Opus Kink: “We’ve gained a few years, become sharper, more cynical, and more determined to challenge the world with it.”

      Although we might have said goodbye to muddy fields and warm pints for the year, festival season is still very much alive—just ask those at Bristol’s Down Stokes. This weekend, from October 16th to 19th, multiple venues across the city will host this four-day independent event, showcasing some of the best names in alternative music as they celebrate their third edition with acts like Heavy Lungs, Butch Kassidy, The Bug Club, and many others. Before their set at the Attic Bar tomorrow (Saturday, October 17th), we spoke with Opus Kink, one of the co-headliners, to discuss their year thus far, their upcoming musical ventures, and what fans can anticipate during their stay in Bristol.

      Hey there! Who are we talking to, and what’s going on?

      You’re talking to Angus from Opus Kink. I’m currently on a train just outside of Gatwick, trying to recall what it is that's bothering me.

      It seems like you’ve had a busy summer filled with festival appearances—were there any particularly unforgettable experiences (good or bad)?

      We’ve performed through dreadful thunderstorms and heavy rain for audiences of indifferent Dutch fans, navigated the ceilings of Parisian clubs with a severed finger, and after a show, sought drugs only to end up consuming thirteen packs of knock-off Space Invaders in a prison hostel after being kicked off stage.

      You recently launched ‘A Hideous Collective’—a compilation album put out through your own label, Hideous Mink Records, intended to raise funds for the Music Venue Trust and the UK Artist Touring Fund. Could you share more about the motivation behind this project and how you managed to bring it all together?

      Jed, a band member and the label's head, rallied together all the participating bands. The initiative stemmed from our innate generosity. The music industry can be quite horrifying at many levels, so it was time for us to contribute our part. We take great pride in our rendition of Leo Ferre’s ‘Thank You Satan’, which is the first and only English translation to this day.

      Regarding your recent single, ‘I’m A Pretty Showboy’, you mentioned: “there exists a world where blues-riff basslines, big-band horns, Black Sabbath breakdowns, Samuel Beckett, breakbeat, and traditional folk refrains comfortably coexist.” How do you blend such diverse influences? As a six-piece band, how do you manage or refine the various ideas each member contributes?

      It’s a process filled with struggle, slow progress, and stubborn hope.

Bobby Vylan has recently participated in an in-depth interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast, where he addressed the controversies of the last few weeks and months. Bob Vylan, consisting of Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, has been vocal in their support for Palestinian solidarity. However, their performance at Glastonbury earlier this year placed them at the center of international debate. During the performance, Bobby Vylan led the audience in chanting "Death to the IDF," which ignited political controversy both domestically and internationally. As a result of the incident, the band lost their live agents, and the performance elicited apologies from the BBC and Glastonbury, as well as prompting a police investigation. Now, Bobby Vylan has discussed the performance and its consequences in detail on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat the action, he answered, "If I were to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes, I would do it again. I don’t regret it. I would do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays." Damon Albarn, the frontman of Blur, criticized the band's actions, labeling it as "a spectacular misfire." Bobby Vylan took offense to this, noting: "I just want to point out that to describe it as a spectacular misfire suggests that the band's politics or our position on Palestinian liberation is not carefully considered." Albarn also likened Bobby Vylan to "goose-stepping in tennis gear," a comment that the vocalist called "disgusting." "As a more experienced and established artist – he has been in the industry for quite some time – I believe there were more appropriate ways for him to address that question. I take significant issue with the term 'goose-stepping' because it is strictly associated with Nazi Germany. For him to use that language is, in my opinion, disgusting." The Community Security Trust reported a notable increase in anti-Semitic incidents following Bob Vylan's performance at Glastonbury, a claim that Bobby Vylan contests: "I don’t believe I created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. If there were a significant number of people claiming ‘Bob Vylan made me do this,’ then I might think, oof, I’ve had a negative impact here." Three months after that controversial Glastonbury performance, Bobby Vylan, the frontman of the MOBO award-winning duo, appears on TLTP to discuss his politics, music, life, Chuck D, UK supermarkets, and what was going through his mind when he initiated the chant that generated countless headlines. The Louis Theroux Podcast is now available on Spotify. Join us on WeAre8 as we explore global cultural events. Follow Clash Magazine HERE for updates on music, fashion, and film news.

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Opus Kink: “We’ve gained a few years, become sharper, more cynical, and more determined to challenge the world with it.”

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Opus Kink: “We’ve gained a few years, become sharper, more cynical, and more determined to challenge the world with it.”