Best Friends & Big Hopes: Beabadoobee Live In Leeds

Blank white tapestry sheets hang loosely, fluttering in the wake of a packed 02 academy. Beabadoobee needs no sign, no moniker to represent herself, hundreds have been queuing all day in the grey drizzle for just a glimpse of her. For when Beabadoobee graced the stage, the hush of respect that befell the whole room was unlike anything I’d experienced in quite some time. 

She loves you. You can feel it even as she gazes across a crowd of thousands. Or you think so anyway. Since you’d definitely be best friends of course! You have so much in common after all, don’t you? And she’s funny, and sweet, just like you, my slightly unstable reader. Beabadoobee’s crowd of best friends revered her, that’s undoubtable, but perhaps we can open up a parasocial relationship conversation off the back of this. 

After some poetically written lonely years of touring for Beatrice Laus, it appears she’s found a love for live performance & is lighting up venues up and down the UK. Beabadoobee is the grassroots acoustic sweetheart, in only a couple of years playing Key Club to now packing out 02 Academy. As much as I’d like to say she’s outgrowing these venues, after all, she’s now got over 20M monthly Spotify listeners and the queue for the show was building all day long, I’m glad Bea hasn’t yet hit the arenas. She’s certainly got the sound and fanbase to do so. But, her breathy vocals and slight, lilting tone is one that feels like it could blow away with the gentlest hush, and one that is so well suited to an intimate venue. As an audience we gazed, captivated, on her slower tracks ‘Ever Seen’ and ‘Post’ I could feel myself grounded to stillness, under the guise of an irrational fear that we may scare her off. Like a mirage or a doe in the woods, Beabadoobee has a presence that can only be described as ethereal or fae-like. Despite her slightly shy nature on stage, she commands the gravitas and control of space with ease that every screaming frontman literally begs for.

For this tour and despite her tranquility, Beabadoobee has captured a cool poise. She’s shaken her nerves, obviously reflective of This Is How Tomorrow Moves, her new album released this year, and she is taking strides in both herself and her career. Tangling her sound further into an eclectic mix of bossa nova, shoe gaze, and now fuzzy rock, Bea is feeding into more genres than I can hope to define. Standout track from this 3rd album ‘Real Man’ is a true marvel live. This is my formal apology to my housemates, boyfriend & workmates who have had to listen to me humming the pre-chorus endlessly on a loop for days on end. It seems it hasn’t wormed its way into just my head, as the crowd bobbed along & nearly drowned out the band for a mid-set dancealong. 

Beabadoobee has created a whole entire new niche of irresistible indie-pop. I hate to justify him ever, but Matty Healy’s best musical decision lies in signing Beatrice * surname to Dirty Hit at just 17. Now 24, Beabadoobee is facing the loneliness that comes with fame, and everyone who owns an acoustic guitar thinks that they know her in a completely unique way than anyone else who has ever listened to her ever. Happy to report, however, that Bea’s exploration into her own agency has resulted in a truly beautiful 3rd album. Dare I say her best work to date? Actually, yes I happily do. It’s fun, it’s light and genuinely refreshing to hear & she performed it with so much soul and happiness she quite literally glowed. 


As the white sheet finally fell during lead single ‘Beaches’ minds were lost, consciousness altered & maybe I’m a tad dramatic but in my defence, it was really cool. Revealing a wall of lingering plants, tangled and breathing along to the music, Beabadoobee had the stage, and us all in the palm of her hand. Unsurprised & welcomed. She was giddy with excitement, gushing about her tour & her relief to return home the next day. A sight to behold, and once she floated off stage for the encore, her fans knit themselves together, tightly and happily sighing as she returned back to the stage for ‘Coming Home’. Aptly finishing on ‘See You Soon’, its clear that Beabadoobee will absolutely be back, and accelerating at her rate alongside her truly unique talent, stardom awaits for her.

Words by Millie Cain.

Wunderhorse Live In Leeds: Raucous Rain & Sweaty Singalongs

I feel like I’ve been waiting for a band like Wunderhorse for quite some time. That’s not to say we’re short of new, and very talented outfits rising through the ranks of the indie rock genre – in fact the opposite. Among a sea of similarity Jacob Slater reared his head (albeit with 2 fingers down his throat) and has steadily chipped away at the stereotypes easily associated with such bands. 

For, after all, what are Wunderhorse giving us that hasn’t already been done? Indie sleaze is dead and buried, despite how hard some bands may be gagging for its second coming. Post Punk has hit great heights and let’s face it; everyone’s favourite band Fontaines DC are mainstream artists now. Where is the crack to slip through? What fissure can bands root their fingertips into and grasp the light of a new opportunity? Perhaps the Victorian doctors were right and Slater’s restbite taking in the Devon coastal air imbued him with life after his notorious run with Dead Pretties and now Wunderhorse are giving us a live sound that beats out the streaming services by a country mile. 

Leeds was the first city to sell out this tour – even surpassing the band’s London home show. Not surprising, the Leeds music scene is a relentless one and its fans are never ones to let a good gig slide by. Just before the support walked out, the queue was rammed down the side of Leeds Beckett Union – and a game of ‘spot the mullet’ kept us entertained (imagine an opposite Where’s Wally? situation). Fans all down the line bonded over a shared issue – forgotten physical tickets. A once unimaginable situation and a nightmarish one at that. Thankfully, the Beckett box office were working overtime and got everyone packed in drinking very flat, overpriced Amstel and buying up the particularly nice merch that isnt dissimilar to the legions of quality band tees I’ve taxed from my dad’s wardrobe. 

