The Fat Angel Sings

“The Less I Knew” is the long awaited 6th studio album from James Vincent McMorrow. Produced by James the album was recorded in London, Los Angeles and Dublin largely before the pandemic struck. It embraces the fact that life is chaos, and the idea of growing up but feeling none the wiser.

“Hurricane” is now properly out in the world. It’s not exaggerating to say that this song and album have given me my life back, reminded me what a precious thing it is to be alive and surrounded by love and meaning. I didn’t realise how lost I’d gotten. I cannot wait to share the rest of these songs with you, I’m in LA right now finishing album no.2. Stay tuned for some show news in the next couple days too

The Irish singer-songwriter-producer James Vincent McMorrow has released the life-affirming single “Hurricane.” Filled with choral backing vocals, horns and sweeping refrains, “Hurricane ” bottles the emotional directness McMorrow was after when approaching this record. Last month, he announced two new albums due this year, with “The Less I Knew” coming June 24th. The companion album “Heavyweight Champion of Dublin8” will be released this fall. “The Less I Knew” was written and produced by McMorrow, mixed and engineered by Alex Borwick and recorded at Black Mountain Studios in Ireland.

There are certain songs you can just build your world around. For me it’s this song. I’ve stood on stage in the last 2 weeks and performed it and I can exist within every single line. I can’t say that about every song I’ve ever written. I listen to it, I get to certain moments, and it makes me smile every time. I believe it will always make me smile. And you’d think “fuck, shouldn’t everything you make be something you exist within totally, something that makes you smile?”. You’d be surprised. I spent a lot of time trying to convince myself the road I was on was the one I was meant to be on. because i could still see the reason I was doing it, but it was shrouded in trees. I thought catching glimpses of it was enough.  Now I know that wasn’t the case, because when I made this album, I did it all differently, never forced, never bullshit, I got to a place that i never honestly thought I’d get to, and not to sound like a corny idiot but I can see it all now and I fucking love it.

James Vincent McMorrow is a platinum-selling artist who has independently clocked over 1 billion streams and seen his music travel everywhere.  An always-unpredictable, multifaceted talent, over the last decade, James Vincent McMorrow has established himself as an artist of signature style. On his own intuitive terms, James’ bigger-picture approach to each project may vary, but the idea of doing exactly what you need to do, and at exactly the right time, remains a constant. He has emerged as that rare modern act as integral to the worlds of hip-hop and textured R&B as he is the singer-songwriter roots of his early days. Behind McMorrow’s instantly-identifiable voice was a heartfelt, sometimes-cryptic storyteller – who, on his new music, also appears to have come to understand himself on a deeper level.

South London singer/songwriter Cat Burns reveals her highly-anticipated “emotionally unavailable” EP via Since ‘93/Sony.

Underpinned by honest lyrics and undeniable hooks, “emotionally unavailable” explores the internal complex feelings people experience when going through the ebb and flows of mental health journeys, friendships, commitment, and abandonment issues – topics that are close to the Streatham lyricist’s heart. When speaking about the inspiration for her brand new EP, Cat says, “I wanted to create a personal yet relatable EP where I express the different ways you can be ‘emotionally unavailable’ in this generation.”

The six-track EP features new offerings, the melancholic ‘learnt to love goodbyes’, ‘anxiety’, and fan favourite ‘ghosting’. Dedicated to a friendship breakup, ‘we’re not kids anymore’ encapsulates the sombre feeling when childhood friends are no longer as close as they were. Title track ‘emotionally unavailable’ and Top 3 smash hit ‘go’ complete the project.

Breaking into the Official Charts for the first time in her career with ‘go’, Cat’s single is now #3 on the Official Singles Chart. The breakup anthem has now garnered over 55 million Spotify streams, is a permanent fixture on BBC Radio 1’s A-List, and dominating playlists across Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music worldwide.

Conquering the UK live music circuit this year, Cat recently joined Mae Muller on her nationwide tour and made her debut appearance at The Great Escape in Brighton. She’s  supporting Years & Years on their UK arena tour before headlining three sold-out shows of her own at London’s Omeara and The Deaf Institute in Manchester later this month. Adding to her exciting live schedule, Cat will be supporting Ed Sheeran on his European tour run before headlining the newly-reopened KOKO on 4th October.

