The 1975 Band of Skulls Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip Skindred #20 / April 2014 / FREE www.audio-addict.co.uk
YOU ME AT SIX A Fresh Start For Surrey’s Pop Punk Cavaliers
Mon 3 - Sun 9 Mar • £12 Times 6pm / 7pm - Venue sales only
Global Rock Challenge Sat 15 Mar • £9 / £15 / £17 / £20 Doors 6.30pm Show 7.30pm Concessions apply
Mozart & Britten
Tue 01 Apr • £27.50 £20 Students + O60’s Concert 8pm
Mon 20 Oct • £27
Level 42
The Sirens Tour + Special Guests Relishing global success for over 30 years producing an impressive discography packed with hit tunes in the instantly recognisable sound they’re loved for!
Southampton Philharmonic Choir + SU Phil. Mozart - Coronation Mass & Clarinet Concerto Britten - Rejoice in the Lamb Conductor - David Gibson
The Bootleg Beatles In Concert
Wed 19 Mar • £22.50
Brand New
Word Of Mouth Tour + Special Guests
Franz Ferdinand
No Support
Thu 23 Nov • £21.50
Fri 11 Apr • £22.50
Seth Lakeman
Under 14’s with an adult
+ Special Guests
After just releasing new single, Evil Eye, the band tour the UK in 2014
Wed 29 Oct • £27.50 £29.50
Sat 12 Apr • £2
Steve Hackett
Sat 22 Mar • £25 / £30 / £50
The Vintage Fair
Doors 6pm - First Bell 7pm
Top Night Of Professional Boxing in support of Wessex Heartbeat Tony Hill, Matty Tew, Joe Pigford and many more Wed 26 Mar • £3 members £2.50 12-4pm
Afternoon Tea Dance Sequence & Ballroom Fri 28 Mar • £20 Show 7.30pm - Over 18’s Only
Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown Who Ate All The Pies? Tour
12-5pm
Vintage fashion & homeware, tea party & beauty salon Wed 16 Apr • £3 members £2.50 12-4pm
Wed 05 Nov • £16.50
Sequence & Ballroom
Asking Alexandria
Tue 29 Apr • £26 / £30 Start 7.30pm
Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson In Concert Following the great success of his current ‘Thick As A Brick’ tour, legendary Prog Rock icon Ian Anderson will be coming to town Sat 17 May • £10
Sat 29 Mar • £15
Southampton German Beer Fest 2014
Variety Relief Raising the roof for WAVE 105 Cash For Kids, with Britains Got
BOX OFFICE
023 8063 2601
Genesis Extended + Support. Following the success of the 2013 Genesis Revisited album and tours, Steve Hackett is bringing the final version of his Genesis show to the UK
Afternoon Tea Dance
Roy Chubby Brown returns with his bluest show yet Show 7.30pm
2
Talent Stars Poppin Ron & Kai Widdrington, entertainer Arnold Gutbucket, singer Liam White, with Compere Mark Ponsford
5pm-11pm 18yrs +
German Beers And Foods, The Alpine Stompers Oompha Band, DJ, Mädchens In Traditional Costumes West Marlands Road Civic Centre, Southampton Hampshire SO14 7LP Doors 7pm unless stated
www.o2guildhallsouthampton.co.uk
Doors 6.30pm
The ‘From Death To Destiny’ Tour + Special Guests Hot off the back of their arena run as special guests to Bullet For My Valentine, ASKING ALEXANDRIA have announced a headline run of the UK Sat 15 Nov • £19.50 Standing £24.50 Reserved seating
Bellowhead 10th Anniversary Tour Plus Special Guests Award-winning big band Bellowhead announce their biggest ever UK tour in November Box office opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm Sat 9am-5pm A booking fee applies to online & telephone transactions
Edition 03 • 2014
A Message From The Editor So the next issue of Audio Addict is here and we’ve decided to treat you all by cramming it full with quality interviews with our favourite artists.
You Me At Six are on the verge of conquering the UK, Skindred are flying the flag of the British metal scene and Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip are still just as political and hilarious as ever. Have a read why Audio Addict think Nina Nesbitt has released potentially the album of the year. Additionally, we’ve had some serious award show marathons you can read about… We now hate red carpets.
CONTENTS
P. 4 An AA Meeting With Itch P. 8 Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip P. 18 You Me At Six P. 22 The 1975 P. 26 Band of Skulls P. 28 Skindred P. 30 Blood Red Shoes Editorial Team
Louis Kerry - Editor Leo Troy - Features Editor Sean Lewis- Reviews Editor Ellis Ballard - Multimedia Editor Aidan Ducker - Design Editor Twitter @AudioAddictMag http://www.audio-addict.co.uk To advertise or for press enquiries contact us at: audioaddicteditors@hotmail.co.uk
We sit down with You Me At Six bassist Matt Barnes to chat to him about recent success and latest album Cavalier Youth - P. 18
Contributors Alex Slade // Andrew Yates // Ben Hindle // Callum Cornwell // Connor Cass // Eleisha Wightman // Ellie Mitchell // Freya Cochrane // George Peckham // George Percival // George Walker // Heather Lewis Jack King // Jodie Copeland // Jodie-Mae Finch // Joe Price // Joshua Pauley // Katie Vowles Kenya Scarlett // Kiwii Vincent Laura Tompkins // Liam Rowlands // Matthew Bisgrove // Megan Smith // Melissa Deeney // Menai Richards // Minnie Wright // Niamh Moore // Nurus Saifulbahri // Philippa Ghosh // Rebecca Rayner // Rob Sayers // Rory Gilbert // Rory Kelly // Samantha Fisher // Sammy Jones Steven Fox // Will Ackrill // Zoe Coxon
Audio Addict magazine and blog are produced by students on the BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism course at Southampton Solent University. The views expressed in the magazine and blog are the students’ and contributors for which the University and its staff can not be held responsible. 3
An Meeting: Itch Ever had that musical itch you just can’t scratch? Well now ex-King Blues frontman Itch has gone solo, and he’s ready to help you do that. Your new album The Deep End is out this month. Are there any surprises that we haven’t heard from your repertoire? People are gonna be surprised by how it sounds. It doesn’t sound like anything out there. We didn’t want to follow trends or follow fashions. We wanted to define it and make something new. Do you write about politics to educate or to get it off your chest? To get it off my chest. Someone asked me ‘do you feel a responsibility to rap about it?’ I don’t feel any responsibility really. I write about it because it interests me and I’m passionate about it. I don’t write something because it’s worthy, I write it because I want it to be fun to listen to. Nobody wants to sit and hear your art or your lecturing, they want to have fun and I think that’s important with political songwriting. You did the whole stretch of the US Warped Tour in a wheelchair. What did you learn from that? It literally changed my life. Normally I attract a crowd by running around the stage. At Warped I had to think ‘the only way I can attract people is with what comes out of my mouth.’ So I learned a lot. I came away a better frontman from it. The coolest thing about the tour is that there’s about 90 bands and no egos. If you’re at any other festival in the world and go
4
backstage, there’s just egos clashing with egos. It sucks. Warped Tour just kills all that. Have you ever considered doing a whole spoken word tour? I’ve definitely considered it. It’s a world I’ve dipped my toe in the water of. The reason I like doing spoken word at gigs is because it’s accessible to people who wouldn’t ordinarily listen to that kind of thing. I think that makes you a lot more vulnerable by doing that. What’s your definition of punk rock? It’s not about doing what some scene says or doing what other punks say. It’s about following your own heart and doing what you want to do. I believe it’s about trying to change things, trying to move forward and grow. The idea of being true doesn’t make sense, I’m a different person to what I was ten years ago.You have to grow and change. The punk scene is a wonderful thing and I love that I got to grow up in in this community. All my friends are from this scene. Other people I chat to who didn’t grow up in this scene, it’s generalising a lot, but I find them really boring. They never understood the alternative community and camaraderie we have. I love that, but I also feel it’s about pushing forward, changing and defining the future. Louis Kerry THE DEEP END IS OUT MARCH 24TH VIA RED BULL RECORDS
S.M.S Social Media Swag
Every popstar seems to have a Twitter page now, but not many of them are actually funny. We made it our mission to find the most gut-busting, hilarious social media posts on the web.
Short & Unreasonable Reviews Schoolboy QOxymoron I DO NOT LIKE THIS SCHOOLBOY Q FELLOW HIS PROSE IS QUITE CONTRIVED.
Pearl Jam - Ten Sounds like dad.
Big Bear - Doin Thangs An inspiration to me in my life.
Audio Addict - Issue 19 Great mazine, Rolling Stone/10.
“Black history month !!” - Snoop Dogg instagram.com/snoopdogg 5
NEWS Fall Out Boy Earn Their Wings Rock group Fall Out Boy have created a version of the popular app game Flappy Bird, titled ‘Fall Out Bird’. Fall Out Boy’s version of the game was coded in less than 24 hours. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but this game was,” they wrote on their website. “Shoutout to the OG Flappy Bird, RIP.” The band made the game after the success of the Flappy Bird app that reportedly made creator Nguyen Ha Dong $50,000 (£30,000) a day from advertising. The 29-year-old Vietnamese programmer removed Flappy Bird from app stores, in February claiming it was not due to legal issues.
50 Cent Leaves Interscope Records
6
Teenage Time Killer Supergroup Confirmed
Hip-hop megastar 50 Cent has parted ways with Interscope, to sign a deal with independent label Caroline, who have put out releases by Bob Dylan, You Me At Six and Kaiser Chiefs.
A new rock super group has formed in Los Angeles. Corrosion of Conformity’s Mike Dean and Reed Mullin have created a project named Teenage Time Killer.
The multi-platinum selling rapper, who is being joined by G-Unit in this move, claimed that this would be a “new era where I can carry out my creative vision.” He also thanked Eminem and Dr. Dre, for what he called an “amazing opportunity.”
The super group’s line-up includes Dave Grohl, (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour), Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks), Nick Oliveri (Queen’s Of The Stone Age), Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God) and Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys).
50 Cent’s long awaited fifth album, Street King Immortal, is set to be released through the label. The New York rapper has been working on the album since 2010, and its release date has been pushed back twice since the original release date of November 13th 2012.
In an interview with Jump Metal, Mullin said that the band’s material is “old hardcore punk, punk and metal stuff. People are going to be pleasantly surprised. “ As of yet, there has been no confirmed date of a release for any music from Teenage Time Killer.
Win Brand New Tickets!!
The days of emo are long gone, but some bands transcend the stereotypes. This is especially true with New York’s Brand New, who have quickly become a universally respected name in rock. In 2014, they’re set to tour the UK, playing of their albums back-to-back at each date. Sound good? Audio Addict have two tickets to give away for the O2 Southampton Guildhall date on April 11th. All you have to do is answer this question: What is the name of Brand New’s debut album? A.
My Girlfriends Favorite Weapon
B.
Your Favorite Weapon
C.
My Creepy Uncle’s Favorite Weapon
Send your answer to our email address at audioaddicteditors@hotmail.co.uk
ATP Jabberwocky Festival Announced
A new two-day festival called Jabberwocky will debut in London this year, presented by ATP, Pitchfork and Primavera Sound. It will be held on August 15th and 16th at the ExCeL Centre. According to ATP’s website, the festival aims to provide “acts that you rarely see programmed at other UK festivals.” Tickets for the event are priced at £35 per day or £60 for 2 days. ATP’s website says “It’s a win/win for lovers of music that pushes against the flow.” Headlined by Mercury Prize winner James Blake and legendary cult band Neutral Milk Hotel, the festival will also feature performances from Darkside, Caribou, Forest Swords, Electric Wizard and Thee Oh Sees. Tickets for the festival are on sale now, with more acts and DJs to be announced soon, as well as a cinema programme and other extra-curricular activities. 7
Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
In the second instalment of our Vs series we get hip-hop duo Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip to lock horns over video games, stage diving and who they believe is the greatest rap artist of all time. You’re taking Itch out on tour, that’s quite a political line-up, is there a message you’re spreading with this tour? Pip - “Not at all. Just a big fan of Itch so [we’re] looking forward to putting on some good shows. Sure there will obviously be some politics in there but that wasn’t part of any master plan.” Dan - “God it’s dreadful isn’t it, Preach Fest 2014. It’ll be fun though and it’ll give me the chance to undermine any message with cheeky nob jokes.” You’ve been said to be the inspiration behind some pretty big bands [like Enter Shikari], did you ever think you could have that kind of impact on the music scene? Pip - “It’s always a huge compliment to hear such things! Obviously couldn’t have predicted that when we started out but it’s always nice to hear.” 8
Dan - “It’s always lovely to hear but equally hard to believe, not because it’s impossible, it’s just we are so damn charmingly self deprecating.” The artwork for Angles has you both represented in clay, then RRR has a similar kind of theme to it but with a lion and a panda. Who is which animal? (if neither then what animal do you think you’d be?) Pip - “I chose a lion as I’m a fan of lions (I’m a Leo and a Millwall fan) and Dan chose a Panda. Both of which are awesome animals.” Dan - “Hold on. [I’m] thinking of something witty to say. Ooh I’ve got it. Pandas are a dying breed, just like me. Did that work? [It’s] Weird on Logic of Chance, I’m a blue ovum, and Pip is a pink one. Not sure what that says about us!”
You’ve had guests like Flux Pavilion and Itch. Is there anyone you’d like to work with in the future? Pip - “I’ve never really had a list. Every collab in the past has just seemed to happen naturally, so I look forward to more of that. If you have a list and force anything then it may not feel right. Dan - “Strangely my next project is an attempt to avoid all guests. Really want to see if I can stand up with using bearded blokes as crutches!” Do either of you have plans to do more solo work in the future? Pip - “Sure, I think we both plan to do more solo stuff in the future. Great to get the variation.” Dan - “Look at Pip being all evasive there! He’s already started writing with his pop punk super group! As for me it’s all about my last answer!”
Best video game of 2013? Pip - “I didn’t have time to play much. I bought Arkham City or whatever it was called though. Didn’t have time to finish it, but since its all I bought I’d go with that. Oh, and Fifa. As always.” Dan - “Weirdly it was an iOS game call Device 6. Just a stunning take on design and immersive gaming right in the palm of your hand.” Music artist to look out for in 2014? Pip - “Warren Peace and B Dolan.” Dan - “I hate this question, you either say something that you’re involved with like Pip did, or you try to be cool and obscure. Can I just say I’m excited about the Mogwai record and be done with it?” Best rapper of all time? Pip - “Impossible! Ill say the best rapper I’ve ever seen live is Big Daddy Kane. Followed closely by Pharoahe Monch.”
Beer or Spirits? Pip - “Depends on the situation my friend.”
Dan - “John Barnes.” Best punk band of all time?
Dan - “Tea.”
Pip - “Think ill go with Rancid.”
Xbox or PlayStation?
Dan - “Anything from the ‘Now That’s What I Call Punk’ compilation.”
Pip - “Xbox.” Dan - “PS.”
What keeps you awake at night?
What are your worst on stage habits?
Pip - “Insomnia.” Dan - “Coffee.” Repent Replenish Repeat is out now via Sunday Best Records
Pip - “I don’t think I really have any. Stage diving I guess? I’ve bust my ribs up several times to the point they’re wonky and messed up now, so I guess that counts.” Dan - “I have no bad habits, I am truly the consummate performer who never behaves in any way unprofessionally. Now if you believe that, you clearly haven’t been to one of our shows.”
Why should people come and see you on tour? Pip - “It’s a good night out! That’s as good a reason as any!” Dan - “Because it would be boring without them.” Callum Cornwell DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP ARE ON TOUR IN THE UK THIS APRIL. 9
Illustration: Nurus Saifulbahri
Do Award Shows Matter?
...and more importantly, why should we care? Back in the days of yore, when musicians spent their time snorting lines off pornstars’ chests and grabbing feverishly at any free drinks, awards shows were a proper once-a-year soiree – a blowout that everyone who’s anyone attended.There was danger, craziness, and more importantly something exciting going on. Skip forward to 2014, and if Katy Perry’s fingernails are all that’s being talked about the next day, then the industry has a problem. Film, it seems, doesn’t have an issue at all.Take the Tumblr-led scandal that is Leonardo DiCaprio’s lack of Oscar: there’s fury and uproar, just because the little gold man has alluded him all these years. On the other hand, Snoop Dogg has been nominated for a Grammy 16 times and won nothing, yet no-one bats an eyelash. Does this divide mean music is less popular? Or are awards just not provocative enough anymore? Hopefully it’s the latter, though it may be contested.You can count on your fingers the amount of music award moments that have made a splash in recent years – Kanye West’s ‘Imma let you finish…’ speech, the Thicke/Cyrus twerking fiasco – but something as small as Jennifer 10
Lawrence falling over her dress at the 2013 Oscars is nearly just as talked about. This year’s BRIT awards made Twitter come alive, but it was more ripping it to shreds than genuine interest. Most of the serious talk was of Alex Turner’s speeches after Arctic Monkeys’ two major wins – Best Album and Best British Group.Weirdly emphatic for such an affected drawl, he first defended rock & roll in the sea of ‘sludge’ (as he charmingly labelled the pop acts), though the rest of the ‘Monkeys looked bored and uncomfortable.This culminated in the least rock & roll mic drop in history – preluded by “Invoice me for the microphone if you need to.” This display – labelled arrogant, impassioned and ‘one for the ages’ – was really just the only marginally interesting thing to happen.Will it be talked about in 10 years time? Unlikely. Is Jarvis Cocker’s protest, bum-flashing stage invasion during Michael Jackson’s ‘Earthsong’ performance at the 1996 awards still scandalous today? Too right.With all the – pardon the pun – cheekiness missing from these events today, the dazzle of their heyday is fading rapidly.
The biggest music awards bash, the Grammys, shows that perhaps even the artists aren’t as engrossed as they once were. Take Macklemore’s scores at this year’s affair: Rap purists hit out at the rap-cum-pop act’s four wins branding him unworthy over other nominees, particularly Kendrick Lamar. He later posted on Instagram a screenshot of a text message he’d sent Lamar, reading in part “It’s weird and sucks that I robbed you.” Does that mean as well as thinking he’s not as good, he’s just not that bothered? Drake had a lot to say about the Macklemore incident- speaking to Rolling Stone, he said “I was like, ‘You won. Why are you posting your text message? Just chill… It felt cheap.’” To some people these awards are still a crucial marker of success, but the ‘show’ element may be on its last legs without the controversy and worldwide engrossment. With the music business as a whole struggling, perhaps it’s time for a new wave of troublemakers to liven things up, or a rethink of the platform entirely.
Jodie-mae Finch
Our Two Cents
11
PRESENTS
NECK DEEP With pop-punk pioneers Green Day announcing their hiatus and The Offspring and Sum 41 remaining quiet on the music front, it’s time for Neck Deep to grab pop-punk by the throat.
Deep, releasing the band’s debut album Wishful Thinking. Speaking of the album, Thorpe-Evans reckons some curveballs may await the fans: “I feel like it has a lot more diversity than people would expected from us, but that’s something we did on purpose.” He continues, “I think we have stepped away from the new wave pop punk sound and captured a more old school sound. It just sort of happened, but we are all stoked on the finished product.”
This may happen sooner rather than later, as Wrexham quintet Neck Deep have stripped the genre back to it’s bare bones. Describing their sound as “pop-punk by kids you would be embarrassed to introduce your parents to,” their honest lyrics portray some typically They may be termed the UK’s answer to The relatable themes. Story So Far and have Cue the love, tears toured with them, but and drama. “The band loves to party and although they’re lesser known than the titans, Formed in 2012, the five our shows are all about having they were able to hold lads of Neck Deep took their own. As a result, fun.” the typical pop-punk they’ve become a familiar conventions, along with name around the touring the lyrics crooned by circuit. Roaming the UK frontman Ben Barlow, back in January on their own headline tour, and turned heads with their two EPs, 2012’s Neck Deep smashed every comparison to The Rain In July and 2013’s A History Of Bad Story So Far and The Wonder Years, with a live Decisions. set consisting of raw pop-punk performed with They are already garnering hype across the live paint-stripping intensity and infectious energy. music scene, bringing their frenzy-fuelled live Following in the footsteps of various bands show to various clubs across the UK. Having who have graced our music scene over the performed at the UK Warped Tour in 2013, years, Neck Deep have arrived, fresh-faced and bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans reminisces on the ready to create a riot. Don your skinny jeans, show, saying: “It was the largest we’ve played. Vans and favourite band tee, open up the pits The singalongs were amazing. I loved every and get ready for the crowd surfers. This is second of it.” Neck Deep and they don’t play by the rules. From their independently released EPs came the turning point in 2013, signing to the record label that holds a very worthy roster of acts. From All Time Low to Enter Shikari, Hopeless Records became the new home for Neck 12
Niamh Moore WISHFUL THINKING IS OUT NOW VIA HOPELESS RECORDS
PRESENTS
MØ Welcome to Mø, a 25 year old Danish Electro-Popper, who has drummed up all kinds of excitement in the past six months. Audio Addict caught up with her to talk influences, music videos and hip-hop. First of all it’s Mø, not Mo. That’s the Danish pronunciation, not like Biggie’s ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ and not at all like little Mo from Eastenders. If you’d rather, her name is Karen.
she describes as her ‘first love’. “I remember watching them when I was about seven years old. They just made me want to get on a stage!” The Hip Hop influence is credited to an ex-partner of hers, “It was actually because an ex-boyfriend of mine really liked Hip Hop so I started listening.” Wu-Tang Clan in particular was a big influence in her early twenties, although she explained, “I’m probably more influenced by punk rock still.”
As well as ‘Pilgrim’, There’s been a fair tracks like ‘XXX 88’ and share of comparisons “The Spice Girls were my first her latest release ‘Don’t drawn to the soulful, Wanna Dance’ have seen love. I remember watching electronic style of Mø’s Mø’s rise to Popularity records with names like them when I was about seven in the UK accelerate at Grimes, AlunaGeorge years old, they just made me an alarming rate.With a and even Kate Bush set of dates all around want to get on a stage.” being mentioned. Europe near her albums Asking whether this release - which is due irritates her, she for March 10th - it’s explains, “No it is understandable, To describe clear that the Mø has high prospects in the one artist by comparing them to others, I find future. We at Audio Addict will certainly be no problem with it.” In reality, Mø’s sound is a keeping an eye out for her. careful blend between the best bits of Bat For Lashes and Lana Del Rey. ‘Pilgrim’ was one of her first releases, the video of which she directed herself and has over a million and a half views on YouTube. She modestly describes this success as “scary but really exciting.” The strange video features a clip of Heath Ledger’s ‘The Joker’ clapping, which she chose because it “looks so badass.” Mø has described her musical routes as a combination of Punk Rock in her teens, to Hip Hop in her early twenties, with an honourable mention to the Spice Girls, whom
Ellis Ballard NO MYTHOLOGIES TO FOLLOW IS OUT NOW VIA RCA RECORDS 13
PRESENTS
Bipolar Sunshine Bipolar Sunshine isn’t a reference to the UK’s ambivalent weather, but rather the new alias of Mancunian vocalist, Adio Marchant. Formerly the frontman of indie rock/ska group Kid British, Marchant has taken the band’s split as an opportunity to explore both his own capabilities as a solo artist and the landscape of indie pop as a whole. “I’m still the same person, I’m just applying my thoughts to a different style of music,” says Marchant, expressing that his music’s changed, rather than himself.
“I love big pop songs. I like really good choruses and hooks, but I like them to have some sort of substance, so they’re not throwaway,” says Marchant, citing N.E.R.D., Coldplay, Alex Turner and “lots of late ‘70s and late ‘80s soul” as inspirations.
“I didn’t want a name that spelt indie band or hip-hop act. I just wanted to be an artist.”
“It’s solely about myself now. It’s a whole new angle and I’m allowing myself to grow with it naturally; I’m not putting myself under any pressure to recreate anything.” Bipolar Sunshine sees the inner city, nudge-inthe-ribs sound of Kid British abandoned (save the occasional nod to ska). In its place is an organic, heartfelt experience, which offers pure freedom of expression. This emotive theme is the lifeblood of Bipolar Sunshine, the name itself even being designed to give Marchant more creative leeway. “I wanted something that encapsulates myself, being kind of a free spirit, and being able to write for many topics and many genres. I didn’t want to be typecast; I didn’t want a name that spelt indie band or hip-hop act. I just wanted to be an artist,” he explains. The music itself is reflective of the moniker. Together with producer Jazz Purple, Marchant weaves a 14
tapestry of emotions. The music and lyrics present both sadness and hope; audible hugs, that should be accompanied with a scrunched up tissue and a reassuring pat on the back.
Quickly developing a distinct sound, Marchant’s direction enables his songs to stay cohesive within the context of an EP, whilst still exploring different genres. “I just kept the same emotive style running through the middle of it,” he adds. Last year, Marchant tasted success with his Drowning Butterflies EP, resulting in a whole heap of media attention. Now he’s kicked off 2014 with the uplifting ‘Where Did The Love Go’ single, building towards the release of his debut LP, which features production from Kid Harpoon (Florence and the Machine) and Fraser T Smith (Adele), at the end of August. Currently participating in an O2 Academy tour with Rudimental, and a host of solo dates (including the sold out SXSW festival in Austin, Texas) to follow that up, Bipolar Sunshine is in high demand already, and this is only just the dawn. Ben Hindle BIPOLAR SUNSHINE WILL BE TOURING THE UK THIS APRIL
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The
Hitlist
Obviously we write about all this musical nonsense, but you might be wondering… what do we ACTUALLY listen to? Well, here’s 10 tracks that’ve been blasting through our earphones and from our stereos this month. 1. Beck - Waking Light Triumphant piano is set underneath Beck’s rich croon as ‘Waking Light’ begins. Flourishes of a tambourine accompany underneath as the backing builds and falsetto “Ooh”s heighten the tension. As it all comes together, it reveals ‘Waking Light’ as a showcase of Beck’s talents – both vocal and instrumental. Katie Vowles 2. Behemoth - Blow Your Trumpet Gabriel Slower riffs are heavy, Behemoth are heavy, therefore when Behemoth play slow riffs, things are gonna get pretty f*cking heavy. Packed with a visually stunning music video, this track is an excellent album opener, an excellent live opener and excellent way to return to death metal. Behemoth didn’t want to return and celebrate. They wanted to return and desolate. Jack King 3. Katy B - Crying For No Reason Deeply emotional piano chords open Katy B’s ‘Crying For No Reason’, an apt backing for such a personal track. Fast forward a bit and dance elements are added. Huge mistake. The awfully cringy synths and tinny drumbeats ruining this otherwise interesting track. There’s a definite reason behind my tears. Katie Vowles 4. Sun Kil Moon - Ben’s My Friend Mark Kozelek has returned with more matter of fact miniature singer-songwriter novellas on his latest album Benji, the closer of which - amongst gloriously sarcastic saxaphone - tells enthralling tales of eating ‘blue crab cakes’, in a bar liberally decorated with ‘sports bar sh*t’. Utterly fascinating. Leo Troy
5. St.Vincent - Digital Witness It takes a bodacious trumpet fanfare and a faux American sorority girl accent for the enigma that is St.Vincent to tell us that we’re all basically brain dead thanks to our mindless overindulgence of the inane tripe that spills from every orifice of the Internet. Thanks, St.Vincent! Josh Pauley 16
6. Chet Faker - Talk Is Cheap Despite his chiselled appearance, Chet Faker makes beautifully tender music. Hidden behind that beard is a wealth of emotions, and generally a sombre soul. ‘Talk is Cheap’ is our first taste of his upcoming album Built On Glass and hey, guess what? It tastes pretty damn good. Better than the day old crumbs left in his beard at least. Joe Price
7. Schoolboy Q - Hell Of A Night
Bottle poppin’ and the idea of initiating a ménage à trois is hardly the kind of subject matter that should be leaving the lips of a schoolboy, but Q narrowly avoids detention by detracting from the content of his verses with a hook that relentlessly repeats the word ‘Go!’ until you’re rendered incapable of stammering anything else. Josh Pauley
8. Big Ups - Wool The unhinged, pent up insanity of ‘Wool’ is all but too creepily quiet for New York’s latest floor-kipping punks, grabbing the wheel from where the subtle trademarks of Fugazi left off, and eventually accelerating into chaos. Leo Troy
9.The Used - Cry It was only a matter of time before one of those mid-noughties emo bands wrote a song explicitly about crying. Luckily it ended up being The Used, who’ve managed to mould a widely believed subcultural stereotype into an anthem of radio-worthy infectiousness. Leo Troy
10. Lily Allen - Air Ballon It seems the challenges of parenthood have got the better of Ms. Allen now, as her mind-set seems to have devolved to a state of intelligence that equals her child. If the irritating talk of flying away on an air balloon doesn’t have you begging to expel this track from existence, the nasal playground taunts should do the trick. Josh Pauley
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Although the band might still battle some early preconceptions of dabbling in adolescent fringe-laden pop punk, in reality they’re now a foreword thinking alt-rock band, both live and on record. We chatted to bassist Matt Barnes about this, and their latest album Cavalier Youth.
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To say that You Me At Six bassist Matt Barnes is on a personal high today might be a slight understatement. The evening before, the band had debuted ‘Fresh Start Fever’, the second single to be taken from their fourth album Cavalier Youth, on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show. It marked a distinct departure from anything in the band’s back catalogue, something he and the rest of his bandmates were very self-aware of prior to its release. “I was always very excited to release ‘Fresh Start Fever’,” Barnes hurriedly quips, the pride audible in his voice. “We wanted to create something that we’d never done before, something slightly hip-hop and theatrical with massive production and a load of strings. Fall Out Boy went with that producer [Neal Avron] and did a similar thing [07’s ‘Thnks Fr Th Mmrs’], so we took some inspiration from that.” At the time of the interview, the song is sitting comfortably at number 19 on the overall iTunes song chart, riding on the wave of commercial success in 2013 initiated by the album’s lead single, ‘Lived A Lie’, which narrowly missed the top 10, although it’s not something that particularly phases Barnes himself. “I see chart success as a cool thing, but I don’t think it’s seen as so important in rock music,” he says. “[Besides] we don’t seem to stay there that long, we’re in and we’re like ‘ah, f**k everyone!’ and then two weeks later we’re nowhere to be seen.” For the majority of 2013,You Me At Six’s home crowd were given the silent treatment, not out of spite but necessity, whilst the band toured
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relentlessly stateside in a bid to establish a fan base as strong as their UK one. It wasn’t until November that the band made their much-anticipated return to home soil supporting global megastars 30 Seconds To Mars on an arena stint. “We’ve always said we’d never really support anyone else here unless they were massive, like Blink-182, 30 Seconds To Mars, or say Biffy Clyro: Those huge rock bands. We’d never support anyone who wasn’t as esteemed as them,” Barnes states. “I think it was a really cool package though, the kids thought it was a good value tour.” The tour served as the introductory chapter to the band’s latest effort Cavalier Youth, recorded in Los Angeles with Neal Avron, a choice that was supported by the band’s friends in All Time Low and Yellowcard and a man Barnes name checks as “the nicest guy in music.” “With Neil, his attitude [towards the record] was very much ‘this isn’t mine, this isn’t yours,’ we’re doing this collectively, which a lot of producers aren’t like,” he reveals. “We’re quite down-to-earth people. We don’t like people with big old egos who are all ‘I recorded this album, listen to what I have to f***ing say! If I want you to change this bit then change it!’ Neil wasn’t like that at all.” The in-studio chemistry and high spirits meant that the recording experience was much smoother than that of previous album Sinners Never Sleep, which was well documented as being a turbulent experience that tried inter-band relationships. “There was tension when recording Sinners because Josh was going out with this bird who was
a nightmare. We weren’t all getting along like we had since day one and we weren’t particularly enjoying going to the studio to record the album,” he says with a brief chuckle, a sign that such tensions have since diffused.
“However much I’d like to retire Take Off Your Colours, I don’t think we can just yet,” he says cautiously. “There are still some songs [from that album] that people wanna hear, but whether we play them or not will be another thing. We won’t be playing much of it on the next tour, it’ll mostly be Cavalier Youth and Sinners. At some point in our career though I would like to put on, for instance, four shows at the Roundhouse and play four of our albums front to back. But I think we’re a few years off that yet.”
The amicable recording process seems to have paid off, as Cavalier Youth takes pride of place as their most grandiose and consistent album yet, a blessing considering it was primed with the intention to assert You Me At Six’s position as a universally recognised “We don’t like people rock band. Whilst they often find their name cropping up the possibility of more with big egos who are all ‘I With alongside Kerrang! staples such festival slots on the horizon this recorded this album, listen year and the potential for a night as All Time Low and Bring Me The Horizon, their desire to as impactful as the Final Night to what I have to branch out beyond that clique Of Sin to occur at the O2 Arena f***king say’.” correlates with the direction - should Cavalier Youth’s album they took when recording the cycle prove - the foreseeable album’s songs. future of You Me At Six is looking considerably triumphant. “I feel that bands which pigeonhole themselves into the Warped Tour and Kerrang! scene can only play “I just hope we’re going to carry on that trajectory those kind of shows, [whereas] a band like Foo and get bigger every album,” Barnes concludes. Fighters, one of the greatest bands in the world “We’ve been on a steady slope upwards since Take could go and play Warped Tour, but they could Off Your Colours, and if we keep going up and don’t also go and play Glastonbury or V Festival,” Barnes go down, then I’ll be a happy man.” states, “We still want to be a part of that scene, but we also want to expand out of there, and I don’t think you can do that if you keep writing straightJosh Pauley up pop-punk songs.” April will see You Me At Six embark on their biggest UK tour to date, concluding with a date at London’s prestigious Alexandra Palace. Armed with new material, Barnes is insistent that the shows will be amongst the best they’ve played. “We’re looking at some stage set-ups at the moment, I wanna get some cool flames and crazy lighting in there, sort of similar to what we did at The Final Night of Sin [the band’s sold-out Wembley headline gig]. We’re not gonna half-a**e it,” he ends with a warm laugh. Four albums into their career however, and the task of picking a set list has become all the more challenging. With Cavalier Youth taking even bigger strides away from the sugar-coated pop-punk charm of their well-loved debut Take Off Your Colours, will the arrival of its more mature brother usher in the death knell for the likes of ‘Save It For The Bedroom’ and ‘Kiss And Tell’? Barnes knows it’s a subject that calls for treading lightly.
YOU ME AT SIX ARE TOURING THE UK IN MARCH/APRIL
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That 70’s Show
In the year1975, Led Zeppelin fans made waves, rioting and causing $30,000 damage to the Boston Garden. In 2014, Manchester has produced The 1975, who are making waves in a different way. Although they aren’t the type of band to incite a riot, they have quickly become one of the biggest acts in indie. Frontman Matthew Healy spoke to us about their sudden rise to fame. Manchester has quite a musical history. Was it difficult for The 1975 to get recognition for the type of music you play? Manchester is quite infamous with music, so I think it is slightly difficult to break away from it, but we’ve never been a Manchester band. We never had the adherence to that past scene, so it’s never really reflected on us. We have been quite ambiguous geographically. So I’d say we aren’t really from anywhere. We prefer to create our own little world; London, New York and even Tokyo, we seem to be able to go anywhere and play shows. 22
When did you realise that you wanted to be in a band? I didn’t necessarily realise I wanted to be in a band until we were a band, because we started it at 13. I grew up being in love with music, not necessarily any of the ideas that surround it, like being in a band because it’s cool or being loved by people. I was just obsessed with music and the way that it worked formulaically. I think I was about 4 or 5. It was the only thing I was really interested in, then when I went to high school, we started playing because it was fun and we became a band.
You said you were quite young when you started the band, so growing up, who were your musical influences and have they influenced the sound of The 1975 today? I was massively into Michael Jackson and stuff like that. Michael Jackson was my hero when I was a kid. I just loved all the records that my dad loved and then all the records that those records informed like Mo Town and soul music. Then growing up in the 90’s, I loved a lot of 90’s boybands like Boys 2 Men and stuff like that. Then when I was 12 or 13, I started getting into alternative, heavier bands like Glassjaw. I’ve had a long musical heritage like anybody has from a young age, so everything i’ve been obsessed with has kind of bled slightly into The 1975. That’s why it’s such a concoction of ideas. You mentioned a lot of different genres, but it’s hard to pigeonhole you into one genre. How would you describe the overall sound of your band?
band. As soon as we put out an actual record, it went mental. We did four EPs and when we put the first EP out, it went straight to radio. Was there ever a time you stepped back and thought “Wow, my band has actually made it?” The first couple of nights when we played Manchester Academy. We played three nights at Manchester Academy and then three nights at Brixton Academy. We walked onstage and realised that we were becoming a big band. We realised we were breaking through all year, now we’re on the other side of a breakthrough year and we stand here as an established band. It’s cool. You also played Glastonbury and Reading Festivals last year, both of which are very prestigious. How did you feel playing them?
That was an amazing experience too. [Those were] two of the best days of That’s the thing, it’s the year. Two of the best something that I’m days of my life really. It constantly trying to figure was incredible. We played out. Now, ironically, we two shows at Brixton and have become defined by then the shows at Reading being quite indefinable. and Leeds. They were just That’s our kind of thing. amazing, totally amazing. I don’t think - until we Hearing everyone sing back make another record the lyrics to the songs was that even I can make a a remarkable experience. decision of what we sound When it comes from like, because there is so somewhere personal, as much that goes through it does for us, we wrote our EP and our album. But those lyrics in my bedroom obviously there’s so much when nobody knew who stuff you can hear in it, we were, so it’s mental for from 80’s pop music to everyone to know them. 90’s R’n’B. I think that’s one of the The 1975 is out now via Universal Records things that’s amazing and You guys were a big thing for our band. together for a long time before you were It seems that everyone wants to sing and everyone signed and cast into the spotlight. Was there does. ever a time you wanted to quit? You talked a bit about your album and the There was never a time we wanted to quit, but there lyrics.They seem to encapsulate the idea were a lot of times when we found it difficult with of growing up really well. Do you ever get rejection, labels and stuff like that. It was just [about] nervous about putting your own experiences growing up and not knowing whether financially we out there? could make it work for any longer. But apart from that, we’ve been very lucky and by the time we got No not really, because when I wrote those lyrics to our early 20’s, people realised we were a good nobody knew who I was. So I was never questioned 23
with any of those and I wasn’t exposed, so I didn’t have to ask myself “Am I being too honest?” I think its funny, because people seem to think I’m this ‘ wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve’ kinda guy, but it’s the other way around. The lyrics come from quite an insecure place. You’ve been a band for quite a while, but were put in the spotlight very quickly. Did you find it hard to get used to the increased attention? Yes, I did. I’m doing better now. I love being in this band and I love hearing people talk about the music, how they relate to it and all that that comes with it. But I’m not very comfortable with people talking about us as people and me as a person. I can’t really be a**ed with everyone judging me. I’m just making records. I’m just a guy, why does everyone care so much about what I have to say. That’s what I was getting upset about, but I’m alright now.
You also talked about your EP there. How would you say the sound of The 1975 has progressed from your first EP to your debut album? Well the weird thing is, we wrote our EPs after we wrote the album. I think they’re slightly more experimental in regards to structure and those kinds of things. I honestly don’t know. I think every song is different to the next one. So final question, what is your ultimate goal for the band? I can’t have a list, to be honest with you. We had a bucket list and we checked it off this year. The ridiculous things [have all been checked off]: play every festival you want, have a number one album, have every show you ever do be sold out. There isn’t many other things we can wish for. I just want to see what comes next, you know, something insane and interesting. I don’t need to wish for anything else, it’s all incredible. Niamh Moore THE 1975 WILL BE PLAYING THE LONDON ROYAL ALBERT HALL ON APRIL 6TH 24
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Band of Skulls
STILL LOUD AND PROUD Band of Skulls have always made noise in the music world, having enjoyed success for a few years now.The rock n’ roll three-piece is anything but quiet and with a new album on the horizon they’ve got a lot to show yet. Talking to frontman Russell Marsden is as easy as talking to an old friend – he’s funny and confident yet modest and open about his own experiences. “We’ve just come to the end of a long recording process so I think right now we’re all looking forward to doing some shows,” he says, though touring isn’t without its drawbacks: “[It] can get quite difficult if you’re tired and away from home for a long time.” Despite these things, it’s obvious the band are grounded and down-to-earth as he adds: “We’re very fortunate that we have great people to work with and a great crew.” Live shows are a big part of Band of Skulls’ style, and 26
Marsden recognises the growing issues surrounding independent venues presently. “Every city has that equivalent venue that is important – that new bands will come and play before they get too big and that local bands can support,” he says decidedly. “If they weren’t there it would be a shame. If you can go out and see a band now and again you should support your local venues, it’s an important thing.” Band of Skulls know just what it’s like to play these venues as their homecoming show at Southampton Joiners last summer was a sell-out. “You’re so close to the audience it’s a bit more of a challenge,” he confesses. “I think we might get more nervous at the smaller gigs, especially in our hometown because there’s nowhere to hide.You really have to play well as the audience can see if you’ve got the fear.” Though the live circuit is important, what’s at the forefront of everyone’s mind is Band of Skulls’ forthcoming third album ‘Himalayan’ which is
released at the end of March. Making this album has been both tough and rewarding for the band – and they’ve definitely upped their game. “Your first album is trying to get noticed and trying to find your own sound,” Marsden explains. “Your second is about showing that you’re not just a onetrick pony – that you have some depth.”
we’re an independent band – we can’t afford to just take a few years experimenting.” He continues earnestly, saying: “We made the record for ourselves. We’re not really fighting to get noticed, it’s more improving ourselves.” When discussing the band’s aim, he says: “Our previous work is our gauge – we always have to try and better that – but it becomes a simpler recipe, just to work together to better what we’ve done before.”
“When we got the artwork back it looked mysterious, like Indiana Jones on acid or something.”
With their third record, though, the band have changed tactics: “[With Himalayan] we really boiled it down and found the essence of the band, we were just super strict,” he admits. “Whole sections were getting chopped out, we really were tough on the songs and I think in the end it made them more concise, hopefully better and more intense than anything we’ve done before.”
Marsden goes on to explain that the album name came from bassist Emma Richardson: “It was like coming up with a new slang word: ‘It’s so good, it’s Himalayan. It’s so big, it’s like Everest,’” he laughs casually, knowing his words could be mistaken for arrogance. Clarifying, he notes: “We were quite ambitious on this record. It was a one-word manifesto - that’s how high we raised the bar for ourselves. When we got the artwork back it looked mysterious,” he pauses for a while, before blurting, “It looked like gold, like… Indiana Jones on acid or something!” Marsden is humble and open about his life in the band. Talking about the inspiration behind the new record he states: “Obviously we have to survive and
Most of the inspiration for the hard work in Band of Skulls comes from each other, as Marsden says contentedly: “[Our inspiration] really is each other – we’re very fortunate to do what we do, we still have to pinch ourselves. It’s inspiring to see what we’ve achieved and what’s possible from here.” Aside from the album, the band has some things up their sleeve for later this year as Marsden reveals: “We are planning to be in England for the festival season – we’re available, we’re waiting for a couple of calls. I can’t tell you which ones, but that’s definitely in our minds this year.” Closing the conversation, it’s becomes clear that Marsden enjoys the simpler things. Asking what he’s most looking forward to provides a surprising answer: “[Drummer] Matt’s coming over and we’re going to try and work out how to play most of the songs on guitar. I’m going to have a cup of tea with Matt and we’re going to start work, so it’d be that.” Katie Vowles BAND OF SKULL’S LATEST ALBUM HIMALAYAN IS OUT MARCH 31ST VIA ELECTRIC BLUES RECORDINGS
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Skin Deep Skindred have been terrorising venues with their intensity, energy and general air of unadulterated fun for years now. On fifth album Kill The Power, it’s more of the same for reggae metal’s flag bearers. We caught up with guitarist Mikey Demus for a brief chat. How does it feel to finally be getting the new album out there?
samples and just use that mental picture as the framework.
