Hanni El Khatib is essentially the coolest guy you'll find in the shadows of music right now. He was once Head Designer for HUF (the guys who do the socks with marijuana leaves on for skateboarders...) but since 2010 he's been putting all his efforts into a career as a multi-instrumentalist and all-round rad musician. So, you haven't heard of him? Wrong. You've probably heard him and haven't even known it; his music has been used in adverts for Converse, Nike and Levi's and has also been used in TV shows such as Suits, Luther and Gotham. He also has three albums under his belt already so you better get listening!
His sound is a heady fusion of blues, garage and pure rock and roll. It's groove and grizzle grounded in earthy old school riffs yet it's flavoured with freshness. It's the sort of sound that makes you lose your inhibitions and become absolutely lovestruck. Think of the first time you heard The Dead Weather or The Black Keys, and then imagine that with a sexier edge and a dirtier vocal. That's Hanni El Khatib and you should be very excited about him.
Listen to: Fuck It You Win, Two Brothers, Human Fly
IT'S 2016 AND ENTER SHIKARI ARE BACK WITH A BRAND NEW TRACK YAYYYYYY!
Okay, so now we've all fangirled let's take a proper look at the brand new banger that Redshift is. It's been one whole year since the epic The Mindsweep was released and in that time the boys have been away touring, chilling and working on new music all in preparation for their biggest UK tour ever. That kicks off in just under a month by the way, so get your tickets now! Redshift was dropped early last week and it is huge. It is classic Enter Shikari in subject matter in that it focuses on the amazing aspects of nature in relation to human kind. It is powerful, celebratory and spine tingling. One thing Redshift is is a little bit softer, it's a like a little lullaby only it contains a bone rattling kind of breakdown that Shikari do so well. Let's face it, we could praise this single for paragraph after paragraph, but we'll shut up now and let you feast your ears and eyes on the stunning video below.
"Your skin and bones, heart and mind, are made from the remnants of stars that died"
On the evening of the 14th January 2016, a big freeze is due. The biting, nipping, stay-in-bed kind of cold us Brits find homely is descending fast much the way tonight's 2000+ Slaves fans are upon Kentish Town Forum. At long last, some 7 months+ since tickets for tonight's show were snapped up, Slaves will headline one of the capital's coolest venues and it is bound to be the warming up London needs right now.
As promised before the rescheduling of tonight, support is provided by Spring King and Wonk Unit and boy, are they little headliners in their own right. Ones to watch, Spring King, are up first and the four piece race their way through as many songs as they can in their short slot. They've found a winning formula which is recognisable yet super fresh, causing the crowd to ripple with a buzz that's rare to find for a support act. It's Wonk Unit however who really get tonight's party started. Self-proclaimed underground punk heroes, "Daddy Wonk" and his vast crew spill across the stage and bring excitement in the form of songs about nans, horses and builders. The crowd below instantly doubles in size and becomes a sea of mayhem; It's pretty clear that this is the Wonk Unit effect.
When the lights finally fade to black, the Vengabus horn sounds and the Vengaboys classic We Like To Party blares through the speakers. On dance Isaac and Laurie to One Direction rivaling cheers and it's clear Slaves are here to slay. And slay they do. From The Hunter, to Sockets, to Where's Your Car Debbie?, the duo play faultlessly and it's a true vision to behold. The amount of energy between them is visceral and as they bounce off each other electricity is created to run riot through everyone in the room. It's evident in new song Hypnotise, and B-side In Dog Years Your Dead, that Slaves can't fail in pleasing the crowd. Both burst with trademark Slaves riffs and rhythms and both are winners with everyone in the room. What's more is that Isaac is playing these shows after dislocating his shoulder again (the reason these dates were postponed originally) in the two days previous. Stupid or brave, tonight it doesn't matter because he and Laurie are killing it. As staple closer Hey comes to the end, the pair jump on each other with glee. David Bowie's Heroes plays as they leave the stage and it is obvious to everyone here that Slaves are truly unstoppable.
