Five Favourites: Roller Derby

Kicking off their UK tour tonight in Manchester at The Peer Hat (there will some tickets left on the door), Hamburg dream-pop duo Roller Derby have been charming our ears with their sparkling heartfelt anthems for some time now, and delivered such a wonderful performance for us at their sold out show at Shacklewell Arms last time they were over in London in 2024. Having recently released their exquisite debut album, When The Night Comes, they’ve showcased their ability to meticulously interweave the luscious celestial vocals of Philine Meyer with glistening multi-layered soundscapes and raw textures to create something truly captivating. 

To celebrate their first proper tour of the UK, Roller Derby have reflected on their five favourite albums by British bands and artists, sharing a few words about how much they love them and the different ways they feel influenced by them. So, have a read of their choices below, make sure you check out their stunning album, and pick up a ticket for their UK gigs now!

Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
When we heard ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’ by Dry Cleaning on the radio for the first time, we were immediately blown away. We love the band’s sound, especially Florence Shaw’s vocal performance. The music video for the song is also one of the best we’ve ever seen. Their long-awaited debut album New Long Leg was released in 2021, and album track ‘Strong Feelings’ is also a really wonderful and hypnotic song.


The Cure – Disintegration
The Cure and Robert Smith are probably our biggest musical inspiration. The way they blend sadness with joy – melancholy with playfulness – is something that never stops inspiring us. Disintegration feels like one cohesive piece, yet it’s incredibly diverse – something we deeply admire and keep coming back to. ‘Plainsong’ is our favourite album opener of all time – maybe even Manu’s favourite song ever. We were lucky to see The Cure live at their 40th anniversary show in Hyde Park in 2018. It was an incredibly hot day, and pretty much everyone in the crowd was dressed in black – which made the whole thing kind of funny, in the most Cure way possible.

Temples – Sun Structures
Manu discovered Temples’ debut album Sun Structures back in 2014 and listened to it non-stop at the time. Alongside Tame Impala, it had a big influence on his taste in music and really pulled him deeper into psychedelic sounds. He has seen the band live twice in Hamburg, and the record is proudly displayed on our living room wall. Maybe the intro of ‘Shelter Song’ even had a little influence on our own track ‘Always on My Mind’!

Rolling Stones – Flowers
This list should also include what is probably the biggest and best-known band from England. Philine came into contact with the music of the Rolling Stones at a very early age, as a cassette of the album Flowers was always played in the family car on long car journeys. ‘Ruby Tuesday’ remained as a favourite song, but ‘Out Of Time’ and ‘Sitting On A Fence’ are also great songs. The recording of ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ is also amazing.

The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy
I don’t think anyone has quite been able to get over the band The Last Dinner Party over the past year. They released such an impressive debut album – it’s really exciting musically and we really like the baroque-pop approach, which is reflected in their whole outward appearance. Philine particularly loves the songs ‘On Your Side’, ‘The Feminine Urge’ and of course ‘Nothing Matters’.

Huge thanks to Philine and Manu for sharing their Five Favourites with us! Make sure you check out the full When The Night Comes album and then nab a ticket to their special London headline show at The Lexington this Friday, 9th May!
Get a taste of what to expect in this gorgeous video for recent single ‘In Spring’:



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Five Favourites: Frankie Rose

Having just released her fifth studio album Love As Projection, New York based artist Frankie Rose creates stirring, electro-fused soundscapes. Propelled by a whirring ‘80s-inspired drive with shades of the likes The Cure (you should also check out Rose’s Cure cover album Seventeen Seconds) or Joy Division, a glistening musicality flows throughout the album with a stirring anthemic majesty, creating a blissful sonic experience.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of Love As Projection, we caught up with Rose to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. So, read about her five favourite ever albums, and check out the beautiful video for latest single ‘Come Back‘ below…

The Cure – Head On The Door
On an 18 hour drive during a tour a few years ago, we decided to listen to every Cure album in chronological order front-to-back. And, while it was hard to decide during the course of the listening process, Head On The Door was ultimately my choice for best album in the end. The difficulty in the decision is due to the Cure being one of my all-time favourite bands, and choosing this release over a masterpiece such as Disintegration is controversial… But having absolute perfect songs like ‘Close to Me’ and ‘In-Between Days’ on one album sealed the deal after combing through the entire catalogue.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=02Klc3nAkp4


Depeche Mode – Violator
As much as I’ll always appreciate Depeche Mode in their more minimal, early synth-pop days, Violator is the band’s introduction into the mainstream. The album is just so crammed full of ‘tracks’, how can it possibly be topped? The pinnacle of electronic pop mastery. If I recall correctly, I first heard this record when I was 14; ‘Enjoy The Silence’ was a massive hit on the radio, and it became an omnipresent soundtrack to my youth. In retrospect, it’s odd that this synth band had such a major crossover hit in the United States, especially with such a – dare I say – kinky album? 


Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love
‘Running Up That Hill’ and ‘Cloudbusting’ on one release..? Wow! Kate Bush is another key influence on me. I took direct inspiration from the drums on ‘Running Up That Hill’ for a song on Love As Projection (Can you guess which one?!) She’s such an original talent – she has a totally unique style of songwriting and pop structure, she uses almost no cymbals. It’s incredibly theatrical, something I had never encountered before in music prior to getting into her albums. She’s not a typical pop star; it comes across almost more like performance art.


Talk Talk – Spirit Of Eden
For me, this will always be the quintessential Talk Talk album. It is understated but undeniably epic. I don’t consider this a pop record – it’s a record I feel should be listened to from beginning to end. It’s a complete piece of art, and it is perfection. It’s almost like a jazz record; a massive album with lots of negative space, so orchestrated. Meticulously made, and you can tell. It feels like a story told beginning to end, like Mark Hollis had a complete vision for the record conceptually. It’s funny because I’d say there aren’t even any ‘hits’ on the album (at least not in a conventional way). 


Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
Elizabeth Fraser will always be my go-to inspiration. This record is stunning from beginning to end… Is there a more perfect opening song than ‘Cherry-Coloured Funk’? I also find a drummerless band extremely inspirational these days – less is more, and this album proves you can accomplish so much with a minimal sonic palate. I celebrate Cocteau Twins’ entire discography, but this is definitely their most straightforward ‘pop’ record in my opinion; it’s more accessible and fully realized, which I appreciate. 


Massive thanks to Frankie Rose for sharing her favourite albums with us!

Love As Projection, the new album from Rose, is out now via Night School Records.

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GIHE: Personal Highlights Of 2022

We’ve already shared our Albums & EPs Of 2022 and Tracks Of 2022 features, but now the GIHE team have put together a round up of some of their music related highlights from the past twelve months.

At the risk of jinxing absolutely everything, 2022 has been a positive year for GIHE! From the brilliant lineups Mari organised for our monthly gigs at East London venues The Shacklewell Arms, Sebright Arms & The Victoria, to the monthly Soho Radio shows that Kate & Tash produced and hosted, the GIHE gals were grateful to feel connected – either through the internet or in real life – to our friends and followers, and that’s what our Personal Highlights of 2022 reflect.

Read below for a recap of some of our favourite bits of the year. Huge thanks to everyone who has supported GIHE. We’ll see you in 2023. x

 

Team Highlight: Being interviewed for Clash Magazine

Journalist McKenzie Morgan kindly took the time to speak to us about how we started GIHE, our ethos as a platform and how much we cherish being a part of the underground music community. Her thoughtful write up emphasises the importance of safe spaces at gigs and supporting the artists we love in order to help them to break through into more public spheres.
You can read the full article here.

Featuring on Craig Charles’ 6Music show for Trunk Of Punk

Mari, Tash & I were over the moon when we were invited to represent GIHE on BBC 6Music’s Trunk Of Punk feature at the beginning of December. As a team, we picked some of our favourite punk tunes, including ‘Oh Bondage, Up Yours!’ by X Ray Spex, ‘Day and Age’ by Problem Patterns and ‘Sainted’ by Big Joanie. Speaking to Craig Charles over the phone was a surreal experience, but telling him the punk spirit was “undeniable” and getting the GIHE name out on the airwaves was such a joy. Thanks to everyone who tuned in and who sent nice messages afterwards!
(Kate Crudgington – Co-Founder & Features Editor)

The Women’s Work Showcase at Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast

A community led, human-centered approach to promoting and supporting women & non-binary people in music, the Women’s Work Showcase at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Centre was stacked with impressive live performances that displayed the fresh talent of the Northern Irish & Irish music scenes.

