LIVE: Tanita Tikaram @ Royal Festival Hall, 15.11.2025

I think I’ve written before about how much of an influence on my musical tastes my dad has been. Growing up – whether at home, or in the car on long journeys up to Birmingham to see my grandma, or down to Cornwall for the summer – there was always music playing. Sounds ranging from ‘60s rock to ‘90s trip-hop, and everything in-between, I was able to experience an eclectic sonic smorgasbord from a very young age. One of the more ‘in-between’, genre-defying sounds that we would frequently enjoy together was Tanita Tikaram’s 1988 album, Ancient Heart. Even as a young child, the deep gravelly tones of her vocals, soaring alongside the lilting folk-tinged musicality, seemed to really take hold. I have so many memories of both singing along with my dad, and then later as a teen – after stealing the CD for my own collection – seeking catharsis in the sweeping raw emotion and striking lyricism whilst listening on my walkman on the way to school. 

So, when I heard that Tanita Tikaram was playing at Royal Festival Hall as part of the EFG Jazz Festival the same weekend that my parents had planned to come up to London, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a dad-daughter nostalgic evening out. 

Celebrating the release of her latest album, LIAR (Love Isn’t A Right), Tikaram makes an entrance alongside a host of accomplished musicians, the matching deep orange hues of her shirt and shoes adding to the warm glow that exudes from the stage throughout the entirety of the evening. Opening with ‘World Outside Your Window’, the gently empowering anthem from her debut that – upon its release – showcased Tikaram’s clarity and emotional experience beyond her 19 years, and now highlights the timeless quality of her songwriting as it sounds as resonant and energising as ever, the set continues to perfectly juxtapose the past and present as Tikaram flits between instruments and decades. 

Intricately describing the inspiration behind each song, from young ideals of love to all-encompassing issues such as hopes for the freedom and safety of all people, Tikaram shares an endearing vulnerability as she opens up about her songwriting process and influences, adding a welcome sense of intimacy and rapport to the performance. And musically, from the sweeping strings and majestic grandeur of new album track ‘This Perfect Friend’ and exquisite heartfelt grace of Ancient Heart’s ‘Valentine Heart’ (played as a stripped-back duet between Tikaram and her violinist Helen O’Hara), to the blues-inspired hooks of 2016’s ‘Cool Waters’ and immense beats (thanks to drummer Marc Pell) of 2012’s ‘Heavy Pressure’, she showcases her ability to interweave a variety of different styles into something entirely her own. 

Throughout the evening, Tikaram pays homage to a number of other artists who have influenced her in some way. From sharing that the inspiration behind the name of the new album comes from the Molly Drake (mother of Nick) song ‘Love Isn’t A Right’, and referencing Philip Glass’ ‘Night Train’, to dedicating Nina Simone’s ‘Wild Is The Wind’ to her partner Natasha and joining her cellist Midori Jaeger in a spellbinding rendition of John Martyn’s ‘May You Never’, the passion she feels for music and the songwriting process, and her gratitude for those who’ve come before, clearly shines through from start to finish. And, when she talks about how much of an impact her parents’ record collection has had on her (“luckily they had good taste”), I turn to my dad, feeling extremely lucky to be have been in a similar position, and grateful to be able to share such a special evening of music with him. 

Whilst the performance continues to exude an intimacy throughout, as we gain an insight into Tikaram’s personality and warmth as she shares details like this, she doesn’t lose sight of the bigger picture, of her dedication to using her platform as a musician to expose societal truths and express solidarity with marginalised communities. Having discussed the need for, and comfort to be found in, community earlier in the set, she goes on to recognise that “we have so much more in common than what separates us” before introducing the London Gospel Choir who join her for recent single ‘I See A Morning’; their soaring voices adding a stirring sense of unity to the performance. 

Flowing with an engaging warmth throughout, this wholesome evening not only showcases evidence of Tikaram’s timeless talent as a songwriter and sound ability to orchestrate a band of incredible musicians, but it also seems to offer a beautifully open celebration of her queer identity; each song bringing with it its own unique sense of joy and pride. A sentiment which is highlighted by the fact that she has been raising money for Switchboard (the LGBTQIA+ support line that I volunteer for) with each sale of a special rainbow picture disc of LIAR (Love Isn’t A Right).

