The Post Tribal Bible: Southampton Special! #28 / February 2013 / FREE
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WELCOME Welcome to the Southampton special edition of the magazine AudioAddict, in association with Southampton Solent University’s SMILE week. All of our treasured music magazines thrive off the buzz of a deadline. As NME and Kerrang! stress over the missing press shot to finalise the week’s music bibles, it is a rarity that they ever have to throw a publication together within a single day. Here at Audio Addict we have plunged ourselves completely into the deep end, having accepted the challenge of creating this very issue in one working day. Fuelled by Red Bull, the team have powered their way through interviews and reviews to pile up the pages. Filling these said pages are some of Southampton’s most prolific musicians. Cover stars Bury Tomorrow offer the harder edge to the alternative scene, while the late-night sounds of the city are showcased through the rant and rave of Dave Stone from drum & bass gurus Gerra & Stone. There have been lots of surprises thrown into the mix as ideas became amassed throughout the day. The journalists are addicted to the writing — we are Audio Addicts after all! — and we hope that you get a nourishing musical fix from this issue. DAVID SULLIVAN, EDITOR
Editorial Team
Contributors
- David Sullivan - Hannah Woollven//Ella McClary// Gemma Piper
Sean Lewis//Leo Troy//Ellis Ballard//Coralie Pilté//Aiden Ducker//Georgia Blunden// Niamh Moore//Louis Kerry// Jodie Copeland//Joshua Pauley// Connor Cass//Kiwi Vincent//Katie Vowels//Indie Shaw//Izzy Coote// Shannon Gibson
Twitter @AudioAddictMag Audio-Addict.co.uk To advertise or for press enquiries contact us at: AudioAddictEditors@hotmail. co.uk
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CONTENTS PAGE SIX
Four-piece punk band Pivotal began their music career in the city of Southampton.
PAGE EIGHT
Frontman of Sasquatch Walk discusses man love, psychedelic sex funk punk and Red Hot Chili Peppers...
PAGE NINE
Southamptons five-piece rock group D.E.A.D! have just released their self-titled EP.
PAGE TWELVE are taking off in a mammoth way.
Metalcore heroes Bury Tomorrow
PAGE EIGHTEEN weddings and nappy bags.
Sean McGowan talks FIFA,
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NEWS Takedown Festival 2013
Southampton University will host Takedown Festival for its second annual event after a one-year hiatus. Headlining will be Welsh superstars The Blackout, alongside Sheffield’s While She Sleeps and Don Broco who recently played a sold out show at historic Southampton venue, The Joiners. Also set to perform are We Are The Ocean, Glamour Of The Kill, Max Raptor, Hacktivist, Mallory Knox, Tesseract, Marmozets and many more. The festival has also more recently announced Essex based bands Shadows Chasing Ghosts and The Hype Theory, as well as locally sourced acts Desolated, Burn The Fleet and Death Of An Artist. The festival is set to take place on Saturday 11th May 2013. Tickets are available from the official website: www.takedown.vticket.co.uk.
Sean McGowan on Radio 1’s Intern Takeover
Southampton based acoustic punk, Sean McGowan, reached new heights in his career yesterday after having his single, ‘Never Let Us In’, featured on Radio 1’s Intern Takeover. The show, hosted by Radio 1 interns, played the track at 9am. McGowan was elated, taking to his Twitter profile to say, “Two songs from my most recent EP, written in my bedroom, have been played on the biggest radio station in Europe. Still unsigned. Decent.” Along with this exposure, McGowan is taking yet another step forward in his career by playing Southampton’s largest venue, The Guildhall, in support of Reverend and the Makers on Saturday 2nd March. McGowan is definitely proving to be one to watch in 2013.
Cast away for Pale Seas
Southampton quartet Pale Seas will support Oxford band Stornoway on their UK tour starting next month. From Monday 11th - Wednesday 27th March, Pale Seas will drive around the country to bring their dreamy pop songs to Stornoway fans and extend their growing fanbase. This tour has been a long time coming for Pale Seas, who’ve already supported Melody’s Echoes Chamber in London and toured relentlessly around Britain for the past year. This constant drive to be heard and seen has already paid off for Pale Seas as they’ve been featured on Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC6 Radio. 2012 ended on high note when they received the Artist Award at the Artist and Manager Awards last November, which came with a £10,000 grant from Spotify.
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Cloudi Lewis to launch EP at The Cellar Originally from Devon, Cloudi Lewis is now based in Southampton and has been performing around Hampshire ever since. As well as her constant gigging Cloudi also studies a Popular Music Performance degree at Solent University. This week she has played at Southampton Solent’s music festival, SMILEfest, a yearly event ran by Popular Music students at the university. One of the gigs Cloudi has been involved in, was the Popular Music Performance 3rd Year showcase at The Joiners on Tuesday 26th February. Cloudi will be launching her first EP with her full band at the Cellar in Southampton on the Tuesday 26th March. Her debut EP Casual Conversations With A Woodpigeon was recorded last year after she raised an incredible £1000 to help towards making it.
