Gig Islands

We talk to musicians about places.

[gigislands]

“Ireland is such a musical country, inspiration just in the blood”. Interview with Otherkin

Last time we talked to this hurricane-like Dublin four-piece back in 2015. Since then they have released a mind-blowing album “OK” and a beautiful live record “Deutschland KO” which perfectly represents all the best the band has to offer as a live act. Meet – Otherkin.

Hi guys! Thank you for speaking to Gig Islands! Recently you released a great video for ‘Tombstone’. What inspired the video and where was it shot? Is that place somehow remarkable?

Bull Island in Dublin city, it's where we are from. The chimneys in the background are a symbol of the city.

The sound of your new single is quite different to what you did before. How would you describe the change which has happened to your sound? What inspired the change?

We wanted to do something different, heavier, darker, more industrial.

Last time you said that you did absolutely everything from “the one house in Dublin”. Has your hub changed since then?

It has changed to an empty warehouse down the road!

What is the best music venue in Dublin? What is your personally favourite?

Whelan’s is the best. You get the opportunity to see a lot of great up and coming bands.

What upcoming gigs are you the most excited about?

We play Electrowerkz, London on March 28th, it’s gonna be a big one.

Dublin keeps on giving in terms of amazing new music. What do you think inspires this wave of fresh acts and sounds?

I’m not sure, Ireland is such a musical country so I don’t think we necessarily draw inspiration from anywhere in particular, just in the blood I suppose.

Would you say there is an organised local music scene in Dublin or is it more like everyone is on their own?

There are a lot of different scenes but they are all very supportive of one another.

You used to come to Moscow to play at the annual festival Irish Week. What was your impression of Moscow? What did you like and dislike the most about the city?

We loved Moscow, would love to go back and explore the city properly. There wasn’t anything we disliked, it was just really cool to be there and hang out with the locals.

What surprised you the most?

The media presents Russia and Europe as two different places with a barrier between them, but Moscow to us felt like we were still in Europe. It was a very welcoming city.

Have you been to Moscow only or had a chance to see something else?

We only got a chance to go to Moscow unfortunately but would love to get back to see more of Russia.

How Moscow gig crowd differs to others if there is any difference at all?

Moscow crowds are f*cking crazy, we love them.

Would you like to come back to Russia as tourists?

100%.

What places in Dublin would you recommend to visit to tourists from Russia or anywhere else?

Ask the locals where is good to eat and drink, avoid Temple Bar!

Should we expect you to come with gigs to Russia soon?

Hopefully soon, we just need someone over to book us! Can you hook it up?

What should we expect next from Otherkin?

We’ve got a lot of new music coming your way, don’t worry.

Thank you for finding time to talk to Gig Islands!

Otherkin’s brand new single ‘Tombstone’ is out now.

Otherkin play Electrowerkz, London, on March 28th.

Follow Otherkin: Facebook | Intagram

[gigislands]

“Terrain and geography unconsciously shape creative things.” Interview with Phildel

Last time we talked to Phildel in May 2013 when her brilliant debut album “The Disappearance of the Girl” was released. Then we discussed her path in music, relationships with London and all the best things, which the city has to offer. It’s been quite a while so we talk to Phildel 5 years later - about the things which matter to her now and her sophomore album “Wave Your Flags” due in March.

Thank you for finding time to talk to Gig Islands. What were these past 5 years about for you?

The last five years have been incredibly transitional. I wrote my latest album, and, most notably - became a Mother to twin boys, Dylan and Finn!

I’m looking forward to your sophomore album. Tell our readers about new music. What inspired it? How different is it to your first album?

This album was inspired by my journey to find the courage to voice the truth - to speak out about my experiences and ignore judgment, fear or insecurity in pursuit of living authentically.

Where was your latest video shot? Is there anything remarkable about this place/these places?

The video ‘Electric Heights’ was shot at Didlington Manor, an enchanting place of spell-binding beauty. The land and the manor are owned by a friend of mine named Fiona Dickson and she hosts Vital Danza retreats there - which is how I met her. Vital Danza is a movement based therapeutic practice comprised of various different exercises to help people gain a better feeling of connection with themselves and others.

As far as I know, you have moved to Brighton. Is it right? What influenced your decision to move there?

Yes, I moved to Brighton because I love so many things about this city. I love that it’s progressive, with a strong LGBTQQ community, that people here feel more able to be their authentic selves than might be the case elsewhere. As a mother to twin boys, I like to know that we live in a place where they can be themselves as they grow up. I love the independent shops, the general environmental awareness and care that’s common to witness on any given day. I love the choice of food - that it’s easy to find gluten free, vegetarian and vegan food here. The natural beauty of the rock pools, cliffs and The Downs has been important to my music videos too.

Does Brighton influences or inspires you as a musician in any way?

I think the sea has definitely influenced my music - I didn’t think it would but I’ve found, unconsciously, a lot of water imagery has surfaced in my lyrics... which I quite different to when I wrote “The Disappearance of the Girl” which I wrote living in the Chilterns, or more land-based valley region. It’s interesting how terrain and geography unconsciously shape these creative things. It makes me wonder what my music would be like if I spent a few months living on The International Space Station...

Would you say that Brighton is somehow remarkable in terms of music heritage?

Yes, some of the biggest acts in the world through history have performed live here in Brighton, which shows that historically, there’s always been a lot of support for music here... Through the 70s and 80s live music was abundant in most Brighton pubs. So, I think the history here has really supported the vibrant music scene of today - now there are a range of highly respected music academies and courses here, available from places such as BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music). It’s definitely a creative city.

