Five Favourites: WIDGET

Having completely dazzled us with their gritty compelling energy and utterly unique charisma when they headlined New River Studios for us last month, East London post-punk supergroup WIDGET (featuring members of Big Joanie, all cats are beautiful, Junodef and Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani) have just released their debut album, Classy Hits Vol.2. Filled with seething, satirical anthems, as fitting for the dance-floor as for taking to the streets and rising up against the powers that be, it’s a truly unique collection; a perfect glimpse into the wonderfully wonky, fantastically frenzied and deliriously dark world of WIDGET.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them the most. So, we caught up with Ky from WIDGET to ask about their “Five Favourites” and they’ve picked five songs that they feel most influenced the writing and recording of Classy Hits Vol.2. Have a read about their choices below, scroll to down to watch their latest video for ‘WHAT IF PHONES BUT TOO MUCH‘, make sure you check out the full album, and also listen to Ky and Estella from the band talk more about the album on our next radio show, which airs tomorrow Wednesday 13th May on Soho Radio at 8pm!

Shopping – ‘The Long Way Home’
I’ve known these lot for a really long time. I’ve actually just finished producing a record with Ray on fiddle/vox, Bianca (Island Girl) on mandolin/percussion/vox and Femi Oriogun-Williams on guitar/accordion/vox, which is honestly incredible. Black British folk at its absolute finest. Shopping were the first post-punk band I ever got truly into, something about the super stripped back arrangements, the overlapping vocals and the driving disco beats definitely planted the seed for widget even way back then.

Joey Fourr – ‘My Dolphins‘
Another seminal piece of ‘00s/’10s UK post-punk history that I was fortunate enough to be in the vicinity of for the albeit short existence of the band in this form. I saw them play an in-store in maybe 2014/5 and Xoey said she liked my Bambi jumper which made my day. I’m still reppin’ this album to people wherever i can, it’s got such a unique sound and quality to it that really catches people. think both of these two entries were recorded at the legendary Power Lunches.

Sade – ‘No Ordinary Love’
I could never in all my life get enough of this song, or her catalogue in general. Absolutely exquisite voice, the subtle driving funk of the bass lines, plenty of space in the drums and that pre-chorus with the chugging guitars that hang over into the chorus hook. I listened to a lot of ‘80s post-disco pop when mixing the new widget record, trying to blend the clarity and space they had with the sad modern necessity for loud masters to cut through the crowd.

Solange -‘Cranes In The Sky’
This is simply one of the greatest songs of all time, off one of the greatest albums of all time. The drums are PERFECT in their simplicity, the bass is gorgeous and expressive and feels effortless and so conversational. the rising piano line in the chorus, the stunning production, the soaring vocals. Absolutely perfect work, zero notes whatsoever. a seat at the table is up there with ‘Blond(e)’ as two of the very best musical works of this century so far, and I’ll happily scrap anyone who disagrees outside the next widget show and Brooklyn Vegan can film it.

Minutemen – ‘The Glory Of Man’
My mate turned me onto this band a few years ago, and this song is still on regular rotation for me. I love the space that’s given for the vocals, saving the guitar stabs for the instrumental sections. The lead singer died tragically young – there’s a real nice doc on YouTube called ‘We Jam Econo’ that people should really watch. Sweet lil DIY punk boys doing sweet lil DIY punk boy stuff like jumping out of trees etc.


Huge thanks to Ky for sharing their Five Favourites with us! Classy Hits Vol.2., the debut album from WIDGET, is out now. Watch the band’s latest video for ‘WHAT IF PHONES BUT TOO MUCH’ below and, if you’re in London next Saturday 16th May, catch the band live (you won’t regret it!) playing a fundraiser for Lebanon with Nastazia Bazil at The Piehouse Coop in New Cross. Tickets here.

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment

GIHE Highlights: Supersonic Festival 2026

Get In Her Ears happily returned to Digbeth in Birmingham and immersed ourselves in the idiosyncratic delights of Supersonic Festival again this year! We were thrilled to be invited back to experience this special Limited Edition event, after having such a great time when we first attended the festival in 2024.

Despite being smaller in scale (spanning two days instead of the usual three), Supersonic 2026 still resolutely championed a plethora of experimental and genre-defying sounds from a multitude of new and established artists. It’s hardwired into the event’s DNA to provide festival-goers with the opportunity to experience an eclectic array of performances, which were delivered by OXN, Prostitute, Milkweed, Thorn Wych, Bong II, Lucifer Sky, Traidora, Feeo, Guttersnipe, Greet, Peiriant, Hang Linton, Amretat, as well as special debut presentations from collectives MMM and Microplastics and a DJ set from GIHE faves, Decolonise Fest!

Alongside the musical programming, as usual, Supersonic offered a host of complimentary workshops and activities, which included keyring making with crafting collective Shelanu, a block-printing protest banner workshop with artist Natasha Taheem, a sound bath session, the return of the infamously difficult Freak Zone Quiz and an opportunity to join and perform with the pop-up Supersonic Choir. The festival also accommodated the curiosities of both attendees and the general public with it’s own unique Marketplace, which we took full advantage of this time around.

We could wax lyrical about the power of Supersonic all day long, but we’ve compressed our thoughts and feelings about the festival into six highlights, which you can read below…

 

The Marketplace is a hub for like-minded creatives

Whether you want to buy a pendant necklace with a real preserved spider-web from The Voodoo Doctor, spend time perusing multiple vinyl collections or indulge in some gothic-inspired cakes and sweet treats, the Supersonic Marketplace was the perfect place to get involved in artistic chats and endeavours. Hosted in the Zellig building, the space also included a special Supersonic flash session at resident tattoo shop House Of Thieves, which also sits next to the excellently named The Goth’s Playground, which was full of wonderfully unusual paraphernalia.

Within the Marketplace, we particularly enjoyed the wares on the Boulderdash stall. Described as purveyors of “stones, drones and noise”, Boulderdash are an independent zine and collective based in Cornwall. They were selling copies of their latest issue, cassette tapes and prints from musicians & artists they’ve worked with, plus, a unique limited edition Boulderdash guitar pedal. We exchanged stickers and stories and recommend that everyone checks them out!

(Photo Credit: Robert Barrett) 

(Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

Traidora are a force to be reckoned with

Joking that they were more accustomed to playing their punk anthems about “being gay” in sweaty pub basements, compared to being on Supersonic’s much larger stage, London-based trans anti-fascist band Traidora brought their riotous rhetoric to this year’s festival. The trio, fronted by Venezuelan-born artist Eva Leblanc and with the marvellous Maeve Westall on drums (itoldyouiwouldeatyou, YAKKIE, Gordian Stimm), Traidora ripped through a setlist that was loaded with righteous anger against ongoing genocide, transphobia and social inequality.

Performing in front of a backdrop of photographs of queer and female pioneers and activists – including LGBTQ trailblazer Marsha P Johnson – Traidora’s set felt like a hardcore homage to the queer and indigenous communities that they have been inspired by and are part of. Eva also took the time to thank everyone at Supersonic for their diligence and the care she and her bandmates had experienced on every level, which reminded her that “human kindness” is alive and well in the alternative music scene.

(Traidora – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett) 

(Traidora – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

MMM & Milkweed brought the ancient past firmly into the future

With a sound as immense as the stones that they were inspired by, collaborative audio-visual project MMM opened Supersonic with a transcendental performance. Together, multi-instrumentalists Gayle Brogan, Nick Jonah Davis and Elizabeth Still created a unique work with filmmaker Ian Nesbitt, based on their travels to the Isle Of Lewis in Scotland during the rare Lunar Standstill at the ancient Calanais Stones, which occurs every 18.6 years. They documented their response to this natural phenomenon through a cell-tingling mix of thunderous guitars, intense drones, heavy harmonium and intermittent high pitched screams paired with diaphanous vocals. Grounded in ritual, resonance and reverb, MMM pulled back the veil of the past and captivated their audience in the process.

(MMM – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett) 

(MMM – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

Milkweed also transported Supersonic fans to a bygone era with their acute, alluring storytelling. Reviving ancient folklore narratives and oral histories by weaving them into their experimental “slacker-trad” sounds, the four players sat opposite each other across a table littered with cassette players and wires; sonic vessels which enhanced the intensity of the songs lifted from their 2025 album, Remscéla. Inspired by The Táin saga, which is an aged collection of epic Irish “pre-tales” translated by Thomas Kinsella, the record dives deep into the lore of multiple legendary characters, which Milkweed brought vividly to life throughout their theatrical set. Working together in perfect harmony, they mixed string instrumentation with spoken word, stunningly clear vocals and brittle tape distortion to resurrect the past. It was a performance of mythical proportions, which clearly resonated with the resolutely attentive crowd.

(Milkweed – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

(Milkweed – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett) 

The Supersonic samosas are legendary (as is the Tea Bar)

Whilst the music line-up for Supersonic Festival is always impressive, the line-up of snacks and drinks at the resident Tea Bar is just as noteworthy. In between pints of Supersonic IPA supplied by Attic Brewery, we indulged in some sustaining cups of tea and finally sampled a Supersonic staple which totally lived up to the hype: the iconic samosas! We were also tempted by the muffins which were as big as our heads and the delightful addition of Bloody Marys on the second day of the festival. Hats off to all the chefs who created these divine treats, they really were a highlight of the weekend.

(Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

Thorn Wych’s set was a fascinating, noisy spectacle 

With a name that perfectly encapsulates her sound, Lancashire-based musician Thorn Wych performed a truly strange and striking set with her bespoke handmade instruments and pedal board on the first day of Supersonic. Despite experiencing a few sound difficulties, she embraced the chaos and stayed rooted to her cause; sat on the stage with her long hair obscuring her face, switching between an assortment of string instruments, drums and flutes whilst singing in tongues and channelling distortion by twisting the nodules on her pedals with her bare toes. Her performance was primal and instinctive and evoked a powerful sense of pagan folklore ritual. We’ll be thinking about it for many weeks to come.

(Thorn Wych – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

(Thorn Wych – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

On all levels, Supersonic truly commits to the craft…

Whatever that craft may be, one thing is for sure: artists at Supersonic commit themselves 100% to their performances. We strongly believe that even if they were alone in an empty room, they would still be performing with the same tenacity. From the absolutely unhinged riffs and manic beats of mutant-noise-rock duo Guttersnipe, through to the beautiful understated soundscapes of experimental artist Feeo, we witnessed an abundance of wonderful and endearingly weird forms of self-expression across the weekend.

We mentioned this in our 2024 review, so at the risk of sounding like a broken record, we just want to reiterate how much we appreciate the effort, care and dedication that goes into planning a unique event like Supersonic, right down to the amazing festival-inspired nail art that one of the bar staff had! Get In Her Ears are a small DIY community based in London and we value connection and resistance through music, coming together to experience these things in a room with other like-minded people; something that Supersonic achieves on a scale that is deeply inspiring to us. We can’t wait to return to the festival again next year to have our minds blown by another immense array of experimental music (and to eat more samosas…)

(Feeo – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

(Guttersnipe – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

(Decolonise DJ set – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

(Supersonic IPA & nail art! Photo Credit: Sam Frank Wood)

 

Follow Supersonic Festival via Instagram & their official website

Words: Kate Crudgington

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio x Supersonic Fest Special (02.04.26)

Tash, Kate and Mari were back on Soho Radio bringing listeners another eclectic mix of new music tunes from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ artists.

Tash shared their memories of seeing Robyn live at Hackney Empire on her Sexistential tour, and Kate hosted a special Supersonic Festival section, showcasing some of the amazing experimental and alternative talent on the Birmingham-based festival’s SOLD OUT line-up later this month (25th-26th April). She waxed lyrical about the intuitive electronic soundscapes of feeo, the unique mixes of “anti-format DJ” DJ Haram, the unusual “slacker trad” of Milkweed and the righteous catharsis of trans anti-facist punk band Traidora.

Keep your eyes peeled for more Supersonic Festival coverage on our website over the next few weeks…

Listen back below:

 

We’ll be back on Soho Radio in a brand new slot on Thursday 5th March from 16:00-18:00
Make sure you tune in via DAB or download the Soho Radio app.
You can also listen at www.sohoradio.com

 

Tracklist
Jackie Shane – Sticks And Stones
Robyn – Dopamine
CLT DRP – What Is She For
VERO – Dumb It
Kim Gordon – Dirty Tech
Azari & III – Manic
Fever Ray – The Lake
ESYA ft. Jessy Lanza – Chasing Desire
Dose – Chump Change
deary – Alma
Alewya ft. eejebee & Vraell- City of Symbols
Kloyd – New Love
**Supersonic Festival Special Section Begins**
feeo – The Hammer Strikes The Bell
DJ Haram ft. El Kontessa – Sahel
Milkweed – Téte Brec, The Twinkling Hoardahel
Traidora – Disforia Eterna
**Supersonic Festival Special Section Ends**
Konradsen, Angie McMahon – What I Aim For (Tash’s Track Of The Show)
afromerm – reflections (Kate’s Track Of The Show)
Ailsa Tully – Womb Room (Mari’s Track Of The Show)
Modern Woman – Dashboard Mary
Squirrel Flower ft. Babehoven & Billie Marten – Wheels
th’sheridans – Painted
Black Water County – People
NEXT TO NADA – Nan’s In a Punk Band
ScareBears – Softboy Disco
YAKKIE – Kill The Cop Inside Your Head
ANOHNI and The Johnsons – It Must Change
Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Five Favourites: Tenderness

