ALT GRL INTRODUCING
AND THE CLASS OF 2011. JAPANESE VOYEURS THE JAMES CLEAVER QUINTET D.R.U.G.S. AND MORE.
ALT GRL 74 NEWS
STYLE SPILL YOUR GUTTS CLOTHING
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BLOG LOVIN'
We get the low down on the on this sweet new brand.
INCOMING Who’s going to be your new favourite band? Take your pick from our selection of the best new music around.
editorials IT’S A JUNGLE IN HERE BRIGHTON ROCKS
FEATURES Class of 2011
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We get up close and personal with the bands you need to know about in 2011. These are the ones to watch.
PROFILE RIK LEE
THE ROCK SHOW The ultimate guide to summer’s loudest music festivals.
Cute illustrator, even cuter face!
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JESSE JO STARK
LOUD
The all round cool girl launches her rad VANS collaboration.
Live gig reviews from the Your Demise and FFAF pits.
STYLE TRENDS Get ready for summer with our festival fashion and the latest collection from DROP DEAD.
GRL CRUSH Get the look of this month’s cover girl, ROMILY ALICE of Japanese Voyeurs.
OPINION The latest albums, reviewed here.
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MOSH KIT 7
ALT GRL Me!
THE CREW EDITOR Hayley Buckle
ART DIRECTION Hayley Buckle
HEY YOU Welcome to ALT GRL, your super sweet bible of the best ALTernative music, fashion and all things rad for you ALTernative girls. Each issue we’ll be delivering to you a big fat helping of your favourite bands, plus the new kids on the block you’ll want to know about. Along with the latest album and live reviews and plenty of fashion and style, it’s all here.
FEATURES EDITOR Hayley Buckle
STYLE EDITOR Hayley Buckle
LOUD EDITOR Hayley Buckle
INCOMING EDITOR Hayley Buckle
REVIEWS EDITOR Hayley Buckle
In this issue we get the low down on the bands you need to know in 2011, including the charming Letlive. from LA and the cheeky Suffolk lads of Tell It To The Marines. We profile the cute and talented illustrator Rik Lee, and the fun lovin’ clothing company Spill Your Gutts. Then get ready for summer with our ALTimate festival guide and summer trends. Stay rad, ALT GRL! Hayley Editor
PHOTOGRAPHER CONTRIBUTORS Emily Scarlett Romain
SHOUT OUTS Lorna Buckle Rebecca Carey Paul Ford Thomas Gutteridge
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REVIEW CONTRIBUTORS Olivia Jaremi Sean Reid Steve C
CONTACT www.twitter.com/ALTGRLMAG www.altgrlmag.tumblr.com info@altgrlmag.com
NEWS
BLINK 182 POSTPONE UK TOUR! Yes you read that right, the kings of pop punk BLINK 182 have cancelled their UK comeback tour this summer. The band have stated that their current album is taking longer than expected and would not be released in time for the tour. The tour, which includes support from You Me At Six and Four Year Strong has now been postponed to summer 2012, the same dates and venues apply. We’re sure the album will be worth it!
THE BEST OF THE INTERNETS! Name: Zac Montgomery Age: 18 Location: Brisbane, Australia What you do: I waste time Likes: Tattoos, bikes, baseball tees, Call Of Duty, skateboards, vans, jeans, breakdowns, gigs/ festival atmosphere, partying, cuddles, wasting time, and, playing guitar Dislikes: Bitches, liars, staying at home, fake people, and the rain.
Zacmonty.tumblr.com 10
How you would describe your blog: It’s pretty boring to be honest, but it usually changes depending on what mood I’m in, so yeah. check it out?
INCOMIN
Bringing you the best pick of new music, this is INCOMING.
WORDS HAYLEY BUCKLE
Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love may have been a doomsome twosome themselves, but we bet you anything if their individual bands Nirvana and Hole had made a love child, JAPANESE VOYEURS would be it. Said to be leading the grunge revival, the London based 5 piece are already creating a name for themselves through their enigmatic live performances and unique sound. Baby voiced singer Romily Alice coos and shrieks her way through the heavy guitars and riffs, proving themselves as one of the most exciting new bands around.
SOUNDS LIKE: Nirvana, Hole, Daisy Chainsaw CURRENT RELEASE: Sicking and Creaming E.P PLAY THIS: Dumb, Get Hole LINK: www.myspace.com/japanesevoyeurs
JAPANESE VOYEURS If you haven’t heard of ‘The Wave’ by now, you will do. Referring to a movement of new post hardcore artistes, LA DISPUTE are sitting tightly at the forefront. Hailing from Michigan, the band describe their music as being ‘both artistically, technically, and emotionally engaging, in hopes of establishing legitimate connections with any and all interested people … encouraging dialogue between those people and themselves about things in life that truly matter and that truly last’. Quite the statement. With lyrics that read like poetry and an exhilarating new approach to progressive hardcore, La Dispute are one band that need to be heard to be believed.
LA DISPUTE
SOUNDS LIKE: Thursday, mewithoutYou CURRENT RELEASE: Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair PLAY THIS: Andria, New Storms For Old Lovers LINK: www.ladisputemusic.com
DEFEATER
Another band fresh of the wave movement, Massachusetts based quintet DEFEATER are drastically changing the face of modern hardcore into something that both equally brutal, and beautiful. Having already stunned critics with their first record ‘Travels’, their follow up album ‘Empty Days and Sleepless Nights’ continues the story of the trials and tribulations of a post WWII family. Vocalist Derek Archambault’s lyrics read like a narrative that sets of the contrast between the rawness of the hard hitting hardcore and the surprising moments of acoustic emotion. Watch this space, Defeater are about to become one of the biggest bands this year.
SOUNDS LIKE: The Carrier, Touché Amoré CURRENT RELEASE: Empty Days and Sleepless Nights
PLAY THIS: Cowardice, I Don’t Mind LINK: www.myspace.com/defeater 14
SOUNDS LIKE: New Found Glory, Blink 182 CURRENT RELEASE: Real Talk PLAY THIS: Septemberism, World Favourite LINK: www.defendpoppunk.com Sheffield garnered a worldwide reputation for steel production during the boom time of the industrial revolution, earning itself the nickname “Steel City”. One only has to hear the opening moments of WHILE SHE SLEEPS “The North Stands For Nothing” to know that the character the band’s hometown, has permeated them to the core. Their songs are sung with an impassioned spirit that shines through the hardened and gritty aura that is prevalent in the band’s sound, while their straightforward approach to metal is balanced between riffs and emotion. And with friends such as Bring Me The Horizon, it won’t be long until these boys are following in their footsteps.
