Gathered in a bunker near London Bridge, are a couple of hundred people to see Self Esteem, the newest project from Rebecca Taylor. The sold out gig at London’s OMeara sees old fans, nwTaylor has been part of the Slow Club duo, along with Charles Watson, for ten years now. But tonight’s crowd are very much here to see her, not the songs of the past.

Kicking off proceedings are Militant Girlfriend, who have a pop punk aesthetic, with short, riff heavy songs and pounding beats. Songs like 2K17 Was For Dickheads hint at a sense of humour through the boisterousness. They fire through a short set, before disappearing off to ‘drink our own body weight in whiskey.’ They seem to be having a damn fine time being angry and rocking out with riotous guitars and loud drums.

Taylor’s solo stuff is more reminiscent of the electronic pop vibe that the pair edged into in their latter years, rather than the early twee folk tunes. Your Wife was produced by Django Django’s Dave Maclean and is full of pulses and glitches over its catchy chorus. OMG is a punch of a beat heavy tune that shimmers with intricacies and brings in brass. Wrestling aches with tension and brooding, even as it flickers with melodies. ‘You’ve got to calm down ‘cos this one’s about all my feelings and terrible stuff’ she says before She Reigns, whilst Your Truth is about ‘shagging straight guys.’

Backed by an all female cast Taylor performs and preens around the stage, oozing sensuality and sexiness. There’s choreographed dance moves and sassy shimmering. Empowered and confident, she tests boundaries and pushes musical limits. Her bold and powerful voice is almost diva-esque, but her on stage banter in a thick Sheffield accent shows how down to earth she is. She ends on Favourite Problem, because she’s ready to go off and get drunk, the sip of a can of Fosters not quite cutting it.

Self Esteem also includes an art project, clothing range and social media brand, and sees Taylor questioning the male dominated world in which she, and every other female, operates in.

Tonight’s gig proves that two heads aren’t always needed to be better.

As always the tunes are revealing and cathartic for Taylor, and somehow as their style has become more potent and rocky and less whimsical indie folk, they’ve also become more personal to Taylor, but no less powerful to an audience. It’s been twelve years since they started out, and in that time they’ve grown up in the limelight but not lost any of the vivacity of their early days. Just as energetic and radiant, but with more grit and steel, the new songs have notes of heartbreak, depression, and tension, and in this stripped back setting there’s something very intimate about hearing them.

Confident in their identity, at least as a musical duo, the show is compelling. They eschew perfection in favour of personality, and bring the audience along with them. Witty asides never detract from brilliant songs, and the new ones are just as captivating as those more well known. As one of my favourite bands ever I always slightly fear that they might let me down – play a shit show or come across as arrogant twits. They do neither. They continue to win me over. Finally, a trio of old favourites is ushered in with a sing-a-long Tears of Joy, almost heart melting, before closing with a vibrant Two Cousins. Slow Club are back, and at the top of their game.

When I enter the Camden Barfly (the last remaining one of the chain) Klak Tik are sat around the table laughing and drinking, easy banter, buzzing post soundcheck. I start with the obvious question, ‘so…Slow Club?’

‘I had heard of them’ says Jon (Beyer), ‘and then when we were booked I looked them up…Harry Potter is in their video! (2012’s Beginners) We had to say yes.’ Playing at London’s Proud Gallery alongside Slow Club and Moats, as part of the Good Sex series, the band are in a cheery mood, having just completed a successful soundcheck.

Their unique and intricate music is one of the reasons that, where possible, they fly their own technician with them wherever they go – ‘like travel insurance, but way more important’ says lead everything Søren Bonke. After seeing the show it is clear why the band need a special touch to really allow their sonics to deliver. A fantastical and emotional escapade through physical and emotional landscapes, the music is both meandering and immediate, a flood of instruments and intricacies, the four piece (Søren Bonke, Jonathan Beyer, Matthew Mitchinson and Andy Joseph) have an air that is both organic and well honed.

What Klak Tik do with their combination of folk, alternative rock, orchestral grandeur and experimental melodies is summed up simply on their Facebook page as ‘we make music.’ Very much the vision of lead singer, lead guitarist, and general leader, the Danish multi-instrumentalist Søren, he cites it as his idea of the perfect musical output, ‘or certainly not far from it, and that’s the key achievement of my life.’ It’s a sentiment echoed by Jon, who feels as ‘in the moment and as joyful as I can be playing music’ when playing with Klak Tik.

Born out of Six Day Riot, the alt pop band who Søren and Jonathan were both members of, Soren has started the band and looped in the talent around him, and he still has an air of leadership. Matt quips that ‘it’s got to the point now where Søren lets Jon answer his own questions. We did have to sit down for a briefing session before this interview though.’

Over time of course the band has evolved to be an entity in itself, rather than a leader with followers, and on second album The Servants (out on Safety First) what is often a sparse genre is made rich, lush and intense. This verdant sound is one inspired by rain. Not a fan of rain myself, I inquire as to why such a fascination with precipitation. ‘It’s the hydration element’ explains Søren, ‘the rain basically brings green.’ Influenced by the sound of rain hitting the tent, when you feel safe and separate from it, its rhythmic rapping on the canvas soothing. It’s a sound used to great effect in the show, when I genuinely have to look up to check that the sprinklers have not turned on at points. Far from gimmicky though, the sound of rushing rain is like a fifth instrument, another layer to the multifarious sound from the stage.

Concerned that our conversation of leadership may have sparked rivalries, I comment that surely there never can be a leader of a band – everyone contributes in some way and it is impossible to quantify the value of those contributions. ‘I have a spreadsheet’ throws in Matt. The ensuuing debate about whether energy and hard work is worth the same as the snare beat that makes the song, and the law suits that have argued this is a lively one, and I am aware that the interview needs to wrap up. To wrap up, I mention that there are of course numerous studies that claim to have discovered the formula for a perfect pop song.

‘Yeah, I don’t have that book.’ says Søren.

Arguable.

Klak Tik’s album The Servants is out now on Safety First Records, and the launch party takes place on April 16^th at London’s Sebright Arms. You should go.

It always amazes me that a duo who can write such tender songs of lost love and heartbreak can slip under the radar of most of the UK’s music fans. Who could ever fall out of love with the charming and beautiful Rebecca and disarmingly beguiling Charles? Playing their first gig of 2013 at Proud Camden, Slow Club used tonight to showcase some the tracks they have been busy in the studio writing, which on first listen are just as dazzling as those from their excellent second album Paradise that Rebecca conceded she wished they could ‘dine out on for a bit longer.’
They sparkle across the stage, their songs stuffed full of hooks like ravioli. The glorious If We’re Still Alive kicks off with pounding drums and harsh snares, and Charles’ mellow plucking of the guitar on Never Look Back is a particularly heartfelt moment. The crowd tonight were not the most receptive this writer has ever seen, but this didn’t stop the duo’s exceptional musical intuition capturing that prism of pure magic in the multi-hued spectrum of their music. Two Cousins is simply flooded with intensity and desire to live, and when they close their set with  there is no sense of them ever giving up on such perfect songcraft. Not twee, not folk, not pop, not rock, Slow Club have captured the art of simply taking the best bits of music, mixing them together, and making them work.
With their rattling rhythms and dynamic undulating melodies, beautiful two part harmonies where Rebecca’s soulful and powerful vocals are just as emotive as Charles’ soothing and weathered voice, and a passion and vigour that few bands match either on or off the stage, Slow Club again proved tonight why they are one of the UK’s best bands and why album three is worth waiting for.
Originally on One on One music – see it here!

Albums we’ve loved

Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls
Almost exactly 18 months ago we interviewed a little known band called Veronica Falls in which they talk of their distaste for ‘labels’, ‘scenes’, ‘genres ‘, ‘tweeness’ and pretty much anyone or anything that tried to define or pigeon-hole them. Fair enough. They also talk about their plan for an album…and well, basically a lack of one. Fast forward 18 months and they’re headlining stages at Field Day, touring across Europe and the US and recording their debut album twice, scrapping one and re-recording the finally released version in 3 days. Who knows what that original version sounded like, but however bad they thought the original recording was, nothing can hide the sheer quality and variation in their song writing . From the perfect pop song clout of Stephen, the melodic roundabout of The Fountain, to the shadowy punch of Bad Feeling and the anthemic Come On Over, each track on this album delivers. There’s a layered craft to each and every song, from the harmonised vocals to the interweaving guitars, that makes this a truly brilliant album. Just don’t mention cardigans to them.

Elzhi – Elmatic
Here is an example of a clever concept that evolved into something far greater. A tribute to Nas’ seminal 1994 album Illmatic, Elzhi moves the scene from an oft-romanticised New York to a gritty Detroit, where shots go off at the funniest hours (Detroit State of Mind). El’s stark imagery cleverly references Nas’ phrasing but stripped of any glamorisation of project life, calling the hood a glasshouse the devil throws stones through. However, there is light amidst the shade. Memory Lane cheekily reminisces about being back in junior high ‘with your report card/Trying to make a B out of the letter F,’ and One Love is a touching tribute to ‘El’s girl who cooked me hot meals/Helped me when I got bills.’ Best of all, Will Sessions’ lush arrangements root the tracks in the rhythm and blues of Detroit’s own Funk Brothers, meaning that more than a simple tribute, Elmatic is one of the finest hip hop albums of the decade so far.

Grouplove – Never Trust A Happy Song
The sounds of a summer, toes wriggling in grass, beers bubbles cracking on the tongue, cheap wine at the side of bonfires, a moment of drunken epiphany shared with friends. The equivalent of a sherbet fountain – all fizz, fun and fiasco – but with the reality hit of liquorice that stops it all from being too saccharin and suggests these guys actually mean it. Never Trust A Happy Song They Say – with the euphoria evident in this trip of an album, this is contender for most dishonest album of the year. Love it.
Other long players that have  rocked It’s All Happening’s world this year include:
Summer Camp – Welcome To Condale
Elbow – build a rocket boys!
Feist – Metals
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Pharoahe Monch – W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
The Streets – Cyberspace and Reds
Tom Waits – Bad as Me
Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4Eva
James Blake – James Blake
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow
Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys
The Weekend – House of Balloons
Wild Beasts – Smother
Pete and the Pirates – One Thousand Pictures
Lanterns on the Lake – Gracious Tide, Take Me Home
Metronomy – The English Rivieria
Deer Tracks – The Archer
Art Brut – Brilliant Tragic

Tracks of the year

Bos Angeles – Beach Slalom
It may be all over in 2 minutes and 35 seconds, but this simple and youthful tale of a break-up stirs memories of teenage love and regret that had us hooked from the first listen. From the simple 2 note intro to the frenetic ending it encapsulates everything we love about discovering new bands. There’s nothing showy or over-thought, the recording sounds live and unpolished, and it seems to achieve everything it sets out to do with minimal fuss. The guitar part nods to Johnny Marr, the bassline’s got Peter Hook all over it and the hushed almost spoken vocals drift solemnly over proceedings, portraying a real sense of introspection and apology to what is ultimately a post-punk salvo of a track. They may never write anything as good as this again (we obviously hope they do), but Beach Slalom is as close to a genuine and honest guitar pop song as we could find in 2011 and we love it.
Bos Angeles – Beach Slalom 
Evans the Death – I’m So Unclean
Favourite lyrics of the year on this thrashy and reflective tale of heartbreak… “When I’m watching the shopping channel, I will think of you; When I’m making a sandwich, I will think of you; When I’m trying to get to sleep, I will think of you”.
I’m So Unclean by Evans the Death
Big Deal – Talk
Has the anguish and torture of being unable to articulate basic words of lust and longing ever been so perfectly articulated? A seething bass line, wiltingly cutting delivery, hollow haze and the killer line dished up with such nonchalance, ‘all I wanna do is talk, but seeing you fucks me up,’
Talk by Big Deal
Slow Club – If We’re Still Alive
A soft drum that taps like a heartbeat in angst, the chiming organ teardrops, forlorn yearning of Rebecca’s vocal, building layers reminiscent of 50s girl groups, the killer electric riff followed by an almost calypso beat, a bridge that curls and kisses its way in, all viewed through the eyes of two hopeless romantics. Perfect.
Slow Club – If We’re Still Alive

The live stage – our favourite gigs

Pulp – Take your pick. Brixton Academy, Reading Festival, Isle of Wight. All three were very special. He writhes , he poses, he grooves, and makes us all feel us all wanna be Common People.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuVSWe8RkJc]
Pete and the Pirates at Buffalo Bar, 22 Nov – Fist time we’d seen PATP in several years, and we’d forgotten how much we love them. Intimate venue, great tunes.
We Were Promised Jetpacks at XOYO, 12 Oct – What a gig. WWPJ debut album was a job to behold, but their second album released earlier in 2011 is probably my album of the year. They did not disappoint at XOYO (personal highlight being during their biggest hit Quiet Little Voices, when lead singer Adm was hit by a bottle of beer so instead of singing ‘we’re young again’ he creatively changed the words to ‘you’re a c**t’ whilst pointing at the perpetrator. Priceless. With support coming from the wonderful cheeky chaps and chappess that are Let’s Buy Happiness, this was an all-round great gig.

2.54 at Corsica Studios, 9 Nov – The night that it felt like everything came together for 2.54.