Album Review: Blaenavon - 'That's Your Lot'

Words originally for Outline Magazine.

Label: Transgressive

Release Date: April 7th, 2017

Four years since signing to Transgressive as teenagers, Blaenavon’s debut album is as much a coming-of-age tale as it is a fully-fledged indie triumph. From start to finish That’s Your Lot is an artefact of excitement, frequently jumping from woeful lulls to rapturous climax in the blink of an eye. At its front end, the hits come thick and fast – Let’s Pray dresses up nihilism in a glossy coat of reverb whilst My Bark is Your Bite bristles with frustrated energy. On its latter half, musicality seizes control. Frontman Ben Gregory’s vocal is the centrepiece in Blaenavon’s arsenal, quivering and tempered in places (Let Me See What Happens Next), protrusive and lustful elsewhere (Alice Come Home) and often an enthralling mixture (Lonely Side); he tells as many stories with his delivery as he does his introspective lyrics. Where Gregory articulates with words, bassist Frank Wright and drummer Harris McMillan respond instrumentally. A revised edition of 2013’s Prague conveys a newfound maturity whilst retaining its original charm, its sublime guitar intro building into a joyful crescendo not dissimilar from label-mates Foals. The eight-minute epic that is Swans is temperamental and cinematic, the crowning jewel in Blaenavon’s shimmering first offering.

9/10

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Album Review: Beach Baby - 'No Mind No Money'

Words originally for DIY Magazine

Label: Island Records
Release Date: September 2nd, 2016

Looking back at Beach Baby’s short but fruitful career is like flicking through jaded photos of a child growing up. From the sublime ‘Ladybird’ that eased them into the spotlight last year, the London quartet have grown with every release. True to this pattern, ‘No Mind No Money’ is a reassured debut that strikes a perfect balance between the haziness of early material, with a newly emerged air of confidence.

Addressing a disorientating period of their lives - without making music that’s alienating (or worse, dull) - is a pitfall joint frontmen Ollie Pash and Laurence Pumfrey skilfully avoid, none more so than on the wobbly ‘Lost Soul’. Kitsch keyboard hums swirl uncomfortably, like a carousel ride after too much candyfloss, but intertwined vocals pleasantly deliver spellbinding lyrics.

The foursome flourish when they’re at their most carefree. ‘U R’ has all the makings of a classic pop song, and lands full marks in the re-recording game, diced into a neat mid-album nugget that’s guaranteed to turn the stiffest of frowns. ‘Ladybird’ also gets a brush up for the record, albeit a less severe one; sonically it’s punchier than the original but retains its delicate simplicity – not streets away from Bon Iver, from whom this act get their name.

The record ends with a gloomier turn. ‘Powderbaby’ is a live favourite that on record grumbles for a percussion-driven four minutes, and ‘How Lucky You Are’ eases a gentle comedown from these four romantics. From a band tipped for big things over the course of 2016, this isn’t a debut that will smash open the charts or catapult Beach Baby to headliner status. But as a good, clean indie-pop record, it’s a solid foot in the door for an act with a prosperous future ahead of them.

★★★★/5

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Album Review: The Hunna - '100'

Words originally for Outline Magazine

Label: High Time Records
Release Date: August 26th, 2016

From inexplicably hitting the mainstream off the back of one single late last year, Hertfordshire quartet The Hunna have grown substantially in a saga both mired and spurred by internet memes and social media frenzy. On their incessantly vexatious debut LP, there’s material to be enjoyed by the fans and the haters equally. Bonfire is a powerful opener, getting straight to the point with guitars that channel furious teen intensity and a massive chorus, but the sheen quickly dwindles. We Could Be could have been plucked from the repertoire of a band long lost to landfill indie (where it may well end up again sooner or later), and drearily simple lyrics line the increasingly lifeless riffs that the bulk of this record consists of. There are glimmers of potential, like in the heartfelt Sycamore Tree, a piano-led number that hints at more classic rock influences and, although weak elsewhere, exemplifies Ryan Potter’s promising vocal. But, memes aside, the problem with ‘100’ is its beyond arrogant duration. Stretching out for sixteen almost identical tracks that teem, ironically, with the exact same youthful thirst for freedom and identity. ‘100’ is an uninspiring breakthrough from four lads clearly yet to find their voices.

