Devolution Magazine - Issue 45

GOTH METAL PUNK ART FASHION NOISE

ISSUE

45 £4.00

METAL MAIDENS & MUSES We pay homage and respect to strong inspirational and hardworking women from within the alternative industry within a collection of interviews this issue.

WITHIN TEMPTATION, AMARANTH, TATIANA SHMAILYUK OF JINJER, SHELLY D’INFERNO, RHIANNA PRATCHETT VICKY HUNGERFORD OF BLOODSTOCK, VE NEILL, KATE LOMAX, A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH, ROAD TO RUIN, DR FAUST FASHION & MUCH MORE!

FREE CD WITH THIS ISSUE!

e u s s i s i h T 14

30 4 

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

88

14 30 32 36 42

JINJER - TATIANA SHMAILYUK

Tatiana Shmailyuk of Jinjer - Ukraine’s metal gem of a band discusses free flowing creativity, touring with Arch Enemy and dodgy taxi drivers with singer with Gary Trueman.

AMARANTHE - ELISE RYD

Amaranthe have always been ones to defy a traditional set up in favour of something more expansive. Gary Trueman chatted to Elise Ryd about ‘Helix’ and on stage presentation.

WITHIN TEMPTATION - SHARON

For over two decades Within Temptation have been a tour de force in metal. Gary Trueman chatted to Sharon Den Adel. Up for discussion was album ‘Resist’, vocal maintenance and being a judge on the Eurovision song contest.

VE NEILL - THE LADY OF ILLUSION There are very few who can be called ‘Legend’ within special effects and makeup but Ve Neill is exactly that and talks to Alice Bizarre about her love of monsters, time judging on Face Off and her life as the industry’s leading lady of makeup.

MY HOMETOWN - LORI JANEY

Lori Janey of Weekend Recovery talks about her adopted home town of Leeds, a place that gave the world Black Moth, The Mission and The Sisters Of Mercy.

46

RHIANNA PRATCHETT

Mark Bestford talked with Rhianna to discuss the challenges of working in a heavily male dominated industry, writing narrative challenges and stepping into her father’s legacy.

48

VICKY HUNGERFORD

88

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH

DEVO CREW NICKIE HOBBS EDITOR GARY TRUEMAN MARK BESTFORD ALICE BIZARRE LUCAS CHAPEL JO BLACKENED HUNTER RAVNIKA JO WRIGHT SCOTT CHALMERS ------------------------------------

SPECIAL THANKS JACKIE REYNOLDS, JENNIE MANION KATE FISHER & DINO @ THE NIGHTINGALE HOTEL & MISTER SAM

CONTACT US EMAIL info@devolutionmagazine.co.uk WEB devolutionmagazine.co.uk SOCIAL facebook.com/DevolutionMag facebook.com/groups/DevoMag facebook.com/theealtcollective Instagram.com/devolutionmagazine twitter.com/DevolutionMag ADDRESS Devolution Magazine, 15 Cottongrass Road Didcot, Harwell, Oxon, OX11 6GF, UK

This Issue Is Dedicated To Keith Flint of The Prodigy & Gary Mason AKA ‘Stench’ You Guys Will be Sorely Missed

Nickie Hobbs caught up with the metal maiden herself to discuss Bloodstock Festival role and how this has evolved over the years, the merits of bodybuilding and coping with being a female in a male dominated industry.

Nickie Hobbs caught up with Sal Abruscato to discuss the new record in detail and its concept, the need for cinematic experiences, stage interaction and musical influences.

94

SHELLY D’INFERNO

What does it take to be a model, fire performer or clothing designer? Devolution chatted to Shelly about female empowerment, what’s happening over at Pyrohex and what treats she has planned next for everyone.

ISSUE 45 Cover Image: Within Temptation Photo By: Set Vexy

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 5

Hello and Welcome to Issue 45 UK Stockists

London Newsagents: -----------------------------------------

Thrive News Westfield London Shopping Centre 305 Ariel Way, London, W12 7GF M2 Covent Garden 30-35 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RH Barbican News 34 Goswell Road, The City, London, EC1M 7AA Good News 23 Berwick Street, Soho, London, W1F 8RB Castle News Ltd 34 Eastcastle St, Fitzrovia, London, W1W 8DW Diptesh Confectionery 89 Leonard St, London, EC2A 4QS Magnum News 10 Thayer St, Marylebone, London, W1U 3JN Mayhews 15 Motcomb St, Belgravia, London, SW1X 8LB Rococo News & Magazines 12 Elgin Cres, London, W11 2HX Compton News 48 Old Compton Street, Soho, London, W1D 4UA ----------------------------------------WHSmith @ Selfridges Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London, Greater London, W1A 1AB Artwords Bookshop Limited – Shoreditch www.artwords.co.uk 69 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3AY Magazine Heaven Magazine Heaven, Rushden Lakes, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 6FH, Unique Magazines Ltd www.uniquemagazines.co.uk Unique Magazines Limited Sands Industrial Estate, Swalwell, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE16 3DJ The Magazine Man www.themagazineman.co.uk/music-186-c.asp The Magazine Man, 50 Dairylands Road, Church Lawton, Stoke-On-Trent, ST7 3EU Whitby Goth Weekend www.whitbygothweekend.co.uk We trade with our own stall in The Leisure Centre Foyer (Usually In April) Deviant Angel Emporium www.deviantangelemporium.com 1 Hurts Yard, Nottingham, NG1 6FB Lil Hellers / Get Ur Ink On Tattoo Studio www.geturinkon.co.uk Unit 2, Savile Way, Grove, OX12 0PT

6

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Chatting with Nickie late last year about how many women were becoming more empowered and speaking out through things such as the #metoo movement we both decided that Devolution needed to show some solidarity. Yes we feature a lot of women already but we felt that we needed to put out an issue that shows just how important it is that the momentum already created keeps pushing away at traditional boundaries.

Right here right now we felt was a good time to play more of a part. With that in mind welcome to our maidens and muses issue.

So how come it’s Gary writing the foreword this issue rather than Nickie? Well if you’re a guy reading this then sit up and take note – men can also be feminists too, men can and should support women. Not only that; but it’s important, even essential that men show their support for and with women and help them overcome ridiculous inequalities that are happening the world over. You don’t have to be a particular gender to shout about something that is wrong. Change is happening but with everyone puling in the same direction it’ll happen faster.

So I want to say a huge thankyou to Nickie for letting me show my support by writing this introduction. It’s well known that when you mention feminism the reaction can see people recoiling in horror but we at Devolution believe in equality for all genders. Industry treatment of gender generally, misogyny and how to combat it and the role public figures play in highlighting gender related issues are all topics that you’ll find in the interviews within these pages. Talking to a great many people it’s obvious that solidarity is key. As a man I’m proud to fully support gender equality. For me it’s an absolute no brainer.

This issue we are thrilled to have Within Temptation gracing the cover, a band that are going from strength to strength at the moment. Elsewhere and as part of our focus on empowerment we have interviews with Rhiannon Pratchett, daughter of Discworld creator Terry, the fantastic band Amaranthe, artist Kate Lomax, powerhouse Tatiana Shmailyuk of Jinjer, make-up artist extraordinaire Ve Neill, Vicky Hungerford of Bloodstock Festival, and lots more. We have a femme oriented special feature on emerging bands we think you might like to check out, and of course our regular My Home Town piece, live coverage including Rebellion festival and plenty of album reviews. Since the last issue we are now also available on some news shelves so please take a look at the list to the left of this foreword and see where you can now purchase a copy of the magazine!

Revolution | Absolution | Devolution Cheers - Gary Trueman

Devo-ted Readers

jerkallis

Helen D

The Alt Collective Presents Devolution Magazine’s Un-Sweet 16th Birthday Party!

Taz Tho m

as

In February 2019 Devolution Magazine turned 16 and in our usual fashion we will be celebrating this milestone with yet another awesome party! To be held at our regular haunt and second home The Face Bar, Reading, UK we will hold an event for the masses that will have a birthday party / prom theme so please dress to distress!

Headlining will be the mighty Sulpher, along with Mr. Strange, Ward XVI, HeLL PuPPeTs, Hell’s Gazelles and Tormenta. The usual photography station will be provided by the very talented Scott Chalmers Photography With every ticket purchased online you will be sent a raffle ticket to win a ‘Birthday Hamper’ full of awesome goodies - the winning ticket will be announced on the night! Along with a token to pick up your FREE GOODY BAG on the door when you arrive!

You can now buy your ticket at just £13.00 from: www.devolutionmerch.com Poster Artwork By: Mister Sam - www.Mister-Sam.com

ly

iss_Dead

Little_M

We want YOUR pics!

Email us a pic to info@devolutionmagazine.co.uk

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 7

OXFORD O2 ACADEMY

WITHIN TEMPTATION & EGO KILL TALENT Brixton Academy, LONDON Having a moniker like Ego Kill Talent puts you up in full view as a potential target if you display any kind of ego on stage or a lack of talent. So full marks for bravery at least particularly as this five piece originates from Sao Paulo in Brazil, a place where you can imagine fans will be only too happy to let you know if you have a fat head and can’t play. Thankfully the musicianship is never in question although the music itself is a little way from truly memorable. EGT do have a nice trick in that they start swapping instruments part way through their set. They’re not the only act doing this but it’s still impressive as there’s no drop in quality when it happens. Sitting on the fence between rock and metal and with a thoroughly modern sound the boys from Brazil put in what might be termed a solid shift. And as there were no tiara or tantrum moments to report they do at least live up to their name.

With their first album in four years hitting the shelves in early December Within Temptation are setting out their stall playing a number of new songs tonight as you’d expect. They don’t ignore

8

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Gary Trueman

their back catalogue though which means the sold out Brixton Academy crowd are treated to most of the Dutch rockers classics. They’ve brought along an impressive stage set which includes a giant screen that adds dramatic effect to the symphonic sound. It’s interesting to note that like new album Resist the instruments are always kept enough in check to allow Sharon Den Adel’s vocals to shine through.

It has to be said her voice is quite breath taking, it seems as if she just keeps getting better year on year. Even when there’s a minor equipment failure Den Adel sings through it without any kind of fluster and without missing a note. You expect a band with the pedigree of Within Temptation to deliver a great show but by any standard they are quite superb tonight. They deliver a well-rehearsed show faultlessly.

You have to give credit to the sound engineer and venue too for helping to make this a special night. Putting on this kind of show night after night and with a critically acclaimed album imminent 2019 is already looking to be a belter for one of metal’s most loved acts.

Mark Bestford

It’s a rare busy week as for the second time in one week there’s a midweek show on. This time it’s Wayward Sons who pack out the upstairs of the O2 Academy. Doomsday Outlaw get things going and soon have the crowd warmed up. For a Wednesday night there’s a good crowd and they’re enjoying it. As ever they put on a great show and use the stage to good effect, moving around the stage and throwing off some great vibes. Support shows are all about making new fans and they certainly do that here. Wayward Sons take to the stage and it’s clear who everyone is here to see. There’s a lot of love in the room for Toby as he’s clawed his way back from his Little Angel days. He needn’t worry though as the magic that made Little Angels so special is still there, great songs. With so much new music now being written for Wayward Sons it’s inevitable that the Little Angels covers are making way, but Young Gods still gets the crowd going. Hopefully it’ll remain in the setlist for a long time coming, or at least get swapped out with other Little Angels tracks from time to time. It’s always good to see where a band has come from and these older tracks are still very much part of what makes Toby who he is. It’s not the only cover of the night though as Blondie’s Union City and The Stranglers’ No More Heroes get mixed into a couple of the Wayward Sons tracks. No More Heroes is such a good cover it could do with being played in its entirety. At times Toby looks like he might run out of energy, but somehow manages to keep going, giving every song his all. One thing is clear, he’s back doing what he loves the most and he’s back to stay.

Photo By : Mark Bestford

Photo By : Gary Trueman

WAYWARD SONS & DOOMSDAY OUTLAW

Photo By : Mark Bestford Photo By : Mark Bestford

NO HATE FESTIVAL RESCUE ROOMS, NOTTINGHAM

Lucas Chapel

2018’s No Hate Festival set about raising funding and awareness for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation by showcasing a spectrum of musical acts from the UK Rock scene. Although the audience was intimate and a far cry from reaching capacity, the festival managed to successfully deliver the message that hate crimes are never acceptable and that Rock ‘n’ Roll certainly isn’t dead in Nottingham! Local band BlitZ kicked the night off with some American style Rock ‘n’ Roll, it really set the tone of an old school 70’s & 80’s Metal vibe which was placed well in light of the following acts. Stage Fright and Exhibit A then continued to get the crowd pumped with a selection of classic covers that got us all in the mood for the acts ahead. Surreal Panther, wow what can I say about these guys? There’s something inherently charming and enjoyable about a parody of a parody; it made Surreal Panther’s set gratifying and broke the evening up really nicely. The laugh-aminute comedy set came complete with textbook Steel Panther jokes and humour that one would come to expect. Honestly, imagine Michael Starr from Derby and that’s exactly what Jamie Fowkes brings to the table. The set was more or less exactly what you’d expect from a Steel Panther covers band with all the sing along songs you’d hope to hear, so you can consider boxes firmly ticked! Surreal Panther mastered brilliant usage of crowd participation and had everyone roaring with laughter; so if you like you comedy or parody bands this one’s definitely for you.

Zodiac Mindwarp was that wonderful dose of nostalgia that we came for and living proof that they’ve still got it after all these years! Guitarist Cobalt Stargazer hasn’t skipped a beat over the past 35 years and he’s not showing any signs of slowing down.

The set did seem to go on for what seemed like a very long time and audience interest did seem to dwindle towards the end, but all in all the set was entertaining. I feel that tonight’s show will certainly get people talking about Mindwarp again; that’s down to Stargazer’s faultless performance and Zed’s flamboyant body language revitalising peoples’ interests when they were looking at their wrist watches, roaming through the crowd during songs and being a true showman until the end. Despite this one being a real tight-knit crowd, the amount of fun everyone had was insane and the night was a testament to the fact that No Hate and PsyBud Promotions will never stop raising awareness and fighting for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation’s cause.

Photo By : Mark Bestford

Photo By : Mark Bestford

Review By Lucas Chapel Photos By Mark Bestford - Alienation Photography facebook.com/Alien8n

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 9

Photo By : Gary Trueman

U.K. SUBS

THE HAIRY DOG, DERBY

Mark Bestford

When playing the big stages Charlie and the rest of the Subs draw huge crowds, they could easily switch to fewer shows per year in larger venues. More so given that it would be a well earned rest for what has to be one of the hardest working punk bands on the circuit. Thankfully they’ve stuck to their roots and still play the same circuit that made them one of the most popular bands in punk, the grass roots pubs and clubs. The show in the Hairy Dog is their Christmas special, and they’re clearly enjoying it as much as the crowd is. There’s plenty of action from the crowd and Charlie gets the crowd singing along to a greatest hits that still includes old favourites ‘Warhead’, ‘Tomorrows Girls’, and ‘Endangered Species’. But it wouldn’t be a U.K. Subs Christmas special without ‘Hey Santa Claus!’ which gets the crowd enthusiastically singing along to “Hey Santa Claus you cunt”, another memorable performance from the punk legends.

Photo By : Mark Bestford

PITCHSHIFTER

EARTHTONE9 & THE BLUEPRINT

10 DEVOLUTION DEVOLUTIONMAGAZINE MAGAZINE 28

Gary Trueman

bump moment. Then we’re into ‘Microwaved’ and all hell lets loose.

As an opening gambit its perfect and backing it up with ‘Triad’ sends the crowd into a frenzy. Tonight you just know you’re witnessing an “I was there!” moment in music history, the return to home soil of one of the most influential and original acts Nottingham and the UK has produced. Long before mixing electronica and rock was a thing Pitchshifter were doing it, decades before in fact. JS Clayden is a man on a mission to make this a night to remember. He owns the stage with a huge smile and takes every person present on over an hour of pure nostalgic escape. The music may be old but it’s as relevant if not more today as it was when new. Crowd surfers wash over the barriers like an incoming tide.

It’s frenetic but also very polite.

Everyone is enjoying themselves way too much to get angsty. The traditional encore is done away with in favour of just playing more songs, a move other acts ought to give consideration to. When we finally arrive at the final song of the night ‘Genius’ there’s real emotion in the venue, a few tears, and importantly a sea of grins.

Maybe in another twenty years Pitchshifter will return once again, hopefully sooner. Whether they do or whether they don’t tonight they made dreams come true. Tonight lifelong memories were made.

Photo By : Mark Bestford

Nottingham Rock City There’s an air of anticipation tonight that you can almost taste.

It’s Pitchshifter in their home town of Nottingham on the final night of a hugely successful return tour.

So opening for such a prestigious show is a very big deal for The Blueprint who are playing this as a one off show. Is that Earthtone‘s Karl Middleton up front, it surely is? The music, an edgy blend of post hard-core and groove flows and the already well filled venue shows their appreciation. It’s a good start, now it’s time to ramp things up a notch. Choosing Earthtone9 as support for this tour is a bit of a masterstroke. They fit the bill perfectly and they are such consistent musicians that you just know they’ll nail every note. The deft blending of precision punch with huge hooks is irresistible and the now near capacity crowd are more than in the mood to party. It’s quite amazing to see Rock City bounce so much to a band that are the support. You have to remember though this is an act with a near cult following and they have plenty of fans in attendance. For 40 minutes we are treated to big tunes played by humble guys and then it’s time for the main course. As Pitchshifter walk onto the stage mouths go dry, the air seems electric, hairs stand on end, and this is a goose

LOOKING FOR EXTRA LIVE REVIEWS? AS WELL AS PRINT A SELECTION OF LIVE & FESTIVAL REVIEWS EACH ISSUE - WE ALSO UPLOAD THEM TO THE WEBSITE OVER AT DEVOLUTIONMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Photo By : Mark Bestford

FACEBARMAGEDDON THE FACE BAR, READING

Mark Bestford

With Voodoo Blood having to cancel last minute there’s a total of 40 bands playing over the weekend. By any benchmark that’s an impressive amount of music. There’s something for everyone but without a doubt this festival is geared towards the heavier end with plenty of thrash, stoner and black metal for those who like it brutal. With so many great acts it’s difficult to pick out highlights but there were five that really shone during the weekend.

Desert Storm Oxford lads Desert Storm put on their usual flawless performance. Its stoner rock at its absolute finest and they never fail to bring it on the night. With bone crushing riffs and gravelly vocals that make the vocal chords ache in sympathy it’s a brutal and admirable set. They raise a high bar for the rest of the weekend’s headliners and are a perfect finish to what is a very heavy start before the weekend kicks off in full.

Tormenta

Photo By : Mark Bestford

They’re a man down but you really couldn’t tell as their guitarist takes over screaming duties for the night. He’s a natural frontman giving off loads of energy and spends nearly the entire show off the stage in amongst the crowd. The rest of the band are a force to be reckoned with, the audience almost in danger from the bassist’s flying dreadlocks as she joins the mayhem in the crowd. For a band on so early in the day, not even halfway through on the Saturday, they put on a very memorable and exhilarating performance on the smaller Blue stage.

Sick N Beautiful Definitely the most visual band of the weekend. Once you get past the stranded alien space band you’re left with great music coupled with one of the best stage shows going. It has everything, lasers, burning books, angle grinders. Its part musical storytelling and part circus act, but one where the freaks have taken over the show and owning the hell out of it. It’s an alien post-apocalyptic nightmare taken flesh. If this is what the alien invasion is going to look like then count me in.

Photo By : Mark Bestford

Photo By : Mark Bestford

Mortishead Mortishead are sick, twisted, and utterly brutal. Without a doubt the most energetic the crowd has been all weekend as the band’s guitarist gets in on the mosh pit action. They get extra points for their keyboard player who looks properly freaky in a pseudo human skin mask as he wanders around the stage doing his best Michael Myers. You’re never far away from wondering if the rest of the band have to lock him away when they go to sleep in case he murders the lot of them.

Black Moth It’s a battle of the headliners on the Sunday night as Chasing Dragons just misses out on the top five to fellow Leeds alumni Black Moth. With the line-up on the heavier side they’re not what you would expect, but they prove themselves worthy show closers. The songs are great and varied and after a weekend of heavy metal it actually feels good to hear a rock band that sings at the end of the weekend. Definitely one to catch again at a later date.

Review & Photos By Mark Bestford Alienation Photography - facebook.com/Alien8n

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 13

Gary Trueman

JINJER

Tatiana Shmailyuk 14  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

The Ukraine isn’t the most obvious place to look when searching for inspirational metal bands to take up the heavy music baton. Proving that the world really does have gems everywhere are Jinjer who have been steadily making a name for themselves by putting in long hours on the road and putting out some fine records.

Gary Trueman discussed free flowing creativity, touring with Arch Enemy and dodgy taxi drivers with singer Tatiana Shmailyuk.

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 15

You’ve broken in a big way since your King of Everything album was released. Do you find some people are surprised when they learn that you’ve been around since 2009?

“Well, more no than yes. It seems that now it takes just much longer for a band to break through than it used to be even 15 years ago. Recently talking about this we came to the conclusion that it is just very hard to name a band which was formed after 2009-2010, and I say ‘formed’, which means that it took at least a few years to move forward, make the first release and start touring, like it happened with us, so it is hard to find a band formed in or after 2010 which would go so far.”

You have the Micro EP just out. Was it planned for you to release an EP next or was it important to keep the momentum you’ve created going and releasing an EP was the best way while you worked on album number four?

“Originally we were planning to make a full length album last autumn, but our management persuaded us to come back to the states for another tour, and I must admit it was a right move. On the other hand we couldn’t play those old songs anymore. So the decision came up very naturally – to make an intermediate release to satisfy both us and fans. And as it seems now everything went very very well.”

While your core sound has stayed you’ve been carefully developing your own personal style. What can we expect that is new on the next album?

“Ha-ha, it is hard to say what to expect anything from Jinjer, because we tend not to follow any trends even made by ourselves. The process of creating music for us is a natural and free flow, so nobody even us really knows what the result will be.”

You’re going to be back at Amplified Festival again this year and this time headlining on the Friday night. It’s unusual for a band to play a festival two years running so that must be quite a special feeling to be returning straight away?

“Oh, definitely this will be something special. Even though Amplified is a young and relatively small festival, we fell in love with the place and people, so I personally can’t wait until we get back there” You’re also playing Download festival. How does it feel to be asked to play at wat many call the home of rock?

16 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

“Since we played in the UK first time in 2017 it always feels terrific to be back to the home of rock, honestly! We love our British fans, however visa issues we always have with the UK is a sort of a bit of turd in a barrel of honey, but I promise that this summer will play in Britain.”

Tatiana, do you see many differences in the way a female involved in the music industry is treated in the Ukraine compared to other European countries and in particular the UK? “I always thought women are welcomed in the music industry, especially in the pop genre, no matter what country it is.

If speaking about heavy music it is very unpopular and uncommon to be a metal band in this area. So we basically stay underground in our country.”

Is it about time the dreaded term ‘female fronted’ was consigned to history?

“First of all, it is to be noted I don’t like differentiating things on grounds of gender identity. As a vocalist, I realise men and women have vocal cords, right? And both of us have something to say to this world. And I don’t really see a difference between a man and a woman music wise.

All I want to say is that in my opinion any kind of art is sexless. And I can’t really understand people who stick to only “female-fronted” bands. On the contrary, I’ve met dudes who flatly denied any band “with a chick on board”. So does it mean their music preferences are based only on singer’s genitals? And how deep is their love for the music? I have also certain concerns about those bands which rely on huge success in music industry by deliberately choosing a female as a vocalist. I assure you it won’t guarantee you anything… Some people built their opinions on the assumption that Jinjer was formed exactly this way. But those who actually are aware of the band’s history know, that I was a substitution for the former male singer who left the country that time and there was no proper person to replace him with except me (I was in other bands before and none of them valued me only for my gender). Plus, I was a true tom boy, dressed up like a guy. So believe me I was so not sexy)). Another thing: it’s funny how the tag “femalefronted” sneaked into masses. As far as I remember I haven’t seen it coming till the late 2000’s, thought bands with women on mics existed before. To my mind, it just helps building divisions and putting bands into frames. Don’t get me wrong, I support ladies in metal and I am glad to see the number of great female singers growing and joining the scene but I really don’t want this tag to become a music genre and moreover to be a reason to come to show.”