WHILE SHE SLEEPS
SOUNDS LIKE: Emmure, Counterparts CURRENT RELEASE: The North Stands For Nothing PLAY THIS: Crows, Be(lie)ve LINK: www.myspace.com/whileshesleeps
FIREWORKS
FIREWORKS are a pop-punk band from Detroit, Michigan consisting of David Mackinder, Tymm Rengers, Chris Mojan, Kyle O’Neil, and Brett Jones. They are a group of individuals creating a sound with enough pop quality to keep your little sister’s attention, and enough edge to rid them of “guilty pleasure” status. Hailing from stereotypically suburban metro Detroit, Fireworks is comprised of five electric personalities with endless influences. Together they create a unique blend of infectious, well-written punk with an undeniable sense of melody. Currently supporting Make Do And Mend on their UK tour, the pop punkers are due to release their first full length album ‘Gospel’ this May.
SOUNDS LIKE: The Wonder Years, Transit CURRENT RELEASE: All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion PLAY THIS: Detroit, Come Around LINK: www.myspace.com/fireworks WWW.TWITTER.COM/ALTGRLMAG
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INCOMIN
MAN OVERBOARD
With summer just around the corner, it’s time that everyone got a big fat healthy dose of pop punk in their life. And who better to deliver than the lovely boys from New Jersey, MAN OVERBOARD. Having recently signed to Rise Records, Man Overboard released their first studio album ‘Real Talk’ last yeah and have currently been supporting Senses Fail on tour. Now, with a slot at Hevy Festival and a new album in the pipeline, the self-titled defenders of pop punk show no sign of slowing down. Taking influences from the genre heavyweights such as Blink 182 and Saves The Day, this American four piece are well on their way to becoming your new favourite band.
Listen up an d pay attenti on, ALT GRL teach you a v is about to aluable less on as we intr to the hottes oduce you t new bands of this year . We get up clo se and perso crew LETLIVE nal with LA h , British bo ardcore ys TELL IT TO and anything THE MARINES but the ordi nary THE JA M QUINTET. Doi ES CLEAVER ng it for the girls, we ma mates with HE ke bessie ARTS UNDER F IRE and get t on ex Chiodo h e low down s frontman a nd hottie Cr aig Owens and his new b and, D.R.U.G .S. This is the c lass of 2011. STAND UP.
FEATURE
S S A L C 1 1 0 2 OF
LETLIVE. THE ONLY BAND YOU NEED TO KNOW IN 2011.
If for some reason you’ve been sat under a rock since the start of the year, you would know that LETLIVE. are potentially the most exciting new band in the world. A tall order yes, but already the LA based hardcore crew have been on the receiving end of countless praise and rave reviews from music moguls everywhere – and they haven’t even touched down in the UK. Having recently signed to Epitaph, Letlive set to re release their second album Fake History this April and having just been announced as the headliners for the Rocksound Secret Sessions show, the hype continues. With comparisons to Glassjaw and Refused under their belt, and reports of explosive live performances, Letlive are putting their own stamp on progressive hardcore. Currently supporting Your Demise on ‘The Kids We Used To Be…’ tour, we caught up with charismatic front man Jason Butler in Birmingham to get to know the band behind the buzz… FIRSTLY, CONGRATS ON GETTING THE HEADLINE SLOT FOR THE ROCKSOUND SECRET SESSIONS SHOW… Thank you! We’re so excited as it’ll be our first headline set we’ve played in England, and we’ve heard the venue is really small so it’s going to be a pretty intimate show. YOU’VE JUST SIGNED WITH EPITAPH, TELL US ABOUT THAT. Yeah we’re really excited about it. We were talking to a lot of record companies for a long time, some of them big names, but we wanted to find the right one for us and Epitaph worked out the best for the band. WERE THE BIG SHOT RECORD COMPANIES TRYING TO CHANGE YOU?! (Laughs) Well actually I’ll let you in to a secret, we haven’t told anyone else this… We were talking with you know, like a BIG label and they were like “So… how about changing the (bands) name?” and I was like “Yeah, how about you suck my dick?!”. We’re not going to change who we are as a band for anyone, so signing with Epitaph means we can keep on being true to ourselves.
WORDS: HAYLEY BUCKLE
WHAT WAS DIFFERENT FROM YOUR FIRST RECORD TO THIS ALBUM NOW? I wrote the first record when I was fifteen, I was really young so it’s not surprising it was shit. I’m 25 now and we spent about four years together as a band making Fake History until we were happy with it. SO YOU’VE BEEN WRITING MUSIC SINCE YOU WERE FIFTEEN, WERE YOU WORKING AT THE SAME TIME? Sure, I had the usual teenage jobs… I worked in a boutique and used to piss my boss off because I was too honest with the customers, they didn’t need the shit we were selling so I told them straight up! Guess I wouldn’t of made a great salesman…
“YOU KIDS AREN’T AFRAID TO GRAB THE MIC AND GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!” – JASON HOW ARE THE UK AUDIENCES DIFFERENT TO THE US? The American crowds tend to be a bit more serious and sort of stand back and observe, whereas the UK kids have this sense of humour and charisma that really comes alive during our shows. You’re not afraid to grab the mic, sing back and get up close and personal! ARE YOU PLAYING ANY FESTIVALS OVER HERE THIS SUMMER? We haven’t got our summer schedule yet but yeah we definitely hope to be back for summer. Our friends Touché Amoré are playing Hevy Festival, we’d love to be a part of that the line up looks rad! SO FINALLY, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT PLANNED FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR? We’re heading back to LA after the Your Demise tour to play some home shows and hit up SXSW, then we’ll be back in the UK around November. We’re going to be making a new album at the same time so we’ll be really busy fitting in recording in between touring but we want to have it released by the start of next year. It’s gonna be pretty crazy! Letlive. ‘Fake History’ is out now on Epitaph, and you can check out that gig review on page 38. 19