Tanita Tikaram’s latest album LIAR (Love Isn’t A Right) is out now.

Mari Lane
@mari_getinherears

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Introducing Interview: Junk Whale

Having been big fans of Oxford’s grunge-pop faves Junk Whale since first hearing their 2022 debut (and fantastically named), Caught In The Act Of Looking Weird, we were super excited when they released a gorgeous new EP back in May. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been pretty much listening to See You Around, I guess? non-stop, unable to get enough of its scuzzy raw emotion and lilting indie-pop energy. Despite covering poignant themes such as grief and mental illness, the EP as a whole oozes an uplifting effervescent spirit, each track offering an instantly catchy jangly earworm (and not a repeating chorus in sight!). The band expand: “Lyrically, this might be our darkest release yet, written under the cloud of lockdown malaise and personal setbacks. But musically, it’s probably our most upbeat and energetic.”

To celebrate the EP’s release, and ahead of them playing live for us on 10th October at New River Studios supporting Belfast queer punks Strange New Places, we caught up with Junk Whale to find out more about the EP, their inspirations and the joy of playing gigs with plenty of non-men. Have a read, listen to the EP, and nab a ticket for 10th October now!


Hi Junk Whale! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! How are you all doing today?
We’re doing great, excited to be asked to do this!

Are you able to tell us a bit about what initially inspired you to start creating music and how you all came together as a band?
Hannah and I (Josie) have known each other since we were teenagers and played in a band together before Junk Whale called Four Thousand Dollar Ham Napkin. After that, ended we decided to challenge ourselves by writing, recording and releasing a brand new song every week for a year. It was a mad thing to do, no one was forcing us to do it and pretty much no one listened to the results! But that project was the start of Junk Whale. We met Jenny and Ali through the Oxford music scene and as soon as the four of us were together it stopped being this silly little recording project and started feeling like a really special band that we were all creatively involved in.

I love your scuzzy, emotion-filled indie-pop songs – who or what generally inspires your distinctive sound? 
We all love bands who mix noisy guitars with melodic hooks, bands like Dinosaur Jr., Sunny Day Real Estate, Sleater-Kinney, so naturally we’ve taken a lot of inspiration from those types of bands. Also, we’ve been really inspired by the local Oxford DIY music scene and all the weird and wonderful bands we’ve seen or played gigs with here. When we were starting out, Smash Disco were putting on these great punk and hardcore shows, and we’ve all played in bands doing that kind of music, so I think that’s where some of the emotional intensity and the rougher edges of the music come from. And then there’s Divine Schism, who put on a ton of really varied shows, but especially the more indie-rock-type stuff that we naturally slot in with really comfortably. When there’s a good local scene it really pushes you creatively to try to keep up with your friends’ bands.

You’ve just released your awesome new EP See You Around, I Guess which you’ve described as, lyrically, your “darkest release yet” –  are you able to tell me a bit more about the writing of the album and the themes running through it?
A lot of the songs on the EP were written during lockdown, and as well as the obvious massive cloud of doom hanging over everything, we all had our own personal stuff going on that coloured the lyrics. Jenny, Hannah and I all contributed lyrics to the songs on this EP – we tend to write about topics that are personal to us, so grief, mental illness and friendship break-ups were some of the things we wrote about this time.

And how would you say the whole recording process has differed from your 2019 eponymous album and 2022’s amazingly named EP Caught In The Act Of Being Weird?
The recording process for both EPs was pretty similar, Ali did the bulk of the engineering himself and we recorded each instrument separately. The album was a little different, we smashed through the whole thing in a couple days, mostly recording live with our pal Luke to help us. I think that probably gave the album a slightly different energy – we played everything about twice as fast because we were all on an adrenaline/sugar rush -, but it has been nice to be able to take our time with these recordings. I think it especially shows in the arrangements on things like vocal harmonies, that’s something we really pride ourselves on. And we’re very lucky to have such a talented sound engineer like Ali in the band! Junk Whale recording mostly consists of consuming a frankly irresponsible amount of snacks and fizzy drinks. One of my favourite memories of recording the new EP was when Ali, Hannah and I took a break to play football in a field near where we were recording – Jenny filmed us playing and used it for the ‘Bleeding Out’ video.