“ First of all, it is to be noted I don’t like differentiating things on the grounds of gender identity. As a vocalist, I realise men and women have vocal cords, right? And both of us have something to say to this world. And I don’t really see a difference between a man and a woman music wise. All I want to say is that in my opinion any kind of art is sexless.” ~ Tatiana Shmailyuk Are you aware that you are inspiring other women by doing what you do? And who have you taken great inspiration from in terms of your confidence and personal empowerment?

“Well, I am more than happy to know that I can be an influencer for ladies, although I don’t intend to invite them to follow my example. When I started as a singer I sought inspiration in other performers as well (for instance Otep and Sandra Nasic). But the key to success is to be genuine.”

You toured with Arch Enemy a couple of years back. What was it like touring with such a wellregarded act? Did you form a bond with them while on tour?

“The tour was great. We as a young band learnt a lot from the legends.

Ever since JINJER try to apply gained experience to all the tours we are going through. We still keep in touch with some of the AE’s members.”

Did you follow what happened with the photographer who went public claiming he was treated badly by the band? Do you feel the band and in particular Alissa were unfairly criticised on social media?

“Yeah, heard something about that.

I checked the YouTube video of the photographer explaining the situation… First of all, I don’t support this type of behaviour when any conflict is brought up to publicity and is turned into a scandal in the name of showing your “balls”. I hold the view, that case should’ve been resolved in a more diplomatic way, from the both sides. Obviously, both the band and the photographer will continue functioning no matter what, but I really feel sad for the girl who had to shut down her brand because of the unnecessary strife.”

You’re obviously going to be busy touring and recording but what

do you like to do when you get any downtime? Any hobbies or interests outside of music?

“Basically, when i have time-off in between tours and recordings (two months maximum), the first part of socalled vacation is spent in housework and restoring my physical and mental health.

The second part is given to preparations for the next jump). If I have enough time for myself and motivation, I like to paint, sew stage clothing, I try to read more.

After the current tour I plan doing sports.”

While Jinjer are very much on the way up the world has become an uncertain place to be. If you could change one thing about the world right now what would it be and why?

“It may seem harsh and offensive for some of representatives of mankind but I wish the world could just turn back in time and live and prosper in its pristine beauty without human intrusion. I think there’s no need to explain why.”

What is it about Ukrainian taxi drivers that gets them in your bad books?

“Oh, my IG account is being checked thoroughly! Well, in a few words, they make you feel guilty for your own existence and you actually end up regretting that you were born! In general, the whole service system in post-soviet countries leaves much to be desired. This is a source of rudeness and zero culture.”

Jinjer get picked for a very important mission of first contact with beings from another world. What three things would you take with you to represent the best of mankind? And would you tell them about the worst?

Best ones: 1. Humanity; 2. Sense of humour; 3. Ability to perform arts. I would definitely mention dark sides… I’d probably start with them as a warning.

Jinjer-metal.com facebook.com/JinjerOfficial instagram.com/jinjer_official

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 17

Discharge

18  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Rebellion Festival

For someone who has never been to Rebellion it’s difficult to really describe. There’s a sense of camaraderie that you simply don’t get elsewhere. This isn’t just a gathering of fans, it’s the coming together of a family. The best way to describe it probably comes from this quote from a Rebellion veteran: “The punk scene is a ready-made nucleus of degradation and disorder, but Rebellion is like an island of sanity and civility in a world of moronic barbarity and consecrated mediocrity. For the rest of the year we are drowning in apathy, systematically deluded and manipulated by the powers that be. There’s a collective eccentricity in punk rock and an overwhelming sense of belonging” – Kev Lloyd This year Rebellion veteran Gary Trueman was joined by Mark Bestford to sample the unique flavour of the festival. Here are their hot picks from what was a breathtaking event.

Mark’s Five Of The Best.....

Pretty Addicted The Shining Star!

For any music fan it’s a given that a great show can be had when the audience makes a connection to the music and it feeds into the show an energy that is almost palpable. What’s less obvious is when the performer makes that same emotional connection resulting in them feeding on the audience’s energy. It’s like a feedback loop where both sides drive each other to higher peaks, creating something that can be truly breath taking. This was Pretty Addicted playing to the compact Introducing Stage, while the U.K. Subs played to the full to capacity Empress Ballroom. Hey Precious, look who you can be. You’re a star!

Stiff Little Fingers The Emerald Isle Legends Of all the main headliners for the weekend it was Stiff Little Fingers that impressed the most. The crowd response between them and what can only be described as an utterly mediocre performance from PiL could not have contrasted more. Where John Lydon snarled, Jake Burns turned on the charm. And where the fans walked out of PiL in disgust they crowded into the Empress Ballroom in adulation of Stiff Little Fingers.

At no other point were so many fans in harmony with the band, and

as Alternative Ulster started playing it was as if every punk at Rebellion sang with one voice.

Millie Manders & The Shut Up Two Performances That Rocked To see Millie Manders off stage is to see someone who seems disquiet with their own talent. On stage there’s a confidence that belies the fears, and a vocal talent that exposes those fears as unfounded.

It was her second performance, on the Almost Acoustic stage though where she truly shone. Without a backing band an artist’s vulnerabilities are exposed to the crowd, and Millie proved to be very at home as a solo performer. With people having to watch from the main corridor a room full of punks fell in love with her voice, and as the last notes fell from her ukulele the entire room stood up to applaud.

Turbulent Hearts The Mic Drop Queen With the punk attitude of Suzi Quattro and Joan Jett combined Suzi Moon rocks a stage like a true rock goddess. It’s a great show throughout, but it’s on the final song, I Wanna Be Your Dog by Iggy Pop, a Rebellion regular, that Suzi nails the show. It’s a sexy sleazed up version that sees Suzi take to the crowd to sing, before she drops the mic and simply walks out of the room via the back doors, leaving the band to finish the song on their own and the crowd asking themselves what has just happened. Pure and utter genius.

Dirt Box Disco The Crowd Surfing Kings

It’s always great to see bands grow into something bigger. Usually it’s a gradual change, but with Dirt Box Disco they’ve gone from a lower bill novelty to a monster in just a couple of years. Still great fun, and with a fan base eager to please, they put the security on the barrier to the ultimate test with, at the last count, 200 crowd surfers breaching the barrier during their relatively short 40 minute set. They have everything going for them, an energetic crowd, audience participation, inflatable swimming aids, a full room of eager fans. A truly memorable show.

Gary’s Five Of The Best.....

Choking Susan Punk Force Barbie Means Fun! It’s astonishing to think that acts such as Choking Susan that are legendary within the punk family haven’t garnered more attention from the general music media. With Colleen Caffeine at the helm this is a band that have an eye popping dynamic and have the music to back it up.

There’s an almost childlike quality about Caffeine’s raw enthusiasm and presence on stage. Her outfits always erring towards cute are in stark contrast to the rest of the band. It works beautifully.

For people who think punk rock is all about anger and being political Choking Susan are an eye opener. On the massive Empress Ballroom stage they prove to be an addictively fun band with a true punk force Barbie leading the way.

Maid Of Ace The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves Since they hit the scene a few years back Maid Of Ace have gained so much

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 19

Droogettes

Chaos 8

PiL

Weekend Recovery

Sem Futuro

Maid Of Ace 20  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

This year Rebellion veteran Gary Trueman was joined by Mark Bestford to sample the unique flavour of the festival. Here are their hot picks from what was a breathtaking event.

Mark’s Five Of The Best.....

Pretty Addicted The Shining Star!

For any music fan it’s a given that a great show can be had when the audience makes a connection to the music and it feeds into the show an energy that is almost palpable. What’s less obvious is when the performer makes that same emotional connection resulting in them feeding on the audience’s energy. It’s like a feedback loop where both sides drive each other to higher peaks, creating something that can be truly breath taking. This was Pretty Addicted playing to the compact Introducing Stage, while the U.K. Subs played to the full to capacity Empress Ballroom. Hey Precious, look who you can be. You’re a star!

Stiff Little Fingers The Emerald Isle Legends Of all the main headliners for the weekend it was Stiff Little Fingers that impressed the most. The crowd response between them and what can only be described as an utterly mediocre performance from PiL could not have contrasted more. Where John Lydon snarled, Jake Burns turned on the charm. And where the fans walked out of PiL in disgust they crowded into the Empress Ballroom in adulation of Stiff Little Fingers. At no other point were so many fans in harmony with the band, and as Alternative Ulster started playing it was as if every punk at Rebellion sang with one voice.

Millie Manders & The Shut Up Two Performances That Rocked To see Millie Manders off stage is to see someone who seems disquiet with their own talent. On stage there’s a confidence that belies the fears, and a vocal talent that exposes those fears as unfounded. It was her second performance, on the Almost Acoustic stage though where she truly shone.

Without a backing band an artist’s vulnerabilities are exposed to the crowd, and Millie proved to be very at home as a solo performer. With people having to watch from the main corridor a room full of punks fell in love with her voice, and as the last notes fell from her ukulele the entire room stood

up to applaud.

Turbulent Hearts The Mic Drop Queen

Turbulent Hearts

With the punk attitude of Suzi Quattro and Joan Jett combined Suzi Moon rocks a stage like a true rock goddess. It’s a great show throughout, but it’s on the final song, I Wanna Be Your Dog by Iggy Pop, a Rebellion regular, that Suzi nails the show. It’s a sexy sleazed up version that sees Suzi take to the crowd to sing, before she drops the mic and simply walks out of the room via the back doors, leaving the band to finish the song on their own and the crowd asking themselves what has just happened.

Pure and utter genius.

Dirt Box Disco The Crowd Surfing Kings

It’s always great to see bands grow into something bigger. Usually it’s a gradual change, but with Dirt Box Disco they’ve gone from a lower bill novelty to a monster in just a couple of years. Still great fun, and with a fan base eager to please, they put the security on the barrier to the ultimate test with, at the last count, 200 crowd surfers breaching the barrier during their relatively short 40 minute set.

They have everything going for them, an energetic crowd, audience participation, inflatable swimming aids, a full room of eager fans. A truly memorable show.

Vertigo Violet

Gary’s Five Of The Best.....

Choking Susan Punk Force Barbie Means Fun! It’s astonishing to think that acts such as Choking Susan that are legendary within the punk family haven’t garnered more attention from the general music media. With Colleen Caffeine at the helm this is a band that have an eye popping dynamic and have the music to back it up.

There’s an almost childlike quality about Caffeine’s raw enthusiasm and presence on stage. Her outfits always erring towards cute are in stark contrast to the rest of the band.

It works beautifully. For people who think punk rock is all about anger and being political Choking Susan are an eye opener. On the massive Empress Ballroom stage they prove to be an addictively fun band with a true punk force Barbie leading the way.

Miliie Manders

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 21

The Best Of The Rest:

By Gary Trueman & Mark Bestford Thursday It’s hangover Thursday for many as they settled into the Rebellion standard operating procedure of hitting Tache rock bar in the early hours. Some are still arriving as the doors open making gearing up an easy paced thing to do. If anything Thursday is the longest day of the Festival though starting 11:30 in the morning with the now traditional bingo with Max. Highlights of the day include Drongos for Europe in the cavernous Club Casbah, Hospital Food, who rock out on the Pavilion Stage, and the opening night headliner The Buzzcocks who close the Empress Ballroom at 1am. For the more adventurous punks willing to brave the early hours of the morning there’s still 2 more bands to go, with Sons of Clogger and Lagwagon. Elsewhere The Soap Girls once again played to a vast crowd, their music standing loud and proud while Millie took the time to dismantle a heckler with great style. Later on they proved their worth in the confines of the acoustic stage, as do Desensitised. Vulpynes and Weekend Recovery shone brightly over at introducing, while Call Me Malcom and Bandits brought a bit of ska to the smallest but still perfectly formed stage.

Hangover Status: Groggy and fuzzy

Friday Friday is invasion of the Brazilians, with six bands playing across multiple stages. It’s quite an eye opener to discover that Brazilians love all types of punk music. No, to say they love punk is to understate it, they have a burning passion for it fuelled by the politics of Brazil, that taps into the heart of the British punk movements of the 70s and 80s. Subalternos, Sindicato Oi, Dedo Podre, Agrotoxico, Supla, they all bring this passion to their shows, and the Brazilian fans bring it to the dance floor. It’s during Sindicato Oi’s set that the weekend is nearly brought to an early end as a flailing dervish from the dance floor results in a rather sore jaw for the remainder of the day. Nothing’s broken though so it’s business as usual for the rest of the weekend. Sem Futuro are the highlight of the Brazilian invasion. Viki Vortex And The Cumshots turn up the heat on the Casbah stage, so much so they have to open the doors to cool things down even before the afternoon sun gets hold.

22 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Alongside the boys from Brazil were the equally mental The Babes, Devolution faves Healthy Junkies, and the legendary Anti Nowhere League who are the first band of many to completely fill the Empress Ballroom. Vertigo Violet smash it on introducing giving the festival serious food for thought about bringing them back next year.

Hangover Status: Pass the paracetamols

Saturday There’s a running theme right from the start on Saturday as The Murderburgers fill the Introducing stage to capacity. Soon afterwards their drummer Alex fills in for Pizzatramp and given just one night to learn the songs does a hell of a job. The band blow everyone away with their post hard core make it up as you go along vibe. For old school punks today is the day with 999, Cockney Rejects, Ruts DC, and Peter & The Test Tube Babies all playing. The most popular band of the day though has to be U.K. Subs, who put on a great show. They’re so popular in fact that they have to turn people away and close the doors to the Empress Ballroom. It’s not all old school though with Antisect putting on a blistering performance in the Pavilion. The new kids on the block are well represented by the fabulous IDestroy and Migrana Social whose bass player has to win the award for most astonishing hair do at the event. Diablo furs bring some rock n roll mixed with new wave and a whole other bag of tricks to introducing. They are another act that must be on the organiser’s radar for a swift return. Veterans Vice Squad show they still have plenty to offer with Beki Bondage now the subject of an investigation as to whether she owns a time machine. How can anyone stay looking that fresh for this long? Amazing.

Hangover Status: Hair of the dog

Sunday It’s the last day and everyone is scurrying around picking up last minute purchases from the many vendors at Rebellion. J’aime Rachelle plays her heart out on the acoustic stage. A specialist in the unplugged her set is a class apart. The Baby Seals put on a really fun show with their songs about women, not for the squeamish men in the audience. Informal Society from LA put on a highly energetic show and even have Suzi Carmichael guest on the last couple of tracks. Glittertrash pretty much do what they say on the tin. It’s full on US punk who with a front woman in Jenna Talia are always going to be show stoppers. Hands Off Gretel have newly bedded in bass ace Becky Baldwin on show and take no prisoners on the Casbah stage. While the older songs are always going to be crowd pleasers the new material stacks up well in a live environment. The new album should be a killer if this show is anything to go by. Slaughter & The Dogs get a highly energetic crowd going to a great set. The most colourful band of the weekend though has to be The Adicts who bring their circus to the Club Casbah stage to close the night.

Michael Monroe rocks the socks off everyone at the sumptuous Opera House while something is stirring in the Empress ballroom. Yep, John Lydon is up to his old tricks again. The former Sex Pistol can’t help but wind up the audience with a little political speech. It sees many leave in dismay but those that stay watch a PIL show that is solid rather than barnstorming. Those that can party on well into Monday.

Hangover Status: Dead!

Rebellion is a huge festival. It runs for four full days on seven stages and hosts around 350 acts. Its run by a small team with no corporate sponsorship and because it is independent it can book who it wants, can blood as many new acts as it wants and can truly support the scene. Darren Russell-Smith and Jennie Russell-Smith started Rebellion festival and have built it into something quite magnificent. They’ve given punks a spiritual home where everyone feels like they belong. Cheers guys. See you in 2019.

Next Event; 01st - 04th August 2019 rebellionfestivals.com facebook.com/RebellionPunkMuskFestival rebellionfestivals.com/tickets

All Images C/O Gary Trueman facebook.com/gtruemanBYHO

Migrana Social

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 23

The Rebellion Tapes If there’s one thing that Brazilians love its punk music, and Roberto and Paulo from Dedo Podre are no exception. It’s not all punk though as they show their love for Pink Floyd and Queen while playing Do You Feel Lucky Punk at Rebellion

Dedo Podre Do you have an album released?

Paulo: “We’ve released our second album, its name was Sem Mais Desculpas, No More Apologise. We released a few weeks before Rebellion, the tour is based on this album.”

With Spotify and iTunes, concept albums are losing popularity. Are concept albums now dead?

Roberto: “Our lyrics talk about the daily of the Brazilian workers, that’s the point. We try to send to our fans our trust in the life.

Always trust in life. That’s what our lyrics talk about.”

Apocalypse playlist. It’s the end of the world and you’re driving through the scorched Earth. What’s the first song you put on your driving playlist?

R: “Pink Floyd. We love Pink Floyd. Not every band, but we both love Pink Floyd. The last song it will be comfortably numb.”

P: “I like death metal too. Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Napalm Death. It’s okay for the end of the world.”

R: “No, my song it will be Comfortably Numb.”

We’ve lost so many people recently, if you could bring one person back to life, who would it be?

P: “Jimi Hendrix. In my opinion, Jimi Hendrix.

I like him very much. A great guitar player, I like the lyrics, I like the way he stands on the stage and the contact he has with his fans. I learned a lot from Jimi Hendrix. If I could bring back one person, I’d bring back Jimi Hendrix.”

R: “One person? It needs to be a famous?”

It doesn’t need to be a famous person.

R: “Okay, Freddie Mercury. He’s a great singer, an amazing singer. He was a courageous guy. He was awesome, really awesome. Freddie Mercury, that’s my choice.”

If you could be God for a day, the full Bruce Almighty, what would you do?

R: “Oh my God. I try to put in each mind to trust in yourself. Believe more in yourself, because the man is the size of your dream.

That’s correct, the man is the size of your 24 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

dream. And when you trust in your dream you can, you really can. It’s probably us here, playing Rebellion.”

A long way from Brazil R: “Yeah, that’s right. This is my wish.”

P: “I think the same, we have a lot of problems in our days and in our lives, but I think the life that we live, our families and our friends, is bigger than everything that is happening. And sometimes we think that we don’t have enough strength to push and keep going ahead, but wow, if people start trusting in yourself then they will see that they are bigger than their problems and other stuff that has happened.”

What’s the best one you’ve done on him?

P: “He’s not so tall, he’s a little fat.”

R: “He’s like a penguin.”

P: “He walks like a duck. He’s very funny.”

R: “But he doesn’t mind about these jokes you know, he’s good.”

P: “He’s a good person.”

Do you have a main songwriter, or is it the whole band?

P: “Well Otavio makes all of the lyrics, but Roberto, me, and Gusto the bass player we have some lyrics. In general Otavio makes the most part of the lyrics, and I make all the music. The rhythms of guitar and then sometimes I make some stuff for the bass player. It’s mixed.”

R: “For example, the lyrics of song Dinheiro É o Senhor is Paulo’s lyric, I have two, Riscos and A Culpa É Sua, that’s my lyrics. It’s not that we have a main composer, but everybody write, everybody composed the songs, the lyrics, but the main composer is Otavio.”

P: “On the second album we have different people writing. On the first album almost all of the lyrics was Otavio made. But now albums, sometimes we start a lyric and Roberto ‘change this, change that’. All of them write and help each other write lyrics.”

There’s a big thing now with bigger bands complaining that Spotify isn’t paying them what they want to be paid. Is music now undervalued?

P: “I think Spotify was great stuff to deliver your music. We are from Brazil and we delivered our album first on Spotify because we went to Rebellion and we thought wow, people there want to listen to what we are doing.

And they have to wait for us to go there and bring the physical CD, it’s very difficult. So let’s put our music on Spotify, it’s a great tool for delivering our music. But sometimes it’s difficult because to receive money from Spotify you have to have a lot of fans listening all day several times your music. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I consider its good stuff, a good tool to deliver.”

The Rebellion Tapes Maeve and Kaz from the Irish Punk band Vulpynes took time out at Rebellion Festival to discuss touring, who is the greatest punk band, their fans love of physical CDs. Oh and Kaz really wants puppies and kittens for the band’s rider.

Vulpynes On tour who would be your ideal support band?

Kaz: “Ideal support band?

Maeve: “Could we be really cheeky and pick a support band that are way above us, so we can get to know them?”

You can...

K: “We want to be the support band for them” M: “We don’t want to insult The Distillers by asking them to support us but it would be pretty cool.”

K: “Alice in Chains?”

M: “Imagine them supporting us, that would be ridiculous. Why not.”

Another tour question, how do you relax on tour?

M: “I’m a nerd when I’m gigging so, I don’t ever drink before I play, we’re drinking camomile tea.”

K: “We’re the biggest nerds ever. So it’s camomile tea, we’ll have a little eye mask” M: “Spirulina, 25 gallons of water, for each gig.”

K: “That’s only for preparation, and then after we do the gig.”

M: “After the gig it’s like ‘wow’, that is if we don’t have a gig the next day. If we have a gig the next day then it’s back to the spirulina and camomile tea.”

K: “If you’ve got work to do, do your job, be professional, and get pissed in your own time.”

What’s the most ridiculous thing that you would like on your band rider?

K: “Puppies and kittens.”

M: “I’d like some local honey and some spoons, for the honey not for like heroin.”

The last 3 times I’ve asked this question I’ve had puppies as a request.

K: “Well now I’m going to be difficult and ask for an elephant” M: “I’m going to stick with honey, honey and like some silver spoons.”

Who in your personal opinion would be the greatest punk band ever?

M: “Siouxsie and the Banshees.”

K: “I’d say the Sex Pistols or Clash.”

M: “Or Black Flag.”

K: “U.K. Subs.”

M: “See the list is getting bigger here, you can’t just pick one. Siouxsie, Siouxsie for me.”

If you could create your dream super group, living or dead, who would be in it?

K: “Layne Staley, but then we need to have Jerry Cantrell as we need the harmonies, let’s face it.”

M: “Let’s just make Alice In Chains. Patti Smith, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse.”

Everyone has their favourite bands but who would be your favourite musicians. Such as favourite guitarist, drummers, vocalists?

K: “I’m a Slipknot fan, early Slipknot, like the first 2 albums. So I’d say Joey Jordison, drummer for me, because he’s great. I love a load of drummers, but I think he’s just amazing. He keeps the beat and he’s creative as well, which I think is kind of a difficult combination” M: “My favourite vocalist, Brody Dalle or Patti Smith. Or Siouxsie. And guitar playing, there’s so many. Jerry Cantrell, or Dexter and Noodles from the Offspring, I love that band.”

Of all the other bands that are out there, who would you say you sound the most alike?

M “We get L7 comparisons a lot, which is a compliment because there’s 4 of them and only 2 of us, so yeah, we get Babes In Toyland references sometimes too.”

K: “Sometimes Hole or Garbage too, a little bit. Mostly Hole and L7. And Babes In Toyland.”

M: ”90s era, female fronted bands.”

of just have it up there so it’s more accessible. Definitely since Spotify and other streaming services are available I find myself being lazy with music, I stream it from Spotify, I don’t go ‘where can I buy it?’ I’ve tried to change my habits. I think there’s a lot to be said for physical CDs. We were really surprised that people wanted to get a physical CD of ours because we already had the tracks online bar one. And then we released the CD and it gave it a new lease of life. People were more excited about it. More excited about having an actual physical, tangible thing rather than just going on Spotify. So I’m trying to buy more CDs now, because you do value it more.”

Vinyl is now more popular than streaming.

M: “You put a lot of heart into what you’re going to spend your money on and you’re more likely to listen to a full album if it’s on records, you’re not going to skip through it. Spotify is too tempting to skip through. I think it will come full circle, I think people will get sick of just streaming and they’ll want the actual product.”

K: “Apparently like cassette tapes are coming back.”