Chatter filled the audience awaiting Wunderhorse’s arrival onto stage, it felt like a gig of a decade ago, notably one without blue screen light illuminating faces during conversations. The hum in the air was slowly building as an eccentric playlist prolonged the wait, until the white sheet fell, Wunderhorse’s moniker rose and I couldn’t hear myself think over the roar of the crowd as Staples, Woodin, Fowler and Slater stomped onto stage and straight into titular album track ‘Midas’. 

As much as I adore my Marshalls, and am so rarely seen without them, I would’ve cast them aside in an instant to capture the quality and tight sound of the band live. What Spotify could never grant me is the crackling in the air from the riffs and the hoarse intimacy of Slater’s voice cutting through the crowd. I had the luck to chat to drummer Staples this summer, and after learning that his favourite way to play was a. barefoot and b. noisy as all hell, he certainly delivered. There were moments we were stilled to silence, a crowd of gazing eyes and grinning smiles – we were enchanted by ‘Butterflies’ and nodding in unison to ‘Emily’. Stark to me was the word-perfect singalongs, perhaps they had a secret karaoke machine onstage I was not privy to, or perhaps we’d all just really rinsed the album on repeat but the crowd was the 5th member of Wunderhorse this evening. From reminiscing on long lost loves to the time wasted chasing them, ‘Cathedrals’ was a standout and a very exciting moment to hear live. With ‘Rain’ serving as a reminder of their capabilities as a rock outfit, however the air quite literally being thick with the moisture of sweat. With a set punctuated by Slater’s chatting about the songs, and with a bit of back and forth with the crowd, almost climbing into it himself during fan favourite ‘Purple’. There’s a reason he’s so successful no matter where he goes, he’s a captivating front man, always busy and engaging and had all eyes trained on him at once. But under this pressure and the blinding lights he does not buckle. With a band at his back that match his talent and return it twicefold he has no reason to fear his potential but only to push forth. 

Superman’ had the whole room holding its breath at once. A longer number that felt like it lasted an age and demonstrated the different levels that Wunderhorse can reach. They hold a sincerity that is rarely found within bands of this genre and it only works in their favour to be more vulnerable.  Following an encore, they returned to play ‘Teal’, accompanied by a bizarre slow motion mosh pit that quickly ceased to exist and instead the crowd locked arms to match Slater word for word. Finally closing on ‘July’ it felt like no time had passed at all, and Wunderhorse for me, solidified their importance and their growing cult-following will ensure this will only continue and into bigger spaces. 

Words by Millie Cain.

Guide to Survive: Leeds Festival 2024

Leeds festival got off to a great start on Friday morning with 70 mph winds and severe storm warnings. With many stellar acts being cancelled, morale was low & hopes were certainly not high. Legend has it the BBC Radio 1 Stage is still floating above the golden Yorkshire moors. But yet, somehow, the sun did shine and the show did go on. The beguiling draw of Catfish and The Bottlemen’s well-awaited return to festivals had the 2017 indie kids beginning to crawl out of their flapping tents, don their bucket hats and drink 8-12 cans of warm beer. Soon enough, the whole arena was full, pasty skin gradually turning pink under the surprising August sunshine, and Leeds Festival managed to turn it around. 

That being said, the worst and possibly shortest set in the festival’s history was performed by 21 Savage, who turned up late and only spent 12 minutes on the stage – to the utter despair of every Nike dri-fit wearing 12 year old. However, Pendulum made for a great watch & really outshone the main stage, as did Corella, an early easy-indie set to start the day. Finally, with flags waving, scarves aloft and Van Mccan took to the stage with his new troupe of nameless band mates. Mccan’s beaming smile and undeniably fantastic energy made for an excellent comeback, with singalong indie anthems and great songs. Ignoring the strange instrumental section mid-set where he viciously licked his guitar and rubbed it up against a speaker for an awkwardly long time. The crowd was nevertheless enraptured. 

The front pit waxed and waned in the wait for Gallagher. This year’s much improved system of a central main stage decreased wait times between artists and made for a better flow of people in and out of the pits. As the sun set, and Liam Gallagher strode out onto stage to the instantly recognisable riff of ‘Rock N Roll Star’, the crowd was ravenous and arms were reaching, straining out to his silhouette up above. A decorative reenactment of Oasis’ debut album cover adorned the stage, and creative lyrical videos and collages throughout the show made the performance feel very slick and headliner-worthy. His infamous attitude punctuated the set, as he quipped about the earlier storm and taunted the crowd with threats to play ‘Wonderwall’. Thankfully he didn’t, and instead led a final cover of The Beatles’ iconic track ‘I Am The Walrus’. 

As day turned to night, the campsites filled and noise of speakers, chattering and cans opening filled the air. As thousands of young campers filled up the Picadilly Party and LS23 stages well into the early hours of the (thankfully calmer) morning. 

