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The 1975

Live Review: The 1975 @ Westpoint, Exeter

“Rock and roll is dead, God bless The 1975,” flash the LED screens as the band finish playing ‘Sex’, the final song of the night. Only bands of the biggest ego could make such a claim, and it is frontman Matty Healy’s flamboyant, ineffable charisma that allows them to own the statement.

God knows why one of Britain’s biggest bands decided to play in a barn on a farm, but it led to a much more intimate show than others they have played on this tour (they played London’s O2 Arena only a couple days before). Fans camped outside the venue the night before, and the excitement was palpable.

The 1975 brought label-mates No Rome and Pale Waves on tour with them as opening acts, who provided upbeat pop music to get the crowd warmed up for them. No Rome played the songs off his debut EP RIP Indo Hisashi and rapped on a couple of unreleased tracks, while Pale Waves threatened to steal the show with their glossy guitar pop. By the time they had reached the end of their set, debut single ‘There’s A Honey’ was received by an ecstatic crowd, showing how much the band have developed their live act in the last two years of touring.

Pale Waves threatened to steal the show with their glossy guitar pop

However, the biggest cheer was reserved for The 1975 themselves, as they took the stage during the third iteration of their self-titled intro song, before segueing into ‘Give Yourself A Try’. The band proceeded to play hit after hit in front of a backdrop of neon rectangles and a screen conceptualised by Healy himself. A treadmill was used for ‘Sincerity Is Scary’ as Healy donned a beanie to emulate the music video, and backup dancers The Jay Twins took centre stage on ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’. Midway through the set, No Rome even returned for ‘Narcissist’, his collaboration with The 1975.

the biggest cheer was reserved for The 1975 themselves

After this, the show began to take on a more personal tone, with Healy addressing the audience between songs, directing ‘A Change Of Heart’ as a love song for all the men in the audience, and dedicating ‘Robbers’ to the fans in the most emotional segment of the night. Deep cut ‘The Ballad Of Me And My Brain’ was a standout moment with its erratic instrumentation and visuals, and fans of the band’s older material were in for a treat when they played the atmospheric ‘fallingforyou’ and ‘Undo’. The band even took a huge risk by playing ‘How to Draw / Petrichor’ mid-set, which morphed from an ambient song into pulsating drum and bass, and managed to hold the attention of a fair amount of the audience.

The pace of the concert began to pick up again once the band resumed playing their hits – ‘Somebody Else’ and ‘Girls’ had the whole crowd (including parents and boyfriends) moving and singing along, and Britpop closer ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’ was an anthemic, phones-in-the-air moment (interestingly enough, Oasis played this very same venue 22 years ago).

Britpop closer ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’ was an anthemic phones-in-the-air moment

When the lights returned signalling an encore, Healy was alone on the stage with an acoustic guitar, and proceeded to lead the audience into a heartfelt rendition of ‘Be My Mistake’, though many fans found themselves smirking at the lyrics of the song. The best was saved for last, however, as the re-energised crowd shouted along to every word of ‘Love It If We Made It’, and danced wildly to the guitar solo of ‘The Sound’. By the end of ‘Sex’, it was clear nearly everyone was exhausted, yet impressed and thoroughly satisfied.

It is a testament to The 1975’s live show that they managed to engage the audience so well, despite missing out hits such as ‘Heart Out’ and ‘Love Me’ that have previously been staples of their live set. The band looks happier than ever since Healy’s rehabilitation, and it is undeniable they have reached a new career peak. With a new album coming out soon and a headlining slot at this year’s Reading and Leeds, it seems that the only way for The 1975 is up.

Swim Against the Tide: An Interview with The Japanese House

Among the collection of highly anticipated albums to be released this spring includes the debut record from The Japanese House, the solo project of London-based Amber Bain. The dream-pop and electronica signature of The Japanese House is one of the blossoming sounds on dynamic indie label Dirty Hit Records, and Bain took some time to chat to Exeposé about her upcoming release Good at Falling, her European tour and the sounds which inspired hers.

Exeposé: I first became aware of your music when I saw your open for The 1975 on their UK tour in December 2016, how have things changed for you since then, musically or otherwise?

Amber Bain: I guess since then I’ve done a lot more touring, finished an album and released another EP. It’s just grown really, with new material and the fan base.

E: How have you found working with Dirty Hit and their roster?

AB: I love it! I’ve been with Dirty Hit since I left school, so I’ve spent my entire adult life working with them and they’re the best people to work with. I find it really hard to even comprehend being on a label that doesn’t give you freedom, because I just don’t see the point of not being able to do exactly what you want to do. If you don’t have the freedom to express exactly what you want to express, I don’t see how that’s rewarding for anyone.

E: Thinking about your style, it encompasses electronica and dream-pop and seems to have a really contemporary feel to it, and brings to light the likes of MUNA and Shura – who would you say has influenced you, musically?

AB: I’m actually wearing a MUNA top right now, they’re my good friends! I’m not consciously influenced by anyone because I don’t have the thought of ‘I want to sound like THAT’, as I think what I want to sound like is completely different to everyone else, which I think is what most people strive for. Of course, everything I’ve listened to and loved has become a part of me and how I view music, or become part of my metre in the way I judge music as being good or bad. My favourite artists are probably Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, Bon Iver, Talking Heads – I’m also really influenced by my friends and music that I’m around. When you care about someone, and they make something, and you love that, that obviously affects you deeply, so MUNA are probably one of my favourite bands, as well as The 1975. Being around people who are special in that way is inspiring.

MUNA are probably one of my favourite bands as well as The 1975

E: I found the story behind your stage name really interesting (the moniker stems from a childhood trip to Devon where Bain posed as a boy for a week and drew the attraction of a local girl, who was later heartbroken to learn of Bain’s identity), particularly the androgyny aspect – what was it about that that was particularly appealing to you?

