L&Q Weekly
Québec Spring arrives in the UK, Billy Woods' horror album, These New Puritans podcast, US Girls' 12-minute single, Nourished By Time, an old punk sounds old
Weekend Listening
If over the weekend you listen to one album released today, make it Golliwog by Billy Woods. If the sun’s shining, you might need to draw the curtains, although it’s such a vivid record of horror hip hop and Afropessimism that maybe you won’t. Golliwog (uneasy in name and sound) is the clandestine New York rapper’s first album in two years, following his collaboration with producer Kenny Segal, Maps, which earned a man so prolific in the underground wider acclaim and an unexpected more mainstream acceptance. For this follow up, Woods asks fans new and old to follow him into a world of African zombies, Hollywood slasher theatrics (“it’s coming from inside the house”) and modern day horrors that are all too real. Plenty of the samples are a riot, just as camp horror movies should be (there’s a lot of snivelling as the killer approaches, panicked panting and defiant heroes), but others are of people discussing waterboarding and Gaza. It’s comforting, at least, to know that you can spot the difference between the two, even if Woods seamlessly weaves them together, rapping the slowest he ever has, over production from many, including El-P, The Alchemist, Segal and Shabaka Hutchings, whose saxophone is a frequent star on a record so joyfully atmospheric. Stuart Stubbs
Song of the Week
Nourished By Time, the underground R&B project of Baltimore artist Marcus Brown, had a surprisingly good year in 2024, when his album Erotic Probiotic 2 blew up in slow motion over the course of 8 months. He’s since signed to XL Recordings and this week announced new album The Passionate Ones (due 22 August) with ‘Max Potential’, which routinely bursts into life with an old fashioned ‘80s drop. Reach out and pull that air back down to your chest!
Showcase
A Canadian showcase of new music has arrived in the UK. AGAIN!
There’s a lot to respect Canada for right now, and each spring brings a reminder of how supportive the Francophone province of Québec is of its new musicians. With the city of Montreal and its wider region already giving us Kaytranada, Mac DeMarco, Patrick Watson and Tune-Yards, with Celine Dion, Leonard Cohen and Godspeed You! Black Emperor in the bag long ago, Québec Spring is an annual showcase that arrives in the UK this time every year.
Nine new artists have made the trip for 2025’s edition of the program, with shows taking place at existing UK festivals like Brighton’s The Great Escape (14-17 May) and Wrexham’s FOCUS Wales (8-10 May), as well as standalone tours and one-nighters in Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol, Leeds, Nottingham, Oxford, Bedford and London. Indie pop duo Bibi Club are finding time to open for Circuit des Yeux and Pom Poko whilst they’re here; lo-fi glam punk Alix Fernz feels perfect in support of Insecure Men at their London show on 16 May. Those two alone are a good indicator of how eclectic the Québec Spring lineup has become, but you could also look at the fluttering collages of Patche, that straddle krautrock and the hyperactive end of ambient, followed by the excellent hardcore band Truck Violence, who sound like their fronted by King Krule, or Geneviève Racette for something different again – Americana pop.
The remaining dates for this year’s Québec Spring are:
FOCUS Wales x M for Montreal showcase
MAY 8
Focus M: Cheers To 20 Years Reception @ Penny Black (Wrexham) – 20:00 (RSVP only)
Truck Violence @ Penny Black (Wrexham) - 21:15
Ballsy @ Penny Black (Wrexham) – 22:00
Patche @ Penny Black (Wrexham) – 22:45
FOCUS Wales
MAY 9
Ballsy @ The Rockin' Chair (Wrexham) - 20:45
Truck Violence @ Wynnstay Hotel (Wrexham) - 21:50 On Tour
Bibi Club @ Bullingdon (Oxford) (Pom Poko Support) - Doors at 19:00
MAY 10
Ballsy @ The Rockin' Chair (Wrexham) - 20:45
Truck Violence @ Wynnstay Hotel (Wrexham) - 21:50 On Tour
Bibi Club @ Bullingdon (Oxford) (Pom Poko Support) - Doors at 19:00
MAY 11
Patche @ The Rockin' Chair (Wrexham) – 00:45 (night of May 10th / early morning May 11th)
Québec Showcase x 20 years of M for Montreal!