Dust off your Vinyls
Southampton Solent Showcase Gallery will host it’s first record sleeve exhibition. A preview of the event will take place on Thursday 28th February as part of the SMILEfest 2013. The exhibition is a participative event, as both Southampton Solent staff and students have been asked to bring in their favourite LP covers. Through this, the Vinyl Memories Exhibition will give visitors an insight of Solent’s music taste and an understanding of vinyl culture. As the exhibition coincides with the Solent SMILEfest 2013, the event preview will showcase Southampton’s upcoming musicians. So if you’re a music addict or just curious, head down to Sir James Matthews Building on Above Bar Street from Saturday 2nd March.
Road to Blissfields at Southampton Joiners
For the past two years, Winchester-based festival Blissfields ran a competition known as the Road to Blissfields. With the aim to find acts to perform at the festival. This year, a qualifying show will be held at Southampton’s Joiners. Joiners have recently announced that the local leg of the competition will take place on Saturday 13th April and will feature Woven Bird, The Harlequin and Brother Goose, as well as Southampton Solent University based band Skymarshal. Other legs include shows in Portsmouth and Winchester. The regional shows will choose one band, which will all meet at a final show in London where the winner will play the festival. . 5
This time it’s Pivotal Four-piece punk band Pivotal began their music career in the city of Southampton, and word soon spread about the fresh, new talent in the city. Based in Southampton, Lee, Lucy, Ben and Chloe began recording their music and getting themselves known as a new post-punk band on the local music scene. With their unique name, word spread like wild fire and locals began taking a keen interest in the band. After successfully recording their first song, ‘Lost Alliance’, they began writing more music to follow. Songs such as ‘Revus’, ‘Spitting Rivets’ and ‘American Airlines’ were then recorded, giving the band a well deserved set list, setting them up to take the current local music scene by storm and look for any and all gig opportunities in order to promote their music.
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As a new band trying to find their footing in the city, all four band members agreed that in Southampton people are “Quite up for it”. As Lee on vocals mentioned, “Once you’re in that scene and people know you have a good following it gets a lot easier from there’’. Local venues such as The Joiners, Lennon’s and The Hobbit gave Pivotal the live gig experiences they needed. Bassist Ben, expressing his love for The Joiners, mentions how “They were really supportive and helpful” when it came to organising gigs and events. The future looks bright for Pivotal, with plenty of short-term and long-term goals. Of their plans for the future Lee states, “Short term is to record, we are really excited about a couple of new songs.” Their next step as a band is to broaden their fan base, sort out merchandise and get their name further out there.
Having been involved in the drum & bass scene in Southampton for a long time now, Harry Gerra and David Stone - aka Gerra & Stone – explain how they broke into the industry, the highlights so far and what exactly has changed over of time. David Stone took some time to rant at us about what has changed over the past year, and what has improved in the music scene. By Fran Botham
Gerra and Stone spent many Wednesdays up on the decks during Wednesday Wax nights at Southampton’s Junk club in front of a wide crowd who appreciated their music. However, this year, Junk decided to stop Wax as they wanted to host another big night that featured more genres than just drum & bass, Bang Bang. Bang Bang is not making a prominent move in future house music. Although it’s great to add variation and diversity, it seems house music is starting to slip back onto the scene, which could see drum & bass forgotten.
Gerra & Stone became DJs as a result of going to drum & bass raves such as the One Nation parties in Bournemouth. To them, it was all about getting involved in what they had seen and really enjoying listening to and playing the music. They share the same interests and take inspiration from DJs such as Jungle and Techstep, as well as drum & bass group Bad Company, allowing them to collaborate a variety of material that they loved. When it comes to change, the boys love nothing more than some new equipment to update their sound.
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David Stone gave his opinion, claiming that “although the rise in popularity of house music means we aren’t playing at as many local events, we still play regularly in other cities and countries” as he explains the push of the genre away from Southampton. “House has always been popular, it’s just at this moment in time it is perceived as fashionable/cool to people that are easily influenced by their friends and people around them. House and drum & bass have been around for almost equal lengths of time, and will always be popular in our opinion!”
“In the drum & bass scene, the main thing we have seen change is technology. It’s instantly accessible these days and to start producing or DJing, all you need is software.” Stone also goes on to explain how they’ve noticed a change in the drum & bass scene. “The popularity of change is a result of people being a lot more open minded to different sounds, which is a good thing!”
