avant garde music – Page 6

LISTEN: GIHE x Morning Glory takeover on Soho Radio ft. NYX Drone Choir and Brenda (21.09.23)

Tash and Kate were back on Soho Radio’s airwaves for a second time this month, taking over their Morning Glory show – LIVE from the studio! They played an eclectic mix of new music from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ artists and Mari offered some of her “musical musings” too. The pair also had a “spotlight” section dedicated to tunes from bands and artists who have been a part of the GIHE journey from the early years, featuring ARXX, Big Joanie, Nova Twins, Problem Patterns, Fraulein and Maria Uzor.

There were two guests on the three hour takeover show. In the first half, Tash played her chat with Glasgow newcomer Litty, who fronts Brenda. Litty spoke about the inspiration for the band’s recent single ‘Pigs Pigs Pigs’ and shared many funny anecdotes about how they originally came together to form Brenda.

In the second half of the show, Alicia and Philippa from the NYX electronic drone choir came into the studio to chat live on air. They spoke to Kate and Tash about their collaborative album Deep England, their contribution to the Diablo IV video game soundtrack, and the instinctive ways in which they use technology to enhance the power of the human voice. They also set aside plenty of time to fangirl over Gazelle Twin too.

Listen back to the show below:

We’ll be back on Soho Radio on Monday 16th October from 12-2pm!

Tracklist
Jackie Shane – Sticks and Stones
Rainy Miller ft. Mica Levi – Maybe Time To Lay Down The Arms
1000 Beasts & Tomike – Cherry Delight
Midwife ft. Nyxy Nyx – it’s okay 2 lie 2 me
NewDad – Angel
Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra – Empty Envelope
Baby Rose – Stop the Bleeding
Mitski – my love mine all mine
Brenda – Pigs
**Interview with Litty from Brenda**
Erasure – I Want To Be With You
Bee Asha – Shy Guy
Baby Cool – The Sea (Qubuz Track Of The Day)
Afromerm – held
Nova Twins – Choose Your Fighter
Problem Patterns – Lesbo 3000
Problem Patterns – Poverty Tourist
ARXX – Ride Or Die
Fraulein – Big Cool
Big Joanie – Fall Asleep
Maria Uzor – Sometimes They Look At You
CIRCE – Riot Of Sunlight
AVR – A Closer Touch, A Plan Of Art
Trouble Wanted – Lonely Cowgirl
CMAT – Stay For Something
SPRINTS – Up And Comer
Hot Wax – Phone Machine
Lauren Auder – The Ripple
Gazelle Twin & NYX Drone Choir – Deep England
**Interview with Alicia and Philippa from NYX Drone Choir**
Gazelle Twin – Black Dog
TSHA ft. Ell Murphy – Bloom
Yay Maria – L’Appel Du Vide
Small Crush – Rumblin’ Tummy
Panic Pocket – Get Me
The Vanity Project – Eureka!
Julia-Sophie – dial your number
And Is Phi – Double Pink
Scrounge – Starve
O Hell – I Watch The Women
Noga Erez – NAILS

September 25, 2023September 25, 2023

Kate Crudgington1 Comment

LISTEN: Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter – ‘All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell’

A different character with a commanding rhetoric, but fuelled by the same raw, passionate voice; interdisciplinary artist Kristin Hayter has returned with new music under an updated moniker. Formerly known as Lingua Ignota, she has now re-branded to Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter and shared the cathartic, startling track ‘All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell’.

Lifted from her upcoming album, SAVED!, which is set for release on 20th October via her own imprint Perpetual Flame Ministries, the song is an auspicious-yet-ominous offering that sees Rev. Hayter “rise” triumphantly from the place where they fell. Moving away from the trauma that underscored her previous works, including her acclaimed second album Sinner Get Ready (2021), Hayter’s new work focuses on healing. This emotional exorcism is at the core of SAVED!, which she worked on with long-time collaborator Seth Manchester.

