LIVE (Photos): Deer Shed Festival, 2024 (Day 1, 26.07.2024)

Having fallen in love with Deer Shed when I attended for the first time back in 2022, and then going on to have another dreamy weekend at the North Yorkshire festival last year, I was very glad I got to go again this year. Highlighting a real family focus, whilst hosting a range of exciting new artists, it oozes the warmest of vibes and – being smaller in size than most other festivals – creates a space that feels comfortingly intimate; an inclusive safe haven for artists and fans of all genres and ages. Whilst providing a child-friendly environment, this does not take away from the quality and array of performances on offer for everyone to enjoy. Although I’d say I’m in the minority of attendees who does not have children (or isn’t a child themselves!), I in no way feel this to be hindrance – there’s still plenty of adult fun to be had, just in perhaps a slightly less intense, and more safe, environment than most other festivals. Which is no bad thing, in my opinion! 

Amongst those performing, a fantastic number of female, non binary and queer performers are represented, and I was lucky enough to catch lots of these over the weekend – a good balance of artists I already knew and loved, and those who I had not had the chance to see before.

After our seven and a half hour journey, and settling into our pre-pitched tent (a revelation saving so much time and energy that I will be doing it at every festival going forwards!), we make it to the main stage just in time to catch Liz Lawrence. A GIHE favourite and one of the first ever guests on our radio show, she combines a twinkling emotion with deep funk-fuelled hooks as her distinctive syrupy vocals narrate each reflective offering. From songs such as 2019’s ‘USP’ and ‘None Of My Friends’ to recent single ‘Strut’ (at the request of “the lad that said ‘can you play Strut for my mum?’”), and everything in between, a gritty splendour flows throughout, as the sun shines upon our first taste of live music of the weekend.

Next up, we head to the In The Dock state to witness the fierce power of OneDa. Declaring that “pussy power is a way of life”, she launches into a set of immense hip-hop infused drum ‘n’ bass anthems, all delivered with a ferocious swirling energy and seething passion. 

Following some tasty vegan gyoza, we wander over to The Lodge stage to catch some of the colourful “digital voodoo” of Nana Benz Du Togo. Emanating a majestic grace, as their voices and unique instruments combine to create uplifting anthems like ‘Liberty’ and ‘To Be Free’, their message remains clear throughout: as lyrics like “I wanna make my own decisions” resonate with a stirring poignancy, a deep empowering spirit oozes from the stage. Declaring that “women should be free to be what they want to be”, and describing their aim as being to “recover the place that our mothers lost to the patriarchal society”, Nana Benz deliver a wonderfully invigorating set; uniting the buoyant crowd in a resolute drive for change with a glistening joyous energy. 

To end the night, I swap from my usual position of spectator to ‘artist’… If you can call DJing that. Either way, I was on the In The Dock stage, playing tunes to a tent that ended up being full of people for the Silent Disco. Lurking in the shadows without being noticed is generally more my vibe, so needless to say I was quite nervous about it. But, despite the cursor key on my laptop deciding to stop working at just the wrong time, causing a few clunky ‘mixes’(and with most of my set clashing with Liverpool legends The Coral on the main stage), it was really lovely to see so many people dancing and singing along to the music I was playing. Noticing the number of young people who seemed to be enjoying it – making up dances with their friends and getting excited by certain songs – was particularly heartwarming, and I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to do it. So, massive thanks and love to Deer Shed for letting me unleash my danceable queer tunes onto the crowd (and hopefully my laptop cursor won’t break next time!).

Stay tuned for photos of, and words about, of Days 2 & 3 at Deer Shed – including some special thoughts about the kids’ activities from next generation GIHE gal Orla….

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Paul Dawes / @GRNDglass

mariangelicalane1 Comment

INTERVIEW: Gazelle Twin

Elizabeth Bernholz’s life is inherently strange. Whether she is talking backstage with Gary Numan about ghosts, creating dark and exhilarating electronic music under her moniker Gazelle Twin, or immersing herself into normal family life; she embraces the oddity of it all.

Last time I spoke with the producer, composer and visual artist in April 2022, she was in her home studio, reflecting on the tenth anniversary of her debut album, The Entire City. She expressed that she was still using her music as “a way to get through life” and hinted that there was more to explore through this medium. What she was subtly alluding to was her fourth full-length record; the shadowy, spine-tingling Black Dog, released in October last year via Invada Records.