THE JAMES CLEAVER QUINTET Having just landed the supporting slot for the upcoming Rocksound Secret Sessions gig with Letlive, THE JAMES CLEAVER QUINTET prepare to explode their eccentric breed of hardcore meets jazz all over London. We catch up with drummer Mackerel to get the quintessential quintet low down. SO WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR THE BAND NAME COME FROM? There are many stories and rumors about this, it was a 1950’s salad chef called James Cleaver. WHO DID YOU LISTEN TO WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP AND HOW HAS THIS INFLUENCED YOU & YOUR MUSIC? I listened to a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jimi Hendrix, then moved on to listen to a lot of Hardcore and Metal in my teenage years. We all love to draw influences from genres such as Jazz to mix them with the Thrashy/Rock elements to make things a bit more interesting. I more or less like every type of music. SINCE JOINING THE BAND, WHAT’S BEEN YOUR PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT? There has been so many highlights, my personal best so far was signing the contract to get endorsed by Vic Firth drumsticks. It’s mad to be put onto a rosta next to your all time idols. Playing awesome shows are always a highlight too, obviously. WHO WOULD BE IN YOUR DREAM LINE UP TO PLAY WITH? The Bronx, Death From Above 1979, Dillinger Escape Plan, At The Drivein WHAT ARE THE BAND’S PLANS FOR SUMMER & THE REST OF THE YEAR? We are finishing our album and getting it released later on this year. We are planning to tour hard as humanly possible around the release, hopefully a tour to be announced very soon! We are playing 2000 Trees festival and Hit The Deck Festival so far, hopefully some more will start coming through soon. I’d love to play Sonisphere this year, the best line up by far. 20
WHAT ARE THE BAND’S PLANS FOR SUMMER/THE REST OF THE YEAR? We are finishing our album and getting it released later on this year. We are planning to tour hard as humanly possible around the release, hopefully a tour to be announced very soon! We are playing 2000 Trees festival and Hit The Deck Festival so far, hopefully some more will start coming through soon. I’d love to play Sonisphere this year, the best line up by far. ARE YOU WORKING ON AN ALBUM CURRENTLY? Yes, we’re nearly finished with tracking. There’s only finishing touches to put on. Looking forward to finally having it done, released later this year. HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT PLAYING THE SECRET SESSIONS SHOW WITH LETLIVE? Feeling pretty stoked, it’s going to be an awesome show. Letlive are a great band on record and we’re all looking forwards to seeing them live. PREDICTIONS FOR BANDS YOU WANT TO SEE GET RECOGNITION THIS YEAR? For me personally The Long Haul, Kerouac, Let’s Talk Daggers, Lavotchkin, Shapes and Hymns. FINALLY, DEFINE THE JCQ IN 5 WORDS. Fast, Loud, Blood, Sweat and Movement. Paul ‘Mac kere
l’ Ford of The JC Q
TELL IT TO THE MARINES
It’s a Saturday night at the Camden enterprise, London scenesters are dancing around to the beach boys while an old man sits at his table reading the guardian sipping a stella. Not your average crowd. Upstairs however, TELL IT TO THE MARINES are setting up to seduce Camden with their Suffolk charm and ambient post pop melodies. I catch up with the boys after the show for chats and lols… No sooner have TITTM wrapped up their set front man Timi Hyland is thrusting his bleeding finger in my face. “I lost my plectrum half way through and now my finger looks like it’s wearing a necklace”. Beautiful.
“Look at this!”
We proceed to make our way outside to conduct the interview in a quieter, classier atmosphere. We end up sitting on the pavement opposite the pub only to be told to move across to the other side by the bouncer. Eventually, myself, Timi, and bass player Lewis get ourselves comfortable on a curb, beer in hand, for what looks like will be an interesting half an hour… WORDS: HAYLEY BUCKLE IMAGE: TOM CRONIN
SO GUYS, HOW’S IT WORKING OUT FOR YOU BEING IN TELL IT TO THE MARINES? Not very well to be honest, we’re working on a jazz hip-hop band. Snoop Dog has agreed, 2 Pac and B.I.G are keen. The other tracks are just gonna have to be instrumental. SOUNDS LIKE A PLATINUM ALBUM IN THE MAKING THEN… Yeah people are gonna go nuts! No we do have a really good fan base, we’re still getting our name out there but it’s like our guitarist Dan said – a lot of people like us, but people are just too lazy to listen to us. AWHH. WELL, WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS? Lily Allen, Ellie Goulding, Laura Marling...
THEY’RE ALL PRETTY DEEP, SO WHERE DO YOUR LYRICS COME FROM? LIFE EXPERIENCES? Most of our songs are based on girls and ex girlfriends so every song is about a different girl. I don’t like many people, infact I hate people! It’s about how I have fucked over people and vice versa. AND WHAT ABOUT THE FIREWORKS LYRICS ‘YOU TOOK MY BLOOD AND TURNED IT INTO WINE, GOT DRUNK AND DROVE HOME OH OH WHAT A SURPRISE’. SOME WOULD SAY YOU’RE ENCOURAGING DRINK DRIVING... I take the piss out off drink driving! Its about religion Fireworks. I’m 30% Jew, 70% Christian but neither of them apply to me, I believe in nothing. Actually I believe in Shane Wayne! (laughs) AND WHO IS THIS SHANE WAYNE YOU SPEAK OF? Shane Wayne is not a person (Lewis), Shane Wayne is a state of mind. AMAZING, WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE GIG SO FAR? (Timi) We played the Cambridge corn exchange in front of 2000 people, which was pretty cool! (Lewis) That was before I joined the band! I really liked this gig we played at High Wycombe, it was shit but You Me @ Six came to see us and helped us carry our things to the van. All these girls were just staring them. (Timi) One time we played Camden and the Warner Brother scout approached us, really interested in doing a deal… we’re still waiting for that call (laughs). THAT’S COOL, SO ARE YOU GUYS SIGNED AT THE MOMENT? We released an E.P through a label called All Aboard, but we’re looking to release our new album with a new label... most likely Warner Brothers. LOL. HAVE YOU GOT ANY EXCITING GIGS OR TOURS COMING UP? We’ve just announced some local and hometown shows for June, then we’re touring the fuck out of Scotland in July.
L-R, Lewis, Jason, Dan, Timi, John.
LEWIS, YOU’VE BEEN IN A LOT OF LOCAL BANDS IN THE PAST, HOW DOES TITTM COMPARE TO THEM? It’s a much better with TITTM, we’ve been around longer, played more shows out of Suffolk and got a bigger fan base. Like when I was in my old bands we never got shows in London. IF YOU COULD PLAY WITH ANYONE IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE? Brand New definitely and Snow Patrol. What an epic line up. WHAT’S YOUR PRE GIG WARM UP? Lewis and me have a ritual where we drink 10 pints. HAVE YOU DRUNK 10 PINTS TONIGHT? Nine... no I’ve drunk 4, I usually have 2 before we play though. They call me 2 pint Timi. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR SUMMER? DJ sets in Ibiza, playing nothing but our songs... all night. We are recording a new album though. QUICK FIRE NOW, WHO’S THE MOST ANNOYING IN THE BAND? Hahira well John pisses me off the most because he’s so blunt but I love him for it. He just makes us all look like tits. FAVOURITE? Dan, I’ve known him the longest. QUIETEST? Jason... til he’s pissed.
