Scottish singer Joesef stuns packed out crowd at Brudenell Social Club

Jay Fullarton on 20 May 2022

Even though the revered Brudenell Social Club is only a 5-minute walk from my grotty student home, we still managed to show up halfway through the first song, but thankfully managed to catch the last half of one of Joesef’s best singles – It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately, a relatively new single with an irresistibly catchy groove and bassline that brings the songs energy to life in the iconic venue.

The Scottish, Bold Cut signed singer took to the stage with such confidence and charm, telling jokes like he was doing a stand-up show – his words, but he had everyone laughing including myself.

What shocked me the most was the relatively upcoming bedroom pop artist had a seemingly dedicated fanbase that knew every word, and I mean every word, meanwhile I only knew a few. But, maybe he had just been slipping under my radar, with just a few hundred people away from 2,000,000 monthly listeners, and his biggest song racking up over 23,000,000 plays. I’m now certainly a bigger fan than I was before the show.

His talented band helped elevate his already assured stage presence to that of an established bigger name like Tom Misch, or Rex Orange County. It was surreal seeing Brudenell so packed, for someone I heard originally only for his cover of Sister Sledge’s Thinking Of You, and as much as that sounds like a back handed compliment – it’s not, it’s a great cover, from a clearly bright artist.

The Sun Is Up Forever was another bittersweet highlight from the night, with its dreamy Mac Demarco style jangly guitar and its infectious hook. It’s a little difficult to stomach live with lyrics like ‘but honey now I’m better, the sun is up forever, I just see you in a different shade’.

Another highlight I was anticipating was the dreamy upbeat sounds of It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately – the lavish instrumental beautifully contrasted by his sombre lyrics. Alongside this, one of his greatest tracks, I Wonder Why featuring Loyle Carner, was a particularly special moment, with its sentimental and melancholy lyrics and gentle instrumental that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Carner LP.

Comedown, a track I’m sure many students would resonate with was another potent moment, as was the intoxicating single Fire. Many of his track’s deal with emotionally evocative themes, but he understood he was queer from an early age, and “the kids made fun of my trainers more than my sexuality,” – he was raised to celebrate his identity and understand it.

Speaking on his first single with BBC Scotland, he exclaimed ‘Limbo is part of a collection of tunes I wrote in the midst of my first break-up’. ‘I split up with my ex; we were still sleeping together. It was like that grey area — it was a horrible situation to be in. I was still in love.’ Having been in similar situations, it made his songs particularly difficult to digest live, but almost like closure in a sense.

As Glasgow’s Joesef left the stage, no one in the crowd believed it was over for a second. It’s obviously become tradition to exit right before your biggest track, we all know he would be performing an encore after chants of ‘one more song!’, and we all knew that song would be his Sister Sledge cover, ‘Thinking of You’. It’s a shame the talented Scottish songwriters biggest hit is a cover rather than a display of his own unique song writing abilities, however it went over incredibly well to the audience of mostly 20 something students.

For fans of the vulnerable, soulful soundscapes of Joy Crookes, Rex Orange Country, and Arlo Parks, make sure you give Joesef a listen – he’s certainly going nowhere any time soon, and the comparisons (whilst no artist should be boxed into a sound) certainly add up – after already supporting Mercury winning Arlo Parks, and working with Barney Lister (a talented producer whose worked with Joy Crookes and Celeste). His mellow vocals almost sound like a concoction of Joy Crookes and Sam Smith.

You can hear his Northern Soul raised roots, and what a fitting venue, being an old social club… His ‘kitchen radio’ also raised him on Al Green, The Cure, and The Mamas and the Papas, influences you can subtly here in his music. Whilst he’s not the next breakthrough Amy Whinehouse or rebirth of Motown – which misleading, pressurising headlines may lead you to believe (and I’m guilty of comparing him to others myself), he is for sure going to be one to look out for. His first ever gig had sold out without him even releasing a single, a big achievement for someone who relied on recording in his bedroom. Since then, he’s headlined a 2500 capacity show at his home in Glasgow!

Check out Joesef’s music here, and if you can, catch him when he next tours, as Glasgow’s Colourboxx Festival, his last date, has unfortunately been cancelled, but we’re sure he’ll be back soon.

Beauty Without Brutality: Vegan cosmetics

Jessica Mount on 17 May 2022

Jessica Mount outlines all the best vegan cosmetics from leading cruelty-free brands.

Eurovision 2022 Grand Final: Ukraine claims its third victory, followed by the UK’s Sam Ryder and Spanish diva Chanel

Víctor Torres García on 17 May 2022

After several months in which fans from all around the world were constantly guessing who would win the 66^thEurovision Song Contest, it is official now: the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra holds the trophy of this year’s edition of the festival.

On May 14^th, the long-awaited Eurovision Song Contest 2022 grand final took place in Turin, Italy, after Måneskin’s unprecedented success in Rotterdam last year. During the so-called ‘Eurovision Week’, Italy proved to be a good host despite the technical difficulties the organisation was facing a couple of weeks before the beginning of the festival. Not only was it held in an earthly architectonical paradise but also, the venue and the stage itself were favourably adapted to the technological and media parameters this internationally-acclaimed festival required. Furthermore, the three hosts demonstrated their professionality and also added bits of Italian humour and sarcasm to their contributions, which made the show more engaging and certainly amusing.

The long-awaited voting moment was characterised by ceaseless tension and uncertainty, since it consisted in a fierce battle among Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, which could have been considered the winner of this year’s edition if the votes from the jury would have been the only points to be taken into consideration. However, when the points from the audience (or televoting) were announced, Ukraine became the undeniable winner of the 66^thEurovision Song Contest, as it received more than four hundred points from the televoting. The top five of the 2022 edition of the festival was formed by some of the songs fans considered to be their favourites to win. Although countries like Greece or Norway achieved a great position (eighth and tenth respectively), fans believed they would get a higher score, considering the hype around both songs. Another surprise was Czech Republic finishing in the bottom five, concretely in the 21^st position, as fans were crazy with this entry since it was released. In general terms, this year’s Eurovision can be classified as one of the most competitive and challenging editions of the history of this competition.

Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian Band who won this year’s festival, came up with a song called Stefania, which is perceived as a Ukrainian War anthem. Mixing folk sounds and rap flows, Stefania is about the hardships of being a mother and the lack of social support when raising a child. The abrupt speed changes and the multiple symbols used, such as the lullaby, provide a realistic depiction of the story behind the lyrics of the song. Women are depicted as both sensitive and strong beings, who have the power to strengthen society and make it evolve. Ukraine’s victory is now understood as a message of sympathy and support from Europe, which transcends the threshold of politics and economic power and makes use of music as a channel to preach unity, freedom and most importantly, peace.

It is still surprising for British fans that the UK came second in the Eurovision Song Contest after many years trying to get a proper result in the competition. However, with Sam Ryder’s Spaceman, it can be said that the United Kingdom has found the formula that guarantees its entries success, engagement and recognition. In his song, the Essex singer talks about finding the light in darkness after difficult times. Demonstrating his vocal range on multiple occasions, Sam achieved a second position for its country, not only by means of a strong and unique pop song but also through a performance packed with lights, which spread hope and positivism and showed Ryder’s stage presence.

Spanish diva Chanel closed the top 3 with her song SloMo. Despite the harsh criticism she went through, the Spanish-Cuban artist, who spend her entire life devoted to the world of arts, proved to be one of the most talented, hardworking and praised acts of the history of the festival. SloMo preaches female empowerment and liberty, inviting every woman to dance and to feel proud and comfortable with their bodies. Chanel also deifies female diverse beauty, highlighting its uniqueness and attributing it a special power of seduction. In addition, she supports her message by means of a breath-taking performance, which combined modern dance moves, high-quality vocals and Spanish-inspired outfits and motifs, such as the use of the fan at the end of the performance.

Although the previous three were the most remarkable performances of the night, there were other acts which ought to be highlighted, such as the Serbian entry. Konstrakta’s In Corpore Sano is a social criticism to Serbian public healthcare system. In this Balkan country, artists are deprived of the right to access public healthcare and have to be careful not to suffer from any disease, otherwise their monthly income could be notoriously reduced. Despite the ruthless reality the song describes, fans showed tremendous admiration for its message, catchy rhythm and also its eccentric performance. Another outstanding entry was brought by the Norwegian band Subwoolfer. Their song Give That Wolf a Banana provided the festival with the necessary humour so as to make both audience and contestants disconnect from the incertitude and tension the festival may generate. Moreover, it kept the audience guessing who was hiding behind the wolf masks.

Many fans also missed the presence of some entries in the grand final. One of the favourites, Cyprus’ Andromache and her ethnic pop song Ela, could not make it through the finals despite the huge support she received from the audience. The Irish representative, Brooke, found herself in the same situation. Although she did not guarantee her country a place in the Eurovision final, she confesses she is happy with her performance and that it was not probably the right time, showing herself positive, full of hope and willing to improve.

Nonetheless, the country where the contest will be held next year is still unknown. Normally, the winner is in charge to organise the festival but considering that this year’s winner is Ukraine, which is still under military threats, it is not likely that the competition will be held in the country. Although the Ukrainian president showed his willingness to organise the festival in Mariupol, the widely spread tension around the country does not provide any glimmer of hope at the moment. For this reason, the Spanish and the Greek delegations already mentioned that they would be willing to celebrate the festival in their countries in case Ukraine wins. However, many fans also speculate that the UK may be next year’s host. It still remains unknown but it will be announced soon enough so as for the whole continent to start looking for their next year’s star.

Kae Tempest is unmatched in their performance at Leeds Stylus

Kate Wassell on 17 May 2022

I knew Kae Tempest was a big name, but I didn’t expect their show to have such an impact on me. Their new album ‘The Line Is A Curve’ dropped just last month: a moving, searing record that I wish I had listened to before the show, but am so glad to have found now. Tempest is a distinguished poet, having won the Ted Hughes award and supported the likes of Benjamin Jephaniah and John Cooper Clarke. Their music is the kind to have listeners hanging on every word, dissecting and revisiting each lyric, making for a night of spoken word at its best.

Shungudzo, Zimbabwean gymnast, TV personality and politically voiced artist, is a support act with enough energy to fill a stadium. Dressed in a long pink ruffled dress, Shungudzo leaves her macbook propped on the side of the stage, while she jumps and skips across the stage of Stylus like a child on a sunny day. She exudates a beautiful energy, her no bullshit statement lyrics received with glee from the Stylus audience; rather than hiding behind metaphors, Shungudzo says exactly what she means. Our generation is the one to make change, she voices near the end of her set: and in her demeanour is bold resilience as well as sunshiny positivity. Tempest’s and Shungudzo’s musical styles may be different, but they have in common a political fury.

Kae enters the stage, and after yells of awe and appreciation have died down, they address us before they begin playing. ‘The Line Is A Curve’ will be played in its entirety, they tell us, and there will be no breaks between any of the tracks. A buzz fills the room; the anticipation of such an immersive album experience is palpable. ‘Speaking between songs cringes me out’, they joke, but there’s something so thrilling about this prospect: immediately the separation between audience and artist feels smaller, somehow, like we’re about to go through something not just standing in front of them, but with them.

Sound engineer for their tour, Hinako Omori accompanies Kae on synths, the sound waves rolling underneath Tempest’s cutting words. Like so many hip-hop artists, Tempest tows the line between rap and poetry. Something feels different about them, though. Their lyricism takes precedent over the fairly sparse production of their tracks, but they pull from the wide scope of sound: the featured artists on ‘The Line Is A Curve’ include Lianne La Havas, Kevin Abstract and Grian Chatten, to name a few, which together stretch out from the genre of hip-hop and bring known but surprising voices to each track. Tempest’s spoken delivery also sets them apart, of course, and their attention to detail is evident: there something that is needed to be said in their lyrics.

And it’s their lyricism that is the main gift of the night, masterfully painting images with their words. In ‘Salt Coast’ we’re pulled into a tempestuous landscape: “soaked coast, foul wind, old ghosts, scrap tin”. Standing in pulsing golden light, the image of a twisted tree behind them, they personify nature – “the browning of your leaves” – and politicise it too – “the tyranny and hate of Britannia rules the waves”. Track ‘Smoking’ follows soon after, a commemoration to their past self. Having come out as non-binary in 2020, Tempest’s nods to their past female identity, “that girl from the past that laid the foundation stones”. They repeat, “there can’t be healing until it’s all broken, watch me break”. It feels like a celebration and separation, like a coming apart of something that once existed but no longer does. Kae’s recognition of her former identity feels like this throughout the new album, never taking over the tracks completely, but colouring them.

It’s ‘Grace’, the album’s closing track, that brings me to tears. Ending ‘The Line Is A Curve’ section of the gig, Tempest’s voice rings clear over a simple guitar melody: “there are things I have to say about the fullness and the blaze of this beautiful life.” In all its unassuming nature, the track is breath-taking.

Kae Tempest’s set at Stylus was unlike any gig I’ve been to before. Performing their 2019 track ‘People’s Faces’ at the end of their set, they gesture to us, the audience: ‘My sanity’s saved, ‘Cause I can see your faces’. And every face is beaming up at them. You might already be a fan of poetry, or you might think spoken word is pretentious and underwhelming. I urge you to stick on a track of theirs, or better yet, buy a ticket to a show, and experience for yourself their brilliance.

A chat with The Goa Express ahead of their first headline tour of the UK

Benjamin Forrest on 15 May 2022

Originally formed as teenagers in Burnley, The Goa Express have since been claimed by every music scene from Manchester to West Yorkshire, their unique brand of psychedelic, garage-punk influenced indie music gaining them a sizeable following. The group have been steadily rising in popularity since their initial release, ‘Reincarnation of the Lizard Queen’, in 2016 and are now set for their first headline tour around the UK – including a date at Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds on the 18^th May. I spoke to lead singer James Clarke, and his brother Joe who plays keys in the group, to get their thoughts going into the tour and find out a little more about The Goa Express.

The Burnley quintet includes two brothers – James and Joe – James states boredom as a predominant reason for the formation of the group, “We came together largely through not having that much to do in Burnley and largely through meeting in school. We all met in school, always to hung out together and then didn’t really have that much to do other than going to each other’s houses and muck around, there’s limited opportunities in small towns”. Speaking of small towns, though, The Goa Express has been heavily tied to the rising scene in the Calder Valley. Todmorden and Hebden Bridge seem to be breeding grounds for great groups at the moment, with the likes of Working Men’s Club, The Orielles and The Lounge Society putting these towns on the map. At the epicentre of this scene is The Golden Lion, a pub and independent venue established in 2015 which now also operates as a record label (Golden Lion Sounds), releasing records for artists such as Henge, The Lounge Society, and even Jarvis Cocker! Asked about this thriving local music scene, James explained, “Waka – Richard Walker – who runs the Golden Lion with Gig, we’re both from Todmorden so we’ve grown up there, we know the faces quite familiarly, we’ve just known him for ages. Although it seems like quite an unsuspecting place and a, sort of, little hidden little town in the middle of nowhere it’s probably not that unsuspecting when you’re there. It’s full of crazy characters and wacky people. Golden Lion was a bit of a refuge for us growing up, when we didn’t have anything else to do, anywhere to go, anywhere to listen to the sort of stuff we wanted to listen to”. The Golden Lion is a prime example of the absolute importance of independent venues for the development of new artists and music scenes, and the existence of bands like The Goa Express would surely support that claim!

Thus far, releases from The Goa Express have all come from independent labels, with early singles on Wrong Way and Eli Records and their recent singles on Ra-Ra Rok Records. The single ‘Be My Friend’, which received praise from Steve Lamacq on BBC 6Music, featured on the Counter Culture 20 compilation by Rough Trade. The Goa Express are an undeniably independent band, Joe detailed the benefits of this approach for the band, “Luckily we’ve still managed to maintain a good level of control over what we do and the people we meet and what trajectory you want to go down. I think eventually we won’t be against having the support of a label but we’re trying to do that on our own terms and keep as much control as possible”, he went on to explain “We’re not gonna spend our entire music careers being independent but it works for now and we’ve not needed anything else. It’s quite difficult coming from no involvement in the music industry to just all of a sudden having a shit ton of deals in front of you, managers and lawyers and all this kind of thing. It’s been nice for us to take it slowly and build up trust with different avenues”. The band are currently witnessing a great deal of success being signed to Ra-Ra Rok Records so, presumably, there are already a few major labels sniffing around – watch this space!

Blending psychedelia, pop, garage rock and indie, The Goa Express have a fantastic and thankfully non-generic sound to them. Asked about their influences, James lists, “A lot of Spiritualized, a lot of Brian Jonestown Massacre, a lot of stuff that was revivalist of 60s stuff but came later on in the 90s. Obviously your generic Britpop stuff and things that were dead catchy but largely the stuff that remained a little bit underground and revived certain movements that were lost in a bit more of a contemporary way”, before adding, “As well as all the classic shit that everyone listens to”. The psychedelic influences were definitely more noticeable on the bands earlier tracks, and that is something the group will admit to, “We’re less psychedelic now, none of us like that track [Reincarnation of the Lizard Queen] at all, we probably borderline hate that track. It’s funny to look back on and thing that that long ago we were still trying to get our stuff out there”. Describing the reasons for the development in sound, the band said, “We’re a bit more selective, the sound has just kind of evolved gradually, it’s never been coordinated to end up in a certain genre”.

Speaking to the Goa Express brothers it was refreshing to see their lack of pretentiousness in their approach to music and their band, perhaps it’s their Northern roots or the fact that they are fairly early on in their trajectory of success – either way, it is clear to see that The Goa Express exist largely through a simple love of good music between close friends. Prior to setting off on tour, which began in Nottingham on the 10^th May, I asked the brothers about how they would approach their first headline tour, “Just go and enjoy it and embrace it. This time around, considering it’s our own and it’s a headliner, just try and make a good impression and not take things that seriously. If one show is wicked that good, if one show is bad and no one shows up then so be it, who cares?”. The two highlighted the Leeds gig at Hyde Park Book Club (which you can purchase tickets for here) as one they were particularly looking forward to. The group were supposed to play on the Oporto stage at Live at Leeds last year but had to pull out the night before, if the disappointment felt within those attending the festival is anything to go by then the Leeds gig is sure to be a good one, and James assured us “We’ll be there on time and in top form”.