Usually veiled by costumes or characters for all of her work as Gazelle Twin, one of the most startling elements of Black Dog was that Bernholz had removed her mask. Facing her demons with no shield, this bold act paved the way for an exquisitely raw, truly haunting piece of art, on which Bernholz reflects on her experiences with the paranormal, postpartum depression and the powerful fears and inner forces that direct us through life.

When Bernholz performs the album live, it’s another beast entirely. Falling somewhere between a dark lullaby and intense sleep paralysis; Black Dog shape-shifts between plaintive and poignant, ghastly and graceful, as Bernholz switches between spotlights and shadows, standing and seated. She will be bringing this hair-raising performance to Birmingham’s Supersonic Festival on Friday 30th August. Eclectic acts such as Grove, Emma Ruth Rundle, Mary Lattimore and One Leg One Eye will also be playing the festival across the weekend (tickets are available here)

“I love Supersonic, it’s my favourite festival in the UK,” she smiles. The last time Bernholz featured on the line-up was in 2018, performing tracks from her third record, Pastoral. “It’s always a really great crowd and I really love Birmingham as well. This will probably be one of the last Black Dog shows that I do in its current form, too. I’m looking forward to it.”

To date, Bernholz has only performed Black Dog at a small number of venues across the UK since its release in 2023. There are several reasons for the limited shows, including production and logistical touring costs. But there’s another factor too. Bernholz explains that with this particular record, due to its deeply revealing and personal nature, there is a strong emotional toll that comes with each performance.

“Some of the very raw emotions that were pouring out into that record are still being lived now,” she reflects. Bernholz is referring to going through pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood for the second time during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how this led to her excavating her past. “I’m obsessed with the past, which is probably no surprise by now,” she laughs. “I’m one of those people that’s constantly trying to process those periods of my life. Those formative years where you’re working things out and who you are – I’m still doing it. So a lot of those questions that came up are still not answered and still part of my creative occupation really.”

This instinct to examine and understand these parts of herself is part of the process of performing Black Dog live. She comments that layering things with “weirdness” and a “dark charge” allows her to inhabit “another world” when she is on stage, which makes things more manageable, but she was initially very nervous about sharing it with live audiences.

“I do still find the shows hard,” she reveals. “I sit down for a lot of it and I’m making eye contact with the audience, so I make myself as vulnerable as I can be. After a show, often, there’s a lot of adrenaline and tears and I haven’t always had that. I [usually have] adrenaline, anxiety and then a lot of exhilaration. It’s been a journey. I am enjoying the shows, but they are a bit of an ordeal as well. I’m okay with that. It feels like I’m doing something important for me, at the very least, and hopefully that does come across to audiences as well.”

As with all things, time has helped to ease some of this anxiety, which Bernholz likens to the process of being tattooed. “There is a certain degree of numbing that happens. The pain is really intense at first, but then it becomes okay and it’s quite nice. I’m at that stage now, mid-tattoo, going with it and trying to make the most of it. I’ve been doing a lot of shows in places I’ve never really done before, so that’s been really nice.”

In addition to her “momentous” sold out headline show at London’s historic Bush Hall – more on that to come – Bernholz has cherished the opportunity to connect with new audiences in new locations on this tour. “I’m not a massively touring artist, but when I get the chance to do a gig in a place where I’ve never been before, I’m always really happy to do it,” she comments. As part of the first run of Black Dog shows, Bernholz performed at The Glass House in Newcastle, which marked her debut gig in the North East.

“It’s a big classical venue and the people that came along to that were a total mixture,” she recalls. “A lot of people took a punt on it, it was something quite new to the venue, maybe a bit weirder than their usual programming. I had a chat with a couple of music students afterwards and they were just surprised and happy that they’d got to see something like that in their city. It made me feel good.”

Bernholz is also looking forward to returning to play in Glasgow in September. “This show, compared to my previous set ups, is more expensive,” she willingly admits. “There’s more people involved, there’s a baseline of tech requirements that we have, and proper staging and production. So the chance to do stuff away from London, with this level of production is great.”

A common thread that connects the places and people that Bernholz performs to is gratitude. She instinctively taps into the atmosphere of each location, something which is especially true of her London show at Bush Hall last year. “I love London gigs. I have an amazing following there and I love visiting London as much as I can,” she enthuses. “I think it is a bit of a beacon, so if something works in London, you can trial it to a bigger audience first, and take it further out.”