You’ve played loads of great gigs over the years, including supporting DIY heroes Martha and recently playing with GIHE fave Ray Aggs, but is there a particular show that stands out as a highlight for you? 
A stand out show for me was with Doe and Milk Crimes in 2019. Doe were (and are still) a band I really looked up to and who influenced my songwriting immensely, so playing with them was kind of a dream come true. Turns out they’re absolutely lovely humans too – sometimes you should meet your heroes! It was an also an emotional night for me because I’d only recently come out as trans to my bandmates and a few other close friends, and it was the first time I’d worn femme clothes and presented myself in public as ‘not-a-man’, so it’ll always be a special one for me.

And, sadly I have yet to manage to see you live (!) – for others who’ve not had the chance, what can fans expect from your live shows?
We love to rock out – sometimes this means going too hard too early and leaving myself out of breath by about the third song! We just like having fun, playing the music we love with our pals, and hopefully that results in a good time for the audience. Also, expect endearingly awkward stage banter, we really haven’t mastered that yet.

When you’re out on the road / playing gigs, are there any particular essentials you like to have with you to keep you going?
On our recent weekender with Nathy SG, we mostly survived on protein bars, Candy Kittens and fizzy drinks in only weird flavours. Ali’s puzzle books, Hannah’s Star Trek eps and my enormous collection of car CDs kept us going too!

As we’re an organisation focused on supporting new music by people of marginalised genders, I just wanted to ask how you feel the industry is for these communities at the moment? Do you feel that much has changed over the years in its treatment of women and queer artists?
We’ve not really involved ourselves with the ‘industry’, whatever that means. We only want to play gigs with bands and promoters who share our values and support women and queer artists. I don’t remember the last time we played a gig where we were the only band featuring non-men. In fact, the last few gigs we’ve played we haven’t even been the only band with a non-cis member – I don’t know if this is a sign of progress in general or just a sign that we’re choosing the right gigs to play, and maybe we’re just lucky that Oxford has such a diverse and inclusive music scene, but I think it goes to show that you don’t have to settle for shitty treatment if you don’t want to.

And are there any other bands / artists that you’d recommend we check out at the moment?
Top Shortage! They are one of the best bands in Oxford at the moment – they’re an amazing live band, especially their front-woman Noa who is just a mesmerising performer. They don’t have any recordings yet but hopefully some are on the way. And Leibniz from Brighton, they sound like all the grungey, heavy bands we loved when we were teenagers and they go HARD live. Also Fashion Tips from Newcastle & Leeds, who play very loud and danceable electro punk.

Finally, following your lovely EP, what does the rest of 2025 have in store for Junk Whale? 
We’re working on lots of new material and might even have some new recordings in the works. And we had so much fun on our weekend tour with Nathy SG and we’d love to do more gigging this year, there are so many places we haven’t played yet. Book us to play in your city!

Huge thanks to Junk Whale for answering our questions!

Make sure you check out Junk Whale’s gorgeous new EP, See You Around, I Guess? on bandcamp now, and also come along to catch their energetic and “endearingly awkward” live show supporting Belfast queer punks Strange New Places at New River Studios, along with Breakup Haircut, on 10th October. Tickets on Dice now!

Photo Credit: Ian Hanham

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LIVE: Little Simz – Meltdown Festival, Royal Festival Hall (22.06.2025)

A balmy Sunday evening in June, and the closing night of the annual Meltdown festival at London’s Southbank Centre. This year’s eleven day event has been curated by innovative artist, and personal favourite, Little Simz, and has included performances from Tiwa Savage, Lola Young, Mahalia, The Streets and more; showcasing an eclectic range of talent and musical styles. And now, to mark the festival’s finale, Little Simz herself takes to the stage, not only accompanied by her trusted band, but by the 42 strong Chineke Orchestra – a collective predominantly consisting of black and ethnically diverse musicians.

