Bandsplain - Best New U.K. Music with Shaad D’Souza, Plus An Interview with Mary in the Junkyard

Episode Date: September 10, 2026

Music journalist and EIC of Shaad Magazine Shaad D’Souza joins Yasi to talk about the best new music coming out of the U.K. right now. They discuss how they find new artists, gimmicks vs. authenticity, the Windmill scene, and the importance of going to shows in the algorithm era. Next, one of our favorite new U.K. bands, Mary in the Junkyard, sits down with Yasi to talk about coming up in south London, the not-very-secret identity of the old man on their album cover, and the benefits of tumbling. Plus, a reenactment of the very important phone call that brought the band together. Episode Playlist Listen to the Best New U.K. Music Playlist here Subscribe on YouTube   CREDITS: Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek Guests: Shaad D’Souza @shaad, Mary in the Junkyard @maryinthejunkyrd Producer: Rob Sundermann  Editor: Adrian Bridges Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New from Nespresso. Blend wellness into your coffee routine with the coffee plus range, infused with functional benefits. Choose the coffee you love with added B vitamins, like coffee plus B12 to help support immune function, and coffee plus B6 to keep your day moving. Or go with the flow and choose ginseng delight. Our new double espresso with ginseng extract. Whatever lies ahead, don't change your morning. Let your morning change you.

Discover coffee plus on nispresso.com. What's with this band anyway? I don't get it. Can you please explain? Wait, like, Bansplaine? Hello and welcome to Bansplaine. I am your host, Yossi Salick. This is usually a show where I invite an expert guest on to help me explain a cult band or iconic artist. But today, we're doing something a little different.

Today we're talking about new music, specifically the best new music coming out of the UK right now. also please stick around after our chat where I will be interviewing a great new band out of the UK called Marion the Junkyard. The conversation is great. I think you'll enjoy it. My guest today is the brilliant music journalist, acclaimed editor of Shod Magazine and known Australian. Shod D'Souza. Welcome to the show, Shod. Yeah, not known Brit. Yeah.

But it's, you know, I've been most of my self. I've immersed myself in the culture. To get the elephant out of the room. It's still, what do you guys call it? The Commonwealth. It's still the Commonwealth. Australia famously was a colony of the UK. You know, there's still links.

A penal colony. Penal. Penal. Not as egregious as if I was like an American. But, you know, I don't claim to be the expert, but, you know, I've really kind of like on an anthropological level, maybe, have really immersed myself in the culture over the past few years of living here, so hopefully I can be a good guide. I think you're going to be great. I handpicked you. I think you are, you have your ear to the streets, you have your finger on

the pulse. You guys were recording boots on the ground in London, if you can believe that. We're recording white painted tabby tabby ballet flats on the ground. I know I didn't need to show off my red hot chili peppers tattoo and my, um, wait. I did wear, I did purposely like sort through my bag of band t-shirts and make sure I was wearing UK excellence today. Stone roses. Although, I also had a Portis head shirt I could have worn, which probably would have made a little more sense given what all of the bands that we're talking about. Not all of them, but you know what I mean?

A lot of the direction that more bands went. And like, you don't hear a lot of bands being like, I'm going to be the stone roses anymore. Well, I think maybe you do. I think maybe the ones that we've gravitated towards in terms of what we're talking about. would be more of kind of like a down-tempo vibe. Sure. But I think there's still a lot of, you know,

I can take you to like the blue posts in Soho where there's probably going to be a... I've been there, can you believe. I can't believe, yeah. There's probably going to be a band playing tonight that sounds like the Stone Roses. I think they had an oasis activation there. And I went.

Yes, I was also there. It was really... You were there as well? Well, I probably made it like 20 minutes. It was very loud inside. It was really loud. It was really hot. I was only there to get my free stuff. I wanted my swag bag and I nicked a champagne glass and I still have it.

I nixed the pine glass. Yeah. Thank you. I mean, what were they going to do? I'm going to throw them away anyways. Yeah, I know, yeah. Thank you to Adidas UK for inviting me for. Adidas UK recognizes my influencership.

Did they fly your book for it? No. I just happened to be here and someone caught wind of it and DM'd me on Instagram and invited me out. You know what? They're really good at that. And, you know, I say that because they're like the only brand that invites me to things. Right. So they have their finger also on the pulse because we are the people that are cool and should be amended to stuff like that.

They have their gazelles to the ground. They're gazelles to the ground, if you will. This episode is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing. If you saw the band when they played at the bar or stopped mid-festable to look at the stars, then you're ready to embrace the haze with hazy little thing. citrusy smooth and easy to drink, it pairs with nights that don't need a script. Brewed with the purest ingredients for finest quality, there's a reason it's America's best-selling hazy IPA. Embrace the haze with Sierra Nevada, hazy little thing.

Enjoy responsibly. Before we like dive into our, we're both bringing a list of, you know, our faves. I wanted to ask a couple of broader questions because, you know, I don't. know a lot about the UK or the London scene. I mean, I'm obviously a known anglophile, and I know a lot about perhaps what it was like in Manchester in 1989. Which I've noticed is actually kind of an increasingly common thing of like, I'm meeting more and more Americans who are like, oh, like, you know,

the British scene in like the 80s and 90s, like that's just like, you know, around the time of the Oasis mania last year, Suddenly all these kind of like Americans that I knew suddenly were revealing that they were kind of Anglophiles. I don't want to say I had a hand in it, but I'll say I did. Yeah. You guys have long, not you guys, you guys, have long held the tradition of guitar rock in high esteem. No one takes guitar rock more seriously than the UK. And I really respect that.

Like they're never going to let it die, which I love. Which is funny because also, like, that's the same as, like, no one takes dance music more seriously. And, like, in a lot of ways, no one takes hip-hop more seriously. It might just be that the UK likes music more than, like, music is kind of valued more. The arts. Yeah. Theater, music, not podcasting. I've heard they don't respect podcasting.

Okay. Well, my first question for you, Sean, is how do you go about finding new music? Like, what's your process, whether it's local to the UK or not? Everything for me has gotten so botched over the past few years, not like in terms of how music makes its way to me. You know, I feel like there used to be, I used to read a lot of like really small blogs, especially like in Australia. There used to be a bunch of really good ones that have since shut down. And like, yeah, it was very just kind of like feeling around and like, you know, a lot through the internet. I feel like way less so now.

Yeah. And like now it's almost always just asking people what they're listening to, looking at lineups of people who I like and seeing who they're playing with, like shared band members, stuff like that. It's almost always this kind of like very, like, it's almost like a social approach to finding music rather than any kind of like defined way. Because even like, you know, it's harder to like find common stuff on like band camp or whatever. anymore these days and like looking at people's

playlist like that yields less I find can I just say something you're 30th, 28 29 recently 29 recently happy birthday it's very funny because I'm like oh we're like inventing finding music from first principles which is like there were not internet or blogs so that is how people used to find music

shared bandbills in scenes but of course we We did have like monoculture. But also like indie music and like UK indie music, especially like was very like zines, like weekly music press, kind of like flyers. Like, you know, I feel like the, you know, I feel like part of why the UK had such kind of like booming music scenes or whatever is because like British media has always been such a big thing as well. So there have always been like dozens of magazines and stuff.

Do you feel that is still the case in terms of. terms of the media? Not really. Enemy still exists. Yeah, but like barely. Right. Melody maker, no. Melody maker, no.

Sounds, no. All the ones that I used to research my show are gone. Yeah, yeah. They're all gone except Enemy, which is like basically a whole different magazine now. Right. Which is like all of them. It's like how spin is.

And like they're just like, kind of like. I mean, I don't think Enemy is doing SponCon for the US Navy and stuff. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. So, you know, none of them. quite as bad as spin yet. It's rough.

Okay, so that's how you kind of go about finding things. And you are tapped in because you have a lot of friends that do music, and do you go to a lot of shows? Yeah. So many, too many. Like, this week, I'll probably only go to one or two shows, and that will be, like, that will be a respite week. Yeah. The rest of the summer, it's like, It gets so much.

Is only in the summer? No, no, no. All the time. Yeah, all the time. But that's, I mean, it's also the nucleus of your social life, right? Yeah, I guess so. Yeah. Like, yeah, gigs, clubs, bars.

Okay, my next question is, do you think there is, like, sort of in this, like, really fragmented post-internet world? like, is there a distinct British musical identity still? Or sound? No. I mean, I don't know that there ever was one probably, realistically, because as I said before, there's always been kind of like the dance music thing and, like, you know, hip-hop and, you know, so many different, and obviously, like, huge of, like, dub ragged and, like, you know, folk music, like, obviously, like British folk, the idea of kind of, like, yeah, the British folk tradition is really big as well.

But I guess I'm more mean like, okay, so, Brit Pop or, oh my God, why can't it, what is Dizzy Baskell? What, like, crime? Grime. Like, there are, there were certain, like, subgenres or genres that are, like, distinctly UK, right? Whereas, like, I personally have not happened upon that too much now. Like, one thing that really stuck out for me listening to all these artists is, like, a lot of them I had to, like, like confirm. I was like, they could be American.

Yeah. And that's an interesting one. I mean, like, it was interesting to me listening to the what I chose. Because I chose more American sounding ones. Yeah, but I also do feel like that kind of sound, that kind of like post Alex G maybe thing, like

a bit more shoeghazy, like a bit more American is coming in. But like, when I moved to London probably four years ago, but like four and a half years ago, it was like, and like it still is like this a lot of the time and actually I've got, I've gotten really a lot of shit for saying this but it's like there was like a period where it was just like

every other new band was just like this like shitty like post-punk band that was like doing the kind of like yelie like kind of a bit of like a post-dry cleaning thing but like with no personality and no real like attitude or point of view Yeah. And like, you know, it felt like the whole kind of like, this, I'm talking about London specifically, but the whole London scene was just kind of like, you know,

like a kind of like crowded, like baseline and like. The UK does love a talk thing really more than America, I think. Yeah, and like this like British post-punk thing that was going on, but like not post-punk in the kind of like 70s, 80s conception of it, but like this one, like, the idea of like post-punk as a genre specifically. Angular guitars. Yeah, angular guitars and like a yelly singer and like singing about like capitalism. Totally.

Totally. Which, like some people do really well. Like I said, like I think drag cleaning do that really well because they do something completely different. I really like idols. It's okay if you don't. And that's what you, and that's like something you really like. And that is something I really like.

But I feel like. either I've found ways around that or not every band sounds like that anymore. Totally. Now. But even so, like, that is still a lot of like what you will be getting on kind of like an average festival I know. I guess that's kind of heartening in the sense that like there is a strand of DNA that does run deep and continues on, you know?

Maybe. Look, look, something I wonder is like, so London in terms of music can feel very much like an, kind of like an industry town, but like for indie music. And for a while, I think after like dry cleaning, wet leg, a few other bands like that blew up. Yeah. I kind of like was wondering, like, do a lot of people see this as like a viable commercial path?

I was wondering whether there was like kind of a cynical aspect of doing the Yelie late capitalism a post-lunk thing. Like, you think, like, kind of the way, like, after the, like, sorry, I can only, everything goes through the lens of the 90s for me, because I'm old, but, like, the way that after Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Soundgarden blew up, you had, like, a litany of collective souls and, you know, seven merry threes or whatever, because, for whatever reason, it was like, okay, we can do that, too. Yeah, exactly, yeah.

That's kind of what I'm saying. But I feel like things are kind of broadening out more, or at least there's still so much else going on at the same time. No, I was really struck. I mean, I loved your list. And even when I was doing my research, I do feel like I found a lot of diversity and even what I like.

Like, it was kind of all over the math. And I was like, this is really cool. Yeah. Okay. I know this maybe might be less something you know about, but I do think you would know about it more than me. Are there still regional? scenes, like Bristol or, you know, I don't know, Manchester, or, like, are there certain

kind of clusters of scenes that have formed up around these areas? I wouldn't, look, I wouldn't be able to tell you, I wouldn't be able to give you, like, an expert view on what was happening. I do know, like, there are bands, like... From Manchester. There are bands. There are, like, cool bands. coming from those places, there's like a bunch of like really crazy electronic music coming

from Leicester, for example, or like, you know, kind of Manchester just outside Manchester, just outside Manchester, there's like quite a cool like electronic like club scene and stuff. I wouldn't be able to like give an accurate read on like beyond what, what I know of those places, whether there still kind of like specifically kind of like regional things going on. But I'm sure there are. But also at the same time, I'm sure, same with anywhere. It's like the internet has made a lot of these things so much more centralized. But yeah.

If you guys are in a local regional scene in the UK, just you can email us, bandsplain at gmail.com. I want to know about it. Okay, well, can you at least explain the windmill scene? This is really far away from my understanding. of things so So the windmill scene

The windmill is a venue The windmill Okay so the windmill Is a pub In South London That puts on live shows And it's kind of like Hard

They say it's like hard To put on a show there Why? Just because the The guy who books it It's like a You know It takes a very like

Curatorial Okay It's CBGBs Of South London Sure sure But it's like Next to a post office Okay

And I guess like A bunch of bands over the past, like, 10 years have really kind of, like, come up there, like, playing shows there. You know, like, Black Midi, I guess, like, shame. I guess. God, I try. I don't, look, I feel like it was kind of, like, done and dust by the time I moved here. So the windmill scene is over, is what you're saying?

It's dead in a ditch. Well. So last year. I don't want to claim authority on what is or is not the windmill scene. Okay. But like Black Country New Road, for example. But, like, I feel like now it's more something that people just, like, talk about. And apply as, like, a moniker or whatever.

Yeah, like, or, like, you know, publicists love to put in, like, member of the famed windmill scene. From my point of view, it's someone who moved to the UK after it was all done and dusted. It's just, like, a bunch of people who have, like, really weird, like, fractious relationships with each other who, like, stole each other's girlfriends and shit like that. So I don't want to lay any claims, like, knowing what it is or what it isn't. But, I mean, there's definitely, like, a lot of, like, great music came out of it, and, like, a lot of people who were kind of associated with it are still making kind of amazing music. But I'd say it's before my time in London, but I don't know.

Is there an equivalent happening right now? I don't know. You do know and you don't want to say it? Like is there a certain venue that you're like oh this place Reliably has great shows and I can just go there Any night and I'll probably see something good They definitely are okay but I don't know I don't know like whether they Whether that they're like the same kind of nexus of like culture that people saw the windmill as

But like for example like oh I don't necessarily want to blow up the spot because the other day someone this famous DJ post about it and then everyone was just complaining about it afterwards. But there's like a club in South London I love called Spanors and like reliably I can go there and see something great and like see something amazing there's a lot of like nights

that put on like really good like you know like scenic route atomizer sometimes scenic root is like a label and a knight and they put on shows that's so great or like atomizer

put on really good line arts Is Adamizer a night or a label or both? Is a night? Okay. That's very cool. And then, like, I go to the George Tavern, like, a lot. I heard that place is rad. The George Tavern?

Yeah. Yeah. It's really, well, it's a nice place to be, because it's kind of like this, like, this, like, busted old pub, and then it's got a huge garden. Okay. Like, my friends play there all the time. Like, there's... What neighborhood is that in? That's in Shadwell.

In Shadwell. That's your... Not Shadwell, yeah. Where's Shadwell? Shadwell is, like, so you were in White Chapel the other day. It's, like, just if you kept going. up that main road. Okay.

You'd get to Shadwell. Got it. You'd get to Georgetown. More east. Yeah. Okay. You've mentioned South London a bunch. Can you explain a little bit, for those who that don't know, including myself,

what the vibe of South London is, like, neighborhood-wise? Well, I... I'm sorry that I'm making you be, like, the represented... You know, you don't have to speak for all, you know, English people. Well, the thing is I'm trying really hard not to say anything that will get myself, like, get people will be like, what does he know? He's like only the... It's fucking Australian.

All of this is coming as my impression of this as someone new to the scene relatively. He's been on the scene for a mere slightly under five years. So there are lots of venues in South London and lots of venues in East London

and then probably like some but less so in like central and west. Okay. Because West London's like posh and not cool. Yeah, yeah. But it used to be a little bit cool because it was like Notting Hill and that was like

artist Bohemia like in the early 90s or 90s. Yeah, okay. So like everyone, like lots of people who would be like going to gigs or playing in bands would live in like East London or South London. I currently live in East. I used to live in South in Camberwell which was amazing. I loved it there.

Why did you leave? Because so my landlord who also owned the flat. Her dad, who's a famous actor, had bought her the apartment. And so... Oh my God, that's so L.A. Okay. She was like super crazy. And she evicted, um, she evicted me so that her friends from Ireland could move in. That's illegal. The housing market was really hard.

Um, well, she gave us out two months, but... Are you just allowed to... You can't do that in America. No, you can, well, you, I don't know. Are you sure? You, as far as I know, you could only... evict tenants if you're going to live there yourself. If you're the owner, and you're going to odor occupy? But she already lived there. Okay.

But I think you can evict tenants on a private lease. Anyway, it's not important. Okay, I'm sorry. Did you guys know? I'm sorry, this is so, who cares, but I just learned this and I'm shocked to my core by it, that there is a kind of ownership of property here called a leasehold. Oh, my God.

It's crazy. You own only the air? It's like someone else owns the land and the structure of your home, and you own the negative space within the structure. You own the... I don't... What would you even call that? Well, no. So it's not... It's... like, I feel like the way people define it is, like,

a leasehold would be like... So if you're buying somewhere, you can buy leasehold or freehold. Like, freehold, you're buying it in perpetuity. You're buying a house. you're buying it forever. Yeah. Leasehold, you're buying it for however long

the remainder of the leases. So often it will be like... But still somebody else owns the rest of it, right? Yes, often it will be like 999 years. You know. Often it will be like longer than you could ever possibly... But does that mean like if you wanted to put a sauna in your backyard, you're not allowed to do that

because the yard is owned by this other person? No, I think you're allowed to, but it's just a way of making sure that kind of like landed gentry or whatever. never all of landovers maintain their land. But it's a more, I'm pretty sure. Got it. Yeah, but it's crazy. This is unrelated to the UK music scene

is just kind of blown away by this information. Well, I'm, as someone who does not, does, has no... Ownership of property. Yeah, we probably won't get on the property ladder. I've been learning a lot about, for example, in New York, I found out, so you can buy your amazing million dollar flat or whatever. You're still facing probably like $6,000 in monthly maintenance fees. Yeah, if you're in a co-op.

Yeah. That's crazy. Like, you might as well just rent. This is not a real estate podcast, but there is different ways to look at it. If you rent, you do not accrue wealth. Right. Your home does not raise in, the whole point in real estate, especially in cities like New York and allies, over time, the property property increases in value.

Okay, right. Do you own your place? Yeah. That's awesome. It burned to the ground, if you'll remember. Oh, I do remember. I'm sorry. I didn't bring my tiny violin.

But I still on the land. Okay. Before we jump in, I said that already, but one more before we jump in, should we just kind of name check a couple of, like, too big for us to talk about right now? Do you know what I mean? Oh, okay. Because I'm like, you mentioned, like, wet, like, dry cleaning, wonder horse, for me is one that I really like that I think is not something I would talk about as like new emerging band because I think they're kind of like minted like or who else would you consider in that like world of UK bands that are kind of bigger than you know us maybe like stuff that people already know about yeah um do you mind if I just like do a little look through phone and then um I'm trying to think of like in the last like five to 10 years like who are

the big dogs that have emerged. Because, like, obviously, Whiteleg's killing it. We love dry cleaning. People love Wolf Alice. Wolf Alice had learned a festival out the other day. That's true. Wolf Alice is huge. Wolf Alice feels spiritually American to me in a way that I can't explain. I totally know what you mean.

You know what I mean? Well, yeah, it's interesting that what they're doing, a kind of like 70s-y kind of like. Yeah. It can feel kind of American. Oh, Youngblood. Is that? He's one of yours. Well, not one.

One of mine. Right, that's right. One of theirs. Yeah, like Kate La Bonn. Oh, sure. Love Kate La Bonn. Nilla for Yanya. Love.

Actually, Nilafer Yanya, I think, should be talked about more in my opinion. I agree. Well, she's one of those ones who I'm like, I think she actually is like really well-rated and is always consistently great. But maybe it's like just one of those people who, like, has actual fans, but people don't talk about her. Yeah. Well, it sounds, she seems like a critical. And then like a bit of it if you know, you know, at least in my experience in America or whatever, in my town. I think she plays big shows here.

I don't know whether it's a thing in America yet. She's wonderful. If you guys haven't checked out, Neil Friani, I'm really a big fan. This episode of Bansplain is presented by Sierra Nevada. Life's about embracing the haze. What does that mean? Living in the moment. Seeing where the night takes you, being up for the adventure.

And there's no better way to embrace it than with Hazy Little Thing by Sierra Nevada. Hazy, citrusy, smooth. Juicy, but not sweet. Hoppy, but not bitter. America's best-selling hazy IPA for good reason. Hazy Little Thing. Enjoy responsibly. Why don't you tell me a bit about Marianne the Juncker?

I would say they're kind of like, they're very like South London scene right now. They just released their first album, Role Model Hermit. Yeah. I really like it. I would say it kind of pushes into what we were talking about a bit before, like pushes into a bit more of that kind of American post-Alex-G thing a little bit.

But it still has like obviously a very British sensibility. Yeah. What did you connect to about it? Well, I love sad music. And I love sort of, I love whimsy when done. well. Yeah. Like, I think there's a way that whimsy can be really annoying, and there's a way that whimsy can be really, like, dreamlike and sort of, like, fantastical and immersive, and I feel

like they do that version, and I really like that. Yeah. And it feels very youthful, but not in a way that's, like, naive necessarily. It's just, like, very... Yeah. I mean, it's, you know, I think the best rock music sounds youthful because it's young people make rock music and the sort of preoccupations of really good rock music are youthful concerns you know and I think they do that really well um yeah I was I was struck by I think the first song I heard was is that the single blood yeah it's one of the singles I think fucking fire yeah god tear of that Love it. I like her voice.

I only learned later about their propensity for paper and boucher stage craft. Yeah. Have you seen this? I've never seen them live. Okay. I'm really into that. Again, something that could probably go south if you do it too much or in a weird way, but I like it. Well, do you like that band Snooper?

Who? Snooper. I don't know them. You would love Snooper. Okay. Writing it on. And they have big pekinchet heads. Or they wear them when they perform.

No, they just seem to have videos. I'm not sure whether they have them on stage. Love that. But they're really good. I was thinking about this the other day because I don't know if you, did you notice that for some reason the Bat for Lashes video was going around on the internet again? Which one? What's a girl to do?

Is that the song? Oh, yeah. The one on the bikes? Yes. And I was like, wow, we really went through a hardcore period of people being obsessed with animal masks. Yeah. Heads, masks.

Because it's a bit of that, like, glam, like, it's like original indie sleeves era. 100%. Yeah. 100%. I noticed they're on a label that is known for signing Olivia D. All my friends? Yeah. I didn't know they had Olivia Dean.

I know that they spent big on Dove Ellis. I love Dove Ellis. He's not part of this conversation because he's Irish and I've learned that that's different. Look, he lives in, I want to say he lives in Manchester. But he is an Irish person. But he's Irish. but he's Irish, yeah. And that's not the UK?

No, that's not the UK. That's for your Ireland. That's my Ireland special. Because I actually do love, there's a bunch of bands that I have in my list that I put at the bottom that are Irish that I would like to talk about when we could do like a maybe special on that later

with an Irish person. Okay, what about number two? Not number two, we're not ranking, but a second one for you. A second one for me. I really like this band, curbside lambsier. I love that name.

Yeah, because it's, I mean, it gets stuck in your head. Yeah. Just like, so it's one of the members from Caroline, this band that will come to see, I think, has a lot of fingers in a lot of these. I need you to explain to me why there's a person from Caroline in like eight of these bands that we're going to talk. Are these artists that we're going to talk about? Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I feel like they're just like very prolific collaborators and like very very, very. what they do is very

unique. Like Caroline itself is like, I guess you'd call it post rock, but it's a lot more maybe like pastoral than that would come across. Pastoral you say? Yeah. Can you explain what you mean by pastoral? Like, you know, it's like it's like a very like natural world kind of post rock.

Okay. You know, like Earthy. Yeah, earthy, yeah. This song is very earthy, but I feel like maybe touches on more of like ethereal isn't the right word, but it's... I wrote entrancing. Yeah, it's just very kind of like hypnotic. Hypnotic, exactly.

Kind of like, I guess it's like a kind of folk music, but I wouldn't necessarily call it folk music. I wrote Kill Yourselfcore. Yeah. Interesting because I wouldn't. Which is a compliment. Yeah, I wouldn't call this Kill Yourselfcore, but I know what you mean. But I love it. Yeah.

Yeah. I really, really like that. Do they both sing? I think so. Because it's two Austrian women. I can't speak to where they're from. I believe they're Austrian-born. Annabelle Maudlinger and Magdalena McLean.

Such great names, by the way. They have really great, really great singing voices, and if they are singing together, it works really well. Yeah, so this song is on Scenic Group, which I mentioned before, which is like a knight that puts on really good shows, but there's also a label. and so like Mark William Lewis who you might be familiar with was on the scenic group and then it's now signed to A24 music and he's good he's really good he's really good God I don't know anything it's okay not a why I like didn't know any of the songs you picked yeah um which I was like this is exciting to me that right well my methodology for finding things is like so bizarre but what is it it's really um algorithmic you're Googling UK

Yeah, like UK bands Kill Yourself Music. No, I like, I know there's ones that like cross my desk organically like through friends or like I got really into, I don't even know how I found it.

I'm gonna, I'll talk, maybe I'll just talk about it now since are you done with. Yeah, yeah. There's a band I've talked about for a while called Most Things. Okay. I don't have any understanding of how I found this band. It was like very organic and natural. Which is

interesting to me. Because they're tiny. Well, no, but also because this is one of those bands where before their first single came out, I got a PR email about it. Interesting. Yeah, which is really interesting to me because then you listen to it and the whole vibe is very like, oh, this is just like, whatever. Yeah, but I, okay, can I say that I, I went and saw them play when I was here? I loved it. And I met the guy, Tom Gray, who's like, I think the main guy. Yeah. He does, he has a bunch of, music projects and it is very much like whatever like it's clearly like this is just a guy who like loves to make music and the record the label he's on or they're on so young yeah which i really

like what they're doing is really cool this is this is another thing i feel like so young is is is kind of like it's own scene kind of has kind of established itself as as kind of this like um chronicler of like of the of the of the of the young scene or whatever i mean I mean, it's been around for ages at this point. Has it? Yeah. I was like, I feel like maybe it's been around for like 10 years at this point. Wow.

But they put on like free shows that are really good. They have a magazine. There's a magazine. It started as a magazine. Yeah. They put on free shows. Like, I feel like they, it's a very good like platform for like young bands. It feels very earth is healing to me.

Like, yeah. I hear about like a cool magazine is now putting out music and making a scene around. This is like, oh, we're, we're so back. Yeah. And I'm also, whenever like, like, that their emails about like next issue or whatever if I'm flicking through the website or whatever. I'm like, I can tell that I'm like, oh, this is just stuff that you like went out and like found. Which is really cool.

It feels really. So again, I don't know how I came across it, but I love it. And I love it because I'm very, I'm a sucker for like bass and drums. Like simple. I love the Minutemen, you know. And to me, there's like a strong Minutemen through line here, but British, like very British. Like the song, Shops about going to the Shops is very. And I know it might touch upon your late capitalist thing.

But I think there's a little more whimsical and a little more simple, you know? Well, this also, it feels very Australian to me. Totally. Like very, like, Sleeper and Snake, Terry, like those kinds of bands. I don't know those bands, but I'm going to look them up because that's what it sounds like. They're kind of like total control offshoot. I love you. You know how I feel about total control.

But yeah, I really love it. And I think maybe because of that, other things started to come into my algorithm, maybe. And then that, as much as I wish this wasn't the case, it kind of works. Like, you click around, like a thing that really works on, I can't speak to another music platform because I don't use them. I only use Spotify. But you start to make a playlist. And then things that it recommends you tend to be really good. And you go to the radio of the song and the things tend to be really semi-good, like, related artists tend to lead you to good places.

Because the related artist one is the most organic because the same people that like the thing you're listening to also listen to that. So you're like our taste might be the same. That's something like if I'm looking to like sketch out kind of like a scene or like just see in terms of research of like how to situate someone. I find that quite helpful. Yeah. So I think a lot of what I found was through those methodologies. is not Google UK bands good. But yeah, anyways, my choice is most things.

They put out an album last year. It was called Big Time. And it's good. I think you guys should listen to it. I got a band called Visit Me. Great name. What did you think of this? Okay, I really thought I wouldn't like this.

And then I did like it despite myself. Yeah. Because it's like, this is a whimsy that is a little like children's music. Yeah. But it's like fucked up haunted children's music and then I liked it. And it's also kind of, it's like serious, but it's also a little rudimentary, but then it's also not. Totally. This is, I've tried to identify where they're from.

I think they're based in London, but I think maybe they grew up around Cambridge. That's what I found. This was a recommendation from, do you know, Matt McDermott? No. He works for 4-D. Cool. And he lives in L.A. You guys should really meet.

Matt McDermott, send an email of Banceplanetumetcom. You guys would like each other. But, yeah, he has the best taste, and he sent this to me a few months ago. But, yeah, I just, I find something very compelling about, like, it's, like, really small-scale music, but it feels built out to me. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, it's, I guess it's like, that's just, it's just, like, true minimalism in that it doesn't feel empty. It just feels like, a good.

And it kind of follows on from that curbside, lamsy a thing of, like, a bit, like, yeah, like, haunted, like, atmospheric. Totally. I think I really, what I really liked about it was that it's really unusual. Yeah. Like, I have not heard much that sounds like this. No, totally. Which is that doesn't happen to me very often, so I was like, oh, okay. Yeah.

Visit me. What do you have? What do I have? I have a woman named Izzy Wood. Oh, yeah? You might know about her. I do know about her. Izzy's my friend, although do you feel like you have to disclose when someone's your friend when you recommend their music?

I will be disclosing that a few times on my playlist. I'm friends with a lot of bands that I am a proponent of. And actually, many times the friendship occurred after I started doing their proponent. It's just what happens when you're into music. Me too. So I don't find it. conflict of interest, if you will. But I love Izzy's music.

I always have. She is honestly really fucking annoyingly, like an incredibly incredible and incredibly successful painter and then also is good at music. And I'm like, God, let's like spread it around, you know? The gifts.

But it's very like, for those that you have not listened, It's very like tonally dry, like the very witty lyrics. Pretty like, there's no metaphor here. You know, this is all like self-disclosure, like journalistic. Yeah, but not in a... I feel like her lyrics are like genuinely funny in a way that often it doesn't land. 100%.

You mean it doesn't land? Like some people don't get it. No, like some people trying to do it. this kind of lyric, often it won't Latin, but I feel like it often does for Izzy. She's so funny. And she's a good singer, and it's like, it is

kind of like, the music's kind of unusual. It's like wonky, R&B pop. But like, also like very like kind of lo-fi. I love it. She has a new EP coming out

I think next month called The Blame Part 7. This is her 7th. EP called the blame, which is so cool. But yeah, I'm a big fan of Izzy Wood, personally as well as artistically. I guess I'll do one that I will also disclose. They paid you to come. No, this is a band called Crazy Paving. Okay, oh my God. Okay, this was my favorite out of your entire playlist. And I was like, there's nothing about these people or person online. I couldn't find one single piece of information and I'm like I need to know more I'm I'm obsessed so this is and this is one of those ones where it's like I don't you don't know you're friends with them so you can talk more but are they

you're not a lot Robbie okay you know how when someone's like oh come see blah blah blah blah's band and it's like a friend's band and you're like expecting it to be kind of bad first time I saw crazy paving I was like this is like so good um and just like just like these like immaculately written like indie rock, indie pop songs. Great lyrics. Yeah, really good lyrics, like really funny, really melodic, just like nicely produced. Yeah, he's in a bunch of other bands. He like does like...

So it's just one guy? Well, no, it's like there's other people as well, but he's like the main songwriter. The end of, yeah. The song you put on the playlist and also you guys, we will link a playlist with both of our choices in it in the show notes. So you don't have to like sit with a pen and paper. But the song you put on was called Phone Tap and amazing. In the time honored tradition of I've never had a job because I never wanted one. Yeah. Yeah. I guess it's like slack a rock. But as often the case with like slack a rock, then it's like the most kind of like perfect pop song.

I don't think I've ever heard anybody and this might be a blind spot for me, but I don't think I've heard anyone. use in lyrics in this economy. But that's in this song and it's awesome. Yeah. It's just a really, I'm glad you liked it. I really, it was, it was, I wrote here, this was my favorite. Yeah.

I'm awesome. I want to talk about lugs. Lugs. Yeah. I could not find a lot about this band. The song I put on the place is called Seweed and it's really giving the dream of the 90s is alive in Doncaster. Do you know what I mean? Like, it's

yeah, it's just like really 90s. Oh, so it's in like Yorkshire. Okay. In the north, like outside Sheffield. Okay, cool. Yeah. This is probably one of those songs that I think you could make the argument that it could be an American band because it is so that sort of like lineage of 90s alt, like lightly grunge. But that's my fucking shit babe and I love it.

Yeah. And that's great. And I again, it's three guys, Patrick Goss, Nathan Lynch and Tom Beals. And that's really all I could find about them. music is good I liked it It was in a particular run of a few songs Where I was like

Okay It's Yossi 4 Yassi's really found her Yeah Like her American bands in the UK Totally All right What you got babe

I got Should we go just like total Different vibe? Yeah change it up John Glacier Oh yeah I liked that a lot Yeah

So this is kind of like She's like She's signed to Excel So it's like Probably a bit bigger than a lot of the bands on this, you know, discussion. Yeah. But I feel like still a bit, like, not necessarily broken through yet.

Right. But she released a really good album last year. And then this year just released the song, Bond Girl. And it's kind of, like, kind of hip-hop. Sometimes it feels like she's doing kind of a spoken word thing. Yeah. Just, like, really, like, vibey and cool. It bangs. Yeah, just like bang.

is and she's like a model as well and has been in like burberry campaigns and stuff and just like God I see what you do for other people Yeah and like I think she's got something coming out with the afflaches and like I was saying the avalanches are really like

crushing their collaborations lately Yeah I mean always Yeah they really know how to pick them But yeah just I really I think she's just got so much like presence I like how she rhymed Bond Girl with Gone Girl Yeah

It's good It's good stuff Yeah, I read that she is sort of like in the world of like shy girl and Dean Blunt. Like these are kind of like tourmates collaborators. Is that correct? I don't really know. I don't know necessarily that she has like an easily situatable scene. I know she's from East London originally.

Cool. I wouldn't say Yeah You wouldn't say she's like part of some known Not as easily linkable as like Actually someone we should have talked about is Joanne Robertson, do you know? No, it's not too late we're still here

Well yeah so like Joanne Robertson, someone who has released a bunch of really great records over the past few years Makes a lot of music with like Dean Blunt Elias Ron and felt Kind of like in that world of just kind of like Spacey like folk rock kind of thing.

Because Dean Blount I mean, Elias Renfell album was one of my favorites of last year I was like

in my top 10 yeah and she has a club record with the two of them as well that came out

this year I think but yeah she's really quite great she's quite fab oh she's

British yeah awesome um okay John Glacier good stuff yeah

what do you got for us well this one this is actually a funny one I had had this artist on a couple of playlists prior, and I had no idea they were British. Not because I thought they were American. It just didn't cross my mind to look up where they were from.

And it's, is it RIP magic or is it RIP magic? RIP magic. RIP magic. So this will be a bit of a... Yeah, there's a little thing here. Oh, wait. What? Do you have like a conflict?

No, well, it's not a conflict. You work for them. You're in the band. No. I live with Marco from our IP Monday. You do! That's cool. Okay, oh, well, Marco, as you saw in two of my bands.

Yes, yeah. So Marco, good for you. Good job, Marco, whatever you're smoking. Yeah. I love, well, you know, I fucking love the Happy Mondays. Yes. I didn't know that, but I could have guessed. Yeah, you could have guessed.

And to me, the couple of, they've only put out a couple singles, right? They put out an EP. An EP, right, right, okay. That screw dark song, it's really like, hello and welcome back. Happy Mondays, you've been resurrected in a new form. I love it. I'm really into it. Had, again, not one single idea that they were British.

Yeah. Well, it also, it doesn't, like, sound British. But then when you know about, like, all the other kind of things, they do it, like, it makes a lot of sense. Well, I was kind of surprised because, sorry. which is I'll just do them both since Marco is in both of them. Yeah, sorry sounds very British. Sorry is a totally different vibe. Like, it doesn't sound related to RIP Magic at all.

Well, Marco isn't one of the primary songwriters in, sorry. Okay, he's just plays in it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then he fronts RIP Magic. Yeah, so RIP Magic is like him, his friend Felix, and then Pedro and then... Asha. Sorry, sorry, I was doing R. Oh, you were doing RIP, sorry.

Beth. Got it, got it. Beth Boswell and they. Yeah. Yeah. I have it at my notes. I love Sari. Sorry's on Domino, so they're also doing okay.

They put out, they've been out for a little while. Yeah, they've been out. They just really said third album last year, I think. But I hadn't heard of them. I guess. They're like really good. They're really good. They're really good.

They're really good. Well, what really fucking got me, because this is like you put a mouse cheese trap for Yassie, was the song that samples guided by voices, Hot Freaks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just fucking pump it into my veins. You might as well. It's so good. I think the jet plane is the name of the song.

Anyways, it's fucking awesome. You guys should check it out. I actually, maybe Shod can do it. I can't describe this band. Sorry? And I don't know what to say what they sound like. It's kind of like post-punk, but kind of like street urchin-y and really like built up.

sound and like I don't know how and the vocals do a lot for it in terms of like making it feel really like grimy and kind of like it's kind of like unnerving music it reminds me a little of

like Delta 5 or like Bush Tetras like that you know what I mean they have a new song called Tom will smack your ass and it's so good you guys there's something screwy about it I'm just going to screwy 100%

um this song song is amazing. You guys got to listen to it. There are the funniest lyrics. It's about, you know, where have you gone? Have you gone to get with Tom Tom? And then there's a little line about Tom will get you drunk on the finest wine with his aunt in the countryside on the English Pride. And they all sit around listening to some Tom York B sides. She fucking clocked his ass. She clogged Tom's ass. It's great. Love it. I'm so, well, I don't know. There's a lot I haven't heard of. But it seems like this is like, it's their time.

Also, I saw Greene, is that how he's going to say his name? Greene Chattenden from Fontaines. Yeah. Was like really obsessed with them. Oh, really? And said they're amazing. You didn't know that. I remember.

Is this you stopping yourself from saying something mean about Fontaine's? No, I love Fontaine's. They're amazing. New from Nespresso. Blend wellness into your coffee routine with a coffee plus range, infused with functional benefits. Choose the coffee you love with added B vitamins. Like coffee plus B12 to help support immune function, and coffee plus B6 to keep your day moving.

Or go with the flow and choose ginseng delight. Our new double espresso with ginseng extract. Whatever lies ahead, don't change your morning. Let your morning change you. Discover coffee plus on espresso.com. Hear that? It's your money calling. It wants a promotion.

Elevate your savings with the Scotia high-interest savings account. Always earn high regular interest rates that grow the more you save and invest. Conditions apply. Visit scotiabank.com slash h-i-sa to learn more. Scotia Bank. You're richer than you think. What do we want to talk about? We could do like World Peace DMT and the FEM cells.

Yeah. Okay, cool. So did you have any familiarity with these bands before this? The Fem Cells, I had heard the name. Yeah. I've never heard World PSD. Yeah. Great name though. So.

Or Rowan, please. Is that the other artist that's all that song that you put? Rowan Please is, okay, so last year, World Peace, DMT released. Oh, Rowan is in the Favan Sal's God. So last year, World Peace, TMT released this album, developed Underground, and Rowan. So, so good. Amazing. So good. So already it's like, okay, great. Even if the album's shit.

I'm in. I don't care. Yeah. But the album is like so good. Now Rowan's officially a member of Well Peace DMT. Okay. But then Rowan also has a band called the Fem cells. They're all kind of like associated with like bass victim. Right.

If that means anything to you. I love base victim. Yeah. So I would say I think bass victim are like good. Maybe they're good. Probably not as like, I don't, I don't see it as much as like the hype suggests. But I like love World Peace DMT and the Fem cells especially. I feel like they do are really, you know, with World Peace at least, like with the Velvet Underground and

Rowan. I feel like there's this effort to like kind of like, you know, dredge up the memory of like the late 2000s and make it really cool. Okay. In what sense? Like what bands are you thinking of? I'm thinking about like, like with bass victims, I'm like, or like snow strippers or whatever. I'm like in, you know, it's kind of like Crystal Castles, like, in these leases, whatever. World Peace, I feel like does this thing where it's like the references are from that era. like not cool. Okay.

Like the detritus that like people want to forget like Darwin D's group love. Like, um... People really are still thinking about group love, I think. Well, not me. I was trying to forget. Yeah. I think they had some great songs. But anyway, like it's this really...

Like Edward Sharp and the Magnetics Heroes. Yeah, yeah. But then... But then it also kind of sounds like sun tongs, you know. Yeah. And I was just like, just like last year, a friend just put me onto that record. And then I just found that I couldn't stop listening to it. Like, it's so euphoric and funny and, like, ironic, but not in a way that makes me feel empty inside.

Right, right, right, right. And then the Femcells album as well, it's, like, kind of a lot more kind of, like, glitchy and, like, hyperactive and poppy and stuff. But I think they're, like, actually really funny writers. The project itself is a bit crazy. Like I went to their, like, album launch earlier this year, and they just hit play on the album, and they just kind of danced and, like, half-heartedly pretended to lip sync.

I love that. Go on, C, C, give us nothing. Yeah. And then I saw them also, again, Charlie X, X, X, brought them out of a show a couple of months ago. And I think that kind of did, like, a similar thing. But... You know what I was thinking of when I was listening to them,

and I really did like it? it's like horny, moldy peaches, but on speed. Yeah, so people, so people, so people, so people calling it laptop tweet. Yeah, it's like freak folk, but like, like, computerized. Yeah, which, yeah, which I like. Digital freak folk. Yeah, which I like get. Yeah.

And I guess much in the same way, much in the same way that a lot of people fucking hated freak folk, I think a lot of people just like will not give this. a bar, you know? I am a huge proponent of freak folk. As a my. Very funnily, like, I just thought of it, because my friend Patrick Sandberg has been on the show many times. We've been traveling together. I don't know why we were talking about. I kept bringing up Alabama, Arkansas, you know, and he was like, say their name. It was just so funny the way you said, like, as if it was like a victim of a crime. I was like, okay, Edward Sharper's me. But I think I was, that was not what I was

talking about, because I don't need to, no one needs to defend that. But I was trying to, I was talking about Neutral Milk Hotel and he was like, I'd just absolutely kid all fucking do that. And I was like, I need you to understand. I don't need you to like it, but I need you to not put it in the same category as like the Mumford End Sons. Because we are talking about- It is different. It's like, it's not, neutral milk hotel especially is like, it's not stump clap. No, it's like psychotic. It's like, it's like insane. It's very like, out, it's outsider art, you know, like, it's like a guy who was obsessed with Anne Frank and loves God and, like, took a banjo and made this, like, psychotically beautiful, to me

anyways, work of art, like, it's nothing, it, it might have wrought a bit of that, you know? Yeah, I think probably a lot of people took the wrong lessons from it. Yeah. The washboard. Yeah. And you feel that people are not fucking with the fem cells due to their aversion, not to neutral black hotel, but freak folk in general. Well, I've tried to be like, oh, I think this Femcells record is really good, and people will be like, oh, like, aren't they just kind of like irony poisoned, you know, edge lords? And it's like, well, I guess you would think that from their name. Right.

But I find the music so much more. I think the name is so clever, actually. The Femselves. Yeah. I guess. I love it. But, like, it's like, it's so much more earnest and, like, so much more. like real music than it would imply, you know.

I think it's great. Yeah. Huge fan. I'm really quite into it. All right. What have I got for you? The healing power of horses. Yeah.

I love it. I do tend to think that people use the term trip hop a bit too liberally. Would you agree with this statement? I would. I would. But then also, I feel like it's ill-defined. even when you go back and start thinking about it. Because it's not real. Yeah.

It was never a real. Totally. Like hyperpop. Like, yeah. My equivalent would be how hyperpop is never real. But I kind of do you feel like the healing power of horses does qualify as trip hop to me. Yeah. Yeah.

Like, at first I was like, I don't know. And then I was like, no, there's like a distinct sensibility. I mean, to me, what I think about when I think about true pop is the 90s. So I'm like a distinct type of 90s electronic based. music and I'm like, I hear it here. Yeah, and it's a little bit Kill Yourself Core as well. Totally. But like But with a beat. Yeah, like

this band, it's like, it's like a bit like sexy but like unpleasant. Yeah, they're also like really mysterious. They have no like it's, you might know because you're more top of time, but like there's no information about who is in this band. They're not, their photos are like super up close where you can't

see their faces. I don't know why, but I'm, I guess that's cool. Yeah, I feel like a lot of bands are just doing the mysterious thing again, which is like just a whole, I guess it's just a whole different thing. There, I mean, couldn't be me a love attention. They are signed to the same label as RIP Magic. Um, which is section, section one, which is sort of a partner of partisan. Offshoot of, offshoot of partisan. Yeah. With a lot of, with lots of money. Partisan is killing it. Is it, you think the money is because of partisan? Well, partisan, I feel like, because it's like one of the newer indie labels.

Yeah. Everyone, all the, like, old indie labels kind of see it as this kind of like, even if it's not necessarily like VC funded, they see it as like the equivalent of like VC money coming into India. No, I think it's like, no, that's, no, but then. If I had to guess. Well, that's what I always say. It's like, yeah, no, it's just like they just hit it big with like one really good, not whatever, one really like. Cigots, idols, geese.

Yeah. Like, they. just like know how to pick my beloved blonde shell assigned to them. Yeah. PG Harvey is on partisan now. Yeah. Yeah.

I think they're great. I think they're, they seem to be a really great label and they seem to be really artist supportive and I like like just, you know, in our world of dealing with labels, like I quite like dealing with them. I think the people that work there are really cool.

Yeah. I'm really, I like to. I'm pro-partisan. I don't know anyone at Section 1, but I'm into like all their signings. Yeah. As am I.

I'm pro-partisan. Yeah, I'm pro-partisan. It's just always, I'm sure you get this. People just always act weird when you bring them up. I don't talk to anybody. If I never bring up partisan, it never comes up in conversation. Yeah. But anyways, I love the Healing Power Forces.

I've listened to a bunch of their, whatever they have out. It's not a lot. It's like a couple singles, but they have an EP. They're one of those ones where I've been... You meant to investigate. No, like I've listened to a couple of songs, and then it was always just kind of a wait and stuff. see for me. Yeah. You know, I reckon they could either, I could either end up really liking it or

end up being like, you know, and part of that is the anonymous thing. Right. I find it a little difficult. I need something to grab on to. And also because sometimes I'm like, what is the function of this? Like, is it to keep me interested maybe when there's not as much there as you as you're saying there is? And I don't know whether that's true, but it's like, I'm always just being a cynic about these things. So that's why I'm always like, let me wait on until there's more to grab onto, because otherwise, what am I responding to? Because, you know, I'm just, I'm a lemming.

I love that you're a cynic. I'm the opposite. I'm like, Pollyanna. I'm like, this is great. I love it. I love that I don't know what you are. But also, what you're saying is totally right in the sense that, like, I could fully forget about this band. Honestly, a lot of what we've talked about because what we're talking about now is, like,

largely early stage bands that only have, like, a little bit of music out. So, like, I'm excited by, like, a couple of songs, but it's going to take a full album to make me, like, committed to the project. Yeah, it reminds me of, and actually, you know, lately, I'm interested to know whether you've been feeling this way as well. The past, like, maybe, like, year or so, it's really been reminding me of, like, early 2010's, like, early kind of, like, blog music era.

Blockhouse? No, no, not even blog house. but like, you know, when like one single could like get best of music and then suddenly everyone was like, oh, this band, this band, this band. And then they'd release like three really good singles and then they'd totally fall off a cliff. I was not paying attention during that time. Yeah. But I just remember there were so many bands who would be like, oh my God, they'd have like one

great song and suddenly all the blogs would be writing about them. Then they'd be like, you know, hips runoff. They'd be like the main character for like three weeks. And then they'd kind of like disappear for a while. Yes. There is one version of this that I still listen to the one song all the time. It's a classics remix, Yacht. Yeah, no, yeah.

Psychic City Classics remix was just an eternal banger, but I could not tell you one other Yacht song. And Yacht was totally one of those main characters of Hipster Runoff for O'L, right? Well, because we were talking about this the other day. Were we? Oh, Yacht was lightly canceled. They were lightly canceled for pretending that someone had broken into their hard drive and leaked their sex tape. And then they were like, no, we leaked it. We leaked it ourselves.

Wow, we're really keeping the ancient texts alive here. Damn, nobody remembers that. I remember. You remember. Okay, so I know what you're talking about. There was like a whole era of like... But there was an era where it was like, people could get so interested based on like one single.

Yeah. And I feel like that that's happening again now a little bit, whereas like someone will release a single and suddenly it'll be like, bam, like everyone's like so excited about it. Why do you think that is? Do you think there's just like, a hunger for newness? Yeah, I think that.

I think the, I think there's like a lot of money flowing in and out of indie music now again. After maybe like a brief period of, obviously it's been that way for, for a while, you know, there's been, but like, I don't know, I feel like there's just similar to the early 2010s,

it's like the, the kind of veil between like indie music and like the mainstream is like the thinness. it's ever been again. Totally. Totally. Well, yeah, because even the one we talked about, Mary in the Junkyard, that all my friends label is somehow virgin.

Yeah. Right? So it's like, it's back to the thing where it's like a lot of things are major labels in disguise. Yeah. Maybe not even disguise, but like a emissary. No, totally. Which is great because they have funding, you know.

know, I would not begrudge any band funding. No, no, no, or no. Yeah, that's really interesting. Yeah, well, reveal the masks, the healing power forces. I actually also just really like the name of the band. Yeah. All right, what do you got? We can do these ones together.

They're ones that I added this morning. Oh, okay. Well, you're getting in full beat. I really liked Kieran Leonard. to talk about Kieran Leonard? Oh, we can talk about Kieran Lennard. I loved Kieran Lennard. Yeah.

So Kieran Lennard, I put on two songs because what he does kind of like spans like a lot. One was with a collaborator. Yeah, so one is Ors Sobre Blow, which he does with this guy, Ubaldo. And that's kind of like an ambient guitar project, released on Strom, which is like my favorite label in the world right now. This Belgian label that's putting out like so much amazing experimental music. but also like yeah

but anyway so that that album came out earlier this year I really really like it um he also released a record

two years ago called um when we find it's name called real home which is kind of like more traditional almost like

Jonathan Richmondy like um indie rock it sounded more I was like it's kind of smithsy yeah

it might also be his vocal tone is very like maybe not tone Maybe it's his like delivery. Yeah. But it's a little more as yesk. Yeah.

That's a yes for me, you know? And then he also plays on the My New Band Believe record. Okay, and that's your best friend. No. No. That's a friend. But I feel like, again, kind of became friends after. After you were a fan.

After I was a fan. Yeah. Yeah, Kieran, kind of like, uh, Wondekins, kind of like teenage Wondekins. He's young? Well, no, he started, when he started releasing music. Okay. Maybe like 10 years ago he was like, I think he was like 14 or 16 or something. And right, making these like really complex kind of like crazy indie rock songs.

Okay, awesome. But yeah, just like has a lot of different guises and modes and stuff. But it's just like really talented. I've been just like very interested in like what he. I'm on Karen Leonard Watch now. Yeah. Thanks to you. Do you want to talk a little bit about my new band beliefs?

That is. it was black midi but black mini doesn't exist anymore they had a big non-existing situation yeah okay but black midi was super popular super popular I never cared for it and I didn't also I didn't connect with it but it was like massive right

did they get like Mercury Prize for it listed or something it feels like they did in my mind I don't know again it's a little before my time in the UK but I never liked it really just like not the kind of I always felt it was like a bit too smart or something for my P-Brain, but also in a way that was like smart about its smartness kind of. And then I happened to be at Genghis Cohen.

Oh, sure. And Cam, my new band believe, was playing a solar show. Maybe this was like maybe two years ago or like early last year or something. So the old gangus gone on Fairfax. relocated. I thought it just shut down. Yeah. Okay, cool. Well, yeah, so the old one, and I was like, holy, so I went to the show,

I was like, holy shit, this is like amazing, like, kind of like, to me, reminded me of like Joanna Newsom and like I love Joanna Newsom. Yeah, like really kind of like proggy, like lyrically dense and like beautiful like folk music, that kind of thing.

And then this year he released his debut album as My New Band Believe. Right. Clever. Yeah. And it's like, again, like, it still reminds me of that, but also like a bunch of other kind of like crazy stuff.

Like a lot of kind of like proggy, like British folk from the 70s and like... Very like... The song you put on is called Actress. Yeah. It's nine minutes long. Yeah. I loved every second of it. And it's like a banger.

But it's like, it was like a banger. But it was the one where I, when I first was listening, I wasn't paying attention. I was like, is this an really old song? Yeah. Because it does sound like it could be like straight from the 70s. Yeah. But also it's like, I need to be sitting beside a window, mooning, gazing wistfully, drinking like a thick-bodied red wine and smoking a cigarette, having interiority.

But then also kind of like falling down a hill, you know, like when it really gets into it. Yeah, then you're like tumbling down the... Yeah. Yeah. I just think, like, that's probably the record I've like returned to most this year just in terms of like, I find it like so smart, lyrically, so complex and interesting. Yeah, and then, yeah, so Kieran Leonard contributes to that record as well. And Cam Picton was in Caroline.

No, he was in Black Middy. He was in Black Middy. A bunch of the people from Caroline play on this album. So it's all coming back, all coming back around. Great. And then the other Black Middy guy, Jordy Grape. Right. He released an album last year, which I also liked, not as much.

It kind of like has a kind of like Lys Minelli goes to Brazil thing going on. It's tough. Or like Judy Garland goes to Brazil thing going on, sorry. Okay. Her mother, not her daughter. Yeah. Which I like, but it's also

but I don't like it as much. But I also think it's good. Gorge. Love that. Why don't I have so many on my list? How did I find so many bands? Okay, this one is interesting. Um, the North. Do you know this?

Only from listening to it on your playlist. It is a Leeds based or from Leeds, four piece. One of the guys in my research, the guitarist, his name is Kobe Greggs. It said he was discovered on TikTok playing Stone Rose's covers, so we didn't manage to bring it back here. That's cool. Maybe this is the close. The North is the closest to someone kind of taking up the mantle of like, Brit pop. Not that this one

versus a Brit Pop, but whatever they helped ring rock, Brit Pop. I really like this song. It's like very kind of straightforward rock, but with like a slight early

2000s tinge to it. It's called Rollo. It's the song that I found. I remember thinking it's probably of everything in our lists combined. It's probably the most like enemy yeah yeah

like classic like enemy which we don't have a lot of that on here but this probably is that yeah and I also thought

it was just really bold that they're just calling the band the north so great yeah they are on the same label as Wonderhorse

this label called communion which I think a couple of the other artists that I have on my list are also on communion I don't know anything

about that label I think it might be one of those major label in disguise or like subsidiary situations anyways I really like the North. I really like that song. I don't know. They've only put out an EP.

You know who was on communion records? Who? Edward Chop from the Magnetic Zero's. It all comes back to Alabama, Arkansas. Oh my god. My mom and pa. Catfish in the bottlene, deep valley. Oh yeah, deep valley. Wait, is communion an American label? Those are all American bands. Deep Valley's an American band. No, it was British. The two girls? Yeah, yeah, no, but Deep Valley's American. Yeah, yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah, they were just signing it.

Got it. Okay. You know, it's another one that is maybe a little enemy-esque, so I'll just group it in here. Yeah. But I actually really like them is Lime Garden. Yeah. That's another one on So Young Records, I think.

Yeah. They're a Brighton, from Brighton, indie bands, all women. And it's, yeah, it's very, like, girl power. But like in a really cool way It also kind of reminds me of like It's girl punk which I like you know Yeah

I don't mean that to sound reductive You know what I know what I know what I mean It's not a it's a compliment I really like the Their album that came out They haven't this is their second album Maybe not tonight It came out this year

They're real good What'd you go We could talk about the twins and Muhammad Adam. Is that another country money, money, money, money? No, no, no, no, dollar, dollar. The twins and Muhammad Adam,

Muhammad Adam, however you pronounce it. So the twins are a duo from Lester. Okay. Making just like kind of fried, like crazy electronic music. Okay. I think they have like an NTS show that is kind of like a hub for a lot of this like music made by kind of young South Asians from Lester.

That's cool. A lot of like crazy electronic music. My friend George sent me this a couple of months ago, and I've been trying to like scrape the service and get deeper into it. But I still don't. Is it your friend George XX? No, no, no. My friend George Connolly, do you know him? No.

Yeah, he works at Young. And he just like sent me a few of these things. and it's just like kind of crazy like weird like nerve fried like electronic I was I didn't have a chance to listen to Shins

but I listened to the Muhammad Adam song you put on Asian boy and I loved it It's crazy It's awesome It's really crazy Yeah it reminds me Also the album art is psychotic Yeah

Almart looks like a guy would have handed me that like as a mixtape for $5 in New York When I was living there in the early 2000s Right but it was and the sound is kind of like ARAP music or something. Yeah. Like it's like got that crazy like freaky like feel. Yeah, it's awesome. Yeah. I'm excited to listen to the other one that you mentioned. Um, what about another country dollar, dollar, dollar, dollar. Yeah. Money, money, money, money. I'm really, I don't know anything

about them really. Um, I think it's a, I think it's a them rather than a one person. It's a duo. Yeah. Sam Shorter and Ollie Knight. But yeah, it's just like really vibey, like, almost like subliminal, like, dance music. Yeah, I liked it. I think they're from Manchester. They are. Yeah, I...

It's one of those ones that I think I put off listening to for a long time. Why? Because sometimes when you hear people talk too much about something, talk too much about something, and like a certain kind of person, like, you know, I'm sure you have this. Do you have, like, people in your life

who, when they recommend something to you, it's like alarm bells and you're like, well, I'm not going to like that. Yeah. Yeah. So I think I was hearing from a few people like that. Right. But I really into it. It's like very, it feels like a very contemporary form of like current British dance music

in that it's really kind of like cheeky and like dirty and like subliminal. Yeah. Like, are you familiar with this song Sex Life by Tracy? No. So that came out a couple of years ago on this label called 80. 93, that's a British label that puts out like James K

Oh, I really like James K. Yeah, James K and like Moyne and a few other bands like that. So Tracy had this EP with this song called Sex Life and it was kind of like a big like underground like hit here. And to me,

another country music kind of fits into that world of like really like it's like dance music but you kind of almost kind of feel you almost kind of like hear the beats or whatever. I get what you're saying. Yeah, I did really like it. Again, some people I added it last minute,

I don't know how long time to listen to it, but I did like it when I was listening to it. It makes me pleased in my heart that there's like still a big Manchester electronic music scene. Yeah. I like that. Well, there's like, actually,

they've just announced it's changing ownership, but there was, especially over the last few years, there was this club, the white hotel. The white hotel that people were like really obsessed with that I never got to make it to. But how far is Manchester from, London. Maybe like two hours on the train. Okay. Yeah, I love it there. I think it's so good there. Really? I've never been. You would really like it. It's like, it's like got a cool vibe. There's

one really good pub that you would love. Okay. Yeah, it's really good there. Um, but yeah, so the white, the people who run the White Hotel also put on this festival that just had its first iteration called The Black Lights in Blackpool. It was supposed to be amazing. It's like, oh, you didn't go? No, no, but a bunch of my friends did. And like, it's all this like, it's all this like. crazy experimental music kind of descending on this like seaside amusement town basically. Sounds amazing. Yeah, so it's kind of like if like a bunch of like noise projects were playing in like Coney Island or something. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's sick. What a genius idea. I'm going to talk about a thousand rabbits. This to me, this, this to me, very indicative of a certain kind of

current young British music. Okay. I'm going to I'd like you to say more. There's something for me about this that is like very Lilith Fair side stage. Like the music video is a carnival. Yeah. But that's a very positive thing for me.

Like, you know, like fiddles and like Yeah. Big orchestration and yeah. But it's also like a little unexpected in what I, like where the songs go. I like it. They're on Young, which you mentioned earlier.

So young. No, young. They're young. Yeah. That interesting to me. I'm interesting to you. I think they're really good. So you think that there's a lot of Lilith Fair Carnival music video core going on in the UK.

Yeah, and I would say Mary and the Junkard are almost adjacent to that. A little bit, but then there's fans like Man Woman Chainsaw. Yes, manwoman chainsaw, who I do like, I really liked the single, and then the album didn't hit for me as much as the single did. It's not really for me. Yeah. I love the single, whatever the single was called. I was really into that song. But the album is not so much like the single.

But yeah, almost like really like... Is it too art-y for you? Yeah, it's almost like art-rock. Maybe you described it as just like art rock. Like having like a bunch of like violins and horns and stuff. Yeah. I don't, listen, I don't mind a lot of violins and horns if executed properly. Yeah.

Because the thing about for me, with A Thousand Rabbits is this music is still catchy. Yeah, and also, especially in, like, in a lot of the songs, I feel like it's used really judiciously. Yeah. With a thousand hour, right. Yeah. Anyways, I'm a fan. What you got, dog? Maybe, um, the sound chalk makes. Oh, yeah. So it's like cool, like, electronic hip-hop. Yes. The way I discovered this was, and I think the way lots of people discovered this, which was very unusual. for me because usually if I'm like seeing music on like reels I'm just flipping past. Right.

But the way he kind of like broke out, I think, were these like videos of him. So he's like an Indian exchange student living in London and these videos of him in like stairwells and stuff of like council flats just like wrapping along to the songs. So cool. But you're just like, but you're just like in addition to it being kind of like a weird image, you're just like, oh my god, this song is like so good as well. at least in my I don't ever really see people using reels to do something like that Like they're like if I see music on reels

It's largely like covers yeah Or like you know something with a joke Or something or like a lens on it like Oh these like three guys cover alt rock songs but they're like, you know, three black guys from the hood or whatever. Or like, you know, the, do you ever get the hot chick in the bikini who's got the, um... Doesn't come to my algorithm, no. Like...

A flute? No, the little, like, chinty synthesizer when she's, like, covering songs, like, stuff like... Yeah, it's all gimmicky. It's all gimmicky, exactly. And this is, look, in its own way, it's gimmicky as well, but I was like, it's just so rare for me to, like, flick into one of those and be like, oh, I want to know what this song is. Yeah, and I'm just like, oh, it's just like really fun and cool. I liked it.

I liked it a lot. I'm into it, and I don't really know. I know that he hasn't played shows, but he's done, he's like thrown like house parties, which either is or is not cool. I haven't decided yet because I haven't had the chance to go to one. I think it's cool. I think it's cool, but it also could be super lame, but then I'm also like, I don't think it matters if the music is good.

You mean like that a house party could be not fun? No. I mean that like... His performance could be bad. Just making your thing like, oh, like, I don't... I haven't been playing shows. I'm only...

Again, it's the artifice thing. Do you think it's artifice or do you think it's just like he can't get show's books so he started doing it this way? Well, you know, like a publicist invited me to one. Okay. Yeah. So it's like, you know, that's my whole... My thing is like...

Because, you know, like, the thing with like the anonymity thing. Yeah. Like stuff that's like super on the internet or whatever. And like, eventually, like, if you blow up enough, you will have to... engage with these economies anyway. And then I find that that is often like the make or break moment. It's like suddenly all the hype dissipates when people see you can't really perform on a normal stage.

It's funny because I wouldn't have pegged you for someone who's like a stickler for authenticity because that's like such an older person thing to be. I'm not really. But it's like it's not even authenticity. I'm just like, is this all just a bunch of faff before? Right, right. You know. Like you can have a gimmick if you can back it up with like actual talent.

I think the songs just have to be good and stay good because I don't mind a gimmick. Yeah. But sometimes, you know, and this is like, again, it's so cynical. Sometimes I feel like a lot of all this is as I'm being like, okay, great, keep driving the price up, then sell, and then let's see what happens. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Build up the hype so that you can get a good deal. The best deal possible. And then I feel like that point is often when things like fall off a cliff.

Right. because it's all being held together with like tape and popsicle sticks or whatever. Yeah, or just that, you know, like a few singles is all it can really support. Right. You know, and again, this is like so cynical. Well, I think. But also, I feel like we're in a time where you have to be really cynical about indie music. Because there's a lot to sift through.

Yeah, and as we said, like, a lot is, like, secretly funded by majors and, like, a lot is, like, you know, a lot is, like, really derivative with then acting as if it's not. And like, which again, I don't mind. Like, I really like when stuff sounds a lot like something old. Yeah. But I just feel like there's also a lot of like, oh my God, this is like this totally new radical thing. Right. Which is never, nothing is that. Yeah.

I feel like I just like sometimes sometimes I just feel like, you know, like indie music joker. I'm just like, oh, like shut out. Like stop. You know what I mean? You can't get into the wards of the PR emails. Well, I mean, I have to. but I know. I try not to you.

I don't. I do a thing called PR email roulette. Every once in a while, I click on a random one and like press play and then I'm like, no. Or I'm like, yes. Every once in a while it does yield something good. If I'm in a really good mood, I'll listen to something totally cold from a PR. Yeah. Most of the time it's like really bad.

Yeah, it's often very bad. Okay, I like Blood Wizard. Did you listen to Blood Wizard? Let me look. I have to. Are checking your PR emails right now? Oh, no. Yeah, I did listen to Blood Wizard.

Wizard. I liked Blood Wizard as well. I saw people kind of compare it a little to Kurt Vile. But at first I was like, what? And then I listened, I was like, oh yeah, it's like if Kurt Vile was really into Sins. Yeah. Like the, like, storytelling quality

of the, like, of the lyrics and the delivery of the vocals is similar to what he does, but the music is not at all similar. Yeah, I agree. It's like over a completely different musical conceit, but people really, should we, I want to get to the bottom of why is folk having such a resurgence?

In what sense? Because I wouldn't necessarily consider this as, like, folk. I would consider it that it's taking from folk. Yeah. As one of its, like, paints. And a lot of the things we've talked about have been, like, incorporating elements of folk in, like, this sort of, like, new radical thing that they're doing. Or, like, in the kind of, like, war-belie.

voice or the fiddle or the whatever, you know, like. That's an interesting one. I never thought about these things as necessarily deriving from folk. Okay. What did you think they derived from? I don't know. Country? I guess some of them I would be thinking of having filtered down from kind of like Americana-ish indie rock stuff. Which is, which I do think like a lot of the music I've been hearing, a lot of the British music I've been hearing where I'm like, damn, did like David Berman get really popular here once or something? Well, I mean, I'm also like a lot of these, a lot of younger bands, especially, I feel

like, you know, kind of like Wednesday, M.J. Lenderman has had like a big impact. Oh, you're going to say, is it like the M.J. Lunderman and Wednesday effect. Yeah, and Alex G as well. Like, she's like a huge blind spot for me, which is weird because I know it's really good. I don't know why it's just like... Alex G is like crowns earth for like a lot of like young bands. Yeah, I got to get... Does this ever happen to you that like an artist just, you miss it completely and then you

just never, I just never listened. Yeah. And so whenever, and now it's such a reference point. Yeah. But I don't know what anyone's talking about. And I could just educate myself, but I just haven't. I can make you a playlist. Okay, great.

That'd be awesome. It's good. It's really good. I believe it. Zero percent of this is avoidance because I don't like it. It's just like, it never crossed my desk in a meaningful way. And then by the time, it was time if I felt too late to the game. You know, that I was like, well, okay, miss that one. Yeah.

No, that happens to me all the time. Anyways, I really like Blood Wizard. This is a good version of it to me. And I know that they like slint, which I think is cool. What are your... Okay, well, speaking of post-rock or whatever, post-hardcore, I like this band Cobb. Did you listen to that one? That's the one I was like, Shod's not going to like this.

Oh, I thought that was fine. Do you like it? Yeah. It's very like... It was in that stretch that felt very American. See, this one to me felt very like Ian Curtis's DNA. is flowing through the like menacing

feel of it a little bit and like there's a bit of not that he did talk singing there's a talk singing there's synth but it's also like a fucking rocker this is my rockers you guys you want like a heavy rocking music because it's like post hardcore I thought it was good the they seem to only have one song out and it's called breathing

check it out get it on the ground floor cob you should become like an A and off like a British label people always said this but it's feels like a hard job. Yeah, I mean, you have to really... I don't like to go out. Yeah, you have to really whining down people, yeah. And I'm not going out at night.

So... They're going to shows unless the capacity is 20,000, and you're in a boxy. Yeah, kind of. Yeah. I went to see Ice Age the other night. That was great. Oh, really?

That was so good. I love to see them on this. This album is... This album is... Everyone knows I've talked about it. I don't think there's been a bad Ice Age album, personally. I love all of their records,

but this one, I'm like, like matchhead girl. I'm like, we're like... This one is gunning for my album of beer. Like, it's pretty on the top right now. It's like so... It's perfect. It's so good.

It's phenomenal. Yeah. And you should want... Did they come here? They did not come here? They did not come here yet. No, they've come here and I missed it. No, they played two tiny shows at the George Tavern.

And I decided I couldn't... Because, like, I wouldn't, you know, I decided I was like, wait until they play a slightly big a venue. Yeah. Yeah. They play the whole album. Yeah. Oh, no. Oh, right. I thought we were asking. No, they play that. Then it's awesome. Anyway, sorry, we've digressed.

Okay, let's get through this. I'm going to do Tara Clark and Trier. Just so you guys know, what we just did is I kind of scrubbed through the song so I could get a sense of it. And while I didn't listen to the song, as it got intended, which is from start to finish, I feel like I would very much like it. It's giving. I would love this, so I will put it on later. Yeah, they've been, they've got like a bunch of really good EPies and this is their first album, I think. Okay. They're signed to World of Echo, which is like...

World of Echo. World of Echo. Because you got real Australian there for a second. Which is like an amazing record store in East London, but also has a label. Really good kind of like experimental alternative records. Yeah, they're like a three piece from Bristol. And it's just very, again, kind of that on that like pastoral kind of art pop. Yeah, but like don't you feel like when you're listening to it, don't you feel like you're walking through a few?

Yeah. Or a forest. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Very, very much just kind of like outdoorsy. I like how it sounded fuzzy. Yeah. Like a record. Totally. I know that can be gimmicky, but I liked it. No, yeah, I'm really, really into it. I think they come from like a jazz background. They know how to play their instruments. Yeah. But yeah, cut into that. Okay. Okay. Okay. I really want to talk about this one because it's, they're so interesting. interesting to me. Eidipus and the Mama's Boys? Have you heard of this band? I don't think I got to this one. Okay.

A, phenomenal name. Oh, okay, see, but I'm seeing, again, that they also have fiddle. Yeah, so what if I like a fiddle? No, no, no, no. I'm just saying like, it's... I believe it's a violin, actually. I'm just like, the young people of the UK, like love... Yeah, what is going on?

Violin's in their music. What's happening? What happened? Um, I think if you have eight people, you probably need to have a fiddler. Yeah, but do you need eight people? Like who? Well, I don't know. Ask Oedipus and the Mama's voice. Um, they all have like fake names too.

It's like, they have like stage names. Yeah, like, um. Bilbo Thunder. Yeah. Which I'm like, you know what? I'm interested. Um, they have three singles and they all sound totally different, which I think is really interesting. The one that's called Bleed is really, like, post-punk noise kind of, like, heavier.

Very cool, chaotic. And then they have one called Stretched Kitchens, which is, like, a little bit like that. I guess those are more similar. And they have a seven-minute-long song called A Daisy for You, John, that is so beautiful and, like, sparse and, like, sad. It sounds so different than the other single. I guess kind of to your earlier point, although they're from Edinburgh, which I feel like we have not talked about one single Scottish band yet. I'm not often surprised. And like, kind of everything about this band is like weird.

I'm like, your name is weird. You have eight people that's weird. Your instrumentation is weird. The fact that the songs are all different is weird. So I'm just like, I'm listening. Although it could be like a, I find this is kind of like with man-woman chainsaw. It's like because they're all writing songs. Yeah.

So that's why it sounds. you get songs that are like vastly different. Oh, that's very interesting. And that might be why the album didn't hit as hard for me because whoever wrote the one song I liked, maybe didn't write as many other songs. Yeah, potentially. Okay. I particularly like a daisy for you, John.

I was like, this is a really beautiful song. Did you do Jennifer Walton? No, that's the one I have. So Jennifer Walton actually saw her live for the first time. Uh-uh. Maybe not live. But anyway, she released this album last year called Daughters that I really love. It's like experimental like electronics, but also there's guitars in it.

And sometimes she's just going like Buck Wild. Yeah. You know, a lot of dynamics. Yeah. And it's like extremely beautiful, sensitive music that also can be really harsh at times. I loved it. Yeah. It's like really, she's really, the whole album.

If you haven't listened to it, it's like so, so quick. I listened to it. That was one where I like was like, okay, I'm, I think because I also read about her a little. And it was like she was like more of a club, clubby electronic artist. And then this album, she went in a different direction because she kind of wanted to do singer-songwriter-esque. Because she was dealing with her father's death, was why it's called daughters. But then obviously she's an electronic artist. So like, it's filled with like crazy electronic freakouts.

But it's like the most interesting combination of things. Yeah. I really liked it. It's really, really cool. Yeah, and then she also is in a band called Microplastics with Aya and 96 Back. Do you know Aya? Oh, yes, yes. Oh, my God, I loved that album.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even though, frankly, very difficult to listen to. But I just was like, fuck, it's so cool that you made this. Yeah. Yeah, Aya, who's, yeah, that I'm hexed from last year. Hex, one of the most disturbing album covers of my lifetime. That's real worms in her mouth. Yeah, I know.

No, I know. Good for you. Yeah. I just like, my friend Laura Snapes, who maybe you know. I don't, we are like internet friends

and I'm a great admirer of her writing. She introduced me to the Jennifer Walton record last year, and I was, yeah. It's a really good one. It was really fab. That was, I think, my other favorite out of your list just because, like,

it's so up my alley in two different alleys that I never thought would converge into one alley. Yeah. I saw her perform for the, like, No, was it, I don't know. Does she play, like, is it just her, a guitar, and then, like, a laptop?

No, it's a full band. Oh, awesome. Yeah, and so I saw her. And then a bunch of, like, pedals and stuff, maybe. Yeah, yeah. I saw her perform to maybe, like, you know, a small kind of, like, middle of the day crowd, and it was just really good watching her just, like, scream at them after playing. Middle of the day?

Yeah, after, like, very quiet. Was it a festival or something? Yeah, at a festival, yeah. That's really cool. Okay, I'll try to like sort of speed run these last ones I also didn't go in order, so I have to try and remember what I talked about. I think St. Clair is maybe worth talking about. Did you listen to them?

Yeah. I think people have said it's very radio-hedy, and it is very radio-hedy. Radiohead's my blind spot. Oh, what? Yeah. I have a podcast for you. It's eight hours long. Yeah, yeah.

Really? Well, I've listened to all the records, but I don't know. I don't really know anything. I wouldn't be able to recall even what they're, you know, I've given all their records of cursory listen. Wow. And I'm like, yeah, okay. Didn't it land with, you think radio head is mid? I don't, well, yeah, I don't know, just, I don't want to get into it in this.

It feels like a hostile environment. It is. This is not a friendly. Forget about me, the audience is going to be really mad at you. No, I know. Yeah. Well, here's the thing. I think sometimes people say that sounds like Radiohead as a pejorative, but to me, that's great.

Yeah. Actually, something about this sounds to me almost like it holds within it the entire, like, arc of Radiohead to Travis to Coldplay. Like, it has kind of all of it, because that is sort of... Well, that sounds like a majority when you say it like that. But I love Travis and Coldplay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I mean, I guess it's a pejorative of you, if you're like a snob or like you, you're, like, you think, you know.

You think you're better than Colplay or whatever. And yeah, Colplay had some missteps. But the first couple of Coldplay albums are fucking amazing. You want to put on yellow and you want to look me in my fucking face and say that's not a god tier song? Cool. You're wrong. Anyway, so I like St. Clair.

I enjoyed it. St. Clair's art direction is really good. All their single covers, their pressure. I was like, this is like so nice. Do we talk about Little Grandad? No, I think we did. Okay. I really like, again, back, where we are finding a through line, Little Grandad, guess the guy, it's one, it's like the project I think of a guy called,

um, no, that's not right. Yeah, well, okay, one of the guys, one of the main guys, it's Jack Lower, him and his brother Harry, but Jack Lower used to be Marion the Junkyard's tour manager. Oh. Um, anyways, this to me sounds very much. think the name is indicative of what they sound like. Like, this is like, what if Neutral Milk Hotel took volume and was British? And, again, I'm not mad at that.

I love Neutral Milk Hotel. I love... I love Britain. You're like, oh, that name would say? Little Grandad? You don't think that sounds like a fiddle? You think that sounds like a washboard? No, it just sounds like... Old Grandad?

I guess when you were like that. Yeah. What would you think a band that's called Little Grandad would sound like? Like, really quiet. I mean, it's kind of quiet. Yeah. That's why I said it's sedated in a journal-oac hotel. It picks up a bit, it wakes up a bit, you know, throughout.

But the guy has a really beautiful voice. Oh, you know who we didn't talk about? But maybe because I've talked about them so much is West Side Cowboy. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You want to talk about West Side Cowboy? I would because it's, I think, in terms of what we've been talking about, like the Americana through line that's running.

through a lot of British bands right now. But this is like Americana, like, lowercase A Americana. In that, like, it's like American, like, you're not like Americana, the genre in, almost in like, I'm like Parquet courts, strokes. Totally. Totally. But, but, like, that's... But way more earnest.

But that's fine. I love Parquet courts. I love Parquet courts as well. Because they sound like pavement. And I love pavement. My problem with, my block with the album, which I thought was perfectly fine. Yeah. So I was like, do I wish I was just listening to Park A chords right now?

Do I wish it? Do I wish I was just listening to human performance? I think that's very funny because this must be so generational because when I listen to Parquet courts, I just want to listen to Pavement. Right. So it's like, there's a version of this for everyone, but I like all of them because I'm like... But Parket Corts, I think, are really good lyricists. Yeah.

And I'm not sure that West Side Cat Boy. I liked the lyrics, but yeah, maybe they're growing into that. I think I, so I felt when I was listening to the record, I was like, I think maybe their second record would be like really amazing. Yeah. I also do, I find with the production of their music, the lyrics are a bit buried. Yeah, no, definitely. Which, because I didn't, like, with even Parquet courts and the especially pavement, you really hear what they're saying, you know, but you don't really hear it as much. It's kind of blended into the mix. Yeah, I agree.

Which was funny, because the guy who did it, Lauren Humphrey did the Cam Wint record, and that's so, that's such a lyrics record. You know how I feel about that record. You like it. It's one of my favorite albums of all time. Yeah, yeah. Like I was in the streets with like a bullhorn being like, have you guys heard the Cameron Winter record? It's the best.

As was I. Yeah. I also will forever associate it with my house burning down because it came out like exactly a month before the fires. Yeah. And I was listening to it. And then when after the fires, I was like listening. I was at my parents' house and I just had no capability to listen to anything besides. Like it was just the comfort.

And I would just put it on every single day and like walk for miles. with my dog. So that's what that lives in my heart and mine now. Okay, here's, I'll just do a fast couple. Hollyhead, it's a Manchester post-punk four piece. I like it. They're kind of like a Fugazi-esque dance funk, Afro beat grooves put into a guitar rock context.

Love that. There's a band called O'Talla. I loved. Oh, yeah. Othala. The guy, I think it's a man, has a gorgeous voice. The vocals are amazing. I like the kind of propulsive, beautiful music like that.

They're London-based. Maybe from Nottingham. Not sure. I really liked Glass House Red Spider-Mide. Oh, yeah. That was my favorite of yours. Loved that. Hell 1000 is the song that I put on the playlist.

But they're from Brighton and it's slowcore, like kind of post-rock. Yeah. Really fucking good. What did you like about it in particular? I was just like, it's just kind of like noisy and like fucked up. And like, I just, I really. And then I was like, and also the name sounds exactly like what the music's going to sound like. And like, I was just like, I was just like, this is a good time.

Yeah, it was a, yeah. I really, I was happy to have found that one. And then, okay, the last one I'll talk about is, well, oh, I like oral habit. Yeah. They're like the children of John Dwyer. basically like it's like a psych rock, you know, garage freak out band, which I love that kind of stuff. That's another one you can tell by the name, like, what it's going to sound like. Yeah, totally.

And then the last one was, I thought it was very interesting because it was just, it's just one song so far. And there was a couple like this, but this is the only one I included in my list. And I wanted to see if you think it counts. The woman is American, but she is a... Are you talking about Life Pous 99? Yeah. I really liked this song. That song is so good.

Yeah, I really, really liked it. Again, she's from... Nashville, North Carolina, so Wednesday area. But she is based in London, and apparently from what I was reading, is like part of the South London scene. Again, that could be a PR spin. But like, I'm like, does this count? I'd have to do a little bit of research. I can do some live research. I would like to, because I was like, I don't know if this is legal to put in our list, but it's like, if you're kind of cutting your teeth in the city and the scene, do you get to be an artist from there?

I mean, I can't remember their name, but an early one that we talked about, curbside lamp sphere of yours are Austrian. They're born in Austria. Does that mean they're not a British band, you know? Is it like the president was? It's like, we're doing birthright citizenship. 100%. I don't know.

I really liked that song, though. It's really good. Life 999. The girl's name is Bex Vines, which is already, I'm like, why would you not just go by Bex Vines? It's just a sick name. Yeah. the song is called misfortune. How would you describe it? It's like...

Oh, yeah, and look, she's playing a sellout release potter, which is Southeast London out and about, like Southeast London area guys. So she's part of the... She's part of the fabric of South London. Yeah, she's part of the fabric of South London. It's very... It's like if they're gutting a body of water was catchy. I find Tagabot a little bit hokey,

It is. I love Tagabot. Huge fan. But you know, it's like a little more pop. Yeah, I totally agree. I see on her Instagram that she's played with Tagabar. See? This shit is rap. Again, can I tell you how I found this?

No, no clue. I think it was like one of my weird rabbit holes down algorithm McLean. But I'm very excited to see what comes out. Also signed to a Brooklyn label. Which one? Mountain Laurel Recording Co. Oh, I know that. And then the song was produced by a guy who's worked with Zach Bryan.

So, like, it's a lot going on here. Who's by who? Liam Brand is his name? This is all so weird. It's all so interesting. She's a child of the internet. Yeah, right, totally. But yeah, the song is...

Rebecca Vines. Rebecca Vines is a really good... Nominative determinism. And then look at the name of the drama. Pit vit vitithum? Pit vitithum? Pit with Ethan It's crazy

Like what are two beautiful Two amazing names What a place to go out Pit is a fantastic name for drama On the multiculturalism of London And by multicultural I mean a woman from America We did We talked about a lot of multicultural acts

In this I thought I'll be honest It's a lot more multicultural than an episode we would have done about American acts probably would have been. Totally. Like, there's a lot, there's a lot of different types of people. Because I also feel like there's a lot more like crossover between genre scenes of people, you know?

Yeah. I feel like it's, yeah. This is great. Thank you for having me. Sean. Sorry for getting so sweaty. It's okay. It means that you're, you know, sweating is healthy.

It means that your system is working. Yeah. And I think you should not be ashamed. You should be proud. Cool. I am now. Thank you. I feel like you shed a lot of light for me on a lot of stuff that I didn't really understand about the machinations of the UK music scene in particular what's happening in London. I'm probably not just talking out of my ass. You might have been. I was. I'm always talking out of my ass.

Totally. I mean. When people are like, oh, you're an expert. I'm like, says who? Just because I have the microphone? That's how they trick you. That's how they get you. Kaiser Sosei over here. I convince you that I have an expert, but I'm not. not. You guys, please stick around now for my interview with one of our shared favorite new UK bands, Marion the Junkyard. New from Nespresso. Blend wellness into your coffee routine with the coffee plus range infused with functional benefits. Choose the coffee you love with added B vitamins, like coffee plus B12 to help support immune function and coffee plus B6 to keep

your day moving. Or go with the flow and choose ginseng delight. Our new double espresso with ginseng extract. Whatever lies ahead, don't change your morning. Let your morning change you. Discover coffee plus on espresso.com. Hear that? It's your money calling.

It wants a promotion. Elevate your savings with the Scotia high-interest savings account. Always earn high regular interest rates that grow the more you save and invest. Conditions apply. Scotia Bank.com slash H-I-S-A to learn more. Scotia Bank, you're richer than you think. You guys, I am thrilled to be joined by one of my favorite current UK-based, London-based bands, Marian the Junkyard. You guys, welcome to the show.

Thank you. Thanks for having us. We have Saya Barbaglia. Did I say it wrong? Well, the G is kind of silent. Sia Barbalia. Yeah. Hell yeah.

Clary Freeman Taylor. Clary. Clary. And David Addison. You guys, I'm a big fan of your music. I just wanted to say I've been listening to RoleModel Hermit a lot, and I think it's very good. Thank you. Thank you very much.

And today when I realized that the old man on the cover is Clary, I was deeply delighted, because I had in my notes, I was like, ask who the old man is. And then I was like, oh, my God. Did you see something in the eyes? I think maybe I was reading an interview with you guys, and then I was. I scroll past a video in which you are also wearing the old man costume. Yes. And I was like, oh my God. It's too sipsily.

Very small old man. You pulled the wool over my eyes, I'll tell you. We were like really ready to never tell anyone about that. And then, but then a man on the radio was like, so how was it being the old man? How did he know? I guess maybe like. We didn't keep the secret very well. May have told a few people.

We did the record store tour signings, and people would ask who's the old man, and we'd say it was Clary, and then they'd laugh, like, ha-ha, no, that's not true. Yeah, they wouldn't believe us. Hilarious joke. I like how people don't know until they look it up or ask. Yeah, I think that's, it's not very, it's not like a secret secret, but it's just like.

It's like if you know, you know. So a lot of people are just walking through this world thinking that's an old man. Yeah, maybe they're, thinking like why is Mary and the Junker like just platforming an old man? Like just making the face of their band an old man. That's quite strange. There was a very popular Cure compilation CD called Staring at the Sea of the Singles. Are you guys familiar with this?

You're probably a little too young. Also has an old man on the cover. It's a real old man. But it made me think of that. Similar energy, similar look. Do people? think that one of your guys's name is Mary all the time? Yeah. All the time. Most messages to the

account say, hi Mary. Was that something you thought about before you named the band or it was a real surprise? It was kind of a surprise, yeah. Because, yeah, because my name isn't Mary. My middle name is Maggie. Close. So it could have been like Maggie in the junkyard, but that doesn't sound that nice. That would be a good punk name. People who I think then would think it's that's adjacent. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. It's not. It's not, no. I feel like when I'm like listening to your music and also the name and also the name of the album, there's so much going on that's like about tensions between two things, like a role model. But I'm like, look at me. Don't look at me. Like, Mary, it's like this beautiful virgin.

pure thing, but it's in a junkyard, like, gross. Do you feel that that's something you guys are, like, really drawn to in art in general, but also in your music, like having these sort of opposing forces? Yeah, for sure. I think that's just, like, what it comes naturally. Like, when I write lyrics and stuff, it's like... I feel like it's also, like, in our nature as a band because we're quite silly, but then we're also very serious.

And we make a lot of jokes on stage. And then we play like really emotional songs. It's like the tickle and slap. Like in theatre, I think they call it the tickle and slap. Well, Claire, you come from a long line of comedians. I did watch. I'm going to tell you I watch some of... Is it Victor and Alfred?

I didn't write it down. Wow, amazing. Albert. Albert, okay, it was close. Musical comedy. So really it's in your blood. It really presented in a real way. Except yours, you kind of separated the two a little bit more,

the comedy and the music. Yeah, I guess so. Somewhat separate. Yeah, there's some funny lyrics in there. And you two especially are quite, you're like quite theatrical. We do a bit of clowning. Yeah, there's some clowning on stage. like professional like kind of like art artistic level clowning um no more just um uh slightly accidental clowning

incidental clowning incident sure yeah um sorry you're a mother is a classical musician yeah she plays the violin that's incredible david do you have an artistic parent or you're just kind of the outlier here um yeah my mom plays a bit of saxophone uh she actually she's really good at saxophone she just doesn't do it all the time. And she's a great painter, but she doesn't do it professionally. But I have played, one of her friends from uni has like a proper, like,

dad rock covers band. And I've played with them and my mom at one point, which was quite nice. What song were you most excited to do the dad rock cover of? We did, um, oh, it's the haircut, haircut 500 song. Oh, sure. I forgot what it's called. Haircut 500,

a band that was mostly famous in the UK. Yeah. But I obviously, as a music story on. Do you know who they are? And we did Sam Fender as well. Yeah, I feel like Sam Fender gets into the dad rock covers band. Like he's, he can, those songs can work even though he's newer. He broke into the space. Yeah, yeah. Can you guys tell me how you met? Well, I know you guys met at camp. Yes, we met a camp. Playing string quartets. Clarie's an amazing cellist, which is a secret, which is, seems to somehow become a secret as well. And we met playing the cello and the viola.

It's really nice. And staying up at night. Past the bedtime. You were like the bad girls of classical rock camp. It's not very hard to be the... It's very easy. The bad girls of the classical music camp. It wasn't a classical rock camp.

Sorry, classical. It wasn't a Led Zeppelin. No, it's more like Bach, but... Yeah. Let me and David Matt in Hitchin, which was like the local town. The local town to what? To me. To Kari's Village.

To my village. It was the town where David lived. Okay. Where is this place? It's like halfway between London and Cambridge. It's like an hour out of London to the north on the train. Okay. Yeah. It's kind of rural. Yeah. Yeah. Carri's Village definitely is. The town's a little bit more of just like a suburb.

Okay. Yeah. It's like an old market town. It's a nice town. There's a big hill. Yeah. Yeah, it's a big hill. David's house. David's house is at the top of the hill. So you would have to walk up the hill. Yeah.

We're going to go there and have a party. Yeah, the last show of our tour is in Hitchin, or the last show of the UK leg. Is that a normal tour stop or did you guys make it happen because you're from there? Yeah, well, I think actually the venue, like, reached out and gave us quite a nice offer to play. We actually tried to fight against it. We didn't really want to do it. You don't want to go back home. We were like, no.

Yeah. But then, like, so many, like, friends and family were like, oh, we're coming to the hitching. So I think it will be really nice. But I heard a little bit of, like, oh, it's going back. It's like, I don't know. So we used to play with an indie bedroom pop band. Yeah. When we were 17.

I did write that down, but I can't find the name right now. It's in your Wikipedia. Oh, no. We have a Wikipedia? Wait. Yeah, what? Crazy. What does the Wikipedia say?

It's all right now. Style is in all over cases. Here we go. Second thought. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it says that you guys met at classical music summer camp at age 14. Correct.

That's correct. That you were assigned by a camp counselor to form a piece together. I don't know. I guess technically. This is, the citation is from the pitchfork review of your album. Okay. And then that you, Clary, managed to get a gig at the Cavendish Arms in stocklock. Correct.

And what's that? That was like this. It's kind of like a comedy club. Okay. So this was nepotism through your father. Yeah. It was, they did like these occasional music nights, like new music Thursday or something. There was, for a while someone was booking there who was a,

bit more like in touch with what's happened to it now I think it's just a comedy club again yeah they have these big sculptures I remember and and mugs that have dogs on it okay so it's the best best mugs and pizzas you get a free pizza if you play

it's like dog cabaret theme it's sort of dogs and like red velvet glamorous dogs sounds amazing this kind of shit you guys only you guys have over here that kind of stuff and so how come when you got this gig you didn't make it a second thoughts show you were like no second thoughts is over it was we actually so

we were in second thoughts we were like trying to get shows and stuff but we were just i was just the bass i was just like the girl the bassist right i didn't i wasn't allowed to write the songs so then i had to take my songs elsewhere misogyny okay so i took i took my songs to the cavendish arms and it was like I wasn't like trying to do a gig really I was just like someone had heard like this EP I put out there was like just me and my guitar and so yeah got booked for that and then I was too scared to do it alone

so it got I called David and Sire Hello Hey what's up Hey Sire I was just Just wondering if you'd be interested in playing a gig with me. Oh, yeah, of course. It's on Sunday. On Sunday.

Yeah. Cool. Awesome. I thought maybe David could play drums, I don't know. Oh, yeah. Hi, David. Oh, David. Oh, yeah, we met on the hill.

Yeah, and in Trafalgar Square. Oh, yeah, at the protest. With the coconut water. With the coconut water. And so if you guys are interested, we could play a show together and um yeah let's do it i've got a few songs spaghetti man awesome um escar go go go go do you have a bass for me uh yeah you can use my second thoughts bass oh okay cool i'll use the second thoughts base okay goodbye awesome bye see you on sunday so this is why

video is great because we can do live re-enactments of things like this you know um Saya, where were you living? Did you live nearby? I was living in London. So I was, you were the big city girl. London friend and then Clary was my village friend. Your village friend.

And David was your in-between friend. Yeah, David was secret third. David wasn't my friend. So I was like, I guess. I'll play an am I with that guy. I thought he was lovely. I like David at the time that I met him. Yeah.

I feel I read somewhere that there was busking. Oh, yeah. Can we talk about that? We did, used to busk a bit. You too? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Where?

Well, I used to busk a lot in St. Orban's city center, which was like this spot next to some benches, and we did it together a couple of times. Yeah, we, when I'd busk with Clary, it would be in St. Albans, and then when I'd busk with all the people, and on my own, it would just be in London. And when you were basking, were you playing covers, or were you playing your own songs?

I was playing covers, and then Clary was playing some of her own songs as well, but mixing it in with like Edchier and covers, which always made a bit more money. Right. So we just play the Edgheron covers. Etcher and the Beatles. And then once me and Clary played a party, and then we had like made some really nice, like, string arrangements

of like some songs, and then all they really wanted was watermelon sugar. And we just played that on repeat for a really long time. Sounds really bad with two string instruments. Oh, you're busking with a cello and a viola. Sometimes, yes. And a baritone ukulele. Yeah.

Barry had a baritone at ukuleidi. Was this like kind of, what was the purpose? Just to like be able to make money. To make money. Yeah, we'd make like more money than. In like an hour we probably make more money than we make now or an hour. Yeah. That's so true.

Do you feel that it helped you with like, what? I don't know if you had stage fright, but do you feel that helped you have like more stage presence or feel like less? Because I would feel busking is way scarier than going on a stage in a stage. a bar or a club. Busking is scary because I think the most scary part is that you have to go there and then set up where people are just chilling and enjoying their lunch or whatever. Because you go there and you just stub their peace. And some people can be like, ugh.

And you're like, what? You guys don't like Ed Sheeran? And they're like, no. But like busking is also like much colder. Like, remember, like, always have really cold fingers, whereas in venues you're always really hot. And busking, you have to, like, I guess it's just really, it's kind of awkward. Yeah, it seems really awkward. But when you, like, settle into it, or if it's, like, Christmas, then it's a bit better.

People are expecting music on the streets. Yeah, it depends, like, the mood of the city. Right. The cultural climate. Can you talk me through a little bit, just because I'm so curious, because I don't live here and I don't know the machinations of the London music scene. How did it work? Like, how did you go from the bar and stockwell pub, pub in Stockwell, to getting a show in London or meeting people getting on bills? Yeah, it was just a series of, like, there was a couple of people at that first show who were bookers at another venue.

in Stockholm at the Cavendish Arms. They were at the Cavendish Arms. Yeah, and I think it was the person who helps book at a really great venue in East London called the George, where I work on the bar now. Oh, good. Look at that. And then, yeah, just a few more of those. And I think because the time we started in like 2022, it was sort of just after COVID and all the venues had just reopened. So there was a lot of energy and excitement, I think.

Yeah. And then also there'd been bands like Black Country New Road and Black Middy had had like such a great sort of success off of like playing at the windmill and that being a kind of launch pad. So then when we got booked there for the first time, we got on really well with the Booker that Tim who's like a real, he's like a proper hero of music in London because he's just has a really, if he likes a band, he'll really sort of champion them. Exactly. Yeah. So he'd put us on like twice a week. just opening for whoever. So we played a lot of like quite crazy bills where we were a bit of, yeah,

the music wasn't always the same, but like. Didn't. You're like, okay, we're opening for a thrash metal band today. Pretty much, but it was like, oh, Tim Luxon. So, yeah. So for about like six months to a year, kind of we just, we'd be at the women all the time. And then for us, it works that we had, like, the people that are now our managers came to one of those shows.

And then we started working with them. and then they could bring people from the label and agents and stuff. And because we were playing so often and often at the same place, it was like quite, yeah, I don't know, it was easy to get people down. Yeah, and it was just like a really supportive community. And I also think because of it being just after COVID, everyone was really thankful for these spaces. So it was, yeah, it was great. And I think it still feels like that.

It doesn't feel like it's, yeah, it was just that time. but it felt especially at that time there was a lot of excitement and gratitude, I think. That's so nice. It's such a nice thing to hear about a sort of like selfless champion. You know what I mean? Like it's just like not a thing you hear about that much anymore where like a taste maker, if you will, to use a gross word.

But like, you know, just someone who's like, yeah, I have this place and I want to put on bands I really like. And then it kind of creates because it's so authentic, it does create something really reeling, meaningful and then it becomes a PR term that goes in press releases. Yeah, it's funny seeing the way windmill or windmill scene is such a concept, especially when we play in America, like people have that kind of, it really means something. And it is, I mean, there's other facts, but a lot of it is just this one guy who's a really

wonderful but quite eccentric guy. It's funny. I feel like the kind of, like we've met people from all over the world who talk about like the windmill scene and like everyone knows about the windmill. But it's like they don't know like. Like, you can't find on the internet, like, Tim. Like, he's, like, it's like the windmill, but like, it's actually Tim. This guy's lens.

He's very secretive. Like, he doesn't want anyone to know him or really, like, applaud him for anything. He, I'm pretty sure, like, you can't even, you're not allowed to take a picture of him. Yeah, it's like, he's a... And he won't, he, he's not doing an interview in the windmill documentary that... There's a documentary. made. I think so. I don't know when, but we've done a few interviews every couple years for this documentary. Yeah, I think it's in the works.

Yeah, but I don't think Tim has done an interview because he doesn't want to. And he's got this office underneath underground. And I really, like, when I went underground, we did like an interview underground. I started getting like a kind of coughing dust allergy asthma attack. I was like, I don't know how he spends all day down there, like he's listening to me. music in this like den that I couldn't really spend more than one hour in. Like the Wizard of Oz. I'm obsessed.

I think that's very cool. To totally shift gears, I read that you do MMA training. Yeah. That's really cool. Thank you. Clary, Clary. I keep saying it wrong. Clary.

Clary. You do gymnastics, acrobatics. Yeah. Tumbling? Yeah, I do tumbling. David, where is your physical outfit? I was going to the gym for a bit and that was good. I like long walks.

Yeah, I don't have a, I used to, I did a sport winners at school, but... What sport was it? I did like field hockey. Okay, across. That was where my parents met at the hockey team, actually. So I grew up doing that. I would do rugby as well, but I was always like quite small and skinny. violent. Do you guys find David aside, who's non-physical apparently, that you sort of need a physical outlet just for, I don't know, I imagine like, not that making music isn't quite physical playing shows, but like there's something about the release of like something that's purely physical. Like does that, I don't know, allow you some other gratification?

Yeah, I think it's quite important for like. your mind and on tour like you kind of need to move your body a lot because you do a lot of travelling also a lot when you're on the stage like you want to kind of feel comfortable on the stage and I feel like doing doing exercise kind of makes you a bit more like body body positive sure and like in your own body yeah feeling strong we both like to feel very strong Yeah, now our performances have become a lot more acrobatic. Like, our latest trick together is that Clary, we've done it once, is Clary sits on my shoulders whilst I'm playing the bass.

And then I'm at my mic stand and then Clary's put her mic stand, Mike in her hand. And we can perform like that. Yeah. That's so cool. I want to do some stuff like our walk on could be like we could walk on our hands onto the stage maybe

and like we do we fight as well sometimes and it's also nice in the studio just to like like like we do like a kind of

yeah like a like a touch sparring in the studio sometimes and it's like it's a nice so like also on long drives and things you can get really like really

you can really enter like your own separate universes you know David's listen to a podcast like Clarie is doing something on her phone or laptop. Yeah. Like, you know, something,

and then like, you're doing separate things, but it's quite nice that I do something physical together if that's like dancing or like sparring. Just kind of reunites you. Well, on that note,

can you talk to me about the orb? Hmm. Oh yeah, the orb. Mary in the junkyard on the orb. Yeah, we wanted to get into end of the road festival and we weren't booked so I was like,

we should do a talk on the orb and like friendship and, yeah. So the orb is. The orb is. say Orbas, like, we realized that we were like, I think I was like struggling with a show or something or I was feeling a bit like disconnected. And so I was like, I just need something like in the middle of the stage to like kind of draw me in. So we went and we bought this like big

suck this big like round lamp and we put it in the middle of the stage and then we kind of like faced ourselves in to be like looking at the lamp and then we were all like sharing this like light ball

and but then David actually destroyed it no it wasn't it was off that mate I was just there and these guys were away and to be fair I didn't tell them straight away he threw it in the bin he just threw it in it I feel like a cracked orb is okay because it's

still, you know, it's still an orb, but to throw that in the bin was quite hurtful. It was like it was nothing. And then he didn't tell us. And then we had to just find out. And we came home and then the orb was gone and the orb, we told each other we were like, this orb, we have to protect this orb. This orb is our band. And we have to protect it with everything. We have to do a band effort to protect this orb. And that was going to be like a kind of. And it was easy. It was easy to protect the orb, really. It was a big glass ball. It was a big that we kept just in the door of. And then. And then, and it was easy. And it was easy. And it was easy. And And then, so that was orb number one, smashed, gone in the bin.

We found out about it, upset. Really surprised. David is still in the band, to be honest. Okay. We have orb, we have old two and we have David. Okay. You brought it back together. You guys do a lot, I mean, I've obviously not seen it, but I've heard tale and I've seen some pictures.

You guys do, do sort of, I don't want to say outlandish, but that's an okay word. Stage decor, what do you say? Paper, machet item. and things. Where does this come from? Was there any sort of like inspiration for this, simply from your own beautiful imaginations? Just I think I've always been really into like big objects.

And the first thing I made out of paper mashay was the big face, Brian. He's at like every gig that we do. And then I made a few. more sculptures. I've got a new sculpture for our next round of touring which I'm really excited about. There's like a big lantern that's going to hang above the stage. Amazing. I just, I don't know, I just really like things like that. I think it's nice to have a bit more to look at at a show than the band. We've had a few friends like come on in different costumes and like dance and stuff um because we've got quite a lot of of costumes now yeah we've

got the yattie the moth the big wolf head the wolf the skeleton man the red head oh yeah the red yeah well i was when we were talking about you earlier in this episode with shot de suza and i was like basically i was like oh this band is like really into whims but in like a not annoying way because it can go either way you know like you can be like really whimsical and be really annoying but you can be really whimsical and just be kind of like fantastical and immersive and I feel like the way you guys do it is very that and I just wonder like I don't know is there like films you watched or like anything like before you made the band where you were like I want to give people this sort of feeling or this sort of experience

There's a really incredible film that I watched that had like loads of paper mashay in called the Casa Lobos. It's really scary, but it's like incredible paper mashay. And I guess like I really loved where the world things are when I was little. I think about that one you're talking about these things. Yeah. I think it was mostly like my, the art department at the school I went to was. really amazing and they really focused on sculpture and stuff so it did a lot of like sculpture making when I was there right so it's like part of your general art practice and you want to like bring it

into yeah you're larger um and I think that's amazing and I think it also like makes a lot of sense for me given how you guys seem to write music where it's like kind of oscillates between being a bit more like diaristic and then a bit more like this is a character this is a story Because I read, you said that mouse is the most important song on the album. Is it due to that storytelling quality? I think it's like, yeah, storytelling-wise and then also sonically, it's like the most, like, beautiful. It's very beautiful.

And yeah, it's the reason why there's an old man on the cover. And it's kind of, it was the first time when I wrote a song that was like really exactly what I wanted to say, I think. I felt like I was really like saying something with the song. Awesome. Well, you guys, this has been a real treat for me. I'm a big fan. I think everybody should listen to role model hermit. I can't wait to see a show.

I can't wait to see the orb and also the large lantern, perhaps a wolf. And thank you for coming on. Thank you for having us. You guys come back next week for a new episode of Banswain. If you liked what you heard today, subscribe for more episodes of Banswain. Our guest today was Shaw DeSouza and also the band, Marion the Junkyard. This episode was produced by Rob Sunderman and edited by Adrian Bridges with help from Justin Sales. Video production by Beck's Donnelly.

Executive producers for Bansplaine are Gina Del Vak and me, Yossi Salick. Our gorgeous and catchy theme song was composed and performed by Jennifer Clavin and Bethany Costantino and graciously recorded by Carlos Delagas in Los Angeles, California. Special thanks to our producer emeritus Dylan Tupper Rupert and also Sean Fennessey and the City of London. Come back every Thursday for a new episode of Bansplaine on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. I think a lot of people with like normal names don't even have that. Sure. Conception.

They don't know what we've gone through. No, exactly.