…And we’re back!Yes, first episode of No Tags for a few weeks, and while we do appreciate the concern, it’s just the two of us running this show, we both have jobs that we do it around, and sometimes we get really busy. Also Tom was in Asia for three weeks and most importantly, we were making a book.That’s right: the second No Tags book is here! Titled ‘Conversations on underground music culture, Volume 2’, it’s essentially a sequel to our first book: a compendium of the best interviews and conversations we’ve had on the second year of No Tags, with five exclusive pieces to boot. You can order it now over on our Shopify store! We’ll be launching the book on 11th December at the ICA, where we’ll be joined by Djrum, Anjali Prashar-Savoie and Finn. We’re down to the last 50 tickets for the show, and we’ll have the new book on sale on the night plus some other treats. We’re excited to see you there – get your tickets from the ICA website. Finally, there’s a pod this week!We’ve spent the last month sucking up culture like the sponges we are – and we’re not just talking about Tom’s late night ramen adventures in Tokyo. We debrief recent trips to Bang Face Weekender and Simple Things, as well as live shows from Smerz and Model/Actriz. We also share our memories (not to mention some potentially spurious speculation) about the great Bloc Weekend debacle of 2012. If you know you know.It’s a loose episode that’s heavy on the yapping, but hey – we were making a book! It’s good to be back. See you at the ICA. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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56: Burial whisperer Dan Hancox on grime reunions, the power of crowds and sodcasting
First, news: our new book is almost at the printers ahead of launching it at the No Tags live show in London on 11th December! We’ll be announcing our guests very soon, and you can grab tickets now from the ICA website.This week’s guest is a revered member of the UK blognoscenti: Dan Hancox. Dan has written extensively on grime (including its definitive history, Inner City Pressure), crowds, the politics of public space and his beloved Spain, while interviewing icons from Skepta to Wiley to Barcelona’s socialist mayor. He’s also the co-host of the Cursed Objects podcast, where he and Dr Kasia Tee try to make sense of this mad world through tat such as Jamie Oliver’s mix CD.In September, Dan broke the internet by sharing the transcript of his 2007 interview with Burial on his Substack. With that excitement, plus the paperback publication of his book Multitudes: How Crowds Made the Modern World, we realised it was time to get Dan pon pod.Join us in the smoking area as we discuss: releasing the Burial tapes; Dizzee and Wiley’s on-stage reunion; the power of crowds and why the state is so scared of them; the future of Notting Hill Carnival; what Dan makes of DJ AG’s livestream empire; the return of sodcasting; Van Gogh bucket hats and other cursed objects; and his favourite films. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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55: One monoculture after another
First, a plug: tickets are now on general sale for No Tags live at the ICA in London on 11th December! There will be special guests, and there will be a new book for sale: Vol 2 is in production now.On this week’s episode we drive headfirst – Modelos in hand – into the discourse around One Battle After Another, the designated cinema event of the year. Is it PTA’s masterpiece, or has he bitten off more than he can chew?OBAA’s ubiquity got us thinking: what was the last album that felt like a monocultural event? Do albums have the power to do this anymore, or were the early 2010s our last hurrah?Finally we debrief on the news that Corsica Studios – the club that Chal and Tom have spent more time in than any other – is closing. We share some Corsica memories but also wonder: should great clubs stay open forever?If you’re a longtime enjoyer No Tags, perhaps you'd consider subscribing to our paid tier for £5 per month. Thanks to everyone who’s signed up so far. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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54: Flags, football shirts and indie nationalism
Lots to cover today, but first off: we’re going live again!We’ll be bringing No Tags live to the ICA in London – yep, that one – on the evening of 11th December. If you are based enough to subscribe to our paid tier, then you now have early access to discounted tickets via the link in this email’s header (and in the paywalled section at the bottom of the email). These early access tickets will be available for seven days before the show goes on general sale on 8th October.If you don’t subscribe to our paid tier but are considering making the leap, then you’re in luck: the discount will also be available to new subscribers who sign up in the next seven days – once you subscribe, you’ll receive an email with the link.More details for both the show and the book are imminent, but for the former: there will be guests! There will be DJs! There will be books on sale! And there may be merch!OK, on to this week’s show. With the second leg of the Oasis reunion cashgrab safely behind us, it felt like the right time to tackle something we’ve noticed building all year long – a massive surge of flag-waving, football shirts and indie tribalism across pop and political culture.Is the “Britcore” trend anything more than warmed-over nostalgia for the ‘90s? When and where is it safe to wave an England flag? How did the Ireland flag become a rallying point for right-on indie tribes and politicised youth? Why do we show support for Palestine through football shirts?And a bonus Blobby mention, as is customary. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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53: Holly Dicker will be the last hardcore raver standing
We all know that hardcore will never die – but do we really know what hardcore is? As a music journalist for 15 years and raver for much longer, Holly Dicker is no stranger to documenting dance music’s heaviest, gnarliest and speediest niches – but in Dance or Die: A History of Hardcore, she attempts to finally answer that big question.From the pioneering hardware assault developed in Frankfurt and Berlin, to London’s grubbiest squat raves, Dutch intercity gabber rivalries and Scotland’s ‘tartan techno’ explosion, Dance or Die is a historical map of hardcore in its many forms.Holly dials in from – where else? – Rotterdam to talk us through the crucial rave tales collected in her book, as well as revealing her personal history with hardcore and offering her thoughts on where the scene went wrong post-Covid.Feeling like a hardcore Taganista? Help the pod by giving us a (good!) rating on your podcast app of choice, leaving a review over at Apple Podcasts, or liking this post on Substack. You can also subscribe to our paid tier for £5 per month and become a member of our own NT Hard Crew. Thanks to this month’s new subscribers! Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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