Risk & ConsequenceIssue Three | Winter | Free

R I S K & C O N S E Q U E N C EI S S U E 3 | W I N T E R | F R E E

3mumford & sons

local natives

youves

deerhunter

aspen sails

noah & the whale

swanton bombs

pens

swn festival

offset festival

what’s in a name

the antlers

rose elinor dougall

Hi all! Hope you’re having a marvelous New Year so far. Not much to say this issue.... except - LOOK! There’s Calum of Dananananaykroyd with a copy of Issue Two in his pocket. Looks like our inno-cent little ‘zine has been flirting with the bands at Swn festival, the hussy.

2009 has been bloody brilliant for us here at R&C towers (I’ve always wanted to say that)! We’ve had a lot of fun putting together this issue, getting to go to Swn festival on Huw Stephens’ invite (I felt famous) to represent at the Fanzine Workshop (read all about it on page 14), djing at Academia (R.I.P) every week and generally getting up to all kinds of mischief at various gigs/festivals across the country. So here’s to 2010. We look forward to more gigs, more festivals, and more mischief. Hopefully see you around at some of them!

We’re now resident DJs at Hypersonic, Dakota (Cheltenham). (To get in free before 11pm, text ‘Dakota’ followed by your email address to 60777 for a ‘Membership Card’).

Much love, Kaylea, Cain & the Team.p.s. as always, looking for more writers/illustrators/photographers.

an interview:

mumford & sons

Christian Allen recently caught up with Mumford & Sons at their gig at Newcastle’s Cluny

Christian: For readers who are unaware of your music, how would you describe your sound? Mumford & Sons: In two words, it’s been summed up as ‘Folk and Roll’ - ‘Nu-Folk’ doesn’t really work for us. It’s basically ‘Folk’ music but with balls.

Christian: You’ve all worked with other acts previously, so how did Mumford & Sons form?Mumford & Sons: We all played in backing bands for singer-songwrit-ers, so we decided to practice together and showcased material we’d been individually working on, eventually deciding to make a band out of it! That was about two years ago now.

Christian: Almost like a Folk-Rock super group?Mumford & Sons: I guess we could be the first Folk n’ Roll super group!

Christian: You probably get asked this a lot but do you feel a part of this emerging- I wouldn’t call it a scene because that’s a dirty word, but folk-collective/community in London?Mumford & Sons: A community - that’s nice. The thing that repels us

when others talk about a ‘scene’ is that it sounds exclusive and cliquey. People have identified a community in London which we are probably a part of, and we do have friends in folk acts - but we’re as close with the White Lies guys as we are the Noah and the Whale lads.

Christian: Since I last saw you, you’ve recorded your album. How did that go? Mumford & Sons: We recorded it in London with Markus Dravs, who has previously worked with bands such as Arcade Fire and The Maccabees. He did a great job of capturing exactly how we wanted the tracks to sound.

Christian: Any tips for bands to check out?Mumford & Sons: ‘Alessi’s Ark’ and ‘The Temper Trap’ are both bands that we’ve been lucky enough to play with - definitely worth listening to. Also have a listen to ‘Peggy Sue and the Pirates’, who have just finished their album.

Christian: Finally, complete this sentence: ‘Readers of Risk & Conse-quence should be in a band because...’Mumford & Sons: ... you never get to go home and see your friends, eat, sleep well or see your mum!

...he said ‘should be’ in a band!

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 MUMFORD & SONS RISKANDCONSEQUENCE INTERVIEW MUMFORD & SONS

Der

shov

)flic

kr.c

om/p

hoto

s/35

6347

70@

N07

)

5

It seems like they appeared out of nowhere - of course, they probably

didn’t, it’s more than likely that they’ve been blogged about since

their first ever band practice. I certainly would have if I had known

these boys had so much Goddamn talent.

Blessing our shores with their beautifully layered and heartwarming

songs, Local Natives seem to be everybody’s new favourite band, and

I for one couldn’t agree more. The great thing about debut ‘Gorilla

Manor’, is the fact that you could pick any track and instantly find

yourself wrapped in cotton wool, wooed into a slumber by the vivid

lyrics that hit you.

Stand out tracks from the album come in the form of ‘Airplanes’,

which opens with a heckling crowd, continuing to unravel a story

which many listeners will find familiar - the dreaded feeling of ‘want-

ing the ex back’. Heartfelt and beautifully rolled out, this was the

turning point for me. Other stand outs are ‘Camera Talk’ and (dare

I say it?) a Fleet Foxes-sounding ‘World News’, but hey, with voices as

amazing as these we can forgive and forget.

‘Gorilla Manor’ was released on

02 November on ‘Infectious Records‘

The band hit our shores in early 2010, where

I will be welcoming them with open arms

youves

localnatives

So it seems like forever since the Worcester Music Festival, where I first saw Youves grace the stage on the back-end of what was a lovely Summer.