Once again taking inspiration from Christian values – specifically the Pentecostal-Holiness Movement which dictates that one’s closeness to God is demonstrated through transcendental personal experience – Hayter uses her voice as a vessel for redemption, with ‘All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell’ forming her first potent sermon. Her sparse instrumentation allows her idiosyncratic vocal to remain the the centering force as she seeks salvation in direct, unrelenting fashion: “I’m getting up from the place where I fell / Lord please forgive me / I don’t want to be like my friends who are going to hell”.

Described as “an apocalyptic revelation on the complex, sometimes ugly, always nonlinear process of healing,” SAVED! looks set to be Hayter’s most unflinching, raw record to date. High-fidelity recordings of each song were committed to a 4-track recorder, then degraded in a series of small half-broken cassette players. This achieved the atmosphere of timeless decay that Hayter wanted, enhancing the power of her unusual pilgrimage further. ‘All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell’ is accompanied by a video that follows Hayter into a riverside baptism, and was filmed, directed & edited entirely by Hayter herself. Watch it below.

On Friday 13th and Saturday 14th October, Hayter will perform her final shows as Lingua Ignota in London as part of “Perpetual Flame v.2” with some very special guests across each show. Find out more and buy tickets here.

Follow Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter on
bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter (X), Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Rev. Herschel B. Rutherford

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

August 29, 2023

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

GUIDE & PLAYLIST: Supersonic Festival 2023

Event: Supersonic Festival

Where: Digbeth, Birmingham, UK

When: 1st – 3rd September 2023

Ticket Info:
Weekend ticket: £160.00 / Day tickets: £40.00

Full info about other ticket options available here

General Info:
To mark 20 years since its inception, Supersonic Festival have put together another exciting programme of alternative music and events for their 2023 line-up. Described as “championing experimental and adventurous music and creating an inclusive and joyful space where all are welcome,” the team have organised three days of art and events for festival-goers to immerse themselves in.

Alongside the music line-up (which you can read more about below), Supersonic have a vast selection of extracurricular activities to get involved in. There will be workshops, guest DJs and Do.om Yoga, as well as a roof-top takeover by Decolonise Fest (a DIY collective organised by and for punx of colour). BBC Radio 6 Music’s flagship experimental show Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone will be in attendance, with a pub quiz hosted by Stuart, plus there will be film screenings from labels including Ipecac, The Flenser, Thrill Jockey and Constellation Records.

There will also be ‘In Conversation’ events with Eugene S. Robinson of Oxbow on his book A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderer’s Row: A Memoir, and with John Robb on his book The Art Of Darkness: The History of Goth. Finally, Supersonic will be hosting exhibitions of artwork by Black Lodge Press in collaboration with Dog Section Press, and by skateboarder and artist Richard “French” Sayer celebrating the Home of Metal, and a special celebratory display in response to the festival’s archive by artist and designer David Hand and friends.

Who’s Playing: Check out the full line-up here

There are so many excellent bands playing Supersonic this year, it’s hard to pick favourites! At Get In Her Ears, we focus on female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ talent, so beneath the official line-up poster below, there are some in depth recommendations about artists who we think you should check out.

You can get to know them all better by listening to our accompanying Spotify Playlist at the end of this feature too.

DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE

The gargantuan-yet-graceful sounds of this heavy duo will definitely be a festival highlight on Saturday night. Their doom-ridden instrumentals are designed to erode the foundations of colonialism and liberate the land for indigenous communities. Saxophonist and guitarist Takiaya Reed and percussionist Sylvie Nehill have been honing their unique form of noise in order to help cauterize the wounds of colonialism since the release of their debut album BASIC, back in 2017. The patience and empathy that underscores their creativity inspires a deep sense of awe and respect. Read our interview with Takiaya here, and check out our review of the band’s latest album Systemic here.

BACKXWASH

Supersonic will be hosting genre-blending rapper & producer Ashanti Mutinta aka BACKXWASH’s first and only UK show this year – making this performance totally exclusive. The Zambian-Canadian, Polaris Music Prize-winning artist will unleash her hip-hop, horrorcore and industrial sounds on festival-goers on Saturday night. The poetic and cathartic qualities of her seething lyricism are enhanced by the visceral, corrosive soundscapes she has built around them. Her latest album, HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING, is well worth your attention.