4/10

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Interview: Get Inuit

Words originally for Vapour Trail Blog

Are you a fan of Pokémon, kebabs, flavour themed songs or amusing band names? Yes? Then you need to get a slice of zesty up-and-comers Get Inuit in your life my friend. The Kent quartet have been dotting their way around the country this year, stirring fields nationwide with their energetic festie slots, as well as hitting the road with VANT and Spring King and then some. With a tasty new single streaming right at this very second, here's a wee chat we had with guitarist Jamie and drummer Rob when we visited their home turf at LeeFest last month. 

The last time we crossed paths was with Spring King back in May. How do you know those guys?

James: Ages ago I used to do a sound for a band called Story Books and James from Spring King played keyboards with them for a couple of shows, so I knew him a little bit through that. When we heard they were doing the tour we sent a message to their manager who was like ‘yeah, it would be great to have you.’ So it all worked out quite well. And we had such a nice time that they invited us back for more!

Teriyaki is the new single. What's the vibe? What's the message?

James: Jamie wrote the song about an argument he used to have with his brother about vegetarianism, and about how you can’t get enough protein from it. Jamie's a vegetarian and he fully believes that you can. The vibe just came from that general bickering.

Rob: But it’s encased in a summer pop song of two minutes ten seconds. It’s definitely a nugget of pop. Maybe not a chicken nugget. A veggie nugget. What would it be, Quorn? Quinoa? A quinoa nugget sounds rubbish – no offence vegetarians.

While we're on food, one of your band t-shirts has a pizza slice on it with 'Get Inuit' spelt out in mushroom. What are your favourite pizza toppings?

One slice fits all. No? Anyone?

Rob: I drew that pizza on a piece of paper in about four minutes and, I'm not joking, it went from paper to t-shirt in like five days. We saw someone wearing one on the way in today which was nice. I personally enjoy a barbecue chicken. Texas BBQ from Domino's is a firm favourite for me.

James: I can’t actually eat the main bit of pizza cuz I can't eat dairy or gluten, so I eat kebabs mostly. James from Spring King was on a tour I did with a band which we ended up dubbing ‘The Kebab Tour’, because over fifteen dates we had fifteen kebabs. He was there for four of them and he just thought we really liked kebabs! He thought four days in a row was alright but when he found out it was fifteen in the end he was a bit grossed out. We’ve stopped that now, I mostly eat Subway salad.

Rob: Me and Ollie have a bit of a Subway addiction. Probably about 50% of days on tour we have a Subway. You have to time eating right when you’re a support band, because you only have about an hour after sound check before you’re on. You have to eat afterwards and then there’s nothing open. There’s been a lot of 1am Subways which is always fun.

It seems like you've got a schedule packed with interviews today. Are there any questions you hate getting asked?

Rob: Where the name comes from. [Vapour Trail: Where does the name come from?] Ha! It’s a silly play on ‘get into it’ that's kind of backfired. Some people don’t get it. They’ll ask what the band’s called and they go ‘get in your what?’ Although it’s very Google-able, which is quite important these days. I was looking the other day for a band called ‘Dead!’. You search ‘Dead’ on Google and nothing comes up. You search ‘Dead band’, doesn’t help, it’s just any dead band.

L-R: James (guitar), Ollie (bass), Jamie (guitar/vox), Rob (drums)

At least we're here at LeeFest in the sunshine. Is there anyone you're excited to see perform?

Rob: I’m going to go see Clean Cut Kid. We saw them in America when we played SXSW and I haven’t seen them since, but when I hear their songs I always think of that working holiday. It’s soundtracked it in my brain. And then Spring King later today, the old pals.

James: I know VANT are on tomorrow. We saw them a couple of weeks ago at Truck Festival. I think it might even be the same tent we're playing in. There was just sweat dripping from the ceiling at that one.

Rob: I feel like today might have the same vibe as Truck - people there to hear new music. You can go to Truck as a new band and there’s people who know you, whereas if you go to a lot of bigger festivals people don’t. Truck was great because there were kids into new bands. We came on to the Pokémon theme tune at Truck, I hope to do that again today. 

Rihanna called out people for playing Pokémon Go at her shows. Is that a problem you've had?

James:  So far it’s not been an issue. Because we’ve been doing mostly festivals there’s not been many Pokémon in the fields, plus there’s not much signal.

Rob: I feel like at a Rihanna show there’s enough people there that it might be a problem. If you’ve got 30,000 people running to the back of an arena to go catch a Charizard or something, that might be a bit annoying. But I’d probably join them. Halt the show, take my phone, I’ve gotta get that Charizard.