What is the best music venue in Brighton? What is your personally favourite?

I have to confess, since moving to Brighton I have lived in the eye of storm of twin parenting... and haven’t managed a single night out. I always see amazing acts advertised at The Dome however, and I think that will be where I head once I’m able.

Brighton is a visually rich city with lots of street art spots. What is your attitude to street art? What kind of visual art touches and inspires you?

I think street art is brilliant and should be embraced more by communities and councils. I don’t think it’s fair to overstep the boundaries of property owners by decorating their property in ways that upset them. But I would love to see more designated spots for street art to be exhibited. If I owned property in the centre of town, I’d welcome street art artists to work with my space... but then, as a twin mother, I accept I have a pretty relaxed attitude to ”wall art” of all kinds!

As a mother, would you say that Brighton is a friendly city for children?

Yes, actually - this is a massive reason for why we’ll be staying here for a while. On one hand, there are loads of activities/groups/initiatives for children of all ages... but most impressively for me, every summer there are at least four open-air, FREE, swimming pools or fountain activities... that welcome the public to have fun and paddle. There’s also a lot of alternative education here, from Steiner to Buddhist to forest schools - which is great.

Do you think London is more or less comfortable for a mother with children?

I grew up in London myself, and whilst there’s loads of great places and things to do, I really am not a fan of the traffic, or air pollution there, which I vividly remember through my upbringing. I’m a lover of natural landscapes, wildlife and getting my children involved in nature and the seasons. I also think that if I lived in London I would have needed to be in full-time work very soon after my children were born, because the cost of living is substantially higher. I love Brighton because Chris and I can afford the balance of life that suits us as a family - both working part-time and spending the remaining time with our children.

What are the perfect places in and around London and Brighton to spend quality time with kids?

With London I would say the free museum’s are phenomenal for kids - and perfect since they’re within walking distance of one another, The Natural History Museum, The Science Museum, and the V&A are all in South Kensington. In Brighton - I’d say summer is the best time to visit with kids - a play on any of the beaches, or the rock-pools of Saltdean... a walk through Stanmer Park enjoying a quick swing on any of the tree swings, followed by a meal. All great things to do.

What’s the next big thing in your music career that we should be looking forward to?

The release of my album, “Wave Your Flags”. I worked on this album for years and I’m incredibly excited to be releasing it.

Finally, would you like to visit Russia some day? As a tourist or on tour? What would be your expectations?

I’d love to come to Russia, either as a tourist or on tour... my interests would probably focus on arts and culture - I’d expect to be fascinated by the rich artistic cultural history and architecture of Russia.

Thank you very much for your answers!

Phildel’s brand new album “Wave Your Flags” is out on March 22.

The current singles ‘Electric Heights’ and ‘The Deep’ are out now.

Phildel plays The Purcell Room in London's Southbank Centre on March 20th.

Follow Phildel: Facebook | Instagram

[gigislands]

“Growing up in London would have looked very different had we been born 10 years later.” Interview with Big & The Fat

Last time members of Big & The Fat told us about their favourite places in London in February 2013. Many things have changed since then: the band has got a new name, 12 Bar Club is gone as well as some other independent venues, Denmark St will never be the same. London seems to be all constructions and reconstructions. That’s why we talked to Big & The Fat about changes which have happened to the band and the city.

Hi guys! Thank you for finding time to talk to Gig Islands again. Last time we talked, you were called Eighteen Nightmares at the Lux. Now you are Big & The Fat. You say you changed the band name aiming for a fresh start. Is it right? What’s the inspiration behind the new name?

Yes that’s right. We changed our sound and took a break from playing for a little bit. Seeing as it was all fresh and different, the name of the project needed to change as well, and this was one of the first names we came up with. The inspiration behind the name is the obnoxious and juvenile monotony we aimed to get from the music. Krautrock influences but with that dirtier & heavier simplicity. Big fat sounds and big fat gigs. After about a year we had hundreds of ideas we toyed with but thought this name was the most representative of our sound. 

As ENATL you evolved in terms of sound with each EP. ‘On My Thang’, ‘Crack Crack’ and ‘Fruit’ sound fresh again. Do you have an intentionally different approach to your sound now?

Absolutely. We now have a more technical approach to our setup which of course gives a whole new dimension. Using trigger modules, drum machines and synthesisers have made everything a lot more noisy... but groovy. 

You used to release not singles or albums but EPs. As Big & The Fat you started with 2 singles. Do you plan an album release in near future?

Watch this space…

Do you play some ENATL repertoire live or did you give the old songs up completely?

We play a couple tracks we were working on toward the end of ENATL but none of the tracks we released to world as our sound has moved on quite a bit since then.

Where in London are you based as a band?

We all live in North/East London.

What do you think about changes, which happen to London? It seems that the city hasn’t been stopping to evolve since its preparation for the Olympic Games in 2012.

Yes particularly around East London – lots of expensive new-build flats! Having said that I’m sure some useful community projects have also been ignited for the existing residents in the area… or at least we hope!

Are there places and venues, which mattered to you personally and are gone now? For instance, we met at 12 Bar in Denmark St for the first time and it was an incredible place which is shut now.

Naturally as music nerds the places that mattered most to us were the small clubs and venues that got us into music. It isn't so much that we miss individual places, but more that the demise of so many small venues has dried up the once buzzing culture of gigs and clubs nights. Growing up in London would have looked very different had we been born 10 years later. 12 Bar Club was probably the best example of this as we spent a lot time there as punters, playing shows, and rehearsing in the studio next door.

What about people? Do they stay the same or Londoners are changing as well?

Aspiring artists and musicians are finding fewer reasons to stay in the city - mainly because of increasing working and living costs especially to have a regular studio space. Over time that will definitely have an affect on the types of people choose to/can afford to live here.

Is there anything in London that you find changing for the best?

Sadly, with a lot of the best venues closing or now closed, there is sure to be a new generation of music and art coming together in areas of the city. To which helps the grassroots level of music venues in London create the scenes or establishments for the everyone involved in art or music. Times of turmoil and financial hardship often open up a big wave of creativity and alternative culture. London’s music scene has been squeezed out by redevelopers and dickhead neighbours, so the people are forced to find other ways to keep the music scene going. Gigs in private properties or industrial spaces are happening more and more these days.

What are the most exciting surviving rock’n’roll spots in the city at the moment?

Not many unfortunately but a lot of the bigger classic venues still are standing like Brixton Academy, Koko, The Forum. Which are all great venues. As for the smaller venues, New River Studios, our proverbial musical home is one of the last small venues in North East London that manages to keep integrity and great musical nights, as well as the Shacklewell Arms in Dalston. There’s a few still dotted around but pretty much all the historical sites are gone, I don’t think anywhere we spent most our nights growing up and gigging are there anymore. Maybe come back to us in a couple of years and see what comes up!

You have a new video coming out soon. Tell us about the video and the song.

The track is called ‘My Thang’ which is redux of ‘On My Thang’ that we put up as our first teaser track in 2017. It's a gritty dance tune about obsession, due for release on March 1st. We wanted to make a video with the same texture as the track… which you'll have to wait and see!

Where was the video shot? Is that place somehow remarkable or recognizable?

The video was shot in an 1960’s brutalist beer factory in East London that has temporarily been taken over by an art community before it gets converted into flats.

And a final set of questions! Would you like to visit Russia some day? As a tourist or on tour? What would be your expectations?

We’d love to visit Russia! Tour or tourist! Expectations would be very cold in winter and gloriously hot in summer!

Thank you very much for your answers!

Big & The Fat’s next single ‘My Thang’ will be out March 1st on We Can Do It Records. Lauch party will be at The Social on March 8th.

Follow Big & The Fat: Facebook | Instagram

[gigislands]

Listen to Forever Cult “Usurper”

A week ago today Leeds-based garage heroes Forever Cult unveiled “Usurper” - their first single written as a four-piece and featuring a new band member, second guitarist Wilko (ex-NARCS).

Taking a full advantage of the second guitar, the track is charged with an electrifying riff and at the same time demonstrates Forever Cult branded vocals at their best. Structured with a fresh for Forever Cult complexity, “Usurper” is mind-blowing both in terms of sound and lyrics.

Kieran Clarke talks about the meaning behind the track:

“Usurper is a cold observation of a night out. The lyrics are about my surroundings and the different feelings and thoughts I had as the night progressed. Slowly deteriorating until the final guitars swell into chaos just like my brain. It's the first song we wrote when Wilko joined the band. Also I think Usurper is a great word.”

The track is produced by Matt Peel who worked with the band earlier on “Tunnel Vision” single and “Homewrecker” EP and recorded at The Nave in Leeds.

Single “Usurper” is out now via Clue Records.

Follow Forever Cult: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud

[gigislands]

Dark Dark Horse "And Then We Had Nothing At All"

Leicester duo Dark Dark Horse have premiered an atmospheric video for their recent beautiful single “And Then We Had Nothing At All”. 

Dark Dark Horse’s Jamie Ward, producer and multi-instrumentalist, says about the video:

"I have a bit of an aversion to music videos, preferring to use more abstract treatments for the necessary visual element the internet demands of music. Fraser West's dreamy edit of drone footage captured in Cyprus really evokes a similar feeling of motion to the one I tried to create with the instrumental. The Mediterranean's blue hue perfectly echoing the tracks glistening synthesizers."

He also talks about their latest single:

"’And Then We Had Nothing At All’ is perhaps the most epic and ambitious song we've recorded so far. At over seven minutes long it defies the typical conventions of a single but it's power, beauty and grandeur was something we felt needed its own space. A kaleidoscope of swirling reverse synths, dusty samples from my mother’s children's music classes, pounding drums and sweeping violin… we really threw the kitchen sink at this one."

After a break the band returned with their latest EP "Luna II" in April 2017 and released their new single "And Then We Had Nothing At All" in January 2018. The lyrics are rather dark touching upon ambivalence which might be caused by overanalysing the present and closing eyes towards the real problems.

"And Then We Had Nothing At All" is out now via Little Fanfare.

Follow Dark Dark Horse: Facebook | Twitter

[gigislands]

The Wombats are back with euphoric fourth album

On February 9th The Wombats released their fourth album “Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life”. This is The Wombats we have been waiting to come back ever since “This Modern Glitch”.

Eleven new tracks continue a musical line of the trio’s first and second albums “A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation” and “This Modern Glitch” which took listeners over with lyrics full of self-irony and cheerful tunes accompanying stories of failures and trouble seeking. Consciously escaping synthetic sterility of the band's third album “Glitterbug”, The Wombats came back to their more relaxed and intensive sound.

