The Great Escape Festival Highlight: Day Two

Tom Misch

On the second night of the festival, Coalition nightclub upon Brighton seafront was starting to fill up with people ready to witness the twenty-year old producer/DJ/guitarist/composer prodigy that is Tom Misch.

The exciting buzz of the venue increased the crowd’s anticipation to hear the fresh sounds of jazzy guitar improv and dreamy melodies being grounded by hip-hop beats. Misch graced the stage alongside his violinist and drummer, guitar in hand and kicked off the set list with instrumental track ‘Home’ from his album ‘Beat Tape 2’, released in August last year. Everyone struggled to stand still to the sleek beats and guitar solos that continued to impress the audience. In awe of how effortlessly his fingers moved around the fret board, he received an abundance of cheering and took them gratefully, clearly appreciative of the positive reception. Having collaborated with other fellow new artists, it was an extra treat for the crowd as he brought singer Carmody and virtuoso rapper Loyle Carner on stage to join him for tracks ‘Release Me’, and ‘Nightgowns’. A premiere of his new single ‘Watch Me Dance’ also featured on the set list and didn’t disappoint as it provided the catchy chorus’, smooth guitar chords and carefree beats that Misch is known for. The 45-minute set was a definite highlight of my weekend and I couldn’t help but leave with a feeling of inadequacy having seen someone of the same age showcase talent like he did. 

The Great Escape Festival Highlights - Day One

On the 19th of May, The Great Escape Festival hit off their tenth year running as people flocked to the British seaside town of Brighton to get ready for the hundreds of exciting new artists and musicians performing across the weekend.

Sam Wills

Twenty-three year old Sam Wills took to the New Road Stage on Thursday afternoon to provide a set of summery electronic soul. As the sun shone down on the Brighton lanes, Wills created the perfect festival vibe with his velvety vocals and solid keyboard/drum combo. Having collaborated with Karma-Kid on the production for his debut track 'Electrified', the Hastings born musician has clearly worked hard to be able to do live performances that mirrors the talent and production quality heard in his recorded material. He effortlessly got the crowd swooning at his voice and dancing at every beat drop, whilst remaining humble and grateful in between songs.

Since the release of his debut EP 'So Bright' on the 13th of May, the soloist has gained over 300k plays on Spotify and sold out his first ever London show. It's clear that his hard work is paying off as his list of live shows becomes longer and having featured on tracks such as Tom Misch's dreamy 'In The Midst of It All', audiences are being drawn in by the combination of those deep synth bass lines and beats underneath RnB and soul inspired vocal melodies.

Blaenavon

Whilst angsty indie rock isn't always my cup of tea, these three boys from Hampshire certainly made a lasting impression as respectful number of people gathered to see them play at Coalition on Thursday night. The venue erupted and with tracks like 'Prague' and 'I Will Be The World', I couldn't help but feel as though it would have been perfect in the teen drama Skins as they merged carefree catchy riffs alongside loud and emotive chorus'.

With a frontman that can not only amuse the crowd with his quirky banter in between songs, display some impressive head banging AND be a model for Burburry, Blaenavon are on track for success having also just announced a headlining UK tour and the release of their debut album.

Khurangbin

This three piece funk band from Texas really surprised me as they played Coalition late Thursday night. Opening the set with 'Dern Kala', those inital bass and guitar riffs were all it took for me to get into the groove of their funk and soul fusion. The steady beat carried me along and almost became hypnotic as they flowed each track into one another, filling the venue with a dreamy atmosphere and transfixing each audience member. I found myself humming the melodies days afterwards and inevitably, they have become my go to artist on Spotify. My personal faves are 'People Everywhere (Still Alive)' and 'Mr. White'.

Written by Hannah Jolley

NEWS: McFly are back and they're causing a stir like it's 2004

Yep, that's right. The pop band that formed back in the early noughties are back with an anthology tour, after not making an appearance on the scene for over 2 years. McFly have had several number ones and hit albums over the 10 years that they've been together. And every nineties kid must have some form of nostalgia associated with hits like '5 Colours in Her Hair' and 'Obviously', whether that be dancing around as a 9 year old fangirl or having a drunken singalong in the bath with your friends (both situations I am not familiar with of course...)

