LIVE (Photos): Grace Petrie – Islington Assembly Hall, 14.03.24

Having last seen Grace Petrie live at local venue Stanley Arts back in 2021, and spoken to her earlier that year, it was great to get the opportunity to see her again – this time with a full live band at Islington Assembly Hall, and oozing even more understated, yet strident, empowering charm than ever before. A truly wonderful and unifying evening, celebrating the release of her new album, Build Something Better (and in anticipation of its exciting top 30 chart position the following day), it was a real pleasure to experience her poignant, politically-charged anthems amongst a filled venue of like-minded individuals. With her lilting folk-strewn musicality elevated and energised with the addition of Robin Gatt on lead guitar, Francesca Knowles on drums, Jasmine Kennedy on bass and Amy Thatcher on accordion, as well as her constant comrade Ben Moss on fiddle, it felt like a particularly special evening; whilst not holding back with addressing issues of urgency with a fierce spirit, Petrie was able to create an atmosphere of joyous warmth and solidarity. Resonant, necessary messages delivered with an infectious energy, inciting us to unite and fight against the forces that seek to oppress us. 

As well as being lucky enough to immerse ourselves in Grace’s live set, we were able to have a quick chat about the new album and tour, see our photos from the night, and snippets from the interview below.

“Build Something Better is probably my most political record for a long while. It was inspired by the general sense of dissatisfaction in modern day Britain, especially the nationalistic undertones that the government are utilising to try and distract from the many ways that people are increasingly unhappy and dissatisfied with living standards here. And that just kind of inspired a lot of angry, political songs.”

“Writing the album, I was very inspired by different folk-rock albums, like Bruce Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball, The Decemberists, and an Australian band called The Maes that I’ve been listening to a lot recently.”

“I’ve been having an amazing time touring it, this is my first time playing with this line-up, and it’s just been absolutely amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better band to lift these songs to an amazing new live level that I’ve never been able to access before. I’ve just been having a really great time!”

GIHE alumni Gabi Garbutt also delivered a really beautiful set as support, before Molly Naylor treated us to her witty and relatable poetry.

Build Something Better, the new album from Grace Petrie, is out now via The Robot Needs Home Collective. And Grace will be heading out to Australia this week for a couple of live dates, before heading back there in May for the Guilty Feminist tour. More info here.

Photo Credit: Paul Dawes / @GRNDglass

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Softcult

Formed of twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn Horn, Canadian duo Softcult have had a busy few years touring extensively with the likes of Incubus, Movements and MUSE, as well as releasing a trio of excellent EPs: Year Of The Rat (2021), Year Of The Snake (2022), and See You In The Dark (2023). Now, the pair are gearing up to release a new collection of songs, titled Heaven, which they’ll be sharing on 24th May via Easy Life.

With their shimmering guitar tones, swirling FX and atmospheric dual vocals, Softcult provide their listeners with welcome moments of respite from the pressures of everyday life. With tracks that touch on issues of body image and self esteem, to anthems that advocate for gender equality and anti-capitalism, the duo’s musical ethos is rooted in a desire for a better world than the one we currently exist in. This is the thread that connects the tracks on their upcoming EP, Heaven.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with guitarist and vocalist Mercedes to ask about her “Five Favourites” – five tracks that have inspired Softcult’s songwriting techniques. Check out her choices below and scroll down to listen to Softcult’s latest single ‘Spiralling Out‘ at the end of this post…

 

1. Radiohead – In Rainbows
I can’t say enough about how much this album has influenced me. Since I first heard it I fell in love with Johnny Greenwood’s guitar work, Colin Greenwood’s basslines, and of course Thom Yorke’s hauntingly beautiful vocals and lyrics. It changed the way I think about groove, opening new possibilities on how melodic instruments interact with percussion, and creating melodies that stand alone yet fit together like the intricate pieces of a puzzle. Easily one of my favourite records of all time.

2. The Sundays – Reading, Writing & Arithmetic
This album is so enchanting and captivating for me. I’m drawn in by Harriet Wheeler’s delicate and dreamy vocals and David Gavurin’s shimmering, jangly guitars. Together they create an atmosphere that beautifully captures emotions like ebullience and pensiveness and balances them in such an introspective way. It’s very intelligent music that is also easy to listen to, which is a rare combination. It’s influenced my vocals and melody writing, as well as my guitar style and tone on our dreamier songs.

3. Deftones – Diamond Eyes
Deftones have SO MANY incredible albums, so it’s really hard to choose a favourite, but I think Diamond Eyes is one I keep coming back to because I love the dichotomy of heavy, crushing guitar and atmospheric, heavenly shoegaze ambience. Chino Moreno sings with such angst, yearning, and sort of this agonizing lustiness that I haven’t heard from any other vocals. It’s so expressive. It captures a very specific mood. It definitely has influenced our music in a big way.

4. Cocteau Twins – Head Over Heels
Again, just a huge influence on us in terms of atmosphere, guitar tones, vocals, and overall ambience. This record was so ahead of its time. I think it shaped the sound of dream pop and shoegaze a decade before that scene really bloomed. This record is enchanting and mesmerizing for me. It has a mystery to it. Elizabeth Fraser’s vocal style is a huge influence on me, as well as Robin Guthrie’s guitar style. I don’t think ‘Love Song’ would exist if I’d never been exposed to this album.