I had never heard of any of the bands playing the free Worcester all-dayer, and if I was to be truthful, I wasn’t expecting much - until Youves hit the stage.They were exactly the sort of band that I enjoy seeing live - bursting with energy, they looked like they were having the time of their lives. The crowd obviously fed off of this as it ended up a little riotous to say the least.

So two months down the line I luckily caught them again, albeit in very different circumstances, before I started work at the Cockpit, Leeds.

Although there seemed to be a significantly smaller turnout, they didn’t let it phase them and proved that all you need is a few people to get the party going. Playing trademark songs such as the jittery and cowbell-lined ‘Aladdins Rave’ and the infectious ‘Bigorexic’, they reas-serted how much potential they have if they are caught by the right sort of people.

Having already toured with the successful (and label mates) Rolo Tomassi, it can only be a matter of time before you’re watching them in a town near you, dancing around with not many clothes on whilst simultaneously invading your mind.

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 LOCAL NATIVES RISKANDCONSEQUENCE LIVE YOUVES

live: atleeds cockpit

23rd october

album review:gorilla manor

nathan david nathan david6 7

As Bradford Cox and Co. amble onto Camden Koko’s stage through a wall of dry ice and atmospheric light-ing, there is a sense amongst the Deerhunter faithful gathered here tonight that they may be about to witness something special.

Cox informs us that tonight’s show is the last in support of their acclaimed LP ‘Microcastle’ before kicking off with a spaced out version of ‘Intro/Cryptograms’. The band’s rhythm section is a lot more precise live than on record and from the floor you can truly feel the ferocity of Josh Fauver’s sprawling basslines. But the real draw here tonight proves to be Deerhunter’s

impressive knack of recreating their ‘shoegazey’ sound-scapes. The band build layer upon layer of swelling vocal loops and guitar lines that one can’t help but become enthralled by. This is put to particularly good effect mid-set in the build-up to ‘Microcastle’, highlighting ‘Nothing Ever Happened”, which is by far the most energetic song on display this evening. The band play a glorious extended version of the song’s enrapturing outro, reaching a resounding high that they struggle to top during the sets remainder. The positioning of such a strong song relatively early on seems a curious decision, yet despite the loss of momentum this doesn’t stop an encore of ‘Agrophobia’ and new E.P. track ‘Circulation’ being any less spellbinding. In all, this wasn’t quite the special performance it had the promise to be, but the glimpses of brilliance on show throughout tonight go someway to confirming that Deerhunter are a very special band indeed.

deerhunter

live: at camden koko

24th august

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 DEERHUNTER

tom eperjesi

If beautifully constructed folksy hooks and poignant softly-spoken lyrics are your kind of thing then you need to take a few minutes out of your day to check out Lincoln-born duo Aspen Sails.

Despite forming just six months ago, Charlie and Bertie have already shared the stage with the likes of Jay Jay Pistolet and Woytek Godzisz, as well as embarking on a tour with Domino-signed quartet Chief.

‘Human Beings’ opens with melodic harmonies layered against delicately strummed chords before dropping into a catchy syncopated rhythm which gradually gains emphasis throughout, eventually ensuring that even the most rigid and stone hearted will find them-selves tapping their toes by the very end of the song.

You can download the ‘Maud’ EP for free from: http://riskandconsequence.blogspot.com

aspen sails

introducing:

kaylea mitchem

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE INTRODUCING ASPEN SAILS

8 9

It’s the summer of 2008. The world is treated to the undeniable spectacle that is the Beijing Olympics, the sun is shining, the credit crunch still sounds like a type of biscuit, and an army of happy-go-lucky indie kids are walking hand-in-hand with their loved ones, merrily whistling out of tune with one of another and sporadically singing “Love! Love! Loooove!” into the ears of the person they ...love. Yes, those were much happier times. Oh, how I lament for the return of August 2008, and the release of the sunniest song ever: Noah And The Whale’s three-chord wonder ‘Five Years Time’, which resided in the UK Top Ten Chart for several weeks and was almost solely responsible for a massive surge in ukulele sales. But alas, these things cannot last. Fast forward only a year, and it turns out that the sweet little Chinese girl singing at the Olympic opening ceremony was miming, and the constantly shining sun was a side-effect of global warming, and the almost

jovial sounding, ‘spirit of the blitz’-esque credit crunch was just a precursor to a full-on economic Armageddon. And those happy-go-lucky indie kids?They’ve split up with their loved-ones now, and they hate whistling (it grates on the ears). They’ve become massively disillusioned with the very concept of love, the only thing left to console them in this dark, dark world is the possibility that somewhere out there is a collection of songs which can help them to aptly muse upon that disillusionment; here steps in Noah And The Whale’s second album, ‘The First Days Of Spring’. Gone is the ukulele and the merrily strummed acoustic guitar; replaced instead by a combination of swelling string parts and melancholic guitar riffs, used in the title track (and opener). To-gether they convey the album’s permeating theme of heartbreak before the notably wistful vocals of lead-singer Charlie Fink even begin to deliver the opening lines of the album – lines

noah & the whale

which reinforce the notion that this album is not exactly going to be a barrel of laughs. And if the, quite frankly, epic violin-laden climax of the opening track doesn’t pull at the old heartstrings, then the mournfully sparse opening piano chords of ‘Our Window’ will. Resplendent in emotive strings, passively distorted guitars, background noise and Fink’s fatalistic lyrical delivery, the piece just simply oozes despondency. With the only real subject matter for the entire album being heartbreak, there are inevitably moments on the album where the lyrics teeter slightly too close to the edge of the boundary between disconsolate vulnerability and sheer triteness, such as on ‘I Have Nothing’, but more often than not (and certainly in this instance) any lyrical vapidity is veiled by the sheer sophisti-cation of many of the musical ideas that Fink and company are attempting to achieve with this collection of songs.

Occasionally these attempts fall short of the mark, such as on ‘My Broken Heart’, which perhaps comes across as one minute’s worth of material churned out for five minutes; especially when compared to its five-minute sibling ‘Stranger’, with its startlingly forthright lyrics and smart use of contrasting musical sentiments.But even ‘My Broken Heart’ embodies a marked coming-of-age for the group, who may not have attempted such a piece on their debut effort ‘Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down’; and at the very worst, this album contains no lyrics about “walking round a zoo”. Indeed, though it is certainly the heartrendingly rueful nature of the overall musical oeuvre of the album (and especially of the lyrical content) which is immediately apparent to the ear, it is in fact the mature arrangement and the intelligence of the musical ideas on display (that reveal themselves to the listener perhaps only after their second or third visit) which truly define the album. For example, ‘Blue Skies’ combines a simple guitar

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 NOAH AND THE WHALE RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 NOAH AND THE WHALE

album review:the first days

of spring

gareth harper11

riff and solid percussive element with a chiming piano hook, and choral and brass elements that complement the mood of the song perfectly. But sandwiched between two instrumentals (ingeniously entitled Instrumental I and Instrumental II; the former an upbeat orchestral affair, the latter a downbeat guitar-orientated number), is ‘Love Of An Orchestra’, which opens with a choir refrain worth the recommended retail price of the CD alone. Yet it is the simply wonderful interplay found on this track, between the flute, clarinet, and strings, as well as the driving rhythmic patterns and the infectious vocal hook, which best exemplify the erudite constitution of the album on the whole. A mature, musically astute effort from Fink and Co. here then, and one which certainly bodes well for the future, provided they can just steer clear of getting their hearts broken again.But then again, if this is the calibre of songwriting that a wounded Noah And The Whale can produce, then maybe a little bit of heartbreak isn’t such a bad thing…

Pens debut long player ‘Hey Friend What You Doing?’ is a tough one to review. In parts the album indicates an exuberance and liveliness absent from many so called ‘punk’ bands of recent times. But how many lo-fi garage bands do we need? When applied with verve and creativity, you’ve got some potentially exciting material. In the case of Lovvers and Japandroids recent efforts, enthusiasm and energy with the ability to spot the odd riff and hook is enough to please my ears. With Pens, it’s just all too simple. The garage rock, standard hardcore rhythms seem directionless, and make the majority of this debut altogether forgettable.

Parts of the album do show promise and warrant more attention however. Opener ‘Horsies’ features frantic keyboards between screams and thrashes whilst ‘I Sing Just For You’ and ‘Freddy’ are fun, repeat-worthy, thrash-pop anthems. Furthermore, ‘High in the Cinema’ and ‘I Heart U’ could be passed off as tracks from past generation femme-fronted hardcore acts, and indicate a

strong link with soon to be tour-mates The Slits. This all compli-ments Pens’ aesthetic however they are interspersed with tracks that show little invention and contribute to making the album far too repetitive.

Another review of this album claimed that we should applaud Pens for ‘getting off their backsides and being creative’ rather than complain about everything around that isn’t. But this is exactly what we should expect. Despite modern day distractions people should still feel the need to form bands regardless of musi-cal proficiency. Certainly the first wave of punk bands weren’t the most musically skilled but we can’t claim that this D.I.Y attitude has died. The recent trend for lo-fi recordings has been a welcome alternative, and ‘Hey Friend What You Doing’, with it’s 14 tracks measuring in at just under half an hour, is a worthy ad-dition. But Pens just add to the growing undercurrent of ‘anyone can probably do this’, but often the result is too one-dimensional. Which begs the question, why don’t we all do this?

pens

album review:hey friend!

what you doing?