AB: I don’t think The Japanese House was free of gender. I had to think of a name, and I didn’t want my own name because I don’t think it’s very cool – or maybe I just don’t think my name is very cool! Or I think it’s cooler to have a name – I tried to think of things that had happened to me that had a story behind them, and searching endlessly because it’s a pretty daunting task. In the story, there’s a part of the story where I’m dressed as a boy and the girl in love with me is really upset because I’m a girl, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that The Japanese House is an androgynous project, I identify as female and I get it quite a lot, people assume that I’m transgender or androgynous, and I find it hard to define androgyny.  Am I androgynous because I wear jeans? Sometimes I find it very hard to see why people think I’m androgynous and what androgyny is – maybe it’s because I can have a low voice if I want to, and didn’t have a photo at the time and people assumed that because I wasn’t flaunting my femininity in everyone’s face that I wasn’t female, and I think that’s interesting! But The Japanese House is just music – that doesn’t mean I’m genderless; all music is genderless in a way.

all music is genderless in a way

E: Speaking about your album title then, Good at Falling, what was it that inspired that name?

AB: It was a video game I was playing, called Thomas Was Alone, and it’s a pretty depressing video game about a square having an existential crisis and he goes through the game and each level and questions why he’s doing it and his reality whilst he’s going through it. I found that really interesting. There’s a narrator who says at one point, “Thomas was extremely good at falling”, and I just found that line really heart-breaking. It’s literal in the game, this little square is going through these levels and it’s almost like a joke because he doesn’t need to do anything to fall because he’s good at it. Then I started thinking about that and how actually quite sad that is, the oxymoron of being good at falling. I started thinking that to repeatedly fall and be good at it, you have to have kept on getting on. Falling can also mean some many things – falling in love, falling out of love, metaphorically on your face, literally on your face, failure, loss of yourself and loss of control, and to master the art of fucking up basically, and having a lack of control. It’s what I strive in order to learn how to deal with things. I was in a time in my life where everything had fallen and I didn’t know where I was. It’s a sad but optimistic title I guess, and it encapsulates a lot of the feeling of the album.

Falling can also mean some many things: falling in love, falling out of love, metaphorically on your face, literally on your face,

E: How have you found the process of making an album rather than an EP?

AB: It’s longer! It’s been great, I’ve loved making this album. I think it’s been more immersive, it’s a bigger thing to create so it requires more thought. I was away for longer, and had a lot of time to think about what I was doing and be completely immersed in it. With four songs, you can kind of get away with running around London and going to the studio here and there, but with this one I was in the middle of Wisconsin for six weeks, then in Brussels for three weeks, then Oxford for two weeks. So it was intense, but fun.

E: How are you feeling about the album’s release? Is there a track in particular that you’re excited for people to hear, or are you excited for the whole project to be released?

AB: The whole project I think, I can’t pin it down to just one song! Also because two songs have already been released, which is the most daunting part, the first couple of songs. I just can’t wait for it to all be heard, I change my mind about my favourite song on the album all the time. I listened to it for the first time in a couple of months a week ago on a plane, and I’m just really proud of it. I think it’s really good!

E: I really like both tracks so far and the video for ‘Lilo’, which is quite powerful.

AB: Thank you, it was a moving video to shoot really.

E: I bet – so preparations are ongoing for your European tour which kicks off next week – do you find there’s a different response to your music in the rest of Europe?

AB: Yeah, it’s a smaller response. It’s harder to break Europe, in a way, but the fans I do have there are very loyal and lovely. But in comparison to America, it’s not as quick – that’s good. It’s good to have a humbling thing where you do a tour and worry if anyone’s actually going to come!

E: That’s good! I see the pre-sale for your UK tour began this morning, so an exciting few months ahead!

AB: Yeah, there’s lots of touring this year, which good, I used to hate touring!

Good at Falling is out on March 1st, on Dirty Hit Records.

 

Live Review: The Japanese House @ Thekla, Bristol

Mysterious and ominous, the venue for The Japanese House’s performance, Thekla, is a docked boat that looms in the harbour, a stone’s throw from the heart of Bristol city centre. Although it appears cold and unforgiving from the outside, once inside, it opens up into a small and intimate venue, for no more than 200 or so attendees.

The Japanese House’s opening act, Art House Girlfriend, played the crowd with an impressive vocal performance, but felt overall musically lacklustre with little sonic diversity and a recurring sound that made all songs blend into one long, slow performance.

A reappearing pattern of thick, heavy kicks, slow, rumbling 808s, simple chords and bass lines, and her strong yet soft voice carried what could be described as incomplete backing tracks and melodies, although it could equally be argued that her pronounced voice helped level out the overall performance, leaving the audience satisfied but lukewarm.

The Japanese House began their set with a track from their earlier days, ‘Face Like Thunder’, which, despite being in minor key, provided Thekla with an injection of smooth energy. Amber, of course, being the lead artist in the act, was beautifully accompanied by her drummer, bassist and keyboardist, a fact clear from the very first note played. Her physical energy on stage demonstrated a collected yet enthusiastic showmanship, and the opening track provided a delicate segue into her next song, which exuded an air of acoustic folk, with loose cymbals and a prominent but simple guitar.

Her physical energy on stage demonstrated a collected yet enthusiastic showmanship

At this point in the evening, if someone were to tell you that The Japanese House worked closely with The 1975, and that member George Daniel was a producer on some of Amber’s tracks, you might not be surprised. The layered harmonic vocals, tight digital snares or loud, echoing kicks, thick 808s, plucky bass, and the hauntingly beautiful synth float underneath Amber’s voice and create more than just a song – but render the air thick and heavy with atmosphere.

the hauntingly beautiful synth floated underneath Amber’s voice creating more than just a song

For comparison, listen to any of the slower songs in the Japanese House library, then listen to ‘Paris’, from The 1975’s sophomore record, or ‘Fallingforyou’ from their debut of the same name. The synthesizer and the vocal layering can be heard in Amber’s music as well. It’s not a bad fit.