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A BIG FOOT IN THE DOOR Frontman of Sasquatch Walk discusses man love, psychedelic sex funk punk and Red Hot Chili Peppers... “I’m so gay for my band”, says James Barlow talking about his “psychedelic sex funk punk” four-piece. wSasquatch Walk formed in June 2011 after the band met at college. According to Barlow the truth is, the band is in fact lacking the psychedelia, punk, or sex and only really hinting at a little bit of funk. “When we started, we aimed to play the music that we love, but in reality the songs we have written so far are rock with just a little hint of funk”. Sasquatch Walk draw from a range of influences, such as Smashing Pumpkins, Bon Iver and Red Hot Chili Peppers. At the mention of the Californian band, Barlow recalls Sasquatch Walk’s first gig at The Lamb outside Swindon. “It went pretty darn well”. Proudly adding “The papers were very generous”. However this comment just doesn’t quite hit the mark when you take into account that their local press made the very bold claim that the foursome “beat the Red Hot Chilli Peppers at their own game”.
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On Halloween the foursome played to a crowd of over 300 people at a charity bash at Cirencester College alongside local bands. Barlow was particularly excited about the venue it seems; “That’s without a doubt the nicest place we’ve played because they hired out this big hall which has three chandeliers and there were about 300 people, that’s without a doubt the biggest audience as well”. The show made a profit of £300 that was split between charities Help For Heroes and Cancer Research. It may have been a long time coming but the band recorded their EP in August last year with Pete Rowe at Ladder Factory Studios just outside Shrivenham. While they have yet to come up with a title and some artwork, Barlow says the songs are very nearly there. The fourpiece are also set to hit the stage at Joiners this Sunday with local bands The Kaleurs and Brother Co as part of this year’s Solent SMILEfest. By Samantha Fisher
FEELING ALIVE ‘IMAGINE WE WERE D.E.A.D’
“Are you D.E.A.D!?” I contemplated asking strangers on the street outside Pret A Manger. I decided to rephrase. “Are you here for the interview?” Instantly I recognised four enthusiastic lads bouncing towards me. When we had found a quiet spot upstairs the four members sat staring back at me dressed in their band tees and badged denim, very friendly and excitable. But how did these lads become the play-it-loud Southampton 5-piece rock band that they are today? Jake Lucas explained how he and Sam Matlock (guitar) met at a university open day. “On our first day Sam was thinking, ‘I have to find the guy who was the drummer in that band’ and I was the opposite, thinking ‘I have to find that guitarist in that band!’” But if Lucas was the sought-after drummer, how did he become a guitarist? “I’d always been a drummer. It worked out to be like, ‘I’ll try being a singer. Okay that didn’t work; I’ll try being a guitarist. Yeah cool, this’ll work’”. So we know how they met, but why D.E.A.D!? “Quite bold, isn’t?” continued Lucas, “The four letters are an abbreviation. We’re still sitting on that one, we’re not going to tell anyone just yet; we’re waiting for a right time”.
The band came up with the name after listening to a Madina Lake song, the lyrics of which are, “Imagine we were dead”, which inspired the band to take on board the message that if you live like you’re already dead, you won’t take life for granted; “you go at life a bit harder”, claims Matlock. D.E.A.D! have just released their self-titled EP consisting of four tracks: ‘Everything. Everything.’, ‘Verona’, ‘Beautiful Broken Bones’ and ‘Hollow’. Matlock explains the EP, “I like Verona, because we recorded it on the cheap... Alex’s vocals are a bit distressed and rushed, - I think he was trying to save moneyand the guitars are a bit haggard; it feels more like us.” After the release of this EP one can only hope there is more to come. Beautiful singing in fantastic contrast with the rocky guitar riffs. “I’ve got this new idea... it’s like tropical pop emotional punk about the end of the world” as Matlock explains, “The next stuff we do will sound exactly like D.E.A.D! ... New and fresh, it’ll capture everyone’s heart. I’m so passionate about this music”.
By Heather Lewis 9
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BURN, BABY, BURN Local band Burn The Fleet turn up the heat on the Southampton music scene If you are familiar with Southampton and immerse yourself in the music scene, you may have heard of local rock band Burn The Fleet. Frontman Andrew Convey is a mental health nurse by day and a leading vocalist at night, and though he may not look like the typical front man, he takes what he does very seriously. Hailing from Northampton, Convey moved to Southampton in 2006 to study Popular Music Record Production at Southampton Solent University. It was during this time that he met his fellow band mates, guitarists Jack Spurway and James Swabey. After seeing Convey perform in another band, the guitarists asked him to jam with him. That’s when Burn The Fleet was born. Growing up, Convey has always surrounded himself with music. As a past employee of the legendary small venue The Joiners, it came as no surprise to the front man when the news broke about their recent struggles to keep the infamous Southampton establishment up and running. According to Convey, there is only one solution; “bands locally and around the country need to get a bit educated.” However, the venue holds a special place in the front man’s heart; “I really hope The Joiners doesn’t go because it is an important part of Southampton.”
Metaphorically highlighting the increasing status of Burn The Fleet, Convey states, “some bands have a fast moving car and others have a slow.” However, after the release of their album The Modern Shape, which was also released on the front cover of leading UK music magazine RockSound, it seems their music has been made more accessible to the masses. “It got released with 25,000 copies. That’s not to say that everyone who bought the magazine listened to the album but even if 5% listened to it, that’s amazing.” From performing at festivals such as So:Fest and touring to performing in front of European crowds, Southampton seems like half the world away. Yet, one of the main venues Convey would like to play is located in the heart of the city;
“We have played everywhere in Southampton apart from the Guildhall. I kind of want to tick that off the list.” As for Wembley Arena, “that’s a pipeline dream, once we tick off The Guildhall I will be happy.” Looking to the future, Burn The Fleet are working on a new EP, yet are hesitant to extend upon this as “so many people don’t put pinches of salt on it, they put handfuls of salt.” A lot of touring is also in the pipeline, both headline and support slots, as they build up a fan base and get their music heard. However, the reality that is the day job hits them hard; “a lot of dudes think “oh sick my video is on Kerrang!” but that’s not how it works. You’ve got to put money into a band because you’ve got to pay or you don’t get it. That’s the realism of it.” The bands album The Modern Shape is available on iTunes and Spotify to download and listen now. By Niamh Moore
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Arguably The biggest act to come out of Southampton since Craig David, metalcore heroes Bury Tomorrow are taking off in a mammoth way. Following on from two EP’s, Bury Tomorrow released their debut album Portraits in 2009 and follow up, The Union Of Crowns last year. Although the band have toured with popular metal bands Architects and While She Sleeps, takingf them on huge tours across the UK and Europe, they stay true to their Southampton roots. Audio Addict spoke to bassist Davyd Winter-Bates about his aspirations for the future and explored deeper into the roots of the albums. “Bury tomorrow, live for today” is the inspiration behind the band’s name, a quote taken from an old novel about Carpe Diem. “We decided to drop the live for today bit because we wanted to be bit more Goth”. explains WinterBates. His younger brother, the band’s vocalist Dani, take a lot of inspiration from things they’ve read. The idea behind Union of Crowns developed from them sending each other links to articles about the history of Great Britain. “Five very different things coming together to create one thing which is now an actual entity”, as Winter-Bates enlightens that the treaty that bought Great Britain together was called the Union Of Crowns. “I was like, holy shit! That’s a great name for an album”. From there, the concept behind the album developed; “We’d already written four
songs lyrically based on the stuff that we wanted to talk about, so the album concept was based on what those four songs were about”. ‘Royal Blood’ is about how the band feels about their fans and how they should feel like royalty for appreciating music. ‘An Honourable Rein’ is about not letting anyone tell you that you can’t do what you want to with your life and ‘Knight Life’ is about not ruining your future. “We kind of make concept albums that are not concept albums.” The theme of the album is very much consistent, but lyrically it doesn’t tell a story.
“Everything you hear on ‘Union Of Crowns’ is 100% a product of us” “Everything you hear on ‘The Union Of Crowns’ is 100% a product of us”, unlike the band’s first album Portraits, which was produced by two members of metal band The Sikth. “Everything they said, even if we’d never thought of it, we agreed to… We were fan boysif I’m honest”.
Between making the two albums, the band grew up and matured into their instruments. They quickly learnt they had to become more aware of the sound they wanted to create. When it came to recording The Union of Crowns, the bands were in it alone. Without a record label they had to pay for the recording process themselves. However, the band had to keep the costs down. “We went to a studio that our mate essentially lent us for like six weeks, found two guys that would do it as cheaply as possible, and basically sat in a studio in the middle of nowhere in Oxford and made an album.” Although the band’s second album has a sound that fundamentally is more like them in essence, they are not completely content with the product they created. “This isn’t the definitive article. I think the next album will be even better… I don’t think we’ll ever be 100% proud of what we put out, because we’ll always have new ideas.” The band is currently working on their third album, which they hope to release later this year. “It’s completely different to where we were with The Union Of Crowns, the name itself is very, very different.” There has also been discussion about the band possibly
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revisiting the concept behind their first EP, The Sleep Of The Innocent, at some point in the future. “Eventually I think we probably will go back into a whole album that is one continuation of the story. We’ve even toyed with the idea of writing the sequel to the first EP as an album because we thought that as so many people love that EP, it would be nice to go back and revisit where we were at in our heads.” In the last year, Bury Tomorrow have made a number of notable achievements. “This has definitely been my favourite year in the band… We got to do things that I never thought I’d get to”.
of getting big is being able to come back to your hometown and do something absolutely mind blowing with people who are awesome. One of the best parts of this year has been coming back to Southampton and playing after a year away, that sold out Mo Live, 800 kids, it was awesome.” After selling out both The Joiners and Mo Live, Winter-Bates has also set his sights on a goal a bit closer to home; “by the end of 2013 I want to have sold out the Guildhall.”
Catch the Bury Tomorrow boys at Redfest, Download festival and Radstock this summer.
The Union Of Crowns’ now on Spotify One milestone that stood out in particular and iTunes now! this year was the band getting to play the UK Warped Tour, and receiving a 5K review for their live set in Kerrang! Magazine. “We weren’t expecting that, we don’t except anything from Kerrang!. They like who they like and they don’t like who they don’t know, so to get a 5K review was mind blowing. It proved to us that when we are passionate about something, we play better. We were definitely passionate that day and I think it showed.” Even with the overwhelming success the band is now accomplishing, they remain proud of their Southampton roots. “Surely the best part 14
Words by Rebecca Rayner
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DJ Eddy Rocksteddy
Everybody get ready, it’s time to Rocksteddy!
What with such a strong love and passion for music, it didn’t take long for Eddy Rocksteddy to start blending rhythms and beats. The talent and inspiration came naturally to Rocksteddy with his enjoyment for dancing to the music and a keen ear. Having included a variety of different genres into his sets such as jungle, dubstep, tech house and reggae, his love for different genres and different types of sound will mean Eddy Rocksteddy will never grow bored or tired of making the same music. He appreciates different sounds, which allows him to be open to using different genres in his sets. This includes being able to work alongside DJs he has always idolized, such as the legendry David Rodigan, as well as playing Outlook Launch Party at Soul Cellar alongside Mungos HiFi, Jehst and Phaeleh. A main icon for Eddy Rocksteddy is DJ and founder of record label DMZ, Loefah. Rocksteddy speaks of the influence Loefah had on him; “he shines through for involvement with my favourite labels (DMZ/ Swamp81/schlrcrds) and massively directing my influences, by driving a non commercially focused sound”. So what’s next for this musical chameleon? His future movements involve plenty of creative channels. Rocksteddy explains, “I have 2 new partnerships being formed currently under a few different alias’. There are also more illustrations and focus on my food at The Peng Burger Co. So plenty of creative opportunities I’m hoping to weave together to create one big set of vibes!” Fran Botham 16
DJ Jaffro
New & Upcoming, DJ Jaffro!
Studying Audio Technology at Solent University, Greg Douglas – otherwise known as Jaffro - has recently made himself known around the local drum & bass scene. His good ear for music and undeniable passion for drum & bass has attracted numerous students to many of his club events. With Andy C being his main icon and inspiration, you can expect big things from this guy. When speaking to Douglas regarding the process of becoming a new DJ around Southampton he mentioned, “I’ve always loved music and I thought DJing was the best way to showcase my favourite music to different kinds of people. I got a pair of decks for Christmas one year and it really kicked on from there.” As a new DJ kick starting his music career, Southampton is the ideal city in order for him to promote his name. Club events in the city have allowed Jaffro to make himself more known and gain experience in this specific field of music. One of his most memorable performances was a sold out night at the Soul Cellar, of which he says “Playing alongside my friends at the Soul Cellar was great fun.” This determined young student has a bright future ahead of him, with the possibility of his own club nights and the focus on producing his own music. Jaffro is someone who is determined to make it big. “As I’m still young there’s plenty more to look forward too.” Will Keenan
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Acoustic Triumph Louis Kerry talks FIFA, weddings and nappy bags with Southampton’s
You’re on a day off, what do you do on your days off? Mainly play FIFA and send emails and jam. How good are you at FIFA? Pretty top notch now. I’ve gone into a professional career on it because I’m a QPR fan so I can actually make them play well. You played two sold out shows supporting Frank Turner in December. How were they? They were cool; it was a good target audience really. Obviously being Frank fans, our stuff is quite similar to his, so it was nice to play to people who were interested in what you were doing and it was really helpful in that way, we sold a lot of CDs. He was a cool guy to hang out with as well. Probably shouldn’t have drunk as much as we did, it 18
was a good laugh. Did he give you any advice? We have a few mutual friends so it was just like “keep everyone close to you” and pretty much stuff around those lines. I don’t think we’ve really done anything wrong yet, we’re doing alright. Tell me about your most memorable show and your least memorable show. Most memorable would be the EP launch this year, the show at The Joiners with Frank or Bestival. They were all literally moments where you take a step back and look at your life and think if it could get any better. Least memorable, I’ve had loads, we’ve done some awful gigs. We did one in Hamptons when that was still around, that was really bad. I couldn’t pinpoint just one.
What’s your opinion on the Southampton music scene? It’s good, very good. I’m friends with a lot of the bands and a lot of the artists and in my friendship group of people, everyone’s extremely talented but I have found with the scene that it is a bit competitive. I think a lot of jealousy comes into it as well. That’s not for everyone and that’s not naming any names, it’s just my opinion but generally everyone’s sound. Dolomite Minor, Shotaway, Stone the Crows, they’re great lads and great bands as well. The scenes very good it’s coming through at the moment. Better than it’s ever probably been before in my opinion. You’ve done festivals before. What would be your festival dos and don’ts?
Do take baby wipes definitely and do take nappy bags as well. You could put baby wipes in the nappy bags so if you get stuck in the arena you’re sound. Don’t wear white t-shirts or white underwear. Do always bring spare shoes and do bring a spare hoody as well, everyone always forgets it gets cold at night. What are your goals for the rest of this year? None really, I’ve just had lifetime ambitions and I’ve just been achieving them slowly and slowly so no goals really. But next would be really a few more festivals, that would be cool. Glastonbury would be cool or Bestival again would be nice. I’m not too fussed about getting signed, it would be nice to get publishing or something but that’s not a priority.
So are you happy as an unsigned artist would you say? Yeah it doesn’t bother me, it’s cool. As long as I keep progressing, it’s cool. I have no interest in being that whole cliché of being signed and that sex drugs and rock and roll man stuff. I couldn’t care less about that just as long as I can make a living; the dream is to make a living out of this. You’re playing the smile gigs this week at Urban Outfitters and the Guildhall. What are you expecting from them? I haven’t really thought about it because QPR are playing Saints so I’m just petrified about that game to be honest. In-store gigs can go two ways, sometimes they’re really good and sometimes they’re not great. Playing
the Guildhall will be alright, I really like Reverend and the Makers so it would be nice to see them and be on the same bill. I’m excited and it will be an experience. Guildhall is something you’ve got to tick off if you’re a musician from Southampton. Finally why should people go and see you live? Because I’m skint and I need the money. Everything we are on stage you can’t get on record and nine times out of ten the shows will be absolutely nuts like the EP launch. People can watch a clip actually of the EP launch on YouTube and that will tell you why you should come to the shows.
REVIEWED: The People’s Music by Sean McGowan Rammed full of choruses that could contend with the countries acoustic heavyweights. With anger fuelled, yet cheeky lyrics which any lad could raise a glass to, Southampton’s own Sean McGowan has provided a simple yet effective EP, The People’s Music. McGowan’s vocals are raw and somewhat thought provoking, something that is reminiscent to the tresured folk rock storyteller Frank Turner. The songs found within The People’s Music are combined with the fist in the air melodies of The King Blues. With this the singer-songwriter manages to capture the moments of nights out and morning hangovers perfectly. Furiously, McGowan tells you the status of the country like it is, on the acapella ‘All The Best’ the song puts a massive exclamation mark on the end of the EP. The People’s Music shows you entirely what Sean McGowan is all about, but is only a taster of the experiences he’s had and the achievements he could very well accomplish.
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Reviews
Written in Waters - Written In Waters From their cryptic lyric sheets designed like tarot cards, to their diverse blend of influences, Written In Waters clearly have an intense focus on their creativity. They have just successfully headlined the Electric Banana launch night as part of Southampton Solent run SMILEfest. The Brighton based quintet have recently signed to indie label Touch Two Record and released their self-titled LP. The piano crashes of ‘Hymn’ announce the beginning of the record. The song gives the first impressions of a band that crafts soulful and hooky songs, with an underlying sense of the experimental, evident through the abundance of guitar effects. However the songs that follow continue to show off contrasting sides to the band. ‘Love In Exile’ sees them incorporating a minor metal influence into their sound, with a masterful shred from George McKenzie. Despite the fact this element would commonly sound out of place for bands that they share characteristics with, it instead adds intensity to the songs climax. The opening bluesy piano chimes of ‘Drunk Rather Deep’ is perfectly suitable for Beth Cannon’s deep operatic vocals, whilst the 20
rare moment of pure powerful adrenalinefilled climax sees her struggling to keep up with the pace. Lyrically Cannon tends to reflect sadness through dark, hellish imagery, best shown on ‘The Fall’ with the chilling “Angles are bleeding their blood/You hang yourself upside down with these angels tonight”. While the record occasionally sees her reference her personal love and the struggles that come with it, described best in ‘Love In Exile’ “Lust pumps through my veins now/And I love this poison”. ‘The Fall’ signals a dramatic change in the albums style, as they adopt a similar sound to 65daysofstatic during their We Were Exploding Anyway days. Glittery electronics and quirky guitar melodies come to the fore during the excessive runtime of over ten minutes. ‘The Hour I Last Believed’, a sparse ballad that makes use of a Sigur Rós influence through the e-bow, to create emotional soundscapes that reflect Cannon’s pained vocals that close the record. By Connor Cass