Saturday had the glint of a much more packed day, kicking off with Ellur early doors for a wholesome set, Kneecap’s powerful performance and Big Special’s punk rock revelation. The K’s led the main stage with a crowd of arms held aloft. Lambrini Girls and Neck Deep clashed, but both bands brought seemingly endless reserves of energy. Before Jorja Smith graced the sunny Saturday afternoon with gorgeous vocals and all round lovely vibes. Chasing into the evening was a slightly lackluster set from Two Door Cinema Club, which was just about rescued by a much needed rendition of ‘What You Know’ as the sun set. Confidence Man however, did not have the same issue of a bland set, bringing high energy and non-stop boogie. Meanwhile Skrillex led the way on their replacement set which sounded amazing. 

Gerry Cinnamon had the whole field up in arms in his uplifting set, having the crowd swinging, dancing and singing altogether in a set that felt truly special. His songs are perfectly built for a giddy Saturday evening crowd, and the reams of Scots dotted through the crowd made sure each song was received with roars of appreciation. The absolute standout highlight for me was The Prodigy, on the new Chevron stage – which had rows of lights hanging above the crowd and utterly transformed the whole experience of the set. An absolute slammer of a performance was given by Maxim on vocals, with touching commemorative nods to late lead singer Keith Flint. Playing banger after banger to a frenzied crowd that felt possessed, The Prodigy’s set was completely incomparable to anything I’ve ever seen before. 

Sunday was off to a flying start with the smashing Dead Pony, along with a quaking set from Sun King. Welly had entertainment and talent all rolled into one with their sardonic horrible-histories-esque tracks, and excellent crowd involvement. The Last Dinner Party took the main stage by storm earlier than scheduled, causing a marathon sprint for fans to get down to the front for their set, which was nothing short of angelic. Not long after, Bleachers perfectly matched Sunday’s festival needs with an uplifting pop singalong set, at a stark contrast for the building crowd of post-punk Fontaines DC fans that began to swarm the main stage. This was at odds with the hundreds of Lana Del Rey fans camping out, bedecked in bows and American flags. The Irish outfit needed no introduction as they stomped onto stage, green and pink hair standing out against the grey skies, with a set that can only be described as intensely brilliant. Chatten has truly come into himself as a frontman, and has a magnetism that is inexplicable, and it was so refreshing to see Carlos O’Connell and Deego have more of a central role in the performance. As they closed their set with crowd favourites Favourite and I Love You; fans began to sprint over to the BBC Introducing Stage to catch the rearranged set for up-and-coming Wunderhorse. Pulling no less than 7000 people to the smallest stage in the festival, Wunderhorse brought a firecracker of a short performance, with fans clambering on shoulders and belting every word. 

Kid Kapichi rocked through their set on the Festival Republic Stage, and Barry Can’t Swim had an absolutely inspired performance, with an exciting and groovy set, before passing the Chevron onto house giant Sonny Fodera. Over on the main stage, Raye was nothing short of captivating. Pop-perfect vocals and a really slick performance made her such a standout of the day, and a perfect transition into Lana Del Rey. As sunset loomed, and glistening balconies, turrets and fairytale trees were built onto the stage, the Queen of Americana made Leeds Festival into her own arena, completely enrapturing the field. Her beautiful vocals and striking performance made for an excellent Sunday headliner, playing fan favourites and pulling on heartstrings from across her whole discography. Soon after, we headed to catch Viagra Boys, a complete change of pace as the Swedish punk rockers had more crowd surfers in the Festival Republic tent than across the whole festival weekend combined – one of which being their own saxophonist. Headbanging, shoes flying, inflatable beach balls soaring made it a truly unforgettable set. The final headliner arrived in the form of Fred Again, suspended above the crowd on a cherry-picker, with his usual set up of decks and a small camera, before launching into a colossal live performance which involved him switching over onto the stage, fireworks and showstopper lighting sequences. Over on the Chevron, indie cult classic The Wombats played what felt like a greatest hits set for those less techno-minded and had a singing, dancing party to end the weekend. Overmono finally rounded off with a phenomenal set on the LS23 stage, as the weekend’s troopers made their way down the ankle-breaker hill to the woodlands well into the early hours of Monday morning. 

Written and Edited by Millie Cain.

Wunderhorse’s Golden Touch: Midas Review

Plunging into devastating ballad tracks and blistering singles, the main takeaway I have from Midas, Wunderhorse’s second album, is that this is their cementation of brilliance. After debut album, Cub (2022), which is undoubtedly polished and sprawling with lyrics that even the loudest critics (middle aged britpop dads) cannot fault – it is truly refreshing to see the rest of the band’s personality soak through into Midas, as they have now naturally become a fully-formed band.

Opening with titular single Midas sets the tone with an immediate punch to the gut. The long anticipation of the album, with already 5 singles out before release, has given fans high expectations. Interestingly by releasing the screamer earworm tracks first. One of these is Rain, a track which has spiralling guitar riffs that won’t leave your mind for days. Standing out is the direct, piercing sound of Slater’s voice punctuating the album. He’s speaking to us, with his drawling vocals and Pete Woodin’s menacing bassline, it’s clear Wunderhorse are not here to mess around. The sharp edges of this album mimic their raucous live sound and you can almost feel them looming behind you as you listen.

Emily is a song that finally shows off that Wunderhorse have successfully created a distinctive sound, albeit a cacophony of vulnerability, it has Jamie Staples’ incisive drums taking the lead. Yet Emily holds a feeling of Slater’s exposed self, seen in his previous solo album, Pinky I Love You (2023). Another single to be released was Silver, a lighter, catchier number, likely released to combat the miserably grey summer. The melodic guitar really comes through here, and it caters to a more generic indie-pop audience. Wunderhorse’s fanbase has massively grown since their debut, with them pulling huge crowds at Leeds Festival this weekend, with 7000 people coming to their last-minute performance on the BBC Introducing stage, as well as an intimate gig at Jumbo Records on Monday. I’m certain that the excitement surrounding Midas will only explode in the coming weeks, especially as their autumn tour looms. 