“PEOPLE LIKE US, THEY’RE JUST TOO LAZY TO LISTEN TO US!” - TIMI
BIGGEST SLAG? LEWIS! (Timi shouts and bursts into laughter) More than 60! OKAY, FINAL LAST WORDS? (Lewis) Live your life to the… full. LOL. (Timi) What he said. Find Tell It To The Marines latest E.P on itunes and check out tour dates at www.myspace.com/ tellittothemarines
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INTERVIEW
NOT PEOPLE WHO YOU WANT TO BONE TIMI... Hahaha! Ok well I’m a big Coldplay fan, The Smiths... Radiohead (both start laughing) oh and Snow Patrol love them.
INTERVIEW
HEARTS UNDER FIRE It’s fair to say girl power has been somewhat lacking since the 90s, so thank god HEARTS UNDER FIRE have arrived, bringing with them their catchy brand of punk rock and riot girl tunes. The Surrey based ladies have already been making a name for themselves, being involved in the Red Bull Bedroom Jam event last year and playing festivals such as Hevy and Sonisphere. We catch up with the girls to get the latest on the band and plans for this year.
Hi! We are Hearts Under Fire and we consist of Lexi Clark - Drums, Nicky Day - Guitar, Steph Forrow - Lead Guitar, Mary O’Regan - Bass and Vocals. We all do backing vocals too!
We are a four piece punk rock band from Surrey, UK. We’ve been playing with this line up for a year and a half, but before we recruited Nicky (second guitar) we’d been together about four years! We’ve played quite a few tours now, all over the UK and this will be our fourth EP!
We’ve decided that the best way to describe our sound is to mix the new wave of pop punk/ rock (You Me At Six, The Audition) with the darker punk rock (Alkaline Trio, AFI), throw in some DIY punk rock, gang vocals, lots of energy & a huge amount of passion & there you have it – the Hearts Under Fire ingredients.
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Ha ha! Why thank you very much! There is a story behind it yes and as cliché as it sounds, this particular song is about two people who just aren’t meant to be together and about ‘keeping your chin up’ and realising there’s so much more to life.
You can expect four songs written with love, passion and some bloody hard work!
We jam like a sandwich! Honestly though it does tend to be a jam session, or we’ll work on someone’s idea, we just feed off each other you know, we write the best songs when we’re all together.
“WE CERTAINLY DON’T IGNORE THE FACT THAT WE ARE GIRLS, BUT WE DON’T PUT IT IN EVERYONE’S FACES!” - MARY
You Me At Six happen to be school/college friends of ours, we go way back, so we just tend to be silly when we’re together, rather than having serious industry conversations. But we have learnt a lot from bands we’ve toured with and shared a stage with. To be honest, the greatest advice and the most valuable lesson we have learnt is to put on your best, most passionate performance every show. No matter how many people you’re playing to, how big the venue is, how good the sound is, if you put on a real, raw, heart-felt performance people will pay attention.
You know being a ‘girl band’ (a term we try to stay away from) has its good sides & bad sides. We certainly don’t ignore the fact that we are girls, but we don’t put it in everyone’s faces. Anyone who knows HUF knows that we’re completely in this for the music. Hearts Under Fire are currently on tour with My Passion in the UK, check out dates and more info here at www.heartsunderfire.com
L-R The Hearts Under Fire E.P HUF Mary, Steph, Lexi and Nicky Mary performing at the Redbull Bedroom Jam
WWW.TWITTER.COM/ALTGRLMAG
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INTERVIEW
D.R.U.G.S. DESTROY REBUILD UNTIL GOD SHOWS, otherwise Allow us to introduce you to
known as D.R.U.G.S. The new post hardcore band from the state side plays host to an impressive line up of famous faces from the likes of Chiodos, From First To Last, Story Of The Year, Matchbox Romance and Underminded. Just don’t go calling them a supergroup…
It was, and to be honest it was overwhelming and way more than I expected it to be, especially the London show it was brilliant, but then again so was the Glasgow show and then again so was Leeds! With the record only being out two weeks we weren’t sure if there was gonna be a few songs that stood out above others. This is our first tour and the UK showed us that with every single song people were singing every single lyric to it, it really was just overwhelming and a really enjoyable experience and I can’t wait until next time.
It feels amazing because I feel like they’re singing them and they’re listening to them, and the reason that they’re listening to it is because they enjoy or they relate. So it actually feels like when people are screaming along it makes me feel not so crazy because I feel like they understand and they relate and that they’re going through the journey with me.
The one that I get choked up on is called Graveyard Dancing and I definitely got choked up on this last night, Matt was saying that he got choked up on it as well. The first time that I heard that song I just cried when I listened to it, it’s just a really emotional song that means a lot to me and it’s my favourite track off the record because of that. I was nervous to play that song live but now that we’ve done it a few times, I get into in much more than any of the other tracks. The other tracks mean so much to me but Graveyard Dancing hits home.
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I don’t think we feel more pressure I just feel like we don’t enjoy it, we don’t like the supergroup thing one it’s flattering but you know, if we wanna be taken seriously we don’t want people to think of us as the Backstreet Boys we’re not a contrived band like that. While we were put together because of our individual talents, it’s a very organic experience it’s something that, when I hear supergroup I hear ‘It’s not a real band, they’re just doing this to show off, it’ll fade off and they’ll go back to their old bands. This is one hundred percent our full time project and this is something that we take very seriously and this isn’t a one time thing. We are a real band and that’s something that I think the supergroup thing takes away from.
(Craig)From being in the band mine would be thankful and I guess it would be content knowing that I’m doing what I should be doing, that I’m on the right path and I’m where I should be. Even after all this time. (Matt)I’d say mine would be fulfilment and happiness, this is kind of like our second chance or whatever you wanna call it. We’re all working really hard and it feels nice because it’s always said that music is one of those genres when in so many cases the longer you do it, the less you get out of it where as like every other trade in the world the more you do it the more you get out of it. I was starting to feel like that for a while but now this whole thing kinda proves that process wrong.
Yeah sometimes I think that there’s a lot of extra stuff that comes along with what we do, if we weren’t doing this then maybe certain things wouldn’t happen the way that they do but I’m thankful that people are enough, if anything to pay attention more than just to the music so I’m very thankful that people care at all.
ns g Owe Crai re) t n e c (
dos Chio with
Matt G oo First d with Fr om To La st (c enter )
WHEN PEOPLE ARE SCREAMING ALONG IT MAKES ME FEEL NOT SO CRAZY, I FEEL LIKE THEY RELATE AND THAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH THE JOURNEY WITH ME. - CRAIG
I write everyday, I wrote a song yesterday I wrote a song the day before… I write every single day and these guys write when it hits them. We try and write as much as possible, writing is my favourite thing you know I would choose writing over playing everyday. If you had asked me three years ago I would of switched that up but I think as I grow older, not that I’m an old man, but I just love writing and the more that I spend time on it the better it pays off in the end and the better the songs are. It’s much more enjoyable to write.