M: “But cassette tapes sound like shite.

It’s still something physical I suppose.”

“Yeah, true.”

With today’s Spotify generation, and the fact that a lot of bands don’t seem to make a lot of money from Spotify, do you feel with today’s on-demand music that music has become undervalued?

M: “Big time. I mean we’re on Spotify, but to be honest we don’t really promote our Spotify links and we kind

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 25

The Rebellion Tapes Millie Manders played ‘Do You Feel Lucky Punk’ at Rebellion and declared her undying love for Vans clothing, how women are making themselves heard in the punk scene, and how the music industry has changed to allow unsigned bands to make a name for themselves without record labels. massive potential to create a scene for themselves but in order to do that, the crux of that is understanding the music industry itself. In the golden era you had record labels that would do everything for you, they would do the PR and the business and the marketing and it was a 360 thing. Now as a DIY musician you need to understand how to use social media and how to promote yourself, how to book tours. What it is to brand yourself, and extend that brand. So, I don’t think it’s made it more difficult, I think that people need to understand how it’s changed and learn to cope with that, because actually record deals were always few and far between. If you’re good and you understand the business you are able to do something with it.”

Millie Manders It’s the end of the world and you’re driving the Mad Max car, what the first song on your playlist?

“Banger by Risky and the Ridicule. Go out in a party innit? Because it’s a kick ass track, Risky and the Ridicule are a kick ass band and it’s about having a party so if y6ou’re going to go ‘you know it’s the end of the world. You know you’re in Mad Max’s car.

You know that your last track has got to be a banger, right? It’s got to be amazing.

Banger.”

Who do you think you sound most like?

“I’m not sure that I sound like anyone specifically. I can give you my vocal influences. So, Gwen Stefani, Skin from Skunk Anansie, Delores from the Cranberries, Aretha Franklin. Basically, really strong women, female vocals with a lot of grit. Those are the people I’ve always aspired to and continue to aspire to.

With a lot of bands now all they’ve known of the industry is Spotify and iTunes, but do you feel that it has undervalued music in any way?

“No, I just think that the music industry has changed. I think now, more than ever, people that are unsigned have a 26 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

If you could be endorsed by anyone…

“Vans! Vans, oh my god, because I love Vans. Because they’re comfy, and squishy, and they’re like wearing new socks every day, and they have rad clothing, and I love Vans. But also, if it was musical instruments, Kala for ukuleles, and Aquila Strings obviously because they’re the best Nylguts.

Sennheiser, oh my god if we could be endorsed by Sennheiser it would be like a fucking dream, sorry, I’m sweary.

But like in-ear monitoring that would be incredible. I mean the world’s your oyster, if you were allowed to have any endorsement, first and foremost, kit me out Vans, I love you. You’re my favourite.

Oh, one more, Blackstar, because Blackstar amps are awesome and they’re really gritty, and I really want to start playing with more distortion with my ukulele, so I’m excited about Blackstar.”

If you could bring any one person back to life who would it be?

“Oh my god, nobody. Why the fuck would you want to come back? Like genuinely, do you know what I mean? There’s a lot of good to have in this life, and I fully believe that, but equally to bring somebody back I would find selfish because life is hard no matter how much pleasure you get out of it. No matter how well you use the time you have on this planet, no matter what you’re doing,

this life is hard, and I would find myself incredibly selfish to bring somebody back for me when they could be getting a seriously good rest.”

This one’s about gender equality in music.

“Cool, I did my dissertation on this for my degree.”

One thing I’ve noticed with a lot of rock and metal bands it’s very skewed towards male artists. Punk on the other hand, there are an awful lot of female led punk bands.

What is it about punk that attracts female bands?

“I don’t think there’s a huge amount of female led bands, I think what it is there’s been an uprising of female led bands where females are backing the idea of taking control of that and being able to a harder genre. If you actually look at the percentage there is way more male bands in the punk industry and in harder music in general because we’ve gone through 5000 years of patriarchy where women have been taught that they should be soft and delicate, and seen and not heard, being the quiet mouse of the household and just quietly cleaning behind them. And that’s not to say that that’s the general attitude these days but when you are looking at 5000 years of that kind of conditioning it’s hard to break those barriers, so it’s not that there’s a huge amount of female acts, there’s actually not that many, there’s an uprising of it. Women are finally taking back that control and going you know what, I can be ballsy, I can be gritty, and I can fucking do this, and it doesn’t matter.

It’s still hard for women in the industry, it’s still really hard. Especially actually as a woman fronting - me I find quite difficult even. But it’s really empowering to see so many women coming up in this industry, and so many women going for it and going I can play a fucking guitar, I can play a bass, I can scream in a microphone, and I’m going to do it just as good as you. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t make a difference. So that’s really awesome to see.”

The Rebellion Tapes Colleen from Choking Susan breaks the record for the most questions answered in 10 minutes.

We discuss song writing, selling sex and violence as merchandise, the Ramones, and the importance of just getting out there and having fun. or no deal?

“No deal. I’ve already been offered a record deal to change myself and I said no. Because I don’t really care. It’s all about fun.”

What is your song writing process?

“Usually I’m a runner, so when I run I don’t listen to any music or anything. So I check out and I go into my mind and songs come to me, so when I get home from running I write them all down.

Usually words with a little bit of a minor melody and then I give it to the band and then we figure it all out.”

Who is your favourite singer?

“My favourite singer is…I always say something about the Ramones, but I think I’m going to say Whitney Houston.”

Choking Susan Living or dead, who would you have in your dream band line-up?

“I’ll take Jim Morrison to be the sex person who just walks around slithering. Then the rest of the band will be the Ramones. So I’m going to play with the Ramones and Jim Morrison will just be sliding around the stage with me. Perfect” If you could have anything as merch what would you sell?

“Sex. And violence. Anything is merch when you sell. Well it would have to be beer, seriously. It would have to be Choking Susan official beer.”

In the song writing process is it a single person who does the majority of it or is it a collaboration with the rest of the band?

“It’s a collaboration, however I do only the words. I won’t let anybody put words in my mouth, and I do part of the music too. So it’s basically a collaboration.”

If a record company offered you the ultimate record deal, but you had to change your look or your sound, deal

She did have one hell of a set of pipes on her “You know she did. If I could sing like that, I can’t carry a tune even though I’m a singer in a band, so I always admire somebody that really, really can. That would be Whitney Houston.”

We’re now in the Spotify generation and a lot of bands complain that they don’t get enough money back from their music, is music undervalued today?

“It is undervalued, however I’m being more of a music fan than an artist, I’m in a few bands but I would rather have music available to me for free, because I play music all day, all night, it’s just always there, so I personally would rather have music available, but it’s not my job, it’s my hobby, so you’re going to get a different opinion from me than you do from other people,” If you could be asked to support any band, who would you want to be headlining?

“Live or dead? Or living and...”

I’ll let you choose “I’ll choose one that’s active right now.

Any band. The band X, Do you know the band X? They’re from LA. Because a lot

of people don’t know them around here which I’m surprised by but I absolutely love them, I do. Every song, even the bad ones, and I know all the words to every single song and I would love to go on tour with them so I could hear my favourite songs all the time.”

If you were able to give any message to your fans what would it be?

“Message to my fans? Go see more live music because you can get rid of your troubles by being in a concert situation, a bar situation. It’s a great escape, you get to act like a little kid. Just go out and see music, have a good time. Let loose, who cares about what you look like, what you sound like. Just have a good time.”

Do you have any future goals or concepts?

“Yes, I plan on trying to stay alive for a very long time.”

If you have a latest EP or album, or one that’s due to come out, describe it.

“We were in London last year and we had it recorded, we didn’t know it was being recorded. So we just put that out, it’s called Live In London And Dead In Detroit because we did a couple of songs in a studio in Detroit too, really raw, so yeah, that’s our latest one that’s out right now. It’s really cool, the cover I think. It’s a scene, hot and sticky. A British scene on top and then a destruction of Detroit scene on the bottom. Pretty cool I think.”

If you could be endorsed by anyone, who would it be and why?

“Gosh, this is the easiest question in the world. It would be Jack Daniels, because I’d have free whiskey.”

What’s your favourite episode of the Twilight Zone?

“Hmmmm. Oh yeah, there’s the one where the person takes a whole bunch of old people and they steal the young people’s bodies. That’s a good one.”

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 27

iews cd rev FEVER 333

STRENGTH IN NUMB333RS (ROADRUNNER UK)

‘Strength In Numb333rs’ is the highly anticipated album from Grammy nominated Fever 333 who on January 18th will release a record that is already hands down, the strongest contender for album of the year – and this is in fact only their debut! This ten track record is sheer intelligence, soaked in importance and relevance and Fever 333 could well be the musical remedy to those who have been looking for some sort of semblance and community acceptance within a world that is somewhat divided.

This powerful and exciting offering is impressive beyond measure with enigmatic frontman Jason Aalon Butler (ex-LetLive) exercising a vast and remarkable range of vocal styles lending his talent and unbridled passion to each track for which powerhouse guitarist Stephen Harrison (ex-Chariot) provides a monstrous musical backdrop to.

It’s a tale of unity and fighting the good fight by way of accepting change and letting everything crumble but then rebuilding to create a stronger more stable environment and life for the people. This could be seen as physically or metaphorically but one thing is for sure – these guys aren’t fucking around and to squash any rumblings – they are most certainly not a Rage Against The Machine 2019 – far from it.

This offering is a unique and confident vast vortex of genres compiled of sounds that are highly politically charged, frantic, and melodic at times, aggressive, yet soothing with warmth and depth, and laced with bluesy, rap overtones that means this record is entirely accessible and a true champion in melding the very best of what the band have to offer.

A veritable musical feast allows for the guys to get their message of ‘Community, Charity and Change’ across as one massive broadcast spanning all stations and appealing to all ears that listen and that is one of the reasons why this album is so mind blowing.

Strength In Numb333rs’ isn’t afraid to push heavy against the norm and the expected or the cliché and elevates the listener to a musical freedom upon every listen and that shit is rare but so very welcomed.

The infectious lead single ‘Burn It’ emphasises the rebuild and unity message, the bigger picture and the beacon of hope for the next generation – it’s a solid striking tune that will lead these pioneers into the direct success they deserve and with this genius record I have no doubt that Fever 333 will become a very important band. (Nickie Hobbs)

28 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

PAPA ROACH

WHO DO YOU TRUST?

WITHIN TEMPTATION RESIST

(ELEVEN SEVEN MUSIC)

(SPINEFARM RECORDS)

Jacoby Shaddix isn’t in your head. He’s in your soul. Stirring it.

Rousing It. Forcing a reaction. Soothing.

Accepting. We’re dealing with real life in all its dirty, gruesome glory here. ‘Who Do You Trust?’ is urgency. It’s purging. It’s an absolutely massive record. It’s everything you want Papa Roach’s tenth studio album to be. ‘Renegade Music’ and the title track itself are firelighters. ‘I Suffer Well’ a one minute plus punk screamer. Shaddix’s touching patience in mainstream-friendly ‘Come Around’ is both heart-warming and breaking. Brutally honest ‘Not The Only One’ jaunts along happily before baring the teeth of a monster hard rock banger. This track is beyond emotive. It’s life-saving. ‘Elevate’ is classic Papa Roach modernised with ace production and heavy, sassy beats. The soaring tune is film soundtrack/advertising campaign ready. The lyrics shift lacerating to lifting. This band is relevant in the big wide world as well as necessary to those trying to seek solace from it. For all its raw power and anger, ‘Who Do You Trust?’ is measured and mature. It’s not kicking out against whatever you’ve got. It’s supporting those with demons, past, present and future. It’s encouraging dialogue. Almost two decades since the release of ‘Last Resort’ Papa Roach still resonate. If ‘Who Do You Trust?’ is what they continue to be capable of, they’re just gonna keep coming back.

And back. And back. Faith in these boys has never been, nor will it ever be, misplaced.

(Jo Wright)

Symphonic metal has long been in need of a bit of an injection of something fresh. It’s staleness of late has been caused in part by its success, spawning a myriad number of new acts that often seem to blur into one another.

Within Temptation have stepped up to the plate here and in a way not many would have seen coming. What they’ve done is had a look at pop music and taken some of its pzazz but then given it a dark overcoat.

The result is that Resist sounds like it’s battle ready and fit to lead from the front.

Musically the arrangements are welcoming and the production has that crispness you usually get on albums built exclusively for radio play. It’s a record where the focus is quite rightly on the breath taking vox of Sharon Den Adel but the substance of the instruments isn’t overlooked. Within Temptation have always flirted with becoming one of those elite superbands that gain favour outside of their own sphere of speciality. Resist could change all that. This could be their Fallen moment, certainly it’s by far the best album they’ve put out to date. (Gary Trueman)

ALVIN GIBBS & THE DISOBEDIENT SERVANTS YOUR DISOBEDIENT SERVANT (TIME & MATTER)

For a musician who has spent much of his 40 year career as a musician for hire it’s taken a long time to finally put his name to a solo album. More unusual when you consider the writing credentials he has for other bands. Your Disobedient Servant, while being a collection of new songs, looks back on the past 40 years as well as the influences that developed Alvin’s career.

There are plenty of nods to the punk greats among the songs, including the U.K. Subs, as well as more esoteric tracks like Desperate Dave Is Dead, which looks back at the life and death of one of Alvin’s unsung heroes and which has more than a passing nod to Mott The Hoople. The rest of the album follows this biographical theme, mixed with more traditional punk sounding tracks.

Don’t expect any Blink-182 or Green Day here, this is strictly first gen British punk at its finest. (Mark Bestford)

CORRODED BITTER

(DESPOTZ RECORDS)

Stalwarts of the Swedish metal scene and highly rated for very good reason, Corroded want ‘Bitter’ to power through like a punch to the chest. Mission Accomplished. ‘Bitter’ is good, solid, accessible metal. Which is just as well really. Because if you’re not on board Corroded are not in the mood to negotiate. The band’s fifth studio album is a barrage of one word-titled tracks that fire at you with the force and rhythm of a machine gun. ‘Cyanide’, ‘Testament’ and ‘Scream’; cases in point. Hard-hitting headbanging beauty ‘Breathing’ pits ethereal keys against driving drums and heavenly/ hellish heavy guitars. Pounding ‘Cross’ falls willing victim to a ferocious pace and Jens Westin’s sublime vocals. ‘Burn’ is fuelled by a scratchy, antagonistic riff, broken up by lullaby keys and guitars which wind once more into an aural assault more awakening than caffeine. Corroded are taking on the world. And if ‘Bitter’ is anything to go by, they may just win. (Jo Wright)

NEW RELEASES WE ARE EXCITED FOR: FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES – END OF SUFFERING DEVIN TOWNSEND – EMPATH MEGADETH – WARHEADS ON FOREHEADS BACKYARD BABIES – SILVER & GOLD

HANDS OFF GRETEL

I WANT THE WORLD (PUKE POP RECORDS)

With the line “Finally I see my own selfworth” Lauren Tate is not only showing a very positive and personal part of herself she is also offering hope to others. This then is the very real and raw side to what makes Hands Off Gretel such a phenomena.

They communicate feelings to others that don’t think anyone else can feel the way they do. The anxious, the doubters, the bullied and the self-haters have found a band and a person that shows them they are not alone. There are of course others that write and sing about these things but here the song writing draws you in because so much of it isn’t dark. I Want The World kicks off with two such absolute bangers in Kiss Me Girl and S.A.S.S that you are left wondering if they’ve hit you with their best tunes first.

This though is a record with no weak links, it’s just an ebb and flow of emotion laden brilliance. It’s a team effort too with Sean McAvinue’s guitar flowing wonderfully well over the formidable rhythm section of Sam Hobbins (drums) and Becky Baldwin (bass). The penmanship and arrangements are right up there with Smashing Pumpkins and Queens Of The Stone Age at their very best which means this could be another Nevermind moment in music history. Hands Off Gretel want the world and on this form it’s theirs for the taking. (Gary Trueman)

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH

WHEN THE WORLD BECOMES UNDONE (LONG BRANCH RECORDS)

FLOTSAM & JETSAM

The universe is imploding and there is absolute chaos and sheer uncertainly the globe over. Welcome in the soundtrack to the apocalypse… When The World Becomes Undone. This record created by doom titans APHND is utterly miserable, incredibly emotive and melancholy drenched. The interludes are misery, despair and desperation yet somehow there is an edge of hope that tails off at the end of each section. Every chord is struck so perfectly and executed with absolute precision that it puts you on edge as if you’re waiting for a dramatic falter in the sound and that never ever comes so it only heightens your experience as a listener of every single track. It’s cinematic and grandeur and quite frankly it’s another level. The whole record is a life and death experience. The first single ‘Love The Ones You Hate’ with its catchy as hell chorus leads you into a false sense of security as the rest of the album provides a doom soundscape to hell. Whilst tracks ‘Splinters’ and ‘Vultures’ with their heavy signature sound envelope you like an old friend. The Type O Negative, Sabbath and even some Floyd influences are completely evident but APHND have defined their own sound… hell they may have even defined their own genre and it’s a thing of utter beauty! This record does not disappoint and the wait was justified – you can’t rush perfection and this offering is just so absolutely perfect. (Nickie Hobbs)

(AFM RECORDS)

BUCKCHERRY

THE END OF CHAOS

Flotsam & Jetsam is an anomaly. You’d be forgiven if you were expecting a new take on pirate metal, being named after the floating debris of shipwrecks found at sea, but you would be very wrong.

They’re not new, and they’re certainly not pirates. Their pedigree is as old as thrash itself, growing out of the American thrash metal movement of the 80s. It’s not the refined thrash that we’ve come to know from Metallica though, it’s the balls out thrash of Anthrax and Megadeth. Those 30 plus years have honed their music to a very fine point, borrowing from across the metal spectrum. It’s as if someone formed a supergroup consisting of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Machine Head. Epic drum rolls, duelling guitar solos, and vocal gymnastics worthy of Bruce Dickinson from Eric “AK” Knutson. It’s a relentless twelve track onslaught of the senses that literally grabs you by the throat and shakes you before throwing you through the nearest wall.

(Mark Bestford)

WARPAINT

(CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS)

For over 20 years Buckcherry have flown the flag with tremendous flair and style as advocates for dirty, passionate and raw rock and roll. The band have cemented themselves as party pioneers and this all goes hand in hand with sex love and drugs that has been the staple and successful diet of their musical career. ‘Warpaint’ is studio album number eight and it’s an absolute corker. This record is Buckcherry at their finest allowing these catchy and infectious tracks to be so accessible and fun that they scream for radio play. With an upbeat and sexy version of Nine Inch Nails ‘Head Like A Hole’ cover thrown in for good measure this album is a plethora of ear candy that Josh Todd and Co can be extremely proud of. Having witnessed some of these tracks live too it goes to show that if you have a winning formula that isn’t broken then there really is no need to fix it.

(Nickie Hobbs)

BETH BLADE AND THE BEAUTIFUL DISASTERS SHOW ME YOUR TEETH (SELF RELEASED)

Glitz. Guts. Guitars. Glory. Beth Blade’s white hot vox is unleashed to lead the way through twelve soul-baring, hard rock tracks, fuelled with real life lyrics and a world-wise musical maturity. Kick ass opener ‘Secrets’ is ripped apart by razor sharp vocals. Guitars wail like sirens and the bass line rattles through your skull. The title track bursts with an easy groove and open lyrics. ‘Give It All You’ve Got’ is a life affirming punch of positivity, driven

by Beth hitting high notes that hammer the message home. Every song is awesome.

Most are more than three minutes, all are over too soon. But it’s the vocals, guys. Seriously. Beth’s up there with Lzzy. Mmm hmm, that’s right. Lzzy Hale. ‘Show Me Your Teeth’ closes with ‘Jack And Coke’, because no great album finishes on anything but a fierce rock n’ roll ode to going properly out out. ‘Show Me Your Teeth’ aims straight for the jugular.

It’s a direct hit. (Gary Trueman)

LOUISE DISTRAS STREET REVOLUTION EP (STREET REVOLUTION RECORDS)

Incendiary. Heart scarring. Soul searching.

Stirring, rousing, fist raising. This is a storming record. It’s obvious from the first stomping second of the title/lead track, with its last lingering line ‘no one saves us, only ourselves’. Louise’s voice, flanked by acoustic guitars and pop/punk/folk firepower is vital today. ‘Poor Man’ is her take on an almost 90-year-old song. Raising the question, how have humans not sorted themselves out by now? Same sentiment again as Louise bellows the simple common needs and desires of you, me and the person you just saw out the window in ‘Solidarity’.

Everyday people who rouse up and fought fascism are remembered in super catchy, super respectful ‘New World In Our Heart’.

An acapella start through to an untamed roar of reverence. Louise Distras has put her heart and soul into this EP – and it will get into yours too. (Gary Trueman)

WOULD YOU LIKE US TO REVIEW YOUR ALBUM? AS WELL AS PRINT A SELECTION OF REVIEWS EACH ISSUE WE ALSO UPLOAD THEM TO THE WEBSITE OVER AT DEVOLUTIONMAGAZINE.CO.UK - EMAIL YOUR ALBUM ALONG WITH A SHORT BIO INFO@DEVOLUTIONMAGAZINE.CO.UK

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 29

AMARANTHE

Amaranthe have always been ones to defy a traditional set up in favour of something more expansive. The use of three vocalists each with a totally different style has given them an edge that few can match in terms of versatility. You still need strong writing though, and an ability to understand how to use that uniqueness. Gary Trueman chatted to Elise Ryd about new album ‘Helix’, on stage presentation and tour plans for 2019.

You wrote your new album Helix in a couple of months. Was there any particular reason for that time span and did any band members have material they’d already been working on to bring to the table?

“We are a very active and hard touring band, and have basically been that since the launch of the first album. At this point we are very used to a relatively short but intense writing period. It’s become a formula for us to write an album between two and six months. Something that works very well in our case.”

With three distinctive vocalists are you conscious of the need to write material where each singer will play a part?

“Definitely. It’s all a matter of finding the right spots and melodies for each singer.

And to use each individual strengths to enhance the song.”

If you had a song that would suit just one vocal would you be happy to work that in to an album?

“Sure. We did that on the last album for example.”

You’ve once again pushed the envelope on Helix mostly with your use of synth and in places an almost rap tempo to some of the vocals. Is it important to you to keep your music fresh and to pursue new avenues where music crosses over?

“Pushing the envelope and breaking new ground has always been at the forefront of Amaranthe’s mind-set. We always try to keep new ways to expand the Amaranthe sound.

The rap growls on HELIX is one example.”

Nils has been in the band the shortest amount of time joining well in to 2017.

What has he brought to Amaranthe that you didn’t have before?

“Besides his great voice, he has brought new energy and a fresh sense of conviction to the band.”

30 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Will you be heading back for more UK dates in 2019? And will you be looking to play some festivals next summer too?

“Yes, and yes. There will be festivals in the UK for the summer and more dates possibly already in 2019.”

Touring can be pretty monotonous.

Do you have a band joker to keep you amused and what kind of stunts do they pull?

“Touring can be exhausting and monotonous for sure. Luckily there’s an extensive array of characters in this band to make travels and long waits entertaining.”

Elize, you’re also a part of Raskasta Joulua which is a seasonal project in Finland. Is there any chance that it would expand to tour other countries if you had the time to make it happen?

“That is a wish that the whole Raskasta Joulua organization will try to realise one day. There are actually talks at the moment of how the proceed with these plans.”

Do you find it hard to balance stage outfits that are practical but also look great? Presumably you have to be able to move freely and wear shoes or boots that won’t kill your feet on a tour?

“It’s a balance. Finding something that I feel like wearing and that visualizes the music while at the same time being able to move freely on stage.”

And with make-up do you wear something different on stage that can deal with the heat but might not last much longer than a show as opposed to everyday make up that needs to be more durable?

“I don’t wear a lot of makeup. I have false lashes so I don’t need mascara.”

What do you miss most when you’re away from home on tour?

“Sleeping in a normal bed and not feeling the pressure of being in perfect shape to perform every day.”

If you could choose for Amaranthe to have any guest perform with them for one night only, anyone alive or dead, who would you choose and why?

“Short answer: Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury.”

What does 2019 already have in store for you guys?

“Touring and touring! We’ll hit almost all corners of the world on this tour.

Starting with a support tour for Powerwolf in Europe that spans from October to the end of January, crossing over to a headline tour culminating at the end of February with our first ever arena headline shows in Finland.” amaranthe.se facebook.com/AmarantheBand Interview By Gary Trueman Photo: Linnea Frank

“ Pushing the envelope and breaking new ground has always been at the forefront of Amaranthe’s mind-set. We always try to keep new ways to expand the Amaranthe sound. The rap growls on Helix is one example.” ~ Elise Ryd

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 31

WITHIN TEMPTATION

For over two decades Within Temptation have been a tour de force in metal. Their symphonic sound laced with classical references has inspired a whole host of other artists while the band themselves are constantly moving forward. Central to the Within Temptation sound is founder member Sharon Den Adel’s almost impossibly beautiful vocals. It is a voice that gives goose bumps to hardened rockers and makes the hairs stand up on the necks of dumbstruck moshers. Gary Trueman chatted to Sharon on the recent Within Temptation UK tour. Up for discussion was new album ‘Resist’, vocal maintenance and being a judge on the Eurovision song contest.

32 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Sharon Den Adel

Gary Trueman

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 33

Its four years since Hydra came out and you have the new album ‘Resist’. That’s quite a long time between records and the new album is quite progressive in terms of the way it’s produced, its sounds very fresh. Was that a deliberate thing?

“Yes it was because we always want to develop and progress with our music. It’s necessary if you want to keep on being enthusiastic about making music.”

With so many band members the balance between the instruments and your vocals is quite contrasting. Your voice seems to stand out at all times, it’s almost the same techniques they use with pop production even though it’s still very much a metal sound. Was that a part of developing your music?

“It’s more an open production. Where in the past we had a lot of orchestral parts everywhere, this gave more space for my vocals for once. Usually when I finish my vocal and we have succeeded in recording them well then they go through the mixer they have nothing of the same vibe that I put in. It made it very thin because of all the instruments and orchestration and my vocals were a bit lost. Now because there is more openness in the music there is more space and I’m really happy about that.

Also we’ve used orchestras for so many years and so many albums it’s nice to do it in a more minimalistic way. So it does give a different balance to the songs.”

34 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

You have three guest appearances on Resist including Jacoby Shaddix.

Bringing in other people must add a new dimension too surely?

“It’s good to hear someone being positive asking about this because it’s often another guest and another guest, why are you doing this? Like you said it gives another flavour to a song and everybody brings their style of singing and their unique sound. It always colours a song in a different way than just with my vocals. I love that and I love to work with other people.”

Did you get to work with them in the studio?

“No, unfortunately all three of them were working on their own albums but it doesn’t matter really because they get the song and we give them the lyrics and the vocal line they have to sing. They can then do their own interpretation of it. It’s also nice that everybody works in their own environment. I like to record in my own studio because then you get it exactly how you want it. It was fun to talk to everybody before they went to the studio which we did through Skype, Facetime and those kind of things. You can just send files over and they can go into their own studios. It’s so easy these days.”

Do you find working in your own studio you get very comfortable with

the set up and know how to create what you want easily?

“Yes totally. I have my studio at home where I do demos and stuff. I used to work with our producer in the same town that I live in, it’s a very small town.

He used to live just five blocks away from me but now he’s moved back to Sweden unfortunately. I was always at his place writing in his studio which almost felt like my home studio.”

Have you found that anything about your voice has changed over the years?

“Well I’ve tried a lot of things with my voice. I did the more classical kind of voice and the more raw kind of stuff, all kinds. We’ve had a more urban kind of feel to certain songs with the way I sing more directly. I didn’t know I could do that much with my voice in the beginning and it’s always a a to do something new. The only thing I haven’t done yet is growling. My voice has changed throughout the years. In the beginning it was totally clean but I can do more now.”

So has your vocal maintenance changed as your voice developed?

“When I started singing I never did any vocal warm ups, I didn’t even know I was supposed to do them. But singing is like a sport where you have to warm up your muscles before you go and play.

It’s something I learned along the way.

I still do my vocal warm ups but I also have a spray and tea with fresh ginger works well if you have a cold. The spray I use on stage though keeps your vocal chords wet somehow. It’s all natural.”

could have killed him. From that moment I was saying you’re going to wear this and you’re going to wear this and I made sure no one wore a Hawaiian shirt ever again.”

“I can’t do it. I have really difficult feet, they just hurt after a while. If i wore heels after thirty minutes you would have to carry me off stage. So I will always be short.”

You were asked to be the Dutch representative judge for the Eurovision song contest. Were you conscious that in a way you were also representing metal?

“Ha-ha that made it even more fun. One of the things that made it even more fun was that one of the other people there was a metal producer who I’d worked with previously. He has all the tattoos and ear rings so he’s not the typical judge either.”

You like fashion so who else in the music industry do you like style wise?

“Madonna of course, she’s an icon. She combines so many styles and is always leading with fashion. Lately she’s not been around that much. Even as people get older it’s OK so long as you try to stay fit, like Mick Jagger, a woman can do the same thing and she is a good example of that. Of course she has had good designers helping her out but I think she always has a good idea of what she wants. She’s a great example but there are many more doing just as good a job.”

You’ve collaborated with a lot of people over the years. Is there anyone you’ve not teamed up with yet that you’d like to?

“Well when we write we always look at the song and we look at what kind of artist would it be nice to approach that would fit on this song. Not the other way around where we would like to work with that person let’s write a song for them. That way doesn’t work for me. I write what comes out and it’s very difficult to steer in a certain direction.”

Devolution Magazine covers not just music but also fashion and art and much more and you’re a fashion designer by trade. So do you design your outfits for Within Temptation?

“I do with a real designer, because I did fashion management and before that I made the clothes too. I wasn’t really good at that but I was good at designing. My teacher said I was a good designer but there’s not much work so I ought to do something else as well, something that will work out well. So I got a degree in management. So I work with a designer and we work on all the clothes so the whole picture on stage is good. In the beginning of the band we had a drummer and he turned up at Dynamo in short pants and a Hawaiian shirt and at that moment I

With your own stage outfits, is practicality a big consideration?

“Yes, very much so. You often have to wear things a lot of times and you can’t always take them to be dry cleaned.

Stage clothes should be easy to wash, should dry quickly and the smell shouldn’t stay too long. Those things are important, and also that you can move properly in them.”

Also with footwear. Some artists are able to wear huge heels on stage and others just can’t do it.

If you could bring someone back we’ve lost to perform on stage with you who would it be and why?

“Kurt Cobain because Nirvana is my favourite band. Also recently I’ve fallen in love with Leonard Cohen. I was supposed to go to his last concert in Holland but I couldn’t go because I was sick. He died very shortly after that. So I’m battling with myself which one to choose. I’d like them both.” resist-temptation.com facebook.com/wtofficial Images C/O Set Vexy

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 35

Alice Bizarre

36  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Ve Neill

The Lady of Illusion There are very few who can be called ‘Legend’ within special effects and makeup but Ve Neill is exactly that. In a male dominated industry, she has fought her way on set as a selftaught artist, leaving her striking creative touch and sense of wonder with anyone that has had the pleasure to see her work. Neill is a three time Oscar winner for Mrs Doubtfire, Ed Wood and the iconic Beetlejuice with credits ranging from Star Trek, Hunger Games and The Grinch to Goth fan favourites Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns. Now Director of Education at Cinema Makeup School, Ve Neill talks to us about her love of monsters, time judging on Face Off and her life as the industry’s leading lady of makeup.

Your love for monsters (like many big names in the industry) began at a young age. Were there any films or creatures that really got you interested?

“When I was really young there wasn’t a whole lot out there yet, it just hadn’t really blossomed. I used to love watching the old black and white Universal monster movies, they are the things that really got me wanting to transform people. Even as a young child I found it interesting that you could turn someone into somebody else.

That’s really where it all came from for me, the whole idea of being able to transform a human being was what really peaked my interest. I wasn’t allowed to have comic books or monster magazines then so I grabbed it where ever I could. Also my next door neighbour was a make-up man so when we were little, every Halloween he would make up me and his daughter (who was my best friend) and I would always want to be some kind of monster.”

Do you have any Universal favourites?

“I love Frankenstein but I really like The Mummy. That Mummy thing really scared the heck out of me because it seemed so much more real, like it might be able to happen. I would watch them repeatedly!

When I was little, one of our channels on TV would show a movie every day at 5 and at certain times of year they would show horror movies. So 5 o’clock, every day, I would turn it on and watch that movie. I remember there was a really stupid one called The Beast with Five Fingers that was just this crawling hand [laughs]. It

was so stupid but it scared me so bad that my mother made me stop watching them! I think it’s because I was creeping around the house around corners, behind stuff or underneath stuff, looking for this stupid hand (laughs). I love this stuff, I love to be scared!”

At the start of your career you were involved in a lot of science fiction films. Would it be fair to say you’re a bit of a SCIFI nerd/have science fiction roots?

“Yeah, I am kind of a SCIFI nerd (Laughs).

I love it all but my passion is really in the Fantasy Realm, I like being transported into some kind of fantasy land. I think everyone wants to be somewhere else or somebody else and that inspires me to do all these things.”

Does your fashion background influence the fantasy side of things at all?

“No, not really. I went there for a minute because I was told I couldn’t do makeup but I just found a way in. I didn’t set it aside immediately but once I pushed my way into makeup I stayed. There weren’t many people doing it when I started so there was room for people like me.”

We heard you squeezed your way in through a SCIFI convention!

“Yeah, so I had a vintage clothing store and started making costumes for little bands down town. I was working with this kooky band that was very science fiction where I was doing coloured hair

and all kinds of crazy makeups on them.

They said it was really good but they really wanted giant heads, pointy ears and stuff like on Outer Limits. I wanted to learn how to do that so I said I would go and find out! Back in the day they still had a Star Trek Convention in San Diego so I went down and saw these guys walking around with Planet of the Apes masks and costumes that were really good. I went up to them and asked where they got those masks from. This one guy looks at me and says “They’re not masks, they’re makeup.”

Even better! (Laughs) It was so cool! I asked if they could teach and help me how to do that. “But you’re a girl” (gasp) so I said “I know, isn’t that fantastic?” and that was the end of that. Every weekend I would go to Santa Barbara (where they lived) and they showed me how to do it. One of the guys who showed me how to put it on was Steve Neill who I was with him for several years. He was much better at making stuff but I only ever wanted to put it on.

The rest is history.”

Starting at conventions, how do you feel about teaching and demoing now at events like IMATS? “Well I think it’s just a progression that happens naturally, I’m not so much a teacher as I am a mentor. I am now working at Cinema Makeup School as Director of Education so I work with the syllabus and make sure all the techniques are up to date. I will go into

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 37

Movie: Beetlejuice

the classrooms and will advise and show techniques I like to use but I won’t be standing there for hours on end teaching (so similar to how I am at IMATS). I go in, give them little bits of wisdom, and tell those stories (etc.). It’s much more interesting to hear the whole story about how something came about or why I use a particular technique for a particular movie.

The great thing about Cinema Makeup School is that all the teachers are actually working in the industry. When they’re not there (school), they’re on the set which is such a great way to learn.”

With the development of materials (especially silicone), do you find you are still learning on the job?

“Oh all the time! There is always going to be a better way to do something. We all love using silicone as it is so much more realistic and life like but it is not great for everything because it’s heavy so you can’t do big things. Now we are figuring out ways to do silicone skins which you can put it on top of foam so it still looks realistic, without having the weight. There are new techniques being evolved all the time to move forward and progress with.”

The hours working as a SFX makeup artist are very trying and long. How do you keep sane and relaxed?

“You don’t really have time to unwind (Laughs). You go home, maybe sit there, have a glass of wine and pass out basically.

You really have no time in between, you 38 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

might be working 16 hour days! Say I get up at 4 in the morning, home by 8 or 9 at night, you basically have to go back to sleep. You’re lucky if you get 6 hours sleep most of the time. You kind of have to zombiefy for a minute. It’s difficult, especially if you have a long drive. Sometimes that can help you relax but unfortunately there’s always a danger of falling asleep at the wheel.

You just have to take the rest where you can get it. A vacation to me is being at home because I’m never there! (Laughs) Enjoying my surroundings, relaxing and putting myself back together.

Makeup artists (being crew) are not often in the public eye so how was it being in front of camera for Face Off? “It was kind of fun! I really enjoyed it, it was fun to be on! We were all bummed out once the show finally finished, even some of the technicians said it was the best show they had worked on because it was like a family and a special kind of place to be. It was a really special show to be on. I talk to people every day asking if it’s going to be picked up or started again. I don’t want to say no because if it came back it would be so much fun to do. We were their number one show (SYFY) and if it costs too much money to make it then we don’t make a movie at the end of it, take that part out! And our salaries were nothing, not like you would get on a regular TV show.

It was bullshit to me (laugh).”

What did you enjoy most about Face Off? “I loved seeing all the artists and work they came up with; and so quickly! It was very invigorating and exciting to see what they would bring out. It’s funny because nobody realises we never saw the process at all, all we ever saw was the final product. We don’t know what they went through, if they had made mistakes or anything, all we know is what they present to us on stage. They could’ve done something completely different and changed it at the last minute and we would never know. We don’t get to see all that until we watch the show! It’s very “oh wow!

They did that?! I feel so bad for them” etc. but kind of funny too. It was all so cool and I still see them around, I’ve even worked with a few of them.”

We heard you might be starting a make-up line, is this true?

“No I’m not starting a makeup line, I just recently re-vamped my brush line which I’ve had for over 35 years. It’s on the verge of coming out but I keep changing things so unfortunately for me it takes longer! I just want it to be perfect! I wanted it to be out at the end of the year (2018) but when I got my sample back I wanted to change it over again! I think the brush company is about to give up on me (laugh). I’m trying to appease all the people that want the vegan stuff but the SFX line

Movie: Ed Wood Movie: Beetlejuice

has to stay the way it was because it’s my roots! I want to appeal to a larger group so that whole vegan sensibility I will keep for the beauty line. I just want them to be really beautiful brushes, really well made and good quality.

You are a three time Oscar winner. Are there any characters or films that stand apart for you?

“That’s like saying who your favourite child is? (Laughs). I am so fortunate to work on so many fantastic films and each has such a unique and wonderful memory for me, I just can’t pick one out! Beetlejuice was really fun and we never thought it would do anything as it was just silly and a comic book style. Edward Scissorhands was fantastic, it was also the first time I worked with Johnny (Depp). It was so sweet, I cry every time I watch the movie (laughs) then there was Ed Wood and Mrs Doubtfire etc. Even though it was foam latex, Mrs Doubtfire still holds up; though I’m not sure if I’m being forgiving as I have such great memories from being on that movie. I don’t think it would’ve been the same if we had done it in silicone, even if it had looked really real. I don’t know why but I don’t think it would’ve had the same effect, some things you just don’t want to change.”

It would be missing that caricature like style which is so fun about it!

“Exactly! Plus it was meant to be something he (the character) could do to

himself. I remember standing on the street talking with Robin and this guy came up and said “I heard Robin Williams is here today?” so I said “I saw him earlier, he’s here somewhere.” This guy was standing there looking right at us both and didn’t even notice that there was this older woman with a rubber face on staring at him, he didn’t know it was a make-up. It was so weird, I think the suspension of disbelief is really high with some people (laughs).”

Working with Tim Burton, you have done many iconic looks. How does it feel to see your stuff cosplayed and done up as Halloween costumes now?

“It’s pretty cool, it’s kind of fun when you go to Comic Con and you see a room full a people dressed up in costumes and makeups that you’ve done. It’s cool that you’ve done something that everyone gets to remember!”

When you started there weren’t many people in the industry, let alone women! Do you think the industry and attitude towards women has changed much from when you began?

“I think the attitude has changed, women still don’t typically run the big businesses and the big makeup studios as far as that goes. I think that’s still going to be a male dominated area for a while. Typically (in the business) no

one wants to talk to a woman, I don’t know why! I think maybe a lot of the producers are still kind of old school and still prefer to deal with men. I think it’s a mind-set that’s never going to change unfortunately for some people. I can deal with that. I’ve only known that I lost one job as a woman. I went in for an interview for Sam Peckinpah (Director of Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and he was very famous for doing these very ‘macho’ films. I went in and the production manager was very kind and said that I had a fantastic resume, I was really qualified blah, blah, blah but that there was just one problem. “Please don’t say it’s because I’m a woman’ and that was exactly it. Sam was just used to working with men, he was old school (and he was very old at that point) so I get it. I wasn’t bummed out about it, I just said “thank you for being honest with me” but WOW, that was a first (laughs)! At least I knew. Hey, it may have happened other times but I don’t think so, I’ve had such a good track record.”

Do you think it’s hard to be a parent in the industry?

“Yeah, I mean I never saw the boys grow up. Most of the time they were with their real mother but we always had them on holidays and the weekends and when I was home. I was on location a lot when they were growing up,

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 39

Behind The Scenes - Blister SFX - Katriss - Hunger Games

almost every film I did was on location so I was really never home. It was hard and I missed them but I see them all the time now, they’re really good boys. It’s hard when you have family and children because unless you want a full time nanny to do all that then it’s a tough place to be. My two stepsons are now grown up and my gentleman passed away in 2010. I have been alone since then but that’s okay, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time. Maybe now I’ll meet somebody! Now that I can get out and be among real people (laughs).”

As the most iconic women in the SFX industry, do you have any advice for budding makeup artists trying to find their way into film?

“You really have to be passionate about this field now because there is a lot of competition. People just can’t be doing Instagram makeups on themselves and expect to get anywhere. You really have to delve further and think about doing character makeups and real life stuff, not just fantasy pictures of yourself online. You really have to start thinking about what is useful if you want to work in the movie business. What do you see when you go to the movies? You see real people, you don’t see things with gaping mouths and big teeth and shit (laugh) you know what I mean? So they have to start thinking about doing makeups that are more true to life in that way, you’ve just got to take a bit of extra time. If you sculpt, just start doing some noses or do a chin and make sure you 40 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

do it on a model who will make it work.

If you have a parent who’s willing to sit with you (like if your mother or father are middle aged) do a realistic age makeup. You want to start learning to do things you can actually use in the film business so when you put your portfolio together you don’t just have monsters in there, you have real life make ups.

That will be better when you go to do a movie. I think a lot of the kids are used to seeing people sitting in a room and making themselves up, re-hashing makeups they’ve seen other people do.

I mean, don’t stop doing that stuff, it’s all helpful when learning how to paint, for the use of colour and absolutely for doing fantasy makeups but you have to add these other things into your repertoire as well and thinking about more realistic stuff. They could even make a list of characters for themselves like do a bum or the downtrodden. Just pick out a whole series of people that are dirty and poor. Pick out different characters from books or try and copy makeups from famous movies that you’ve seen that have real life stories in them.”

What’s next for you?

“This year I decided to semi-retire, I just don’t want to do movies back to back anymore. I want to get more involved with the school, my brushes and funnily enough I have actually thought about possibly doing, not a makeup line, but

adding some special effects products that I think would be really helpful in the FX business. I want to start doing maybe one movie a year that I really want to work with like a director or one of my actors I work with all the time and just start slowing down a bit. Maybe do more conventions and going out and talking more, getting to do more of the stuff I never had time to do so I don’t have to be working back to back anymore. Let the youngers do it, I’ve been there done that (laughs).” instagram.com/therealve twitter.com/VeNeill facebook.com/ve.neill.9

By Alice Bizarre

“ Edward Scissorhands was fantastic, it was also the first time I had worked with Johnny Depp. It was so sweet, I cry every time I watch the movie ” ~ Ve Neill

HT SPOTLIG

By Gary Trueman

42  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

My Home Town Lori Janey - Weekend Recovery Lori Janey and her band Weekend Recovery have become something of a phenomena recently. In a very short space of time they have carved out a reputation for thrilling live shows that incorporate elements of Paramore, Suzi Quatro and The Distillers. It’s underground music at its best. Here Lori talks about her adopted home town of Leeds, a place that gave the world Black Moth, The Mission and The Sisters Of Mercy.

We know people can get blasé about living in a town or city with iconic features. What are the things other people might know Leeds to be famous for that you think locals are actually really proud of?

“Well it’s not the football team!! Ha-ha! I’m really proud (personally) of the vibe and arty kind of scene it has, plenty of vintage shops, record shops and some really great music venues! I think there’s lots of diversity and it’s a really great city, even if I’ve only been here just over a year!”

Do you have a favourite place to hang out with friends and have a beer?

“Key club. Hands down! They play my guilty pleasures - My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Tenacious D to name a few...”

What about food, does Leeds have a particular place you love to eat at.

What is their speciality?

“Yo sushi is my favourite hangout! But there’s loads, not sure there’s a specialty as such but I’m sure people will beg to differ.”

Do you have a venue you love going to catch bands (or play at). Are there any venues off the beaten track tucked away that put great music on?

“Brudenell social club is always a must, but my favourite tucked away venue is The Wharf Chambers it kinda looks like the bathroom from Saw, but it’s great and you catch some real gems there, we actually played there with The Svetlanas.”

What’s the thing you love the most about Leeds?

“Has to be the vintage shops - blue rinse

is my absolute favourite or the kilo sales they have every last Sunday of the month.”

And the thing you dislike the most?

“The ring road! Driving in Leeds puts the fear of God in me, honestly if you miss your turning it’s like fresh hell.”

Do you have a special place that you like to go to? Maybe somewhere not that well known but special to you.

“I enjoy the bus ride from Castleford into Leeds it takes forever but it’s very scenic, also there’s an indoor market you walk through to get into the city it’s great.”

Do you have a special memory of Leeds you’d like to share with us?

“Probably our single launch at the Key club, it was jam packed with friends and fans and was such a great atmosphere, we loved it.”

Sell Leeds to Devolution readers.

Why should they visit if they get a chance?

“Because it’s the best city and that’s coming from someone originally from Kent! It’s so diverse loads of great sights great people! And everyone is so friendly.” weekendrecovery.co.uk facebook.com/weekendrecoverymusic weekendrecoveryofficial.bandcamp.com

By Gary Trueman facebook.com/gtruemanBYHO

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 43

HT SPOTLIG

The Nightingale Hotel

Looking for the perfect gothic weekend away by the sea?

Then look no further than the unique and fabulous The Nightingale which is named after “Ode to the Nightingale” written by English poet John Keats (1795-1821) who is said to have found inspiration in Shanklin.

The Nightingale Hotel Bar & Restaurant is a 30 bedroom, three Red Skull, dark Victorian, boutique style hotel in Shanklin, Isle of Wight situated on the top of the cliff with spectacular unobstructed sea views.

With the hotel boasting some serious statement artwork of Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix on its outer décor making this an unmissable venue.

Boasting its flamboyant Gothic Victorian Style Décor throughout, The Nightingale’s upmarket and Rock n Roll vibe offers an exceptional and exclusive experience.

Known for their extravagant wild parties and weekend entertainment, The Nightingale is a place where one can rest during the week and let loose and party on the weekends. Providing that perfect life balance! The quirky establishment’s location is absolutely perfect: Shanklin’s traditional seaside amenities are all close by - the Shanklin Esplanade, glorious sandy beach and breath-taking panoramic views from the Shanklin Cliff Path of the White Cliffs of Culver. Coupled with their luscious Victorian Dining Room, with its dark décor, this allows guests to enjoy the finest quality produce, all locally sourced, and cooked to perfection by talented Chefs. Specialising in grill meats and fish 44 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

but are also able to accommodate for vegetarians, vegans, gluten free and people with allergies. Afternoon Tea is also available prior booking, all cakes & scones are home-made. The Bar offers a huge cocktail menu, specially selected array of French and Italian wines, spirits, beer and locally brewed ales. With live music entertainment every weekend, performed by local artists playing jazz, rock, 20s, and more. The hotels themed parties are every other week and go on till the late hours of the night. A Bar menu is available daily between 12.00pm – 11pm and can served in the bar or in the garden overlooking the cliff. The hotel also boasts an outdoor heated pool which is open from May to September. Recently there has been some refurbishments to a few of the rooms including a psychedelic Alice In Wonderland out of this world experience with wall artwork created by Tony Trowbridge and a stunning regal royal blue and gold dragon suite.

