Get In Her Ears Live @ The Shacklewell Arms w/ ARXX, 22.07.22

For our second gig of the month, following our emotional farewell to DIY pioneers Charmpit a few weeks ago, we returned to The Shacklewell Arms to host long-term faves ARXX! Support came from incredible up-and-coming duo Fräulein and fierce new band Lusa Morena. It was truly an honour to host three such exciting bands – it was such a beautiful night filled with not only immense music blasting from the stage, but all the nicest vibes and loveliest people. And to sell out the night was a dream come true – we’ve raised another £300 for vital organisation Abortion Support Network, so huge thanks to all who came along!

I’m struggling to put into words just how wonderful the night was, but I’ve written a few sentences to accompany some fab photos, courtesy of Harry Levin…

Opening the night is Portuguese, London-based band Lusa Morena. Blasting out an immense, swirling energy as impressive relentless riffs roll out alongside front woman Bárbara’s immersive charisma, they cement themselves as definite ones to watch.

Next up, one of the most exciting bands around – duo Joni and Karsten, aka Fräulein – deliver an utterly impressive set. Having headlined for us at The Victoria back in January, it’s wonderful to have them play for us again delivering their gritty grunge-fuelled anthems. I’ve seen Fräulein live a few times now, and each time is even more incredible than the last – as Karsten’s frenzied pummelling beats accompany Joni’s raw, impassioned vocals and swirling hooks, they really are a truly unique, captivating force to be reckoned with. It’s also particularly lovely to have them on the same bill as ARXX, as I first fell in love with them a couple of years back at an online festival that Hanni curated.

To top off the dreamiest of line-ups, total long-term faves ARXX take to the stage to Shania Twain’s ‘Man, I Feel Like A Woman’. And then Hanni and Clara blast into our eyes and ears with that perfect balance of raucous energy and joyous charm that we’ve come to know and love over the years. As they treat us to an eclectic set, offering some of their more poppy recent releases alongside the grungey edge of some of their older songs, they fill The Shacklewell Arms with a euphoric sea of admiring fans – smiling and singing along in blissful unity. New or old, each track is delivered with the duo’s trademark colossal anthemic musicality as the sassy allure of Hanni’s vocals soar over immense catchy hooks and Clara’s buoyant beats and witty between-song chat. With all the colourful, empowering vivacity that you could ever hope for, ARXX once again prove themselves to be a band consistently honing and developing their sound to create the freshest, most addictive of tunes. Impossible to pigeonhole into one genre, they continue to impress with everything they do (including the surprise ‘Sk8r Boi’ cover with special guest vocalist Beth White!), and remain truly one of the most exciting – and completely lovely – bands I’ve ever come across. It’s such an honour to host them at one of our nights again that I notice silly little tears (of joy and pride) trickling down my cheeks as the set draws to a close.

Massive thanks again to the three AMAZING bands who played for us on Friday, to all at The Shacklewell Arms and to everyone who came along and sold out the night, raising £300 for Abortion Support Network. A really special night!
Next month we have another two gigs in store for you: 12th August at The Victoria with Manchester band Nikki & The Waves, First Frontier and Panic Pocket – tickets here, and 20th August at The Cavendish Arms with Australian duo Mannequin Death Squad, Maya Lakhani and Dogviolet – tickets here!

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Harry Levin / @harrywlevin

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Track Of The Day: Gemma Cullingford – ‘New Day’

Having received praise from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Steve LaMacq and Amy Lame, as well as Radio X’s John Kennedy for previous singles ‘Tongue Tied’ and ‘Wide Boys’, Gemma Cullingford (of GIHE faves Sink Ya Teeth) has now shared a brand new offering ahead of her upcoming album release in September.

Reflecting on night terrors that we can all experience even as adults, and the optimism that the morning can bring, ‘New Day‘ delivers a blissfully shimmering soundscape evoking a nostalgic energy, with shades of the danceable hits of the ’80s. Flowing with glitchy, synth-driven hooks as the subtle stirring power of Cullingford’s vocals oozes alongside a whirring, twinkling drive, a truly euphoric summer anthem is created.

Watch the beautiful new lyric video for ‘New Day’ here:

A special remix of ‘New Day’ by Rodney Cromwell is due out on 8th August. And Tongue Tied, the upcoming second album from Gemma Cullingford, is set for release this Autumn. To celebrate its release she’ll be playing a joint headline show for us with Alice Hubble and support from Yay Maria at The Shacklewell Arms on 10th September. Get your tickets on DICE now!

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: Murman – ‘Falling Down’

Since forming back in 2018 via a Gumtree Ad, London-Brighton band Murman are now a refined four piece who’ve shared stages with the likes of Lucia and the Best Boys and Porridge Radio at esteemed venues such as The Scala and Camden Assembly. Now, following the success of recent singles ‘Baptism’ and ‘Achilles’, they have shared an infectious new offering.