Detailing the South London artist’s personal journey in an in-depth and profound way, “emotionally unavailable” displays Cat’s blossoming artistry and heartfelt lyricism, showing her maturity as a singer/songwriter. The EP is an incredible body of work delving into how society has become detached yet so connected in the current age of social media, with Cat unleashing her unique perspective for everyone to relate to.

Gang of Youths’ current album “Angel In Realtime” saw the band make their biggest international impact of their career to date. It saw them achieve their first UK Top 10 chart position, complete a sold-out UK headline tour that called at the O2 Academy Brixton, and three show-stealing US TV performances on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’, ‘CBS Mornings’, and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with an incredible performance of ‘forbearance’. Gang of Youths are currently completing a North American headline tour which has included numerous sold-out shows and a set at the Shaky Knees Festival.

Shortly after the release of the critically adored ‘angel in realtime.’, Gang of Youths completed a Spectrum Session for SiriusXM. The session now receives its official release as Gang of Youths’ new EP ‘immolation tape’. The four-track EP includes their take on the Wilco classic ‘A Shot In The Arm’.

Gang of Youths commented, “Just wanted to chuck it out there for a laugh.”

‘immolation tape’ features brilliant new acoustic performances of three landmark moments from ‘angel in realtime.’ with ‘in the wake of your leave’, ‘forbearance’ and ‘spirit’. The stripped back approach provides a fresh warmth and intimacy to these already emotionally charged songs, putting greater emphasis on Dave Le’aupepe’s impassioned vocals and Tom Hobden’s stirring string contributions. They also lose none of their power, with ‘in the wake of your leave’ maintaining its grandeur and drama, while ‘spirit boy’ feels even more tender.

The EP closes with Gang of Youths’ reworking of Wilco’s ‘A Shot in the Arm’, a fan favourite and live staple that originally featured on their 1999 album ‘Summerteeth’. Gang of Youths take a streamlined approach to the song, pulling back its tension and layered details in a way that feels both fresh and respectful to the original.

Le’aupepe has previously cited ‘Summerteeth’ as a personal favourite, and Wilco’s follow-up, 2001’s ‘Yankee Foxtrot Hotel’, as a particular inspiring influence on Gang of Youths. Both bands share some defining traits. They both experiment far beyond their indie-rock roots, drawing upon everything from flourishes of electronica to gorgeously crafted string arrangements, while writing lyrics that match heart-rendering emotions in a way that’s both poetic and immediately accessible.

we had a really really fun time recording some alternative versions of our songs along with a Wilco cover with our friend Richard Woodcraft and Nick Etwell. Please enjoy the immolation tape. As always we appreciate your support.

GANG OF YOUTHS · immolation tape

Iconic singer Mavis Staples is an alchemist of American music, and during her 70+ year career one of her most beloved musical moments was her riveting performance in Martin Scorsese’s film’ The Last Waltz,’ performing “The Weight” with The Band, a moment that forged a life-long friendship between her and Levon Helm. Staples came to Woodstock, NY to perform as part of Helm’s renowned Midnight Ramble series, and the ensuing concert would mark a personal high watermark for both artists.

Captured live in the summer of 2011, “Carry Me Home” showcases two of the past century’s most iconic voices coming together in love and joy, tracing their shared roots and celebrating the enduring power of faith and music. The setlist was righteous that night, mixing vintage gospel and soul with timeless folk and blues, and the performances were loose and playful, fuelled by an ecstatic atmosphere that was equal parts family reunion and tent revival. Read between the lines, though, and there’s an even more poignant story at play here. Neither Staples nor Helm knew that this would be their last performance together—the collection marks one of Helm’s final recordings before his death—and listening back now, a little more than a decade later, tunes like “This May Be The Last Time” and “Farther Along” take on new, bittersweet meaning.

The result is an album that’s at once a time capsule and a memorial, a blissful homecoming and a fond farewell, a once-in-a-lifetime concert—and friendship—preserved for the ages. Staples and the night’s soulful crew of backup singers handle the vast majority of the vocal work here, but it’s perhaps album closer “The Weight,” which features Helm chiming in with lead vocals for the first time, that stands as the concert’s most emotional moment.

“It never crossed my mind that it might be the last time we’d see each other,” says Staples. “He was so full of life and so happy that week. He was the same old Levon I’d always known, just a beautiful spirit inside and out.”

Porridge Radio are one of the most vital new voices in alternative music, having gone from being darlings of the DIY underground to one of the UK’s most thrilling bands in the space of less than a year. Their barbed wit, lacerating intensity and potent blend of art-rock, indie-pop and post-punk sounds like little else around, and led their 2020 album “Every Bad” to make the nominees list for the coveted Mercury Music Prize.

For frontperson Dana Margolin, drummer Sam Yardley, keyboardist Georgie Stott and bassist Maddie Ryall – who met in the seaside town of Brighton and formed Porridge Radio in 2014 – global recognition has been a long time coming, after years of self-releasing and music booking their own tours. In those eight years, Dana has gained a reputation as one of the most magnetic band leaders around with an ability to “devastate you with an emotional hurricane, then blindside you with a moment of bittersweet humour” (NME).

But if “Every Bad” established Dana’s lemon-sharp, heart-on-sleeve honesty, Porridge Radio’s third album takes that to anthemic new heights. “Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky” is the sound of someone in their late twenties facing down the disappointment of love, and life, and figuring out how to exist in the world, without claiming any answers. It’s also catchy as hell.

The title – which was partly inspired by a collage by the British surrealist Eileen Agar – speaks to the “joy, fear and endlessness” of the past few years. Dana’s songwriting and delivery is more confident, with the emotional incisiveness of artists like Mitski, Sharon Van Etten and Big Thief. Though it’s softer and more playful in places than “Every Bad’s” blowtorch ferocity, there are moments of powerful catharsis, ones that occur when you allow the full intensity of an experience to take hold.

In places, that no-holds-barred rawness is on a par with bands like Deftones (their panoramic metal is a key touchstone of “Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky”) or American emo, elevated by Yardley’s ambitious instrumentals. “I kept saying that I wanted everything to be ‘stadium-epic’ – like Coldplay,” says Dana.

With “Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky”, Porridge Radio have distilled their myriad influences down like they’re flipping through their own singular dial: dreamy yet intense, gentle but razor-edged, widescreen and yet totally intimate. People tell Dana that “Every Bad” got them through their cancer diagnosis, their break-up, their isolated lockdown. But with their new album, the band are taking a step up and spring-boarding into a bright, exciting unknown.

The video for “The Rip” above directed by Dana’s sister Ella is really something to behold. And a stunning animated video for “End Of Last Year” below.

The third full-length album by Brighton’s acclaimed indie types Porridge Radio. Following their Mercury Music Prize nominated album ‘Every Bad’, the album sees singer and songwriter Dana Margolin searching for a balance between the joy, fear and endlessness in her life through infectious indie anthems.

Being able to make another video with Ella Margolin was such a privilege, and the whole team was incredible. Ella had such a strong and clear vision for this video and brought so much energy to it which really carried us through a freezing and exhausting January night. Not sure if just any director could get me to jump of that terrifying giant thing at the end that many times just by saying ‘oh come on dans just one more time you promised you’d do it’.

“The Rip” by Porridge Radio from the forthcoming album ‘Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky’ out May 20th on Secretly Canadian.

By Royal appointment! For the first time in an amazing 17 years, Queen grace the cover of Uncut Magazine this month – and there are two collectors covers to choose from. Inside, celebrate Queen’s 30 Greatest Songs, plus there’s The Clash, King Crimson, The Delines, Norman Whitfield, Billy Childish, Mavis Staples, Nancy Sinatra, Joan Shelley, Laura Veirs, Angel Olsen, a free, 15-track new music CD 

A very special edition of MOJO out now, to mark Ziggy Stardust turning 50 years of age. His conception date is a little hazy, as is the way of these things. But Ziggy was delivered in physical form to British record stores on June 16th, 1972, precipitating a short life and epic afterlife that has resonated more than those of most real superstars over the last five decades.

Our David Bowie -friendly guestlist is illustrious, featuring as it does two Spiders, a rock’n’roll-ready producer, an accommodating roadie, key eyewitnesses from Detroit’s Masonic Temple and Aylesbury’s Friars Club, an ultra-ambitious manager and, more ambitious still, Ziggy’s elusive “interpreter, negotiator and head mistress”, Angie Bowie. “If you don’t want to conquer the world, don’t waste my time,” she remembers.

Elsewhere in this new MOJO, we uncover a startling exclusive: The Velvet Underground’s unheard folk era! There’s a deep dive into Stevie Wonder’s revolutionary 1972. A provocative chat with Robert Fripp. New interviews with Roxy Music, Drive-By Truckers, Darlene Love, Joan Shelley, Built To Spill and the reluctant stars of C86. Plus The Clash, Angel Olsen, Hüsker Dü, Clare Grogan, Harvey Mandel, Wilco, Sun’s Signature, The Rolling Stones, Chris Blackwell, our How To Buy guide to Soul Jazz Records, and the highs and lows of celebrity weed.

Oh, and the issue comes with a CD of 15 connoisseur Glam Nuggets, including Bowie chums Mick Ronson and Dana Gillespie, Sparks, New York Dolls, Suzi Quatro, and many more underground subversives from the glitter-encrusted end of the ‘70s. In the words of the hitherto unheralded Rock Rebellion, “Let’s Go!”

Sharing a band name with a product like Cola, asks some interesting questions. Especially for one with such easily identified roots as Tim Darcy, Ben Stidworthy and drummer Evan Cartwright. Darcy and Stidworthy spent the past decade as members of Ought, the sprawling and poetic Montreal post-punk band whose new-wave indebted songs jutted in awkward yet appealing shapes across three studio albums before they called it quits in 2018. Cartwright, meanwhile, has played in bands including U.S. Girls and The Weather Station.

The trio formed Cola in 2019 and this week, May 20th, release debut album “Deep In View”. It’s an album filled with dystopian visions and the kind of paranoia that comes with spending your life doom scrolling 24/7. And yet, this bleak outlook is undercut by some of the strongest, and sweetest, melodic work across the members’ collective back catalogue. Spend a little time in Cola’s world and the name begins to sharpen into view: very few bands currently operating are able to capture the mass content era, specifically the way in which it leaves you feeling bloated but somehow empty, than they do.

“Ben and I had a flow writing this record where we would send each other demos every Friday,” explains Darcy.  “It was a really motivating way to write, as I would spend the week working on something but then get the bonus of hearing what Ben had written when I sent him my track.  I heard “Fulton Park” and was immediately excited to work on vocals for it.  It’s such an interesting instrumental.  These lush almost psychedelic guitars in the intro and chorus are paired with this really stripped down almost honky tonk verse.  It conjured in my mind this kind of old west imagery.  I suppose looking back on the lyrics now, that same kind of juxtaposition is present.  Similar to Landers, it takes a look at the natural world and then the odd, magical, sometimes empty things that humans do on that landscape.”  

In the run-up to the album release Cola are premiering album highlight “Fulton Park,” a twitchy pop nugget with a bouncing rhythm that gives way to Darcy’s surreal recollection of being “pulled over for imitating landscapes.” The song is brief but lush almost, Stidworthy’s almost psychedelic guitars rubbing up against a honky tonk-style verse. Speaking to The FADER, Darcy explained that the song “conjured in my mind this kind of old west imagery. I suppose looking back on the lyrics now, that same kind of juxtaposition is present. It takes a look at the natural world and then the odd, magical, sometimes empty things that humans do on that landscape.”

From Cola’s ‘Deep in View’ out May 20th on Fire Talk & Next Door Records.

2nd Sept – Nottingham, UK @ Rough Trade