Really good, we’ve been sitting for the best part of nine months, so it’s like a baby. It feels good to actually get it out. [There’s been] loads of wicked reviews, I think the fans will dig it. Hopefully some new fans will dig it too.
Was there any kind of reception from Union Black that influenced Kill The Power in any way?
Skindred are known for mixing different styles and genres. What styles and genres influenced and can be heard on this album? We play in a couple of different guitar tunings. I wouldn’t want to say any kind of band but I really like Wes Borland and guitarists like that. So definitely a lot of that Nu-Metal bounce? That’s it. I just wanted to picture the crowd bouncing up and down and just write a riff around that.You picture a crowd bouncing and you try and fill the sound around it. Then you get the pop hooks coming in, and the 28
We did it with the same producer, there was a bit of familiarity there. We recorded in the UK, which again was a good sense of familiarity. I love the prestige of recording albums abroad and doing that sort of stuff but there’s something about being in the UK. It’s really helped us cement our identity that maybe we weren’t really sure about in the past. It can get a bit confusing for people. They wonder ‘what are we about?’ It’s like a dog with ten dicks. We wanted to focus on our strengths, so we’re going back to our own albums. But we like to vary with songs; it’s not just a case of playing the songs as they are on the albums. We mix ‘em up, change ‘em up a bit, chop ‘em up, and mix them together, spin ‘em around and turn ‘em upside down,
to keep it interesting for us as well! You know we were touring Babylon for the best part of four or five years because it kept getting rereleased. But we had all this new stuff waiting in the wings whilst we’re playing all these old songs live and you think ‘how can we make this more interesting for ourselves?’ So we were playing them half as fast, twice as fast and in different keys. Its just part of what we’ve always done and people seem to like it.
What changes have you seen in the music industry or music world since you started? Any music that can be affected by technology is open to a massive amount of change because technology changes so fast and unfortunately the music industry is the one that fails to keep up, but it should embrace the change.
“We mix ‘em up, change ‘em up a bit, chop ‘em up, and mix them together, spin ‘em around and turn ‘em upside down.”
This is the biggest headline tour you’ve ever done, is it humbling to get to this stage quite late on in your career?
It is humbling. We were never given any short cuts. We paid our dues. We’re fairly humble people. But we’ve seen how people can act and we’ve seen people be really irresponsible with fame.Years of relevance and that stuff really makes them act like idiots and I don’t think any of us would ever want to be like that. I’m surrounded by real people in my life so I couldn’t get away with being like that! We’re real people underneath all the f***ing lights, the smoke and mirrors, we’re still just human beings. But we’re humbled to be here; this show sold out in minutes really. Hopefully next time we come back we’ll be in the guildhall. I reckon we could do it.
Recording music is now the promotional thing to get into the idea of the band, getting them into a show, and getting them to buy a t shirt. It used to be the other way round, but you know we make it work. What would you say to a band that’s just starting out? DIY is really important, technology has made it so easy for you and your mates to record really easily. Computers, Garageband and everything else on a digital platform proves that software is making a digital revolution. It encourages creativity in people and that’s important. What will you see when you look back at your career? I’ll see a hell of a lot of laughs, some bad times and some proper awesome times. I’ve seen the world and I met my wife though playing! It’s been a wild ride and I wanna do it again. Jack King SKINDRED’S LATEST ALBUM KILL THE POWER IS OUT NOW VIA DOUBLECROSS RECORDINGS 29
All On Their Own
We had a root around Blood Red Shoes’ wardrobe and we could find no such footwear. But we did manage to interrogate them about the new album and their DIY lifestyle. The notion of ‘doing it yourself’ has been lost on independent bands of late. Apart from those lost in the depths of Bandcamp, it’s rare to find a band making a record from beginning to end with their own hands. However, Brighton alt-rock duo Blood Red Shoes have done exactly that on their latest album, a self titled affair that fulfils their long suspected potential, due to its revitalising approach. “We’ve been around for a while now and we self titled it because everything about it is us,” vocalist/guitarist Laura-Mary Carter says of the bands fourth full-length. The record came about under the supervision of producer John Congleton. Carter states how Congleton’s influence during the recording of 2013’s Water E.P. helped them take a further step towards self-sufficiency. “He was saying we should take that leap and just make this next one ourselves,” she explains, “that was the moment we thought ‘you know what, he’s right.’” 30
Without trusted producer Mike Crossey – whom Carter claims was like “the hotline on Pro Tools” - the band struggled. “Sometimes it would’ve been great to have some outside perspective, cause we were sometimes thinking ‘this could be totally sh*t’.” Yet they continued to persevere with their plan to work solo. Carter feels that the process allowed them to “learn so much about the band,” stating “it’s definitely something you should do. It might be sh*t, but at least you know it’s your fault if it is.” As result of their strictly independent recording strategy, the album is very much a reaction against 2011’s somewhat polished third LP In Time To Voices. Carter explains that the duo took a much more experimental approach, “in the last record we wanted to try new things, and we experimented with more layers” she says, “I think we just had to make something more energetic.”
It’s easy to tell that Carter gets frustrated about her records, even when they’re finished. “Every album I wanna change, but I think that’s part of it. The day I don’t feel like that is the day we’re totally f*cked.” Essentially it’s their passion for their own music that drives them forwards, to continue bettering themselves. But Carter has previously claimed that this album made her realise “imperfections make the band.” Developing on this, she says: “I’m really worried about all these flaws, wanting everything to sound perfect and in tune. But that isn’t really who we are.” However, this shouldn’t be the case as she suspects this is what draws people towards the band. “We’re never gonna be the band that play every night amazingly, because we’re humans. I think that’s part of why people like us.”
follow that. If we fall out, then it’s only for 24 hours, then we make up cause we have no choice. We’re not precious about whose singing what song.” 2012 was both triumphant and controversial for the band. Their early slot on the Reading main stage allowed them to fulfil an early dream, and even though Carter describes them as “ambitious,” she won’t let their songwriting be dictated by these line-ups. “The best thing for us is to try not to think about that and make what comes out of our heads.”
“We were thinking at some points ‘this could be totally sh*t’.”
By spreading ten QR codes throughout various notable European cities, fans were given the chance to unlock album track ‘The Perfect Mess’ piece by piece. Carter claims that the motivations behind this were simply for a change. “We’re making our fourth album now and we don’t want to go through the motions again of having a song just played on the radio. We want people to go out and actually invest in something.” It also allowed the fans to have power with the release campaign, “It made people feel like they were in charge of how our song was released, and they were!” There’s a sense throughout their records, that Carter and drummer/vocalist Steven Ansell are perfectly matched musically, and this allows them to equally guide each other throughout the recording process. “We let each other take the reigns with certain songs sometimes. If someone has a really clear vision then we
Conversely, the band drew anger from certain fanbases for criticising copy-andpaste bands such as You Me at Six and The Vaccines. In 2014, Carter’s perspective has changed: “I do feel there’ve been a lot more rock bands since then, a lot more people being a bit cheeky.” Blood Red Shoes are promising to help instigate this change, which is a clear desire on their self titled release as Carter emphatically suggests: “Rock ‘n’ Roll was never meant to be for your mum and dad, was it?” Few bands are willing to take this risk for a sense of artistic integrity and this worked for Blood Red Shoes once. But would they attempt to replicate the process? Carter is open to all potential new ideas. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen in the next two years. We might meet someone we feel like working with. I’m not afraid of working with someone else again.” They may be unsure of their future, but we can certainly be sure that Blood Red Shoes will continue to boast phenomenal energy, ensuring the future is exciting, despite uncertainties. Connor Cass BLOOD RED SHOES WILL BE ON TOUR IN THE UK THIS APRIL 31
THE WORD ALIVE VS THE WORLD The word ‘alive’ would gain you eight points on a scrabble board, but The Word Alive are an American metalcore quintet.There’s a difference. America loves metalcore. In the same way as five years ago there’d be posters of Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God and Trivium in an American teen’s room, today there’d be posters of Asking Alexandria, Piece The Veil and The Devil Wears Prada.
who could do both. One person can go from being melodic, to screaming their lungs out. I love that polar opposite mentality.” This is clear whilst seeing the band live, as Telle’s clean vocals are tight and strong, his high screams are ear piercingly powerful, and his growls could impress most death metal singers. He has the whole palette covered.
