Tourist Magazine

Les enfants terrible of Manchester, Wu Lyf is a group of understimulated boys with the power of deception. One would think they sat at home all day wanking off to old italian splatter films (which I'm sure happens occasionally) but they also make some sumblime music which frustrates musicians alike twice their age lacking the aquivalent talent. Wu Lyf formerly know as Wolf Wolf formerly known as (the some what vague insider joke) Vagina Wolf, formerly known as something else is one of the cleverest bands around. Egyptian Hip Hop must rue the day they signed with professional time waster Max Moran, and alot of interesting bands from the north may never kick off the way that Wu Lyf is bound to do. Their refusal to whore themselves out to A&Rs, and the non existant will to advertise themselves only makes us want them more.

Pretend ploys such as listing a limited run of singles on their blog with attached art work selling for 500 quid as 'sold out' when there were no sales or even handmade singles to begin with is one of the many tricks soothing my fix for otherwise ever lacking ingenuety.
Our minds are tickled to believe according to the artwork displayed on their tumblr and myspace that they could easily be a group of deciphels of the wickerman rather than a 5 piece boy band playing heavy pop.
But I wonder how much is coming from them and what is being cleverly manouvered by their manager, advertising house executive, who has them play once a month in his own café rallying up the labels sniffing for new blood. They may have a following of faithful 17 year old girls and audiophiles who love nothing more than to laugh at the "insider tip" of this 'new band' critics are exchanging between their shitty music mags, when we were listening to them over a year ago, present company included.

But where is it heading? Of course sticking to the cock tease strategy is what puts them on the NME's expertly (hah) crafted list of what "new" bands to watch, getting basically all the facts about them utterly wrong, pleasing the band and their manager, I'm sure. But when talent like ellery, singer, genious art child, videomaker and collage fantast alike can't afford the bus fare, is it more the strategy of an ego wank of a clever pr guy than the will of the band?

With the new commercial appreciation of a merging type of art bands on the scene, where not just the music matters but the understanding that triangles are cool and if you know which colours work in a gradient you are more likely to sell more records, what came first, did I like art cause I made music or did I make music cause I like art?

The attraction which normally would put you in jail with the other kiddie robbing schoolteachers and priests is the confusion Wu Lyf surrounds you with.. The confusion of not understanding the number of members of Wu Lyf must come from the lack of live experience, which if you are a northener you have no excuse to have. With several gigs over the last year only an idiot would think that they are an 11 piece band. Sure, some confusion may arise cause of the (sorry to do this) bez like character they sometimes have on stage or the fact that most photos of them are accompanied by the same group of people. But the confusion wether the little skin head actually has been in a gay home made porno or if Ellery and his girlfriend recently did get married in Scotland is why I love it. I feel as if I too cold jump on a skateboard at any moment and magically learn how to do an ollie whilst wearing my sweat and beer stained t-shirt pulled over the top of my head, before stepping straight onto a Larry Clark film set and getting famous for strangle wanking on the big screen.

Stripping down the bare essentials of what is pleasing to a certain type of eye and ear, getting tighter and tighter for each monthly performance and influencing friends all around them to use Nirvana-esque spacing between letters on posters, they are in their own right changing the face of underground art and music in Manchester... Telling the people who pull the strings around here to fuck off and shove their prime spot gigs whilst accepting to play at Ceremony's opening night in a stale beer smelling venue for free cake is more their schtick. So I find it hard to see Wu Lyf "selling out" to such an extent that they would become the hot new band of England and I'm curious to know if that's something they would want...

Every critic and music journalist wets themselves with excitement over finally being able to verbally ejaculate such ponsy quotes as "There is a sense here of quasi-spiritual fervour, of revolutionary intent, of myths being made. Meanwhile, the idiosyncratic deployment or disfigurement of language and semantics continues with their list of song titles, provisionally included under the banner, "The Weak Weak Lil Girl Demos": Christ Mass, Lucifer Calling, Spitting It Concrete Like a Golden Sun God, Diamond Voices Sing Diamond Songs, Concrete Gold and Heavy Pop. Tantalising as hell." I don't know about you but I felt a bit nauseous participating in such an obviously private moment of the music journalist who wrote the above...
After you're exhausted trying to make up new ways of pretending like you could somehow reach the same level of pure talent than these boys of satan there is really only one simple fact remaining. Wu Lyf manages to do what is very close to impossible today, when we can click our way into every aspect of a persons life; remain anonymous. And like a desperately infatuated woman of faith, I just want more.

Sanna Helena Berger
photos by jonathan flanders