DIY, July 2014

DIY
+ALT-J
free / issue 3i / JULY 2014
diymag.com
HONEYBLOOD
HOW TO DRESS WELL
SLOW CLUB
LATITUDE FESTIVAL 2014
RÖYKSOPP
+ ROBYN
“I DON’T THINK ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE”
+ WOMAN’S HOUR, TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB, FIRST AID KIT, MOGWAI AND MORE

2 diymag.com

Robyn and Röyksopp
try their hand at plane-spotting...
EDITOR’S LETTER
How many festivals can you go to where you get amazing artists AND multi-coloured
sheep. Where can you see the best new talent by a lake, or be bewitched by a band in a
forest? Just the one. Latitude.
This month DIY’s gone all in on Latitude 2014. Hooking up with the festival, we’re
previewing this year’s event in full before decamping for four days in the Suffolk sun
(fingers crossed!) from 17th - 20th July. You’ll be able to keep up with everything that
happens on the all new diymag.com. Even the sheep.
GOOD World Cup! World Cup!
Who cares if England are out.
I’ve got more than 100 swaps
on my sticker album and I’m in
love with Louis van Gaal.
“
QUOTE
OF THE
MONTH
I BLOODY LOVE
SHEEP.
“
Stephen Ackroyd
EVIL If someone goes round
biting loads of people, how
long is it before you wonder
if they’re also able to turn
into a bat? I’m onto you, Luis
Suarez.
LISTENING POST
What’s on the DIY
stereo this month?
GERARD WAY - ACTION CAT
The first taster of the ex-My Chemical Romance
frontman’s solo debut, it’s the air punching slice of
power pop you’d always hoped for.
HONEYBLOOD - HONEYBLOOD
Remember we said JUNGLE was the debut album of
the year on this page last month? Game on, boys.
GOOD
VS
EVIL
WHAT’S ON THE
DIY TEAM’S
RADAR?
Victoria Sinden
Deputy Editor
GOOD Sheep! Sheep! Sheep!
EVIL Grimes premiering a new
track whilst everyone was at
Glastonbury. Evil, but hilarious.
Sarah Jamieson
News Editor
GOOD Gerard Way is back and
‘Action Cat’ is everything we
could’ve hoped for. The blonde
hair however, came as a bit of a
surprise…
EVIL How the heck is it July
already, where is the time going?!
Next thing we know it’ll be winter
again (but then Christmas, yay!).
Louise Mason
Art Director
GOOD Photoshoots in Norway,
and in a chip shop.
EVIL All the shouting at screens
showing people kicking a ball. So
heartbroken it’s almost over.
Jamie Milton
Online Editor
GOOD World Cup
commentators’ pronunciation of
James (HA-MES) Rodriguez.
EVIL Not being able to listen
anything except the brilliant new
Jamie (HA-MIE) xx track.
Emma Swann
Reviews Editor
GOOD Finally seeing Sky
Ferreira live at Field Day, hooray!
EVIL Being covered in bites
immediately after Field Day, boo.
[I told you to steer clear of Luis
Suarez - Ed]
3

11
24
32
64
76
CONTENTS
NEWS
6 # STANDFORSOMETHING
11 J ENNY LE W IS
12 ALT - J
16 F ESTIV A L S
NEU
22 A LL WE ARE
24 A LVVA Y S
26 PUBLI C ACCESS TV
28 M APEI
LaTITUDE
32 R ÖYKSOPP & RO BYN
40 TWO DOOR CINEMA
C LUB
45 B OMB A Y BI CYCLE C LUB
48 10 NE W BANDS TO
S EE AT LATITU DE
fEaTURES
56 HO W TO DRESS WELL
Music From the Heart
60 S L O W C L U B
Everything is New
64 HONEYBLOOD
Nectar Points
REvIEWS
68 A LBUMS
76 L I V E
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 Alex Lynham,
Andrew Backhouse, Danny
Wright, Greg Inglis, Huw
Oliver, Jack Enright, James
Balmont, Matthew Davies,
Nathan Roberts, Tom Connick,
Tom Walters, Tom White
Photographers Carolina
Faruolo, Dani Canto, Leah
Henson, Matt Richardson,
Mike Massaro, Sarah Louise
Bennett
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.
Cover photo by Mike Massaro
4 diymag.com

THE NEW ALBUM
DELUXE 2xLP / 2xLP / CD / DL
OUT NOW
WHATISTHISHEART.COM
WEIRDWORLDRECORDCO.COM
5

NEWS
dr. marTens and diY are back
For round TWo.
The Dr. Martens
#STANDFORSOMETHING Tour in
association with DIY returns this
autumn, set to lay waste to cities
up and down the country. Last year saw
Young Guns, Lower Than Atlantis, Spector,
Gnarwolves and more taking over some of
the UK’s best small, authentic venues for
the sweaty, raucous, super-intimate gigs -
and 2014’s leg is similarly not to be missed.
“This year we have been playing some
pretty big stages which is always great,”
enthuses Eagulls’ vocalist George Mitchell,
“but it’s still the small intimate venues that
we love the most as that’s where we first
started out. Having the crowd intertwined
with the band will always create movement,
and when there’s movement there’s
energy.”
The Leeds fivesome will be headlining the
Cardiff date of the tour, and they’re looking
forward to bringing their self-titled debut
album to the lucky few who’ll see them
there. “It’s the crowds’ reactions to the
music each night that keeps us going and
staying alive,” George explains.
Over in Newcastle meanwhile, Aussies
Tonight Alive are making an appearance
during a short visit to our shores. “There’s
something so special that happens when
people cram into a room together for the
same thing,” agrees frontwoman Jenna
McDougall. They’re currently “home for a
couple of months, writing the new album,”
following stints on the road with Taking
Back Sunday and The Used.
Live circuit veterans Funeral For A Friend
will be rocking up for the northernmost
date on the tour, in Edinburgh. “I love
the closeness, the feeling of being right
there in the thick of it with everyone,”
frontman Matthew Davies-Kreye discloses.
“Seeing people singing and dancing right
there with you, losing themselves in the
moment… that’s what it’s really about.”
Longtime DIY favourites Los Campesinos!
will pack out the tiny confines of our
Birmingham stop. “With the show coming
shortly after festival season, it’ll be a really
nice move from big outdoor audiences
to a sweaty, indoor club vibe,” Gareth
Campesinos! says of the date, which follows
their sets at Truck and Festival No. 6,
amongst others.
“They are different sort of thrills,” he
continues, “playing to massive crowds
and to intimate, whites-of-your-eyes style
audiences, and if I had to pick, I’d go for
the latter. When you’re practically chest to
chest with your audience, you can form a
real connection that’s so much harder to
replicate with a barrier between you.”
The Liverpool leg will be headlined by We
Are The Ocean, who have “spent a lot of
time writing and crafting new sounds” of
late. “I’m really looking forward to playing
the show,” explains the band’s Liam
Cromby. “Small intimate shows are some
of my favourite to play just because it’s just
you and the fans, no flashing lights or giant
banners just the music.”
But that’s not all: a sixth date will take place
in London with a very special yet to be
revealed headliner. There will also be a slew
of support bands revealed over the coming
months. Keep an eye on diymag.com and
drmartens.com/standforsomethingtour
for all the details. DIY
THE
DATES
04.10.14
Funeral
For a
Friend
CABARET VOLTAIRE,
EDINBURGH
11.10.14
eagulls
CLWB IFOR BACH,
CARDIFF
25.10.14
We are The
ocean
THE SHIPPING
FORECAST,
LIVERPOOL
22.11.14
los
campesinos!
THE FLAPPER
BIRMINGHAM
06.12.14
TonighT
alive
CLUNY 2,
NEWCASTLE
6 diymag.com

What do you stand for,
MattheW davies-Kreye?
“The idea that music can break down
walls that segregate us in everyday
life and can make you feel a part of
something larger than yourself, that’s
something to stand for. A real sense of
community and belonging.”
Funeral For a Friend
eagulls
What do you stand for,
GeorGe Mitchell?
“I stand for creative freedom.
Creativity for me is like a drug; when I
don’t get to be creative I snap.”
What do you stand for,
liaM croMby?
“Burritos, cold beer and having
freedom to create music.”
We are The ocean
7

news
los campesinos!
What do you stand for,
Jenna McdouGall?
“We stand for empowerment. We
believe that everyone is capable of
achieving their own dreams, they
just need to be able to believe that in
themselves.”
What do you stand for,
Gareth caMpesinos!?
“LC! stand for emotive, visceral,
drunken rock shows, created and
shared in safe spaces with all
misogyny and prejudices kept well
away. No hierarchy and no assholes,
just a load of pals.”
TonighT alive
europe
bound
Dr. Martens head
across the channel.
This autumn will also
see Dr. Martens take the
#STANDFORSOMETHING tour
to Europe, with a series of five
gigs in five countries.
Pulled Apart By Horses will
headline fresh from the release
of their new studio album
‘Blood’, due a week before the
tour kicks off in Paris on 8th
September.
They will be joined by
emerging support bands
from both the UK and local
countries, with tickets
available soon. DIY
the dates
SEPTEMBER
08 PARIS
La Maroquinerie
09 HAMBURG
Molotow Exil
10 COPENHAGEN
Rust
11 STOCKHOLM
Debaser Strand
13 AMSTERDAM
Bitterzoet
What do you
stand for,
pulled apart by
horses?
“We stand for using rock
music as a joyous, cathartic
release. Uniting every
beautiful soul in the room.
And riffs. Lots of riffs.”
8 diymag.com

9

news
DIY
Presents:
Speedy Ortiz
and Happyness
UK Tour
The two bands will team up for a
string of dates this summer.
T
his August sees two exciting bands from
separate sides of the Atlantic combine.
Speedy Ortiz - fresh from releasing their
‘Real Hair’ EP, arrive for a string of dates in the UK.
They’re bringing Happyness on board; bubbling
up 90s nostalgists with a stirring college rock
aesthetic.
Dates for the DIY Presents tour (in association with
13 Artists, PCL, Classic Slum and One Inch Badge)
take place in Newcastle, Edinburgh and Brighton.
Speedy Ortiz were part of DIY’s Class of 2014.
Happyness meanwhile recently shared their debut
album ‘Weird Little Birthday’, out now via Weird
Smiling.
THE DATES ARE:
AUGUST
12 Edinburgh, Electric Circus
13 Newcastle, The Cluny
14 Brighton, Prince Albert
Tickets are on sale now. DIY
DIY
PRESENTS
Other shows to
watch out for
AUGUST
05 Alvvays +
Gengahr
Birthdays, London
OCTOBER
03 The Horrors
Pavilion Theatre,
Worthing
24 JUNGLE
The Ritz, Manchester
SUPER
TOUR
DIY and Superfood are teaming up for a London
residency this July and August.
ight now it’s easy enough
to fill up evenings by
Rkicking back in the pub and
watching the football, but what
happens after 13th July, when it’s
all come to an end for another four
years? Well, DIY has the perfect
solution for you. Birmingham
gems Superfood will play three
free entry DIY Presents shows this
summer.
In support of their brand new
single ‘Right On Satellite’, which
is due for release on 28th July via
Infectious Music, the dates come
in the aftermath of the band’s
triumphant support slots on the
Wolf Alice spring UK tour, and take
place across three different venues
in London.
The shows kick off at The Social on
22nd July, followed by the fourpiece
checking in at The Old Blue
Last on 31st July, then Camden’s
The Black Heart on 6th August.
To be in with a chance of coming
along, simply head to the Tixey
app – available through the App
Store or Google Play – to apply
for tickets, and a limited amount
will be available on the door each
evening.
These free entry shows link up
with a flurry of the band’s dates
across the summer, including
Truck, Secret Garden Party and Y
Not Festival. DIY
And the dates are...
JULY
22 The Social, London
31 Old Blue Last, London
AUGUST
06 The Black Heart, London
10 diymag.com

Jenny L e w i s r e t u r n s w i t h h e r
n e w R ya n A d a m s - p r o d u c e d
solo album. W o r d s : S a r a h
J amieson.
Been
Losing
Sleep
It’s been six years since the release of Jenny
Lewis’ last solo record, but that’s no slight on her
productivity. Since the release of ‘Acid Tongue’
back in 2008, the former Rilo Kiley frontwoman
has appeared on tracks by the likes of Elvis
Costello and Brandon Flowers, released an entire
album with her boyfriend and musical partner
as Jenny & Johnny, toured across the world with
the reunited Postal Service and even managed to score the
soundtrack to the Dakota Fanning film Very Good Girls. Heck,
she’s even lent her vocal talents to American Dad since her
last record hit shelves, but that’s not
quite the whole story.
Alongside her ever-growing list
of creative outlets, Jenny also
experienced some of the more
difficult moments of her life: as the
band she had spent the last decade
in was crumbling at her feet, she
was also faced with the loss of her
estranged father. Plagued with
insomnia but possessing a wealth of unfinished songs, it was
only when she found herself heading to the newly-built Pax
Am Studios, that she came upon her saving grace. His name
was Ryan Adams.
“It was pretty random actually,” she says, of how the pair came
to work together. “I heard that he had opened a studio, Pax
Am, an all-analogue studio in Hollywood and I was looking
for a very low-key place to record a new song that I had just
“ I t w a s
p r e t t y
random.”
Jenny Lewis
finished. I went in with very low expectations; it was really
an opportunity to hang out with Ryan and record the song.
By the end of the day, we both agreed that I would recut my
whole record over there.”
Jenny also admits that working with Ryan really opened her
up. “He’s a hard man to resist in a way,” she ponders. “He’s got
so much creative energy and he’s so charming. It was almost
like I didn’t know what was happening, things happened so
quickly and he’s got so much energy, that I just submitted.
Obviously, I have so much respect
for him as a songwriter, so going into
a session with a producer who also
really understands songs was great.”
Having sat on the songs she had
written for the past three years, it’s
also no surprise that things clicking
into place with Ryan lifted a weight
from her shoulders. “It was such a
relief!” she laughs, “to find someone
to help me. You know, I felt so alone in the process. Having
come from a band situation where you really rely on one
another, musically and spiritually, you have that support.
Being a solo artist, at the end of the day, it’s your call. I felt so
grateful to have someone, first of all, so interested in my songs
and by the end of the day, I couldn’t even believe that I had
found what I was looking for.”
Jenny Lewis’ new album ‘The Voyager’ will be released on 28th
July via Warner Bros. Records. DIY
11

news alt-j
“WE W E R E N ’ T
B E I N G
EXPER I M ENTA L
FOR THE SAK E
O F B E I N G
EXPER I M ENTA L . ”
JOE N E WMAN
12 diymag.com

alt-J: hard at twerk
alt-J have made their name
by being adventurous, and
trying the unexpected. That
couldn’t be more true with
their Miley Cyrus sampling
new album. Words: Sarah
Jamieson.
With their debut album,
alt-J were catapulted from
obscure, faceless promo
photos to the height of
public consciousness. With an album that
was ambitious, wonderfully weird but still
gloriously pop, the four-piece ticked all
the boxes, got all the votes and ended up
winning the Mercury Prize. Then, just a
handful of days before they were due to
return to the studio, one of them decided it
was time to call it a day.
“He left two days before we were supposed
to start in the studio,” the band’s Gus
Unger-Hamilton explains, of the departure
of bassist Gwil Sainsbury; but there’s no
trace of a grudge in his voice. “That makes
it sound like he really fucked us, which he
didn’t. It was actually good that he left then
because if he had left halfway through
making the album, or halfway through
touring, it would’ve been so messy. I think
he saw his opportunity to leave and he was
like, ‘I have to go now or go in two years’.
Then, it was like, ‘Right, we’ve dealt with
that so we better just do it and start work.’”
IN THE
STUDIO:
ALT-J
From that point onwards the band were
spurred into action, but not unaffected.
Whilst the split may well have been
amicable, it caused the band to approach
things with a certain air of caution. “I think
that encouraged us to start work sooner
and with more positive vibes circulating
the rehearsal space,” continues frontman
Joe Newman. “I think we all knew we had
suffered quite a trauma, and that the band
was fragile. We knew we all had to be on our
best behaviour to try and get the best out of
each other. We were kind of - without telling
each other - stepping on eggshells. We
didn’t want to upset anyone and we wanted
to get good vibes going.”
Teaming back up with the producer behind
‘An Awesome Wave’, Charlie Andrew, the
trio’s sophomore effort started life more
as fragments and ideas than fully formed
songs. They were unafraid of sewing
together their own musical collage. “All
of the tracks kinda derived from different
times during the last three or four years,”
offers Newman. “Some of the songs have
been around even before the release of the
first album, and others have been alive for
a couple months. There’s a really broad mix
of time periods going on, which is good
because naturally they’re gonna sound
different to each other. The recordings
happened quite quickly but the ideas
behind the songs had come about over the
last few years.”
“It’s cool,” continues Unger-Hamilton,
“because on this album, we’re seeing the
fruition of a lot of ideas that have been
around for a long time. It’s exciting to see
‘The Gospel Of John Hurt’ finally being a
finished track, and ‘Bloodflood Pt. II’ was
something we had batted about for a really
long time. ‘Every Other Freckle’ was around
before the first album too.”
Their approach to piecing together the
puzzles of the last few years also gave them
the freedom to explore their own smaller
ambitions. “There were tiny little goals
that were just ideas that I wanted to hear
in recording,” says the frontman. “A goal
you could say was, we’ve got a song called
‘Warm Foothills’, that uses five different
people to sing the other verse. They each
sing a word and you splice the words
together so it’s a collage of different voices.
That was something where I was like, ‘I’d
like to hear that so how can we make that
possible?’ We kinda worked at it for a while
and it ended up working.”
It’s evident that experimentation wasn’t
a dirty word when it came to the record
either – take the subtle swooning nature of
lead single ‘Hunger of the Pine’, sliced clean
with its startling Miley Cyrus sample - but
the trio knew their own boundaries. “We
tried out lots of things,” offers Gus, before
Joe finishes his sentence. “We weren’t
being experimental for the sake of being
experimental. We were just like, ‘I would like
to hear this; can it happen, what do we need
to do?’ It’s not an unreasonable amount of
experimentation. Just the right amount.”
alt-J’s new album ‘This Is All Yours’ will
be released on 22nd September via
Infectious Music. DIY
13

NEWS
NEWS
I N B R I E F
FEEL THE LOVE
Caribou has announced details of his
new album, ‘Our Love’. Released on 6th
October via City Slang (7th October via
Merge in the US), the record follows
on from the celebrated 2010 LP ‘Swim’.
Alongside the album news, Dan Snaith
has also shared the lead track, ‘Can’t
Do Without You’ which you can hear at
diymag.com now.
GO! GO! GO!
Grimes is back with a new track, ‘Go’. A
collaboration with long term parter in
crime Blood Diamonds, it was originally
written for Rihanna and debuted at her
Governor’s Ball show in New York earlier
this month. You can check it out on
diymag.com now.
JUST A LITTLE CRUSH
Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O has
announced details of her debut
solo album: ‘Crush Songs’ will be
released on 9th September via Julian
Casablancas’ label, Cult Records.
Featuring material including home
recordings made back in 2006 and
2007, it’s not just unheard tracks
we’ll be treated to: the record is also
set to include Karen’s “own personal
drawings, handwritten lyric and more.
GETTING JAZZY
Experimental Leeds band Adult Jazz
are barely a single to the good, but
the four-piece have just announced
details of their debut album ‘Gist Is’.
Following on from the ‘Springful’/’Am
Gone’ single, Spare Thought are putting
out the record on 4th August. It was
produced and mixed by Tom Howe at
The Black Byre, Scotland.
Jersey
Boys
I t ’ s t w o y e a r s s i n c e t h e i r l a s t a l b u m h i t
shelves and now T he G aslight Anthem a r e
b a c k , p l a n n i n g o n s t r i k i n g a n e w c h o r d o r
two. Words: Sarah Jamieson.
H
aving shifted from New Jersey’s
working class punk heroes
to chart-dominating rock
and rollers with their previous four
efforts, in 2012 The Gaslight Anthem’s
‘Handwritten’ truly made a dent on
the mainstream subconscious. Over
the next eighteen months, countless
worldwide tour dates and huge festival
slots filled their schedule, before the
band felt ready to return to Nashville
to bring their fifth effort to life. It must,
then, be exciting to be at the beginning
of another record?
“Yeah! It is,” offers the band’s frontman
Brian Fallon. “I just wish that we
could’ve had some more material to
release, to give more of an impression!
I guess it’s just that way of marketing,
people wanna do it that way.” He
laughs, thinking back to the beginning
of the band. “We used to kinda just
say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna put out a new
record’, and you’d go around and say
it every night on tour and then, all of a
sudden, you’d put the record out. That
was kinda it, but now there’s this whole
Internet thing...”
And not a single one
.remembered their keys.
If anything’s evident about their
forthcoming effort ‘Get Hurt’, it’s that
it’s going to be a different beast. Having
holed themselves up in Blackbird
Studios for a second time, this time
they recruited Mike Crossey to aid the
cause from a production standpoint.
“Blackbird is great because it’s got so
much stuff; you can really experiment
and try new things,” Fallon explains.
“We really concentrated on creating a
sort of ‘soundscape’, rather than me just
strumming away on guitar.
“We wanted to try and find something
that was different sonically, and with
different feels and tempos, but also that
maintained some of the character of the
band. We didn’t wanna abandon who
we were as a band. I think we wanted to
have something different, but different
enough to have people say, ‘Okay,
this is clearly audibly different’ yet not
provoke a reaction where we throw
away everything that made us a band.”
The Gaslight Anthem’s new album ‘Get
Hurt’ will be released on 18th August via
Virgin EMI. DIY
14 diymag.com

fter rumours and plenty of
teasing, Julian Casablancas
A + The Voidz have announced
details of their reasonably long-awaited
debut album.
After a teaser video was posted online
back in March, featuring Julian and pals
previewing snippets of music and a few
vague details, they’ve now confirmed
that ‘Tyranny’ sees The Strokes’
frontman join forces with guitarists
Jeramy Gritter and Amir Yaghmai,
keyboardist Jeff Kite, bassist Jake
Bercovici, and drummer Alex Carapetis.
The record’s set for release on 23rd
September via Casablancas’ own Cult
Records.
Of the title, he explains: “Tyranny
has come in many forms throughout
history. Now, the good of business
is put above anything else, as
corporations have become the new
ruling body. Most decisions seem
to be made like ones of a medieval
king: whatever makes profit while
ignoring and repressing the truth about
whatever suffering it may cause (like
pop music, for that matter).” DIY
TYRANNICAL
LEADER
WATCH
THE THRONE
Brighton duo Royal Blood have
announced their self-titled debut
album. Ben Thatcher and Mike Kerr
follow their recent ‘Out of the Black’
single with their first full-length on
25th August. A full tracklist is yet to be
confirmed, but ‘Come On Over’, ‘Figure
It Out’ and ‘Little Monster’ all feature.
The news comes after DIY spoke to the
duo about their debut, during which
they said they were “just trying to
capture who we are as a band.”
“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. We actually feel like
it’s eclectic enough for it to be a body
of work.” DIY
LIFE AFTER
DEATH
Death From Above 1979 are back: Jesse
F. Keeler and Sebastien Grainger have
confirmed that they’re set to release a
new, second album this September.
The follow-up to ‘You’re A Woman, I’m
A Machine’ has been ten years in the
making. The band put a halt to their
progression following an exhausting
tour, and the Toronto-based pair didn’t
get back together until 2011 for a SXSW
comeback gig. Their eventual new
record was recorded in Los Angeles
with producer Dave Sardy at the helm.
It’s out in the US via Last Gang on 9th
September with a UK release date yet
to be confirmed. Track names are set to
include ‘Right On, ‘Virgins’ and the lead
single, ‘Cheap Talk’. DIY
15

festivals
ELSEWHERE AT
BEACONS...
METZ
It’s no secret that DIY likes
things loud and if there’s
anything that this Canadian
trio do well, it’s turning the
volume up to 11. Having
already spent last summer
wowing crowds across the
country with their distortionladen
punk offerings, it’s a
welcome sight to have them
back on our shores.
Beacons
7th - 10th August
aking place in the unsuspecting
location of Skipton’s Heslaker Farm,
T this year’s Beacons boasts a variety
of acts: from larger-than-life rapper Action
Bronson, to the psychedelic meanderings
of London’s own TOY, all manner of artists
will be gracing North Yorkshire with their
presence later this summer.
There to entertain the masses will be Nicolas
Jaar and Dave Harrington’s darkly electro
lovechild Darkside, while 4AD’s ghostly
darlings Daughter make one of just a few
coveted live appearances this summer.
Elsewhere, Mark E. Smith’s The Fall will be
ruling proceedings, while Charli XCX is set
proves just why she’s riding high at the top of
charts on a daily basis.
Diving headfirst into the thick of it, Leeds
troublemakers Eagulls return to UK shores
following a lengthy stint over in the US,
and after the education that has been their
current tour, the five-piece are looking
forward to return to Blighty.
“The US has been a learning curve for the
band,” admits frontman George Mitchell. “It
will be a breath of fresh air to play festivals
this summer as we’ve been playing our own
headline tour shows for months now. To be
able to switch up and do things different
like festivals will be a good thing for us. We’ll
have a lot of energy to look forward to by
then.” DIY
CHARLI XCX
Already the queen of
mainstream pop – whether
the mainstream realises
it or not – this girl knows
no musical bounds, and
with gems like ‘Boom Clap’
firmly stored in her arsenal,
she’s sure to have the entire
Beacons crowd in the palm
of her hand.
JON HOPKINS
It’s safe to say that Jon
Hopkins’ career has been
somewhat of a slow-burning
affair thus far, but now, he’s
shining brightly. Having
already incited quite the
excitement at city festivals
earlier this year, there’s
another chance to catch the
electronic genius in Skipton.
ON THE DIY
STAGE
Frightened Rabbit, Jess
Glynne, Saint Raymond,
Lewis Watson, Woman’s
Hour, Breton, Lyger and
more.
16 diymag.com

DZ Deathrays
FESTIVAL
NEWS
2000trees
10th - 12th July
Cheltenham may well be more commonly
known for the Gold Cup and its picturesque
spa town aesthetic, but those aren’t the only
things drawing in the masses. Over the last
eight years, the nearby Upcote Farm has planted itself
firmly on the festival map, marking itself as a thriving
hotbed of summer madness. Fresh from winning last
year’s Grass Roots Festival award for the second time,
2000trees will be returning to the Cotswold Hills for
another year of music-filled chaos - and limited tickets are
still available.
Taking to the stage over the weekend, the likes of Blood
Red Shoes will showcase the breakneck heaviness of
their latest self-titled effort, while Band Of Skulls indulge
crowds in the gritty rock’n’roll they’ve honed so well with
their three albums to date. Class of 2014 stars Wolf Alice
meanwhile will spend their stage time blowing hangovers
away with their beautiful brand of grunge-laced punk.
Having already played a handful of festivals on our side
of the world, cheeky Australians DZ Deathrays are also
coming back. “I feel like we’re here a lot,” offers one half
of the twosome, Shane Parsons. “It’s good to be back.
We’re playing about four new songs… No one really
knows them, so it’s just about playing a couple.
“I kinda wanted it to be an extension of the first record,”
he explains, on what the duo hoped to explore with their
second record, “but just a little bit tighter. Song-wise,
there’s a bit more structure. The songs we had on the first
album were just all live songs, recorded it how they were
played live and nothing really changed. Whereas this
time, we sort of let go of everything.”
Festival season isn’t the only thing on their mind. The
band may not have even released their album in the
UK yet, but frontman is already looking forward to the
next step of their musical career. “We recorded at the
beginning of the year, and I’m already looking forward to
writing new songs and trying to get another record out as
soon as possible.” DIY
ELSEWHERE AT
2000TREES...
THE BRONX
The Cave, Friday
So good that they’ve
managed to morph
themselves into two
separate incarnations – first
channelling the pulse of
punk rock, before taking
on the world of mariachi -
The Bronx are not a band
to miss.
YOUTH MAN
The Leaf Lounge,
Saturday
Ferocious and thrashing,
Youth Man’s sound is
as unrelenting as it is
mesmerising. If you’re
looking to get a glimpse
into the heart of new heavy
music, these boys will be
bearing their souls.
TALL SHIPS
Main Stage, Saturday
Firm favourites at
2000trees, the Brighton
trio are set to make a
triumphant return to the
Main Stage this year, and
with it, there’ll hopefully
be a taste of new material.
Having spent the last year
off the road, whatever it is
that they’ve been working
on will undoubtedly be met
by eager ears.
FLOW FESTIVAL
Finland’s Flow has announced
plans for a brand new venue
at this year’s event, set to take
place from 8th - 10th August.
The MixRadio Music Hall will play
host to the likes of Brooklyn’s
Big Ups, Berlin’s Ballet School,
Phantom, Jaakko Eino Kalevi
and Beastmilk.
PITCHFORK MUSIC
FESTIVAL PARIS
A handful of new acts have been
added to Pitchfork Music Festival
Paris, including St. Vincent,
Ben Khan and Perfect Pussy.
Joining CHVRCHES, Belle &
Sebastian and Jungle, other
additions for the 30th October -
1st November event include The
Notwist and Jesse Lanza.
KNEE DEEP
FESTIVAL
Taking place near Liskeard in
Cornwall, Knees Deep festival
will be playing host to the likes
of Eagulls, Glass Animals and
Patrick Wolf. Happening from
1st - 2nd August, the weekender
also boasts performances from
Kate Tempest, Koreless, Beaty
Heart, Gengahr, Oliver Wilde,
Fear Of Men and Happyness.
WILDERNESS
Already set to have the likes of
Metronomy, Jessie Ware and
London Grammar performing,
Wilderness has now announced
a number of talks, debates and
literary forums. The likes of Sir
Antony Gormley, Irvine Welsh,
George Monbiot and Oliver
Burkeman will all be partaking
in discussions at the Oxfordshire
weekender.
17

FESTIVAL
NEWS
LABELLED WITH LOVE
Following on from the AIM
Independent Music Awards, the
Labelled With Love series of gigs will
return to London this autumn. The
event will be curated by independent
record labels, with the line up still to
be confirmed - watch this space.
READING & LEEDS
The first ever solo live appearance
from former My Chemical Romance
frontman Gerard Way heads up a list of
artists added to the line-up for Reading
& Leeds. Gerard, who releases his debut
solo album later in the year, appears
on the NME / Radio 1 stage during the
August Bank Holiday weekend.
VISIONS
London all-dayer Visions has confirmed
its final set of acts for its second year,
including London producer Sophie,
Canadian fivesome Alvvays, Swedish
singer Alice Boman, Dirty Beaches
and Jaakko Eino Kalevi. The multivenue
festival will take place across
Oval Space, The Laundry, London Fields
Brewhouse and New Empowering
Church on 2nd August.
JABBERWOCKY
The inaugural Jabberwocky takes place
at London’s ExCeL Centre from 15th -
16th August, with the newly reunited
Neutral Milk Hotel being the main
attraction. New additions have also
been announced, including Mutual
Benefit, Ben Frost, Jozef Van Wissem
and Ought.
SIMPLE THINGS
The first wave of acts has been
announced for Bristol’s Simple Things,
taking place from 24th - 25th October.
Caribou will headline the Friday
night, while Mogwai are Saturday’s
headliners, with Evian Christ. Zomby
and Laurel Halo also on the bill.
Kendal
Calling
1st - 3rd August
he Lake District is one of the most beautiful
places in Britain. An area packed with serene
T scenery that’s no stranger to inspiring artists
old and new, it’s also the wonderful setting for this
year’s Kendal Calling; a festival that’s harmonious,
relaxed and jam-packed with music fans.
“We love the smaller festivals,” offers Frightened
Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, thinking ahead to
their forthcoming summer appearance on the
DIY-sponsored Calling Out stage. “The crowds are
music lovers and the atmosphere is really intimate
and personal. Also, our buddies Augustines are
playing, so hopefully we get the chance to catch up
with them over the weekend.”
Appearing alongside the likes of Woman’s Hour,
Jimi Goodwin and Bondax, the Scottish four-piece
will be making their live return to the stage after
their first real break in years. “I think we all needed
a break from Frightened Rabbit,” Scott assures, “so
myself and Andy went off to record the Owl John
album. It was time to take a breather.”
“I always look forward to festival season,” he
considers. “You don’t get crowds like that anywhere
else and it’s also often the only opportunity you’ve
got to catch up with old friends. You have to
change your tactics a bit for the festival shows, the
most important thing is to get the crowd on your
side and work them up a bit.”
Have no fear though, festival shows aren’t the only
plans that the foursome have up their sleeves.
“We’ll be finishing off the next Frightened Rabbit
record by the end of this year,” reveals Scott. “We’ve
begun to fling around some song ideas amongst
ourselves, so things are underway. I’m really
looking forward to getting stuck in again after a
wee break. Coming back to work with those gents
is always a good feeling.” DIY
ELSEWHERE AT
KENDAL
CALLING...
AUGUSTINES
If heart-wrenching lyrics and
emotion-laden vocals are
your kinda thing, Augustines
are a band right up your
street. From the intensity
of their debut record to the
rough-around-the-edges
beauty of their second,
they know exactly how to
musically soothe the soul.
WOMAN’S HOUR
Woman’s Hour are like a
great vintage wine: they get
better with every showing.
A highlight of many events
over the summer so far,
they’re set to shine even
brighter, with their debut
album ‘Conversations’ finally
being on shelves by the time
they appear.
LYGER
Riffs, riffs and more riffs. If
there’s any band set to fill
your dirty rock’n’roll quota
for the weekend, it’s LYGER.
The next heirs to the Queens
of the Stone Age throne –
with only a handful of tracks
to their name so far – they’re
a surefire way to get the
adrenaline pumping.
ON THE DIY
STAGE
Frightened Rabbit, Jess
Glynne, Saint Raymond,
Lewis Watson, Woman’s
Hour, Breton, Lyger and
more.
18 diymag.com

festivals
What’s on
your mind?
Rob da Bank offers a glimpse into the inner-workings of Bestival.
Bestival has always been unique in its field (Geddit?
- Ed). As organiser Rob da Bank observes, “Where
else can you dress up as Robinson Crusoe or Donna
Summer and get lost in a field on an island for four
days whilst playing ultraviolet ping pong and being served
Jägerbombs by a dwarf in a miniature tree?” This year the fun
and games surpass previous efforts. There’s “a new reggae
and dancehall stage called Reggae Roots,” Rob explains,
“a new green and eco area called Peace Valley, lots more
happenings in the Ambient Forest, and of course our disco
ball.” Believe it or not, they’re trying to break the world record
for Biggest Ever Disco Ball. “And we’re going to do it. It’s
gonna be ten metres in diameter and it’s going to be onsite at
Bestival, spinning as the night falls on Chic’s grand finale and
lighting up the crowd.”
The line up consists not only of the aforementioned Chic
featuring Nile Rodgers, but Outkast, Foals, Beck, Disclosure,
London Grammar, Wild Beasts, CHVRCHES, Tune-Yards,
Temples… the list goes on. “Obviously Outkast is a big ‘un,”
Rob enthuses, “and I’m super chuffed that Beck is coming
to the little old Isle of Wight. As ever the headliners are
important to some but it’s the whole line up this year that’s
really steaming!” Newer names on the bill include MØ,
Woman’s Hour, Say Lou Lou, SOHN, Bipolar Sunshine, God
Damn, and Catfish and The Bottlemen (“I’m a massive fan,”
says Rob).
Needless to say, it’s a lot to organise. Where does he begin? “I
have a little post it note on my computer that I start writing
notes on,” Rob laughs, “and then that turns into a bigger Word
document. Once I really get into my stride it’s a huge bloody
Excel sheet covered in ideas of heritage acts and new acts…
it’s a selfish process involving what I like and what I feel the
Bestival faithful will like too.” Indeed, Rob’s put together a
sprawling mind-map, of sorts, to explain - which you’ll find in
DIY’s super-spiffy fold out. “I love modern art and my favourite
artist is Jeremy Deller,” he says by way of explanation, “so this
is a kind of homage to his acid house number, which I love. I
like scribbling lists and seeing the whole picture and how it
comes together, so hopefully it makes some sense.”
Bestival will take place from 4th - 7th September at Robin
Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight. DIY
19

20 diymag.com

21

22 diymag.com

festivals
photo: Matt Richardson
ELSEWHERE
AT BILBAO BBK LIVE...
FRANZ FERDINAND
10th July
The original pioneers of the indie
anthem, there’s no denying that
Franz Ferdinand have many more
strings to their bow. If their recent
headline performances in the UK
are anything to go by, their festival
sets are going to be jam-packed
with every foot-stomping hit you
could hope for.
BILBAO BBK LIVE
7th - 10th July
he UK could have the finest weather
since records began, and it still
T wouldn’t be quite the same as soaking
up the sun somewhere on the continent.
That’s exactly how hoards of festival-goers
are now beginning to think too, with legions
of them grabbing their sun cream and
travel miniatures, throwing them into hand
luggage and jumping on the next budget
airline to España.
Elsewhere at this year’s event, there will be
plenty of jumping up and down and waving
your arms around, if Bastille have anything
to do with it. Still on a high from winning that
BRIT Award earlier this year – and selling godknows-how-many
records over in America –
they’re set to bring the singalongs in bulk.
Another act well-versed in the art of pop
are Phoenix, who’ll be bringing their
wonderfully catchy songs to the opening
evening of proceedings, whilst the likes
of White Lies and Parquet Courts also
get the crowds warmed up ahead of Franz
Ferdinand’s closing set.
PARQUET
COURTS
10th July
This Brooklyn five-piece pull
no punches when it comes
to their live show, so expect
nothing less when festivals
are involved. With their new
album ‘Sunbathing Animal’
finally out in the open, carnage
will undoubtedly be on
the cards when the Brooklyn
troupe step up to the plate.
That’s because Northern Spain is the newest
hotspot for musical weekenders, and with
Bilbao BBK Live attracting a higher calibre of
acts with each year that swings by, it’s getting
harder and harder to resist the sunshine.
What with the likes of Franz Ferdinand,
The Prodigy and The Black Keys taking on
headlining duties for the event, it’s enough
to make you unearth the sunglasses and get
to Stansted Airport quicker than you can hum
‘Take Me Out’.
On Friday evening, Chet Faker will be
showcasing his electro-infused talents,
before Conor Oberst makes things that little
more intimate with offerings from his latest
solo album ‘Upside Down Mountain’. There’s
not much chance of a quiet evening in the
tent though; well, not if The Prodigy have
anything to do with it.
New York’s Skaters should have just enough
time to begin causing a ruckus ahead of a
set from the more soothing tones of Band of
Horses, and familiar sounds of MGMT. Then,
how better to end a festival than with a pint
of sangria in one hand and The Black Keys
running through their hits on stage? That’s
how they do it in Bilbao, right? DIY
MGMT
12th July
Having taken their time
with record number three, it
wasn’t even certain that we’d
ever actually get to hear their
self-titled third effort, let
alone be treated to their live
shows again. In 2014, that’s
all changed and the duo will
be bringing their oracular
spectacular (geddit?) to Bilbao
with true style, cowbells
and all.
23

neu all we are
NEu
Crossing p a t h s f r o m t h r e e s e p a r a t e c o u n t r i e s ,
L i v e r p o o l ’ s A l l W e A r e a r e u n i t e d i n t h e i r l o v e o f
psych. Words: Jamie Milton, P hoto: E mma Swann.
All We ArE
24 diymag.com

It’s not quite funk, it’s not quite disco,
and it’s not even psych. The three
members of All We Are - Guro Gikling
(bass, vocals), Rich O’ Flynn (drums)
and Luis Santos (guitars) bond over
a love of just about anything, and together
in their early singles they’ve latched onto a
sound that is neither one thing nor the other.
It simply works.
Debut ‘Utmost Good’ was released back
in the early months of 2013. Tagged with
the eye-opening “Bee Gees on diazepam”
description, it gave hints towards psych
giants Unknown Mortal Orchestra, only it
arrived with an even more deranged, underether
take on things. Follow-up ‘Feel Safe’
(the band’s first single on Domino) was a
little sharper in approach, its funk slides and
clipped guitars possessing a razor edge.
The group’s eclecticism could be put down to
different backgrounds. Guro is Norwegianborn,
with the Ireland-bred O’ Flynn and the
Brazilian Santos completing a rich and diverse
line-up. But together, these three all speak
from the same page. They love good music,
good atmospheres and, above anything else,
good booze.
“We’re gonna
stick around
for a long
time.” G uro G ikling
Rich cites a recent getaway trip to the
North of Wales as evidence of All We Are’s
unorthodox routine. They packed their gear,
recording equipment and a fortnight’s worth
of liquor. “Our mission was to write a tune a
day for two weeks. A couple of those were
album-worthy. Three tunes in two weeks was
pretty good, and we had a fucking load of
fun,” he eagerly recites. “We lock ourselves
in, enter this All We Are world and just write,”
says Guro. “We’ll come out of it and be like
‘Woah, there’s an actual world out there’. This
is weird. We have to go back to civilisation.”
All three of the band write together on a
prolific basis. Sometimes it’ll involve far-out
sessions, six hour “jams” (“nobody will ever
hear them,” jokes Guro). Other times every
member will swap instruments, entering
into some distressed, free jazz experience. “I
was on guitar and it was like ‘Fuck man,’ it’s
a spaceship in here,” Rich says, as traditional
guitar wizard Luis sips a mid-afternoon pint
ahead of the band’s Great Escape Festival set.
Together, they deny suggestions that they’re
cosying up to one particular genre. “Disco”
and “funk” are both dirty words according
to Rich and Guro, with the latter narrowing
down the group’s sound to “psychedelic
boogie.”
“There’s an atmosphere to the tunes,
an expansiveness. People might call it
psychedelia, but it’s more a depth,” backs up
Rich. “It’s not really funk that we do. It’s just
groove-based. That’s always existed.”
If it’s just an initial taste of psych that the
band tend to expose in their recordings, the
actual psychedelic mentality they share was
enhanced by recent sessions with producer
Dan Carey. His conventional studio setting
involves flooding the room with smoke and
lasers. “We all came out of it as new people.
Even spiritually. It was really special,” says
Luis. “We made a mate for life,” echoes Rich.
Of the sessions, Guro recites a process that
sounds psych to the extreme. “By the end you
start seeing things that aren’t really there,
feeling things you didn’t know you could
feel… It’s really weird, this one track while
we were playing it, I felt like I was wading
through water.” Carey might’ve brought out
the inner acid trip in All We Are, but on record
they still sound remarkably cool under the
conditions.
An eventual full-length is expected to come
out in the beginning of 2015. For the time
being, the band are going to carry on writing.
Signing to Domino gave them a sudden jolt
in motivation, a desire to keep on penning
songs. “They’re really supportive. They’re
lovely human beings. They believe in what
we’re doing,” says Guro of the label, before
summing up the trio’s long-term plan. “We
always wanted to do an album. We wanna
make loads of albums. All We Are is a very
new band when you look at the scheme of
things. But we’re gonna stick around for
a long time.” At once, the three of them
burst into laughter. It almost sounds like
a collective cackle, like they’re together
planning on taking over the world.
“But we’ve really been focused on this,” says
Rich. “We always thought we’d plough on and
see it through to the end. We love writing. We
don’t see it as a short-term thing.” DIY
25

NEu
Alvvays
Suckers for the summer, Toronto’s Alv vays recorded their effortless
debut in the dead end of winter. Words: Nathan Roberts.
TITLE ‘Alvvays’
LABEL
Transgressive
RECORDED
2013
PRODUCER
Chad
VanGaalen
RELEASE DATE:
21st July 2014
TRACKLISTING
1. Adult
Diversion
2. Archie,
Marry Me
3. Ones Who
Love You
4. Next of Kin
5. Party Police
6. The Agency
Group
7. Dives
8. Atop a Cake
9. Red Planet
Molly Rankin, the lead singer of indie upstarts Alvvays, sounds admirably
enthusiastic given her early morning call from Toronto. It’s even more
impressive considering that the band have only just recently returned
to their native Canada after a intense first jaunt across the pond. “The
shows were really cool,” she reminisces. “The turnouts were really good.”
“ I ’ m
t r y i n g
t o h a v e
t h i s ‘ l i f e
i s s h o r t ’
v i b e
t h e s e
days.”
M o l l y
R ankin
Speaking at the beginning of summer, Molly claims to be dependent on “surroundings and lighting” and
“y’know, the state of trees”. The recording for their debut had the band relocate to Calgary at the “tail end
of winter.” She remains good-humoured reflecting on the “bleak surroundings” and sardonically laughs
when mentioning that they housed with her brother, who broke his leg the day they arrived.
As a band, Alvvays immediately followed Molly’s own forays into a solo career; making what she calls
“pop-folk” that was “a little bit singer-songwriter-y”. The transitional process was helped along in part due
to her own listening habits. “It became a band because I listen to bands, and I don’t really listen to singersongwriters.
It was like, ‘Why I am writing folk songs? I don’t even...’”
Despite each of the five-piece being involved in projects in the past, Molly was nonchalant about the
prospect of people potentially seeing her earlier work, there’s only one song that she seems remotely
embarrassed by. “I recorded a song when I was like 18 with my family [country/folk group The Rankin
Family] and it’s this hilarious radio song. I haven’t listened to it in a really long time, but if I did, I would
probably throw up. It’s the most successful thing I’ve ever done, but it’s just a heinous song.”
Molly doesn’t mess around, musically or in conversation. The lyrics of ‘Adult Diversion’ in particular are
strikingly real. “If I should fall, act as though it never happened,” she sings, in amongst a song about
drinking “one more cocktail”. It’s easy to relate. “I guess there’s the literal meaning: if I put myself out there
and it doesn’t work out… then let’s say this never went on.” It’s almost as if she describes the spontaneity
of the band itself; Alvvays is a gamble, and it’s one that looks set to pay off. DIY
26 diymag.com

photo: Carolina Faruolo
NEu
LIVE REPORT
NEu
NEWS
T
he Wolf Alice / Superfood tour
was always going to go down
as one of the most raucous
and unhinged of the year. Judging by
the post-Scala celebrations - winding
past the 6am mark - this run of dates
could’ve done with a peacekeeper, a
sensible bunch to balance things out.
Not Gengahr. Apparently this London
lot are the worst of the bunch, partystarters
in their prime.
It doesn’t show. First on the bill on
the last date of a mammoth tour, the
newcomers look unfazed; clean-shaven,
even. Their 90s psych fusion is precise.
So far, these guys just have demos
to sport, but when running through
GENGAHR
L o n d o n S c a l a
‘Fill My Gums With Blood’, they fill the
room. The rapture for both Superfood
and Wolf Alice is unparalleled - these
are bands in their prime, ready for the
world. But Gengahr aren’t far behind.
The big draw comes in John Victor, a
guitarist who mimics Jonny Greenwood
and Bloc Party’s Russell Lissack in
appearance, resembling their playing
style in every sense too. He’s of a very
different form, this guy, throwing
himself into every ether-doused solo
with ease. As if the line-up for this
tour wasn’t already exciting enough,
Gengahr give further reason for it to
eventually go down in folklore. (Jamie
Milton)
ON THE ROAD
One of the best live groups around,
Dublin’s Girl Band, have announced
another run of European dates
taking them through to October.
They include a headline show at
London’s Shapes warehouse (16th
June), plus a run of dates in Ireland.
They’re also touring with Metz this
summer - see the dates on
diymag.com.
DUMBO AND
DUMBO-ER
Australian newcomer D.D Dumbo
has signed to 4AD (Grimes, The
National), with a newly announced
schedule of UK shows taking place
this July. Debut UK shows begin
with a headline date at London
Chat’s Palace (9th July). Following
that, he supports Daughter for one
show and Tame Impala for their
July UK run.
COMING INTO BEING
Caila Thompson-Hannant
aka Mozart’s Sister has
announced details of her debut
album, following on from the
breakthrough 2013 EP ‘Hello’.
Debut album ‘Being’ is out in the
US on 25th August via Asthmatic
Kitty - lead track ‘Enjoy’ is a
rhythmic beast, flirting with all-out
pop hooks before retreating into
its own oddball corner. Listen on
diymag.com.
27

NEu
Public
Access TV
N ew York is killing them. N ow it’s a case of cooking up the B i g
Apple, giving it a new lease of life. Words: Jamie Milton, Photos: Emma Swann
Pity the guys in Public Access TV when, in the first week of 2014, their debut track ‘Monaco’ picked up comparisons
to The Strokes. There’s no doubt that this song - arguably the year’s first out-of-the-blue success story - has a
big fat dose of ‘Is This It’ pouring from the seams. But these New Yorkers are looking to change the story. They’re
confused that when a relatively exciting band steps out of this city - a city where there’s “really not that much
happening,” - they immediately get prompted with the Strokes card.
“It’s like, how many years later is that going to be part of the conversation?” asks frontman John Eatherly. He looks the part
with a scuffed-up leather jacket, but this band isn’t some lame-ass rock ‘n roll audition. “You
can’t be a guitar band in New York these days without people throwing The Strokes in your face.
Every fucking band.”
Public Access TV intend to change things. ‘Monaco’’s spiky immediacy was just the beginning.
Second track ‘Middle Child’ brings a higher intensity, plus a studio sheen from its session in
Nashville. They’ve a lot of gripes - bands with attitude and no songs, big groups with rehearsed
arena stage-shows, “mediocre” scenes scattered across the US - but they also have a solution.
A statement issued upon their emergence in January boldly reads: “With Public Access TV we
want to draw a line in the sand between us and them.” And with their initial batch of songs,
they’re already doing just that.
“We probably wouldn’t have put out music without ‘Is This It’,” admits guitarist Xan Aird. “They
had it all. But most of all they had the songs and they were probably one of the best New
York live bands ever.” John pipes up, again referring to PATV’s own tattoo-inked mantra. “You
think back to guys like [David] Bowie and Iggy [Pop] and Lou [Reed] and people like that - they
changed it up, they changed it up and you have different eras you can fall in love with.”
The full package, then, is exactly what Public Access TV intend on providing. Like any band with
two songs to their name, it’s too early to deduce whether this is all talk or just plain excitable
intentions. But they’re clearly on an upwards trajectory. “Right now I like to keep it as tight as
possible with just songs, songs, songs,” says John. “Keep it short. We’re a new band and I don’t
wanna overplay it.” But with statements and opinions to last a lifetime, already here exists a
group brave enough to stand out in the crowd. DIY
NEED TO
KNOW
+ PATV’s first UK
shows were secret
affairs, played under
the name The Ill
Herbs.
+ The band do still
have some love for
New York - they heap
praise on Ratking.
“Those kids are
much more rock ‘n
roll than anything
going on in the
East Village at the
moment.”
+ They go back
into the studio in
June, with plans to
return to the UK this
August.
28 diymag.com

NEu RECOMMENDED
JACK
GARRATT
B eing musically obsessed pays its dues.
A recent convert to the electronic sphere, Jack Garratt began as a sixteen year old with a SoundCloud account that nobody would
visit. Two songs into his latest journey and ‘I Couldn’t Want You Anyway’ and ‘Water’ have gained 100,000 plays. “Most of what
I’ve learned is through being able to watch people I loved the tone of and sound of,” he says of his learning experience, listing off
Stevie Ray Vaughan and David Bowie as big influences. He’s lucky enough to share a house with fellow musicians who all enjoy
nights in sharing their favourite ever guitar solos. “It’s one of the things where it’s ok to talk about work after you’ve been working
because that’s all we know. It’s the best thing - you could talk to them about anything in the world. They’re my best friends.” In the
flesh or on the web - Jack is surrounding himself with all the right things in order to assist with his remarkable progress.
LISTEN ‘Worry’ (from the ‘Remnants’ EP, out 14th July)
FOR FANS OF James Blake, “electronic chillax”
SEMI
PRECIOUS
Semi Precious sets himself limits. It’s
the only way he knows how to go about
things. Two samples are picked out
from goodness knows where, placed
in the spotlight and spun around in
circles. The South London artist - going
by the name Guy - has the intention
of breaking everything into pieces.
On ‘When It’s Hard’, his under-ether
debut track, everything feels precious,
capable of collapsing at the slightest
touch. Both creepy and oddly affirming,
not a single song on his SoundCloud
page sounds like the other. Clearly
we’re witnessing an artist in the midst
of a big experimentation binge.
LISTEN ‘When It’s Hard’
FOR FANS OF How To Dress Well
FLYTE
In the space of a year, Flyte have
ditched bedroom surroundings for a
studio in East London: they’ve picked
up a record deal, put shows under
their belt, but together they joke that
they’ve collectively “lost friends!” It’s an
exaggeration, but the four-piece have
kept to their own corner. There’s not
a great deal of comparisons that can
be thrown their way; anyone clutching
onto a copy of The Beatles’ ‘Anthology’
will love them, but that person could be
anyone from a dogged hipster to Alan
Partridge. If there’s a neat summation,
they’re a bunch of sweethearts.
LISTEN ‘We Are The Rain’
FOR FANS OF Romantic walks,
picnics
SUN
MACHINE
There’s a strange sense of rejoice to Sun
Machine’s de-calming clatter. They’re
a band that always sound like they’re
out celebrating, but this isn’t traditional
flag-waving fare, even if it’s essentially
built from the ground up for festivals.
Recent track ‘Wild Heart’ is a series of
progressive steps. When foot-stomping
rambunctiousness isn’t enough in
their book, shades of Britpop collide
with a hushed, Primal Scream-style of
delivery. On debut ‘Have You Seen It,
It’s Alive’, storming riffs burst out with
zero grace. But there’s more to them,
with several shades yet to be exposed.
LISTEN ‘Have You Seen It, It’s
Alive’
FOR FANS OF Tame Impala, vibes
29

NEu
“ I j u s t
w a n n a g e t
a w a y f r o m
r e a l i t y . ”
J a c q u e l i n e
Mapei Cummings
Mapei
E l e c t r o n i c p o p f o r d u m m i e s : h o w t o b r e a k o u t o f t h e b e d r o o m a n d
make a game-changing debut album. Words: jamie milton.
Wait’, Mapei’s breakthrough single from last year, is an arms-in-the-air, joyous, patience-slamming triumph.
One million plays to the good, it celebrates the sound of someone giving in to their instincts and just going for it.
No messing around. No second thoughts.
‘Don’t
It’s a strange title, in a sense, given that the Swedish musician - full name Jacqueline Mapei Cummings - did a
whole lot of waiting before she finally came good on her promise. Back in 2012 Mapei was a much talked-about, hyped rapper,
fresh from releasing the ‘Cocoa Butter Diaries’ EP. Following that, things stalled. The next step would have to take time. “I couldn’t
find the right sound,” she says, post-finding that all-important eureka moment. “I just wanted to do something more polished.”
For the first time since writing songs from the age of 12, she shunned rapping and decided to express herself through singing.
Sessions in Swedish producer Magnus Lidell’s plush studio were a first, too. She was used to recording in thin-walled bedrooms
(“You couldn’t really scream so much”). Limits were in place. Not anymore.
The songs form what will eventually amount to a debut album (‘Hey Hey’), out later this year. Together, they point to a genuine
freeing of ideas. “ I wanted to do something more fluffy poppy, more beautiful and feminine. I always wanted to do that. I ditched
that dream at some stage and tried to be cooler than I was,” she says. The inner pop’s broken free, and there’s not a great deal
capable of standing in its way.
Jacqueline describes the record as a “rainbow unicorn,” which is quite something. These songs are definitely colourful,
though. They take in everything, from the musician’s wild imagination to her equally extreme background, which took in
“the hood in Sweden, the hood in America,” plus a period in Brazil. “I just wanna get away from reality. I don’t know the facts
about these things. I wouldn’t call myself political so I can’t take that on my shoulder and be a political rapper. But I know what I
know and I know what I’ve been through and I wanna speak about that sometimes. But I prefer a more simple world.” Perhaps it’s
been worth the wait after all. DIY
30 diymag.com

LITTLE
label
Neu takes a look at the record labels responsible
for breakthrough releases, big or small.
CASCINE
NEu
JULY 2014
IN EPS
With album releases on the backburner during the middle of
summer, July’s a big opportunity for new bands to steal attention
with new EPs. One four-track release can go a long way, and this
year’s already seen superb releases from Wolf Alice, Yumi Zouma
and Ben Khan. Below, we round-up EPs worth paying attention to
over the next month.
FOUNDED: 2010.
KEY RELEASES: Keep Shelly In Athens,
‘At Home’ (2013), Yumi Zouma, ’ST’
(2014).
Anyone emotionally invested in Cascine
doesn’t just cite the bands. The sleek image it’s associated
with is just as much a part of the package. Someone once
suggested that Cascine should bring out a fragrance - it’d
sell. Above anything else, the label’s been responsible for
releases that all feel like they belong in the same home -
dreamy, often bedroom-produced pop. Answers come from
the label’s head of press, Sandra Croft.
What was the founding ethos for Cascine? Did you have
one or is it just something that’s evolved?
It’s definitely evolved over time. In the beginning, we used
“experimental pop guided by intuition” as our ethos, but
it’s always been less of a strict ethos than a guideline for the
label’s evolution over time. We’ve always been interested in
exploring the different ways in which ‘experimental pop’ can
be represented, from the light-as-air microhouse of RxGibbs,
to Ditt Inre’s deeper, layered, distinctly Nordic pop sound, to
Yumi Zouma’s sweetly nostalgic sound. So with every release,
that curiosity and understanding evolves.
You seem to be a label that finds it vital to keep good
relationships with artists - why is this so important?
Well, we work really closely with our artists throughout all
the steps in the release process. Jeff (our label boss) guides
the evolution release, Andi (our project manager) keeps the
release on track, and I do the press. We’re consulting directly
with the artists along all these steps, and you end up being
friends with them.
I think it’s important because as a label, we’re trying to
develop the careers of artists over several releases, so
maintaining good relationships with artists is a way to really
get a deep understanding of what they’re about beyond the
music itself. It’s also a lot of fun - our artists are intelligent,
funny, warm and kind people, and knowing them is one of the
best rewards we get out of Cascine. DIY
E u g e n e
Quell
A Great Uselessness
(7th July)
First a bedroom project, now
a fully-fledged band, Eugene
Quell’s new EP follows up
a scrappy debut that came
out in the beginning of
2013. Lead track ‘That One
Song’ is a balls-to-the-wall,
QOTSA-style frenzy of pure,
unhinged grunge. Taste
the dirt.
T win P eaks
Flavor (7th July)
Chicago upstarts Twin Peaks
might’ve already released a
fantastic 2013 debut album
(‘Sunken’), but this is their
first official UK release. It
brings together highlights
from their LP plus a couple of
fresh faces to warm fans up
to an eventual second album,
out later this year. Bessies
with The Orwells, expect
sharp-witted rock’n’roll with
its shirt untucked.
Ja c k
G arratt
Remnants (14th July)
One of the year’s breakout
successes on the back of just
two blog-tastic tracks, this
is Londoner Jack Garrett’s
first EP. If previously unveiled
songs (‘Worry’ and ‘Water’)
are anything to go by,
this is a slick, soul-spliced
introduction.
Famy
Ava (21st July)
Ahead of an eventual debut
full-length (expected in
winter 2014), FAMY are
leading with their biggest
single to date, ‘Ava’. It’s
backed by three new tracks,
each recorded during the
band’s 2012 sessions in an
abandoned church. Sounds
romantic - it is. Sometimes
big numbers like these need
a beautiful backstory to help
with their conception.
31

32 diymag.com

latitude
2014
What’s better than a music festival in the middle of a forest, by a lake,
near some sheep? Nothing, that’s what. This month DIY is hooking up
with Latitude to bring you the best coverage of this year’s event. From
main stage headliners Two Door Cinema Club through to cover stars
Röyksopp and Robyn and new blood Woman’s Hour, over the next few
pages we’ll run you through the very best of Latitude 2014.
Not going? Fear not. We’ll be bringing you all the fun of
Latitude 2014 from 17th-20th July on diymag.com
33

latitude
25 page preview
34 diymag.com

S c a n d i n a v i a n
g i a n t s
R ö y k s o p p &
Robyn a r e
two arti s t s
w h o a v o i d
r e p e t i t i o n l i k e
t h e p l a g u e .
With ‘D o I t
A g a i n ’ , t h e y
b r e a k t h a t
g o l d e n r u l e
b y s a y i n g y e s
t o a n o t h e r
c o l l a b o r a t i o n
- t h e
r e s u l t s a r e
spectacular.
W o r d s : J a m i e
M i l t o n ,
P h o t o s : M i k e
Massaro.
35

latitude
25 page preview
‘Body Talk’, all focus on
collaborations. “We decided,
at some point, to front this
record together,” remembers
Robyn. “It becomes a very
different process at that point.
It gets more serious, for all
of us.”
D
ays could be spent trying to find two
acts more in line with each other than
Röyksopp and Robyn. Their tastes and
ideas match to a T. Not only that - their
views on what it takes to be an artist also
align. They’re musicians who have, on
their own journey, shunned stardom. Both
share Number One hits, both write inherently
sad music that nags at the conscience. They
explore these traits in very different ways, but
there couldn’t be a more fitting meeting of minds
than ‘Do It Again’, their new mini-album. Even the
blindingly white hair and collective wiriness of David Byrne
and St. Vincent can’t match the Scandinavians’ kinship.
One outstanding characteristic that defines these three - Röyksopp’s
Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, the unmistakable Robyn - is that
throughout their time in the spotlight, not once have they felt the need
to repeat themselves. Röyksopp’s ‘Junior’ was a shiny-pop feast. It saw
them on the precipice of something huge and absolute. They climbed
back into their shells and released the dark, introspective wise pair
of shoulders, ‘Senior’. Robyn
started in the mainstream.
Over time, through a process of
experimentation, she redefined
who she was as an artist, and the
face of the genre itself.
On paper, then, they’re
breaking their one golden rule
by deciding to combine years
after their first collaborations,
2009’s ‘The Girl and the Robot’
and 2010’s ‘None of Dem’. The
explanation is simple: ‘Do It
Again’ is different. Yes, its title
stems from the fact that they’re
back in the studio together,
but this is a new experience,
something untried and untested
in every way imaginable.
R o b y n
As they prepare for an afterhours
party in Bergen - the
Norwegian city where Röyksopp
and Robyn first met - they’re
clearly still in the midst of this
new experience. This minialbum
they’ve emerged with is only the first step. Attention now turns
to the live show. True to their collective character, this is as big a test as
any. As Torbjørn states: “I don’t think anything like this has ever been
done before.”
A
“ I t ’ s n o t j u s t
l i k e a n e w
c o l l a b o r a t i o n ,
i t ’ s f o r a n e w
p u r p o s e . ”
ll crazy ideas have to start somewhere. When ‘Do It Again’ was
first coined, everyone involved was just messing around. They
had their respective projects to think about; Röyksopp were
starting their fifth full-length; Robyn was strung out from a three-part
“We started on zero,” says
Torbjørn. On day one, they
had a discussion about time
and all its strange effects.
From there, they made
‘Monument’, a giant sprawling
opening track that deals with
the idea of leaving something
behind after you’re gone.
It’s dark, but then again, it’s
Röyksopp and Robyn that
are behind it. “We tried to
harness whatever sentiment
or feeling that was reigning at
a given point - we were trying
to capture that moment and
go on intuition, starting from
scratch,” recalls Svein.
Individually, a word all
three of the musicians cite
is “freedom.” This was the
first time since their late
teens, early twenties that
they’d made a record without
interruption. Virtually nobody
on the outside knew that
it was happening. “No-one
knew it was going to be made,
and it’s a record that’s never
been made before,” boasts
36 diymag.com

37

latitude
25 page preview
Robyn. “There’s nothing
wrong with the industry
side of things, but it carries
a certain pressure,” says
Svein. “Somebody wants to have an opinion on
something that hasn’t been made yet. We started
making music with no other intentions. It’s a good
feeling. It brings me back to when I was a fifteen
year old, sitting in my living room, making music,
just the two of us.”
Doors closed, blinds down, together they racked
up the air miles and studio time to finish off this
record. The five songs that eventually wound
up on ‘Do It Again’ are just a small fraction of
what was produced, but as it plays out, it sounds
like one concise, constant journey. It goes from
‘Monument’’s open electronics to ‘Sayit’’s tense,
robotic jerking into action. This burst into life
then heralds the title-track, which together they
call the “pinnacle” of the journey. The sheer,
breathless excess of ‘Do It Again’ can’t be topped,
so instinctively they choose to wind things down
again, with the heart-wrenching ‘Every Little Thing’
and the pure, uncensored comedown ‘Inside the
Idle Hour Club’.
Svein imagines a graph of
the album, with a very exact
line forming a pyramid
shape to map out these
five tracks. It’s “obviously”
about hedonism, this record.
“It’s saying: ‘I know what
I’m doing here is utterly
despicable and might be
frowned upon in a moral
context or even that it’ll
suck up my body, but
something in my behaviour
tells me that knowing these
consequences, I will do it.’”
Excess and all its pitfalls -
that’s ‘Do It Again’. “Whether
it’s feelings or partying or
falling in love or having sex
or whatever it is - spinning a
kid around until they nearly
throw up and them going,
‘Again!’ - it’s very human,”
says Robyn. “It’s about going
too far past something and
still wanting to do it again.”
She describes the whole
experience as a process of
“doing things you wouldn’t
otherwise” - “I think it’s
liberating when you work
with someone else in a new
constellation where it’s not
just like a new collaboration,
it’s for a new purpose.” Svein
remembers the recording of
the ‘Do It Again’ track, where
you can practically hear all
Röyksopp
vs. Robyn
We quizzed Torbjørn, Svein
and Robyn about the vital
ingredient that makes their
collaborations so special.
R ö y k s o p p , o n
Robyn:
“Robyn’s sincerity in her music
and the way she comes across in
media - it’s not an act she puts
on. It’s her. We’ve been a lot
more reserved and secluded - it
has to be said that’s by choice,
we decided to be some sort of
musical recluse.”
R o b y n , o n
R ö y k s o p p :
“We started out collaborating
for each other’s records. Both
on this record and the other
things I’ve done, I feel like I’m
lucky to be around them. It’s
always a pleasure for me to be
in the studio with them - they’re
great musicians.”
38 diymag.com

“ I d o n ’ t t h i n k
a n y t h i n g l i k e
t h i s h a s e v e r b e e n
d o n e b e f o r e . ”
T orbjørn B rundtland
39

latitude
25 page preview
LATITUDE
AWAITS
Latitude is the only UK date on Röyksopp & Robyn’s
‘Do It Again’ schedule. There’s no doubt these guys
are fussy - they’ll only play when there’s a purpose.
Asked about what makes a festival special, Svein
doesn’t hesitate: “It’s the crowd,” he says. “We have
played in some quite strange places where we didn’t
know if it was a good idea. But we’ve been completely
embraced by the audience.”
What’s the key to a good festival?
People just enjoying themselves - that’s what it should
be about. In whatever shape or form, enjoyment comes
first. I want people to take it in a good way and embrace
the moment.
Do you still enjoy touring, or are you treating this as
something completely different?
The way that we’ve toured before with Robyn, it’s how
we formed our friendship. This is a new thing and there’s
no hiding the fact that there has been a bit of hardship -
external factors, really - and whenever we’ve been touring
in the past as Röyksopp, we’ve chosen to go to the places
that are fun to do. It’s never been driven by, ‘Let’s go to
the States and conquer America.’ It’s about treasuring the
experience. And it’s a similar thing here. We’re not out to
conquer the world. Doing this with Robyn and her band,
it’s going to be amazing.
three of them bouncing off the walls. “It could be described
as EDM. For us, it has something more. It’s pop music that
we grew up with - heavy on melodies, heavy on harmonies.
It’s almost too much, which I kind of like. It was a fun track
to make - we were all in a good mood and it became this
little bastard of a monster which we all loved.” With that,
they’d made one of the songs of the year.
The intention wasn’t to create a record that shunned
the spotlight. There wasn’t strictly an option to do that.
Previously, this project’s been called a new band, a
different entity altogether. In a sense, it’s strange that this
whole thing doesn’t have its own band name, something
that sums up the experience in one word. Svein says that
wasn’t an option. “We felt - although those two blend
in this project - there is no hiding that there’s a certain
element of Robyn and a certain element of Röyksopp. It is
a new thing, but it’s not so far removed from what we do
separately that we could justify giving it another name.”
With a record complete and a desire to tour itching at their
conscience, they decided to uncage this beast.
when ‘Do It Again’ eventually left
its secret hiding place, it didn’t so
much sneak out as announce itself in
firework-backed technicolour. Two of
Scandinavia’s biggest artists combining
on one record, where big, bouncing electronics combine
with Robyn’s famed melancholy. Not only that - a tour to
back it all up. A live show that tests the boundaries and
celebrates these musicians and all their brilliant oddities.
They’re speaking midway through intense rehearsals, but
it’s already clear that they’re swept up in some kind of
fever.
In a very dry, Norwegian tongue, Torbjørn describes a
fantastical “three-stage rocket experience.” One third of
the set will be pure Robyn, another pure Röyksopp. Then
they combine. Throughout, every musician on stage is
being shared. “Robyn is bringing her band and we are
bringing our outfit,” he continues. “We’re just fusing them.”
“It was natural to bring all these resources together,” backs
up Svein. “We’ve just gone with our gut, really. Or heart,
rather. We haven’t been cynical with things.”
Alongside Latitude, the tour sees them playing sets at the
dead of night, headline slots where the abandon of ‘Do It
Again’ is replicated in the crowd. Robyn dismisses it being a
“club record” that they’re fronting. “I felt like I was in space,”
she says about the recording. “I’m not saying music made
for a club is a bad thing at all - I’d love for people to think
that was what it was for. But I also think we were exploring
more nondescript places. Not being so concrete about
anything was something we were doing quite a lot. Maybe
getting closer to an emotion than an actual concrete
reference.”
Röyksopp differ in that Torbjørn is outspoken about his
dislike of touring, whereas Svein claims not to mind the
experience. “But with this set up and with Robyn, there’s
a fresh take on it,” the former insists. “And I don’t think
there’s any point for us to go on the stage and perform our
music without a hint of celebration or party.”
40 diymag.com

It seems appropriate that this record deals with age and all its
potential perils. As professional musicians, together the two acts
share 36 years in the spotlight. ‘Monument’ deals with legacy,
and in part ‘Do It Again’ is a following of instincts. If they don’t
collaborate now, when will they? If they don’t take this on the road,
will they ever? Svein is asked, bluntly, if he feels like he’s getting
old. “If you put forward that question, you should prepare yourself for
an almost bordering on pretentious answer,” he begins. “Death is not
something I fear in any way. I don’t fear it but I’m fascinated by it, by its
magnitude. But not in a gothic fascination. Age has never been a factor
when it comes to those thoughts. I think they have been with me ever
since I was a teenager. They’re something I have in common with my
colleagues.”
“I’m definitely at a point in my life where I’ve been thinking about these
things more than I did before,” admits Robyn. “[‘Do It Again’] is about
death in a way, but it’s also about the now, to me. Sometimes when you
stop, when you get scared and think about death or things you don’t
want to look at, you also look around at your current surroundings more
and get a sense of what’s actually there.”
If ‘Monument’ sticks to
its guns and does indeed
“represent a moment of
my life,” as Robyn sings, it
documents a point where
both acts are entering a
new chapter. Their desire to
experiment hasn’t shifted
one jot, but they’re also
accepting who they are
and who they’ve become
over all these years.
Svein cites a “thin line”
which together they tow,
“between pretentious,
self-centred cheesiness.”
He’s the first to admit that
a three-minute saxophone
solo might alienate, but
it’s “an attractive kind of Svein B erge
camp,” he says. “We like
to make music that’s a bit
for those in the know, and
that sounds very elitist and
awful, but it’s for people
who have a similar cultural
upbringing as we do.”
Somehow this apparent elitism ends up producing the most universal
music any of these musicians have ever put their name to.
“ W e w e r e a l l
i n a g o o d m o o d
a n d i t b e c a m e
t h i s l i t t l e
b a s t a r d o f a
m o n s t e r w h i c h
w e a l l l o v e d . ”
‘Do It Again’ does have the ability to strip away the past and focus on the
now - calling it a debut isn’t pretentious, because it feels like a work that’s
owed a follow-up. Dealing with hypothetical situations isn’t in Robyn’s
character - she’ll sooner commit to signing a new artist on her label
Konichiwa than announce solid album plans - but she does admit that “it
would be wonderful” to work on music with Röyksopp one more time.
“The great thing about being in a band like this is that we can go off and do
other things and then come back to it,” she says. “I don’t feel like we have
to choose.” And with that, this tour could either be the spark for a famous
meeting of minds, or it’ll be a pocket of history that saw two acts doing
what they were always destined to do, if only for a couple of months. Either
way, it’ll be a gigantic celebration.
Röyskopp and Robyn play the BBC Radio 6 Music Stage on
Saturday 19th July. DIY
41

latitude
25 page preview
top of
the bill
Two Door Cinema Club are the latest band to arrive in the big leagues: that
coveted festival headline slot. Words: Andrew Backhouse.
Being in a band is not for the faint-hearted. Sure, you
may daydream about the day you’re commanding
the crowds at Glastonbury, but think about it:
do you really want to say goodbye to your loved
ones to spend every waking second trapped on a
motorway with a pack of hungover musicians? You’d never
have to spend that long with any other human being in your
life - except, perhaps, when you’re in hospital.
And yet by some beautiful accident, for Two Door
Cinema Club, something went right. And not just right –
incandescently, transcendentally, wonderfully right.
Bonding in their school days over a shared love for Biffy Clyro,
the vision for the music they would one day become loved
for was formed at the tender age of fifteen. (Or, should that
be ‘unformed’.) “We were playing music that we weren’t
enjoying,” confesses bassist Kevin Baird, a founding-member
of the trio, “so we said ‘Let’s write some songs, without any
pretence of what they’ll sound like’. That’s why we find it so
hard now if people now ask us what genre we are.”
Whatever genre it is, it sounds good to us. Striking that rare
triple-whammy of claiming awards, reviews, and broken
hearts, the Northern Irish trio’s aptly-titled debut ‘Tourist
History’ travelled the globe. And then, just for good measure,
they bolted into 2012 - clasping the chart-topping ‘Beacon’
in hand - to do it all over again. Not bad for three schoolboys
from Bangor.
Two Door make being in a band look effortless, but it hasn’t all
been a walk in the park. The schoolboys may be enjoying the
Radio 1 love they’d always dreamt of during maths lessons,
but, with their Kitsuné singles not sparking the hype they
rightly-deserved, they would have to make their name for
themselves through grinding graft. “We didn’t get any of that
publicity at the start, so we just carried on doing what we do,
which is playing live shows.”
“We got frustrated that every step we moved forward, it
almost felt like we deserved bigger steps of recognition,”
Kevin admits. “Whether that be a bigger line-up at a gig, or
how much radio play we expected to get with a single, it
felt like every time we seemed to be beaten to the post by
someone else. And I think it was quite disheartening for a
while.
“But then, six months later, every single person who had
beaten us had died away, and we were still there selling
“ T h e r e ’ s a l a c k o f
n e w h e a d l i n e r s
coming in.” K e v i n
Baird
42 diymag.com

Zaba-Daba-
Doo
Glass Animals have had their fair share of
terrifying festival experiences, but if all else fails,
a famous musician just needs to provide them with
some snacks.
“We played a festival in Barcelona recently - we got a
call while we were driving there, telling us the stage
we were playing had collapsed,” remembers the
inventive pop group’s frontman Dave Bayley. “We
made our way to the new stage we’d been allocated,
and as we parked up, the tyres on our van got slashed
by some dude… But Mac DeMarco did find us some
cake later on that evening - it was delicious, and also,
it turned out, belonged to The Vaccines. It’s probably
up there with the most mental festival experiences. Ed
getting our tent burnt down was also fairly bad.”
Which acts are you most looking forward to seeing
at Latitude this year?
There are tons, but I really wanna see Phantogram
and Tom Vek. I’ve tried to catch Phantogram twice
this year and failed. At SXSW in Texas there was queue
to get into their show that wound around two entire
blocks. We also played at the same time as them at
Great Escape and missed them... Caught a bit of their
soundcheck though, and it sounded huge.
Glass Animals play The Alcove on Saturday 19th July. DIY
out shows. That’s the biggest indication you’re getting bigger,
when your live show’s getting bigger, because there’s no other
parameter for increasing your popularity, really.”
If you measured a band’s popularity by their live shows, with their
headline festival debut this summer at Latitude - and all off the
back-catalogue of only two albums – it’s a safe bet that Two Door
aren’t going the way of their contemporaries anytime soon.
“In this day and age, there’s a lack of new headliners coming in.
They take less of a risk, because there’s a fear they won’t sell-out.
But festivals like Latitude, that are a bit smaller - more leftfield - are
geared towards the real music lovers. That’s where bands like us
are gonna start earning our stripes, in a couple of albums’ time, to
push through to headline your Glastonburys and your Reading &
Leeds. It’s great bands like us get given the chance to do that.”
The last few years have been a roller coaster ride for Two Door
Cinema Club, but if Kevin could go back in time, and speak
to those fresh-faced schoolboys in Bangor, what advice
would he give them? “I’d go back and say, ‘Don’t get
attracted by the shiny things, and just focus on the really
important things: being a really good live band, and writing
good songs, and ignoring the people that society says have
the biggest authority to question whether you’re good or not.
They’re not the people that are coming to your gigs and buying
your t-shirts. They’re who really matter.’”
Okay. So maybe being in a band isn’t so bad after all.
Two Door Cinema Club play the Obelisk Arena on Friday
18th July. DIY
Do you
remember the
first time?
First timers fear not: you’re far from
alone. Parquet Courts’ main man -
and Latitude first-timer - Andrew
Savage explains what he knows
about the festival.
Have you played Latitude before?
No.
Do you know much about it?
Nothing!
Thanks, Andrew.
Parquet Courts play the
BBC Radio 6 Music Stage on
Sunday 20th July. DIY
43

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A quick
catchup
with…
Mogwai
This hasn’t been an average year for Mogwai.
They’ve been graced with a new tag of chartbotherers
(eighth album ‘Rave Tapes’ made
the Top 10), they’ve played their ‘Zidane: A 21st
Century Portrait’ soundtrack in full to sold-out
crowds, and they’ve gained a reputation as the
best in the game for soundtracking supernatural
television dramas. Now they’ve diving headfirst
into festival season - the band’s Stuart
Braithwaite’s trying to keep track of things.
Have you started working on the new ‘Les
Revenants’ soundtrack yet?
We’ve started sketching ideas but haven’t done
anything as a band yet. We’re looking forward to
getting into it again though.
‘Rave Tapes’ was the first Mogwai record to
make the Top 10. Are you fussed about that sort
of thing?
I think we’re more fussed than we would be were
it not released on our own label. It was
an exciting week as we didn’t know
if it would stay in the top ten until we
were told the final chart. We were very
pleased - I don’t know about the others
but I was pretty amazed.
It’s a fairly rare thing for a band to
be eight records in and only gaining
more popularity. What’s the biggest
thing that keeps you going?
I think we just enjoy doing it, to be
honest. I’ve been in this band for more
than half my life. I’m pretty much
institutionalised.
You’re a dab hand at curating
festivals, but given that you’re
playing Latitude this summer, which
three acts would you get to headline
your fantasy fest in 2014?
Public Enemy because they’re one of
the best live bands on the planet. Low
because they’re just amazing, and The
Jesus and Mary Chain because I love
them.
Mogwai play the BBC Radio 6 Music Stage
on Friday 18th July. DIY
No Rest
For The
Wicked
Lykke Li’s biggest UK show
comes as she headlines the
BBC Radio 6 Music Stage at
Latitude. “It’s overwhelming
and daunting,” she
forebodes. “But I’m also the
kind of person that loves
to put myself in situations
that scare the shit out of me.
I won’t think about it too
much until I’m there.”
Lykke Li plays the BBC Radio 6
Music stage on Sunday 20th
July. DIY
44 diymag.com

It’s not all
about the
music
There’s all sorts going on
at Latitude besides the
bands, as Rhodes points
out.
“Really looking forward to checking
out some of the film and music
talks and screenings, I love music
in film. There is a film about
Pulp that I’m really excited to see.
David Bailey is going to be there
doing a talk, I recently went to his
exhibition at the National Portrait
Gallery and am a bit obsessed
with his work. I want to check out
the Comedy stage as well, I love
stumbling across new comedians
at festivals.”
Food For
Thought
Who’s your favourite artist at Latitude, Dominic
McGuinness from The Bohicas?
“My favourite artist performing at this year’s Latitude is Kelis,
who also made my album of the year so far - ‘Food’. It was
released in April which was perfect timing because it gives
you enough time to digest it and know every single inch of it
by the summer. It’s sexy, sweaty, and perfect for a barbecue.
Her voice has never sounded better. Especially on my
favourite tune on the album ‘Hooch’. It’s got everything I ever
wanted from Kelis and more. A great title, sexy backing vocals,
incredible rhythm section groove and spicy horns. I love
her earlier releases like ‘Trick Me’ and ‘Acapella’ but for me
this album encompasses everything incredible in Kelis. The
singles ‘Rumble’ and ‘Jerk Ribs’ are also fantastic. Beautiful
tunes that display what you’re in for when you get hold of the
album. Whip this record out during your next barbecue. Music
to baste meat and drink ice cold booze to.”
The Bohicas play The Lake Stage on Saturday 19th July. DIY
Rhodes plays the iArena on Friday
18th July. DIY
Seconds
6with…
Luke
Sital-
Singh
Luke will be playing a set on Latitude
Lake Stage ahead of the release of his
debut album, ‘The Fire Inside’.
Have you been to Latitude before?
Yes I have. It was one of my favourite festival
experiences. Really beautiful, characterful site and
a great crowd for my set. Loved it.
Which acts are you most looking forward to
seeing there this year?
Mogwai and Conor Oberst are my picks.
Which of your songs goes down best at
festivals?
Tends to be the happier numbers like ‘Bottled Up
Tight’ and ‘Nothing Stays The Same’.
Where are you most likely to be found at a
festival?
Back stage catering. Free food, mmmmmm.
Do you have anything special planned for your
Latitude set?
Yes, and it includes having a good twenty or so
people on stage with me!
Luke Sital-Singh plays The Lake Stage on Sunday 20th
July. DIY
45

latitude
25 page preview
1 2 3
4
5
6
ACROSS
4 One half of The Black Keys, Dan
_____ (8)
6 Bespectacled multiinstrumentalist
whose name
rhymes with Vom Tek (3-3)
9 A friendly and sociable medium
sized species of antelope.
Normally native to Southern
Africa, but this one comes from
Australia, and can be spotted at
Latitude this year. (4-6)
10 A song by 5 down. _____ Me
Go. (3)
11 Half the DIY crew initially
thought this artist’s name was a
synonym for period (6-3)
12 First name of Bond, also
playing the Obelisk Arena (5)
14 What unites Robyn and
Röyksopp? (11)
16 Brooklyn quartet fond of
wooden flooring (7-6)
22 You could probably do with
one of these (6)
23 Curator of Latitude’s Lake
Stage (3-8)
25 Inevitable festival weather (4)
26 Not seagulls (7)
27 Band Jimi Goodwin used to
front (5)
28 Usually the busiest food &
drink stall (3)
DOWN
1 _____ x 3 features on Lykke Li’s
debut album (5)
2 DJ duo who believe that sharing
is caring (6)
3 George Ezra’s famed hashtag (5)
4 Come back, Popworld (7)
5 Alana, Danielle and Este (4)
7 Likely to cook something up for
Latitude (5)
8 _____can’t go for that (no can
do) (4-3-5)
13 _____ India Youth (4)
15 Peter Pan never wanted
to grow up and leave behind
_____ (9)
17 Richard _____- producer
behind Damon Albarn’s solo
album (7)
18 Editors don’t like to see these
outside hospitals (7)
19 A stinky fish, often salted,
smoked or pickled. Also the
frontman of Future Islands (7)
20 Former DIY cover band
playing the BBC Radio 6 Music
Stage (6)
21 Phosphorescent, San Fermin,
Dawes, Rhodes and Vailts are
all _____ on their respective
stages (6)
24 Vienna-based producer,
Kwabs collaborator (4)
10
15
27
9
11 12 13
14
16 17 18
20 21 22
23 24
28
26
8
Oh no! Damon Albarn has
lost Mr Tembo! Help him get through
the maze to find his friend
25
19
7
46 diymag.com

Top
Tips
Festival rules from
Crystal Fighters.
1.Always headline (even
when you are not headlining).
2.Bring everything (forget
everything).
See You
There
Bombay Bicycle Club continue their ascent up the Latitude line up.
Bombay Bicycle Club are practically festival veterans: the enthusiasm with which they
attack muddy boots season every year has stood them in excellent stead. This summer,
they’re bringing their soggy feet back to Latitude for a spot right before headliner Damon
Albarn.
“We’ve played Latitude twice before,” bassist Ed Nash explains. The latter of those
appearances saw them top the BBC Radio 6 Music Stage,
WHAT’S THE WORST
THING THAT’S EVER
HAPPENED TO YOU AT
A FESTIVAL, ED?
“I once spotted Colin
Greenwood in the crowd
at a Horrors show. He
is one of my all time
favourite bassists and
I was pretty drunk at
the time, so I ended up
chasing him trying to
get a photo. It’s one of
the most humiliating
things I have ever
done as I know it made
him feel incredibly
uncomfortable. I’m sure
it ranks as one of his
worst festival moments
too…” DIY
alongside Foals and Eels. “It’s actually the first time we
headlined a stage, back in 2011! As such I am incredibly
fond of Latitude.”
Indeed, their excitement shows no sign of fading: this
year they’re perhaps most looking forward to seeing
Tom Vek. “He’s one of the reasons we started the band,”
Ed laughs. “I’m [also] excited to spend some time in the
comedy tent.” The bill is set to include Simon Amstell,
Tim Key, Josie Long and Josh Widdicombe, amongst
others. “It’s a great way to spend the afternoon and
discover some new acts.”
Of course, when they’re not “front of the crowd,
Vuvuzela in one hand, warm Carling in the other,” the
band do have their own set to prepare for, closely tied
to their new album, ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’. “It’s
projection based and really takes the set to another
level,” Ed enthuses. “I will leave the rest as a surprise.”
Bombay Bicycle Club play the Obelisk Arena on Saturday
19th July. DIY
3.Fire it up (these are the
moments of our lives, waste
no time).
4.Hydration (hydrate
people).
Crystal Fighters play the Obelisk
Arena on Friday 18th July. DIY
Timey
Wimey
Who’d be the best act on
the bill to spot in the crowd
while you’re playing, Tom
Walmsley from Temples?
Us, because
that’d be
virtually
impossible.
Temples play
the BBC Radio
6 Music Stage
on Friday
18th July.
DIY
47

48 diymag.com

FESTIvAL
aNthems
First Aid Kit’s Johanna and Klara
Söderberg run through their favourite
songs to play live in grassy, muddy
fields.
Wolf
“This song always gets the crowd moving.
We’ve never considered our music super
danceable, but people do actually get
into some kind of groove here! It’s got a
tribal drum beat and a festival-friendly
chorus hook. When we play bigger
festival stages we try to play our more
upbeat and ‘big’ songs, some of our
songs are better suited in more intimate
venues.”
America
“This is often the only laid back and quiet
ballad we perform in our festival sets. It’s
a cover of the Simon & Garfunkel song.
It’s such an incredible tune in so many
ways. Even though we play it with only
one acoustic guitar and some pedal steel
it’s very dynamic and builds up into a
dramatic ending. The structure of the
song and the melody just make for an
epic journey. The lyrics are like a poem,
without a single rhyme, and they contain
some of our favourite lines like ‘Toss
me a cigarette I think there’s one in my
raincoat’ and ‘Kathy I’m lost I said though
I knew she was sleeping.’ Ah, Paul Simon,
you’re so good with words.”
Stay Gold
“We just started playing this one live,
it’s the title track of our new record. It’s
always a little scary to play new songs
from a fresh album, you never know how
the crowd will react and which songs will
work and which won’t. However, this one
has been a blast performing live!”
Emmylou
“It’s special for us to play ‘Emmylou’. We
usually end our sets with it. It’s one of our
most popular songs so we’ve probably
played it thousands of
times, but it never gets
old! It’s about the power of
music and singing together
with someone. Therefore
we invite the audience to
sing along with us in the last
chorus. It’s magical to hear
the fans who know it inside
out sing along. It melts our
hearts.”
First Aid Kit play the Obelisk
Arena on Saturday 19th July.
DIY
3Things
Circa Waves’ Joe
Falconer offers some
invaluable advice.
Who are you most looking
forward to seeing at
Latitude this year?
Looking forward to seeing
Tame Impala on the Sunday.
It’s a shame we probably
won’t get a chance to see
Slowdive and Kelis on the
Friday. Between those two
acts they’d cover all our
festival needs.
What’s your earliest
festival memory?
My earliest festival memory
was seeing my older brother
returning from his first
festival, stepping out of
his friend’s car and falling
asleep on the front lawn
immediately after. I made
sure that I went the year
after that.
Which essential festival
tip should punters keep
in mind?
Don’t pay for festivals: start
a band and you’ll get to go
for free. Either that or don’t
camp downhill from the
toilets.
Circa Waves play The Lake
Stage on Sunday 20th July. DIY
49

latitude
25 page preview
fIRST
ChapTER
T he beginning of Woman’s H our s ta r t e d w i t h a c o n v e r s at i o n .
1
F o l l o w i n g t h e i r d e b u t a l b u m , t h e y ’ r e r e a dy t o h av e a w h o l e
lot more. Words: Jamie Milton, P hotos: E mma Swann.
50 diymag.com

NEW
BANDS
TO SEE AT
LATITUDE
Alongside the big-name headliners, comedy tents and poetry,
Latitude also boasts a great reputation for inviting countless
exciting new bands. Last year’s fest hosted the likes
of CHVRCHES and Joanna Gruesome before
they’d even put a record out - 2014 is just as
tantalising a prospect. First time you’ve
seen these names mentioned?
Take a punt and see them
live - you won’t
regret it.
51

latitude
25 page preview
Woman’s Hour’s journey so far hasn’t followed
the strict path many new bands wind up on.
Even now, whereas technically a group might
be past the ‘beginning stage’ following the
release of their debut, they’re still working things out, forging
their own route.
When they started out, they were based in Kendal, with one
single to their name. Then followed a deathly silence. Behind
the scenes, they were creating the beginnings of their debut
record. They said no to labels, gigs, any semblance of sanity.
They sat down and had a conversation outside of their regular
rehearsal space and decided, collectively, that this whole
band business was going to be a long haul.
“The most important thing was choosing to do it, choosing
to fully commit to it,” says guitarist Will Burgess, three years
on. His sister, vocalist Fiona, affirms: “From that point forward,
there was this commitment that none of us had dared to
have.”
Perhaps that’s what it takes these days for a promising group
to fulfil all their goals. Woman’s Hour are only starting, but
they stand out from a pack of newcomers who might release
a couple of hype-baiting singles before disappearing off the
face of the earth.
“ I k n e w
d e e p d o w n
I w a n t e d t o
g e t t o t h i s
p l a c e . ” F i o n a
B u r g e s s
With ‘Conversations’, the now London-based four piece are
convinced that this first work isn’t the be all and end all. A
slick, meticulously constructed first work, it’s also an album
that not a single member of the band has listened to since
its completion. Instead attention has turned to getting a
live drummer, making songs that reflect a certain “freedom”
and “sense of fun”. No doubt attention should be paid to this
debut - it’s an impressive first work - but if there’s any example
required of why Woman’s Hour are where they are today,
that’s it: they look forward, incapable of doing anything else.
T
he signs were there from the start. Even when Woman’s
Hour were in their baby stages, they had a presence
about them. Two years on and they’re even further
away from the rest of the pack. On stage they’re surrounded
by the giant pyramid shapes that grace their debut album
cover. Fiona wears a striking headdress that - when combined
with the group’s all-black attire - gives off a strange authority.
They stand out, and they
always have done.
“None of us knew what
we were getting ourselves
into,” claims Josh Hunnisett
(keyboards), about the very
conversation that helped
shaped things. “It’s allencompassing,
it really is,”
he says. The record, explains
Fiona, “captures a moment
in time” - “It was incredible.
It was intense. It was one
of the most amazing
experiences of my life.”
“Likewise!” jokes Will with
a gigantic sigh and roll of
the eyes. This album took
everything out of them.
They had to work full-time
day jobs before working in
the evenings with producer
Tom Morris. Night creatures
going about their work
with meticulous degree,
the four of them were
constrained by logistics, in
some senses (“It was about
making something while
surviving as an artist, which
is tough,” says Fiona). Every
inch of life poured into it
has been worth it, they
collectively stress. “There
have been some beautiful
moments where you’re in
the zone, where something
clicks and you forget about
your bank balance and you
forget about everything
else, everything that you’ve
lost,” says Will. “It’s like ‘This
is perfect’. And you cling
onto that. You look at that
vinyl for the first time and
you say, ‘You know what, I’m
glad I didn’t go on that night
out and forget to go to the
studio the next day.”
‘Conservations’ is exciting
in two distinct senses.
One, it’s hard to pinpoint
a record made by another
British band that sounds
remotely like this. It ought to
be a Mercury Prize shoe-in.
The second aspect is that
this is an album made in
controlled circumstances.
Now the band are learning
their trade live, they’re
discovering bits of the
songs that didn’t emerge in
a studio setting. The three
years that preceded mean
very little in comparison to
what lies ahead - this initial
commitment to the project
has taken on a life of its own.
“Thinking about the last
record and playing it live, it
almost acts as a stimulus for
the next one,” argues Josh.
“However stressful it can be
and however overwhelming
it can sometimes feel, I’m
just so passionate about it,”
says Fiona, who admits: “I
knew deep down I wanted
to get to this place.”
“I’d be gutted to think that
this record was the best
record we’re gonna make.
Certainly not. I hope there’s
a growth. And I find the
word ‘best’ weird anyway -
surely it’s just different. I’m
already thinking about the
future. Rather than reflecting
on what we’ve done I’m
using it as a springboard to
channel other things and
explore other things.”
On a similar level, all four are
still balancing the band with
day jobs. It’s “two full-time
jobs at the same time,” jokes
Will, his sister claiming that
there’s a “taboo” about
bands admitting that they’re
still having to pay the bills
while attempting to tour the
world. “There’s a pressure to
not talk about it. Often you
get this facade of seeing us
from the outside - even with
friends who don’t know us
so well in our day-to-day
lives - they assume that
we’re supporting ourselves
with this,” she says. “Doing
this - it’s not something
that’s been handed to us
now we’ve got a debut
album. We’ve chosen to live
in the most expensive city in
Europe. It’s great on the one
hand because it’s so easy to
communicate, but on the
other hand it’s expensive.
That’s a reality that’s often
glossed over.”
Still, it’s exciting to see a
band so pointedly obsessed
with the future. Only once in
what amasses to a two hour
interview, do they give the
52 diymag.com

slightest inclination that they’re the types to reflect. “Do you
think you find yourself wanting to change things?,” Will asks
the rest of the band. “Wanting to change the record? All I’m
worried about is we’d find an incredible new section suddenly
that we could have put in.” There’s a silence that’s swiftly cut
short when Fiona says, “That’s not the way I think. That thing
is done. I get so much fulfilment being a part of this process.
You can eventually look back and reflect.”
oman’s Hour have been called perfectionists
before, and that’s a natural result of making a
Wrecord that sounds so tightly-packed, precise in
its delivery. The title-track is all sharp arpeggios and exact
application. ‘Her Ghost’ wouldn’t be nearly as affecting if its
moments of silence didn’t carry so much purpose.
But there are parts to this debut that sound free, that shun
the perfectionist tag. ‘Our Love Has No Rhythm’ - an early
single - has been re-recorded, this time closing with a lifting,
euphoric solo that could wind off until eternity. ‘Two Sides Of
You’ is Fiona’s most passionate performance yet, where lyrics
crackle and shake under an emotional weight. It’s the sound
of a band finding their freedom as they go along. “We’ve
realised making this record that we do want more [freedom],”
says Josh. “Some mornings we’d get fucking frustrated with
tracks and we went ‘Right, let’s do something completely
stupid’,” reflects Will. “We’d
try scratching our heads
around drums for ages, then
somebody would go into the
other room with a cabasa -
Fiona’s incredible with the
shaker!”
It’s strange to think that had
Woman’s Hour simply not
returned from their year
out of the spotlight back
in 2012, very few would
have batted an eyelid. Hype
works in cruel ways - two
head-turning tracks don’t
account for a twelve month
absence. Thankfully, these
four took that reality into
account and still went with
their guts. They returned
with songs that represented
who they wanted to be
after a process of discovery.
“There’s been a vulnerability
of going, ‘I’m fucking giving
NEW
BANDS
TO SEE AT
LATITUDE
this my all. I’m open to
criticism,’” says Fiona.
“When you put so much
of your heart and soul into
something, there’s a danger
of being hurt and putting
yourself on your line. It took
us a lot of time to dare to do
that. You’ve got to stop a lot
of other stuff in your life in
order to make this thing live
and breathe. I thrive off it. I
love it and I feel so lucky.”
Woman’s Hour play The
Lake Stage on Sunday 20th
July. DIY
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latitude
25 page preview
NEW
BANDS
TO SEE AT
LATITUDE
2
JUNGLE
L o n d o n ’ s h o t t e s t
p r o p e r t y w i l l b e
‘ B usy E a r n i n ’ ’ at t h e
festivals this summer.
Arguably the most exciting new band to see on the Latitude
bill, DIY’s June 2014 cover stars are stepping out and
conquering festival stages. It’s next on their musical bucket
list - they’ve already penned monstrous hits, been featured
on BBC’s Sound of 2014 shortlist, and signed a deal with XL
Recordings. Every massive achievement is just another day
in the life of JUNGLE. Their self-titled debut is out this month
(see DIY’s review in this very issue), showcasing an amped-up
funk that’s best reserved for sweaty tents and outdoor stages
in equal measure. Early gigs saw ‘T’ and ‘J’ drenched in fog,
barely visible behind palm trees and sound samples picked
straight out of the Amazon rainforest. Now they’re stepping
out. And to think - they only started releasing music 12
months ago.
The album’s out this summer. That’s quick.
J: We’ve got loads of great festivals ahead and we wanted it
out before then. If some people knew the album they’d be
able to enjoy more of the set. We cut everything really fine.
photo: mike massaro
Was an album always on the mind, or…?
J: When you start, it’s not about that. We didn’t have a long
term plan with ‘Platoon’. At the beginning you don’t have
structure. No management, label; all the things that turn
music from something you do in your bedroom to something
that’s actually invested in. That investment gives you
structure. But you don’t think about it. You always want to
build up to a body of work and if you wanna release it…
New to JUNGLE? Listen to new single ‘Time’ from their self-titled
debut album.
3
Kwabs
T h e r e ’ s ‘ S o m e t h i n g
R i g h t ’ a b o u t t h i s
s o u l f u l n e w c o m e r
w i t h a n e a r t h - s h a k i n g
s i n g i n g v o i c e .
photo: phil smithies
Kwabs is more than a flooring singing voice, but bloody hell
does he pack some gusto in those vocal chords. Wander
around Henham Park this year and - whether you’re a few
miles off or right next to the stage speakers - Kwabena
Sarkodee’s voice will reverberate across the site. It’s like one of
those “banter”-ous festival chants you sometimes hear ripple
around a crowd, only way nicer.
Across his first two EPs (‘Wrong or Right’ and ‘Pray For Love’),
he’s so far picked up collaborations with Ben Drew (aka Plan
B) and fellow Latitude-goer SOHN. Add to that a performance
in front of Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace two years ago
and Kwabs isn’t likely to be daunted by his first Latitude
appearance. A recent slot on Later… Live With Jools Holland
cemented him as one of the country’s biggest talents,
unparalleled in being able to send an emotionally-direct note
off into the distance.
New to Kwabs? Listen to ‘Wrong or Right’ from a debut EP of the
same name.
54 diymag.com

4
George Ezra
T h e r e ’ s e v e r y c h a n c e
that G eorge E z r a w i l l
b e f o u n d pa r a d i n g t h e
L at i t u d e f o r e s t o r
f o o l i s h ly t r y i n g t o
ta k e a d i p i n t h e l a k e
- s u r e , h e ’ s t h e r e t o
p e r f o r m , b u t t h i s i s a
L atitude fanboy.
What makes Latitude so special?
I love Latitude, it’s brilliant. What I like in a festival is when
there’s more than just ‘There’s where you camp. There’s the
music’. And it’s got that down proper. There’s loads of art in
the woods, different tents scattered about that don’t shut. So
you can get lost, which is good. There’s an amazing light show
by the lake.
What do you do when you get back from tour?
Feet up. Bath. Gogglebox. I had my tweet picked by
Gogglebox and aired on the show. The reason Gogglebox
isn’t as bleak a concept as it sounds on paper - you kind of
fall in love with all the couples and the characters. I’m not
very patriotic at all, but I’m happy to share with these guys.
They’re all great guys. It’s national pride, Gogglebox burning
up inside me.
New to George Ezra? His debut album ‘Wanted on Voyage’ is out
now.
5
Gengahr
D o s e d - u p o n t h e ‘ 9 0 s ,
G e n g a h r a r e a c h a r m i n g
b u n c h . J u s t d o n ’ t m e s s
w i t h t h e i r n i c e n e w
shoes...
Gengahr’s earliest festival memory is “Kylie Minogue at
Newquay,” which is difficult to top, but the new London
four-piece are aiming to channel that experience into their
Latitude performance. Fresh from a tour with Wolf Alice
and Superfood, their 90s-channelling sound checks in at
‘Bends’-era Radiohead and lands right up in the present
day.
Which acts are you most looking forward to seeing at
Latitude this year?
We definitely wanna catch Slaves, Mogwai and The War on
Drugs.
Who’d be the best act on the bill to spot in the crowd while
you’re playing?
Tame Impala hanging out with Hall & Oates.
What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you at a
festival?
Getting hit in the head with a metal deckchair whilst
trying to enjoy 50 Cent. Or getting mud on my brand new
Louboutins…
New to Gengahr? Check out their very promising “demos” on
Soundcloud.
photo: emma swann photo: emma swann
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latitude
25 page preview
6
BROODS
H A I M a r e n ’ t t h e o n ly
m u s t - s e e s i b l i n g s o n
t h i s y e a r ’ s b i l l .
New Zealand duo Broods consists of siblings Georgia and
Caleb Nott. They’ve been making music for the best part of
two years, but it wasn’t until the release of ‘Bridges’ that they
caused a stir. Now they’re keeping it in the family with new
single ‘Mother & Father’. Taken from their debut album, due
next year, it’s a glossy, ultra-personal pop offering.
Their early work entangles an all-consuming aesthetic with
straight-down-the-line songwriting. These songs are addictive
to the extreme, and it led them to a recent arena tour
with Ellie Goulding back in their native country. Expect lit-up
screens en masse when they take to The Alcove at Latitude.
“I’m looking forward to just experiencing it as well as playing,”
says Georgia. “It’s weird - all these festivals we’ve dreamed
of going to we’ve ended up playing. When you’re part of the
line-up, it’s like ‘Whaaat’?”
Which acts are you most looking forward to seeing at
Latitude this year?
Georgia Nott: Lykke Li! She’s one of my all-time favourites.
Caleb Nott: Bombay Bicycle Club and SOHN.
photo: emma swann
What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you at a
festival?
Georgia: I wore shoes that were too small for me and when I
got home my feet were blue.
New to Broods? Listen to their new ‘Mother/Father’ single on
diymag.com.
7
Years &
Years
Multi-talented dancepoppers
Y ears & Y e a r s
j u s t c o n q u e r e d t h e
showcase fests. N o w
t h e y ’ r e m o v i n g o n t o
t h e f i e l d s .
When festival season kicked off, it was down to Years & Years
to define the early-summer showcase festivals. Landing at Liverpool
Sound City and The Great Escape, the Olly Alexanderled
band stood out from the pack with a dance-pop fusion not
unlike that of production duo Disclosure.
Olly also boasts some serious acting chops. Recently, he
worked alongside Belle & Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch on the
God Help The Girl project. It’s difficult to equate Murdoch’s
sweet-as-can-be songwriting with the dance-centric trio Olly
fronts, but some similarities flicker beneath the surface.
As for an album, they promised “an emotional electro-dance
roller coaster” in a recent DIY interview. That sounds like the
kind of catchphrase you might hear in an after-hours version
of Deal or No Deal. Still, if it’s packed full of songs linking
up to their recent single (they’re making a record with “ups
and downs,” in a good way), there’s little doubting the trio’s
chances of stealing the summer. One simple step at a time.
New to Years & Years? Check out their latest single ‘Take Shelter’
on diymag.com.
56 diymag.com

8
HOZIER
S m a r t, e n l i v e n i n g
s o n g w r i t i n g o f t h e
highest order - H o z i e r
is something special.
NEW
BANDS
TO SEE AT
LATITUDE
Andrew Hozier-Byrne is a 24-year-old Irish songwriter who
took off last year, all via one viral video. ‘Take Me To Church’
entered with a cutting political message, perfectly timed
alongside the controversy that met the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Hozier isn’t a specifically political songwriter. “Every song
whether intentional or not is reflective of society in some way,”
he claims. Expect slightly cheerier times than the overbearing
vibe of his breakthrough bit - Andrew grew up on “old cheesy
songs” and “blues music” and he’s right in the middle of a
surge of creativity. “It was only in the last year or so that I felt
close enough to stand over the project and move with it.”
New to Hozier? Watch the ‘Take Me To Church’ video.
photo: phil smithies
9
Bondax
D a n c e d u o w i l l b e
‘ G iving I t A l l’ o n t h e i r
L atitude debut.
With a debut album just around the corner, Bondax have spent
the best part of the 2014 trapped in a studio. It’ll be good for
their own sanity that they’re allowed outdoors really, especially
when they’re bound to be road-testing new material.
Tell us about your first ever show.
George Townsend: At 18 it’s never wise, but they gave us a full
bottle of vodka and a free bar. I have no idea what happened.
Made it.
G: After that we realised we were going to chill out a bit. We’d
reached our rock‘n’roll peak.
New to Bondax? Listen to ‘All I See’ on their Soundcloud page.
10
Childhood
T h i s i s n ’ t c h i l d ’ s p l ay
- C h i l d h o o d a r e m o r e
than ones to watch.
With their debut album ‘Lacuna’, Childhood are fusing genres
like they don’t realise there’s actually a bloody rulebook to
follow. Initially they emerged as an all-out, melody-obsessed
indie band. Then they took a turn towards the psych hills. This
debut of theirs bridges a gap, but it doesn’t make them any
more predictable. In short: anything can happen at Latitude.
Goodness knows what you’ll be turning up to see.
Is there anything on this record that will surprise people?
Ben Romans-Hopcraft: I think we’ve surprised ourselves. The
main thing for us is we’re really happy for it. I never wanted to
do an album that was underwhelming. We could have recorded
most of the songs that people already know; we made a
conscious effort to do lots of new stuff.
New to Childhood? Start off with their new single ‘Falls Away’. DIY
57

interview how to dress well
“ I ’ v e n e v e r
w o r k e d t h i s
h a r d o n
a n y t h i n g i n m y
e n t i r e l i f e . ”
T o m K r e l l
Tom couldn’t remember if
he’d left the oven on.
58 diymag.com

Love
Me Do
W i t h H o w t o D r e s s W e l l ,
T o m K r e l l i s m a k i n g
m u s i c f r o m t h e h e a r t .
W o r d s : T o m W a l t e r s ,
P h o t o s : E m m a S w a n n .
om Krell - otherwise known by his stage name How to Dress Well
- is unfortunately jetlagged. Sat at a table at London’s Hoi Polloi
restaurant he orders a cleansing drink - an interesting mix of kale,
t
squash, and an array of different herbs and wild greens - in order to
help soothe a sleepless night that involved watching the NBA. He’s
got a copy of May’s DIY, and before he’s even opened it he’s already
making astute observations about the cover. The Horrors grace it,
and when he glances at it, Krell’s mind buzzes with ideas about the minute details - what
does their style say about them, and what is it with those 80s haircuts? This is a man who
is unabashedly meticulous in his ways, and on his new album ‘What Is This Heart?’, it is all
about exploring the little details.
Recorded in Berlin over a six-week period, Krell’s work ethic on ‘What Is…’ is more of
a painstakingly conscientious method that he has mastered over time. He worked
ten - sometimes twelve hour days on the record, taking around three days off in total
during the entire six week stint. Live he now plays with a full band, but Krell still records
by himself, seizing control of every individual song and poring over each component
alone. He recalls how he slid down “a slippery slope of obsession” - an obsession that
led him to examine and study the subsonic sounds of each individual tune. “It doesn’t
sound anything like ‘Yeezus’,” he claims, pulling that line out of one of his continuously
running trails of thought. “But because it’s Kanye, every single element is like a boutique
element, you know what I mean? Everything is fucking top of the line.
“I wanted to make a record where I put on my finest headphones and listen to everything
having its own space,” he explains, as if trying to explain a huge, grand vision. Initially
Krell was just going to record for two weeks, with the intention to produce a record
that was along the same lines of 2012’s ‘Total Loss’. But as weeks became months, Krell
found himself completely fixated on the songs he was producing. “I wanted everything
to really hang together with a real elegance and coherence,” he divulges, sounding
incredibly passionate. “I’ve never worked this hard on anything in my entire life.”
Always one to buck assumptions, Krell’s music is consistently diverse, forward-
59

interview how to dress well
thinking and uncategorisable.
His discography has meandered
from the weirdly textured,
ambient-pop beginnings of 2010’s
‘Love Remains’, to orchestral
renditions of those songs, to the
more sonically adventurous and
emotionally draining ‘Total Loss’.
On ‘What Is…’, he’s travelling
further ground - he’s exploring
terrain he hasn’t crossed before. It’s
thick, sprawling stuff, and we both
come to the conclusion that it’s a
record that can’t be hit head-on - it
needs time to be metabolised by
the listener. He expresses that this
record is “more like a meal,” than
anything he’s made before, and
that it certainly is.
It’s not just a musical meal though
- it’s an emotional one too. Krell
happily talks at length about the
places he traversed mentally and
emotionally while recording this
album, from beginning with the
song ‘Blue’ that was ultimately
scrapped (an “intensely beautiful”
a cappella about his brother Dan
that Krell felt was too confessional),
to the last song on the album
‘House Inside (Future is Older
than the Past)’, a song inspired by
something his mother said to him
(“we think the future’s new but it’s
actually older”) “in a dark moment”.
In regards to ‘Blue’, Krell’s adamant
about the reasons surrounding his
decision to let it go. “I know my
music is personal, but I want it to
be personal in a way that somehow
opens up to be universal as well,”
he reveals, seemingly scared at
the thought someone might miss
this when listening to it. “I can’t
remember which one, but one of
the famous Greek tragedians said
‘tragedy in excess falls flat’. If you’re
just crying and crying and crying,
eventually people are going to be
bored by it - they’re going to be
bowled over by it and then you lose
the effect.”
Krell’s incredibly open in talking
about things that are most
personal to him, and as the
conversation continues, we start
to dig deeper into his outlook
on the ideas he explores on all
of his records, and things take an
intriguingly philosophical turn.
He talks about sitting on a song
for several weeks, going over
everything in his head from what
a new record might be to where
he feels he’s at. “I started thinking
about human communication,
questions and answers, and the
ways in which we live under the
banner of questions or answers,”
he discloses, his mind beginning
to ride a deep train of thought.
“Sometimes you need a question
in order to like motivate yourself or
whatever - get out of bed. Have a
child. Whatever you’re gonna do.
“I started thinking a lot about these
things - and my writing process
is very freestyle, very associative
- so I started realising that I was
constantly re-associating people.
I would be on a train freestyling
- not a literal train, but a trail of
thought - and someone would pop
into my head like an ex-girlfriend or
my cousin, and I would remember
something they said to me and
I would freestyle it out.” Instead
of letting these ideas just float
around in his mind, Krell began
“taking it all out of the quotation
marks,” flirting with the idea of
“leaving a lot of conversations
and a lot of questions in the lyrical
content.” The result is that ‘What
Is…’ feels like an observation of
these conversations, and it sounds
like a train passing through many
drastically different environments
en route to its destination.
But how does Krell live under the
“banner of questions and answers”?
What motivates him to get out of
bed? He says that while he loves
making music (and he doesn’t
consider it work - “work is awful,”
he proclaims, denouncing it as “the
downfall of civilisation”), the idea
of having a child is something he’s
also considered. “I think a lot about
what it means to have a child,” he
says - and it’s obvious he does.
Krell’s set at The 100 Club the night
before included a lullaby, while the
song ‘Very Best Friend’ is seemingly
built on the foundations of childlike
wonder. What’s more, he explains
that the song ‘Childhood Faith in
Love’ is about how “we need to
look to the way we felt as children
about love,” going on to reveal how
it “disparages the present sort in
favour of the past and the future.”
Ever since he was 15, Krell’s songs
have been dabbling in the same
themes - “love, heartache, static
joy, open intimacy” are just some
of the few he describes - and while
‘What Is…’ explores these ideas
even further, it feels like his most
emotionally open record yet. “I was
feeling very disheartened about
love in the present sociopolitical,
whatever world we live in,” Krell
says on his mindset when writing
‘Childhood Faith in Love’. “I think
the world we live in is pretty
inhospitable to love. I was thinking
that if I want love in the future - if
we want to live in a world where
love is welcome in the future - then
we need to look to the way we felt
as children about love.”
Throughout the conversation
and outside of his philosophical
thoughts (we indulge about many
subjects, the anecdotes of which
would build up to a biography
of Krell if disclosed here), Krell
provides insight into new tracks
he’s been working despite ‘What
Is…’ not even being available yet.
He’s incredibly prolific, and his
excitement is palpable whenever
he sings a line from a new track he’s
been working on, or describes the
vision of it as a whole - “maybe it
could be a piano ballad, or maybe
it could be super gnarly distorted
guitar with me singing on top!
“I feel like on whatever my next
record is, I can do whatever I
want so long as I come from that
genuine spot, and so long as it feels
right to me, I’ll put it out. I always
like to be a bit surprising and buck
assumptions and trends - I like to
try and start trends.” He leans back
and stares off into the distance,
the metaphorical train in his mind
is preparing to leave the station
again. “I just really like to make
music,” he simply states, that rare
simplicity perhaps drawing from
exhaustion due to diving so deep
into his own brain. “Part of me is
just so exhilarated by feelings,
and part of me doesn’t really
understand what else I’m supposed
to do. The song ‘Port Cyril’ is based
on this film The Kid with a Bike - I
watched that movie like seven
times and each time I watch it I’m
just so bowled over by intense
love and sadness and sympathy, a
that to me is just one of the most
thrilling things imaginable as a
songwriter.”
How To Dress Well’s new album
‘What Is This Heart?’ is out now
via Weird World. DIY
60 diymag.com

“ T h e w o r l d
w e l i v e i n
i s p r e t t y
i n h o s p i t a b l e
t o l o v e . ” T o m
K r e l l
Yes, he definitely did.
61

interview slow club
E v e r
y
t
h i n g
Slow Club realise their pop vision.
i s
n e w
Words: D anny Wright, P hotos: E mma Swann.
Slow Club asked for an “exotic
location” for our shoot.
62 diymag.com

do think we’re the same people.
“I
I mean being in a band for seven
years makes you completely mad
and insane as a useless human but
it’s still very much Charles and me,
and if he’s not happy, I’m not happy
and vice versa. There’s still this compromise that
seems to work… so far.”
Rebecca Taylor from Slow Club is having her makeup
done, and she laughs as she ends her thought,
contemplating whether the two members of Slow
Club currently sat in The Village Underground
dressing room are the same people who released
their debut album, ‘Yeah, So?’.
Charles Watson nods in agreement. “And we spend
a lot more time together now – it used to be that
when we finished the album we’d go our separate
ways.”
“Well, you’ve chilled out,” Rebecca grins.
“And you’ve grown up,” replies Charles, without
missing a beat.
What’s clear from chatting to Slow Club is that
their closeness is reflected in the music. Just like
with their albums, an interview with the duo
shows them to be funny, warm and disarmingly,
refreshingly open. This month they return with
new album, ‘Complete Surrender’, and after just
one or two listens it reveals itself - just like their
previous albums did - as an old friend.
“ T h e n e x t
r e c o r d i s
g o i n g t o
b e i n s a n e
d i s c o . ”
R e b e c c a T a y l o r
It’s a record that you want to return to daily to
reassure that, hey, everything is going to be ok. It
will be there for you, it will console you and make
you laugh. Yet it’s also an album that sees them
take a decisive step forwards. They’re a band
who’ve always been more pop than the twee
label they were landed with when they started
suggested. And with ‘Complete Surrender’, it’s
become a mere speck in the distance. This is the
record that sees their pop ambitions well and truly
realised.
There’s country in here too, beautiful torch songs
and hints of Motown (Slow-town Club anyone? No,
never mind). They wanted it to sound “expensive
and beautiful” while still remaining stripped back
and personal, and boy have they delivered.
The result is a record where those big themes of
love and loss – the ones Slow Club do so well – are
still there but here they’re soundtracked by big,
classic pop music.
“This is the most happy I’ve been with a record,”
beams Rebecca. “I find things like strings and brass
so beautiful so I love how the whole album sounds.
“Charles and I were in a really good place and the
songs were really important to us both – none of
them had fizzled out in terms of what we felt about
them. It was just a wonderful experience.”
63

interview slow club
Charles has a slightly more
pragmatic reason. “I just think we
were a lot more prepared.”
“I think it’s magic and Charles thinks
it’s because we were prepared!”
“We worked really hard for a year
before we got to the studio.”
“Really hard slash go to Sainsbury’s
a lot,” laughs Rebecca.
Whether it was inspired by a meal
deal or magic it’s obvious this
emphasis on planning meant they
had a clear idea of where they
wanted the record to head. “With
every record, we’ve always made a
conscious decision to make things
even more streamlined,” explains
Charles. “I think that just comes
from becoming better songwriters.”
“ T h i s i s t h e
m o s t h a p p y
I ’ v e b e e n w i t h
a r e c o r d . ”
R e b e c c a T a y l o r
“We wanted it to be simple and
beautiful,” says Rebecca. “Some of
the songs have taken on a life that
I didn’t think they’d get but mostly
they’re what we intended.”
“There’s one called ‘Dependable
People and Things That I’m Sure Of’
that I wanted to be really stripped
down but in the studio Colin (Elliot)
our producer could hear something
more in it and it became something
much more than I thought it was
going to be. And ‘Wanderer’ was
completely different to what we
expected. I couldn’t believe Charles
went for it. We sent the song to the
moon basically.”
“I was totally surprised myself,”
admits Charles. “It was just going to
be piano and drums basically and
then we had this old synth in the
studio and we had this patch called
Greek Power which is essentially like
Vangelis and totally doesn’t fit with
the record at all but it just worked.”
The first single – the title track from
the album – comes complete with a
pulsating hook and dramatic string
section: it seemed to take people
by surprise.
“It doesn’t shock us! It encapsulated
what we were getting at,” says
Rebecca. “We both said ‘Yes, that’s
the first single’. I kinda wish we
made a record of songs like that.
The next record is going to be
insane disco.”
As a first single it also showcases
64 diymag.com

a confidence that
this is them – this is
what they do. A big,
gleaming pop song.
Do they feel that sense
of confidence?
“I’m definitely singing
how I want to sing
now,” agrees Rebecca,
though Charles is
more hesitant. “I feel
with singing I’m still
finding where I want
to be with it. I find it
quite hard to sing in
certain places. But with
this one I spent a lot of
time practicing how I
wanted to sing.”
And it’s the stunning,
beautifully poignant
‘Number One’, written
by Charles, with lyrics
about ‘wanting to
understand yesterday’,
that means the most to
both of them.
“Before you wrote it
I was willing you to
write it.”
“I’m really happy with
it. Writing in the first
person doesn’t come
naturally to me,”
explains Charles.
It is this togetherness
– that knowledge that
they have each other’s
backs – which you can
instantly feel. It’s what
makes Slow Club this
idiosyncratic gem:
with their pop songs,
their deft, touching
lyrics that blow you
away and those small,
relatable details that
make you feel like this
is your best friend.
It’s pop, but different
to Rebecca’s beloved
Katy Perry and Taylor
Swift.
“I don’t just listen to
them! We listen to
some fundamental
bands: Neil, The
Beatles, Fleetwood
Mac. And Bowie – lots
of Bowie.”
But it’s what makes
them different and
where they take those
inspirations that makes
them so great.
“This record is a lot
more separate,”
says Charles. “But
the collaborative
songs are a lot more
cohesive than the last
one. We’ve both just
allowed each other
to write songs from
our own point of view
and enjoyed the fact
that we’ve both got
different opinions and
visions… we’re very
different people.”
And what of their
ambitions for such an
ambitious sounding
record?
“Global domination!”
shouts Charles.
“We’ve being doing
it ages and we love
doing it but it would
be great to reach a
few more people,”
says Rebecca more
realistically.
Charles concurs. “I
think we’ve been
really lucky because
we’ve never been a
band that have been
super-championed by
anyone – we’ve kind of
been able to go slowly
on our own terms
with the freedom to
do what we want. I
think some bands have
massive first albums
and then are like
‘Arrgghh’. I don’t think
that’s a nice feeling, I
wouldn’t want that.”
It’s left to Rebecca
to provide the best
answer. “I want to be
an M&S girl. How good
would I be?”
Slow Club’s new
album ‘Complete
Surrender’ will be
released on 14th July
via Caroline Records.
DIY
65

interview honeyblood
Nectar
Points
H o n e y b l o o d m i g h t l o o k i n n o c e n t , b u t t h e
S c o t t i s h d u o h a v e a t r i c k o r t w o u p
their sleeves. W o r d s : S a r a h
J amieson, Photos: Emma Swann.
66 diymag.com

“It was nice
to feel like
we were in
a different
world,”
begins
drummer Shona McVicar,
thinking back to the recording
of Honeyblood’s first full-length
with esteemed producer
Peter Katis. “There were no
distractions or anything. We’d
just be in this cool little house:
you would go into that world
and that’s what you were there
to do.”
“He had the most amazing cat!”
excitedly chirps guitarist and
vocalist Stina Tweeddale. “It’s
a really famous cat actually,
called The Wolfman. He’s huge!
Like an actual wolf, and he acts
like a dog. I think a lot of bands
have made friends with this cat,
and he was just there all the
time. And I love cats, so I was
like, ‘Yes! We’re recording and
there’s a cat here!’ It’s just such
a serene place. It’s just a big
massive house in a suburb in
Connecticut and there’s nothing
to distract you.
“We’d just wake up in the
morning and listen to what we
had recorded,” she continues,
“have some breakfast, and
then start recording until
late at night. We didn’t check
our phones or anything at
all, they would just be left
downstairs. We literally spent
ten hours in that attic, every
single day, without coming
down. Sometimes we would
eat at midday, record until ten
and then we would eat at ten.
Some days, if we were really
struggling, Peter would be like,
‘right, okay, I’m gonna make a
lasagne or a stew’, and he’d go
cook this amazing meal. All of
us would go downstairs - Gregg,
who works as his assistant, Eric
from Augustines who was about
the whole time and his son,
sometimes his wife - and we’d
just eat this massive meal and
we would talk about recording,
67

interview honeyblood
but we’d also talk about other things. We pretty much lived
there.”
Giant cats, domestic bliss and suburbia aren’t the only things
that Honeyblood encountered whilst spending thirteen days
recording with Peter. Despite admitting that they “didn’t even
leave the house much”, there were a few unexpected twists to
their trip. “We sometimes walked to the local supermarket,”
throws in Shona. “It was quite a rough area though, you
wouldn’t go out by yourself...” It’s easy to raise an eyebrow;
after all, the duo’s hometown of Glasgow has never had the
most pristine of reputations. “Oh, this was worse.” “Much
worse!” laughs Stina. “They’ve got guns, haven’t they?”
“There was a big police incident outside the house once,”
Shona reflects. “A man on PCP drove into a house across the
road,” Stina explains, “and into our friend’s car and loads of
other cars. Then he took all his clothes off and ran about and
loads police were trying to catch him. We were all watching
him like, ‘Ahhh!’”
The chaos outside of their surroundings wasn’t the only
challenge they had to deal with during their time in
Connecticut: the two-piece knew going into the making of
their record that they had set themselves a high bar, and
things were always going to be a little tight to pull off. “I
think it was hard because in ten days, we did thirteen songs,”
admits Stina. “That’s more than a song a day. Also, we just flew
in and then had to adjust to the time zone. I got really sick at
the beginning and lost my voice, so the whole pressure of
that… It was a really tight squeeze, but I think if it [had taken]
any longer, it wouldn’t have been the same. You can tell that
there’s a sense of urgency on the record.
“It’s such an emotional thing, recording an album,” she muses.
“It really is. You think it’s just gonna be a happy time, but it’s
not.” The pair burst out laughing, before the subject turns
serious once more: this time, it’s about ‘the break’. “When we
“ I t w a s a
r e a l l y t i g h t
s q u e e z e ;
t h e r e ’ s a
s e n s e o f
u r g e n c y
o n t h e
r e c o r d . ” S t i n a
T w e e d d a l e
68 diymag.com

were in there, Peter was like, ‘You will have ‘the break’.” It’s
easy to imagine what ‘the break’ entails. “He was like, ‘You will
have it. I don’t know when it’ll happen, you don’t know when,
but it will happen’. It happened to me on the second last day! I
literally just had to go away for a while, sit down.
“I had a talk with Peter that day and he was like, ‘You’ve got
four or five songs left and two days to go. I don’t think you’re
gonna do it. I’m just telling you!’ So, we had basic tracks done
for all of those songs but we didn’t have maybe all the vocals
or other guitar parts. So, he sat me down and told me we
needed to make a decision to decide between the songs that
we wanted to keep and the ones we didn’t. The thing is, the
ones that we really wanted, we had left until the end because
we knew we could do them the best. I was like, ‘No, I have to
do them all!’ and he was like, ‘Okay, it’s up to you.’ I’m so glad I
made that decision because we did.”
“ Y o u t h i n k
i t ’ s j u s t
g o n n a b e a
h a p p y t i m e ,
b u t i t ’ s
n o t . ” S t i n a
T w e e d d a l e
Whilst the pressure may have got to the guitarist before their
time was up, the pair managed to overcome. They’re just
not entirely sure how... “I have no idea what happened,”
interjects Shona. “It got to 8pm on the last night and
then we were like, ‘Oh, woah, it’s done.’” “Nobody knows
how it happened!” laughs Stina. “The last day, I can’t
really remember how we did that, but it did happen. It
was an emotional roller coaster! We had a little drink at
the end, and a little bit of a celebration because it was a
bit of a feat.”
“I think we would’ve definitely preferred more time,” Shona
reminisces, “but we’re quite lucky that, because it’s our first
album, we’ve been working with the songs for a long time
now. We know the songs off by heart, so we were able to go
in and do it, luckily, in the time. It’s a big thing to do, your first
album. It was really stressful, but we did it in the end.”
Honeyblood’s self-titled debut album will be released on
14th July via FatCat Records. DIY It’s ok, we
Photoshopped out the
projectile vomit.
69

A LV VAY S / A R CA D E F I R E / A R C T I C M O N K E Y S / B R O N T I D E / D O W N L OA D /
L E W I S / J U N G L E / L A R O U X / L A N A D E L R E Y / L O R D E / M AC D E M A R C O /
/ PA R K L I F E / P R I M AV E R A S O U N D / R E A L F R I E N D S / S H A B A Z Z PA L AC E S /
TRACKLIST
1. The Heat
2. Accelerate
3. Busy Earnin’
4. Platoon
5. Drops
6. Time
7. Smoking Pixels
8. Julia
9. Crumbler
10. Son of a Gun
11. Lucky I Got What I
Want
12. Lemonade Lake
JUNGLE aren’t stuck sweating in the Amazon.
eeee
JUNGLE
Jungle
(XL Recordings)
The sirens, field recordings and distant yelps that form a minor part of JUNGLE’s debut
album are just as important as the falsettoed funk that defines the London band’s
sound. This first work is inmesurably calculated, a record made by two guys intent on
conquering the charts. It’s music with a structure, a purpose. Those choruses need to
come in before the 1 minute mark. Each song needs a nostalgic core and a future-leaning
edge. JUNGLE have undoubtedly read The KLF’s guide on how to get to Number One.
And it’s easy to view their once anonymous, irresistibly catchy schtick with cynicism.
But that would be overlooking a fantastic collection of songs and, besides, those field
recordings give an all-important guide to the process. They sound like two guys having
the time of their life, even if it’s a life spent following a rulebook.
‘Accelerate’ sets itself in the midst of a club, appreciative whistles and crowd whoops
backing a disco strut. Closer ‘Lemonade Lake’ practically sounds like it’s sipping in
70 diymag.com

F I E L D DAY / G E O R G E E Z R A / H O N E Y B L O O D / H U N D R E D WAT E R S / J E N N Y
M A N I C S T R E E T P R E AC H E R S / M A S T O D O N / M O R R I S S E Y / N I N E I N C H N A I L S
SLAM DUNK / SLOW CLUB / THE ACID / WOLF ALICE / WOMAN’S HOUR
PHOTo: mike massaro
an actual ocean, so clean and crystal-clear is its delivery.
JUNGLE aren’t stuck sweating in the Amazon. They explore
environments, and test out their immediately familiar pop in
dynamic settings. Then there’s the choruses - JUNGLE sure
know how to write them. ‘Busy Earnin’’ is a lonesome tale that
somehow morphs into a glittering giant. Even ‘Lucky I Got
What I Want’ - the record’s sombre counterpoint - cuts to the
chase and delivers a singalong without a second wasted. One
criticism lumped at JUNGLE is that they’ve shoed all their early
singles into this record. Try writing this many world-beating
songs in the space of a year while leaving them off a debut -
then write back.
When it comes to the fresher tracks, they all sound like they
were written during the same inspired session. ‘Smoking
Pixels’ is a default theme song, ‘Julia’ a juggernaut waiting in
the wings. ‘Crumbler’ is a duff note, but only by the standards
of ‘Time’’s giant stature and ‘Son of a Gun’’s subtle flex.
Besides, any record that contains ‘Platoon’ and ‘The Heat’
alongside these big guns is destined to soundtrack unbounded
hedonism for years to come. Given the excitement that’s put
to tape, it’s obvious this has been JUNGLE’s intention all along;
not to be mysterious, not even to be adored; just to be the
record that plays while people’s lives are shaped. Something
that’s remembered within every pang of nostalgia. (Jamie
Milton) LISTEN: ‘Julia’
71

reviews
eee
JENNY LEWIS
The Voyager (Warner Bros.)
To anyone with even the most
passing interest in the work
of Jenny Lewis - either solo or
with Rilo Kiley - the sounds of
‘The Voyager’ will come as little
surprise. Lewis’ shimmering vocals
dominate over a backdrop shifting
between Americana and 70s soft
rock (themselves not unexpected
given the production credits
featuring one Ryan Adams). It’s
the Pixies-esque ‘Slippery Slopes’
that’s the real gem, though, as her
sugary vocals are tempered by
delightfully grungy sounds and
grubby themes. (Emma Swann)
LISTEN: ‘Slippery Slopes’
eeee
HUNDRED
WATERS
The Moon Rang Like A Bell
(K7 / OWSLA)
Gainesville’s Hundred Waters
open their record with nothing
but a voice. Nicole Miglis is the
one constant on ‘The Moon
Rang Like a Bell’, an album
which zig-zags between anxiety,
apprehension and unhinged
joy without any warning. This
voice of hers - it’s brittle on the
outside, but has this strange
ability to hold its own in any
circumstances. Less a human
emotion, more a tool, the only
thing stopping this album
from collapsing under its own
scatterbrained thoughts is this
glue of a vocal. (Jamie Milton)
LISTEN: ‘Innocent’
eeee
LANA DEL REY
Ultraviolence (Polydor)
Strung out and teardrenched.
It’s hard to forget the mud-slinging, hype-stamping furore that met Lana Del
Rey’s debut ‘Born to Die’. By that point, she was already writing songs about
being famous, having to deal with zero privacy and fragile relationships - she
knew where she was going. ‘West Coast’ is an odd lead single. Within the context
of an album, it’s a brilliant track, but like ‘Sad Girl’ and ‘Shades of Cool’, parts of
this song feel almost intentionally out of place. Choruses - big, brilliant choruses
at that - sweep in out of nowhere after awkward bridges and faltering falsetto-ed
build-ups. It’s a strange, uncomfortable form of expression, and it’s a big part of a
record that’s a hundred times more cohesive than ‘Born to Die’. Her debut didn’t
have a moment’s notice to deal with the backlash. This second record knocks the
rumours and naysayers out of the park. After all, there’s a track called ‘Fucked
My Way Up to the Top’. Confused by Lana Del Rey? Good - that’s exactly how you
should feel. (Jamie Milton) LISTEN: ‘Brooklyn Baby’
72 diymag.com

PHOTo: emma swann
eeeee
HONEYBLOOD
Honeyblood (FatCat)
More than just a
brilliant debut.
Glasgow has always been a hotbed of
musical talent, and yet still Honeyblood
stand out as something more than a
little bit special. A sneering put down,
a wilting refrain, a hook line from the
heavens or a swiftly delivered kick to
the teeth, their self titled debut can
do anything and everything without
breaking stride. From the rattling
bounce of ‘All Dragged Up’ to the bitter
contempt of ‘Super Rat’, this isn’t just
a contender for debut album of the
year, it’s the odds on favourite. In a
year of endless new favourite bands,
Honeyblood are the one. (Stephen
Ackroyd) LISTEN: ‘Fall Forever’, ‘Super
Rat’, ‘All Dragged Up’
eeee
JOYCE MANOR
Never Hungover Again (Epitaph)
Taking firm hold of their pop obsessions and
improving the formula that turns them into skatepunk
hits, on ‘Never Hungover Again’, Joyce Manor
have once again created a short, sharp record that is
as emotionally pummelling as it is incessantly catchy.
The clarity that was lacking on ‘Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired’ is back
with a vengeance, and the band are all the better for it. ‘Never Hungover
Again’ is a stark reminder of just how much fun you can actually have without
alcohol pumping through your veins. (Tom Walters) LISTEN: ‘Victoria’
eeee
MASTODON
Once More ‘Round The Sun
(Warner Bros.)
Mastodon are a band who, almost without anybody
noticing, have risen to become one of the most
important bands in modern metal. The rushing pace
of opener ‘Tread Lightly’ attests to this, bulldozing breakdowns and solos
in its path with verve and pure fucking riffery. ‘Chimes At Midnight’ is a
solid atmospheric rocker that develops quickly into Sabbath-like levels of
melodrama and rapid-fire licks, while ‘Feast Your Eyes’ is an absolute joy.
They’ve kept the quality high and the riffs flowing where others might have
faltered - no mean feat. (Alex Lynham) LISTEN: ‘Chimes at Midnight’
73

reviews
eeee
LA ROUX
Trouble in Paradise
(Polydor)
Heady and humid.
Writing a solid record of tropical disco pop is harder than it
looks. Get it wrong, and it can leave an album flailing and out
of context; like a Bee Gees tribute act that took a wrong turn
and ended up at a UK garage night. Try too hard, and it’ll sound
like someone who learnt all all the words to one Madonna song
ready for their first beach party. Luckily La Roux steps up to
the challenge. ‘Trouble in Paradise’ is a cohesive and infectious
second album that builds upon ‘La Roux’ and takes its melodic
clout away on a tropical holiday to a progressive musical island.
Five years since that self-titled debut, Elly Jackson’s pop appeal
is still at the forefront, but ‘Trouble Is Paradise’ feels warmer,
cheekier and more mischievous. (El Hunt) LISTEN: ‘Uptown
Downtown’
eeee
THE ACID
Liminal (Infectious)
What would happen if Jamie xx and
James Blake were locked in the Big
Brother house with nothing to subsist
on but a wheelbarrow of marijuana and several crates of
Pro-Plus? First of all you’d probably get some of the strangest
reality television conceivable - but throw some recording
equipment into the mix and they might well end up with an
album that sounds a little like ‘Liminal’, a record that operates
in that same alloy of anaesthetised lethargy and paranoid
agitation. (Jack Enright) LISTEN: ‘Ghost’
eee
BRONTIDE
Artery (Pink Mist)
Three years after incendiary debut,
‘Sans Souci’, Brontide make a valiant
attempt at striving for a more mature,
focused brand of songwriting on follow-up, ‘Artery’.
They’ve crafted something inherently melodic and genrespanning,
yet still bookend it with stabs at that familiar
intensity of theirs. It doesn’t take much of a leap to consider
‘Knives’ as something that wouldn’t feel out of place as an
‘OK Computer’-era Radiohead B-side, and then there’s ‘Still
Life’, which maintains a folk and blues inflected approach
before exploding into the latter folds of the record. Varied
then, but no less ambitious or daring. (Nathan Roberts)
LISTEN: ‘Kith And Kin’
74 diymag.com

ee
MANIC STREET
PREACHERS
Futurology (Columbia)
After last year’s predominantly
acoustic ‘Rewind The Film’, the
Manics are back with their twelfth
album. Famously the band claimed
to have had their “last shot at mass
communication” but lead single
‘Walk Me To The Bridge’ is proof they
haven’t lost the knack of writing
killer pop songs, starting off with
a needling guitar line and a gnarly
vocal before a tidal wave of synths
are unleashed. But, from a band
with a string of masterpieces in
their back catalogue, ‘Futurology’
is a real disappointment. ‘Let’s Go
To War’ is merely a plead to shun
complacency, ‘Europa Geht Durch
Mich’ soulless, repetitive dirge. Their
willingness to experiment at this
stage of their career is laudable but
they fail to make any real emotional
connection. (Greg Inglis) LISTEN:
‘Walk Me To The Bridge’
eeee
GEORGE EZRA
Wanted on Voyage (Columbia)
Charged with pure emotion
Yes, George Ezra possesses a voice that seems to have aged with him like
twenty-year-old bourbon, steeped in the soulful hops and grains of America’s
deep Southern Blues. At first it wouldn’t sound out of place coming from the
mouth of a weathered shrimp fisherman cruising the waterways of Louisiana
on a battered little boat. Take a closer look at ‘Wanted On Voyage’, though,
and it isn’t beyond Ezra’s years at all. Colouring his lyrics of heartbreak with
all-important believability is Ezra’s major strength, and though his melodic veins
might run red with the paired-back folk of Tom
Paxon, Woody Guthrie, and Phil Ochs, on this
album’s stand-out moments, Ezra manages to
channel his decidedly vintage influences into a
stomping, energetic, and thoroughly youthful
place. He could be singing his shopping list,
and it would still sound charged with pure
emotion. (El Hunt) LISTEN: ‘Budapest’
eeee
ALVVAYS
Alvvays (Polyvinyl)
Sometimes hooks are just hooks,
catchy songs with no lofty cause
or five-year plan. That’s the case
with Canadians Alvvays. Their
songs document love, “cocktails”,
awkward exchanges and tough
times. But that’s not the important
part. What matters in the band’s
first full-length is that not a single
track comes off as a dud. With
each effort packing at least half a
dozen unique hooks, it’s difficult
for anything to come off remotely
dull. Drawing from the same spirit
as early Shins and given its lack of
missteps, it’s capable of becoming
just as important a debut as ‘Oh,
Inverted World’. All it needs now is
a Zach Braff endorsement. (Jamie
Milton) LISTEN: ‘Archie, Marry Me’
PHOTo: emma swann
75

reviews
Perfectionists
giving in to
instinct.
eeee
REAL FRIENDS
Maybe This Place is the Same and We’re Just
Changing (Fearless Records)
Real Friends’ ‘Maybe This Place Is The Same And We’re
Changing’ might look like quite the mouthful at first glance,
but its twelve tracks possess a welcoming spirit, urging you
to throw caution to the wind, forget all your problems and
just sing the hell along. Perfectly executed pop punk might be a guilty pleasure for
most but this is enough to sway any naysayer, reminiscent of The Starting Line at
the peak of their anthemic powers. Bright, passionate and fizzing with energetic
bubbles, it’s safe to say that Real Friends are set to light up summer with their debut
record. (Sarah Jamieson) LISTEN: ‘Loose Ends’
eee
MORRISSEY
World Peace Is None Of Your Business
(Virgin EMI)
Morrissey’s tenth solo effort, ‘World Peace is None of Your
Business’ feels infinitely more concise, and musically more
defined. European influences seep in through every pore –
from the flamenco guitar that plays a major role throughout,
to the bouzouki-resembling moments of ‘Istanbul’ – and it’s no real surprise to learn
it was recorded in the depths of Southern France. His lyrics feel leaner and more
piercing; from the pitying tones of the album’s title track, to the twisted humour
behind ‘The Bullfighter Dies’. Truthfully, there couldn’t be anyone but Morrissey
behind this record, but if he continues to deliver with that same enigmatic snarl as
ever, we wouldn’t want anyone else. (Sarah Jamieson) LISTEN: ‘I’m Not A Man’
eeee
WOMAN’S
HOUR
Conversations (Secretly
Canadian)
Where some precise electronic
pop records come off cold,
‘Conversations’ has a genuine
soul. It shows itself up in ‘Darkest
Place’’s heart-shattering line
“for the first second of every
day, I don’t understand why
you’re not around.” It rears its
head again in ‘Our Love Has No
Rhythm’’s closing, soaring guitar
line, the sky being a pathetic
limit that’s easily surpassable.
And throughout, Fiona Burgess
oversees everything with
emotional depth, giving herself
to every line, like it might be
the last one she ever sings. This
album is, in reality, the sound
of perfectionists giving in to
instinct. And once Woman’s
Hour shun exactitude and all its
side effects, they emerge with
a dazzling debut. (Jamie Milton)
LISTEN: ‘Reflections’
PHOTos: emma swann
76 diymag.com

eeee
SLOW CLUB
Complete Surrender
(Caroline Records)
Sheffield two-piece
go big. Really big.
You know what you’re getting with
Slow Club, right? Wrong. Not anymore
you don’t. Like a pair of butterflies
Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson
have cocooned themselves away,
returning with something unexpected
- a bloody huge pop album. This isn’t
in any way dubstep, syths and flavours
of the week, mind you. ‘Complete
Surrender’ takes the Slow Club of yore
and ramps up the Northern Soul and
Motown vibes. From the title track
and its retro disco stabs to ‘Suffering
You, Suffering Me’ and its big band
bombast, what results is a seductively
rich, first class diva of a record that
makes any foolish preconceptions
seem ridiculous at best. (Stephen
Ackroyd) LISTEN: ‘Suffering You,
Suffering Me’
eee
SHABAZZ
PALACES
lese Majesty (Sub Pop)
Grammy winner Ishmael Butler
isn’t a conventional revolutionary,
but an experimental edge was
exposed in technicolour on his latest
project’s 2011 full-length ‘Black Up’.
If anyone is splintering hip-hop into
a collage of strange pieces, shaping
a genre into the complete opposite
of a mirror’s image, it’s Shabazz
Palaces. Their ambition is there to
be seen, right in the tracklist of ‘Lese
Majesty’. The whole record initially
comes off like a collision of crackpot
thoughts; abstract lyrics; abstract
synthetics; all abstract everything.
There won’t be another record like
it in 2014, and Butler will do well
to re-discover his inner madness if
he’s to make an album this insane
ever again. (Jamie Milton) LISTEN:
‘Forerunner Foray’
LESS
THAN
FOUR
As a lot of records found
themselves with four-star ratings
this month, here’s a list of things
which deserve much less than
four stars.
e
Originally going to be ‘England’s
performance during the World
Cup’, but now just Steven Gerrard.
You let it slip, mate.
e
Whoever decided to get rid of Jen
and Ally’s amazing Sunday night
show from the BBC Radio 1 line-up.
That’s one in the teeth for everyone
who loves new music.
e
Any of you lot that
haven’t been to
see the new
diymag.com
yet. Get on
it. Now.
77

live
78 diymag.com

Photos: emma swann
Blue skies above, green Sky’s on stage
pilling out over two days
seems to suit Field Day:
Sthe first day a cavalcade of
interesting and eccentric new music
gems stretching from dance to
hip-hop, the second day – headlined
by the Pixies – a more staunchly
indie day dominated by The Horrors.
Saturday’s proceedings start with
Sky Ferreira but someone has
forgotten to tell her the sun is out:
she wears a duffle coat all the way
through her performance, yet the
‘Night Time, My Time’ songs have
a light touch that cut through
the blue sky. Night-time seems to
be everyone’s time through the
afternoon: SOHN appears, obscured
by his black oversized hood, his
set – including a mesmerising ‘The
Wheel’ – darkly captivates. John
Wizards seem to have one member
auditioning for The Strokes and
one for Crocodile Dundee II but
their colourful cocktail of light
harmonies, hyperactive rhythms
and bubbling synths has the whole
of the Shacklewell Arms tent
bouncing as if it’s 3AM. Enveloped
in the canopy of Resident Advisor
tent Todd Terje’s kaleidoscopic
and joyful set is perfectly paced,
providing many highs, notably
‘Delorean Dynamite’. Pulsing and
rising, it’s easy to imagine yourself
wearing a white suit and chasing
a criminal across a yacht while
listening to his undulating slippery
dance. Jon Hopkins finds it slightly
more lost on the big stage but you
can’t escape from the immersive
qualities of ‘Collider’ and ‘Open Eye
Signal’ as balloons fall around. The
end of the day is left to Metronomy,
Field
Day
Victoria Park, London
as Joe Mount and his white-suited
bandmates take centre stage
framed by the cut out clouds in their
backdrop (the first we’ve seen of the
day). ‘The Look’ is is infectious and
the ‘Nights Out’-era cuts such as
west country funk of ‘Radio Ladio’
are welcomed like old friends. It’s
‘Corrine’, however, that’s beautiful as
the stars twinkle above.
The decision to put Future Islands
on at a time when not one other
band is playing across the entire site
means a sign says ‘Tent full’ as the
band begin. “I’m drunk as shit,”says
Samuel T Herring as he takes to the
stage. At one point he spins around
the stage as if he’s going to carry on
forever. “I don’t know where that
Whirling Dervish shit came from,”
he admits. Half pro-wrestler, half
Shakespearean actor, you can’t take
your eyes off Herring for a second
as he beats his chest and growls
theatrically. It’s utterly captivating
but the songs are there too: huge
synth pop numbers like ‘Sun In The
Morning’ and ‘Doves’ which have the
crowd dancing until their feet bleed.
Compare and contrast that with
Black Francis on the main stage who
stands motionless and grimacing
for most of Pixies’ headline set. And
yet… it still works. A stretched out
‘Vamos’ feels alive, the whole crowd
dance along to ‘Here Comes Your
Man’ and ‘Hey’ somehow becomes a
singalong anthem. When they finish
under the dark clear sky by playing
‘Where is My Mind?’ you know you
have a show on your hands. (Danny
Wright)
79