Karvel - Fizzle Away Three-piece band Karvel could easily be described as the 21st century’s answer to grunge. With effectual 90’s sounds and execution comes their debut EP, unmistakably showing where the London band obtain their influences. From start to finish there is no doubt that the five-track EP could be classed as another Nivana album, but Karvel are not just another copy-cat band; they have independence which makes the typical grunge sound modern and their own. The EP kicks off with ‘Everybody Knows’, which presents rapid bass lines, raw distorted guitars and iconic laid back grunge vocals. Interesting hooks come to play in ‘Shades of Blue’, riddled with 90’s guitar riffs and high-end vocals. The standards that are produced from such a young band ared delivered surprisingly high. ‘Sub Rosa’ contains cleverly laid out mechanics and deep lyrics (“Little flame, little light that turns me over on my back and crush my pride”) and the harmonies in ‘Drowning in Puddles’ provide substance to the EP. Karvel are said to soon be working on their debut album with Jim Abbiss, mega producer who has worked with bands such as Artic Monkeys and Placebo. With more to expect in the future, the trio’s outlook seems positive. By Kiwi Vincent
Rivera - The Live Recordings EP When a band decides to divulge very little information about themselves, it becomes a bit of a guessing game. The info we do know is that they’re from Kent, they’re a five-piece band and they’ve played six gigs this year so far. The live recordings EP is the first and only thing Rivera has recorded and is made up of four live performance recordings. Rivera are yet to self-define the band’s genre, but there is a definite indie rock vibe with a hint of blues in their guitar and vocal style. The bands meaty riffs and vocal effects are very much reminiscent of Southampton trio, Band Of Skulls. Opening track, ‘Lay Low’, provides a melodic hook as the vocals add depth and a sense of wholeness. Next track, ‘Your Majesty’, takes a more relaxed direction as the guitars are left to go with the flow in a small solo section. Vocals take on a new, melancholic persona that fits equally well with their bluesy singing style. ‘Dutch Courage’ and ‘Bag of Tricks’ unfortunately lack the same energy that was present on ‘Lay Low’, and this leads to a certain amount of boredom. Rivera has musical talent and their style is interesting, as they’ve created a genre that is pretty much absent from music nowadays. By Katie Vowels
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SINGLES ‘Space Theory’ by Kings Gone Bad Electronic music comes few restrictions of musical virtuosity. It’s not limited to how fast you can play or what you can play, just what you can imagine to create. With this in mind, it’s a shame to hear such a predictable, uninspiring effort from Southampton based duo Kings Gone Bad who have created a track which, on first impressions, comes across as a lazy beat with a paper thin melodic riff repeating to weave the track together. Several repeated listens do you no favours, either. As nothing in the track decides to peak and set itself apart from the rest, you come to realise that you may have even had this track on loop for a whole afternoon and you wouldn’t have noticed. By Aiden Ducker
‘What About Skymarshal
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‘What About The Pacific’ falls from the debut EP created by Southampton rock trio Skymarshal. Close between a mash-up of Biffy Clyro and All Time Low, Skymarshal serve catchy indie rock hooks and enough energy to power a light bulb. The song provides heavy dropped guitars followed by pop vocal melodies and harmonies, proving the musical talent of frontman Sam Langley. Although lyrics such as “stacking shelves at your Tesco” become obscure in the context of the song, the three piece manage to make it work. All in all rounding off a spectacular song for the EP Signatures. By Kiwi Vincent
‘Boom Into’ by Pirate Video Company ‘Bloom Into’ neatly demonstrates a mix of thrashy punk and splintered lead guitar that places bands like At The Drive-In in it’s sights from the off. The track adopts an interesting progression that flirts in and out of an aggressive chorus line, contrasting a fit of diced, scraping lead that boasts closest affection to the post-hardcore experimentalists. Its bridge dynamics flip its thrashy counterpart on it’s head with a construction of soft, subdued lead guitar, murmuring over the top of a now-bellowing chord base departing slowly until its close. By Joe Madden
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Featured in SMILEfest’s Demo Surgery ‘Drama’ by Comphex ‘Drama’ from Comphex is an electronic odyssey of chopped beats underpinned by subtle bass textures. Utilizing a repetitive vocal sample shifted in pitch, which is deconstructed and reassembled like the aural equivalent of a Picasso painting, it’s a mellow piece that smoothly absorbs itself throughout its four and a half minutes. The repetition that holds the track to its roots has a meditative presence, minimalist structure and is distinctly focused upon creating a futuristic cycle that wouldn’t be out of place soundtracking a documentary about modern art or a surreal cult comedy. By Leo Troy
‘Ego’ by Cloudi Lewis Having just raised over £1,000 on Kickstarter for her new EP Casual Conversations With A Woodpigeon, indie folk belle Cloudi Lewis has made major progress in the last few months. ‘Ego’ is taken from this new EP, and is a track that shows off Lewis’ delicately beautiful vocals over everything else. Starting off with just a gentle picked guitar pattern and Lewis’ soft vocals. Providing a solid vocal hook in the chorus and interesting musical accompaniment, Lewis’ has succeeded in creating a song that leaves you wanting more. By Katie Vowles