Go buy our record first of all, two weeks it’s been out it’s called D.R.U.G.S. go pick up the record please support us. Buy it on itunes, anywhere, even if you downloaded it we don’t care as long as you’re listening to music but please try and pick it up it would really mean a lot to us. It would help us to continue to make music. Also, on top of that we shot a music video for our single Sex Life, which will be out in a few weeks, we’re really excited about it and yeah, we’ll see you guys soon. D.R.U.G.S. will be returning to the UK this summer to perform at Download Festival. 27
FEATURE
With summer just around the corner, we give you the low down on the best festivals hitting the UK. The only problem now is deciding which one to go to!
K N U D M SLA WHAT Slam Dunk Festival
WHERE Hatfield and Leeds University
WHEN 28th May (Leeds) 29th May (Hatfield)
SET YOUR GOALS
THE STARTING LINE
HEADLINERS Less Than Jake Reel Big Fish 30H!3
FRANCESQA
WHO ELSE IS THERE
THE NEXT BIG THING
The Starting Line Set Your Goals Anti-Flag We Are The Ocean Mayday Parade Deaf Havana
Francesqa
FOR OLD TIMES SAKE The Starting Line
LIVE LEGENDS Set Your Goals DEAF HAVANA
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SONISPHERE WHAT Sonisphere Festival
WHERE Knebworth House
WHEN 8th – 10th July
HEADLINERS Metallica Biffy Clyro Slipknot
SUM 41
WHO ELSE is there Slayer Megadeth Anthrax Weezer You Me At Six Limp Bizkit Gallows All Time Low Architects Four Year Strong The Black Dahlia Murder Kids In Glass Houses Cancer Bats
SLIPKNOT
LIMP BIZKIT CANCER BATS PARKWAY DRIVE
THE CROWD Think old school metal heads, hardcore kids and a dash of 90s nu-metallers just for good measure
EXTRAS A new comedy stage has been added to the festival this year, with Bill Bailey headlining.
YOU ME AT SIX
THE NEXT BIG THING Parkway Drive
FOR OLD TIMES SAKE Sum 41
LIVE LEGENDS Slipknot and the Big 4 on stage for the first time together! WWW.TWITTER.COM/ALTGRLMAG
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d a o l n dow D.R.U.G.S.
WHAT Download Festival
WHERE Donnington Park
WHEN 10th – 12th June
HEADLINERS
LINKIN PARK
Def Leppard System of a Down Linkin Park
WHO ELSE is there The Darkness Avenged Sevenfold Bullet for my Valentine Korn Pendulum The Damned Things Bring me the Horizon D.R.U.G.S. Letlive Hollywood Undead BRING Young Guns
THE DARKNESS SYSTEM OF A DOWN
ME THE HORIZON
THE NEXT BIG THING Trash Talk
FOR OLD TIMES SAKE TRASH TALK
Korn
LIVE LEGENDS AVENGED SEVENFOLD
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The newly reformed System of a Down and The Darkness
HEVY WHAT
YOUR DEMISE
Hevy Festival
WHERE Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent
WHEN LA DISPUTE
5th – 8th August
HEADLINERS The Dillinger Escape Plan Four Year Strong
WHO ELSE
THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND
Funeral For A Friend Architects Your Demise Polar Man Overboard Touché Amoré Hildamay Loose Cannons THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND FOUR YEAR STRONG
THE NEXT BIG THING La Dispute
FOR OLD TIMES SAKE Zebrahead
LIVE LEGENDS Ghost of a Thousand - it’s their last ever show. WWW.TWITTER.COM/ALTGRLMAG
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LOUD YOUR DEMISE + STICK TO YOUR GUNS + BREAK EVEN + LETLIVE. @ BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY F
resh across the border from the European leg of the Kids We Used To Be tour, the Your Demise boys prepare to bring the mosh in Birmingham in one of the most anticipated tours of 2011 so far. Playing host to a fistful of the hottest new bands from across the Atlantic, this gig sets up to be a springboard of talent as well as putting the British headliners firmly on the hardcore map where they belong. No support band has created more of a buzz than that of first on the bill, Letlive. After a decade of line up changes, the LA based group have just signed with Epitaph and are set to re release their first major album, Fake History, this April. Already Letlive are being tipped as the band to know in 2011 and are set to explode on a scale reminiscent to that of Trash Talk last year. For their first time playing the UK, the bar has been set high as eager fans and critics alike wait with baited breath for Letlive to indeed, live up to the hype. And they do not disappoint. Front man Jason Butler graces the modest stage with a look of frenzied fury, as he launches in to Casino Columbus, a classic in waiting. Having been compared to an early Glassjaw, Butler himself is inexplicitly that of a young Daryl Palumbo, in both stage prowess and his unrivalled vocal range. Within seconds, Butler is over the barrier. Sharing the mic arm in arm with anyone who knows the words, while the remainder of the crowd watch transfixed in the energy and intensity of Butler’s performance. 38
he openly personal content of songs such as ‘Muther and ‘H.Ledger’ provide that of an emotional breakdown for Butler, as he spirals between withering on the floor to leaping at the audience. You’re never quite sure if you should be shouting back the words, or calling a psyche ward. Either way, you cannot fail to take your eyes of him the entire set. Butler hands over to the crowd to finish as he flips across the stage, before signing off with ‘STUPID MOTHER FUCKER’ as he wraps up their 20 minutes. Enthusiastic cheers and looks of fascinated bemusement at what they have just witnessed are that intense, it would be easy to forget that there are another three bands to play.
HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?
Australian hardcore group Break Even have somewhat intimidating job of following up next. They give a solid performance that by any standard is worthy of high praise, however in the wake of Letlive they fall short of matching the raw energy and emotion that has just exploded in the O2 Academy. A scattering of the crowd respond to the set, but for the most part Break Even are met with an overcast of withdrawn faces, on a comedown from the previous performance. Thankfully for third on the bill, Stick To Your Guns, they manage to ease out more of a reaction from the Birmingham crowd. The melodic hardcore band from California spark a new energy amongst the predominantly male crowd, and it is clear that they have a dedicated fan base here. Motivational prep talks about being young and living your life break up the set, which at times begins to feel a little long winded. In all, they deliver a safe performance, but like that of Break Even, it never really matches that of the openers’ standard. Finally, Your Demise roll out on to the stage to huge cheers and an overwhelming sense of anticipation for what is set to be a vigorous, action packed set. Vocalist Ed Macre works the audience like no other tonight, commanding his loyal troups to join him down the front before launching into ‘MMX’. No sooner has he yelped the now infamous opening line ‘YOUR DEMISE, 2010 BITCH’ are people crowd surfing their way down to the stage to share the mic. Your Demise power through their stand out record of last year ‘The Kinds We Used To Be..’ with as much energy and passion as possible to muster, whilst treating the old school fans to classics such as ‘Burnt Tongues’. Jason Butler of Letlive joins Ed on stage as guest vocals, show casing the real talent of this evenings gig. The front man leaps his way between the stage and the crowd, whilst still nailing the set as the band demonstrates their worthy title as headliners on this tour. Proving themselves as the best of British hardcore, it is obvious that there were indeed two worthy headline acts at the O2 Academy tonight.
JASON, LETLIVE The crowd were amazing. For our first UK show we couldn’t ask for more, Birmingham, you STOOD UP.
LETLIVE: Jason Bulter
LEWIS, STUDENT I’ve been dying to see Letlive. and they were epic!! One of the best new bands out there, they’re gonna be huge.
WWW.TWITTER.COM/ALTGRLMAG
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LOUD
T
LOUD R O F L A FUNER D N E I R F NDS A RY ST EDMU , BU
@ THE APEX
I
t’s a Tuesday night in the quiet pictur esque town of Bury expect to see rock St Edmunds, the las heavyweights Funera t place you’d l For A Friend. How happening. Trading ever tonight that in the big city are is exactly what is nas for smaller tow 5 piece are playin ns and even smalle g a string of intima r venues, the welsh te dates in order ‘Welcome Home Armage to promote their 5th ddon’. For the rec studio album ently opened Apex, FFAF’s fame and sta this will be the fir mina have played the st time a band of 600 capacity venue, tonight’s show. which has completel y sold out for As the crowd packs in, the divide in the audience is obv cited fourteen and ious. On the one han fifteen year olds d you have exwho are no doubt exp new generation. On eriencing their fir the other, you hav st real gig, the e the their twenties, wou old school die har ld have been the sam d fans. The kids, who now in e age as the new gen ‘Hours’ days, paying back in the ‘Casua tribute to 2005. I lly Dressed’ and know, because I am buzz as the crowd one of them. There’ waits and still an s an excited overwhelming feelin such a small, local g of disbelief tha show. t FFAF are playing The lights go down as Matt Davies and his gang grace the crowd pleasing ‘Ro stage, launching hea ses for the Dead’. d first into the Looking every bit length shorts and like his 2005 self that infamous hat, in three quarter Matt Davies hold no personal with the reservations in get energetic audience. ting up close and Storming through old Year’ and ‘Juneau’ classics such as ‘Ro before introducing okie of the Bury St Edmunds to one, young and old their latest materi (er) happy. Popula al keeps everyr tracks from the If You Do, Dead If new album such as You Don’t’ have the ‘Sixteen’ and ‘Damne potential to be FFA really gone back to d F classics, the boy their roots on thi s from Wales have s record.
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Images courtesy of BBC Suffolk
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New Addition: Rochard Boucher
LOUD
Matt Davies: And that hat.
STYLE
ALT e l GRL Sty
STYLE
Be prepared for the great British weather and all manor of mosh pits in this pick of our favourite festival fashion.
£35, Republic
£28, Your Eyes Lie
£25, Topshop
£38, American Apparel
£32, Urban Outfitters
£40, Topshop
£16, Honour Over Glory
£12, George
£55, Vans
SHIRT, £15.00 H&M
IT’S A JUNGLE IN HERE PHOTOGRAPHER Hayley Buckle MODEL Lorna Buckle
CHECKED SHIRT (SHOWN BEFORE), £16 H&M SHEER SHIRT, £26.00 ASOS
JUMPER, £32.00 URBAN OUTFITTERS
LACE SHIRT, £18.00 H&M
T SHIRT, £20.00 MOTEL. HOODY, £40.00 AMERICAN APPAREL
BRIGHTON R O C K S PHOTOGRAPHER Emily Scarlett Romain MODELS Jade Aston Vikki Blows
Dress, £26. Quontum Ray Ban style glasses, £12. Asos Boots, £129. New Rocks Jewellery, a selection from Alchemy Gothic
Leather Jacket, £55. Vintage Chain and Mesh top, £25. Hell Bunny Denim shorts, £28. Levi Shoes, £30. TUK
KISS tee, £24. The Ragged Priest Belt, £16. Grindstore Skirt, £10. Primark New Rock Boots, as before.
NIRVANA top, £24. The Ragged Priest Dress (worn as skirt), £14. Primark Customised boots, £75. Doc Martens
STYLE
I HEART DROP DEAD As Drop Dead Clothing, the brain child of Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes prepares to open shop in swanky Carnaby Street, we take our pick of the latest collection.
Loner, £25
I heart, £25 70
We’re watching you, £25
Get stuffed, £35
Kitty cult, £25
Too cool for school, £80
Fuck the future, £20
Steel city tote, £10
STYLE
L L I SP YOUR GUTTS Based in Reading, is a small independent clothing company that packs a big punch. Inspired by summer and all things fun, these cool threads stand out from the crowd. With musical pals and fans such as faves Tell It To The Marines, the brand is already making an impressive name for itself. We have chats and lols with designer and all round cool guy Thomas Gutteridge to find out more.
STYLE
Sorting out a few designs for upcoming releases for Spill Your Gutts, whilst recovering from a heavy night!
Well I started out with a design company called Comic Ripper since 2005. Round about 2008 I fancied a change of name that encorperated my name (Gutteridge). So I thought it would be funny if I took Spill Your Guts and added another “T” on the end so it’d be Gutts. More of a personal name. I then got really into the idea of creating a Clothing Company with the name.
The majority of my designs always grew from my doodles in College lessons, where I’d just get so bored I would just draw the most random things! Not being at College at the moment it’s a lot more difficult to find the time to come up with random things. But I tend to come up with ideas revolving around Summer based themes with Ice-Creams and Skateboarding.
Definately, I would love to be able to live off this! It would be a dream come true, a lot more hard work has got to be put in before that can be a reality!
Lots and lots of stuff, but Jurassic 5 have been dominating my ears at the moment. Also Manchester Orchestra who I saw in London this week!
Sadly not too many plans, just work. But I am going to Hop Farm Festival which I’m dead excited about. Hopefully there will be lots of day trips.
Music, Food, Drawing
Nautical Beach Tee, £8 Neck Tatt Dude Tee, £10 Spill Your Gutts AA Hoody, £35 Owlright? Tee, £8
WORDS: HAYLEY BUCKLE
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GRL CRUSH
The JAPANESE VOYEURS vocalist is rapidly gaining recognition for triggering a grunge revival, not only through the band’s music but also through Romily’s individual style. Mixing heavy metal elements with girly grunge, think leather jackets, doc martens and floaty dresses roughed up with oversized jumpers and studs. We show you how to get our GRL CRUSH style.