This was, of course, the tour for The Japanese House to showcase their more recent EP and generate buzz for the upcoming March album. As such, a broad variety of music spanning across Amber’s entire career was on show and did not disappoint. “Follow My Girl” was the anticipated released single of the night, making the boat glow with soulful harmonies. Amber doubles up on the last syllable of one line and the first of the next on the chorus of this track, creating a unique sound that blends every piece of the song together, almost as though she sings with herself.

The song “Still” punctuated the energy of the set in a timely fashion, with slow, echoing drums, and the signature layered vocals that define The Japanese House’s sound. A ballad-like, soulful vocal performance sweeps the listener away into the empty space between each strike of the drums, the negative sonic space creating as much of an effect as any note or chord could. The vocals splash through the music, creating the illusion of waves lapping on the shore.

A ballad-like vocal performance sweeps the listener away into the empty space between each strike of the drums

The live rendition of “Lilo” was the song which most prominently featured vocal talent, and for once, it felt like the quintessential Japanese House building blocks relinquished centre stage to let Amber and her guitar sing through the beat and create a drifting, loose sound with light touches of keys delicately decorating the background.

Amidst all this was Amber’s gentle humour when engaging with the crowd, a mix of contentment and humility, and when the set wrapped up, I was lucky enough to find her and her group outside the venue and thank them for the show.

The Japanese House played the listeners on this floating venue into a tranquil yet enthralled lull with a cornucopia of stylistically varied drums thanks to a very capable percussionist, beautiful vocals and vocal effects. An overall spellbinding live performance that clings true to the crisp cleanliness of the studio originals.

Live Review: Pale Waves @ the O2 Academy Bristol

On the 3rd of October Pale Waves ended the UK leg of their tour at the O2 Academy in Bristol. Before even entering the venue, it was clearly going to be an auspicious event. The O2 Priority line was overflowed with keen young fans: a large group held bouquets of roses, and many were dressed to match the band’s gothic aesthetic. When lead singer Heather Baron Gracie conspicuously walked right through the centre of the queues to the front of the box office, clear plastic shopping bag in hand, a flutter of teenagers waved and murmured.

Despite such promises above of a brilliant event, I must admit that the show kicked off in a bizarre fashion. The first supporting act, King Nun, stormed the stage dressed in tattered white t shirts, confronting the audience with shrieking guitars and cocksure swagger. At their best, during songs such as ‘Family Portrait’, they had a vibrant young energy, proving themselves to be a melodic group with lots of potential. During more bewildering moments, the lead singer jumped around, howling wannabe headbangers to a group of head-nodders.

Following King Nun, a more toned down, understated quartet came on stage. All dressed in black, their hair a Cobain-esque blonde. Bristolian band Swimming Girls, led by the phenomenal Vanessa Giménez, gifted us with dark, sultry dream pop. Giménez is a talented lead singer with a deep, smokey voice. At one point, she was the only member of the band onstage, armed solely with a guitar and an exceptional ballad. Swimming Girls reminds you the significance of supporting acts: sometimes, you come out of a concert not only with memories of the headlining act, but with thoughts of a new band for you to look up and obsess over.

you come out of a concert not only with memories of the headlining act but with thoughts of a new band to obsess over

After the stage was completely cleared by roadies, the lightings changed. Synth keys played in an eerie manner. Tension brewed among the crowd. Onstage walked lead guitarist Hugo Silvani, bass player Chris Woods, drummer Ciara Doran, and lead singer Heather Baron Gracie. Ciara and Heather were made up like strikingly beautiful porcelain dolls: their eye make up smoked like a gun, and their lips as dark as their lyrics.

There was a triumphant roar in their presence, brought to crescendo by the opening chords of ‘Television Romance’, one of their most popular songs, during which the fans started throwing roses at Heather’s feet. Queen of her stage, she smiled and thanked them for the roses. The vocal and musical performances were strong; if anything, there was perhaps more energy in the live performance than on the album itself, as songs were embellished by Heather’s showmanship. During songs such as ‘Red’ and ‘Noises’, she moved as though galvanised by strobe lights, somewhere between Michael Jackson and a ragged puppet.

she moved as though galvanised by strobe lights, somewhere between Michael Jackson and a ragged puppet

Songs like the anthem-like ‘Eighteen’, and ‘New Years’ Eve’ amassed a chorus of voices. During ‘One More Time’, Heather stopped singing during the chorus: a sea of index fingers pointed to the sky, referencing that “one more time”, and scream the hook.

The group returned to the stage for an encore, following an agonising 5 minutes, and the show, as well as their UK tour, ended ceremoniously with a mosh pit to the sound of hit track ‘There is a Honey’. And at the end of the night, as we all shuffled out, there wasn’t a disappointed face to be seen, and it was clear that Pale Waves had met, if not succeeded, the expectations of many.

“This is only the start!” An interview with Pale Waves’ Heather Baron Gracie

On the last day of the Pale Waves UK tour, I was lucky enough to interview lead singer and songwriter Heather Baron Gracie at the O2 Academy in Bristol about tour life, home life, musical and aesthetic influences, and loving pop music.

So it’s been a really big year for you guys! You came fifth in the BBC Sound of 2018; your debut album, My Mind Makes Noises, has just come out, and now you’re on tour. How are you feeling?

It just feels like everything is going at once, so a lot of the time you don’t really get a moment to take it in. It’s like a fast train. Exciting though!

How are you enjoying tour life?

I love being on tour! I prefer it to the studio. The studio stresses me out.

I imagine a studio is quite a closed environment.

Yeah, I mean you have to go back to the same place every day and you spend hours looking at the same four walls… It just does my head in.