Troop of electrified thrillers “Cheetah Tongue”, “Lemon to a Knife Fight”, “Turn” and “Black Flamingo” open the album to declare that The Wombats stay masters of catchy tunes and choruses born to be sung along by festival crowds. Yet, every next track offers something surprising to listeners - playful female back vocals in “White Eyes”, pretentious guitar solo in “Out Of My Head”, plain pop of “Lethal Combination”, shameless The Strokes-ness of “I Only Wear Black”, heartfelt mightiness of “I Don't Know Why I Like You but I Do”. It also seems that guitar and bass parts have never played such a significant role in The Wombats’ sound before.

In between the albums, the band changed all addresses, both professionally and personally. They left their permanent label The 14th Floor, the subdivision of Warner Music UK, and signed to an independent music company Kobalt Music Recordings. The Wombats started working on their fourth album from the three corners of the world. Frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy had moved to Los Angeles just before "Glitterbug" to be with his girlfriend (wife now) and wrote many of the songs at his new home. No surprise lyrically the album is inspired by dealing with temptations of LA and ups and downs of relationships. Dan lived in London while Tord settled in Oslo where the band gathered for fortnight-long writing sessions. Recording took place at “The Pool” in Bermondsey and “One Eyed Jacks” in Wimbledon with Mark Crew (Bastille, Rag’n’Bone Man) and Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice) as producers.

Whether “Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life” will cause a new wave of Wombats-mania or not, the new record definitely took their sound to the next level and guaranteed that crowds all around the UK will be singing along to their new songs during their sold out headline tour in March.

The Wombats’ brand new album "Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life" is out now via Kobalt Music Recordings.

Live dates:

March 9 – O2 Academy, Sheffield (SOLD OUT)

March 10 – Empire, Coventry (SOLD OUT)

March 11 – Academy, Manchester (SOLD OUT)

March 13 – Limelight2, Belfast

March 14 – Academy, Dublin

March 16 – Great Hall, Cardiff (SOLD OUT)

March 17 – O2 Academy, Sheffield (SOLD OUT)

March 19 – Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen

March 20 – O2 Academy 1, Newcastle (SOLD OUT)

March 21 – Rock City, Nottingham (SOLD OUT)

March 23 – O2 Institute 1, Birmingham (SOLD OUT)

March 24 – Academy, Manchester (SOLD OUT)

March 25 – UEA, Norwich (SOLD OUT)

March 27 – Alexandra Palace, London

March 28 – O2 Academy, Bristol (SOLD OUT)

March 29 – O2 Guildhall, Southampton (SOLD OUT)

Follow The Wombats: Official website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud | Spotify | Apple Music

[gigislands]

Listen to Petrol Girls "Deflate"

Petrol Girls stream their brand new track "Deflate" taken from upcoming debut album "Talk of Violence" out on November 18 via Bomber Music.

The band’s vocalist and guitarist Ren Aldridge talks about the track: 

" ‘Deflate’ is mostly about bursting big egos so that their owner can see past them again. The end lyrics switch to ‘I want to stick a pin between my eyes’ because I really feel like any of us can get blinded by our own egos, and for me personally, most of my anger gets redirected inward. I’ve seen so many things get fucked up because of individuals - often men - making things all about them and not thinking about how their behaviour affects other people. I’ve also been thinking a lot about the difference between acting like you’re doing something and actually doing it, especially now social media dominates so much of our lives. I guess I just feel like it’s always worth reflecting on our motivations for doing stuff, especially political activities. 

The song grew out of an acoustic song I wrote years ago for my other band Feralus. This was a really strange writing process for Petrol Girls because we began with vocals and drums. I had a really clear idea for how I wanted the vocal rhythm to be and Zock built the drums up around that before the others added guitar and bass. We also reinserted a small melodic section from the original. I updated the lyrics at the recording stage, including a second melodic section that plays on that famous Emma Goldman quote, ‘If I can’t dance then I don’t want to be part of your revolution’. This was because some guy came up to us whilst we were instigating a solid dance party, blasting Cher or something, after we played this squat in Zurich, and said that he no longer thought we were ‘authentic’ because we were dancing to ‘capitalist music’."

Currently Petrol Girls are on European tour with Dead Kennedys. Upcoming live dates including headline gigs in Germany are listed below.

October

18 – Rockhal, Luxembourg, Luxembourg  20 – Alter Schlachthof, Wiesbaden, Germany 21 – Live Music Hall, Cologne, Germany 22 – Substage, Karlsruhe, Germany 23 – Capitol, Hannover, Germany 25 – Dynamo, Zurich, Switzerland 27 – Boogaloo, Zagreb, Croatia 29 – Rock Planet, Ravenna, Italy 30 – Circolo Magnolia, Milan, Italy

November

2 – Backstage Club, Munich, Germany

3 – Desi, Nuremberg, Germany

4 – White Rabbit, Freiburg, Germany

"Deflate" is taken from Petrol Girls’ debut album "Talk of Violence" which will be released via Bomber Music on 18th November, 2016 and is available for pre-order now.

Follow Petrol Girls: Facebook | Bandcamp 

[gigislands]

Tiny Moving Parts “Common Cold”

Minnesota's trio Tiny Moving Parts shared a new music video for "Common Cold". The band was also announced as support to The Wonder Years and PUP on their UK Tour in January and February 2017.

Tiny Moving Parts’ newest video "Common Cold" features guest appearance from Foxing vocalist Conor Murphy who is also a guest vocalist on the track taken from the band’s most recent album "Celebrate". 

