‘POLLYANNA’ continues where they left off, though, continuing their excellent form. And whilst their industrial shoegaze sound remains, it seems as if they’ve done some growing, sonically speaking, in those intervening years. The track takes inspiration from its relentlessly positive namesake, but its somewhat lighter sound hides a darker underbelly, one drawing on the toxic side of happiness.

Katie Ball’s ethereal vocals float above the swirling world of noise below, continuing ‘POLLYANNA’ as a track of contrast; playing off between the noise and the beauty, happiness and what else lingers on. It’s a brilliant return, and with a number of intimate shows having also been announced, hopefully there’s more to come.

Photo by Kate Lawlor

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It almost didn’t happen. The outcome of a legal battle between Lambeth Council and a group of local residents found that the council hadn’t applied for proper planning to host Brockwell Live’s one-day festival series, including Wide Awake. This was with a week to go. The stages were up, but would any bands be able to take to them? And then. Even more. After confirmation from Wide Awake that it would indeed be going ahead this year, Mo Chara, of headliners Kneecap, was charged by the Met with a terrorism offence. “They tried to stop this gig”, the biggest the group have ever played, Kneecap tell us as they come on stage, “honestly, you have no idea how close they were to stopping this gig”. It must have been a hell of a week in the Wide Awake office. 

But yet here we all were. Walking through the gates, and it all felt normal. Beyond a few spraypainted slogans on the fences, there were no signs of the chaos that had unfolded the week prior. It just felt like Wide Awake. As it should.

Ugly started our proceedings on the main stage, the London-via-Cambridge group providing their now trademark vocal harmonies and folky art-rock. New single ‘Next To Die’ fits in seamlessly with their previous material, and the band themselves weren’t daunted by the main stage setting they find themselves in. Choral, anthemic, experimental; it’s what we’ve come to know and love from Ugly. Next up were the excellent Hello Mary, with the New Yorkers bringing their alt-rock to the Shacklewell Arms stage. Moody and loud, it’s exactly the sort of thing that would’ve been suited to the venue’s very own floors. But we couldn’t stay long. The first UK performance from Sextile since they blew the roof off one of the tents at End of the Road last summer meant they were a must-see, (or a must-see-again in this case). They tried their best to get the party started, but as they themselves admitted to the crowd that had got down to see them, this was too early a slot for Sextile. Their take on dance punk is suited to the early hours of the morning rather than a summer’s mid-afternoon. And even bringing out Jehnny Beth did little to help, despite the ex-Savages frontwoman’s best efforts. 

Back in the daylight, there was the part performance art, part musical duo of Mermaid Chunky who enlisted a troupe of dancers to mingle amongst the crowd. And then it was off to catch the dreamy art-pop of Chanel Beads. It may have only been 3 o’clock, but it was already time to catch our breath. Their collage of sounds washed over the crowd in the Dazed tent, and we were drawn into their world. You couldn’t help but to be. Of course, ‘Ef’ and ‘Police Scanner’ were obvious highlights, but the real joy was in watching Shane Lavers and co construct their carefully considered sounds live. After that, though, it really was time for a break. And after having refuelled and refreshed it was time for a secret set, of sorts. Jeremy Corbyn was brought onto the main stage, just before Nadine Shah, to give an impassioned speech on the power of music and the need to protect grassroots music venues, as well as the strength in our country’s diversity, and railing against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. It was genuinely powerful stuff. “Music for the many, hope for all of us” he told us. I couldn’t have said it myself any better, Jezza. Wide Awake might need a new slogan.

It felt like we could’ve gone marching into the streets if they would’ve let us, such was the energy in the crowd. But we couldn’t. So instead we went dancing. Billed to me by a friend as the American answer to Confidence Man, Fcukers lived up to the hype. Harking back to the days of 2000’s club bangers, they got the tent shaking. Bringing an infectious and unrelenting energy, making this corner of Brockwell Park briefly feel like the coolest club in the world. 

CMAT kept the fun going with her set on the main stage. The crowd were in raptures, but I don’t think there’s anyone who enjoys a CMAT gig as much as Ciara Mary-Elizabeth Thompson herself. Her country-pop brilliance speaks for itself, but when you add such an irrepressible stage presence to the mix, it really is something special. Joined by the “super sexy CMAT band” (as we were reminded a fair few times), they reeled off the hits. ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’ and ‘Have Fun’ came out early on, before we got a live debut of new single ‘Take A Sexy Picture of Me’. It feels like it’s already a classic. We were all singing along to ‘I Want To Be A Cowboy Baby’ (how could you not?), before she closed with ‘Stay For Something’, and spent most of it clambering on the barricade. It was a masterclass in fun and personality. 

Despite the whirlwind that preceded, though, there was a sense of anticipation that lingered in the back of your mind throughout the day. And this wasn’t the usual can’t-wait-to-see-the-headliner sort. Just what would Kneecap do? There had to be something planned. Their answer was to deliver a storming set in front of their largest ever crowd, just as the rest of the world decided to tune in. After a week in which they’ve been making headlines (and really, it’s been a few months), they haven’t lost their sense of humour. “Has anyone been watching the news lately?”. But they’re serious about their message too. They doubled down on their support for Palestine, and once again called out the Israeli state for committing a genocide in Gaza. It is an important message, and one that would continue throughout the set. But then, it was on to the music. From the start the crowd were up for it. Apologies to anyone who decided to watch Peaches instead, (or anyone doing literally anything else in London that night) but this was the place to be. 20,000 Brits singing along to ‘Fenian Cunts’ and ‘Get Your Brits Out’, chanting along with Republican slogans. Here they were in the belly of the beast, and this was what was happening? It could only be Kneecap. Every time you scanned the crowd it was bouncing, with the energy from both crowd and band relentless. The centre was a constant moshpit, and the rest wasn’t much calmer. They ended it in force, with ‘H.O.O.D’ followed by ‘Guilty Conscience’ before ‘C.E.A.R.T.A’ finished it all, with DJ Provai, balaclava and all, ending up in the pit. Of course.

As we funnelled out back into the streets, there was no talk of NIMBY’s, legal decisions, terror charges, or whatever else may have been on people’s minds as they entered only a few hours earlier. Instead, we left with tired legs but beaming smiles; the sort of joy that only live music can produce. 

ALL PHOTOS BY JEANIE JEAN

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here.
Issue Fifty-Five features Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, The Orchestra (For Now), Westside Cowboy, Car Seat Headrest, Real Farmer, School Fair, Elias Rønnenfelt, feeble little horse, Kissing On Camera, Pooneh Ghana and Rhi Dancey.
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Having released an excellent EP at the start of the year, Pebbledash have since followed up ‘Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House’ with a string of excellent singles. ‘Asha’s Waltz’ might just be the pick of the bunch, though. Incorporating traditional Irish folk into their shoegaze foundations, it encapsulates what the band does best – and what makes them so special.

Reverb-coated guitars wail throughout, acting as a wall around the traditional folk ballad that sits at its heart, whilst haunting and introspective lyrics from Asha Egan McCutcheon add a desolate beauty to proceedings. It is at once both cinematic and deeply personal. Heavy and yet striking. It is wide, open skies but watching as the storm clouds roll in.

Photo by Moreen Kamdem

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here.
Issue Fifty-Five features Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, The Orchestra (For Now), Westside Cowboy, Car Seat Headrest, Real Farmer, School Fair, Elias Rønnenfelt, feeble little horse, Kissing On Camera, Pooneh Ghana and Rhi Dancey.
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“This better be something great”, whisper Reuben Haycocks and Aoife Anson O’Connell together on the opening line of ‘Shells’. Hushed, apprehensive, and filled with anticipation, they could very easily be talking about the band they find themselves in. Since the release of their debut single at the end last year, Westside Cowboy have gone from strength to strength, including recently winning Glastonbury’s emerging talent competition. It does feel like they could be on the verge of something special. 

In many respects, ‘Shells’ continues where that debut, ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’, left off. The same influences remain, and their chemistry is palpable. But where ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone…’ came storming out of the gates, ‘Shells’ takes its time to get going. It lures you in to a place of quiet contemplation, before coming to life and dragging you along for the ride. If the start was all nerves, by the end it’s a completely different beast. Still earnest and genuine yet assured of itself; a mature offering for a band that still feel like they have so much more to give. It really does feel like it could be something great.

Photo by Joe Moss

Also Read: Manchester’s Westside Cowboy Share Debut Single ‘Ive never met anyone i thought i could really love (until i met you)’ via Nice Swan

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here.
Issue Fifty-Five features Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, The Orchestra (For Now), Westside Cowboy, Car Seat Headrest, Real Farmer, School Fair, Elias Rønnenfelt, feeble little horse, Kissing On Camera, Pooneh Ghana and Rhi Dancey.

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“Should I open another tin?” screams Oli Noble at the height of ‘Sardines’. It’s the only hint on the track of the noise that Uncle Junior have been delivering at their raucous live shows across London. Instead, ‘Sardines’ is slower and more brooding than the frantic energy that possesses them live; it reflects on the end of a relationship, before realising where it all went wrong, and longing for it all over again. Quite a bit to pack into three minutes. 

Yes, all the typical influences are there, and it’s nothing you haven’t heard before from a London post-punk band, but Uncle Junior do avoid the tendency of throwing noise at a track and hoping that does the job; here they lean into their songwriting and let it come to the fore. The result is a familiar and vulnerable offering that lives in its own yearning, with a hint of a bigger racket to come.

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here.
Issue Fifty-Five features Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, The Orchestra (For Now), Westside Cowboy, Car Seat Headrest, Real Farmer, School Fair, Elias Rønnenfelt, feeble little horse, Kissing On Camera, Pooneh Ghana and Rhi Dancey.

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Youthful exuberance and existential crises don’t usually go hand in hand, but Chicago’s Lifeguard have managed to meld the two on ‘It Will Get Worse’. Having built up a fair amount of buzz as teenagers and, in the process signing to Matador, Lifeguard are ready to flesh out their noise-rock into a fully formed debut album, ‘Ripped and Torn’.

Whilst previous releases were reminiscent of 90’s post and alt-rock, ‘It Will Get Worse’ instead sounds more like the sounds being covered in the original Ripped and Torn zine, from which this album takes its name. Angular, lo-fi, noisy – if Wire were gen-Z Americans, this might just be the sort of thing they’d be coming out with. It isn’t all pastiche, however. Tucked away amongst the noise are some proper songwriting chops, coupled with a hard-to-contain energy that drives it all forward. ‘It Will Get Worse’ is at once both familiar and fresh. And a true statement of intent.

Photo by Grace Bader Conrad

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The music video for Hotline TNT’s new single, ‘Julia’s War’, features the band attempting to complete a shoegaze bootcamp; crawling under fuzz pedals, conducting military exercises with guitars as their weapons, whilst a drill sergeant shouts in their faces. Not that they need the practice, mind. ‘Julia’s War’ contains all the hallmarks of Will Anderson’s shoegaze experiments, leaving right where he left off on 2023’s ‘Cartwheel’. Scuzzy guitars, soaring leads and reflective, often cryptic lyrics – it’s all still there. But things have changed for Hotline TNT in the intervening period too. No longer is TNT only a vehicle for Anderson’s solo work, and instead his touring band has now become the band.

Whilst much of the Hotline TNT sound remains on ‘Julia’s War’, it is some of the most direct music they’ve released this far. The vocals aren’t buried in the mix as you might expect with shoegaze and despite being wordless, the chorus of “na na na’s” is bound to get stuck in your head. As Anderson himself puts it, “you’ve never heard a TNT chorus this straightforward”. The change, or really solidification, of lineup seems to have simplified some of Anderson’s tendencies, but that’s no bad thing. Bring on the hooks.

Photo by Graham Tolbert

So Young is a new music magazine and our new issue is out now. Buy in print here. Subscribe here. Read the digital edition below.

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