Brighton Unsigned - March 2012 - Issue 5 by Brighton Unsigned

Mark Chadwick, lead singer from Brighton’s ‘The Levellers’, gives advice and insight from coming from unsigned to signed...

INTERVIEW

MARK CHADWICK

GUY LLOYD’S BLOG

MUSIC REVIEWS

LIVE REVIEWS

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Welcome to another issue of Brighton Unsigned! Things has been developing pretty rapidly with this magazine, most noticeably by the amount of support and rising number of fans! Another thank you to everyone for supporting us along the way. This month, not only we have the feature band in store, we also have Mark Chadwick as part of this month’s issue, enjoy!

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FIND US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/BrightonUnsigned FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @BTONUNSIGNED For advertising enquiries please email Alex Clouter at advertising@brightonunsigned.co.uk or call 01903 267770 Editor: Jordan Thomas

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Email: jordan@ brightonunsigned.co.uk

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Cover Photography: Donna Clark

Writers: Cindy Cheng (CC) Jessica O’Loughlin (JOL) Lauren Dyson (LD) Shaz Simone (SS)

Self-described as “Brighton’s Surf Prog Instruminstrels”, Restlesslist are an eclectic mix of calypso music, krautrock, prog-rock, psychadelic trance, house, electro and just about anything else you can create with synthesisers, samplers, keyboards, drums and guitars and a crazy mind. These guys have been around for a few years now and have quite a fan club behind them. They are now onto their second album, which they are releasing without a label. They are having somewhat of a revival at the moment to promote their new album, hence they are very much on the radar right now. Their live performances are trippy, dreamy, astral type affairs; a bit like watching an episode of the Mighty Boosh while some mischievous fairies make percussion noises on your tea cup and whisper incantations in your ears. The group started out as a project between Ben Elliot and Electric Soft Parade’s Matt Thwaites but has now expanded to a six part outfit, including some more of the Electric Soft Parade gang. Their music is purely instrumental and has to be seen to be understood. The group do not fall categorically into one genre nor is it an easy task to compare them like for like with anything you would have heard before. They have been compared to Daft Punk, Modest Mouse and The Doors in the past but none of these come close enough to shaping a clear picture of who these bewitching, intergalactic shamans from space really are.

New boys on the scene The Dubarry’s offered support for ska-rockers Kintillo’s EP Launch night at the Prince Albert this month. The band played a flawless set considering they have only been together a few months and this was amongst one of their first gigs. They played a relatively short set of up-beat, foot-tapping, crescendo building creations with catchy hooks and sunny summer vibes. A voice amongst the crowd shouted “I love this song” as they plucked out the catchy, familiar ostinato hook of MGMT’s ‘Kids’; a clear winner at any gig. Their cover was bang on the money but possibly a little too close to the original for my liking. I would have liked to have heard a bit more of their own twist on the song. I believe the band are BIMM trained and trained they are. The lead vocalist’s voice is technically very good and reminiscent of Julian Casablancas of The Stroke’s fame. The rest of the band are clearly well trained too. Their sound is very much like something you’ve heard before, easy on the ear-drums and unavoidably catchy. Their sound may be what some term as ‘main-stream’, but it is an individual choice as to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Commercially chart friendly or not, these boys lifted me out of my previously grey mood, reminded me of summer days to come and had me bopping my head uncontrollably to their easy-breezy melodies.

Genre: Alternative / Indie

@ The Prince Albert

@ The Green Door

www.reverbnation.com/thedubarrys

Singer/song writers come a dime a dozen now-a-days and are practically unavoidable on the Brighton music scene. It is of course not in my interest to avoid these lonesome creatures, it is however my job to sift through them and find the best of these acoustic guitar wielding poets. This month, the lovely Anna Rice provided me with my monthly dose . Charismatic and amiable, Miss Rice’s music conjures up memories of folk singers of days gone by such as Joni Mitchell or John Martyn mixed with more contemporary folksters along the lines of Lisa Hannigan, Shawn Colvin or Sarah Mac Lachlan. Her sound had a Celtic feel that pleased my Irish heart mingled with country influences. Anna has a sweet, soothing voice that would put any troubled soul to sleep. Unfortunately, the Mucky Duck was just too crowded for this kind of gig and it was hard to appreciate Anna’s stripped back sound over the clatter and chatter. This would be great music to listen to on a record whilst lying on the couch, lights dimmed and eyes shut. To fully enjoy this in a live setting requires a certain kind of atmosphere, one

wants to be able to stare into their pint in an undisturbed contemplative reverie. Otherwise the undulations and dynamics of this music could easily go a miss.

www.soundcloud.com/anna_rice

Laid-back northerners Normanton Street, now residents to Brighton, put on a classy show at the Latest Music bar this month. The boys hosted an intimate, sit-down ‘night with friends’ style gig. Between the tea-lights on the tables, the cityscape wall mural lit from behind and the black curtain backdrop, it was a very Jools Holland type www.reverbnation.com/normantonstreet affair. The band played a generous hour long gig packed with variety. This gig saw the introduction of a new member, a very gifted female saxophonist adding wonderful jazz vibes to their current fusion of blues, hip hop and soul. Other instruments used in this outfit are acoustic and electric guitar, bass and four very individual, varied yet beautifully harmonised voices. Instruments were swapped around between members throughout the gig, showing the musical capability of each member as well as adding different dimensions to each song. I was struck by the voice of one of the members in particular. It was a low-pitched, base voice delivered in such a droning, slurred manner which, coupled with a distinctive northern accent, matched the everyday content of the lyrics perfectly. Their lyrical content covers topics from unemployment and prostitution to unrequited love and giddy excitement over soppy text messages, all very real and relatable. These cleverly observational lyrics are soulfully sung, rapped or delivered in a recitative half-rapped/half-sung manner by each member of the group interchangeably or in conjunction. Each member has something unique to offer and this is encapsulated in tracks such as ‘Trudy’ and ‘Paris’. Both of these were sung by different members of the group, each one unique and distinctive whilst remaining true to the overall sound of the band. The quality of their material got better as the gig went along too; even adding in some synthetic drum sounds. This was such a multifarious and concentrated performance that I would definitely go to see this lot again.

@The Latest Music

Genre: Hip Hop / Blues / Soul

www.restlesslist.co.uk

@ The Mucky Duck

The Dubarrys

Genre: Prog / Instrumental

LIVE REVIEWS

Normanton Street

Restlesslist

Genre: Vocal / Acoustic

Jessica O’Loughlin

Anna Rice

LIVE REVIEWS

Shall We Do This?

..BLOG ABOUT STUFF AND NONSENSE

‘Like my earring? Cool, eh?’ You have to remember this was 1992 and there was very little going on in a small market town in Nottingham. You made your own entertainment and once we’d got bored of drinking thunderbird in the local park, the only thing left for us to do, was to form a band. Once we had a band, we needed an audience and despite all of its faults, Newark did have a thriving student scene, who were also bored and looking for something to do. It was a perfect fit. Come and see a band. Get drunk with us. Dance with us. You could even 6

We did well. We released an EP, we did some big gigs both in Newark and Nottingham and we got the girls. You can’t really ask for anything more. I mean a career would have been nice but deep down we knew we were just in it for the crack. Not literally. Crack wasn’t invented until 1994. Anyway, I digress. We’re reforming. It’s our 20th anniversary this year and we’re doing a one-off gig back in Newark in June. Many of our fans still live there and hope to come if they can get babysitters. We’re over the moon and very excited and all those feelings as a 21 year old come flooding back. We’ll drink less. We’ll probably be tired by midnight. And we’re not allowed to pull any groupies because our wives would probably disapprove. But once we’re on stage, we know that magical feeling will return and for one night only, we’ll be young again. ‘Like my earring? Cool, eh?’

www.facebook.com/whitelightuk

Back on the 7th June 2011, Brighton based quintet White Light lost their gig virginity, performing their first EP “Pick Your Battles”. For any of you who were there, I am sure you’ll agree that it was a thunderous performance and a great leap into the thriving Brighton music scene. This live performance, and the fact that vocalist Sigrid Jakobsen has crushed my once adverse opinion of female vocals, is reason enough for me to review this EP. “Pick Your Battles” has an unpredictable character. It is a bold infusion of pop and hardcore, two genres which I very wrongly thought would curdle on impact. The EP’s title track harnesses a relentless aggression, delivering a powerful, grooving riff and fierce hardcore vocals, not the note you expect the EP to end on given its first two tracks. “Data”, the penultimate track, is more down tempo in its delivery, imbued with the odd slash of tech-metal guitar, harmonious yet haunting vocals and a sharp guitar solo. It has a bleak, emotive mood, which after the optimistic opening track, “I’ll Be Alright”, is another jewel in the band’s crown of impressive unpredictability. The EP’s first offering begins with an arresting melody which is reintroduced in the song’s anthemic choruses. Between the pop tinged choruses and their harmonious vocals lie verses of Deftones-esque chug, creating a refreshing new blend of music. White Light are a highly accessible band. After listening to this EP you’ll be wondering which branching road they’ll take next. SS

Skief Promotions

GOOD MUSIC • GOOD EVENTS

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The third track “I Fail” is the band’s strongest contribution. Opening with a gnarly groove and confident, punchy vocals, the song breaks into an emotive sky-high chorus, one which will undoubtedly be mirrored at any live show. Closing the EP is the gentle ambience of “Film Score”. Unlike the first three songs, the vocals are soft, laced with an occasional bite. The Denim have mastered a fine-tuned record. It is mature rock and roll with all the right ingredients. SS

www.facebook.com/thedenimband

Fans of - Biffy Clyro, Jimmy Eat World, early Feeder A lot of rather brilliant British rock bands over the last 10 to 15 years have been based on the so-called magic number – Muse, Biffy Clyro, Therapy?, Feeder – the list goes on. With such a debut In Dynamics, previously known as Superlungs, have the potential to be hot on their heels. The EP itself is full of classic rock, intense drumming and powerful vocal pleadings. Hendrix style riffs, thundering bass and clashing symbols are all brought together in a clean, catchy style that is both classic and yet unclichèd.

I bloody love a midlife crisis.

Catch Guy’s blog at: guylloyd.co.uk Twitter: twitter.com/guy_lloyd

“Drown”, the opening track, is a light rock song, with low, trudging vocals which soar in all the right places. It has marginal indie-rock tones, giving it an airy, upbeat feel, in contrast to its sombre lyrics. By comparison, “Trash” has more of sway to it and is strongly suggestive of Pearl Jam’s “Yellow Ledbetter” and vocalist Eddie Vedder.

Bozzie Fear E.P.

Let’s start from the beginning. I used to be in a band. I was in several bands but this one was one of my favourites. We were called ‘Sock’ and I was the singer. No-one knows why we were called Sock but we were big in the nineties (in Newark). It was around the same time as the Roses coincidently but we were probably much more inspired by the Happy Mondays; inspired by their lifestyle rather than their music. We liked a drink. And we liked performing drunk. There was a touch of rock n’ roll about us but really it was all a front to cover up our inadequacies as musicians (much like the Mondays). We knew that, our audience knew that but somehow it didn’t matter. We were all in it together. This was the nineties, man.

sing a long (we didn’t really have ‘lyrics’). For one night only, we’re going to forget all this impending adulthood and have a good time.

Established by former members of Birdhouse and My Deaf Audio, The Denim’s début EP “Bozzie Fear” is a modest blend of rock and roll. It has a simple yet convincing execution, offering music that has a light spring in its step for the most part, but also an intermittent, grooving charge. The EP’s four tracks paint an overall picture that is reminiscent of a collective effort from Stone Temple Pilots, Interpol, and Pearl Jam.

The Denim

Hello. Welcome to my mid-life crisis, Volume IV, Chapter 6; reforming a band. Yes, that’s right. I’m doing what the Stone Roses are doing but on a much smaller scale. I believe they are doing Festivals and World Tours; we’re looking at filling the Crown and Mitre in Newark, Nottingham. It’s a different world but the same sentiment; nostalgia (and a few million quid for the Roses, obviously).

PICK YOUR BATTLES E.P.

HELLO 2012.

E.P. REVIEWS WHITE LIGHT

GUY LLOYD’S..

www.facebook.com/indynamics Catch In Dynamics at our gig at The Latest Music Bar on March 14th and make sure you check them out at the Live & Unsigned Reginal Final at the Hove Centre on the 29th April - battling against other acts to play at the final @ the 02 Arena in London.

The strongest track on the album is Oceans which adventures into territory similar to the quieter moments of Only Revolutions-era Biffy Clyro. The earthy atmospherics in Beau’s Fender guitar and memorable lyrics “The question is not have I got what it takes, but will you take what I’ve got” build up to an epic walls of sound 4 minutes in. I dare suggest that you won’t find a much better slice of mainstream rock from a local band this year. The whole album is punchy and original and makes for addictive listening. All in all, this record almost perfectly complements the band’s energetic and impressively tight live shows, and will most certainly help to establish them as one of the brightest young rock bands playing in the South now. By Joe Hesketh (Skief Promotions)

INTERVIEW: Donna Clark We read that you met Jeremy (bass, vocals) in the Eagle pub. How did you evolve to become The Levellers?

Levellers formed in 1988 being home grown in Brighton. At their height in the 1990’s with outstanding hits such as “Hope St”, “What a Beautiful Day”, “One Way” and “Come On”, lead singer Mark Chadwick speaks to us in this exclusive interview. Mark tells us of how they started and became well-known and gives advice to up and coming bands and tells what’s in store for Levellers after their 25 year career.

Quite quickly really because Jeremy was in a band with Charlie (the drummer), but they weren’t really enjoying it and they met me in a pub. I’d been in a band and left them but had a load of songs and it was quite different from the band I’d been in and it was really different from the band they were in. We were into the same sort of music, which is basically, essentially lyric based music where there was a little bit of truth told in the lyrics instead of hairy fairy nonsense. So that’s what we were interested in so we started working straight away.We were gigging within seven weeks of meeting and playing every week. So we’d write one or two songs a week to put into the set so the first set (laughs) was probably fifteen minutes played twice then gradually we built it up to one big set. There are a few different versions of why you chose this band name can you clear up which version is true? The actual truth of the matter is it came to the point where we needed to get a name quite quickly. Sitting round Charlie’s flat and I suggested the name The Levellers because A) It’s a good sounding word and B) It’s got an awful lot of connotations, political and otherwise. It’s nothing to do with The Level. It was more to do with Oliver Cromwell? Yeah. It gave us something to talk about straight away rather than just we’re called potato, why do call yourself potato? Couldn’t think of anything else, you know? We’ve always liked to think about things and also tell lies as well, which keeps it interesting. To some people we would say it’s because we live round The Level, depended. Twenty-five years later I think we can come out with the truth now. What was it like getting into the Brighton music scene as an unsigned band in the eighties?

Lead singer Mark Chadwick and Brighton Unsigned editor Jordan Thomas

There was a lot more gigs then, there were more venues to play at, a lot more. At the time there was a real thing about being a Brighton band, you were big in Brighton people would literally go on tour around Brighton and put posters up saying ‘touring’. We’d look at them and go ‘now that’s not a tour’ they’re in like Portslade, two gigs in Hove, three gigs in Brighton, that’s not really touring. So we didn’t do that, as soon as we could, we played Sussex, London and Brighton. Actually got ourselves out more and quickly because there were always people thinking they were big fish but they weren’t big fish, they were in a very small pond. They thought they were it and it was their arrogance and that sort of thing that we were actually (in those early stages) dead set against, we just didn’t get it. We got an agent, a live booking agent before we got anything else. We were very lucky in

that respect so we got straight onto the University Circuit that no longer exists unfortunately. Which was fantastic cos you used to show up and you’ve got a ready-made audience and really good pay so we could buy good equipment quite quickly. So how did you find the agent? I think he was a friend of the manager and we were his first ever signing. He’s a world famous agent now. It was an awful lot of luck involved in this obviously, I don’t think he would have signed us if we’d been shit. How do you think the scene has changed since then? The lack of venues and there’s an awful lot more people doing it. Actually, there’s more people doing it now than then but there were a lot doing it then you know? Don’t get me wrong obviously it was a busy, vibrant scene. I mean it was actually probably more vibrant. There was the Voltage scene in Brighton, which a lot of bands would record on and they were great but that kind of finished by the time we started. The independent music scene had become quite suppressed so we kind of had to plough our own furrow as it were.

as it were, all the press were there, NME were there and I just got really drunk and insulted them all! Every since then they all went on to become really famous journalists and I called them c*nts! That became pretty much the blue print for the way our relationship with the press was to go from then onwards. To be vilified by the press is as good as being lorded to be honest because it’s all press. It was a very different time… everything had to be pigeonholed and we were pigeonholed as crusties and outsiders, it wasn’t necessarily true but that’s kind of the way it was. We didn’t fit in a pigeonhole so they made one and put us firmly in it. Where have you found inspiration when writing songs? Generally speaking it’s from our own lives really and our own experiences. We try to make the actual song writing a bit more macro than that. So it’s from our own direct bumping up against the woes of life and just reflecting them in a positive way. You know, just generally the things that haven’t been brought to a lot of people’s attention, things that are affecting them that they might not otherwise be aware, that actually are affecting them and will affect them so that’s always been our thing.

I guess it made you work that bit harder?