"Celebrate" is a complex and dynamic record that shows a band all grown up. "’Celebrate’ is really about optimism. Things get stressful throughout life, and you just need to stay positive or you'll destroy yourself," explains guitarist/vocalist Dylan Mattheisen. 

The album was recorded with Greg Lindholm who worked on "This Couch Is Long & Full of Friendship" earlier. It was mixed by Vince Ratti (Circa Survive, The Wonder Years, Title Fight) and mastered by Sarah Register (Andrew WK, Brand New, Sia).

Tiny Moving Parts are currently on tour with Touche Amore and Culture Abuse Stateside and will be back to the UK and Europe in January and February 2017 as a support to The Wonder Years with PUP joining on the UK dates. Upcoming UK and European dates are listed below.

January

28 - The Workman's Club, Dublin, Ireland 29 - Empire Music Hall, Belfast, Ireland 31 - Stylus, Leeds, UK

February

01 - Koko, London, UK 03 - O2 Institute,  Birmingham, UK 04 - QMU, Glasgow, UK 05 - O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK 07 - Le Backstage By The Mill, Paris, France 08 - Kavka, Antwerp, Belgium 09 - De Helling, Utrecht, Netherlands 10 - Cafe Nova, Essen, Germany  12 - Sunny Red, Munich, Germany  14 - Dynamo, Zurich, Switzerland  15 - Legend Club, Milan, Italy  17 - Sala Boveda, Barcelona, Spain  18 - Moby Dick, Madrid, Spain 

"Celebrate" is out now via Big Scary Monsters. 

Follow Tiny Moving Parts: Official Website | Bandcamp 

[gigislands]

Colour of Spring “Snow”

Leeds dreamers Colour Of Spring revealed a music video for their latest single "Snow" released on September 23rd via Swirly Records. 

While enchantment of the tune and vocals tends to make the mind float away right till a burst of sound finishing the song, the video, on the contrary, helps to focus on intensity of riffs and meaning behind the words which it frames perfectly.

The band's guitarist Robin Deione, who runs his own photography company 83Photography and shot all the band’s videos so far, talks about an idea behind his newest work: "The song 'Snow' is quite a personal one to front man Shane, so I wanted to make the main focus of the video about him. I had the idea of trying to make it like a dream going on in his head. The close-ups of his face are him talking to and rationalising with himself, while the shots of the forest and him falling are meant to symbolise the idea of being lost or unsure of his emotions.”

"'Snow' is mainly about inner conflict. About self analysing your short comings and bad habits while wanting to change them for someone you care for. ‘Snow’ is the experience of knowing somebody who eventually disappears from your life over time,” ­ - Shane explains the meaning behind the track.

Robin continues about implementing the symbolism of “Snow” in the video: “At the time of filming Shane felt quite self-conscious about the idea but after seeing it was pleased that it portrayed the same feelings visually as he was trying to express musically."

“Snow” was produced by Alex Greaves of Peak Studios who worked with Colour of Spring on their last two singles as well as with The Orielles, TRASH, NARCS, Allusondrugs, Fighting Caravans, etc. The track is out now on Swirly Records and available online and in a cassette format with exclusive B-Sides.

Follow Colour of Spring: Facebook | Tumblr | Twitter |  Soundcloud

[gigislands]

Palace “Holy Smoke”

Londoners Palace presented an atmospheric video for their sad and beautiful single “Holy Smoke”. Just as the song itself, the video - shot “in one day without any sleep from getting back from tour the night before”, according to the band’s Facebook, - is full of light and reflection.

The band’s frontman Leo Wyndham explains the origins of the song: “Someone once told me that when someone dies you have to open the window to let their soul escape. The Holy Smoke. This song is about being in that situation which I was, not that long ago. It’s about losing someone close to you, and experiencing something quite spiritual in the moments after death – when by their side.”

Reflecting on the difficult topic, both moving lyrics of “Holy Smoke” and its charming tune manage to dispel sorrow and bring comfort to a vulnerable situation of coping with death of a close person.

The video made by the band with the help from Jack Munsch and “a team of legends” features wonderful projection work by Augustin Cross and reveals real people behind cover art of “Lost in the Night” and “Chasing the Light” EPs.

“Holy Smoke” is the third single taken from Palace’s upcoming debut album "So Long Forever". Singles “Break The Silence” and “Have Faith” have already revealed the band’s excellence in creating thrilling guitar music and putting topics which listeners may easily relate to into clever, meaningful lyrics.

Debut album "So Long Forever" is due on November 4th. Pre-order the album here.

Follow Palace: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | YouTube

[gigislands]

Interview: Broken Witt Rebels

The heart and soul of Birmingham, one of the most original and one of their kind bands at the modern UK music scene, a four-piece Broken Witt Rebels had a hell of a year with recruiting a new member, signing to management, playing multiple shows in the capital and recording a new EP “Georgia Pine” which is set for release on April 15. It has been ages since we talked to the band last time so Gig Islands’ contributor Masha Polyakova caught up with the boys before their gig at Jazz Café last December and talked through all the news and expectations.

Firstly, let us introduce James Dudley – a new drummer for Broken Witt Rebels. “All the band calls me J.D.” Dudley says “cos we have two James’ in the band - one on the guitar [James Tranter] and myself, of course. So J.D. and J.T. - it just makes it easier. I’ve joined recently, we’ve just been in the studio and I’m joining tonight’s show.”

Broken Witt Rebels’ frontman Danny Core recalls how the new drummer got on the band’s radar. “When we met James he played with the band called The Stacks, we were fans of them. I saw James soundcheck, and it was like “Jeez”. I don’t think I gave an applause to anyone for soundcheck for purely drumming. When he wasn’t playing music for a while and I heard that, we said: “James, do you mind jumping in?” We talked, he jumped in, and it’s fantastic, we are really happy.”

“It was a bit funny, actually,” Danny continues “cos I knew James just in say hello, really small chit chat form, but I knew I want him in the band. I knew that at some point he would be our drummer, but I didn’t know him. We are just lucky enough he said yes. [He brings new influence] massively. I mean like going forward, loaded with new music, James gave us excitement for the next step, even experiment.”

J.D. says “I’ve been in the band before called the Stacks who had a few songs digitally distributed. We were touring and gigging to some extent. I remember when I was in that band every time we played a show with Broken Witt Rebels, I’d say to the rest of the members in the band “God, these guys are great. Can’t wait to play the show with these guys.” But to be actually sat at the drum kit with this guys in front of me, it’s a dream come true, really.”

In 2015 Broken Witt Rebels got signed to Creative Sounds management. Danny recalls the story of getting a deal. “Our manager heard us on Amazing Radio. He had it on by chance, heard us playing and said “I need to know more”. He got in touch with us, and we went and met him. And, after a couple of matinees, we just said “yeah”. This is a man for a job. We took him on.”

The band’s bass player Luke Davis talks about the influence which having management had on the band. “It’s pushing us further to open more doors, to be able to break into the market better. [Personally] not that things changed for us, really. We’re just doing more. It’s all positive. It’s good to have a manager, to have people behind. He takes all of the business, and we got to concentrate purely on the music.”

J.D. continues “When you’re not thinking about “I have to be there, I have to do this. I have to do x,y,z”, - when you don’t do business side of things, you have more time to be creative. It’s a massive positive.”

Luke says “We didn’t have management, we haven’t even thought about management. And Ade reached out - always the man to talk to. Also, Kat [Kugler, PR manager], who is with us tonight, she really helped us out. And still does.”

Talking about last year, Danny recalls other highlights of 2015. “Camden Rocks was really good. But, as four of us now, we’ve just come out of the studio and finished the second EP. That’s been a highlight as we are now, I think.”

New EP “Georgia Pine” will be released in mid-April and the band discusses in which direction new recording went comparing to previous EPs. Luke says ”The next EP is a massive progression from where we are. I don’t think we’ve changed because what we do it’s what we do. But it’s definitely a massive progression. The sound is bigger. Everything has moved forward.”

J.D. says “As I said earlier, I’ve played many shows with these guys, just not in the same band. To be on the drum kit, especially when we went to the studio and recorded new songs, feels absolutely great. They had some direction towards how they wanted the songs to sound. They said: “Make it big. Make drums thunderous”. I’m really excited for what is coming up really. I didn’t want to sound like a new drummer, I wanted to sound like a drummer who have been here for a long time. And I wanted to be pretty seamless. So we spend a week going throw the old material or material that is quite popular now in the studio. I’m pretty excited. It’s like a fresh start for me and for the band as well.”

Danny summarizes the new EP in his own way. “We are just strong. It’s like I’m on steroids. It’s what we believe in and we’ve just raised the bar.” Here comes the question we’ve been wondering about for quite some time – how did the frontman “on steroids” discover his unique vocals? 

Danny says “I was playing guitar and sort of changed over to singing. People started complementing me. I honestly took their complements as insults. I don’t know why, I just thought they are winding me up. And then, people said “No, no, seriously. You could have been a singer”. Okay. Cool. I mean, with the help from these guys I just grew, developed my confidence. I knew I had the power, I knew my tone. I just never looked at myself as a singer, but now I’m a singer. Probably, the best as well. [laughs] Better than Sam Smith! And Adele! I’m a male version of Adele.”

Last year Broken Witt Rebels became frequent guests to London and as a band they enjoy playing the capital. “It is good. It’s completely different to Birmingham which got a great history for music, but it’s not much happening there now for music, not for our genre. But in London, wherever we seem to go, it’s a full house. We will keep playing, as long as people keep coming.” The band doesn’t exclude a possibility that they may even move to London. “We spend quite more time here, so probably we would [move] eventually.”

Broken Witt Rebels seem to be on the way to something big in 2016 so Gig Islands’ last question for them is what is their dream venue to play. “For me,” Danny says “it’s a Bluebird in Nashville. It’s an iconic venue.” Luke continues “I love to say Glastonbury. I would love to play the festival with the crowd that you know will be a huge.” Finally J.D. comes up with his first choice “I will be really arrogant, and say “Let’s play Wembley”. Probably not next year, but that would be a good call.”

In the meantime, this Spring the band is going on tour. The dates are above and you can follow updates at the band’s website.

Broken Witt Rebels’ new EP “Georgia Pine” is coming on April 15th, pre-order is available digitally here and as a limited physical edition here.

Follow Broken Witt Rebels: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud

[gigislands]

Brand new DIY music festival JUX comes to Leeds this February

JUX is a new festival of music organised by Matt Woodward (Stargaze Recs, Galaxians, Azores) and Michael Ainsley (Yard Wars, The Ainsley Band), which aims to create a broad palette of musical fun and bring together some of the active participants of different musical communities across the north. 

juxtaposition. [juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uh n] /ˌdʒʌk stə pəˈzɪʃ ən/ 1. An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. 2. The state of being close together or side by side.

