Get In Her Ears w/ Charlotte Carpenter 02.11.17

From Nina Simone to Shania Twain, Tash and Kate played plenty of classic tunes and loads of new favourites from the likes of REWS, Just Because, Ailbhe Reddy, PINS, Nova Twins and Pale Honey. Songwriter Charlotte Carpenter also joined them in the studio to have a chat about her latest EP Shelter and to play two of her new tracks live on air.

Listen back to the show here:

Tracklist
Nina Simone – I Put A Spell On You
Kllo – Dissolve
Miya Folick – Give It To Me
Skye Wallace – Scarlet Fever
Ailbhe Reddy – The Tube (apologies for the terrible mispronunciation of your first name!)
PINS – Bad Thing
Kid Cupid – Easy
King Henry & Rhye – Moment
Nova Twins – Thelma & Louise
syrra – I Can Be Mean
REWS – Your Tears
The Franklys – Keeper
Just Because – All I Knew
Pale Honey – Get These Things Out Of My Head
**Charlotte Carpenter – Interview & Live Session**
Courtney Barnett – Pedestrian At Best
BERRIES – Wild Vow
LAD – Dancefloor
Shania Twain – Man! I Feel Like A Woman!

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LIVE: Girl Ray @ EBGBs, 30.10.17

During their headline set, Girl Ray lead singer Poppy Hankin confesses that tonight’s show – part of the annual Liverpool Music Week festival – is the band’s first outside of the capital. Appropriately, then, the headliners take to the stage in the basement of EBGBs after a line-up featuring several local acts.

Disastronauts are first up. A four-piece specialising in totes emosh pop-punk and garage, their sound is typified by shredded Sonic Youth-y guitars on top of a bang-bang-boom rhythm section, with flips into math rock and pure grunge. They’re young, and raw, but there’s no shortage of talent and invention, with opener ‘The River’ demonstrating a rapidly-developing maturity. Special props to their drummer too who, whilst the lead singer and guitarist are acapella-ing the lyric “It’s time to go”, decides to dismantle his cymbals. It’s a riotous, consciously chaotic start to the night. 

Up next are Gintis. Hailing originally from Abergele, they’re an acoustically-driven latter-day take on the likes of Grandaddy and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, with the addition of a trumpet.  fter them, it’s Sugarmen – an indie-rock band with a drive that sits somewhere between Buzzcocks and Arctic Monkeys, with the Scouse tinge of The La’s or The Coral’s most upbeat numbers.

Finally, to the headliners, who kick off with the bouncy indiepop double-hit of ‘I’ll Make This Fun’ and ‘Just Like That’. It’s a perfect way of demonstrating their arpeggiated sparkly pop that hangs around Poppy’s vocals, intoning lyrics, all served with just a hint of country winsome.  

The performance of ‘Don’t Go Back at Ten’ even involves a line-dancing style 360° spin, courtesy of Poppy and bassist Sophie, during its middle eight, whilst ‘Trouble’ and ‘Stupid Things’, with their bittersweet combination of naïveté and confession, carry the band through until their penultimate song, which is a Breeders-like rock number.  

Sid from The Orielles is spotted in the audience and invited to play cowbell on final song, ‘Ghosty’. It’s a reminder that, for a lot of these bands, this is really just the start and, although the set may not have been perfect, there’s enough to suggest that Girl Ray will be venturing out of London for a long time to come.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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ALBUM: Best Girl Athlete – ‘Best Girl Athlete’

What were you doing at 18 years old? Finishing A-levels and contemplating university? Maybe starting work? For Katie Buchan, aka Best Girl Athlete, her 18th birthday has brought a second, eponymously-titled album that’s as consciously, comfortably pop-y as it is lavishly produced.  

The album shows that Buchan’s ambitions are as wide as her horizons. Opener ‘Baby Come Home’ begins as a chilled slate of folktronica with Lorde-style vocals that unexpectedly brings in fellow Aberdonian Jackill for its rap-led middle eight. It’s a step that pre-empts the range of influences littered across the album – a Depeche Mode style chorus on ‘Different Face’; a ’90s acoustic feel in the style of Beth Orton on ‘Cigarette Dreams’; the synths of Yazoo and stripped back feel of The XX on ‘In the Morning’.  

All through, there’s a brisk pace to proceedings, as the album’s differentiation keeps the interest. But this is no vanity project, Buchan’s songwriting couldn’t be described as arch. Instead, her youth is contrasted with the maturity of each tune’s orchestration, lending the album a winsome, bittersweet quality similar to Let’s Eat Grandma.

There’s a touch of darkness here too. ‘Join the Masons’ has some of the morbidity of Aldous Harding, while ‘Lucy’ has echoes of Bat for Lashes’ cinematic sound. The album’s final few tracks are a mix. Whilst ‘In Your Head’ is Scandi-pop-rock, ‘Everything Must Go’ is a piano-led piece of chamber-pop and closer ‘Sometimes’ a country-ish slowie that morphs into something mournful.

With influences that range far and wide, and an ability to put them together into a greater whole, there’s great promise for Katie Buchan. On the basis of this album, this athlete’s career promises to be a marathon, not a sprint.

Best Girl Athlete, the eponymous album, is out now via Fitlike Records.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

 

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Dance Like I’ve Got Diamonds Present Christmas Extravaganza In Support Of Nia

Following a year filled with putting on events successfully promoting women in music, Dance Like I’ve Got Diamonds are now announcing their last event of 2017, taking place on 6th December at The Victoria, Dalston. In true Christmas spirit this last event will focus on giving back to society, with all net profits from the event going to women’s aid organisation Nia. As always, the event will feature a female dominated line-up, this time consisting of GIHE favourites Dream Nails and West London’s Baby Arms, plus some very special guests.

Recent events such as the #metoo movement have raised a new debate about what most women already knew, how extremely widespread the sexual, physical and psychological violence against women still is and that it can be found almost anywhere – especially in close relationships. With their Christmas Extravaganza event, Dance Like I’ve Got Diamonds wish to continue the debate about what can be done to end men’s violence against women, by giving back to their local community and supporting women’s aid organisation Nia, who specialise in helping victims of rape and domestic violence. 

And who better to headline this event that feminist punk witches, and absolute heroes of ours, Dream Nails. With their ‘Girls to the front!’ ethos and aim to create a safe-space for women and non-binary people at each and everyone of their shows, they’re bound to make this an event to remember. 

Tickets to the event on 6th December at The Victoria are available now from Dice, at £6 per person. All net profits from the event will go straight to the chosen charity Nia and their work towards ending violence against women and children.

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