Today, the final, and fifth single, Arizona was released. A song that I think really demonstrates the band’s growth since Cub, with added depth from backing vocals, with a reverberating rhythm that builds and crashes down. Arizona feels like a track that is built to play live, strong drums and a welcome instrumental solo that we can feel the band losing themselves in, and taking us down with them. Similarly, single July mimics the same feeling in Arizona, there are definitely lessons learnt from touring being felt, and a yearning, chasing feeling to both these songs, with feelings of Nirvana and Pixies’ influence leaking through. The extended intro of July has been added to many of their live performances, along with Slater’s slightly odd behaviour, including general screaming, choking himself and gagging on stage before July begins. Potentially reflecting on the energy that must be mustered through long touring and night after night of putting his whole self out on stage. 

Standout track, and my personal favourite, is Superman. A slower, acoustic number, that has a crawling anticipation that leaves goosebumps on your skin. The depth of the softer drums is gorgeous and the universal theme of being misunderstood is translated from Slater’s mind into what genuinely feels like poetry. It’s raw, personal and it hits you like a slap. There’s a feeling of desperation that isn’t out of place for a band like Wunderhorse. One which isn’t trying to be cool, or to mimic bands of the past, or prove something to its audience. The cyclical sound scales all the way back by the end, and we breathe through the track with the band in a way that makes Wunderhorse feel closer than ever before.

The band’s work with producer Craig Silvey (The Rolling Stones, The National, Florence + The Machine) along with their organic, unpolished recording process is what really captured this closeness and the visceral atmosphere that they have already become well-known for. Cathedrals is a track that masters this; with a slower start that spirals into a heavier track. While feeling somewhat simple, built in elements of the song bring forth a bigger picture of a devoted love song that becomes increasingly raspy and raucous. Slater’s spacey vocals have quite simply never been better and the intensity of the song makes it feel almost like we’re intruding on Slater as he descends into a screaming cry that commands all the attention it begs for. 

Penultimate track Girl leans into a more alternative sound, echoing cheery vocals and a summery melody give it a more 90s nostalgic vibe. It’s light, it’s catchy, it’s a spiralling singalong that will undoubtedly go down a treat live. On a complete contrast is final song Aeroplane, a mammoth 8+ minute number, opening with acoustic and snares that softly seems to be convincing us, or perhaps Slater himself, of his capacity to love. It’s a drawn out track of inner turmoil and clawing to be lifted out of this pit. Half way through, we get a well-awaited building, with the crackling of electric guitar coming through, becoming prominent and overpowering. There’s a hesitant feeling, until the guitar rips through and we feel the two sides of this album fighting against each other. Scattered, and losing all structure, it slows down into a repetitive sync, of tight-fast moments into long, technical notes. Aeroplane tackles the aggressive , fast-paced tracks of the album that demand to be heard, and pits them against the vulnerability that comes with sore, and unhealed exposure. 
Wunderhorse had a laborious task, to follow such a clean debut album. Midas is a response which has stark edges and carefully placed tenderness. It lacks all the restraint of Cub and has all the power of not just Slater, but 4 musicians forcing their way through victorious. Midas is available on all streaming platforms on Friday, and even better, Wunderhorse are playing in Leeds on 18th October.

Interview with JAMES’ Saul Davies

Written and edited by Millie Cain.

Sat outside his home in a pair of Ray-Bans and a denim shirt, he looked so classically rock.

How are you feeling about playing the First Direct in June?

Of all the arenas we play in the UK its my favourite, its really powerful sounding its great to be on stage in there, being under the lights just feels amazing. I don’t know what they did right when they built that place, but it was something right – because playing arenas can feel quite soulless. But actually, I love it. What were the iconic venues in Leeds that are probably gone now? It’s a bit like in Manchester, all of our towns had these amazing venues and a lot of these venues have gone.

We’re lucky, we have a real, across Yorkshire really, an amazing audience and an amazing connection to our audience, so that venue always sells out when we play there, and it always sounds amazing, and we always look forward to playing it on our tour. A lot of people say that, but it is actually true. There are other venues that fall into that category, like in London, Wembley is a belter, it’s quite different really to Leeds, its older and it just sounds amazing. It’s a tight and powerful sound, just everything sounds hyper in there. A lot of these sheds are horrible, but I suppose with music, it’s not where its natural place is to play. I always feel like it’s a bit of a shame, to pay (so much quid) but we’ve nothing to do with it, we don’t get anything from the bar or the t-shirt prices.

There are definitely special places to play though, recently you’ve played the Apollo in Manchester in aid of Music Feeds Live, and how was it organising such an event with so many other artists?

That was my initiative, my (something?) where I am now. We did it online during the pandemic and donated the money raised to food banks and then we thought we want to do – (interrupted by dog Nell “alright Nell” laughing) we wanted to do something physical, you know on the stage. So we decided to take on that venue, and we had an amazing crew, The Farmer, Star Sailor and Chicane, Simon Armitage and it was amazing. It was difficult, hellishly stressful, we got some money from to the Trussel Trust that came, people brought food on the night, food parcels, made donations. It was really worth doing but hard you know. But it also was a good reminder that there isn’t many of those kinds of events. So we should do this, its difficult and a bit tricky to pull off.