After rumours were drawn from various ticketing website, the confirmation of the tour came from the band member's on Twitter and a trailer for the tour then followed. Scrolling through the hashtag trending, anyone would think we're back in 2004 as the announcement has caused a riot with everyone reacting as though they've just heard the devastating news of Busted's break-up. I was heavily involved in the McFly fanbase for the majority, if not all of my teenage years so this news was a delight for me too as I can finally stop thinking about how I've lost those years and actually go and relive them instead (hiding from my responsibility as an adult as I do so!)

As it is quite self explanatory in the name, the band will be playing their whole recorded anthology across three nights in four UK cities in June 2016. Ticket prices haven't been released yet but will go on sale at 9am this Friday on Livenation and o2 Priority. I urge you to go to experience three nights of blissful pop nostalgia. 

Written by Hannah Jolley

Tame Impala Gig Review: A Night of Explosive Psychedelia

Having first seen the Australian psychedelic pop/rockers nail their headline spot last September at End of The Road Festival, I was more than happy to see the announcement of them taking to the stage at London's Alexandra Palace two nights in a row. 

Fellow Australian rock three-piece Jagwar Ma supported the show, getting the party started with bass fuelled rock anthems such as 'Man I Need' and 'Come Save Me'. I often feel that booking agents get it wrong with support acts being nothing of a similar genre to the main artist but this was spot on. They set the buzzing atmosphere, teasing the crowd with the highly anticipated sounds of fun dreamy rock. We were also stood right next to the sound deck, so had the added treat of watching the engineer make the sound of electronic trancey hooks echo around the venue. 

Being my first experience of live music at Ally Pally, Tame Impala certainly set the bar high for future gigs there. They opened the set with appropriately named 'Intro' accompanied by mesmerising graphics as a backdrop, before transitioning into the explosive seven minute hit 'Let It Happen'. They refreshed my memory of how great they were last time I saw them, encapsulating everything that is remembered about the 'Summer of Love' 70s psychedelic era.

             

You could feel that the band, fronted by Kevin Parker, were investing all their energy and love into the last night of their European tour and the crowd were emulating that same energy back, with the sound of every fan roaring along to the whole set list. Not only were the band on point but the lighting and sound engineers played a big part in making the night an experience as opposed to an ordinary gig. The colours and streams of light suited the mood of each track along with the music floating from left to right out of the speakers at just the right points in the songs. 

I didn't have myself down as a huge fan of psychedelic rock, but Tame Impala have become the exception. 

Written by Hannah Jolley

The Man Behind Mesita: "A Previous Dream of Being Signed Fell Apart" Interview

Colorado based experimental singer/songwriter, producer and musician James Cooley has been releasing music online under the title of Mesita for nearly eight years now. Having built up a creditable following of over 4,000 since making his debut in 2008, I caught up with him to get an insight into the man behind the music.  

With six albums and counting since his online debut, Cooley has certainly been busy and dedicated to making music from the offset. Having followed his music since the release of his third album ‘Here’s to Nowhere’ in 2011, I’ve always gone to his online catalogue for reassuring sounds of upbeat electro pop. However, the two latest tracks that he’s released through social media platforms have taken a turn down the darker and heavier path. That’s not to say I’m disappointed. The chalk sketch artwork done by Sam Mulholland and theme of the new tracks is set in monochrome, which posed the question of whether this was a conscious change or a natural progression for Cooley. “I always like the look of that monochrome greyscale around the New Year,” he explains. “I think it’s hopeful. It’s a blank slate, the start of something new to build on. When spring comes, the color rushes back, hits like a wave.”

He adds: “These first few tracks are kind of cleaning up old demons and getting them out before I start the album. To really prepare to put together some new magic.”

Despite the challenge of it being hard for a musician to rely on their work to pay the bills with the growth in the online world, Cooley is one of the few artists that still insist on giving his followers the option to download his music without putting a price to it. “If people want to download and listen to my music, that alone is worth it,” he says. “I started out more than a decade ago with ‘illegal downloading’ leaks on a Radiohead forum. It’s how I was able to hear so much awesome music the radio wasn’t playing. It’s only right to approach releasing my music with the same mind-set.”

