Get In Her Ears Live @ Shacklewell Arms w/ A Void, 13.04.2023

On Thursday, we were back at Shacklewell Arms with a truly immense line-up! Huge massive thanks to headliners A Void, as well as Collars and Banshi for being amazing! Thanks too to Sofia on sound, and to everyone who came down to support the bands, dance the night away, and help us raise £100 for Rainbow Migration, who do vital work to support LGBTQI+ folk seeking asylum.

Kicking the night off, Cardiff band Banshi treat us to their swirling rock anthems, each delivered with a unique sparkling energy as front person Yasmin’s incredible vocals soar alongside catchy funk-fuelled hooks.

Next up, Cambridgeshire duo Collars offer an utterly unique live experience. As Kane simultaneously pummels the drums whilst blasting out whirring hooks on guitar, Dan exudes a captivating charisma as the soaring power of their vocals fills the venue with a fierce, dazzling energy.

Headliners A Void fill the venue with their immense, grunge-fuelled anthems. Oozing a frenzied visceral energy, they treat the bouncing crowd to 45 minutes of wonderfully raging offerings as Camille Alexander’s raw, sultry vocals blast out with a captivating allure.


Massive thanks to the three amazing bands who played for us on Thursday and to everyone who came out to support them and us! We’ll be back at Shacklewell Arms on 19th May with Brighton band Hypsoline, plus support from The Ethical Debating Society and Rom Coms – nab tickets here!

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Jon Mo / @jonmophoto

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Five Favourites: Aisha Badru

Having previously charmed our ears with the exquisite grace of 2021 EP The Way Back Home and her debut album Pendulum, and with acclaim from the likes of The Line Of Best Fit and Afropunk, singer-songwriter Aisha Badru has now announced the release of her upcoming new EP, due out in June. Following the stirring ‘Lazy River‘, latest single ‘Path Of Least Resistance‘ flows with a lilting soulful energy as it reflects on the apprehensions of new love. Rippling with the rich, shimmering grace of Badru’s vocals, it offers a beautifully soothing heartfelt anthem; showcasing the rich, blissful majesty that we can expect from the rest of the EP.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the upcoming new EP, we caught up with Aisha to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. So, read about her five favourite songs, and make sure you listen to the beautiful ‘Path Of Least Resistance‘ below…

Sarah Jaffe – ‘Clementine’
I stumbled on Sarah Jaffe around the time in my early 20s when I was really starting to get into folk music. I love the raw and emotional honesty that she shares on her album Suburban Nature and her simplistic yet deep lyrics that hold such relatable stories of relationships, heartbreak and life. Back then when I was going through a break up, I had the album on repeat and it made me feel not so alne and hopeless; it made me feel human. This sentiment is one that I hope people find when they listen to my music. One song in particular that was a favourite is ‘Clementine’.

Yuna – ‘Decorate’ 
Yuna was a huge inspiration of mine when I first started writing my own music. I have never been a particularly strong singer or able to hold any impressive notes. My vocal delivery has always been quite simple and my singing often resembles a whisper. Yuna has a similarly soft voice to mine and she’s able to penetrate into deep places with her touching and playful lyrics. I found myself really owning and embracing my soft voice after finding her. There is something very revealing about her conservative approach to music and ‘Decorate’ perfectly displays how you can articulate such profound emotions using a few gentle words and a simple musical arrangement.

Alice Phoebe Lou – ‘Society’ 
You know that feeling when you can feel the message of a song resonating throughout your entire body and soul so much that it gives you goosebumps? That is something that I felt often when I would listen to Alice Phoebe Lou’s earlier songs. She has so many great songs, but one in particular that comes to mind that made me fall in love with her is ‘Society’. Her commentary on society within her lyrics is really moving. You’ll often hear me speaking of broader subjects in my music too. I would say that she inspired the confidence to sing about subjects other than love.

Beautiful Chorus ft. India Arie – ‘I Am’ 
Beautiful Chorus is a harmonising group of women who release spiritual songs that centre around emotional and vibrational healing. Their songs often contain repetitive mantras that have this calming effect on the nervous system while also being extremely uplifting. This song that they released with India Arie is one of my favourite songs, like ever. These women have definitely inspired me to use more soothing sounds and mantra-like lyrics in my music which can be heard in songs of mine such as ‘Rooted’ and ‘Road To Self’.

