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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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

Live Report: Tigercub @ Norwich Arts Centre

Words originally for DIY Magazine

L-R: Jimi Wheelwright, James Allix, Jamie Hall

It’s the fourth night of the Mapped Out tour presented by DIY and Generator with Tigercub and Bellevue Days; having already played Exeter, Bristol and Stowmarket, tonight’s venue is the Arts Club in Norwich.

Gloomy rockers Bellevue Days have a dark eccentricity about them. Their performance tonight is raw and intimate; a metropolitan Jamie T-like vigour runs through their set, all blank faces and play-it-cools on the crust but bubbling and frenzied beneath. Raw anecdotes about drugs, sex, and the odd car crash are delivered casually, but the hard-hitting lyrics speak for themselves. An endearing charm can be added to their résumé too: besides their gritty songwriting talents, it seems you could easily sit down with each of them for a pint and a storytelling session free of charge. “In amongst the anarchy you’ll find something new”, they howl, on Something New.

As the lights dim, not a split second passes before the echoic hall of Norwich Arts Centre is pounded by the gnarly riffs and beefy bass of headliners Tigercub. Vocalist Jamie Hall orchestrates the chaos; anyone who’s experienced a Tigercub show will be more than familiar with his looming stage presence. Between upbeat quips to his audience, he broods intensely over pedal manoeuvres and delicious, blood-soaked solos under a crimson light. Flanking him, mutton-chopped bandicoot Jimi Wheelwright would look as comfortable starring in a Western as he is a Brighton-based rock band. He prowls around the stage, adding a feral growl to each song. The band’s newer material sounds more scatty and upbeat versus better-known numbers, but a thunderous quality still ties the show together. Few deliver such a refined barrage of anarchy as Tigercub, who, with a debut record in the making, are no doubt set for bigger things.

 Tigercub's Repressed Semantics EP is out now.

Facebook: Tigercub / Bellevue Days

Twitter: Tigercub / Bellevue Days

Live Review: DIY 'Hello 2016' @ The Old Blue Last, London

Words originally for Vapour Trail Blog

All photos and more in high resolution here.

Could there be any better way to spend my inaugural visit to east London’s most infamous back room – the Old Blue Last – than in the company of some of the hottest new musical talent, tipped for big things this year by the indie powers that be DIY Magazine? No, quite frankly. Getting a feel for the dark corridors before doors opened, the night looked set to be an occasion to behold, and with four fantastic new artists on the bill, it certainly was just that.

Fish live at The Old Blue Last

Kicking off the show was London’s own teen grungers Fish, whose twinkly garage-rock tunes seeped out into the rapidly filling room like smoke. Frontwoman Asha’s vocals were sinister but mesmerising, a siren call dancing over a chunky bassline, not hugely different from the likes of Bully or a juvenile Wolf Alice. Brattish smirks and the odd tongue poke flaunted the four-piece’s infectious charisma, and ending the set with screams of joy and Strokesy guitar riffs, it was all smiles from the get-go both onstage and off.

Girli live at The Old Blue Last

Irrefutably the highlight of the show, Girli came next on the bill. Her iconic pink dress code and unapologetically pure pop songs have been splashed across ones-to-watch lists since the end of last year, and anticipation in the Old Blue Last was pushed to breaking point when she finally swaggered up to the mic. From the first note of the 8-bit symphony ‘Girls Get Angry Too’, the room was a riot, snarky quips about feminism and teen sexuality spewing out forcefully over a pounding hip-hop beat. ‘ASBOys’ played out like a call to arms for the wasted youth of London with its siren-laden verses, and new material like ‘Girl I Met On the Internet’, an ode to the plastic princess of Instagram, mixed laugh-out-loud lyrics with video game sound effects to create what could easily become the most unlikely indie anthem of the year. ‘Fuck Right Back Off to L.A.’ (from the ‘Girli FM’ mixtape) also got a play, a true site to behold, as Girli and her partner in rhyme DJ Kitty flipped the bird in synchronised choreography over the infectious “fuck you”-s of the chorus. Closing on ‘So You Think You Can Fuck With Me Do Ya’ with a stage invasion in full swing, the most energetic and utterly batshit set of the night concluded in a hurricane of tampons, condoms and Hello Kitty chocolates being spewed into the crowd as the storm of pink fury ended no less suddenly than it had begun.

Yonaka live at The Old Blue Last

Assuming the night had peaked there, I headed outside, a decision I immediately regretted when the thunderous sound of Yonaka punched through the walls of the Old Blue Last, grabbing me by the scruff of the neck and dragging me back inside. There I saw frontwoman Theresa Jarvis half rapping, half howling to ‘Run’, the band’s phenomenal lead single, striking a huge bass drum at the same time, and looking like a total fucking bad-ass too. The few songs I managed to catch were infectious and primal, mixing elements of Florence and the Machine’s ethereal ambience, Savages’ aggressive no-nonsense lyrics and Haim’s trademark Cali-cool stage presence. Simply put, Yonaka are one of the best new acts I’ve seen in a long time and you’d be a fool not to check them out on their upcoming headline tour in March.

It was at this point that the train home beckoned its cruel finger, so I didn’t get to see Beach Baby rock the stage at the old bluey. Sad face. Nonetheless, their latest single ‘Sleeperhead’ is an instant earworm and having seen them at Norwich’s Sound & Vision festival last autumn, I can confirm that their live show is just as rampantly fruity as their studio releases. They head out on an extensive UK tour with Sundara Karma next month, a show well worth heading down to if you can.

DIY, it has to be said that you sure know your talent. Ta for a fantastic night of free music and kicking off 2016 with a bang.

DIY’s ‘Hello 2016’ series concludes this Tuesday January 26^th at London’s Old Blue Last, with free performances from Pumarosa, Cloud Castle Lake, Babeheaven and Sälen.

Facebook: Fish / Girli / Yonaka / Beach Baby / DIY
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