JUX is coming to a legendary Leeds venue Brudenell Social Club on February 20th. The first festival includes following acts from Leeds, London, Manchester, and Sheffield:

SHIFT WORK (Houndstooth, Optimo) | GALAXIANS (Dither Down, Stargaze) | BLOOD SPORT (Hybrid Vigour, BLAST First (Petite)) | CACTUS KNIFE | MAKANITZA | MILK CRIMES | JOANNE | YARD WARS | MI MYE | TAKE TURNS | GAME_PROGRAM (Hookworms, Nope, Cowtown)

Follow JUX: Website | Facebook

[gigislands]

Listen to masses “Cold Shoulder”

The first release 2016 at Gig Islands is “Cold Shoulder” by masses - the first single from the Leeds band’s #twelvetwelve project which will see masses releasing a new single every month this year.

“Cold Shoulder” is a magical pop ballad filled with dark, hopeless mood emphasized with delicate guitar chords, synths and back vocals. As we said a year ago, pop music hasn’t been so powerful and touching for a while.

Single “Cold Shoulder” is out now and available for free download at Bandcamp.

Follow masses: Official website| Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud

[gigislands]

Interview: Forever Cult

Our interview with Forever Cult was the last post at the Russian edition of Gig Islands in 2015. This year it is the first post of our English blog. Leeds-based trio Forever Cult is one of the bands we love to write about and chat with. This time our very special London contributor Masha Polyakova went to see their gig at The Old Blue Last and had a chat with the band in the backstage of the Shoreditch venue about their latest single “Tunnel Vision”, living in the wilderness, touring Scotland, playing Reading & Leeds too early in the career and covering their label mates’ songs.

The latest release by Forever Cult is a double single “Tunnel Vision” / “Something in the Water” (Too Pure Singles Club). While “Something in the Water” is actually something that attenders of the band’s gigs expected to hear in a studio version for quite a while, “Tunnel Vision” arrived as a single unexpectedly and impressed unprepared listeners with its pop-punky-ish, American spirited sound.

“I’ve never been to America [but] I’ve heard that a lot,” the band’s frontman, singer and guitar player Kieran Clarke says. “It was just like a party song that we had for ages. When we recorded it that was Matt Peel who’s worked with Eagulls, Pulled Apart By Horses and he sort of helped it to become a song. To be fair, it was just a bit stuck together. It was just something we’ve been playing now and then. We didn’t see it as a single to go on 7’’ or anything back then, it was just a song. But really, recording with Matt Peel molded it into what it is now. I like it, it’s quite jolly, isn’t it?”

“It’s happy,” the band’s bass player Alex Greaves continues. “Originally [“Tunnel Vision”] wasn’t actually gonna be the single. The B-side - which is “Something in the Water” – that was gonna be the single, and then once we actually finished “Tunnel Vision” in the studio and we actually knew that it should be A-side. It became a lot more of a pop song than we ever really thought that would be.”

“It sounds like the Breeders crashed with like Wavves or something, it’s cool,” – Kieran concludes. Clarke’s love for Wavves is well-known and finally finds its reflection on this record. Actually, days before the release the whole band went to see Wavves at Brudenell Social Club in Leeds.

“It was probably the best gig of the year. We’ve seen a lot of gigs this year as well, but that was the best,” - the band’s drummer Aaron Snowdon says about the night.

Alex adds: “It’s not often that we all get to go to gigs together”. And there is no surprise since the band’s frontman and key songwriter Clarke lives in County Durham. “I live in the wilderness,” as he puts it himself and adds: “I like living in the hills.”

“What do you call it? The land that time forgot,” Alex interferes the band mate and the trio goes into discussing how those places used to be Yorkshire until the 1970s.

Kieran continues: “So I haven’t moved to Leeds. I’d like to, but I’m not gonna yet.”

“I don’t think it affects us too much to be honest,” Alex says discussing the band’s progress. “At the end of the day, Kieran writes the bulk of the music, so he does that in his bedroom anyway. And he would do that in his bedroom, if he did that at Leeds or in New York or something. It still would be the same kind of process of working. I guess we would be sharing slightly more songs. But we all busy anyway. We don’t really struggle right now with new tunes. We manage.”

“I learned to drive. I’m mobile now. It’s not too bad, it’s only like an hour’s drive,” – Kieran adds.

No need to mention - but we will anyway - that Forever Cult aren’t planning to move to London. However, they have a couple of nice things to say about the capital. 

“A couple of shows down here have been really really good,” Alex says. “Last time the one in the [Camden] Barfly was really good.”

Still, the best live experience belongs to home shows. Kieran says: “We played the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, July. We packed up the Games [Room] that was like our homecoming show. That was really cool. That’s off the bucket list. We gonna do it again on Saturday 5th December [2015].”

Were those gigs better or at least comparable to playing Reading and Leeds Festivals’ BBC Introducing Stage in 2014? “In some way playing Leeds & Reading was totally premature for us,” Alex admits. “Not that I think that it was wrong that we got to do it. It was ace we got to do it.”

“We aren’t the band now that we were back then,” Kieran says. “We are different now. That was the first time we got into van full of this gear, it was a long drive. We haven’t really left Leeds at this point.”

Alex adds: “Now I kinda think if we do Reading and Leeds now it would be so much better.”

“It was like… You got to Reading and it’s like “You are on at 11 [o’clock] ‘cause Jake Bugg’s doing a secret set”. Naaah! Wuuut?” Kieran laughs.

The band’s latest touring experience includes gigs in Scotland which Forever Cult find very different to gigs in English cities.