I can imagine that. So where’s your favourite destination and venue on tour so far?

Japan was amazing! Australia was too, but I found it similar to New York. But my favourite place has definitely been Japan. Just because there’s so much going on and the fashion’s amazing.

It sounds it! In the past tour life has been seen as this really hedonistic lifestyle of sex, drugs, and well… Mick Jagger! Would you say that your own experiences fit the stereotype or do you think that’s all in the past?

I think it depends on each band – I mean I’ve met bands that do hold that reputation, but then there are bands like us that just aren’t like that. I mean the worst thing we do is drink loads of alcohol!

You’ve cultivated this amazing Gothic aesthetic. What does the term ‘goth’ mean to you, and would you say it’s part of your identity as a band?

I wouldn’t say we’re a traditionally Gothic band. I don’t want to take away from the goth culture, but we are influenced by goth fashion though. Whenever we call each other Goths it’s normally as a laugh.

Pale Waves was formed in Manchester – Tony Wilson, co-founder of Factory Records, once said that ‘Manchester kids have the best record collections.’ Do you think there’s any truth in that?

I sound quite biased because I’m from Manchester, but I think Manchester definitely has a great music scene.

You’ve got a lot of history there.

Of course! You can tell when a band is Northern or Southern. You can just tell. But I don’t agree with the whole idea that just because a band is from Manchester they’re going to be a good band. People think that because we’re from Manchester we have a step up. But you can be from anywhere, and if you write good music, people will listen. Not just because you come from a destination where it’s previous artists have done well. In a lot of my interviews, people say ‘you’re from Manchester, are you happy to be from there?’ Well, yes I am! But not because The Smiths are from there.

you can be from anywhere and if you write good music people will listen

I guess when you see this hallowed scene full of big names, people begin to wonder if there’s something in the water. But what were you listening to growing up?

I was listening to Avril Lavigne… I was also listening to a lot of bands my Dad listens to, because he’s musical as well. He listens to Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, The Cure… ACDC as well, but I don’t really like them anymore.

I think your parents do influence your music taste. You don’t want them to, but begrudgingly, you realise they do. Would you say you have any musical guilty pleasures?

I hate when anyone calls something a musical guilty pleasure! I’ve had some people say we’re their guilty pleasure because we’re pop. It’s usually those who write pop music that people call guilty pleasures. I don’t know why that is! I really like simple music. I love Justin Bieber! I think he writes amazing pop music. I listen to all the pure pop artists like Taylor Swift and Charli XCX… I just love all of it!

It’s usually those who write pop music that people call guilty pleasures

In your song ‘Karl‘ you say you tattooed the name of a song you wrote on your body. Do you do that with a lot of your music and lyrics?

No not really, I have a tattoo of Hide and Seek which I think is what you mention, and I’ve had that for years. I have “Ciara” (name of Pale Waves band mate) tattooed on me. I am going to get My Mind Makes Noises but I don’t really have any lyrics.

I think the song ‘Karl’ closes the album in a very powerful way. The way you explore losing family, and that feeling of losing a part of your history, is really poignant. Would you say song writing is a form of therapy for you? 

Yes definitely, I mean that’s why I write music. I’d prefer to avoid an awkward conversation and write about how I feel. Which is strange because I go out on stage and give this song to everyone rather than having a conversation with someone!

An audience is a lot more anonymous.

Yeah exactly. It’s easier in comparison to sitting at home and talking with my Mum about it.

That makes perfect sense. So how does Pale Waves go about writing songs? How collaborative is the process?

It’s mainly me and Ciara. Ciara dominates the musical side of things. She’ll write something on a laptop; the drum beat, bass, and some synths. Then she’ll show me it. I’ll either have a song ready, or I’ll take that as an inspiration. Or it could be the other way round. At the moment I have six songs waiting, but she’s not caught up with me. So the process is very equal. I’ll write guitar parts, and then at the end we’ll jump into each other’s pond and tell each other what could be done better.

So it’s mainly you and Ciara leading the band. It sounds like you’ve got quite a strong relationship.

Oh massively! Ciara’s the closest person that I have – as well as my Mum, Dad, and brother. We’re like a part of each other. We are completely different but we’re very similar at the same time. I’m this fiery, hot headed person and she’s very relaxed. I feel like that’s how we balance each other; she tells me to calm down and I tell her when to stick up for herself… Or I just attack that person instead! (laughs)

Ciara’s the closest person I have

I think we all need a friend like that though! So what’s next for Pale Waves?

We’ll finish this tour – first we’ll go to Europe, and then America, which takes us to mid-December. Then we’ll have a few days off. Then we’ll go on The 1975 tour in January.

In January The 1975 are coming to Exeter so we might see you there! So no plans for any new music?

Not for a while… But we’re writing a lot. We have an EP coming out next year – if it all goes to plan.

So you’ve got an EP coming out next year! Will you get a break at any point?

It’s always nonstop for our band! We have like two days off. I think we’ll have a week off where we can go home around Christmas time, which will be nice. I just love going back home and doing normal things.

There’s nothing like going home for Christmas.

I know. And it’s weird because I come home and it feels different. Different but not different. Now I’m in a band with people I really love.

In a way, they become your second family.

Definitely! And then I go home and I’m the Heather that everyone’s known since birth. But it’s strange because my Mum has friends whose daughters and sons love Pale Waves. It’s changed their lives a bit as well! And this is only the start!

