The Entertainment Experts: German metallers Electric Callboy cement their meteoric rise with emphatic album ‘TEKKNO’

Rishi Shah on 20 September 2022

When Electric Callboy introduced their new singer Nico Sallach to the world in the depths of the pandemic via ‘Hypa Hypa’, the domino effect of fame and laughter that would ensue could not have even been anticipated by the band themselves. Two years on – with a rebranded name and a momentous live set to match – the band have pioneered their way to the forefront of a genre that is capturing thousands of hearts and minds all across the globe. Their latest album TEKKNO proves just why this ambitious blend of cheesy choruses and monstrous metal has lifted them to arenas – and beyond.

Despite the unprecedented reaction to ‘Hypa Hypa’, it takes a seriously talented and innovative artist to follow it up with five new singles that are currently trending higher on streaming platforms. Indeed, the likes of lead singles ‘Spaceman,’ ‘Pump It’ and ‘We Got The Moves’ exemplify Callboy in their full strength, mixing spectacular hooks with throbbing verses before descending into anarchy via the notorious crushing breakdowns associated with their roots.

You know what you’re getting with Electric Callboy. They’ve managed to carve out a new identity through the lens of costume-laden, hilarious music videos featuring wigs, workouts and all things weird and wonderful. This identity centres around collaboration and community, with the captivating vocals of Conquer Divide soaring through ‘Fuckboi’ being just one example among rappers, YouTubers and other personalities.

The harsh synths of ‘Mindreader’ prelude arguably the album’s most explosive, old-school riff, providing a more minor, darker twist in the heart of the album – Callboy can still do the basics just as well as any other band. The form mirrors the content in ‘Tekkno Train’, transporting us straight back to the party we all signed up for – with the accompanying palpitating rhythms, of course.

‘Arrow of Love’ and ‘Neon’ are two standout tracks on the record, where Sallach flexes his vocal cords with impeccable highs to equilibrate the bellowing lows of Kevin Ratajczak that have added this newfounded dynamism to Callboy. A stadium-like closing number, the reflective nostalgia of the repeated lyric ‘We were ready to fly / we were nothing but close to the sky’ is an emotional end to an album filled with flair and entertainment.

London’s cavernous Brixton Academy will play host to the show of a generation next April, when Callboy play their largest ever UK headline show following a string of more intimate dates later this month. A deserving stage, for a band who has crafted a unique character and mastered that craft, with unparalleled dare and ambition.

‘TEKKNO’ is out now, and you can find an interview with Electric Callboy from Slam Dunk Festival, Leeds in June 2022 here.

Boomtown 2022 Line Up Confirmed!

Fern McErlane on 9 August 2022

On Sunday 7th August, after months of speculation and hype, heavyweight festival Boomtown finally announced its musical offerings for the year. As always, an eclectic mix of recognisable names and underground artists from a staggering range of genres will appear for “Chapter 1: The Gathering” from Wednesday 10th August.

Anticipation ran so high that Woov, the app through which Boomtown released their line up, immediately crashed for many users; organisers released an official apology, stating that “60,000 people tried to log on at exactly the same time and it just couldn’t quite cope.” 

Festival organisers chose to significantly delay line up announcements until mere days before the festival’s gates open. Fans debated potential headliners with anticipation, guessing that many that were previously confirmed for the 2020 show would be rolled over. Sadly, many have not; reactions to the final line-up have been mixed, particularly due to the limited number of larger artists, prompting an explanation on social media from Boomtown HQ:

“For those people who were expecting bigger headline artists, we really need to say this; when we relaunched chapter one and the new version of boomtown 2 years ago, we made it very clear that we did not want to dedicate such a large portion of the budget to three acts that sit on top of a poster.  Instead, we wanted to spread it across all areas that make boomtown unique, that was always our ethos, and we wanted to return to that.”

After taking a hit financially through event cancellations due to pandemic restrictions and lockdowns, the element of secrecy allowed them to avoid pricey bidding wars for larger artists. However, a fresh wave of musicians have joined the roster in place of established names. Festival-goers can expect to discover new favourites in up-and-coming bands, DJs and acts. 

Though most sets will be genre-blending spectacles, we’ve broken down the most notable appearances from each overarching genre, so that you can plan your weekend accordingly (and hopefully avoid dreaded clashes). The full lineup for Boomtown 2022 can be found on Woov, and on their website.

Drum & bass

Main stages: Origin, Wrong Side Of The Tracks, Dubtendo, The Jobcentre, The Inconvenience Store

Fans of one of Leeds’ favourite genres, drum & bass, will not be disappointed with this year’s artist selection. New main stage Origin seems the place to be for DNB across the weekend; 11pm Saturday, it hosts an act to certainly avoid missing – Dutch trio Noisia (who have confirmed that Boomtown 2022 will be their last ever UK performance), blending electro, bass and house.

DJ Marky, DJ Flight, General Levy, Harriet Jaxon, and Gryphon favourites Mungo’s Hi-Fi and Shy FX (ft. Stamina MC) will all make appearances. 

Inja, a big-name MC, will headline Origin stage at 6:30pm on Saturday, as well as joining Born On Road and a host of other drum and bass names for a set at the same stage later that night.

For those seeking a more underground DNB experience, queer collective Unorthodox will host a takeover set on Saturday; following this, head to mini-venue Postal Posse for late-night set from Physical Digital. Secret game-themed venue Dubtendo is also well worth a visit (if you can find it!)

Jungle

Main stages: Grand Central, Hidden Woods, Tangled Roots, Wrong Side Of The Tracks

Jungle is still massive at Boomtown. On Thursday night, Hidden Woods plays host to Scottish jungle DJ Mrs Magoo.

Head over to Hidden Woods or Tangled Roots on Friday night to catch Benny Page, Aries, or a takeover set from Jungle Cakes.

Saturday daytime at Grand Central, Fabio, Grooverider and an entire orchestra present ‘The history of jungle and drum & bass’ – sure to feature all your favourite tracks.

Concrete Junglists takeover Hidden Woods on Saturday night with an hours-long mega set featuring Something Something, Natty Lou, Charlie Tee, and Mollie Collins.

Dance and electronic

Main stages: Grand Central, Zenith

Grand Central is the place to be for a range of dance and electronic music across the weekend. Friday night sees Overmono, Squarepusher, Prospa, and DJ Tennis all taking the stage for hours of electronic delights. Following them on Saturday are Mall Grab B2B My Nu Leng, and Four Tet.

For dance music of every imaginable strain, visit Zenith on Saturday for a line-up impossible to sneer at: Partiboi69, Shy One, Dan Shake, Effy, Mella Dee, and Chaos in the CBD.

Techno

Main stages: Grand Central, Zenith

Though the techno line-up is less generous than previous years, Boomtown still provides some prominent names: catch Somniac One on Friday for hard techno sounds, Daniel Avery at Zenith that night, or heavyweight Nastia at 2:30am on Saturday at Grand Central.

Pop, R&B, funk and reggae

Main stages: Grand Central, The Vault

If hip-hop is your thing, be sure to catch Arrested Development, Kojey Radical, Black Josh, Mr Jukes and Barney Artist, or the legendary De La Soul complete with a ten-piece live band.

Pop artists gracing the stages this year include R&B-funk crowd-pleasers Kool & the Gang at 9:30pm Sunday, Grand Central. Self Esteem, Biig Piig, and ‘electro-pop-ghetto-funk’ performer Moonchild Sanelly all also have slots.

For reggae, see Julian Marley & The Uprising, or Jamaican reggae singer Koffee, both at Grand Central on Friday. Spoken word star Kae Tempest also returns to Boomtown this year.

Alternative music

Main stages: Hangar 161, Foggers Mill, The Flying Moustache

It’s impossible to ignore the blend of punk, rock, folk, and alternative music at Boomtown. Make sure to catch grime-punk acts Bob Vylan or PENGSHUi both on Friday, or alternative punk acts Nova Twins or Snapped Ankles.

For folksier sounds, see Holy Moly & The Crackers, Cam Cole, or Hak Baker; Reggae-punk band The Skints close the weekend at 1pm Sunday, Grand Central.

Dub and big band

Main stages: Grand Central, Engine House, Shamrock

Dub and big band acts of almost every musical strain can be found at Boomtown. We recommend seeing dub acts Gentlemans Dub Club and the Dub Pistols; for every kind of large-scale band, consider catching Cut Capers, Dutty Moonshine Band, Slamboree, Chainska Brassica, Molotov Jukebox, and Mad Caddies.

Other genres to note

Garage

Main stages: Jager Platz, The Jobcentre, The Grid

Disco

Main stages: Twisted Time Machine (Grand Central), Stiletto Disco, The Red Rash Inn, Copper Feel Cabaret

Afrobeats

Main stages: Obsidian, Samedia Shebeen

Dancehall

Main stages: Obsidian, Samedia Shebeen

Psy-trance and hi-tech

Main stages: Tangled Roots, Hidden Woods and Tribe of Frog

Breakcore, hardcore, acid

Main stages: Broken Core, Hitechnicians, Acid Leak

Dubstep

Main stages: Obsidian, Sub-Lab

Bluedot Festival returns to Jodrell Bank for 2022!

Benjamin Forrest on 28 June 2022

After 2 years of covid-enduced cancellations, the award-winning Bluedot Festival is set to return to Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire from the 21st to the 24th July 2022. The last festival, held in 2019, featured the likes of Kraftwerk, New Order and Hot Chip – a tough act to follow indeed! With 2022’s headliners including Groove Armada, Metronomy and the one and only Björk, though, the organisers of Bluedot have certainly delivered.

As well as a stellar line-up of both musicians and comedians – including Leeds legends Yard Act – Bluedot also includes Science-based talks and activities for all the family to enjoy, linking to the festival’s location at Jodrell Bank Observatory, which houses a number of telescopes including the Lovell Telescope (the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world)! This year’s science headliners include Brainiac Live and Tim Peake. As if that wasn’t enough, Bluedot Festival 2022 will feature the brand-new VIP Village. The village, in partnership with Bruntwood, will feature award winning restaurants and food brands including Hawksmoor and the Michelin-listed Where the Light Gets In.  

Bluedot’s fantastic lineup for 2022!

With so much to do, so may great artists to see, and so much Science to soak up in such a beautiful location, Bluedot Festival 2022 is sure to be out of this world (pun definitely intended)!

Weekend and individual day tickets are available for purchase here. 

Millie Manders and the Shutup set to play Saturday night at The Key Club, Leeds

GryphonEditorAdm on 15 June 2022

This Saturday, Leeds’s very own emo Mecca The Key Club, will play host to fast rising pop punk group Millie Manders & the Shutup. After their first headline tour last year, plus a tour supporting Less Than Jake, the band grew a name for themselves through energetic, rocking performances and the fiercely powerful performance of frontwoman Millie Manders. 

At their last Leeds date, supporting Less Than Jake at the O2 Academy, the group went down a storm with the crowd – presumably gaining legions of new fans in the process. The crowd receptions seem to match the critical praise enjoyed by Millie Manders & the Shutup’s recorded tracks, including debut album Telling Truths, Breaking Ties (2020). 

Their date at The Key Club, Leeds on the 18th June is the penultimate date on this tour, though it will be followed by a number of festival performances – including Kendal Calling and Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. Whether you’re going as an already devoted fan of the group, or simply to see whether the hype is real, Millie Manders & the Shutup at the Key Club is sure to be a memorable gig. Tickets are available to buy here.

‘Dead Cool’: Leeds band Household Dogs release new single on Come Play With Me

Benjamin Forrest on 14 June 2022

Come Play With Me have been releasing split 7” singles, mainly from Leeds-based bands, since 2015. Previous artists to feature on these releases include Team Picture, Dead Naked Hippies and Treeboy & Arc, among many others. It is fair to say, then, that Come Play With Me certainly know what they are talking about when it comes to great tunes from the Leeds region, so it was exciting to hear about their new release featuring Household Dogs and 52 Hertz Whale on a split eco-mix 7” single.

With only a handful of releases since their first single ‘Will my dreams be electric tonight?’ in 2019, Household Dogs have received praise from the likes of BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson and have toured with Snapped Ankles and The Blinders. Their new single ‘Dead Cool’, which features on the Come Play With Me 7” single, is a moody post-punk exploration of modernity with lead singer Declan’s delivery evoking an a sense of entrapment in the banality of life, and also an escape from that. The song has the style of early Echo & the Bunnymen crossed with more modern post-punk/rock bands – Lacuna Common or Shame, for instance. Whilst these influences are certainly present within ‘Dead Cool’, the track still retains a feeling of originality which will likely set this group apart from the seemingly endless amount of wannabe post-punk bands popping up around Leeds, and further afield. 

Those who witnessed Household Dogs excellent set at Long Division Festival in Wakefield last weekend will already be aware of the excitement surrounding the group, and how excellent their live performances are. For a full review of Long Division 2022, and the Household Dogs performance, keep an eye on The Gryphon website!

For those of you who would like to purchase the split 7″ Come Play With Me record, it is available in all good independent record stores – including, locally, The Vinyl Whistle in Headingley.