LISTEN: REYKO – ‘Hierba Mala’

Soft vocals and atmospheric electronics combine on ‘Hierba Mala’, the latest single from London-based electro-pop duo REYKO. Translating in Spanish as “bad weed”, the song personifies a toxic person and the struggle of someone who’s trying to separate themselves from this unhealthy union.

Consisting of vocalist Soleil and producer Igor, REYKO began making music together on the final project for Igor’s masters degree in music production. Since then, the pair have been busy creating their sultry sounds by mixing numerous styles together, including elements from genres like electro, indie, and trap.

Drenched in lo-fi beats and cinematic synths, ‘Hierba Mala’ is a brooding two and a half minutes of uncertainty, accompanied by an equally moody set of visuals that show the duo walking around London at night. With their soothing, catchy electronic tunes, REYKO continue to impress us with their intoxicating music.

Watch the video for ‘Hierba Mala’ below and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

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LIVE: HIDE – The Shacklewell Arms, 03.10.19

A primal, urgent, gripping performance: Industrial/electronic duo HIDE unleashed a torrent of brutal sound upon their Dalston crowd as part of their co-headline tour with Kontravoid on Thursday night.

Opening with ‘Chainsaw’, taken from the band’s latest album Hell Is Here (released on Dais Records), vocalist Heather Gabel and percussionist Seth Sher performed their aural exorcisms beneath frantic strobe lights.

The lyrics to ‘Chainsaw’ are informed by the street harassment Gabel has received in real life. Dressed like a misogynist’s nightmare with her unhinged grin and heavily blackened eyes & lips; she violently screamed the words “Smile! Bitch!”, throwing their abuse back in to the ether with scathing vitriol.

HIDE’s originality as a band lies in their undermining of patriarchal forces through powerful lyrical statements and abrasive noise. The pair transform fear and vulnerability in to distracting industrial tunes, and the impact of their efforts are best appreciated when seen and heard in a live environment.

Gabel’s frenzied, intense performance style perfectly accompanied Sher’s pulverizing beats. Between songs and blackouts, she removed articles of her clothing and continued to dominate the stage with her jagged movements and inescapable stares. By the time the duo performed ‘Raw Dream’, Gabel’s battle cries were fully fleshed – perfect for an anthem that tackles the imbalance of power.

Despite the brevity of their set, the impact of HIDE’s performance is one that lasts long after the strobes have finished flickering. Their thought-provoking, caustic, vital shows are a much needed antidote to the hellish reality they challenge through their art.

Follow HIDE on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

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Track Of The Day: Lande Hekt – ‘The Future’

If you’re looking for a tonic to ease your anxiety about the current state our society, we recommend you listen to Lande Hekt‘s latest single ‘The Future’. Whilst it doesn’t ignore the bleak prospects that a Tory government and a climate crisis have thrust upon us, it does remind us to take a minute to remember you can do something to tackle it.

Best known as the vocalist and guitarist for Exeter indie punk band Muncie Girls, Lande is now focusing her energy on her solo work, and is set to release her debut EP Gigantic Disappointment on the 15th of November. It’s filled with catchy, defiant guitar anthems that showcase a (slightly) softer side to Lande’s music.

Speaking about her new song, Lande explains: “‘The Future’ is about getting older, trying to exist in a truly horrible world and trying to be a good person (and often not succeeding). It’s an homage to my friend who taught me that you can’t ignore environmental issues and showed me how scary it all is. We’re all running out of time.”

With the aid of Lande’s clear vocals and rolling guitar rhythms, hopefully listeners will be motivated in to thinking about the kind of future they want to be a part of, and actively work towards making it a good one. Listen to the new track below, and follow Lande on Facebook for more updates.

Lande Hekt 2019 UK Tour Dates
Sunday, 6th Oct – Exeter, The Cavern (with Cheerbleederz)
Monday, 18th Nov – Bristol, The Exchange (with Soot Sprite)
Tuesday, 19th Nov – Exeter, The Cavern (with Soot Sprite)
Wednesday, 20th Nov – Southampton, The Hobbit (with Soot Sprite)
Thursday, 21st Nov – Brighton, Rossi Bar (with Soot Sprite)
Friday, 22nd Nov – London, Sister Midnight

Photo Credit: @gingerdope

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

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LIVE: Lingua Ignota – Oslo, London 30.11.19

Catharsis incarnate: Lingua Ignota‘s sold out show at Hackney’s Oslo on Monday night was a vicious, vulnerable affair. The industrial multi-instrumentalist’s hair-raising vocal range and dramatic performance style held her crowd in captivated silence as she used her pitch perfect voice to sing songs about vengeance and violence.

With a set-list formed primarily of new material from her recent album Caligula, Lingua Ignota aka Kristin Hayter used minimal, effective lighting to help deliver her brutal truths. Sometimes screened by a translucent plastic sheet at the back of the stage, sometimes strung up by her own hand with the wires from her lights – Hayter mastered the art of appearing calm as she intermittently screamed her lungs out. Whilst all of the songs performed were worthy of merit, her rendition of ‘Do You Doubt Me Traitor’ cut the deepest. It’s a powerful, vilifying song designed to unsettle and ignite fury and Hayter used her operatic voice as a weapon to do just that.

Like an Anglerfish that dwells in dark waters attracting its prey with a dazzling light, Hayter used her portable spotlight to lure and illuminate her audience when she broke the fourth wall. The crowd obediently flocked towards her wielding their smart phones (naturally desperate to document the moment), but as with all live music, it’s best appreciated without the shield of a screen. Hayter’s fearless taking up of other people’s space perfectly accompanies her cutting lyrics about taking down those who deny her self-autonomy.

A survivor of abuse and industry misogyny (read her interview with The Guardian here), Hayter has defiantly risen from the ashes in Phoenix-like fashion, and her live performance was proof of this. Her interrogative spotlight is not easy to escape and her powerful voice is impossible to ignore.

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

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