JAPANESE VOYEURS £35, Motel
HAIR HOW TO! Romily’s peroxide silver locks may look devastatingly hard to achieve, but with the latest hair colour products from RENBOW CRAZY COLOR, it can be done if a riff!
£6, ASOS
The easy to use bleaching kit can be applied all over or just to the ends of your hair for that grown out roots look, then use CRAZY COLOR semi permanent dye in SILVER (shown above) over top to finish the look! £75, Doc Martens 74
£25, Republic
£8, River Island
£7, Topman
£12, New Look
£6, ASOS
£40, Criminal Damage
£65, Topshop
GRL CRUS
£38, Topshop
PROFILE
At nineteen years old, Jesse Jo is making a place for herself in fashion by teaming up with Vans to design a collection inspired by good old American rock-n-roll.
ALTimate cool girl and cobra snake regular JESSE JO STARK rocks our socks of with her first collaboration with the king off skate, VANS. WORDS: HAYLEY BUCKLE
With a laid back style of a California native, Jesse Jo fits perfectly into the culture and lifestyle that is Vans. She works with the in-house designers to hand pick pieces from Vans’ lines, then stud, cut, screen, sew and deconstruct them in her own DIY way.
Few young artists have inherited as many bonds to fashion and music as Jesse Jo Stark. With her parents, Laurie Lynn and Richard Stark, owners of chrome hearts, and her fairy godmother, music legend Cher, Jesse Jo grew up in an environment that fostered creative expression. Now Jesse Jo is the subject of constant curiosity in the ever opinionated realm of cyberspace. Named a muse, a musician, an artist, a designer – she’s become recognised for her playful style and imaginative coolness that captivates tribes of fashion followers.
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The collection includes apparel, footwear and accessories that reflect her signature mix of tomboy style and girlish charm.
PROFIL
PROFILE
PROFILE
PROFIL is our kind of guy. Super cute, check. Super talented, check. And super rad, the Melbourne based illustrator has a growing following of fans digging his designs. Having been commissioned for clothing brands such as Honour Over Glory and various magazines, his quirky mix of tattoo tradition meets cute and girly has proved popular. Rik took time out from his drawing to have a skate and talk to us about his work and inspirations.
WORDS: HAYLEY BUCKLE
I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid. Pretty much as soon as I was old enough to hold a pencil I was scribbling on things. I generally use a combination of traditional and digital techniques to create my work. All the line work is hand-drawn, however I often add colour and finishing touches in photoshop.
I always struggle with this question. I never know where to begin and I’m sure I’ll forget some really important people. Anyway, here’s a few names: Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Raymond Pettibon, Anthony Lister, Audrey Kawasaki, Hannah Stouffer, Mike Giant, Adam Isaac Jackson, Valerie Vargas, Mark Gonzales, Ed Templeton, Jean Michel Basquiat, Bill Watterson…. and, of course, all my friends. That’s a pretty eclectic bunch but they’re awesome and have been super inspirational to me over the years. 82
I feel flattered. As long as they respect the original design and run it by me first I’m totally down with it. It’s not actually something that I can control. If someone wants to print out a low-res image of one of my designs and go down the tattoo shop I can’t stop them. I do, however, appreciate it if they ask first. That way I can tell them if I know of other people getting the same tattoo or if I’ve designed that piece specifically for an apparel print (or similar) and if they’re not cool with having a tattoo that also features on t-shirts then it can be easily avoided. Essentially I love drawing and I love tattoos. If someone digs one of my works so much they want to get it tattooed on them then they have my blessing.
Fortunately I never seem to have any trouble finding inspiration. Especially when it comes to drawing cute girls! Sometimes I’ll begin illustrating a girl with a specific concept in mind and in the case of much of my commission pieces I’m working to a brief with particular criteria, which determine and inspire the outcome of the work. In these cases the client often provides me with photographic reference as inspiration or we’ll go do a photo shoot to capture the look we’re after. With my personal work however, I just sit down with a pencil and paper and draw. I always begin with the eyes and build the face from there. Each facial feature will impact how I draw the next feature. My illustration style is quite time-consuming so I get loads of time to think about what I’m doing and allow ideas to develop. I like letting the creative process inform the outcome. So I’ve gone off on a tangent here, but in most cases the girls I draw are made up. They’re inspired by the stuff I like and/or interest me. My friends. Sub cultures. Music. Angst. Stereotypes… whatever really. It’s just all the ideas floating around my head coming out my pencil onto paper.
PROFILE
PROFIL
PROFILE
OPINION
This month’s
latest releases, reviewed here.
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND WELCOME HOME ARMAGEDDON (Distiller)
B ack with their fifth album and after a slight line-up change, Funeral For A Friend are as strong and as consistent as ever. Whereas previous more recent releases have weaved between good and great, ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ is brilliant, as it delivers the ideal balance between heavy and melodic. ‘Old Hymns’ ‘is a bold, pleasing opener with Matthew Davies’ vocals being as distinctive and as perfect as possible. Whilst ‘Front Row Seats To The End Of The World’ is classic Funeral, with Ryan Richards’ heavy vocals dominating in the verse creating an ideal bridge into Davies’s melodic chorus. ‘Sixteen’ keeps up the momentum, with its tight sound that grabs the listener’s attention. It’s a quick blast of rock that FFAF certainly know how to deliver. Moments like this continue to appear throughout, ‘Man Alive’ and ‘Spinning Over The Island’ may sound like something we’ve heard before but they sound great and you can’t help enjoy them. The latter especially has a captivating structure and is musically solid. ‘Owls (Are Watching)’ is one of the many stand out moments, with its brash chorus and foolproof guitar tone. It answers to any doubts you had about the band and like this album as a whole, exceeds expectations. ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ is certainly a record that delivers in terms of great song writing, passionate musicianship and superb structures that do not falter from start to finish.
WWW.TWITTER.COM/ALTGRLMAG
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OPINION
LETLIVE. FAKE HISTORY (Epitaph)
If Glassjaw and The Blood Brothers ever tracked down their troublesome bastard love child, it would almost certainly go by the name of LETLIVE. Formed in 2002, Los Angeles’ Letlive. are, beyond all doubt, one of the most exciting and exhilarating bands doing the rounds at present. Boasting an unrivalled urgency at sonic speed and awkward guitar attacks like lightning, ‘Fake History’ is a perfect post-hardcore punch. Initially released back in early 2010, it is turbulent, relentless and extreme, the brilliant musicianship is bettered only by front man Jason Butler’s thoroughly impressive vocal explosions. ‘Casino Columbus’ is a high intensity, boisterous blast, adorned with alternate screeches and sighs, bringing the depth expected of a much more established group to the heart of the release. ‘Homeless Jazz’ is jagged and angular, portraying a more intricate side to the group, without losing their inherent hardcore edge. Catastrophically bratty with plenty of scope for singalongs and dancealongs, it is Letlive.’s unique sound which has seen them gain such notoriety over the past few months. Despite having already been propelled to the forefront of the minds of many, it’s clear that Letlive. have only just started their passionate and furious attack on the mainstream. They may have transported dramatically from zero to hero in the space of just a few months, but there’s no denying that there is so much more in store for these reckless American lads. Be it a kick in the teeth or a fully-fledged assault, you can be sure that Letlive. won’t go down without a fight. This is your warning.
