Last Friday (Nov 13th) Marika Hackman released her album full of covers featuring songs from artists like Radiohead and Grimes, tackling each one in a way that adds another layer to the artist original. Her take on Radiohead’s 1994 song ‘You Never Wash Up After Yourself’, swaps guitar for piano and features the unnerving noise of insects buzzing. Between the Bars sees her add something more to the melancholy cult musician Elliott Smith’s classic tune. Amongst classic stripped back versions, Hackman squeezes in those she has completely reinvented like Grimes’ Realiti. The song is almost completely unrecognisable with strings and harp taking over. ‘Pink Light’ is a cover of American pop trio MUNA’s soft but powerful hit except she has added a coldness to it which makes it entirely her own.
She also strips back Beyonce’s ‘All Night’ to its bony frame leaving nothing but simplistic layers of vocals. Put together whilst in lockdown at her parents’ earlier this year, Covers allowed Marika to have an outlet in a time where original ideas were limited. It also creates a nice middle ground between 2019’s ‘Any Human Friend’ and any future works whilst providing familiarity in a time of uncertainty.
Despite being released in October of last year, I recently discovered the wonderful Liz Lawrence and her second full length album Pity Party.
With this album being her first full length release since 2011, it is so obvious to listeners that Lawrence has made this album on her own terms – she has done it for herself rather than anybody else this time around. Sticking to her native lo-fi folk roots with hints of pop, she explores what life is like as you draw closer to your mid twenties.
‘None of my friends’ is a track that really details the chaos of life in your mid twenties, it’s a song that encompasses the overall mood of this record. Describing what inspired the song to Rhys Buchanan (NME Magazine) she spoke of a day in which she had 5 phone calls with friends about various different dramas that were occurring in their lives and how this realisation of change had really become a pivotal moment in life for her – it’s something a lot of people, particularly of this age group will be able to relate to.
USP is one of my favourite songs on this record, describes Liz’s experience as a young person in the industry after leaving record labels for various reasons, it’s a song about reclaiming your image and building up the confidence to be who you want to be without restrictions.
Navigator is a vibrant pop rock anthem that exposes the truths about finding security in the people that we love.
Nostalgia permeates each track and the care that Liz has taken with her lyrics and the layering of sweet guitar melodies over beats from a synth machine really proves to her audience that she is a person that knows exactly what she wants from her music. Pity party is an album that just works, the sentiment is clear regardless of the order one chooses to play it in.
My personal favourites are USP, Want, But Love & 10 Breaths. Its an album I think everybody needs to hear, especially at the moment. Liz is one to watch, an exceptional talent with the ability to captivate & connect her audience.
You can purchase physical copies of Pity Party here
The debut film from Rose Glass (released in cinemas on October 9) combines religion and horror together to create a gripping & utterly toe curling piece of cinema and the result is extraordinary.
The film, set in a derelict looking Scarborough, follows Maud (Morfydd Clark) a meek but stern end of life care nurse who has been deployed to look after the terminally ill former dancer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle) who is trying to make the most of life despite being confined to a hospice. Maud has seemingly become the target of religious forces, talking regularly to God who from time to time, snarls back at her in her native Welsh. Flashbacks to the unfortunate mistake that brought forth Maud’s religious awakening haunt her, grim shots of a body with its hair soaked in blood and a coackroach crawling across the ceiling. Her name, appears to have been different back then, having changed it in an attempt to mould herself into the likeness of the German queen St Maud, who dedicated her life to the ill and dying and eventually became the guardian of misbehaving children.
Maud appears desperate to rid herself of past habits, that Glass discreetly tries to show to her audience in the hope that we will connect the dots. Maud puts herself through frankly the grimmest of torments; kneeling on broken peanut shells whilst she prays and placing upright nails in her shoes. She is connected with God in the most intimate and personal way possible and it is terrifying.
Maud is convinced that it is her job to save Amanda’s soil before she does eventually pass away. This proves to be the film’s most prominent strength, despite not being the scariest film ever to be made, Glass uses religion as a powerful tool to piece together the story of a young woman’s descent into madness. Instead, Clark carries the horror theme of the film through her portrayal of Maud. She portrays Maud’s obsessions in a way that effortlessly slides between both sympathy disgust from the audience. From the first hint at Maud’s eventful past, we are led on a journey that becomes increasingly hostile and utterly suffocating right up until the last second Maud is on screen. The film concludes with a series of images that are likely to stick in the mind for a king time.