5. Bikini Kill – Pussy Whipped
While this album definitely has a different sound than anything Softcult has ever been influenced by musically, I cannot deny that I am deeply inspired by the lyricism and ethos of Kathleen Hanna. Kathleen is the woman who essentially founded the Riot Grrrl movement and zine culture in the feminist punk scene. Her activism through music is what inspired me to be in a band and to use my art to empower people, specifically women, non-binary and trans people.

I honestly try to channel her when I’m on stage, no matter how nervous I might feel. Her ability to channel righteous feminine rage and power into a movement that continues to fight for equality is nothing short of inspiring. We are HEAVILY influenced by Bikini Kill’s fiercely cutting and poignant lyricism as well as the riot grrrl aesthetic and culture that they founded in the 1990s.

Honourable Mention: My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
I feel it would be remiss if I didn’t also include My Bloody Valentine’s album in this list. Sorry, I know we were supposed to only pick five! But this album has so greatly shaped my guitar playing and Phoenix’s production in terms of creating a wall of sound with macerating fuzz into reverb the way Kevin Shields does. I just have to mention it or I couldn’t live with myself.

Thanks to Mercedes for sharing her Five Favourites with us!

Watch the video for Softcult’s latest single ‘Spiralling Out’ below
Pre-order Softcult’s upcoming EP, Heaven, here

Follow Softcult on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook & X

Photo Credit: Kaylene Widdoes

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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New Track: pink suits – ‘Are You Gay Yet?’

One of the first songs written for their much anticipated upcoming album Dystopian Hellscape, pink suits have released their fourth and final single release ‘Are You Gay Yet?’. Described as “a seething celebration of queerness”, it captures the duo’s distinct, definitive essence perfectly. An anthem dedicated to reclaiming your identity and sense of self, the track takes their trademark angst and channels it into a fierce salute to individuality.

The track begins with clattering, fast paced drumming that teases the riotous energy integral to pink suits’ signature sound. Fuzzy guitars begin slowly and simply, giving the vocals plenty of space to belt out the track’s central question: “Are you gay yet?” It hangs in the relative quiet of those opening lines, forcing you to confront the discomfort inherent in such an invasive and personal question, and consider the mindset of someone who thinks that’s an appropriate thing to say out loud.

Guitar, drums and vocals pick up for furious, fast paced verses that delve deeper. They depict moments that any visibly queer person will recognise, when people go out of their way to make a point of letting you know that they have noticed, in a way that evidently isn’t designed to be kind. A way that might be delivered gently, but still feels like a slap in the face.

The track alternates between the intrusive questions and the visceral emotional reaction to being asked them. The abrupt shifts between the two perspectives create a sense of whiplash that evokes the dizzy sense of disorientation that often hits when someone has caught you off-guard with such a pernicious approach to asking about your life.

‘Are You Gay Yet?’ is quintessentially pink suits. It aches with rage at the micro-aggressions that queer people are routinely expected to tolerate, yet is simultaneously infused with an infectious joy born of rejecting that expectation. With this song, pink suits are clapping back with all the frustration they are made to feel in that moment and revelling in the satisfaction of taking the power back.

Dystopian Hellscape, the upcoming second album from pink suits, is set for release on 1st April. Catch pink suits on tour over the next couple of months, including 29th March at Manchester Punk Festival and 13th April at Cro Cro Land. Dates and tickets here.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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WATCH: BCOS RSNS – ‘(First On At The) Buffalo Bar’

A catchy and absorbing debut single, ‘(First On At The) Buffalo Bar‘ by BCOS RSNS is a deceptively upbeat love letter to a precarious live music scene. A bouncy rhythm blending with cheery keys and fuzzy guitar riffs captures the liveliness and excitement of being at the kind of gig that makes it worth paying London prices for a pint.

The verses recount fond memories of the kind of weird and wonderful acts that find the space to perform in small venues willing to take a punt on something different, and anyone who knows and loves a local venue with a cramped stage and an eclectic-bordering-on-chaotic rotation of performers will recognise at least some of the images conjured in this track. The bright chorus repeats “I wanna be first on at the Buffalo Bar” with an infectious enthusiasm that makes you want to take your weird idea and go play there too. The riff beneath is an absolute earworm that will have you humming that chorus for a long time.

Regretful repeated lines come in towards the end that give the song an all too familiar sense of heartbreak; the simple change to the lyrics, with almost no shift in the music subverts the happy experiences into just memories. The sense of nostalgia is nice, but the loss of such a gem to the live music scene is tragic, and that feeling evokes the loss of many, many incredible community spaces lost to the ravages of late stage capitalism. It tinges those stories with sadness that even the most busy, vibrant cities can’t keep their best small venues afloat.

‘(First On At The) Buffalo Bar’ expertly captures the existential anxiety of seeing a scene you love to be a part of crumble away before your eyes, as a brutal economy and an increasing disregard for the arts rip holes in the fabric of the DIY community.

BCOS RSNS have chosen their debut perfectly. Given the presence the band have in the DIY scene in London, as familiar faces at all the best gigs both on stage and supporting from the crowd, this track really represents their authentic personality as well as introducing their sound to people further afield hearing them for the first time.

BCOS RSNS, the eponymous debut album from the band, is out on 22nd May, and you can celebrate the release with them live at The Cavendish Arms on 25th May.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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