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 NOAH AND THE WHALE| SWANTON BOMBS RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 PENS

single review:doom

swanton bombs

After E.P Mammoth Skull and the handmade, sort-of first album ‘Smoke over Swanton’, I’ve become quite a supporter of Essex two-piece Swanton Bombs. The lo-fi, indie-rock duo combine fuzzy vocals and distorted guitars with pop hooks and keyboards to great effect. Their latest offering, ‘Doom’, is more of the same and coincides with their latest tour, supporting American slacker-rock duo Girls.

Released on the trusty Young and Lost Club label, ‘Doom’ isn’t a far departure from their previous work. A heavier, spikier track than anything on their E.P, it encapsulates teenage angst and love-induced rage before coming to a loud, yelping conclusion. Brief and perhaps not as graceful as ‘Mammoth Skull’, it is far from Swanton Bombs’ best work. However, it highlights another side to the band, and again indicates promise for their first studio album, ‘Mumbo Jumbo and Murder’, which is pencilled in for early 2010. What’s more, they still have one of the best band names in music. christian allen christian allen

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVAL

Fanzine WorkshopWe were invited by Huw Stephens to Swn to do a ‘show and tell’ style workshop alongside other fanzines, such as At-tack!!!!, Bearded and Culture Vulture. Lovely, except it only seemed to be us there! We did, however, create a Swnveneir (name/pun courtesy of ME!) in the form of a zine dedicated to Swn Festival; see top right.

zwolf at Clwb Ifor BachOpening the festival for us was zwolf - playing loud and ridicu-lously heavy bass with looped electronics layered over the top - I was really into it until he used a vocoder over the top. It seemed to really cheapen his sound and rendered it slightly gimmicky which was a shame, since I otherwise enjoyed what he had going on.

swn festival

cardiff22nd-24th october

You can find the swn ‘zine online here:fleeingfrompigeons.com/?p=769

Gallops at BarflyI’m sorry to say I was a bit drunk by this point so my notes are slightly illegible. From what I can read/piece together/remem-ber... ‘Chip sounding tune though i’m reluctant to say chiptune as that turn of phrase is bloody awful’ (lol), ‘ridiculously massive sound - a more accessible Battles. Less loops but similarity is definitely there,’ ...and two more pages of scribbles with barely legible phrases such as ‘building of layers’, ‘math rock’, ‘QOTSA style break down’ (?!) and ‘premier of new song - it’s f*cking shit!’ - although I think they were their words, not mine. All in all, it sounds like I enjoyed them, and I shouldn’t drink so heavily with a pen in my hand.

Portasound at Y Fuwch CochSame predicament as before, although predictably more drunk. ‘Dub Step whatz =[‘ - what the hell was I drinking? I can barely remember anything apart from the place being packed. I will be, soberly, checking these out next time they tour however, as ‘4 minute warning’ is a tune.

thursday 22nd

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE REVIEW SWN FESTIVAL

Gold Panda at Clwb Ifor BachDonning a furry panda hat, the artist that’s on everybody’s lips at the moment warmed up the crowd more than adequately. Playing popular tracks ‘Back Home’ and ‘Quitters Raga’, the king of obscure sampling won the crowd over and proved that there’s more to electronica than synthetic bass and ten minutes worth of repetitiveness.

Drums of Death at Clwb Ifor BachMade up in black and white silent-movie horror style face paint, Colin Bailey rapped over a backing track in an intimidating but entertaining manner. He would often step down from the stage and walk through the crowd, squaring up to a member of the audience whilst others looked on bemused - perhaps the theatrics were to distract the attention from the fact that he’d been talking over a backing track and had mucked up his lyrics? It worked - nobody seemed to notice. Definitely a great performer despite this - comes recommended.

15

swn festival

review:

An AMAZING pizza (Chicken Festival at City Pizza Caerdydd?) and a sound nights sleep later.....

Threatmantics at Y Fuwch CochWent to see these without a clue and with an open mind. Reminded me a little of the White Stripes’ slower songs mixed with The Black Lips - a bluesy-country influenced vibe is certainly present. They find a catchy riff and hold onto it throughout each song - nothing fancy here - just pure, under-stated rock. Would say that these were ‘growers’ as I found myself increasingly wanting to move throughout their set. Song to check out - Don’t Care.

Talons at Clwb Ifor BachThese Hereford post-rockers have played in Gloucestershire many times, yet I’ve managed to miss them on every occa-sion. So I made their show tonight top priority.

Bringing out their second single, Bethlehem, on Big Scary Monsters record label, split with And So I Watch You From Afar isn’t a bad way to start your musical career - and the hype shows tonight - as despite their early performance, the room is packed. Opening with ‘Commiserations Buff Orpington’ and showcasing other tracks such as ‘The Pearl’ and the aforementioned ‘Bethlehem’, the boys absolutely slayed it. Making the most of their knowledge and mastering of dynamics in true post-rock quiet-loud-quiet style, the boys raised goosebumps in places I didn’t even know existed! The instrumental arrangement is fascinating; complex and force-ful, but you can’t help but admire the thought that has gone into each intricate detail of their songs.