Using music as a way of “operating” and travel as a source for inspiration, Cooley comes across as an artist that tries to embrace every opportunity with open arms, turning any negatives into positives along the way. A main example of this being that unfortunately common story of an artist working their fingers to the bone for that dream chance of being offered a recording contract. “I had a record label finally getting that contract offer, fly me out to NYC on their dime. I performed in their office, just a short set because we had to wait for Steve Vai to finish his Indian food in the conference room,” he laughs. “But they liked it and told me they were going to sign me. It was so surreal, my dream coming true, and everything was falling into place. A month later, they ended up folding before they could never send me a contract. Everything I hoped for suddenly fell out of the sky.”

Having an experience like that would dishearten most musicians, with it being able to go one-way or the other for their level of motivation. But for Cooley, it’s driven him to make impromptu decisions in the past. “No way could I go back to where I was after experiencing that. I needed to move,” he says. “So I dropped out of college, packed up a car and drove out to Seattle on a whim without knowing anything at all to expect, having never been there or knowing anything about where I would end up, just to experience something new and feel like I was still heading somewhere better.”

He adds: “At first it felt magical, so right, it was so invigorating. I lived a few blocks from the space needle, would go to dive bars on Cap Hill, walk around and explore the place. But I started sliding back into the same ruts, everything felt like it was grinding to a halt again. The honeymoon was over, and I made the decision to leave and drive back home to Colorado. It felt devastating.”

This is where the positive bit comes in. His most recognised track, and one of my personal favourites ‘Somewhere Else’, sweeps you up into a floaty four-minutes of summery sounding dreaminess. But after reading into the lyrics, the sound acts as an illusion for disguising Cooley’s discontented mind-set at the time of writing it. “I wrote that song about a month before I left for home, soaked in that odd limbo of wanting to leave but having nowhere to go,” he says. “I wrote it as a simple song when I was still trying to convince myself I could play out live. Recorded it quick and slapped it up online, no thought in my head it would become a lot of people’s favorite.” He adds: “But that’s just it, the helpful thing about being in motion, to be forced to at least change it up somehow. ‘What if I had done?’ becomes ‘What if I go and do?’.”

When most artist’s and bands are asked about their favourite part of the job, the common response is them proceeding to tell anecdotes that start with the line ‘There was a time on tour when…’But for Mesita, touring is proving to be a difficult challenge to pull off when you’re a one man band.

“I want to tour so much. I can’t put it together on my own, and feel I need someone to help me along,” he says. “Every morning, waking up to an empty inbox. Sometimes it’s hard to keep thinking like this music thing will still end up working out. Sounds pitiful, but it’s honestly to the point of waiting for a superman, some break that will finally get me touring.”

Anticipating that lucky break seems to have lead Cooley in a great direction for musical development and as cliché as it sounds, he’s proving that that light at the end of the tunnel does exist for artists working independently. “I’m in the best place I’ve ever been right now,” he says. “New York City is incredible, and it wouldn’t have happened without bouncing around all over before to get here. It offers so much, so it doesn’t feel like sitting still. Not yet anyway.”

With the increasing importance of the Internet and digital media in musical distribution, getting your work heard as a musician is becoming more and more accessible. Of course it has its pros and cons compared to Rough Trade’s early years of having a DIY work ethic and spending hours hand making CDs to hand-deliver. Saving time and money with that side of the business has opened up endless possibility; helping artists like Mesita develop their music massively in the past few years. “After that basic structure is put up, something like a complex sort of click track, there’s infinite possibility in where to take it melodically, switch it up and adventure with it,” he explains. “That’s where the improv magic and exploration happens, through a basic idea that gets built upon and turns into something new. I absolutely love that part of the process.”

 Having experienced downfalls and disappointments, the result for Cooley has changed his outlook for the better and is enjoying the freedom now more than ever. “The best part of being unsigned is there aren’t any rules,” he says. “I’m starting to wake up to that, venture out and make some more stuff, not worry as much about the DIY-hype thing, but instead, make the sounds that feel right.”