Saint Maud is a beautifully crafted piece, everything about it screams that Rose Glass is one to watch in the world of new filmmakers. Moryfdd Clark proves throughout that she is a force to be reckoned with and one of the country’s most talented actors.
Bea Kristi (better known under moniker beabadoobee) has released her 90’s rock influenced debut album Fake it Flowers, having only practically just started to explore the rock genre on tracks such as ‘I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus’ which hails from late 2019’s Space Cadet EP. This new direction sees her straying further and further away from her bedroom pop roots (2018’s Patched Up and Love Worm EP’s) but her songwriting style remains the same, each track like a diary entry, different from the last. Over 12 tracks, so many different themes are explored: on ‘Dye It Red’ she dips into hair dye as a form of empowerment, ‘Charlie Brown’ despite the sweet nature of the title is a song about self harm and ‘Horen Sarrison’ is a not-so indirect reference to her boyfriend. Before its release, Bea had described this album as having an ‘End of 90’s movies vibe’ as well as saying it reminds her of an early 2000’s chick flick (think Clueless or Legally Blonde). The album opens with uplifting rock song ‘Care’ and Bea’s ability to create a perfect dynamic between loud and quiet becomes apparent with songs like ‘Sorry’ or suitably named ‘Emo Song’ acting as the perfect pressure relief.
You can purchase tickets to her UK tour, set to take place in Sept/Oct 2021 here
This week saw the return of live music in an all new format – socially distanced & seated.
First to kick off was The Orielles on Sunday at Belgrave Music Hall in Leeds followed by a performance at Jazz Café in London on Tuesday. Despite these shows being different to what audiences would usually be used to, spirits were not dampened.
The crowd was lively as the band opened with track Come Down on Jupiter, hailing from their latest album Disco Volador. With the band playing two shows, guitarist Henry didn’t let the band’s gratitude toward being able to play live go unnoticed either.
The band’s chemistry seemed to be flowing abundantly, suggesting that lockdown has done incredible things in terms of allowing the band to smooth out their live act. Bobbi’s Second World, the band’s biggest hit was an arguable highlight as it got the audience moving despite being restricted to seats. Closing track was Sunflower Seeds from 2018’s Silver Dollar Moment and it was a perfect way to end the night before the impending 10pm curfew.
North London based Sorry also played a socially distanced gig this week, this time at The Windmill in Brixton. Having not played a live, in person show since their US debut at New York’s Union Pool venue in March, the group certainly haven’t lost their swagger. Opening with Right Round The Clock, a track off their debut album 925; the audience was lively right up until the band finished with their song lies. It was amazing to see the band back together on stage once again.
2020 has been a long year for everyone but just as things are starting to return to some form of normal for most industries, the doors of many much loved music venues still remain closed.
The live music and events industry not only hugely contributes to the cultural scene within the UK but is also an economic powerhouse that brings in £5.2 billion a year (stats courtesy of Music by Numbers 2019 report). It is an industry that brings thousands of people together like nothing before, to watch performances that in the words of Glastonbury Festival’s Emily Eavis: inspire,delight, move, educate and create memories to last a lifetime and she’s right. I know from my own experience just how much live events mean to people; I wouldn’t have met some of my closest friends if it wasn’t for live music. This country NEEDS the industry to keep it on the map.
#WeMakeEvents is a movement designed to support every single artist, crew member, theatre company, music venue and promoter so that they don’t struggle to such an extent that the events industry is never able to get back to what it was.
Last Wednesday (September 30th) the campaign had a day of action in which many venues up and down the country turned red in an effort to call on the government for financial support, as the industry has been left out of Rishi Sunak’s latest jobs scheme. The campaign was also a way to raise public and media awareness in support of the live events sector which employs over circa 1,000,000 highly skilled people in the UK, all of whom have had no work since March 2020 with little likelihood of restarting until Spring 2021.
This campaign and speaking up about the issues faced by the live music industry currently, is vital. The UK is nothing without the events and the thousands of people behind them – we must protect our venues and all of the artists and wonderful crew that make these productions possible in the first place.
Step aside Never Rarely Sometimes Always, the sombre story of a 17 year old who travels across the US to get an abortion has been remodelled into a vivaciously comedic coming-of-age story.