She continues to reflect on the “epic” nature of her London Black Dog live debut. “I was so anxious. The sound check didn’t go particularly well, we had a haunted sound desk,” she smiles. “I was in a weird zone before the show. I felt supercharged with anxiety. I think, being an anxious person generally, I’m always on some level of tension, but it was ramped up. But it did me a favour, because the show was actually a huge release.”

Bernholz’s anxiety about performing is not rooted in insecurity, it comes from a place of wanting to bring the intrinsic worth of her visions as Gazelle Twin to life. “I’m more sure of myself on that stage than at any other time in my life,” she shares. “I love that experience, it’s like having a lucid dream. As somebody who is socially not amazingly confident – suddenly being a person that can eyeball people and be incredibly vulnerable at the same time – it’s like getting to live a different life for a bit. I loved the Bush Hall show. The energy in the room was extraordinary. I could feel electricity in the air.”

As a spectator at Bush Hall, I can confirm that it was an exceptional performance. Bernholz’s necromantic spirit and otherworldly vocal range ricocheted off the archaic walls of the old music hall. The crowd of fans and friends were silent and spellbound, including electronic music pioneer Gary Numan. “Gary and his family came backstage afterwards and then we just spent about an hour talking about ghosts,” Bernholz shares. “The whole thing was like an insane dream. You can’t make it up, really.”

A new dream that Bernholz will be making a reality in the near future is a specially commissioned show at another prestigious London venue. In November, she will be performing alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra at The British Library, on a Black Dog inspired piece that will open the venue’s new season, Tales of the Weird: An Autumnal Festival – a celebration of the strange, the uncanny and horror. Ticket holders will also have access to the new exhibition, Medieval Women: in their own words.

“It’s a perfect positioning to present Black Dog in almost an acoustic form,” Bernholz shares. “I’ve been saying that it will be like the ‘Victorian version’,” she laughs, before adding “that sounds awful actually.” Bernholz insists she won’t be “cosplaying as a Victorian”, but she will be transforming the intensely layered and electronic music of Black Dog, offering her listeners a new perspective on the record. “Weirdly, when I was writing Black Dog, I had orchestral scale in my mind,” she shares, “I kept that, with the hope that one day we could do this version and hopefully record it as well.”

Bernholz has collaborated with conductor Robert Ames before, but she is especially excited to work with the London Contemporary Orchestra for the first time. “It’s a brilliant opportunity to be able to do that within the majesty of The British Library as well, with all of that incredible literature and history around,” she comments. “I’m so excited. Hopefully we’ll be able to transport it as well, and do it a few more times. Hopefully in the UK and maybe abroad as well.”

2024 continues to be a busy year for Bernholz. As well as balancing her Gazelle Twin performances alongside her normal everyday life as a parent, she is also preparing to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of her second album, Unflesh. Released back in September 2014 via her own imprint Anti-Ghost Moon Ray, this Gazelle Twin record marks a significant point in my own life as a music fan and journalist. It changed my idea of what electronic music could be, so I suspect it holds a deeper reverence for the creator.

When I ask how she feels about the upcoming anniversary, Bernholz jokes that it makes her “feel old”, before revealing that she considers Unflesh to be her “true love” album. “I think I hit on something that I have never been able to get rid of – I hit what Gazelle Twin truly was meant to be for me,” she explains. “I look back on Unflesh and I just think ‘God, I’m so glad I did it, and I did it without giving a shit about how it was going to do, or what it was. It was just urgent and I just went for it without any expectations.”

Much like the inception of Black Dog, on Unflesh, Bernholz was exorcizing a lot of pent up emotions. “It was a huge thing for me, coming out of a past mental state which I hadn’t acknowledged until I’d made the album,” she recalls. “It was like this floodgate situation that allowed me to be creative with expressing those types of things. I think even beyond that, Unflesh has just been a bit of a template for how I approach making things. I don’t know how I’ll feel about Black Dog in 10 years time. I made it how I wanted to make it, but it’s funny, these things have a different meaning to you when you’re the person making it.”

