Editor's Log 030

Roll Deep's new tape, Gymskin and Madonna, and Charli XCX b2b George

Hey everyone,

Welcome back to the Editor’s Log.

I was out a lot the back half of this week and had a stupid amount of fun. The whole week was honestly a bit mad, and I think/hope I’ve got some big news to share with you soon… I also dropped an essay on political apathy, so give it a read and let me know what you think if you’ve got a sec. Anyway, let’s get into it!

Monday

Bank holiday, so not a lot going on. I did treat myself to some new books, though: Seamus Heaney’s ‘Beowulf,’ Candice Carty-Williams’s ‘Queenie,’ and Angela Davis’s ‘Women, Race & Class.’ The to-read pile grows ever taller, but I can’t wait to dig in.

Tuesday

The Face is back… and I feel torn. Great that it’s back (obviously), but the old staff, who were truly the most daring in the game, have already been let go, and I’ve got a creeping fear it’ll just morph into another influencer masthead. Or maybe I’m being a pessimist. (Hopefully.)

Solomon PM and Thom Waite have put together a glossary of key Mark Fisher terms. Defo worth a read if you’re new to his work, or just to brush up.

Possibly the earliest copy of the Lancelot-Grail cycle ever to go to auction is heading under the hammer in July. I’ve been one for the esoteric and the occult since I was tiny, so this is absolute catnip for someone like me, though I doubt I’ll scrounge up two mill in time. Anyone fancy chipping in, do give me a shout.

Legendary grime crew Roll Deep have announced a new tape for June 19th. As a fan: buzzing. As a realist: who cares about this besides the diehards? Hmm.

Wednesday

A new 7,000-cap venue is landing in London this October. So unnecessary. Give us clubs! We are not short on concert venues, I promise you. Who’s asking for this?!

Epic Records UK have given their Instagram a glow-up and announced a partnership with Stay Solid Entertainment. Epic’s roster is kinda eclectic, so Stay Solid is an interesting addition, but it makes sense. I just hope they don’t let the Instagram curdle into another standard label account. There’s room to have some fun with it.

Cynthia Igbokwe has officially launched C-STUDIOS!! I’ve never met her, but her roster and body of work might be the most up my alley thing to ever exist: Liz Johnson Artur, Ewusie, Rachel Jones… And there’s a music selection library I am itching to get lost in.

Thursday

Gymskin linked Madonna in a turn of events that’s wild but, weirdly, not entirely unprecedented (still: wtf). He seems like such a sound bloke, and I hope he is, and that the success sticks. No clue why Madonna was flirting with him, or why he looked so completely unaware. Fair play to him, I guess.

In the evening, I hit the Echo Forward private view. Scarlet Griffiths’s work was my fave, her use of colour especially. And always lovely seeing so many faces!

I also… got… DJ decks. I promise, everyone, I won’t become one of those people. Ykwim.

Friday

Eliza Rose dropped her FABRICLIVE album! ‘Pingers’ (the CASISDEAD version) has been running my summer so far. I’m such a fan it’s almost embarrassing.

Fakemink was in Interview Magazine. Not gonna lie, I still haven’t made my mind up on ‘Terrified .’ (essay incoming, perhaps). The article really humanises him, but it also feels like he’s playing a character, though that character might just be him. Either way, he’s the most interesting artist in the UK underground right now, by a long way.

In the afternoon, I linked Nori and Kieran at the studio; half hang, half interview. I’ve interviewed Nori a couple of times over the years, and known them both for ages, so you already know it was a good time. And honestly, few things bring me more joy than being on aux on studio speakers.

Then I headed to Manor Place for the Living Proof Mag launch. Free drinks never go amiss, but nothing ever feels quite real at Manor Place. It’s a bit like Coal Drops Yard: that half-private, half-public limbo. You can never fully feel at ease.

Saturday

Jay-Z shelled down the Roots Picnic. The performance looked fucking insane, and that freestyle… whoosh. We NEED a new album. Please.

In the evening I went to Charli XCX and her husband George’s talk, hosted by Shaad (a brilliant music writer). Massive thanks to my faves at Huxley for the invite! My one gripe with basically every 30-minute Q&A ever is that they spend the whole thing on introductions, but that didn’t happen here. Not once. I loved hearing them riff. They also gave everyone a notepad, a pen, and a disposable camera to take notes and pics with, which was such a nice touch. Arriving was so chaotic too: so many kids who’d queued for hours and hours. The dedication… wow. I also ended up sat next to one of George’s mates, who put me on to the Origin Story Podcast, which I’m yet to check out. I’ll report back next week.

Then Charli and George went b2b at a venue nearby. Literally couple goals. I keep seeing the clips of her mortifying him by dropping ‘Chocolate.’ Rockstar couple in the best possible sense. Now I just need to get the disposable developed. No doubt the photos will be dreadful, but isn’t that the surest sign of a good night?

Sunday

Speaking of power couples: Dua Lipa and Callum Turner got married at Marylebone Town Hall! I fw Dua heavy. Not the music, necessarily, but everything else she’s about, whether it’s the book club, the activism, or any of the rest of it.

And I published an essay on the political apathy of young people today, pulling from Nietzsche and Emily Dickinson all the way through to Little Simz and Burial. The responses have been lovely so far, so have a read and let me know what you reckon.

Until next week,
Sik

P.S. I’m free pretty much all day, every day, from June 19th to September 22nd, so give me a shout to work on anything and everything, even just to grab a coffee and chat. I’m open to basically anything, and I need to stack some bread before uni…