Written by Hannah Jolley
Quotes by James Cooley

Laura Mvula Single Review - Overcome ft Nile Rodgers

Most of us would recognise Laura Mvula's silky voice from the track 'Green Garden', which was used on Special K's Granola advert. If you don't remember it, it was accompanied by more than enough slow motion shots of middle aged women happily skipping through fields after eating cereal, a situation we can all relate to I'm sure...

After having a three year break since the release of her debut album 'Sing to The Moon', Mvala is back with this banger of a track 'Overcome', alongside Rodgers for the provision of funky guitar riffs. I first heard the single on the Graham Norton show, which after her performance also highlighted to me how lovely and down to earth Mvula seems when she was interviewed, getting over excited and blushing after having received a kiss on the cheek from Will Smith on the way.

Similar to the music video, dancers were performing a tribal inspired dance around her as she elegantly sung and worked her quirky feathery outfit. The song ultimately has a infectious beat to it along with the famously catchy riffs that everyone knows Rodgers consistently delivers. But I find that this is particularly special compared to other collaborations that he has done because of the spiritual and gospel inspired vocals that Mvula executes, with a choir in the background adding extra strength and making you feel uplifted with lyrics such as "Even though we suffer / Come together, be brave."

And undeniably, I've had the chant that the track eventually builds up to in my head since I first heard it, ("Round the mountain, all God's children run").

Check out the music video below.



Written by Hannah Jolley

The Mayflys interviewed: "We're waiting for the sun to come round"

Female fronted dream pop four-piece The Mayflys have been touring pubs and clubs in and around London since they first formed in 2006. Having had recognition from the likes of BBC London Radio and a live performance at BBC Radio 4 under their belt, Hannah Jolley caught up with guitarist Dan about their plans for 2016.  

The Mayflys have enjoyed a three-year break since their last release, the single “Train Song (I’m Here)”. With a new album in the making, the band seem to be waiting on the right season to harmonise with their new material. 

“We’re waiting for the sun to come round to release our next album", Dan explains. "We’re a sunny band so we’ll do a launch in Spring/Summer 2016”.  

Having been described as “the sound of long hot summers, ice cream, summer dresses and freshly mown grass”, it’s clear that radiating these summery vibes is a running theme in their music. With each of them having eclectic influences from Latin and hip-hop to jazz and funk, features of these genres can be heard in their music with tracks such as “Ay-Yo” and “Curious”. The band have spoken in the past about the Dave Matthews Band being of shared influence when they’re composing. But with plenty of artists and bands currently releasing fresh material, Dan tells us where he's finding new inspiration from at the moment.   

“At the moment I'm listening to Alabama Shakes, Everything Everything, Lianne La Havas, Courtney Barnett, and Khruangbin," he says. "I have no idea about the other guys though. Probably Toto.” 

Having all met at university and starting off with the similar interest of playing music, the band have slowly begun to get bigger and bigger, moving from playing acoustically to electronically. With London venues such as Ronnie Scott’s and the Halfmoon to tick off the list, The Mayflys have certainly put their best foot forward towards into the music industry. “I think I wanted to be in a band since I was eight years old,' Dan affirms. "I’ve never considered our band as a “career” though, it’s all been a part of living rather than making a living." 

Currently in the process of finishing off their forthcoming album, Dan explains how it is in the studio with the music tending to come together organically. “It’s very collaborative – usually someone will have a loose idea which we'll bounce around until it starts to take shape," he says. "There's a song on the new album called "Mirrorball" which just appeared out of nowhere during a jam and that song has barely changed from its conception. It's probably the heaviest song we've ever written – I love it!” 

With the recent tragic loss of the music legend David Bowie, it is clear that the mark he left on the music world has inspired many. Dan says he's looking forward to discovering more about Bowie with his absence uncovering a whole back catalogue. 

“For me his death has highlighted how much of his music and art I was unaware of. I feel a little foolish to have only scratched the surface now that he's gone but I hope to discover more of the huge amount he left behind.”  

Keep your eyes peeled in the Kingston-upon Thames area in the near future for shows from the Surrey based band. 

Written by Hannah Jolley