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The Howl and The Hum – London – Scala – Wednesday 2nd October – Tickets

The most miserable disco you ever did see that filled your heart.

Pink Eye’s Paradise Number 9 – London – Venue MOT 18 – Thursday 3rd October – £3 OTD

The best event description you’ll ever see in one of London’s best new underground venues. Live messy shit in a warehouse, class.

Equaliser’s 2nd Birthday – Leeds – Kirkgate Market – Friday 4th October – FREE

One of the best platforms for emerging talent in Leeds brings an open session to the people of Leeds in Kirkgate market including fruit and veg or so I’m told…

Nice People Magazine + Compliation Launch – Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club – Saturday 5th October – PAYF

One of the most ambitious compliation albums made by a DIY magazine potentially ever bringing together everyone involved for an all day shindig

No Bounds – Sheffield – Various Venues – 11th to 13th October – Tickets

Experimental sounds coming from the steel city from the team behind Hopeworks. Feat. LSDXOXO, Roxymore B2B Violet, The Black Madonna, Shy Girl, Courtesy, YAK and Aurora Halal and DJ Q and I could go on but you get the point…

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Ever since my older sister saw Marika Hackman at Latitude, way back in the years when I was too young to go to any festival, I’ve had the bugging need to see her live for myself. Without ever even having heard her music, what was described to me by my sister sounded so pure yet electrifying that I should’ve been amidst the crowd.

Lo and behold though, she came to Leeds on the 24^th of September to play at the wonderful Brudenell Social Club. Accompanied by her three other band members, she took the stage sporting matching white ragged boiler suits.

Not caring about being blunt with the audience, she let us know her boiler suit sleeve was a reference to her setlist songs, which she had to refer to, many times. In its hilarity, the audience and Hackman connected over the reminder that we are all human.

Hackman may have forgotten her setlist, but you could tell that it was meticulously orchestrated. Dancing between the softer songs and her more unapologetic, grungy ones, the audience’s attention would never get a chance to get diverted away from her unbroken voice of perfection from the heavy electric and drums. Instead, they worked harmoniously as she see-sawed through her differing styles. Contrasting ‘all night’ with ‘i’m not where you are’, both from her third and latest album Any Human Friend, she accomplished just this. The audience continuously went from soft swaying to a good old boogie, and what a fun juxtaposition that is.

The paradox is that when you pay attention to the lyrics of ‘all night’, it is anything but soft. She sings libidinous lyrics in such a candid and frank way, it’s not until your attention is away from the melody that one realises Marika Hackman isn’t about the gentle, folk life. Instead she revels in crudeness, defies expectations and keeps her listeners guessing.

After awaiting seeing Marika Hackman for 5 years, in which time she has released three full-length albums, I’m Not Your Man (2017) being one of my favourite summer soundtracks, I can safely say she surpassed expectations and brought great ardour to Brudenell Social Club on the night of the 24^th.

Words by Zoe Hapeshi

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A year later, and a year off from music, Dorsal was created. Their first single ‘are you here’, produced by Ewan Lilly (R.Lyle), was released on the 28th September.For Dave, taking a step away from creative projects was ironically exactly what lead to the creation of this new intimate dance project.

“It was a really healthy experience…I’d been in projects and bands since I was around 15. So I got a normal job, took a lot more time for myself and my health. I felt defined to being a musician for so long it felt incredibly liberating taking the time to understand my own identity outside of music. I stopped seeing it as a career and that made music so much more interesting to me again.”

The catalyst for this new direction? The creation of ‘are you here’, which Dave describes as one of his most honest pieces of music. Created in half an hour after work one day, and then produced in a further hour a few months later, it is a raw piece of music.

“It still really stirs up the feelings of who and where I was on that day. That’s always made the song feel really special and it’s something I definitely look for in every piece of music.”

As well as being able to perfectly capture and recreate a distinct moment in Dave’s life, the single’s power is also derived from his unique creative relationship with it’s producer R.Lyle.

He seemed to immediately understand what the music needed. It’s a collaboration that could have only evolved from years of sharing music and musical experiences.

The single is the first from Dorsal’s forthcoming debut album ‘tema’, out in November, which will feature collaborations with Leeds based artists – something I certainly am excited for! Dave cites various local artists and collectives as inspirations of his, from his old Dharma Wild band mates, to the Tight Lines lot.

Needless to say, Dorsal is a prime example of the ever-evolving (but always-fantastic ) Leeds music scene.

LISTEN to ‘are you here’:

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