RECOMMENDED // Best Gigs to catch in June
JOHN GRVY // THE DALSTON VICTORIA // FREE // 9TH JUNE John GRVY is the electronic project of J.E.Edward. Born and based in Madrid, ridiculously young, Grvy moves elegantly and easily between chillwave, the new R&B new wave and electronic neo-soul. Think about Hudson Mohawke, Frank Ocean or James Blake.
LOVED ONES // LEAF BOLD STREET, LIVERPOOL // £6 ADV // 10th JUNE Celebrating the release of their second album 'HARNESS', available 26th May through BLOOD Records, Loved Ones return to Leaf Cafe, Bold Street, on 10th June, with support from special guests. 'HARNESS' was Rough Trade Album of the Week - 26th May.
POND // CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON // £19.50ADV // 15th JUNE Fresh off the back off their latest Album The Weather. Pond frontman Nicholas Allbrook has described the album as a "concept album", not completely about Perth, but focusing on all the weird contradictory things that make up a lot of colonial cities around the world. Laying out all the dark things underneath the shimmering exterior of cranes, development, money and white privilege. It’s not our place, but it is our place. British, but Australian, but not REAL Australian. On the edge of the world with a hell of a lot of fucked things defining our little city, still, we try and live a wholesome respectful life, while being inherently disrespectful. At the end of all this confusion in our weird little white antipodean world, there’s the beach, purity and nature that brings us all together”.
JEFFREY LEWIS // LATEST MUSIC BAR, BRIGHTON // SOLD OUT // 16TH JUNE One of our very favourite performers is popping by to treat us to a work-in-progress show which, in his own words will comprise: “flipping through the lyric pages of a few dozen recent song ideas, essentially a diary of unrecorded/unreleased songs from the past few months, many of which have never been performed and many of which may perhaps never be performed again!”” The show will be solo and acoustic and take place in the beautiful Latest Music Bar, an almost uniquely intimate experience for Jeff fans.
BLEACHED // THE DALSTON VICTORIA // £13.50ADV // 20th JUNE. Los Angeles-based sister duo Jennifer and Jessie Clavin released their sophomore LP ‘Welcome The Worms’ last year. Not only did they manage to charm world-renowned producer Joe Chiccarelli (Morrissey, The Strokes, Elton John) to join them in the studio, but Jen and Jessie had been crawling out of their own personal dramas. While emotionally spinning, they dove headfirst into music. The three girls spent time writing the 10 song LP at a remote house in Joshua Tree, away from the distractions of the city. Other times Jen and Jessie worked alone, just like when they were teenage punk brats playing in their parents’ garage, imitating their heroes The Slits, Black Flag and Minor Threat. The album is an ambitious rock record with a newly found pop refinement that somehow still feels like the Shangri-Las on speed, driven forward by a wind of pot and petals, a wall of guitars in the back seat. Experience it for yourself on 20th June!
GIRL RAY // BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS // £13.50 ADV // 20TH JUNE Girl Ray is acting as a support for WHITNEY at this show. North London trio Poppy Hankin, Iris McConnell, and Sophie Moss aka Girl Ray have just finished recording their debut album. Earl Grey LP is released 4 August via Moshi Moshi, including the tracks “Stupid Things” and “Where Am I Now”.
PEAKING LIGHTS // THE SOUP KITCHEN, MANCHESTER // £12ADV // 25th JUNE Husband and wife duo Peaking Lights is Aaron and Indra from Rah Dunes and Numbers. Floating electronic pulses, controlled feedback, tape loops, organ, synth, guitar, and vocal harmonies layered into waves of four-track noise pop goodness. The perfect soundtrack to walking in mysterious places, haunted neighbourhoods, lost river banks, and bike rides at night.
SHOGUN // THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON // £7 ADV // 29TH JUNE Having already raked in nearly 700,000 views for his fiery “Vulcan” track alone on Youtube, as well as being named amongst The FADER’s “11 MCs From Across The U.K. That Every Grime Fan Should Know”. Shogun is an artist with very much more to offer yet, and at the tender age of 18, he is already leading the vanguard of Scotland’s burgeoning scene.