Sometimes I Want to Return: Sensitive Live (Watch now!)
On the evening of February 12, 2025, in a tiny venue deep in the heart of London’s West End, a very special group of people met to celebrate the launch of the album Sensitive – An Indie Pop Anthology. Available today is sometimes i want to return ~ sensitive live, directed by Tim Sidwell, a filmed version of the record release party where a band called the Sensitivities backed up various singers in celebration of the compilation on Needle Mythology. Watch the trailer here.
In the mid-1980s, a new wave of independent music emerged in the UK. Supported by fanzines and DJs such as John Peel and Janice Long, the musicians emerging from this scene were defiantly DIY in their outlook.
Record labels such as Creation, 53rd & 3rd, The Subway Organisation, and Sarah became synonymous with this emerging scene.
Fusing the vernacular of 60s girl groups, psych-pop and the poetic daredevilry of post-punk trailblazers like The Smiths, Altered Images and Orange Juice, these groups helped define the indie zeitgeist.
Forty years later, in central London, a very special concert took place to mark the release of ‘sensitive’ – an anthology celebrating this scene.
Playing with a very special “house band”, singers from these groups travelled from all over the UK to take part.
What ensued was an unforgettable evening. A emotional one-off celebration, featuring classic songs from the era, which can be heard in their original form on the ‘sensitive’ album.
‘sometimes i want to return’ is the film of that evening. (From the film website)
(Editor’s note: Many of us couldn’t be there so thank you Pete Paphides for making it possible to us to watch this now! This music is basically exactly what made Pam Berry and I start this fanzine. Watching the film is both joyous and life-affirming but also a welcome distraction from the pain of living in the U S A in this moment.)
Pete Paphides and Amelia Fletcher. Photo: Ken Copsey
The film features the following artists:
James Knox from The Waltones
Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey from Talulah Gosh
James Roberts from The Sea Urchins
Sean Dickson from The Soup Dragons
Phil Wilson and Frank Sweeney from The June Brides
Beth Arzy (Jetstream Pony) who sang “Somewhere In China” by Shop Assistants
Pete Astor and Andy Strickland from The Loft and The Weather Prophets
Clare Grogan from Altered Images
Convening for one night only were “house” band The Sensitivities:
Amelia Fletcher (vocals, gutar)
Rob Pursey (bass guitar)
Bob Collins (lead guitar)
Ian Button (drums, backing vocals)
Clare Grogan singing the Primitives’ Crash. Photo: Ken Copsey
Ian Button: There was the bit where Sean D was handing over to Clare G at the practice. I think they knew each other but not sure?
We’d just played “Hang Ten” with Sean but we’d done it really fast, and as he was leaving he told Clare, “Watch out for these guys, they’re punk rockers!”
I didn’t pluck up the nerve to ask Clare if it had been her in a beret across the room from me at a dark and quite empty Theatre of Hate gig in 1980/81. I wouldn’t wear my glasses back then, and I’ve often told people it was her. I don’t know if I want that memory confirmed or shattered!
Rob Pursey:One of my favourite memories of the rehearsals was Pete (Paphides) sitting cross-legged on the floor, listening intently as we worked through the songs. He seemed very happy, and serious at the same time, and I suddenly had a very clear idea of what he’d have been like as a teenager. I got glimpses of teenage versions of loads of people that day. Everyone still seemed able to tap into the idealism and the sheer excitement of the music that defined their youth. I think that’s what made the occasion so wonderful.
The gig was a blur, and we had to concentrate really hard on all these songs we’d only just learnt. But when James started singing ‘Pristine Christine’ a shiver went down my spine and I remember thinking ‘try to remember this moment’.
Andy Strickland and “silver fox of indiepop” Pete Astor from The Loft and The Weather Prophets. Photo: Ken Copsey
Amelia Fletcher: My main memory is trying to carry on doing backing vocals and playing guitar correctly while my childhood hero, Clare Grogan, leant against me and shared my mic, in a rock n roll manner.
I was shocked at how everyone on the stage, and in the audience, looked exactly the same as they did in 1987. The lighting may have been favourable.
The house band in their natural habitat: rehearsal space
Bob Collins: For me, some highlights
1. Also on Clare G entering the room and going from extremely nervous to her immediately putting us at our ease, laughing and joking and not being precious about anything. In particular a great snapshot memory for me is Clare and Amelia doing a quiet practice of the Crash harmonies while i accompanied on guitar. That was a real ‘pinch yourself’ moment.
2. Sean also being super friendly and giving us the long version of the story he tells on the film (it was worth it!)
3. James from the Sea Urchins appearing hugely nervous at first in rehearsal (hope he won’t mind me saying that) but then carrying it off just perfectly. His singing (as evidenced on the film) is fantastic. And the gasp from the room as he took the stage from people who knew who he was, the second gasp from the people that didn’t when he introduced himself, and the third gasp when we actually started the song! This was a song I didn’t really know before we started rehearsing but it became possibly my favourite one of all and, by the time we’d performed, it felt for me like the all time classic that other people already knew it was!
Courtesy of Bob Collins
I’ve attached two images – one is obviously the notes for the chords and structure of “Pristine Christine,” and the other is my annotated list of songs. I thought this would give a tantalising glimpse into a couple of songs we didn’t perform (and one one we did but isn’t on the film), but I also thought it might work as a fun competition for chickfactor readers to see who can work out what the annotations next to each song mean (not entirely sure I can remember myself!)
Pete Paphides, Needle Mythology: Rob Pursey was kind of joking when he said that this is the indiepop Last Waltz. In fact, I know he was joking a bit. But I don’t think that’s too far off the mark really because it really dawned on us in the rehearsal room as we saw all the singers coming and going one by one to do their vocals for the only time prior to the concert which was happening that evening that this had turned into something really unique and special and possibly unrepeatable and certainly on the evening that absolute magic, that absolute fizz in the air that you really were watching something you were going to remember for the rest of your life. I’m so glad that for once in my life I had the foresight to ask a camera crew to come along and film it—and a really good one by the way—and there’s an absolute magic in the air.
Pete Paphides. Photo: Ken Copsey
Everything was a highlight really. It was wonderful to see James Knox give such a charismatic performance of “She Looked Right Through Me.” Beth Arzy really did justice and more to “Somewhere in China” – I think she really got the fragile beauty of that song. The house band were just amazing, they were at it for more than an hour, just incredible, turning their hands to the peculiarities and brilliant detail in every single song. James Roberts from the Sea Urchins just comes strolling into that room like it was only the day before since we’s last seen him and not 30 years ago His voice sounded so beautiful on ”Pristine Christine.” Phil Wilson unleashing his inner rock and roll star, a complete change of personality in stepping on to that stage, it was incredible. Pete Astor, the silver fox of indie pop now, just really imperiously locking into the brilliance of those songs and Andy next to him. Sean Dickson who relived the riotous, carefree energy of Hang Ten, so charismatic. And then of course Clare Grogan, the pure starburst of brilliance and charisma and loveliness, she just charmed everyone around her as you can see in the film. And then that emotional climax, Amelia stepping forward to do “Sensitive,” really doing the song justice, just fantastic, and of course the version of “Talulah Gosh” was just as moving for all of us who were there.
ON THE PASSAGE OF A FEW PEOPLE THROUGH A RATHER BRIEF MOMENT IN TIME: él RECORDS
40 years since the start of él Records there is now a burst of activities commemorating Mike Alway’s pop-art label él Records. Stefan Zachrisson talks to Mark Goodall about his new book Bright Young Things. The Art and Philosophy of él Records.
”If él wasn’t a label it would be a restaurant or a bar, one of those old barswhere there’s no music at all, loads of good conversation, where you have thisspecial relationship with the barman – though not too pally – the idea ofsomething private and delicately euphoric.” A very Buñuel influenced MikeAlway quote from a lengthy Sounds feature on él Records in 1986.
The people hanging around at this metaphorical bar during five years in themid to late 1980s would other than Alway be such eccentric aesthetes asPhilippe Auclair, Nick Currie, Simon Fisher Turner, Bid, Nick Wesolowski, Cat Rees, Julia Gilbert, Matt Lipsey, Jessica Griffin, Vic Godard, Richard Preston, Karl Blake, Jim Phelan and Kevin Wright, to name just a few. During that brief time this group of people contributed to what became a reallyspecial record label.
Would-Be-Goods by Nick Wesolowski
él founder Mike Alway loved 1960s pop culture but, like many of the él musicians, cameout of the post-punk era; an environment where pretentiousness and curiosityreally could thrive. He was a&r for Cherry Red in the early 1980s, releasing the classic Pillows & Prayers compilation, introducing Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt to each other, and generally introducing ”light music” as a way forward.
Many of the él influences came from film; the name is from a Buñuel movieand directors Powell & Pressburger and Orson Welles were constantlymentioned as influences by Alway. When ”indie” was at itsmost mundande in the late 1980s Alway instead used él to create a kind ofparallel fantasy world – in an admittedly low-budget way – suggesting personas,concepts and titles for the musicians. Some of the results were gloriousfailures but mostly it really did work.
What is the legacy of él today? Most people cannot name one record that élreleased. But like many of the best independent record labels of yore él wasabout more than actual music, even though a lot of great records came out ofit. It’s a kind of fleeting spirit, which for me, regarding él, has lived on not only through a great influence on Japanese pop but also with the stylish playfulnessof someone like Tyler, the Creator.
Louis Philippe by Nick Wesolowski
So él may seem obscure but it’s not completely forgotten: Spring of 2025 seesthe release of two major retrospectives: Mark Goodall’s book Bright Young Things. The Art and Philosophy of él Records and the compilation The Rubens Room. Él Records: In Camera. Furthermore, several former él artists arereleasing new music and doing concerts (Louis Philippe, Momus, HotelArtesia, The Monochrome Set, Would-Be-Goods), while él as a name has forsome time been re-activated as an archival/reissue label.
To highlight these happenings I interviewed Mark Goodall about his book.Goodall’s also the author of Sweet and Savage, a book about mondo films,and Gathering of the Tribe about music and the occult. He co-produced anddirected the film Holy Terrors based on the stories of Arthur Machen, and is the singer/guitarist in the group Rudolf Rocker. (Text and inteview: Stefan Zachrisson)
Bid from the Monochrome Set; courtesy of Tapete Records
Chickfactor: It’s a book about él – how would you describe your relation to the label and its music?
Mark Goodall: It was only through conceptualising the book that I realised the scope of él records. Up to that point I had loved bits and pieces of their output – the first Momus LP, the Flair 89 LP, The World in Winter – and of course The Monochrome Set before that. I loved the post-punk/new wave scene and thought it was the most innovative period in pop music history since the 1960s.
What was your main motivation writing the book, the point you wanted tomake?
With the book I wanted to explore the unique qualities of the label. There were lot of indie labels, but only one él. To me, the label had a ‘philosophy’ rather than just a modus operandi that stood it apart. That came of course from Mike Alway.
él records founder Mike Alway
How would you, in short, describe that kind of “philosophy”?
The él philosophy to me seems to be:
1. The aim to create great (musical) art by synthesising other art forms, especially film, fashion and graphic design
2. The idea of creating new music by re-inventing 1960 pop sounds into a new wave
3. To combine the hit factories of the 1960s with Andy Warhol’s ‘Factory’ into a creative form of collaborative practice
This is kind of what my book is trying to explore.
Was there something surprising that you realized while writing the book, some new insight/understanding?
Through interviewing almost everyone involved in the label, I learned more about the working methods of the label and the artists. The collaborative nature came across in a way that was not evident. Through assembling the records as a distinct body of work, the beauty of the visual aspect of the label became more apparent.
How was it for those involved to look back and talk about their él past?Did anyone say no to being interviewed?
It was forty years ago so memories were somewhat frayed! I think the timing was right – not so long that those involved were no longer around, but long enough for any resentments to have mellowed. I think it was mostly an enjoyable experience and a confirmation of the excellence of the work that they did. The only person who did not respond to an interview was Julia Gilbert (Anthony Adverse).
If you’d pick one él artefact – a song, a record, a cover, a lyric, an image,etc – as the pivotal one, what would it be and why?
Difficult to choose as there are so many classic LPs of course – The CameraLoves Me, Choirboys Gas, Royal Bastard – but probably for me the Marden Hill Cadaquez LP is the most extraordinary combination of originality, variety and skill. In short form, the 7-inch and 10-inch sets are incredible.
Marden Hill
él was influenced by things like the past, art, movies etc and created something new. Is there anything going on culturally today that you’dsay function a bit like él did?
No, it was totally original, unique, because of that combination you mention, and while the spirit is evident in other labels and artists there is nothing like it today and probably never will be. The world has changed and could certainly do with another ‘él’ but I can’t see it. It was a product of particular historical moment…
Stefan Zachrisson is a librarian in Stockholm, Sweden, who’s also the administrator of Adeste Fideles, a Facebook group about él and writes the CORRESPONDENCE newsletter. Previously he’s been involved in the international pop underground through BCNVT, Friendly Noise and Benno.
Songwriting School Ten singers and songwriters who have inspired me always, and on my new album, Space. By Kendall Jane Meade
1. Joni Mitchell An old boyfriend gave me a copy of Blue after we had broken up, and I was instantly hooked. I remember also getting The Softies album It’s Love around the same time. Both albums influenced me like crazy, and still do.
2. Vashti Bunyan Gordon Zacharias turned me on to Vashti’s album Diamond Day. It was produced by Joe Boyd, who also produced Nick Drake. I loved how incredibly gently she sang. People are always telling me to sing louder in live shows, which I kind of love not doing as an act of rebellion. Vashti would approve. So would Mark Linkous. They both taught me there is strength in softness, too. You just need to find your audience who want to listen to whatever you’re doing.
3. Margo Guryan My kind of pop queen. A delicate vocalist with a voice like no other. “Take a Picture” and “Think of Rain” are so beautiful, and “What Can I Give You” has a rollicking, party-like quality that I have always wanted to capture in one of my recordings but never get there. Maybe my next album.
4. Christine McVie Truly an icon. Her solo album, Christine Perfect (Perfect is her maiden name), is amazing. There is a song, “When You Say,” that is always on my eternal playlist. There is a string interlude in the song that’s completely unexpected but works. It’s quirky. I also relate to her as being totally cool with being part of a greater group in Fleetwood Mac. She didn’t need to be in the spotlight, yet she was quietly writing all the hits. I’m also going to cram in here that I love Stevie Nicks’ solo album Bella Donna.
Kendall Jane Meade by Jimmy Pham
5. Sandy Denny I cover one of her songs, Solo, on my new album, Space. That song is one of those tunes that I have loved for decades. I feel that it tells my story as of late, so I finally recorded it. Sandy’s voice is stunning and airy and also ethereal. Her work in Fairport and her solo work are otherworldly.
6. Kirsty MacColl Gail (Chickfactor editor and longtime pal) turned me on to Kirsty. Her strength and confidence is what I admire. There is such life to her voice, and her songs are so brilliant. I would say that “Days” is one of my favorites. A little-known fact is that she sequenced U2’s The Joshua Tree because her husband at the time was U2’s producer, Steve Lillywhite.
Margaret White and Kendall Jane Meade at SXSW – Photo: Shelby Meade
7. Joan Baez What an absolute icon. Totally brave, outspoken, and a truly sensitive soul with the balls to take an antiwar stance from such a young age. “Diamonds and Rust” and “Sweet Sir Galahad” are two of the songs she wrote during the heyday of her career, and they are both stunning. I highly recommend the recent documentary about her called I Am A Noise.
8. Patsy Cline While she didn’t write many of her songs, her voice and delivery broke my heart and soothed me at the same time. I remember being a college student at Boston University, finding her music at a used record store and hyper fixating on “She’s Got You” and, of course, “Crazy,” which was written by Willie Nelson.
Kendall at SXSW this year. Photo: Margaret White
9. Juliana Hatfield I was a huge Blake Babies fan and later a fan of her solo work. She can do it all and is still one of the strongest performers out there. I remember seeing her solo shows back when I was in college at TT The Bears in Cambridge. After one show I saw her in the ladies’ room and she was dripping in sweat, that’s how passionately she performs.
10. Kim Deal She was the coolest part of the Pixies, and the Breeders albums were a massive influence on me. So catchy, cool, and effortless. I’m so happy she has a new album out. Just thinking of her makes me want to crank up “Divine Hammer” in my car and drive fast. You can hear this influence in the choruses of my new song “Stereo” off of Space.
The Ladybug Transistor at Deep Cuts in Medford MA. Photo by Ben Stas.
Top tour experiences with The Ladybug Transistor: December 2024
by Jennifer Baron (The Ladybug Transistor + The Garment District) Being a total fan girl while touring with the fantastic Lightheaded and Tony Molina band (and having Mark Robinson on the bill in Medford, MA) and sharing the stage with Ladybug members from all iterations of the band each night was absolutely dreamy—every night was a joy, with beautiful venues and fantastic audiences, and I just wish we could have lived it all in slow motion!
Rest area snowball fight in New Hampshire
Here are some of my top highlights from an abbreviated tour diary of sorts:
On the drive from Keene, New Hampshire to Kingston, New York: Visiting the iconic Hogback Mountain Country Store perched atop scenic Route 9 in Marlboro, Vermont, just after a serene December snowfall. A Vermont fixture since 1936, the cozy shop is located at the Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook at 2,250 feet. The sweeping views span breathtaking Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, pointing to Mount Holyoke, where I attended college. Perusing the shop and natural history museum, with an incredible section of maple syrup, donuts, libations and apparel—that I could not fit in my suitcase.
Nova Arts Block, Keene, New HampshireScott McCaughey playing with The Ladybug Transistor at Mississippi Studios in PDX
Having the wonderful Scott McCaughey join us for our cover of Gene Clark’s “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” at the fantastic Mississippi Studios in Portland, and meeting Scott’s adorable dog Gladys during our sound check. And also seeing you there, Gail, along with dear friends from Pittsburgh and college. A beautiful venue throughout.
Sasha Bell, Scott McCaughey, Jennifer Baron at Mississippi Studios
Two sublime, and related, vegan dinners from venues where we performed:
At The Atrium plant-based restaurant inside Public Records in Brooklyn: Hibachi grilled tamarind Jewel yams with tamarind yogurt, salsa macha, pumpkin seed gremolata, coriander and mint. From Checker Hall inside The Lodge Room in Highland Park, Los Angeles: Sticky sweet potato dish with garlic glaze, aji verde, hazelnut and harissa oil. OMG, take me back.
LBT and Tony Molina band in the Mission District
Reuniting with our dearest friend Alicia Vanden Heuvel for the West Coast tour; revisiting Atlas Cafe in the Mission where we used to love going for breakfast when we toured in California with friends such as The Aislers Set, the Lucksmiths and Of Montreal. This visit was WAY TOO BRIEF. Thank you for everything, Alicia and Tony!
Rickshaw Stop LBT Cocktail
The Ladybug Transistor cocktail made for our show by the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco and having it be exactly the kind of cocktail I love: tequila, grapefruit, lime, grenadine and soda. Loved having The Telephone Numbers plus DJs Jessica B, Coleminer and Miller Genuine Daft help to make this night so extra special.
Jacki Walburn from Lightheaded playing with The Ladybug Transistor at Public Records in Brooklyn
Having Jacki from Lightheaded “play” an apple (and tambourine) while joining us for “The Swimmer” (see 1:53) at Public Records in Brooklyn, and likewise, finally getting to “play” an apple myself, after all of these years, along with Ladybug percussionist dynamo Eric Farber, who joined is for our show at The Lodge Room in LA.
LBT at The Lodge Room in LA. Photo by Darian Sahanaja
Seeing the one and only, Joe Belock, aka WFMU’s Three Chord Monte, along with the ever-fabulous Jack Silbert, at our show at Public Records in Brooklyn. Thank you Joe, for spinning The Garment District!
Having original Ladybug drummer Ed Powers join us for “Rushes of Pure Spring” at Nova Arts Block in Keene, New Hampshire, where we had a blissful reunion of so many old friends from NYC and New England.
Spending the night at Gaia Hotel in Anderson CA (thank you Scott McCaughey, for the pro tip!) … but too cold for the hot tub!
Åke Strömer at Love of Fuzz in Troy New York
Visiting the terrific Love of Fuzz music store in Troy, New York, thanks to pedal-making, van-driving and merchandise-selling Swede guru, Åke Strömer.
Random and good-natured practical jokes and snowball fights at the many rest stops we frequented along the way.
IYKYK: Enjoying the best-in-the-game, late-night Smiling Pizza and blowing a kiss to my old apartment on 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Reunions of all sorts on this tour, including a mini high school reunion and Frock reunion (Sasha from Ladybug, Annie from Spent and me!) in LA. So good for the soul, heart and spirit.
Flowers from Mooncake Flower Farm
Receiving gorgeous local flowers grown by Stephen Hunking (who helped us recreate the original packaging for “The Albemarle Sound” reissue), who runs Mooncake Flower Farm in Camas Washington, which graced our stage, and van, for the West Coast shows. Check out his new band, Dew Claw!
Favorite new sparkly vintage necklace scored at a vintage and antique warehouse in Kalama, Washington.
Staying in the house where we used to live (Marlborough Farms) in Brooklyn, while hunkering down in the basement studio for rehearsals and making frequent trips to the Flatbush Food Co-op. Taking breaks to watch “The Making of Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and have Sasha do tarot readings and cook us amazing dinner!
Griffith Observatory full December Moon. Photo by Sam BleharControlling the dome speed at Griffith Observatory in LA
During a few days off in Los Angeles with my cousin Sam after the tour: Being invited to control the speed of the dome at Griffith Observatory; the best pupusa breakfast ever at the Atwater Village Farmers’ Market with dear friends I first met years ago while living in NYC (thank you, Jeff Feuerzeig, Dean Warheam and Matt Chesse!); finding the Ennis House in Los Feliz; revisiting the Laurel Canyon Country Store …
L-R: My dream supergroup! Matt Chessé, Dean Wareham, Britta Phillips, Jennifer Baron, Darian Sahanaja, Sasha Bell, Domenic Priore, Jeff Feuerzeig and Becky Ebenkamp after our show at The Lodge Room in LAThe Ennis House in Los Feliz in LA
It was deeply meaningful to play our music and be able to exist in a bit of an alternate universe bubble for a few weeks on both coasts during this truly multimodal tour! THANK YOU to my Ladybug bandmates and to every single person who attended these shows, listened with enthusiasm and helped us to sell out of our vinyl and T-shirts. Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records is currently planning a repress of “The Albemarle Sound” reissue and we hope to see you all again soon!
Reissue Deluxe Version with MobileBest pupusa breakfast ever at the Atwater Village Farmers Market in LAThe Ladybug Transistor and Lightheaded in Brooklyn
Paul Kelly (Birdie/East Village): Top Ten London Pubs I should probably keep some of these pubs secret but hopefully most readers are in the US anyway.
The Betsey Trotwood – Farringdon Road, EC1
King Charles 1st – Northdown Street, N1
The Shakespeare – Arlington Way, EC1
The Angel – St Giles High Street, WC2
The Dolphin Tavern – Red Lion Street, WC1
Hemingford Arms – Hemingford Rd, N1
Bradley’s Spanish Bar – Hanway Street, W1
The Lamb – Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1
The Blue Posts – Berwick Street, Soho
Cittie of Yorke – High Holborn, WC1
Erin Moran (A Girl Called Eddy) My Top 10 Albums of 2024 (new releases and new to me discoveries) 1. The Lemon Twigs/A Dream is All We Know
2. Laetitia Sadier/Rooting for Love
3. Jerry Merrick/Follow
4. High Llamas/ Hey Panda
5. The Cure/ Songs of a Lost World
6. Blossom Dearie/ Verve-Third Man Special Edition
7. The Pearlfishers/ Making Tapes for Girls
8. Joni Mitchell/ Hejira Demos
9. Walter Wanderley/Kee-Ka-Roo
10 Rod Stewart /Never a Dull Moment
Top 5 Dutch Artworks Visited by Jim and Emily with Belgian Beer Pairings
1. Rembrandt’s The Night Watch – Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Pair with – St Bernardus Christmas Ale. “A strong, dark, quadrupel, It tastes of licorice, apricots and marzipan.”
2. Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring – Maurits Huis, Den Haag. Pairs well with Chimay Grande Reserve (blue) Trappist Ale. “It exhibits a considerable depth of fruity, peppery character (including hints of plum, raisin and nutmeg).”
3. Frans Hal’s The Regentesses of the Old Men’s Almhouse Haarlem – Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem. Pair with a Cherry Chouffe, “a Belgian Brown Ale – with cherries added. Ruby-tinted, it has a full cherry aroma with notes of strawberry, almond, spices, and port. Round-bodied, soft, and delicate, it has a satisfying finish, with very slight bitterness.”
4. Dom Tower and Church, Utrecht – Paired here with La Trappe Tripel, “a strong coppery-gold Trappist ale with an off-white foamy head and an enticing aroma of fruit, honey and spice. Coriander adds an herbally spicy note to its fruity, well-balanced bittersweet taste.”
5. Rietveld Schroeder Huis, Utrecht – Pairs nicely with St. Bernardus Wit “The Aroma is wheaty, with apple-like tartness; herbal-spicy notes of coriander, white pepper and orange peel are complemented by a light, honey-like sweetness.”
All descriptions taken from the Belgian Style Ales website.
+ also too: – Karaoke parties: highlight was Janice Headley’s version of Cibo Matto’s “Birthday Cake”
– Road trips: Going to Olympia with JJ, Nancy and Yvonne was super-fun (save for the drive home) and we got to see Lois and Heather Dunn play together and Lois even slayed the room as Calvin in “C Is the Heavenly Option” – EPIC!
– Timberline outing with visiting pals
– USWNT winning Olympic Gold: triple espresso FTW!
– Portland Thorns (esp. beating Orlando and witnessing 12 years of #12 Captain Christine Sinclair): Please stop trading away our favorite players and hire more women in the NWSL FFS.
– Portland Timbers (esp. beating the cup winning LA Galaxy): Please get a new owner and GM ASAP.
– West Coast Heavenly Tour; TMF 69LS friend reunions; YLT + Built to Spill; Alvvays and the Beths in the town square. Swansea Sound + meeting Hue
I had my head down most of the year making my upcoming album (shameless plug: my first “solo” album, Space, comes out 2.28 on Mother West), but when I wasn’t recording or obsessing over something or other about the record, I was loving experiencing the following things:
SONGS
“Dominoes” by Mary Timony
“A Little Longer” by Johanna Samuels
“Slim Pickings” by Sabrina Carpenter
“Girl, So Confusing” by Charli xcx (feat Lorde)
“Tiny Flame” by The Softies
“Right Back To It” by Waxahatchee feat MJ Lenderman
“Deeper Well” by Kacey Musgraves
FILMS
Flipside by Chris Wilcha
23 Mile by Mitch McCabe
A Complete Unknown by James Mangold
LIVE SHOWS
Magnetic Fields two nights in a row in LA with Gail Chickfactor
Mary Timony at the Lodge Room
Matthew Caws (solo) at a KCSN event at Houdini’s old mansion in LA
Kacey Musgraves in Dallas
Ladybug Transistor at Lodge Room
Mac DeMarco at the Greek with my nephew
Mitski and Sharon Van Etten at the Hollywood Bowl
The Love Hangover at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC
Matthew Edwards at SYZYGY in SF
Joni Mitchell and Friends at the Bowl
Will Sheff at this groovy stoner event at the Philosophical Research Society (and I even got to sing a song with him),
Joan Wasser at the Cha Cha Lounge in LA.
Friends and fam at The Hotel Cafe
OTHER STUFF
Buying my niece her first guitar (she chose a Fender acoustic).
Hosting a residency at Hotel Cafe in October and playing every week was great for me to brush up on my act as a performer. It was also a wonderful way to gather old and new friends. Benjamin Cartel, Nicole Lawrence, Alie Byland, and Eli Wulfmeier opened the shows, and they were excellent.
Making time for long, healthy hikes with friends in and around LA (a bonus of living here).
Feeling very ladylike by joining The Huntington in Pasadena, which hosts the most beautiful art collections and has huge botanical gardens to get lost in. My friends and I took our moms there for high tea, and it was so sweet.
I spent 3 days in Palma de Mallorca for a friend’s big birthday. It was stunning, and I would love to go back. Shout out to all the pastry shops in Palma and the beautiful beaches.
I got to spend time in Detroit with my Dad and play my now annual holiday show at a little dive bar called The Polka Dot.
Wrangling many of my friends to play on my new record in LA, Detroit, and NYC, and wrangling others to make content with me and artwork and all of the things that go into making and promoting an album. Feeling very grateful.
SONGS:
Chappell Roan, ‘Good Luck, Babe!’,
Jessica Pratt, ‘Life Is’
Gigi Perez, ‘The Sailor Song’
Tess Parks, ‘California’s Dreaming’
Pet Shop Boys, ‘Loneliness’
Bruno Mars and Rosé, ‘APT.’
Claire Rousay, ‘Head’
Laurie Anderson, ‘Road to Mandalay’
Emma Anderson, ‘Taste The Air (Julia Holter Mix)’
Charley Stone, ‘Free Food’
Janis, Perez & YANIS, ‘Pharmacoliberation’
Noel, ‘Dancing is Dangerous’
Abstract Crimewave ‘The Longest Night’
Fuse ODG, ‘We Know It’s Christmas’
BOOKS (fiction):
Alan Hollinghurst, Our Evenings
Nat Reeve, Earlyfate
H. Gareth Gavin, Never Was
Khaled Alesmael, Selamlik
Chloe Michelle Howarth, Sunburn
Iain Sinclair, Pariah Genius
Justin Torres, Blackouts
Adam Macqueen Haunted Tales
Henry Van Dyke, Ladies of the Rachmaninoff Eyes (reissue)
BOOKS (non-fiction / memoir)
Katherine Bucknell, Christopher Isherwood Inside Out
Claire Dederer, Monsters
Xiaolu Guo, My Battle of Hastings
Liam Konemann, The Appendix
Salman Rushdie, Knife
Hanif Kureishi, Shattered
Claude Cahun, Cancelled Confessions
BOOKS (poetry):
Peter Scalpello, Limbic
JP Seabright, George Parker, Jaime Lock, Not Your Orlando
Camille Ralphs, After You Were, I Am
Jen Calleja, Goblinhood (poems and essays)
FILMS / TV:
Orlando, My Political Biography
Wilding
Scala!
Poor Things
Past Lives
Feud: Capote Vs the Swans
PLACES:
The Goat Ledge Beach Cafe, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
Black Gull Books, St Leonards
Cute (exhibition), Somerset House, London
Oed Ronne (The Ocean Blue) There were four standout records I heard this year, 3 of which came from people I was hashtag blest to play shows with this year.
Photos of Happy by Oed Ronne
Bart and the Bedazzled – Blue Motel
We got to play a few shows with Bart and his band the Bedazzled this year – all charming, warm, and incredibly talented. Man, Bart has the ability to command the room. Though a few years old, this record was in the background of all year long for me. Absolutely lovely.
We also got to play a few shows with Asteroid No. 4 for a few shows this last year. Always rocking sunglasses and walls of melody and guitars. Amazing band.
Wayne plays guitar in Bart’s band and on this, his debut, he sort of reminds me of Deebank-era Felt and the Go-Betweens. I love the way the 7/4 hook of Millwood St sucks you in. I’m at risk of wearing this album out for reals.
Thank goodness there was a new Tyde record this year. Kind of stylisitically the same touchstones but also here with a dash of Mike Post and more of a tropical flavor. I love this record.
Andy Pastalaniec (Chime School) We did a bit of touring in 2024! In no particular order here’s some of our favorite food and drinks along the way:
1. Espresso and Patisserie at Le Sullyin Paris, France.
2. Picon Bière – Amer Picon (orange liqueur) mixed with Kronenbourg 1664, at Le Hasard Ludiquein Paris, France.
3. Pie and Mash; Scotch Eggs, from Tebay Farmshop, Tebay, UK.
4. “$2.95 All-Day Breakfast” at Bon’s off Broadway, Vancouver BC.
5. Anything on the menu at Salsa & Beer, Los Angeles. 6. GONZO Ramen, Carlsbad, CA. Seriously the best Ramen any of us have ever had.
7. Curry and Porotta bread from Kerala South Indian Restaurant, Coventry, UK. On the same block as Just Dropped In Records!
8. Cheeseburgers at Hattie’s Hat, Seattle, WA.
9. Buckfast Tonic Wine, Glasgow, UK, for a much needed pre-show “pick me up”!
10. Fresh salads, juices, and packet sandwiches from any and all motorway stops in the UK; they kept us healthy on tour!
Seablite with Laetitia Sadier (photo courtesy of Seablite)
Dawn Sutter Madell (Agoraphone) + Trixie Madell (Girl Scout Handbook) Best Shows We Saw Together 2024
PJ Harvey at Terminal 5
Sun Ra Arkestra at Central Park, Sony Hall
Kim Gordon Central Park
Yo La Tengo at Sony Hall
Bikini Kill at Paramount
Adrienne Lenker Music Hall of Williamsburg
Quasi at Bowery Ballroom
Off Pink at a record store
Julien Baker, Torres at Webster Hall
Bratmobile at Warsaw
X, Jon Spencer, Lydia Loveless, Finom at Square Roots Festival, Chicago
Sweeping Promises, Jessica Pratt, Brittany Howard, Grandmaster Flash, De La Soul, Mannequin Pussy, Muna at Pitchfork Chicago
Son Rompe Pera, Fishbone at Prospect Park
Favorite book: my favorite book this year was published in 1970, it’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, by Dee Brown. This was my choice for my non-fiction bookclub, so I also forced a few other people to read it. It was so well written, easy to read, interesting, fascinating, enlightening and unbearably tragic. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I wish I’d read it 30 years ago.
Favorite cocktail: the Hugo, which is St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Prosecco, seltzer & mint. Except I put the liquid in a blender and add ice and make a slushy, which is fabulouso, but dangerous, lol
Favorite meal: post graduation dinner at Thompson and Bleeker in Ithaca NY. Amazing pizza, fantastic salads, delicious cold beer, and not insanely expensive!!
Favorite radio shows: I love listening to two radio shows on WMBR.org, “Coffee Time” from 2-4 on Friday, and “Backwoods” from 10-12 on Saturdays. Both remind me that the weekend is coming or is here, so time to chill out!
Favorite movie: “My Old Ass” which was so sweet and lovely, see it if you can!
Favorite songs: “Gild the Lily,” by Billy Strings. It’s a country music song that reminds me of country songs that my mom would listen to on the radio when I was a kid. Plus, it’s about birds singing, which is lovely.
I also love that song “Sexy to Someone” by Clairo; it’s catchy, cute and the keyboards sound so cool.
Mario and Riley – Courtesy of Riley
Riley Riley (Artsick/Boyracer) – Favorites of 2024: Music in alphabetical order:
Adrianne Lenker “Bright Future” Beth Gibbons “Lives Outgrown” Billie Eilish “Hit Me Hard And Soft” The concert was amazing.
Doechii “Alligator Bites Never Heal” Kim Deal “Nobody Loves You More” Mo Dotti “Opaque” Rachel Love “Lyra” The Softies “The Bed I Made” WUT “Mingling With The Thorns”
Fav local Seaside/Monterey Bay things:
1. Mando Surf Company is a local surfboard shaper and a friend of mine. Their boards are gorgeous pieces of art, one of which ended up at SFMOMA for their “Get in the Game” exhibit.
2. Pop and Hiss is a new local venue/record shop/bar in Pacific Grove. Super cool spot to check out if in the area.
3. Captain Stoker Coffee is delicious and the best coffee in Monterey IMO
Fav things I did: 1. Oakland Weekender 2024 happened at Thee Stork Club and was amazing… again!
2. Played a PNW mini tour with my favs, All Girl Summer Fun Band and Kids On A Crime Spree. Major bonus: got to see Gail!
3. Played a couple of shows with my besties band, WUT and got to join them for a couple songs live.
4. Danced to an incredible set by Kid Frostbite with friends.
5. The new Boyracer record called “Seaside Riot” came out and I am so proud to be part of it.
6. Drove down to Big Sur with my family, parked on a cliff and saw the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet… it was breathtaking and such a memorable moment. It was last visible 80,000 years ago.
7. Read “You Better Be Lightning” by Andrea Gibson
8. Dog cuddles
9. Hiking in Big Sur
10. Got to hangout with Kim Baxter from AGSFB in Monterey… we had the best time getting some food and sitting by the water.
11. Recording new Artsick
12. Mushroom Tea…
RYLI at the 4 Star Theater! This is Yea Ming Chen’s new band & I was driven to dance. That woman knows how to write a pop song!
Watching Josh Miller play bass in Chime School AND Anna Hillburg Band, both experiences are mind-bending
Watching Ladybug Transistor reunion live in LA at the Lodge Room. Trumpets, flutes, & song craft from Sasha, Jennifer, Gary, Julia, and Jeff. What a group!
Gerard Love at Glasgoes Pop! What a voice! (And with the crowd singing along it was like the best party)
Heavenly at Glasgoes Pop dancing with Kenji (The Fairways forever) & Ari (Poastal forever)! I nearly died!
The Softies, with Anna Hillburg at Bottom of the Hill, because OMG it’s The Softies. Also, bonus, Rose sang a song with Anna & it was epic.
Galore! Anywhere they play, every time. Three part harmonies and killer melodies. I die again.
Shannon Shaw at the Fox with my buddies Noelle & The Deserters. Epic venue, epic night.
Lightheaded at the Oakland Weekender!! They ripped! I was not expecting the ferocity of pop that came our way, all the way from Jersey, I love them.
Jessica Pratt at Bimbos. Her album made my year, and seeing her perform the songs live was otherworldly.
1. Caribou- Campfire
2. Seefeel- Multifolds
3. Chris Cohen- Night and Day
4. Real Estate- Airdrop
5. Orcas- Riptide
6. Mahogany- A Scaffold
7. Bedroom- Her Ghost
8. Epic45- New Town Faded
9. Dottie- Disappearing
10. Royksopp- Camera Obscura (but actually the whole album, Nebulous Nights)
The Umbrellas: here is our end of the year list, we decided to rank gas stations!
The Umbrellas were on the road ALOT (possibly far too much) this past year. Given this, what better way to wrap up 2024 than a retrospect of where we spent a majority of our time, gas stations…?
One9 – This fueling station we believe is a newish franchise. The whole sign and exterior looks like it was designed by a silicon valley software developer. They have hot food items, a lot of car accessories you wouldn’t normally find (like hub caps), and the latest trending food items. Nick tried an Oreos Coca-cola and commented that it tasted like cleaning supplies.
Kum & Go – Ha ha ha … get your mind out of the gutter! This midwest franchise only has a few locations, but each one is more charming than the last. Generally friendly staff who don’t mind you giggling when you bring one of to their “Kum & Go” t-shirts up to the counter to purchase.
Sinclair- That dinosaur logo is cool! Maybe it has to do with the fact that these are not terribly common in the bay area, but whenever we stop into one there’s an indescribable sense of nostalgia and whimsy. It feels like an old-timey gas pump attendant dressed in all white with a newscap is going to pop out from behind the big fiberglass Dinosaur they have on display. While other chains have rebranded or updated their logo … that dino has always remained, plastered on their fueling pumps.
Buc-ees – An allegory for what America is: Large, overwhelming, and hundreds of bathroom stalls. A must-stop for anyone driving through the south or mid-west. What more is there to say that hasn’t been said by bands and short-form video influencers alike? Matt says to make sure to try the Brisket sandwich. Pro-tip: skip the prepackaged bagged jerky and go straight to the counter for the fresh stuff.
Love’s – Love’s is like a reliable old friend that will always be there for you. Love’s doesn’t judge you when you’ve had one too many hard seltzers and you stumble around looking for their mini-tacos. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to catch the Love’s x Del Taco combo. Love’s would never dream of thinking illy of you! Hot showers, hot food, and hot deals (each location has a discount food rack of unsold seasonal items). Through and through The Umbrellas are a Love’s band. So spread the love and stop into your local Love’s the next time you need to top off your tank.
Best long poems I read or reread this year:
Liu Shang, “Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute”
Matthew Rohrer, “The Others”
John Ashbery, “The Wave”
Annelyse Gelman, “Vexations”
Alice Notley, “In The Pines”
Laura Henrikesen, “Laura’s Desires”
Best long songs I liked this year:
Gerard Cleaver, “The Process”
Destroyer, “Bay of Pigs”
Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell, “Mutron/Arabian Nightmare”
Nichuminu, “Aberraciones y Milagros”
Matmos, “Ultimate Care II”
Yukihiro Fukutomi, “5 Blind Boys”
Prince, “Automatic”
Caley Conway, Partner
Refrigerator, Get Lost
Jeff Parker, The Way Out Of Easy
Mountain Movers, Walking After Dark
The Special Pillow, Meets The Space Monster
Little Hag, Now That’s What I Call Little Hag
Daga Voladora, Los Manantiales
Shady Cove, Part II
Oneida, Expensive Air
Cornelius, Ethereal Essence
Roger Moutenot, Microcosm
Ava Mendoza, The Circular Train
David Nance, David Nance & Mowed Sound
Alan Sparhawk, White Roses My God
Tim Heidecker, Slipping Away
Alan Licht, Havens
Julie Beth Napolin, Only The Void Stands Between Us
Mark Robinson (Teen-Beat Records, Cotton Candy) Kali Malone, All Life Long (record)
Miranda July, All Fours (book)
Kim Gordon, The Collective (record)
Ruben Pater, Caps Lock (book)
hollAnd, Green Text (record)
Katherine Small Gallery (store)
White Manna, Hackensack, NJ (restaurant)
Henry Smith, Film No.18 (Mahagonny) (film)
Bakar, Halo (record)
Escape-ism Black Gold (record)
Mount Kimbie, The Sunset Violent (record)
Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga, The Courage to Be Disliked (book)
King Krule, Shhhhhhhh! (record)
Papa Slumber’s Top Ten Listens of 2024 (Slumberland Records) Ability II – Rediscovered (I9M)
Autocamper – Blanche (Safe Suburban Home)
Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes – Janice Long Session 11.11.86 (Precious)
Shabaka Hutchings – Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (Impulse!)
Rachel Love – Lyra (The Cat Collects)
The Moment of Nightfall & Tony Jay – Winter Dream (Kilikilivilla)
Sharp Pins – Radio DDR (Sharp Pins)
Nala Sinephro – Endlessness (Warp)
The Softies – The Bed I Made (Father/Daughter)
v/a – Lost Paradise: Blissed Out Breakbeat Hardcore 1991-94 (Blank Mind)
I’m not going to get any less angry, so here we go:
Fanzines – loads of brilliant photos, pictures and writing, perhaps replacing record sales. Maybe we all need to evolve…
Clairo – get the latest lp if you haven’t already..
now..
really, are you still here?…
go… get the latest Clairo album, come back, read on…
Do not read on without that Clairo lp
YOU GOT IT? Ok, read on
Heavenly – they have returned just when we need them the most – May I be among the first to solemnly declare allegiance to the flag of FUCK YOU NO WAY
Saturday Night Fever – seen for the first time in 2024, after nearly fifty years of being told “it’s not what you think it is” it wasn’t what I thought it was. Led to me listening to a LOT of disco, good and bad, and buying a LOT of paint.
Italian exploitation soundtracks of the 70’s – turns out it’s the best music there is
Despair – we did our best, it was fun while it lasted, but the cunts have been voted in, promoting the far right, buying politicians and media networks – but remember everyone who didn’t vote for it, we stand together, we are here for each other. I don’t know what it means, but if there is anything I can help with I am here – wiaiwya on most media (fuck you billionaires, we will use your networks while we can) – please get in touch – we are here for each other…
The future – it is ours… it has to be.
FUCK YOU NO WAY
Can you say cunt in America? Hope you can’t and you will anyway- because he is one!
Some books from 2024 that I have read/am reading and thoroughly enjoy – not in hierarchical order, but I do love Joni Mitchell more than most things:
• Traveling on the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers is my fave of the new books I’ve purchased this year because, well, Joni. There is not a wasted syllable in it, and the “traveling” and “path” is an extended metaphor for both Joni and author Ann Powers.
• How Women Made Music includes two photographs by me, but that’s not why I love it. It is an important reference work of NPR dispatches with thorough curation by Alison Fensterstock. I have lost track of how many people who have received this book from me as a gift. If you still haven’t gifted anyone anything yet – I highly suggest How Women Made Music. And sharing good reads isn’t just for Christmas or year-end lists.
• In Under a Rock, Blondie’s co-founder, Chris Stein delivers a delightful valentine to the NYC of his youth. It’s no wonder Blondie was a pioneering musical project. I wish that NYC still existed.
• The surrealist next door, my former neighbor and lifetime icon of pop surrealism, Robyn Hitchcock also paints a picture of his Groover origin story in 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left. He made a companion album to go along with it, which is a fave listen as well.
• The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture. I lived in NYC for 20 years, but I read the Village Voice long before and long after I lived there. What a fantastic biography of a print icon! Bravo Tricia Romano onyour widely heralded book!
• Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum I’ve worked in television, and I grew up in Santa Barbara and witnessed the Loud family open their lives to the PBS series about them – An American Family, which was the first “reality show” in the early 1970s. Emily Nussbaum nailed this on every point; she has been writing about television for a long, long time and deftly connects all the dots. I am a hard one to convince, since this particular example took place in my very hometown at the peak of my snarky teenage phase. Read for yourself, Emily got it right !
• Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius. I have a personal obsession with the films ISHTAR and REDS, which Elaine May wrote, and co-wrote (no on-screen credit for REDS), and so does the author Carrie Courogen who appropriately identifies Elaine May as “Hollywood’s Hidden Genius.” This is a phenomenal effort and it places my head in a space that helps me understand why I am happy when I’m immersed in ironic satire.
Music and Film – Mostly I was underwhelmed this year – too much hype; too little deliverance. That being said, The The in concert was impressive, with the first set being their new album, Ensoulment, and after a brief intermission, a set of hits and fan faves. Way back in January, I saw Elvis Costello & the Imposters put on the best concert (3+ hours!!) I’ve ever seen and heard.
Late stage capitalism is the worst but you can still give gifts to your loved ones when you follow our gift guide! There is no need to make purchases that will ultimately only benefit, like, three billionaires! may we suggest these gifts:
• Take your friend out to ice-skate, watch futbol, see Stuart Murdoch reading from his new book, sip boba tea, slurp noodles, or give experiential gifts like road trips, spa days, roller derby matches, or of course guitar pop festivals (but not the one in California owned by a creep!).
• Think about nature: Head to Audubon, Wildlife Conservation Society, Save the Manatee, Oceana, the A C L U, and other do-gooders and buy things that benefit them! Also consider adopting a real-life rescue pup or a black cat or buying things that benefit animal sanctuaries, hummingbirds, bees, bats, and wildlife. Give seeds to grow food, make bat boxes, hummingbird feeders and give someone beekeeper classes!
• Support the greatest radio station around like WFMU by grabbing a cute T-shirt. Consider commissioning a photographer or artist to make something for you or buy something they’ve already created. Also shop at museum and gallery shops, independent book shops, small businesses and of course record shops! (We love Courtesy Desk, Jigsaw, Monorail, and Dusty Groove a lot!)
Read on for some more ideas but remember, giving more money to billionaires (and the online retail giants they own) is bad for the entire world. They are drunk on power and need to be reined in.
Glasgow’s Dancer and Portland’s Whisper Hiss Team Up for Split album and chickfactor co-interview
Whisper Hiss (Meredith Butner, Rhiannon Flowers, Jenny Rahlf, Jon Schlaffman) are a four-piece queer post-punk band from Portland, Oregon, and have been the go-to local opener on most indiepop and post-punk house and DIY shows for bands touring through Portland since 2017. Dancer (Gemma Fleet, Chris Taylor, Gavin Murdoch, Andrew Doig) are a four-piece mutant disco post-punk band from Glasgow, Scotland, that only formed in 2023. Split is a split 12-inch featuring six songs each by both Dancer and Whisper Hiss. This split release came about by chance. The label HHBTM pitched the idea of the bands recording a few extra tracks and doing a split 12-inch as a way of connecting them.
Dancer has been pretty prolific in a short time of being a band, can you tell us a little about your songwriting process? Gemma (she/they): I’d say we are all songwriters in the band and we mix up the process all the time. It might be a fully formed song brought into practice that we all add our bits to, on bass (Love) or guitar (Bluetooth hell), vocal (Passionate Sunday) or a song that started with a drum beat (rein it in) – The split LP songs were played out all together and came together in pretty much one practice apart from You Saint that Chris brought in and Gig Economy that Doig had. Chris (he/they): We’re just all fiends for a new song. We had a writing moratorium at the start of the year and the second we ended it there were 8 new songs we’d written individually for Dancer in secret from each other. It’s a compulsion for all of us I think. I’ll often be getting set up in practice or just idly playing and Andrew will suddenly ask “what’s that?”. I try to repeat what I did and 5 minutes later everyone else has turned it into a song. We just pounce on them when they appear sometimes. I think we write so much because there is no set process other than, “does anyone have something new that sounds good?” Andrew (He/Him): Yeah it can be quick, I think we are developed and there is an almost gleeful energy with the songwriting. Dare I say it’s confidence sort of propelling us? Maybe that confidence has not always been there in past projects you know? So it’s infectious. I think we all think the band is good and the prospect of another song is always exciting so they keep coming. Meredith (she/her): I love what you said about confidence! I’ve mostly played music with other women and self-taught musicians and we’ve had trouble fully owning that word. In my first bands, just being on stage itself was an act of bravery. I’ve written in bands where self doubt hovered around or we were sometimes too apologetic about our ideas with each other, and when it comes to booking or promotion I’ve also feared asking for too much or appearing too confident which has led to missed opportunities. It’s something I’m really working on looking at. It helps to have Rhiannon as a front person and co-conspirator — she’s such a force, and not a person who makes herself small. With Whisper Hiss, I feel that infectious spark you mentioned in a clear way… like I actually know that what we have is special. Rhiannon (she/her): It’s so ingrained to cut ourselves down a notch. Saying you have something special doesn’t take away from other people or mean they aren’t also special. I want to see people around me feeling empowered and celebrated. The more I witness it in others the more inspired I am to fully show up as myself. I want that feeling and I want it for those around me.
Dancer. Photo: Chris Hogge
Lyrically, are there any themes that come up often or tie together your songs on Split? Gemma: Priority Girl is about the ‘Karen’ phenomenon and how distasteful it is to be pushy but remembering too that men complain all the time. The moral of the story is if you have a Karen you use them to do good. Gig economy follows this theme as is about someone ordering Deliveroo in a snow storm and complaining when it arrives then the driver in their haste to correct, gets in an accident ! I’m concerned that people working in the gig economy are not protected by employment law and sick pay is hard to claim. Rhiannon: I felt instantly connected to your lyrics Gemma, and honestly felt a kinship. I feel like we both have a storytelling aspect to our songs. My lyrics are mostly autobiographical and come from my personal and internal world, then I make connections from that to things around me. I write a lot about anxiety and breaking free. On SPLIT the songs stemmed from the song Movable Objects which is mostly about freedom from stagnation and the idea that there are many paths to get somewhere.. and how a lot of what’s pressed on to us in society literally doesn’t fit anyone or make anyone happy. Fawn tells a few stories but actually was inspired by a time I was recently assaulted on a bus. A man cornered me and it was really scary! I was able to get away with the help of another woman and got off. The song is about the lose-lose where if you are noticed you are under threat, but then when you are more invisible people also don’t respect your personal space or stomp on you. Envision Another chorus actually came to me in a dream! It had the melody and everything and I actually remembered when I woke up for once!
Do you have any before show rituals? Gemma: Shadow boxing whilst jogging a loop around the venue as the Rocky theme tune plays over the PA. In my head. Andrew: I spend some time trying to remember my parts, as they always seem to get vague in my mind around show time. Recently I have been playing the beginning of Passionate Sunday wrong every time we play it live. The mind does weird things under mild duress. Chris: For me, it has always been trying to find the perfect balance between time/coffee/food/alcohol. It feels like there’s this perfect combo for playing live and the constant variables (mostly how much time between arrival and show, and how much of that time is already planned for) keep it interesting. It sounds complicated but it’s mostly about not getting too drunk even if you have 3 hours to kill at a bar that doesn’t serve food or coffee. Rhiannon: Chris that sounds a lot like me! You’ll find me in a dark corner of the bar measuring out exactly how many sips of one cocktail I’ll have and at what hour before going on stage. And strategically eating dinner 1.5 hours before doors. It’s very precise mathematics and science! I also like to do power pose, that’s a good before show move.
Whisper Hiss. Photo: Alisha Flowers
You are all active in other bands, is it hard to juggle the various schedules?Gemma: I think it’s harder to juggle a full time job. I really enjoy my job and doing bands so try to keep things relaxed, In the past I’ve done mad things like played in Paris, driven back to London, slept for 3 hours then went to work or gone to work directly off of a flight from Texas. Andrew: Yes and no. There are certain weeks where every night is a band practice or a show and sometimes that feels like living a dream and sometimes it just feels like too much. Personally I have a habit of taking a lot on with music stuff. But then you think what would we all do otherwise? Chris: This is usually the case (and certainly is for everyone else in Dancer), but for the first time in my life I am in only one band and it is my only active project. I have enough freedom in Dancer that I can use pretty much all of my guitar ideas so I’m pretty satisfied with the situation. I’ve noticed recently that the only kinds of shows that get me out of the house are improv or heavy stuff, perhaps because it’s less often we play with bands like that. I’d like to do something in one of those spheres again maybe.
What do you each do for fun outside of music? Gemma: Watch YouTube videos of Idlewild at the Brat Awards with lovely big mug of tea. Oh, that’s still music. Maybe just the tea then, in silence? Andrew: See above, sometimes not much else! I force myself to read, it’s one of my favourite things to do but I rarely feel relaxed enough to concentrate. Cinema. Food is good. Riding my bike. Glasgow is very grey and rainy even in the Summer sometimes so there is tendency to stop everything and go outside if good weather happens. Chris: I’ve rekindled a childhood love of video games in recent years, which has been surprisingly rewarding. I can’t say it’s entirely unrelated to music as the soundtracks make up a lot of my listening these days. So long as you completely ignore any online community involving games whatsoever, it can be a lot of fun. I try to always play stuff that is nothing like anything I’ve played previously, which has been pretty doable mostly. There’s a lot of really great and unique stuff out there, much of it that couldn’t exist in another medium. It’s a good time for it. Other than that and music, my wife, cats, food and travel keep me happy.
Whisper Hiss. Photo: Alisha Flowers
What is the Portland music scene like? Supportive? Difficult to access? A bit of both?! Jon (he/they): Portland is overflowing with bands; so many bands that there’s no way that I’m aware of even a fraction of them. From teenage bands playing house shows and whatever few all ages venues there are, all the way up to dad bands and literal grandparents playing shows every single night all over town. Legit DIY venues to play are dwindling, it seems, since I moved here in ‘08 – there used to be a lot more small spaces/dive bar type of venues where you could catch a random incredible show on any given evening. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly difficult to access, but it depends on your goals, I suppose. The punk-adjacent/queer/weirdo art and music community that I feel like I’ve become a small part of has been nothing but supportive and inspiring. That said, I’m sure there are tons of other “scenes” or music communities in Portland that aren’t on my radar at all. Jenny (she/they): I think it is supportive and there are also some mini scenes within the larger Portland music scene. There are a lot of bands here— I feel like you have to know someone to get in with certain venues. Honestly, I’m the most hands off in the band when it comes to booking/ promoting— I very much appreciate my bandmates for getting us out there and making connections. Meredith: Whisper Hiss has been so well received by audiences and I generally feel so much support from other local musicians and bands but, with a large number of bands in town vying for a limited number of slots, it can feel difficult to break into larger rooms with bigger crowds. Sometimes when we don’t get on a show we’d love to play we joke that, because our band name starts with a W, we must be on the bottom of all the alphabetized booking lists. Rhiannon: Oh yes our name starting with a W has led to our obscurity, that’s gotta be it (Laughing). I feel like we have a really sweet scene of bands where shows sometimes feel like just hanging out with friends and sharing art. There’s a lot of photographers in the scene too. I met my friend Colette from the band Perimeters, because she kept posting these cool photographs of us after our shows, and one day I wrote her and was like “Come say hi next time!” And she’s such a gem.
Are there any great Portland bands that have been around forever but might not have hit the UK that we should check out? Jenny: The Prids are the only ones I can think of that have been around a while— not sure if they’ve toured the uk, but worth checking out. It seems like many bands that had been around when we first started out sadly disbanded during the pandemic. There are so many bands here and I’m sure ones I haven’t named that deserve recognition. Jon: Sad Horse. The members of that band also own one of the few remaining DIY show spaces in town – Turn, Turn, Turn Meredith: Yeah, my suggestions maybe haven’t been around forever… Yuvees just moved to Brooklyn, but they are an ex-Portland band putting out great stuff. Public Pleasure’s first full length is coming out mid-October and I’m really excited to hear that. Collate, Love in Hell, and Perimeters are all great bands and friends. I’m happy All Girl Summer Fun Band are playing shows again.
Dancer. Photo: Chris Hogge
We want to know about the Glasgow scene too! Does it feel inclusive? What bands should we check out? Andrew: There is so much to say about this. Obviously there is a whole lore around Glasgow and music, it is much romanticised. Firstly none of us (now) are actually Scottish in the band, so as an English person coming into the ‘scene’ at a certain age, having lived in London for many years previously, has been fascinating. It definitely lives up to expectations in some senses, but as with all scenes the idea that everyone knows each other etc is exaggerated. But then again it can feel small and concentrated enough that you do tend to see some of the classic Glasgow characters around quite easily. There are so many different strands too – improv, electronic and clubbing scenes, beyond the expected indie pop or whatever people might think. It’s diverse and exciting, for such a small city there are loads of venues and stuff is going on all the time, but then on the flip side it can feel repetitive at times. Like there is this great venue The Glad Cafe, its ace, but I have been there like 6 times in the last couple of months and starting to get cabin fever! It’s better to get out and about though, of course, and for me and Gemma (a married couple in our 40s) it has certainly given us a fresh and new social aspect to life that we weren’t maybe getting in London so much anymore. We have met a lot of nice people who have supported Dancer and other projects we have done, so yeah it feels inclusive to us right now.
As for bands to check out there is L, Guests, Essen, Errol’s Hot wax is a cool label, Goldmold another label of note (who released our first 2 EP’s), Nightshift and Set Piece are 2 other bands I play bass in who I like haha, Come Outside, Onat Onol, Susannah Stark, Simone Antigone, Coolant, Radio Banter, Edwin Stevens, Buffet Lunch (technically Edinburgh), Nightschool records, Dragged Up, Even Sisters, Coffin Mulch, Pink Pound, R.Aggs. The list goes on and on and these are the artists within Dancer’s gravity really, there is a universe of other far out things happening. I will say that even though they don’t seem to live in Glasgow anymore, Still House Plants latest LP is pretty much my album of the year, that record blows my mind!
Is there anywhere in the world you would really like to take Whisper Hiss?Meredith: We really haven’t been many places with this project yet. Getting to know you all and working on Split has us dreaming of coming to the UK for sure. Rhiannon: Right now coming to the UK sounds dreamy and I’d also love to tour other parts of Europe. I’m basically itching to tour! Take me everywhere! Jon: Oh jeez, yeah, I’m up for whatever! I’m the most recent member of the band, so I haven’t done any touring as a Whispie yet but I’d love to get this batch of songs on the road in front of new faces. I think we’re alldreaming of a Euro tour; we’ll see what opportunities present themselves! Touring the west coast kinda sucks since there are really only a few cities over here, and there’s a great deal of distance between them. It’s basically Seattle, maybe Oly, Portland, and then nothing for over 600 miles (965 km for y’all, I googled!) until you hit the bay area. I envy east coast (and Euro) bands who can get in the van and play a ton of shows back to back in different rad cities each night for quick little tours or whatever. You don’t have to spend a whole day driving just to get to like Sacramento or something lol. Jenny: UK tour with Dancer!
Like us, you guys have maybe been in other bands previously, tell us about them and do you currently do any other projects? Rhiannon: My first band ever was called Drastic Plastic. I was only 19 and had just moved to Portland because I heard it had the most lesbians per capita. I didn’t know what per capita meant but it sounded promising. At the time there was a thriving queer punk scene, and even though I was a tad too young to have been part of riot grrrl, I was heavily influenced by all those bands from here and Olympia. I’d had this realization about being a fan. These feminist and queer bands were about building community, not hero worship. I realized I wanted to be part of a community of artists creating social change, instead of idolizing others. My next band was called Seagull and Wave, it was the first time where I played keys and sung. It was a new wavey project with just guitar, keys and drum machine. It was fun but terrifying to sing and play at the same time. It was very new. Whisper Hiss is the first band where I really found myself as a musician. I realized I can naturally play by ear, and key parts just sort of started flowing for me. Right now Whisper Hiss is my only band, but I’ve been jamming with a friend of mine on an Italo Disco/new wave inspired project that I’m excited to develop! Meredith: In college and just after, I played guitar in a riot grrrl band called Athena Starwoman. In the early 2000s I was in a pop project called 10¢ (the dimes). This was a cool time for Portland DIY and I was active in lots of stuff like zines, crafts, running a tiny venue and recording studio called the Portland Robot Steakhouse, and hosting Handmade Bazaar a backyard summer buy/sell/trade sale with food and bands. I took a bunch of time off from music and then started a band called Anther who I played with before joining Whisper Hiss. Sometimes I write and record songs with my husband at home. Jenny: My band history dates back to my late teens. I played in several bands up until my mid twenties when I fell off playing music for about 8 years! I left all my gear in my ex partner’s moms shed. When I went back to collect my gear I felt nostalgic and realized how much I missed music! Long story short, Whisper Hiss was born and that’s the only band I’ve been playing in since—unless you count Untitled Bedroom Project which really just consists of me and my girlfriend informally jamming out in the bedroom. Jon: Whisper Hiss is all I’m doing at the moment (I work full-time in comics publishing and I just don’t have the youthful energy I once had lol). I played for years in a garage-punk trio here called BOBBY PERU which morphed into another band called BARB. I did a noise rock thing called HAUNTED HEAD for a little while and there was also a dub-influenced punk-ish project called COOL FLOWERS with some homies who have all been in dozens of other bands. Getting to open a show for Anika was a major highlight of my time with that band!
Whisper Hiss. Photo: Alisha Flowers
Whisper Hiss is a fun band, How does it feel to play together? Rhiannon: Thank you, Dancer is very fun too! Playing together feels electric. There’s a magic that happens and we all love experimenting and being creative together. At shows we have a lot of fun. I sort of jump a lot and I like to hop over to my bandmates when I’m not behind my keyboard. Meredith: We do have fun! I can be a kind of moody or intense person when left to my own devices, but group projects bring out a different side of me and creative collaboration really helps me access joy and let go. I’m actually such a fan of my bandmates, both as musicians and people, and I feel lucky every time we play together that I get to add my ideas and energy to the mix with theirs. Jenny: We don’t call ourselves moody and the beat for nothing! We all bring our own unique brand of moodiness that I think we embrace and believe makes us special. We also have a lot of fun! I’ve never been in a band where writing songs is so exciting and I’m so incredibly proud of everything we do! I admire my bandmates—they are endlessly talented! Jon: So good! It’s all felt very natural to me and the band environment has been full of love and support. They’d been a band for a while already when I joined so there were a bunch of songs that I needed to learn right off the bat, which was a new experience for me, and a lot of fun. Going into the band, having studied and learned the songs, I knew I’d be working with talented and creative songwriters so I was super excited and I’m very proud of the work we’ve done together since then. Very much looking forward to the next batch of songs – I love the whole process of songs taking shape and seeing everybody’s ideas falling into place. For me, the excitement of building up to a recording session, and ultimately an album is hard to beat, and I feel like we’ve proven to ourselves that we can kick out the jams in a pinch, if need be lol!
How do you tend to record Whisper Hiss? Do you have someone who records you regularly? and how is Portland for rehearsal spaces and recording studios in general? Meredith: My husband is a recording engineer and we worked with him on the majority of our recordings. They were each done in different studios, I assisted and then he and I mixed at home with input from the band. Our full length tape was difficult to mix and ended up going through a lot of different drafts and taking a long time. When Jon joined the band we were still mixing that. With Jon’s new energy we quickly wrote three songs and wanted to get them recorded to have a representation of the new line up. We rent a practice space in a building that has a record store, a screen printer, rehearsal rooms and a recording studio. Jon had recorded there before and floated the idea of using it this time. It sounded so easy – we wheeled our amps down the hallway – and I loved the idea that I could just show up and play bass and wouldn’t have so many roles. Split was recorded there with Eric Crespo. He mixed at home and we went back and forth through email with notes. Rhiannon: Recording has felt really different over the years! Our sound has distinct threads that make it Whisper Hiss, but also has changed a lot over time, and that reflects in our mixes. For our cassette we were trying for a big sound, and recorded each instrument separately. For Split we went a different approach and performed live for our takes with overdubbed vocals, bells and handclaps. I actually used a front desk bell for the beginning of Come Feel Me. I wanted the feel of working behind a front desk and someone is trying to get your attention in an insistent entitled way. I got a bit bell-happy and pushed for even louder bell in the mix, but I’m glad I got convinced that less front desk bell is more front desk bell. I want to figure out a Velcro situation on my synth so I can use the bell live. We had more fun ideas of accents and noises to add this time. I hope to keep experimenting with cool sounds even more next album! Also Meredith brought a huge tin of peanuts to recording, I will be expecting that luxury item going forward.
Whisper Hiss. Photo: KC Jonze @thelonius_punk
In 2015 Gemma and myself spent 24 Hours in Portland, checked out the Donut shop, walked around in the sun and generally buzzed off of how cool it felt to be there. The city has a reputation (to us anyway) of being one of the coolest in the USA, how would you challenge this perception? Or is it in fact just very cool? Rhiannon: I love Portland, it is very cool in my opinion! There are some real issues with gentrification which has been happening for a long time. Another recent thing that’s come up is the music scene speaking out against Live Nation making a venue here. We try to support independently owned venues, and keep corporations from controlling and messing with the music scene. Portland is the last major city to not have Live Nation competing with local venues. Portland has changed a lot since I moved here as a teen in 2001, but it still holds its magic. In the spring there’s incredible cherry blossom trees with petals falling all over you like you are in an enchanted forest. There are small business like bars and cafes in old cute houses, and there are still parts of town that have the old feeling. There’s a lot of amazing people who I love here too. There’s a meandering feel on sidewalks, like no one is in a huge rush to get somewhere. A lot of music and creativity has come from here, and you can feel it.
Do you have a most memorable show? Chris: Playing Pies Pala Pop Festival in Rennes earlier this year was very special. It was our second show outside of the UK, outdoors in good weather with a crowd that was as into it as we were. The festival had a great line up and really looked after everyone too. The whole thing was like a dream. Andrew: The Pies Pala Pop fest in Rennes (France) back in June. Our second show abroad (the first was the day before in Paris) – awesome outdoor stage at a fest with loads of cool bands, good weather, big and responsive crowd. Total dream! Gemma: I loved the gigs we did supporting Dry Cleaning, it was nerve wracking because it was a big crowd but people were not there to see us and I really thought we would be ignored or people would just chat. Surprisingly people were really engaged and we were a true warm up for the gig, by the end of the set people were really buzzed.
What is your biggest challenge as a band? Chris: Getting to do it enough really. I’d get together to write, rehearse, tour or record every day if we could. Andrew: Keeping it all together I think. Maybe it’s not a secret to mention we have recently changed drummers. Bands are hard. Group dynamics are hard and being on the same page is hard. For all the 99 percent of fun and awesomeness, it’s that 1 rogue percentage that can derail everything. Gemma: Making music is always the easiest part, it’s the other stuff like organising tours and finding time to look at emails , that sort of admin stuff.
Dancer. Photo: Anthony Gerace
What are your live shows like? Chris: Very very fun. It sounds like a cop-out answer but it’s an honest one. The comment we got most after coming off stage in Rennes was about how “smiley” we all are. It brings me more joy than anything, and there’s plenty to go around so that’s what we project. People pick up on it, send it back our way etc. Our best shows are just joy feedback loops between us and the crowd. Andrew: Always great I think! We have definitely improved this year and have been reacting to some great crowd buzz. Gemma: I really can’t help but dance around a lot, I am definitely the Dancer in Dancer. In previous bands I’ve played the bass so it’s been really freeing and new to work on the performance, I love to use the length of the stage and jump high.
Are there any places you’d like to take Dancer on tour as well? Chris: Broadly speaking, North America as that’s where the highest concentration of people that listen to us are. I’d love to tour Japan, or really anywhere I’ve never never been. More specifically, I’d like to play The Empty Bottle in Chicago. A great deal of my favourite art and music was made in Chicago, and I hear that place in particular is a lot of fun to play. Andrew: Well USA is of course a dream, but the money it would cost to do it legally is enough to bankrupt even the wealthiest group these days. I am not sure why it costs so much to get into the USA? For me, playing on a warm Summer’s evening somewhere in Portland with Whisper Hiss would be the greatest. But they just cut creative funding here in Scotland, so the options are shrinking by the day! Gemma: Italy, it’s the most beautiful country and best food. I have played a few gigs there in the past and absolutely loved it, other countries in Europe have a bit more funding and appreciation of live music than the UK I think.
Sometimes I Want to Return: Sensitive Live (Watch now!) 
