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.

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.

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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