Plan B - Issue 8 - Folk Music for Machines

Aug 27, 2026

Plan B Issue 8 compiles interviews, live coverage, reviews, media notes, and album roundups across an eclectic indie and experimental music landscape. Highlights include features on Patti Smith live, Sufjan Stevens, Vashti Bunyan, and artists associated with The Void and a tour diary, alongside reviews of numerous albums and media items. The “Why I Love” column reflects on specific releases with personal, stream-of-consciousness commentary, while an editorial voice pairs music listening with writing-by-deadline introspection.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryComic

FormatPDF

Pages116

Reading Time44 min

AccessFree to download

08-09 Patti Smith live

10-12 Sufjan Stevens

14-16 Vashti Bunyan

18-37 The Void

38-39 Tour Diary

40-44 Devendra Banhart

48-54 Black Dice

56-57 K-OS

58-63 Franz Ferdinand

64-65 Crunk: a female perspective

66-67 Mt Eerie

68-74 Live

76-101 Albums

102-113 Media

114 Why I Love

Everett True editorial

franz ferdinand devendra banhart issue 8 £2.95 folk music for machines PLUS vashti bunyan sufjan stevens k-os sons and daughters Photography: Steve Gullick ‘It’s all pretty meaningless, if you don’t get the chance to express yourself’ – Comanechi, Pg 18 08-09 PATTI SMITH live 10-12 SUFJAN STEVENS 14-16 VASHTI BUNYAN 18-37 THE VOID Comanechi, Electrum, Don’t Look Back, Schoolyard Heroes, Patrik Fitzgerald, DJ Scotch Egg, Dennis Driscoll, Ladyfest, Volcanic Tongue, Magic Daddy, MIA, !!!, Battles, Klashnekoff, Ladyfuzz, Silver Jews, The Slits, The Research, Gay For Johnny Depp 38-39 TOUR DIARY Sons And Daughters 40-44 DEVENDRA BANHART 48-54 BLACK DICE 56-57 K-OS 58-63 FRANZ FERDINAND 64-65 CRUNK a female perspective 66-67 MT EERIE 68-74 LIVE Yat-Kha, TDK Cross Central, Fuck Off Batman, Dr Dog, Jens Lekman, Bill Wells, The Stooges 76-101 ALBUMS Franz Ferdinand, Fire Engines, Run The Road 2, Afrirampo, Broadcast, Panthers, The Psychic Paramount, OOIOO, Quintron, Minus Story, Tracy + The Plastics, Yacht, Greenhouse Effect, Minus Story, Calvin Johnson, Audion, Larkfall Recordings, The Young Gods, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Residents, Dan Sartain 102-113 MEDIA Sophie Woolley, zine reviews, Thumbsucker, Land Of The Dead, Battle In Heaven, Gorgerous, Firefly, Joss Whedon, Geoffrey Jones, Chronic Fatigue, Walt And Skeezix, Jessica Of The Schoolyard, ABA Games 114 WHY I LOVE Bismillah Khan As ever, a batch of fascinating CDs show up on the precise day I decide that yes, I definitely have finished writing for this issue: and no, I really can't slip in a mention of the new Pipettes seven-inch despite the fact it comes on pink vinyl in a hand silkscreened polka-dotted cardboard mini-skirt, and that its label Total Gaylord has also sent me a batch of such overly cute music it'd make Melody Dog blush. Not that that would be hard, but still. The skirt is entirely inappropriate– it’s so short even my cat refuses to wear it–and…oh my God. They've called their seasonal album Christmas Twee. Do these people have no shame? Gah. I wish I hada radio show to vent some steam, and scorn, and support. Oh wait. I do. I just haven't shown up toit for months. Sorry. One tends to get obsessed with minutiae, working on a magazine like Plan B. More annoying was the late arrival the very same day of two CDs from artists that between them encompass everything I want from male music. I am of course talking about Bod and Moondog. Man, oh man. From the sublime to the ridiculous, and I have no idea which is which. One is called Words And Music (Trunk) and is the first, and possibly only ever, aural celebration of a mesmerising, simple and unforgettable children's TV cartoon character. The music section of the CD (seven melodies) lasts two minutes, five seconds. Believe me. That's plenty. These tunes will haunt you for the rest of your life. The other is entitled The Viking Of Sixth Avenue (Honest Jon's), features precisely that on its cover, and is the first, but probably not only, overview of a New York City street performing legend. The music inside is a fascinating, exhaustive and hypnotic 36-track collection of street-level syncopation, chantsong, rudimentary overdubbing, American Indian swing and magnetic madrigals. It lasts just over 72 minutes. Believe me. That's not enough. I'll leave you to work out which artist is which. And here…right on cue…is an album that occupies the exact midpoint between Bod and Moondog. I do of course refer to Twink and DIY composer Mike Langlie's brilliant mashed-up collection of kids' music, The Broken Record (Seeland) wherein a ton of inane and vintage nursery rhymes get fucked with, sped up, slowed down, tweaked both creepily and kindly, and dance around entirely insanely, like a plethora of stuffed teddy bears given the keys to Timothy Leary's forgotten medicine cabinet; only more so. Damn, my son's going to grow up strange. And I haven’t even started him on my Residents collec

FAQs

Plan B Issue 8 covers which main artists and sections?

It features sections spanning Patti Smith live, Sufjan Stevens, Vashti Bunyan, a segment called The Void, a tour diary, and multiple artist spotlights, followed by albums and media coverage.

What does the “Why I Love” section focus on?

The “Why I Love” column expresses a personal, opinionated reaction to particular music releases, using detailed, conversational commentary.

What kind of content is included in this issue beyond interviews and live coverage?

The issue includes an albums roundup, media reviews/notes, and an editorial voice that narrates the act of writing the issue while listening to music.

Aug 27, 2026

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