In conversation with Alt-J’s Gus Unger-Hamilton ahead of the new release ‘The Dream’

Leeds-originated folktronica trio alt-J are set to release their fourth studio album, entitled The Dream, today. Ahead of the release, I spoke to keyboard player and backing vocalist (as well as past Gryphon contributor) Gus Unger-Hamilton to gain an insight into the production of the new album and to look back on his time within the group. 

alt-J formed as a quartet in 2007, at which time all members were studying at the University of Leeds. Gus explained, “Joe came to University with the express intention of wanting to start a band. Unbeknownst to us, he was kind of interviewing us in the first few weeks to see if we’d be suitable candidates to be in his band.”. Seemingly, the establishing of alt-J as a band happened pretty quickly after the four initially met, “We met at a party in halls on the first night of freshers’ week, then Joe met Thom and Gwilym on their course doing Fine Art. Joe started making music with Gwilym at first and then he asked me and Thom to get involved too. By the beginning of second year, we were fully up and running as a band.”.

Each alt-J album thus far has seemed very much like separate, respective projects – whilst there are similarities between them all, alt-J are certainly not a group which churns out the same album every few years. The Dream is certainly no exception to this rule. Asked about the musical evolution of the group Gus said, “We like to try keep ourselves interested in the band. I think because we’re all people with quite eclectic taste in music and quite inquisitive natures, we just naturally do end up constantly evolving. Innovation for innovations sake often doesn’t sound that good but I suppose we do talk quite a lot in the studio about trying to offer our fans new things here and there, to try to avoid falling into making a ‘clichéd alt-J song’ which we have, in the past, come close to doing before going ‘hang on, this sounds a bit like we’re repeating ourselves a bit here, how can we make this more interesting?”. There is not an abundance of groups which sound like alt-J, they have a fearlessly original sound. On the topic of influences, then, Gus gave an explanation for the recognisable and original ‘alt-J sound’ saying, “We all had a healthy love of Radiohead which was important, not just for the sound but also the kind of approach they had to making music, which was constant evolution and extreme musicianship, but with a very poppy finish with very good hooks and stuff. I think we’re a product of all of our musical backgrounds; me on the more classical side, Joe on the folky Americana side and Thom on the heavy metal side – I think that all those three things coming together create a sort of magic alt-J potion that you might not have expected to happen.”. 

The Dream is the fourth album from alt-J to be released on independent label Infectious Music. Gus spoke about how the trio’s relationship with Infectious was forged, “We had lots of major labels show and interest in us and come to Leeds to meet us, come to our gigs to watch us, come watch us rehearse and stuff and then they all kind of said the same thing which was, ‘We really like you, but we don’t know if it’s gonna sell’. So, in the end we got two offers from indies: Infectious and PIAS, and we went with Infectious.”. Although the label was acquired by BMG around the time of the band’s second album This Is All Yours, Gus explained that the band are still awarded the kind of creative freedom that comes with an independent label, “We were able to take that creative freedom and bring it into a more major label setup which we have now with BMG – BMG is still technically an independent label but Infectious, when we signed to it, was like five people in an office in Soho above Ronnie Scott’s, and now it’s a big office with hundreds of people. We have a licensing deal with Atlantic Warner in America which is a major major label, but they’ve had to accept the terms on which we signed our record deal which was ‘leave us alone, let us do our own thing’, so we’ve been quite lucky in that respect.”. 

Aside from the music itself, another thing which fans love about alt-J is the iconography and artwork employed by the group. The artwork for The Dream feels like a new artistic direction for the band in comparison to previous album covers. According to Gus, however, the chosen artwork was not the group’s first choice, “Our first choice was actually a Picasso painting called ‘The Dream’ but it was just gonna be too difficult to use a Picasso painting, we had set ourselves a bit of an impossible task, because you’ve got the Picasso estate, the owner of the painting, the gallery the painting is in – it’s just paperwork. We attempted to do it and pretty much immediately realised it was gonna be, what you might call, a complete fucking nightmare.”. The final cover is credited to artist Joel Wyllie, Gus discussed the process which led the group to this image, saying “We all owned some of his drawings and we asked him to send us some new work and he sent us some drawings, and this was one of them. We just really liked it, it’s quite an ambiguous image, this unspecified semi-human creature engaged in an unspecified activity. I think we liked that about it – it’s open to interpretation, a bit like the music.”. 

Picasso’s ‘The Dream’ (left) was the original choice for the album cover

Speaking of the music, The Dream is perhaps alt-J’s most mature album thus far, and the single ‘Get Better’ stands out amongst the band’s discography as particularly heart-breaking. I asked Gus about the band’s initial reaction when ‘Get Better’ was proposed by lead singer Joe, “Joe played me that song and I had a very emotional response to it. I cried for quite a long time, which had never really happened to me before with any song really – let alone an alt-J song. I think it’s amazing that Joe was able to access these emotional depths without actually experiencing directly what the song is talking about, so that’s the real gift that he has I suppose.”. Mind you, you need not look far on this album for evidence of Joe’s extraordinary song-writing ability. Gus suggested that this ability might be thanks, in part, to the influence of psychedelic drugs, “Joe did have an experience at Uni where he took mushrooms for the first time and had a pretty crazy time, he thinks he experienced ego death. He’s adamant that he came back from that experience and his song writing ability had improved a huge amount. Before that, he was a good songwriter, but he came back from that and started writing really interesting, dark songs – Tesselate is the first song he wrote after that experience.”. Looking at the band’s early work, and particularly the album cover for debut album An Awesome Wave, it would be easy to assume that psychedelics played a large role in the creation of alt-J, but according to Gus “We’ve never really been into psychedelics… we used to smoke weed when we wrote but that’s not something we do anymore because we’re all boring and in our thirties now. I feel like there is a healthy background of mind-expanding drugs but it’s not a big part of our process nowadays.”

An Awesome Wave, the group’s debut album, earned them a Mercury Music Prize in 2012. Their third album Relaxer (2017) was also nominated for the Mercury Prize. It would come as no surprise then if The Dreamwas also to be shortlisted for the award this year. Asked whether the group attaches much importance to these awards and accolades, Gus responded, “We’re extremely proud of the prizes we’ve won. We would love to win the Mercury Prize again; I can’t deny that. It would be incredible, but prizes are a very arbitrary thing and ultimately you can’t really think about it too much. All we can do is do our best in the studio and hope that maybe some accolades will follow but we shall have to see.”. 

The Dream is released on the 11th February through Infectious Music/BMG and is available to order from local independent record stores Jumbo Records and Crash Records. The trio will also be returning to their spiritual home of Leeds for a show at the O2 Academy on the 9th May as part of their tour of the UK and Ireland which runs throughout May. 

Pragmatic Students Support Strike Action

ral student response to hearing about staff strike action is self-pity, a deserved and valid reaction to the broken promise that students at least for their own serious financial commitment, enjoy a complete academic year. There is no ideal response to strike action affecting students particularly when our educational experiences have been stunted throughout the nearly two years of the pandemic. There is, however, a right response to staff strike action, which is of solidarity and of pragmatism.

Community and Carnage: Turnstile bring ‘GLOW ON’ to the Refectory in Leeds

One of 2021’s most critically acclaimed albums, transforming the dream-punk of Turnstile’s ‘GLOW ON’ into a live environment posed a new challenge for the Baltimore hardcore outfit. As the band’s growth leads them into larger rooms, the ever increasing gap to the barrier makes the stage diving that is synonymous with their live shows all the more difficult. 

Yet, in the historic setting of The Refectory, which now serves as a University canteen with a balcony cafe, the room – and upper tier – was transformed into a diving board for fans and band members alike to launch themselves off the balcony into the raucous army of followers down below. Quite the upgrade from a chilled morning study space.

Opening with the dreamy, vibrant ‘MYSTERY’, the narrow yet extended room became one gigantic pit of chaos, as fans were treated to this new material live in Northern England for the first time. Nostalgic, older tracks like ‘Fazed Out’ and ‘Gravity’ were interwoven into the set, between a flurry of newer tracks that showcased the complexity and originality of ‘GLOW ON.’ A particular highlight was ‘UNDERWATER BOI’ and its unique structure, as the crowd figured out how to continually match the energy onstage with exact precision.

Whilst bassist Franz Lyons courageously wore a Manchester United shirt with the number 27 on the back, frontman Brendan Yates rapidly abandoned his t-shirt, clambering around the crowd with a hand on the balcony, the whites of his eyes there for all to see – focused as ever. With this album campaign, you really feel the sense of a matured, almost finished article at the height of their powers. Pride and joy resonated around the room, as they closed the set with the unifying ‘T.L.C.’ before departing our shores to tour the USA.

Turnstile headline Manchester’s Outbreak Festival in late June, and tickets are on sale here.

The Night Café show their class at a sold out Stylus show

Leeds was the focal point of a circular journey for The Night Café over the course of the pandemic. Playing Leeds Festival on the release weekend of their debut album 0151 back in 2019, they would not play a live show for over two years – until last year’s Live At Leeds Festival.

Bassist Arran O’Connell Whittle popped into the LSTV studio for a chat just before that set, where he told us just how excited the band were to finally get out on tour this February and play their Leeds date, showcasing their lengthy debut that is firmly ingrained into this generation’s nostalgic indie rock scene. 

Launching into Leeds University’s Stylus with the timeless ‘Finders Keepers’, the young crowd was sent into raptures as ‘Felicity’ and ‘The Way Of Mary’ reinvigorated the energy that created such a buzz around The Night Café. Despite the forced hiatus, the band showed no signs of a lack of chemistry or a single mistake amidst what was a crisp, cohesive set.

Having supported their Scouse counterparts The Wombats and Circa Waves on numerous occasions, and done the rounds at virtually every major UK festival, this set really saw The Night Café mature into their own, unique headline act that truly demonstrated their capabilities. The ticket sales on this tour demonstrate just how far their reach has grown, packing out sweaty clubs all over the country.

A short encore of ‘Addicted’ and ‘Mixed Signals’ perhaps left some fans longing for more material from their latest EP For Better Days. However, it was really 0151 that represented their coming of age, and it is only natural that they completed such an eagerly anticipated campaign with a stunning headline tour to match that will continue on for the rest of February.

The Night Café support The Wombats at Leeds’ First Direct Arena on 14th April, and you can purchase tickets here

Adams laments another draw as Bradford rescue point against Leyton Orient

Elliott Watt’s deflected strike from range rescued a 1-1 draw for Bradford City against out-of-form Leyton Orient, who had taken the lead through captain Darren Pratley. 

In a tight, scrappy affair where both sides failed to create clear cut chances, a draw appears to be a fair reflection given the fact that both goals came out of very little. A cutting edge was most certainly missing, despite City top scorer Andy Cook coming close with two second half headers. 

Bradford Manager Derek Adams offered his thoughts on a game where Bradford simply ‘weren’t clinical enough’ to get the victory:

On how the game panned out: “We’ve had shots blocked, and haven’t been able to hit the target as much as we wanted to. When the stats tell you that we’ve created twelve opportunities versus five, it tells you that we were the team in the ascendancy.”

On Leyton Orient’s goal: “It was [a scruffy goal], it came at a moment in the game where there wasn’t much in the match, but it was a terrific goal to put it into the top corner. I’m not sure if it got flicked on…but the team showed great character; they go 1-0 down, they try to get back into the match, and that’s what you ask of your team…good fighting spirit.”

On the returning Elliot Watt: “A lot of good play comes through Elliot. He’s one of the best players in this division at taking the ball and moving it, and I’m delighted that he got a goal tonight. He was running around that edge of the box; Andy Cook was probably unfortunate to not score tonight…in the end we just haven’t done enough to get that winner, but we’ve had enough opportunity to do it.”

On Bradford’s thirteenth draw of the season: “We’ve had too many draws. It’s not without trying, we just weren’t clinical enough to get there. I always say, it’s winning that gets you up this league. Draws can be good at times, but winning is the one that propels you really quickly into a better position.”

On City’s character: “They’ve responded well. There was a setback when we went 1-0 down, but they’ve shown really good character tonight. They fought hard to get the point, but in the end we probably had enough opportunities to win.”

On the departure of captain Niall Canavan: “He got the opportunity to go to Barrow, and I had to make a decision. He’s given an 18-month contract, which is great for him and his family, and I’m not in a position to do that. I had to make a decision whether to let him go or not.

On City’s deadline day signings: “We’ve had things moving along, and you have to move quickly. The two we took in, Luke Hendrie and Nathan Delfouneso, were in the pipeline – and it’s just fortunate that we got them in the end. 

They’ve given us experience, I think in this division you do need experience to get out of the division. They’ve added competition for places right away; we’ve got a few injuries at this moment in time and they’ll help us deal with that.”

Bradford City’s next outing sees them take on Harrogate in a Yorkshire derby, this Saturday 5th February.

Image Credit: Rishi Shah

Tramlines Festival Announces Second Wave Of 2022 Acts

Tramlines, Sheffield’s biggest city-based music festival has announced its latest round of music acts and the full comedy lineup. The 2022 event will mark the 13th edition of South Yorkshire’s biggest party and take place at Hillsborough Park in Sheffield from Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th July.

Joining the party is Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Lady Leshurr, Alfie Templeman and Kelis, alongside more exciting additions including Crawlers, Bleach Lab, Baby Queen, The Clockworks and Elvana.

Also, comedy will be returning to Hillsborough with a huge line-up including headliners Jason Manford, Russell Kane and Seann Walsh. This latest wave of new acts will join headliners Sam Fender, Kasabian and Madness with over five stages of music, a family-friendly area and a genre-spanning line-up of performers including everyone from internationally acclaimed acts to grassroots talent.

Alongside this latest line-up announcement, Tramlines also reveals that Weekend tickets have sold out with 95% of the festival’s tickets now sold, with only an extremely limited number of Day tickets available. Day tickets for Tramlines are priced from £50 plus booking fees and can be purchased alongside VIP ticket options from www.tramlines.org.uk. Sign up for ticket alerts here: https://bit.ly/TL22SignUp.

Tramlines 2022 takes place following an exceptional event in 2021 where the festival took place as part of the Government’s Event Research Programme. It was the largest festival in Western Europe to go ahead since lockdown restrictions were eased and marked a national celebration of the return to live music.

Kelis is back in 2022 for the first time since joining us on the Ponderosa back in 2017. The multi-award winning artist is bound to be dropping classics such as ‘Trick Me’ and ‘Millionaire’. British rapper Lady Leshurr also makes a return to the festival, bringing her expert lyricism and freestyles, best known for her ‘Queen’s Speech’ series.

Alfie Templeman finally gets his opportunity to grace Hillsborough park after having to cancel his appearance last year due to isolating. The ‘Happiness in Liquid Form’ singer, who said he was “gutted” in missing out on his slot last year, will appear on Saturday alongside newly announced Liverpool rock-group Crawlers and London alt-rockers Bleach Lab.

Joining Friday’s line-up is Baby Queen, who brings her hazy alt-pop hits to Sheffield’s biggest party. While Galway four-piece The Clockworks join the bill to add a post-punk twist to what will be the start of another memorable weekend. Also joining the Line-Up for 2022 is Bradford bassline collective Bad Boy Chiller Crew, bringing with them even more genre-spanning sounds to Tramlines Line-Up. Sunday will see a performance from Elvana, an Elvis fronted Nirvana tribute band. Unfortunately due to scheduling issues, The Snuts (Friday) can no longer join us at Tramlines 2022.

Comedy has become a mainstay of the festival and in 2022 Tramlines has secured some huge names kicking off with Seann Walsh who headlines on Friday. Seann is a multi-award winning performer with a growing list of TV credits including QI, Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Juice and 8 out of 10 cats. Sean is joined on Friday by Scott Bennett, Michelle Shaughnessy, Alisdair Beckett-King, Vince Atta and host Danny McLoughlin.

Saturday headliner Russell Kane is a UK household name due to numerous TV appearances as a guest and as a presenter of his own shows including 2016 travel doc Stupid Man – Smart Phone. Joining Russell on Saturday are Tom Ward, Karen Bayley, Harry Stachini, Jack Gleadow and host Matt Read.

The Sunday showcase is headlined by Jason Manford, well known due his tenure as team leader on 8 out of 10 cats, his numerous presenting roles and his appearances in West End musicals such as Chitty Chitty Bang BangThe Producers and Sweeney Todd. Also appearing on Sunday are Ivan Brackenberry, Lily Philips and host Emmanuel Sonubi who has been hotly tipped by both Jason Manford and Russell Kane.

Timm Cleasby, Tramlines Operations Director said, “I’m beyond excited for Tramlines 2022, Our first announcement was ace and now this? You had me at Kelis and Elvana… The return of Lady Leshurr too, just mega. Add to that Jason Manford, Seann Walsh and Lily Philips I’m gonna need more hours in my weekend.

Roxy Lanes: Yorkshire’s largest gaming destination and bar opens next week

Bar and bowling alley, Roxy Lanes, is relocating from its current location on Bond Street to
The Light on The Headrow. The mammoth venue, due to open on 11th February is a
whopping three times the size of its Bond Street predecessor, which opened in Leeds back
in 2014. This brand-new gaming hub will incorporate all the elements of existing Roxy
venues along with some new games that have never been seen in Leeds before.

Whether you’re looking for date ideas, want to relive childhood memories or simply fancy a
fun night out, the brand-new Roxy Lanes has got you covered. The ground floor will play
host to a large bar area where customers can choose from a selection of craft beers,
cocktails and spirits, as well as slices and fries, The games will begin here for those who
want to shoot some hoops with two Basketball Machines. The basement area will be
dedicated to gaming, with 10 bowling lanes, massive shuffleboards, American pool tables,
air hockey, ice curling and a massive second bar area.

Something new for this venue is the addition of two ice curling lanes where players slide
stones down the smooth surface of the lane, aiming for the bullseye. However, the only chill in
the air will come from your opponents as this is an ice-free curling lane, one of only a few in
the whole of the UK. 

Speaking about the re-location and what customers can expect from this venue, General
Manager Cameron Mosley, says: “This is an incredible location, right in the heart of Leeds city
centre. Whilst the Bond Street venue was a great starting point for us as a brand, it’s now time to up
the ante. We’re delighted to be able to expand and offer our customers even more of that Roxy
Lanes experience, the demand is already going through the roof for our new venue and we can’t wait
to take gaming In Leeds to the next level!”

With two Roxy Ball Room venues already a huge success at their Merrion Street and Boar Lane locations, the Roxy brand looks forward to adding a bigger, better Roxy Lanes to the mix. 

The 15,000 square foot venue is also the perfect place to watch the latest sporting action,
with live BT and Sky Sports showing everywhere, even at the end of the bowling lanes – a
perfect addition in time for the 6 Nations Championship and FIFA World Cup which are both taking place in 2022.

So, if you want to rack up your strikes, play some drinking games or try your hand at
something totally new, then the brand-new Roxy Lanes at The Light is the ideal venue to
while away an evening or kick-start the weekend. The Bond Street venue will continue to
trade until the switch over takes place. Those looking to get their game on this from February
should book in now!