‘High’ by Sasquatch Walk Opening with clean electric guitars, a toe-tapping drumbeat and a sliding bass, you would be forgiven for thinking this is a new Arctic Monkeys single. However, this is Swindon based band Sasquatch Walk’s single ‘High’, a rock infused track with elements of funk incorporated into the instrumentation. As Max Curtis’ vocals enter during the first verse, the Arctic Monkeys comparisons return with the vocal delivery reminiscent of Alex Turner. Yet it is the band’s ability to adapt various sounds and genres into their single that enables them to stand out from the saturated British music market. Definitely a band to keep your eye on. By Niamh Moore 23
Jake Bugg - Southampton Guildhall The audience were here for one person, and Bugg had them in the palm of his hand the second his raspy vocals echoed around the packed Guildhall. Arriving on-stage alone, he opened with the simple but stunning ‘Fire’, prompting many of the crowd to surge forward – with many others launching plastic cups around the venue. His stage presence is almost as non-existent as the banter he has between songs. But his pitch perfect voice more than makes up for the lack of chat – and the Guildhall’s often questioned acoustics were almost perfect for the mop-topped singer. After the powerful opener, his band joined him on stage and they ploughed through a couple of early tracks, ‘Kentucky’ and ‘Love Me The Way You Do’. Although not familiar to most, it was still enough to get heads bopping. Bugg stepped things up a notch for ‘Trouble Town’, and virtually everybody in the crowd sung the chorus back to him at the top of their voices; the first of many goose-bump moments. From that point on, the night just got better, as did Bugg, as he rattled through virtually every song from his debut album.
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It’s hard to pick one highlight of the night as there were so many – but when Bugg’s band left the stage for a couple of tracks and he belted out the exceptionally captivating ‘Country Song’ it was a hairs-up-on-the-backof-the-neck-moment that will stick in the mind forever. The set ended with a rousing version of ‘Lightning Bolt’ - the song that made him a Radio 1 favourite last summer - but the crowd would not let him finish there, and demanded an encore. He never disappointed and returned to the stage with the elegant ‘Broken’, before paying a birthday tribute to Johnny Cash with an excellent version of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’. The crowd left knowing they’d just seen an artist who will leave a big impression on the British music scene for years to come.
By Jodie Copeland
All Time Low - O2 Shepherd’s Bush The last time Baltimore’s reigning pop-punk jesters All Time Low visited Southampton, their sold-out show at the Guildhall was a travesty rather than a triumph. Battling with vocal issues, usually enigmatic frontman Alex Gaskarth was disparaging and discordant, resigning from the stage early and leaving fans bitterly disappointed. With the first two shows down, spirits are feverishly high amidst the band tonight; with their grins as massive as their choruses, they deliver relentlessly throughout their set. It’s the classic culprits like ‘Dear Maria…’ that predictably incite the most raucous of sing-alongs, although tracks from last year’s Don’t Panic are also greeted enthusiastically. Opener ‘Somewhere In Neverland’ in particular charms the audience with its fun yet formulaic pop-rock thrills. Vocally, there are few faults to be found this time around, with a rare full band rendition of fan favourite ‘Remembering Sunday’ serving as the most majestic showcase of the Gaskarth’s remarkable vocal capabilities. They might essentially be Blink-182 on a budget, right down to the copious comic banter between Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat, but in a live environment it’s hard to critique All Time Low’s candid performance as anything but pure, unadulterated entertainment. We can only hope that next time, they’ll bring their A game a little closer to home. By Josh Pauley
New Riot - Avondale House New Riot carry all the hallmarks of a band that you have to be significantly under the influence of cheap alcopops to enjoy. As suggested by their party-centric lyrics that could easily have been stolen from a One Direction B-side, “Let’s go crazy crashing parties all over town!” goes the chorus from their popular number ‘RIOT.SLEEP.REPEAT’, which receives the biggest cheer of the night. A crowd of enthusiastic fans react to the band’s cries of mosh pits by skanking to their hearts content, with one dreadlocked fellow head-banging to every single note without fail. ‘Feel The Burn’ and ‘Nothing To Lose’ from their debut album, maintain an admirably fast paced tempo that the band manages to maintain throughout their set. As the show progresses, the crowd becomes visibly thinner, a down heartening sight for any band to play to. But their good time, bouncy energy never falters. Musically, the band offer little originality. Peddling the generic ska sound of brass and guitar interplay with shouty vocals and speedy, power chord punk sections, they prove that for the most part ska is still defiantly frozen in time. After thirty years or so as a genre, the group should be looking to bands such as Sonic Boom Six, who have successfully cannibalized other genres and stitched them chaotically to a ska underbelly with terrific and ground-breaking results. New Riot however, seem quite happy to keep things within the genre’s expectations and guidelines. By George Percival 25
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