D
reviews
ownload is absolutely huge.
Second only to Glastonbury in
terms of sheer (literal, physical)
size in the UK, its lineage may be
steeped in classic heavy metal, but
more recently it has stepped out of
that bubble. The recently reunited
Quicksand continue their whistle stop
tour of festivals at Download and their
post-hardcore, emo sound is in stark
contrast with the rest of the acts so far,
providing a reprieve from the full on
intensity of the rest of the bill. Another
band that are genuinely impressive
live but don’t quite fit on the bill
today are Drenge, whose grungy
sound is sadly under-appreciated in
today’s heatwave. Headlining the
main stage tonight are Avenged
Sevenfold, making their debut
headline performance at the festival,
looking every bit the part of a classic
metal band, with the swagger of M
Shadows and the shredding ability of
Synester Gates more than fitting them
for the part of Download headliners.
With a decidedly greyer outlook to
Saturday, Marmozets take to the
Pepsi Max stage eager and ready
to impress. They really have come a
long way in the past twelve months
and the crowd spilling out the tent
is testament to that. Their sound has
Rock rock rock rock rock rock
DOWNLOAD
Donington Park
evolved and they’ve grown in to their
niche to provide a nice surprise. Fall
Out Boy return to the UK following
their arena tour earlier this year.
They are now naturals in this kind of
environment and reel off hit after hit
in a very familiar setlist. It’s impossible
to argue with the mix of songs they
play tonight, including a couple of
album tracks from ‘Save Rock And Roll’
and their obligatory closer ‘Saturday.’
Album shows are often divisive, but
tonight ‘Hybrid Theory’ still sounds
excellent, and Linkin Park’s energy
on stage makes for a fitting closing
to Saturday’s proceedings. In the
aftermath of the England game that
went on till the small hours, there’s
a muted excitement about the final
day of Download. Against Me! follow
on the Pepsi Max Stage and are
(thankfully) the complete opposite to
Steel Panther, who’ve just returned
the main stage to the 80s - and not
in a good way. They are on truly
wonderful form with their passionate
punk-rock live show. Frontwoman
Laura Jane Grace entrances as the
band rifle through hits old and new.
Finally, if Download has a heritage
it needs to maintain, Aerosmith
provide a fitting end to Download
2014. (Tom White)
agaiNst me!
fall out boy
bring me the horizon
Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett
80 diymag.com

Photo: Dani Canto
The rain(bow) in Spain...
PRIMAVERA SOUND
O
Parc del Forum, Barcelona
n the Friday of Primavera Sound
2014, after an hour-long storm
pounds the concreted walkways
of the Parc del Forum, the rain suddenly
subsides, blue skies almost magically
materialise and a double rainbow
emerges above the stages, framing
the festival in the most beautiful light.
What begins with a gentle, melodic
Real Estate set under the evening sun,
swirls and grows and seethes, over three
days later as Spanish DJ Coco ends with
Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’. Between
the two there are stunning highlights:
Arcade Fire play a 21-song set that
showcases everything they do so well:
it’s unashamedly big and brilliant,
beginning with a giant ‘Reflektor’ before
we get a pounding ‘Power Out’, ‘Rococo’
with a Beatles’ ‘Helter Skelter’ a cappella
outro, ‘No Cars Go’ a Springsteenfist
pump while for ‘It’s Never Over’
Régine travels through the crowd to
sing back at Win. St. Vincent’s show is
also approaching hypnotic perfection:
every one of her robotic movements
and all the spellbinding theatrics make
it a mesmerising show – and that’s
forgetting her jawdropping shredding.
It only helps to shine a light on the
twisted hooks and sparkling guitar lines
of her new songs. “It’s time to go fuckin’
loco, motherfuckers,” announces Josh
Homme, like the ginger Elvis he is, as
st. vincent
Queens Of The Stone Age launch into
‘Feel Good Hit of the Summer’. It’s a
lean, intense show that is as powerful as
it is efficient. On the other hand Pixies’
efficiency sometimes comes across
more as going through the motions and
Black Francis barely moves, but when
you have ‘Gigantic’, ‘Where Is My Mind’
and ‘Debaser’ to pull out of the bag you
can’t go wrong. The National’s show
here is unflinchingly great. Augmented
by Justin Vernon for ‘Slow Show’ and
Hamilton Leithauser for ‘Mr November’
and ‘Terrible Love’, it’s a set that’s been
perfected through a year’s worth of
performances. Elsewhere Television
playing the immaculate ‘Marquee
Moon’ feels much fresher than it has any
right to be: so much so you can nearly
imagine what it would have been like
to have heard it live in 1977. Girl Band
are ferociously, brilliantly loud, Spoon
remind you that they can be the one of
the best bands around, while Warpaint,
Factory Floor and Cut Copy all lock into
thrilling rhythms that entrap you for the
duration of their set. Of course there are
duds: Godspeed’s set doesn’t work and
ends up feeling more of a endurance
test while Kendrick Lamar’s seems too
half-baked and too short. But as the
philosopher Dolly Parton once said, “If
you want the rainbow, you gotta put up
with the rain”. (Danny Wright)
SLAM
DUNK
University of Hertfordshire,
Hatfield
f there’s one thing that’s hampered
UK’s pop punk scene, it’s surely
Ithe weather. While the sunny
West Coast can churn out the cream
of the crop, the drab unpredictability
of the UK’s forecast doesn’t lend itself
quite as well to such musical sunshine.
That doesn’t faze Gnarwolves, whose
thunderous ‘Melody Has Big Plans’,
instantly inspires the biggest sing-along
of the whole day. letlive.’s Jason
Butler meanwhile storms around the
confines of the car park - climbing
fences, surfing inflatable mattresses
and diving headfirst into the crowd on
numerous occasions.
Closing the main stage is left to The
All American Rejects, who - despite
drawing a huge crowd - can’t quite
match the energy of the day. The
odd misogynistic comment from
frontman Tyson Ritter also hits a sour
note amongst a crowd who can only
really bring themselves to humour
him through tracks from 2007’s ‘Move
Along’. No such trouble for Kids In
Glass Houses, as they storm through a
set comprised predominantly of debut
album ‘Smart Casual’ in full, closing out
both the festival and their career as they
head towards hiatus. (Tom Connick)
That’s Jason
B-boy to you
letlive.
Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett
81

reviews
Not a howler
WOLF ALICE Scala,
omething’s going on. In
darkened rooms up and
S down the country, those still
able to be enthused are gathering.
Excitement reigns, and not just on its
blog with its arms crossed at the back
of an East London boozer. The Brit
Pack is real. Superfood know it. When
scene daddies Peace first declared
them as B-Town’s greatest hopes,
it might have seemed like a spot of
nepotism; helping out mates from the
same stable. Since then, though, that
Midlands crucible has mutated, not
died. Belying the history lesson anyone
over thirty would try and subject
them to, few in the Scala tonight care
that - yes - Superfood are magpies, not
scientists from the bleeding edge of
the sonisphere. Kitchen sink, tea towel
melodies, a lackadaisical delivery that
hides an iron will, the Birmingham four
piece know when to watch the world
go by, and when to give it a good old
slap on the nose. ‘Bubbles’, ‘TV’ and
sort-of-theme-song ‘Superfood’ all
connect in a way only a special few
can.
Where Superfood ramp it up to 10,
Wolf Alice crank it past 11. A band
with a couple of EPs and a few singles
London
under their belts, they’re probably
having the best week of their lives. A
new release ripping up the airwaves,
national magazine covers hitting the
streets, tonight they headline as if
it’s a packed Wembley Arena. From
the front to the back, the crowd goes
absolutely bloody mental as Ellie
Rowsell’s vocal cuts through like
glass. This is some homecoming. The
truth is, those established bands may
have deep pockets of material to play
with, but they don’t have ‘Moaning
Lisa Smile’. Nor do they have ‘Storms’.
They definitely don’t have a ‘Bros’. In
their short lifespan, Wolf Alice have
been stacking up the hits like they’re
expecting the music apocalypse.
When it never came, they decided
to usher it in themselves. Neither of
these bands will tackle it on their own,
either. The really remarkable part of
tonight, without sounding cheesy, is
the audience. These are their people -
young, engaged new music fans who
don’t care what Grandad has to say
about 1997 or Britpop. They’re the
ones who dance like nobody else is
watching, sing back every word and,
most importantly, get they’re part
of something far bigger. (Stephen
Ackroyd)
Photos: Carolina Faruolo
82 diymag.com

Photo: Carolina Faruolo
I wanna be N4’s
ARCTIC MONKEYS
“F
Finsbury Park, London
insbury Park, you can’t be
sure”, muses Alex Turner as
he scans the never-ending
crowd amassed before him. The short
of it is - on this warm Friday night,
Finsbury Park is very sure. Whether it’s
the bleeding obvious ‘I Bet You Look
Good On The Dancefloor’, ‘Brianstorm’
or tub-thumping opener ‘Do I Wanna
Know?’ there’s barely a second through
tonight’s entire set that doesn’t involve
the lighting of flares, the throwing of
pints or frankly terrible attempts at
a Sheffield accent. From the fences
bearing Arctic Monkeys’ now trademark
soundwave artwork, to the slicked-back
Eddie Munster hair and impossibly highfashion
blazer sported by the frontman,
it’s immediately evident just how
massive a deal these gigs are. In essence,
the recent remarks from US tour notso-pals
The Orwells on the quartet’s
similarities to massive boybands are
entirely correct: a production this
immense can’t be scripted on the back
of a beer can.
That’s not to suggest it’s entirely asyou-were.
‘505’ creeps its way in to the
set proper, recent single ‘Arabella’ gets
itself a huge breakdown courtesy of
Black Sabbath, ‘Knee Socks’ gains a dark
and spooky makeover, and while ‘No. 1
Party Anthem’ sounded strangely like an
ode to Primal Scream during last year’s
festival run, this time around it’s a fullon
‘Hey Jude’ style hug-a-long. So after
the solo acoustic ‘A Certain Romance’
to open an inevitable encore, then the
extended wig-out duo of ‘One For The
Road’ and ‘I Wanna Be Yours’, it’s back
to the bombast of ‘R U Mine?’, the long
walk out of the arena and – predictably
enough - countless football chants.
(Emma Swann)
You can call her
Queen B-rixton
LORDE
Photo: emma swann
Brixton Academy, London
he general consensus is that
‘putting on a pop concert’ these
Tdays should involve a complex
equation mixing oversized novelty
props, elaborate costumes and a
lighting show that costs more to stage
than a one bedroom flat in the area
immediately outside the chosen venue.
Tonight at Brixton, though, Lorde wears
a bold, boxy tuxedo-type effort, and
has assembled a kind of minimalist
take on a baroque drawing room in
a stately home. She’s brought along
a chandelier, three massive picture
frames, a drummer, and another band
member to man the delivery of her
killer synth chops, and that’s about it; at
least in terms of physical spectacle. The
main draw here tonight is Lorde herself.
“We’re slipping off the course that
we prepared, but in all chaos, there is
calculation,” she sings quietly, in richly
hushed tones, over slinking drumchops.
Opening with ‘Glory and Gore’
is an unexpected, but fitting, opening
choice, and Lorde delivers it alone, lit
unfussily by a single spotlight. Bold,
formidable, haunting, and occasionally,
glimpsingly, vulnerable, tonight
confirms Lorde is far more than a flag
bearer for the misfits; she makes weirdo
pop sound effortless. (El Hunt)
83

Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett
reviews
Fire in the disco
ARCADE FIRE
Earl’s Court, London
“T
hey keep on being the best band I’ve ever seen,” avows a
gracious Lorde, who obviously jumped at the chance to
support Arcade Fire tonight. Their lyrics, quite often wistful,
suburban, youth-centric, have resonated with disillusioned teenagers
all over the world, she explains, and she for one is among them. As they
join the stage, ‘Reflektor’ is an explosion of pomp and colour, as light
rays bound off a blinding robot-man dressed in shards of mirror. Disco
Arcade Fire is the first of the band’s many faces running amok, gleefully,
jerkily packing in off-beat woodwind grooves, 90s house piano plinks,
and Win and Régine’s glorious vocal interplay. This side continues with
the lilting ‘Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)’, the synth-pop
Cure-isms of ‘Afterlife’, and the gender identity-tackling ‘We Exist’. Next,
Stadium Rock Arcade Fire is an altogether different beast. Whether it’s
the rebellious punkiness of ‘Month of May’, ‘Normal Person’ and ‘Joan
of Arc’, or the Springsteen anthemics of ‘Rebellion (Lies)’, ‘Tunnels’ and
‘The Suburbs’, they never flounder about. There’s always a cathartic
side to the beautiful cacophony. Will Butler persists in the OTT drumthwacking,
Richard Reed Parry in his urgent facial expressions. And
then there’s Caribbean Arcade Fire. The reggae riddims of ‘Flashbulb
Eyes’ provide an early standout, while ‘Here Comes the Night Time’
offers calypso shimmying galore. Similarly, ‘Power Out’ and ‘Haiti’ are
given a strangely uplifting twist with the addition of steel drums and
creole chants, as the band constantly remind us of the sheer extent
and malleability of their back catalogue. ‘Wake Up’ is the predictable
culmination, with all hands raised for that timeless grumble of a riff
and belting ‘all together now’ finale. It’s a nigh-on tearful moment for
everyone involved. (Huw Oliver)
Photo: Leah Henson
Stoked on Trent
NINE INCH
NAILS
Phones4U Arena, Manchester
T
here comes a moment when you can feel
the machine-paced pulsing of your heart, a
sensation of pure muscularity, a heightened
awareness of existence, of just being there in the
jaws of the most ferocious beast in music. That’s Nine
Inch Nails. It’s not just a feat in raw power either, it’s
immaculately planned, impeccably conceived and
executed with flair and a decisiveness that few other
live acts manage. Once the simmering promise of
‘Copy of A’ explodes into frantic staple ‘1,000,000’
there’s no going back. A tornado of lights and sound,
as the sky breaks into a dizzying display of overhead
flashes. The setlist is intelligently arranged, loosely
falling into chapters of eras, beginning with the late
2000s hysteria and suspicion and morphing into a
90s trash. Classics like ‘Closer’ sit seamlessly with the
likes of ‘Survivalism’ as each part of Nine Inch Nails’
history is united by their pure ferocity. Robin Finck,
Alessandro Cortini and Ilan Rubin bring unflinching
consistency, each taking their moments in the
spotlight with aplomb and Reznor retaining all the
claims of his cult-like presence and super-human
stamina. No sign of slowing, no sign of tiring and no
sign of repetition – Nine Inch Nails are quite possibly
the best live band on the planet. (Matthew Davies)
84 diymag.com

Photo: Carolina Faruolo
Big Mac
MAC DE MARCO
KOKO, London
“JUST RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM
MAC DEMARCO’S TOUR MANAGER
INFORMING US TO BE PREPARED COS
THE SHOWS ON THIS TOUR SO FAR HAVE
BEEN “A BIT WILD”!”
We can’t say we weren’t warned. A day
prior to Mac DeMarco’s biggest London
show to date and the signs are laid clear
by Manchester promoters Now Wave.
This time round, Canada’s slacked-out
poster boy means business (or more
likely, an excess of pleasure), and the
crowds do too. Last time he toured
the UK it was grotty venues swelled
by his wide-smiles, cheeky pranks and
effortlessly loveable personality – oh,
and an album or two’s worth of stoner
rock ‘n’ roll anthems. This time he’s got
one more, and he’s reached a whole new
plain with it. Opening with this year’s
laa-laden, eponymous album opener
‘Salad Days’ and the buzz is festivalesque:
people ride shoulders, brazenly
chant-a-long, and the good times flow
free. Five songs in with live favourite
‘Cooking Up Something Good’ and the
atmosphere hasn’t let up. They fucking
love it. The new album, unsurprisingly,
fits in perfectly with Mac’s established
live set – the addition of a synthesiser to
the live show is a much-welcomed one.
‘Passing Out Pieces’ receives one of the
greatest receptions of an energised and
vocal crowd, and the gooey electronics
sound outstanding later on album
highlight ‘Chamber Of Reflection’, as
well as the George Harrison-esque ‘I’m
A Man’. But in other aspects, with new
material he also brings change with
him; “Please don’t take my love away”,
he sings on ‘Let My Baby Stay’, and it is
at this point that a newfound (relative)
maturity is laid out by the jangling
artist. Like the wizened lyrics of ‘Salad
Days’, Mac seems to have grown into
his rock star status with his return to
London. Gone are the drawling stories
about being stoned in the basement.
Bassist Pierce McGarry attempts a staple
between-song joke to fill the silence,
but this time he’s barely audible; the
show has grown and the ‘raunchfests’
of old seem like they no longer fit. That
doesn’t stop Mac crowd surfing around
the whole venue at the end of the set,
visible only for his red Vans emerging
from the gangly blur of limbs beneath
him, but this, for sure, is a performance
that finally lets the music do most of the
talking. Maybe he wasn’t prepared for
it, but Mac DeMarco has been crowned
tonight; he can only continue to flourish
from here. (James Balmont)
They all go, hand in
hand...
PARKLIFE
Heaton Park, Manchester
o amount of rain stops things in
NManchester, as submerged we
often are, but it can delay them. So
Parklife splutters into life with a delayed
opening time, heavy flooding and the
predictable deluge of afternoon-eating
DJ sets. By evening Katy B slathers
her dance-pop all over the stage,
predictably peaking with ‘Katy on a
Mission’ while Cyril Hahn leads a set
of just plain dance through his slick
chilled-out remixes of much loved chart
hits like Destiny’s Child’s ‘Say My Name’.
A brief respite and Chromeo take to the
stage. Breaking out their funky classics
like ‘Tenderoni’ and ‘Fancy Footwork’
the Canadian duo delight the crowd.
Replacing Kendrick Lamar is a tall order,
but while likely to lose a poetry contest
against him, A$AP Rocky is on all other
fronts perhaps the ideal replacement.
The second day opens with its eye on
critical acclaim as Warpaint and Sam
Smith take to the main stage. Bastille
later play a high-intensity set, and
it’s Dan Smith’s surprisingly excitable
antics as a front man that propel radiofriendly
songs like ‘Bad Blood’ and
‘The Draw’ into the status of festival
anthems. Arguably the standout British
act of the last few years (on a main
stage headlining level), there’s almost
a guaranteed level of high quality from
Foals. Still, they far surpass it and by
now from the mesmerising explosions
of ‘Inhaler’ and ‘Providence’ to the
tender swoon of ‘Spanish Sahara’.
(Matthew Davies)
katy b
Photo: Leah Henson
85

c
i ndie d reaM boat
Of the Month
c
DAVE BAYLEY
glass animals
FULL NAME David A Bayley
NICKNAME Fatty Dave Head,
Davey Dave Dave, Disco Dave,
Davidoff, DAV, Sarky Dave, Algie.
STAR SIGN Gemini.
PETS I’ve got a rabbit. He’s called
Xander. He plays synth and deals
cocaine.
FAVOURITE FILM Coffee and
cigarettes. It’s got some good
musicians in it. And Bill Murray.
FAVOURITE FOOD Sushi. No…
Thai. No… sandwiches. No… Ice
cream. Ok wait. Sushi.
DRINK OF CHOICE Old
Fashioned.
FAVOURITE SCENT 50.
IF YOU WEREN’T A POP STAR,
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING?
I’m not a pop star.
CHAT-UP LINE OF CHOICE
Go on then, seduce me.
DIY
86 diymag.com

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