Veronica (Hayley Lu Richardson) is a prim and proper overachiever who has every aspect of her life planned out to the millisecond, that is until she finds out she is pregnant in her Missouri high school bathroom and the only person in the room is her ex best friend, badass punk Bailey Butler (Barbie Ferreira). Hoping to keep her pregnancy a secret from both her religious family and peers alike, the girls embark on a 2000 mile round trip to Alberqueue, New Mexico AKA the nearest state that will allow a young person to receive an abortion without parental consent. What follows, is an exciting, often chaotic adventure that sees the girl’s reacquaint with one another. There are traces of Olivia Wilde’s hit high school comedy Booksmart throughout Unpregnant but throughout it carries its own witty charm. The girls’ road trip is by no means boring, there are so many twists and turns that become stranger and wackier as the film goes on. The subplot – perhaps my favourite bit in this entire movie involves a couple of oddly sweet prolifers (Sugar Lyn Beard and Breckin Meyer) whose characters are so over the top that they’re believable. The storyline involving them also involves a direct homage to the iconic car chase in ‘Thelma & Louise’.
Together, the two young women represent what it is like to be a young feminist who move with lucidity even when they’re running from a camper van with a four-foot cutout of a toddler pasted to the front bumper. The girls’ belt out the words to Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since U Been Gone’ and it’s a feel good moment everyone can enjoy no matter what.
The film occasionally puts a hold on the laughing and joking to pause and allow the audience to take in a few minutes of practical information, including a step-by-step breakdown of what Veronica can expect if/when the twosome reach Albuquerque: “I’ll walk you through the whole process,” says a nurse, as a gentle, noodling song slides into the score and the camera transitions from soft focus shots of syringes to a POV shot of an anaesthesiologists’ mask that makes the whole world go calm and blurry. Unpregnant is a film that advocates loudest for allowing young women the space to make their own choices — and that they have friends, long-time or newfound, willing to help when they stumble. The film is available to stream on HBO Max now
On his previous record, ‘What Do You Think About The Car?’ (released in 2017) McKenna was branded the voice of a generation. It was in this record that he discussed issues such as religious hypocrisy (in ‘Bethlehem’) and xenophobia in the media (in ‘Isombard’). This involvement of worldwide issues in his music has certainly not ceased, his second full-length release ‘Zeros’ covers just as many weighty topics – religion, the environment, being an outsider and beauty except this time the finished product is less polished, he hasn’t tried as hard to gather people in their masses to support a particular cause.
Rather conveniently, the album lays out a story of impending doom; set in a dystopian world, it’s a place that’s clearly on it’s last legs. On opening track ‘You Better Believe!!!’, an asteroid is making it’s way to Earth and the only thing left to do is fall into the cold embrace of capitalism, he exhales the words ‘I’m off out to buy a bag of Quavers and Nike trainers,’ and this of course is ‘comfort you can feel’.
‘Be an Astronaut’ is very reminiscent of Bowie, it’s a track encapsulated in synthesizers accompanied by heavy guitar hooks, it’s certainly a refreshing break from the indie pop melodies of his previous work. Moving on, the lyrical content of ‘The Key To Life on Earth’ reflects upon duality, humanity, and one’s place in the dynamic scape of human experience. At the heart of The Key To Life On Earth resides a similarly infectious pop beat and tuneful flamboyance, all sweetly packaged up in the otherworldly grandeur of it’s technicolour production.
‘Beautiful Faces’ reaches out to the youth of today, the song tackles how intimidating the modern world can be, beauty, social media and the extreme anxieties that young people face. ‘Daniel You’re Still A Child’ is undoubtedly one of the catchiest tracks on this album, with its colourful concoction of catchy riffs and pulsating bass it tells a story of what it’s like to be lost in some way.
‘Twice Your Size’ details climate change in an interesting way, Mckenna speaks of the sun melting ‘what it can touch’ and the earth changing in such an irreversible way that ‘we must grab our pets and head off out of range’. On ‘Rapture’ he calls out the actions of former England prime minister Margaret Thatcher, stating that her ‘cruel heart navigates the world we live in’, the track features a sprinkling of disco like guitar and the droning of cyborg voices in the intro. On ‘Sagittarius A*’, McKenna sneers at a jet-setting trust fund kid and implies a biblical storm.