Taking place inside the renowned Royal Festival Hall, it seems like the perfect setting for such a memorable event; and, as the orchestra starts to deliver the opening bars of ‘Introvert’, oozing a formidable sense of cinematic grandeur, excitement ripples from wall-to-wall of the jam-packed space, before Little Simz appears, glowing with a sparkling energy, as though she’s been waiting for this moment her whole life. And perhaps she has; the creator of six albums, winner of multiple awards, and often hailed as the country’s best rapper, in addition to being a respected actor, it feels only right that her journey has lead her here – performing to a sold out crowd of family, friends and fans of all genders, ages and backgrounds. A beautiful culmination of not only the past week’s events, but of her career’s achievements so far. 

Continuing to deliver tracks spanning this impressive career, from the gritty energy of this year’s ‘Thief’ and a soulful rendition of ‘Peace’ with collaborator and childhood friend Miraa May (“… we used to sing together in the park while she played guitar”), to songs from her previous albums like the passionate reflection of 2022’s ‘Heart On Fire’ (in which she flits throughout the aisles, greeting the crowd with an endearing warmth), and the catchy singalong refrain and angst-driven power of ‘I Love You, I Hate You’, from 2021’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.

Whether she’s delivering new or old tracks, however, Little Simz’s immense dedication to giving us the most enjoyable and entertaining performance possible remains consistent; fluctuating between a fierce raw emotion and sweeping euphoric energy, there isn’t a moment that she doesn’t seem fully immersed in sharing her innovative creations with us. 

Little Simz’s commitment to sharing and collaborating is evident in the many special guests that join her on stage throughout the night. In addition to Miraa May, frequent musical partner Obongjayar joins her in bounding across the stage with a buoyant energy for ‘Lion and Point’, whilst prominent grime artist Wretch 32 weaves throughout the crowd whilst interacting with Simz for the poignant to-and-fro dialogue of ‘Blood’ as Cashh intersperses with his reggaeton-inspired rhymes. She also seems intent on shining a light on her band, continually encouraging us to notice just how cool and talented they are, like in playful new album track ‘Young’, changing some lyrics to “Martha’s gonna play her bass here” as she highlights her bandmate’s fierce hooks.

As well as the band driving Little Simz’s trademark gritty energy, the addition of the Chineke Orchestra adds a perfect sweeping majestic splendour to the already powerful tracks. Providing a cinematic backdrop to the innovative artist’s stirring narrative, the grandeur of soaring strings and whirring woodwind rippling throughout the set at the hands of charismatic conductor Chris Cameron helps to create a wonderfully immersive, captivating atmosphere, adding to the epic memorable proportions of this very special performance. A particular highlight of the set being when Simz takes the reins from Cameron for the immense introduction of ‘Venom’, conducting the orchestra before turning to the crowd as she raps with stoic conviction: “Never givin’ credit where it’s due ’cause you don’t like pussy in power. Venom.”

Whilst many of Little Simz’ tracks, like ‘Venom’, stem from a sense of anger or injustice, which sizzles throughout the set, she’s also not afraid to share a more vulnerable, sensitive side – as she introduces the title track from her latest album, for example, she shares with the crowd that the album came to be after a period in which she’d struggled with her self-esteem and being able to create: “… it was a very, very challenging time: losing my self-confidence and feeling like I didn’t know how to find it again. I didn’t know how to make music; I didn’t know how to start a verse. I just felt very depleted, so I wrote a song about it.” Cue the soulful, heartfelt emotion and beautifully raw honesty of ‘Lotus’. 

Throughout the performance as a whole, an endearing sense of pride and gratitude emanates from Simz; you can really feel the emotion oozing from the stage. Whether that’s a fierce reflection on personal struggles, an impassioned push for change on a wider level, or a more nostalgic sentimentality, there’s no doubt that what she’s sharing is real; it’s honest, it’s empowering, and it’s inspiring. And I think this really reflects the meaning of the new album, of the Lotus, as Simz explained in a recent interview with Louis Theoroux: “… we can thrive in muddy waters, no matter what we’ve been through, we can use it to channel something beautiful.”  

Finally, after dedicating ‘Woman’ to “the girls dem“, Simz closes the set with the rousing energy of ‘Gorilla’ – with her perfectly intuitive, tongue-in-cheek lyrics accompanied by the full orchestra, this seems the perfect way to end the night; juxtaposing the searing raw power of Little Simz’s writing with the all-encompassing resplendent grandiosity of the instruments, contrasting elements all coming together as one in harmony.

