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Opinion - How has COVID-19 affected the independent music industry?

The music industry along with many other sectors has been severely impacted by the global pandemic. Festivals, gigs and tours have all been cancelled and constantly rescheduled in the hope that things will have settled by the end of the year. I have looked into how the Coronavirus pandemic has affected the independent music industry both positively and negatively. 

 With no gigs etc going ahead until the foreseeable, this has caused a great deal of struggle for artists. With singles, EPs and albums all scheduled for release to intertwine with UK, European and even World tours, this has made artists most affective means of promotion no longer viable. Without live performance, artists, promoters and independent venues have taken to social media as their first resort of promotion. Walt Disco for example have been toying with ideas, using home interaction and creating Instagram face filters to promote their latest single. Online festivals are the new rage at the moment, promoters such as DIY and Dork have been showcasing bands throughout lockdown for their followers to sit and watch multiple bands from the comfort of their own home. The legendary Brixton Windmill took to zoom to host a showcase gig with some of their most renown artists, selling tickets online and creating different rooms for viewers to pick between whilst the bands are playing. Although this takes away the excitement of watching your favourite bands jump around on stage, it has certainly helped boost artists profile during these hard times. With obviously no real live performances, bands are still keeping up the hype of their performances by posting vides via Youtube, IGTV and Facebook showing footage from old gigs that has not been seen before.

Even though these things are a look into the positive side of the pandemic, all positivity is soon followed by negativity. Independent venues across the country are struggling to keep up with with their rent, due to the closure of their doors with no real direction to whether they’ll be opening up after the pandemic. Independent venues struggle the most due to having to fund everything themselves, whereas larger venues have backing from investors. The online festivals and showcases are all being used as a means of keeping venues afloat during these pressing times in the hope to raise enough money to keep them going until things start to look up in the world. The approach that has been taken seems to be working so far with no majorly tough news about venues having to close their doors for good. I think that once the coronavirus pandemic starts to die down in the UK, independent venues will begin to thrive once again. The Brixton Windmill, among many independent venues, is open usually 5 days a week hosting events with multiple bands playing each night to audiences of 50+. With this in mind, I feel it shows that as long as the venues are able to keep up with their bills until the moment they are allowed to reopen, they will be just fine. 

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Scenes & Trends - DIY London

The London DIY is an emerging scene sat under the indie music umbrella, becoming more and more recognised by the public eye as time passes. Here, I am going to present to you three small artist profiles for some of the most stand out artists. 

black midi 

Black Midi (stylised as black midi), South London’s finest in noise rock, math rock, whatever you want to call it. Formed in their teen years whilst studying at the BRIT School, they have since made a name for themselves on the music circuit whilst climbing the ladder to become one of the UK’s most elusive and artistic acts. In the past year, the band have gone from pub-circuit eccentrics to figureheads of reputed British rock vanguard. With their Mercury Prize performance of ‘bmbmbm���, the band have left their fans and a much wider audience on the edge of their seats awaiting what steps they will take next in becoming the next biggest thing in the UK.

TALK SHOW

Talk Show are one of the newest arrivals onto the London circuit. With their pre-apocalyptic angst and dark new wave undertones, the band cease to amaze the followers of the DIY scene. Meeting at Goldsmiths University in New Cross, Talk Show hosted many nights of self-promoted shows in the basement of Rye Wax Record Store in Peckham which saw them packing out the venue night after night full to the brim with adolescent punk rockers fuelled by teenage angst. Since leaving the basement behind, Talk Show’s live performances remain London’s most beguiling prospects with Harrison Swann (frontman) storming across the stage. Festival dates, UK tours and endless amounts of new gig bookings, Talk Show have really begun to make a name for themselves. 

Fat White Family

Fat White Family, the holy grail of experimental modern day post punk. Hailing from the now fashionable lands of Peckham, the band have made themselves known across the world since their founding in 2011. Fat White family are the most mischievous band of their generation. Hits include songs about Mussolini and a dreamed up love affair of Adolf Hitler and Josef Goebbels.

Fat Whites have been dubbed as “the spirit of arch provocateurs such as Throbbing Gristle, John Lydon and Mark E. Smith”. This is one band your parents will hate! They’ve been homeless, ripped to shreds by heroin addiction and once broke up during an interview for the guardian. Showing that they won’t be stopping any time soon, their latest album ‘Serfs Up!’ tells us that there’s no band quite like Fat White Family.  

These three bands have all shown that the London DIY scene has become one of the most creative emerging scenes in the past 10 years. With all three bands having become successful through playing shows at notorious venues such as The Brixton Windmill, The Shackellwell Arms, New Cross Inn ad The Dublin Castle amongst many more small independent venues cropping up across the country that cater for this style of music.

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Album Review - FEET - Whats inside is more than ham

FEET, have failed to disappoint with their absurdly titled debut album, ‘What’s Inside Is More Than Ham’. Having released their first single in 2017, the band have already made a name for themselves by becoming the poster boys for this new breed of indie music; think Hotel Lux’s “English Disease” and Sports Team’s “Kutcher”, a beautiful display of humour and wit is shown from start to finish.  

Each song is consistent in high energy with the lyrical element spanning from dog walking to the adulation of hotdogs. The funk feel of “Ad Blue”, Blur influence of “English Weather” and the reworking of debut single “Petty Thieving” show’s that FEET are definitely a band to be keeping your eyes on over the coming year. Each of the album tracks is some kind of strange diary entry of madness. Album opener “Good Richard’s Crash Landing” references a local hang-glider accident, whilst “Axe man” speaks of guitarist Harry accidentally interrupting an axe holding burglar and “Ad Blue” is reminiscent of when bass player Oli made tea with the diesel additive.

The final track of the debut, “Wiggy Pop”, acts as some sort of wave farewell to their highly energetic debut by dropping the tempo and cruising away with some surf rock vibes.

If you’re after an album that's tangible and logical, then this isn’t for you. This debut album just shows the power of FEET to adapt for the weird and wonderful. Make sure to catch them on their May 2020 tour!

Photography by Dan Kendall 

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Feature Article - Walt Disco

Walt Disco, the aggressively flamboyant glam rock, pop indie band have recently become centre of attention within the indie music world. Drenched in their signature rich 80s sound and Billy Mackenzie-esque vocals, the band have kicked up a storm by merging vintage New Romantic/Goth sounds with an up-to-date, guitar-flailing urgency, the band recently release their newest masterpiece, ‘Cut your hair’, all about forging your own path in life and being 100% you. I got the chance to catch up with lead singer, James Power, to speak about their latest release and how they are coping during lockdown.  

How’ve you and the band been over the last few weeks?

Hi! We’ve been great thanks. We’ve been keeping busy writing a lot in our make shift studio in Dave’s room.

What was the inspiration behind your latest release?

The inspiration for our latest single was self love and not letting people pass judgement on someone simply being themselves. 

I’ve noticed the line up has expanded, how is it working with a new member? 

We have had so many different guitarists during our touring life for one reason or another. But the addition of Charlie to make us a six piece is great! It’s helped us shape a wider sound when writing and playing. We don’t like using backing tracks live so having another member helps.

How difficult is it as an artist right now, to be releasing new material without the ability to promote it through live shows?

Promoting a release without being able to play live to advertise has been odd. It has helped our skills of online promotion. Most of our promotion to the public has been through social media, making instagram filters and creating entertaining content from home.

Who’re you listening to at the moment? Any upcoming material you’re excited about?

We’re listening to loads of music! We absolutely love Lady Gaga’s new album! We always have ABBA on when we have a drink. Lots of St Vincent is on in our flat. We go through phases depending on what we are doing. We are currently in the process of releasing a new song before our EP. We have just recorded the music video for our next song and we can’t wait to show everyone!

When it’s possible, which venue are you most looking forward to returning to?

We can’t wait to play Sneaky Petes in Edinburgh. Jack played his first gig there and last time we played there it ended up being completely mental. There is  always a good night out after sneaky’s as well because all of our pals turn up! That’s what we need after lockdown!

Photography by Darkroom Memoir & Emma Swann 

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Live Review - Fontaines D.C - O2 Academy Brixton 25/02/20

Photography by Poonah Ghana  Releasing their debut album (Dogrel) just over a year ago, Dublin five piece Fonatines D.C., have already made a name for themselves as one of the staple pieces in the post-punk movement.

Walking on stage in front of a sold out Brixton O2 Academy, Fontaines D.C appear unphased by the loud roars coming from the crowd for the biggest show of their career to date. Opening with a new song seems to be a regrettable decision for the boys as it fails to engage the 6,000 heads in the crowd. The new songs added to the bands set, which gives an inkling towards a more desolate second album, are not performed with the same passion as we would expect.

Fortunately for Fontaines, the band has a backlog of some serious songs to get the crowd up and running and push the atmosphere higher. The show is at its best when the band plough through songs such as “Boys In The Better Land”, “Hurricane Laughter” and the ever so raucous “Liberty Belle”. Luckily enough for the band, these songs cause absolute havoc at the front of the barriers, helping make this gig one to remember.

Fontaines D.C setlist:

A Hero’s Death

Chequeless Reckless

Sha Sha Sha

Televised Mind

I Don’t Belong

The Lotts

Lucid Dream

Too Real

Love Is The Main Thing

Roy’s Tune

Living In America

Boy’s In The Better Land

Hurricane Laughter

Dublin City Sky

Liberty Belle