Speaking of the collaboration with Sleeping With Sirens producer Cameron Mizell on their next release, Telle mentions how the But one does stand out from this crowd of bands influences found trend followers. The Word their way into the writing Alive have been doing “I love that polar process. “This is the first things their own way since time that The Word Alive opposite mentality.” 2008, and they’re not going has sounded the way that to stop soon. I just spoke of, with all “We wanna be a band that helps further heavy those influences.You can hear them in this new music into whatever the next age will be,” record. The songs are better written, but more singer Tyler ‘Telle’ Smith makes his intentions controlled.” clear. “What makes us stand out is that we’re Not only are they one of the most original not just a heavy band who listens to heavy bands in their scene, but one of the most music. There’s music from tonnes of different determined. With their sights set high and generations compiled into what we wanna be.” a new album on the way, it won’t be long One thing that separates them from other until The Word Alive have posters of their bands is Telle’s vocals. “I grew up singing own plastered across the walls of bedrooms along to classic rock and even country, so I worldwide. appreciate that style and it influenced me a lot. Jack King Then I discovered heavy music like Deftones, Korn and The Used. They opened up my mind to aggression,” he says. “I wanted to blend the THE WORD ALIVE WILL BE TOURING THE UK melodic stuff with the heavy. I liked people THIS APRIL 32
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REVIEWS 34
Nina Nesbit Peroxide
Universal Music Group Being 17 and moving to London to pursue music was probably an exciting, yet daunting experience for Nina Nesbitt. However, she quickly got her lucky break. After supporting Ed Sheeran and Example, and independently releasing two EP’s, Nesbitt signed to Universal Music Group. Now at the age of 19, she’s releasing her debut album. Peroxide provides the soundtrack to a teenager’s life, especially the one of a female. Nesbitt’s lyrics discuss love stories, growing up and friendship, but she is very intelligent by modernising these themes. She writes about what she knows, showing strong signs of authenticity. The singer shows her age instead of trying to be older than she is. This is evident in the song ‘Selfies’, which links love and the modern world, and in ‘Peroxide’, as she sings “You’re like a junk e-mail in my inbox/You keep coming back.”
Hardest Part’. The former is about missing someone who is far away, and the latter is about timing in love. ‘Hold You’ features Kodaline, with the band members adding instruments to the track, whilst frontman Steve Garrigan trades off vocals with Nesbitt. The pair’s voices complement each other incredibly well as the song builds into a beautiful pop ballad. ‘Two Worlds Apart’ is an inspirational highlight as she explains to her listeners that your life is forever changing, it’s okay not to chase after a perfect life, to not yet meet your life-long friends and find love. This song provides a certain rapport between Nesbitt and her fans as she contributes a song that means something to her, but one that she knows her audience will connect with. All in all, Nesbitt’s debut could easily see the Scot walk her way into the Top 10 in the UK Album Charts. Peroxide demonstrates punchy pop-rock songs, perfectly balanced with acoustic pop ballads to tug on those heartstrings.
Nesbitt’s lyrics are quite witty as she sings ‘He’s got a Rolling Stones tee/But he only knows one song/They think they’re from the 60’s/They were born in 1991” in ‘Stay Out’. Although the majority of the album’s songs are up-tempo, there are clearly songs that convey heartache in some of the lyrics, especially in ‘Tough Luck’. However, Nesbitt particularly shines in ballads such as ‘Hold You’ and ‘The
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Band of Skulls Himalayan
Electric Blues Recordings Opening with the forceful riff of ‘Asleep At The Wheel’, Himalayan hits you full in the face. Their latest album is everything we could’ve hoped it would be. Title track ‘Himalayan’ retains Band of Skulls’ riff-laden aesthetic, providing a great chorus hook while staying on the right side of rock. ‘Hoochie Coochie’, however, takes a step away from their hard rock roots and incorporates gospellike backing to great effect. Their latest single, ‘Nightmares’, injects a commercially secure aspect to the album. Meanwhile, ‘Get Yourself Together’ is a muddle as Marsden’s growl is nowhere to be heard and there are no dominant bass lines. Despite some minor hiccups, Himalayan stays true to its namesake; it’s grand, huge, and worthy of national recognition. Katie Vowles
Blood Red Shoes Blood Red Shoes Jazz Life
For any band that places themselves under the heavily scrutinised ‘indie’, it’s hard to get the right balance of the DIY approach and commercial appeal. With this in mind, it makes sense for Blood Red Shoes to move away from the eyes of a record label, and strip the recording process down to basics. The spikiest of introductions are presented in ‘Welcome Home’. From then on, they prove to be masters of raw energy, demonstrated best on ‘An Animal’, and the enthralling wails of ‘The Perfect Mess’. When Blood Red Shoes aren’t speeding through at their most exciting, they’re mostly forgoing the balladry that plagued the previous record and instead delivering walls of sound. The only missteps are the occasions where balladry is permitted, such as ‘Far Away’. Blood Red Shoes end up being a display of what a band can achieve with the right approach to the recording process. This record sounds exactly how they should have always sounded. Connor Cass 36
Itch
Young Fathers
Rise Records
Red Bull Records
Big Dada
In 2012, former Woe, Is Me vocalist Tyler Carter announced a new project by the name of Issues. It’s unclear why people got so excited about the band considering Woe, Is Me were one of the most forgettable bands to ever hop on the metalcore band waggon, but regardless of this, people were ecstatic.
Former King Blues frontman and punk rock poet Itch is bringing his genre-fusing music back to the forefront of music scene with his debut solo album. It’s an album that showcases his best qualities, drawing on influences from his former band, yet taking the music forward.
Young Fathers have been making a name for themselves over the past year or so across a variety of formats. The trio, Kayus, Alloysious and G, have released two successful EPs, toured Europe and the States, and even made a series for Channel 4.
Issues Issues
Thankfully, Issues are not in the same vein as Woe, Is Me. While they do have very clichéd metalcore characteristics, it’s done with more of a knowing wink and a cheesy smile this time round. What makes Issues different to any other metalcore is the addition of RnB influenced clean vocals and nu-metal bounce. After the band dropped a few singles including a cover of Justin Bieber’s ‘Boyfriend’, people were more excited than ever to get an Issues’ full-length album in their lives. Well, it’s finally here, and unfortunately it’s just about fallen short of the colossal hype surrounding it. It takes a few listens to pick out the best tracks, and then the rest will have you reaching for the skip button. Jack King
The Deep End
Opening with ‘Life Is Poetry,’ the rocky guitar along with Itch’s rap sets up the tone for the remainder of the album. ‘Homeless Romantic’ continues this trend with one of the most memorable choruses on the album, featuring Adam Lazzara from Taking Back Sunday. A far cry from the rock aspects is ‘Laugh’, which has an upbeat, reggae feel that is only empahised by the whistling at the start of the track. However, before the hardcore fans start screaming ‘sell-out,’ the everyday lyrics and passionate delivery provides the backbone to the track. From rock to pop, punk to reggae, The Deep End manages to encapsulate a range of genres, making Itch’s debut solo album one for everyone. Niamh Moore
DEAD
The product of a tri-nation collaboration (Scotland, Liberia and Nigeria), their unique cultural blend is apparent from the off. These musical alchemists have mixed up enough subgenres to have journalists and fans arguing over categorisation for years. The beats are a mash of grainy, droning electronica with a distinct afro influence; whilst the vocals see many forms of rap, alongside indie/folk flavoured singing. DEAD conveys the artists’ personal struggles, while being relatable and expansive. The vocals can drag at times, particularly the singing, and the performances can feel overdone. Still, the talent and vision of Young Fathers cannot be denied, and they stand as ambassadors of multi-cultural cohesion and musical progression. Ben Hindle 37
Frank Turner
Portsmouth Guildhall 13/2/14
Photographer: Menai Richards
“Welcome to concert number 1529” echoes around the Portsmouth Guildhall as punk rock troubadour Frank Turner opens the final show of his biggest headline tour to date. Since the huge arena tour announcement, the question on everybody’s lips has been whether he can rise to a challenge of such magnitude.Yet, a day after conquering the O2 Arena, Turner is back in his home county of Hampshire, with his band The Sleeping Souls. The instant onstage presence makes you assume he’s been headlining arenas for years rather than days. Turner doesn’t let the crowd ease themselves into the set slowly as he launches into arguably his biggest track to date, ‘Photosynthesis’, and refuses to let go of that intensity in the process. After stunning the audience with a collection of tracks from latest album, Tape Deck Heart, Turner soon returns to the intimacy that made him so prominent as he sings ‘Redemption’ under a single spotlight, capturing the entire rooms attention (apart from a few punters that are so boozed up they’re ignoring the smoking ban). An almost two hour greatest hits set provides deafening sing-alongs for fans old and new. End of tour fun and games with the crew were had when they took the stage hostage during ‘Recovery’.The camaraderie between the bands, crew and crowd is clear and only reinforces Turner’s mission statement to create no metaphorical barriers between himself and everyone surrounding him. He doesn’t want be seen on an admiring pedestal; all he wants is for the people who’ve paid to see him to go home with an ecstatic smile left on their faces. Ending on ‘Four Simple Words’, where the crowd let out their final gasp of energy, it’s quite obvious that those smiles he works so hard for have been branded onto people’s faces long before the shows even finished. Louis Kerry 38