What advice would you give to new unsigned bands? It did yes. We always had a game plan from the off and we really worked at it twenty four seven. We were printing Go out find somebody with about half a million pounds. Or our own t-shirts, making our own cassettes, doing the odd win the lottery because you ain’t gonna do it any other way designs and everything. Putting the posters I don’t think. It requires that much money; up round town, I’d do that. I’d go down “At the time there was it took that amount of money back when with a squeezy bottle and a whole load a real thing about being we started it. Probably required about of posters and stick them everywhere, a hundred thousand pounds, now it’s a Brighton band..” absolutely everywhere.Then I’d come back probably half a million. Just to get your half hour later and someone had come up name about just to do that, you know behind me and stuck up another band (laughs) but I’d go when bands suddenly appear everywhere, its not by accident back and do them again so yeah that’s how we did it, total its by money, its money that pays for it. How do you think dedication. you know Lana Del Ray didn’t come out of obscurity and suddenly become a massive name all over the Internet, it How would you describe the transition from being certainly came because someone spent some money. I think unsigned to signed by a label, did you feel pressurised to all the record company ever was, was a financial backer that produce more music? will give you an interest free loan. Basically they’d recoup all so it was interest based massively you know but that’s not We were first signed to a French label Musidisc and we were how its dressed up, you thought you got a load of money but grateful, just amazed. It wasn’t a great deal back in those days, actually you didn’t. If you go to a private investor, a dragon they were pretty bad deals but we were able to get out of it or somebody who’s got spare cash, who’s got a passion eventually. The excitement was amazing, it’s a buzz suddenly for music. Get them to supply the money and then find people want to give you money to do what you’ve been the people. There’s loads of people who’ve worked in the struggling to do. We’d only been struggling probably about a business that are now unemployed or self employed and you year and a half before we were signed. It was quite a low-key build your own team. Yeah, if you get yourself five hundred deal anyway it wasn’t a big company and it went straight to thousand pounds (laughs) and you’re off! That’s how I’d do it our heads (laughs), and we behaved abominably. They did a and I don’t think there’s any other way of doing it. Miracles sort of meet and greet to introduce us to the music business don’t happen no… that’s what a band is, a business. 9

Any tips in dealing with record companies if you get that far? Only work with the passionate, don’t work with somebody out of college who’s basically done some kind of business management degree, who’s in a record company cos they don’t know. A lot of them don’t even like music. Find out if they like music, find out if they’ve got a passion for music cos if they haven’t, there’s no point working with them. Over twenty-five years of doing it, the only people who have ever really got anything out of or have actually achieved anything in the business side of things have been real lovers of music. With their head screwed on obviously you can’t have someone who’s just got an amazing record collection that doesn’t work.

our management, our agents, our record companies, our publishers and we became all of those, one at a time, not at once that would have been traumatic. It’s a lot easier, a lot less people to deal with. Obviously we couldn’t have done it from the start like that. You need the initial investment, the initial know how but once you got to a stage like we have, you can do it.You need those people from the beginning but what you do is you make sure you don’t let them have control of every aspect but that’s what they ask for now you see? They want a percentage of your ticket sales, they want a Most recent bands don’t seem to stay together very percentage of your merchandise cos that’s where the money long. You’ve been together for over twenty years what’s is now, they know there’s no money in fucking selling records. the secret? I would say its hard now not to be discouraging… even in the Well our secret is we share the wealth as it were or the last five years it’s altered beyond all…we’re running to catch poverty. Throughout the years we always pay ourselves the up constantly, I mean we do a pretty good job of it but we’re about to release a record and we exact same amount of money. So, there’s no discrepancy “It was an awful lot of luck involved in don’t know what environment over that regardless of who this obviously, I don’t think he would we’re releasing it into. We’re pretty sure what we have to do does, what it doesn’t really have signed us if we’d been shit.” to make it sell and it’s not what matter because everybody we did four years ago, it’s a lot different. pulls their weight eventually. It’s just keeping it on an even keel and managing as many facets of our business as possible. It’s How’s the preparation for this years Beautiful Days an awful thing, I was sat down on a bands tour bus, they were on tour and it was all really going well for them they thought. Festival going? A phone call… just day three of the tour I think and we’re sitting in the back lounge of the bus all partied up, they were It gets easier every year.We just have a wish list of bands and happy. Phone call… tour manager “I’ve just spoken to your we phone them up and most of the time we get a yeah. We announce the line up around Easter. record company you’ve just been dropped, the accountant is withdrawing all funds and I think you’re gonna get fifty quid in What was behind the decision to start your own music your bank account this month”. These guys got houses, they studio? got kids, they got everything. They thought they were doing well but suddenly… and it’s because they were managed The Levellers in their current entirety by the record company, everything was done through the record company. When they dropped them, that’s it, it’s all gone and they just weren’t aware this was happening. They didn’t know this was about to happen, they thought they were good. They were getting two grand in the bank, every so often the odd bonus here and there when they’d done particularly well but some accountants somewhere has gone “we need to lose about five or six acts… who’s not doing so good at the moment?” Cut our losses and they were just a loss, that’s an awful thing. If you manage yourselves, which we’ve done for the last ten, twelve years… we sacked 10

Did you record there?

Photography by www.kluens.co.uk

Whether that investor is a record company it doesn’t really matter anymore its irrelevant. It’s just finding the right people who you employ to do the job for you. The money will still come back that’s the thing. That’s why it’s worth investing in if the band is worth investing in. There is a turnover in music business that is quite phenomenal really just in live tickets, merchandise, never mind actual music sales.

No, we recorded it all in the Czech Republic, for the first time we decided not to record here. Now its different reasons we don’t record here cos people have to go and pick the kids up (laughs) or go and cook dinner its like no we have to go away and do it. Great studio there, amazing studio where we recorded everything hard wired with proper old microphones and old desks, really good sounds. That’s being mixed by a guy called Victor in New York, he’s really topnotch AAA listed mix engineer. We’re getting those back and listening to them, they’re great. It’s brilliant you can do that now just bring it up on the computer have a listen. Basically again it’s gaining control, taking back control. Errrmm, there was no-where of its size or comparable size to rehearse in Brighton. There were rehearsal studios like with just loads of rooms and fucking shitty speakers. You go in and it’s hideously depressing and it costs a fortune.You got to take your gear in and out every time. We were having to do that up in London to get rooms of a reasonable size for the sort of act we were so it’s like we thought we’d just buy a place. Initially, it wasn’t ever to be a recording studio but this place was so cheap and so big that we got it and turned it round to what it is now quite quickly. So we started recording our albums here straight away and rehearsing here. It became my base, which is probably again, another move that saved the band. Trying to get everybody together to go to London to do something was hard and a lot of bands actually split up because of the actual effort that’s required but we got no effort. There is nowhere else I come in and record, do what I like whenever I want. I don’t have to like arrange it, sort out the money to pay for it to do it then suddenly you know go to the pub and get pissed and forget all about it and you’ve wasted all this money. I can go to the pub here, whatever, it doesn’t matter if I don’t show up (laughs) see what I mean? It’s that, that’s made a massive difference. How is the new album and when are you releasing it? It’s going great well we’re just getting mixes back from New York at the moment.

Is it the same Levellers style? Yes it is. Believe it or not this studio isn’t that big, this one was like four times the size of this, the playing room, maybe bigger so we could all play together. So we just played the songs over and over and over again. We got them really tight so there’s no over dubs it’s just us recorded. Which is like it used to done in the sixties and seventies so we’ve done it like that so it sounds amazing, it’s just a performance but it sounds like its been multi tracked and everything else. Its old school, its better for the way its been done.

Levellers new single “Truth Is”, is out on 21st April with the new album “Static on the Airwaves” following in June.

Whitnee Springfield - Vocals Tom ‘Sin’ Ferrier - Guitar Rayna Vandèl - Guitar Chuck Tango - Bass Nate Marcus - Drums

Tell us about your new debut single Favourite Mistake. It’s online from the 5th March right? Whitnee: Nate wrote the music and then I’d just read a book so I decided to write lyrics about the book. It’s called: Got You Back by Jane Fallon. We got a music video that follows the story; it’s basically a love triangle. Chuck: You’ll have to buy the single to find out more about it!

Do you have plans for an EP or album?

At the Brighton Unsigned gig back in January, Derider performed one of the headlining slots being met with a crowd of new fans. We have invited them back to the Brighton Unsigned bandwagon with their new single ‘Favourite Mistake’ and we chat about what they’ve been up to in the Brighton circuit. How do you all know each other? Whitnee: I’ve known Rayna since college so that’s been about three and a half years and I met the rest of the guys at BIMM, just down the road here in Brighton, going for about two years now, yeah.

How did the band come about? Rayna: Basically Whitnee put a poster up in BIMM advertising for band members and Chuck was the first one to respond as a bass player. There was originally a different drummer and guitarist and it was just those four. This was before me Nate and Tom were in the band and then what happened is the other guitarist Elliot couldn’t make a gig we had in Suffolk. As me and Whit had lived there, I filled in for him and ended up just staying in the band. By this time Nate had replaced the old drummer as well. Shortly after, Tom then joined as well so it was me and Tom now on guitar, where as before Tom joined it was me and Whitnee but she doesn’t really play guitar anymore but we’re hoping to put some keyboard in some songs soon.

What kind of music would you call yourselves and why? 12

Tom: This is the worse question ever but I dunno we’d say there’s a big punk influence we’re all like very into our punk.Yeah, it’s alternative rock really cos we try and be and interesting as possible. So maybe punk influence/alternative rock, that’s the best I can do.

As that type of music isn’t as popular as others in Brighton how do you think Brighton relates to your genre? Nate: Blimey that’s a really hard question…hmmm well its difficult because when we book a gig and we try and advertise around we don’t tend to get very much response, like people may say ‘oh yeh we’ll come to your gig’ then they don’t. Other times we’ll play gigs that haven’t been particularly well advertised and they’ve just been really packed. It’s really bizarre, it’s like the more effort we put in getting people to our gigs, fewer people come. I don’t know, it’s been both ways there have been really packed gigs and really empty ones and I’m not quite sure why that is. Every time we’ve had a packed gig it’s been different people, its not like we have the same twenty people coming every time. Chuck: We’re too loud for the Indie crowd and we’re not metal enough for the metal crowd so we kind of have to find our own place to fit in.

Tom:Well yeah, we’re planning to put out an album cos we’ve got quite a big back-log of songs. So there’s idea’s flying around for songs we can put on the album. I guess like we’ll start concentrating on that after the single release. Rayna: Just to add to what Tom has said…you have your whole life to make the first album cos you don’t just wanna put your first ten songs on it, it’s obviously better to have loads and then pick the best from those. So then its all killer no filler!

What is your favourite moment as a band in Brighton? Rayna: One of mine was a gig we only played a couple of weeks ago at the Latest Music Bar. Whitnee:That was with Brighton Unsigned. Rayna: Yeah that was and it was absolutely packed, it was awesome. There was us and Jipsy Magic headlining, it was such a good show cos obviously those guys are really good and all the support bands were awesome as well. Everyone was loving it and the cool thing was there were a lot of people there who had never seen us before who really seemed to enjoy it. Tom:There was a great gig at the Prince Albert the other day as well where we got an encore and we played an Alkaline Trio cover. There was also a gig that we played a while back at Wahoo Bar on West Street where they got these subwoofers that are on this mini stage. We jumped up on those at the

end of the song and put on a good show. We’ve got this whole right handed, left handed guitarist thing. So if we go back to back, there’s a guitar poking out in each direction. It was well cool everyone loved it. Whitnee: The bigger the bruise on my knee, the better the show was. I just jump on my knees a lot. Right now my knees are practically black cos we’ve just been filming a music video and I had to go on my knees again and again… ohhh it really hurts but it means I’ve done a good job!

What other stuff you got coming up? Whitnee:We have the tour.The show with Brighton Unsigned during March, we’re going around a few places in East Anglia, Bournemouth and then we’ll be festivalling. The music video of course, that’s all happening in March after the single release on the 5th. We are also playing The Hove Centre regional finals of Live and Unsigned on the 29th April. Tom:Tickets are £8. Whitnee: Supposedly, all the best local unsigned bands.

Check out the facebook page www.facebook.com/deridermusic for further info and head down to Latest Music Bar for Brighton Unsigned gig night on March 14th with Derider headlining! 13

MUSIC REVIEWS

ADAM O’NEILL

MUSIC REVIEWS

I’ve actually been waiting for this EP to come out for a while now. Since I heard Adam’s band “Live Like Kings” I was intrigued to give his solo stuff a go and I’m not disappointed.

Genre: Mellow / Acoustic / Indie

www.facebook.com/Adamoneillmusic

It’s a difficult thing to find hip hop artists that use lyrics because of their writing skills and use of figurative language and not just purely because the lyrics rhyme. Marz clearly has lyrical intelligence his tongue twisting words mixed with groovy, catchy and sometimes chilling sax prove he is a talented artist and producer. I appreciate his simple and not over processed sound because it gives it an authentic genuine feel. His use of old-school sounding samples in ‘Love Me Right Ft Hozay’ creates a relaxing old- school vibe and the sax also gives him an unique sound. Sometimes his lyrics are cliché and unoriginal when rapping about ‘chronic’ and ‘derrieres’ but he sings about what he knows and puts his own modern South Coast of England imprint on the hip-hop genre. The riff in track nine ‘Lies ft Teejs Adams and Kendal’ is catchy and distinctive; this track along with track two definitely has the most promise. It is surprising that Marz does not have many Facebook friends but he clearly is involved in the Brighton HipHop scene. Marz clearly has his head screwed on because he is offering his whole nine-track album out for free on BandCamp. He effortlessly and talentedly merges grimey beats and old school samples and sax to create an exclusive sound. LD

www.facebook.com/MarzScribeTribe 14

“I’d Love To Be Your Man” is my favourite and is optimistically epic. There’s a lot of energy in it and I love the harmonica; it’s rare you hear a mouth organ played that fast. It’s catchy, fun and there’s so much going on, I can imagine when he gets his name out there, it’ll be a crowd pleaser every time. It’s the kind of track that gets anybody and everybody dancing and tapping their toes. Definitely a stand out track. The track “Juliet” reveals his distinctive husky voice and is a complete change of mood from the other. The other two tracks are also slow, genuine, honest and – without being too clichéd – straight from the heart. They’re poetic and the melodic trumpet in “Word On The Street” works beautifully, as does the saxophone in “Give me a reason”. The diversity of the musical instruments is adventurous and gives folk rock an innovative turn. He creates an unusual hybrid of Paolo Nutini and Kings Of Leon-esque sounds, and the tracks are professionally and intricately produced. I’ve got to admit, I’d have loved another fast track to balance it out, but all in all it’s a very moving, talented, first solo E.P. LD

Genre: Indie / Indie Pop / Indie Rock

Genre: Indie / Pop / Rock

If the words “bouncy, hooky, indie, pop” were strung together and pulled out of a hat, like colourful festival bunting, it would make for the perfect description of and introduction to this band. This bubbly hybrid baby of The Maccabees and Two Door Cinema Club is a boyish foursome with a shared interest in Fifa, who have achieved getting the sentiment of fun into their music. “Dance Strange Together” is a kooky little song with a suddenly strong and emotional vocal in the chorus, catching you by surprise. The infectious “Dancing With The Wrong One” creates a blend of surf-y melodies creating visions of pebbly beaches and piercing blue seas, crossed with fast clicking and dancing at a party, full of teenagers in sharp suits and 50s style-prom dresses. It’s a happy-go-lucky song that’ll put a wide grin on your face. Meanwhile the lyrics to “Wait” are direct, snappy and full of rhymes.This is a charming and catchy song, a guaranteed pick-me-up. There’s something quirky, geek-chic and simple about this band and its clumsy, jangly sound that makes them hard to dislike. The unprocessed, awkward style works in a way that banana sandwiches shouldn’t do, but just does. The Watermelons – akin to the fruit – are refreshing and cool, ideal for those blissful, carefree days. CC

It’s always an exciting moment when you pay attention to the music and digest the achievements of a band and from it you can taste further success in the air, can perceive hopeful opportunities on the horizon and revel in the feeling that something is about to happen.You want to jump aboard and say that you were apart of this. In possession of this bright future is “Sandweaver”. The band can rightfully boast about having one of their songs used on American teen show “Make it or Break it” and another for the teen drama “Degrassi”, highlighting just how capable they are of cooking up a storm and garnering recognition from across the pond. Proving that hard work leads to impressive results, the band have been together since 2002, passionately clutching on to the reins of their dreams and riding it out to see whether fortune favours the brave on their journey to bigger triumphs. “Mending” is tender and sweet and it is clear to see why it was chosen to feature as part of a TV episode, the perfect melody to encourage syrupy emotions, the way Dashboard Confessional would do it. “Back Into The Middle” is reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World with youthful, tale-spinning vocals that beg to be listened to, while “Invasion” takes you through an experience where swift and slow contrasting tempos exist together and gentle melodic guitars can effortlessly transform into urgent. A second album entitled “Making Maps” is due in April. Aptly named, as the band appear to be going places and their conquests need to be fondly marked along the way.

Genre: Hip-hop / Soul / Rap

www.myspace.com/thewatermelonsuk

www.facebook.com/Sandweaver 15

HELIOPAUSE

THREEPENNY THEIVES

TRIP TO DOVER

HELIOPAUSE

DR SCARDO

TRIP TO DOVER

THREEPENNY THEIVES