Decimals at Clwb Ifor BachPenny ex-The Automatic’s new band. It was rammed in here - couldn’t move and left after five minutes as it was all I could physically stand. Awful.

friday 23rd

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVALRISKANDCONSEQUENCE REVIEW SWN FESTIVAL

Dimbleby & Capper at DempseysLaura aka Dimbleby & Capper seemed to impress the crowd at Swn - if only for her fascinating choice of outfit (pictured)! I was disappointed by this performance despite being really into the songs of hers that I’d previ-ously heard. The set seemed to drag on forever and her theatrics didn’t manage to bring any sparkle to the performance. Perhaps I was just tired and cold, but it seemed to be an entirely forgetful performance. Shame.

Copy Haho at The GateThe boys from Stonehaven whipped through their set rather quickly, playing super tight and singing pitch-perfectly throughout. It’s difficult to not have a little dance to Copy Haho’s set - they deliver 3 minute indie-pop songs wrapped in cheeky grins and awkwardly dry humoured on-stage banter - but it’s endearing all the same. Make sure to check out new single ‘Wrong Direction’ or watch them on tour some time next year - they’ve already played Cheltenham once in ‘09 but who knows, they might play Gloucestershire again sometime very soon.....

saturday 24th

flic

kr.c

om/

phot

os/s

wnf

est/

16 17

Dananananaykroyd at The GateThe infamous Wall of Hugs was welcomed with open arms (hoho!) by all at The Gate. The six-piece were their usual energetic selves, throwing their weight around the stage and amongst the audience respectively - it was difficult to keep up with where everybody was. It’s a challenge to try and find the right adjectives for Dananananaykroyds live show - I can only recommend that you gather a good nights sleep before you see them. Playing previously released singles ‘Some Dresses’ and ‘Black Wax’, the boys bound about with so much energy it makes you wonder how they manage to pull it off time and time and time again.

Los Campesinos! at The GateBy this point in the night, the beautifully converted church was rammed full of fans. Tonights line-up was curated by the headliners themselves, so it was no wonder that everybody in the room was genuinely excited for the bands return to the stage, myself included, after what had been an absolutely im-mense night of music. Launching through a host of favourites,

‘Knee Deep at ATP’, ‘You! Me! Dancing!’, ‘We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed’, and ‘Miserabilia’, it was barely noticed that Aleks’ space had been filled by Gareth’s sister Kim, as each song was received better than the previous by the all-singing all-dancing crowd.

They took the time to announce the title of their eagerly anticipated third (well, if we’re being pedantic, second) album, ‘Romance is Boring’, which is to be released in February 2010. They then played two tracks from the album, ‘There are Listed Buildings’ and the heart-wrenchingly angsty ‘The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future’ , both available to listen to on the bands website. Finishing on ‘Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks’ crowd surfing all over the place, with members of Dananananaykroyd and Johnny Foreigner flying about, I really cannot justify how good this night was.

To get an idea of just how bloody good it was, go to Youtube.com and type in the search terms ‘Los Campesinos! Swn Festival’ to see our very own Sam King’s video of the mayhem that was Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVALRISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVAL

Johnny Foreigner at Clwb Ifor BachPlaying a few days before the exciting release of ‘Grace and the Bigger Picture’ (26th Oct), the Digbeth three-piece play what they describe as “oldies” - ‘Yr All Just Jealous’, ‘Our Bipolar Friends’, and crowd favourite ‘Salt, Pepper and Spinderella’ mixed in with exclusives from the new album. As always, Alexei’s witty banter keeps the sweaty crowd amused as he moans that Swn wouldn’t “give Johnny Foreigner any gin. We only drink gin”. The band launched into anthematic sing-along ‘Some Summers’, much to the pleasure of their fans. It was an excitement-packed gig as they treated us to new album tracks such as the stuck-in-your-head-kinda-catchy ‘Criminals’ and the beautiful ‘Every Cloakroom Ever’, which set out to prove that bassist Kelly CAN sing a heartfelt melody if she wants to. Finish-ing their set joined by members of You Animals, the band leave our stage on the promise to see us around at the Pulled Apart By Horses gig. Not as energetic as I’ve seen them previously, but perhaps with all the busy of recording, touring and promoting ‘Grace and the Bigger Picture’, it’s time to calm down a little.

find a copy of issuetwo in your nearest memeber of dananananakroyd

dananananakroydat the gate

flic

kr.c

om/

phot

os/s

wnf

est/

19kaylea mitchem

Annually, new festivals seem to appear everywhere you look. Whilst the better-known festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading get the most coverage and sell the most tickets, hundreds of festivals go by practically unseen - Offset is one of them.