For more information get in touch with the wonderful owners of this fine empire – Dino & Arina Joachim to plan your perfect stay at The Nightingale Hotel.

3 Queens Road, Shanklin Isle of Wight, PO37 6AN 01983 862742 enquiries@nightingale-hotel.co.uk

Rhianna Pratchett

Scriptwriter, story designer and narrative paramedic

By Mark Bestford

46  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

She’s the critically acclaimed Queen of video gaming, best known for Tomb Raider and Mirror’s Edge, and the daughter of one of the best loved British authors there has ever been, Sir Terry Pratchett. Mark Bestford caught up with Rhianna to discuss the challenges of working in a heavily male dominated industry, writing narrative challenges and stepping into her father’s legacy.

You’re best known for your work on ‘Tomb Raider’, ‘Mirror’s Edge’, and ‘Overlord’. With gaming being such a male dominated industry what advice would you give for girls looking to enter the industry?

I always find that difficult to answer, because I think the climate has shifted a bit since I first got into the industry. I also spent so long on the narrative battlefield, and all the challenges that contains, that I often didn’t give much thought to how my gender might be playing into things.

Having, passion, drive and determination, and letting those be my guiding forces certainly worked for me. I was, and still am, a big gamer. I have strong and lasting respect for the artform, which has always served me well. I’m a good networker and I put in the hard graft. To be honest that’s the advice I’d give anyone looking to get into the industry. Practice your craft, network and play lots of games.

What were the biggest challenges when writing narratives for games?

There are many different challenges. One of the biggest is how to serve the needs of gameplay and the needs of narrative, which often at best don’t smoothly align, and at worse actively work against each other. Now that narrative is being taken more seriously by development teams and thought of much earlier in the process, this has become a little easier. It’s now only extremely difficult, rather that excruciatingly difficult! You’re also dealing with an industry where the narrative literacy is relatively low.

Because it’s never had to be particularly high. Certainly when I first started out I was often one of the few people on any given team who cared about narrative.

I didn’t have mentors, or writers’ rooms or those I could learn from in a narrative capacity. I had to learn on the job, and fail and succeed under my own banner. That was pretty scary.

There have been several scandals surrounding the treatment of women in media industries, is the gaming industry taking on board the lessons learnt from film and TV? It’s very hard for me to know how much it’s being taken onboard because I’m not really that immersed in studio cultures as I work almost 100% remotely.

Therefore I am always slightly removed from office politics and toxic work

environments. However, I think it’s caused more women to open up to others (particularly other women) about problem studios, or difficult characters within the industry. I’m not sure whether we will ever have a #metoo moment, but behind closed doors, we are seeking to better protect ourselves and each other.

else, because I wasn’t aware of anyone else doing the job I was setting out to do.

Or, more accurately, found myself doing. I have always been someone who marches to the beat of her own drum. I’ve never needed to see something to want to be it.

In fact not seeing it has had more appeal. I like looking for the uncharted territory, the unexplored wilderness.

Alongside your game storytelling you’ve also worked on several Dark Horse comic adaptations, did your games narrative experience translate well into storyboarding for a comic?

I was a fairly big comic reader which undoubtably helped. But I think the amount of action games I worked on with high octane action and movement, such as Tomb Raider or Mirror’s Edge lent themselves well to the comic format. It also allowed me outlets where I could pour all the ideas which couldn’t be put into the games for one reason or another. In the Mirror’s Edge comics I wrote for DC, I created the original prequel story for the game. In the Tomb Raider comics, I could do more fun and lighter things with Lara. Like have her dressed as one of the Bennet sisters from Pride and Prejudice, fighting bad guys on the London Underground.

Doesn’t get more ‘action British’ than that.

You’re also a co-director of Narrativia and working on adapting ‘Wee Free Men’, how has it been immersing yourself in your father’s world?

It’s been great fun. Particularly presenting him with the first draft of it on Father’s Day and then proceeding to ‘perform’ it (and I use the term very loosely) to him and my mother. Doing all the accents. Badly. So quite the Hollywood experience!

You’re also adapting stories for screen, of all the creative media which do you love the most?

One can’t choose between one’s narrative children! Games are definitely my first love, but I am getting a lot of enjoyment out of working on film and TV projects. Particularly book-to-screen adaptations. I’ve now worked on four professional adaptations for the likes of Film4 and New Regency, which has been a real delight. I also feel I’m learning things faster in those mediums, which is making me a stronger all-round storyteller. The way I’ve honed my world-building skills and environmental storytelling in games has certainly come in handy when building story landscapes for longer-form TV projects.

Going forward does this mean we may see a return of the Discworld to PC and consoles?

Maybe. But there are no current plans in the works, nor have we ever received any pitches which have blown our socks off.

Even when Dad was alive. It would be very hard to get the old games re-released because my father’s estate only owns the rights to the characters, not the games themselves. It’s also hard to find where the rights lie as the studios involved have been bought and sold several times. Any Discworld game would also need a huge involvement from me (and people would expect it) and I’m rather enjoying working on my own projects at the moment.

Who would you say has been the biggest influence in your career choices?

Me. I wasn’t really influenced by anyone

Like all authors, Dad got away with a huge amount on the page that you never would be able to get away with on screen.

So much of the same challenges applied as they would for adapting any book. It’s certainly given me a new appreciation of my Dad’s abilities at as a storyteller on a detailed level. Just when you think you can cut something out (which you have to do a lot of in adaptation) you realise it’s doing about a dozen different things you didn’t notice the first time around. I discovered he wasn’t just very good. But frustratingly very good.

rhiannapratchett.com twitter.com/rhipratchett Interview By Mark Bestford

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 47

By Nickie Hobbs

48   DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

VICKY HUNGERFORD Vicky Hungerford is one hell of a woman. Fact. As a pinnacle cornerstone of the mighty Bloodstock Festival to an active advocate for body confidence through building and heavy weight lifting. To the daily empowerment and encouragement of essentially everyone she comes into contact with and in her spare time co-owns a clothing brand along with her husband. Nickie Hobbs caught up with the metal maiden herself to discuss her festival role and how this has evolved over the years, the merits of bodybuilding and coping with being a female in a male dominated industry…

Let’s start at the beginning – Bloodstock – how did you get so heavily involved in helping with the running, booking and promoting of one of the UK’s biggest metal festivals?

“My dad started the festival in 2001 in Derby so we (me and my sister Rachael who is a fellow director now) we were literally just the merch girls. We were selling t-shirts and nothing else which was wonderful back then. In 2004 we were still in the indoors at the Assembly Rooms and my father was a partner with a guy called Vince Brotheridge. Vince financially, because the festival was making huge losses (which a lot of festivals do, people don’t really appreciate that), said “I’ve got a wife, I’ve got kids, I can’t afford it” and it was as simple as that. The debt at that time was quite high and it wasn’t for years that the festival actually made money so my dad said “I’ll tell you what, I’ll bail you out (in respect there was no money involved) I’ll take all the debt” So Vince walked away happy because he was debt free which was a huge gamble on my dads’ part. He as a ‘father bless him, he’s the creative one and the mind behind it, but logistics is not his area. So, he brought in the kids; me, Rachael and Adam as Directors and asked what we were all good at. We literally played on our strengths.

Because my day job was advertising and sales and I was quite good at negotiating, it seemed natural for me to book bands.

My sister’s very good financially so it seemed great for her to do that side of the infrastructure and my brother Adam took on sponsorship, creatives and that side and then my other brother also works behind the scenes and does all the web side of it because he’s very technical. We all played on our individual strengths and without being awful, if we hadn’t done that the festival wouldn’t be here. At the end of the day, we didn’t know what we were doing!

I always remember years ago someone in the industry said “Fake it ‘til you make it” and it’s probably the truest thing because you know, when I was booking bands in

2004, I had never booked a band before and one of my brothers said to me in jest “how hard can it be? can’t you just ring up the agents and ask how much they are?” We were that naïve (laughs) that’s how it started, us getting involved in 2004 but we had always been involved since it began helping dad out.

We didn’t probably appreciate it because you know, we all had mortgages and houses, the bank manager said we’ve got to secure money etc. It was quite a scary time because you can’t see at that point the festival making a profit because it wasn’t. I don’t say this to many people but I think people just think you put a festival on, a bit like Wayne’s World “If you book them, they will come!” And it so isn’t, you just hope that they will and they don’t necessarily come in the numbers that you need in the early days and that’s why a lot of festivals go bankrupt, it is hard.”

Have things changed after that first initial show in 2004?

“Yeah, it felt much more like ‘oh my god, we’re now in control’, what we do now effects whether this festival works or doesn’t work. I booked Within Temptation for their first ever UK show back in 2005, the festival was ticking along and my father had the most wonderful idea; you can’t’ really do much indoors with 2,500 people because its capped for capacity so 2005 he said “Let’s take it outside but still run the indoor as well!” which was the biggest and worst idea we’ve ever had. We did both the same year and only for one year, we had one festival in May and then we did the outdoor end of August. It was horrendous, obviously firstly the indoor had only just gotten to sell out in 2004’ and that was only 2,500 people so to try and run an indoor and outdoor festival in the same year, the outdoor that year we did 1,200 -1,300 people to a festival capacity where we were hoping to get

at least five or six thousand that year. I remember the main stage being so tiny we had a photographer and there were only about three rows deep of people and I said to the photographer to be creative and to make it look really busy otherwise people will see that there is nobody behind these three rows (laughs). You have to go through that!”

Over the years how has your workload varied? Have you taken on more responsibilities?

“Yes. Social media got involved so I used to run the Twitter and the Facebook as well as booking the bands. And then (thank God!) a few years ago we got a full-time social media team because it’s such a big animal, you’ve really got to know what you’re doing. I used to do all the social media, book the bands, do the advertising for the programme and have a full-time job. It was sort of a mind funk because booking the bands is also quite stressful because agents are not always easy to deal with and that’s just the nature of the beast. It’s been a brilliant journey because you learn a lot about people and yourself along the way. Sometimes you don’t know how resilient you are until you’re put in that situation. Rachael and I used to run the production for the first and second open air ourselves and we had never run production at a festival before so we had no idea what we were doing, we were winging it! We had to sort out band transport, their back line, and all sorts of things! We had never done it before and we didn’t even know what we were doing.”

How far in advance do you work in terms of booking bands and thinking about the extra value for money things like the wrestling, signing tent, art gallery, strongman contest etc.? Is there anything new being added for 2019?

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 49

fantastic to watch. So, two females’ bands we have not had I’d love to have both, so if they happen to read this”…. (Laughs) “Let’s put it this way, I’m booking bands for 2020 at the moment. I’ve pretty much done 2019, they are booked and ready to be announced so I’m already looking at 2020/21, I’m wishing my life away (laughs). If you’re like me and you’re competitive and creative and constantly trying to better everything you do, you’re always going to think about the next thing that you’re going to do to improve what you’ve just done.

We’ve always got things planned. The idea is to possibly introduce another form of stage, I won’t ruin it and say what kind of stage but it’s to bring more into the festival, bring more in the respect of entertainment. So, we are constantly having meetings about VIP, the main festival, what types of entertainment we need to switch round, do we need to bring in an extra stage etc. What we don’t want to lose is the intimacy but we don’t want it to get boring, you want it to be so intimate that you can go for a drink, go back to your tent, not miss any bands and still go to the main stage and the Sophie stage on the side. It’s a fine balance of keeping the numbers right but keeping all the entertainment. It’s all logistics when doing the bookings, sorting out mainstage and Sophie so bands are different genres and nothing is clashing; like two black metal bands won’t be on at the same time so maybe a black metal and a thrash band.”

Metal as a genre is quite male dominated still – though the female demographic certainly has expanded over the years with incredible undisputable talent from all corners of the world holding their own or just emerging. Which of these women do you want to book personally and see performing at Bloodstock?

“I really want Myrkur to play. I think they are absolutely amazing. we were close to getting them this year and I was gutted because logistically it couldn’t work. I also am a huge fan of In This Moment who are incredible. I saw them at Download getting ready and I just fan girled. She blew me away and again we missed out marginally this year, they are now changing their tour dates so they’re not around in August.

There are 2 female fronted bands that I love, Myrkur who are more up and coming and, In This Moment, I love what she does, I love what she stands for, I love her stage presence. I think its mesmerising, it’s a proper show and is

50 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

As a woman who is active within the music industry – have you ever come up against any alpha male misogynistic behaviour? If you have – how did you deal with that?

“There have been. There’s what I call ‘old school agents’, that when they started working in the industry in their 20’s we’re going back 40 years when women generally didn’t do jobs like we’re doing. There’s always been a little bit of a struggle where people have tried to undermine or say things I won’t tolerate and (this is how crazy sometimes the industry is) because some people in the industry are not great dealing with woman as a whole so Adam has had to send the email correspondence to them which I’ve dictated so they don’t necessarily know it’s coming from me. I always make it very clear that we’ve gotten to the point where I’ve got people who I know in the industry, women, who have presumed that they have to do things to be successful and I’m a big believer in ‘you shouldn’t do anything that you do not want to do’ just to be successful. So yeah, I’ve come across it, I don’t get it as much as some, I’ve heard some horror stories where some women have had some awful things they’ve had to experience which I think is shit but I don’t get it a lot. Years and years ago I had an agent when I was first booking bands who literally sent me a scathing email which made me cry.’ It was this really horrible email letter and I just burst into tears because I’m human and I’d only been doing it six months. I remember really wanting to meet Andy Copping and when I met him, I was really intimidated and I didn’t know how to be because he was my idol in booking bands. He just came up to me and the first thing he said to me was “never let the fuckers get you down”, I’ve always remembered that and now we’re like best friends. If anyone could have a bar to set themselves to, they should set themselves to his bar!“ In your opinion who has been one of the most inspiring females to have already played Bloodstock and what was it about their performance that you loved or felt connected to?

“Oh God, that’s a hard one. There’s been a few! Within Temptation because we had them in 2005 and then again, a couple of years ago, in fact they played ten years apart! Then to see the progression of for example Nightwish, where we’ve had all 3 versions with all three singers, which is quite unheard of, not many festivals can say that we were the first ever festival to have them in the UK too. I think that strikes a chord with me because Nightwish in 2003 in the indoor were the first band to sell us out and that obviously meant a hell of a lot.

Vince (my dad’s ex-partner) had seen them play at Wacken and literally said “I’ve seen this band, they are amazing, we need to try and get them at Bloodstock’’ so that pulls a chord. There are so many female bands we have had, we’ve really looked out and had some incredible bands, the Arch Enemy’s of the world. We’ve had so many amazing female bands like Lacuna Coil, and she’s one of the most amazing front women and lovely people to be around so it’s a hard one! I’d probably say Nightwish because we’ve had all three versions and they sold us out in the indoor, which is poignant, even the manager said when he came over this year said “you’re the only festival to have all three singers play at the event!” Which was cool.”

This issue of Devolution is aimed at the metal maidens and muses who inspire us for a vast amount of reasons. You were chosen for your female empowerment and commitment to the metal scene but there is another interesting side to you so let’s talk about your weightlifting and body building.

When did you decide that this would be a lifestyle path for yourself and can you tell us more about your journey?

“Not a lot of people know that my father used to be a body builder from his 20’s. He was a huge fan of body building, the house was filled with 80’s body building magazines which he would collect weekly, he built himself a gym at home and he used to train 5/6 days a week so body building was always something I saw as a kid. He always had an incredible physique, we’d watch all the action movies with all the super heroes in and then I started body building about eight years ago. I used to be into fitness, pole dancing and other things and I had a knee injury so I had to stop running so I just thought well… what else can I do? I’ll try body building! And I got hooked. The problem with the industry that we’re in as women, we are fed very unrealistic body goals. We’re in an industry of social media with eating disorders and being the weaker sex and all the rest of it and I think to me there is a huge satisfaction about feeling strong, physically and mentally and actually building muscle. Weightlifting releases endorphins that I feel is a stress relief but I’m not saying you have to look a certain way to be body confident, I’m a big fan of mental health issues as well so I think it’s about people’s confidence, not just body confidence. I enjoy it and I’ve seen so many people that have changed their lives because they’ve gotten into fitness or body

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 51

52  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

building and it helped their mental health and to me it’s got so many off shoots. I get a lot of people messaging me saying the want to change their life, they want to do this, they’ve had a horrendous mental or health disorder, they want to get into fitness, and what should they do? To me that’s a huge satisfaction, as much as I get out of the festival, I get out of helping people and that side of it.”

You and your husband recently launched your own clothing range – Heavy Metal Lifting Club for those who love lifting or listening to heavy metal – how well has the brand been received? And what are your plans for taking it forward?

“We launched it because it seemed a perfect synergy, heavy metal and heavy lifting. We launched it on a bit of a whim thinking we would just sell it to our friends but then it just blew up! It’s gone really well and I’ve sort of aimed it at anyone that likes heavy metal and lifting or anyone that likes fitness and listens to heavy metal, it works. Quite a few bands that I deal with got it touch and said they would love to wear our t shirts, which we were really surprised so Rotting Christ, Fozzy (because he does fitness) and then we had a message from Corey Taylor saying “You’re shits sick! We’d love to rep it.” We’ve sent that stuff all over to him this week which is amazing so it’s gone really well and we’ve done it in a way that, the stuff just looks cool, it’s not flashy. It sounds stupid but people like (especially metallers) the way the font is and logos are, and a lot of metallers, when they are in the gym, really like to represent metal. If they’re not wearing a band t-shirt, it’s cool to be wearing something that represents what they love. We’re very passionate and proud to love metal so it just worked. It’s fun and something that’s a side-line as well. Al and I both love lifting, we launched our clothing brand and (touch wood) it’s going brilliantly.

Fingers crossed we’ll get a few more ambassadors on board. Chris Jericho and Corey Taylor are a pretty good start!.” (Laughs).

You are a very active Instagram user posting multiple stories and updates daily moreso as a fitness ambassador. What has been the most constant and important message that you have been putting out into the world?

“I constantly try and make it realistic, I put the nonsense and the shit stories out there because I hate looking at peoples Instagram’s where they put stories and they look amazing and it’s all about how wonderful my life is, and

we all know life’s not like that. We all have shit days, we all have days where we look like crap so I think trying to be realistic and putting nonsense up. The amount of people you don’t realise actually watch your stories who say “oh my God, I’ve done that” you never know who’s watching you and who might be impressionable so I’m very conscious that we have a lot of kids and young people that watch too. I think mental health is probably one of the things I like to talk about the most because the amount of people that message me saying they wouldn’t expect me to have mental health problems. That’s what people expect if you’ve got your shit together and you think if only you knew…

We unfortunately live in this ‘photoshop beautiful’ world where everybody is living through filters and we’re living through a filtered life. I’m guilty of a filter but I think when I read an article about plastic surgeons having a huge surge of people walking in with a snapchat filter saying I want to look more like this. That’s awful, it’s terrifying for these young impressionable girls. It’s great to have and show the altered images but at the same time people need to see that it’s okay to just be you. No matter what shape or size you are, you are unique because that’s who you are, that’s it’s okay to not look like someone else.”

What is your advice to any women reading this interview with regards to stepping into the heavy lifting realms themselves and starting their own journey?

“Go for it! If you’re going into lifting go to a trainer or gym, don’t just look at OK magazine for the latest quick fix because you’ve got to be doing it right. Start really light and build it up. I always say to women when you’re lifting (this is the great thing), you can eat more because muscle burns fat.

If you go running, you’re only burning fat an hour after you finish running, so if you then body-build, the fat continues to burn for 12 hours, so not only are you getting leaner but the more muscle mass you have, the more you can burn fat much quicker.

You don’t have to be bulky necessarily, it’s just more muscle to fat ratio. It’s a boring fact but it’s true! Who doesn’t want to be strong? Who doesn’t want to walk along and say “hey lads I’ll help you with that” (Laughs) What bands would we find on your motivational gym playlist?

“Believe it or not, and this is probably going to ruin my image completely, but my number one band is actually Eminem. I’ve listened to him since I was 17 and I don’t care what anybody says I am a huge fan girl so Eminem is a huge part of my playlist from old to recent. King 810 also, the guys bizarrely are staying with us when they are touring the UK.”

In which way do you intend the world to view Vicky Hungerford over the next five years? What are your goals and aspirations for the future?

“I’d say just more of the same which doesn’t sound like a huge aspiration does it? At the end of the day, I’d love to see more women in the industry, I’d love to see more body positivity, more awareness of issues I’m passionate about like mental health, maybe because I have so many people around me suffering. You see it all the time, I had a guy message me the other day saying he was that close to killing himself and he had read something I had put up on Instagram which was just me rambling about “think about those who will miss you” and he said he had never even thought about it like that and he had been contemplating suicide for the last two weeks. You get a post like that you think Jesus! If you helped just one person, that’s why no matter how I wattle on about crap, I put something serious in-between that brings people back in because otherwise you put strong serious stuff out all the time, you’ll switch people off. You have to see it like that because you know how to appeal to all these different people on all these different days where they’re going to feel different emotions. That’s why I stagger the kind of things I put out; the Heavy Metal Lifting Club, Bloodstock, what I’m doing day to day and all sorts of stuff so you vary it across the board.

I’d be happy if the festival keeps doing what it’s doing. And as women we raise the awareness for all sorts of young girls, because I’m really passionate about young impressionable lads and girls that are intimidated by what they are doing or if they’re frightened about taking a leap of faith so I think it’s important for people (as much as it’s a cliché) to follow your dreams, you are on this planet for just such a short space of time. Yes, let’s not be unrealistic (i.e. I want to grow up to be a unicorn) but don’t let people push you into or tell you what you should be doing you’ve got your own mind.” bloodstock.uk.com heavymetalliftingclub.com Heavy Metal Lifting Club Images C/O amplifiedgigphotography.co.uk Bloodstock Team Image C/O matt-adamson.com Interview By Nickie Hobbs

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 53

1. Tormenta

2. Evestus

TATTOOED SCARS

EVERYTHING IN HERE

tormentauk@gmail.com facebook.com/tormentauk

evestus@gmail.com evestus.net

tnf@tracknotfound.com tracknotfound.com

5. Pulverise

6. Fyzz Wallis Band

7. Reawaken

pulverise@hotmail.co.uk facebook.com/pulverise

fyzzwallis@gmail.com facebook.com/fyzzwallisband

reawakenbanduk@gmail.com facebook.com/ReawakenBand

9. Trauma UK

10. Rain Children

11. Ghost of Machines

rock@trauma-uk.band trauma-uk.com

rainchildrenuk@gmail.com rainchildren.co.uk

ghostofmachines@yahoo.co.uk facebook.com/ghostofmachines

13. Zeitgeist Zero

14. Hell’s Gazelles

15. 1he Rude Awakening FT Bridget Gray

contact@zeitgeistzero.com zeitgeistzero.com

admin@hellsgazelles.com hellsgazelles.com

johnnynormal@btinternet.com abnormalproductions.rocks/news

FOOLED YOU

OUTTA MY MIND

PUSHED TO THE EDGE

54 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

ALPHA FEMALE

NIGHT DREAMING

OUT OF TIME

3. Track Not Found

SCIENCE (GONE WRONG)

DON’T RUN

COLLIDE

KALEIDOSCOPE

4. Jonny & The Mental Breakdowns LET’S RAISE A BEER

Issue 45 Cd Devolution has been running now for 15 years and one of the very first things we set out to achieve was to be an unbiased and open platform for unsigned bands and artists to promote their work through.

jonnybreakdowns@gmail.com facebook.com/thebreakdownspunkrock

8. Flesh Tetris INCOMING

Each issue we endeavour to bring you a cd compilation of the unsigned bands and artists from all the genres…punk, rock, metal, thrash, industrial, EBM, Gothic etc…and we are always looking for new bands to check out so if you are looking at reaching a dedicated alternative audience that are open minded then Devolution readers and the industry folk that we work with are the listeners you want!

For a chance to appear on the CD* please post us: • Your most recent Album, EP or Demo • A brief biography • All website links and contact details • The album artwork as a jpeg file

snazzy@fleshtetris.com facebook.com/fleshtetris

12. Edited People MIDNIGHT

• And any bribes..... (We are partial to Gin & fine cheeses!) * There is a small one off fee to secure your spot of just £50

PROUDLY SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT BANDS AND ARTISTS FOR 16 years

info@editedpeople.co.uk editedpeople.co.uk

16. Pretty Addicted WE ALL FLOAT

If you would like us to consider your track for inclusion on one of the cd covermounts please send us all of the above to the following new address:

Devolution Magazine C/O Nickie Hobbs 15 Cottongrass Road, Didcot, Harwell Oxon, OX11 6GF, United Kingdom prettyaddictedmanagement@outlook.com

For more info on submissions please contact us at: info@devolutionmagazine.co.uk

prettyaddictedband.com

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 55

56  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Faith Roswell Female empowerment has gained so much traction it has reshaped the world in recent times.

From the #MeToo movement to more high profile action against the perpetrators of rape and sexual assault women have given themselves a voice and they’re shouting at the top of their voices. Faith Roswell has taken her experiences travelling the world as a model and is using them to help empower other women through blogging. Gary Trueman chatted to Faith about her writing, future plans and her views on feminism.

You started out as a model so how did that happen and how did you then become a blogger?

“I was at uni and was spotted by a talent scout while I was in the middle of my writing degree. It went from there and I very quickly became a professional model. I started keeping a blog to talk about my life and adventures as a traveling model. By that point I was travelling all over the world. I realised a lot of people were interested in not just the pictures and modelling but also how I was able to travel around from location to location. As I started to end my career as a model I wanted to get more into not only writing professionally but how to empower people especially women to live a life full of adventure as much or as little as they want. Even when we’re told that this is the way our lives should be, these are our timelines that we should do things on. There’s more to life than that.”

So your blogging is a kind of forum for people and especially women to become more empowered. A focal point?

“That’s the idea yes. I will still model for fun because I genuinely love the creativity of it. Modelling full time can not only be exhausting but as I get older it’s not really a sustainable career. As I had so many incredible and interesting experiences, I wanted to combine my writing skills with things I’ve learned and developed over the years to see if I can help anybody else to do the same thing. I want to give a voice to and a forum for people who want to lead a life full of adventure.”

Obviously you’ve travelled to a great many places. What have you learned about the pros and cons? Are there any not totally obvious places where you wouldn’t recommend someone should travel or is it just a case of research?

“Before making any trip or going on any adventure it’s important to know a little bit about yourself. With travel it’s something where you end up finding yourself along the way. For example if you got stranded somewhere, how would you get out? How would you find help? That’s the kind of thing I talk about on my YouTube and Instagram, those kind of issues. How to help yourself. It’s also about how to push past fear and if you’re nervous, learning how you can still go on an adventure. To be fair parts of almost anywhere can be fraught depending on your ethnicity, depending on your sexual identity, depending on your gender. There are places that will have their own unique set of difficulties.

That doesn’t necessarily mean not to travel there, it just means be very aware and know what to do in a bad situation. Be prepared. Travel is something for absolutely everyone.

It’s such an empowering thing to do and it builds up your inner strength.”

As a woman traveller do you think it can be important to show women in other countries that there’s more to life, countries where the women are oppressed?

“As a white woman with comparative privilege I don’t think it’s up to me to set an example that’s completely unobtainable for someone who isn’t afforded the same benefits for travel.

However I do think there need to be more positive role models of different kinds, of different sexes, life styles and ethnicities in mainstream media.

The more it is normalised to have strength and autonomy and be worthy of respect as a woman, the more that is seen in all media, that is what is more likely to make the difference.”

Do you think that some people confuse empowerment and feminism and that people also

have a range of differing views on what feminism actually is? What are your views on feminism?

“I think the meaning has been skewed for some time. Feminism is not about hating men there are plenty of male feminists out there. There are many good things about the internet and having a more universal culture but at the same time that means there are many different opinions and huge grey areas. You’re going to have a huge spectrum of opinion. Feminism in my eyes is about simple equality. Women should have an equal right to vote, and equal right to live and an equal right to autonomy over our own bodies. It’s easier to fix a problem of a boss calling a female employee sweetheart than it is to fix say the issue of honour killing, but that does not mean we have to just focus on the easy. We have to focus on the things that are harder to fix, female genital mutilation, rights to abortion, even the right to walk down the street at night without feeling threatened.

And especially the right to a fair hearing in court. We need a revolution in the way rape, sexual assault and domestic violence cases are treated. That to me is feminism. That’s where it needs to address the inequalities women face.

As long as that core message is heard then different ways of interpretation and different approaches by different countries will fade into the background.”

And movement towards that goal will then inevitably lead women to feel safer and more able to travel and explore….

“It’s something that won’t happen in one go. There are so many nuances depending on your background and your culture. You can’t wave a magic wand and say it’s all fixed now. If we can first address sexual assault and being treated as a lesser person it would help.

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 57

If as a woman you sound like an authority on anything people will disbelieve you and want a second opinion from a man. People don’t realise it happens because it’s so normal. The amount of people that don’t believe me when I say I do cage fighting for instance, they do a triple take when they realise I’m serious. As women grow more confident they’ll have an army of other women at their back ready to listen and support, and offer assistance. That has happened to me personally when I ended up in a scary situation in Antwerp. The more times women feel that they are not alone the better. And the more that happens the more women will feel able to take risks and be able to have adventures.”

Being able to get your words out via the internet to a vast number of women makes it a powerful tool in your armoury does it not?

“Absolutely, especially with something like the #metoo movement that has helped women enormously to feel that they not only are they not alone but to understand that this is a worldwide problem. To be able to be listened to and to be able to say this has happened to me and I’m here for you, that has been a tremendous force for good. It’s not just a women’s issue. The more men who stand up and say I’ll do anything I can to help is something that is extremely important. So the internet has been able to spread a wide variety of human voices. I think the more people are open to learning and listening on the internet the better chance we stand of making the world a better place.”

Where do you want to take your blogging, do you have an ultimate goal?

“I want to use my voice and the experiences I’ve had for the power to do good. That’s not just with travel and personal safety but also personal development.

When a lot of life style magazines talk about going to the gym they tend to talk about getting thinner whereas when I decide to talk about say a workout it’s with the goal of getting physically stronger and about feeling more stable and rooted and powerful.

Much in the same way that martial arts have a philosophy behind them. I want to have that same backbone to the website I’m currently working on where it’s not only a place for interesting and unusual people to come but it’s a place for encouragement and inspiration. I want to take it as far as I can. I started with a small life style blog documenting my travel around abandoned buildings but it just wasn’t big enough for the dreams that I had for building a truly empowering network. So at the moment I talk about these things on my YouTube and Instagram platforms while I make a bigger and better website.

I’m looking forward to inviting everyone to come and join the ride.” lifeoutthere.co.uk instagram.com/faithroswellofficial

By Gary Trueman facebook.com/gtruemanBYHO

58 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

“ The more it is normalised to have strength and autonomy and be worthy of respect as a woman, the more that is seen in all media, that is what is more likely to make the difference”~ Faith Roswell

By Gary Trueman

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 59

HT SPOTLIG

Anvil

Chrome Molly

Hand Of Dimes

Skid Row

Quireboys

Wolfsbane 60  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Stonedeaf Festival 2018 After two years of extremes, with the wettest and hottest festivals ever experienced in the UK, it was a most pleasant surprise for Stonedeaf Festival to be forecast clouds and no rain. Either side of Stonedeaf’s day Reading and Leeds was pelted with torrential rain and hail, but the birth of a new festival was greeted with intermittent sun. That didn’t stop some from needing to reach for the after-sun, but it did mean there was no risk of heatstroke on what was a pleasantly warm day. With help from one of the original voices of Monsters Of Rock, Krusher Joules, this reincarnation of the one day festival gets going.

While we wait for the party goers who camped overnight to wake up Fallen Mafia get the day off to a nice start. There’s already a reasonable crowd and more arriving as the day goes on. These Geordie hard rockers go at it with a smile and the crowd fill the barrier for them. Showing just how nice they are Chris, one of the band members, later takes it upon himself to volunteer as part of the grounds crew.

Chrome Molly are no strangers to playing live. Part of the original NWOBHM back in the 80’s they fit in well with the nostalgia of holding a one day event. They’re easy going on stage and are clearly there to have a good time. It’s an infectious attitude that gets the ever swelling crowd going and they prove a popular start to the afternoon. The crowd response is fantastic and sets the tone for the rest of the day.

With their guitarist in hospital Hand Of Dimes draft in a rock legend to help play their show, with original Little Angels guitarist Bruce Dickinson subbing. This should come as no surprise however given the lead singer’s association with the band while singing in SKIN, which also brings us nicely to our first proper Donington Park veteran of the day. This festival experience shows as well as Neville MacDonald plays to the crowd and the crowd rocks out to a set of both modern and classic rock songs.

Looking none the worse for wear after a weekend of birthday celebrations Massive Wagons show why they’re one of the hottest rock bands around. It’s the most energetic show of the day as Baz is wound up and ready to be released. He makes the Duracell Bunny look like his batteries need replacing as every song is treated to his trademark headbanging. It’s a show full of attitude and catchy choruses that get

the crowd singing along. Someone just needs to tell Baz that it’s not even time for a cup of tea yet.

There’s only one way to follow up a show like that, and that’s to bring on someone who has not only played the original Monsters Of Rock festival, but who headlined the very first one. The Graham Bonnet Band has a pedigree that can’t be beat as Graham belts out a series of greatest hits from an incredible 50 year career, including tracks from his time in Rainbow and MSG, as well as his solo hits. The crowd is loving it as the afternoon progresses.

Somewhat the odd ones out for the day Anvil have to be both the heaviest and the happiest band on stage, with Steve Kudlow grinning away for the entire show. They also continue the running theme for the day being veterans of Monsters Of Rock, having supported Status Quo there back in 1982. This real life Spinal Tap from Canada again prove popular and you can’t help but join in and head bang along.

For most bands the mic stand is a prop, a foil to sharpen their performance against. Not so with Wolfsbane where Blaze Bayley sees it as an unwanted distraction resulting in it being unceremoniously thrown into the photo pit before the first song has even started. It’s hard to maintain the trademark grimace that greets the audience though and very soon it’s clear that the band are enjoying the attention. With his trademark hand to his ear Blaze exhorts the crowd to scream for him and he soon shows why he was hand-picked as Bruce’s replacement in Iron Maiden all those

years ago.

There’s more mic stand throwing with The Quireboys, but this time Spike uses it to full effect, almost as an appendage.

They’re one of the greatest live shows going and could easily headline themselves. Feel good sing along is what they do best and that’s exactly what they bring. But wait… there’s a surprise in store. It’s Blaze Bayley! Yes, the Wolfsbane frontman comes out to join Spike onstage and it appears he’s lost his fear of mic stands.

Finishing off not only the festival, but also a run of four rescheduled shows from earlier in the year, Skid Row show why they are back. It’s always hard for any band with an iconic vocal sound to find a true replacement, just ask Blaze, but with ZP Theart Skid Row have done just that. He brings an attitude to the show that fits well with the American hard rock image, you can imagine him having been with the band a lot longer than the two years he’s been there. With that attitude, and a vocal range that fits the classic Skid Row sound, it’s no surprise then that they blast through a greatest hits comprising primarily of the first two albums. It’s a flawless show that’s been well played throughout the year, but it’s the show the crowd want to see. And as much as I loved Skid Row when I first saw them with Sebastian Bach they’re still as good now with ZP Theart front and centre. stonedeaffestival.co.uk Review & Photos By Mark Bestford Alienation Photography facebook.com/Alien8n

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 61

HT SPOTLIG

A Fresh Perspective

Kate Lomax

Hayley Leggs

What movement should women get behind this year?

There are some great projects and groups tackling the issue of street harassment, such as www.ihollaback.org For me, catcalling made my social anxiety ten times worse since moving to London years ago at 18, and no-ones mental health should be jeopardised just from trying to get from A to B every day, from someone trying to feel ‘big’. It’s disturbing the anger we as woman have to carry around every day from it, from such a young age. It’s so important we educate the next generation how harmful and wrong street harassment is. I want for my friends young daughters to be able to walk around in a world where they don’t have to be subjected to it on a daily basis. Also @EverydaySexism on Twitter is another powerful project that creates solidarity and awareness, documenting experiences of harassment and assault to highlight how bad the problem is. I have so much respect for Laura Bates the founder of the project.

If you could choose a female to be Prime Minister or President who would you pick?

I think it would have to be Maria Brink because she doesn’t give a fuck. She does what she wants to do and gets so much shit hurled at her and she’s like no fuck you I can be a sexy woman and be successful. I think she would also be peaceful and have a few good ideas too.

Charli Malone - Vertigo Violet

Rhianna Pratchett

Topic Or Movement Women Should Get Behind?

I’ve encountered a lot of women that say they’re against feminism. I think more women need to get behind feminism. It’s not about overthrowing men or making fun of men it’s about fighting the patriarchy. The patriarchy isn’t men it’s the system that privileges men, but it doesn’t mean that you hate men.

Feminism needs more men in it. It needs more men to back us.

62 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

If you could enforce or revoke a single law to better the world for women what would it be?

There are so many. If I could invoke one it would be no cat calling because a lot of men just don’t get it. They think it’s a compliment but it genuinely makes me dread walking down the street. I’ve had it when I’ve been walking home alone at night and someone will not only cat call you but walk up and start propositioning you.

I know I’m confident enough to bark at them to fuck off but there are a lot of women who would be terrified.

What traits do you think to make a muse?

Loquaciousness, humour and patience.

Which woman has inspired you the most in the last year?

Brenda Romero. She’s had an extraordinary career and is a great person to go boot shopping with.

As part of our maidens and muses issue we’ve been asking a range of women within the alternative community a series of questions about their inspirations, about female empowerment and how to effect change. This is their platform to speak out and offer a fresh perspective.

Sharon Den Adel - WithinTemptation Which woman has inspired you the most over the last year?

Well I was doing a solo project and I was really getting into Fleetwood Mac. One of my influences for what I was doing was Stevie Nicks.

What topic or movement should women get behind?

Well there are many topics but you don’t have to be a woman to get behind them. You don’t get change just from women you need to get women and men working together. For me I think with technology and social media every time you go online you’re traceable. If you end up in a country with a dictator and you’re someone they don’t like then you won’t be able to get away.

There’s a TV programme called Hunted which shows how people leave traces of themselves everywhere.

PussJohnson-Pussycat&TheDirtyJohnsons How has your experience been as a woman in music?

It’s been good and bad but I love it. There have been times when sound technicians have put my guitar through front of house because I’m a female guitarist and they think women can’t play.

Just the usual general misogyny. A lot of audiences are mainly male but hopefully we’ll see a change in that soon. Overall I love being a woman in music though. Women have got a lot to say.

What’s the most empowering thing about being a woman?

Everybody is standing up and saying no you can’t do that anymore. Women are coming together and standing up for each other. It’s great to see so many women in bands.

Vicky Hungerford - Bloodstock Which woman has inspired you the most in the last year?

My sister …. I watch her look after a 4-year-old, work a full-time job AND be the backbone behind the festival! She has a thankless and hard job with the infrastructure, budgets, licensing which without her quite simply the festival would not happen! She is always very calm, and level headed and one of my biggest inspirations, I would love to be more like her.

What traits do you think to make a muse?

I think anyone who shows honesty, integrity and allows you to see them as they are, flaws and all! We live in a society where women are often showing an unachievably perfect life which is a terrible example and unrealistic thus putting a huge mental burden on our young girls. I also think women with a great sense of humour are to be admired.

Marci - Dagaz Dreads What do you feel is the best and most empowering thing about being a woman?

The ability to adapt! No matter what generation, what lifestyle, what status in the world women adapt! We have always had to due to living in a “man’s world” for so long. It even applies to status within tribes. But I feel as if this is changing rapidly and we are on the brink of change on a mass scale and the compassion and strength women have had to embody because of suppression for so long we are now being given an opportunity to voice how adaptable we are.

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 63

HT SPOTLIG

ONES TO WATCH 2019

Mask of Judas Mask of Judas are one of those very special bands that come around and simply defy all logic. Musically they’re like a mathematical problem set by Stephen Hawking. There’s an intricate beauty in how advanced and technical they are, with guitarists Sam and Reece weaving riffs that sound like they shouldn’t exist out of thin air. Coupled to this are George (bass) and Jof (drums) making the basis of a brutally heavy sound for one so complicated. But it’s the vocals of Jo Challen that make them truly stand out above the rest. There are very few vocalists that can switch so seamlessly from guttural screaming to almost soft clean melody with precision and ease.

facebook.com/maskofjudas

V2A The end of the world never sounded so good now that V2A are here to serenade it in. The post-apocalyptic road warrior’s reinvention of EBM has seen them rise rapidly from the electro Goth scene. This is an underground band knocking on the door of greatness. With other acts such as Psyclon 9 no longer with us it’s V2A that are already not only plugging that gap in the market but also introducing the laptop generation to live guitars, and vice versa. While their recorded music is already smashing it on dancefloors it’s as a live entity that V2A really score big. Their energy and willingness to engage with their fans make their shows seem more punk than dance. V2A are Mad Max you can dance to. Bring on the apocalypse!

facebook.com/v2amusic

Tokyo Taboo

Infected Rain

Anyone who thought rock was getting a bit jaded haven’t heard, or for that matter seen Tokyo Taboo. The duo from London are known for all manner of on stage antics including singer Dolly Daggerz mid song pole dancing. They’re a colourful couple too, it’s all eye melting pinks, canary yellows and cobalt blues. Eye catching they are but they also have the songs to back things up.

Daggerz’ voice is a little bit Stefani, a little bit Harry and quite a lot Lauper, most important of all though is it’s her own, she’s not imitating anyone.Tokyo Taboo have been not so quietly going about their business building a reputation for being the go to act if you want quirky fun. Like a well shaken bottle of pop they look likely to burst onto the scene in a big way in 2019.

Already quite a big thing on mainland Europe Infected Rain have all the weapons in their armoury to conquer the wider world.

Led by the enigmatic Lena Scissorhands this impressive metal five piece will find favour with fans of In This Moment and the Butcher Babies. In particular the blending of growls and screamo with cleaner vocals is something all three have mastered. With Chisinau in Moldova as your home it must be quite a struggle to get you music out to the world. Somehow though, mainly through the internet and European tours they have built a strong fan base.

The band prove that if you have the will and the determination you can be heard. They’re yet to play in the UK but with support growing it’s only a matter of time before they do that and more.

facebook.com/TokyoTaboo 64 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

facebook.com/infectedrain

Emerging artists are the lifeblood of music, without them what we listen to would soon become stale and unappetising. We’ve picked out eight new bands from the many we’ve heard recently to represent the wealth of creativity and talent around today.

Whether you’re taste is straight up metal, end of days industrial, ska punk or anything else 2019 is shaping up to be a vintage year.

Häxan It’s been a steady couple of years for this band from Wales. Sisters Sam (guitar and vocals) and Charlie (drums), along with Harriet on bass, have built up a good following with their catchy rock and roll. Picking up a regular slot at HRH and even a tour of Australia certainly hasn’t done any harm as they head into 2019 with a new album ready to hit the airwaves. There’s a lot of great music packed into a small package, but don’t let that diminutive size fool you, these girls know how to fill a stage. They’ve been likened to a female Motörhead, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re extensive touring schedule will bring them to a show near you at some point, so keep an eye open for them and check them out. As their logo says, you don’t need a cock to be able to rock.

facebook.com/haxanband

Edited People True originality is a rare commodity in music. Being in possession of such a bewitching voice as the one Alisha Vickers has is only part of the appeal of Edited People. Vickers and Josh Ellinor have played together for some time as an acoustic duo and have gained notable praise. Here though being joined by Thomas Whitaker (bass) and Laura Bently (drums) a whole new world has opened up and what a wonderful world that is. Imagine if Kate Bush had been in an alt rock band and you get a little bit of an idea of how distinct and memorable Edited People’s music is. The song writing is sympathetic to those amazing vocals but doesn’t pander to them, nor does it rely on them for strength. Edited People are a true band in every sense, and one you really ought to check out! facebook.com/editedpeople

Chasing Dragons

Millie Manders & the Shutup

Fronted by tattooist Laurie “Tank” Carnan this metal band from Leeds has been tearing up a storm with their high energy shows.

Their shows are a whirlwind with punchy drums from Kate, a driving bass line from Murf, and stunningly complex guitar solos from Adam. But it’s not all about banging heads as they also prove they can pull off the occasional thoughtful ballad. With a debut album under their belt, and rave reviews throughout the music press, there’s a good firm base to see them move up the billings.

If you like your metal with a more classic undertone to it, fast and punchy, then this is for you. Without a doubt they are one of the finest acts around today and now is the time to catch Chasing Dragons before they explode onto the international scene.

Millie has already come a long way since she started, and the ease that she switches from solo performances to full band shows that progression. While ska is still associated with the early 80s mod culture by many there’s been a resurgence in recent years within the punk community and these guys are proving there’s still life in the genre. They bring a fresh look at the political side of punk that grew out of the 70s and 80s. When she plays there’s an energy that shows passion for the causes sung about, whether it’s animal or refugee rights. It’s great to see a band that shows the potential for greatness, and to see that while still playing the pub and club circuits. Few bands today totally captivate their audience, so to see a band this young able to do that is a pleasure.

facebook.com/chasingdragonsuk

facebook.com/milliemandersmusic

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 65

By Gary Trueman

66  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

KateLomax

By Nickie Hobbs

Having an artistic leaning usually means it’s something you do after the day job ends. To be able to earn a living from your art you need to be talented, you need to find your niche in the market, and you need to be lion heartedly brave. Kate Lomax is just such a person. Her work both on canvas and more recently adorning jackets is instantly recognisable and she is rapidly gaining quite a following. Gary Trueman went along to her studio to chat about her work, her favourite artists and why she’d take more money now over posthumous fame.

How old were you when you began to take an interest in art?

“Since I could hold a crayon at about five.

I was thinking this is fun, I can do this.

I’ve never really deviated or wanted to do anything else. I’m quite lucky really, I’ve not been wondering what to do or trying to find a purpose or anything. I always got encouraged by my parents as well, they’re really supportive. I have a sister who is very academic so they had one child who was going down that route so I think they were happy to have another child who was taking a creative path.”

Obviously you have to work hard at your art but have you always had a gift to be able to draw and paint?

“I think I’ve always had it but for that reason maybe I’m quite lazy because I haven’t had to work incredibly hard.

Obviously I’ve had to hone my skills but it’s always been something natural and enjoyable. It’s sometimes challenging but that’s the point isn’t it, to progress.”

Presumably you studied art at University so you’re qualified?

“I don’t know whether it means so much in art but I went to Camberwell in London and I got a BA in illustration. So I’m officially a bachelor of the arts. I honestly don’t know how helpful it was to go to art school, to go through that route. I don’t think it’s essential. It’s an expensive path.

I did learn some life skills there moving to London from Lancashire at 18. It was an interesting experience but I didn’t find it the easiest.”

Do you think it’s one of those things where you’re striving to gain a piece of paper to say you can do something you could do anyway?

was a natural progression. I’m involved in the wrestling community and a wrestler friend asked for something, and then it really took off. The enquiries started coming in. I got such a big response to it, bigger than the canvas stuff, so I thought I’d pursue that for a bit. It was making people happy and getting my work out there. Plus it’s always nice to work with performers and people from other creative disciplines. I found that really rewarding. I would like to return back to canvas work but I’ve just been distracted by the jackets taking off which has been lovely. I do love to just sit and paint on canvas though. It’s a bit more personal.”

