Wolf Alice have had a cracking couple of years. From the certified gold debut album to the Mercury Prize nomination to the ever-expanding glitter-coated fan base, the London quartet have cemented their position in the British indie scene. With the release of their sophomore effort Visions of a Life on the horizon, we talked to guitarist Joff Oddie about success, recording in Los Angeles, and why he’s not a fan of social media.
It’s easy to forget sometimes that successful musicians are human beings – with all the press and pomp that surrounds them, it can be hard to see through the veneer of the marketing machine. While talking to Dez, however, I found myself on the phone speaking to the same down to earth and genuine man I had met almost a decade before; an honest and self-assured person who has seen his fair share of life’s troubles. What followed was not just the usual press junket affair but a frank conversation with someone who has come to terms with and conquered his place in the world, and who chooses to convey a message of positivity and growth through metal which is no less commendable than his real world views on music, faith and respect for his fans.
Hailing from Liverpool, Mike & Evelyn Halls, Ross Higginson and Saul Godman together make up Clean Cut Kid, an indie pop band that writes songs that are as upbeat as they are emotional. Recently they’ve been making a name for themselves supporting The Kooks on tour, so Qmunicate writer Isabelle Chénier sat down with drummer Ross before their Glasgow show.
Maybe there’s something magically inspiring about the River Clyde, or is it simply the cider served in Glaswegian pubs. Anyway, Glasgow is buzzing with young up-and-coming artists creating incredible things, either on stage or on fabric, with words or with paint. Every month or so we’ll chat with a Glasgow-based artist to see what they’re up to. Today: Sine Harris and Josh Dodds, who set up their own theatre company, Figurehead Theatre, earlier this year. Their first play, ‘Mr Earhart’, written by Sine and directed by Josh, chronicles the tumultuous relationship of 20th century feminist icon Amelia Earhart and her husband/manager, the charming, manipulative George Putnam. “I realized that there’s no need to show all of the facts I learned about these women. You just have to let the characters be characters.”
Kinning Park Complex, March 23
Hosting a launch party are The Workers Theatre, a new cooperative company that follows the premise of cooperative ownership: all jobs shared and all employees also employer and owner. Henry Bell and Harry Giles, two of the members, say that after the success of “Megaphone”, their recent Kickstarter for representation of minority artists, the main goal is to get their theatre open to the public. For the moment, however, they have a short term goal of a festival in the summer.
In association with Africa in Motion
In her directorial debut, La Belle at the Movies, Cecilia Zoppelletto takes the audience on a physical and historical tour of Kinshasa’s cinematic landscape, covering the death of a once thriving filmgoing community and talking to those who are fighting to restore this tradition in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