Offset is a festival with a capacity of around 4000 people, located in Hainault Forest on the outskirts of London. This year’s line up boasted an incredible wealth of talent, and following its successful debut last year, we thought we should go and see what all the fuss was about.

As we arrived pretty early, our explorations of the site (which takes less than 5 minutes to get from one side to the other) led us into a tent to see The Disconcerts, whose lo-fi punk and intriguing stage presence left us suitably impressed. We caught about 30 seconds of

The Nuns too, but I think it’s better to give you the review of two girls leaving the tent:Girl 1: “They’re weird”.Girl 2: “Yeah they were quite weird”. Enough said.

Having been away for a few years, I was interested to see how Good Shoes fared on the main stage. Whilst older tracks ‘Morden’ and ‘We Are Not The Same’ sparked life in the crowd, I found myself slightly underwhelmed by their new songs. However, new single ‘The Way My Heart Beats’ really stands out, and frontman Rhys Jones does an excellent job keeping the crowd entertained; touching up photographers (who outstayed their welcome for pretty much every set over the weekend), dancing with on-looking members from Metronomy and even shoving his tongue down the throat of my friend next to me. Nice.

Pulled Apart By Horses followed with an incredible display of energy, launching an attack on the crowd with lemons, milk and beer. They prove to be an excellent warm up act for Future Of The Left, who overcame some early technical issues to produce a

saturday

5th-6th october

characteristically aggressive set. Whilst they weren’t quite on top form, ‘You Need Satan More Than He Needs You’ is as brutal live as it is on record, and they had just enough time to lament the rather large gap between the crowd and the band before Kelson ended the set playing his bass in the photo pit.

Due to the ridiculously short times to set up between bands on the main stage, Bombay Bicycle Club initially struggled to make an impact, having been testing all their sounds for 25 minutes before ambling into ‘Evening/Morning’. Things picked up when ‘Open House’ kicked off, but by that time I had already tucked into my organic vegetarian carbon-neutral curry. The Futureheads demon-strated just how good their first album is by making up more than half of their set from ‘The Futureheads’, and played a range of their other hits in an excellent crowd-pleasing festival performance.

Whilst waiting in the cramped Loud and Quiet tent for Metronomy, we were kindly informed by security that our organis-ers, in view of last year’s events (of Metronomy packing out the same tent) had decided to move their set to the main stage. Why they couldn’t have taken this decision before they started to set up

pulled apart by horses - flickr.com/photos/bekitakespictures

21

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVALRISKANDCONSEQUENCE REVIEW SWN FESTIVAL

Our first trip to the main stage on the Sunday was to see Let’s Wrestle. We were pleased to see that the angry words from Future Of The Left had been taken notice of by the organisers, as we were a good few me-tres closer to the stage than the day before. Sadly, this just meant that we were closer to see a disappointing performance from Let’s Wrestle, as bickering between singer Wes and bassist Mike over guitar tunings or how many times to play the solo made for an awkward watch. ‘I Won’t Lie To You’ is really the only stand out moment from a very average set.

We caught a bit of Maps who were ok, but most of the crowd were just left wondering how James Chapman got his supplies past the security. Our only trip to the comedy tent was shortlived as we heard a middle aged female comedian ‘banter’ with the crowd:

“How old are you? 19? That’s how old I was when I first got raped.”

Hmm. Moving swiftly on to The XX then, who played a beautifully restrained set, but we had to leave early to ensure that we caught the

whole of Dananananaykroyd. Given the army of photographers gather-ing before their set, you’d be forgiven for expecting something special, and the Scottish seven-piece did not disappoint. Now a regular feature at their shows, the wall of hugs was an undisputed success, and their relentless energy warmed up the crowd as they rushed through the hits from debut album ‘Hey Everyone’.

I was concerned that Wild Beasts blew their load too early, playing latest single ‘Hooting and Howling’ third, and following it with ‘The Devil’s Crayon’, but they managed to maintain the high standard throughout their set, and the crowd certainly showed their appreciation come the end of their slot.

And so to Sunday’s headliners, The Horrors. A lot has been said about them, about how they’ve changed their sound, about how they’ve developed as a band, but sadly I still couldn’t help but find them a little uninspiring. Faris still isn’t a great singer, and whilst those who are fans seem to enjoy their set, they don’t really manage to convert the non-believers, as the crowd got smaller and smaller as the set went on.

Metronomy’s equipment (or before the festival?) is beyond me, but move they did and everyone rushed out of the tent, tearing down the sides as they went. After a long wait, Metronomy came out and delivered a decent set, but the atmosphere had died somewhat, and you can’t help but feel there is potential for much more from the Brighton four-piece.