MAY 12
Ballsy @ Old Blue Last (London) – TBC
Alix Fernz @ Old Blue Last (London) – TBC
The Great Escape
MAY 14
Alix Fernz @ Hope and Ruin (Downstairs) (Brighton) - 17:45
MAY 15
The Great Escape Festival x M for Montreal Showcase
Cheers To 20 Years Reception @ Patterns Upstairs (Brighton) - 12:00 (RSVP only)
Sorry Girls @ Patterns Upstairs (Brighton)
Patche @ Patterns Upstairs (Brighton)
Truck Violence @ Patterns Upstairs (Brighton)
Alix Fernz @ Patterns (Upstairs) (Brighton)
The Great Escape Festival
Malika Tirolien & Caulder Nash GEMINICRAB @ Canada House at Green Door Store (Brighton) - 13:35
Malika Tirolien & Caulder Nash GEMINICRAB @ One Church (Brighton) - 19:45
zouz @ Tree Wise Cats (Brighton) – 21:30
MAY 16
zouz @ Canada House at Green Door Store (Brighton) – 14:15
Geneviève Racette @ Queens (Brighton) - 22:15
MAY 17
Patche @ Dust (Brighton) – 00:15 (night of May 16th / early morning May 17th)
Geneviève Racette @ Canada House at Green Door Store (Brighton) - 12:55
Patche @ Komedia (Brighton) - 12:30
On tour
Alix Fernz
16 May: The Lexington (London) (Insecure Men Support) - Doors 19:00
Ballsy
10 May: Windmill Brixton (London) - TBC
Bibi Club
13 May: ICA (London) (Circuit des Yeux Support) - Doors 19:30
16 May: Esquires (Bedford) (Pom Poko Support) - Doors 19:30
Geneviève Racette
13 May: Canadian Showcase at Strongroom (London) - Starts at 16:00
Malika Tirolien & Caulder Nash GEMINICRAB
17 May: The Jazz Café (London) (Osibisa Support) - Doors 19:00
Patche
14 May: Patche @ Shacklewell Arms (London) – 21:00
17 May: Heist Brewery (Sheffield) (Get Together Festival) - 20:15
Sorry Girls
16 May: Waterbear (Brighton) - 01:30 (night of May 15th / early morning May 16th)
18 May: The George Tavern (London) - Doors 19:00
22 May: Glad Cafe (Glasgow) - Doors at 19:30
24 May: Bristol Goes Pop (Bristol) - Doors at 13:00
27 May: Sorry Girls @ YES Basement (Manchester) - Doors 19:30
The Franklin Electric
18 May: Thekla (Bristol) (Amistat Support) - Doors 19:00
19 May: Rescue Rooms (Nottingham) (Amistat Support) - Doors 19:30
20 May: Club Academy (Manchester) (Amistat Support) - Doors 19:30
24 May: Oran Mor (Glasgow) (Amistat Support) - Doors 19:00
25 May: The Wardrobe (Leeds) (Amistat Support) - Doors 19:30
26 May: Scala (London) (Amistat Support) - Doors 19:00
Podcast
These New Puritans: happiness in solitude
Recording as we walked, Jack Barnett of These New Puritans joined me on this special episode of the podcast that captures the sounds of our shared hometown, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. It’s hardly a place known for the type of progressive music that Jack and his twin brother George have made since forming the band in 2006, but during our conversation he confirms my suspicions – TNP have such a distinct, heads-down approach to making music, it really doesn’t matter where Jack bases himself to write and produce these albums of classical, industrial, jazz and ballad explorations. Records made in Berlin, London and Greece all have a distinct TNP feeling of bleak beauty. Kind of like Southend itself. Listen now
Essays & Opinion
The Drift: the best in weird and experimental music
Cal Cashin rounds up the month's best avant-garde music, from Belgian drone metal, through digital slowcore, to Plunderphonic folk. Read now
Album News
Albums for your diary announced this week
Allo Darlin’ – Bright Nights (11 July, Fika): The Anglo-Australian indiepop band’s first album in 11 years, featuring new single ‘My Love Will Bring You Home’.
Baxter Dury – Allbarone (12 September, Heavenly): Dury’s ninth album is produced by Paul Epworth, and it sounds like it. Or, as Baxter says, “It doesn’t sound like a Harrods hamper band made it.” It’s worth taking a second look at that title too.
US Girls – Scratch It (20 June, 4AD): Canadian musician and author Meg Remy rejects commercialism as she announces her new album with a 60s soul ballad that’s 12 minutes in length, for late friend and former Power Trip frontman Riley Gale.