Mari & I were invited over to DJ, and we were so impressed by the eclectic lineup, featuring CHERYM, Aoife Wolf, Clara Tracey, Winnie Ama and Susi Pagel, as well as GIHE faves Fraulein, the formidable Sprints and rapper Don Chi.

Watching headliners Problem Patterns live for the first time really was a special moment for me too. Their set was full of jokes, joy and raging punk anthems, all directed at the patriarchal forces that attempt to crush minority communities who are asking for the respect they deserve. It was amazing to watch Alanah, Beth, Bev and Ciara tear up the stage together and firmly establish their status as one of the most important and powerful live bands of the moment.

Huge thank you to the staff at the Oh Yeah Centre, the attentive sound engineers and to the amazing Charlene Hegarty who invited us over to share in the joy of Women’s Work. From listening to traditional Irish music whilst having pints of Beamish and shots of Baby Guinness at The Sunflower pub, to the poignant black cab tour of the city with our guide John, our time in Belfast was beautiful. (KC)

Deer Shed Festival 2022

Prior to this year, it had been a while since I’d attended a festival. So, in 2022 I was desperate to find one that was as lovely as possible and suited my needs of being perhaps a little older than the average festival-goer, without missing out on any of the best new music.

Sadly, the last festival I went to in 2018, and my favourite ever festival experience – Indie Tracks – did not survive Covid, and so I was looking for a replacement; something equally as inclusive, chilled-out, family friendly and of course, hosting plenty of amazing female and non-binary bands and artists. And then I came across Deer Shed… Highlighting a real family-friendly focus, whilst hosting an incredible range of exciting new artists, the North Yorkshire based Deer Shed perfectly filled the festival-shaped-void I’d been feeling for the last few years.

Whilst day one saw highlights ranging from the majestic splendour of Nadine Shah and stirring allure of Billy Nomates, to the vibrant electro-punk of Straight Girl, day two treated us to an absolute dream of a line-up; while the exquisitely choreographed set and glistening stage presence of Self Esteem completely blew me away, CMAT and Denise Chaila exuded an immersive, joyous energy. And on day three, the swirling emotion of ME REX and colourful charisma of The Bug Club made for a glorious Sunday.

So, thank you Deer Shed – not only did you offer a fantastically dreamy line-up consisting of favourites old and new, but the warm, family-focused vibes and inclusive sense of unity that persisted throughout the weekend was a particularly heartwarming to experience.
(Mari Lane – Co-Founder & Managing Editor)

The Great Escape Festival

After missing out on festivals due to lockdowns, Covid cancellations and being struck down with illness myself, I was thrilled to return to Brighton for The Great Escape this year. It’s my favourite festival for discovering new music and it’s a running joke among the GIHE team that I always come back and tell everyone how “GREAT” the Great Escape is.

Our photographer Jon Mo & I had a blast running around town catching bands, including favourites Fraulein, ARXX, CMAT and Projector, as well as discovering new talents Brimheim, CIEL, Lido Pimienta and Softcult. You can read my full review of the weekend here. I’ll definitely be back for the 2023 edition. (KC)

Favourite Soho Radio Interviews & Website Features

Running a non-profit music platform alongside a full-time job can be stressful, but I never take for granted the access GIHE gives me to having direct conversations with artists who make my favourite music. It’s such a privilege to be able to discuss someone’s creative processes with them, and I’m humbled every time an artist takes the time to openly share their thoughts with me.

For our Soho Radio show, we had the wonderful Ailbhe Reddy come into the studio to chat about her music and fangirl over Avril Lavigne, and total heroes Big Joanie also spoke to us again about their superb second album, Back Home.

My website interviews with Brimheim, Gazelle Twin, Stefanie from Brutus and GIHE faves Nova Twins are all some of my favourite features to date, and the conversations we had all left a lasting impression on me this year.

GIHE Live: ARXX, Fräulein & Lusa Morena – The Shacklewell Arms

Although all the gigs we host are special to me, and all the amazing bands that play for us completely blow me away, having total faves ARXX return to headline for us in July was quite a stand out. Having hosted them a number of times over the years, and with the duo having had such a fantastic 2022 – with airplay on BBC 6Music and Radio 1, as well as support slots with the likes of The Subways and The Big Moon – it felt really special that they’d want to come and play for little old us again!

