Highasakite, Deaf Institute Manchester, 23rd May 2016 8/10

I was taken aback by the length of the queue when I arrived at The Deaf Institute, and indeed by the enthusiasm of the audience during the show. Highasakite's last album topped the chart in their native Norway, but I suspect that their growing popularity in the UK owes much to their support role for the Icelandic folk band Of Monsters and Men last autumn. Ironically, though, Highasakite's new album Camp Echo, released just three days before this gig, has moved away from folk towards a more fashionable electro pop sound, though their trademark use of percussion has been retained. They appear to have been able to reconcile wider commercial success with artistic imagination.

The support band, Gordi, strongly evoked the sound of one of the most prominent artists who brought folk into the mainstream 5 years ago, Bon Iver. A mix of the traditional with electronic production mirrors the life of Australian Sophie Payton, who grew up on a remote farm, and then moved to Sydney to study medicine. Her first EP, Clever Disguise, has recently been released, and her female vocals are actually deeper than Justin Vernon's falsetto, backed by a serene soundscape. I found her set immensely beautiful, the highlight being a Courtney Barnett cover. A recurrent theme in her music is reconciliation, and its calming effect could be considered therapeutic.

A dichotomy between an extrovert musical style and serious subject matter is at the heart of Highasakite's work. The album title refers to a detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, and its opening song My Name Is Liar is about our freedoms being under attack. In My Mind Is A Bad Neighbourhood, Ingrid Helene Havik sings: “either you are with us or you’re with the terrorists,” whilst a dark nuclear theme is carried over from the last album. Chernobyl felt particularly effective live, and use of instrumental transitions to bridge the gap between songs gave this set flow. The cramped stage, though, allowed Ingrid little space to move, and it's clear that this tour had been conceived with much larger venues in mind. Despite this restriction, she danced almost constantly, and the audience was clearly highly engaged, perhaps aware opportunities see them in some intimate circumstances are likely to be limited in future.

Ingrid explained the dark subject matter of Camp Echo in an interview: "There are not many love songs on the album, because I haven't been in that state of mind for a long time. Global warming and war have been my main concern." She's also commented upon the use of electronics, explaining that they've been listening to a lot of The Prodigy, Fever Ray, The Knife and Die Antwoord, which explains the greater aggression in the new music. Yet, the effect was far from depressing, perhaps because much of the music is eminently danceable. Deep Sea Diver, for example, is synth driven, and Golden Ticket is up-tempo. The complex studio sound was recreated surprisingly accurately, and I was surprised to find out after the gig that Ingrid was feeling unwell, given her committed performance. For me, the highlights were the more introspective dreamy moments, such as The Man On The Ferry from Silent Treatment and God Don't Leave Me from their impassioned new release.

Set List

• Liar
• Chernobyl
• Bad Neighbourhood
• Hiroshima
• Someone who'll get it
• The Man On The Ferry
• Leaving No Traces
• Samurai Swords
• Deep Sea Diver
• Keep That Letter Safe
• God Don't Leave Me
• I Am My Own Disease
• Golden Ticket
• Since Last Wednesday
• Lover

Dot to Dot Festival, Manchester, 27th May 2016 8/10

 

This city Festival has been an annual event for me since 2011, when it was centred around the University district and the Academy. Since then, as well as moving geographically, the number of acts and venues has expanded, and this year the festival sold out. This success is a mixed blessing, as this year there were some significant organisational issues. The two main venues filled up early in the evening, which led me to abandon plans to see Augustines. In addition, my carefully researched plans were thrown into disarray when the scheduling went awry. The first act in the second largest venue overran, and technical problems led to Lauren Aquilina coming on almost an hour late. Yet, other venues ran to time, leading me to miss acts such as Estrons and Cloves, and loud background chatter irritated at multiple sets. I discovered Ardyn had pulled out when I arrived at the venue, and Japanese House mysteriously disappeared from the final lineup. So, whilst I hope that Dot to Dot runs more smoothly next year, it seems churlish to complain when this festival gives the opportunity to see exciting new talent for an extremely modest sum (I spent around one pound per band). The close proximity of bars in the Northern Quarter means it's easy to move between the 20 venues on the lineup, and see an amazingly diverse array of artists.

1) Diet Cig 9/10
This New York garage punk duo are such a delight to watch: Alex Luciano's energy and movement on stage is so energising, and coming close to midnight after I'd been on my feet for eight hours, this was most timely.

2) Little Green Cars 8.5/10
I last saw this Irish indie rock band at the Soup Kitchen in Manchester in 2013, when they were touring their first album. Their music isn't groundbreaking, but it is uplifting, and made for a positive close to my 2016 Festival.

3) Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers 8/10
This Canadian folk group from Nova Scotia is charismatic, rootsy, and Ben Caplan has a remarkable deep, gravelly voice, and a striking presence. I'm keen to catch the band at greater length on their promised November UK tour.

4) Dua Lipa 7.5/10
This British singer's synth pop style isn't entirely to my taste, but her stagecraft was energetic, and she engaged the crowd with great skill, encouraging participation.

5) Jones 7/10
Londoner Jones is difficult to Google, and performing in a lesser known (though excellent) venue she deserved a far larger audience for her soul music, which is mainstream in appeal but well executed.

6) Lauren Aquilina 6/10
Alas, Lauren was let down by the stage crew and technical issues meant that after an interminable wait,  her band was jettisoned and she performed just four songs solo. Clearly upset at the situation, she managed to deliver them sensitivity, and demonstrate her vocal ability.

7) Warhaus 7/10
The side project of Maarten Devoldere of Belgium band Balthazar, its use of samples made this one of the more experimental sets of the festival, which deserved a more spacious venue.

8) Girlfriend 7/10
This local, Manchester 80's inspired pop band opened my festival to a surprisingly large crowd who gave up some rare sunshine for this dark basement. They even inspired many to dance despite the early hour.

8) Skinny Living 6/10
The Yorkshire based band were plagued by background chatter from the crowded Night & Day Cafe: they had great rhythm and sounded tight.

10) Dancing Years 6/10
Originally school friends from Leeds, I found their music melodic and appreciated the inclusion of a fiddle player, yet sadly by this point when the festival's headliners were playing elsewhere, the crowd was thin, and the level of chatter, even near the stage, distracting.

11) Babeheaven 6/10
From London, this band felt sincere, and brought electronics to soul and trip hop influences creating a laid back, hazy sound.

Frankie Cosmos, Porches Deaf Institute, Manchester 21st June 2016 9/10

Greta Kline, performing as Frankie Cosmos, remarked at one point last night that she imagined she was performing naked in front of the audience. I suspect the sense of being exposed reflected her introversion: her eyes were closed through much of her set, and her personality on stage reserved. Her parents are notable actors, but she explained: "I got into music, I think, because it started as a thing where I didn't have to be outgoing. I got to explore without being scared." Frankie Cosmos allows Greta to express her emotions in a disarmingly direct way, overcoming social barriers. This communication is facilitated by her distinctive vocal style, which is tender, and at times sounds close to speech. She also happens to be a prolific poet of some talent: the songs may be short, but the lyrics for her recent album Next Thing amount to 1570 words. They are observational, and express the heartbreak of the transition from adolescence into adulthood.

The audience's response to Greta's introversion was fascinatingly one of immense enthusiasm and movement, and there was even a sing along to Buses Splash With Rain. I initially found her vocals to be balanced too far back in the mix, making the lyrics challenging to follow, but as the set continued, I came to realise that this reflects her personality and must have been intentional. The energy of the band was a foil to the dark subject matter. Surprisingly, the invitation into Greta's inner world didn't end up feeling depressing: it had the opposite effect live. I would have felt more than fulfilled if the gig had ended at this point, but we had an appointment with a parallel universe in the form of co-headliner Porches. The links between these two New York projects are many, even if the musical styles remain distinct. Greta contributes backing vocals to Pool, and is the long term romantic partner of front person Aaron Maine, whose younger brother David plays bass in Frankie Cosmos.

Another common thread is that both of their 2016 albums have gained the coveted 'Best New Music' accolade from Pitchfork. I was drawn to this gig by my own love for Greta's album, but came away with a new appreciation of Pool. I'm reminded of the first time I saw War on Drugs, after which it felt as if I understood Lost In The Dream for the first time. Both acts have an unexpected intensity live. Aaron is another introvert, and I wondered how he would externalise the dark emotions in the album. He's explained: "I am drawn to the more melancholic moments in life; the specific beauty and emotion that comes from that feeling." Yet, even more that Frankie Cosmos, he's brought the spirit of the dance to his live show. He's aided immensely by an incredibly tight sounding band, with drummer Cameron Wisch meriting particular praise, but his stagecraft was also surprisingly engaging.

Aaron's talked about his intention of creating an album which works both as a private experience to get lost in and as a shared, live event. In common with M83 this year, he's drawn on the spirit of the 80's, and the synthesiser sounds do much to inject joy into the show. Aaron appeared confident on stage: perhaps he drew on the crowd's excitement, and later in the set he talked about his pleasure at observing our response to Frankie Cosmos' set. The title track Pool and the opener on the album, Underwater, were two highlights, and examples of the intelligent use of autotune. In lieu of encores, which Aaron shuns, he performed three earlier songs; though they were unfamiliar to me, by this stage I was thoroughly immersed in his ethereal, sad world. Despite being linked by melancholy, Frankie Cosmos and Porches sound quite different. Yet, Aaron's falsetto voice is as central to his artistry as Greta's to her's, and the prospect of two fertile creative minds coming together in a shared project is an exiting prospect. In the meantime, don't miss their individual shows.

Porches Set List

• Glow
• Forgive*
• Mood
• Hour
• Braid
• Underwater
• Car
• Afterglow*
• Shaver
• Be Apart
• Pool
• Headsgiving*
• Skinny Trees*
• Prism*

*earlier, pre-Pool songs

Coachella 2016 Day 3 Photos

Young Fathers 8/10

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats 8/10

Kamasi Washington 9/10

Wolf Alice 6/10

Cold War Kids 8/10

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros 10/10

Beach House 9/10

Coachella 2016 Day 2 Photos

GoGo Penguin 6/10

VANIC 7/10

Cloves 7/10

Chronixx 7/10

Lush 8/10

Bat for Lashes 8/10

SZA (with guest Kendrick Lamar) 9/10

Silversun Pickups 7/10

Grimes 10/10

Coachella 2016 Day 1 Photos

Mbongwana Star 7/10

HAELOS 7/10

Lapsley 8/10

Lord Huron 6/10

The Kills 8/10

Of Monsters and Men 8/10

M83 9/10

Sufjan Stevens 8/10

Savages 9/10