This key “difference” is that Bernholz says she can listen back to Unflesh, and it doesn’t provoke a “horrible full body cringe” and force her to contemplate what could have been added or edited, which is something she has experienced when reflecting on other works. “I can still listen to that album – and this isn’t to pat myself on the back – but I am proud of that work. “I still think there’s mileage in it and more to take from it,” she explains. “I think there’s mileage in that visual world. If there was another chapter, what would that be? [What if] it was in a different form, like a book?” she extrapolates.

Fans will have to wait until September to find out exactly what Bernholz has planned…

 

Follow Gazelle Twin on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Teri Varhol

Kate Crudgington
@kate_crudge

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

LIVE: Circe – Electric Ballroom, Camden (22.07.24)

Bathed in blue light, dark-pop artist Circe slowly emerged on to the stage at the Electric Ballroom in Camden last week. Stood next to a solitary neon blue crucifix which glowed ominously throughout her set, the London-based musician opened with the effervescent sounds of ‘My Boy Aphrodite’; the repeated lyric “you do kill me, always thrill me” encapsulating the immersive, all-consuming quality of her live performance perfectly.

Supporting American band The Midnight on their recent UK and EU tour, Circe’s blend of dystopian-yet-euphoric dark-pop was the ideal accompaniment for their synth-wave sounds, proved by the packed venue full of the band’s fans who had turned up early to see the emerging artist. Performing a mixture of tracks from her debut EP, She’s Made Of Saints (2020) and her most recent release, Drawing Wings From The Light (2023), her seraphic vocals and cinematic synths oozed vividly through the speakers.

Even without her trademark visuals and backdrop – scattered bunches of artificial flowers reminiscent of Juliet’s tomb in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet, and a montage of footage from films and her own videos – Circe’s theatricality was still as potent as ever. Predominantly written and produced from her bedroom, the drama that underscores Circe’s songs translated beautifully into a more grandiose setting. The glossy, bass-drenched beats of ‘Going Down’ – a song about being infatuated with a cheerleader – hit much harder live, whilst the lucid, intoxicating synths on ‘Ten Girls’ – a song about fuckboys – dripped with defiance. She also treated listeners to a new track, ‘Heaven’s The Other Way’, packed with more of her shimmering electronics and emotive vocals.

It was the formidable sound of ‘Blue Love’, however, that was the true highlight of the set. Described by the artist as a hybrid of her influences, including Karen O and The Cure in their Disintegration era, Circe’s invite to “come take a shot at it / I’ll let you rot with it” dazzled the crowd. As she performed it, she confidently paced across the stage, raising her arms and gesturing to the sky, radiating confidence and true star quality.

Although she would later appear on stage again during The Midnight’s set, Circe closed her performance with ‘Riot Of Sunlight’. As she played her acoustic guitar, a euphoric rush of dizzying electronics swelled around her. Rapturous cheers and applause at the end of her set proved that Circe’s live charm is undeniable. Her neon dreams and cell-tingling dark-pop fantasies are truly best experienced in the flesh.

Follow Circe on Spotify, bandcamp, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter & Instagram

Photo Credit: Zak Watson

Kate Crudgington
@kate_crudge

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Introducing Interview: Lindsay Ell

Having been wowing crowds playing guitar live with the legendary Shania Twain in the UK over the last couple of months, singer-songwriter Lindsay Ell is also a renowned artist in her own right. Not only did she win ‘Single Of The Year’ at the Canadian Country Music Awards last year for the twinkling emotion of last year’s catchy ‘Right On Time’, but – following playing with Shania’s band at BST Hyde Park a couple of weeks ago – she also sold out Omeara in London the following day for her own show.

We caught up with Lindsay to find out more about the experience of playing with her hero, what inspires her, being a woman in the music industry today, and more. Have a read and then listen to the awesome playlist that Lindsay has put together for us, of some of her favourite contemporary country artists!

Are you able to tell us a little bit about what initially got you into music, and playing the guitar?
I grew up in a really musical family – my parents and grandparents all played instruments, and my brother and I started playing piano when we were six years old. By the time I was eight years old, I thought the guitar was a lot cooler, so I asked my dad to start showing me a few things on it. The first guitar riff he taught me was ‘Stairway to Heaven’. After that, I never looked back! 