Treating us to an eclectic set, offering some of their more poppy recent releases alongside the grungey edge of some of their older songs (plus a surprise ‘Sk8r Boi’ cover with special guest Beth White), they filled The Shacklewell Arms with a euphoric sea of admiring fans – smiling and singing along in blissful unity. A truly memorable night – with not only ARXX, but two more of the most exciting bands around, Fräulein and Lusa Morena – filled with the best of vibes; I even found myself crying silly little tears (of joy and pride) as the epic headline set drew to a close. (ML)

GIHE Live: Charmpit, adults & Bitch Hunt – Sebright Arms

Another stand out gig I hosted this year came in the form of DIY legends Charmpit’s last ever London show, and it was an absolute honour to host this special occasion. With support from the scuzzy punk-pop of Bitch Hunt and indie ‘tweecore’ outfit adults, it was truly a wonderful night – with familiar faces from the community coming together to celebrate a band who have been such an inspiration and joy for so many.

With fond memories of having them play for us at The Finsbury back in 2017, Charmpit delivered a set of career-spanning classic DIY anthems, oozing all the sparkling charisma and vibrant energy we’ve come to know and love. And, despite the sadness at it being the last time we were together in a room dancing to Charmpit, it was a truly joyous occasion – celebrating all there is to love about this inspiring, adorable and innovative group whose uplifting bubblegum pop tunes have healed, helped and motivated so many. (ML)

Live: Slothrust & Calva Louise – Elsewhere, Brooklyn, NYC

Lucky enough to finally travel to New York for my honeymoon, two years later than planned, this April, I wanted to find some live music to see whilst out there. And, on seeing that Manchester based long-time faves Calva Louise were playing on the Friday after we arrived at well-known Brooklyn venue Elsewhere, I thought it would be a nice coincidence to get tickets for that. So, I investigated headliners Slothrust… And soon became a mega super fan.

Having listened to last year’s album Parallel Timeline (plus other singles such as ‘Horsehoe Crab’ and Crockpot’) on repeat for the month leading up to our trip, when the night came to see the two bands, I was extremely excited… and justifiably so. Following the fierce, sparkling energy of Calva Louise, I found myself completely captivated by Slothrust’s scuzzy, raw emotion and the utterly immersive, no-frills charisma of front-person Leah Wellbaum. It was just one of those special nights where you’re left speechless; feeling all the fuzzy, warm joy of having experienced the dreamiest of sets, knowing that you’ve found your new favourite band.

Needless to say, I continue to be a mega, super fan (now proud owner of a the beautiful Parallel Timeline on vinyl), and was lucky enough to catch Slothrust live again in London this summer – this time with other long-term loves, Berries. (ML)

Live: The Cure – Dublin Arena

The Cure played Dublin’s 3 Arena on Dec 1st and all my Christmases had come early! A gentle tone of anticipation was set for the upcoming Songs From a Lost World album with sounds of low thunder and a backdrop of a beautiful starry night. When the band appeared through the atmospherics, I was “happy as a girl”. We waited so long, and now they were here, launching into a new song ‘Alone’, which captivated the audience and carried us with them into an almost three hour set, where they filled with our emotions with songs.

The light show was spectacular, with each song having a stunning visual. A wonderful surprise was the chance to hear five new songs, which had been showcased earlier on the tour, but to hear them in person and see Robert Smith’s emotive delivery was very dear to me; an ultimate Cure experience. The night was finished by two encores (!) filled with all the favourite hits (everyone knows and loves at least one Cure song!) New and old fans left the venue with their hearts full, knowing that in a world where The Cure exists, we will never be lost. (Fi Ni Aicead – Writer) @gotnomoniker

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INTERVIEW: Ghum

Having been firm favourites here at GIHE for a number of years, wowing us with their immersive live performances and captivating post-punk musicality, London band GHUM have now released their much-awaited debut album, Bitter. Oozing a gritty, swirling energy as front person Laura’s vocals soar throughout, each track carries the band’s trademark ethereal allure and dark, hypnotic splendour, showcasing their ability to consistently hone their sound and bewitch listeners worldwide.

To celebrate the release of the album, we caught up with Laura, Jojo, Marina and Vicki to find out more about Bitter; what inspires them; their thoughts on the industry today; their plans for the year, and more. Have a read below and make sure you immerse your ears in the new album as soon as possible!