“The crowds are more appreciative,” Aaron reflects. “People are there to watch you. They actually give a shit and actually enjoy what you doing, and they come up and chat to you afterwards. Some guy was telling me: “It’s not my thing personally, I’m more into like The Prodigy and all that but I like a bit of party.” So we had a little discussion and then he was like “Yeah, you guys were good”. It’s nice ‘cause sometimes you play some places…”

“Especially, when you play places you’ve never played before,” Alex continues. “Like you go there and you speak to the bands and speak to promoters and just people at the bar – everyone will be super nice, makes it less weird.”

Still the best moment of the latest tour is… “Snowy got shat on. A bird shat on Snowy.” Kieran and Alex laugh but, jokes aside, they continue: “Just like playing new places. A lot of places on the tour where we’ve never played before. And actually having good gigs.”

Aaron remembers: “We played in Hull, and we didn’t expect that would be that good. But it was like 40-50 people there, stuck around, bought T-shirts, CDs, vinyls and actually appreciated it.”

From a chat about touring we move to discussing songwriting. Does Kieran ever experiences a need to express his political views as a songwriter? In short – no.

“Music is fun to me. Music is something that gets me into a happy mood,” Kieran explains. “I’m not here to rock about my political beliefs. I don’t think we should ever do it. I have opinions but in song format – I don’t buy into that. Sorry, some people might like it. I heard Rage Against The Machine and they were great. I can’t beat that. It’s just girls and bus stops, and what happens one night – stuff like that. Music is fun to me.”

Alex adds: “It’s not something that we are against. Like NARCS - that’s a like super super political band. And they are the coolest band. They are so good. But we are not that band and we never would be.”

Mentioning NARCS, what songs by their label mates signed to Clue Records Forever Cult would like to cover? Kieran chooses “Plasters” by Allusondrugs – “but like really really slow”.

Aaron suggests his picks: “I’d definitely do “Nervous”. I would always do “Nervous” ‘cause we can play it as a three piece. By TRASH, I’d probably do “Hot Coffee”. And probably if I had to choose something by NARCS…. “19”,” – and the rest of the band approves his choice of the last song.

Finally, we are excited to hear about upcoming releases. At this point Kieran slightly disappoints: “We can’t say anything about it. We actually can’t - sorry! It’s all secret but maybe in the middle of the next year.”

Well, we are patient enough when it comes to great releases. Meanwhile, Forever Cult are back to London on January 12 when they play Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen with Frauds and Gillbanks and perform at The Packhorse Pub in Leeds with NARCS and Black Surf on January 23. 

Double single “Tunnel Vision” / “Something in the Water” is available for purchase via digital music stores and as a limited edition white 7” vinyl.

Interview by Masha Polyakova | Words by Anna Alpatova | Photo by James Akbar Photography

[gigislands]

Nat Jenkins and The Heartcaves «Turn Me On»

So many news from just one band! Nat Jankins and The Heartcaves announced that they are 1) playing with The Kooks this Friday (December 18th) at O2 Forum in London; 2) releasing a new album called “Back To The Island” in March 2016; 3) revealing a new video “Turn Me On” right now as a taster of the future record!

Nat Jenkins and Robbie Heart moved from London to Paris in late 2013. There they formed Nat Jenkins and The Heartcaves with The Heartcaves - a French rhythm section pairing of Pierre Juarez and Stephane Chandelier - and British keyboardist Johnny Manning.

The band recorded “Back To The Island” at Tango Zulu studios in Paris. The record is co-produced by Swann and Henry Blanc Francard and mixed by Swann. 

“Turn Me On” full of catchy vocal lines accompanied with harmony of slick guitars and rhythms is a promosing invitation to the album.

On December 18th the band will play a sold out show with The Kooks at The Forum in London and in 2016 they are back on the road with La Femme and Molotov Jukebox for a range of headline shows.

"Back to the Island” will be released in the UK in March 2016 via Mirador. 

Follow Nat Jenkins & The Heartcaves: Official website | Facebook | Twitter | Mirador

[gigislands]

Ghostpoet “Be Right Back, Moving House”

Ghostpoet unveiled a brand new video for the current single “ Be Right Back, Moving House”  taken from the third studio album “Shedding Skin” shortlisted for this year’s Mercury Prize.

The video is directed by SBlood, who says: “the video is about every person’s struggle to achieve what they want, being trapped in the machine and the boredom of never ending routine. The track and the idea were a perfect fit, lyrically giving me an image of a man climbing an endless set of stairs, one step at a time. The idea was to create a dream-like sense to the video, influenced by the art of MC Escher and Japanese Anime artist Satoshi Kon”.

“Be Right Back, Moving House" and "Shedding Skin" are available now via Play It Again Sam.

Follow Ghostpoet: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter

[gigislands]

False Heads “Steal and Cheat”

East London punk-infuenced newcomers False Heads revealed their brand new video for the current single “Steal and Cheat” out via Gary Powell’s 25 Hour Convenience Store on december 11th.

Quite foil-y and heavily “censored” new video is a great accompaniment to a fresh and energetic punk-driven track which “Steal and Cheat” is. No surprise the young band has already attracted attention of BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, NME, Clash Magazine, Q Magazine, Artrocker and Drowned In Sound.

«Steal and Cheat» is due via 25 Hour Convenience Store on December 11th and will be available in digital music outlets. New EP is due in early 2016 and a new tour will be announced soon.

Follow False Heads: Official website | Facebook | Label’s official website