“Pretty much yes. I think it is dependent on what you want to go on to do. My course was very self-directed study where you are left to your own devices quite a lot. People tend to be more impressed by where you went rather than what you have and at the end of the day does it really matter? I’m finding more now with the work that I’m doing that no one really cares, they’re interested in the work not where you learned. Maybe because I’m working within the alternative community maybe, I’m not commercial, and people are less concerned about status.”

You work on canvases which is quite traditional and also you’ve got into jackets too, and printing too.

Are those the mediums you’re just naturally drawn to?

“The jackets I sort of fell in to doing. It

What are your favourite subjects to paint?

“People and faces. I just love characters.

I don’t get much out of painting still life at all. I respect people that can, it’s very technical, but I just love people. People are so interesting and have their own stories going on. I like creating characters as well or giving objects human aspects.”

When you hit on a subject that you want to paint do you find that you end up doing a whole series on the same subject?

“Yes, I do explore, like I can do them in this position or then they’ll be in this situation, and it goes on and on. I always want to do a series.”

Have you got any artists that you really love?

“There are so many. The one that was when I was getting more in to painting would be Edward Hopper. He’s just a classic painter who really captures that

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 67

sense of loneliness in the city which I really relate to being in London. He has a silent vibe about his work that’s urban, city based but it features people which I like. I like a lot of pop surrealism work. I like Marion Peck who is married to Mark Ryden and they are kind of like the pop surreal king and queen really. They have a very similar style. Then there’s a digital artist called Ray Caesar who paints quite sinister portraits.”

You get commissions because that’s how you earn a living, so what’s the best commission you’ve had to date?

And have you had any not so good ones?

“Oh, plenty of not so good ones. When I first started out I was just accepting anything that came along and people wanted some strange stuff. Portrait stuff that was really cheesy and quite tacky where they weren’t willing to take it in a different direction so I just did it. I’m getting better at being selective now. My best commission is a jacket for Chris Jericho which is really exciting. He’s giving me free reign to do what I want which is fantastic. He’s been lovely to collaborate with. It’s an artist’s dream to have someone come to them and say do what you want, and here’s some money. It’s very flattering and you feel like you’re on the right path.”

Are you self-critical of your work?

“Yes, massively so, to the point of putting something up on social media becomes an anxiety kind of thing. Sometimes you’ll be so pleased with a piece and you put it up online really confident and then two people like it. And then you’ll put something up you’re not sure about and people love it. Social media is a strange one but it teaches you to just be brave and put stuff out there.”

If you had one spare space on a wall to hang one piece of art what would you have?

“The obvious one would be Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks just because it’s so famous. It’s his most famous piece. Or I’d throw some Dali up there. He’s incredible. I like a lot of photographers work to, I like David Lachappelle, Nadia Lee, Juno Calypso, they all do glossy, hyper real very bright kitsch.

I’d love a wall full of that.”

Artists are famous for their work gaining value after they’ve died. Would you rather sell a good amount of art work and live comfortably only to be forgotten in a short space of time, or would you rather have your work become more valuable after you’ve gone even if you sold much less in life?

“I can’t stress this enough, support your living artist. We have to eat and pay rent too. We would do it for a laugh but we’ve chosen it as a career and a bit of money would be helpful, and you can’t pay bills with compliments and exposure. We really do appreciate the money while we’re alive. It would be great to live on and that people would get something out of it but I’ll be dead so I won’t get much out of that. So money now please.” katelomaxart.com facebook.com/KateLomaxArt instagram.com/KateLomaxArt

By Gary Trueman facebook.com/gtruemanBYHO

NICKIE WEARS: Mystic Mesh Maxi Dress Hemlock Hooded Maxi Dress Belt From Asos Horn Headwear From Faerie Tale Gothic

“ Sometimes you’ll be so pleased with a piece and you put it up online really confident and then two people like it. And then you’ll put something up you’re not sure about and people love it. Social media is a strange one but it teaches you to just be brave and put stuff out there.” ~ Kate Lomax

68 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

HT SPOTLIG

DR FAUST

Ventnor Revival “ The collection draws the landscape of Bonchurch into the fore and highlights the creative forces that are becoming the essence of Ventnor’s recent renaissance.”

2018 saw the arrival of long-established vintage hair and make-up specialists, Vintage Hair Lounge in Ventnor, the thriving alternative and ecologically aware south coast town on the Isle of Wight. Returning to their personal roots, Sharon and Gloria Holloway saw the opportunity to re-launch their High Street Davines salon and beauty boutique in this perfect environment, extending their hairdressing services and developing their exclusive product lines, including introducing the new collection of dresses from cutting-edge alternative brand, Dr Faust.

In adjacent Bonchurch, famed for its long history as a retreat for writers and artists for well over a century, the other-worldliness of the largely undeveloped ‘undercliff’ presented a timeless backdrop to a new photo-shoot with Southampton based photographer Scott Chalmers, with whom Vintage Hair Lounge have worked for many years.

The concept was to fuse the style of the Dr Faust identity with the credentials of Davines, the leading B Corporation sustainable and vegan-friendly hair brand that had yet to partner with an Isle of Wight based salon.

“We wanted to let people know that our aspirations and experience stretches beyond the vintage hairstyling we had best become known for over the past seven or eight years,” says Sharon.

70 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

“My vision was to show how inspiring this unique landscape blended with the personality of the individuals in the locality made sense of our association with Davines.”

Working on ideas developed with Vintage Hair Lounge’s new specialist colourist, Emma Ballantyne, the team recruited local business owner Khia Janzen, who runs The Tea House café in Ventnor and The Events Company, offering catering services across the Island.

“Khia embodied everything positive about how far Ventnor has come since I grew up here as a kid,” explains Sharon. “She has a striking, almost androgynous, look to work with, and was suitably enthusiastic about the project.”

Presented with a blank canvas with Khia’s hair, Emma undertook a complete overhaul of the colour to complement the project. Using Davines mask with vibrachrome to create strong vibrant orange tones of colour framed by warm dark brown lengths, the finished look gave sufficient nods to fashions in alternative hairstyling looks, whilst emphasising the natural autumn colours that seamlessly blended with the chosen locations including ‘Devil’s Chimney’, Bonchurch church and the coastal enclave of Monks’ Bay. The collection draws the landscape of Bonchurch into the fore and highlights the creative forces that are becoming the essence of Ventnor’s recent renaissance. Vintage Hair Lounge has most certainly ‘come home’.

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 71

HT SPOTLIG

72  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 73

HT SPOTLIG

74  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Photoshoot Credits: --------------------Photography: Scott Chalmers Photography Model: Khia Janzen Styling and Make-Up: Vintage Hair Lounge Hair Colour and Hairstyling: Emma Ballantyne for Vintage Hair Lounge Using Davines Clothing: Dr Faust (And What Katie Did Foundation Garments) & Gipsy Tights Accessories & Additional Clothing: Model’s Own Vintage Hair Lounge --------------------Scott Chalmers Photography www.scottchalmers.co.uk Davines: www.davines.com Dr Faust: www.drfaust.com What Katie Did: www.whatkatiedid.com Gipsy Tights: www.gipsytights.com The Tea House 40 High Street Ventnor Isle of Wight PO38 1JA Vintage Hair Lounge 5 Pier Street Ventnor Isle of Wight PO38 1ST

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 75

76  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

dAGAZ DREADS Watching a woman establish and build a business from the ground up is quite a sight to behold and Marci has been on our radar for quite a while. With a ferocious tenacity and an unbridle passion for dreads and her clients along with her creativity Dagaz is a self-made empire and now Marci is about to embark on the next step of the journey by taking her gift and knowledge on the road around the world to share with and teach others. Nickie Hobbs caught up with the boss lady herself to discuss business origins, creative influences and inspiring a dare to be different attitude…

Marci, let’s start with you, tell us a little more about the face behind the name…

I’m Marci! I am a 30 year old, self-made “boss lady” metal head with an unhealthy obsession with dreadlocks! I grew up in a small town and now live on an island in the UK (Isle of Wight). I am a passionate character with a filthy potty mouth that has a desire to see positive change in the world! I live my life in an unusual way, my friends and clients have referred to me as “Alice” like that wonderland girl y’know ha-ha. I work with the law of attraction, astrology, numerology and many other methods like tarot helping to guide me to make the right decisions.

I have a super positive mind-set built on the determination to manifest the things I want from my life and up until now it’s worked for me (touch wood). I have a strong work ethic which has helped me achieve things I never thought possible.

And now I want to share these things with others hopefully to create jobs and an awareness and better understanding of an industry that is yet to be embraced.

How did you get started with creating, making and then installing dreads?

Oh Jesus, ok so my dreadlock obsession started when I was 11 when I met my cousin! She was the most badass woman I had ever met! Fresh back from Ozzfest she walked into the room head to toe in Goth get up and a glorious head of dreads.... that was it, game over the obsession began.

After years went by I installed my very first set of dreadlocks on my ex-boyfriend at college! They were shit! Ha-ha. I was always fascinated by synthetic dreads! The ability to change your look temporarily for something super low maintenance with zero damage to your natural hair was so interesting to me, and so I found a bunch of old ass videos on you tube back in 2007 and started playing around with the old “cyber goth” style of dreads. Safe to say

these were not my style so I started going on a mission for techniques and styles which eventually developed my style now! It’s taken 11 years but it’s worth it! I started by installing dreads on myself mainly until I was asked ALOT by various people if i could start doing it for them so I did! It all escalated from there after being given to opportunity to work from an all-female piercing shop on the Isle of Wight promoting my work.

I did the lady bosses hair and boom it took off much to my surprise, and here I am 3 years later!

What inspires you when it comes to designing these spectacular statement pieces?

Individuality and confidence! I want to bring out the creativeness in people! I want people to feed that inner artist and help people express it with big, bold, statement hair! I want to empower people and build confidence and just badassery in everyone I have the pleasure of working with! I also want people to realize with hard work and passion you really can achieve anything!

Are you able to shed some light on your unique technique and tell our readers what makes Dagaz Dreads so special and unique from other dead makers?

My synthetic dread technique is not used by anyone in the world as far as I can tell this is why I want to teach it!

I am very particular about detail and femininity and the sets embodying elements of the client wearing them so every single set is customized to the individual so they all know that they are they only badass with that one off set of dreads! I want people to recognize they are unique and feel it! I think it’s this attention to detail that separates me from the rest.

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 77

You recently took the initiative to want to teach others your gift. What prompted this decision and how will you teach and spread the knowledge to others?

The teaching is so exciting to me! This was triggered by the sheer volume of people asking me for tips and tricks and also the fact that I received messages worldwide from people expressing an interest in what I do, and wanting to start their own businesses because they love what I do so much! Which is insane! It has inspired them to start learning! But there is nowhere near enough consistent knowledge out there to help them start, and also to do it to a high standard! A lot of locticians do this for the money I’ll be brutally honest! I want to help people that have the same passion as me, so will dedicate my time to these individuals one on one or in groups. The potential students out there is so fucking exciting!

As far as I know there are 3 locticians in the world that teach that’s it! It’s a misunderstood industry! I’m here to change this! I want to educate and inspire people to dare to be different and hopefully start a well-educated

78 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

movement! Enabling people to find their independence and create a career for themselves that they love the same way I do!

You’re an incredibly active social media user whether these posts and live feeds cover your personal life or time with your clients – do you think this personable and visible approach has helped to grow your business?

I am only ever inspired by people I can relate to! I think in a world of false idols and unachievable perfection people need to cut the shit and be real!

Showing all aspects of my life makes me human! I am openly a weirdo with a very broken back ground which I am very happy to share with the world as I am not ashamed of where I came from or the things I have had to struggle with in order to get to where I am now! This is why I share my interest in astrology! Everyone has a zodiac sign.

They can all relate to this whether they believe or not! This makes what I say and how I relate to my clients and followers far more personal and less intimidating! We need more people out there like this! I want my clients to know that I am human! I work damn

hard for what I have and under no circumstances will it be easy for them to have it too but they can, if they don’t fall victim to their challenges in life!

What do you think have been the three main positive things you can attribute to being your own ‘boss’?

Ok so three things......

1. Freedom in all aspects! This is huge for me. As long as you realise your social life will have to RIP for few years before you start your own business the freedom you will get as a result will be a massive pay off!

2. Connections! The people I have had the pleasure of meeting through all this has been no less than humbling!

The fact that we are so anti-social nowadays baffles me! People are incredible! My clients I can now call friends from all walks of life and I adore all of them! They are all so epic in their own ways.

3. Being responsible for my own life!

I can’t hold any one responsible for the choices I make anymore which at times is challenging but my awareness of who I am and how I work now is more strict which has taught me

harsh lessons AH: “I played himabout Love self-discipline Like Anthrax by andOf also how toifnot beat myself up as Gang Four and you listen to the I amon always learning.

I’m very lyrics that they have For twothis completely gratefulvocal as some will never learn different linespeople that occasionally come this level of self-awareness. together.

One’s sort of spoken and the other’s singing the melody and they just Your client some intertwine andbase I saidalso let’sfeatures try this approach influential models onvery it. And when youalternative come back in the who have promoted your designs, choruses it really bolsters up the bit I’m is there on your radar that doing and itanyone flies off.” you“And would like toone become brandit AON: I rewrote line toa make ambassador forthe 2019? dovetail with just word survive, so on Musicians!

I have eyeend on aoncouple and the second verse wemy both the word have spoken to them about working survive, so it kind of dovetails and thenwith me! Hard working badass it joins in and goes into the…Musicians!

It’s a fun, I love music so much it’slive.” a huge part of my knackering song to play life“I and big metal head would AH: alsobeing don’t athink there’s any Iother lovewritten to bring dreads into that song about cholera fromindustry the point with some of the most of more view working of the microbes.” talented women in music!

AON: “I’m not sure there are any other songs written about cholera at all. It’s like Whowriting is youradread idol? concentration Slayer song about DreadSlayer Idol?! wrote My cousin If it wasn’t camps. that Becky! song Jihad which forfrom her being trueof toview herself all those was the point of terrorists” I wouldn’t where I am now!

MByears “Andago Andy writes a be song about viruses So massive youofand from the pointthank of view theshout virus.”out to her!

From there we go into what seems was your personal highlight toWhat be the light entertainment of the of the last year? Fucking Machine album, Obscene My“You highlight?.. pictures Shelly MB: say thatNaked but it’s a prettyofhard D’Inferno in my dreads? Ha-ha. No 2018 song.” was one hell a year for me!

AH: “I don’t seeof any lightness in My thatbest at all.”

AON: “I think you’re missing some irony there.”

AH: “He’s just a fascinating character, when you think that the times everyone was supposed to be so prim and proper there’s this absolute monster of a bloke.”

AON: “He had a chair made so he could fuck two women at once.”

AH: “Yeah, in a Paris brothel. He had his own chair, in a Paris brothel so he could fuck two women at once. Because he was so fat he had to hold his weight up. And people accepted his behaviour because they wanted to keep the status quo.”

AON: “We’ve got those chairs now on the merch stand.”

MB: “Musically that was a riff that Andrew brought in. Wasn’t it just called Bauhaus riff?”

AON: “Yeah.”

MB: “Which is interesting because the song doesn’t sound anything like Bauhaus.”

AON: “It’s more Joy Division isn’t it? I was listening to a lot of that new age goth stuff.”

MB: “Fun to play because I get to play a big monster bass riff with my fuzz pedal.

And shout Big Fat Fucking Machine which is a joy” AH: “The audience have really picked up on that one, it’s become a real sing along. And it throws them because the second verse has got a chorus…”

AON: “It’s an interesting thing, we’re playing nine new songs on this tour. It’s interesting that crowds are into it but there

so farwith I think! would say every ayear bit more, theI new stuff, because time haven’t I saw my clients in myyet, they lived withsmiling the record That feeling is and irreplaceable! itwork! hasn’t intertwined become the NOTHING will ever compare that soundtrack to their lives. AndtoI reckon feeling!

I get mywhen biggest when weIt’s dowhere the next tour, they’ve high! to it again and again, those listened choruses are just going to really jump out What plans thechoruses mix for taking because theyare arein gang on the Dagaz into 2019? record.”

Dagaz collective is about to take a AH: “It’s already happening. On this major neware direction. tour there people The whoeducation have come is the firstofthing I willon bethe working on. to several the gigs tour and After that YouTube andwords a podcast they’re mouthing back that I about dreadlocks willremembered.” be coming! I haven’t even fucking haven’t revealed this yetwith so you have AON: “Absolutely.

Same Disease an exclusive ha-ha!

I will mouthing also be my Control, I’ve seen people working more bringing astrological words and I’ve on thought fuck I’d better get insights intobecause the mixpeople and at will the know.” end of these right, the year I will be working on a book.... but I won’t tellonto you probably what that’s about Next we get your bestquite yet! known subject, Occam’s Razor

MB: “I thought you were going to say Which woman has inspired you Slayer” most “Yeah, in thethis past year? because Andy AON: happened Shelly ThatRipper woman read hisD’inferno! first bookFor onsure!

Jack the and is a machine!

I have watched herread work what always happens when you for years but working her over your first book on Jack with the Ripper you go theI’ve past year left me speechless! oh, got thehas skinny on this now, this The woman knows the meaning of him is a really good book.

And then I sent harddebunkings.” work! Talking to her also she’s the Very“Actually humble and AH: no.” not deluded which is refreshing! and worked AON: “Didn’tI had thatspoken happen?” with“Iother in the andI AH: said Imodels was about to industry read it and said is this any good and then everybody else jumped in including you, well read it, and then read all this which says virtually the opposite and then make your own mind up. And it just seemed like there’s so much fucking misinformation out there and no one knows what happened.”

AON: “Well it’s like the Dance of the GullCatchers, the appendix, not the appendix but the kind of coda to From Hell by Alan Moore, basically says there’s no, what’s the word I’m after…”

AH: “Clues?”

AON: “Yeah, but a particular type of evidence. Forensics, there’s no forensics, and every year I get a load of emails and messages going oh they’ve wrote a book, they’ve found out who Jack the Ripper is, and I go I bet they haven’t. And then you find out it’s about a guy who bought a scarf at an auction, and he’s claiming it was Catherine Eddowes scarf, and there’s some DNA on that, and that’s linked to someone else, but it’s mitochondrial DNA which only means it’s one in thirty as opposed to one in a million, oh as per usual it’s bullshit. And Andy, in a very short space of time, Andy basically become a Ripperologist. You know you’re a Ripperologist when you get fucked off at anyone claiming to know the truth.”

AH: “Yeah, and I’d only got about three chapters in. They used the word probably so manty times it really really annoyed me.”

AON: “There’s so much fudging. Basically,

my they could learn something anygod book that makes a bold claim for from does so much behind who her! it is, She there’s soso much fudging.

But all modelling as well helping thethe kind of circumstantial evidence and others legit, by promoting you supporting go ah, this seems this seems their work using her status thegood at reasonable, because peopleinare industry which is incredible! building narratives out of…” I hope to work with her many more projects JM: “Given thatonthis probably happened for this alone! She But is a very then wereason can extrapolate. we don’t empowering know thoughwoman! do we.”

AH: “It’s also pretty bad taste to write What you feel is the best and aboutdo that.” most thing about AON: empowering “Bad taste? Says a man who wrote being woman? a songacalled There She Glows about The ability to adapt!

No matter what Marie Curie?” generation, what status AH: “Basically it’slifestyle, an entirewhat industry in the world Women adapt!

We have based around the brutal murders of five always toit.” due to living in a “man’s women,had isn’t world” for so long.

It even applies AON: “And vulnerable women.” to status within tribes. But I feel going as if to AH: “And unashamed, they’re this is some changing rapidly and we are on write bollocks.” the brink ofthe change a mass scalethem AON: “And thingon about calling and the compassion and strength whores or prostitutes when that was women have towere embody because like their job.had They desperately of suppression longalcoholic, we are now poor women, allfor ofso them being given an opportunity voice desperately trying to find ato few pence how adaptable wefor are. either for a room the night or a gin and what they would usually do is they facebook.com/dagaz.creative would get price a fuck at the price of a instagram.com/dread_pixie gin as opposed to the price of a room, so they’d then drink gin and then have to go find someone else Interview in orderBy toNickie actually get the room for a night. And they were women and they had lives and they had families and they had backgrounds, you know. And the industry around it is we might get you. Fucking unlikely mate, it was 150 years ago, it was over a hundred years ago.”

AH: “It was, totally.”

There’s quite a bit of capitalism in this album AH: “Anti-capitalism” God Is In The Bottom Line AH: “Yeah, it’s a sister song to Miner really. And A Clean Sweep.”

MB: “Another in a series of exploited people.”

AON: “Musically I wanted to write a song that sounded like it would fit on Raining Blood and I went into the studio and played them Necrophobic and wrote the song in about as long as the song takes.”

AH: “And I had the lyrics already to go.”

AON: “This is what Andy does, I’ll come up with a riff and then he goes oh I’ve got a thing, there’s this.”

AH: “As soon as I read out the first line Pity the fingerless children, yep that’s in.”

AON: “Notably Jez wrote Occam’s Razor.”

MB: “Yeah, credit where it’s due Jez wrote most of Occam’s Razor.”

JM: “Not the words obviously” AON: “Yeah, Jez isn’t very good with words, he’s from the Midlands.”

AH: “Yeah, he can’t spell Occam”

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 79

HT SPOTLIG

LONDON AUTHENTIC LIFESTYLE FASHION TRADE SHOW It’s chilly outside London’s Business Design Centre but the atmosphere inside is as warm and friendly as ever. LondonEdge is celebrating a massive milestone with its 20th birthday and the range of apparel and accessories is suitably huge with all tastes catered for from the dark and gothic to the eye blindingly bright.

The catwalk shows this year feature ranges from some well-known brands mixed in with some of the smaller independents. It’s this coming together of companies largely established and small and independent for the purpose of showing off their latest wares as a collective that makes LondonEdge so special, and so very popular. New exhibitors this time around included the cruelty free Glam Goth Beauty, vintage and retro jewellery stockist Erstwilder and Cemetery Swag who market clothing for those who have spooky kids. It’s great to see so many brands putting so much effort into showing what they have to offer with many models offering a glimpse of how this year’s creations will look and behave in the real world. While the catwalk has a wow factor, it’s in and around the stands that you can see how a dress will stand out or how easy those boots are to walk in for any length of time. Hearts And Roses cool pin up chic was much admired, as was the always great range of gothica and steampunk from fashion veterans Phaze Clothing. Sheen had some neat simple but effective lines while Collectif’s sheer depth and variety made them a must visit with so many beautiful prints to accessorise. Most notable was how clothing is becoming so much more mix and match and in particular how alternative fashion is bleeding into every day and urban wear. Fashion like music is changing fast and LondonEdge is one of the best places to see and truly feel that.

To keep updated with all brand and show news head to: londonedge.com

By Gary Trueman facebook.com/gtruemanBYHO 80 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 81

HT SPOTLIG

Apocalypticus

Road To Ruin 2018 When the apocalypse eventually comes where will you go and how will you survive? Taking a peek into Armageddon is Apocalypticus – Road To Ruin a festival for those that like their events to be a celebration of impending doom and endurance. Based on a disused airfield in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire this is so much more than just a stage and a few props, it’s a full blown adventure.

The road to ruin refers to a road run of suitably prepared vehicles that include a giant Hum Vee, the splendidly pink Kittypocalypse and a series of other ratted and armed bikes and cars. One or two creations stay on site simply because they may scare the locals a bit including a mechanical scorpion armed with a serious sound system. There’s a purpose built combat arena where a form of postapocalyptic medieval battle takes place daily. The highlight however are the night time duels pitting adversaries against each other with flaming swords. It’s quite a spectacle and realistically choreographed, that’s assuming that they’re pretending.

The sound of metal on metal is pretty brutal but enthralling all the same.

The main arena is accessed through a maze of DIY crafted walkways made entirely of salvaged waste and goods which is an innovative idea. There are several entrances and exits. In this area Apocalypticus has a chill out area and a covered rest room which is handy as the weather hasn’t been kind for some part of the weekend. It’s fun to walk around and just explore as well as providing a great place to grab a few shots to take home with you.