Sunday was kicked off for us by Shrag, who were particularly endear-ing if not mind blowing. American bluesy two-some She Keeps Bees seemed to have a nervous breakdown during their set, changing amps and abandoning songs as they went, which was a great shame as things were sounding pretty good to us. Singer and guitarist Jessica’s entertaining on-stage antics managed to win the crowd over, it was just a shame we couldn’t have seen them in full flow. Tubelord’s complex rhythms inspired a mosh pit and much excitement for their forthcoming debut album, and were one of the highlights of the weekend despite their slightly lacklustre crowd banter.

futureheadsmain stage

futu

rehe

ads

- flic

kr.c

om/p

hoto

s/ru

ssss

23

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVALRISKANDCONSEQUENCE OFFSET SWN FESTIVAL

Which makes it even more of a crying shame that only about 30 people were in the tent when we went to see Gold Panda. A victim of poor scheduling, hardly anyone seemed to know he was on, but his electronic meddling proved to be one of the weekend’s highlights.

Obviously, not many festivals go by without their faults, and Offset 2009 was no exception. We were frequently left frustrated by the short set times on the main stage, and the over the top security didn’t exactly encourage a relaxed atmosphere. However, at £45 for this line up, Offset is a bargain, and as they continue to make improvements it will definitely be worth a shout next year.

2009 has been a strange year of sorts. There have been no major cultural movements or fads, the biggest emerging scene has probably been UK Funky and dubstep broke in to the mainstream consciousness with Skream’s remix of La Roux. It’s been a great year for the person who “likes a bit of everything”, the scenesters have been kept happy with the Pitchfork-led charge of chillwave/dream-pop/post-grunge bands from the US and X Factor is occupying the idiots on the idiot box.

However, there has been one underlying trend this year. Mediocre bands that haven’t quite made the grade deciding to take a step back and think things through; maybe change their name or even their entire musical outlook and benefit-ing from the blank slate that this provides. The cynics will say that this is the epitome of selling out and purposefully marketing themselves to have the optimum chance for success in a fickle business, and the realists will say that it’s a natural form of progression both personally and musically.

Fear Of Flying set the precedent last year when they transformed themselves from young indie-pop upstarts on the cusp of breaking through into the heavily Joy Division influenced White Lies, and we all now what a wise move that was whether you’re a fan or not. I’m not saying in the slightest that rebranding is a new thing, it’s just become par-ticularly prevalent this year, be it Ex-Lion Tamers becoming Wild Palms or Milke becoming Monarchy. So here’s my rundown of the biggest band transformations of 2009. 5. DelphicPolydor’s big hope for 2010 and the owners of probably the best band page on Myspace, the Manchester-based four-piece have already released limited singles on Belgian Techno label R&S Records and established French label Kitsune. However, it’s no wonder that they were destined for a rebrand when they were previously named Snowfight In The City Centre, were a five-piece and were a poor man’s Doves.

what’s in a name?

feature:

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE FEATURE WHAT’S IN A NAME

flickr.com/ photos/sw

nfest/ sam king

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVAL

24

Now under the guidance of production guru Ewan Pearson (Ladytron, Gwen Stefani, The Rapture), they’ve carved out their own sort of techno-gaze sound and will release their debut album Acolyte on 11.01.10. 4. ApplesBelieve it or not, Hereford’s finest were once known as Brandon Steep. Formed in 2005 and having been championed by John Peel, the band started off as emo-lite. They then went a bit britpoppy and over time ended up some-where musically so far away from where they began that they decided to make a fresh start. Nowadays it’s all Haircut 100, sax solos and catchy choruses teamed with guitar chords that sound like rays of sunshine and even splashes of synth. It’s recommended that you wear sunglasses when listening to upbeat debut single Reason 45.

3. Wolf GangOne of my favourite new bands of the year and tip to break through in to the mainstream in 2010’s festival season, Wolf Gang started out as the more acoustic outfit Count Fisher and the Seagulls back when Max McElligott, the creative force behind both, was still studying at London School of Economics. Since then, he dropped out of LSE and began to throw secret masked balls for his friends and formed Wolf Gang, who have since released two limited singles through Neon Gold and Hit Club and signed to Atlantic. 2. MirrorsI had the pleasure of catching one of Brighton-based Mirrors’ first shows at The Great Escape in the summer and it was one of the best performances of the year, with a formidable atmosphere that seemed to be the making of a band destined for great things.

Kraftwerk meets New Order is what the press have come up with and to an extent that’s probably spot on, with their high-ly contrived image and “we’re as much about the visuals as we are about the music” approach, they really blew me away. Imagine my suprise when I found out months later that said band contained two members of Mumm-Ra. Yes, Mumm-Ra. Fucking Mumm-Ra... 1. HurtsHaving only started to come to the fore since the summer, the video for their track Wonderful Life (both directed and produced by (We Are) Performance’s Joe Cross) hit me like a punch to the temple. Every aspect of the thing was incredible and the chorus remained in my head unchallenged for weeks.