Propelled by swirling, scuzzy hooks and an anthemic, emotion-filled drive, ‘Falling Down‘ oozes a gritty energy in the vein of rock greats such as Bruce Springsteen and The Killers, with an added unique colourful pizazz and impassioned swooning vocals. If you’re in need of an instantly catchy, joyously jangly slice of Americana-tinged garage-rock, then look no further… ‘Falling Down’ offers a perfectly danceable antidote to all of life’s worries. Of the track, the band explain:

“It’s one of those songs that just sticks with you and you keep hearing in your head. We feel incredibly privileged to have collaborated with extraordinarily talented people like Josh Hayward (The Horrors) who worked with us in the studio, Garmo Mandica who mixed and produced the song, and Swedish vocalist Wiktoria who is featured on backing vocals on the track... I’m a big fan of Blondie – I remember hearing ‘Dreaming’ for the first time and it was like a kick to the gut. I wanted ‘Falling Down’ to have that same impact.”

Watch the new video for ‘Falling Down’ now:

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Introducing Interview: Annie Elise

Having recently released her evocative debut EP, Breathe In, Breathe Out, Boston based artist and producer Annie Elise strives to elevate women in music production through the celestial soundscapes she creates. Born with Synesthesia, she is a “conductor for colour” – creating music that produces the colours she likes to see. The result are blissful, electro-driven, R’n’B infused pop anthems showcasing both her rich, sweeping vocals and innovative production capabilities.

We caught up with Annie to find out more about the EP, how she got into creating music and what inspires her… Have a read, and make sure you check check out Breathe In, Breathe Out, which was released in partnership with non-profit organisation Someone To Tell It To, which is dedicated to the power of compassionate listening in today’s society.

Hi Annie Elise, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hey there, thanks so much for having me! My name is Annie Elise, and I’m a producer/artist/A&R currently living in Boston. I really love the colour purple, and I have a kitten named Juno, short for Roland Juno-106 Polyphonic Synthesizer. 

How did you start creating music?
It was a bit of a perfect storm. I was born with a neurological condition called Synesthesia that causes me to physically see sound and hear colour, so naturally I gravitated towards music. I was also born into a musical family – my dad is an amazing music educator. When I was nine, his middle school program was gifted an iMac lab to learn Garage Band, and I became the guinea pig for the new curriculum. I was instantly hooked and would sneak downstairs at night to go play around with some sounds, and that was my first experience with production. Around that time, I started studying classical violin, and later was accepted into Berklee College of Music to study violin performance. But I guess my hands had other plans – about halfway through my first semester, my fingers stopped working as they should and I was eventually diagnosed with Focal Dystonia, which meant a career in violin performance was out of the question. Heartbroken, I had to decide what to do next, and I decided to pivot towards production, and never looked back. Thankfully, it allows me to still be creative without needing all ten fingers working perfectly! And now I’m here, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Your latest EP Breathe In, Breathe Out is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the EP?
To sum it up the best I can, it’s the honest, genuine story of my worst year. It’s filled with grief, loss, doubt, stress, surgeries, hospital visits, and sexism – but also perseverance, finding inner strength, identity and recognition. I think optimism in the face of uncertainty is a big theme for me – starting around the time I lost the use of my finger – and I like to think of this as a personal journey of the healing process. I recorded all the strings on the EP myself, and it was a long and frustrating process to deal with the Dystonia, but it was so special for me to be the one playing my violin. The EP kind of starts in this incredibly dark and overwhelming place with ‘Breathe In’, and then over the course of the record slowly gets lighter and more optimistic until the end, when you end with ‘Breathe Out’, which is all about welcoming peace and letting things be.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Shura and Robyn, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I’m super inspired by other gender minorities in production who are absolutely killing it – Bad Snacks, Rachel K Collier, and SoWylie to name a few – as well as songwriters who are able to just be 1000% honest and genuine. Matthew Thiessen of Relient K has been a huge influence for me, as well as Devon Again and Lila Drew.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
I end up seeing a lot of live music thanks to my A&R work! Going to support and scout artists is all part of the job, and I’ve really enjoyed watching all sorts of acts just be their best selves on stage. It’s really inspiring.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Last month, we finished up our first ever Northeast Tour! It was soooo much fun. When I’m performing solo, you can expect a solo beat set. I hook up a vocal mic, my SP404sx, my viola and we have a ball. When I’m performing with my band, the set sounds way more neo-soul than electronic, and it’s way less for me to worry about since there’s no looping, no sampling, no playing while singing… Just me and the band. There’s things I love about both setups, but sometimes it’s just logistically easier to do it one way over another. I love having the flexibility and also the unpredictability of having every show be something different.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I mentioned Bad Snacks earlier – def check her out! She’s one of the reasons I decided to make the leap into production, and I can’t wait to watch her music continue to do amazing things.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
Speaking as an A&R, I would definitely say that it can be harder to cut through the noise since making and releasing music is far more accessible these days. Surrounding yourself with the right team and being true to yourself as an artist is the absolute best thing you can do.

Finally, what does the rest of 2022 have in store for Annie Elise?
Lots of new music – both for my artist project, and music that I’ve produced for other people. I’m really excited for it all to be out into the world.

Massive thanks to Annie for answering our questions!

Breathe In, Breathe Out, the debut EP from Annie Elise, is out now.

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