Album Review: Pale Waves – My Mind Makes Noises

My Mind Makes Noises is the first studio album released by Mancunian quartet Pale Waves, coming just seven months after their studio EP All The Things I Never Said. The EP won plaudits for its jagged, pop-rock sound, with lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie belting out four encouraging singles. They were unique, with amazing guitar riffs and incredibly catchy pop hooks melding with the exceptional vocals to prove a teaser for their full-length debut. If nothing else, the macabre lyrics reveling Baron-Gracie’s personal life and pounding drums promised an intriguing blend of gothic darkness and poppy catchiness. However, My Mind Makes Noises lacks that originality. Pale Waves are still in their infancy, and certainly need time to find their sound, but this offering feels incredibly artificial. All of the ingredients are there for a The Cure-like sound; catchy bass riffs, driving drum beats, great pop hooks and an obviously talented lead singing about personal isolation, broken romance and depression. However, somewhere along the way any aspect of uniqueness or heart has been lost.

The lyrics of My Mind Makes Noises have an dramatic range in quality, at times sharp and introspective and at others inarguably hackneyed. One of the album’s flagship songs, There’s a Honey, is a fantastically bitter portrayal of a broken romance as Baron-Gracie acknowledges her inability to sustain a relationship: “And there’s somebody that I know I’m bad for/And you see, I’d like to keep your heart for me/And there’s somebody that I know I’m bad for/And I can’t look away”. The heartbreak of these lines is incredibly gut-wrenching, admitting that despite her knowledge that the relationship is doomed, and despite knowing that neither of them is good for each other, she can’t face living without them. However, this raw emotion feels cheapened by vague and hollow lyrics elsewhere, such as in the finale, Karl, who’s chorus croons “Sometimes you cross my mind/Well that’s a fucking lie/’Cause you’re on my mind all of the time”. It is no exaggeration to say that these particular lines are bordering on cringeworthy, and they’re far from the worst in the album. There’s no denying that some of the songs here are very personal, painting a specific picture with lots of heart, but the vast majority feel bland (and thus hollow). A friend I was discussing the album with called it a “stretched-out EP”, and sadly I agree with that; strip out the empty, vacuous ‘songs about nothing’ and you’re left with barely more content than their initial four-song EP.

‘There’s a Honey’ is a fantastically bitter portrayal of a broken romance

All this negativity is not to say that there’s no promise here, of course. Baron-Gracie clearly can write raw, emotional, personal lyrics (as she does on several of this album’s songs), and her range is very impressive for such a young and inexperienced front-woman – slipping seamlessly from powerful rock ballads to murmuring acoustics. The pop-hooks in evidence are fantastic, and certainly merit a comparison to Dirty Hit label-mates, The 1975. I would also be remiss not to praise the percussion and bass throughout, even if the guitar did feel a little insipid at times. However, there is a significant amount of work and development needed before Pale Waves find their identity and build on it. This is true for every band, especially this early on in their life cycle; listen to the debut albums by The Beatles, Pink Floyd or The Rolling Stones in comparison to their later work. So, I’m hoping the next effort by Pale Waves will be more focused, with a clearer ‘sound’ and identity; they need to find their niche and perfect it. I’m also hoping that they’re given the benefit of time to experiment and grow organically rather than being pressured to fit in with production and studio deadlines – this album just didn’t feel ready, with too many ‘filler’ songs insulating those with real emotional kick. Part of the reason that I’m so critical is the talent is clearly on show, but its submerged beneath blandness and artificial-feeling production. I’ll definitely be keen to follow Pale Waves’ trajectory from now on, though.

There’s definitely potential here, and a few songs are utterly fantastic, but My Mind Makes Noises feels too padded and insincere to be a solid recommendation. Give this one a miss, but Pale Waves just need the right spark to set them off – fingers crossed for their next try.

Album Review: Fickle Friends – You Are Someone Else

Among the cache of rising young artists bringing wistful indie pop out of the 1980s and into the late 2010s (Shura, MUNA, and more) stand Brighton quintet Fickle Friends. After two years touring without a label, 2018 has now seen the release of the group’s highly anticipated debut record, You Are Someone Else. Having accumulated an impressive following with their irresistible indie tracks with each one catchier and more infectious than the last, sonically, the group is as colourful as their album’s sleeve, which is one which promises for a distinctive and remarkable record.

‘Wake Me Up’ is the aptly named album opener which kicks things off perfectly; it’s not surprising the track is a staple for the group’s live gigs. Despite its sparkling, pulsing synth and layered instrumentals, frontwoman Natassja Shiner has explained the song’s lyrics deal with “wanting a relationship to work so bad, but knowing deep down, it’s not going anywhere”. It may have been the last song written for the album, but it’s an explosive and punchy prelude; ‘Glue’ follows up perfectly and shows Fickle Friends know how to hook listeners from the off. For many, this is the track which first caught their attention of the group, yet it’s a song which doesn’t lose its charm. Its blending of the foot-tapping tempo which runs throughout and the intensity of romantic attraction Shiner sings about makes for a song as absorbing as the saturation of the block colours in the track’s music video.

You Are Someone Else doesn’t lose any of its ambition as the group’s (first) and 2014 single ‘Swim’ follows up and maintains the album’s strength so far, proving its worth as a must for fans of Paramore’s After Laughter; incidentally Paramore are the group Shiner would most like to tour with, as divulged in an interview with Exeposé. ‘Bite’ represents the group’s love for the current 80s revival, and echoes some of the decade’s shinier pop numbers before succeeding track and has some of the album’s most experimental instrumentals yet, from its slow-paced thumping bass notes laced throughout to the smooth electronic scales sewn in amongst the chorus lyrics. The record’s most honestly titled track, ‘Hard to Be Myself’ and its follower ‘Say No More’ cement the effortlessly seamless signature Fickle Friends have created; yet for some this could be a few tracks too similar to one another.

a two-minute track which drifts by like a scribbled verse in a notebook

Halfway through the record, ‘Heartbroken’ incorporates some of the album’s boldness into its lyrics, with lines such “you think everything sucks/I really couldn’t give two f**ks” packing a punch and showing Fickle Friends aren’t necessarily as sugary-sweet as their earlier tracks might have you believe. Shiner channels MUNA’s Katie Gavin in the vocally-driven ‘In My Head’ and shows a more vulnerable side on a two-minute track which drifts by like a scribbled verse in a notebook. ‘Rotation’ and ‘Hello Hello’ steer the album back to the familiar sonic of the songs on its first half and support the individualism of Fickle Friends’ songwriting, which at times runs parallel to that of The 1975.

As the album draws to its close, ‘Paris’ and ‘Brooklyn’ carry some of the sharpest and evocative moments heard yet, and their intimacy reflects recurring themes which have been woven throughout such as relationship problems, as heard in the latter repeatedly featuring the album’s title. Penultimate ‘She’ stars another burst of emotional lyrics and a short but sweet chorus, before ‘Useless’ closes the album on a strong note. It’s a record which shows the emotions and anxieties of a young person growing up and navigating their way through the recent years of this decade, and one which will no doubt be of high emotional value to its listeners who find solace in its lyrics upon its release.

There’s A Honey: An Interview with Pale Waves’ Heather Baron-Gracie

Hailed as ‘your newest indie-pop sensation’ by The Fader, Manchester’s latest indie offering Pale Waves were one of this year’s highly acclaimed performers on the Reading and Leeds BBC Introducing Stage. Following their appearance earlier this year as special guest on The 1975’s sold out USA and Europe tours, and their music video for second single ‘Television Romance’ directed by Matty Healy, I spoke to frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie ahead of their full UK and European tour which begins next month.

I discovered (first single) ‘There’s A Honey’ quite a few months ago and learnt it was produced by members of The 1975 – how has working with them been?

It’s been awesome, they’re amazing producers. We felt really special that they wanted to spend their time on our tracks considering how busy they are. They just really understand us, we don’t have to struggle for them to get what we’re going for, we seem to have a very similar musical compatibility.

Have they given you any advice? Or is there one particular piece of advice which sticks in your mind?

They always just say to stick to what you think is right. Listen to others, but you know what you’re doing to your music.

So, you’re all from Manchester and that neck of the woods, particularly after this year, how does it feel to come from and be part of a city so cemented in the music world?

It’s amazing, Manchester’s such a big part of Pale Waves, that’s where we met, and did all of our first rehearsals and our first shows to like five people at the Castle Hotel and Night & Day. It’s such a great city. We love Manchester, it’s always great going back.

Did you all meet in Manchester or at university?

So me and Ciara met when we went to uni – we met before, online. I saw her profile and thought she looked like my type of person so I started speaking to her. The first day we moved into our student accommodation we met up and ever since then we’ve kind of not been separated. We’re like an old married couple, just always together! And then Hugo, he knew we were looking for another member, and he knew of the band, so he got in contact. We had a few people audition, and I always had this really strong feeling towards Hugo – Ciara thought it was a bit strange but I was like ‘no, it needs to be Hugo!’. And I was right! We picked Hugo, and then we knew Charlie through a mutual friend and just knew we wanted him in the band – Ciara had a strong feeling towards Charlie, oddly.

Manchester’s such a big part of Pale Waves

That’s sweet, it sounds like it all came together! So, this summer has also seen your performance on the Reading and Leeds BBC Introducing Stage, how was that?

It was awesome, that was the first time that we’ve ever played Reading and Leeds, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was quite scared, going on the BBC Introducing Stage at 12 o’clock, I didn’t think there’d be many people there at all. But the people who came to watch us, it was more than I could ever expect. I was really happy with the turn out; I was quite moved.

Obviously, there were so many acts on the Introducing Stage and the countless other stages – were there any you really wanted to see or hoped to catch?

There was actually quite a lot, but when you’re playing, when you get there it’s like a mad rush to set up, and then you play, then there’s an hour and a half of press, and then you kind of have to leave because you either have to drive up to Leeds, or your team has to go back to London or what not. But when we played Reading, we saw The Japanese House, which was amazing – she’s always amazing, we’ve seen her like five times now. We had a lot of friends and label people there so we hung round with them. As for Leeds, we had to leave pretty soon after we played, but we saw Wolf Alice before we played there – their secret set. I’m definitely excited for their album, I love ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’.

I read in DIY Magazine that you initially went from acoustic to electric and just developed from there – what was that process like? How did you get to your current sound and style?

Before me and Ciara met, she’d already played in the odd band here and there, and I was writing emo stuff on my acoustic guitar, which wasn’t that good at all. Then Ciara was like ‘no, we need to stop doing that’, and I thought ‘oh, ok’, and then I bought this really cheap electric guitar and cheap guitar pedals, and we just went from there really. It was a big jump, I was really out of my comfort zone but Ciara wasn’t, so she really kind of pulled everything out of me and helped me form into what we are now. Even now we’re kind of developing. Some of our new stuff that we’ve written quite recently isn’t like ‘There’s A Honey’, but it’s not too far away from it.

Who would you say are your influences?

I like to listen to a lot of different artists, really. I love The Cranberries, Prince, a love a lot of artists from the 1970s and 80s.

So, your tour dates for next month are coming up, how are you feeling ahead of those?

We’re really excited. We’re a bit nervous because we’ve got to get back into rehearsals, because we’re in the studio until late next week, and we don’t have that long to practise! But we should be fine, we played a one-off London show last month which was our first ever headline show and that was awesome, it was so good to play more than six songs. I’m really excited, I can’t wait to show everyone more of Pale Waves.

The ‘Television Romance’ video launched on Monday, what else have you got in the pipe works?

So we’re doing this EP, and that’ll be our next big thing. We’re just writing our album at the moment, we’ve got quite a few to choose from so we’re just trying to build on what we have. There’s no better feeling than finishing a song which you really believe in, it’s like being a proud parent. So yeah, the EP is the next big thing, then touring, and more music videos.