Teriyaki is available to download from September 2nd, with a vinyl release coming on September 30th. Get Inuit play the JägerHouse stage at Reading Festival next weekend, and tour the UK with Spring King throughout October. Tasty!

www.facebook.com/getinuit

Words: Alex Cabré

Interview: Yonaka

Words & photos originally for Vapour Trail Blog
All photos and more in high resolution here

L-R: Rob Mason, George Edwards, Theresa Jarvis, Alex Cosby

Brighton quartet Yonaka first made waves on the indie scene at the end of last year, spurred by ‘Run’, an unforgiving debut track that grinds and crunches in places, and floats gracefully in others. ‘Ignorance’ followed with a similar sense of intemperance, dismissing any suggestion that this band don’t have something special about them, and a consistent something at that. Now, they’re readying an EP, which will surely see them skyrocket to big things from the wings they’ve been patiently waiting in. Pre-show in Norwich last month, we nabbed them for a drink and a chat.

Preview: Norwich Sound & Vision 2016

Words originally for Vapour Trail Blog

From Live at Leeds to Dot to Dot to Brighton's world renowned Great Escape, multi-venue festivals are the blockbuster weekends that so many of us wait for patiently for most of the year. Often overlooked is Norwich Sound & Vision Festival, by far the best of its kind the East of England, and improving with every edition. A host of new artists have been freshly announced for this year's weekend, which takes place in October, so without further ado, here are our top 10 picks from the line-up.

Album Review: Wild Beasts - 'Boy King'

Words originally for Outline Magazine

Label: Domino Records

Release Date: August 5th, 2016

Boy King sees Wild Beasts as you’ve never seen them before. 2014’s Present Tense shifted towards a more retro take on the group’s signature electronic sound, a take that this, their fifth studio record, runs with to reckless abandon. Thematically, the Kendal lads strip things back to basics; an animalistic, primal vibe runs both in the song titles and the lyrics; “Big cat on top, better show me what you got / Big cat, top of the food chain”, Hayden Thorpe croons from within a cloud of dreamy bass that licks like a hungry panther. Tough Guy and Alpha Female are a tasty yin/yang that follow. The former grinds like a Jack White experiment that went wrong (or weirdly right), the latter fizzing with an iridescent electro-rock quality and delectable hooks. Tom Fleming takes the vocal helm on 2BU, a wispy and melodic number that brings the tone down to a less aggressive notch, before He The Colossus paves the route to darker depths with fuzzy guitars and neatly sequenced percussion. Ponytail strikes a perfect balance between grandeur and down-to-earth downbeat-ness in a more romantic turn that scratches and pulsates in an album of equally animate musicianship.  

8/10

Official Website

Live Review: LEEFEST 2016

Words originally for Vapour Trail Blog

On an intense July weekend, Kendal Calling, Standon Calling and Y Not filled the fields of Britain with a wash of sweat, piss and rock music, but it was a rural corner of Kent that drew our attention. That corner, my friends, is Leefest. Now in its tenth year, the three-day bash started out as the brainchild of one Lee Denny, who aged sixteen threw a festival in his back garden when his parents went on holiday. This year, some of the country’s hottest new musical talents joined a uniquely immersive programme of live performance, art, theatre and more. Here’s what we made of it all.

Live Review: LATITUDE FESTIVAL 2016

Words originally for Outline Magazine

2015 saw Latitude Festival’s tenth anniversary pass in a flash of sunshine and surprise appearances from the likes of Thom Yorke and Ed Sheeran. Twelve months on, the buzz that could be felt last year is notably absent, but the weather is just as delicious and with a three-day plus programme of music and art to dig into, who could complain?

Preview: LeeFest - The Neverland

Words originally for Vapour Trail Blog

“The ultimate party” – NME

During the long hot summer of 2006, Lee Denny’s parents left him alone in the house whilst they went on a well-deserved holiday. Aged 16, Lee thought an ingenious solution would be to have a festival in the garden. Ten years later, LeeFest is going strong, returning this year for a summer celebration like no other. Ahead of the festivities, here are our top 10 picks from the fantastic musical line-up.

