Secret Garden Party 2014.

THE GARDEN

When: 1st – 8th July. Where: Tisno, Croatia. What: “Dancing together since 2006”, The Garden is an electronic festival in Croatia. Go see Bonobo for the beats and Banoffee Pie just because of that name. If you get tired of dancing (shame on you) Tisno town is just ten minutes away and you can go recuperate in paradise. Onsite accommodation includes apartments, luxury Shikar tents and Podpads. Beats a broken tent anyway.

WIRELESS

When: 3rd – 5th July. Where: Finsbury Park, London. What: The party starts before the festival even begins with Wireless’ 10th anniversary party on 28th June. This extra date at Finsbury Park sees Drake, Chance the Rapper and Katy B (amongst others) come together celebrate a decade of Wireless. Headlining this year’s weekend, sponsored for 2015 by high street staple New Look, are Drake, AVICII, David Guetta, Nicki Minaj and finally Kendrick Lamar, who we’re most excited to see after that surprise album release. Go see Major Lazer for some of the best twerking of your life, Ms Dynamite for ultimate throwback and Charli XCX for some pure unabashed pop. Also, a performance by Jaden and Willow Smith? There’s got to be some kinda weird twist there, right?

EXIT 

When: 9th – 12th July. Where: Novi Sad, Serbia. What: As far as locations go, Exit wins. Held in the Petrovaradin Fortress on the Danube River, the biggest festival in South East Europe takes place in 18th century surroundings. Previous headliners have ranged from Lauryn Hill to Morrissey. This year, The Prodigy are our favourites on the bill but make sure to check out Wilkinson and Simian Mobile Disco back to back with Roman Flugel.

BENICÀSSIM

When: 16th – 19th July. Where: Benicàssim, Spain. What: Despite being on the sunny shores of Spain, Benicàssim’s line up often feels like a Best of British list. This year Blur are the major headliners and while the four boys aren’t as cute and baby-faced as they were in the 90s, they can still play “Song 2” and that’s all you need really.

LATITUDE

When: 16th – 19th July. Where: Henham Park, Suffolk. What: A family friendly festival (kids under 4 go free!), Latitude is 10 years old. A little more artsy and cultured than other festivals, where your primary concern might be getting absolutely off your face for four days straight, Latitude offers up poetry, theatre, comedy and cabaret for your viewing pleasure. This year you can see Noel Gallagher and Alt-J headlining and everyone’s favourite awkward adult, Jon Richardson, will be on hand to help you laugh that hangover away. After that it’s party time and you can stay up all night dancing to the bizarre beats of The 2 Bears and the master, DJ EZ.

LOVEBOX

When: 17th – 18th July. Where: Victoria Park, London. What: The fact that Lovebox was founded by Groove Armada is essentially a promise you’re going to have pretty good time. We can verify that the moment you hear Pharrell or Snoop, who’s Saturday’s headliner, break out into those swirling oo’s at the beginning of “Drop It Like It’s Hot” you will lose it, don’t worry, it happens to us all. The man lucky enough to hold the title, Coolest Person in The World, Mr. Mark Ronson will also be making an appearance at the East London Weekender. Hunt down Despacio in the gaps in your setlist timetable. It’s LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and 2ManyDJs circle of speakers, designed to make disco sound its best.

THE SECRET GARDEN PARTY

When: 23rd – 26th July. Where: Cambridgeshire. What: Feeling nostalgic? Been known to enjoy jelly, ice cream and sprinkles? Secret Garden Party is for you with this year’s theme being Childish Things. What could be better than going back to the good old days of endless energy and eternal summers? As boutique as festivals come, you won’t find any huge names on the stages, but the music is a wonderfully eclectic mix, from funk beatmakers Jungle to soulful serenaders Angus and Julia Stone and Marika Hackman. Not in it for the live music? You won’t be the only one, what with lake swimming, paint fights, dance-offs and a late night venue called Little Gay Brother, you could have a packed weekend without seeing a single band.

KENDAL CALLING

When: 30th July – 2nd August. Where: Lowther Deer Park, Lake District. What: Another 10th birthday celebration, at Kendal Calling you can take a Northern Soul dance class in the morning, catch Kodaline in the afternoon then sway to the dulcet tones of Elbow all night. The award winning festival has already sold out for this year but watch all the highlights and mark the date on your calendar for when 2016 tickets go on sale. Looking at some old performances, it looks like it’ll be well worth the advance planning.

STANDON CALLING 

When: 31st July – 2nd August. Where: Standon, Hertfordshire. What: Founder of the festival, Alex Trenchard still maintains that it’s just a party for his mates that got out of hand. Strange things have been known to happen at Standon, if you see a fairy beckoning you towards a field, you’re (probably) not tripping, it’s usually a secret surprise. With 5am DJ licenses, you can really let your hair down. The Dandy Warhols are playing Standon as their only UK Festival date so plait your hair, throw on something swishy and go get bohemian like them.

Y NOT

When: 31st July – 2nd August. Where: Pikehall, Derbyshire What: Wanna get loaded and have a good time? Go see Primal Scream at Y Not in the Peak District. While you’re at it, stay for Bo Ningen’s set too. Haven’t heard of the Japanese acid punk band yet? Where have you been? If the rather eclectic genre of acid punk isn’t really your bag, try grunge group Black Honey, led by the enviably cool Izzy Bee. If you like guitars and looks that could kill, they’ll be your new favourites, promise.

Words: Lily Walker

Photography: Samantha Milligan

The post Wonderland Festival Guide: July appeared first on Wonderland.

And whilst hype can often be a dangerous thing; Carlotta, Ana, Ade, and Amber are as down-to-earth and lovely as they come. And their music ain’t half bad either. Arnie from The Vaccines and – as they recently learnt – Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream fame are just two of a rapidly growing army of loyal fans – unofficially known as ‘The Hindcredibles.’

We were lucky enough to spend 20 minutes with the fantastic four-piece before a London show to talk music, touring, boys, and of course – España.

So you played with the Vaccines recently – how did it go?

Carlotta: It was amazing but the queue was so big – it was crazy.
Anna: The gig was really good though.
C: We decided to just drink and we ended up giving a super drunk show
Ade: It went all right actually – I think it’s one of the best gigs we’ve ever done
C: Yeah – well we had a lot of fun! And no mistakes. Well… not that much for how drunk as we were.

What’s the rest of 2015 hold for you guys?

An: Next month we’re going to Bangkok and Australia.
C: We have like 4 or 5 dates there but we first go to Bangkok and the whole trip is like 10 days.
An: We’re also going to America in March for another tour. We’re doing both coasts and SXSW in Austin
C: And Burgerama!
An: We’re also just starting to accept the offers from other Music Festivals but we can’t say which ones just now.

And can we expect any releases?

An: We have one split with The Parrots (another Madrid band).
C: My mum thought the split means playing together but no – they’re 2 two separate singles. That’s in March and our track will be produced by Arnie from The Vaccines.
An: And then hopefully an LP at some point.

Going back to over a year ago now – how did it all start?

C: Well it actually has three starts. The first one was with Ana and I saying ‘Ok – let’s start a band!’ And we started like that. Then we started to write songs – that was last year – and then we recorded these. We realised pretty quickly though that we needed a bass player and a drummer so we told Ade – who was our friend from before – and we gave her a bass for her birthday as a present.

Ade starts to cry (whether or not this was induced by an irritating contact lens or emotional nostalgia is still up for debate)

C: Me and Ana were friends before through our ex-boyfriends and then we met Amber on the internet via Facebook. Kind of like Catfish
Amber: Ana added me as a friend and was like “Hey – are you from Madrid?” “Hey – do you play the drums?”
An: I think she thought I was a lesbian at first.

Are you guys going to stay as a four-piece then?

An: Yes.
C: Forever four.
Am: We might get in an orchestra for live shows one day – violin, saxophone…. (laughter ensues)
An: I don’t think we need it now but we are going to realize it if we start playing huge festivals. That’s when you know if need synth sounds.
C: That’s why a lot of bands have synths – just for big festivals. Everything sounds better with a synth.

Could you ever have a boy in Hinds?

An: Boys suck.
C: I don’t think so. Right?!
An: No, no, no. No boys
Ad: Only boys if they are dancers.

There’s a bit of an underground scene in Madrid – of which Hinds are part – and only recently has the world has become aware of it – how come this is all happening now?

An: I think it’s a chain – we’re slowly starting to put Spain on the map. The world is starting to learn where it is in a musical sense.
Ad: And to think we’re playing a role in this; it’s the nicest thing. It makes us feel very proud. You know – people used to think in Spain we only play Spanish guitars. So suddenly four girls playing Garage and everyone is like “Hey – where are the Palmas (Flamenco Hand Clap)?!”

Do you think the City in itself plays a role in the music that’s coming from it?

An: Yes – for sure. I mean one is the people. The whole scene that we are part of – we all show each other the music we’re listening to and the music we’re writing. And that comes through – Fat White was clearly found by The Parrots – you know; each new band we listen to has the one who found it and then you go and share it with your friends.
Ad: And also the way we live in Madrid plays a part. We live so cheap, we go to cheap places, we don’t pay to go into big nightclubs or anything like that. We go to small bars and drink there for cheap.
An: The weather too. You can be on the street all the year. Even on the 1^st January – you can be on the streets. I mean, I spent New Year’s Eve with a can of beer and a glowstick on the street.

Finally – having been around for almost a year now. What have been  some of the highlights of the Hinds journey thus far?

C: I really loved the moment we met Cole from Black Lips – I mean, we were so, so, so nervous because we are such big fans. And I’m going to claim the snow one too! We were in Groningen and it started to snow while we were in a hot tub. That’s rock’n’roll man -That’s money!
An: I think the first time we played in Copenhagen – they put our name on a theatre board outside the venue and it was so, so, big and we stood outside for like half-an-hour just staring at it. It was so, so beautiful. And then…
Am: Meeting Mac DeMarco?
An: No. I think I’ll say the Lexington London show we played last year. I don’t know why but it was so emotional. I thought I was going to cry backstage. The gig yesterday (at the Boston Arms) was so punk rock’n’roll and amazing also but that one at the Lexington was so emotional.
C: For the first time – we heard people singing our songs…
An: And louder than us! That was so crazy.

Words: Max Sanderson

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The Possibilities Are Endless is one of only two things celebrated musical polymath Edwyn Collins could say after he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 2005. Now, it provides the title for a film exploring his journey from that near-death experience back to language, music, life, and love. With the constant support of his wife Grace Maxwell – her name being the second of the two things he could say – Edwyn dives deep into a vast ocean of memories as he attempts to retrieve the contents of his past.

Many Wonderland readers may primarily associate Edwyn with his infectious 90s anthem ‘A Girl Like you’, but he’s been on the scene since 1980 with his band Orange Juice. In the 2000s, they were finally noted as being a keystone in Indie music – particularly in Edwyn’s native Scotland where bands such as Primal Scream and Franz Ferdinand have since followed national suit.

In celebration of the film’s release – showing in cinemas from today and out on iTunes now – Edwyn has curated a playlist of tracks to listen to whilst on the road.

Dive in below.

Wire – Mannequin

The Tams – Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy

David Bowie – John, I’m Only Dancing

Westbound No 9 – The Flaming Ember

Bobby Womack – Harry Hippie

Archie Bell & The Drells – Here I Go Again

Spacer – Sheila B. Devotion

Brenton Wood – Gimme Little Sign

Buzzcocks – Boredom

Bullies – Viewed From All Angles

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The sound of the summer has come to the depths of Hackney in the form of fuzzy surf-rockers Splashh. Within a few weeks of the band relocating from various sunny locations to East London last February, Splashh played their first show — with only a handful of bedroom recordings under their belt — to great acclaim. Now with a US tour behind them, and a summer of festivals ahead, the guys talk to Wonderland about their forthcoming album ‘Comfort’, how jellyfish are cool and the powers of watching ‘Notting Hill’.

Who are Splashh?

Splashh is Sasha Carlson, Toto Vivian, Jacob Moore and Tom Beal. Four friends who met on our travels and ended up making music together.

You hail from all over (Australia, New Zealand, Wolverhampton). What drew you to London, and what’s the best thing about living here? 

We all watched that movie Notting Hill and decided to move over! The best thing about being in London is being in the thick of it.

In your videos and pictures, you look like you’re having a lot of fun. How long have you all known each other for?

Some longer than others. Sasha and I (Jacob) are old friends from NZ and Toto and Beal have been playing music together for years. As a band we’ve been together for a year now and we get on well and just have a laugh. Best not to take yourself too seriously.

The title of your latest track, ‘Sun Kissed Bliss,’ seems to sum up your aesthetic — is this an atmosphere you’ve consciously been trying to create with your music? 

Yes .with this song. But this won’t be the only aesthetic we conjure up. Comfort is collection of tunes made either at home or longing for home, so that’s why the aesthetic has been so specifically sunny.

Your music has an undeniable sun-drenched vibe, but there is a darker twist to your songs – which bands are you influenced by?

We like Dark Psychedelia and Punk as well as appreciating great pop craft. Our major influences are The Beatles, Primal Scream, New Order, Deerhunter, The Clean plus whatever we heard as kids growing up. That top 40 stuff seeps in without you realising it and probably influences people more than they’d like to admit.

I saw on twitter that your new video was filmed at an Aquarium: why there? What was your favourite fish? 

People go to those places to escape. Plus we wanted to see some Sharks. Jellyfish are cool.

The first gig you played was very shortly after you started writing in London. Have you always been eager to get out there and share your music with live shows?

Of course! That’s what musicians do.

What’s the best thing about playing live?

There are two halves to being a musician. The writing/recording side and the performance. Both are equally fulfilling but where the writing/recording part is an exercise in design, the performance is a more visceral experience. A feeling rather than a thought.

You’ve just played a bunch of shows in the States — what did you love most about the trip? And now you’ve played over there, are Splashh set for world take over? 

America is an amazing world of its own full of interesting, passionate people. The food! The drink! Every time we play we get more comfortable and more confident. I don’t know about world takeover but people seem to be enjoying our sets wherever we go.

Splashh’s debut album ‘Comfort’ is out September 2nd. Catch them June 4th at Cargo, London.

Words: Laura Isabella 

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Penelopes: where are earth did you come from?

We are The Penelopes and we are from Paris. When I was one year old, my parents moved to the suburbs right near to where Vince was living. We literally grew up together in the same building… I was living on the second floor and Vincent on the fourth.

As a collective, what is your musical background?

We love post-punk music in general. Vincent loves Cocteau Twins, The Cure, New Order, The Smiths. I was really into David  Bowie, Joy Division, Devo and Primal Scream. But we didn’t want to copy our idols, so we started to explore electronic music alongside rap and other contemporary club music.

How has Paris shaped you as a band?

Paris itself is a very conservative city. All the Parisian bands namedrop the same “cool” bands. They wear dirty shoes to look cool. We were growing up in a very cosmopolitan and poor suburb. The funk, disco and rap music we heard growing up outside our windows is what has influenced our dance approach.

Notice any drastic cultural differences or comparisons since the relocation to London?

Yes, Paris is very, very snobby. The English mind set is more entrepreneurial. French people pretend to be open-minded, ‘liberté, egalité, fraternité’… But it’s bullshit. In London, the council estates are incorporated into the city. Even in Chelsea , you have some council estates. In Paris, the estates are in the suburbs. Parisian don’t see that. They live in their bubble.

Do you think that your ideas and inspirations have altered since you’ve been in London?

In the UK, we feel we are different from the other British bands, which is good. We have the same influences and approach to those bands but we also bring a disco edge and a very continental electronic approach in the production.

You supported The Human League last November. How did that happen?

It’s gonna sound  strange, but we don’t really know how it happened. A very good friend, a Sheffield-based producer, talked about us to THuman League’s management. We were ecstatic when we found out that we were going to be supporting them at The Royal Albert Hall. Being on tour with one of your favourite bands is an incredible experience. We’re learning a lot from them.

You’ve done two albums, but Never Live Another Yesterday is your first UK LP. How do you think your sound’s evolved from album to album?

We made our first album in our bedroom. We were naive and we wanted to experiment with sounds. The overall aesthetic has not changed… We want to mix pop song with a contemporary and edgy production.

You have a very distinctive stage presence. What can we expect from your headlining live shows?

Pretty much the same thing in a more consistent  way. We want it to be fun and loud and for the audience to have as much fun as we’re going to be having.

Never Live Another Yesterday is out now. www.thepenelopes.com

Words: Shane Hawkins

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14 years on, the band have reissued their masterpiece Accelerator, which still sounds exactly as frenetic, full-on and brutal as it did over a decade ago. Frontwoman Jennifer Herrema was pretty much the proto-female for every woman who’s ever picked up a guitar and rocked out, and we sit down with her for a Royal Trux re-do.

It’s been 14 years since Accelerator. How do you feel about what you guys have achieved?

You know, I was just thinking of how it doesn’t seem very long gone. That album in particular seems pretty timeless. But I love all of the records, you know.

You’re right, it sounds completely timeless. Because there are so many bands out there that are channelling that garage sound right now…

It’s funny because even major label bands are kind of capitulating to the lo-fi sound as an aesthetic choice as opposed to out necessity. Back in the day that’s what we did, we did the best with what it was.

Are there any bands out there right now that you think are kind of carrying on the flame?

There’s a lot of bands that have that soundbut they’re not working under the same circumstances. We were rolling like, broken amplifiers around on a skateboard to get them to the next place.

Do you think that erodes the kind of authenticity of the sound?

Yeah it does, but you know like it’s only in my head! I know so much stuff unfortunately, it taints things for me. But it doesn’t really erode the sound for kids that are just listening. If they like the sound, they like the sound and more power to it.

When you guys broke up, did you feel that it was the right time to end the band?

Royal Trux for all intents and purposes has always been whatever Neil and I say it is. So like Royal Trux never broke up, we just stopped performing. A long time back when I toured Japan, Neil didn’t fly, so I just took another dude called Paul who had dark hair and we pretended it was Neil. We used to talk about casting different members and getting someone to play me and Neil, and sending legions of Royal Trux to the West coast, to the East coast… You know, wherever. Royal Flux has always been whatever Neil and I say it is. It’s a conceptual idea.

You’ve also got an amazing style, and you’ve done a denim line for Volcom. Where does your approach to fashion come from?

I don’t have any real answer. I do remember when I was a little kid my mum sending me off to school in little dresses and just hating it. I had a friend who always wore jeans and we would just switch clothes. I’ve always kind of been a tomboy. I was never afforded some grand dressing room where I would put on my special stage clothes, so what I wear on a day-to-day basis is also what I wear on stage. I’ve never wanted to utilise sex to draw attention to the music or myself. I never wanted to be considered a girl in rock; I always wanted to be considered a rocker, period. I think, in a utilitarian way, being androgynous was my way of being part of something that’s bigger than sex, which is rock’n’roll and my band.

Did you ever find that despite that, people were still labelling you the sexy frontwoman?

There’s nothing wrong with people finding me sexy, it’s flattering. But it’s like somebody would find Steven Tyler or Jim Morrison sexy. If you can be sexy in a pair of tennis shoes and jeans, just being yourself, then you are a sexy motherfucker. But if you need all the other stuff, like special stage shoes and ways of carrying yourself and speaking, then you’re just a fucking poser.

We see what you mean, so if takes concerted effort, it’s no longer effortless?

Yeah. There’s nothing wrong with that either, that is just entertainment! But rock to me has always been very different from just entertainment. It’s a vibe, it’s a feeling, there’s sometimes chaos, danger… But with entertainment there is an expectation of people paying money. They expect to be entertained.

Is there any advice you’d have given to a younger you when you first started out?

Actually, people did give me advice, but you know I didn’t listen to them. You just got to do it your way.

Accelerator is out today on Domino Records. dragcity.com/artists/royal-trux

Words: Zing Tsjeng

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Describe your music in five words
Not right for Children’s Parties

What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory of playing music was my primary school Brass band when I was about 9 years old. It was my first experience of performing and I managed to keep it up for a few years before the attraction of being in a rock band took over. The first music I listened to was a bit of a mix, my cousin got me into terrible rap music and my friends at school were listening to metal so I had eclectic but awful taste as a youngster.

How was the band formed?
Three of us are from a town called Newbury and during our teenage years we had quite a strong music scene, we were all playing in each others bands and swapping members so I knew the other guys from that time. I ended up producing music and a couple of years ago I did some work with Tim and James. We thought we could probably do something better together so we ended up writing a few songs which we put online. We met Tom earlier this year through a mutual friend and he instantly moved things forward.

What are the inspirations behind your music?
Generally with a piece of music I’ll set out to try and combine something electronic with something else acoustic in an interesting way. I listen to a lot of electronic music so that is probably a big influence on how I write; lots of loops, samples and gradual variation. Trying to push that into the mould of a conventional ‘band’ is sometimes fun and sometimes horribly frustrating but I think the process is what makes us sound unique. Lyrically Tim tends to spend a lot of time looking for an interesting starting point, either an unusual set of words or an unusual idea and then develop that idea into some kind of narrative. A few of our songs have been about real events or stories, although you might find it hard to pick that out.

Who are your biggest inspirations, musically?
We’re all big fans of Radiohead, Mew, Interpol, but we’re also into some less band-orientated stuff; Four Tet, Autechre, Bibio, Lorn, Bonobo.

Who or what do you worship?
None of us are religious but in life I suppose we’re guilty of worshipping the things that most other people worship – success and alcohol.

Your debut single is called “House of Glass” – as we all know, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. What is the most hypocritical thing this band has ever done?
That’s a tricky one, we’re not overtly political so I don’t know if we’ve done or said anything particularly hypocritical as of yet.

You’ve supported Dry The River and Everything Everything on tour – what was it like being on the road with these other bands?
Pete and Will from DTR were both around and in bands with us when we were growing up so they’re old friends. The tour was a great opportunity to play some good venues and hang out with them again, so for us it was great. The tour ended at [London night club/ music venue] Scala, it’s a venue I’ve always wanted to play so it was great to be playing with friends somewhere like that. Everything Everything was actually only one show but we really enjoyed it, we share the same management and we were big fans of them before we hooked up. They’ve been really supportive.

What was the wildest thing that happened on tour?
Actually we’re recovering from the last night of our tour with [US band] The Antlers right now, We ended up squeezing 10 people into our tiny van: two [Scottish indie band] Frightened Rabbits, four Antlers and the four of us. I also had my first experience of ‘Buckfast’… it’s a revolting Scottish drink that you should never try.

You’re performing live on December 1st – what has been your best gig to date?
For me personally it was last week supporting Primal Scream at the Electric in Brixton. The PA is ridiculous and the crowd was full of competition winners so the atmosphere was great. I’m really looking forward to the Dec 1st gig, it’s the first event we’ve put on ourselves so it’s great to be able to pick the venue, the lights, and everything.

What do you enjoy about playing live?
It’s mostly about the sound; I enjoy hearing our music as loud as possible! We’re still mostly playing to other people’s crowds as support so it’s satisfying to go out knowing that no-one knows who you are and then feel like you’ve won them over by the end of the set.

Heart Of Glass, the debut single by Worship, is released today. The band will perform at St Pancras Old Church in London on December 1st.
Interview: Seamus Duff

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