TOTAL LUCK

Birmingham-based post punk trio Total Luck will be performing on Friday night. Switching between spoken word and loud, punk vocals, the band create noisy, brooding cacophonies that are are sure to linger in your ears long after they’ve finished playing. Listen to more of their sounds via their bandcamp page here.

ELVIN BRANDHI

If festival-goers want to witness some truly chaotic, intense, experimental noise, then Elvin Brandhi’s set on Saturday is a must see. Described as “an improvising lyricist, producer and sound artist who builds aberrant beats from field recordings, tape, vinyl, instrument and voice,” the Welsh artist will provide her listeners with an unusual, visceral performance. Check out her latest album Drunken Love, here.

TAQBIR

Blending activism and abrasive music together to encourage and empower North African women to express themselves freely, Moroccan punks Taqbir will be a live force to be reckoned with when they play on Saturday night. The five-piece pay homage to the female pioneers of the UK punk scene such as X-Ray Spex, Bona Rays or The Slits, and use their own music as a vessel to unleash their anger and frustration at the systems that oppress them. Check out their bandcamp page here.

SILVERMOTH

On Sunday, Supersonic will be hosting the debut live performance of atmospheric noise-rock collective Silver Moth. Comprised of Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), Elisabeth Elektra, Steven Hill and members of Abrasive Trees, Burning House and Prosthetic Head, together they create genre-blending, evocative aural ruminations. Listen to their latest album Black Bay, here.

LANKUM

Admired for their captivating live performances, acclaimed Irish contemporary folk quartet Lankum will be playing Supersonic on Sunday night. They were first recommended to us by Dublin-based trio Bitch Falcon, and we’ve been assured that the atmosphere at their shows is completely magnetic. Listen to their latest record, False Lankum, here.

DEERHOOF

Festival-goers will be able to enjoy the idiosyncratic sounds of acclaimed alt-indie band Deerhoof on Friday night. Their melodic-yet-noisy infusions are not to be missed. Check out their latest record, Miracle-Level, here.

MORE TALENT

These artists are completely new to us, but we recommend you check them out too: un.procedure, BIG|BRAVE, Jessica Moss, MC Yallah & Debmaster, Ashenspire, Blue Ruth, Agathe Max, Matana Roberts, The Seer, Ondata Rossa, Ragana, Josephine Foster, Sirom

For more information visit Supersonic Festival’s official website

Check out our Supersonic Playlist below, featuring some of the female & LGBTQ+ talent playing the festival this year!

August 21, 2023August 14, 2024

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

NEW TRACK: afromerm – ‘held’

An elegant, eclectic soundscape that gently ruminates on the duality of emotion, London based, independent artist and producer afromerm has shared her latest single ‘held’. Formerly known as CIL, who we named as one of our ‘Ones To Watch‘ earlier this year, under her updated moniker afromerm is marking a ‘new era’ of her work, and ‘held’ is an ambient, poetic introduction to her fresh perspective and invigorated journey into sound.

We first saw afromerm live when she supported the equally talented Bristol-based artist t l k at The Jago in Dalston in March 2022. Her skills as a composer, poet and producer were deeply impressive. She manipulated sound via a motion-controlled synthesizer, and watching her gracefully move her hands around the idiosyncratic equipment was hypnotising. Since then, afromerm has collaborated with the esteemed NYX Drone Choir during a residency at the Southbank Centre and she has been busy working on new solo material.

Through her atmospheric electronics, minimal lyrics and sparse echoing beats, on ‘held’ afromerm has crafted a deeply soothing, evocative piece of art. Her soothing voice lilts over diverse soprano saxophone and alto flute sounds, performed by Buster Woodruff-Bryant and YUIS. “Your head, it’s been held / in sounds of joy / and I see, though you’re loved, you don’t feel it” she sings at the close of the track, tapping into conflicting feelings in such a gentle, measured way. Written, produced and mixed entirely by afromerm, ‘held’ showcases her enigmatic and instinctive talent to create such a strong sense of feeling with considered, seemingly effortless execution.