s only so long that you
don’t work with the way others want to work,” says J. “What you
can control, you can control. When it’s out of your control you can’t
panic about it. You’re only going to get so far by being like that.”
Eventually it boils down to the main reason why JUNGLE stand
out. It’s that old cliché of a band being undefinable, immune to
categorisation. ‘Platoon’ and ‘The Heat’ - these singles gave hint
to so many things; reverse-funk guitars reminiscent of Jai Paul; old
soul records; hip-hop production. Entangled in strange unison,
somehow out of nowhere arrived a group sounding like nothing
else on the planet. “Sometimes if we’re going for something we
think we’ve heard before, we put ourselves down for it. And that’s
a taboo when we work,” admits J. Before JUNGLE, both J and T had
been writing together for a solid ten years. They’d experienced
labels, releases, hype through Born Blonde, a band where they
“never had full control” - “They weren’t our songs. You just play it, so
you learn the lines. JUNGLE’s another level from that.”
Initially a bedroom project with the ambition of a multimillion
selling artist, the transition into XL’s studio has
been relatively painless - being in the spotlight, less so.
“We’ve gone from producers in a bedroom - where you feel
safe - to writing something that drags you to the front. It’s
a bit like, ‘Can we just go back to our rooms?’” If anything
it’s a surprise that at this early stage, JUNGLE are going
ahead with putting out an album. That it’s even an album
in the first place - not a ‘hidden LP’, collection of singles
or god knows what else - might go against an apparent
anti-norm approach. T cites Chance the Rapper’s ‘Acid Rap’
as an influence, but ultimately summer 2014 approached:
JUNGLE had a sound not just tailor-made for the season,
but capable of shaping it. And as J modestly quips, “when
you get the attention that we got with the first two singles,
if you then wait another year it’s kind of old news.”
The ambition in their early work runs right through to
the tiny details. Each stone unturned, every possibility
considered, when JUNGLE first did interviews - this is their
third with DIY - they opted more for a ‘we don’t know
what we’re doing’ style of answer. There’s a definite sense
of winging it in their music - there needs to be for it to
come out sounding this pure - but the pair are beginning
to admit that yes, they think about these things. A lot. A
JUNGLE live show was first on the agenda. J and T “didn’t
want to let ourselves down by bringing samplers and just
being producers” - “If someone bought a ticket to a Jungle
show, we wouldn’t go and put a film on. Do you know what
I mean? Fans are important.”
Sitting on adjacent sofas upstairs in their label’s
office - surrounded by memorabilia from Jack White,
Gil Scott-Heron and Thom Yorke - Lloyd-Watson and
McFarland speak from the same page, but they’re notably
very different in their perspectives. J is a bigger picture
figure. He tends to have the first and the last word, with
T expressing like an everyday music fan. Somehow The
Magic Numbers and Jamiroquai, of all things, crop up in
conversation. He also cites The Strokes’ ‘Room On Fire’ as
a life-changing record. “That album reminds me of one
month in my life when I was 15. I hope that our album gives
people a chance to connect.”
The debut brings together last year’s singles, the
monstrously huge ‘Busy Earnin’’, plus another handful of
disco-leaning, funk-strutting songs capable of breaking
big. There isn’t a single track - bar interlude ‘Smoking
Pixels’ - that takes longer than 40 seconds to get to the
chorus. This is effortlessly executed, brilliantly complex
pop music. It’s a collection of potential chart-toppers -
there’s no shying away from the fact.
Everything points to the future, then. This debut could
break down boundaries, lift up the once faceless duo into
upper realms. T’s quick to cull that kind of talk. “We’re
aware that we haven’t actually done anything yet,” he
claims. “We’ve released two, three vinyl singles. We’ve
signed a record deal. How many thousands of people have
done that? It’s believing what we believe in and working to
our maximum potential. Every day is a day of work, every
day is a chance to do something better.”
The pair relay hours spent inside studios “looking at a
reverb pattern,” which is something “fans don’t care
about.” Days have been used up outdoors, picking up
42 diymag.com

#THISISDIYJUNGLE
Coming to a merch stall
near you.
43

#THISISDIYJUNGLE
BRING
THE
HEAT
Another member of the collective
is Oliver Hadlee Pearch - the brains
behind JUNGLE’s visual side. He’s
directed all their videos, taken a good
chunk of their pictures (the ones with
old motor vehicles, mohicans, palm
trees and boomboxes). “Oliver’s as
much a part of JUNGLE as anything,”
says J. “I almost always want him to be
credited as part of it. I’ve asked him
to come on stage sometimes, play
the tambourine or click a camera on
the stairs.”
PLATOON
A breakdancing child! The same
breakdancing child that was in
JUNGLE’s first ever press shot! This
one premiered on DIY back in June
2013 - shout out to B. Girl Terra.
THE HEAT
Rollerskating best mates! In
matching tracksuits! From the
sugar lace to the pirouettes,
JUNGLE and Oliver’s videos set a
ridiculously high standard here.
BUSY EARNIN’
With a lot to live up to, instead of
bringing in dancing individuals,
JUNGLE invited in a whole crew of
twelve, each more insane in their
moves than the other.
44 diymag.com

“ T h i s i d e a
o f g e t t i n g
d o w n a
m e l o dy
w h e n
yo u ’ r e
m a k i n g
toast. I t ’ s
j u s t c r a p,
isn’t it?”
Josh
L loyd-
Watson
#THISISDIYJUNGLE
minute field recordings barely distinguishable
within the album. But JUNGLE mix an intense
work ethic with a flippant attitude, a taste for
spontaneity. Every curious, playful guitar sound
is played on the spot. There’s no writing process,
it just steps out and gets put to tape. “It has to be
from that moment,” argues J. “It’s better when
you’re getting something done to have a few
limits, a few ‘I don’t care’’s. If you have all those
stars to grab, you spend all your time picking
them out.” There is one limit to the duo’s jumpup-and-grab-it
approach. No sudden ‘flashes of
inspiration’. “I really don’t believe in that,” barks J.
“This idea of getting down a melody when you’re
making toast. It’s just crap, isn’t it?”
Given that it’s been ten months since “jungle” was
just a term thrown about next to a revived genre,
or a Guns N’ Roses song, this project’s progression
has been extraordinary. Flash forward another
year and it’s true, they’ll most likely be ‘Busy
Earnin’’. But behind the complexity, the mystery,
the determination that’s given JUNGLE such a
head-start, they’re two fairly normal blokes who
just so happen to be the masterminds behind
2014’s defining sound. “Regardless of what
happens out there, in ten, fifteen years time we’re
still going to be writing music,” T claims. “Whether
it’s coming back from our jobs, putting the kids
to bed, smoking a joint
and having a session on a
laptop. Two forty-five year
old dads shadowing as
producers. At least we’re
still getting our chance to
do something.” DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
JUNGLE will play at
Latitude. See
diymag.com
for details.
45

#THISISDIYCOMINGUP
artists makING an impact on 2014.
COMING UP
#THISISDIY
D I Y LOOKS ah e ad t o t h e l es s e r k n ow n
ands like WOLF ALICE
and CIRCA WAVES might
Balready be breaking out
of DIY’s Class of 2014 towards
a higher calling, but there’s
a selection of cabin fevered
musicians working behind the
scenes, readying something
special. The remainder of the year
will bring confident follow-up
EPs, head-turning debuts and
countless surprises.
Based on early 2014 efforts,
anything BEN KHAN produces
looks capable of being a
game-changer. Debut EP ‘1992’
was just a ripple in the water,
shedding early comparisons to
Jai Paul and setting Khan out as
a genuine potential star. He’s
not the only insular producer
working on his craft. There’s
Belgium-born, Manchester-based
newcomer OCEAÁN, his close
associate LÅPSLEY (1) and the
more detached HOCKEYSMITH,
who’ve apparently recorded all
their music in a shaky caravan by
the Cornwall coast. If their story
isn’t enticing enough, wait until
budding label PC Music begins
to show its hand. Based in South
London, the secretive project has
split opinion like nothing else this
year. HANNAH DIAMOND (2)
fronts the movement; a gif-tastic
anti-popstar that’s either going to
be a flash in the pan success or a
genuine contender. Linking up to
this squeaky clean but brilliantly
calculated dance sphere is
SOPHIE, an in-demand, similarly
mysterious artist whose next
single will - without a shadow of
a doubt - turn heads. Look out for
an in-depth profile on the origins
and future of PC Music on the new
diymag.com, while you’re at it.
Less insular in their craft is
EKKAH, a Birmingham group who
landed on DIY and Neu’s doorstep
for a ‘Hello 2014’ show in London
at the beginning of the year.
Their West Coast, summer-ready
style would surely have the Dev
Hynes seal of approval, and funky
early demos suggest they’re onto
something. Similarly minded,
Liverpool’s ALL WE ARE (3) have
just recorded a debut album with
Dan Carey, and it’s out in early
2015 via Domino. Expect further
tastes throughout the year. Bee
Gees comparisons aren’t far off
when it comes to those guys,
and in equal parts, the ultraexperimental
ADULT JAZZ (4)
are luring in more Dirty Projectors
fans by the second. Standing
out in a crowd altogether is
GIRL BAND (5) - they’re free of
contemporaries. There’s little that
compares to their spiky, headrinsing
noise rock, as evidenced
by a recent headline set on DIY’s
Great Escape stage in Brighton.
Stateside, things are also looking
up. Canadians ALVVAYS have just
inked a deal with Transgressive
for their debut album, and don’t
expect New Yorkers BIG UPS
to stop short at the release of
their first work ‘Eighteen Hours
of Static’. Anyone looking for
similarly gnarly, raw punk need
only look for BABY IN VAIN, a
Danish trio readying a debut
release for this autumn. In quieter
quarters, the plush-sounding
Seattle band POSSE are quickly
gaining attention for their blissful
take on rock, while bedroom-pop
group SALES are fast breaking
out of initial blog acclaim. If
anyone in North America’s going
to define the next few months,
however, it’s TWIN PEAKS
and PUBLIC ACCESS TV. The
former are readying their first UK
release after 2013 debut ‘Sunken’
took over the States, while the
latter claim to be the solution
to all of New York’s problems;
giving rock’n’roll a determinist
reinvention, fuelled by frustration.
And don’t bet against ALLIE X
(see this month’s Neu feature)
taking over just about every
airwave going.
Casting a gaze even further
outwards, over in New Zealand
two polar-opposite acts are
picking up a head of steam.
Glossy-pop duo BROODS (6) have
all the makings of chart-toppers,
while the introverted recordings
of solo artist SHUNKAN have
gained a cult following with a
sold out debut release on Art Is
Hard. Australians CHELA (7) and
OSCAR KEY SUNG are currently
flipping the R&B coin on its head
- both started their career doing
guest spots, with all remaining
emphasis on exciting solo work.
Cover any corner of the planet and
there’s something waiting to take
off and go global. 2014 promises
an awful lot in its remaining
months. DIY
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
46 diymag.com

47

#THISISDIY
DISC // VERY
F IND ING NEW M U S IC APPEARS
EASY ON THE OUTS I DE - B U T
IT’S NEV E R BEEN A M O R E
COMPLICATED EXPE R I E N C E
THAN TODAY. O L D M ETHODS
AR E CR EEPI N G B AC K I N T O
D I S COV E RY, AND D ESPI T E
BEING PRO MPTED W I T H
INFINITE P O SSIBILITY, IT’S
WORD-OF-M OUTH THAT’S
LEAD ING THE WAY.
WO RDS: JAM IE MILTON
48 diymag.com

#THISISDIYDISCO//VERY
Ten years ago music discovery was in
the initial stages of a new era. It still
is. Heads are only just beginning to
make sense of the endless choices
the internet - faster by the day, more
powerful by the second - offers up. Contrast today
to the era of dodgy downloads and haphazard
broadband connections and we’re in a very
different world. A click of a button can grab an
entire discography. On paper, there’s nothing
standing in the way of a music fan discovering
anything and everything - but is ‘infinity’ a mirage?
Are we cocooned by choice?
Open up Spotify and try to find something
completely new, something that challenges
daily listening habits. It’s not as easy as it might
sound. The home screen shows all kinds of genres,
‘moods’, radio stations for already-adored artists.
Then there’s the new releases, free to stream on
a whim. But the biggest temptation is to stick to
what you already know. Familiarity rules the roost.
This could be equated to “airplane fever”, where
having taken a seat on a ten-hour flight with
nothing to do but flick through films, a passenger
opts for something they’ve already seen.
“The thing you’ve got is one of resistance in a way
because you’ve grown up forming your own music
taste,” notes Marcus Pepperell, one half of giddy
pop duo Thumpers. “You want to be the master
of you and you don’t really want an algorithm.”
The current generation of new music addicts
find themselves at a strange point. Teens and
twenty-somethings have spent half of their lives
burning the life out of the same CD or tape in an
old walkman, the other half prompted with all the
music in the world.
Spending days on shuffle might not seem natural,
so the solution is to curate, or listen to the curators.
There’s a strange balance in 2014 between taking
a back seat, letting the music introduce itself
through automated radio stations or reverting to
old-school methods.
Mark Williamson, leader of Spotify’s Artist Services
team, admits that there is such a thing as “choice
paralysis”, where access to a whole world of music
sometimes requires a safe first-step. But he argues
that we’re in the most exciting age, especially
compared to a pre-internet era. “In the days before
streaming there were much stronger cocoons; you
were largely limited by the amount of CDs that
could fit on the shelf at your local store, but even
more so, you were cocooned by the music your
friends listened to.” He cites playlists, blogs and
Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record as ways in - means of
discovering music that didn’t exist until recently.
Even back in 2001 when Napster changed pretty
much everything, anyone with access to the
service had restrictions. They could only discover
music by aimlessly wandering through other users’
hard drives. What this ultimately led to was the
prominence of bigger artists - the Radioheads,
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Days, all having their
music nabbed by the same people. Radio stations
and MTV prevailed. Reviewers were listened to in
masses because their thoughts were published
before records were ‘out there’. Today, music is a
freebie on a much bigger scale. There’s a debate
to be had about the negative effects of this. But
just in terms of accessibility to new music and a
broadening of horizons, the difference is dramatic.
T
he question today boils down to whether
we have more or less choice than we used
to. If it’s the former, this is essentially
the most exciting time to discover music - ever.
Algorithms aren’t the be all and end all. Instead,
other influences pour in. Surely discovery is an
open playing field compared to ‘back in the
day’. There’s radio, which remains a strong force.
Anyone can make a playlist and send it to their
friends. There’s no fiddling about with tape players
and cheesy love notes to place within a mixtape.
Above everything else, stories matter more than
ever. The magic’s still there, but it’s not in the
hands of the online streaming platforms - it’s up
to press, listeners and the bands themselves to be
discovered in a different light.
Except, whereas five years ago blogs and other
curators were in a golden age of recommendations
and Hype Machine charts were gospel, their
influence appears to have waned. Our experience
with being on the internet and being exposed
to new music has shifted. “Blogs are just as
important, but over the years, artists have learned
how to manipulate them better,” says Jacob Moore
of Complex and the new music site Pigeons &
49

#THISISDIYDISCO//VERY
Planes. Jarri Van der Haegen of disco naïveté
is in semi-agreement. He argues firmly that
“many chart-topping acts nowadays ‘started’
their careers on blogs,” stressing that there’s
a strong relationship between acts launching
online before infiltrating the charts. Both claim
that blogs are just as influential as before, but
these are two of the leading voices online,
tastemakers who’ve held onto their rep while
everything else in the landscape has changed.
There’s a limit to how ‘blog artists’ are
then discovered by millions. “There
is a new type of music consumer that
spends hours every day on blogs and
on Twitter and on SoundCloud keeping up
with everything on the bleeding edge,” says
Jacob. “So when an artist reaches these people,
they aren’t building buzz off a live show, or off
traditional albums, or off radio plays. They’re
getting it off a SoundCloud stream and a few
blog posts. Translating that into real success is
very difficult.”
In one of the strangest blog successes of the
year so far, Hannah Diamond - a virtual internet
meme of a pop star - sings “I don’t want to
be an mp3.” The human connection to music
discovery is what matters, and continues to
matter more than ever. What’s required, then,
is a desire to go beyond blogs. The initial part
of discovery often falls at their feet, but what
happens next is more interesting. Instead of
jumbling up the best songs ‘of the moment’
and acknowledging their existence, it’s
important to give bands a bigger platform,
to give them a story and a purpose. Even if
it’s slightly mythologised, even if it plays with
extremes, it’s more important than ever for a
new band to have that extra something.
It seems strange to acknowledge in an age
of ‘next big things’’s, but the very idea of a
buzz band is strained in 2014. DIY cover stars
JUNGLE might be one of very few examples
to latch onto this tag. They’re an act everyone
wants to see. They’ve maintained mystique
while still managing to launch themselves onto
the stage. They have everything - the songs,
the intrigue, the sense that more’s to come.
They’re new, and there’s a story: from the
outside it looks to be the work of masterminds.
Out of the online world, JUNGLE have held
onto their ‘buzz’ because their story is one
of a couple of guys delivering something
completely new. This is why they’re on the
cover of DIY, standing out as the most exciting
act around today.
It’s difficult to think of an equivalent. A
hundred blogs posting a SoundCloud
player can hype up a song in unison, turn an
unknown track into the recipient of hundreds
of thousands of plays, but they can’t take the
band further. Increasingly, it’s in the role of
others to help create a legacy for a band, to
CHROMEO
- The First
Internet
Band?
E
ven when music was accessible to anyone with a
half-decent internet connection, it took a while
for the online world to genuinely launch an act.
David Macklovitch from Chromeo claims that they
were one of the first blog darlings, a band launched
online. “We were a part of that revolution,” he says.
“We don’t have platinum plaques to show for it yet, but
we have this kind of longevity which is really special
when you think about it.”
If blogs were the most exciting thing about discovering
music back in the day, what’s the equivalent today?
We’re only beginning to be a SoundCloud band. To
me, SoundCloud is now what YouTube was in 2007,
2008. In another way, it’s its own hierarchy where cool,
independent music can thrive. You’ve got stuff that has
millions of plays on there but doesn’t exist anywhere else.
SoundCloud is really the vehicle to discovery for that kind
of music.
What makes Chromeo an ‘internet band’ and how have
you broken out of that bubble?
If we do break into the mainstream more with this album,
it’s a victory for all of us. It’s a victory for internet-based
music and viral music, for music that was championed
by alternative media. we’re one of the quintessential
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#THISISDIYDISCO//VERY
highlight why they’re more than
Diamond’s dreaded “mp3”.
It’s more established acts who’ve
crept under the spotlight in recent
years. Whether it’s a big backcatalogue
on Bandcamp or just
one, career-defining televised
spot on Letterman (over to you,
Future Islands), the idea that we’re
a generation of shuffle-addicts with
no desire to discover bands properly
seems completely redundant. That
can only be a good thing.
internet bands, and we’re proud of that. To me,
music blogs were a revolution. The way that music
blogs shuffled the cards and basically turned music
journalism on its head. You remember a time
when it was all about one magazine, and now this
magazine is barely a leaflet. And there’s blogs that
are way more important culturally and in terms of
readership. That’s because of bloggers that had no
journalistic training, people that thrived outside
of the establishment. With that, they championed
bands. DIY
Jordan Lee from Mutual Benefit
recently experienced a surge
in popularity with his ‘Love’s
Crushing Diamond’ LP. A musician
with an influence in underground
movements, all of a sudden he was
being exposed to a much bigger
crowd. “It was definitely strange at
first to see the phrase ‘new artist’
attached to so many of the initial
articles about the band even though
I had been recording since 2009 and
touring almost non-stop since 2011,”
says Jordan. The idea of someone
established being given a new level
of attention is “a relatively common
story”, he continues. He also attests
that ‘Love’s Crushing Diamond’ felt
like his most complete work, so
the fandom wasn’t unwarranted or
spontaneous. “Being in various music
scenes over the years, stepping back
and taking a longer time to make an
album I’m 100% proud of - it made
it a lot easier for there to naturally
be attention focused on the record
when it finally came out.”
The story resounds with a band like
The War On Drugs, three albums
in and all of a sudden playing the
Glastonbury Pyramid Stage. Florida’s
Merchandise were essentially
an unknown entity until 2012’s
‘Children of Desire’ - hordes of DIY
releases were there to be discovered.
Discovery, in these cases, isn’t being
limited to blog-friendly acts with
debut tracks. When a band strikes
gold having been around for years,
their story is even more exciting.
There’s a mixture of ‘Where have you
been all my life?’ and ‘How did you
get here, now?’ It’s like discovering a
lost family member - there’s so much
to catch up on, that the story behind
the band becomes just as interesting
as the music they’ve turned up with.
This seems to be a more recent
phenomenon, one that starts in niche
corners (Bandcamp addicts aren’t
ruling the world just yet) and again
lands into the heady realms of cover
stars and headline acts.
51

#THISISDIYDISCO//VERY
Today, tastes
are shaped
by unlikely
sources. It could
be through
a Bandcamp binge or a
SoundCloud session, or it
could be a lightbulb moment
that occurs out of the blue.
Anyone with a smartphone
has - at least once - sat up and
taken notice of music in a bar,
club or on an advert. They’ve
shazam’ed the thing, spent
hours repeating the track
after finding it on YouTube.
Before, the journey to
tracking down a song could
take years - people would
either give up, or their lives
would play out like a scene
from the film ‘O Brother,
Where Art Thou?’
Some of the most influential
sites no longer follow an oldschool
blog approach. They’ll
have players that stream a
song constantly - once one’s
had its time, out steps the
next, completely unknown
track. This is a recent
extension of having music
available anywhere, all the
time. SoundCloud will plug
a “related” song right after
the previous one’s finished.
Habits have changed, but
the way listeners experience
new music hasn’t. It’s in these
rare moments of hearing
something for the first time,
in a novel way, that discovery
in 2014 seems especially
exciting.
Radio still retains its ability to
play songs without context
- as soon as a station is
switched on, a listener could
be exposed to a song midway
through its play. There’s
no rewinding back - if they
enjoy it, they’re just going to
listen out for the title at the
end. “It’s the purest medium
of listening to something,”
claims Marcus from
Thumpers. “When new artists
come out and everyone’s
mysterious to begin with,
that’s why to do it because
for once - ever - you get to
choose your own context,
otherwise someone else
chooses it for you.”
This “pure form” of listening
isn’t just limited to radio.
Video game soundtracks
aren’t always acknowledged
as such, but they’re probably
as big a ‘tastemaker’ as
the average blog or radio
DJ. Often it’s when you’re
immersed in one thing that
a song can spring up out of
nowhere and have a major
impact. So whether it’s
executing ambitious football
transfer plans on FIFA or
cruising the streets of Liberty
City in Grand Theft Auto,
soundtracks creep into the
conscience.
Music Supervisor at Electronic
Arts, Steve Schnur, lists off the
figure that 15 million copies
of FIFA 14 were released,
localised in 18 language,
available in more than 50
countries. “A FIFA soundtrack
represents globalized music
like it’s never been done
before.” Not only is the
means of exposure a fairly
new thing when it comes
to game soundtracks, the
sheer breadth of the music
introduced is greater than
ever. “There is no radio single,
music video or endorsement
deal that can compare to the
instantaneous and extended
exposure our soundtracks
provide,” boasts Steve.
These soundtracks are a
modern day sensation. The
same applies for Shazam,
its ability to identify new
music on demand. Both are
united in the experience of
discovery being a process of
being caught unawares. The
choice might look limitless,
but from a basic point of view,
they’re two-fold. Old-school
methods mix with new.
The experience of being
prompted with music, being
52 diymag.com

#THISISDIYDISCO//VERY
“Recommendations
from friends
always end up
being bet ter
than all thes e
automated music
services” Jacob -
Pigeons & Planes
able to dig into Motown or krautrock in the space
of 10 seconds, is incredible. But the same applies
to the sensation of being knocked back by music
when it’s least expected.
WHAT’S IN A
SOUNDTRACK?
Steve Schnur from EA has the amazing job of being
able to pick songs for a soundtrack. His influence
is bigger than ever, and here he discusses how his
role’s changed over the years.
When selecting music for soundtracks, what limits
are in place?
When selecting music for EA soundtracks, there are
no limits. In fact, we have the opportunity to re-write
geographical and music genre borders each and every
time. The music we choose has to represent emerging
sounds, has to anticipate trends, has to move the
needle on first listen, and has to do it all on a global
scale. And as long as artists – whether unknown acts or
established stars – are making new music, the pool from
which we can license is both worldwide and boundless.
Simply put, our soundtracks have changed the game.
And will continue to.
There’s a lot of anticipation for the unveiling of a
soundtrack on EA - Has that always been the case?
Thirteen years ago, I came to EA from a successful career
in the record industry because of the opportunities the
videogame medium presented. I envisioned that EA’s
soundtracks could become what radio and MTV used
to be: The place where fans could discover great new
music and established artists could find new audiences,
all within the context of an interactive entertainment
experience. The symbiosis, I’m proud to say, changed
both gaming and music forever.
What lies next appears to be a mix
of the two extremes. Algorithms
are getting more precise. Spotify
has just purchased the Echo Nest,
the most intelligent database of music out there.
Whereas today the platform might recommend
Arcade Fire next to Radiohead, unlikely faces are
more likely to crop up in the future. “People like to
try and pitch human vs. computer recommendation
as black and white. Of course it isn’t, and we know
that,” says Spotify’s Mark Williamson. “We’re
being greedy. We want the best of both. We want
to utilise the breadth and scale that algorithmic
recommendations can bring and seamlessly
combine it with the personal touch, emotion and
surprise that a personal recommendation delivers.”
The most important point is made by Jacob from
Pigeons & Planes. Despite being offered endless
possibility, the influence of word-of-mouth remains
the same. Anyone can listen to a song on Spotify,
Shazam something they like or wear out their FIFA
disc because they like the new CHVRCHES track. But
there’s a next step that’s almost ignored in this big
debate about discovery.
For a song to progress and get exposed to millions,
word has to spread. And despite blogs and DJs
and music supervisors all having their own impact,
it’s a friend that can have the biggest say. “I’ve
tried to surround myself with people who love
music as much as I do, and recommendations from
friends always end up being better than all these
automated music services,” says Jacob. “When your
friend comes to you with a new song she loves and
you can hear the excitement in her voice when
she’s talking about it, that’s so much more real and
fun.” DIY
53

#THISISDIY
BRITPACK
T HIS FAIR IS LE HAS ALWAYS BEEN BR ILLIANT WHEN IT COM E S T O
P UNCHING ABOV E ITS WEIGHT IN THE M U S IC S TAKES . F O R THE FIRST TIM E
IN A WHILE, THOUGH, S O M ETHING BIGGER S EEMS TO BE HAPPE N I N G -
A S WELL OF BANDS WHO, TOGETHER , AR E CONV E R T I N G A W H O L E N E W
GENER ATION TO A LIFE OF CHEAP CID E R , LATE NIGHTS AND S WEATY
V ENUES . P EACE AR E LEAD ING THE CHAR GE.
THE GODFATHERS
pEacE
First time around Peace blazed a trail of psychedelic
colours and discarded coats that allowed others to
follow. Now they’re back with album two, and they’re in
no mood for taking things slowly.
Words: El Hunt, Photos: Mike Massaro.
54 diymag.com

#THISISDIYPEACE
55

#THISISDIYPEACE
It doesn’t seem
five minutes ago
that DIY Class of
2013 alumni Peace
were releasing
‘In Love’, and in
this case, it isn’t
just time playing
its old tricks.
Since last March’s
debut release,
they have been touring extensively
across the world and packing
tents out at festivals, and just over
a year on, they’ve got a second
album mastered and ready to go.
For a band with such a tranquil
name, Peace don’t seem to allow
themselves a moment of the stuff.
“We always want to be working at
a pace,” agrees the band’s guitarist
Doug Castle, “[and] we felt, even
recording [the second album], that
it was going too slow.” “I don’t think
I’ve spent as much time on anything,
or anyone,” ponders drummer Dom
Boyce, solemnly. “Apart from FIFA.
Think about that. A heavy thought.”
The majority of Peace’s as-of-yet
untitled second album was written
while touring ‘In Love’ last summer,
jokes frontman Harry Koisser,
because he was “being awkward
or annoying” after their label,
Columbia, told them that writing
on the road could be difficult. “In
some twisted way I was probably
trying to wind someone up,” he says,
and “I probably thought it would
get on someone’s nerves if I wrote
the album on the road.” In reality
though, trying a different approach
worked. “I think because we did
the first record so quickly I was still
inspired,” he says, “the momentum
was still going.”
“I think we’re blessed that we’ve
never travelled before,” he adds,
“because, hold on, we’ve got a
bit of perspective here, I’ve seen
something else. It’s unlocked
something. Who knows what the
next thing is going to be?” Touring
together was a bit of a musical gap
year for the band, apparently. “The
album’s front cover is going to be
one of those sky lanterns that you
put a candle under,” laughs Dom.
Constantly touring and seeing new
places, in all seriousness, gave Peace
the space to develop as a band. “I
think to stay doing good stuff you’ve
got to kind of evolve, you can’t stay
doing the same thing,” says Harry.
“I hate to bring it up, but you know
in Pokémon, there’s three different
incarnations, and they get stronger
and stronger? Well, each band is
different. We’re on our way to being
a Charizard mate.”
Dom snorts derisively and points
at Harry’s newly-dyed flame-red
hair. “Look at him, he’s dressed as
Charmeleon today. He’s turning
into Charizard!” Harry disagrees,
however. “I’m dressed like Misty
today. And you’re Ditto,” he adds.
Dom looks profoundly offended.
“The squibbly mess?!” Sam Koisser
looks on quietly, before adding that
Doug’s “looking very Squirtle today,
with the turtle-neck.”
Despite Harry’s Misty-inspired
outfit, and the band’s reputation
for possessing a lustrous array of
spangly garments, there were some
“dark times” for Peace during their
gruelling tour schedule; times far
more grave, in Harry’s opinion, than
band arguments or missed flights.
The constant jet lag that came with
touring in Asia and Australia had a
remarkable effect on his very nature.
“My hair was so long,” he says with
genuine disgust in his voice, “I
had stubble, and I was wearing a
t-shirt. A t-shirt,” he repeats slowly,
“you know what I mean? I’d walk
around in a t-shirt, it was like, what’s
happening? This isn’t right.” Dom
doesn’t look as perturbed by Harry’s
fashion faux pas, however. “You flew
Doc Brown,” laughs Sam, while Harry
continues to look slightly shaken
by the experience of recounting his
cotton basics wearing days. “No,
Doc Brown was on my way back up,”
replies Dom, unveiling his theory of
why jet lag might’ve caused Harry’s
usual affinity for paisley trousers
and glittery turtlenecks to unravel.
“If you fly somewhere and you
go forward in time, and then you
immediately go back, you will arrive
before you left. Don’t try and work
it out,” he advises knowingly, “you
won’t be able to.”
Over the past year the band feel like
they have developed a great deal,
and this new album is the result.
“Before,” says Harry, “we didn’t know
what we were doing. Playing live
“ J u s t s h u t
u p a n d b e
e n t h u s i a s t i c
a b o u t s t u f f,
b e f u c k i n g
positive!”
H a r r y
Koisser
56 diymag.com

#THISISDIYPEACE
57

#THISISDIYPEACE
THE
GODFATHERS
LOOK OUT FOR: Their second
album, due later this year.
SEE THEM LIVE: Truck, Reading &
Leeds, on a UK tour this June.
BRITPACK PEACE
“ I t ’ s
s h o w b i z ,
I f u c k i n g
h at e t h at
s h i t.
F u c k i n g
twats.”
H a r r y
Koisser
58 diymag.com

I felt strongest when we locked into a kind of groove. I look
at the guitars, swirly and colourful, and this locked-in bass,
which I guess comes from funk,” he laughs, “or something,
right? We all felt that was what we were about. I haven’t
thought of a name yet. A very colourful lovely mess, kind of
like if you put milk in soap and food colouring.”
Understandably everyone seems very confused, so Harry
takes out his phone purposefully. “I’ll google it now. There
you go, third up, it’s called magic milk. This is what I wanted
the guitar to sound like.” The background music playing in
the studio suddenly seems more dramatic as the rest of the
band gather round and watch Harry’s new favourite video.
“Get out of here!” shouts Dom, as the milk dances around
and bursts into colourful shapes, “what’s going on?” “It’s very
intense isn’t it?” asks Harry. “The sprinkling over the top of a
real strong heavy groove. Then I just had to write some songs
about something, and apply it to that. Maybe magic milk is
our genre?”
“There was a Northern Soul thing going on, too,” adds Sam,
once the hubbub around magic milk has subsided. “Oh god,”
laughs Harry, “about midway through writing I tried to sway it
into being a Northern Soul record. Our tour manager used to
go out to the bloody all-nighters at Wigan Casino, so he was
playing it in the dressing room, all this obscure stuff I hadn’t
heard before. I got my dad’s mate, a proper old Northern Soul
boy, to make me a massive mix of his favourite rare tracks, and
I’m really into that. I tried to write a song like ‘I Really Love You’
by The Tomangoes and couldn’t get it right. I scrapped the
whole thing. But there’s definitely a bit in there, I wanted to
keep it as soulful as possible. Bit of heart, bit of soul. You don’t
want to just be singing about crap, do you?”
Just writing about crap, Harry readily admits, is something
that he wanted to avoid as much as possible. “I’d given it the
massive one about how I was going to learn to write songs
properly,” he laughs. “So I thought, oh fuck, I’m actually going
to have to do this. I wanted to, though, I really wanted to. I
think this is probably something that every songwriter goes
through privately, or doesn’t particularly feel like they should
boast about, but it felt pretty good. I focused a little bit more.
It’s what my school teachers used to say, ‘you do the minimum
to get by’. My Mum sent me my school report the other day,
for music, and it said that I wasn’t trying hard enough, I wasn’t
taking part in the singing with all the other students. Ironic
really.”
Peace might’ve captured the essence of magic milk from their
live show, but this album, they explain, is more experimental
than the debut, from a studio perspective. “We’re always
going to be a band orientated towards the live shows,” says
Harry, “but there’s more experiment.” Dom agrees. “I think
since the first [album] we’ve become slightly more educated
with our instruments, how we want them to sound, the
interesting things we can do with that, in a studio. I didn’t
know anything about that the first time around.” They have
also, they add, become better at navigating the industry.
“We’re aware of the logistical side of it now, the label politics
and how the industry works, not being as naïve,” says Harry.
“It’s showbiz, I fucking hate that shit. Fucking twats. There’s
just this front on everything... total sugar-coated bullshit.
Smoke and mirrors, mate!”
Is that what the first single from this second record, ‘Money’,
is about, then? “Not really” says Harry, perhaps slightly
unconvincingly. “I don’t think there’s any sort of bitter stuff
on the record. We’ve
reserved those thoughts for
ourselves. Indulgence. It’s
the only thing I have left,
being grumpy by myself”.
Dom takes one look at the
huge amounts of dry ice
billowing across the room
from the band’s photoshoot
and laughs. “Plenty of
smoke,” he observes, “but
not enough mirrors. There’s
only one. Smoke and mirror.”
Although Peace are quick to
point out that they can only
speak for themselves, and
not other bands, there’s no
denying that a large factor
in their success was the fact
that they were part of a
scene; notoriously dubbed
B-Town, and revolving
around a group of bands
who all knew one another,
playing gigs in Birmingham.
Call it marketing spiel,
or something real that is
happening, but it provided
a catalyst for the explosion
of British talent that’s since
come to pass.
“[B-Town] probably did
exist, it probably does exist
actually,” says Harry. “To
deny that is such a fucked
thing to do. There was a
group of bands that all
shared an extended fanbase,
all playing in the same
places, similar social circles.
Sure, it was a joke, me and
Cav [from Swim Deep] were
saying, as a word, and I’m
sure it pissed off old people
from Birmingham. It’s pretty
fucked to be embarrassed
about it, though, what’s the
problem? Everyone gets all
pissy.”
“I don’t understand,” he
adds, “there’s something in
the water in the Midlands
that makes people be really
self-deprecating sometimes.
It’s like, just shut up and be
enthusiastic about stuff, be
fucking positive! People
don’t like scenes in the
Midlands, I don’t know why.
I never got why people who
I see complaining about
the lack of attention to
Birmingham in the music
press before, as soon as we
#THISISDIYPEACE
were doing well, they were
just like, fuck that. You know,
what are you on about? ‘This
B-Town scene? Having none
of this!’
“We kind of helped it
happen, by getting signed
and being rad,” sniggers
Harry, “but we went on tour
as soon as we got signed,
and that was the point
when that whole thing was
invented. Never got to sort
of go round Birmingham
being like, we own this
town.” “It’s good for what
it’s done,” reasons Doug.
“Getting people to go to
shows in Birmingham was
always quite difficult, and
now everyone’s interested
in bands, and starting
up bands. It’s got people
enthusiastic.”
Doug has a point. In an
industry that is quick to
point out the rising levels
of illegal downloading, the
difficulties breaking-even
touring, and the financial
prospects of music – all very
real issues - Peace prompt
queues of young fans lined
up round the block to get
into their free shows, crazed
scenes of crowds being held
back by human security
barriers; “well-dressed and
slightly out of place fans,”
laughs Dom. You can detect
excitement around their
music. It makes those hazy
memories of sneaking into
venues to see your favourite
bands as a teenager seem
just five minutes ago, too;
anxiously waiting for your
mum to stop using the
landline so that dial-up,
and Myspace, would work.
This energy surrounding
Peace especially seems to
come from younger fans,
and it’s something that the
band feels a responsibility
towards. “It is cool,” says
Harry. “I feel like I want to
step up and be a really good
band for people of that age
to get into, and really give
something back.” DIY
59

#THISISDIYWOLF ALICE
Reach out and grab it: The
future’s bright for Wolf Alice.
60 diymag.com

#THISISDIY
BRITPACK
WOLF ALICE
NEXT IN LINE TO THE THRONE
Songs get louder, ideas more refined, shows increasingly packed and day by day Wolf
Alice become a more important band. Ready to take on the festivals, desperate to get into
the studio to record their first album - there’s no stopping one of the UK’s best acts from
giving good on their early promise. If there’s anyone leading the charge, it’s Wolf Alice.
Words: Emma Swann, Photos: Mike Massaro.
61

#THISISDIYWOLF ALICE
Wolf Alice like to talk. They like to
talk about how they met a racist
punk while in Belgium recording EP
‘Creature Songs’. They like to talk
about the golden wellies guitarist
Joff Oddie found on the street
outside his house and subsequently
had stolen. They talk about the boy in Scotland who spent
an entire gig with his arm outstretched towards vocalist Ellie
Rowsell, the fact bassist Theo Ellis didn’t know who any of the
Manic Street Preachers were before their stint supporting the
legendary Welsh rockers (“I felt really bad,” he explains, “they
were absolutely lovely to us”). Drummer Joel Amey likes to talk
about just about everything: James Dean Bradfield is “cool as
fuck”, Lisa Simpson “a babe”, and tour mates Superfood are
“lovely”. But when posed with the inevitable question as to
when an album’s going to come from the brilliantly grungy
north London quartet? “Recording later in the year,” laughs
Joff. “... and coming out after it’s recorded,” interrupts Joel, as
the foursome giggle awkwardly.
Wolf Alice have a full summer ahead anyway – there’s no time
to head into the studio between their UK headline tour and
the autumn. Glastonbury sees them playing their biggest
festival show to date, a “massive” (in Theo’s words) moment for
a band who’ve experienced nothing but steps-up and added
validations since they started out two years back.
A tour with Superfood has just seen two of the UK’s brightest
sparks light the same fuse. Wolf Alice are the grungier, elder
siblings given the billing, but the tour had been a long time
coming. Ellie had already seen the Birmingham band countless
times, but when on the road she admits “they’re spurring us
on.” - “They’re playing before us and it’s so well-rehearsed
and tight. If you’re playing after them, there’s no room for
mistakes.”
Together, Wolf Alice and Superfood represent just a small
portion of a surge in UK music that carries a genuine cause. It’s
tangible. “I don’t know if this is the first time I’ve followed new
music for quite a long time and also because we’re in more of
a position to notice these things, but there’s definitely lots of
bands doing the same thing,” claims Ellie.
“There’s definitely something cool happening, I’ve thought
that for quite a long time. I know when I was a younger fan,
when I saw two bands that I really loved touring together, it
was really exciting; another thing to follow.”
S
old out shows and exciting joint tours might have been
a long time coming, but the beginning of 2014 marked
a new chapter for Wolf Alice. Theo describes signing to
Dirty Hit as “a massive relief,”
and his expression tells the
same story.
“We didn’t think anyone
was going to sign us,” he
laughs. “Also, it’s meant
we’ve been given the ability
to have more time than some
other bands get with their
first record; to really think
about it, consolidate it. It
meant that we knew we’d
get to make a record.” They
all laugh. “At one point we
were thinking of doing a
Kickstarter!”
“We would have done it
anyway”, asserts Joff, “there’s
no way we wouldn’t. But
it’s nice to know we’ve got
enough money behind us to
make...”
Theo continues, “...the album
we want to make, as well.
Not just a version of what we
could.”
Dirty Hit didn’t exactly
pay pennies, but its roster
is small. Each of its acts
receives an unprecedented
amount of attention. It’s a
label magnetic to snobbery,
in a sense. Their most well
known name is The 1975,
a band who picked up
scathing reviews left, right
and centre last year but
who are, indisputably, one
of the biggest groups in the
country. “They gain stigmas
for things they shouldn’t gain
stigmas for,” says Theo. “They
did it their way and it’s pretty
cool. They’re a real tenacious
label and we really admire
that.”
It was important, the four
agree, to get ‘Creature Songs’
out of their system before
embarking on a full-length
proper. Not only because
the songs themselves had
been hanging around for
quite some time, but also to
get used to a proper studio
mindset. Before heading
to Belgium to work with
producer Catherine J. Marks
on the EP, they’d only ever
recorded in one place – right
in the middle of Soho.
“It’s good to draw a line
under something”, adds Joff,
“it’s nice to get some songs
out that might not have got
on the album as well, some of
the songs that we really like.”
“It was vital to do an
EP, looking back on it,”
continues Joel, “I didn’t want
to do it to start with, but
I don’t think we would’ve
known what we would have
done with an album if we
didn’t have that little burst
of recording somewhere
different, and working with
someone else. If our first
experience of that had been
making the album, I think
the first week of making the
album would’ve been very
different to how it could be.
And the songs have turned
out far better. I thought they
were good, don’t get me
wrong, we wouldn’t have
done it if they weren’t good,
but it was definitely up in our
estimations.”
‘Creature Songs’ follows a
Wolf Alice pattern in one
sense. The songs go from
loud to quiet, the band
showcasing their two brilliant
extremes. ‘Storms’ into
‘Heavenly Creatures’ is, in the
band’s words, “the night out”
and then “the hangover”.
Working with Marks was
their first experience of
letting another producer into
their world. It wasn’t a weird
experience, Ellie insists. “I
actually thought it was really
natural.” Conceding control
they might have been, but
it didn’t exactly feel like
someone was budging in,
adding their own take on
things. “There’s only so much
you can do and know,” Theo
admits. “She made us sound
big. I think we’re all really
proud of it.”
“I was surprised in how
exactly the same our ideas
were. There wasn’t really
much of a problem for me
at all. I don’t know if it’s just
luck that we had the same
ideas,” continues Ellie.
They also all agree on how
much they’ve changed as
62 diymag.com

#THISISDIYWOLF ALICE
“
“ T HERE’S NO ROOM
FOR MISTAKES.” E LLIE ROWSELL
“
63

#THISISDIYWOLF ALICE
THERE’S
DEFINITELY
SOMETHING
COOL
HAPPENING.
ELLIE ROWSELL
a band in the past year. “We’re always changing, aren’t we?” asks Joel,
somewhat hypothetically - Ellie having already pointed to one Twitter user
berating the noisy nature of Wolf Alice’s newest material (“Fuck Wolf Alice”,
she quotes the message posted, “I wish they were a fucking folk band
again, they’re shit now!”). For the majority, the band’s progression hasn’t
been that much of a surprise - the moment they played one of DIY’s ‘Hello
2013’ shows, they stood out as something special. But the momentum
they’ve carried and the sheer scale at which they’ve progressed has been
uncharacteristic - it’s hard to pinpoint another band getting better and
better, again and again, before even releasing an album.
In the beginning, everything was played out in the spotlight. “We never
turned down shows, we just played as many as possible - our first really
shit shows are online from really crap camera phone videos. We didn’t
really hide anything,” says Ellie. That’s why the four of them - essentially a
new band, by definition - look like seasoned pros in comparison to other
members of the Brit Pack.
“As a part of the journey for Wolf Alice, we’ve always done things in public.
It’s not like it’s taken us a long time to make an album, it’s just that other
Joff does his best to recreate
the World Cup 2014 logo.
WOLF
ALICE:
NEXT
IN LINE
TO THE
THRONE
LOOK OUT FOR:
The ‘Creature Songs’
EP is out now - a
debut album is
being recorded
this autumn. It’s
expected late 2014
/ early 2015 on Dirty
Hit.
SEE THEM LIVE:
Glastonbury,
Reading & Leeds.
BRITPACK
64 diymag.com

#THISISDIYBRITPACK
bands have had time away
from the internet. They’ve
been able to plan everything
and then jump into an album
campaign. With us, it was like
‘Oh, we’ve got a song’ and we’d
put it online. Everything was
there to see.”
There was an itch to dive
headfirst into album releases,
a label deal, big festival
appearances - but taking time
is paying its dues. This summer,
things finally appear close to
falling into place. When Ellie
first went to Glastonbury -
and she admits the story is
“cheesy” - she saw The Horrors
playing The Park Stage and
immediately told herself: “‘Ok,
you just have to make sure that
one day you play Glastonbury.
It doesn’t matter where, what
stage or what time - just
do it.’” She wasn’t even in a
band at the time, but that
determination seems to steer
the whole group. Watching
them on stage, they’re clearly
having fun but there’s an edge
to their work that doesn’t just
come from mucking about.
Summer might not witness an
album proper, then, but it’s a
huge - probably the biggest -
step in the band’s career so far.
Whereas last year the group
had to put a halt on the sheer
speed at which they were
moving, now they’re seizing
every opportunity they’re
being offered. “I was really
jealous of all the bands last
year who were playing Reading
& Leeds and Glastonbury,”
she admits. “I was asking,
‘Why aren’t we playing it?’
But it’s probably worked
out for the best. We’re a lot
more practiced now. So it’s a
hundred times more exciting.”
This’ll be the first of many
Glasto spots for the band.
Once an album’s out, goodness
knows what they’re capable of
achieving. Nothing’s standing
in Wolf Alice’s way. As Ellie
asserts: “We’ve waited for this
moment.” DIY
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
Wolf Alice will play at
2000trees. See
diymag.com
for details.
BRITPACK
There are plenty more bands joining the Brit Pack. Here’s a
few of the names leading the charge...
THE SWEETHEARTS
SWIM DEEP
First they escaped Birmingham. Then they escaped the ‘B-Town’ tag. After that, they began to
escape dogged criticism by expanding their immediate sound into more curious, gorgeous
territory. Pianos started filtering into the mix, tracks began to sound ambitious - debut
‘Where The Heaven Are We’ only began to showcase this. Album number two could be the
making of them, especially given last year’s superb showing at the festivals.
Austin Williams (frontman): “We just want to do something that’s fun. It’s really hard to
explain without sounding all pretentious. We just want to convey the message that your life
can be boring and shit and it’s good to get outside and do more fun shit with your life.”
SEE THEM LIVE: Isle of Wight Festival, Truck.
THE RUNAROUNDS
PALMA VIOLETS
Last time DIY spoke to Palma Violets, Peter Mayhew from the band said the others were
“probably off doing drugs.” Stumble upon them at a festival and they’ll just be stumbling
more. Check out any insane, arm-flailing secret gig and one of the members will be in
attendance, the first to crowdsurf. In the time between debut ‘180’ and their upcoming
second album, Palma Violets have just got more insane, more capable of giving a genuine
cause to an old-fashioned racket. Famously signed on a masterful whim by Rough Trade,
their time is fast approaching - they’re a band on the brink of seeing their potential fulfilled.
Chilli Jesson (frontman): “When we write the songs we write it as if we’re going to perform
them - our friends are going to jump around to them. The thing we like most about being in a
band is playing live. That’s the best. But the chicks too, the chicks are great.”
LOOK OUT FOR: A new album this summer via Rough Trade.
65

#THISISDIYBRITPACK
THE DREAMERS
TEMPLES
Eyes closed, heads raised to the
sky - when Temples play live they’re
seeing through their psych fantasies.
It’s an inclusive experience. Getting
swept up in their waves of reverb
and expansive keys isn’t exactly
a challenge. If there’s one group
capable of being the breakthrough
act at festivals over the summer, it’s
Temples. Their debut album ‘Sun
Structures’ might’ve come out in
February, but it was tailor-made for
this season.
BRITPACK
Tom Warmsley (bass): “Psych is more
of an interpretation of feeling than
a style, personal to an individual.
But it’s become an umbrella for lots
of different genres. There are no
rules, really. It’s never been better,
technology, the retrospective of
music we have, nostalgia is just
as curious as anything alien and
futurist. It’s timeless. [And] it’s a
feeling that you can’t replicate, to
actually experience music living
and breathing in front of you, and
psychedelic music thrives on that.”
LOOK OUT FOR: Debut album ‘Sun
Structures’ is out now on Heavenly.
SEE THEM LIVE: Field Day,
Glastonbury, Latitude, Reading &
Leeds.
THE EVIL
SIBLINGS
DRENGE
Every time Drenge play live, they
sound more sinister, more capable
of destruction than ever. They also
appear to despise each other that
little bit more. Eoin and Rory Loveless can often be found
throwing drumsticks, towels, cups of beer in each other’s
direction. It all comes part in parcel with a band on a roll,
stepping up in every regard. Add political endorsements and
Kanye meets into the equation and we’re clearly witnessing a
band on the up.
Eoin Loveless: “You start a band and you do shows and more
and more people come to your shows and you get more
recognised. And that is the world of getting big. If you wanna
confuse it with the world of celebrity then by all means go
ahead. But it’s something we’re completely not interested in.”
THE UPSTARTS
SUPERFOOD
With Teletext subscriptions and
multi-coloured cheerios pouring
out of their sleeves, Superfood
embrace their childish instincts.
They’ve just supported Wolf Alice on the road, essentially
making for 2014’s most exciting tour of the year so far. The
Birmingham-hailing four-piece have plenty more to give.
Dom Ganderton (frontman): “Some of the bands around in
the ‘90s were the last, great British bands. For people to say
it sounds ‘90s, it’s obviously not because we were all born in
1991. When we release our album, they might see it’s not our
main aim to be ‘90s. All of our songs are so different. Maybe
people will see us doing it forever.”
LOOK OUT FOR: A debut album due out later this year.
SEE THEM LIVE: Truck Festival, Secret Garden Party.
LOOK OUT FOR: A second album due out in 2014.
66 diymag.com

#THISISDIYBRITPACK
THE CHARMERS
CIRCA WAVES
It’s impossible to knock Liverpool four-piece
Circa Waves. Their jagged, jaunty take on
things isn’t a gigantic ground-breaker by
any stretch, but it’s hard to find anything
more immediate than the songs they’re
sporting. A triple-espresso shot? Quite
possibly. A tour with Interpol and a big deal
with Transgressive have given them serious
momentum.
Kieran Shuddall (frontman): “We’re going
to do an indie record and we want to make
something sonically interesting. When you
listen to Bloc Party’s first album [‘Silent
Alarm’], essentially they’re pop songs and
they’re in an incredible sonic surrouWnding.
It’s about making it more interesting, not just
going straight down the indie line. You’ve got
to build an interesting sound for an album.”
LOOK OUT FOR: A debut album out in
January 2015 via Transgressive.
SEE THEM LIVE: Glastonbury Festival and
Reading & Leeds.
THE DEADLY DUO
ROYAL BLOOD
The full Royal Blood experience boils down
to seeing them live. On record, the force is
colossal, but wait for it to expose itself live.
Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher fill gigantic
venues like it’s a natural instinct. Imagining
the group on a bigger scale - in festival
tents and arenas - makes summer 2014 an
incredible prospect. Best of all? They’re just a
pair of pop-obsessed softies.
Mike Kerr (vocals, guitar): “I think our band
sounds like a collaboration between our
different influences but not necessarily our
mutual ones. We were saying the other day,
if it was all in Ben’s hands, it would go a lot
popper, but if it was in my hands it would
probably go all psychedelic and silly. I think
that marriage of the two is equal to what we
do in this.”
LOOK OUT FOR: A debut album due out this
summer via Warner.
SEE THEM LIVE: Glastonbury, Reading &
Leeds and supporting Pixies in Manchester.
THE
GRUNGERS
THE
WYTCHES
Do not mess with The
Wytches. Follow three
simple rules: 1) Don’t just
stand there with arms
folded at their shows. 2)
Don’t call them a psych
band. 3) Embrace their
fuzzy grunge and you’ll do
just fine.
Kristian Bell (frontman):
“When I think of
psychedelic music, I think
of like, flower people and
happy stuff. We’re much
darker. I think people hear
that Egyptian-y style scale
I use for a lot of my guitar
riffs, and maybe the reverb
and delay effects on my
guitar, and immediately
think ‘psychedelic’. But
I don’t think that’s very
accurate of how we
sound.”
LOOK OUT FOR: Debut
album ‘Annabel Dream
Reader’, out 25th August
via Heavenly.
SEE THEM LIVE: Field Day,
Beacons and Bestival.
67

ALEXIS TAYLOR / CANDY H EAR TS / CEREBR AL BALLZY / CLEAN BANDIT /
DRESS WELL / HOWLING B ELLS / JACK WHITE / KASABIAN / KLAXONS / KYL A
/ RÖYKS OPP & ROBYN / SAM SMITH / THE ANTLERS / THE GR EAT ES CAPE / T H E
trackLIST
1. Three Women
2. Lazaretto
3. Temporary Ground
4. Would You Fight For
My Love?
5. High Ball Stepper
6. Just One Drink
7. Alone In My Home
8. Entitlement
9. That Black Bat
Licorice
10. I Think I Found The
Culprit
11. Want And Able
T wo years to make? Synths? Will the real Jack
eeee
JACK
WHITE
Lazaretto
(Third Man / XL)
ack White doesn’t take two years to
Jmake an album. Jack White retires to
his shed in Nashville, and returns twenty
minutes later, reel of tape in hand, ready to
waltz down to the pressing plant to release a
7-inch record the next week. And yet here’s
‘Lazaretto’. Recorded between 2012 and
2014, written using 19-year-old White’s short
stories, performed with various synthesisers
and even including the word “digital” - surely
a first for a man whose lyrics usually live in
about 1940 – it shouldn’t be a Jack White
record. And yet it couldn’t be anything but.
Let’s be honest - opening with such dubious
lyrics as those of ‘Three Women’ is one hell
of a risk. It might be a re-working of a Blind
Willie McTell number from 1928, but even
for a man whose entire career is built on
‘relaying’ the blues, White’s in murky waters.
If it’s supposed to be third-party storytelling
or even parody, those references to Detroit,
Nashville and redheads aren’t helping him
get that message across.
His signature guitar licks are scattered
throughout, and while none are as
immediate or as punky as ‘Blunderbuss’’
68 diymag.com

F I RST AI D K IT / FUCKED UP / GLASS ANIMALS / H IT T HE DECK / HOW TO
L A GRANGE / LIVE AT LEEDS / LIVERPOOL S OUND CITY / PARQUET C OUR TS
ORWELLS / THE PAINS OF BEING PUR E AT HEAR T / TOM VEK / WHITE LUNG
White please stand up?
‘Sixteen Saltines’, ‘Lazaretto’ feels more guitar-based
as a whole – most excitingly on instrumental ‘High
Ball Stepper’. There’s a smattering of White’s Nashville
environs too – the country-style female vocals
joining in on ‘Temporary Ground’ are sublime, and
on ‘That Black Bat Licorice’, an outstanding, hip-hop
indebted number, even stretch as far as getting
their own introduction. “Now say the same damn
thing with the violin” is surely a contender for 2014’s
Timberlake “drums” moment.
That ‘Want and Able’ is, we’re told, the self-styled
sibling to ‘Effect and Cause’ on ‘Icky Thump’ comes
as little surprise; there’s much of ‘Lazaretto’ – the
soft repetition, the swirling Americana, the frequent
lyrical references to ghosts – that echoes those
last two White Stripes records. And still there’s
so much more going on here. In taking his time,
mining old material of his own as well as others’,
swapping and switching personnel between sessions
and embracing a little more of the 21st Century,
‘Lazaretto’ is perhaps the most conventionally
made of White’s back catalogue. And for an artist as
brilliantly unconventional as he, could prove itself
more of a test than any of its predecessors. A test
passed with flying colours (or at least various shades
of blue). (Emma Swann) LISTEN: ‘That Black Bat
Licorice’
DIY AT THE
FESTIVALS
Jack White will play
at Open’er. See
diymag.com
for details.
69

reviews
eeee
FIRST AID KIT
Stay Gold (Columbia)
A resounding success.
It’s a cheap trick to throw the “maturity” label
at a band who started in their mid-teens, but
the progress of First Aid Kit these past few
years has been nothing short of remarkable.
There’s still the same bright-eyed wonder that
defined their debut, but the difference on third
album, ‘Stay Gold’, is that despite opener ‘My
Silver Lining’’s sense of hope, this is an album
showcasing a more sombre take on things.
Klara and Johanna are fighting off the cynicism
that tends to bite anybody entering their early
twenties. Fortunately they fight through, coining
big-hearted songs that breeze straight past
bummed out despondency. If this doesn’t take
the Swedes into higher realms, nothing will. As
surefire a bet for bigger things as there’ll ever be,
it’s a resounding success. (Jamie Milton) LISTEN:
‘The Bell’
ee
CLEAN BANDIT
New Eyes (Atlantic)
Eccentricity has always been at the
core of Clean Bandit, their revolving
door vocal duties warranting
them a billing as a kind of classical
Basement Jaxx. ‘New Eyes’ however,
feels like they’re attempting to move
away from their roots. ‘Come Over’
is a slickly-produced tubthumper
that sounds like it’s been scraped up
off the bottom of a Malia swimming
pool. The hashed sentiment is
studied, their new target market is
in view and yes, they’re sunburnt,
preened and glugging something
that’s both potent and luminous.
(James West) LISTEN: ‘Telephone
Banking’
ee
KYLA LA GRANGE
Cut Your Teeth
(ioki / Sony)
Perhaps it’s the delay in release,
but it’s hard to shake the idea
that more was expected of Kyla
La Grange’s second album, ‘Cut
Your Teeth’. While tracks like the
tropical single ‘The Knife’ are
great, with steel drums and crisp
beats, the album as a whole just
isn’t. There’s a promising string
of songs in the second half of the
record: Kyla La Grange still has a
voice you want to listen to, but
two albums in, it seems like she’s
still searching for the best music to
set it to. (Coral Williamson) LISTEN:
‘I’ll Call For You’
70 diymag.com

q&A
DIY’s
Dominique
Sisley
questions
Glass Animals’
frontman,
Dave Bayley.
While Drew
and Edmund
studied
music, you
didn’t, did
you?
My studies were
pretty much
opposite to
anything to do
with music, I did
neuroscience. I
think it definitely
contributed
to the lyrics. I
spent a lot of
time around
psychiatric
patients, they
just have these
really amazing,
really strange
stories that stick
with you. I think
some of those
come through in
the words of the
songs.
Your lyrics
are a bit...
abstract,
aren’t they?
A lot of it ends up
being stream of
consciousness,
it’s really weird
- I’ll just be
nodding off late
at night, about to
go to bed, and I’ll
just get a couple
of sentences in
my head that
flow really well
and have a cool
rhythm to them.
DIY
eeee
GLASS
ANIMALS
ZABA (Wolf Tone / Caroline)
An often scintillating
debut.
It’s been said before, but it’s something
of an inescapable truth; Glass Animals
couldn’t be much closer to Alt-J.
Not only do they mirror the Mercury
Prize winners’ aesthetic, but each of
‘ZABA’’s 11 tracks are swathed in similar
ear-pricking instrumentation, while
frontman Dave Bayley’s off-kilter croon
is more than a little reminiscent of Joe
Newman’s. On ‘ZABA’ however, Glass
Animals defy their virginal status. Only
time will tell if their craft is a learned
concoction of some obvious influencers
or something truly special, but at the
very least it’s an attention-worthy foray,
the kind that brilliantly compliments
those other genre-defining albums
under the studious indie umbrella.
(James West) LISTEN: ‘Hazey’
eeee
CEREBRAL BALLZY
Jaded and Faded
(Cult Records)
Produced by Dave Sitek and released
on Julian Casablancas’ label, you’d be
forgiven for thinking that ‘Jaded & Faded’
would show a ‘cleaner’ Cerebral Ballzy.
In fact, right from the moment opener
‘Any Day’ bursts into life with its crunchy
chords and grunge-ridden vocals, it
becomes clear that they haven’t toned
down their act at all - this is dirtier, filthier,
and meaner. And most refreshingly
their pop sensibilities are completely
compromised. They sound more visceral
and raw than ever before - they’ve ditched
the radio-ready gleam, the whole thing
sounds recorded in an abandoned crack
den on a half-broken tape player, and
they’re all the better because of it. (Tom
Walters) LISTEN: ‘Lonely As America’
71

reviews
eeee
PARQUET
COURTS
Sunbathing Animal
(Rough Trade)
Fucking glorious.
The mopiness of debut ‘Light Up Gold’
is all but gone on Parquet Courts’
second effort and Rough Trade debut
‘Sunbathing Animal’. Sure, they’re
lyrically the same angst-ridden twentysomethings
that made it the record it
was, but musically they’re stripped-back
- there isn’t much beyond three chords
most of the time. Focused, tight, and
coherent aren’t words you might want
to read associated with a Parquet Courts
album, but on ‘Sunbathing Animal’,
they’re all the better for it. The guitar
work sounds just as fiery and invigorated
as ever, and their hooks are vibrant
and incessantly catchy: this is Parquet
Courts’ triumphant slap in the face to
all the slacker-taggers - they’ve shed
blood and worked damned hard for this.
(Tom Walters)
LISTEN:
‘Sunbathing
Animal’
ee
ALEXIS TAYLOR
Await Barbarians
(Domino)
‘Await Barbarians’ strikes a bold
contrast to Alexis Taylor’s most
memorable work, in Hot Chip and
About Group. It sees him playing to
his strengths, wrapping intricate, yet
uncomplicated structures around
his ever-beautiful vocal, and when
‘From the Halfway Line’ opens it’s
as if it’s been dropped across from
Neil Young’s ‘On the Beach’, in an
admittedly bold way. Intimate
and involving doesn’t necessarily
mean that the record is engaging,
however, and some tracks wash over
without an impression, ultimately
making this feel like little more than
an indulgent side-project. Not so
much disappointing; rather just
presenting a particularly shallow
shade of Taylor’s work. (Nathan
Roberts) LISTEN: ‘Dolly And Porter’
eeee
THE PAINS OF
BEING PURE AT
HEART
Days of Abandon (Fierce
Panda)
Kip Berman’s songwriting has
always been youthful and
poignant, but with the expansive
musicality on ‘Days of Abandon’,
he sounds more heartfelt than
ever before. His lyrics have in the
past been washed out by fuzzy
production or crunchy riffs, but
now they’re elevated by angelical
euphoria, glorious keys and
shimmering guitar lines. It’s the
Pains of Being Pure at Heart we
all fell in love with five years ago,
but on ‘Days of Abandon’, they’re
revisiting their bedroom pop
roots and letting those songs soar
to dizzying new heights. (Tom
Walters) LISTEN: ‘Beautiful You’
72 diymag.com

eee
KLAXONS
Love Frequency
(Akashi Rekords / Sony Red)
Nu-rave. That’s a phrase nobody is
throwing about in 2014, and yet it’s
the world Klaxons return to with
‘Love Frequency’. It would be all too
easy for a Mercury Prize winning
band to throw out something
dated and hope past glories still
burn strong enough. Thankfully,
that’s the last thing on their mind.
Without throwing the baby out with
the bath water, they’ve updated
the template. ‘Show Me A Miracle’
is dubstep crashing a warehouse
rave in slow motion, while ‘Children
Of The Sun’ ra-ras its way from a
pyramid grave like a pharaoh’s
reanimated corpse. That reinvention
is personal, though. Like first taster
‘There Is No Other Time’ - catchy
and at home on the airwaves - ‘Love
Frequency’’s greatest triumph is to
feel relevant at all. (Stephen Ackroyd)
LISTEN: ‘Show Me A Miracle’
ee
KASABIAN
48:13 (Sony)
If Kasabian really is an elaborate,
ten-year spanning inside joke,
‘48:13’ could be the pinnacle. As
Tom Meighan and and Serge
Pizzorno continue to bounce off
the walls, declaring each of their
works a moment of inspired genius,
in actual fact it doesn’t matter if
they’re poking fun at themselves.
A little bit like if Jez and Super Hans
from Peep Show got a record deal,
and even more like if Geoff Barrow
went off the wagon and ditched
Portishead for a boozy weekender
alongside Shaun Ryder, lyrics about
Google and enough arrogant rants
to render the average coke bender
an innocent affair, it’s almost like a
parody of Kasabian. And it works,
in its own, sour-tasting way. (Jamie
Milton) LISTEN: ‘s.p.s.’
eee
SAM SMITH
In The Lonely Hour (Capitol)
In need of a hug.
Could somebody please give Sam Smith a hug? While it’s hardly a surprise given
the title of the Home Counties soul boy’s debut, ‘In The Lonely Hour’ is one
wistful sigh of unrequited love after another. ‘Stay With Me’, ‘Leave Your Lover’,
‘Lay Me Down’, the message couldn’t be clearer. It’s delivered beautifully, of
course - Smith’s enviable vocals are spot-on throughout, and find themselves
paired with as pitch-perfect a production to accompany them as has been seen
all year. Stripped-back percussion if any at all, gospel backing and simple piano
arrangements all the way, tender and heartfelt don’t even begin to cover how
Smith conveys his melancholy. The ‘male Adele’ isn’t a tag he’s gonna lose any
time soon – but one can only hope by the follow-up he’s found someone to love
him right back. (Emma Swann) LISTEN: ‘Stay With Me’
73

reviews
PHOTo: emma swann
eee
TOM VEK
Luck (Moshi Moshi)
moments of
brilliance.
For Tom Vek’s third album, ‘Luck’,
he’s largely employing the same
tricks as the first two, the same
art-school drawl, the same off
kilter riffs and conversational but
abstract lyricism. It’s a welcome
and unique template, and his
shadowy absences only add to his
the excitement of his returns. Vek
knows when to use negative space
and knows the value of simplicity,
and at their best the things he
constructs are impeccable, as
‘Sherman (Animals in the Jungle)’
demonstrates. There are moments
of sheer brilliance, but it’s hard
to escape the feeling ‘Luck’’s not
quite delivered. (Matthew Davies)
LISTEN: ‘Sherman (Animals in the
Jungle)’
eee
HOWLING BELLS
Heartstrings (Birthday Records)
Returning with a new vitality and maturity, Howling Bells
deliver another smooth and satisfying affair. The luscious
voice of Juanita Stein, unsurprisingly, hasn’t left her and
despite taking two years out from writing, the band’s
trademark garage rock kicks have remained in place.
Howling Bells are, very suitably, best when they’re howling, not chiming or ringing
lamely. At that best though, there’s festival anthems just waiting for a rainy day and
packed tent on uneven ground. They’re still seductive, fiery and invigorating, but
oddly with age there seems to be chinks of weakness in their tenderness. (Matthew
Davies) LISTEN: ‘Slowburn’
eeeee
RÖYKSOPP & ROBYN
Do It Again
(Dog Triumph)
The term ‘mini album’ does sound a bit pretentious. But
then, ‘Do It Again’ comes from Röyksopp and Robyn, Scandi
pop pioneers who each have a history of making landscapechanging
music. And however you classify it, listening feels like landing in a desert
and arriving at a festival organised by robots addicted to Game of Thrones. If that
sounds too epic, well tough; because album-opener ‘Monument’ is nine minutes
long, literally asking you to “make a space” for what’s about to come. It’s needed,
though, because what follows is compulsive, flawlessly-produced, and beautiful.
(Tom Morris) LISTEN: ‘Sayit’
74 diymag.com

q&a
PHOTo: emma swann
Tom Krell reveals
more to DIY’s Tom
Walters.
Where did you
record the
album?
This one I did in Berlin
at a studio called
Golden Retriever
Studios. We had that
studio blocked out
for six weeks. We did
ten hour, twelve hour
days - I took about
three days off the
whole time. It was
amazing.
‘Total Loss’ was
quite emotional
on the lyrical
side, but this
one seems to be
coming at you
more musically.
I decided that I
wanted to take a new,
take a different kind
of control over the
sounds. It’s kind of a
slippery slope thing,
well it kind of ended
up being a slippery
slope obsessional
control thing for me
where I’d take one
song and I’d be like
okay, I wanna go in
and actually detail
the subsound here.
I want to detail the
subsound on this.
And then i’d be like
well actually now I
need to detail the
subsound on every
track. I just became
kind of obsessed
about it. I’ve never
worked this hard on
a record, I’ve never
worked this hard on
anything in my entire
life.
eeee
HOW TO DRESS
WELL
What Is This Heart?
(Weird World)
More determined than
ever.
While debut ‘Total Loss’ offered a more
refined and clear-cut take on How To Dress
Well’s previously lo-fi, densely shrouded
and emotion-fuelled music then ‘What Is
This Heart?’ finally puts him fully centre
stage. A morose bust on the cover of his
prior effort is replaced with this album’s
melancholic photo portrait, direct and
uncompromising: terminology you could
easily apply to this record. The music
itself is bolder, yes, but still operating
on the same cloudy register, stamping
above experimentation. Tackling his inner
demons in such an honest way is admirable
then, if not a little po-faced, but ‘What
Is This Heart?’ proves you wouldn’t want
Tom Krell any other way. (Nathan Roberts)
LISTEN: ‘Precious Love’
eeee
FUCKED UP
Glass Boys
(Matador)
Over more than ten years as a band Fucked
Up’s image has constantly shifted, from
hardcore noise merchants to pseudo-indie
and experimental prog. With his raw,
throat-shredding vocals Damian Abraham
leaves little doubt that, despite their shape
shifting, at heart Fucked Up are still very
much a hardcore band. The immediacy
and aggression of ‘Hidden World’ and ‘The
Chemistry Of Common Life’ is still present in
abundance, driving ‘Glass Boys’ relentlessly
forward, but there is also a new sense of
coherence and focus. On ‘Glass Boys’ Fucked
Up seem like a band in full control of the
path the record takes.(Stuart Knapman)
LISTEN: ‘Hidden World’
75

reviews
eeee
WHITE
LUNG
Deep Fantasy
(Domino)
Blink and you’ll
miss it. White
Lung’s debut on Domino, ‘Deep
Fantasy’, barely lasts twenty minutes
and is a full-throttle assault on the
senses. Heading into the studio as a
three-piece after touring on the back
of the critically acclaimed ‘Sorry’, the
band actually come across as rather
unapologetic as they tear through ten
tracks of abrasive and confrontational
rock’n’roll. This might be their ‘big’
label debut, but they’re not letting that
impact their ferocity in the slightest -
this is White Lung’s snarliest and most
bloodthirsty record to date, and they
want you to damn well know it. (Tom
Walters) LISTEN: ‘Down It Goes’
eeee
CANDY
HEARTS
ALL THE WAYS
YOU LET ME
DOWN
(Bridge Nine / Violently Happy)
Pop punk never dies. It’s fine to admit
it. Blog beats and vibes are all very well,
but everyone’s still secretly wishing
they were on the Warped Tour. Not
convinced? Talk to Candy Hearts. With
a summer of festival road trips ahead,
‘All The Ways You Let Me Down’ is the
record that will lay siege to the stereo
the second the sun comes out. From
‘The Dream’s Not Dead’’s air punching
anthemics to the 90s lo-fi of ‘Coffee
With My Friends’, it’s the sort of album
that’s soaked to the bone in vitamin D.
(Stephen Ackroyd) LISTEN: ‘Coffee With
My Friends’
eeee
THE
ORWELLS
Disgraceland
(Canvasback /
Atlantic)
As early as ‘Dirty
Sheets’, just three tracks into debut
‘Disgraceland’, it’s pretty damn clear
The Orwells have got this thing down
entirely. Each subsequent track is an
exhibition; a textbook tuneful but
admirably punk chorus, sharp jaunty
riffs poking out over the crashing drums
and thundering bass. Like Parquet
Courts’ less intellectual roommate that
gets invited to more parties and has
earned a bit more beer money, if the
kids are ready to take the rock and roll
spirit back into their hearts, there’s no
better a proposition out there right
now than The Orwells. (Matthew Davies)
LISTEN: ‘Let It Burn’
eeee
THE ANTLERS
Familiars (Transgressive)
A lesson in gorgeous restraint.
The Antlers have made no secret of jazz being on rotation as they made ‘Familiars’, while Peter Silberman
expressed his frustration at the confines of writing pop songs. So this is an expansive record, big on ideas
and wide in scope. Live with it a while and it reveals itself: the repetition begins to become hypnotising,
Silberman’s decision to write and sing as two sides of the same person also creates a narrative arc and a story
that nearly demands that you give it time. And, if you do, you’ll find a record that, for all of its complexities and
pretensions, is not only hauntingly beautiful but more than rewards. (Danny Wright) LISTEN: ‘Director’
76 diymag.com

TOY - JOIN THE DOTS
8/10 NME, THE TIMES, MOJO
TEMPLES - SUN STRUCTURES
9/10 CLASH, 8/10 UNCUT, DIY
JIMI GOODWIN - ODLUDEK
8/10 UNCUT, MAIL ON SUNDAY
CHERRY GHOST - HERD RUNNERS
8/10 NME, Q, MOJO
HEAVENLYRECORDINGS.COM
77

Charli XCX gives a hair-raising
performance at The Great Escape
Photos: emma swann
live
78 diymag.com

klaxons
Given the gusts and torrential rain
that welcomes in this year’s Great
Escape, there isn’t much point
forming a precise plan of who to
see. Bigger names hog the Dome - the fest’s
biggest venue - but it’s in pub shows and
impromptu secret sets that the event comes
to life.
Somewhere down the end of the bunker-like
Bermuda Triangle sits Honeyblood. If there’s
a better new band than this playing The Great
Escape, it’s a fine vintage; a firm Glasgow kiss
delivered with a disarming smile, or a wilting
platitude delivered with a sneer.
Over at The Warren, sure, some of Klaxons’
audience may still have been in short trousers
when breakthrough hits ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’
and ‘Atlantis To Interzone’ were originally
released, but with the more guitar-driven
interpretation of their latest bangers, they’re
evidently still on strong form.
Brighton’s Corn Exchange may be one of
the more cavernous venues being used this
weekend, but that poses no threat for Royal
Blood. Walking on stage in a haze of dark
smoke, their set is thunderous from the go.
Let’s be honest; Pulled Apart By Horses
need no real introduction. Experts in all things
loud, the four-piece waste no time in cranking
things up to eleven, even with their slot
beginning well after midnight.
the
great
escape
Various Venues, Brighton
A WHIRLWIND OF NEW MUSIC.
There’s nothing disproving the notion that
Wild Beasts are a band on the up. Four
records in - with their best arriving in the
recent ‘Present Tense’ - they’re in rude form
tonight. ‘A Simple Beautiful Truth’ beams
to life, but it’s in latest record centrepiece
‘Pregnant Pause’ that they truly announce
themselves as something special.
It’s one-in, one-out with a growing queue as
news of Peace’s identity as the ‘special guests’
at The Haunt on Friday night spreads. Opening
with breakthrough single ‘Follow Baby’ and
using their midnight set to drop in a couple
of newbies among the way, it’s hard not to
imagine this is a more focused, tighter Peace
than before.
Whether it be because it’s their first headline
show in over a year, their first time at The Great
Escape, or simply just their first set of the day,
there’s a renewed energy in Twin Atlantic that
makes them an absolute joy to witness.
Charli XCX’s set is full of the sass that Charli
has become so renowned for. Backed by a full
live band, she’s as fierce as ever, with her new
additions giving tracks like ‘Superlove’ a whole
new edge.
Girl Band blow minds when they take to the
DIY Stage with their amped-up post-punk. The
Dubliners achieve everything they want with
a couple of instruments and a microphone.
Nothing but James Murphy-style nonchalance
and fizzing, swarming riffs pull it off.
Festival closers couldn’t come much better
than Jon Hopkins. Songs from his latest
‘Immunity’ LP fill the Corn Exchange without
a moment’s pause, spinning in and out of
control as Hopkins manipulates his recordings
into stranger beings. Given the surreal
weekend that’s preceded, this makes a lot of
sense. DIY
Hit
The
Deck
Various Venues,
Nottingham
IT’S RAINING
PUNK ROCK.
I
t might be Easter
Sunday, but in
Nottingham, the
second leg of this year’s
Hit The Deck is kicking
off, and there’s not a
chocolate egg in sight.
As an April shower
rains down outside,
Gnarwolves are getting
pulses racing over in
the Rescue Rooms. With
a Reading and Leeds
main stage slot on the
horizon, that’s not all too
much of a surprise; the
atmosphere of the room,
crammed to the brim with
punters, is electric as the
skate punks dive headfirst
into opener ‘History
Is Bunk’. Over in the
basement of Rock City,
new contenders Lyger
are busy introducing their
furious rock’n’roll to the
curious crowd they’ve
drawn. While they may
only have two songs
out in the open so far,
their colossal-sized riffs
are enough to compete
with the bigger names
upstairs. Across the way,
Kids In Glass Houses are
busy rallying up a storm
at The Forum, beginning
their slew of final tour
dates with style. The
main attraction of today
though is undoubtedly
headliners Brand New.
Moving in and out of
sections of their career
with ease – from the
‘Deja Entendu’ section
filled with huge sing-alongs,
to the ‘Daisy’ era,
swathed in feedback –
theirs is a performance
impossible to take your
eyes off. Until the next
time, if there is one.
(Sarah Jamieson)
79

reviews
pulled apart by horses
los campesinos!
“YORKSHIRE...” AND REPEAT.
LIVE AT LEEDS
Various Venues
It’s difficult to pinpoint when exactly the music starts
and stops at Live At Leeds. In the early hours, there’s
a buzz about the city, music spilling out of unlikely
sources. By the festival’s apparent conclusion, Pulled
Apart By Horses might have closed the DIY Stage in triumph,
but fans are still chanting away, the buzz doing everything it
can to avoid fading.
Mausi were made for afternoons like this one. The sun is
high in the sky and they’re, erm, in a very (very) dark Stylus.
Still, their brand of breezy euphoric pop cuts through
uncharacteristic mid afternoon blackness, all synths and
shapes. They couldn’t be more different to Menace Beach.
The Met is packed for the Leeds based sort-of-but-sort-ofnot-supergroup.
Battling their own instruments in the vague
direction of a tune, they’re a world of wrestled feedback
unable to turn away from a brilliant off kilter hook line or
melody.
Given their surrounding slots - Happyness’ college rock,
Solids’ thrashing force - Woman’s Hour could feel out of
place at the Brudenell Social Club. But they bring a power of
their own, one formed out of crushing samples and barelythere
vocals. Precision is their game, and on ‘Our Love Has No
Rhythm’ it finds itself reaching a passionate peak.
Filling the entire Refectory with different coloured lights is
one surefire way to get the crowd in a playful mood, but Los
Campesinos! have so much more up their sleeves this eve.
Playing against a backdrop of pink and turquoise hues, they
provoke some of the brightest moments of the festival so far.
In the midst of a chaotic
Saturday night, it’s more
than a little difficult to come
across a quiet spot, but
that’s where George Ezra
is setting up camp tonight.
Centre stage at Leeds
College Of Music, complete
with wonderful acoustics
and an entirely seated
audience, the 20-year-old
takes us on our very own
journey; giving us a sneak
peek of his forthcoming
album ‘Wanted On Voyage’.
When The Amazing
Snakeheads let out an
unified scream, it’s out
of brilliantly undignified
passion. There’s no hate
or spite in what they do,
no frustration forming
their foundations. On
the DIY Stage they seem
understood, with a dynamic
crowd from bald tank
toppers to baggy jeaned
kids, jumping on board. Cut
off a snakehead, it’ll just
grow another dozen. That’s
how it feels watching this
band progress.
To say the crowd for Palma
Violets’ not-so-secret
set in the tiny confines
of The Faversham were
excited might just be the
understatement of the
festival - if not the year so
far. Screaming even when
the various band members
pop on stage for a line
check, fans reaching forward
to grab Chilli Jesson’s
inevitably sweaty hair - the
floor’s shaking as they raise
the roof.
The “Yorkshire!” chants
and utter bedlam of Pulled
Apart By Horses’ headline
set on the DIY Stage are
inevitable. This triumphant
(and partially topless) fourpiece
step things up a gear
with new material: these
songs don’t just roar; they
strike quickly, going in for
the kill. Both celebration and
intrigue collide tonight, in
one supremely confident
showcase. DIY
80 diymag.com

blood red shoes
say lou lou
blood red shoes
AND NOT A SHELLSUIT IN SIGHT.
LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY
Various Venues
Various Venues
From cathedrals
to dingy bars,
celebrated local
staples to cafés
shadowing as a venue, it’s
not just the locations that
vary wildly at this year’s
Liverpool Sound City. Bands
come in all shapes and sizes.
Wander into the main square
and a spandex suited group
of strangers will be playing
an acoustic set in what
looks like a miniature barn.
Peek round to the left and
there’ll be hordes of queues,
clambering in to see Royal
Blood‘s bolshy, swaggering
rock’n’roll in a crammed Duke
Street Garage. Lining up in
one-in, one-out formation
isn’t too much of a frustration
across the weekend,
thankfully.
Last time round, DZ
Deathrays were loud. This
time, they’re deafening.
Like two men stuck in a
nuclear reactor trying
to break their way out
with a jackhammer, they
contrast riffs perfectly
with that nonchalant
Aussie lilt. Looking at Olly
Alexander, you wouldn’t
necessarily expect that voice.
His is the kind of soulful tone
that demands to be heard.
Soaring above the synth
wobbles and electronic claps,
this is modern music at its
very best.
Say Lou Lou are certainly
feeling the Cathedral’s
surroundings - easy to
understand when their songs
have a more than a hint of
something massive about
them.
Double denim, casual
white tees, scrappy solos
- Superfood aren’t doing
anything to knock back their
90s-adoring reputation.
Frontman Dom Ganderton
theatrically rolls his eyes
into the back of his head
as the Birmingham four-piece precede Wolf Alice with an
intentionally slumbering but impressively tight-knit run
through the tracks on their ‘TV’ EP.
Reports from Wet’s early shows in CMJ and SXSW suggested
the buzzy NYC trio were capable of two hit or miss extremes.
When their debut UK gig starts off, technical hitches hint at a
mini-disaster, but the band persist, the crowd creeps forward
and by the end, vocalist Kelly Zutrau looks like a star in the
making.
Solids are the only band to play two sets in one day at Sound
City, which given their diy-or-die, self-release mentality,
seems to make a lot of sense. The Montreal duo rinse through
the best of debut ‘Blame Confusion’, warts and all. A dayopening
Sound Food and Drink set is all well and good, but
it’s in warming up to Drenge’s slot in the Kazimier that the pair
find their real cause.
Before Drenge’s arrival, The Kazimier’s light system is faulty,
basically non-existent. It’s been like that for the past twenty
minutes. But by the time the Loveless brothers hitch up on
stage, as soon as they launch into ‘The Snake’, all of a sudden
they’re draped in pyrotechnics. This sums up the run of form
the Sheffield duo are currently on, blitzing through the songs
on their self-titled debut with unhinged confidence.
Of course, there’s always a bigger beast in the urban jungle.
This might be Blood Red Shoes’ shortest set of their current
tour, but they’re in no mood for fucking about. Tensed like
a well trained muscle, when they choose to explode they’re
surgically sharp and practically unstoppable. DIY
81

c
IndIE d r EAmboAT
Of the Month
c
LEO
DOBSEN
childhood
FULL NAME Leo Daniel Dobsen.
I never say that, ever. It’s not
Leonardo, sadly.
NICKNAME I get called Dobby
by some people, which I don’t
like. And Leonard.
STAR SIGN Capricorn.
PETS I had a beloved rabbit
called Rumpus. And I had
gerbils. One died, and the
other ate it, then died of
loneliness.
FAVOURITE FOOD
Japanese barbecue.
You get this incredible
thin beef, and all these
strange sea creatures that
you’ve never seen before.
DRINK OF CHOICE
My classic is double
vodka, lime and soda.
FAVOURITE SCENT
CK One.
IF YOU WEREN’T IN
CHILDHOOD, WHAT
WOULD YOU BE
DOING? If you’d asked
me at eleven, it would
definitely have been
football. I support
Fulham.
CHAT-UP LINE OF
CHOICE:
“I’m in Childhood.” If
they don’t know who
we are, we wouldn’t
get on.
DIY
82 diymag.com

BEACONS FESTIVAL
7TH - 10TH AUGUST 2014 - FUNKIRK ESTATE, SKIPTON
DAUGHTER / DARKSIDE / ACTION BRONSON
THE FALL / DIXON / JON HOPKINS
+ SPECIAL GUESTS BRITISH SEA POWER
PERFORMING FROM THE SEA TO THE LAND BEYOND
65DAYSOFSTATIC / ANDREW WEATHERALL & SEAN JOHNSTON
CATE LE BON / CHARLI XCX / DAM-FUNK / DANIEL AVERY
DAPHNI / EAGULLS / EROL ALKAN / HOOKWORMS / INDIANA
JACKMASTER / JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN / JOY ORBISON
NIGHTMARES ON WAX / REJJIE SNOW / SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART / TOY / XXYYXX
AARTEKT / ADULT JAZZ / AUTOBAHN / BEATY HEART / BIGGER THAN BARRY
BODYTONIC / BROTHERHOOD SOUND / BUGGED OUT / CAPUA COLLECTIVE
CHARLIE STRAW / DZ DEATHRAYS / EAST INDIA YOUTH / EAVES / FAMY
FAT WHITE FAMILY / FICKLE FRIENDS / FLUX / GALAXIANS / GIN N JUICE
GIRL BAND / GOLD TEETH / GOLDEN TEACHER / GOODBYE CHANEL
GREG WILSON / JAMES BAY / JARBIRD / JAWS / JOANNA GRUESOME
JOHN WIZARDS / KING CREOSOTE / KULT COUNTRY / MANO LE TOUGH
MAX GRAEF / MELT YOURSELF DOWN / METZ / MENACE BEACH / MONEY
MOKO / MOSCHINO HOE / NADINE CARINA / NAI HARVEST / NIGHT FANTASY
NAKED (ON DRUGS) / OSCILLATE WILDLY / PARIS XY / PAUL THOMAS SAUNDERS
PAWWS / PLANK! / POST WAR GLAMOUR GIRLS / SEPTEMBER GIRLS
SERIOUS SAM BARRETT / SET ONE TWENTY / SHAPES / SIVU / SLAVES
SLEAFORD MODS / SPEEDY ORTIZ / SPECIAL REQUEST (PAUL WOOLFORD)
SWEET BABOO / SWAYS RECORDS / TEMPLE + MUCH MORE
ARTS & CULTURE / DIDDY RASCALS KIDS AREA / STREET FOOD & REAL ALE
FESTIVAL / NEW HUNTERS FIELD WITH OUTDOOR STAGE / INSTALLATION ART
CURRENT TIER £99.50 / FINAL TIER £109.50 / £25 DEPOSIT TICKETS AVAILABLE:
PAY REST IN JULY / £99.50 (+BF) EARLYBIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE:
WWW.GREETINGSFROMBEACONS.COM
83

The debut album includes ‘Rather Be’,
‘Mozart’s House’ and ‘Extraordinary’
June 2nd
84 diymag.com