DEFEATER EMPTY DAYS AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS (Bridge Nine) Defeater have given us a double album, split into Empty Days, the heavier, more traditional songs, and Sleepless Nights, the acoustic numbers. The album is also written to a concept, namely a post-WWII tale, tracking the woes of a pair of brothers raised in hard times. The storyline runs on from their debut album, Travels, which followed the youngest brother, with Empty Days following the elder brother in his parallel journey. The acoustic tracks are amazing. The best way to describe them is a cross between the morose simplicity of Brand New and the brutal honest of early Against Me!. The lyrics may be woven into a storyline, but vocalist Derek Archambault doesn’t sound like he’s acting, and the songs are DISTURBINGLY personal to listen to. Archambault is quite a talent, holding a convincing ballad as well as belting out more traditional hardcore vocals, and the acoustic songs really bring his amazing storytelling and lyrics to the fore. Defeater have created a rock solid hardcore album with this release, and made big steps from their already impressive earlier releases. This is a band to watch, on their second album they have created an enduring piece of work, with amazing melodies, personal, affecting lyrics and a strong sense of passion and desperation running throughout. The acoustic side creates a point of difference and mixes surprisingly well with the heavier songs. If you like melodic hardcore with a cohesive sound and concept, check out Defeater’s latest work, you won’t be disappointed. 88
WHEN YOU’RE DONE THINKING, SAY(Hopeless) YES Yellowcard are back with their long-awaited new album. Fact. A reunion? False. After a two and a half year break, the Florida five-piece have returned to the scene with a record that is going to take fans by surprise, new and old. The band couldn’t have picked a more perfect time to release this new record. It’s 2011, and pop punk is in high demand. With the reunion of bands like Blink-182, The Starting Line and The Get Up Kids, and the ever increasing success of new blood, Four Year Strong and Title Fight, pop punk has never been stronger. ‘When Your Through Thinking, Say Yes’ starts off where the band’s last record, ‘Paper Walls,’ finished. But, the thing about this release is, the band’s previous efforts echo throughout. A mix of the band’s signature blend of pop-punk/pop-rock, it flows together perfectly. Stand out tracks are ‘The Sound Of You And Me’, ‘With You Around’ and ‘Sing For Me’; which has potential to rival the band’s smash hit, ‘Only One’. With so much garbage polluting radio airwaves and getting mainstream success, ‘When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes’ cries a sigh of relief. It’s easily proven itself to be the best album of 2011, so far, and even has the potential to be ranked next to the band’s 2003 breakthrough album, ‘Ocean Avenue.’
DEFTONES DIAMOND EYES (Reprise)
Deftones started playing music way back in 1988 and released their first album in 1995. Since their start they have always wanted to be different from the rest and make awesome music and now with their first album in four years, the alt metallers are doing just that. Heavy, fierce, atmospheric and dare I say pretty? Diamond Eyes is everything you’d expect and more. The opening track of that same name is beautifully brutal with raw jarring riffs entwined with the lingering chorus of “time will see us realise, diamonds reign across the sky” that echoes throughout the entire album, an astounding comeback. Other highlights include the enigmatic Sex Tape, blissfully chilled out and sweet which is a stark contrast to no doubt the heaviest song on the album, Rocket Skates. It is so angry and violent and Chino’s voice goes from psychotic to wounded throughout the whole song, an instant classic. This is the first album without long time bassist Chi Cheng due to him being in a coma from a severe car accident, but Sergio Vega of former post-hardcore act Quicksand kept up with the Deftones’ sound and did an skill job considering the shoes he had to fill. When Deftones say this is one of the best albums of their career, they weren’t kidding. Diamond Eyes is a real gem. WWW.TWITTER.COM/ALTGRLMAG
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OPINION
Yellowcard
STOCKISTS ALCHEMY GOTHIC
LEVI
WWW.ALCHEMY.CO.UK
WWW.LEVI.COM
AMERICAN APPAREL
MATALAN
WWW.AMERICANAPPAREL.COM
WWW.MATALAN.CO.UK
ASOS
MOTEL
WWW.ASOS.COM
WWW.MOTELROCKS.COM
BOOTS
NEW LOOK
WWW.BOOTS.CO.UK
WWW.NEWLOOK.CO.UK
CRAZY COLOR
NEW ROCKS
WWW.RENBOW.COM
WWW.NEWROCKSDIRECT.CO.UK
CRIMINAL DAMAGE
PEACOCKS
WWW.CRIMINALDAMAGE.CO.UK
WWW.PEACOCKS.CO.UK
CURRYS
PRIMARK
WWW.CURRYS.CO.UK
WWW.PRIMARK.CO.UK
DEBENHAMS
QUONTUM
WWW.DEBENHAMS.COM
WWW.QUONTUM.CO.UK
DOC MARTENS
THE RAGGED PRIEST
WWW.DRMARTENS.COM
WWW.THERAGGEDPRIEST.CO.UK
DROP DEAD
REPUBLIC
WWW.IHEARTDROPDEAD.COM
WWW.REPUBLIC.CO.UK
EBAY
RIVER ISLAND
WWW.EBAY.CO.UK
WWW.RIVERISLAND.COM
GEORGE
SPILL YOUR GUTTS
WWW.GEORGE.CO.UK
WWW.SPILLYOURGUTTS.BIGCARTEL.COM
GRINDSTORE
TOPSHOP
WWW.GRINDSTORE.COM
WWW.TOPSHOP.COM
HELL BUNNY
TUK
WWW.ATTITUDECLOTHING.CO.UK
WWW.TUK.COM
H&M
URBAN OUTFITTERS
WWW.H&M.COM
WWW.URBANOUTFITTERS.CO.UK
HONOUR OVER GLORY
VANS
WWW.HONOUROVERLGORY.COM
WWW.VANS.COM
LAZY OAF
YOUR EYES LIE
WWW.LAZYOAF.COM
WWW.YOUREYESLIE.COM
WWW.TWITTER.COM/ALTGRLMAG
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