Opening the Park Stage on Friday morning is equally a privilege and a challenge. Chicago’s Horsegirl stepped up for the 11.30am slot, charming a modest crowd navigating the festival’s unrelenting early heat with a set of minimalist indie rock that boasts some of the finest, most smile-inducing dual vocals around. ‘2468’ from the band’s most recent record, ‘Phonetics On and On’ was a highlight of the weekend, and a track that visibly perked up the festival’s early risers.

An hour of finding bearings, and a quick visit to the Pyramid Stage to kick off my Brit Pop summer for Supergrass, was followed by what felt like Glastonbury 2025’s first big moment. Fat Dog arrived at the Woodsies Stage with the reputation of one the UK’s most important live bands and walked on to a crowd that reflected that. For those that have seen the band, it comes as no surprise that frontman, Joe Love was relentless in his rousing leadership of the audience, nor would an eyebrow be raised when Morgan Wallace and Chris Hughes break off from their multi-instrumentalist duties to perform synchronised dance moves- an act which underlines their primary appeal, joy with intensity. Across this 45 minute set, Fat Dog, with additional live violin and a second drummer in their arsenal, treated the Woodsies stage audience to cuts from their debut album ‘WOOF.’ as well as recent single ‘Peace Song’,  landing a performance that captured the imagination of the festival whilst running riot in the process. 

After hopping in and out of performances from English Teacher at The Park and Wet Leg on The Other Stage, it was Gurriers who next stuck my feet to the drying grass. The Dublin punk band are as barbed and brash as you’d expect in their live performance, but they want you along for the journey. Where ‘Top of the Bill’ and its opening riff rang out as an obvious crowd favourite, their clear ‘pop song’, it was within their Gilla Band washed, sun stroke prodding, noisier tracks that the band truly excelled. 

Wunderhorse could headline festivals. Since their last Glastonbury performance on the Woodsies in 2023, the band have experienced sizable growth and released their second full length album, ‘Midas’. Walking onto The Park stage to an audience that kept on going up the hill, this was a set that had palpable anticipation. Wunderhorse have taken active steps to unpolish their beginnings on debut ‘Cub’ with ‘Midas’ hammering home the band’s grittier, noisier preferences- but what was clear to see was that great songs are great songs and passionate, intense and unifying performances are exactly what they are too. If you see Wunderhorse as two acts, Glastonbury 2025 proved they live together symbiotically. With a set that included crowd pleasers ‘Purple’, ‘Teal’, ‘Midas’ and recent post album single, ‘The Rope’, the band had every word sung back to them with every ounce of rock n roll bite remaining intact. In a world where we are all looking to our left and to our right for who may well be the next new band at the top of a festival poster, it may not be this festival (yet), but it may well be Wunderhorse.

Saturday began with Sorry on the Woodsies stage. Sorry are a special group, where some of the most interesting individuals in alternative songwriting form the sounds of a band who refuse to rest on the sounds of the past, nor the sounds of their past. In Asha Lorenz, Sorry have a star. With endearing confidence, and the movements of a living glitch, she jumps from rap to held high notes – avoiding all eye contact but beaming with gratitude towards those in attendance. Sorry’s accomplished set included favourites ‘Cigarette Packet’, ‘Starstruck’ and recent single ‘Jive’ but what struck hardest were the new ones. ‘Today Might be The Hit’, an assumed title, captures exactly what might be possible from this Glastonbury performance onwards- songs that are open to big things and open the weird, undeniable and unmatched world of Sorry to a deservingly bigger audience. We can only hope!

Without moving a muscle, NYC’s Fcukers appear for what may be the Woodsies strongest one-two of the weekend. We hosted Fcukers’ debut London headline in the Blue Basement some time ago – that crowd of 60 has quickly swelled to a capacity Woodsies off the back of one EP. If ever reduced to a ‘trend band’ or more specifically indie sleaze revival, Fcukers stick two large fingers up to that when playing live. Led by two founding members Shanny Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis, the four piece tear through ‘Homie Don’t Shake’ to get Saturday’s first proper party started. You can’t help but feel that Fcukers have unified the festivals eclectic taste here – serving the alternative kids as emphatically as the dance heads. Every member of the band has that special quality of being watchable. Scan the stage for the live scratch DJ to the live drums and you’ll be entertained- cue Shanny and Jackson to steal your attention and demand your energy in return. It’s very cool, it’s a lot of fun and it’s ready to be massive. 

Where Fcukers unified a tent, Kneecap unified a festival. To have the West Holts stage in your sight, let alone the band,  required an hour of being cooked by a beating sun – the festival closed the stage due to being over capacity 30 minutes before stage time. Fortunately we made the call early, arriving 60 minutes before stage we were still reduced a tight squeeze 100 meters from the stage next to the Venezuelan food truck. The sea of Palestinian flags warmed the heart to match our skin, and everyone there knew they were about to witness history and support the right side of it. Mo Chara’s freedom was celebrated, the government’s disastrous leadership and support for Palestine was called out, and the celebrity fall out that surrounded the rap group mocked- all within the first 5 minutes of their time on stage. This show was at the centre of the earth, and within that hour-long set Kneecap committed to speaking for those who couldn’t, and wouldn’t, alongside a blistering live performance.

It’s something of a pleasure to see an artist who’s been on the cover of So Young grace one of Glastonbury’s big stages. Amyl and the Sniffers are one of these bands and their performance on The Other Stage can be summed up by bassist Gus Romer’s warm welcome of “what’s up cunts?”. A middle finger with a smile. The band are in fine form, and Amy Taylor a pop star. Her warmth and realness shines through the spike and spit of the punk songs and it lands like no other. The set list served everything from ‘Hertz’ to ‘Chewing Gum’, ‘Balaclava Lover Boogie’ to ‘Big Dreams’- capping it off with a wonderful off the cuff speech on the current political climate, using the platform as we wish many more would have. 

Who is Patchwork?  We all knew, the field was packed for them, and we were all glad to have the heads up that Pulp were back on the Pyramid, wherever it came from. As charli xcx once projected behind her, it’s a Pulp summer – and Jarvis a tank of charisma as full as the Other Stage headliner too. During a set that told the bands 1995 headliner story, where Pulp filled in last minute for The Stone Roses, Jarvis commanded the stage and charmed a crowd with all his usual pointing, pointy joints and “ooo’s”.  ‘Spike Island’ was amongst a host of tracks from the bands recent number one album, ‘More’, which didn’t disengage in a way many heritage artists can when playing the new ones, but set up the euphoria of the hits. ‘Common People’ closed the show and welcomed the Red Arrows overhead. A special moment.

Saturday was rounded off with a singalong set from Father John Misty, an awkwardly thin crowd for Neil Young, whose voice was in fine form, and a swollen capacity crowd for a celebration of charli xcx- a celebration of which she also partook. 

Upon inspection prior to arrival, Sunday presented itself as THE DAY. Buzzy new bands, returning indie icons and big stage moments from regular favourites. 11.30am welcomed winners of the Emerging Talent Competition, Westside Cowboy to the Woodsies stage. They’d played prior sets, but this one their biggest- confirmed by guitarist/vocalist Reuben Haycock’s claim that this show was by far the most people they’ve ever played to. This isn’t my first time seeing this band and it’s true there’s a lot of hype, but with each performance they prove their worth. Westside Cowboy are a substance first band. Substance that will naturally be refined, but whether they turn to folk, country, or punchy indie rock, they get it right. With all four members having vocal roles within the band, granted, drummer Paddy Murphy’s core role is to give the now famous shout of “Westiiiiiide Coowwwbooooy” ahead of debut single ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’, the talent stretches far and thick. Westside Cowboy at Glastonbury showed their collective power, and it’s the collective you buy into from out front. Their welcome was warm and their exit warmer – this set won them fans and cemented those already in touch with the group.

Following a quick stop for the hits from The Libertines at the Pyramid, Mên An Tol performed their first of two Sunday sets at the BBC Introducing stage. Welcomed on with some kind words from 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, the London based band rattled through a set that boasted the big chorus’ of 90’s britpop and the deep story telling of your folk favourites. Debut single ‘NW1’ was a natural highlight, but new ones ‘Lucky’ and ‘Not Ideal’ presented frontman, Bill Jefferson as the next exciting voice in indie.

Via the West Holts for a lay on the grass amongst a big crowd for Brian Jonestown Massacre, it was to the Other Stage once again, for a band that had been on our cover, again. Wolf Alice are very much back and you can feel it in the way they carry themselves that this set could well be the important trigger moment for some genuine mainstream success. They enter like excitable kids throwing fists in the air to almost celebrate how many people had come to see them, before frontwoman Ellie Rowsell took a breath, took to the podium and entered pop star mode with back to the audience and one arm aloft-surrounded only by her silhouette. Wolf Alice have some catalogue to play with now, each set of 3 songs feeling like a chapter in the set. Ellie’s voice travelling inexplicably between riotous punk roars to delicate balladry and theatrical power- wildly all on show at once in recent single ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’. ‘Bros’ united the audience for a proper festival singalong, ‘Silk’ satisfied a personal favourite and ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ capped a special set that asked a big question of where they could sit on the bill when Glastonbury returns in two years. 

And then to The Park. The Park stage for return of The Maccabees- a set which judging by a crowd that went all the way up the hill, was marked as a must see moment of the festival for many. The band enter to a huge roar and you sense that whilst The Maccabees have done this many times and performed these songs to larger crowds, the ten year break had them checking themselves, balancing that buzz to be back and that nervousness to achieve all that came before. From the jangly art-school indie that broke the band, to soft, intricate tracks like ‘Feel to Follow’, to rock songs ‘Marks To Prove It’ and ‘Spit It Out’, they can still do it all and the crowd want it all. Every song sung back to them and when you thought they were safe to catch a breath, Orlando and Felix ensured you stayed with them to create those big song moments. After a brief tease, The Maccabees deliver an encore that welcomed special guest Florence Welch to join them to finish ‘Love You Better’ before The Maccebees became her machine for ‘Dog Days Are Over’. One of the festival’s biggest singalongs. Once untangling herself from Hugo White’s guitar Florence left and the band performed their final song, ‘Pelican’. A joyous finale to a set from a band that has a clear and permanent place in many hearts. 

Glastonbury 2025 has been described as one for the pop stars, but alternative music was alive and as in demand as ever. It will be two years until the next one, which is both exciting for my feet (30k steps a day is a lot), and for what could be in store for 2027 with many staking a rightful claim to their next step on the Glastonbury pyramid. Pun intended.

All imagery by Josh Whettingsteel

The new issue of So Young is out now. Purchase a copy in print here. Subscribe (and get our April issue free) here. Read the digital edition below.

The post Glastonbury Festival 2025 appeared first on So Young Magazine.

To celebrate 10 years of both So Young and Speedy Wunderground, we’ve teamed up to collaborate on a Limited Edition T-Shirt & Jumper. The London label have been integral to the growth of London’s alternative underground scene and we are delighted to be sharing our 10 year celebrations with them.

Check out the new items below (they are going quite fast), and grab your T-Shirt or Jumper (or both) here.

Design by So Young. Speedy Logos by Judith Egger.

Issue Forty-Three of So Young is out now. You can purchase in print here or read the digital edition below.

The post So Young x Speedy Wunderground Clothing Collaboration Out Now appeared first on So Young Magazine.

October 2020 saw Chubby and The Gang re-release their debut with a full campaign of animated videos, Radio 1 plays and an advertising billboard on their beloved Uxbridge Road. In a November edition of The Scoop you’ll read the story of the gutter punks who are making rock n roll fun again, but with this new video for track ‘Grenfell Forever’, the band show their delicate side. Somewhere on the bands social media you’ll see the term ‘The Melodic Migraine’ (which is pretty on point) but with ‘Grenfell Forever’ there’ll be no headaches.

Chubby (Charlie Manning), with the help of his sister, treats us to christmas eve walk and drive through the streets of their cherished West London – somewhere that has not only been home to the scene that has driven the rise of the band but also where the tragic shell of Grenfell Tower sits. A sight that never becomes less harrowing and stark reminder of government failure but also of the importance of community.

Chubby and The Gang, with all of their noise, are one of the most exciting bands in the country right now but with love letter to London, ‘Grenfell Forever’ they’ve shown that they’re all the more intriguing when they take it down a notch. Watch the video below.

The new issue of So Young is out now. Its sold out in print but you can read the digital edition below.

The post Chubby and The Gang Share New Video for London Love Letter ‘Grenfell Forever’ appeared first on So Young Magazine.

It wasn’t, however, meant to be this way or at least not now. Rewind to March and shame were on our cover, anticipating the announcement of a tour this winter and new music to follow imminently. Covid-19 and lockdown, of course, got in the way. With things now back in full swing, we bring you our chat and feature from the magazine plus a few details about what you can expect from album number two…

Issue Twenty-Five Cover

It’s a strange time to speak to shame. After confirming and celebrating their album being finished on social media, the band began making their plans for it’s release and how they were going to take it to the world. The effects of Covid-19 reach far, wide and into the future. We were all set to watch Charlie Steen lead their charge with album number two sometime this summer and possibly play some shows sooner than that, but those plans are now on hold. A circumstance shared with many of their contemporaries right now. 

The delay however has not curbed our excitement for the return of the South London five piece, and keen to know more about what’s in the can, we rearranged our pub meet to a lockdown friendly call where I found him in good spirits at his parents place. Communal showers caused his mum to “prang out a bit” and call him home. With a belly full of pasta and life on pause, Charlie Steen walked us through the process of album two, addressed learning to live with yourself during this strange time and explained how the band have progressed from the teenagers making music above a Brixton pub.

Hey Charlie, How are you and the band doing? 

Everyones sort of in this mass confusion which is completely understandable. I for one, really didn’t expect this level of pandemic. When we were recording the album in January in Paris, Sean was like reading out stuff from BBC News from China and you kind of just think it’s a bit of a dream or a movie. 

We’ve been looking at it as a band because of course, we are all self employed. We were looking at doing a tour and that all had to get cancelled and you know, the other festivals. You know, in all the Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt ‘end of the world’ films, they never mention Glastonbury being cancelled. They never talk about the festivals in those films.

How has it affected you personally and as a band so far? 

We recorded the album in January and that was mastered a couple of weeks ago. We had a tour planned and we were going to go to a lot of cities that we hadn’t been to yet but then that got cancelled. Then all these other festivals we were supposed to be doing all got rescheduled or pulled. We were planning to release music over the summer and then the album in September with a big tour in the UK, a big tour in America and then a big tour in Europe. All of that has been cancelled. We have a lot of group calls with our label and management and you just have to think about how all of these people are going to recover from that. You’ve got to think of the distribution, the venues…you know it’s so tragic to see these intimate venues that are already not standing on the strongest legs having to go through these blows. To do a tour is relying on so many different factors and all of those factors all come down to people. You’ve got the promoters, the sound men or women, so to have it all crumble is a strange feeling. It’s just a massive delay but I will say we are all very grateful and understanding that we are in a more fortunate position than a lot of other artists that we know. 

I think that touring as a whole and for this type of music is such an integral part because you want to be able to communicate and express yourself in front of your fans. You want to be able to go around and play to people. It’s such a large part of it and you know, the writing and the recording is all done so that you can show it to people. And when that’s lost, it’s a sad time. 

On the other side of it and being self employed, it’s about being able to pay the rent. Festivals are how a lot of people get by and touring and stuff. I mean, all I wanna do right now is go out and tour. I think when this finishes, everyone is going to come out with their massive tours. I can go away for another two years now (laughs).

Yeah, we’re all realising again how much we love it and how lucky we are. In times like this with isolation and social distancing, you kind of get back to the basics. You know, you have to keep yourself occupied. I read an amazing book called ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’, it’s part science fiction, part non-fiction, it’s about this american soldier who goes into World War Two and gets captured by the nazis and the first camp they go to is a British camp of people who were captured at the beginning of the war. The British back then were told that if you’re captured that every morning you do half an hour of exercise, you speak to yourself for half an hour, you try if you can to do half an hour of reading, you polish your boots you know, you sort of do all of these things that keep you (going), it’s done with the idea that your physical state reflects your mental state. It’s a bit of an old British (notion) but I do think there’s a truth to that. And now I’m trying to, like I’m reading, I’m painting, I’m drawing. Staring at your phone for too long especially with the news that’s going on at the moment, it’s important to keep yourself informed but if it’s going to damage your mental state then it’s not worth the risk. 

shame spread in Issue Twenty-Five

Do you feel there are some potential positives in the current restrictions in terms of getting to know yourself and learning to adapt to and love your own company…

It’s interesting what you say about getting to know yourself, like with this second album it was after two years of touring and lyrically this one became a lot more internal because we came back from all this touring and then I moved straight out into my flat and I was on my own with my own thoughts. I then spent a lot of time going out and getting as fucked as possible and then I sort of had to, after all the hangovers and you find yourself at 4 o’clock in the morning with the chef at your mates restaurant, and you’re like “how desperate for distractions am I?”. Getting comfortable with yourself is a massive struggle and the importance of it is quite understated. There are so many distractions that you can create for yourself like going to the pub or going on Instagram. 

We’ve been sent some new music which is very exciting but obviously at this stage there’s a limit to what we can and cannot say due to the rescheduling. However, we know your album is ready and mastered so can you talk us through how it all started to come together. What’s the story of the process behind album 2…

I think to go back to the root of it, it started in Scotland. After we did those two years of touring, we came back and moved into the flat. Me and Sean went to Cuba for a month and everyone went on their holidays. We said we were going to take a couple of months off and then it came to March (2019) and we sort of said to our management that we’d like to go somewhere remote and somewhere where we won’t end up down the pub and there weren’t that many distractions to sort of write and see what happens.

There’s a guy called Kyle (AKA Makeness) and he’s Scottish and his dad has this house in the middle of nowhere, sort of half an hour from Edinburgh. We loaded up the gear and drove for like ten and a half hours and we were gonna be clear headed in the mountains with nothing around. We roll up the hill and there’s this techno blasting out of the windows, it’s eleven o’clock and there’s this full blown party going on and it sort of ended up being one of the heaviest weeks of my life. Kyle’s dad is called “Acid dad” and his partner is called Gale. She’s an amazing cook, so she’d cook us some food and Acid Dad would sort of party around. So yeah, we wrote some songs and then came back to London. I’d say from August onwards we kind of got into a zone and started churning out these songs. There are some songs on the record that can really relate to ‘Songs of Praise’ and then there are the more experimental ones and then there’s a dancier side. So there’s all sorts of components and all of those ones were written in block periods and then James Ford, the producer was interested and we did a demo with him at konk studios which I think is owned by The Kinks or something. We really got on with him and the song we did didn’t have a chorus and it took us so long (to write a chorus). We wrote that song in March last year and we didn’t get the chorus until January. We really got on with him and he’s a really busy man. 

Originally we were going to go in and do (the album) in March this year because of his schedule and how busy it was. Then we flew to Chicago for a New Years show at a venue which is like the Windmill of Chicago. We went there and it was just a massive piss up for a few days as we had friends there like Twin Peaks. So it was very heavy. It was New Years Eve and we had a call from our management saying James has had a cancellation and do we want to go in to record the second album in four days in Paris. So we were like “fuck” so we had to play every song off the new record that night as rehearsal. 

So we flew into London and then straight to Paris to go to La Frette Studios which is like this massive mansion on the outskirts of Paris. It’s run by this sexy french guy who walks around in his slippers with his massive dog and camera. Then James turned up and it was like 15-16 hour days and non stop working. It was just a fucking incredible experience, we were there for twenty days and we got twelve tracks done and we are putting eleven on the record. The last record was ten days in the middle of touring, whereas with this one we were well rested and we were really able to get into the headspace.

As a band, you’ll always be somewhat self deprecating but I think it’s clear on these songs you sound more accomplished as musicians. The word that stands out for me would be progression and you’ve been brave to play with new ideas and sounds. Was it important to you as a band that it was more progression than change?

Thank you. I think it was natural. I mean there were elements that we didn’t want to lose like our humour because that is a massive part of our personalities and the self deprecation and the satire and stuff. But naturally it was going to happen, we wrote the first album when we were sixteen to nineteen years old and toured it for two years. We wrote this second when we were twenty, twenty-one and we’ve played a lot more, a bit older, a few more experiences and we’ve listened to a lot more records so there’s more influence. I’m happy that was able to come across.

With this record, and at the beginning it caused some arguments about what kind of songs we wanted to write and when you start writing after a large period of time, that can cause kind of a friction. You’re unclear of where you want to go even though you know what you want to achieve. After all these petty arguments we just had to go back to how we wrote the first one where if someone would come in with an idea and we liked it we just went with it. Not overthinking who we are trying to appeal to and what we are trying to achieve other than just writing a song that we are really happy with. There has always been a difference in which the band writes and which styles they’ll bring into the room which has helped to propel (the songs) forward and everyone has been able to leave a trace of their personality in a song by bringing in a different influence. I think there is a lot of confidence with those songs. We are all really happy with them. They are different but it’s the only natural thing to happen, there has to be a form of adaptation. 

shame spread in Issue Twenty-Five

Do you feel that you’ve now found or harnessed what the shame sound is or your ideal version of the band?

If we could successfully achieve our sound that would probably be the finishing record of the band (laughs). There’s no further place to strive to if we feel we’ve accomplished it. I mean with the first record I know it was only two years ago but how young we sound and you know the truth behind that is that it was a record written above a pub in Brixton. Where this one has all the context of touring and being twenty-one and my own internal experiences. I think we are always trying to work it out and that’s part of the fun.

The world you came into as a young new band saw you as one of the first bands, at least in a while, to talk politically and confront the day to day as well as themselves. Now you find yourself returning to a scene or landscape of multiple bands doing that too and an increase in the popularity of guitar music. How do you feel about that?

When we first came through there were a lot of amazing bands around like Childhood and Fat White Family, but it seems like there’s a lot higher interest in guitar music at the moment and that’s exciting. When we released our debut album in 2018 to now, a lot of bands have grown and the demographic has spread and I think it’s amazing and I’m just excited to get it out. 

Delving more personally to you, lyrically are there any particular places, people or instances that have influenced the words on album two?

I think, to be honest the whole thing has a thread which is an identity crisis. Sort of picking apart different elements as to which make you feel whole or human and analysing them. Definitely digging a lot deeper and more personal situations. I felt like that’s what I wanted to do. I mean lyrically, everything we wanted to do with this record was discussed like everything else and it’s pretty intimidating even if it is four of your best mates, to open yourself up and sort of have everyone reading it. But it’s what I wanted to do and that’s a massive challenge in itself. 

Anything to leave us with Charlie?

Going back to the whole Corona thing. Charlie’s mum is a nurse with a lung condition working in the corona ward and isn’t being given the right treatment and she’s made to work without the right masks and stuff. So I think (we need) everyone supporting those people and being aware of who the true heroes of this situation are and those who are risking their lives to help everyone in this time of cuts and everything.

This interview was originally published in Issue Twenty-Five of So Young. It’s sold out in print but you can read it in full online here.

Issue Twenty-Eight of So Young is out now. It’s sold out in print but you can read the digital edition below.

The post We Speak to shame About Recording Album Two, Acid Dad and Not Overthinking appeared first on So Young Magazine.

Brothers and artists, Toby, Josh & Aidan Evans-Jesra are responsible for Solidarity Tapes, a cultural project which aims to lift the burden and raise money for grassroots organisations working for migrant, racial, social and climate justice through the release of compilation tapes and zines. Their debut release ‘Vol 1: End The Hostile Environment’ (out now) pulls together an impressive line up of familiar names from London and beyond including Goat Girl, Dan Carey, Big Joanie, Jelly Cleaver, Italia 90 and more. 

Following the release on Friday (Nov 6th) we were keen to find out a bit more about the tapes, who they’re supporting and how it all came together. Here’s our chat with Solidarity Tapes.

Could you tell us a little bit about Solidarity Tapes, who’s behind it and what you’re aiming to achieve?

We are three brothers involved in the DIY music scene in London/Brighton and are activists involved in migrant/climate justice struggles and we believe there could be a more explicit link between music and activism. In the current political context we think it is more important than ever to stand in solidarity with marginalised communities and to resist the UK’s hostile environment to migrants, we aim to simultaneously platform these voices, to spotlight talent and create a space for musicians to express radical solidarity, to raise awareness and to raise funds for groups doing vital work.

Supporters can find out more inside of the zine which accompanies the tape, but could you give us a bit of an insight as to where your fundraising will go and why you’ve chosen these causes in particular?

We wanted to support migrant solidarity groups grassroots groups run predominantly by women and black and people of colour, and groups that are working throughout Europe’s violent border regime.

MASS Action support a variety of projects throughout Greece and the UK, they focus on projects that are led by people with lived experience of migration and asylum systems for example Khora Community Centre in Athens which is a community space for migrants to gain access to food, clothing, education and legal support.

Project Play operates in Northern France providing play sessions to children in the informal camps around Calais and Dunkirk, they provide a space for kids to be kids in exceptionally bleak circumstances where the kids have no access to education and live in tents constantly evicted by the police.

All-African Womens Group are a group of migrant and asylum seeker women based in London who operate as a self-help, mutual aid network that support each other in their legal cases and whilst in detention centres, they also play a vital role in educating activist groups and organising protests against the hostile environment. We wanted to highlight groups that embody the idea of solidarity not charity, groups that are explicitly political and to avoid the apolitical, white saviourism of the humanitarian charity sector. Charity far too often focuses on addressing the symptoms rather than the causes of an issue, migrant solidarity is about “empathy not sympathy, solidarity not saviourism, and justice not charity.”

Was there a moment or a particular happening which inspired you to get Solidarity Tapes off the ground and move it from an idea into something real?

The project has been in the works for a while, Volume 1 was supposed to be released in March just before lockdown, we had a big release show planned and a series of events that were a combination of activist workshops and live music events that were obviously unable to go ahead. It’s hard to pinpoint a single event or moment that inspired us when the dominant narrative around migrants from politicians and the right-wing press is constantly dehumanising to a dangerous degree and based on disinformation and dog-whistling. There seems to be an urgent imperative to challenge those ideas in whatever way you can; Solidarity Tapes is just one way for us to platform those voices and express solidarity whilst raising funds.

You’ve pulled in some impressive names to support the project like Goat Girl, Dan Carey, Big Joanie and PVA. How easy was the process and what has it been like to work with so many people who’d like to help?

We’re so pleased with the lineup, everyone we approached was really excited about the project and supportive. For first release we mostly approached friends or people we had worked with in the past in some way, there were a few bands we’d never met but were fans of. We ended up getting more tracks than we could put out for Volume 1 so have started curating Volume 2 already, hopefully with the momentum from this release we’ll be able to expand the project, get more artists involved, reach more people and raise more funds.

The compilation boasts an eclectic mix of genres and styles. Is this something that was intentional and possibly represents the community it was born out of?

Curating the tape was a really fun and interesting process, we wanted to have a real mix of genres and bands and to be as intersectional as possible so as to fully represent the music we love. Other than that there was no theme or specifics, apart from the music being great. It was great to line up some lesser known acts with bands that have more attention, it makes for a more interesting listen, I like that Side A ends with an exclusive stripped back version of Goat Girl’s ‘Lay Down’ and then Side B bursts open with a weird bubblegum organ pop song by underground Glasgow artist Horse Whisperer.

You’ve produced a zine to partner the compilation tape, can you tell us a bit about it and why it was important that this fundraising project had a physical format attached to it rather than just a download?

This project aims to make explicit links between music and activism, we want it to be as much about raising awareness as it is about raising funds. The accompanying zine aims to platform migrant and BPOC voices, provide a space for artists to express solidarity with migrants and highlight the diversity of ways people can get involved in migrant justice activism. It can often feel overwhelming when thinking about how fucked up the world is right now, this can lead to cynicism and apathy. We hope that content in the zine can show the inspiring different ways in which people are resisting violent borders, racism and fascism – whether this be through direct action, subvertising, DJ workshops, radical education and more… The zine includes art, photography, essays, playlists, poetry, illustrations and more all based around the themes of migration, race, music and resistance. It was important to have a physical tape and zine because in a digital saturated world there is value in physical engagement with art, it encourages a different kind of engagement and one that can be deeper and more long-lasting – in an age of instant gratification and limited attention spans having something physical provides something to return to and not just get lost scrolling.

Finally, for those who haven’t grabbed their tape yet or who have but want to continue to help, what can people do to support the cause?

There are so many different ways of getting involved! Would highly recommend looking into the three groups we’re fundraising for, MASS Action can point you in the direction of a number of frontline groups to volunteer with across Europe’s border, as with Project Play – if you have any experience working with children they’re always looking for new team members. As mentioned the zine highlights a number of other activist groups – Our Future Now, Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants, Migrants Organise, Gatwick Detainee Support and more – that you should check out and see how to get involved. Donating money is great, but if you can give up some of your time in active solidarity you can make a real difference in a variety of ways. Especially in the context of this global pandemic we’d also really recommend checking out your local mutual aid group and spending time there. But also we hope that with this project we can show that music and art can be a useful tool in activism. It’s a political choice how we decide to spend our time, quoting a phrase popularised by the Black Lives Matter uprisings this year, ‘Silence is Violence’, choosing to do nothing, to stay silent is essentially choosing the side of the oppressor – things are looking very bleak at the moment but there are so many ways to help, to support and to show solidarity.

You can have a taste of Vol.1 here but please do go and support where you can by purchasing the compilation.

The brand new issue of So Young is out now. It’s sold out in print but you can read the digital edition below.

The post Solidarity Tapes recruit Goat Girl, Dan Carey and more to help raise money for migrant and climate justice appeared first on So Young Magazine.

As we reach the third part of this series, we’ve already spoken with the likes of Fat White Family and Goat Girl in Part 1 as well as Shame and Sports Team in part 2. This time around, we speak to Swim Deep (Birmingham/London), Squid (Brighton/London), Photographer, Holly Whitaker (London) and Matt Maltese (London). We sent each artist the same questions with the invitation to be as thorough or short as they felt. Rants were as welcome as a blank space. Here’s the election according to them.

Is now the right time for a General Election?

Ozzy Williams, Swim Deep: Yes, I think so. But also I guess no, it’s being presented as a Brexit election which is frustrating on many levels. There’s so many levels to the amount of spin we’re getting fed and it’s all designed to confuse us so we don’t care enough and lose interest. If Politics feels engaging then it means they must be doing something right because we need to feel heard and engaged.

Louis Borlase, Squid: Having lied to the public and attempted to bypass constitutional law despite being defeated in parliament on numerous occasions, the tories have continued to defy our democratic right. Right now definitely feels like the right time for a general election. Boris Johnson hasn’t even won a first term but yet there was a big worry that he would succeed in allowing us to crash out of the EU without a deal on October 31st.

Holly Whitaker: I think definitely, it’s time to have a prime minister who we’ve actually voted for.

Matt Maltese: I think the sooner we readdress the political crisis we’re in at the moment the better, so yes.

How would you describe the state of the British politics?

Ozzy: Indisputably frustrating. It’s literally a shit show, Boris is the worst and he’s the perfect representation of the Tory party, he’s like a fucking cartoon characterisation of the Tory party. Bumbling, confusing, arrogant, holier than now, ugly, posh, Eton, above the law, horrible. The list could go on. However there’s also a lot of hope in politics, look at the kids! When I was that young I didn’t know shit about it, it’s so inspiring to know that these young kids are actually bothered about how our world is being turned upside down in front of their eyes, good on them. I just hope they get chance to also be kids. Maybe that’s what being a kid is in 2019, sorting out the mess.

Louis: Us and the generations before us are still living in an era whereby British politics have repeatedly let down the people due to austerity, a lack of protection of human rights and an obsession with selling public services to private investors. The political class do not represent the public and time has told us that right-wing leaders do not have the ability to resolve the state of inequality.

Holly: The last 9 years have been a mess, not only the complete disgrace that was the Lib-Dem/Tory coalition, but then the terrifying reign the Conservatives have held since, including their deal with the DUP, who openly oppose abortion and LGBT rights (the Tories are just sneakier about it). I’m hoping this election will take them out of power. There are millions more people are living in poverty, endless cuts to public services, and with Rees-Mogg mocking the victims of Grenfell, I don’t see how anyone can vote for them in good conscience. They are so aggressively disengaged with society, and they’re purely for the few. I’m angry!!!

Matt: I think it’s become more and more polarised by the minute, no thanks to Brexit. Not only do we currently have a coalition based on a bribe and an unelected leader that was brought about by Brexit, but we also have all the other parties sucked into the bloodbath it’s created – and suffering their own wars because of it.

When was the first time you voted and what made you want to do it?

Ozzy: Just as I turned 18 I think. When I was living in Worcester with my dad. He’s voted labour since he was 18, much to my grandparents demise, he told me he used to tell my grandma to vote labour when my grandpa wasn’t listening and she would bless her. Haha. Anyway, I wanted to rebel against my dad just like he did but I knew nothing about politics, it was never an issue or a subject we thought we could get involved in, I’m not sure why to be honest. But anyway, I took one listen to Cameron and knew my dad was right. It was mainly about the war stuff, I hated that he seemed to be into war. It was only when I was a bit older I realised how much they were fucking the working class, over and over again, and then persuading everyone to vote for it.

Louis: The first time I voted was in the European Parliament election in 2014. After leaving home and moving to Brighton, politics had become a much bigger interest for the first time – it was also the first time we became fully aware of Toadman Farage’s UKIP party. It was pretty frightening to see his rise to power and entry into the public eye.

Holly: The 2015 elections, as soon as I could. I found it exciting that I could finally make my voice heard. I remember it was after seeing the protests when Clegg went back on his promise of free tuition fees in 2010, my sister and her friends went and it was the first time i’d really been engaged in politics, I remember feeling inspired and couldn’t wait ’til I could vote.

Matt: The first time I voted was for Labour in the last election. I thought Corbyn, for all his faults, offered a real political version of empathy that seemed to ignite something special amongst young people. I also wasn’t a fan of May, for obvious reasons

View this post on Instagram

Our NHS is drowning and there’s only one way to save it this general election. To be completely honest I’ve struggled with my support of the Labour Party of late for various reasons, a key one being the worries of anti-Semitism within the party. They should be a genuine concern and it is shameful how it’s been dealt with. But at the end of the day this is what it comes down for for me, the NHS is the backbone of the UK and our proudest asset , on a personal level it’s been so vital for me and the people I love this past year. We cannot survive under another Tory rule. If you care about the NHS and other public services let’s get the #toriesout and vote labour on December 12th ? thanks to @polyesterzine and @pollynor for getting me involved in @creativity4change #wantchangevotelabour #savethenhs

A post shared by Alice Skinner (@thisisaliceskinner) on Nov 20, 2019 at 9:20am PST

This election has been described as a Brexit Election, How do you feel about this and what is it about for you?

Ozzy: It’s about standing up for what you believe in in the face of evil. Sounds cliche but it’s truer than ever let’s be frank. It’s evil we’re up against. It’s about coming together as one and proving that that prevails every single time.

Louis: Brexit remains the issue at the forefront of the 2019 general election but is a direct result of a division that has emerged over the past 40 years of predominant tory rule. People that voted to leave the EU were directly misled in 2016 and the vote needs to be put back to the people, allowing us to focus on the devastating issues that face the UK such as the millions of people living in poverty and the conditions that allow corporations to disregard workers’ basic rights.

Matt: On the surface, of course it kind of circumstantially is. But just like any election, it is a chance to significantly alter the direction we go in as a country. It is important to deal with Brexit, but our membership in the European Union is essentially a poster child for the real challenges we face… it’s become really tribal and I think this election is about trying to look behind Brexit.

How often do you speak about politics and who with?

Ozzy: Not often, my head starts to ring when there’s a heated debate about something, it’s like someone’s bashing a pan over my head. And you can’t blame it for getting heated because it’s heated issues, but I just prefer to chat alone to someone that I don’t know or just my girlfriend about it, less intense that way. The best discussions are the calm and collected ones you have with someone with opposing views, you come away feeling like you might have actually got through to someone. It’s easy to scream, harder to talk.

Holly: I speak about politics daily really. It frustrates me when people say they’re not political, but I understand that people have become disillusioned with it, the past years have been so tiring. But it’s impossible not to be, it affects every aspect of our lives. I talk with my friends constantly about it, but I’m aware that it becomes a bubble when you’ve all got the same views.

Matt: It’s hot and cold if I’m honest. It’s hard not to feel in a bubble in today’s climate – no one on either side wants to compromise and talk, and so I can discuss and criticise with people who have my beliefs, but often I think what’s the point in that. I think there needs to be more of an open dialogue somehow. People with different political beliefs having a discussion is the only useful thing

Your kids kids kids kids kids kids kids kids kid life depends on it. Save this country from the badness. You have the chance to be part of something massive & vote for someone who actually gives a shit about you and your family for once https://t.co/Uf7YBTZYIK

— SWIM DEEP ≈ (@SWIM_DEEP) November 19, 2019

Who will you be voting for this General Election?

Ozzy: Labour. I’d be really interested if anyone says Tory to this answer, be a great PR stunt.

Louis: We are all from different areas of the UK and will be voting for different parties (apart from 3). Tactical voting can play an important role in the decision making process in this election, for example, in Bristol I feel it is important to vote for labour and in Norwich Anton will be voting Green.

Holly: Labour!

Matt: I’ll be voting for Labour

Is there one specific policy which really sways it?

Ozzy: I think the student fees always helps, it’s just that they’ve been fed so many lies that it’s hard to know if they’ll actually follow through. But I think Corbyn shows vigour when he says something, he doesn’t seem to back down or meet in the middle, from what I know anyway, and that can be a frustrating thing at times but it also gives me belief that he’ll stick to his policies. It’s actually mad that we just can’t take a politicians word for anything anymore. It’s like when someone promises you they’ll open up a bar in Miami with you at 5am at an after party. You actually believe it in the moment, but after the 267th after party, it gets a bit old.

Louis: The climate crisis is undoubtedly the most pressing issue that we are faced with in modern times. If the conservatives don’t care about anything other than covering the tracks of their stinking rich mates, then how are they going to ensure we can go about living sustainably? The progressive parties have the answers and it’s time we use our votes wisely on December 12.

Holly: The promises to fund youth, women’s, and health services etc, closing detention centres, and improving the standards of income support and JSA to name a few. I think it’s important to watch the 60-second policy challenge video that Jeremy Corbyn posted a few days ago to see the gist of what they’re promising.

Matt: More affordable housing, ending in-work poverty. And renationalising the trains so we are less London-centric as a country/economy.

Has anything come close to putting you off voting this time around?

Ozzy: No not at all, it annoys me when people don’t vote, it’s like you’re admitting defeat. I’m sure there’s many reasons not to, and possibly some id find fair. But it does just feel like admitting defeat a bit. I feel like this has been a fairly downbeat interview though so I want to add how proud it makes me feel to see everyone smashing it. I do actually believe if we all stick to our guns and go and help people vote, we can win. My girlfriend was out canvassing in Golders Green and she noted how many people that she got to register to vote that didn’t even know there was an election on. Boris has made it sound like it’s a vote on Brexit, which clearly goes in his favour for the votes he wants, it’s bollocks. It’s a vote to stop poverty in one of the richest countries in the world. It’s a vote to stop families having to use food banks. It’s a vote to save this country.

Holly: Absolutely nothing at all, it’s more vital than ever.

Matt: Of course like everyone, I’m tired of the sort of twisted manipulative battlefield it’s all become. But no, I think it’s more important than ever.

The post The General Election with Swim Deep, Squid, Matt Maltese and Holly Whitaker appeared first on So Young Magazine.

In the second of this series, we catch up with Eddie Green of Shame (London), Maddy O’Keefe of Slow Dance (London), Alex Rice of Sports Team (Surrey) and Lewis Duffin of Hotel Lux (Portsmouth). Each band has been sent the same questions with the invitation to be as thorough or short as they felt. Rants were as welcome as a blank space. Here’s the election according to them.

Is now the right time for a General Election?

Eddie Green, Shame: I think it’s been the right time for a general election for a while now. It’s common knowledge that brexit, with or without a deal is just unattainable and will ultimately shaft the majority of the electorate, regardless of how they voted and why.

Maddy O’Keefe, Slow Dance: Ish – it’s important to get the Tories out as quickly as possible and to stop Brexit from happening but it does feel very sudden. It’s so, so important that we’re given a second referendum – It’s shocking that it’s not in all of the parties’ manifestos.

Alex Rice, Sports Team: Yes

Lewis Duffin, Hotel Lux: It’s probably about time the country had a prime minister that we actually elected, to be fair.

How would you describe the state of the British politics?

Eddie: British politics is more confused, disorganised and alarmingly conservative than its ever been in my lifetime. Under the likes of Rees-Mogg and Boris, ideas, mindsets and methods that would have been laughed at in years gone by, are now not only accepted but held by those in positions of power.

Maddy: World politics are near apocalyptic (as is the climate) and British politics are a joke – when young people are given a proper political education and allowed to vote at 16 maybe we can start making progress. People are educated by the biased, corporate sponsored media (and social media) and tricked into making decisions based on what they’re exposed to rather than what is in their best interests. Brexit is cripplingly humiliating and people’s lives are in danger under tory cuts and NHS privatisation. There are more billionaires than ever – I don’t think it should be legal for someone to own that much wealth when others have nothing.

Alex: It’s clearly polarised but I think it’s too easy a line just trot out ‘the country’s fucked’, ‘Boris is Trump’. The left have won a lot of battles, it would’ve been unthinkable 20 years ago to have a Tory party that wants to increase NHS spending, that legalised gay marriage. Tony Benn always said it though, you’ve got to keep fighting the same battles every generation. 

In general I think parties on the left and right haven’t really found a new narrative for how people live now. 80% of the economy is service sector, globalisation has taken place, people are only just starting to understand the impact of the internet and social media, that was never the case when Marx was writing. 

You’ve got the right, using this strange glorious Britain narrative with lots of Empire undertones and it’s resonating with people who feel like they’ve got the least stake in the country, but none of it offers real solutions. I used to do a lot with a think tank called Compass that’s worth a look for a few solutions. They did so much of the groundwork on the progressive alliance you’re seeing now as well.

Lewis: Can’t really be described as anything other than a fucking mess, can it?

daily reminder that voting lim dem is as bad as voting tory. jo swinson during the 2010-2015 coalition voted with the conservatives more times than boris johnson did.

— shame (@shamebanduk) November 21, 2019

When was the first time you voted and what made you want to do it?

Eddie: The first time I voted was in the 2015 general election. I was 18 and in my second year of sixth form, still kind of hoping to attend university (lol). A big drive behind voting was seeing how much labour policies had galvanised my contemporaries, with comprehensive, transparent pledges to serve my generation and people like me. I’ve always lived in the left wing London bubble, where we pretend everything’s fine because we all think the same way.

Maddy: When I was 18, as soon as I could because I could.

Alex: First chance I got, at the 2015 election. I was actually the Labour delegate for Tunbridge Wells at Conference, sat on stage behind Ed. 

I think I’ve always been motivated to get involved out of anger, genuinely feel furious at how cheap a lot of politics has become when you’ve got the most engaged generation of young people in history.

Lewis: The first election I voted in was the Labour leadership vote in 2016. I’d only been 18 for a few months and having the chance to vote for a leader of the Labour party that conveys the level of hope that Corbyn does was a pleasure.

This election has been described as the ‘Brexit Election’, How do you feel about this and What is it about for you?

Eddie: There wouldn’t be a general election called if it wasn’t for brexit so I don’t think that’s entirely inaccurate, however I don’t think simply because it’s the most contentious issue surrounding this vote, that it should be the only one that’s given attention. The right wing have continually weaponised brexit fears in order to gain at the ballot box. Any campaign that focuses solely on brexit for this election, is revealing the fact that they have nothing else to offer.

Maddy: This election has definitely come about as a direct result of the Brexit crisis, and it could be one of our last opportunities to repair the damage already done. Once that’s sorted out (and I really hope we can remain in the EU), there’s the opportunity to start some real changes within our society.

Alex: Tough isn’t it. Not sure everyone in the band would agree with me but I back a lot of what Lisa Nandy is saying (hopefully a future leader), I didn’t vote for it, but I do think Brexit needs to happen after the result of the referendum, just not in a way that sells people out to privatisation and a race to the bottom on working standards. 

Also very unsure it will be entirely a Brexit election. Like at the last one social and economic issues are going to come to the fore.

Lewis:Of course the fact that whoever is elected will have to progress with the how/when/if of Brexit plays a huge part but there’s so so much more to it than that.

How often do you speak about politics and who with?

Eddie: I honestly feel like I’ve spoken about politics less than ever in the last 18 months. The general population feel so exhausted with how disastrous Brexit has been, which I think in turn has, worryingly, caused genuine disinterest. I speak about politics regularly with my folks, but when I’m out with friends there’s nothing worse than being the guy who starts a Brexit row in the pub.

Maddy: Semi often with my family and friends, occasionally with uber drivers (sometimes with upsetting discoveries on their outlooks). Probably not as often as I should, usually because it’s so depressing and I never feel like I know enough about anything. It can be a bit of an echo chamber amongst the people I spend most time with – if you feel that way it’s important to go canvassing and hear some other thoughts, especially of those who aren’t incredibly passionate either way.

Alex: All the time, with the band, family, with fans – said it before but this group of 16/17 year olds really are so engaged – they don’t need the patronising stuff from Matty Healy. 

Lewis: It’s a frequent topic of conversation obviously, you can’t really ignore it…unless with you’re with your grandparents. In which case, avoid the topic like the plague.

A madness that the majority of my family are voting Tory given the way they grew up. Shows the extent of Blair Labours betrayal of the WC.

— lewis (@lgduffin98) November 22, 2019

Who will you be voting for this General Election?

Eddie: I will be voting for Jeremy Corbyn and I urge everyone to do the same. Especially if you’re a self-proclaimed lefty who “doesn’t think he’s the right guy for the job”

Maddy:Labour – I don’t know how anyone can think any of the other manifestos are more progressive and better for everyone overall. Obviously there are some places where tactical voting to avoid a tory seat is important, and the main thing is to get them out.

Alex: Labour. We’ll be knocking doors before a lot of the tour shows if anyone wants to join.

Lewis:I’ll be voting for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party.

Is there one specific policy which really sways it?

Eddie: There is no one labour policy that has swayed me this election. There are plenty of appealing ones but truly they are the only party to reverse some of the damage these last few years of Tory rule have done.

Maddy: It’s not a specific thing, but the necessity of another referendum on Brexit is paramount. The policies on stuff that help the most vulnerable and protect the NHS, make education systems fairer and attack the obscenely rich are the main things that appeal to me. Also the world is literally melting so would be good not to have Trump Lite as prime minister.

Alex: I don’t feel particularly aligned with the leadership at the moment – a lot of it peddles solutions from the late 20th century that I don’t think necessarily reflect how people live now. I just think the way you get enduring progressive change is to have democratic structures in your party, mass membership, policy made at conference etc. The structures the Labour Party have got in place make it the only viable way of changing the country and so it’s worth supporting as an institution just on that basis, whether you agree entirely with this manifesto or not. 

Some of the stuff around a 4 day working week though I think is brilliant. Been reading a lot of Lord Layard on ‘happiness economics’ (sounds a bit trite but isn’t) and I think policies like that start to get us towards an economic narrative on wellbeing, life satisfaction – very hard to campaign on though because it’s tough to convey it in a tangible way. Ultimately though the economy should serve the people that are a part of it.

Lewis: Implementing stricter policies on taxing massive corporations is definitely one. The reality is, in a world where human beings literally die becuase they don’t have food or shelter whilst another has billions of pound is pure fucking madness. A lot of the big issues in this country and globally stem from that 1%.

Has anything come close to putting you off voting this time around?

Eddie: Not even close, it’s never been more important.

Maddy: No. If anything, I’m freaking out about how inactive I’ve been and am noticing more and more how loud silence on politics is, and how much apathy there is. Not voting doesn’t solve anything and everyone who hasn’t registered should do ASAP.

Alex: No

The post The General Election with Shame, Slow Dance, Sports Team and Hotel Lux appeared first on So Young Magazine.

Anyway, with the United Kingdom feeling more divided than it’s been for decades and it’s young people seemingly more politically engaged than ever before, in a series of interviews beginning with this one, we asked around the countries leading new bands, creatives and alternative artists to get a feel for how important the vote is to them, how they’ll be voting and why.

In the first of this series, we sent Fat White Family (London), Goat Girl (London), The Magic Gang (Brighton) and Drug Store Romeos (Fleet) the same questions with the invitation to be as thorough or short as they felt. Rants were as welcome as a blank space. Here’s the election according to them.

Is now the right time for a General Election?

Lias, Fat White Family: By the way it’s shaping up, and I think it’s shaping up to be a conservative majority, it’s hard to believe that it is really, but then what’s the alternative? I hope I’m wrong but it looks impossible for it to swing labours way, I guess now is as good a time as any to move onto a new, post Corbyn strategy. Bleak times. 

Lottie, Goat Girl: The timing of the general election felt pretty sudden, with seemingly such a short amount of time to prepare and campaign but despite this I also feel like it’s an exciting time for it to take place. Since the 2017 election, despite labour not gaining a majority in parliament they gained so much momentum and following that hadn’t existed before. I think this is definitely due to Corbynism and the new labour movement happening within the party that’s pushing out the centralists and making room for policies that represent the people of this country. 

Angus, The Magic Gang: I think now is as good a time as any to try an unseat Tory MPs and to try and prevent the dismantling of our NHS, the unfair distribution of wealth in our society and the hard Brexit that the Conservatives are trying to drive through.

Jonny, Drug Store Romeos: I personally don’t feel like it’s the best time for an election as all the major issues facing the country are going to take a back seat to Brexit. Since the election is being held in such a Brexit centred period of time, with deals coming through recently and talk of a second referendum rife, it’s undeniable that a large percentage of people will be voting based on this issue entirely, essentially casting their second referendum vote through a political party. This could be detrimental to the countries future if people aren’t able to focus on other issues with debatably larger impact upon individuals’ lives such as aligning policy with the scientific evidence coming through over the last few decades about global practices and their effects on the environment as well as income inequality and maintaining vital services such as the NHS. So essentially work out Brexit then have an election on who is best suited and focused on tackling all these issues.

How would you describe the state of the British politics?

Angus: Flawed, right down to our voting system, particularly for a general election. The fact that Boris Johnson could find himself with a majority in Parliament without receiving the majority of votes is not direct democracy.

Rosy, Goat Girl: From where I’m standing, I would say this is perhaps the first time that a labour win could actually take power away from the rich. The conservatives are so scared by this that they are revving up their dirty tactics which I find both scary and pathetic

Lottie: People are fed up and that is because they are constantly being failed by our current government. The conservative party will never have the public’s interests at heart, they will slash and cut everything that serves to protect and give stability to peoples lives to profit and gain for the wealthy few. This is and has been the current state of politics for a very long time and it can’t go on, we must cite change and that can only come through a Corbyn led labour government. 

Lias: Bad to worse. 5 to 10 years of Boris after a hard Brexit and Margaret Thatcher will suddenly start to look like Che Guevara. 

Jonny: Distracting, again I’d say that Brexit, something that isn’t by the looks of the deal to get out going to make our individual lives any better or our country any more advanced as a whole has swamped all other issues. It feels like if you want to be politically active at the moment you have to have something new to say on Brexit or you’re wasting everyone’s time even though again there are such huge things happening internationally.

View this post on Instagram

Illustrated bad TripAdvisor reviews are back: "Everything was set to be a perfect evening until I looked at the menu: "French Fries" It still burns…Where in our beautiful country do I need to go to hear and read proper English!? Our nation voted in favour of Brexit for a reason!! We want our identity back!!! Please stop using American English words. They're called CHIPS!"

A post shared by Ian Moore (@iam.ian.m) on Aug 29, 2019 at 6:34am PDT

When was the first time you voted and what made you want to do it?

Angus: 2015, it was the first general election I was old enough to vote in.

Lias: Like many people I was utterly disillusioned with Labour over the Iraq war and either abstained or voted Green until Corbyn. I think my first vote was in college about 15 years ago. 

Jonny: When was the first time you voted and what made you want to do it? I wasn’t old enough to vote in the last general election or referendum so my first vote was in my local council election, the reason I voted because I care about how policy affects my life and so kind of have to or I’m doing myself and everyone who shares my views a disservice.

Lottie: As soon as I was eligible to vote, which was the general election in 2015. I wanted to vote not only to have a say in my future but also to exercise my right to vote, something that I am very lucky and privileged to have, as many in this country have been stripped of this right. 

This election has been described as a Brexit Election, How do you feel about this and What is it about for you?

Rosy: I mean that’s a part of it for sure but it’s about so much more for me and a lot of other people. To me it’s about the chance of voting in an actual labour government that is for the people. It’s about the rise of the far-right and how to tackle that. It’s about equal opportunity and welfare in a country that can definitely afford it. It’s about the NHS. And it’s about people’s voices being heard and having an impact.

Lottie: I mean this election is only being held because of Boris Johnson being unable to pass his no-deal Brexit in parliament, so of course he’s going to do everything in his power to make it about that. He knows that this appeals to people who “just want Brexit done”, whose lives will consequently be ruined by the privatisation of our national health services and the stripping away of working peoples rights. The only way to fight this is to vote for Labour and their Brexit strategy which is to negotiate a deal and then put it back to the public to vote on in a second referendum, meaning that people who want to leave get a Brexit that isn’t primarily about the rich and their interests. 

Lias: Although I voted remain I concede that at this point there has to be some form of Brexit, it’d be too damaging to not bother at this point, politically. I’m no europhile and I can see there’s an argument on both sides. It’s not really the big issue for me, the welfare state and it’s continued dismantlement being of a much greater concern. 

Angus: Of course Brexit will dominate the narrative of this election, I think each of the major parties’ stance on Brexit is very clear but I think we need to look beyond this. It’s incredibly frustrating that the vote leave crew try to argue that a second referendum or even remaining in the EU would be anti democratic. Democracy is an ongoing process, it always has been and always will be. Should we just stop having general elections because we had one in 2017? No, didn’t think so…

Jonny: For me this, and all elections should be about policy and trust. What do they say they want to do? Do I trust their intentions? I hear a lot of political talk about ‘effective leaders’ but for me I’d never go with someone who is really good at getting things I don’t want done, over someone who is trying to pursue policies I believe in but isn’t as effective at doing so.

How often do you speak about politics and who with?

Jonny: Often but mostly with my parents. My dad is from Nottingham area and grew up with essentially socialist ideology, where as my mum came from a working class family from down south but who had more traditional conservative views and so was concervative right up until i went to college, studied politics and came back spouting hundreds of arguments about how Conservative policy comes from Conservative ideology which at it’s core believes in keeping life the way it is and preventing change wherever possible which is against the notion that we should strive to change for the better. I also explained that as such Conservatives have often found themselves on the wrong side of history in terms of social housing, healthcare and even racial issues. She refuses to admit my dad might have been right so now votes lib dem or green.

Lias: I speak about it all the time with all and sundry but I’ve become far more disillusioned with it than ever before, I’ll go out and vote Labour and encourage others to do the same, but my outlook these days really amounts to little more than despair! 

Angus: Every day, with my partner, friends and family.

Rosy: Quite a lot, I’m surrounded by loads of inspiring people who are very politically active. However this can sometimes mislead you about how the rest of the country actually thinks. So I’ve been trying to reach out to people that aren’t in my liberal bubble by canvassing in marginal constituencies. A lot of people are really fed up (as am I) so I think it’s important to have conversations with them and try to show them that their vote is really important.

Has anything come close to putting you off voting this time around?

Lottie: Definitely not, now is the most important time to vote. Make sure you have registered to vote by 26th November, and if you want to vote by post 5pm on the 26th. Also if you haven’t already and would like to get involved check out labours website to find canvassing events near you. Lets get the tory scum out once and for all!!!

Lias: There are a great many things I despise about the left these days, a kind of moral superiority emanating from a largely middle class metropolitan ilk, it seems the very people they need to sway to win they are happy to let drift. A lot of it is contradictory, hypocritical and when you look at it from a certain angle, riddled with class prejudice. That being said, it is still not even a question in my mind who the right side to vote for is on this one. The Tories are waging a war on normal people.  

Angus: No, you should always exercise your right to vote.

Jonny: The only reason I wouldn’t vote would be because I felt like the first past the post system is too inherently wrong and my vote would be meaningless in such a conservative strong seat as my town is. But then I remember from my politics lessons that if you spoil your ballot it counts as a protest vote and the number of protest votes is kept track of to keep an eye on political dissatisfaction across the years so it’s always worth doing something. Also finally if your not voting because you don’t feel like you know enough about the wide range of issues involved remember that most people also don’t know very much about this shit either but they could be going out and voting on your future based of the few articles they’ve read in their chosen media outlet. So vote how I’m telling you cos I’m the media outlet that your reading and I’m right so feel full of pride and empty of facts and go make your vote! On a serious note if you care a little about anything, say you believe in climate change, then just vote for someone you believe wants to make positive change in that field.

Who will you be voting for this General Election?

Lias: I’ll be voting for Labour

Angus: Labour

Rosy: Labour #JC4PM

Lottie: LABOUR!!

Jonny: So as I’m guessing you can tell I’m voting Labour. Under FPTP we are stuck in a two party system, so for me it’s blues vs reds. And when I look at both candidates I feel like not only is Jeremy more passionate about disabling the poverty trap and institutionalised hierarchy, tackling the climate crisis as well as protecting the NHS and other vital services i also just trust him more. I believe that if he lost he would still spend the rest of his time on earth fighting for what he believes is a better world, as opposed to Boris who seems to enjoy press attention and his time in the spotlight more than making a better day to day life for individual people. He’d probably be presenting Have I Got News For You and laughing at the shit show that was Brexit before they’d even got someone new into office.

Is there one specific policy which sways it?

Lias: Take your pick! It’s disgusting what’s happened in this country since the tories took the helm. It seems like it’s going to go on forever. So so bleak. 

Angus: I think Labour’s Green New Deal is the most important policy for me, I’m unsure as to why other people don’t feel similarly.

Lottie: All of Labour’s policies sway it for me, they put the care for humanity at the forefront, this isn’t radical it’s what we should expect! here are a few to get excited about: a green new deal, £10 living wage for all ages, ending indefinite detention for migrants, a 4 day working week, end homelessness, nationalising rail services.

Rosy: I mean there are so many…

Raising the national living wage to £10, Abolishing tuition fees, Closing detention centres, Nationalising public services, Rent control, Free movement.

Jonny: Well if Boris said that he had plastic eating bateria and that he would levy a tax at the level where every kg of carbon emitted could be counteracted by using said tax revenue to plant trees to recycle the carbon back into oxygen creating a carbon neutral country within 2 years and Jeremy went ‘nah fuck the environment lets bring back the industrial revolution’ then maybe but if not I’d have to say that I couldn’t be swayed from my ideological roots.

The post The General Election with Fat White Family, Goat Girl, The Magic Gang and Drug Store Romeos appeared first on So Young Magazine.

Whilst the print edition only has room for a few questions, we like to post the full interview online alongside their latest releases for you to dig in to. In Issue Twenty-Two we sent over the basics to Powerplant who released their album ‘People In The Sun’ in February this year and have quickly become one of London’s most exciting underground prospects.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

We are Powerplant – a synth-punk operation. We hail from around the isle and one of us is Ukrainian. Music we produce sizzles with synthesizers, giddy bass and barely cohesive lyrics. 

What’s special about where you’re from? Has it inspired your music?

Our hometowns are dull and as flat as the Earth with nothing to do. Staring at the ceiling long enough gets you thinking about a thing or two, yeah.

How did you find each other?

4chan

What led you to form a band? A particular happening or mutual love for a record or sound?

It was originally a solitary bedroom project that existed solely on the internet. Eventually it grew meat and morphed into a full band.

Can you tell us something that you collectively really love?

Kasteel Rouge

Can you tell us something that you collectively hate?

When your mom won’t leave your room when you are listening to podcasts. 

Can you tell us the story behind one of your songs?

Vocal melody and lyrics for ‘True Love’ came to me (Hi I’m Theo) when I was in the doorway, going either in or out of the space in question.

What can we be excited for (from you) over the next 12 months?

Hopefully we will find the time to address our lower back pain. But more likely a new EP followed by a new 12’’, European shows and good times with the dog.

The post Meet Powerplant appeared first on So Young Magazine.