Hurts seems to be the final stage of a lengthy transition for Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson, who were both previously members in Manchester bands Bureau and then Daggers, until the latter ended with an in-band punch up outside of a venue. Now with their Disco Lento inspired aesthetics and sound, they are the first signing to producer Biff Stannard’s (Kylie, Spice Girls, Little Boots) Sony subsidary and comically named Major Label and are due to release their debut album in Spring 2010. carl howard

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE WHAT’S IN A NAME SWN FESTIVALRISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVAL

2726

delp

hic

live:

theantlers

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVAL

Having ranted about The Antlers for months previous to them hit-ting these shores, I jumped at the chance of seeing them perform tracks from the heart-achingly bittersweet album Hospice, in the intimate Bodega Social, Nottingham.Not sure what to expect, I armed myself with a trusted friend and a pocket full of tissues, since the concept album tells a tale of falling in love with a terminal cancer patient - exploring the emotions of love, grief, regret and sadness extensively.

Performing songs exclusively from Hospice, the Brooklyn three-piece captured the audiences hearts in the first song, Kettering. With its hauntingly lucid opening vocals set against keyboards playing minor chords quietly and repetitively, so as not to take the focus away from lead singers Peter Silberman’s ghostly-sounding vocals.

More upbeat tracks such as ‘Bear’ and ‘Two’ seemed to perk up the audience, and it was a pleasure to see that there were a couple of fans singing along word-for-word at the front.

Overall, every aspect of their live show seemed to amplify what was recorded on the album; every post-rock style crescendo seemed that much more intense (Sylvia), every major chord sequence seemed happier when juxtaposed with the rest of the album in a live context (Two), and every melancholy whisper seemed to creep right down my spine as if I knew the story of the narrator inside out (Wake).

The lyrics ‘it was easier to lock the door and kill the phone/ than to show my skin/ because the hardest thing is never to repent for someone else/ it’s letting people in’ dragged a tear from my eyes, and I’m pretty sure that the majority of the audience felt tugs at their heartstrings too.

The album is right at the top of many ‘Album of 2009’ lists al-ready, and rightly so. This band deserve every plaudit thrown their way and every fan that they have gained over the past six months, and I hope they continue to gain the recognition that they deserve.

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE THE ANTLERS SWN FESTIVAL

at nottinghambodega:

flic

kr.c

om/p

hoto

s/hi

ppie

sare

dead

kaylea mitchem28

16th november

Rose Elinor Dougall must already be fed up of reviews linking her current project to her polka-dot past as the lead member of the Pipettes, alas the transition from band to solo isn’t as easy as Phil Collins would make out.

The Pipettes arguably were the first act of recent times to acknowl-edge and embody the sound of pre-rock/mid-60s girl-group pop which has now proved so fruitful for Duffy, Amy Winehouse and co. They brought back a girl group sound that had been long forgotten, and made it contemporary and fun again, before falling apart after just one album and a handful of singles. They became perhaps a little too twee, almost a novelty act for the indie crowd. However Rose Elinor Dougall has successfully disassociated herself from this with her own work and this latest offering which was released in November.

The first to go solo, I originally became aware of Dougall’s work with her previous single “Stop/Start/Synchro”, whilst “Fallen Over” can only further her fan base. A nostalgic pop track, Dougall’s vocals float over the descending bassline and pacey drums perfectly as she sings of the difficulties that come with a relationship. How we often stumble, but these troubles are continually worth it. Dougall has been careful to take her time with her return. Quietly making sure her sound grows organically with limited release singles, bedroom recordings and the like. She admits this single itself has gone through a few incarnations before its recording and right now she sounds like she’s trying to find her own sound and style. But, this single is encouraging stuff, and with an album, ‘Without Why’, due out 2010, it seems Rose Elinor Dougall will dispel any notion of the difficulties that come with going solo.

rose elinor

dougall

single review:fallen over

flic

kr.c

om/p

hoto

s/sw

nfes

t

31christian allen

RISKANDCONSEQUENCE ISSUE-003 SWN FESTIVALRISKANDCONSEQUENCE ROSE ELINOR DOUGALL SWN FESTIVAL

Editor: Kaylea MitchemDesigner: Cain Gill

Our lovely writers:Gareth Harper Nathan David

Christian Allen Carl Howard

Sam King Tom Eperjesi

Illustrations:Anneka LangePeter Holden

(http://peterpetri.blogspot.com/)

With special thanks to…Andrew Lansley (After Dark ‘zine)

Joe Schiavon

Photographers(www.timothycochrane.com)

Desparovhippiesaredead.com

Russ GarretBeckitakespictures

http://riskandconsequence.blogspot.com

contact us at:riskandconsequence@gmail.com