As someone who had Deep Throat Choir soundtrack me walking down the aisle, hearing the voice of anyone from that incredible collective always feels pretty special. And so the debut solo album from Katy Beth Young (also of Peggy Sue) – aka Tenderness – has been an extremely welcome treat for my ears since its release last month. Showcasing Young’s gorgeously rich vocals as twinkling Americana-tinged hooks ripple throughout, True offers stirring reflections on relationships, grief and the fleeting nature of joy. As a gentle melancholy flows alongside a twinkling uplifting grace, it’s an exquisite testament to Young’s resonant songwriting and the beautiful raw emotion that shimmers through every song. I was lucky enough to hear the album live at St Pancras Old Church a few weeks back; a perfect setting for the moving celestial splendour of Tenderness.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them the most. So, we caught up with Katy to ask about her “Five Favourites” and she’s picked five albums that she feels most influenced the writing and recording of True. Check out her choices below, scroll to down to watch the beautiful video for ‘Day Of Atonement‘, which features Deep Throat Choir singing alongside Katy, and make sure you set aside time to immerse yourself in the full album.

Kim Deal – The 2013-2014 Singles 
This is not exactly an album (sorry!) but I love Kim Deal a lot and she/The Breeders have been a huge influence. She put out these ten singles in 2013-14 without much fuss and I listened to them constantly when I discovered them about a year later – ‘Are You Mine?’ and ‘Beautiful Moon’ are pretty much perfect. There’s surfy guitars and lo-fi drums and Kim Deal’s perfect voice and also absolutely killer lyrics like – “I’m happy for you / but I feel crying”. I’m always aiming for that kind of conciseness and contradiction with my own lyrics. The arrangements are very sparse and simple and satisfying and they sound very alive. It’s like each song has been condensed into its absolute essence, which is something I’ve aspired to do with Tenderness – just letting the song be itself musically and lyrically. They also all sound like they belong together – from the heaviest to the gentlest. True was made over quite a long time, so Euan and I worked really hard to pull some sonic threads through them and make sure they belonged, and this set of songs was a really good touch point for that. 

Big Thief – Masterpiece
The first Big Thief song I heard was ‘Real Love’. In the space of a week about six different friends sent it to me saying “I think you’ll like this” and obviously I did. I love every Big Thief album & their solo stuff too – they are each perfect for a slightly different day, time, mood  – but Masterpiece is still the one I listen to the most. It makes me want to sing along in a way that probably only Mariah Carey ever did before. The song ‘Masterpiece’ makes me want to write loud songs and ‘Lorraine’ makes me want to write quiet sexy songs and ‘Vegas’ makes me want to practice the guitar. 

Allegra Krieger – I Keep My Feet on The Fragile Plane
A lot of my writing influences happen quite slowly without me really noticing, but recording influences are much more conscious. Allegra Krieger was a big one for this album. The sounds and the mood and the space she leaves around things is so captivating. We used it as a reference for vocal sounds and mood a lot. And the songs are brilliant and clever – there’s a real sense of place and time and Krieger can create a whole world or a whole relationship in a couple of lines. This is one of my favourites from the song ‘Lingering’ – “I wanted to tell you something small and stupid / but I couldn’t remember when I saw your face.” I’ll listen to any album that Double Double Whammy puts out now. 

Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
For better or worse Bright Eyes will probably always be my hand-on-heart ‘favourite band’. I discovered them at my most tender and suggestible age (I was trying to download ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ on Limewire but I’d forgotten what the title was). Oberst’s lyrics have had a profound effect on how I write and what I aim for – they are honest and wise and naive and heartbreaking and hopeful at once. When I was younger, I loved Lifted, or the story is in the soil, keep your ear to the ground the best because it’s noisy and emo and kind of mean, but now that I’ve fully accepted that my soul is part-country I’ve come back around to I’m Wide Awake… It’s a bit of a time capsule for me now, plus it has Emmylou Harris on two songs.

Laura Marling – Song for our Daughter 
This album came out at the very start of the pandemic and I listened to it a lot walking around my local area that summer – which is also when I was writing the songs that would become True. Laura has been an influence forever, but I think at that moment there was something particularly inspiring about the clarity of her voice and her storytelling and the musicality of the arrangement. It helped me give myself permission to make these quieter songs with my voice right in the middle.


Huge thanks to Katy for telling us about her Five Favourites! Watch the beautiful video ‘Day Of Atonement’ below, and make sure you check out True, the debut album from Tenderness, which is out now via Amorphous Sounds.

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment