A big thank you to El Jahnz for the front cover illustration, Leo Swadling for the back cover and the

Ellie Goulding illustration, John Leonard for the article contributions, John Vingoe from Rapscallion

for the logo design, Simon Blackmore at Get Involved, John Bromage at The Playground, Matt Gough

at Lounge On The Farm, the printers ASK and everyone else who has helped in some way!

Please contact us! Dan and Francesca on itsallhappening_music@hotmail.com, visit our website at

www.itsallhappeningmusic.co.uk, add us on http://twitter.com/IAH_music

May 2010

Free to all you good good people ISSN 2040-5472

festiv

al s

pecia

l!

a note from the editors...

At last, the event we've been waiting for since 16th May 2009, exhausted and

exhilarated. The Great Escape is back! TGE 2010 looks set to be the biggest

and best yet, with a line up that includes established acts such as Chase &

Status, Broken Social Scene and Groove Armada as well as upcoming artists like

Chew Lips, Chapel Club and General Fiasco. Add to this industry darlings that

include Ellie Goulding, Darwin Deez and Marina & The Diamonds, and you realise

that these three days are going to be action packed, fun filled, venue dashing,

musical madness in a city crackling with excitement.

This special edition of It’s All Happening will guide you through the bands to

catch, as well as interviews with artists that are performing over the next

three days. At Great Escape 2009, It’s All Happening accidentally discovered

The Joy Formidable (amongst many other bands..!). Having seen them a further

seven times, we know that it is this ease of unearthing a new favourite band at

The Great Escape is what makes it so brilliant. If you are reading this whilst

queuing for a venue then stop. Leave the queue. Find the next venue and watch a

band that you’ve never heard of before. Expand your mind and discover. You

may just fall in love.

This year’s Great Escape is in partnership with Sounds Australia.. fingers

crossed that they’ve brought the weather from a summer down under to leave

Brighton balmy.

If you discover any bands that get you in a fever be sure to let us know, and

we’ll get them in the magazine and on the website, as well as on our radar.

All that’s left to say is enjoy - it’s guaranteed to be three days jam rammed full

of uninhibited soundscapes across the whole

sonic spectrum that will leave you invigorated and

excited about music,

The Great Escape 2010 - you won’t want to leave.

Dan and Francesca xx

itsallhappening_music@hotmail.com

Euphoric and uninhibited eighties pop,

if ChewLips were a packet of sweets,

they‟d be Refreshers. Tigs is a

buoyant frontwoman, embodying the

pulsating rhythms and smooth

vibrations of tracks like „Solo‟ and

„Salt Air.‟ Seductive and stimulating,

ChewLips are an effulgent part of what

is quickly becoming a saturated

genre..Whether shadow boxing, doing

the rope or simply singing sweetly

front woman Tigs alone is a sight to

behold onstage, but

with her boys

backing up with a

variety of samples,

guitars, keys or

bass, Chew Lips are

definitely worth

checking out. The

debut album is

packed full of

electronic wonders,

but live there‟s

also the chance to

hear the older fans

favourites such as

„Solo‟ and „Salt

Air‟ which rival

anything on the

debut. If you want

to get your groove

on this is

definitely the place

to be. Amazing

voice, sweet beats

and much fun to be

had.

Chew Lips Friday 21.45 @ Digital

Do you want to go to the seaside?

I'm not trying to say that everybody wants to go

I fell in love at the seaside

Unicorn Kid @ Dome Saturday 20.30 Chip Tunes? Happy Hardcore? Tartan trance? Hyper-pop? Whatever you want to call it Scottish teenager Oli Sabin, aka Unicorn Kid, creates some huge tunes which has led him to providing remixes for the likes of Pet Shop Boys and Gorillaz. Sounding a bit like a euphoric Crystal Castles without the screaming banshee vocals, and with Huw Stephens and Zane Lowe firmly on board, tracks such as Lion Hat and new single Dream Catcher are going to sound massive live. ‘Listening to Unicorn Kid ‘is how I imagine Pacman feels when he eats one of those flashing pills and turns medieval on those ghosts. Awesome. Stand out tracks – Wee Monster, Lion Hat

Blood Red Shoes @ Revenge Thursday 21.45 Not that they need a bigging up in any way, shape or form with this being a home tie n’all for the Brighton duo, but this Thursday night slot should go off big time as they clatter there way through tracks from both killer albums. I’m physically jealous I can’t get down for this (Pavement in Brixton is a good excuse though yeah?) as newbies such as ‘Don’t Ask’, ‘Light it Up’ and ‘Count Me Out’, for me, stand right up there with fans favourites from Box of Secrets and it’s just going to be intense. I’m done talking and choking up, just check it out. Stand out tracks – all of them...