Hey Ghum! For those who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a bit about yourselves and how you all got together to start creating music as Ghum? 
We met because Marina, our bassist, put an ad online looking for female musicians to form a band because she thought playing with other women would be more fun. She knew Laura from a previous jam with other people and asked if she was still looking for a band. “I loved her voice and vibe so much, and was really happy she said yes.” Jojo responded to the ad saying she loved The Cure and Warpaint and I said: “You’re in, bitch”. Vicki came along soon after that and boom: Ghum was formed. 

We’re huge fans of your swirling, ethereal allure and post-punk energy, but who would you say are your main musical influences? 
Bit of Cure, bit of Pixies, bit of Joy Division and Warpaint…

You’ve just released your debut album, Bitter, which is super exciting! Are you able to tell us a bit about it? Are there any particular themes running throughout it?
Bitter is our debut album and we wanted to establish and cement our sound with this record. This time we knew what we were looking for when songwriting, and searched for it. The themes vary but the songs are about people and conversations that have maybe a bitter end – reflections on people that left a mark, and just a release of feelings that needed an escape.

And how would you say this album differs or moves on from your previous releases? 
We have consolidated our sound (for now) after The Coldest Fire EP we released in 2019, we found something that really agreed with all of us – we wanted to explore this sound and make it punchier. It feels like the culmination of an era, what we wanted to reach until now. This is us.

You’ve been wowing crowds with your immersive live shows for some time now, including support slots with the likes of Dream Wife and L.A Witch (and headlining for us at the Finsbury!), but is there a particular gig you’ve played that stands out as a highlight for you? 
We have just finished a supporting tour with Choir Boy and Soft Kill. We played in Paris at the Petit Bain and we really enjoyed that one. The French crowd was awesome and the venue was a dream – it was in the middle of our first European tour, so it was quite special to play to such a different crowd and get such a good response.

I’ve always loved seeing you live, and seem to become hypnotised by your majestic splendour! But how would you describe the Ghum live experience to those who’ve not had the pleasure yet? 
Thank you! We live our shows in our skin, we try to transmit the emotions in the songs and give a performance where we tell a story. We are loud and quiet, and we love low lights and smoke machines. We love a good mosh pit and dance party too.

How do you feel the industry is for new artists at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the last few years in its treatment of female and queer/LGBTQ+ artists?
The industry is changing slowly and improving with this, but there is still a lot to improve on. Lack of representation and sexism is still a massive problem in this industry; on and off stage. For example a lack of female, non-binary, trans and queer/LGBTQ+ tour managers or drivers, or sound engineers, or gig promoters, or lighting designers. Fortunately, there are collectives such as 3T which is a training course for underrepresented gender/ethnic groups in touring and live music – something we want to see more of! At any given point, we try to always work with women across the board for our shows or tours, and to give opportunities to women to work in a safe working environment is also important. It’s still very much a “boys club” or “man’s world” in the music industry, especially when you step outside of the DIY scene – which we’re very fortunate to have started from. But it’s evident there’s still a great deal of improvement that could be done and we hope we can help with this, along with many other artists, fighting for more change.

And with you all being from different parts of the world, how would you say the music scene here differs from the places you grew up? 
It’s totally different! There are underground alternative scenes everywhere of course, but London has such an extensive circuit of venues of all sizes and a lot of respect for bands that are starting out; there is a big history of alternative music from this neck of the woods and it feels like people are more tolerant. I’ll say the alternative scene is even more alternative in places like Spain and Brazil where society is not as open minded – it’s way harder to find places to play, and the resources are more limited. But there is a lot of DIY ethos and community support.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists or bands you’re loving right now that you’d recommend we check out?
We really like NewDad, Hussy, Fraulein, Bdrmm, Montaña (Spain)…

And, finally, in addition to the album release, what does the rest of the year have in store for Ghum…?
We have lots of plans. We have a few shows and festivals coming up. We are especially excited for our upcoming show at Rough Trade East on 4th July where we are gonna be celebrating our album launch and signing some vinyls for the first time. We are finally playing in Spain (where our vocalist Laura is from) at the end of August at Canelaparty in Malaga and we are very happy about that too. We will be announcing a UK tour in autumn and we are writing new songs, so we hope to keep on releasing new material. Lots of work and lots of gigs!

Huge thanks to Ghum for answering our questions!

Bitter, the debut album from Ghum, is out now via Everything Sucks. Buy here.

Photo Credit: Paul Phung

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