I just saw you playing with the legendary Shania Twain at BST Hyde Park on Sunday – you were incredible! And it was so lovely to see all the band members so in sync with each other and having such a great time on stage! It must have been such an amazing experience – how was it for you?
BST Hyde Park was one of the most memorable shows I’ve ever played, and also my favourite with Shania so far; Hyde Park seemed like the perfect ending to such a legendary run (getting to play Glastonbury as well!). There is something about that stage that makes a show feel larger than life and the energy in the heart of London is something that’s hard to describe in words. Shania has been the most wonderful human, welcoming me so brilliantly on her stage each night. I’m honoured to have been a part of her world this year. 

And how did the opportunity to play with Shania come up for you? Had you previously been a fan?
To say I’ve been a fan of Shania would probably be the understatement of the century. Shania is the reason I started singing when I was a little girl. It’s crazy to think the song that made me fall in love with Shania, ‘No One Needs To Know’, is now a song I get to play on stage with her every night. Life is truly wild and surprising in those full circle moments. I toured with Shania last year on the Queen Of Me tour, which was so incredible! Then, at the beginning of this year, when I got the call to see if I wanted to come out and play guitar for her, the offer was one I couldn’t resist!

As well as playing with legends like Shania Twain and artists like Maren Morris, you’re also a solo artist in your own right and write fantastic country-pop anthems – I love the catchy hooks and emotion-strewn power of songs like ‘How Good’! What are the main things you tend to draw inspiration from when writing songs?
I want to write songs from an honest place, because I think the more honest a song is, the better chance it has to connecting with someone else. I feel that we’re all fighting similar battles on opposites sides of the same war sometimes, so usually I tend to pull inspiration from my own life, or from stories I’ve heard friends tell me. As long as I can connect to it in some way, I can write a song about it. 

And you’ve also just played a sold-out show at London’s Omeara, which I was sorry to miss! How was that for you? Was it the first time you’ve played in London?
My sold out show at the Omeara was so incredible. This is probably the tenth time I’ve played London, but I’m always so happy to be back and see the best fans on the planet! I felt so loved as they sang all the words to b-sides off my last couple records, and I was able to preview some brand new songs for them. Overall, it was such a great night. 

You won ‘single of the year’ at the CCMAs last year for your song ‘Right On Time’, which is so fantastic – big congratulations! How does it feel being classed as a ‘country’ artist, and how much would you say you’re influenced by and fit into the genre generally?
Winning ‘single of the year’ at the CCMAs for ‘Right On Time’ was such an incredible night. Most of the time I don’t really see myself as country, and to be honest have been told so many times that I’m “not country enough” for the genre. I grew up loving songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Shania, and since I started writing music, my goal has been to create the most honest songs I can. When I moved to Nashville fifteen years ago, and got offered a deal from a country record label, I just figured that my music could cross over to many genres, and – because of the messages in my songs – I felt like country fans could relate. I’m so grateful for all of the amazing fans that I’ve met through country music, but if I were being honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever truly ‘fit’ into the genre. At the end of the day though, I don’t think fans care if they’re listening to a “country” song or a “pop” song, or a “rock” song, I think people just like to listen to the music they like to listen to. So at this point in my career, I see myself as more of a singer-songwriter than classified as a country artist, and truly, I just hope that I can keep making music that feels honest; that people want to listen to. 

Are there any other contemporary country artists that you’d recommend we check out?
I am very excited for the genre of country music, and the wider tent it’s casting with artists like Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan. It’s really inspiring to see artists like Kacey Musgraves being true to herself and her sound, and letting it evolve compared to letting a genre tell her where she needs to go. I’m a huge fan of her latest record, Deeper Well. 

As we’re an organisation that focuses on promoting women and queer folk in new music, how would you say the industry is for them at the moment? And how has your experience been in what can often seem like a male dominated environment?
Thank you so much for all you do for women and the queer community! I will say that I think the industry is better now than it’s ever been in supporting these minorities. However, we still have a long way to go. The ratios are still very uneven, and although there doesn’t seem to be a linear solution to the problem, I think the best thing that women and queer artists can do is keep releasing great music. 

And do you have any advice for young women who might want to get into making music right now?
If you’re wanting to make music right now, I think the most important thing to figure out is who you are and what you want to say: why now? Anyone can sit in their bedroom today, write a song, and release it hours later… But you have to think, why should anyone care? When you can distill what you want to do down to a few sentences, I think the path on what you need to do and where you need to focus becomes really clear. It should all revert back to your reasons why. 

Massive thanks to Lindsay for answering our questions! Have a listen the awesome playlist that she put together of some of her favourite contemporary country artists here.

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment