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NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY’SOFFICIAL MUSIC MAGAZINEIssue 33

FRESHER’S SPECIAL BLUR

JAKE BUGGDOG IS DEAD

CAVE PAINTINGFESTIVAL REVIEWSthe

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A very warm welcome to any newcomers at the University of Nottingham. To eve-ryone else, welcome back and thanks

for picking up (a very different) issue of The Mic again. Last year’s editors had a difficult path but worked hard to rectify the financial situation so we are lucky enough to start the year in a much stronger position and as you’ll see there have already been some major changes. Firstly, we’re printing in colour! Secondly, we have a website in the making which will mean you can keep up to date with us all year round. Search ‘Themic-mag’ on Facebook and like our page where we’ll

Your committee. Editors: Cara McGoogan and John Bell. Treasurer: Melissa Wade. Features Editor: Esther Moriarty. Reviews Editor: Matthew Stiff. Web Editor: Luke Atkins. A big thanks to Jordie Bokor and Jennifer Yu from High Soc who helped design this first issue.

Like Themicmag on FacebookFollow us on Twitter @themicmaguk

Page 6-8 | Venue guideIntroducing Nottingham’s best venues as well as shops and cafes of interest.

Page 9-11 | Highlights of 2011/12The Mic racks its brains to discuss our favourite Not-tingham gigs of the last academic year.

Page 14-17 | Feature: Nottingham artistsThe Mic interview Nottingham’s own Dog is Dead and Kappa Gamma, before taking a look at new sensation Jake Bugg.

Page 18-19 | Interview: Cave PaintingCara McGoogan interviews the band whose name has been popping up everywhere recently.

Page 20-21 | Feature: BlurHas the end finally come for Blur? Joe Sweeting inves-tigates.

Page 24-29 | ReviewsAfter a summer filled with festivals and new album releases, the Mic team review their favourites. Including Bestival, Edinburgh Fringe & Mercury Award nomi-nated Lianne La Havas.

Page 30-31 | Feature: Coco Tang

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL

be flaunting the new site in the coming weeks. We’re going to have regular meetings

this year which will not only make the passing of CD’s and guestlists over easier, but will also make our society far more communal. Thanks to our friends at Rescue Rooms we’re also put-ting on our very own gigs – check out our first on the 12th October – see the FB or SU page for more info. For starters though make sure you come to our first social on the 2nd Octo-ber at Pressure 2-4-1 which will be totally nuts.

We’d like to take this moment to suggest checking out High Soc, UoN’s alternative music society. They put on lots of great gigs themselves and always have cool things to do; chances are if you’re interested in The Mic, you’ll be interested in High Soc. We’ll be run-ning some socials with them later in the year.

All our wonderful team is missing now is designers. We have a space for a Design Sec on the committee and need many more to help them out. So if you fancy designing, don’t hesitate in getting in touch.

As always thank you to Ben Ryles at Res-cue Rooms, Alec Wilson at Bodega, The Malt Cross’ Matt Buck, Alistar at Alley Café, Robin at Wild, Claire Coster at Atlantic Records and everyone else who has given us their unbri-dled support. Also special thanks to Spectrum printing and the guys at The National Student for guiding us on our first issue, you know who you are. Let’s make this year the one where we’re noticed as a great student publication.

Cara McGoogan and John Bell

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4 The Bodega 0845413444423 Pelham Street, Nottingham, NG1 2ED. http://www.bodeganottingham.com/

5 Alley Café 01159551013Cannon Court, Longrow West, Nottingham, NG1 6JE. http://www.alleycafe.co.uk

6 Wild 011594182824-6 Broad Street, Nottingham, NG1 3AL.

7 Malt Cross16 St James’s Street, Nottingham, NG1 6FG. http://www.maltcross.com/

8 Sir John Borlase Warren 011594742471 Ilkeston Road, Canning Circus, Nottingham, NG7 3GDhttp://www.sirjohnborlasewarren.co.uk/

9 The Glee Club British Waterways Building, Castle Wharf Canal Street, Nottingham, NG1 7EH http://www.glee.co.uk/nottingham

10 Coco Tang 07825889370 45 Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham, NG1 2GNhttp://www.cocotang.co.uk/

11 The Maze 01159475650257 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 3FThttp://www.themazerocks.com/

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1 The Rescue Rooms 01158283173Masonic Place, Goldsmith Street, Nottingham, NG1 5JT. http://www.rescuerooms.com/

2 Stealth 01158221313Masonic Place, Goldsmith Street, Nottingham, NG1 5JT. http://www.stealthattack.co.uk/

3 Rock City 01159506547 8 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GG http://www.rock-city.co.uk/

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4 The Bodega 0845413444423 Pelham Street, Nottingham, NG1 2ED. http://www.bodeganottingham.com/

5 Alley Café 01159551013Cannon Court, Longrow West, Nottingham, NG1 6JE. http://www.alleycafe.co.uk

6 Wild 011594182824-6 Broad Street, Nottingham, NG1 3AL.

7 Malt Cross16 St James’s Street, Nottingham, NG1 6FG. http://www.maltcross.com/

8 Sir John Borlase Warren 011594742471 Ilkeston Road, Canning Circus, Nottingham, NG7 3GDhttp://www.sirjohnborlasewarren.co.uk/

9 The Glee Club British Waterways Building, Castle Wharf Canal Street, Nottingham, NG1 7EH http://www.glee.co.uk/nottingham

10 Coco Tang 07825889370 45 Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham, NG1 2GNhttp://www.cocotang.co.uk/

11 The Maze 01159475650257 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 3FThttp://www.themazerocks.com/

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1 The Rescue Rooms 01158283173Masonic Place, Goldsmith Street, Nottingham, NG1 5JT. http://www.rescuerooms.com/

2 Stealth 01158221313Masonic Place, Goldsmith Street, Nottingham, NG1 5JT. http://www.stealthattack.co.uk/

3 Rock City 01159506547 8 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GG http://www.rock-city.co.uk/

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OUR VENUESAnyone upcoming on NME, or whoever’s radar for that matter, will most likely be play-ing at the Bodega. One of the more intimate venues, it still boasts one of the biggest sounds in Nottingham, and is a must for the live music lover and club head alike. Gigs finish early here (10pm) because every night there’s a different event where you can enjoy a genuinely eclectic soundtrack,

Sister to the Bodega, ‘Rooms’ puts on a similar range of acts but on a slightly larger scale. Think Noah and the Whale/ Head Automatica. It’s also home to the infamous ‘Pressure’ which will be our first social! The Rooms are connected to Stealth and on Saturday nights the venues go head to head with ‘Stealth vs. Rescue Rooms’.

Intense, hot and bassy. This is the venue for fans of house/d’n’b/tech/post-everything. Expect acts such Bondax and Disclosure.

Yes, the same Rock City that holds the notorious Crisis. Don’t be put off by any embarrassing Fresher’s experiences here though, because it’s where the big names in the rock and indie scene will be play-ing (Deftones, Coheed & Cambria, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Macca-bees etc.) Its oval shape makes the acoustics perfect and also easier to get to the front (but avoid the mosh pit).

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OUR VENUESYou can find entertainment at The Maze every night of the week. With the best local and underground acts playing alongside some legendary bands and artists, plus weird and wonderful comedy, burlesque and cult DJ nights. All of which are beautifully accom-panied by helpful and friendly staff, splendid Castle Rock real ale and a fine range of spir-its, bottles beers, ciders and wines.

Set in an authentic Victorian music hall, Malt Cross is a unique venue hidden in the heart of Nottingham. Just off Market Square, head to this cafe bar for home-cooked food, premium ales and regular live music in a truly historical setting.

Found on the other side of Nottingham behind the station, the Capital FM Arena is Nottingham’s largest venue. With a ca-pacity of 10,000 people this venue attracts the biggest names on the scene as well as the largest variety of acts. Staging the likes of One Direction, Cheryl Cole and Justin Bieber, the arena is not completely void of musical talent with performances from Elbow, Lionel Richie and Alanis Morissette coming up this term.

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Nottingham’s top venue for live comedy and music, the Glee Club is in a beautiful area of the city by the canal. A cosy place built for intimate comedy nights, the Glee Club also makes for great up close and personal music performances.

Situated in Canning Circus, the centre of the well-beaten track between Notting-ham University and the city centre, the Sir John Borlase Warren is a great pub for chilled out evening drinks or just one on the way to town. Be sure to check out their quiz on a Wednesday: if you can boss their challenging music section you’re on to a definite winner with the chance to land yourself £30. From the 11th October you can also enjoy some local musical talent at their first of many new Open Mic nights.

For all vegetarian and vegan types, Alley Cafe is the ultimate chill-out spot to get a coffee or organic beer and of course some great veggie food. They love their music too, and put on lots of great events on throughout the year, so it gets The Mic’s seal of approval.

A certain stop on a shopping trip, particularly if you’re after urban and vintage clothing. Wild stocks various vintage wear for men and women as well as brands such as Stussy. Located in Hockley, Wild is close to the city centre and near lots of other interesting little shops

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DOT TO DOT FESTIVAL@ Various, 03/06/12

Nottingham’s Dot-to-Dot festival showcased a variety of local and national tal-ent at some of Nottingham’s best venues. One of the stand out performances came from locals Dog is Dead who had Rock City brimming with ecstatic fans. Bastille also caused an early stir by delivering not only a sensational set inside but performing acoustically outside in the rain. This event seemed to bring music to a personal level with the smaller venues producing some of the best acts. The Acoustic Rooms at our very own Rescue Rooms saw Joshua Keogh enthrall the audience with his vulnerable lyrics, while Kyla La Grange stole the limelight at The Bodega with her unique voice and entrancing stage presence.

By Francessca Newton

2011-12 HIGHLIGHTS

RAE MORRIS@ Rescue Rooms 03/03/12

Rae drew a small crowd of fans to The Rescue Rooms’ Red Room for a rather intimate performance. Following two talented support acts, including London’s young artist in the making Marie Naffah, Rae approached the stage. as people gathered around to be as close with this lyrical goddess as they possibly could, some even sitting on the floor right in front and cramping along the side. As eager listeners homed in, Rae sang a short set of stories with great sincerity. Her timid stage presence and evident nervousness were placebos to her per-formance. A skilled pianist combed her incredibly versatile vocals into beautiful compositions, each one increasingly emotionally impacting. Listeners clung to every word and note, hypnotised by this young woman with a lot of passion. On finishing her intimate set, this friendly Blackpool girl was eager to chat with locals at the bar, beginning with ‘I want to know more about Robin Hood’.

By Annie Davis

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NME AWARDS TOUR@ Rock City 14/02/12

On Valentines last year the lonely hearts of Nottingham and less romantic of us were kept entertained by the NME Awards tour at Rock City. Showcasing the acts from all ar-eas of the eclectic British music scene we were regaled by hip-hop star Azealia Banks, new guitar band Tribes, electronic Metronomy, and indie-rock stars Two Door Cinema Club. Dispelling the myth that Rock City is incapable of employing a good DJ, the intermediary DJ did a great job of working the crowd to a frenzy with flashing lights and dance classics, such as ‘Sandstorm’. Surrounded by so much energy and excitement, my original opinion of Metronomy was blown out of the water as I danced under a sea of manic green lasers, entranced by their iconic flashing badges. By the time headliners Two Door Cinema Club reached the stage the atmosphere in Rock City was electric, exploding at their opening into a mass of bounding fans. Don’t let your Fresher’s Crisis experience ruin your opinion of Rock City, it’s truly meant to be a live music venue, and one of Britain’s best according to them.

By Cara McGoogan

THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS@ The Bodega, 14/12/11

TTNG have been one of my favourite bands since the days of drifting through MyS-pace, checking out anything that sparked my interest when I should have been doing homework. I was therefore really looking forward to seeing them with the intimacy of The Bodega. The band had changed a lot, mind you, since the (good old) days of MyS-pace, most notably the lack of original singer Stuart Smith who had recently decided to give the honourable role of fathering a go. But with the soft tones of ex-Pennines singer Henry Tremain onboard I was even more excited to witness a new dimension of the band. Not to disrespect Smith as I’d argue that his voice was an integral part of TTNG’s ‘sound’ (along with the noodly guitars and fast drum fills) but in the words of a good friend of mine: ‘he’d always been more of a lyricist than a singer’. That’s not a euphemistic way of saying he was a bad singer, but I couldn’t have helped but notice in the past that Smith sometimes struggled to hit certain notes. This was not a problem for Tremain, and it was with a gust of both relief and pleasure when songs such as ‘Chinchilla’ and ‘Mnspector Iorse’ were nailed. It was obvious from the couple of new songs which included awesome off beats via an impressive percussion rack that the new line-up are working well together; I only hope that they stop off at Nottingham on their next tour.

By John Bell

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THE BLACK KEYS@ Capital FM Arena 03/02/12

Procuring tickets to see The Black Keys is no easy feat these days, but in February The Mic was lucky enough to join 10,000 others at their sell-out gig at the Capital FM Arena. Although very excited to see the duo live, I was slightly dubious about only manag-ing to get seated tickets. In spite of my doubts I was astounded by The Black Keys’ performance. The atmosphere was no less enjoyable from our seats and if anything it gave us a much better view of the whole performance. Utilis-ing the arena’s sophisticated lighting system they brought the rock n’ roll atmosphere to life under a glittering disco ball. It was amazing how just two musicians were able to command such a large crowd and space. Their endless talent undoubtedly made this my favourite gig of the year.

By Cara McGoogan

FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE@ Capital FM arena 06/03/12

Florence and the Machine gave The Mic a completely unique experience at the arena as she wowed the crowd with both music and spectacle. The stage was designed with a back drop of art deco screens which changed artistically with every song, while she was perfectly attired in a cape and cat suit. She managed to completely control us with her airy assured nature as she gracefully swirled around the stage. We were jump-ing in a Mexican wave on ‘Dog Days are Over’ and swaying mournfully to ‘Heartlines’. Although it’s such a large venue, the gig was very personal, helped by Florence’s own anecdote of walking around our city earlier in the day. Her extensive band and power-ful voice would have been enough for us alone, as was exemplified at the end in the crowd’s screams for Florence’s harpist.

By Cara McGoogan

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Dog is Dead have just finished the summer of a lifetime with the com-pletion of their debut album and

playing some of the most popular festivals in Europe. As the figureheads of new and young musical talent in Nottingham it seemed only right that The Mic caught up with the band. John Bell spoke to singer Rob in Costa. Over the phone.

It’s been a year since The Mic last spoke to Dog is Dead. We spoke about the up-coming tour with Bombaby Bicycle Club and of the single launch of ‘Hands Down’. What’s been new since then?

Yes we had that chat at the Bodega didn’t we! We’ve been touring relentlessly, we put out a few singles since then. We’re having a really great time getting to know knew plac-es and playing Europe as well as all over the UK on our own and with other bands. We’ve been working on a debut album for a long time and we’ve finished making that as well as playing 24 festivals. We’re just about to wrap up the festival season, so that’s where we’re out at the moment.

Let’s talk about the new album then, ‘All Our Favourite Stories’, what can we expect to hear because last year you told me there’d be some psychedelic sounds. Can we still expect them?Yeah, when we spoke last the records

would have still been there in part but the depth and dexterity probably wasn’t as developed as it is now. There’s a lot of depth to the record, I think it’s a bipolar record, about the obvious highs and lows of growing up. And that got a unique experi-ence from where we come from. But yeah as much as it is upbeat and anthemic it does have a psychedelic twist to it, we’ve been really pushing ourselves to make new sounds and find new noises. We used gos-pel songs in a few of the songs and pushed our voices to do different things. We had fun with that.

You mentioned growing up, is that where the name of the album came from?

Yeah it was a lyric from Two Devils. When we started out when we were sixteen we didn’t set off to write a record we just wanted to play gigs. So we just wrote songs to play gigs with, not necessarily for an album. So when you get five years down the line or whatever then you just have a collection of songs and working that into an album is quite a challenge, making that into one body of work that represents everything you’ve been through and everything that’s current and you’re really proud of. So I think picking the name is just as hard because you don’t know where to start. So All Our Favourite Stories was what we pulled out of Two Devils which was quite an all-encapsu-

DOG IS DEAD

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lating lyric I thought and summarized what the songs are and they all mean and they all have chapters of what we’ve done so far.

Let’s talk about Reading and Leeds fes-tival. I heard you have a choir onstage, how much preparation did you have for that?

Yeah we had a six-piece choir. It’s totally nuts but those girls are pros, they’re usually on tour with Blur and The Kills and loads of bands that we’re really in love with. We had two girls sing a couple of tracks on the re-cord so they were a bit more prepared but the others didn’t and we made them sing four tracks. We just wanted to make Read-ing and Leeds the most ridiculous incred-ible live experience we could to give the audience the equivalent of what we would have received at Leeds fest growing up.

You’re off on tour soon. I see there’s no Nottingham date but can we expect some surprise gig or party?

Yeah expect some sort of surprise fun thing that’s going to happen that we’re going to tell you about soon.

Great. What are you looking forward to most?

We’re going to have the album out by then

and our touring experiences have been great and we have a great passion for it. So when there’s a whole body of material out there that people have been listening to for a while and have got to know, then when we play them live it’s really going to heighten their experience.

How often do you manage to get back home in the year when you’re touring?

It’s a weird one because we’re always here and there. The festival season’s been quite cool because we’ve been having these mental weekends like the other day was Belgium on Friday, Leicester on Saturday and Somerset on Sunday, just all over the place. But then we’d come back to Not-tingham to finish the record in weekdays. It’s almost like a school routine, obviously really twisted, but a lot of fun all the same. We were originally recording the record in London and Whales, then we took a com-plete U-turn and came back to Nottingham where we made the original demos, so that’s been really nice. We’ve got to make it in the most organic way possible in Not-tingham.

‘All Our Favourite Stories’ is released 09/10/12 on Atlantic RecordsPre-orders at iTunes, Play, Amazon, & HMV

By John Bell

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in doing a release with us. The single looks super-rad on half-clear, half-black 7” vinyl and are a bloody steal at under four quid! What’s the follow up to the single? An EP/album?

Over the coming months we’re searching high (and low, obviously) for the missing jigsaw pieces of our first EP. It’s all pretty much there and will be out in October/No-vember. But we’re saving a few bits for the album which we’ll be hobbling together in a mad way over winter.

I’ve heard through the grapevine about a spool film music video. Does it have a story yet?

Yes, the grapevine oft returns wonders in fruity truths. We’re working on a video with Nottingham’s answer to the Coen brothers: Tom and John Turrel. We’ve had a lot of discussions, cigarettes and mini-adventures concluding in what we think will be an awe-some video for our song Akira (which looks like it’s going to be on the album). Filming starts next week.

Thanks Kappa Gamma, we’ll be seeing you support the great Johnny Foreigner in October. Just don’t open any umbrellas inside or break any mirrors, yeah? Yes, we ask anyone coming to our shows not to bring pocket mirrors or step ladders or anything else which might incur bad luck. If it rains, please, just get wet. Julian’s broken several mirrors in Adrian and Max’s house - who are still trying to shake of his bad ju-ju. In aid of this, on Sundays, Saf and Tom go round door-to-door doing the dishes for free. “Karma isn’t interchangeable with Superstition”, I said. They wrinkled their noses at me giving me the impression that they secretly liked it and that, close up, their noses looked like sand dunes.

By John Bell

ΚΓHello Kappa Gamma. How has

Nottingham treated you this Sum-mer? What did you get up to?

We spent a lot of this summer cooped up in our favourite dark spaces writing music and recording sounds. Ransacking old buildings in search of ghosts has also taken up a fair share of our time.

Ghosts? Is Kappa Gamma superstitious?

More than one of us is not superstitious. Those of us who do adhere to superstition outnumber the ‘other’ contingent by three-to-one. If there are four ghosts remaining, how many Kappas go into the same num-ber of Gammas? The answer is easier than you think...

Erm, well we digress. To anyone who hasn’t heard you guys before, what sort of sound can they expect to hear (without using the abstract, please)?

Not abstract? Our sound at its heart resem-bles the aural transmission of us playing on guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and very occasionally a violin all together. Oh, whilst ululating, let’s not forget.

Your single ‘Just Another’ is awesome. It’s coming out on Vinyl with help from Destination Moon is it not? Who are they and how did that come about?Well hey thanks very much there John...

J-ball. Our debut single was a split release which came out over the summer on our beloved Denizen Recordings, headed by Pete Fletcher, and Destination Moon which is a Rolo Tomassi imprint-label headed by James Spence. James saw us play Rock City last year with Dog Is Dead and we were lucky enough that he was interested

http://destinationmoon.bigcartel.com, The Chameleon 20/10/12 w/ Johnny Foreigner.

Interview

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While Jake’s music is unbound by his context his lyrics are wrought with claustrophobia and discontent. This is only too clear in ‘Trouble Town’ where Jake finds himself “stuck in speed bump city/ Where the only thing that’s pretty/ Is the thought of getting out”. Supply-ing Iron Maiden, Depeche Mode, Editors and

even The Wanted with members, it can’t be said Nottingham doesn’t have a rich music scene. You only have to look at Jake’s up and coming town-fellows Dog is Dead and Kappa Gamma to see that. Yet the fusion of Jake’s rhythmical freedom with his physical and lyrical entrapment work perfectly together to create music that is on the edge of something great.

Without his itchy feet Jake’s music wouldn’t be as rhythmically ambitious or lyrically poetic so I guess we shouldn’t complain about his antagonistic rela-tionship with Nottingham. What we should hope for is that his success doesn’t drive him so far away from home as to make him lose his inspiration.

On his return from touring Europe with Noel Gallagh-er’s High Flying Birds Jake Bugg will be playing an

already sold out show at the Rescue Rooms on the 23rd November.

By Cara McGoogan

From the heart of the English mid-lands a cosmopolitan wonder has appeared in the form of Jake Bugg.

Emerging from Nottingham, Jake and his acoustic guitar have been seamlessly weaving multiple genres together to cre-ate a sound that can only be described as astounding.

With his summer of festivals culminating in a set at Reading and Leeds then Bestival, 17 year old Jake is riding on a high just before the release of his debut album ‘Two Fin-gers’ on the 15th October. In our ever-continuing interest in local talent, we at The Mic decided we’d give you a small preview of this upcoming album.

The opening song on the album is Jake’s recently released single ‘Lightning Bolt’. The maturity of this song epitomises every-thing that is astonishing about young Jake’s tal-ent. In just his first album he has managed to fuse all his influences together to create a new and com-pletely beautiful track. In a journey through musical history ‘Lightning Bolt’ will remind you of high Belle and Sebastian-esque indie pop, low Libertinian classic indie and of the folk rock of Bob Dylan, all at the same time. And he even manages a small infusion of something close to Jimi Hendrix in a gritty electric guitar solo.

JAKE BUGG ‘TWO FINGERS’

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Interview: Cave Painting Just before the release of their debut album, The Mic caught up with Brighton-based Cave Painting. Having spent the summer touring with Mercury Award nominees Alt-J and with a growing following on Radio 1 and 6 Music, the band are about to hit the most successful year of their career.

For those of you who haven’t yet had the pleasure of hearing Cave Paint-ing’s debut single ‘So Calm’ they

described it to The Mic as “atmospheric without being too epic”, a song that radi-ates a “purple hew”. With an interesting mix of influences including “both Bon Iver’s records, The National, Yeasayer, Drake, The Arcade Fire and Kanye West”, it’s hard to really condense Cave Paint-ing’s sound into just a few words.

They gave it a go, expanding that even with popularity and success they hope their music “will hold epic-ness back, maintaining its ability to fill big spaces with just its space. It’s never going to be in your face, it just sort of breathes over you”. Still none the wiser? Neither was I until I took a listen of their brand new album ‘Votive Life’.

On listening to their first single, ‘So Calm’, you can see why their confusing descrip-tions are wrought with dichotomies. ‘So Calm’ is an entrancing, rhythmic wonder which allows Adam Kane’s soothing yet eerie voice to float to the fore. Until it is smashed open by a dizzying reverb loop that’s more energetic than the opening but no less hypnotic. These elements fuse together at the end of the track when higher pitched vocals prevent the

hypnotic bass from lulling the listener into a false sense of inescapable calm.

Cave Painting’s refusal to allow the listener to become ‘So Calm’ is mir-rored again in their lyrics. Juxtaposing the refrains “feel so calm in the way you are” and “I’m not wasting time” forces an uncomfortable restlessness in amongst their calm. And what’s more, Adam’s ac-cent, whether intentional or not, makes the chorus almost sound like “feel so cold in the way you are”.

An album that makes you feel calm, restless, happy, sad, energetic and un-comfortable all at once, it’s a cacophony of different sounds which somehow manage to fit perfectly into one, manag-ing to do much more than just “breathe over you”.

When it came to discussing the fun that went into the creation of ‘Votive Life’, Cave Painting became far more expressive. Not having a set process for creating each track, they have spent hours messing around and playing with different ideas. Adam told me that for this reason their favourite track is “a little track towards the end of the album, an interlude, called Me You Soon. It’s our favourite because it was an idea that Sam Simon (keyboardist) had for ages and I saved it onto my laptop a couple of years ago and always thought it had to be used in some way, somewhere. And towards the end of the recording we had a little go at it and all just sort of made it up really late one night. The little bit at the beginning is the track that we recorded

The Mic | 19

straight onto the laptop with a micro-phone and the rest was built around it just on the spot. There was something really nice about doing that, we were very proud of it”.

It’s not just the creation of songs that they messed around with though. Looking at the names on their album cover you’d be right not to understand them. Adam revealed to me “sometimes when you’re writing a song you’ll have the name ready and sometimes you just make it up off the cuff. People feel you have to put lyrics in the title but I think it can be funny if the name just means something funny to you. (Laughs). When we first started jamming ‘Gator’, Rich Snabel (bassist) and Sam were messing around and kept shouting ‘GATOR!’ in the chorus which then stuck as its name as we all found it so funny”. I’m sure there are plenty more in jokes to be found on there as well, not least in the fact that they nearly ended up being called “Catfish”.

Cave Painting have been writing and performing together for five years, but only for the last year has it been under their current name. When they were younger they were called Rob the Rich, a name they decided to move on from as they developed: “when we were the old band we were all at a certain age and we’ve all sort of grown up since then. We took a break and instead of rehearsing to play shows we started writing and just naturally changed. Then everything else changed with it and we’ve gone from there, a new start”.

Before they finally landed on Cave Paint-ing after a drunken brainstorm, they spent hours deliberating over names: “There was a time when our manager would be on the phone (he lives in Amer-ica so we have to communicate with him through video calling). We’d sit outside

the rehearsal room and he’d be on the other end of the phone saying ‘have you come up with a name yet? I’ve got some suggestions. And we’d be sat round the table grimacing at each other, trying not to laugh, while John would be writing down really ridiculous ones and passing them round”.

Finally, before Cave Painting left me they decided to denounce a rumour going around that they blew off a Dog is Dead gig to wreak havoc in a hotel. “Aah that sounds bad. No, we couldn’t get into the Dog is Dead gig because it was packed. It was at Great Escape and one of the last shows so we were like what else can we do? And usually at the Great Escape everyone reconvenes in this hotel on the seafront where all of the bands and reps go. And we were drunk and ended up in a lift singing barber shop quartet stuff, getting everyone to join in and just riding the lift up and down until they kicked us out. We were in there for ages though. And I think this year the boys tried to do the same thing and they moved a sofa into the lift and got in trouble again. That’s like a yearly occurrence”.

To keep up to date with the chaotic trail the band will be leaving around England on their upcoming tour with Gaz Coombes, check out the ‘Land We Love’ section on their website. Currently containing Sam’s photos of their tours, he told The Mic “that’s currently in the process of being developed so keep your eyes peeled for that becoming a lot bigger”.

Make sure you catch Cave Painting’s debut album ‘Votive Life’ from the 24th September ahead of their Nottingham appearance with Gaz Coombes at The Rescue Rooms on 25th October.

By Cara McGoogan

20 | The Mic

Retrospective

“………To the End”

July 2009. Blur have just played two sold out shows to 80,000 people per night at Hyde Park, a reunion which many thought would never happen following the way Graham Coxonwas ousted in 2003 during recording sessions for Think Tank. The month before, Blur headlined Glastonbury,a celebration encompassing the best of their back catalogue with swagger and vigour, an event not just for the die-hards but also the uninitiated, thepeople too young to experience the band the first time round and thosewho may have preferred the brashness of the Gallaghers in Oasis..It was merely coincidental thatthe resurrection of Blur in summer2009 occurred alongside thedissolution of Oasis, a reflection of the changing tides in music, heralding the end of the battle ofBritpop.

Blur reigned over the summer of 2009 and as the closing notes of ‘The Universal’ made their way across HydePark, it wouldn’t have been churlish to say that perhaps the shows marked an end to the band, a finality which was denied to the fans in 2003.

Blur are once again back in the publicconsciousness, playing more showsand releasing new music in the formof a double a-side (‘Under the Westway’/ ‘The Puritan’). A box-set, ‘21’, encompassing all seven studio albums,b-sides and rarities has recently been released, the biggest hint yet that the band are putting a full stop over touring and recording commitments. Listening back through the Blur cannon provides a musical insight into the fragility of therelationships not only within the band butalso between the band members and girlfriends, not least that of Albarn with Justine Frischmann, the fracture between the two documented on ‘13’. Blur havealways been at their best when dealing with adversity, and Albarn produced perhaps two of his best songs during 1999 and the recording of the album, notably ‘No Distance left to Run’ and ‘Caramel’.

...continued overleaf

Blur

“over two hours of class and energy,

proving that in the intervening years,

the band have lost none of their edge”

...then

...and now

...Fast forward to August 2012

Blur play the first gig of their week-long summer tour in Margate in a venueholding little more than 5000 people. Damon admits to being “a little bit scared, a little bit apprehensive” playing the band’s first gig in almost three years; yethe needn’t have worried. The gig is just over two hours of class and energy, proving that in the intervening years,the band have lost none of their edgeTwo days later, Wolverhampton is the next stop, which this lucky writer was fortunate to have a ticket for. Taking thestage to ‘Girls & Boys’, the band proceeded to slay through the verybest of their back catalogue, bringingout a rarely played b-side in ‘Young andLovely’ and culminating in a triple tour-de-force of ‘For Tomorrow, End of a Century and The Universal’, the crowdscreaming every word back to the bandin what was one of those, and I use theword very loosely, moments. To this writer, the gig felt more like a celebration of the band more so than a wake, although with Damon, Graham, Alex and Dave all seemingly involved in other projects, be it in music (Damon and Graham) or Farming and Legal aid (Alex and Dave), the future of the band isonce more under question. Blur returned to Hyde Park on the day of the Olympic closing ceremony, playing another farewell gig to 80,000 people as part ofthe official celebrations, yet this time, despite all the bonhomie between band members and despite the reactions they have received from the crowds and thefans, it really does look like we’ve madeit to the end.

Written By:

When Albarn sang “I’ve got to get over…I’ve got to get better… will love you forever” on ‘Caramel’, hearts broke across thecountry. With the songs’ revival in the set list of their recent short tour of the UK, those hearts are once again aching at the sight of one man’s emotions being bared in public.

What you gain from listening to all sevenalbums is how much the band grew inthe 12 years between ‘Leisure’ and‘Think Tank’, both musically and lyrically.One of Blur’s strengths was that eachalbum was a departure from the last, each of the four members constantly pushing themselves in different directionsto create four quarters of a whole. The results could be mixed, as with several tracks on 1995’s ‘The Great Escape’, but could also become anthems, songs which attacked the charts and invaded the radios across the country, ‘Song 2’ and ‘Parklife’ respectively. People of a certain vintage will say that these were watershed moments in Britpop, but retrospectively, they represent the band engaging across two different areas of themusical spectrum, be it the lo-fi nature ofthe former or the social commentary of British culture in the latter. Blur could oftenbe brilliant, but these shows, especiallynow in 2012, have seemed to cement their status as one of the best bands our fine country has ever produced, with recognitionin the Brit Awards for Outstanding Contributions to music. Forget the shambolic and raucous nature of Damon’s acceptance speech, and the performanceof the band following that middle finger of Adele, to be in the same company of U2 and Paul Weller signified a major recognition by the music industry for the 21 years of blur’s recording career.

Joe Sweeting

photos: www.blur.com/info/gallery

Layo

ut: J

B

Setlist (Wolverhampton 6th Aug): Girls & Boys, London Loves, Tracey Jacks, Jubilee, Bettlebum, Coffee & TV, Out of Time, Young & Lovely,Trimm Trabb, Caramel,Sunday Sunday, Country House, Parklife, Colin Zeal, The Puritan, Pop Scene, Advert, Song 2, No Distance Left to Run, Tender, This is a Low, Sing, Under the Westway, Intermission, End of a Century, For Tomorrow, The Universal

August 4th, 2012.

The Mic | 21

Retrospective

“………To the End”

July 2009. Blur have just played two sold out shows to 80,000 people per night at Hyde Park, a reunion which many thought would never happen following the way Graham Coxonwas ousted in 2003 during recording sessions for Think Tank. The month before, Blur headlined Glastonbury,a celebration encompassing the best of their back catalogue with swagger and vigour, an event not just for the die-hards but also the uninitiated, thepeople too young to experience the band the first time round and thosewho may have preferred the brashness of the Gallaghers in Oasis..It was merely coincidental thatthe resurrection of Blur in summer2009 occurred alongside thedissolution of Oasis, a reflection of the changing tides in music, heralding the end of the battle ofBritpop.

Blur reigned over the summer of 2009 and as the closing notes of ‘The Universal’ made their way across HydePark, it wouldn’t have been churlish to say that perhaps the shows marked an end to the band, a finality which was denied to the fans in 2003.

Blur are once again back in the publicconsciousness, playing more showsand releasing new music in the formof a double a-side (‘Under the Westway’/ ‘The Puritan’). A box-set, ‘21’, encompassing all seven studio albums,b-sides and rarities has recently been released, the biggest hint yet that the band are putting a full stop over touring and recording commitments. Listening back through the Blur cannon provides a musical insight into the fragility of therelationships not only within the band butalso between the band members and girlfriends, not least that of Albarn with Justine Frischmann, the fracture between the two documented on ‘13’. Blur havealways been at their best when dealing with adversity, and Albarn produced perhaps two of his best songs during 1999 and the recording of the album, notably ‘No Distance left to Run’ and ‘Caramel’.

...continued overleaf

Blur

“over two hours of class and energy,

proving that in the intervening years,

the band have lost none of their edge”

...then

...and now

...Fast forward to August 2012

Blur play the first gig of their week-long summer tour in Margate in a venueholding little more than 5000 people. Damon admits to being “a little bit scared, a little bit apprehensive” playing the band’s first gig in almost three years; yethe needn’t have worried. The gig is just over two hours of class and energy, proving that in the intervening years,the band have lost none of their edgeTwo days later, Wolverhampton is the next stop, which this lucky writer was fortunate to have a ticket for. Taking thestage to ‘Girls & Boys’, the band proceeded to slay through the verybest of their back catalogue, bringingout a rarely played b-side in ‘Young andLovely’ and culminating in a triple tour-de-force of ‘For Tomorrow, End of a Century and The Universal’, the crowdscreaming every word back to the bandin what was one of those, and I use theword very loosely, moments. To this writer, the gig felt more like a celebration of the band more so than a wake, although with Damon, Graham, Alex and Dave all seemingly involved in other projects, be it in music (Damon and Graham) or Farming and Legal aid (Alex and Dave), the future of the band isonce more under question. Blur returned to Hyde Park on the day of the Olympic closing ceremony, playing another farewell gig to 80,000 people as part ofthe official celebrations, yet this time, despite all the bonhomie between band members and despite the reactions they have received from the crowds and thefans, it really does look like we’ve madeit to the end.

Written By:

When Albarn sang “I’ve got to get over…I’ve got to get better… will love you forever” on ‘Caramel’, hearts broke across thecountry. With the songs’ revival in the set list of their recent short tour of the UK, those hearts are once again aching at the sight of one man’s emotions being bared in public.

What you gain from listening to all sevenalbums is how much the band grew inthe 12 years between ‘Leisure’ and‘Think Tank’, both musically and lyrically.One of Blur’s strengths was that eachalbum was a departure from the last, each of the four members constantly pushing themselves in different directionsto create four quarters of a whole. The results could be mixed, as with several tracks on 1995’s ‘The Great Escape’, but could also become anthems, songs which attacked the charts and invaded the radios across the country, ‘Song 2’ and ‘Parklife’ respectively. People of a certain vintage will say that these were watershed moments in Britpop, but retrospectively, they represent the band engaging across two different areas of themusical spectrum, be it the lo-fi nature ofthe former or the social commentary of British culture in the latter. Blur could oftenbe brilliant, but these shows, especiallynow in 2012, have seemed to cement their status as one of the best bands our fine country has ever produced, with recognitionin the Brit Awards for Outstanding Contributions to music. Forget the shambolic and raucous nature of Damon’s acceptance speech, and the performanceof the band following that middle finger of Adele, to be in the same company of U2 and Paul Weller signified a major recognition by the music industry for the 21 years of blur’s recording career.

Joe Sweeting

photos: www.blur.com/info/gallery

Layo

ut: J

B

Setlist (Wolverhampton 6th Aug): Girls & Boys, London Loves, Tracey Jacks, Jubilee, Bettlebum, Coffee & TV, Out of Time, Young & Lovely,Trimm Trabb, Caramel,Sunday Sunday, Country House, Parklife, Colin Zeal, The Puritan, Pop Scene, Advert, Song 2, No Distance Left to Run, Tender, This is a Low, Sing, Under the Westway, Intermission, End of a Century, For Tomorrow, The Universal

August 4th, 2012.

22 | The Mic

The Mic | 23

24 | The Mic

The Mic | 25

26 | The Mic

transcendence of Three Trapped Tigers, an infinitely captivating act to close.

With the mud already beginning to thicken, Friday marked the start of the festival proper. The People the Poet impressed with a pol-ished and confident folk-rock set and with a glimpse of sun it was just possible to pretend it was a real summer. Fearsome punk outfit the Computers staked a strong claim for best show of the weekend, as charismatic frontman Alex Kershaw unleashed most of his buzz saw vocals from amongst or on top of the crowd, instigating absolute chaos in the Cave. Gallows, with new frontman Wade MacNeil, reprised this mayhem, their mix of old and new songs showing them still far ahead of most of the scene. The Futureheads followed an a capella set at the Leaf Lounge with a crowd-pleasing blast through their classics on the Main Stage.

Saturday offered the chance for those of a certain vintage to reminisce in style as Hun-dred Reasons romped through their debut album ‘Ideas Above Our Station’ before head-liners Guillemots enchanted the audience. Elsewhere, bright young things Lower Than Atlantis overcame technical difficulties to give a resounding signal of what is to come, while the James Cleaver Quintet brought argu-ably the most unhinged set ever to grace the stage, making a subsequent trip to the none-more-chilled Greenhouse area absolutely necessary. Local heroes and 2000trees veter-ans Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun blasted through the clouds, powering through an enthralling set with no small assistance from an adoring crowd packed tight inside the Leaf Lounge.

By Joe Ponting

There came a moment on Friday night during the biblical 12-hour down-pour drenching the scenic Cotswold

countryside, which so beautifully cradles the 2000trees festival, when I had to ques-tion whether I was quite in possession of my full quota of senses. I found myself standing shin-deep in liquid mud in a sodden field listening to an instrumental band with a strange name while the heavens relentlessly, and repeatedly, opened. But glancing back at the stage, and embracing 65daysofstatic’s breath-taking post-rock soundscapes, it was impossible to care about the deluge, the mud, or anything else. With the lights and the rain combining to create an electric atmosphere, the headline act’s trademark instrumental onslaught was little short of mesmerising. 65daysofstatic’s emphatic triumph over the elements is representative of the whole irrepressible spirit of 2000trees. From the lovingly hand-crafted signposts and Big Lebowski-inspired bars to the impromptu swingball games and criminally fun silent disco, this is a festival that knows the entire reason for its existence is to ensure that every punter, whatever the weather, has a great time. And judging by the record ticket sales and the friendly atmosphere, they are getting it absolutely right.

Hopes were high for a meteorological miracle on Thursday, but by the afternoon it was looking unlikely, setting the tone for the schizophrenic weather that was to become so trying. Operating only a single stage for those with VIP tickets for the first day, the fes-tival eased into gear, before being violently kick-started by Imperial Leisure’s infectious brand of demented ska-punk-hip-hop. They then made way for the madcap genre-

The Mic | 27

I n my socialist utopia every city would have a yealy Tramlines Festival, a completely free festival that takes over

the entire city centre. An incredibly inclusive event, the organisers are completely commit-ted to making sure everyone has a brilliant time experiencing a great variety of art and music.

With at least 60 different venues involved and some with multiple stages, it’s impos-sible to write a comprehensive review of the whole thing, but I tried to squeeze in as wide a range of events as possible. Although the last two years of the festival featured somewhat stronger line-ups, I found that the comparative lack of big names allowed me to explore more freely, not having to negoti-ate clashes or sneer from the back at some indie-rock up-and-comers on the New Music Stage (which was in the square outside City Hall!). I saw some excellent sets from Future of the Left and 65daysofstatic, but it was the tiny free-for-all hip-hop stage which was more refreshing and memorable, covering all four pillars of hip-hop plus street poetry and spontane-ous dance parties.

The best part of the week-end was 11-piece Balkan folk-punk band The Destroy-ers who tore apart the World Music Stage in the Peace

Gardens. They brought a hurdy-gurdy, a 7-foot tall bearded violinist, plentiful horns and an 80-year-old in a fez screaming about a ‘Hole in the Universe’ to thousands of suddenly-energetic cider-drinkers.

Elsewhere, warehouse DIY punks The Auda-cious Art Experiment were a must-visit if you’re into scuzzy house shows (‘Queer’d Science’, ‘Nope’, and ‘Endless Rope’ were particular highlights), and although I only caught half an hour of Demdike Stare’s digital soundscapes at Yellow Arch Studios, maybe I should’ve pulled a second all-nighter to absorb myself in that incredible venue. I also caught some sprawling free-folk from Ghedi & Heppleston in the Cathedral, two sets of Afro-noise “aggro-beat” post-rockers Blood Sport (watch out for this band, seriously), and a great set of rowdy post-punk from Nottingham’s own Nordenfelt. I just wish I’d had more time – I never even made it to the Main Stage or the Busker’s Bus, and probably visited less than a tenth of participating venues!

Next year, if you have friends in Sheffield whose floor you can sleep on, I urge you to come and check out Tramlines. I spent most of it yelling about how “you wouldn’t get this in Nottingham!”, which could easily be replaced with any other city. Sheffield has a friendly richness I’ve never truly experienced any-where else and Tramlines was the best time to experience it. Fingers crossed it survives austerity for another year.

By Stephen Wragg

28 | The Mic

obody has ever made an albumlike ‘Quarantine’ before. Laurel Halo approaches sound like a sculptor, labouring over every angle, as if theentire song is one nonlinear moment,until it hangs, one suspended entity,a fusion of human and digital. There are almost no beats or percussion on the record because it is so ambivalent,so cerebral; it’s a far cry from dance music, in spite of her previous work’s hazy reimaginings of IDM and techno.The purpose is to create and sustaina very specific and abstract mental(cyber)space, to carve it out, to invitethe listener to align themself with thetangent Halo is exploring. Similar toJames Blake’s self-titled debut, sheorganises sounds around her prominent vocal lines, but unlike Blake,she leaves her voice raw and exposed, fully baring every flaw and nuance. On‘Years’ it is painfully direct: “You’re madcause I will not leave you alone” – but

what a bizarre, deliberately uncatchymelody. The piercing effects on ‘Carcass’ twist the knife deeper; yet closer ‘Light & Space’ is immaculately produced, spine-tinglingly gorgeous.The record is full of contradictions: it’s spacious and impressionistic at the same time as beingtense and claustrophobic. It’s lush anddreamlike but haunting, wilfullydiscomforting. It calls to mind at once sci-fi and sentimentality. It’s straight from thebottom of uncanny valley. But it’s so unprecedented that I’m no closer to adequately describing it. Suffice to say ‘Quarantine’ is fascinatingly daring and it will do things that music has never donefor you before.

N

n the busy releases of albums this year,it is likely that the debut from Lianne LaHavas would have passed you by, released in July to relatively little fanfare but great reviews from music critics. Bursting onto the scene following anappearance on Later With Jools Hollandlast October, la Havas crafted this albumin relative peace from the press, and what emerged from these sessions is one of the best albums of the year. The highlights are ‘Age’ (An ode to a boyfriend several years her senior), ‘Forget’ (Writtenabout an ex boyfriend) and ‘No Roomfor Doubt’, co-written with Willy Mason, which is an aching lament torelationships There are upbeatmoments however, not least the titletrack, but don’t go into the album expecting to be dancing around the room with the hairbrush as a microphone. There are upbeat moments however, not least the title

I

The Mic’s Top Albumsof Summer 2012

Laurel Halo - Quarantine

Lianne la Havas- Is Your Love Big Enough

by Stephen Wragg

Layo

ut: J

B

track, but don’t go into the album expectingto be dancing around the room with thehairbrush as a microphone. To say themusic is understated would seem to bepretentious, BUT it really is understated, fine-crafted and produced so that the listener goes on that metaphorical journey with la Havas through all stages of arelationship. You don’t need to have experienced heartbreak to enjoy the music, and for la Havas to be singing about it at theage of 23 can be seen as pushing it, but really,when a debut album that is this good arrives,any gripes can surely be forgiven. La Havas will be around for a long, long time to come.

by Joe Sweeting

Mercury Prize Nominated Lianne La Havas

The Mic | 29

obody has ever made an albumlike ‘Quarantine’ before. Laurel Halo approaches sound like a sculptor, labouring over every angle, as if theentire song is one nonlinear moment,until it hangs, one suspended entity,a fusion of human and digital. There are almost no beats or percussion on the record because it is so ambivalent,so cerebral; it’s a far cry from dance music, in spite of her previous work’s hazy reimaginings of IDM and techno.The purpose is to create and sustaina very specific and abstract mental(cyber)space, to carve it out, to invitethe listener to align themself with thetangent Halo is exploring. Similar toJames Blake’s self-titled debut, sheorganises sounds around her prominent vocal lines, but unlike Blake,she leaves her voice raw and exposed, fully baring every flaw and nuance. On‘Years’ it is painfully direct: “You’re madcause I will not leave you alone” – but

what a bizarre, deliberately uncatchymelody. The piercing effects on ‘Carcass’ twist the knife deeper; yet closer ‘Light & Space’ is immaculately produced, spine-tinglingly gorgeous.The record is full of contradictions: it’s spacious and impressionistic at the same time as beingtense and claustrophobic. It’s lush anddreamlike but haunting, wilfullydiscomforting. It calls to mind at once sci-fi and sentimentality. It’s straight from thebottom of uncanny valley. But it’s so unprecedented that I’m no closer to adequately describing it. Suffice to say ‘Quarantine’ is fascinatingly daring and it will do things that music has never donefor you before.

N

n the busy releases of albums this year,it is likely that the debut from Lianne LaHavas would have passed you by, released in July to relatively little fanfare but great reviews from music critics. Bursting onto the scene following anappearance on Later With Jools Hollandlast October, la Havas crafted this albumin relative peace from the press, and what emerged from these sessions is one of the best albums of the year. The highlights are ‘Age’ (An ode to a boyfriend several years her senior), ‘Forget’ (Writtenabout an ex boyfriend) and ‘No Roomfor Doubt’, co-written with Willy Mason, which is an aching lament torelationships There are upbeatmoments however, not least the titletrack, but don’t go into the album expecting to be dancing around the room with the hairbrush as a microphone. There are upbeat moments however, not least the title

I

The Mic’s Top Albumsof Summer 2012

Laurel Halo - Quarantine

Lianne la Havas- Is Your Love Big Enough

by Stephen Wragg

Layo

ut: J

B

track, but don’t go into the album expectingto be dancing around the room with thehairbrush as a microphone. To say themusic is understated would seem to bepretentious, BUT it really is understated, fine-crafted and produced so that the listener goes on that metaphorical journey with la Havas through all stages of arelationship. You don’t need to have experienced heartbreak to enjoy the music, and for la Havas to be singing about it at theage of 23 can be seen as pushing it, but really,when a debut album that is this good arrives,any gripes can surely be forgiven. La Havas will be around for a long, long time to come.

by Joe Sweeting

Mercury Prize Nominated Lianne La Havas

30 | The Mic

It would be true to suggest that here at The Mic we tend to focus on the current rock and indie music scene above the other illustrious list of events going on around the city and

indeed the country. That’s not to say we ignore other genres - just look back to Issue 32 for Nancy Bukasa’s insightful views on A$AP Rocky – and it doesn’t mean that for us as students a good night out means a good gig out, does it? So as the new academic term begins, so turns a new page in the Mic; let’s take a break from single releases and hiatuses and look into the lanterns and cocktails of Coco Tang’s Vice as we discuss what makes it a great night out.

For the Freshers who are reading, I’ll start from my first experience of Coco Tang. Unless you’ve been told of its modest entrance (secretive is perhaps too ominous), you might be somewhat at a miss as to where the club actually is. On those cobbled lace market steps approaching a mere red oriental lantern with solitary doorman beneath it, it’s hard not to think of Victorian opium dens and the like. The English student aside, it’s clear from entering the club that it knows class.

But class and student nights hardly seem to go hand in hand. As cringe-worthy as it may be to say, a student night out is typically defined by cheap, excessive drinking and all its other vices. And yet it is exactly Vice that Coco Tang seems to be flaunting every Monday: not the vices that come with sticky floors, WKDs and Carly Rae Jepsen but those that come with the sleek look of a private club. Adorned with cocktail barrels and Chinese lanterns, it appears that the vices here are of those of a 20’s prohibition bar or a Chinese opium-den

The House of Coco Tang

The Mic | 31

(although rest assured there’ll be no illicit narcotics here).

Design and decor however can only go so far in the reputation of a bar because ultimately it must come down to the quality of the drinks, and my god does Coco Tang deliver. Vice has a huge array of cocktails which are of excellent quality. I do not wish to adopt the tone of a salesman but their raspberry mojito may be the best I’ve ever had. What’s more at £4 a cocktail it is excellent value for money, although admittedly the price of the night could rack up sneakily if you’re not careful. But then again that’s the nature of the vice, isn’t it? With a smallish dance floor set in underground tunnels, Vice nights can get stuffy but it is with a breath of proverbial fresh air to mention that the recently renovated soundsystem does not churn out chart hits but rather decent European House and all its derivatives. OK we’re back to talking about music but it would be wrong if we missed it out. The likes of Jamie XX, Dis-closure, Deadmau5, 2ManyDJs and Fake Blood keep the rhythm of the night upbeat and far from the dreary zone that other student club nonsense puts you in.

It’s evident from looking around that Vice’s crowds dress up a little more than they might do for any other student night, so it seems that its punters view Coco Tang as a classier joint than the rest. This may be off-putting to some but there is by no means a need to wear a suit or your finest dress and if anything, this signifies that its crowds want to look the way the club makes them feel. With the various deals available this doesn’t have to come with more of a cost than any other night. If any of this has intrigued you then you must check out Vice for it may turn into just that: an irresistible temptation.

Vice will see its first night of the year on Monday 24th September, then following will be every Monday of the term.

By John Bell

The House of Coco Tang

32 | The Mic

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36 | The Mic