Mr Scruff
Roxx Southampton 15/2/14
Photographer: Alex Slade Once a year, there comes a jolly man to Southampton town, bringing a gift to all those who “enjoy a good boogie”. His name? Mr Scruff. The gift? His unfathomably large and varied collection of vinyl. Everything about Scruff screams fun – from the chubby, little doodles that festoon his posters and record sleeves, to his set’s flashing visual accompaniment that warns of incoming bass lines – the weird and wonderful stands loud and proud, and is reflected in the music. Encompassing more genres than you can shake a booty at, Scruff’s selection can really only be classified as ‘funky shit’. With a deft hand, Scruff blended, switched and faded his way through a plethora of beats that straddle genre boundaries. His selections, such as the impossibly danceable boogie of ‘Dreams For Sale’ by Brutal Force, and the early hip-hop styling’s of Kool Kyle The Starchild’s, are all so different, yet held together by the funk. Going further afield into the realms of ‘world music’, Scruff turns up the beautiful hip-shaker ‘Um Canto De Afoxé Para O Bloco De Ilê’ by Caetano Veloso, and the ever-popular ‘Is This Love’ by Bob Marley & The Wailers. As the 12th anniversary would suggest, Southampton’s residents have a bit of a crush on Mr Scruff, and with his display on Saturday it’s easy to see why. His sheer depth of knowledge is a marvel to behold, and his talent as a turntablist meant the set never once lost its flow. Consequently, packed to the brim, the dance floor boogied all night long, abiding by the one law of Mr Scruff – “keep it unreal”. Ben Hindle 39
Royal Blood Southampton Cellar 13/2/14 They could just be the next big thing; everyone is talking about Royal Blood. The Brighton based duo have gone from strength to strength, appearing on Radio 1, Channel 4 and being announced to support Arctic Monkeys at Finsbury Park. But what is all this hype about? There’s anticipation in the room as the lights dim, and Royal Blood jumped straight into their set. Given that it’s just a bassist and a drummer, the sound they make is huge. It swept over you. Royal Blood’s music is like years of pent-up teenage angst expressed by adults articulately through music. Other than having this ‘larger than life’ sound, there isn’t a lot else to Royal Blood. What they do, they do well, it’s just that what they do isn’t fantastically exciting or new or cutting edge. Royal Blood have real potential, but their live show is underwhelming to say the least. Callum Cornwell
Reel Big Fish/Less Than Jake
Photographer: Ellie Mitchell
Portsmouth Guildhall 12/2/14
Despite travel problems and a venue change, every ska fan on the south coast somehow made their way into Portsmouth, to witness two legends of the 3rd-wave genre go head-to-head. For Reel Big Fish, silliness and skanking are the norm. However, most people ignore that the ska legends have consistently been one of the best live acts in the world for decades. Frontman Aaron Barrett has an unshakably fun stage presence, and playing a solo behind his head during ‘Beer’ is a testament to his underestimated musical talent. This is all just a warm up for Less Than Jake, who get the crowd going by banging out hits like ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’ and ‘The Science of Selling Yourself Short’. In spite of this, their set falls short of what Reel Big Fish provided a few minutes earlier. They are arguably one of the best ska bands in the world, but next to the masters, they will always fall short. Sean Lewis 40
The Strypes
Brighton Concorde 2 12/2/14
Concorde 2 is packed with two audiences: young teens and 50 year old men who grew up with The Jam and Elvis Costello. But, for tonight, there’s unity: Brighton holds its breath in anticipation of the cohortblurring teenage four-piece. With the recent addition of their new EP, 4 Track Mind, and a smattering more covers thrown into the mix, The Strypes’ set list is starting to mature to match their immense talent and stage presence. Live powerhouses ‘Blue Collar Jane’ and ‘You Can’t Judge a Book By the Cover’ cause tidal waves of excitement. The alluring riff of ‘So They Say’, from the new EP, also seems set for prominence as a live favorite. The storm outside persists; inside the venue sweats; and The Strypes’ driving blues tears relentlessly on. In Brighton, there’s something in the air. Its unlikely source: Cavan, Ireland. Minnie Wright
Killswitch Engage/Trivium
No, they didn’t play in the woods
Southampton 02 Guildhall 7/2/14
The towering ’T’s on either side of the stage hint towards an uncharacteristically bombastic show for metalcore four piece Trivium. This theory is quickly proven correct, as ‘Brave This Storm’s opening smoke cannons shroud the song in shameless spectacle. Glossing over a few lulls in energy, the Ascendancy era material is striking, but the centrepiece of the set is ‘Shogun’. Accompanied by fake snowfall, which - despite giving Matt Heafy what resembles a dandruff problem - looks great, the ten minute track is cinematic, leaving the crowd satisfied, yet still on edge. As Killswitch parade to the stage, Jesse Leach bounds forth, commanding the room to rise and eventually explode into ‘A Bid Farewell’. Racing through their chest-beating anthems, the band are on form, but the star is Leach, who breathes new fire into ‘The End Of Heartache’ alongside his original classics. Closing to deafening applause after ‘My Curse’s whirlwind of singalong madness, the band leaves, proving that - despite their elder status in metalcore - they’re still the best at it. Leo Troy 41
Tek-One
GIG GUIDE
Southampton Joiners 22/4/14
Rock infused dubstep band Tek-One are gearing up for their show at Southampton’s infamous venue The Joiners on April 22nd. The electronic trio are taking their atmospheric live show across the UK, interweaving tranquil moments of music with pulsating beats and stomach churning bass. Having collaborated with various names, including Enter Shikari and Bury Tomorrow, the trio are creating quite a stir in the music scene, and their intimate show at The Joiners is going to be a must-see event.
Brand New
Southampton Guildhall 11/4/14
Alternative rock heavyweights Brand New are ready to unleash their high-energy live show in Southampton’s 02 Guildhall on 11th April. Kicking off their UK tour with a sold out show in Southampton, the New York band are set to perform songs from their nostalgic back-catalogue. Huge riffs and monumental choruses are sure to fill the Guildhall in this anticipated show. Expect the unexpected from this band that refuses to play by the rules.
We haven’t used this photo already...honest!
Patent Pending
Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms 30/4/14 Patent Pending have been making pop punk akin to beer soaked Disney anthems since 2001. They’ve toured the world and have played impressive sets, including a surprising contender for “band of the festival” at Download 2013 and a support slot for Bowling For Soup. On April 15th, they’re bringing their bouncy sounds to the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms, where you can jump around and drink beers to you hearts content.
Alkaline Trio
Portsmouth Pyramid Centre 27/4/14
Punk rockers Alkaline Trio are bringing their UK tour to a close in Portsmouth Pyramids on 27th April. Over their eighteen years as a band, the trio have created a momentum that shows no signs of slowing down, gathering a following worldwide and releasing their eighth studio album My Shame Is True last year. Expect all their biggest hits, their colossal riffs and songs performed with life-affirming intensity in this anticipated show.
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GIG GUIDE
Gorgeous George
Brighton Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar 3/4/14
Gorgeous George are a ska band that treads the line between The Specials, Chas and Dave and Gogol Bordello. They’ve been bringing taking their cheeky cockney charm around the country for 4 years now, including a raucous support slot for “drunk folk singer” Beans On Toast. Go and see them at Sticky Mikes Frog Bar at the start of April, and witness their deadpan stage banter and jaunty tunes, or they’ll probably call you “a right muppet’ or something.
Deaf Havana
Brighton Concorde 2 17/4/14
Alternative rock band Deaf Havana are set to perform at Concorde 2 in Brighton on 17th April. The Norfolk four-piece are taking their newly chilled out rock ’n’ roll vibe across the UK that can be heard on their 2013 album Old Soul. Sure to rotate their newly acquired sound around older, hard-hitting tracks, the band emits a sound that is sure to get everyone’s toes tapping and heads turning.
Photographer: Ellie Mitchell
Manic Street Preachers Bournemouth 02 Academy 8/4/14
Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers are coming to Bournemouth on the 8th April at the O2 Academy. The band, which formed in 1986, has had eleven albums. Ten of them have made the top 10, and fifteen singles have made the top 10 in the singles chart. The band, who have toured the UK numerous times, have been described as “astonishingly powerful” and “perfect”. The legendary trio will make this a show not to be missed.
The Correspondents Bournemouth Old Fire Station 4/4/14
The Correspondents are one of the country’s most must see live acts and possibly most eccentric double act on the music scene today. The ‘electro-swing’ duo hit The Old Firestation in Bournemouth on the 4th April. Frontman Mr Bruce’s trademark flamboyant charisma will no doubt be a highlight when performing songs from latest album Puppet Loosely Strung and old bombastic favourite ‘What Happened in Soho’. Make sure to look out for spandex suits, treadmills, dance routines and jungle book mash-ups. 43
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