Words: Mari Lane / @mari_getinherears
Photos: Pete Woodhead

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LIVE: Julien Baker – Earth, Hackney (19.11.2024)

A bitterly cold and wet Tuesday night in November; what better time to venture alone to immerse myself in some beautiful, emotion-filled live music… ? My first time at Earth in Dalston, I feel grateful to be able to see three such esteemed artists in this deceptively intimate space. 

After queuing in the rain for a while, I arrive in time to catch most of GIHE fave Katie Malco’s opening set. Reflecting on her recent US tour with Soak and her failings at booking appropriate / warm / safe accommodation, as well as all her gear going up in flames in a rehearsal space earlier this year, it seems she’s had a bit of a bad run of it lately, but this is no way takes away from her engaging charisma and charm as she delivers her captivating indie-folk ballads. Playing alone without a band, she still manages to create a rich scuzzy splendour and immersive gentle emotion with the sparkling heartfelt grace of songs like ‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Babette’ – the latter of which she normally sings alongside Soak, who is due on stage shortly. 

Touching on themes of self-discovery, queer identity and the housing crisis, Irish artist Soak delivers a set of new songs; each glistening with a stirring raw emotion. As their distinctive vocals float alongside lilting melodies, each offering tugs at the heartstrings with an achingly beautiful sense of nostalgia. Grateful I finally got to witness their delicately impassioned sounds live, I’m also left intrigued to hear more about the time that they were backstage on tour with Katie Malco and someone was “playing a saw like a violin and singing ‘Wonderwall’”… 

I’m not sure how I really expected to feel seeing Julien Baker live for the first time. An artist who I’ve listened to – and sought comfort in – probably almost every day for the last few years, my expectations and emotions were running pretty high. Amongst a crowd of predominantly young people accompanied by their parents, I wonder if it’s normal for a woman of my age to feel this much resonance with the music of someone like Baker, but as soon as she takes to the stage (beginning the set with my most favourite song), all worries cease and I’m instantly reassured. When music moves you this much, what does age matter? I’m a 38 year old queer woman and I need this beautiful aural catharsis in my life. As the swirling crescendo of piano and guitar soars throughout ‘Appointments’ alongside the melancholy raw emotion of Baker’s vocals, I feel my heart gently shatter and tears start to dampen my cheeks. But I also feel an unexpected sense of calm; a comfort in the relatability of the feeling and meaning behind the song – an unspoken sense of unity with the other damp cheeks I see glistening around me. And that is the beauty of music this honest and powerful; however old or young you may be, you can find comfort in what it has to say. 

Continuing to completely captivate the crowd with songs spanning her career, including the quiet desperation of 2019’s ‘Red Door’ and shimmering splendour of 2021’s ‘Relative Fiction’, Baker succeeds in immersing us fully. Although her anxiety is evident between songs – “Sometimes I get really nervous and can’t see my fretboard” -, when she’s delivering each heartfelt offering, her focus seems entirely intact, the raw emotive power of her vocals never faltering. And despite describing the experience as “like a stress dream”, I feel far from stressed at being able to bear witness to such exquisite musicality and refreshingly honest lyricism. In fact, I think there’s a subtle empowering strength to exposing one’s vulnerability through the stark emotion that emanates from each and every song. 

From crowd favourites like 2017’s ‘Shadowboxing’ to the glitchy whirring soundscapes of 2019’s ‘Tokyo’, each resonant lyric ripples with an effervescent grace. From the heartbreaking personal introspection of ‘Sprained Ankle’ to the fizzing lilting energy of ‘Bloodshot’, each sparkling melody gently takes hold, leaving 14 and 38-year-olds alike equally spellbound. 

Whether playing with or without her excellent full band, Baker succeeds in creating a soaring majestic splendour; a swirling raw emotion that envelopes her audience, offering a comforting catharsis. Having to leave the venue a few minutes early to catch a train, I realise it feels almost like leaving a therapy session; feelings have been shared, tears have been shed – I feel understood, I feel lighter. So, thank you Julien Baker for opening up to us, for creating music that is so honest and relatable; so soothing and empowering. So damn beautiful.

Words: Mari Lane / @mari_getinherears
Photos: Abi Chilton / @abi.chilton

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