Lauryn Hill – MTV Unplugged (set)
When I think of some of my earliest music memories, I think of Lauryn Hill. What I love about Lauryn Hill is how she stayed true to who she was while existing within an industry that often tries to shape you into something that you’re not. Her whole MTV Unplugged set speaks so beautifully to that journey of staying on the path of honouring her truth. I find that to be incredibly inspiring and I too will always honour my truth and individuality.

Massive thanks to Aisha for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Listen to ‘Path Of Least Resistance’ here.

Learning To Love Again, the upcoming EP from Aisha Badru, is set for release on 2nd June.

Photo Credit: Jeff Trapani

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New Track: Hand Habits – ‘Something Wrong’

‘Something Wrong’ is the new single by Hand Habits, taken from their upcoming mini-album Sugar The Bruise, set for release in June. Hand Habits is the project of Meg Duffy, an American musician and guitarist who has played as a studio musician on records by the likes of The War on Drugs, Weyes Blood and Perfume Genius.

It’s not often a song captivates me as much as ‘Something Wrong’ did on first listen, taking me on a journey with its charming sounds and interesting textured soundscape. The track starts with a huge drum sound with an ’80s style reverb and acapella vocals. As a huge fan of acapella, this was the perfect way to instantly immerse the listener, complementing the dark and edgy melody.

The track soon erupts into a warm folky chorus complete with acoustic guitar, dreamy harmonies and gentle vocals, juxtaposed with the very different feel of the verse. In the second verse, a robotic vocal harmony enters, giving it a once more different feel – something slightly unsettling, yet deeply satisfying. 

Building into a more dramatic third, the buzzing synth gives it an enchanting sense of urgency. The repetition of “is there something wrong with that” is an earworm of a melody that gets in your head. Despite the lyrical sparseness, it has an intimacy that draws you in, making you contemplate life. 

The songs on the album were all inspired by a songwriting class that Duffy taught in summer 2021 and were semi-improvised – surrendering to and trusting in whatever sounds and words emerged in the session. On the track, which was co-produced by Luke Temple with additional production, engineering and arranging from Jeremy Harris, Duffy created something which, in their own words, “turned out nothing like I’d imagined it would.”

‘Something Wrong’ is a carefully crafted track, oozing an exquisite stirring depth; setting the bar high for the rest of the album, and I can’t wait to hear it. 


Sugar The Bruise, the upcoming mini album from Hand Habits, is set for release on 16th June via Fat Possum.

Ella Patenall
@ellapatenall

Photo Credit:  Ivanna Baranova 

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LISTEN: Hazel Mills – ‘Enclosure’

The first offering from her upcoming EP The Embrace, multi-instrumentalist Hazel Mills has shared her new single ‘Enclosure’. A beautiful blend of lilting synths, altruistic beats and evocative vocals, the Bristol-based artist has created a gentle hypnotising soundscape that feels more affecting each time it’s listened to.

Set for release on the 19th of May, Mills’ EP The Embrace is informed by many things. Inspired by the contrasting, yet unifying forces of the natural and the synthetic worlds, Mills experiments with elements of both to create her atmospheric offerings. Throughout the EP, sounds of whirling water, clinking metal and knocking on wood are matched with analog synth textures and urban-tinged beats to create a majestic sonic world.

“The battle of nature vs modernity is ever present, and I’m largely drawn to the tactile and the dramatic of both sides of the coin,” Mills explains about these inspirations. “Perhaps my eco-anxiety also just wants to find a way to unite them”. Working alongside producer and engineer TJ Allen (Portishead, Bat For Lashes, Hannah Peel), Mills has woven these thoughts into the narrative of the four tracks that make up her new record.

Following an ongoing long-term tenure as keyboardist and backing vocalist for Goldfrapp and Florence + The Machine – and alongside her solo efforts – Mills will be heading to Australia to perform with Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory and The Australian Chamber Orchestra in early May for a celebration of Classic synth-led film scores (including Vangelis’ Blade Runner).

Listen to ‘Enclosure’ below.

Follow Hazel Mills on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & her Official Website

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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