Live Review: Florence + The Machine/Kendrick Lamar @ British Summer Time Festival, Hyde Park

Words originally for DIY Magazine

Florence + the Machine / Kendrick Lamar
Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett

Sound issues make for a shaky start for Blood Orange, but the tropical groove instilled in ‘You’re Not Good Enough’ and ‘Uncle ACE’ gets things underway, Dev Hynes strutting coolly around the main stage. A short hike finds Georgia churning out far dirtier sounds: her dystopian drum and bass noise provides a welcome oasis from all the corporate tat and floral décor, before Poliça, who pack a punch with their dual drum kit set-up and Channy Leaneagh’s icy vocals bewitching on every note.

Not even a biblical opening of the heavens can rain on Jamie xx’s parade. The superstar DJ / all-round swell guy plays to a wall-to-wall audience, despite brewing storm clouds above. It’s the perfect warm up for what’s to come; the Skepta version of ‘I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)’ is a rehearsal in rhyme spitting for all the Kendrick fans, and a ballsy spin of ‘You’ve Got the Love’ (The xx remix) serves only to whet our appetites rather than upstage tonight’s headliner. ‘Loud Places’ ices the rainbow cake of the ‘In Colour’ experience in the way that only a summer anthem can.

A late start due to weather does little to subside the buzz around Kendrick Lamar. Hell, Hyde Park could flood to chest height and no one would bat an eyelid right now, as a jazz-funk cacophony heralds the arrival of a living legend. In jeans and a red, white and blue sweater he looks London, but oozes LA. Hits come thick and fast with little room to breathe: ‘m.A.A.d city’ frames the set in two parts while ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’, ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’ and ‘Money Trees’ keep BST jumping for a solid hour. With the music comes a showman in his element. His devilish charm plays off any notion that the age-old left side / right side crowd-play he employs is a rehearsed performance, here it’s more a vibe-off between star and audience. ‘King Kunta’ and ‘Alright’ bring a strategic high to the end of a headline-worthy appearance.

A year ago, thereabouts, Florence Welch found herself in the unique position of topping the Glastonbury bill with just days’ notice. It went pretty well. Twelve months later, she’s closing ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’ with a hometown show just a stone’s throw away from her first Florence + The Machine gig. “I don’t remember it because I was so drunk,” she quips, between sprinting barefoot from one end of the stage to the other.

Her show is tight and awe-inspiring throughout, from those powerful vocals to the vivid flashes of nature on the screens behind. ‘What the Water Gave Me’ is a sombre opener, but proves surprisingly easy for the crowd to jump to, while ‘Rabbit Heart’ ups both tempo and spirits, when “as many people as possible” are encouraged to get on shoulders. An astonishing intimacy can be felt in Hyde Park, no more so than for ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’. It’s not a stretch to imagine Florence cramming her eleven-piece backing band back into a tiny pub in East London. And yet, in places the show is weary. Ad-libs debuted months ago are used once more, the setlist is short and predictable. Then again, perennials ‘You’ve Got the Love’ and ‘Dog Days Are Over’ draw proceedings to a close with a perfect sing-along moment under a picturesque London sunset.

The lid is closed, then, on the ‘How Big…’ era, with style and elegance. Go get some shuteye, Florence.

diymag.com

Album Review: Shura - 'Nothing's Real'

Words originally for Outline Magazine

Label: Polydor Records

Release Date: July 8th, 2016

Manchester’s Shura glistens on her debut Nothing’s Real, a considered effort so long in the making that the website ‘hasshurafinishedheralbumyet.com’ became a running joke amongst fans. The resulting electro-pop hurricane strikes a perfect balance between solid pop songs and drawn-out voyages of musical discovery. A radio-friendly string of three-minute-somethings launches the record steadily, before Shura reveals her true colours on Kidz ‘n’ Stuff, a starry number that sprinkles fairy dust over adverse lyrics. What Happened to Us? is a highlight, structured perfectly with an anthemic chorus and War on Drugs-inspired guitar. Romance in all its forms is a clear focus of Shura’s songwriting, but where more conventional pop artists might contort the theme for marketability, she is raw and open, no more so than on 2Shy; the track that brought Shura her initial hype stands firmly in its stead as bittersweet lyrics melt into glossy percussion, capping the bulk of the record before things get crazy. White Light is Shura’s masterpiece – seven minutes of spaced-out wonderment that snakes and twirls like a soaring asteroid. Not to be outdone, ten minutes of The Space Tapes act both as a sampler and the cherry on top for a truly exciting breakthrough from a talent to watch.   

9/10

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