Yeah, it’s really worth it for donations but raising awareness as well is so important.

Yeah, and showing and being able to say well look we’re gonna show solidarity for those who need that support, and it doesn’t go unnoticed that people do that work and support and it doesn’t go unnoticed that people need that support. No one person or one organisation, of course, is ever going to sort that out, I think that’s a mad spaghetti junction of problems and issues that we wont ever really be able to solve I don’t think any time soon. At the same time, I do think its right that people who feel like they’ve got the energy to do something, do it.

The new album is coming out in April, there was 86 jam sessions in the course of 3 weeks and there is a bonus CD ‘Pudding’ coming out, in your experience how are the jam sessions used creatively, and which track was most enjoyable to make?

Now there was a period in the late 90s where we did things slightly different, we’d all work on stuff at home and send it off to Tim and he would come up with vocals and stuff and they would become our songs. But that was short-lived, For us in James, it’s been 42 years, we just do it that way, we just get together and jam and it’s a bit of a mess and its inefficient and its hugely invigorating at times.

Yeah, it sounds pretty intense…

It is very intense yeah; we go into a room, and we don’t know what to do and we just do stuff. Some of it, a lot of it, is shit. Oh, that doesn’t work or that one sounds like it does, and sometimes you go back to the ones that were really cool, and it turns out the one we thought was shite was actually really good. And then we try to make a structure out of the racket that we’re making. Its cool you know, it’s not very efficient or an easy way to work but it’s the way we do it. Its not an easy way to work. But it’s the way we do it, its hugely challenging and hugely rewarding. I think on this record I had a big hand in a few of the songs on the record, finding them in jams in the first place and identifying bits of them that I thought could work and putting them together in a way that then we presented to the group as a possible. And they made it all the way through to the end. There’s a song called “Shadow of a Giant” that I really like on the record, which I didn’t put the jam together, but it was always very fast, and its now a very slow song, but it was originally a double tempo, twice as fast, and my suggestion was to half time it and give it this fatally kind of feel about it, and they put violin on it, which I was very happy with that performance. A guy called Jon Hopkins who’s known a lot for his electronic music, he played piano on it, so it was cool. There was another song called “Butterfly” which I really liked and I kind of put together really, but it’s a bit of a mad piece of music, but I do really, really like it.

And our fans will let us know if they think its shit,

Well, considering you’re still selling out arenas, there’s obviously still that audience there

I think its really interesting because I think there’s been a little bit of a resurgence of interest in a period of music where we certainly were very active in the mid-90s, and probably in a nostalgic way, looking at that era, but also in a way that you can look at any era of music and you can still inadvertently, unconsciously or even perhaps consciously, steal ideas from that time. In seeing that happening with new artists that are coming through, they’re looking at that period of time, thinking ‘it was really cool!’ and we were there when it originally happened, and I’m sure it was that cool but whatever! (laughs) You know so, I do think there’s a little resurgence of interest in that period of music, and a lot of the music that was around at that point way guitar music, so I think it also brings a little bit of focus on guitar music which I think is good. Kids getting into rooms together with instruments, just bashing out noise, I think is a great thing for people to do, it brings people together in a really nice way. And that’s more difficult to do when you’re a solo artist or you’re very electronic or whatever, but I do think its very good, there’s been a long long history in the UK, across the world, but in the UK, especially people who come from a particular social background and thinking “fuck you, we wanna be heard”.

One of the songs on the album “Rouge” tackes ageism, at the minute do you feel a lack of respect for the older generation of bands and for James as an energetic band, do you feel like there’s a point to prove while you’re touring?

No, I don’t think so, although I think people around us and the audience might think there is, and I can understand that, it is understandable, but no I don’t think we do. We can’t deny or hide the fact we all get older, one thing you get while getting older is your perspective changes quite a lot and I think there’s a tendency to believe that people get a lot more right wing and conservative as they get older but obviously, I feel like we aren’t exactly doing the opposite but we’re definitely not falling into that trap.

There was a show in Athens last year where you played with a full orchestra, what kind of experience was that?

 We do feel like a mini little army as a band anyway, we could be an 11 a side football team, a mixed football team that is.  But that was really special, very stressful too, we were aware of where we were and that place is just insanely special, its really something right. Its also quite controversial, being British with the Elgen Marbles, as we call them, and the rest of it, and that was all raging last year, a lot of debate about what the UK should do and what Greece wanted the UK in terms of returning those artifacts, so it was interesting to then go in there and play. I think it was viciously hot that day, its hot anyway but its 40+ degrees down there in the bowl, as the marble holds the heat, even into the late night its boiling. It was a very special night, it was a privilege to play there, I made a quip that night about standing where Plato stood and they actually were there, Thucydides and all those guys. And I know not everyone had a classical education but nonetheless we all know who Plato is. I have to say, its really magical, a lot of movement and noise around, you get towards those steps and get towards it, and you just go “wow”. For us to play there, it was just beyond special, it wasn’t an easy gig, technically, for us to pull off, because of the space, but we did it, we did a great show. It was one of the highlights of our career, we filmed it and recorded the audio, to I’d like for us to put that out.

There’s been a lot of activity recently with AI in music, would you guys ever want to get involved in that and what do you think about it?

No, my opinion is actually, well I was talking to Tim the other day and he doesn’t get my opinion at all, but I actually think Ive seen a little crack in the debate surrounding this, I think AI just another change, a technological advance, and like so many potential advances they have good and bad things happen, like every single thing that we do we enjoy the positives but create dangerous and difficult moments throughout history as humans. Artificial intelligence isn’t a thing, its not a robot, we can make a robot and AI could guide that to take over the world but that’s very much sci fi to me. I think what people are saying is the threat to our creative culture. A lot of music that has been made for a long time, back into the 50s has been very formulaic. Theres always been teams of writers, people like Elvis and Ella Fitzgerald would walk into a room and be handed a song that conforms to a certain type of style. A lot of our pop music is already very formulaic, and it is across all genres, into hip hop, rap and even grime has its own rules, and they need to follow those rules or things won’t happen when the ear needs it to happen, and it won’t work. In my opinion, this is just another tool, I think people have been cheating anyway by being formulaic and AI is just another form of cheating in a sense, and I can see that as an extension to the formulaic way that music has been made for a very long time. Some hugely brilliant songs though, just because they’re formulaic doesn’t mean they’re not good, like ABBA, almost invented their own formulaic and we have to admire it because its so well done. Some people might say that about The Beatles, I don’t because I think they’re geniuses, but some people might say that. I just don’t buy it really; I think we need to have a much more nuanced view and we need to embrace the change or then we will get fucked by it. In creative industries, if there’s one place, we should embrace change surely its in a creative industry. How do we embrace it and make it good? How do we change the narrative. And I’m fed up of reading the guardian, a bunch of tossers  whining, where’s the level of intelligence surrounding this debate? I’m just not seeing it.

This album is very light, there’s hope and joy, after a few negative years, there seems to be a change in more positive music.

I agree, I think you’re right, we’ve got that song called “Life’s A Fucking Miracle”, and I think that a really good statement that Tim’s made there, that’s quite a clever one I wanna see that on a t-shirt, I want a bucket hat, to see a bunch of yobbos wearing it. But I’ve got to go, thank you so much, it was really nice to meet you, bye bye!

‘I am Loyle Carner, take these words and go forward’: Live at The Piece Hall 

Written and edited by Millie Cain.

The legions of Salomon stomper-wearing students descended into Halifax after battling the downpouring summer weather and classic Northern rail strikes. After a slightly sweaty, but cheap journey, The Piece Hall loomed ahead as we climbed the cobbled streets to its grand square. Children of Zeus led the way as a bold support act, ironically backdropped by dark clouds and the hot air of an incoming storm, pushed the already packed crowd and had heads bobbing along from the get go. Hands were raised, pints too, but not a drop of the £7 lager was spilt. 

The crowd swayed along, an aroma of weed snaked through the masses, and The Piece Hall’s floor must’ve been squeaky clean after the thousands of pairs of too-long baggy jeans were dragged across the stones. The church spire on the left of the stage made it feel almost a religious experience, and as Loyle Carner finally descended onto the stage, after technical weather difficulties, we were certainly enlightened.

Bouncing straight into ‘Hate’, Carner joked apologetically about the wait, but the crowd’s patience paid off as he sounded excellent, and the atmosphere was electric. The rush of the coming storm and the bouncing hands in the air led into ‘Plastic’, before Carner took his first moment to breathe after hitting the stage. The orange waves of light washed over the crowd for the more chill, almost leaning into a jazz number ‘Ain’t Nothing Changed’. Carner towards the end of the song leaned down into the crowd, taking a moment to hug and chat to a fan, telling the rest of the audience to applaud his fans at the front too ‘I was always front row of everyone I loved, like you man!’ and Carner joked with him about knowing every single word of his songs. It’s truly refreshing to see an artist connecting with his fans, instead of trying to be aloof and cool. Carner is honest, vulnerable and it’s clear to see that respect is paid back tenfold by the crowd.

Image Credit: Cuffe and Taylor and The Piece Hall.

For ‘Desoleil’ Carner began speaking through his lyrics, it felt raw, but hopeful, and the piano underlay added a real soft layer of depth. With the audience singing along with the vocals in the back, despite the volume it still felt so peaceful. ‘Trust me, trust me’ Carner begs his crowd, ‘listen’ he sings, ironically, as if we aren’t already hanging onto his every word. He also took some time to make noise for his band, showing appreciation for them as part of his performance, and bowing down to the crowd, arms aloft in such a display of gratefulness that it made this sold-out gig feel so much more intimate, despite the 6,000 fans around me. 

A crowd favourite ‘Angel’ hit, to bring a more lighthearted tone, the bright lights of the stage bounced off the walls of the hall and the church behind it, as Carner preached on his alter, he had everyone clapping as one, as he, and we all appreciated what a ‘beautiful place’ this was to experience his music. Straight off this high he seamlessly transitioned into ‘Damselfly’. He laughed and joked along with the crowd ‘Oh you guys know this one?’ as the audience chanted along with him, undeterred as the first drops of rain began to fall. 

Luckily, it seemed the whole crowd had their Arcteryx raincoats on, so both hoods and people alike rose over heads and balanced on shoulders. The song extended to allow for the chillest, angelic shred on guitar, that seemed effortlessly groovy and had everyone swaying into ‘Yesterday’. Carner throughout was so engaging, even as he faced difficulties with his microphone not working and the delayed set times, he performed with such positivity and pushed through with an incredible calibre that must be respected. ‘You should be up here with me!’ He complimented his die-hard fans, and he chatted about his experience touring with his son. After being with him for the first few weeks,his son had gone home 2 days before, and Carner was transparent with how much he missed exploring and performing with him, and he took this moment to play ‘Homerton’ for him. The drums were brilliant on this track, and Carner’s tone made it feel like a conversation as he let us in on his relationship with his family and his son, knitting the crowd together in appreciation for him and his openness on stage. 

‘This is my favourite song I’ve ever written, but I’m scared to play because I’m kind of a shy person sometimes. Where I’m from there’s an idea of what a man is. I’m soft, and fuck the toxic masculinity bullshit please!’ Carner discussed before playing ‘Nobody Knows (Ladas Road’, a song he announced was also for his newly born daughter. ‘I was young when I had kids, it’s cool! My son is getting to the age where he can talk to me, it’s great, but it’s hard when I’m working, we shout scream laugh and cry, he come back he says I’m sorry I was frustrated, sad , angry but it’s so beautiful that my son at 3 and a half years old can articulate his emotions as a man’ as he thanked his own mother for doing that for him. Carner consistently shows he has more compassion than we’ve seen from a music artist in a long time. From his CALM campaigns and art exhibitions to ‘Chilli Con Carner’ his cooking program for ADHD children, he certainly is making an effort to bring more kindness into the world. 

Breaking into ‘Still’, the crowd was sailing, the spotlights moved slowly over the outreached hands and Carner was left speechless admitting ‘Words fail me, which is rare, this is one of the best shows we’ve played in a really long time’ and the honour was ours. For the ending of the show he pulled in his dancier numbers, the heavily instrumental and groovy ‘Speed of Plight’, with punchy lyrics and a well-awaited final ‘Ottolenghi’, which had everyone singing along. 

Loyle Carner ended his set in the drizzly rain with a poem. A new one, the crowd begged, and he obliged, even with his nerves. Dedicating it to his mother and brother, and the safety he found within his family, as well as the difficulties that come with it. The crowd was awed into silence and his words will stay with me for a long time. 

‘My name is Loyle Carner, take these words and go forward’.

Image Credit: Cuffe and Taylor and The Piece Hall.

Leeds Festival Unveils New Stages & Local Artists

Written and edited by Millie Cain

With less than 100 days to go, Reading and Leeds Festival have unveiled plans for 2 new stages, as well as releasing local Leeds artists you can catch over the weekend at the BBC Music Introducing Stage. Catfish and The Bottlemen, this year’s long-awaited headliners started out in 2013 at Leeds BBC Music Introducing Stage, as well as the likes of Beabadoobee, Corella and Kid Kapichi who are all playing this year.

Reading and Leeds have announced that they always have and will continue to champion new and upcoming artists with the North of England being ‘full of talent that speaks across genres and generations’. With the following local artists playing:

Delilah Bon hailing from Barnsley is a force to be reckoned with blending elements of hip-hop, nu metal, and riot grrrl ethos into her signature “Brat Punk” style. The self-described Rage Queen excitedly announced how she ‘can’t wait to bring my girl rage to the stage at Reading & Leeds this year, was such a surprise being chosen to represent BBC Introducing, so so honoured. So excited! Been wanting to play this festival for so long. Girl power!’ Her music serves as a fierce anthem for marginalized communities, particularly women, non-binary and the LGBTQ+ community. 2024 promises to be a monumental year for Delilah Bon, with a highly anticipated album slated for release in September.

Indie-pop artist Ellur from Halifax will bring her youthful energy and guitar anthems to BBC Introducing this year. Her self-detrimental love letters to herself celebrates and reflects on relationships, womanhood & growing up. After being named named by Clash Magazine as one of the ‘Five Sets That Defined Live at Leeds In The Park’, and with her new festival-ready anthem ‘Boys’ released, she’s one to catch. Especially if you haven’t got the chance to see her at her sold-out headlining shows in Leeds.

Sun King are coming off the back of touring with Wunderhorse and Deadletter to play Leeds Festival this year. The five-piece band from York, are on the rise, notably by blending sounds from the past and present with an electric feel. SunKing’s live shows have gained themselves a fierce reputation as ones to watch this year, describing how ‘We’ve always wanted to play R&L. Having all been as punters throughout the years, it’s high on the list of festivals to play for us. It’ll be nice this year to roll up and plug in the amps. We are very much looking forward to it.’

Jodie Langford‘s passionate message as a unapologetically Northern spoken word artist quickly became the go-to voice for the youth within her hometown of Hull. She’s known for exposing the injustice and plight of young people across the city and further across the north. With dry humour and lyrical content that tackles everything from downing pints, dead-end jobs and the government’s treatment of young people to more personal relationship issues. Working to carve a sound that darts between thrashing Post Punk sensibilities, feverish Techno rhythms and Drum & Bass chaos. She’s known to become a force of nature when she performs live, hypnotising audiences with ferocious, confident, thought-provoking shows and has been described as one of Hull’s best new artists to keep an eye on.

Exclusively debuting this year is groundbreaking new stage: The Chevron. Positioned in the main arena of the festival site, The Chevron is an immense 40,000 capacity open-air venue, with the world’s first floating video canopy made up of hundreds of thousands of programmable LED lights. The exclusive structure, promises an immersive show environment, raising the bar for dance music and hip-hop fans and artists alike. The legends themselves, The Prodigy will be playing here, along with techno artists Sonny Fodera, Nia Archives, and Skrillex.

Reading and Leeds have also unveiled The Aux, a pioneering live stage for digital creators, for the first time at a music festival. To highlight some of today’s most popular and culturally relevant personalities and providing a new platform in the live sector. The site has described The Aux as the place to bridge the gap between the digital world and live entertainment, with the likes of The Chunks & Filly Show, The Useless Hotline, Antics With Ash, In Ayamé We Trust, The M1 Podcast and many more acts to be announced.

Full Lineup Below:

Fontaines DC: Sonic Singles & Switching Singers

Written and edited by Millie Cain.

Do Fontaines DC ever sleep? Now onto their 4th album, following almost unbroken touring in the last few years, with another set to come this winter following their array of summer festival appearances, I can only wonder how they have the time. But, with new single ‘Starburster’ continuing to accelerate Ireland’s most vulnerable post-punk band, we evidently have much to look forward to with their upcoming album Romance.

Not to complain, as nearly everyone is in agreement that their upcoming album has potential to be their best work to date. Huge shoes to fill after the critical acclaim of Skinty Fia (2022), Fontaines DC cemented their place as the current powerhouse of their genre. If you, like me, haven’t been able to get the industrial, post production grit of new single ‘Starburster’ out of your head, then you’ll be holding out for a very high standard for their new record. Undeniably talented, unparalleled in their cult-like fanbase, bringing in new sounds and swapping member’s roles, I believe Romance could be the one. 

Notably, Fontaines DC have certainly spun onto a whole new marketing wheel, which begs the question, is it ironic or just cringe? For a band so self-aware, I can only presume we are seeing an acid green alt-pop characteristaion of ‘wet wipe’ artists, such as Yungblud, who are hyper fixated on a more childish, hyper-pop aesthetic. While a reach into far nu-metal is understandable, Chatten himself has cited an influence from Korn and a new bigger budget label pushing their releases, the Y2K style is questionable at best for a respected band in their 30s – but we can hold out hope for irony. 

I’m predicting the titular album track ‘Romance’ to hit us in June, with tinges of 90s Nick Cave and Depeche Mode seeping through, it’s clear they’re setting the score for the new album early doors. It’s likely we will see ‘Favourite’, a bright, jangly, shoegaze-esque number recently debuted at a show in Warsaw, Brooklyn to guide us through summer and into their late August album release with its looping guitar lines. The recently played new material has been devoured and rightly so. With bigger label XL recordings at their back, it is clear Fontaines DC are branching out and making changes for their new record.

Following Grian Chatten’s solo album Chaos For The Fly (2023), which was worked on a personal level and with his girlfriend Georgie Jesson supporting on some tracks, it has potentially given space for other members of the band to bring ideas of their own to the table. Guitarist Conor Curley is debuting ‘accidentally’ as lead singer for at least one album track, written by himself ‘Sundowner’; an exciting proposition after uncovering his previous own recordings on soundcloud (available here: https://soundcloud.com/conor-curley ), a great vibrato and jazz swing vocally could make for a really interesting switch in the song that has been described as an ‘ode to friendship’ by himself. Bassist Conor ‘Deego’ Deegan has also been stepping up with further influence, after finding love in Paris and taking time for personal growth, seemingly paid off with the addictive bassline on ‘Starburster’. One of which is a Ulysses reminiscent single ‘Horseness is the Whatness’ written by guitarist Carlos O’Connell, who has spent time producing for Peter Perrett, as well as becoming a father since the last album, and has brought in the mellotron heard on ‘Starburster’ and apparently building in strings for his album tracks. 

Other album tracks such as ‘Death Kink’ have been described as having ‘the ghost of Boys in The Better Land’ of Dogrel (2019) fame laid throughout. We’ll be surprised to see a more sensual tone to Chatten’s songwriting, something he openly admitted he ‘never had the confidence’ for and we will see in mid-album track ‘Desire’. But, fans of their previous work won’t need to worry too much – if the guitars on Romance are anything to go by, Fontaines DC aren’t altogether abandoning their Skinty Fia sound. Chatten’s songwriting isn’t something any fan can doubt, as a child, Chatten’s father bribed him with packets of football stickers to memorise poems – leading him to listen to and recite the likes of Bob Dylan and the Cure. In retrospect, he admitted even at a young age he was trying to reach beyond the banality of everyday life. One song especially, central track ‘In The Modern World’ appears to be a standout, questioning the spiralling of political strife and the detachment from capitalist society, along with ‘Here’s The Thing’, an anxious pitfall into an argument in between Chatten and O’Connell will certainly make for an interesting listen.

Chatten has admitted in interviews to having pulled influences for this album from Gorillaz and Blur, while fans speculate a delve into Prodigy and early Kasabian vibes on ‘Starburster’, the band have a vault of brilliant music to draw from. The band have been working with producer James Ford who has worked with these artists named, as well as the likes of The Last Shadow Puppets and Arctic Monkeys ( with Alex Turner himself being seen recently attending a Fontaines DC show in Brooklyn) there is sonic talent both in the studio and on stage for this record. 
Romance will be available on 23rd August 2024, you can catch them at Leeds Festival that very next weekend, or at First Direct Arena on 3rd December.