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2017 Festival Favourites

With festival season coming up, we all know the struggle of not being able to listen to all the bands attending all the festivals you may go to. Which is why we’ve decided to show you our favourite acts from festivals all over Europe for the next coming months through these playlists.

Today, we bring you Ballantines True Music in Madrid (Spain) and Sniester Festival in Den Haag (The Netherlands)

It’s True Music’s first edition takes place the 9th and 10 of June, featuring over 140 bands playing in 17 different venues all over the Spanish capital. Amongst the many artists we find famous names like La Femme or The Vaccines, but also new acts like Anteros or Soledad Velez. Of course, we’re also incredibly excited to hear new songs by some of our favourite bands, like Bear’s Den or Sundara Karma. We talked with them about their latest albums before these came out and now we can’t wait to hear them live! Not to mention, it’s always a pleasure to see some of our all time favourites, like We Are Scientists or Kakkmaddafakka.  Click here to listen to the playlist.

Sniester Festival celebrates its third edition the last weekend of May in the Dutch city of Den Haag. With over 80 acts playing some of the most emblematic locations of the city, it appears to be one great party thanks to over 50 bands from all over the world like the British rockers Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind, Aussie Animal House, the French singer-songwriter Baptiste W. Hamon, Banditas from Ottawa, Altin Gün all the way from Turkey and some of the best Dutch bands like LOLA . Click here to listen to the playlist.

To find out more about each festival, click here for True Music and here for Sniester

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Madrid, spring 2017.

Inés van Berkel www.inesvanberkel.tk 

Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief

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motel virgin mary

at first i do not believe it in the hotel he was reading the bible (out loud) when i woke up i kept my eyes closed for a while but noticed the patterned sheets between my fingers how did i get here i roll in the so-called bed and the first thing i see resting on the night table is a bunch of wrinkled dollars maybe hundreds of mosquitos were eating him out as i couldn’t help but yawn and keep yawning trying to remember why my body was aching so much any requests i remember he’s here and believe he’s talking to me police persecutions on the old tv as the sandy lines and white noise caress my ears and skin the back door of the room is swinging open it didn’t have a lock that’s why my legs opened so easily should i blame him or the alcohol smell that is stuck in my nose as i feel i’ll be stuck in this unlocked room for a while he licked my back everything hurts and there’s still steam in the bathroom damp floors and skin did i scream did i run the bible always shuts us all up or makes us shout even louder the door slammed

Raquel Aragón www.raquelsanstitre.tumblr.com

Boston, 1998. Spanish-American ambivalent girl living in the UK.

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'Used To Call Me on My ...'

Becca https://rebeccaalexandrasophia.tumblr.com/

Feeling feelings since 2000. Rebecca is a high school student and aspiring photographer, currently based in Frankfurt & Berlin. She has interned in a contemporary art gallery and assisted professional photographers. With her compact film camera she explores teenhood in today’s dage & age.

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German pop-folk band Milky Chance gave an intimate gig at one of Madrid’s most recognised buildings, El Círculo de Bellas Artes last Thursday, 2nd of March. Alongside Témé Tan, they played every hit from their debut, Sadnecessary, to a fully sold out venue, presenting songs from their upcoming album, Blossom.  

Photos by: Inés van Berkel. www.inestakespix.tumblr.com

Cofounder & Editor-in-Chief 

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Si può morir d'amor

Lucía. http://instagram.com/lucia.unplugged

Valencia, Spain. Anarchist and post punk enthusiast. I like art, old photographs, Morrissey, books and Pink Floyd cassettes. I paint, play the guitar and try to smash the patriarchy, sometimes at the same time.

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Human Anatomy

i lay my body on the table

then turn to the window and look

at my real reflection inside the glass

and the window sweats shameful while my body is dry

and i just look at it and try

not to touch or mess it up

google shows me human anatomy for beginners

and how to be a pain in the ass

grab it without permission

my fake dyslexia doesn’t let me decipher the human drawings that don’t seem familiar

and i’m tired of boys not knowing where my erogenous zones are

ask google you young blind boy

so that when you try to touch me without asking (me or google)

i approach my body at the table

maybe i’m looking at it upside down maybe that body is not mine (anymore)

they would say i’m here

but they don’t know that by that time i’m already far away

like in films somewhere around mexico

so that when you try to rape me

after i’ve already forgotten it

and taking advantage of the fact

that i said i don’t mind

your boner on my back

i let myself fall on my body slowly on the table

but we don’t fit i slip through it like through a mirror

i try to caress and lick every part of it

bring it back to life

nipples soft and chest so quiet

i try to go up or down

get inside it

make it feel something again as i remember it did (once)

so that when you try

my body will be able to enjoy it and my mind will somehow let it happen

as a defence mechanism

(successful rapist)

but no

my mouth says no

and without even crawling off the bed

my voice sounds as hard as my foot kicks your leg

(as your dick fights my hip)

and you leave me on the table

for further examination

the next morning i question my imagination

and causing the division of body and mind

you and i leave my body behind

on the table

out of the window

no difference

Raquel Aragón www.raquelsanstitre.tumblr.com

Boston, 1998. Spanish-American ambivalent girl living in the UK.

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Becca https://rebeccaalexandrasophia.tumblr.com/

Feeling feelings since 2000. Rebecca is a high school student and aspiring photographer, currently based in Frankfurt & Berlin. She has interned in a contemporary art gallery and assisted professional photographers. With her compact film camera she explores teenhood in today’s dage & age.

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Haunt Me (x3)

Haunt Me (x1) // Haunt Me (x2)

I still don't know why I kissed your cheek twice if you never had the guts to look at me in the eyes for more than a brief fifteen seconds. I forgot how to draw. The line, that was separating me from you. I believed it was faded after you left my house with heavy steps and part of my insides tangled between your fingertips. I used to think you paced and kissed them when I wasn't looking but now I realised that maybe I was the only one who remembered the soft sounds when the elevator doors closed and you needed to use the keys again to unlock the gates from heaven. I forgot how to Was it hell? Or was it just the way I knew to cope with the emptiness surrounding me? There were no angels at the front porch door and I thought that maybe I should have waited a little and danced with the shadows for not so long. I forgot how Three days ago I thought your crimson locked devil never heard of me but now she already chased me and I'm cursed. Again. Again.She finally saved you because you are no longer looking for strangers arms. Does she make you happy? I already seen her and she is like no one. I forgot Somebody told me you are calling her my name and searching for other scent that doesn't resemble mine and you are trying, but oh no, you are not dying, to hide your face from the sea and the hair of the sirens who you never believed they existed. Are you still calling her my name and wishing you never met me? Because I can remember how you asked for permission to kiss me while we were sitting on that bed as I was on the clouds, almost touching the sky, caressing softly your face as I wished you did once and you never.You reminded me of her at that time and I never felt more scared. I Is still your bed the same? That time you never asked for permission as you were trying not fall in love with the moment, because you never fell in love with the girl. Or maybe you did, and that was the only reason because you cried on the floor at the end of your birthday party. I was never good with decisions but I once saw your face on pictures and I knew since the start you were going to be my next mistake.Perhaps I bet too much for my own capacity and now I'm not sure if I should regret it because I'm not leaving this town, and maybe it's also fading you faster than you deserved.

Arielle. https://instagram.com/rxxm.e/

Seventeen hopeless romantic in love with pop punk and modern art attempts to save the world and finds out so much to do, but it’s ok ‘cause whatever forever.

Their posts.

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There are days when I envy some children for being naïve and enjoying every bit of what life brings them. However, other days I just feel sorry for their clueless selves and what's about to come...they're about to face the reality of every second of the world not being awesome.

Carmen. www.wandering-banshee.blogspot.com

A tiny 21 year old woman from Spain who loves writing way too much and might drown in tea one day.

Their posts.

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Stranger Things

Clayre. www.instagram.com/clayreilustra

Early 90’s kid. I’m always procrastinating. Sometimes, I draw cute girls.

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Trip to Sevilla: Cathedrals, art, dark and light.

Lucía. http://instagram.com/lucia.unplugged

Valencia, Spain. Anarchist and post punk enthusiast. I like art, old photographs, Morrissey, books and Pink Floyd cassettes. I paint, play the guitar and try to smash the patriarchy, sometimes at the same time.

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Interview with DMA’s Johnny Took

Right after soundchecking and having left everything ready for one hell of a show that would take place in a few hours, Johnny, the lead guitarist of australian trio DMA’s came out to meet us and we headed to the nearest pub. Once we were inside he made sure to provide beer for the interview, all of this with a permanent smile on his face, unexpected keeping in mind his hooligan vibes that remind us of Slaves. He definitely gets a bit more tamed once he steps onto a stage. A well-known Bob Dylan and dog lover, Johnny went on to telling us a bit about his adventures the past night in San Sebastián and he also confessed his love for Madrid and Spain in general. After all, it’s the fourth visit from the band, this time in their current tour which serves as the official presentation of their debut album ‘Hills End’. This, however, doesn’t strike Johnny as a novelty: ‘’We started touring to present our EP DMA’s two years ago, when we’d already recorded the album. We were just finishing when the album came out, which caused both tours to intertwine and we haven’t stopped ever since...’ He is enthusiastic about the non-stop routine, and he goes on to tell us that he hasn’t had time to write ‘The songs on the album might seem new but they were recorded over two years ago, some were even written about eight years ago’.

Their songs are delicious Britpop, gathering the best the genre can offer but at the same time managing to sound refreshing and unique. Powerful and sticky melodies, a deep voice that gets to you, very clean and polished acoustics… What’s not to love. It’s almost impossible, given the quality of their work, to avoid comparing them to Oasis… ‘It’s human I guess, we all like to compare things and people are always going to try to compare you to something. It’s an honour to be compared to one of the best bands of the world’ says Johnny ‘But if you listen closely to our songs you can find plenty of other influences, like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan… also other genres like Folk’. Being that the case, we can’t help but wonder if they really identify with the Britpop genre, especially they are in fact Australian and not British. ‘I wouldn’t call it Britpop, it’s just a lot of guitars and melodies really…’ he answers pensively ‘I’d call it bedroom pop’. He tells us, while giggling, that that is precisely how DMAs write their songs.

Johnny doesn’t give much thought to labelling their music or fitting into a genre, at the end of the day. He also doesn’t feel like he needs to look for deep and pretentious meanings in their songs. ‘I’m not worried about it, specially when it comes to political messages. We write about relationships. That transcends age, culture or nationality.’. Besides, he likes for those relationships to be understood in a multitude of contexts: father and son, brothers, a couple, two friends… ‘Why would I try to give it a specific meaning? Every person’s different and is going to interpret the lyrics in a different way, and that’s the beautiful thing’. Listening to Johnny is truly enjoyable. You can really tell he enjoys what he’s doing, and that he does it with passion (noticeable in the way his eyes shine while talking about these topics). ‘It really is a great moment. I’m so grateful to be able to travel, learn and grow… Barely a month ago my dream of performing a sold out show at Enmore Theatre in Sydney came true. It was a place where I went to see my favourite bands while I was growing up and I had never been able to play there.’ He still has different goals he’d like to achieve, though. ‘I’d love for us to play an acoustic show at the Sydney Opera House’. He then recalls on their humble beginnings. It was almost by chance, when a friend of his (none other than Jagwar Ma’s main singer’s brother) offered Johnny to play in his band, which also had Tommy (current lead vocals in DMAs) as their drummer. Now that they’re two years down the line, playing shows around the globe and with much more to come to their favour, it’s inevitable to experience melancholia and the feeling of longing. Of course they all want to go home and rest sometimes. However, they don’t let that get in their way of jumping on stage every night (Madrid was their work place that night) and giving it their all. It’s all worth it.

Matt Mason @ Moby Dick Club, Madrid

Tommy O'Dell @ Moby Dick Club Madrid

Words by Raúl González (Special thanks to Judith Vives for translating) Photos by Inés van Berkel

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nottingham night (october 2016)

my ten-year-old self is laughing at me while i dance to the sound of shakira’s hips don’t lie years later in an english bar i was proud that the gap between us was so obvious a woman approaches me at a bar to dance with me black hair red lips she could’ve been me maybe she was dancing with me no paedophile i smile thinking i understood if she had been i probably wouldn’t have minded (sleeping with her) maybe she did not reach the 60 years of age are you at uni? not yet is he your boyfriend? not yet in the last bus a boy falls from the seat in front of me because of a curve you can tell te han comido los morros buddy red lipstick (me again?) i was proud that the gap between us was so obvious people chose to walk through between us because there was no us a french man explains to me in dreams how he is going to fuck me do you want to look for a magical treasure? (he says) i would give you an overripe but i don’t have a blackthorn i know it’s less christian but i don’t have the time i would do like this gesticulating strongly with his arm how he was going to penetrate me eric rodrigo he says sensually ah je pense toujours beaucoup à vous

Raquel Aragón www.raquelsanstitre.tumblr.com

Boston, 1998. Spanish-American ambivalent girl living in the UK.

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Vintage collage art. I need a school break.

Marina L. http://marinaillustrations.flavors.me

Born in 1998 in Spain. Currently living and studying Fine Arts in Valencia. I love watching polaroid develop and the sound of waves crashing.

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Blackest Friday

Becca https://rebeccaalexandrasophia.tumblr.com/

Feeling feelings since 2000. Rebecca is a high school student and aspiring photographer, currently based in Frankfurt & Berlin. She has interned in a contemporary art gallery and assisted professional photographers. With her compact film camera she explores teenhood in today’s dage & age.

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Bea P. https://instagram.com/bea.prz/

Lanky 16 year old with a British accent living in Madrid. Out of despair one day in May, I decided that I would put an end to my cold ankles and create my own brand of clothes for the long limbed. Music and tea are good too.