Yuck @ Corn Exchange Thursday 21.30 Having had the Gary Numan synths, the Spandau Ballet cheese, female glamour pop and seemingly every other 80s sound revived in the past couple of years it was only a matter of time before the American Indie of Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth and Pavement got a chance. Take two mem-bers from the remains of Cajun Dance Party (music veterans still in their teens), sprinkle in a Japanese bassist and a New Jersey Drummer and voila, it’s Yuck. Hav-ing only played a handful of dates as yet, but quickly building a good live reputation, they play a blend of scuzzy, melodic gui-tars and youthful, harmonious vocals with little of the urgency or feistiness of CDP which allows for a more mature, laid back sound that shouldn’t be missed. Stand out Tracks – Georgia, The Automatic

King Charles @ Queens Hotel Thursday 22.15 Probably vying with Darwin Deez for the ‘get your hair cut you hippy’ award at TGE, but his unique styles go further than his hirsuteness . Twisting folk, synths, touches of hip-hop and even a couple of guitar solos (woop), King Charles dishes out genre defining liaisons that have been earning him rave reviews of late. Having previously supported the likes of Noah and the Whale and Laura Marling, but seemingly having broken free from the current folk scene, he creates big songs that lose none of their subtleness live. Definitely worth checking out. Stand Out Tracks – Love Lust, Time of Eternity

Villagers @ Prince Albert (Friday 14.00) Unitarian Church (Friday 21.00) Revenge (Saturday 21.45) Currently getting a lot of night time Radio 1 airplay with current single ‘Becoming a Jackal’, and being compared to every singer / songwriter from Neil Young to Bright eyes, Irishman Conor J O'Brien and his band play his beautiful, poetic tracks with 3 shows over the weekend. The comparisons are certainly easy to hear with O’Brien’s voice very similar to Connor Oberst’s, and some-times he toes the line of earnestness and pretention, but he’s certainly one to watch especially for fans of Eliot Smith, Bon Iver or the aforementioned Bright Eyes. Stand out Tracks – Becoming A Jackal,

where next?

John Leonard

ip dip who?

With a line up denser than Abi Titmuss, coupled with the unfortunate limitations of physics and philosophy rendering us stuck in one place at one time, even Lester Bangs would have found it hard to decide which band to head to. Why not make your pick based solely on the curious creativity of the band name? Try these for starters...

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool Thursday 01.00 @ Jam Not only is the band name great, but the ‘maverick renegades’ (as they call themselves) who make up the band are also eclectically named, Andelé Peligroso Pericosima, Fernando P.I. and Affa Da. Taking inspiration from Pet Shop Boys, Yazoo, Beastie Boys and the like, this Camden based trio are a little crazy, a little colourful, a little eccentric, a lot danceable.

Fitness Club Fiasco Thursday 19.45 @ Above Audio They don’t sing about forgetting your towel, dropping weights on your toes, getting your shoe lace stuck in the treadmill, or your legs collapsing a la Bridget Jones. Describing themselves as a four-piece synth pop jungle-gym, they do create the slightly unhinged dance wizadry that demands clapping hands.

Polly Mackey & The Pleasure Principle Friday 19.45 @ Freebutt If the principle purpose of your weekend is to pack if full of pleasure, and pleasure to you is brilliantly crafted indie delivered with a huge dollop of edgy Chrissie Hynde, PJ Harvey esque attitude, check out the 17 year old Polly Mackey and her band. Having ignited rave review at this year’s SXSW, Brighton looks in for a treat.

Blackchords Thursday 19.30 @ Aussie BBQ, Coalition If you’re heading down to the Aussie BBQ at Coalition solely for Fosters and shrimps, your expectations of Australian music having ignited and extinguished with Kylie and Jason lend an ear to Blackchords. Soaking up everything from Nick Drake and Ryan Adams to The Smiths and The Cure, Blackchords ring out from their musical sponge of influences deep and reflective music that is arrestingly relevant as well as an antidote to everyday life. Recent debut is twilight record, the songs are the type that are difficult to pinpoint and define, yet feel as natural as the sleepy haze this time of day evokes. Despite being architecturally assured the overarching image is of an open wound that needs healing, especially in ‘Broken Bones’ and ‘Pretty Little Thing.’ This is not to say that ‘Blackchords’ are a despondent band, far from it. Bones’ a rollicking rocker. With every swoop of the guitar and bang of the drums you’ll become one step closer to forgetting the words to ‘Especially For You.’

Ritzy, The Joy Formidable

“I was amazed by people‟s

ability to dance on a giant

cock!”

Jack, Bombay

Bicycle Club

“Lulu the turtle

at the aquarium

is lovely. We

fed her

broccoli”

Mary Kate, Fight Like Apes

“Brighton is a beautiful place.

Delicious food and its got two of

my favourite things. The Soul

Food restaurant and Sugarrush.”

Why I love Brighton...

Little Comets Thursday 19.15 @ Life More famous for its parties than its pavilion, Brighton is a carnival city, and there’s no finer band to have along to a seaside shindig than the energetic Little Comets. Dan chats, and finds them to be just as colourful and inspiring as the perfect indie pop they produce,. You are well known for you unorthodox gigs, for example in university lecture halls, parties, shopping centres .. What draws you to these rather than the more typical venues? These were all Micky's ideas. He wants to train us to be socially fearless so one day we can play at Prime Minister's Questions. We just wanted to play in places with a captive audience where people had to listen to our music and it made a nice change from playing in a normal venue. It's really good for the skin too. In Edinburgh we played a house party where the beds snapped from people dancing on them. We thought it was really funny until we were told that was where we were sleeping... The buzz of your home city

Newcastle is captured in your music. Why do you think more Newcastle born bands have not had more success in recent years? I don't know really... we don't really get involved with the whole Newcastle music scene, from the outset we've always tried to gig lots out of area and just play once a month at home - so with that we don't really keep to much of an eye on what else is happening musically in Newcastle.... plus when we are at home we'll be locked in smashed up buildings rehearsing or recording. Many of your songs seem to recount the roller coaster ride of relationships. Is ‘One Night in October ‘written from personal experience? Ha ha. No! I suppose it is loosely based on tales from friends that we've adapted into a story with some personal slights thrown in, but I'd like to think somewhere that this couple does exist.... Who are your greatest influences, and who are you currently listening to ? Hmmm I suppose we have a wide range of influences, musically

people like Elgar and Jocelyn Pook but then we might take a lot from something we see around town or from a book... at the minute we are listening to a combination of Neil Young, Golden Silvers and Nina Simone..... whatever is in the van really. As well as your unique locations the stage always tends to be filled with an array of cooking utensils—does your mother not mind that the contents of her kitchen are slowly diminishing? So far we've destroyed about four pans and a whisk. We also dropped a really expensive casserole dish which now resembles a landmine... Huw Stephens said of you "Little Comets are from Newcastle and they’re a lot of fun. I think with the recession, people need fun music again”. How does it feel being singled out as the solution to the world economic crisis?! Well, we've never placed much confidence in Keynesian economic policy and Milton Friedman is overrated so why not. Apparently Huw Stephens has a phD in 'Fiscal Stimulii: 1984 Onwards', so he might be right.......?

Rhydian adds, ‘There is so much more to it than money. It’s been a long road which has been slow going and involved a lot of hard work and if Joel was just in it commercially then he’d have dropped out a while ago! We have all grown together and we’re constantly building on the fan base, by which I don’t just mean the number of fans. A fan base is a natural process and we just get our heads down and believe in what we’re doing and people connect to that. The downfall of bands is where they are concerned about money and the amount of fans, but we believe we’ll get fans by just switching off from trying to attract people and just sticking to what we do.’ This certainly is a refreshing approach to hear and a long way off from massively publicised ‘manufactured’ bands of today that seem to grace the radio stations, TV channels, magazines and whatever else on a near constant basis. Whilst speaking to the band it is clear that Matt has fitted in perfectly since replacing Justin as drummer. Matt doesn’t like us talking about it but for a moment Ritzy gets a little bit sentimental: ‘It would have been so easy to have not got this extra level of dynamic from anyone else. Matt is crazier and more surreal than anyone of us but I can’t imagine anyone else having joined us...it’s just been so easy and natural.’ The strong relationship that is present between Ritzy, Rhydian, Matt and manager Joel is a stark contrast from what Ritzy and Rhydian went through in previous band Tricky Nixon. The conversation takes a bit of a different tone when talking about Tricky Nixon - evidently it really was a difficult time for the both of them. Rhydian explains, ‘Ritzy was the latecomer to the band so she wasn’t involved with the writing, but over time it became clear that neither of us were

happy with the situation. Basically, the drummer in that band was a very controlling character, and was obsessed with Ritzy so the whole thing disintegrated. Ritzy and me felt a connection but because she joined late it was a really difficult dynamic. It became evident that we needed to do it ourselves, and it became clear through his actions of violence that we had to screen ourselves from him and move back to Wales. We almost had to get an injunction against him, but looking back on it now it was so obvious we should have got out before we did.’ Usuallly quiet on the subject of Tricky Nixon, Ritzy adds ‘We can see the injustice now, but it wasn’t really clear when we were actually in the situation. In the long term I guess it’s been good for us and it definitely helped us to mature’. Rhydian makes it clear that that is all in the past now, ‘Yeah, we’re quite controlling about things now and we’d never let ourselves get in that situation again. We won’t be fucked about anymore.’ This sad past obviously hit Ritzy and Rhydian hard, but the clean break was what they needed and allowed them to strike up a creative writing relationship together, as well as their own personal relationship. Rather than becoming self centred and introspective about their own music, TJF get excited talking about discovering new bands, and have had some stellar support. Not confining themselves to scenes, like their own music, I get the feeling that their iPod playlists border on exploratory. ‘I don’t like the side of things now where there just seems to be so many scenes. It’s evident from the path we’ve taken that we’re not concerned about being part of a new scene, we just get on with it. People keep telling us that they have problems trying to fit us in a genre, but that’s a compliment to us because all of our favourite artists are dynamic’

states Rhydian. Matt follows on with his thoughts, explaining that ‘We really don’t like labels. categories or labels. Why do people need them? Surely music itself is enough of a genre!’ Last year TJF released a mini-album entitled ‘A Balloon Called Moaning’ which was intended as a snapshot of their material ahead of the release of an album in 2010.

‘We try not to be orthodox. It’s good to be different and creative in the way that we record and the way we put material out there. I guess we’re against doing the usual!’ So how do they think that their new album will differ from A Balloon Called Moaning? ‘ABCM has a particular feel about it and I don’t think that the new album will be a massive change from it but I think it will be a bit more dynamic. That’s the way I feel about it anyway,’ states Rhydian. Ritzy has a similar view ‘ABCM was pre-Matt and he has brought a lot to the band and I hope the new album will capture that. With the new album I don’t want a massive change either, just a natural progression. There will be some overlap with the new album and ABCM. It was for the fans so that they could have something substantial and the new album will be an extension of that, but there will be a little bit of a twist and a few changes’. With the full length album in the pipeline the future is looking good for The Joy Formidable, maybe it won’t be too long until North Wales is known for a band of its own...

One of the most impressive displays of The Great Escape 2009 came from

the trio of Ritzy, Rhydian and Matt: The Joy Formidable. An energetic

performance on the 2nd floor of Revenge has seen the band asked back

once more, this time as support to The Sunshine Underground at the

Coalition. The layers of exceptional sound and extended riffs create a

sound that the band found difficult to capture entirely on mini-album

„A Balloon Called Moaning‟. However, live album „First You Have To Get

Mad‟, recorded at a headline gig at The Garage in London, excels from

start to finish. Regular readers of It‟s All Happening will know that

we are pretty blinded by their brilliance and head over heels in love

with the band, and can guarantee that their gigs are worth running over

a lollipop lady to reach. The Joy Formidable live is a mesmerising

experience not to be missed - we‟ll see you there!

The first time I saw TJF I was amazed by their intensity and raw power, but how does a band from the historic town of Mold in North Wales generate such a sound? ‘Mold is quite a repressed place and music is a great way to escape and I guess to rebel against the repression...but not necessarily in a conscious way. There isn’t really an obvious scene in North Wales which means that anything goes and so the writing hasn’t felt restricted for us.’ states Ritzy, and Rhydian

agrees completely. ‘We don’t have to follow a legacy. Like if you grow up in Manchester then you listen to and follow a particular type of scene, such as Oasis. We had a mixed bag and so there were no rules for us. It would be nice if we could put North Wales on the map as South Wales has a large metal scene, Mid Wales has bands such as the Super Furry Animals and then North Wales is just lumped in with Liverpool.’ Throughout the

conversation it is clear that a youth in Mold played a huge role in the music that they produce today. This sense of belonging to a small town rather than a huge city has also impacted their strongly independent stance. ‘We aren’t signed up to a permanent label. Financially it is a struggle but it has its pros and its cons...we have very strong opinions about where we want to take this and so being independent allows us to do that, but it would be pretty nice to be able to have a budget so that we could maybe push things a little further. But if you have a look throughout the history of music then lack of resources always brings creativity.’ explains

Rhydian. ‘Yeah, we have to pay for everything ourselves but we don’t really mind. It’s about the creative side and not the money. In modern music a lot of bands don’t have a connection with the fans, but bands wouldn’t be there without them.’ Matt adds. Ritzy follows on seamlessly from the end of Matt’s sentence, ‘Absolutely, we are truthful about everything we do. The process isn’t watered down at all...you don’t really have to go through many people before you’re actually talking with the band! However, for a band the size of The Joy Formidable it’s simply not possible to do everything between the three of them. Fortunately for TJF they receive fantastic support from their band manager, Joel. ‘He really is our fourth member. He’s been involved from the start and I know it’s a cliché but it feels like a family. All of us have a real love of the band and the music and that’s all that should matter. There are so many levels within the band and Joel wants to look after the band in a business sense but importantly he gives a shit and we all get on really well.’ explains Ritzy.

The Joy Formidable Saturday 21.00 @ Coalition

Dappled Cities Thursday 22.15 @ Above Audio Friday 13.00 @ Horatios Saturday 15.20 @ Digital Upon hearing the news that this year’s Great Escape would be hosting a throng of Australian artists, I immediately assumed the stars would be The Temper Trap, Wolfmother and Jet. However, perhaps the jewelled cork of the hat is Dappled Cities, who released their third album ‘Zounds’ in summer 2009. The vocals of Dave, a mature falsetto, and Tim complement each other and lead the evocative and experimental indie melodies that form the base of each track. Dappled Cities certainly believe in their own ability; they have moved to London for ’a couple of months’ to try and gig as much as possible to crack the British music industry. With such dizzying and danceable, as well as emotional and enlightening songs, surely it’s only a matter of time..

Think About Life Friday 19.15 @ Digital Imagine bubble gum and disco lights tumble dried with giddy guitars and rapping chipmunks. Maxing out on bubble gum and disco lights ‘Having My Baby’ is a riot of a track made for may-

hem on the dance floor. The hypnotic textures of

‘Sweet Sixteen’ demand hands in the air, a party

anthem for the masses. With a vigour and vivacity so

often missing, don’t go and see Think About Life

unless you are ready to rave like never before.

Chapel Club Saturday 21.45 @ Life Indie five piece Chapel Club have drawn comparisons to The Smiths and Joy Division. Unsurprising, considering the dark, moody vocals of lead singer Lewis Bowman. Indeed, upon hearing ‘O Maybe I’ I thought I thought it was a new Morrissey track . Summarised in one word, it’s superb. Not the most energetic of live bands but with such great tunes it’s fine to let the music do the talking.

Stornoway Friday 21.45 @ Jam This is possibly going to be the first review that hasn’t mentioned Stornoway and Mumford & Sons in the same sentence....oh bugger! Well anyway, despite the ridiculous pigeon holing of the two bands which has seen Stornoway labelled as the new Mumfords (bugger, again..), they are actually pretty different. Stornoway are a lot less ‘commercial’, with a more authentic vibe than a lot of the folk revival that has fiddled and plucked its way into the mainstream. Stornoway’s subtle energy comes from a rich palette of instruments and styles, and tunes like ‘Zorbing’ and ‘Fuel up’ are packed with brilliant instrumentals and delightful lyrics. The Oxford group are sure to pull a good crowd for their set at Jam on Friday.

350

34

artist performances

venues

3 days 1996 founded

15,000 attendees The Great

Escape by numbers