There are so many unique ideas that have been put into action from all the crew which make this one hell of a quirky and exciting site. Encouraged to dress to distress the entire crowd have turned up adorning their own unique wear which makes for a veritable feast. The creativity is inspired and everyone looked incredible.

The main arena is where most of the action happens. There’s a barter town feel here with traders on the outer edge facing a stage which features bands and other entertainment through the day.

82 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Highlights of the Saturday include rockers Alternative Carpark who inject some serious energy and enthusiasm into the proceedings and dance troupe Syren who are pristinely choreographed Alternative Belly Dancers. Despite the continuous rain there is a large crowd gathered armed with a tankard of choice and not giving a care on the world as if this weather is all they have ever know. There’s something for everyone with ska punk and electronica also on the menu providing a soundtrack to the end of the world.

Dominating the arena is an old World War 2 tank (Specifically an M3 Grant for military nerds) which was rescued after being used as target practice and now runs. Its rusty exterior proves to be another popular photo location. The whole site has a warm and friendly feel about it with all ages represented from literal babes in arms to those whose bus pass will be dog eared by now.

Apocalypticus – Road To Ruin is a festival now planning ahead for its third year and has the feel of something that could and should endure. The setting is perfect with plenty of parking and camping available. The organisation is excellent with hired security very low key but there if needed. It’s great to see an event put on decent affordable food and drink too.

Because the organisers truly care and have done such a great job next year for many the road to take will be the road to ruin.

Road To Ruin 2019 19th – 21st July facebook.com/roadtoruin2017 Review: Nickie Hobbs & GaryTrueman Photos: facebook.com/gtruemanBYHO

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 83

84  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

HOLLIE PRYCE JONES

By Alice Bizarre

Bold as Brass Tattoo Company

Hollie Pryce Jones is an incredibly talented tattooist whose black and grey work is instantly recognisable and revered. Having followed her work for a few years through social media featuring this independent strong willed creative and unique woman was a no brainer.

Nickie Hobbs got talk shop with Hollie and discussed career history and the move to Bold as Brass Tatttoo Company, veganism and her own merchandise line future goal.

When did you start tattooing, can you describe your background and the main reasons you decided to be a tattooist?

When I was 16 I did a few hand poke tattoos on friends for fun but I didn’t actually start my tattooing career until a few years later when I was offered an apprenticeship. It all just gradually fell in place, I’ve always just been an artist and never really had a Plan B and tattooing was the direction my art took.

You have recently moved to Liverpool to work at Bold as Brass Tattoo Company – tell us about the studio and how are you finding Liverpool as a city?

I’d visited Liverpool numerous times prior to moving and kind of fell in love with it. Most of my visits were actually to get tattooed at Bold as Brass, so I already had a good idea of what the studio was like, and getting the opportunity to move there was completely unexpected so I jumped at the chance. I couldn’t ask to work in a better place and with more amazing people.

Can you expand in detail your career and your history of tattooing for us?

Well I had a receptionist job in a studio in Swansea for a while, it was only one day a week but I was grateful to get some studio experience. The owner of that shop let me have a go at tattooing for an hour before I started work each week and that was super exciting for me. He wasn’t looking for a full time apprentice though so eventually I got an offer to learn in my home town, Newport. This month actually marks four years since I was hired as an apprentice - I got crazy drunk with my mentor in a bar and got on the wrong bus home, but it’s all good because I got the job and things worked out in the end. I worked there for a few months and then got to do a few tattoos on my legs before getting

would be good for me to get out of my comfort zone at some point.

In your own opinion what makes a successful and comfortable atmospheric tattooing environment?

If everyone’s easy going, nice and up for a laugh, you can’t go wrong. Top that with a good work ethic and that’s all you need.

friends in to practice. I did a lot of full days for free or for a set up cost of £40, just to get experience and learn. In June 2017 I moved to Cardiff, it was scary to move initially but was good for me to develop and gain some confidence. After six months I got the chance to move to Liverpool so I wasn’t there for long but I still go back and visit the guys on guest spots from time to time.

Your style is very unique in the fact that you work is quite dark with heavy shading in black and grey, has this always been the case?

I’ve always just sketched with graphite, so my work has never involved colour.

Due to this people always came to me for black and grey as that’s what I drew.

I just naturally took to grey wash as it makes sense to me and I can’t remember a time where my work wasn’t dark really. I’d like to branch into painting and experiment with colour though, I think it

As a female tattooist have you ever felt or been treated differently to your male colleagues?

Not as much now, I’ve definitely experienced a “let me speak with the boss/a man” attitude when working in street shops or sat on the desk, but all of my customers come to me for my work now so they treat me as they would any artist. I work in a private studio too so I think that weens out the more difficult people.

Has opening and running your own studio ever been on the cards?

It’s still early days in my career but opening a studio hasn’t ever been a goal of mine. It’s a huge commitment and I lack the organisation skills so I don’t think it would be for me. I really like where I’m at right now, as I still have the freedom to travel whilst getting to work in a perfect environment. I’m not one for planning, I’m enjoying just going with it and seeing what happens.

How do you keep your ideas fresh and your industry knowledge up to date?

Ideas are often happy accidents and other things are trial and error. I keep up to date on products via social media and seeing what brands and products

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 85

86  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

“ I’ve always just sketched with graphite, so my work has never involved colour. Due to this people always came to me for black and grey as that’s what I drew. I just naturally took to grey wash as it makes sense to me and I can’t remember a time where my work wasn’t dark really. I’d like to branch into painting and experiment with colour though, I think it would be good for me to get out of my comfort zone at some point.”

other tattooists are using. Just like everything else, social media and the internet is the main platform for information.

What are your favourite subjects to tattoo and how do you tend to approach designing a custom piece?

I love tattooing all sorts of subjects; I’m still working out my direction. I just had a completely different piece book in for a convention and I’m excited to do something unlike anything I’ve done before. It’s so fun doing portraits and figurative things but I enjoy taking on big challenges as it makes me better. Every piece is different, so I don’t have one process as I’m always developing.

Your Instagram feed is full of vegan food – tell us a little more about your veganism?

Yeah I love discovering new food and places to eat, but I’m also a massive creature of habit so you’ll notice the same things popping up, predominantly sushi and noodles as I’ve always been a huge fan of Asian food. I definitely enjoy food more when my diet is plant based, and I eat a lot more now than when I used to eat animal

products, it’s like all your food is in HD and everything is super exciting again.

Who is Hollie in her private life?

What are your hobbies and passions?

I’d love to spend more time this year focusing on drawing and exploring painting, and maybe sculpture to then further my tattoo and design process and to create things for myself as well as others. I’m pretty introverted so I’m at home quite a lot unless I’m out grabbing food. My job is very social so I think you kind of hit two birds with one stone when you spend all day meeting new people whilst working with your friends.

Will you be guest spotting or tattooing at any conventions this year?

I occasionally guest spot in Cardiff when I go home to visit, and I have my first guest spot outside of the U.K in March, in Berlin. This month I’m working Brighton Tattoo Convention which will be my first convention too. I don’t have any others lined up; I love where I work so I don’t see the point in doing UK guest spots when it’s easier for people to jump on a train. I’d like to visit more

places internationally as I have a lot of travelling I’d like to do so I’d love to combine that with work and tattoo people who can’t get over to the UK. What does the rest of this year look like for you? Any goals you have set for yourself to achieve?

Well I’m doing my first convention and first guest spot abroad all by March so I’m off to a good start. I’d like to finally produce some merchandise and get my act together in that respect. Honestly I’ve never really thought too far ahead and it’s worked well so far, I’m just seeing where things take me and taking opportunities as they come! facebook.com/boldasbrasstattoo facebook.com/hollieprycejones.art instagram.com/hollieprycejones Interview By Nickie Hobbs

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 87

By Nickie Hobbs

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH 88  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Sal Abruscato is a name that most of you will know. Whether you distinguish him as the enigmatic vocalist from the ‘Brooklyn Lords Of Doom’ aka A Pale Horse Named Death or from his invaluable contributions as a drummer in Life Of Agony or Type O Negative. His career is one you could write a meaty book about and right now the main focus on his mind is the record of work that has just been released ‘When The World Becomes Undone’. In this interview Nickie Hobbs caught up with Sal who had generously made time in his very busy schedule one evening from New York to discuss the new record in detail and its concept, the need for cinematic experiences, stage interaction and musical influences.

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 89

90  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Tell us how has your year been so far?

Has 2019 been kind to you?

So far, 2019 has been way better than 2018. Last year was a rough ride, a lot of head down work which was doing me out, there was all sorts of drama and things in life going on. So far 2019 has been exciting because we’ve changed a lot of things finally after the album came out; we’ve got two agents, we’re booking more stuff throughout the year and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to even just play for folks around the US or around Europe.

When were you last in Europe?

It was 2014. We did a three-week tour in early 2014, then we did one festival in the summer and that was it. I was asked if I would do a weekend reunion, and that time it was presented to me as a reunion weekend with Life of Agony but then one thing led to another and I kind of put things on hold. I wasn’t really getting on well with Matt Brown as well and I needed a change but I kind of had to go also where the money was coming in so then I got sucked into one thing after the other and my personal life took a toll on me getting stuff done so I’m excited to finally be here. I think the stars have aligned and right now is a good time to release a record as there’s not much out there that’s like this. I think if I had come out with it (this record) right away back in 2014 maybe it would’ve done just as well maybe not! It’s been a quiet four years so I think there’s a rhyme to the reason.

What do you think sets it apart so much as a record? Why is it so different?

I don’t know, maybe because every song on this record are six minutes long, like the shortest song is four minutes but everything else is six seven minutes, that right there and the concept of the record is even futher as a cinematic experience.

Funny you should say that – I had written the following to discuss with you. The album follows your previous offerings as being quite a cinematic experience complete with interludes that help fill the story concept. I found these to be full of misery, despair and desperation yet somehow there is an edge of hope that tails off at the end of each section. Can you tell me a bit more about these?

You nailed it on the head, that’s exactly what I’m saying. With the member change, basically me and Eric Morgan worked together and produced this record. We discussed it and he said “I think we should go more Floyd” kind of like a Pink Floyd vibe with long, deep cinematic sounds, stuff in between the songs etc. You

start from the beginning and it makes you go through. I don’t think people do that enough or there’s not enough bands doing it. I think it’s kind of cool the way it’s going right now; my life is very different now say to how it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago even so there’s a lot of things going on that also reflect on how things happen. I think sometimes letting life happen gives you fuel to write stuff about and adds things you want to get off your chest.

Everything happens for a reason I feel it’s a blessing that automatically SPV were all over the idea of the possibility of a third album and yeah, I’d been thinking about it because that was going on in my last year in Life of Agony, I was already contemplating what I want to do. I had to do another record because I was getting letters and having people ask me about everything and I knew I didn’t want to end it by just quitting Life of Agony, I wanted to finish what was started and I needed to do a third record and see what would happen, I didn’t know what to expect honestly after four years away! It was maybe working a little bit on its own but in this business, you have to get yourself out there, people are so fickle and will forget you in a heartbeat, you know the way the younger generations are! So here I am and I’m honoured to do everything I do and I’m really stoked to be part of Devolution because I remember through Sam you were supporting us from the first record. I always remembered that. I always try and remember who’s good to me, it’s hard but I do my best!

The first single you released was ‘Love the Ones You Hate’ with its catchy as hell chorus and its more upbeat tempo – what made you choose this as the first single to put out there ahead of the album release?

The label… I knew when I did that song. I’m a fan of the whole 80’s. I was a teenager in the 80’s so I was a fan of the whole 80’s wave and new wave twist that became The Cure and Depeche Mode and the new wave goth stuff that was going on in the late 80’s.

I always loved that stuff and it was a big influence on me and we would talk about the bands and go to these places and old goth bars, places that don’t exist anymore (And The Cult!). I always liked that kind of stuff and I was always heavily influenced by it along with the whole Beetles and Sabbath thing and ‘Love the Ones you Hate’ kind of stuck out and the Label came to me and said they wanted it for the first single to put out there and let people hear the album.

I think they were probably thinking corporate and thinking of accessibility, what the masses will like and what will people gravitate to quickly. I guess they thought if we present them with this long suicidal song maybe not everybody could handle that especially how soft society is these days, they’d probably have a panic attack. I guess they thought it was a safe start and of course that’s why it led up to it and ‘Vultures’ which is the only other mid-tempo song. What I thought was brilliant was that they waited. You know what that’s perfect, it’s kind of sets everybody up with these two upbeat mid-tempo songs, give them something that’s different dymamitcally with piano and things and it’s kind of hits it home with what’s going on in the world a little bit too. It was the right decision in the end.

Your voice has will always resonate your signature sound but, on this offering, it seems much more diverse and melodic, have you been intentionally trying out new vocal styles the direction of the album hoping for variations to compliment the songs? Is this experimenting or is this something that’s just happened?

I would think both. I like fooling around with harmonies and I think the best thing I could’ve done was two years ago I quit smoking and it extremely changed things for the better. I never claimed to be anybody special and I started on the first record having my limitations and I knew personally I was coming out of the closet in a way so like okay… here we go, this is what I hear in my head etc. And I was growing with using the harmonies and things and then experimentations started on the second record, with the Beetles I loved all the stuff they were doing with choreographed harmonies and cool things like that and I’m a big fan of all of that, like its big musician shit when your dealing with cool stuff like that. Even though people seem to be labelling us a lot as a Doom band I think we took Doom to a different kind of level where I think I’m going to create this new genre called Doom Pop you know? The music that actually has an ear worm, that actually pulls you in an makes you want to still end up okay in the end through the depressing stuff.

Isn’t that life though? Needing to go through darkness, to get to Heaven you have to go through Hell? In life everyone has their struggles, everyone has their hardship, whatever it may be. There are miserable things that happen in this cruel world that happen to people in general on a daily basis, I think it relates

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 91

to a lot of people in a way they have gravitated because interpreted it into their own situation; and I like to leave things open ended. I don’t talk too specifically; I mention things, I touch on things but I still want to keep it open minded where maybe the person is taking it a different way they are attached to. They can touch on it on a very personal level but I don’t label it as “this is my problem and I’m singing to you about it”. No, I’m singing about a feeling, I sing about an emotion that is probably synonymous with billions of people around the world who may feel down.

The saying goes ‘Go Big or Go Home’ – did you have this in mind when injecting what seems like some grandeur into the latest record? Will this grandeur be something you will be able to orchestrate within the live shows?

Hopefully one day and they only way that will happen is if we add to production, which means we need to bring more money to afford that production in turn.

Hopefully the band grows and continues on a steady incline. In a perfect world, like I told the guys, for example with the piano in ‘When The World Becomes Undone’ they want to run it off from the back where Johnny has control of the track and I said honestly in a perfect world, I would love to wait for the day where we could have a piano or electric piano or a proper keyboard so I can actually play it on the piano and sing it and pull a fucking Elton John moment (laughs) and shit comes in!

That to me would be a good show to put on but what does that mean? We would need help, you need technicians, you need people to move this big thing on and off the stage as its only one song. It just becomes production which we’d spend thousands and thousands of dollars or euros on etc. It takes a lot of money and I don’t think people realise that it costs a lot of money to put on a big show. For example, Ghost have done a couple of these big arena shows, I think they are one of the only bands I can say is doing that different thing, that conceptual thing with that style and harmonies and that’s why people gravitated to them; they are so different and melodic. Nobodies very melodic, its all blast beats and all kinds of yelling and screaming all the time. That’s why they stood out differently because literally they are like the satanic ABBA, they are great. I’m a big fan of the band.

My point is they’re doing something different which these big shows and these big theatrical things that they did with the stage where they played a couple of arenas, that was all PR. They spent all 92 DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

their money on that and if anything, they ended up in the red putting on a big event like that without any opening band to help them or anything. I was hoping we could do something on a smaller scale where we can pull some cool things in places big enough to hang our backdrop, it would be nice to have some more stuff on stage. I always have a lot of vision and concepts so I’m always conceptualising. It would be nice but it takes a lot of money to do all that stuff and I’m in no position to lay out personal money. I’m a family man and I have to put that first but I hope to, especially with an album like this. What we did though on the release show was we opened the show with a track that’s called ‘The Woods’ and it was Johnny running from his laptop, I enjoyed doing stuff like that but hopefully on a bigger scale down the road. We’re still growing and that was the mistake I did, was to deactivate. Hindsight is 20-20, honestly, I made some choices and I got involved writing in the other bands records and I was doing stuff purely to keep money coming in. The band was growing and I should’ve kept on doing that but it was too much for me to handle everything all at once. Good things happen for a reason.

You guys are gearing up for a UK and European tour that kicks off in March – how ready are you for this?

What can the fans expect from your upcoming shows?

First things first you’ve gotta expect a wall of sound to literally hit you because there’s three guitars and Eric’s huge bass. We have an intro which is a track from the album but then we do something musically that’s so heavy its going to make you nauseous and then we kick into the bands set. I think what we’re going to do is continue that. We played a show last week in New York City for the record release show and we played for an hour and a half on stage and we did a lot of stuff and also did some tracks that we weren’t doing so much when we were touring years back like songs like ‘Meet The Wolf’ off the first record. We’re doing a good chunk of each album which is the great thing about having a third album; we keep expanding our set list a little bit more whilst at the same time trying to change things up. I think we’ve already got the three songs off the new record in the pocket and I think we will do a week of rehearsals before Europe because Johnny lives in Texas so we have to make special arrangements.

We’ll start getting a couple more of the new ones in there and see where we’re going to go from there. There are so

many choices but everyone’s having a really nice balance set of all the albums and all the Brooklyn banter there and the dark humour that comes along with this whole unique package that we are and continuing. Roots are roots, we all came from the same place, the attitude we bring a little bit of that too with it.

So, you’re quite interactive on stage?

Yeah oh forget about it! People ask me why aren’t I in comedy? (laughs) I’m always with the quick-witted remarks, even when people are shooting stuff out from the audience, I’m so quick to come right back at them or something and make the whole place laugh. I tell stories all about reality and life, its almost like going to therapy or counselling and all the misfits come out and came out last week to our show and I loved it. At the end of the show they took the time to tell me how special it is or how much the band means to them.

That’s what makes it totally worth it to do all this and I’ll give you a perfect example. You should put this in print.

One fan came up to me at the end of the show (we did some during the fall) and he said “Dude, last month right before Christmas my mother died, my friend committed suicide and my brother died six months ago. And he goes your album has kept me alive.” I’m just like, that’s so heavy, I had no choice but to come off the stage and give him a big hug and thank him and tell him I felt so honoured. It’s a nice feeling, because sometimes you can be your own worst critic “this music’s okay, not that great etc.” so when I hear someone getting that kind of reaction from an album or a couple of them that makes it really more valuable then anything and when you leave this earth you know you affected a few people on the planet. It’s a nice thing to know you’re doing something good at the end of the day because we’re all mortal and we don’t know if that judgement day exists or not.

And to end the interview with this…. is the tempo set by doom prolonging the inevitable apocalypse?

(Laughs) It’s slow so it might be putting off the apocalypse, I like that one! That’s clever!

apalehorsenameddeath.com facebook.com/APHND Interview By Nickie Hobbs

94  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

SHELLY d’INFERNO What does it take to be a model, fire performer or clothing designer? Shelly d’Inferno is all three of those things. She’s been a familiar face on the alternative scene for quite some time now building her brand and gaining huge respect along the way.

Devolution chatted to Shelly about female empowerment, what’s happening over at Pyrohex and what treats she has planned next for everyone.

By Gary Trueman

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 95

96  DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE

Hey Shelly, how are things and how has this year started out for you?

Hello Devolutioners! Things are very well over here. I started my new year at Ozzfest in Los Angeles watching a bunch of awesome bands so I’m off to a good start!

“ I’m all about letting people be who they want to be!

Boy, girl, no gender, alien, fruitcake or goddess you name it! Acceptance is key!” ~ Shelly d’Inferno

Can you tell us about any new and exciting projects that you may currently be working on?

I’m working on launching a new website this year that will host my fashion designs, merchandise and fire equipment brands all in one place. It’s taken up most my time this winter as I do all the website building and designing myself, but I’m excited to launch it soon along with a completely new brand that will hopefully be a hit within alternative fashion.

to this year, I have some new ideas and have also launched my new fire equipment line so I’m all about seeing this culture grow. I’m excited! Fire is a very dangerous element that needs to be respected so some sort of school would be amazing. I haven’t heard of one so far. Maybe when Pyrohex retire from the stage we can start a school ha-ha!

Do you feel a sense of responsibility towards young women looking to begin a career in modelling or performing in terms of your being a role model for them?

No, I really don’t. Every person needs to make their own decisions on what they want to do and how they want to go about it. That’s not the kind of pressure I believe anyone should put on themselves. This all could of course come with consequences such as young women might make decisions they’re not yet ready for. I do however not think that lies with the responsibility of role models, but more about parenting and the way that you raise your children.

Have you found the #Metoo campaigns and similar have had any effect on the number of times you suffer from catcalling or online abuse?

No, not that I have noticed personally but I do think the campaign getting so much recognition in media had a great overall effect!

What’s the most important thing you think a woman can do to become more empowered?

Support other women, it’s incredibly important and empowering. It’s something I try to do as often as I can and it makes me and the other woman feel great.

You’re part of the legendary Pyrohex fire troupe. It seem that fire performing is becoming very popular. While most acts are totally professional do you think that a few people may be trying to run before they can walk? Is some kind of teaching network available and if not is one needed?

Yes it really is becoming popular! I can’t wait to see what Pyrohex will get up

With a background in fashion do you feel you will expand your clothing brands more in the future?

Oh absolutely, I’m launching some new stuff this year. I don’t have a lot of time to create things from scratch or work with the recycling and upcycling right now. But I’m designing something different this time and am super excited to release it. Clue. It’s a type of marking...

As a jack of all trades, do you have a specific area you prefer to work in or an area you would like to see grow?

I decided to put my clothing and photography to the side while i focus on performing and modelling for a while. I will definitely take it back up when the time comes. Right now I really enjoy the work in front of the camera and onstage.

You have performed a lot with your partners band Wednesday 13, would you ever be interesting in expanding you musical side (as we here you are a talented singer!)

Aww that’s kind of you! I’m still waiting for the release new on a music side project I did with my friend. We have actually recorded a bunch of music videos and songs already. I only sing one song and then do backing vocals but I took care of all the visuals such as writing and directing the music videos and the styling. Looking forward to release that too. But yeah I did ask Roman to write some cool songs for me to sing. We’ll see if it happens!

Any final words for us?

I like to finish the interview with my favourite saying that drives me every day. “This is the first day of the rest of your life, make it count!” shellydinferno.com facebook.com/shellydinferno instagram.com/shellydinferno youtube.com/shellydinferno All Images C/O Photographer Rhiannon Laite - Grimmnoire facebook.com/Grimmnoire.Art

Of these areas do you find any particularly harder as a woman to pursue or that you have ever been treated different because of your gender?

Hmmm not too often but sometimes I do feel like organisers treat me like I don’t know what I’m doing, other times for example when Pyrohex are all together and the event organisers automatically talk to Sununu (the boy in our group) assuming he is the show manager.

Which the group all take turns in being ha-ha!

Interview By Gary Trueman

You have explored the fluidity of gender within your modelling (the Nick Cave photoshoot etc.) What are you views on the current modelling scene and the growing acceptance of gender politics within it?

Oh my god I love it, I’m all about letting people be who they want to be! Boy, girl, no gender, alien, fruitcake or goddess you name it! Acceptance is key!

DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE 97

HT SPOTLIG

Scott is one of our resident snappers and has been working with us for the last 10 years. Scott is incredibly gifted with an eye for the perfect shot, a knack for beautiful lighting, and owns an immense portfolio packed with performers from the worlds of music, cabaret, burlesque and so much more. Each issue we print here a chosen image from his ever expanding portfolio. To view more of Scott’s work head over to his regularly updated website: scottchalmersphotography.co.uk Photography: Scott Chalmers Model: Missy Macabre Outfit and Makeup: Missy Macbre Fans By: Beau Rocks Costumer Taken at: Shutterworks Studio 98 98 DEVOLUTION DEVOLUTIONMAGAZINE MAGAZINE