Ending on a positive note, with lots of exciting plans in the works and much more to come from Pale Waves, I think The Fader may have spoken the truth. The Pale Waves UK tour begins next month, and tickets can be bought here.

Ghostbusters, Paris and Punk: An Interview with Wolf Alice’s Theo Ellis

Despite only releasing their debut single in 2013, Wolf Alice are excitingly counting down the days until their second album, Visions of a Life, is released for all the world to hear. With their 2015 debut, My Love is Cool, making the ‘Best Albums of the Year’ lists in The Guardian, NME, Q and Rough Trade, and winning them the iTunes ‘Best New Artist/Band’ award of the same year, plus BRIT Award, Grammy nominations among others, I spoke to the group’s Theo Ellis weeks before the second LP release, or twenty-one days as daily countdown on @wolfaliceband’s Instagram page informed me.

Hi Theo, how are you doing? Whereabouts are you right now?

Hiya – I’m actually in my mum’s living room trying to get some stuff together – I’m going to Paris in a minute.

Very nice! So, there’s three weeks until Visions of a Life, how are you all feeling?

Good! I’m just excited for people to hear it to be honest, I really like this album so I really want people to hear it.

That’s really positive – the first two singles, ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ and ‘Yuk Foo’ are quite contrasting pieces, was it a conscious decision to release two very different tracks, or were they just two of your favourites, perhaps?

I think they were the two we wanted to release and show. We’re quite polarised but we’ve always been quite broad, stylistically, so I suppose it shows that aspect of the band. I think when people hear the whole album they’ll start to piece together thematically what it’s about and how it works in cohesion with all of the different songs.  We released ‘Yuk Foo’ first because we were really excited about it in the studio and wanted people to hear it, so it was one of those songs we wanted to get into people’s minds as soon as we were going out and playing shows, and then ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ was one we laboured over for quite a long time. I don’t really know why we did it, but they’re both out now!
They certainly made people talk, and for all the right reasons, too. The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen who’s worked with Paramore and M83, how did you go about finding him and working with him?

Justin was suggested to us by someone who works at our record label, and it was only then we realised who he was. We realised at Electric Picnic three years or so ago there was one show we all watched. He used to play bass for Beck and still collaborates with him and works as his music director, but we watched this show and were all like ‘who the fuck is that lunatic going mental on stage?!’ and it was Justin playing bass. Through some weird serendipity, we’ve ended up working with him now, and he’s got such a broad spectrum of musical style under his belt, like the new Raveonettes record or something hyper-synthy and polished like M83’s album, so his scope is something that really leant itself to us and our style of working because we’ve got a broad style, and he was a good man to render our creative visions in that sense.

I think our sonic influences are always quite subconscious

It sounds like it really gelled together well. Along those sort of lines, who or what inspired the album, or what were you listening to at the time of its writing and creation?

To be honest, nothing we were listening to at the time directly influenced the album, sonically; I think our sonic influences are always quite subconscious, and we tend to go song by song. In terms of what I was listening to at the time, I was getting back into The Saints and the Sex Pistols, but they by no way influenced what we were creating or putting out at the time. I was reading a book called ‘England’s Dreaming’ by Jon Savage and rediscovering my love for ’77 punk music.

I read in an interview with Q Magazine that you talked about ‘adapting to age’, and after the huge success of My Love is Cool and nominations for the 2015 Mercury Prize and 2016 Ivor Novello Awards, was there a pressure towards your second LP, more than normal, perhaps?

I suppose there is a pressure for us for it to do well because of the things the first one achieved, but in reality those pressures, for instance, nods from the Grammys, those things for us aren’t why we do it at all. It was more of a personal pressure that we worried about, which was progressing as songwriters and musicians and creating something that we were equally as proud of but also surpassed what we could have done at the time with My Love is Cool. Whatever comes now, since we finished it, is out of our hands to an extent; we’re not really too worried about what happens because we know that we’ve made something we’re proud of, which I think is the most important thing for the four of us.

You’ve spoken as a band of the impact of constant touring, and this summer has seen Reading and Leeds, a USA tour, and an intimate UK tour among others, is it good to be back?

It’s amazing to be back. It’s weird when you become a band that tours as much as we do, it’s a constant cycle of gearing up to get ready for tour, and then being on tour, and then recovering from tour, it all ends up being this organism that works around touring, which I think is great because we’re a live guitar band that loves to play shows. It’s really nice to actually be back doing what we do best.

That’s really good to hear. So, Wolf Alice are among one of Britain’s arguably most exciting and contemporary labels, Dirty Hit Records, you’ve got for example The 1975 among your peers and supporters, have they given you any advice at all over the last few years?

Ah, Dirty Hit Records, the empire! Matty (Healy, The 1975 frontman) is quite good at giving advice. He talks quite broadly and is a good speaker. I can’t remember any advice he’s given but I doubt it’s ever really serious.

(We then talk about Superfood, another of Wolf Alice’s contemporaries, and our admiration for their new record). I definitely think Dirty Hit are onto something great and seem to find amazing artists and have such a strong roster.

Yeah, I’m really proud to be part of Dirty Hit. It’s quite an eclectic label, of what feels like quite misfit bands. It’s great, there are some really great people who work there, it’s a pretty cool label.

Definitely, how did you come about being involved with them?
Loads of A&R people were coming to our shows and flirting with the idea of signing us for a long time, and things sort of peated out over time a little bit. It wasn’t until we were on tour supporting Swim Deep many moons ago, around three years ago, Jamie (Oborne, Dirty Hit Records) came to see us in Cambridge and we went and had a really shit Mexican meal, and he said he’d sign us the next day. We desperately needed a record label and wanted to put out an album. He literally did it, he came to the pub the next day with the contract.

Talking of being up and coming and contemporary, you’ve provided songs for recent film soundtracks such as T2 Trainspotting and Ghostbusters, how did you get involved with that? Both are quite different films so I think it really showcases the diversity of your music and how versatile it is.

The Trainspotting thing was literally overnight. They asked us while I was asleep, I woke up and watched the trailer and we were in it, and I didn’t even know it was going to happen, so they must have spoken to our manager and just asked to use it. So that was pretty amazing, and I think that was their creative team asking if they could use it. It’s also used at the end of the film. The Ghostbusters one, we wrote a song directly for a specific scene in which it would be used on the radio whilst the characters were doing something, and it had to be a song about ghosts. It ended up just on some soundtrack with Fall Out Boy, but it’s out – we have a song about ghosts. We literally wrote it with that scene in mind.

it feels like the young generations are standing up for what they believe in

In other areas of what’s going on at the moment, I’ve noticed you’ve been involved with politics over the last year, for example your involvement with Labour’s General Election campaign, Bands4Refugees – I’d imagine that these must be some of your proudest moments, and cement the idea of youth involvement in politics, what made you get into all that?

Definitely. It’s quite a polarised time, politically. It feels quite black and white. We’ve all, as a band, grown a bit older in the public eye, we’ve gone from being about twenty to twenty-five, and you mature and hone your interests and find out what you really believe in in life. With things such as Brexit happening, such vast, seismic changes to a country, and people not having the right information at the time mean a lot of people look to social media as their news outlets, which is a bizarre concept, but it’s happening. Knowing that you have X amount of people following you on Twitter or Instagram it felt like an important thing to do, talk about something that the four of us believed in. Unfortunately, the Labour Party didn’t win the election but there was a massive shift, and it feels like the young generations are standing up for what they believe in and being truly represented by a pretty good Labour leader, in my opinion.

I think that’s quite a spark which seems to have come out of it, that it seems to have made everyone wake up and realise that young people are definitely on it, and a positive note to end on – to finish off, if I could just quickly ask if there are any releases, other than your own, that you’re excited for?

I’m currently listening to that Superfood album, Bambino, and I’m really excited about a band called the 404guild who are coming out of South London, they’re amazing.

As the interview draws to a close, I wish Theo all best with the album and his trip to Paris, and thank him for his time, to which I am met with an equally thankful response. Wolf Alice are back, maturer and more confident than before, ready to present their second record and calmly enjoy the build-up to one of the year’s most anticipated releases from one of North London’s most energetic groups.

Wolf Alice’s second album, Visions of a Life, is out September 29th.

Album Review: Superfood – Bambino

Among the sparkling catalogue of Dirty Hit Records’ artists such as Wolf Alice, The 1975 and Benjamin Francis Leftwich is Superfood, or rather the stage name of Dom Ganderton and Ryan Malcolm, Birmingham’s latest creators of colourful, energetic indie rhythms, set to release upcoming LP Bambino in the coming week.

Recorded over the last few years, the self-produced album was produced with ‘no money and no label’, says frontman Ganderton, yet is clearly the product of a creative passion and one which fizzles with infectious melodies heard straight off from the layered percussions and vocals on album opener ‘Where’s The Bass Amp?’. Not for the first time on the album, subsequent ‘I Can’t See’ isn’t instrumentally far off tracks from Rex Orange County, and its smooth, life-affirming lyrics form a soundtrack perfectly suited for a summer evening under an orange sky, which seems to build a path for the remaining tracks to follow suit along.

arguably one of the most contemporary tracks currently in its genre

‘Unstoppable’, the latest single from the album, with its ska samples of the late Prince Buster, is arguably one of the most contemporary tracks currently in its genre, and one which no doubt stood out as one of the most exciting performed pieces at this year’s BBC Big Weekend in Hull on the BBC Introducing Stage, with its dance-infused brass notes laced throughout. ‘Wibble Mtn’ may be less than ninety seconds in length, but Bambino’s next track is a solely electronic track which creeps in and fades out briefly before ‘Natural Supersoul’ kicks in with its repetition of “you’re a natural supersoul/find yourself and lose control” could be mistaken for an amalgamation of Glass Animals and Metronomy’s signatures. Halfway through the album, ‘Need a Little Spider’ shakes things up slightly with heavier drums and bass notes result in a slickly produced track which mirrors those often used in high-budget car adverts and heads to a rockier finish, proving Superfood are capable of mixing their sound up and succeeding.

‘Raindance’ follows up neatly and returns to the smooth guitar chords and is undoubtedly one of the invigorating numbers on the album with its nods to Jamiroquai in its opening funk notes. ‘C is for Colour’ slows down the pace and tone, as if providing the listener with a break before the last tracks of Bambino take to the stage. ‘Double Dutch’ is as playful as its name, and instrumentals play as much of a role as the recorded vocal backing track of ‘Katherine Wilchuck’, who’s been ‘double-jumping since I was ten years old’, and showcases Superfood’s ability to combine rhythms of urban society with studio-made electro beats.

…showcases Superfood’s ability to combine rhythms of urban society with studio-made electro beats

Touching track ‘Shadow’ is up next, perhaps conveying the emotions of someone who no longer feels connected to someone they love, and comparing them to a shadow; musically it reflects 2000s indie rock ballads of unrequited love sung from the perspective of a young man. Similarly to predecessor ‘C is for Colour’, ‘Lov’ is another short but sweet piece which still carries the summery notes of the earlier songs on the album. A critic from The Guardian has written of how the group ‘veers nearer to Gorillaz than the Gallaghers’, evident on penultimate ‘Witness’ with its Damon Albarn-esque vocals and lyrics full of youthful outlooks and peppered with kitchen-sink drama lyrics.

Closing number ‘Clo Park’ brings together elements of each track before it on the album, and is a sparkling round off to one of the year’s widely anticipated alternative releases, and one which perhaps boasts the most refreshing sounds heard all year.