Declan is set to tour Zeros across the UK, Ireland & Europe next March/April and you can find tickets here.
Women and non binary artists have been pushed aside and forgotten about on festival lineups since the beginning. With even the biggest festivals in the UK forgetting to make gender diversity their number one priority, this is an ever growing problem within the music industry.
Take the most recent Reading and Leeds festival lineup for example, next year will see the introduction of two main stages and six headline acts instead of the usual three. Sounds decent, right? That is, until you take a closer look and see that there is a VERY clear inequality between the number of male artists versus the number of female and non binary artists featured. Post Malone is set to play the main stage for what will be the third R+L weekend in a row, alongside Liam Gallagher, who is clearly trying to stay relevant despite Oasis’ break up 11 years ago and the release of two extremely mediocre solo albums. Other names set to headline are Catfish & Bottlemen, Queens of the Stone Age, Stormzy and Disclosure. You really cannot help but notice the distinct lack of female and non binary artists, not just in the headline slots but across the board. This is appalling, especially from a festival with such a large following.
It is because of the recent announcements from Reading and Leeds that I have decided to compile a list of women and non binary artists who deserve a spot on EVERY festival lineup whether that’s on a main stage or a smaller stage. Times are changing – there is no longer any need for lineups to be centred around white, cisgender, heterosexual men. Women and non binary people are changing the game for good.
HAIM: 3 piece band made up of sisters Danielle, Este and Alana. Hailing from Los Angeles, the band have released three full length albums since 2013 and played at some of the world’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury and Reading + Leeds. Their newest venture, Women in Music PTIII is pop rock Heaven and you can stream it here.
📷:Rick Kern/WireImage
Wolf Alice: Fronted by lead singer Ellie Rowsell, the band have built themselves a rather large following having released two very successful albums; My Love is Cool in 2015 and Visions of a Life in 2017. They co headlined Reading + Leeds in 2018 but, I’d love to see them back next year!
📷:Paste Magazine
Janelle Monae: With over two million listeners on Spotify and a Grammy nomination under their belt at just 34, it’s a surprise that Monae isn’t already on next year’s R+L lineup. With their music spanning across many different genres including soul, funk, hip hop and new wave – it caters for a lot of festival audiences globally, which is another reason I’m surprised they aren’t featured on festival lineups for next year.
📷: Variety Magazine
WILLOW: Daughter of actors Will Smith & Jada Pinkett, Smith released her first song at just 10 years old. Then in 2015 she released her debut ARDIPITHECUS followed by second album The 1st in 2017 which, The New York Times described as the ‘Soundtrack to adolescence’. I really think WILLOW deserves a headline at, at least one UK festival
📷: Ben Toms for Dazed
In regards to headliners, the list could go on but there are so so many smaller artists that deserve recognition too! Here are some of my favourites:
Dream Wife: The three piece consisting of Icelandic born lead singer Rakel Mjoll, bassist Bella Podpadec and guitarist Alice Go met at university in Brighton and started the band as a university project. Their music tackles issues related to feminism, gender roles, body image and sexual objectification. Their newest album So When You Gonna… is available to stream everywhere now.
📷: Jender Anomie/DIY magazine
Rina Sawayama: Despite only releasing her first full length piece this year, Rina has over a million listeners and her album SAWAYAMA recieved incredible reception from both her audience and critics alike. She confronts issues of identity and conflict through pop anthems with influences of RnB, nu-metal and club beats. You can listen to SAWAYAMA here.
📷: Harry Carr
ArloParks: South London native Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, known professionally as singer and poet Arlo Parks was signed to Transgressive Records after the release of her debut single ‘Cola’. Since then, she has released two EP’s: Super Sad Generation and Sophie. Even though she is still fairly new to live music, having only played her first proper gig last May at Brighton’s Great Escape festival, she has already made appearances at both Glastonbury and Latitude festivals so she is way more than deserving of a place at Reading & Leeds too.
📷: Charlie Cummings
The Japanese House: The Japanese House is the solo project of London-based singer/songwriter Amber Bain. After signing to Dirty Hit Records in 2015, she released her first two EP’s: Pools to Bathe In and Clean. Then in 2018 after the release of of another two EP’s in 2016 and 2017, Bain teased her debut album Good at Falling with the release of single Lilo. The album arrived in March 2019 and received extremely positive reviews from the likes of NME and Pitchfork.
