Wunderhorse Interview: Album Influences, Barefoot Drumming & Oasis Rumours

Wunderhorse’s second album Midas is out today & definitely deserves a listen. Music editor Millie had a chat with the band’s drummer Jamie Staples earlier this week, on the album’s influences, drumming without shoes, and whether they want to jump in on the Oasis reunion!

Millie: Just to start, so you played the BBC Introducing stage at Leeds festival on Sunday, even on such a small stage you had a crowd of 7000 people – how was that for you guys?

Jamie: Yeah that was really surreal, I mean we were a little bit gutted that the Radio One stage collapsed or blew away or whatever but yeah it was pretty special to see how many people still came. We really had no idea what it was gonna look like and yeah that was pretty special for us.

Millie: It was really cool, especially since we all thought it would’ve been cancelled.

Jamie: Yeah us too, but yeah when they offered to jump on that stage you know didn’t wanna turn it down

Millie: You guys played at Jumbo Records last night as well, it’s such a pillar of Leeds’ independent music scene. Are you excited to be back in Leeds again later in October?

Jamie: Yeah Leeds just does always seem to go off for us, we always look forward to playing here and it’s one of our favourite places to visit – definitely for going out for a drink as well.

Millie: Do you have a favourite place to go?

Jamie: We love the Brudenell, the main room there is always great to play, you can get yourself a pie and play some pool, its great.

Millie: I read recently that you juggle working with the band and working on a building site?

Jamie: Yeah for me either building or landscaping, which I try my best to run away from but it keeps clawing me back.

Millie: How do you balance that?

Jamie: With difficulty honestly, and I don’t struggle as much as my bandmate Pete has done recently. Well I’ve been doing this for a long time so I’ve managed to land myself in a few jobs that are flexible for me, but it’s taken me a while to do that. But yeah, honestly part of it is quite nice to keep your feet on the ground and get a fair days work for a fair days pay which you don’t always get in music. So it’s quite nice to get that element in my life, but at the same time I’m very ready to leave that behind.

Millie: You’ve been in some punk bands before, Shark Dentist and Teeth Machine, do you prefer playing in a heavier setting or with softer tracks, like Superman on the new album?

Jamie: You’ve done your research! I like playing the heavier tunes, I think we all do live, but as long as we make what we think we’ve made is a good song, we’re happy to play it live.

Millie: July seems to have made itself a permanent part of the setlist, and there is a physical effort from [lead singer] Jacob in the intro where he is getting into the song, do you all do that, is there a character you feel you need to possess?

Jamie: Not so much a character, more tipping into a part of ourselves in order to keep our energy up. There can definitely be a need on tour when you’re having to do that and you’re also conscious of it being real and not contrived. We bang our head together before shows – not literally – but we try to get into a headspace to give whatever we have to the floor that night.

Millie: I read that you never wear shoes to drum? Is that true?

Jamie:  Yeah always, I’ve never worn shoes to play. Its just something when I first sat down on the kit I wasn’t wearing shoes and I think when I started to learn the slide technique on the key pedal, I found it was a quicker route without shoes on. Its just the way I feel the most comfortable.

Millie: Highschool are supporting you later this year on tour, what other bands are you listening to right now that might be up and coming?

Jamie: Well, a lot of the bands, modern bands right now, Wu-Lu is a personal favourite of mine, and someone I’m always keeping an eye on and drawing inspiration on from drumming. There’s a lot of good bands at the moment, Highschool are a band we like a lot, they’re a bit different from us but they were willing and available when we were looking for our lineup.

Millie: As [debut album] Cub was seen as a solo project from Jacob, but Midas is a full band piece, is there any songs coming out that you had more influence on?

Jamie: Yeah I think everyone for this Midas record, Jacob came to us with the bare bones of the songs, ie chords and lyrics, but the songs where we would make things together before any chords or lyrics were a different way round of doing things as well. Some songs start with more of a feeling than anything else. I think you can feel everyone’s personality come through quite strong on this record, as far as I can tell anyway, which is not something that was lacking exactly on Cub, but experience has made this record in a short space of time, and we were all present for it so naturally the burden was spread across all of us and we all had input.

Millie: So you guys supported Pixies, they’re one of my favourite bands, and you’ve mentioned they had quite an influence on the album so how was it touring with them?

Jamie: It was amazing, it was surreal. They’re just living legends, we didn’t get to rub shoulders with them much, we all definitely got to say hi to all of them at points. I guess they’re a little bit further along and they know how they like to do things. But as a band, all 4 of us listened to them growing up and to see them perform live every night undoubtably rubbed off on the record. It was pretty much one after the other that we did it and not least they recorded a record off the back of it too if I’m not mistaken. So yeah, but I can’t say they were right at the front of out minds while we recorded the album but we were fresh off tour with them.

Millie: I’ve seen Nirvana be mentioned as a big influence for this album too, were there any other bands that influenced the album?

Jamie: Yeah, lots of people really, a lot of the records we were listening to while we recorded the album you know we often take the morning an intensive listening session if you like. Where you actually just don’t do anything else but listen to the records, which even as musicians we don’t do that often all about it was often – we should do more. It was The Beatles, particularly Rubber Soul, and The Rolling Stones. Also, a lot of replacements altogether definitely prior to the album. The essence of those bands that we wanted to capture. Obviously, Nirvana is a big influence anyway, especially if you’re wanting to make some heavier, darker music, they’re naturally an influence.

Millie: What are your thoughts on the Oasis reunion? Would you support them if they offered?

Jamie: Yeah, we’d support them in a heartbeat – in fact I think we should be put forward for it, I can’t think of anyone better. But yeah, its very exciting, I think we’ve actually heard bits about it over the last 2 weeks, I’ve had some friends in the music industry who have been saying it was gonna happen and I was pretty delighted to see it announced. We would love to be on one of those shows.

Millie: That’s everything from me! Thank you for your time Jamie! Can’t wait to see the show in October!

Jamie: Yeah, thank you so much & see you then!

Midas is out on all streaming platforms today & Wunderhorse will be performing Leeds Beckett Student Union on 19th October.

“We Love The Brudenell”: An Interview with The Everly Pregnant Brothers

Written and Edited by Eve Moat
Interview Questions by Eve Moat
Photography by Eve Moat

Sheffield icons The Everly Pregnant Brothers have a heartfelt chat, full of laughter and jokes, just like always…

Answers by Pete McKee (ukulele, backing vocals and keys), Kieran Wardle (lead vocals) and Simon Williams (bass).

Eve: Hello, welcome back to The Gryphon’s coverage of Tramlines 2024 and I’m here with The Everly Pregnant Brothers.

Band: Woooo!

Eve: Would you like to all introduce yourselves?

Kieran: Hi. My name is Kieran.

Simon: I’m Simon.

Pete: And I’m Pete.

I’m going to ask you a few questions. I won’t take up too much of your time. Now that you have yourself as the new lead vocalist, how has this changed the band’s sound? How has the music shifted, or has it remained the same? And what has the public response been like?

Kieran: I’m gonna go backwards in the questions answers. I think the public response has been very kind to me as the new singer. Obviously, Shaun left such an imprint on the public psyche and the sound of the band. So, I aim to do something, keep true to the spirit of the band, but also leave my own stamp, ‘cos I can’t be someone else, and I’m sure he couldn’t be either. I’d say that ‘cos I am in the eye of the storm I couldn’t possibly say what the band sounds like now unless as someone else on the outside looking in. I don’t know. Pete might be able to tell you.

Pete: The muscle of the band, the energy of the band is the same in the sense. The dynamism is now coming from Kieran rather than Shaun, and like you say he’s put his own stamp on it. We’ve kept probably 80% of the set the same, and we’ve got new songs, loads of new songs we’re writing at the moment. We got Simon who’s the new bass player as well, who’s joined us one year ago pretty much today in a sense wasn’t it?

Simon: First big gig, was Tramlines this time last year yeah.

Pete: And he’s added another dynamic, as Johnny our old bass player, he was brilliant, but he came from like a rockabilly double-bass background. Whereas, Simon’s a funk bass player, so the sound’s changed in that way as well. And we’ve got so many new songs, that we may morph into something else. Obviously, still parody band, but it’s finding songs that suit Kieran’s voice as much as the songs that suited Shaun. We played songs that Shaun liked, probably find songs that Kieran likes in his register, and that’s how it’ll change, but we’re really enjoying ourselves. It’s fantastic to have Kieran lead singing with us because he’s given us a lot of energy and hope, because we didn’t know we could carry on without Shaun, but Kieran stepped in and he’s doing a fantastic job and there’s a great bright future for the brothers.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

That’s really good! In relation to our outreach, many of our readers are a young adult audience, as we’re The Gryphon up in Leeds. We’re the University of Leeds paper.

All: Oh you must love us! [deep laughter from all parties]

I wanted to ask, how do you ensure your music appeals to an audience of all ages?

Pete: Do you want to answer a question here Simon?

Simon: Oh thanks [laughter all round]. We pick songs from all different eras and they’re all very well known songs, so hopefully its got that broad appeal.

Pete: The kids loving the yacht rock, they love it too. They love old music ‘cos their parents have brought them up on it. Older music, not old music, and that’s kind of our middle genre. I don’t see us doing any Taylor Swift any day soon [laughs] or anything like that or anything newer, but we’re always looking for that great hook line that would make a great parody. So where it comes from, this year or fifty years ago, it doesn’t matter to us, as long as the hook line is funny and we can see people enjoying it. You cast a vision forward don’t you and say, “will fans like this?”. What’d you think?

Kieran: I think what this band is all about is, sounds pretentious, but its entertainment. Like people get the humour regardless of what song or what era its come from. Its all about what people can relate to, ‘cos the thing about music is that its an infinite language someone can relate to and someone else can’t relate to at all in terms of the same. I just think that especially these days that if we can do a job where we can help people forget any dreary element of their lives for half an hour or an hour, then we’re winning aren’t we. That’s what’s important. Its about entertainment.

Pete: That’s it. We’re very much like a bread and circus band. The lowest common denominator for people to have a good time is to forget all the worries. We know our place in the roster of the world of music, but we’re happy with that. We’re comfortable. Its just fun. If we’re enjoying it, and everyone outside of us is enjoying it, then it’s winner winner chicken dinner.

So it’s all about relating to people through your lyrics and through the humour itself?

Pete: Indeed yeah. That’s right. You’ve got to try and pick on the zeitgeist of what people want. Like, we’re currently writing a song about air fryers, [laughter] ‘cos it’s making people go, “ah yeah, I relate to that song”.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

Kind of like with ‘Dodgy Box’, with the Amazon sticks.

All: Yeah exactly.

Pete: So we’re getting into modern technology with our band.

Kieran: Where’s it stop? Are we gonna start singing about Brevilles next?

Pete: Might have to sing about robots and AI though.

Kieran: That’s the next one, innit.

Simon: Ai, AI, O. [laughter]

It was reported that you were formed on a drunken dare from yourself and Richard Bailey?

Pete: That’s right, yeah. I’d actually seen Jools Holland, and back then there was a ukulele orchestra or Great Britain, and they played Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, and I thought “that’s absolutely amazing”. I’d got a ukulele, and I’d got it as an ornament more than anything. I didn’t actually know you could use them as an instrument [rest of the band hysterically laugh]. I just thought it was this like joke thing. So, I convinced my mate Bales to buy one same as me, they were only like ten twenty quid. We played it, and I said “let’s do somet with these. Play a gig or somet.” It was just like a joke. We did it as a dare. We played this one like charity party thing and played Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas’. Then somebody caught wind that I’d doen this, and they asked me to do another gig. Long story short, we’ve ended up playing Tramlines Main Stage for the past six years. It’s amazing.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

So do you regret making that dare or has it been the best thing?

Pete: No no! It has been one of the most joyous things in my life. Woody Allen, a very famous film director, he plays clarinet in a little jazz club and that’s his escape. Its his release from his day to day, and that’s what I wanted it to be for me. For me to play ukulele with me mate and just have fun with it. It just got bigger, but its still the same fun. It’s fantastic.

One final question: how does it feel to be considered one of Sheffield’s heroes?

Simon: Brilliant.

Kieran: I’ve not even considered the notion. ‘Cos I’m so fresh in. [laughter] Maybe I’m just a sidekick like Robin. [more laughter] Or an Aquaboy, if you know your DC. Come back next year and I’ll tell you how I feel about that.

I might take you up on that!

Pete: Really though, it’s overwhelming. We don’t take it for granted. Like today, we’re worried if anyone will turn up to listen to us and we were delightfully surprised that loads of people rammed it out. It’s so joyous and may it continue.

Thank you so much for speaking to me!

Pete: Thank you, its been great. And we love The Brudenell. It is one of the best live venues. We played there once and we’d love to play there again soon hopefully.

I will look out for that!

Here at The Gryphon, we can’t wait for that second Brudenell gig from the brothers!

Crank Wave x Charlie XCX: An Interview with Lime Garden

Written and Edited by Eve Moat
Interview Questions by Eve Moat
Photography by Eve Moat

Ever wondered what an upcoming band would say in an interview? Ever wondered what a unique genre like wonk pop is? Wonder no more! Lime Garden are here to tell all…

Answers by Annabel Whittle (drums)

Eve: Welcome back to The Gryphon’s coverage of Tramlines Festival 2024! Firstly, English Teacher told me to tell you they say hello! 

Annabel: Omg hey!!

Firstly, as Music Editor for The Gryphon, I was able to acquire a ticket for one of our writers for your Brudenell Social Club show. After doing so, I began listening to your music and wished I had kept the ticket for myself! How was that show? What did I miss out on? Can you recall some interesting snippets from that event? 

Ohh, we love The Brudenell! That was a great show – Leeds crowds are always so fun to play to. I remember someone made us bracelets and necklaces and gave them to us after the show which was so sweet. We 🩷 Leeds

Image Credit: Eve Moat

That’s so cute! As an all female indie rock band, how do you feel you are breaking down barriers for other women in music? How important is it for young girls to have role models that they relate to, like yourselves? 

We often say that our goal is to be recognized as a band first, not just a “female band”. There’s a tendency to expect female bands to fit into a specific niche or to feel pressured to adopt a particular image, whereas male bands can rock up on stage in jeans and a t-shirt and no one asks any questions. The expectation to have a particular image can sometimes be super stressful. I think as a group we are just trying to show that you don’t need to have to do that to be a girl in a band. Inspiring younger girls to pick up instruments and be the inspirations we never really had when we were younger is amazing, and definitely a big driving force for us. 

It is so nice to hear that you don’t want to be put into a box per say and want to provide role models for younger female generations. Moving more towards your specific sound as a band, you have previously described your music as “wonk pop”, can you explain what this means? 

If crank wave had a child with charlie xcx.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

What a great mashup! In terms of your roots, you guys are originally from Guildford and Brighton. How does performing in places like Sheffield and Leeds compare to your nearest city London and smaller places like Guildford? Is the response or the audience different? Or do all your listeners have a shared similarity? 

Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester are always a good crowd, and we always have a good time playing there. I think London will always be special as we often play our biggest shows there, and last time we even had people travel from Europe to see us there! There’s often a bit of crowd surfing and rowdiness in all of those cities, which we love. 

Awesome! Ok, a few quick fire questions now. Who would your dream collaboration be with? 

I think each member of the band might answer this differently, but I think collectively, collaborating with someone like Caroline Polachek would be a dream. She’s a huge inspiration for us. We saw her play once and she dedicated the song to the moon. Iconic. 

Finally, what’s next for Lime Garden? What’s the dream? 

The dream is obviously Wembley arena. But what’s next immediately… Going to tour America for the first time, a very special London show at the end of the year and new music…

Image Credit: Eve Moat

Thank you to Lime Garden for taking the time to speak to The Gryphon. We hope that Wembley call up comes quicker than we can ever imagine!

Wunderhorse’s Golden Touch: Midas Review

Plunging into devastating ballad tracks and blistering singles, the main takeaway I have from Midas, Wunderhorse’s second album, is that this is their cementation of brilliance. After debut album, Cub (2022), which is undoubtedly polished and sprawling with lyrics that even the loudest critics (middle aged britpop dads) cannot fault – it is truly refreshing to see the rest of the band’s personality soak through into Midas, as they have now naturally become a fully-formed band.

Opening with titular single Midas sets the tone with an immediate punch to the gut. The long anticipation of the album, with already 5 singles out before release, has given fans high expectations. Interestingly by releasing the screamer earworm tracks first. One of these is Rain, a track which has spiralling guitar riffs that won’t leave your mind for days. Standing out is the direct, piercing sound of Slater’s voice punctuating the album. He’s speaking to us, with his drawling vocals and Pete Woodin’s menacing bassline, it’s clear Wunderhorse are not here to mess around. The sharp edges of this album mimic their raucous live sound and you can almost feel them looming behind you as you listen.

Emily is a song that finally shows off that Wunderhorse have successfully created a distinctive sound, albeit a cacophony of vulnerability, it has Jamie Staples’ incisive drums taking the lead. Yet Emily holds a feeling of Slater’s exposed self, seen in his previous solo album, Pinky I Love You (2023). Another single to be released was Silver, a lighter, catchier number, likely released to combat the miserably grey summer. The melodic guitar really comes through here, and it caters to a more generic indie-pop audience. Wunderhorse’s fanbase has massively grown since their debut, with them pulling huge crowds at Leeds Festival this weekend, with 7000 people coming to their last-minute performance on the BBC Introducing stage, as well as an intimate gig at Jumbo Records on Monday. I’m certain that the excitement surrounding Midas will only explode in the coming weeks, especially as their autumn tour looms. 

Today, the final, and fifth single, Arizona was released. A song that I think really demonstrates the band’s growth since Cub, with added depth from backing vocals, with a reverberating rhythm that builds and crashes down. Arizona feels like a track that is built to play live, strong drums and a welcome instrumental solo that we can feel the band losing themselves in, and taking us down with them. Similarly, single July mimics the same feeling in Arizona, there are definitely lessons learnt from touring being felt, and a yearning, chasing feeling to both these songs, with feelings of Nirvana and Pixies’ influence leaking through. The extended intro of July has been added to many of their live performances, along with Slater’s slightly odd behaviour, including general screaming, choking himself and gagging on stage before July begins. Potentially reflecting on the energy that must be mustered through long touring and night after night of putting his whole self out on stage. 

Standout track, and my personal favourite, is Superman. A slower, acoustic number, that has a crawling anticipation that leaves goosebumps on your skin. The depth of the softer drums is gorgeous and the universal theme of being misunderstood is translated from Slater’s mind into what genuinely feels like poetry. It’s raw, personal and it hits you like a slap. There’s a feeling of desperation that isn’t out of place for a band like Wunderhorse. One which isn’t trying to be cool, or to mimic bands of the past, or prove something to its audience. The cyclical sound scales all the way back by the end, and we breathe through the track with the band in a way that makes Wunderhorse feel closer than ever before.

The band’s work with producer Craig Silvey (The Rolling Stones, The National, Florence + The Machine) along with their organic, unpolished recording process is what really captured this closeness and the visceral atmosphere that they have already become well-known for. Cathedrals is a track that masters this; with a slower start that spirals into a heavier track. While feeling somewhat simple, built in elements of the song bring forth a bigger picture of a devoted love song that becomes increasingly raspy and raucous. Slater’s spacey vocals have quite simply never been better and the intensity of the song makes it feel almost like we’re intruding on Slater as he descends into a screaming cry that commands all the attention it begs for. 

Penultimate track Girl leans into a more alternative sound, echoing cheery vocals and a summery melody give it a more 90s nostalgic vibe. It’s light, it’s catchy, it’s a spiralling singalong that will undoubtedly go down a treat live. On a complete contrast is final song Aeroplane, a mammoth 8+ minute number, opening with acoustic and snares that softly seems to be convincing us, or perhaps Slater himself, of his capacity to love. It’s a drawn out track of inner turmoil and clawing to be lifted out of this pit. Half way through, we get a well-awaited building, with the crackling of electric guitar coming through, becoming prominent and overpowering. There’s a hesitant feeling, until the guitar rips through and we feel the two sides of this album fighting against each other. Scattered, and losing all structure, it slows down into a repetitive sync, of tight-fast moments into long, technical notes. Aeroplane tackles the aggressive , fast-paced tracks of the album that demand to be heard, and pits them against the vulnerability that comes with sore, and unhealed exposure. 
Wunderhorse had a laborious task, to follow such a clean debut album. Midas is a response which has stark edges and carefully placed tenderness. It lacks all the restraint of Cub and has all the power of not just Slater, but 4 musicians forcing their way through victorious. Midas is available on all streaming platforms on Friday, and even better, Wunderhorse are playing in Leeds on 18th October.

Tramlines 2024: “You Know, Sheffield is One of My Favourite Cities”

Written and Edited by Eve Moat
Photography by Eve Moat

What a weekend! Tramlines Festival in Sheffield landed on the beautifully sunny final weekend of July, and lived up to its reputation via its star-studded line up and electric atmosphere. Featuring headliners Paolo Nutini, Jamie T and Snow Patrol, alongside many more musicians, big and small, local and far-and-wide, Tramlines 2024 was nothing short of wonderful.

Personally, I started the Friday afternoon by going to see up-and-comer Bethany Grace, who secured her slot in the festival’s line-up by winning the public vote, and happens to be my friend from school. With my more of my friends playing in her band (Adam on bass, and Alex on guitar), as well as Toby on drums, the whole performance was so much more meaningful to me. Seeing how they have all grown since we were 11 years old is fantastic, and they have all come so far and deserve immense success. I cannot wait to see where they all go from here!

Image Credit: Eve Moat

Next, I moved to go and photograph Bombay Bicycle Club, who were amazing as always and got the crowd bouncing. I guess you could say they are Always Like This.

Paolo Nutini brought the evening to a close, playing a full two hour set, which can only be praised. Having an amazing group of friends surrounding me made this experience even more incredible, and I am sure that other audience members would agree that the set felt better when with the right people. Nevertheless, Nutini had a jam-packed set filled with all different styles and created different atmospheres with each new song. I personally enjoyed his live version of ‘New Shoes’ as he gave it a new flare, despite the mixed reviews this received as some onlookers hoped for the studio-style version.

Day 2 brought many indie icons and I started my day watching the Everly Pregnant Brothers, A.K.A. Tramlines’ special guests and one of Sheffield’s musical heroes. For those new to their music, they are a parody band playing hits with their lyrics changed to be sang in the Yorkshire accent and dialect, as well as the content relating to issues affecting the north. This was followed up by me interviewing three members of the band including Pete McKee, one of the band’s founders. Interview coverage to follow.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

After interviewing the band members, I managed to watch and photograph Leeds and West Yorkshire originated band English Teacher. They looked striking and sounded electrifying whilst also retaining their signature melodic and mellow sound. Calm and collected merged with hard-hitting lyrics and crashing high hats.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

Over on The Library Stage, supported by Tramlines’ Pattern and Push initiative, hip-hop and RnB artist Lavelle was cooking up a storm, with many of the crowd screaming for more, photographers going mad for a snap of the up-and-comer, and her backing dancers bringing the energy to the sunny tent. The crowd were bouncing and hanging on her every word. To top it all off, she is Sheffield-based and everyone watching wanted her to succeed even more because she is local and champions the local music scene.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

One of my favourite performers, for his facial expressions, energy and warm-hearted nature, was Tom Grennan. He remarked, “you know, Sheffield is one of my favourite cities”, and went on to explain how much the people of Sheffield care, the warm welcome he receives and how we’re a little crazy but put our all into festival attendance and the music we cherish. In relation to that, when he introduced the track ‘Here’, he explained that “if it was dark, I’d put a light up and that represents that person you are thinking of” to show how your friends and family are always there for you. This really showed how connected he was to the audience. My personal favourite moment was when he first arrived on stage and saw a crowd member’s sign saying ‘GILLETTE, THE BEST A MAN CAN GET’, to which he responded by singing the same line and in turn missed his que for the following song as he was so thrown off and busy laughing at the hilarious banner. Another hysterical moment was when he remarked, “I need a haircut, ‘cos my hair is in my eyes” completely randomly and unprovoked (other than that his hair was probably entering his eyes).

Image Credit: Eve Moat

To round off my Saturday, I decided to watch Holly Humberstone’s full set after photographing her first few tracks. Despite my disappointment at the lack of ‘Sleep Tight’ within the set, my mind was opened to so many other brilliant songs that I hadn’t discovered previously. To share a secret, I haven’t been able to stop listening to them and they now live in my head rent free. Some of these tracks include ‘Dive’, ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’ and ‘Falling Asleep at the Wheel’. Humberstone’s lyrics really moved me and struck deep as I related to her words like they were about my own experiences. For example, “Just for a second your talking, but I’m just pretending you have my attention” from the aforementioned ‘Falling Asleep at the Wheel’ doesn’t just sound beautiful when sung with breathy tones and the rise and fall of the song’s melody, but takes my breath away and causes a heart-wrenching feeling in my chest especially if I myself sing it due to how much I relate to this line. I connect with these lyrics, not because of my boredom in past relationships, but the other person causing my brain to have so much to think about that I didn’t have the capacity to be paying attention to what they were saying in the moment. “Come on and wake me up” reminds me of my friends having to open my eyes to reality when I had fallen asleep at the wheel. Humberstone therefore shows through her lyrics that people interpret these fragments of language in different ways and can be helped and healed by their different connotations. I had no idea how much I would enjoy (and needed to hear) her set, but I am so glad I managed to catch it (and on camera too).

Image Credit: Eve Moat

The final day was packed with artists of different genres and eras, bringing in a wide variety of festival goers of all different ages and musical likes. Lime Garden brought a grungy-feel to their set, with the crowd being intrigued by their unique sound. ’90s to early ’00s style sunglasses adorned by lead singer Chloe Howard and drummer Annabel Whittle gave the piece a futuristic aesthetic whilst reminding people of a style from a few decades ago. That same day was their guitarist Leila Deeley’s birthday, and she looked very into the music and into her chords. As did Tippi Morgan (bass), with green lights all round and a spotlight brightening herself and her bass. All round, the crowd loved them and they should be proud of the performance as it looked and sounded great.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

Example created an example for hip-hop, house and EDM artists at Tramlines 2024, playing hits from throughout his career in the British sunshine. Of course, everyone was jumping, including Example, who had to dry off with a towel not long into his set. This provided for a change in pace on the Main Stage, and fit the vibe as the sun had come out.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

Briefly seeing the Sheffield-originated band The Human League, with frontman Phil Oakey remarking, “I used to live on that road just over there” when he lived in Hillsborough. It was like they were coming home, and choruses of “don’t you want me baby” made sure the band knew that. They were followed by Snow Patrol, both of which were enjoyed by the masses.

To finish off the weekend, Leeds local band Yard Act took to the stage and wowed with new material that’s fresher and more different than ever. The performance shone with their backing vocalists and dancers, who were dressed in trench coats, just like the band’s song. Here at The Gryphon we love Yard Act as our local band who we’ve covered since they started out. This performance truly showed why they’ve shot to success the way they have. We can’t wait to see what they do next!

Image Credit: Eve Moat

Tramlines 2024 was a major success! Roll on Tramlines 2025!

‘Madness Are Go’ at Kirkstall Abbey

Written & Edited by Erin Clark.

The legendary, Camden-native, ska-legends Madness are a band with absolutely nothing to
prove. Boasting multiple musical accolades, a longstanding fortified fanbase, and an
illustrious, six-decade long career, it’s no wonder that the six-piece effort can afford to take a
well-deserved victory lap. Rather than a ‘victory lap,’ maybe the more appropriate term is a
quasi-languid-victory-stroll, which comes in the form of the 2024 ‘C’est La Vie’ tour – named
verbatim after the band’s most recent release. The surplus of their ardent fans have
remained steadfast in their belief that Madness have been criminally, critically overlooked
throughout their career – with this fact culminating for many in their first number one studio
album being last year’s studio release.

Critically overlooked or not, as I watch over an abundant crowd gathered at Kirkstall Abbey,
it remains clear that the love and adoration that these fans feel for Madness is definitively
palpable. I can’t escape the feeling that Madness has provided a much-loved, lived-in
soundtrack to these people’s lives, to the shenanigans of their adolescence, to the self-
discovery of their music taste, and to the many sleepless nights spent ‘skanking.’ Surveying
the crowd, I feel as though there is some form of reverse game of ‘Where’s Wally’ afoot, with
the stark abundance of red felt fezzes. Aesthetics aside, this crowd feels as though they
already know one another, as if they are family with members both young and old – and this
seems to stand as a testament to the lasting power of this legacy that the band has carved
for themselves. From the fresh-faced, tongue-in-cheek young radicals that burst onto the
scene in the late seventies, to the established, revered and monolithic pioneers of two-tone
ska – Madness’ essence has remained unwavering, unchanging and steadfast. The
immediately recognisable and youthful visages remain just under the surface of the band’s
current image; if there’s one thing that this band has kept a firm grasp on, it’s a sense of
having fun. Pure, unashamed, unprohibited fun.

With their entrance framed by an appropriately camp spoof of the intro to iconic 60’s series
Thunderbirds,’ the band were treated to rapturous applause as they assumed their positions
on stage. Once assumed, the formation resembled something that was equal parts an
exceedingly musically talented effort, and equal parts old friends uniting for a jolly. Still performing as the original six members of the band, there is an air of an established legacy,
a comradery, and ultimately a brotherhood. And with that, Madness ‘are go.’

Like a stallion storming out of the metaphorical gates, with a cover of the Prince Buster
single ‘One Step Beyond’ which gifted Madness the title for their debut album, straight away
the band settled any sorts of debates around their ongoing capacity for an energetic
performance. I was well aware that the band were famed for their enigmatic zeal, but the
energy and enthusiasm that Madness exerted was something really remarkable. The
program of individual performances proved very prompt, with minimal time between entries
to the setlist for the band to engage much with the crowd. That being said, this lack of direct
engagement in the form of speech was well accounted for in the reciprocal energy exchange
of the band’s relentless, back-to-back sonic performances.

Giving no room for digestion, reflection or dead space, the band skilfully leaped into
performances from musical entries spanning any and every one of their 13-strong studio
album roster. Highlights of this stint were 1984’s ‘The Sun and the Rain’ and ‘Wings of a
Dove
,’ alongside 2023’s camp anthem ‘Run For Your Life.’ Though these repeated shifts in
musical tone could have been easily disjointed, Madness skilfully weaved these strands from
vastly different decades together to form an ultimately delightful testament to the band’s
discography.

As Chris ‘Chrissy Boy’ Foreman graced the stage in what can only be described as ‘pound
shop royal regalia,’ I don’t think that anyone in attendance would have guessed that a cover
of AC/DC’s gargantuan 1979 monolith ‘Highway to Hell’ was in store. I must stress here that
I use the term ‘cover’ in the loosest, most liberal sense of the word – perhaps something
akin to a dad shouting karaoke after sinking upwards of around five pints. This campy ad-lib
served to shift the gears into the next stint, which proved to be a round-off, a home-run of the
band’s most popular singles.

Rapid-fire, high-energy performances of ‘House of Fun,’ ‘Baggy Trousers,’ ‘Our House,’ and
Labi Siffre’s ‘It Must Be Love’ proved to supersede the appetite of the gathered masses, with
not a single person stood still remaining in the venue. The variety of dances presented a
kind of ‘Choose Your Character’ choice: would it be a drunk dad swaying with bottle in hand,
a young child holding hands with their mother rhythmically kicking their legs, or perhaps one
of the many fedora-donned, tie-wearing Madness-enthusiasts singing every word? The short
masquerade of an encore was shortly followed by a double-bill of a cover of Prince Buster’s
Madness’ and the band’s colossal single ‘Night Boat to Cairo.

For a band with nothing to prove, Madness conducted themselves as if all shades of doubt
were against them. It is the very essence of this mindset that has treated the band to its
illustrious career, they have never rested on their laurels and they continue ardently
choosing to remain as musically tight, as personally bound, and as cheekily lovable they
have ever been.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves: Beabadoobee Album Review

Written by Karishma Phandey, edited by Millie Cain.

Following her sophomore album Beatopia, the Grunge-Pop Princess softens into her third album with a dazed sense of maturity and zealous yet bewildered lyrics – all accompanied by an undercurrent of folk, jazz, and country influences. 

Swapping her bedroom recording style for recording Rick Rubin at his Shangri-La studio in Malibu, this 14-track album is a maturation of her previous work, whereby the rose-tinted fantasy of Beatopia is overturned by her new-found acceptance of crimson reality. And so begrudgingly, she battles all of which encompasses her human experience on This is How Tomorrow Moves – out on her label Dirty Hit on 9th August. 

Rubin’s work with acclaimed artists spanning from Hip-Hop’s Public Enemy to Country’s Johnny Cash is starkly heard throughout the project. From styles of punk, ska, jazz, indie, and pop – Rubin lays a jaunty yet confrontational foundation reclaimed by Bea’s bubblegum indie vocals. Yet, her blunter lyricism and fluidity with genres solidifies her as an artist in such we bear witness to Bea swapping her DIY-indie-Doc Martens for worldly-polished-kitten heels.

On This is How Tomorrow Moves, Beabadoobee is dealing with bittersweet womanhood by sonically exploring herself through the lens of mid-20s-journaling, moving away from the angsty teen-diary-keeping. We can find Bea grounding herself through descriptions of self-awareness, vanity, emotional turmoil, and maturity. She says, “I love this album – I feel like it’s helped me so much more than anything else has in navigating this new era, this new understanding of where I’m at. I guess it’s about becoming a woman.’ Despite the dissonance of her thoughts and reality, we are very much dealing with Bea reclaiming her perceptions of herself.

The album opens with heavy indie-rock-influenced tracks including her lead single, Take A Bite. An introduction into Bea’s growing pains, she spirals into self-sabotage because her love-lorn conscious “wanting a taste” is overridden by a craving for sanity. This is both sonically and thematically followed with California, a spring-break rock tune, cased in her indie roots, depicting her romantic accountability. 

As the troubles and turmoil of love continue, the influences take an eccentric turn with sorrowful and apathetic ex-lore (the punchy One Time) and her unsatisfying one-night-stands voiced by her restlessness (the whimsical of Real Man). 

However, Bea’s insecurities extend beyond the romantic – with the country-folk fuelled Tie My Shoes, the vocally-charged ballad Girl Song, and bluesy Coming Home – as she veers into a cripplingly vulnerable state of self-analysis. The previously unruffled singer is forced to look inward, reconnect with childlike meekness, and consider her connection between familial wounds and feelings of worthlessness as a self-saboteur. Notably, her contemporaries are accompanied by another girlhood anthem as Billie’s poignant What Was I Made For, Charli’s vibrant Girl, So Confusing and Clairo’s rustic Sexy to Somebody is joined by Girl Song

The pacing of This Is How Tomorrow Moves revivifies as her tone elates. Another single, Ever Seen, captures a contemplative optimism adorned with a thumping drum beat and country strings. Considering it was inspired during Bea’s time touring with Taylor Swift and her upcoming Glastonbury performance, this hold-your-friends-close-to-you anthem is sure to match festival seasons. Then ensues (my personal highlight of the album) A Cruel Affair – a vivacious bossa nova, ska union detailing her bittersweet adoration of another woman – and indie-pop tunes Post and Beaches. 

Bea finalises her project, weaving her vulnerabilities with conviction into a tapestry of acceptance. Everything I Want, similar to Real Man, is a jilted declaration of self-affirmation with a honky-tonk production. This is followed by The Man Who Left Too Soon, a cinematic piece examining bereavement and grief, which is a solemn reminder of the universal experience of observing life. She finishes off with the whimsical lullaby This Is How It Went, where she softly begs for both escapism and boundaries. 

Following her previous album, Beabadoobee continues her struggle into aimless adulthood however with a tone of acceptance. It is a poignant elaboration on growing up as a tolerance of fate with a lingering child-like neediness. Though not dropping the aspects of her bubblegum grunge, her and Rubin’s direction and variety were playful in moments like Ever Seen’s punchy drumbeat and One Time’s Matilda-esque chanting. It is not a dramatic shift, which is unfortunate, but the project’s cohesiveness is commendable.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves is available on all streaming platforms tomorrow, and is on tour this November, including shows at Leeds 02 Academy (17th November) and Manchester 02 Victoria Warehouse (16th November).