Pier Pressure

f ree / MAY 2017 diymag.com

SLAVES' PIER PARTY BANDS! FANCY DRESS! DODGEM DJS! FREE RIDES! THUR 18TH MAY From their headline set on the Horror Hotel to placing merch inside grabber machines, inviting friends and family to DJ along the way, Slaves are gearing up for The Great Escape’s biggest party yet down on Brighton Pier.

“O

h look, a fox just ran in!” exclaims Isaac Holman, drummer and vocalist of Slaves, on a warm Wednesday morning in Brighton. Ordinarily, a visit from such a creature wouldn’t be too unusual. The fact that the band are sat lounging at the end of the infamous Brighton Palace Pier, however, changes things a bit. “There’s a fox on the pier... I feel like I’m dreaming!”

Fresh from a visit to the States for a slew of shows – alongside a predictably hot and sweaty appearance at Austin, Texas’ SXSW – the band are in high spirits. While they’ve spent much of the last twelve months out on the road in support of their latest album – the Mike D-produced ‘Take Control’ – it’s safe to

I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HOW IT WAS GONNA WORK, BUT I WAS JUST LIKE, ‘LET’S DO IT!’” Laurie Vincent

say they’re still enjoying being right in the thick of things.

“This was the first time we had done our own headline tour in America,” explains guitarist Laurie Vincent, “and while we didn’t play too many places, the places that we did go, the response was quite overwhelming. People were singing every word. You don’t expect it when you go anywhere, so it was very humbling.

how it was gonna work,” admits Laurie, on his reaction when The Great Escape first approached them, “but I was just like, ‘Let’s do it!’” “I still don’t really understand,” laughs Isaac, looking towards the Horror Hotel itself, “but I know it’s gonna be cool.”

Discover everything you need to know about the Slaves Pier Party, in association with DIY, right here in this newspaper.

Words: Sarah Jamieson. Photos: Mike Massaro.

“We did a sort of greatest hits set,” he continues. “We’ve now got two albums, an EP and loads of songs in between so we played about a third of each during the set.

We didn’t play loads of the new stuff, but the stuff we did play went down really well. It felt like they knew it just as much as old stuff, if not more.”

For Slaves, the live side of their band has always been a key part of the experience.

Having cut their teeth in tiny venues and on festival stages back in 2014, it’s safe to say that the sheer ferocity of their performance has always been a real draw. That raw, in-your-face attitude was something they revisited to last year, when they jumped in a van and returned to some of those toilet venues. “It was carnage,” Laurie says, of their short but sweet UK run. “It’s love-hate for me, because we never played those small venues when they were sold out. So, you go from not being able to afford a beer, to not being able to walk through the venue and there’s nowhere to sit!”

“Yeah, there were no dressing rooms so there were times where we would just sit in the van,” laughs Isaac, as he soaks up the dwindling British sun. “There were times where it was almost a little bit isolating, but overall, it was amazing. I’d happily do it again in the future,” he grins. “I think it’s important to do that every now and again.”

As ever, the festival season is going to be a real highlight for the band. Having previously found themselves crawling up bills across the UK and Europe, this is the year they’ll finally be taking the step up to those bigger slots and, well, the pair can’t wait.

“I can’t wait to smash those festivals,” enthuses Isaac. “I’m so excited. It’s just like anything goes and you never really know what’s gonna happen at a festival,” he laughs.

“There are lots of surprises. We always said we really wanted to play main stages in the dark and we’re gonna get a chance to do that this summer.” “I like the challenge of doing big shows and I like being pushed to change and adapt to get across what we do,” continues Laurie. “Headlining main stages is something we’re doing for the first time, which is quite crazy.”

And that’s not all: at The Great Escape this year – a festival undoubtedly close to the band’s heart – they’re going all out.

Not only do Slaves headline on Thursday, they’re doing so by taking over the whole of Brighton Palace Pier. We’re talking bands, DJs, fancy dress, face painting. There’s even going to be a hot dog eating competition (‘Consume or be Consumed’, anyone? - Ed).

And it’ll all be rounded off with the band’s set on the Horror Hotel. How exactly that’ll pan out is still to be decided, mind...

“In my head I kinda didn’t understand

I CAN'T WAIT TO SMASH THOSE FESTIVALS"

Isaac Holman

TOP OF THE PIERS Given that DIY is set to take over Brighton Palace Pier at The Great Escape, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to rank all of the piers ever, in precise scientific order.

Why? Well, why not, really.

BRIGHTON PIER Dodgems, a Coronation Street

themed coin pusher, an abundance of fairground rides, and loads of your favourite bands playing in the pier’s resident boozer Horatio’s over The Great Escape weekend puts this seaside vision firmly in the lead.

YOUR CLOSE PEERS “I get by with a little help from my friends…” [repeat to infinity]

PIERCE BROSNAN

Strained vocals in Mamma Mia! aside, everyone’s fourth-favourite franchise movie spy is a bit of a legend. He once spent $1000 on a very, very fancy weed pipe. The name’s bong, James Bong.

PEER PRESSURE Be as stupid as you like, pals. Just don’t give your friend stick when they’re too sensible to copy you.

GAMMY PIERCINGS Remember salt water. It’s a life-saver.

PIERS MORGAN This scourge of the earth can do one and get in the sea.

P

MEET THE BANDS

Slaves aren’t the only ones that’ll be performing at their inaugural Pier Party, oh no. The duo have curated themselves one hell of a line-up, with bands also playing over in Horatio's Bar. Hand-picked by Slaves themselves, here's why they've nabbed Superfood and LIFE for the DIY & Dr. Martens Takeover of Horatio's on the night.

LIFE

“LIFE are just our best friends,” Laurie explains. “If we had cousins, related to us as a band, it'd be them. Never have we toured with anyone who's just been so loving and grateful, appreciative, respectful. Sometimes you meet people on the road – or in life – that you just connect to. That's coupled with the fact that they're fucking brilliant. They're one of those bands that, like when we started, you don't really get it until you see them, and you really need to see them.”

SUPERFOOD “Superfood are also great friends,”

Laurie says. “They're coming back now and that new track... We were like, 'why have we never played a show with Superfood?!'” “I love Superfood,” concludes Isaac. Job done!

p DRESS UP, BRIGHTON! (& WIN PRIZES) Make like it's Halloween in May Points mean prizes, and so do spooky costumes, apparently! "All attendees are required to dress in Horror Hotel themed fancy dress," says the official blurb. Get cutting eye-holes in white sheets, and letting out your inner goth for the day, then. Oh, and fake blood, anyone?

DID YOU KNOW? Know your piers! Here’s just about everything you (sort of) need to know about Brighton Pier…

£ Brighton Palace Pier was first opened all the way back on 20th May 1899. Talk about a golden oldie!

MEET THE FAMILY

More than 3 million people visit Brighton Pier every year - over 1000 of which will be heading to Horatio’s to watch Superfood this weekend, obv.

The Pier itself is a whopping 1760 feet long and is made of

Since Mr. Dave Holman will be taking

85 miles of planking, phew.

to the DJ decks, we figured it’d only be The only day that Brighton Pier closes is

right to speak to the man himself.

on Christmas Day - otherwise, it’s open

Hello! How are you doing?

seven days a week, 364 days out of

All good thank you. Working today but

the year for all of your seaside needs.

happy knowing my family are well and looking forward to being a superstar

For all the TV buffs out there - turns out an episode of Midsomer Murders

HEY, MR DJ...

was filmed on the Palace Pier. A “grisly discovery” was made in the Horror Hotel so, you know, get prepared…

It's not all about live music at the Slaves Pier Party. The band have also recruited

some stellar DJ talents to soundtrack the dodgems, including Wolf Alice's Ellie Rowsell, The Skints' Josh Waters Rudge and, er, Isaac's dad...

DJ in Brighton in a few weeks.

So, we hear that you’ll be joining Isaac at The Great Escape. How are you looking forward to getting involved in the day?

It’s going to be a good day, I will just turn up and be told where to play! It is such a great setting - Brighton Pier has been part of our family's lives, as the boys used to visit Brighton a lot when they were younger.

Laurie: For us, the DJs are just as much of an attrac-

What an iconic place to hear and play music.

tion as the band. Dave Holman, Isaac's dad, is headlining. Over the past few years – in started off a bit tongue-in-cheek and a bit of laugh, but Dave's actually

Tell us, how did you get into DJing?

I’ve always been an obsessive record

go on to become a DJ selector. He knows the vibes.

collector since being a small boy, so this

Isaac: He DJ-ed Loyle Carner's afterparty the

DJ thing seems a logical step to share my

other night, which was really fun.

love of music and watch others hopefully

L: And it's all vinyl! Nobody can follow Dave on a DJ set...

I: I've tried! I've tried to put him on before me DJing and I just cleared the dancefloor.

enjoy what I play. Jethro, Isaac’s brother, asked me to DJ at the Big Red Bus in Deptford last year, and since then I have done

L: We also have Jethro, Isaac's brother, and he's opening

regular sets around Tunbridge Wells. Last

with a set. Then it's Josh from The Skints, Ellie from Wolf

year, I DJed between the bands at Slaves’

Alice and then Dave, so the DJ line-up is, in my opinion, just

gigs at Shepherds Bush Empire. Jethro is

as good as the bands. It's gonna be a really good vibe.

also doing a set at The Great Escape [so] it’s a Holman Great Escape takeover!

JETH

DAVE

HOLM

RO H

OLM

AN

C ISAA

AN HOLM

ARLO HOLMAN

What should we be expect from your set - are there any hits you're sure to drop?

It will be a mixture of punk, reggae and some beats, all well known I guess. My job is to make everyone even more excited for Slaves than they already are… I did think about a classic pier dodgems 50s rock n roll thing, but decided against it - I don’t think this time or Brighton Pier

AN

is the place to be too self indulgent. If I see one person dancing it’s worth it.

Will you be checking anyone else out at the festival, or will you just stay around on the pier all day?

Pier all afternoon and evening! I’m looking forward to seeing LIFE again - they are soooo good. Plus, Ellie from Wolf Alice and Jethro [Holman] are also DJing; I need to check out the competition! Also, check out a band called Alaskalaska, they’ll be big. All pray for sunshine and a sunset with Slaves!

ANYTHING ELSE?

Let’s not beat around the bush: the

Slaves Pier Party is going to be jam-

packed with brilliantly ridiculous

things to do while you’re there. So,

it’s time to leave your cynicism at

the door and head to the beach...

“We're planning to put Slaves merch

in the grabber machines,” adds Laurie,

“so we're just gonna make it a really

fun, interactive experience. There's

gonna be a fancy dress theme too – of

the Horror Hotel. We thought, why not

get everyone dressed up? The Great

Escape has such a lot of industry people

visit, but this is also something that's

really for fans. It's gonna be cool.”

Designed and produced by Sonic Media Group, the publisher of DIY. say hi: rupert@sonicnetwork.net

was January and it was miserable.

a bag. It was really embarrassing. It

and I just had my sicky trousers in

white tracksuit bottoms from Primark

mum had to go out and buy me some

day and I puked all over myself. His

in circles. It was my friend's tenth birth-

just get strapped in and span around

barrel thing at Dreamland where you

Laurie: When I was a kid, I went on the

pluck up the courage to go down it.

top of that for maybe an hour, trying to

member being a kid, and sitting at the

I might go on the helter skelter... I re-

think you'll catch me on a rollercoaster.

going on roller coasters at all. I don't

Isaac: On the night? Nah, I don't like

indulging their thrill-seeking side.

the pier, the band aren’t so keen on

ers will receive free rides across

on roller coasters. So, while punt-

they're not so into going 100mph

100mph on stage but, let's just say,

Slaves may find themselves going at

SEEKING A THRILL