Sorry: Started by childhood friends Asha Lorenz and Louis O’Bryen, the North London based quartet (Lorenzo and O’Bryen are joined by Lincoln Barrett on drums and Campbell Baum on bass guitar) have a wildly experimental sound with influences of trip-hop, 90’s alt rock and early trap scattered throughout their discography but most prominently on their debut album ‘925’ which was released on Domino Records in March this year. Fingers crossed they get added to at least one festival lineup next year! You can stream their debut, 925 here
📷: Jenn Five/ DIY Magazine
Marika Hackman: Having released a mini album, 4 EP’s and 3 full length albums in the space of 8 years, Hackman is no stranger to the music industry either; she has supported Laura Marling multiple times on tour and played festivals such as Reading and Leeds and Festival Number 6 in the past. Her albums I’m Not Your Man (released 2017) and Any Human Friend (released 2019) have been met with critical acclaim from multiple publications. You can stream Any Human Friend here
📷: Joost Vanderbrug
The Big Moon: The London based quartet made up of Juliette Jackson on lead vocals, Soph Nathan on guitar, Celia Archer on bass and Fern Ford on drums have been credited with breathing new life into the indie genre at a time where guitar based indie music had fallen out of favour. The band have released two albums and their first, Love in the 4th Dimension was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2017. Album two, Walking Like We Do followed in January 2020 and it is a true masterpiece. I can’t wait to see them go on to bigger and better things next year
📷: The Independent
There are hundreds of artists I could’ve included in this list but these are just a few that stood out to me the most. I have curated a playlist of my favourite songs from each artist and you can find that here.
After the roaring success of their 2018 debut album, Brighton natives Jack Kaye, Angus Taylor, Kristian Smith and Paeris Giles have returned with a brand new genre bending collection of songs under the title: Death of the Party.
With influences hailing from all over, the album opens with explosive track ‘Think’ which, very obviously takes inspiration from 70’s Northern Soul (think The Four Seasons). ‘Make a Sound’ is the first of two accounts of the same house party, this one hailing from front man Jack Kaye. Lyrically thoughtful & featuring a bedroom pop esque guitar line, visions of a carefree yet short lived evening are created.
The Magic Gang go back to their roots on ‘Just a Minute‘, once again writing about the anxieties being in a relationship brings with it except this time with a more realistic representation than that of their debut.
What Have You Got To Lose? Is my personal favourite on this album, with its pulsating bassline – reminiscent of Joy Division, it’s from this point that the album very suddenly delves into darker subject matter. Lyrics ‘Wasting a whole week a way’ are broken up by jarring guitar riffs and make mention of drug treatment for mental health issues.
Title track ‘Death of the Party’ is the second account of a house party, this time by guitarist Kristian Smith. His retelling is that of a more defeatist approach, with his cowboy persona described as the ultimate party-pooper. The song encapsulates the feeling amongst the band members that their cheery youthful years are practically coming to an end.
This sombre attitude doesn’t stay for long, with the band leaping back into action on ‘Take Back The Track’ which sounds like it has been taken from their earlier bodies of work with its happy go lucky upbeat tune, aided by a Nile Rodger’s inspired guitar tone. It’s clear to see why this track was released as a lead single to advertise the album’s release.
‘I Am Sunshine’ has a tinny opening and resolves into a dizzyingly busy second half. This track is the only real fault on an otherwise stunning album.
‘Gonna Bounce Back’ is reminiscent of 80’s new wave, it tells the story of a disheartened but not deterred young artist- perhaps a thinly-veiled metaphor for bandmembers’ struggle for the limelight.
Although a little monotonous in parts, ‘Fail Better’ represents what The Magic Gang do best – easy listening indie rock. ‘The World (Outside My Door)’ is the last track from the main section of the album, which initially speaks of limitless horizons. For a track whose title appears optimistic, the slightly ominous undertone deteriorates into a downright threatening racket which comes to an abrupt end.
The album also features three bonus tracks. The first being ‘Go Moving’, in which the group make a return to their punch pop form. ‘Make Time For Change’ is undoubtedly a track designed to bop your head to as a vibrant bass sound carries the song. Finally, ‘Out of Mind’ features delicate guitar and piano pairing which draws it effortlessly to a close.
The Magic Gang are on tour across the UK and Ireland next March. You can find tickets and stream ‘Death of the Party here:
