AUGUST 2015
YOUR ONE STOP GUIDE TO THE BEST MUSIC IN THE COUNTY!
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ugly kid joe
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knotslip
the uk’s premier metal tribute
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WELCOME
Thanks for picking up the August 2015 issue of Dorset Music Magazine, your one stop guide to the best music in the county. This month we chat to bass player Frankie Poullain about the welcome return of our favourite rockers, The Darkness. We also witness another rock come-back in the form of 90’s U.S. heroes Ugly Kid Joe. Plus we find out what makes Knotslip the UK’s premier metal tribute. All this plus previews, listings and announcements from all of the best venues and events in the Dorset area.
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FEATURE
“The Darkness will make you shit in your pants, in a good way” exclaims eccentric frontman Justin Hawkins. Yup, it sure is good to have the hard rocking, catsuit wearing, acrobatic performing, flamboyant troubadours Justin & Dan Hawkins (guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and newly indoctrinated drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor back on the scene.
here and still absolute champions of their craft. And after having caught their not-so-secret set at Download festival where punters surrounded the Maverick tent in the drizzle to rock out with no hope of peaking inside, it’s clear that the UK has not forgotten and, in fact, has already assumed the brace position, ready to accept the full onslaught of The Darkness.
Armed with a new album ‘Last of Our Kind’ which is squished full of rock n roll bangers infused with the unmistakable wail of Justin’s signature falsetto and over-laced with tongue in cheek monologues, The Darkness are clearly throwing everything they’ve got into reminding us that they are still
They’ve had a busy festival-filled summer so far and a huge headline tour announced for December, we jumped at the chance to spend some time on the phone with Frankie to get his thoughts on their comeback, the new album and sock eating…
dorset MUSIC |august 2015
THE DARKNESS
Where are you right now and how many minutes has it been since you had your bass guitar in your hands? Outside the bus trying to get phone reception ha ha! Good question, this is a disgrace, but the last time I had a bass in my hands was when I handed it to my guitar tech, my best technician I should say, a gentleman by the name of Ollie, after the gig at Download Festival in the Maverick tent. I walked off, and straight into promo, can you believe it? After a show like that! I asked for a beer, and they looked at me like I’d said my name was Adolf Hitler or something. These days you’re not allowed. They don’t like it when you drink when you’re doing promo. That’s how ‘corporate’ rock has become. The bankers are way more rock ‘n’ roll than the rock ‘n’ rollers. How was Download? We couldn’t get into the tent… I could hardly get in! It was extremely difficult to cram our collective egos on to the stage. It was incredible, I have to say. We were behind the screen, just waiting to go on, and we could just feel it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, in fact the hairs everywhere were standing up, even public hair, and it takes a lot for public hair to stand up because it has to detangle. It’s quite course and bristly as well. But Download really was incredible. Then we actually walked out there and myself, Dan and Rufus had come up with this idea that with the intro to Barbarian, we’d keep going until Justin had made it to the stage having come through the crowd. It was such a success. We had ten Viking re-enactment people there. They had their shields up and they formed like a Guard of Honour, with Justin lying on the shields occasionally standing up to wave to the crowd. You’ve had a few days off since Download, what have you been doing with yourself? Personal stuff mostly, but I can tell you that I went to Ray Brown, the costume designer. He made it big in the 80s, he pretty much designed the 80s hair metal look, he did Judas Priest, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. He designed the whole kind of outlaw/pirate/bohemian look. I have this flamenco style shirt which I’ve only worn once, to a press and fan club lunch, so I’m going to get that altered. He’s adjusted the collar for me. I have to keep up with Dan and Justin now! At the moment Dan & Justin are rocking these incredible suits. Justin’s got this kind of cross between David Bowie and Alexis from Dynasty suit, massive shoulder pads, electric blue satin, high waisted trousers, big flares, and it just pops, it’s a beautiful suit. It’s the epitome of The Darkness’ aesthetic as on first impression it looks ridiculous, but then your eye just keeps coming back to it and you realise it’s beautiful, it’s only ridiculous because we’re brainwashed to think that something loud and out there with strange angles is ridiculous.
are bonkers but that we don’t just wear cat suits all the time, you know? You provide vocals for the final song ‘Conquerors’ – how did that come about? Was it something you’d always wanted to do or did you all feel like mixing it up a bit? It was spontaneous, y’know? It came from the lyrics and the vibe and everything. It came from the subconscious. Dan was playing the arpeggio that opens the song, and it just clicked something in me and I started singing. Now thinking about it, the words in the first verse just came spontaneously, so that was all intact, and the melody, the whole song was intact, but we were kind of stuck for a while and Dan suggested the word ‘conqueror’, to hang all these abstract emotions on, and immediately it felt like the right way to go. It’s like an epic rendition of regret and defiance. I think the theme of the album, looking back, is defiance. Even the historical songs like Barbarian and Roaring Waters, involve people of the past, the Barbarians, the East Anglians, during the Viking invasion, really had to show defiance. The rest of the songs are dealing more with emotional courage and adversity. When you’re faced with situations in relationships and life in general and the challenges that come from being a band that were once very successful and high profile, having to go through the struggles, having to lose a member, and the sadness of losing Ed. I think all those things and the professional relationships that we have, all those life incidents bled into the album. You can hear that through the lyrics, despite what people might think he’s not singing about fast cars and loose women, he’s singing, and I’m singing on that one song, about personal issues. How tall are you and are you the tallest member of the band? We’re all almost the same, myself, Rufus and Dan, around 6’ 2”, so Rufus sits well with us. I noticed this particularly at Download; since the 90s rock has become more of an expression of naked emotion, damaged people, I guess it’s an angry thing, and some people say that shorter men are more angry. I mean, I don’t say that, it’s quite a harsh thing to say but I noticed that anger was the currency in lots of 90s rock music, and there were a lot of people of more, er, diminutive stature, at Download.
Last Of Our Kind is finally out, how does it feel to have unleashed it on the world? Personally it’s the proudest I’ve ever been of anything we’ve done. I had a problem when Permission to Land came out because it didn’t have enough bottom end, drum and basswise. Of course I knew that the top end was really excellent, with Justin’s vocals and the guitar solos, and Dan’s guitar, but the bottom end didn’t come out too much. So I’m really pleased with this one because it’s much chunkier and fatter sounding. There’s a lot of emotion in it. The idea was really to emote. It wasn’t something we planned, but that’s what happened. I guess looking back it was a way of possibly altering people’s perceptions, perhaps to encourage them not to look at the clichés all the time and accept that this band
dorset MUSIC |august 2015
THE DARKNESS
So Rufus came on board and his first day was the day we had to do a press lunch at the new Gibson showroom. But Rufus wasn’t arriving until about 6am that day on a flight from Australia. So by the time he got to London it was 9-10 o’clock, and he had to come straight to a three hour rehearsal, where he learned the five songs we were playing - he hadn’t slept for 24 hours - then straight into a photo shoot, and to the gig. He did really well! He’s got a great sense of humour, and has injected some youth and vitality into the band. He’s just what we need at the moment. He’s also made each of us 15% more attractive just by standing next to us with his golden aura! There’s not many people that can pull off wearing a white safari suit, how did you land on your eccentric style? To be honest I’m not sure I carried it off! I think it was a mistake to wear it on stage but off stage and at an award show I feel quite comfortable in it. It’s something you wear when you’re taking a picture. Also I think the sweat stains are quite elegant. I think normally sweat stains are quite crude but sweat stains on a white safari suit remind me of Tarzan and the apes. Like the explorers of the 19th century in the Congo. Award shows in the music industry are also like being in the jungle, because the music industry are wild, kind of ferocious, animals just waiting to devour you. I should have a machete tucked away somewhere in case a tiger or a jaguar decides to devour me with their seductive bullshit. Recently one of your fans ate their own socks to secure meeting you. If you had to eat socks, which kind of socks would you choose? I would eat edible socks. Probably rice paper socks. As well as playing the bass, you also provide the allimportant cow bell section of The Darkness. We’ve discovered that the combination of you and a cow bell is so overwhelming to some of the population that there is a Facebook group called The Cow Belles dedicated entirely to you, allowing fans to discuss their deepest feelings about this phenomenon. Is that a bit weird? Or possibly the coolest thing that’s ever happened? Harmless. I think the cow bell is an underrated instrument and deserves it’s time to shine. So much so that I’ve even wrapped mine in tin foil so it shines even brighter to enjoy its brief period in the lime light. I didn’t imagine it would go on for so long really, it’s been going on for a good 18 months now, this Cow Belle thing, but all good things come to an end…I’ve been introducing the tambourine but it hasn’t been having the same effect…
dorset MUSIC |august 2015
Your live shows are always a spectacle – have you started floating ideas for the tour yet? Yeah, we’re always coming up with ideas. For every one idea that is realised, there’s a good nine or ten that fall by the wayside. They’re kind of loose ideas now, because we’ll probably be changing our minds over the next few months as to what we want to do, but we’ve got some great ideas.
FEATURE
So, Rufus has joined the band. Where did you find him and what do we need to know about him? The connection was Brian May’s guitar tech, Pete Malandrone. He’d suggested Rufus when we’d already employed Emily (Dolan). Emily did the album with us, and we did intend to carry on with Emily, but she found it hard to make the sacrifices, she wasn’t really relishing being away for a long time and I think you have to have the attitude where you relish the sacrifice because all art in a loose sense of the word is a sacrifice to the Gods if you like, he he. You have to relish that sacrifice and the whole package. If you start dissecting it you can’t do 150 gigs a year and give it your all, y’know?
During the band’s hiatus you wrote a warts and all autobiography, was it supported by the rest of the band or was it a bridge that had to be crossed when the band got back together? I didn’t see it as an autobiography because of course I’m not important enough to write an autobiography. I tried it make it into something silly and irreverent, and it was structured kind of like a self-help book. I just did it for a laugh, some people find it amusing. I tried to make it into an anti- sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll book, so it was about begging for sex, smuggling drugs, and pretending to be rock ‘n’ roll, that was the concept behind it. It was based on the fact that in my teenage years I was begging for sex, in my 20s I was smuggling drugs, and in my 30s I was pretending to be rock ‘n’ roll. If you could go back to 2002, just before it all took off, what advice would you give 2002-Frankie? ( Very long pause…) Frankie are you still there? Hang on, I’m time travelling, it takes a while! To be honest I can’t remember 2002, it’s a blur. I’ve gotten to 2004, I can remember that, and 2003 I can remember half of it, but I get to 2002 and there’s nothing it’s just blank. What advice would you give yourself in 2004? Don’t trust the builder. I had a builder that ran off with £24,000 of my money… What’s your favourite thing about being in The Darkness? The freedom. What I like most is that we have our distinct personalities and we encourage each other to really express that. So there’s no real uniform or blanket rules. It’s very liberating and fun as well. The Darkness have a plethora of great songs, but if you could have written one song by another artist, from any era, which song would it be? Purple Rain by Prince. So profound that song. Apparently there are seven levels of spirituality and purple is the seventh level. So if you reach the sixth level, then you are being rained on by this purple energy. That’s one of the theories of the song. There’s a verse where he’s singing to his bandmates, then to a woman he’s seeing at the time, and then a verse where he’s talking to his deceased father. He’s talking about living up to his example as a musician, and so it’s kind of deeper than people think. He’s basically trying to take his father relationship, his love relationship, and his band relationship, all up to this level where they’re stood in the purple rain, this cleansing level of enlightenment. This isn’t some religious thing, it’s spirituality in the abstract sense of the word. Words: Zan Lawther
Catch the DARKNESS live @ 02 academy | december 17
THE DARKNESS
01202 748945 8a Parr Street, Lower Parkstone, Poole THU WED THU SUN FRI THU FRI SAT FRI
2 John Otway 6 Rockin the Joint - Poole Quay 12 Bars and Melody 13 Funkathon - Poole Quay 14 Howie Casey’s Rockestra 20 guns Of Navarone - Poole Quay 21 DEFINItELY MIgHtBE vs ADORED 22 the Police vs the Replicators 23 steve Harris - British Lion 27 Craig Alexander and the Zephyrs 29 Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young 4 Funkathon 12 guns n Roses Experience 18 the Bowie Experience 18 si Cranstoun 25 Rocky Horror vs MeatLoaf 26 Coldplace 27 OPM Amazing band, amazing musicians Summer Breeze On Poole Quay
Simon Cowells golden buzzer act from BGT14 Summer Breeze On Poole Quay
A celebration of the music of Paul McCartney and Wings Summer Breeze On Poole Quay Oasis vs Stone Roses Tributes
Two tributes for the price of one, The Police Force pay tribute to Sting whilst The Replicators pay homage to pretty much everybody else
Iron Maiden Bassist tours British Lion Summer Breeze On Poole Quay
Paul Young and his Tex Mex Mix of Americana Live Funk, Soul and Motown The authentic GnR tribute
One of the UK’s top tribute acts to one of the worlds greatest music icons Si Cranstoun is set to be the voice of 2015, Spirited Old School Soul
Terry Nash performs two shows in one night, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and MeatLoaf! The worlds leading tribute to Coldplay
American Skate-Punkers with the 15 year anniversary tour of “Menace to Sobriety” and Heaven Is A Halfpipe
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FEATURE Ugly Kid Joe return to our shores next month to celebrate the release of their first new album in nineteen years. After rising to fame in the early 90’s with their hit ‘Everything About You’ and a cover of Harry Chapin’s ‘Cat’s in The Cradle’, both of which were top ten singles in both the USA and here, their debut EP ‘As Ugly As They Wanna Be’ quickly became the highest selling debut EP of all time, selling two million copies. The band’s music mixed their light-hearted approach to humour with their passionate approach to metal and made them a phenomenon with a cult following. They gained widespread mainstream attention, including having their music used in the hit cult movie Wayne’s World (party time!), three full albums followed and the boys found themselves touring alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, to name a few... Unfortunately for fans, the band announced that they were splitting up in 1997. Eventually they reunited in 2011 to play a number of reunion shows. “Dave Fortman (Producer/Guitar) and Shannon Larkin (Drums) were working together on Godsmack and the idea popped into their heads... And we ran with it” guitarist and founding member Klaus Eichstadt tells us. “The only pain was we live all over the place!” This most joyous of reunions was closely followed by the 2012 EP ‘Stairway to Hell’ which was received very well by both fans and critics alike, leading to further success for the guys and tours with Alice Cooper, Faith No More and Guns N’ Roses. “Recording Stairway to Hell and touring made us realise it’s totally still doable... and enjoyable” says Klaus. Ugly Kid Joe seem to be reaching new heights, just as they did the first time around with their earlier three albums. To build on this success, UKJ are releasing their hotly anticipated new album ‘Uglier Than They Used Ta Be’ which was funded via a wildly successful Pledgemusic campaign, reaching well over 150% of its target long before the closing date for pre-orders. In fact, it was so popular, they reached the target just 14 days after announcing the project. Perhaps this signifies just how in demand a new Ugly Kid Joe record is. “Whit and Gav, our co-managers hatched the plan” says Klaus “Working under a major label, it was too many cooks in the kitchen… This album we are 100% in control. It was a way for us to work
dorset MUSIC | august 2015
directly with our fans and allow them to come along for the journey.” Well, we here at Dorset Music absolutely cannot wait to hear it! “It’s diverse, rocking hard at times and mellowing out too” Klaus promises. But the Pledgemusic campaign isn’t just for the new Ugly Kid Joe album though, it is a shared venture with the debut album of Richards/Crane, the new side project founded by UKJ frontman Whitfield Crane and ‘Another Animal’ guitarist Lee Richards. This new super-duo is a chance for Whitfield to work on something different and start from the beginning again. Widely regarded as one of the nicest, and one of the hardest working men in rock, there’s no greater evidence of this than the fact that Richards/Crane are going to open every show on the album tour, providing the chance for Crane to showcase both UKJ’s new album and his new project each night. This means though that our man Whit will be performing not one, but TWO huge sets on each night of the tour. The ‘Uglier Than They Used Ta Be’ tour will be stopping at Sound Circus, Bournemouth on 22 September and we’ll be front and centre for both acts. Question is, what are UKJ looking forward to most about coming back to the UK? “Playing the shows of course...” says Klaus “The old songs, the not so old songs, and the new songs.” Words: Liam Fleming
Catch ugly kid joe live @ Sound Circus |September 22
UGLY KID JOE
Jalarra caféE bar live music Bournemouth’s newest live music venue 45 Poole Hill, The Triangle, Bournemouth, BH2 5PW. Tel 01202 556113
Over August we embark on a new schedule of live music & entertainment MONDAY > FRIDAY from 5.00pm - a great place to meet up for drinks & a meal SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Open from 11.00am until late, serving lunch and supper HAPPY HOUR EVERY WEEKDAY: Two for one cocktails from 5.00pm > 7.00pm
AUGUST 2015 Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Sunday:
Local band showcase with 2 for 1 pizza special offer Live Funk, Soul, Disco & Retro-Pop with the occasional twist Headline acts . . . we’ll try to be a bit different Live music Sunday Brunch - followed by open mic night from 7.30pm UNMISSABLE EVENTS THIS MONTH The Producers A Blues phenomenon Saturday 1st August Groove Groovy, Modern Jazz Sunday 9th August Backwater Roll Blues Powerful Rock Blues Friday 14th August
Groovemeister Funk, Soul & Disco th Friday 28 August Ian Ellis Trio Brunch at Jalarra Sunday 30th August Open Mic Nights Moving to Sundays! 2nd August onwards
Plus much more - please check out www.jalarra.com for listings Come early, eat great food, drink some fab cocktails and be a part of something good
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3 Chaplin’s 4 The Old Fire Station 5 The Anvil 6 The O2 Academy 7 BIC 8 The Winchester 9 Shakeaway 10 Orange Rooms 11 Sixty Million Postcards 12 Pavillion Theatre
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13 Eden Live 14 Jalarra
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SAT 1st - HOLD TIGHT PRESENTS: BALEARIC BOAT PARTY & BRANDON’S BOOGIE ALL-DAYER A day on the seas with Hold Tight & Bump N Hustle, in what promises to be a rollocking romp of a boat party. It’s then all back to The BriT for club classics with the legend that is Brandon Block! THURS 6th THE BRIT’S GOT TALENT A chance for our finest entertainers to get the chance to win an ACTUAL paid gig at an ACTUAL festival, watched by ACTUAL people (some of whom, may have beards) FRI 7th - DUBHEART LIVE! Dubheart continue to deliver original live roots and dub music to those who still want to hear heavyweight positive vibes!
FRI 14th - RICHARD JAMES Working with just a beautiful voice, a guitar and a loop pedal Richard James layers his songs with wonderful effect. A must for any Ed Sheeran fans.
WED 26th - AN EVENING OF COUNTRY Our monthly country night showcases the very best in local talent and pays homage to all those wonderful stories that Nashville types tell so well.
SAT 15th - GARPHIE THINKHOUSE MUSIC PRESENTS: DENNIS VALENTINE This DJ was one of the stalwarts of the legendary Hard Times Club in London. Dennis is known for capturing the ‘moment’ and creating a great party atmosphere.
THURS 27th THE BRIT’S GOT TALENT- FINAL! So here it is…the winners from the previous month’s heats go head to head in our live final. Expect serious talent and awesome entertainment!
THURS 20th - THE BRIT’S GOT TALENT A chance for our finest entertainers to get the chance to win an ACTUAL paid gig at an ACTUAL festival, watched by ACTUAL people (some of whom, may have beards)
SAT 8th - TONY DAVIES: THE HUMAN JUKEBOX Tony comes armed with stacks of vinyl, and then waits for you to sift through and choose a belter for him to play. Glorious!
FRI 21st - JOHN JAMES NEWMAN Star of TV’s the voice and an accomplished songwriter John delivers his eclectic array songs with energy and emotion. A joy of a performer.
THURS 13th - THE BRIT’S GOT TALENT A chance for our finest entertainers to get the chance to win an ACTUAL paid gig at an ACTUAL festival, watched by ACTUAL people (some of whom, may have beards)
SAT 22nd - GHETTO FABULOUSE The return of our regular piece of funky action! This is the time to shake loose and groove to some upfront disco, boogie, funk and soul. It’s all quite 70s and simply fabulous!
THURS 27th - THE BRIT’S GOT TALENT FINAL! So here it is…the winners from the previous month’s heats go head to head in our live final. Expect serious talent and awesome entertainment!
WEEKLY BriT MONDAYS Salsa Explosion @ The BriT Salsa classes, hosted by Enrique Perez, Doors open at 7pm £7 per class For more info call 07969 633 701 TUESDAYS Free Pool All Day & Night WEDNESDAYS DAY Little BriT Club (11-5pm) Free activities for kids & ½ price kids menu WEDNESDAYS EVE ‘A Little BriT Quizacle’ Quiz and music night, hosted by the brilliant Matt Black only £2 to enter cash prizes to be won
THURSDAYS DAY Evergreen (over 60’s Club) 2 course lunch only £5 from 12-3pm every week THURSDAYS EVE The BriT’s Got Talent hosted by Si Genaro, Matt Black or Chris Payn – the winner gets a paid gig at the Hairy Man Festival! FRIDAYS Bands, Brews and BBQ’s - Every Friday night from 5pm BBQ in garden, drink promotions and live music SUNDAYS Sunday Club carvery, BBQ and free bouncy castle every week. Check website or pop inThe BriT for details
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BriT FEST 2015 Friday 28th to Monday 31st
Festival Vibes • Outside Rum Bar • BBQ with Caribbean flavours • Bouncy Castle & Play Area for Kids • Live Music & DJ’s Back 2 Back All Weekend BriT Drink Promotions - FREE ENTRY ALL WEEKEND FRI 28th - REVEREND TOON Mod Madness and Ska Night Live performance & DJ Blend of Ska, Reggae, Rock Steady, Soul and MOD Classics… Stomping! SAT 29th - JACKSON 3 An established party band, with energy and enthusiasm, upbeat and Brilliant. MARTYN THE HAT The top hatster spinning the tunes. Ear pleasing delights to dance to…….. completely hatstand!
SUN 30th - ANT LEWIS A reggae-rock dude with a difference. Expect fingerstyle, soul , blues and folk too. Hot diggety dawg! SAINTS OF SIN (ACOUSTIC SET) Yes, the glam-rock, spandex-wearing Gods are back with a stripped down acoustic gig. BANK HOLIDAY MON 31ST AUG AFRO* DISIAC PRESENTS: The Bank Holiday Reggae Rum Club A cheeky blend of Caribbean foods, rum cocktails and reggae loveliness. How a Bank Holiday Monday should be. Easy now……..
www.thebritpub.com ~ 01202 74 00 46 ~ info@thebritpub.com The Brit, 20 Britannia Road, Ashley Cross, Lower Parkstone, Poole BH14 8BB
FEATURE
me some of his plectrums! You recently held auditions to find a new singer, how did the hunt go? It actually surprised me how much people wanted to see us continue. Our fans supported us amazingly through what was a horrible time for the band, and we will never forget that. A lot of people auditioned, and we chose a guy who we thought not only sounded similar to Corey Taylor, but impersonated his stage presence well, and also was a diehard Slipknot fan. He travelled down to audition, pretty much nailed it first time, that’s when we thought “This is our guy.” What do you think it is that makes you guys so appealing? My philosophy is that you have to already know the band, almost inside out from a fan’s perspective. Me and my bandmates, going back years, even before Knotslip was a ‘thing’ used to play their songs while we were writing music. I even did ‘Left Behind’ back in school for some musical exam thing! Anyone can take a song by any band and learn it, but what we try and do is tap into the mindset of nine individuals, without forgetting who we are. Ultimately I’m Alistair not Mick, and it’s never become anything resembling an ego. Also by God do we like a drink with our fans! We also do our fair share of charity work. This band has good working class ethics, which works well for us. Also this band never came from setting out to be a tribute act, which separates us from nearly everyone else out there on the UK tribute scene, and I like that a lot. How many times (collectively) have you seen the real Slipknot live and how hard do you study their show to make yours as close to the real thing as possible? Too many times to count! Most recently, this year at Cardiff and at Download Festival. We study very hard indeed, to the point where one of us is like “You know that vocal bit from their Detroit show in late ‘99”, or “That particular guitar noise in (sic) from 2002 that changed in 2004” etc. We really consider ourselves massive Slipknot fans, and whilst we don’t have pyrotechnics and four metre high flames onstage, I think we do a pretty good job taking a Slipknot show to smaller stages than they themselves play. It’s a very intimate, yet chaotic performance indeed. Do you make your own masks, outfits and props? No. We spend a massive amount of money on our entire stage show. From custom made replica masks and jumpsuits from around the world to insanely large backdrops, even our instruments, all of it costs a small fortune. Have you got anything special planned for your October shows? Yes. 2015 started badly for us, but to make it up to people we have literally busted our asses to make September onwards something very special indeed. Of course if you want to find out what I mean by that, you’ll have to come along and check us out!
Born from 9 seasoned musicians all sharing a love for Slipknot, first appearing together for a one off ‘Stars In Your Eyes’ show, only to realise the potential to become Europe’s greatest Slipknot tribute band, Knotslip have been making waves in the live music scene for a while now and have become widely regarded as not-just-youraverage-tribute-act. Their shows feature everything you’d expect from a Slipknot gig with their trademark masks, boiler suits, kegs and insane energy levels. So far in 2015 they’ve had a turbulent start, with a change in the line up that saw the guys auditioning singers to step into the all-important #9 slot and give us their best Corey Taylor but with new members now firmly in place and a stonking Autumn tour announced, it seems like they’re here to stay. We caught up with #7 aka Alistair Phippen, who provides the riffs made famous by guitarist Mick Thomson, to find out exactly why they think they’ve captured the imagination of Slipknot fans… What made you choose Slipknot in particular? It started with a one off ‘Stars in Their Eyes’ night at a Plymouth venue. Some of the local bands from the heavy music scene each chose a specific band to cover. At the time, my band Bring the Plague were Slipknot fanatics, and I am still to this day heavily influenced by them in my writing style. Also, everyone was doing all the usual bands people cover, but I wanted to try that extra special something! So we pulled in some extra guys to make the full nine piece, hit the practice room, got ourselves some masks and boiler suits, and to be honest we tore the place apart! At what point did you think ‘hey, we could really do something with this’? The moment we walked offstage, we all thought “Wow, what the hell just happened?!”, and we all knew that what we had just done was a little bit special. Soon we were approached by a local promoter, and we worked closely with him and various other promoters around the UK and before we knew it we had ourselves a tour. Not bad for a one off gig! What’s been the most exciting thing to have happened to Knotslip so far? Whether we play to tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people, each gig has its own special something that we take away from it. Although walking out at Festwich 2014 as main stage headliners to a packed field full of people was a pretty good feeling! What have actual Slipknot said about you – do they know who you are? A photograph of Corey Taylor holding a Knotslip t shirt was released, and his expression is amazing! I’m not sure what they think of us, I hope that they understand that we try to pay tribute in the best way we can! In January this year I met Mick Thomson’s wife, explained that I paid tribute to her husband in Knotslip, and she seemed genuinely humbled! She even gave
dorset MUSIC | august 2015
Words: Zan Lawther
Catch knotslip live @ Old Fire Station | October 10
KNOTSLIP
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BlackRoberts Water County Alex Trio
www.rock-regeneration.co.uk In July those masters of Prog “Galahad” from Bournemouth reached their 30th year. I can honestly say in the past there are very few bands in the area that have even lasted that long. They celebrated in style with a birthday bash at Mr Kyps where they pulled out all the stops with a fantastic two hour set which of course included exploding confetti cannons at the end. Despite their years they vow to continue playing and performing music with a reworked best of compilation called “When Worlds Collide” due to be released later this year. They have also booked a few festival performances in Poland in September and Holland in November. Once again it was that time of year to get Wonky Donked at one of the South’s best kept secrets. The Wonky Donk Festival on Hall’s Farm at Lytchett Matravers; now in its 5th year, brought together a host of handpicked artists from a variety of genres, with an emphasis on “Roots Revival”. Lord of Wonky Manor; the right honourable Hawkeye Houlihan once again pulled out all the stops to make sure that this year’s event exceeded expectation. The site has an intimate feel with a 500 capacity, and as per usual most attendees have been before, giving a whole family feel to the weekend. There was some very special performances from artist’s such as the Alex Roberts Trio, Boot Hill Allstars, Quinns Quinney and new boys The Catrachers. In Ashley Cross the two day extravaganza that is Grooves on The Green sadly clashed with the Wonky Donk festival, however I was lucky enough to be able to catch the Sunday. The weather was really disappointing and we had to put up with constant drizzle all day. This no way detracted from the fantastic music that was on offer. First up “Wikkaman” got things underway with their very own style of theatrical storytelling. “Fearne” then made a welcome return as a full band playing a mouth-watering best of set. The delightful “Not Made in China” brought their upbeat twin guitar led poppy tunes to brighten up this dull day. The smartly attired “Duveaux” bought dark indie tunes over from the Isle of Wight. Mutant Vinyl rounded the day in perfect style with a fantastic performance in the pouring rain thrilling all who had braved the weather to watch.
CHINNERS
Our gigs of the Month Sat 1st Aug: 19:30- Winchester Pub, Bournemouth : Half Hour Hotel+ Kung Fu Chicken Fighters Sat 1st Aug: 21:00- Thomas Tripp (Christchurch), Christchurch : Butcher Blues Foundation Sat 8th Aug: 21:00- Chaplin’s Cellar Bar, Boscombe: Jack Grace Band Fri 14th Aug: 19:00- Anvil, Bournemouth : Tenacious G (Tribute to Tenacious D) + Bad Luck For Brian Fri 14th Aug: 21:00- Grove Tavern, Bournemouth : Red House Sat 15th Aug: 21:00- White Hart, Wimborne Minster : The Mother Ukers Sat 22nd Aug- 21:00- Chaplin’s Cellar Bar, Boscombe : Peace, Love & Gloves Sat 22nd Aug: 22:00- Golden Lion, Weymouth : Black Water County Sun 23rd Aug: 19:30- Mr. Kyps, Poole : Steve Harris(Iron Maiden) British Lion Sat 29th Aug: 21:00- Chaplin’s Cellar Bar, Boscombe - Drw Me Ugly (Reunion) Sun 30th Aug: 19:00- Mr. Kyps, Poole : Wasted Generation + Support (Forest Holme Hospice Benefit) Chinners Recommends: Southern Brotherhood- 1000 Times www.southernbrotherhoodmusic.com The Villanovas- Honest Man www.thevillanovas.co.uk Galahad - 30 EP www.galahadonline.com If you would like to find out more about the gigs and artists mentioned in my blog please go to www.rock-regeneration. co.uk. If you would like your band or gig featured here or on the Rock Regeneration website contact me: chinners@rock-regeneration.co.uk.
Galahad
dorset MUSIC | july 2015
Each Wednesday listen to local music show “Livewire Live” between 7-9pm on 90.1 Hope FM or listen online at www.hopefm.com
rock regeneration
RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS
AUG 9 | JOINERS
AUG 5 | ENGINE ROOMS
AUG 12 | ENGINE ROOMS
ALESANA
AUG 21 | JOINERS
VON HERTZEN BROTHERS SEP 2 | TALKING HEADS
AUG 13 | ORANGE ROOMS
AUG 21 | ENGINE ROOMS
DOG FASHION DISCO
SEP 17 | JOINERS
www.facebook.com/themjrgroup |
AUG 22 | 1865
www.themjrgroup.com
previews Homegrown blues with a soul
Bringing you an eclectic mix of acoustic soul/blues and folk the Jack Grace Band is lead by, you guessed it, Jack Grace, a singer/ songwriter born and bred in sunny Bournemouth. Still in his early 20’s, Jack’s vocal elasticity has been compared to the likes of Nick Drake meets Buckley with a song craft years ahead of his age, writing about the experiences and events that have happened in his life.
AUG 08 | CHAPLIN’S
FOR FANS OF: NICK DRAKE / JEFF BUCKLEY / BOB DYLAN
BETWEEN THE VOID
AUG 14 | THE ANVIL
Local rockers album launch show
Bournemouth’s answer to all things alternative rock are launching their new allbum at The Anvil this month. Packed full of their unique blend of crunching guitar riffs and emotive vocals, this four piece bring together a huge range of influences from funk, dub and world music to blues, folk, punk and metal. We’re certain BTV’s inspiring rock sound will generate momentum in 2015. FOR FANS OF: INCUBUS / TAKING BACK SUNDAY / HUNDRED REASONS
Forward thinking hip hop from down under
With a jaw dropping live show and a fanbase that grows every time one of their groove-laden songs lands on the radio, it’s fair to say that hip hop trio Thundamentals are an absolute mainstay. Thundas are all about using broad brushstrokes on their ever-widening sonic canvas and MCs Tuka and Jeswon and DJ Morgs have had one foot firmly planted in Hip Hop history and the other kicking down walls. FOR FANS OF: ROOTS MANUVA / DUB CREW / NAS
MOOSE BLOOD
SEPT 04 | SOUND CIRCUS Political punk with a twist
JACK GRACE BAND
THUNDAMENTALS
AUG 22 | THE WINCHESTER Emo alternative new kids on the block
Moose Blood are connecting with rapidly increasing numbers of fans with their infectious brand of cheery emo songs. The Canterbury based rockers are quickly become the hottest thing going, and it’s easy to see why. The music is hard to dislike, the live shows are fun, and the band present a wonderfully fun personality. Taking elements from punk, emo, indie, and rock there’s something for everyone. FOR FANS OF: THE WOMBATS / JIMMY EAT WORLD / GNARWOLVES
SLEAFORD MODS
The Nottinghamshire based duo return to Bournemouth to spit politically charged rhymes. With the aggression (and endorsement) of The Prodigy and the charm and wit of The Streets, Sleaford Mods are going to stomp through the o2 academy. On tour to promote new album ‘Key Markets’ the band will attack vital issues at the heart of the nation, while giving everyone something to dance to. FOR FANS OF: THE PRODIGY / FAT WHITE FAMILY / THE STREETS
DORSET MUSIC | AUGUST 2015
SEPT 05 | O2 ACADEMY
previews
previews WILLE & THE BANDITS
OCT 03 | DORCHESTER ARTS
When roots and rock collide
Famous for creating an astonishingly huge sound, incorporating eclectic grooves from World music to Heavy Rock, using bizarre instrumentation such as Tongue Drum, Djembe, Lap steel guitar and Double bass Wille & the Bandits push the boundaries of what is expected of a modern three piece. Although difficult to pigeon hole, they’re taking roots rock music to a new level. FOR FANS OF: JOHN BUTLER TRIO / THE SKINTS
Classic country rockers
1970s chart toppers Dr Hook are back. They play Poole’s Lighthouse on 18 October and it is one to see for all fans of the band. Hits such as ‘When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman’ and ‘Cover of the Rolling Stone’ will provide great singalongs and the country rock band are sure to bring a sense of nostalgia to fans across Dorset. FOR FANS OF: KENNY ROGERS / NEIL DIAMOND / ROD STEWART
NIZLOPI & MOULETTES
DR HOOK
OCT 18 | LIGHTHOUSE Two titans of Folk team up
We all remember the ‘JCB Song’. In 2005 the folk/soul/hip hop duo Nizlopi achieved a massive Christmas #1 on an independent record label. So why is it that so few people can name their other songs? Nizlopi have countless masterpieces that come straight from the soul and they’re teaming up with Moulettes, veritable giants on the traditional folk scene with a tinge of the weird and wonderful.
OCT 31 | MR KYPS FOR FANS OF: BELLOWHEAD / ED SHEERAN / THE LEVELLERS Chart topper brings hits to Bournemouth JESS GLYNNE The soulful house and dance singer brings her back catalogue of massive hits to Bournemouth. Glynne has had multiple chart topping songs recently including her collaboration with Clean Bandit ‘Rather Be’ and her recent single ‘Hold My Hand’. This show will provide a winter warmer for fans that are used to hearing her voice throughout clubs right across the country.
FOR FANS OF: JOHN NEWMAN / CLEAN BANDIT / PALOMA FAITH
MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS
NOV 05 | O2 ACADEMY Indie Popstar
Having recently released her new album ‘Froot’ Marina Diamandis is back, though most fans will know her under the banner Marina and the Diamonds. Having had great success with early singles ‘Hollywood’ and ‘I’m Not a Robot’ and now released three successful albums, there will be plenty of huge indie pop anthems available at this one. Expect plenty of dancing and singalongs.
NOV 21 | O2 ACADEMY
DORSET MUSIC | AUGUST 2015
FOR FANS OF: GWEN STEFANI / FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
previews
ones to watch
We Are Robot are an indie pop rock band and it’s as simple as that. Hailing from the New Forest, the band was formed in 2014 and is made up of 3 college friends and a rock bassist from the 1970s (alright, maybe not that far back, but this man has been on records when that’s what they were, records.) In 2015, they released their debut album ‘Ghostbuskers’. The lion’s share of their song writing is undertaken by the two guitarists, Chris Ralph and Paul Denson, who both share lead vocals. Think Lennon and McCartney but with less........... songs written so far. The talented Sam Kay joins them on drums to add the beats to the tracks. Vijay Amarnani is the well established bassist mentioned above and adds the much needed catchy bass tones to complete the ensemble that are set to rock your little socks off. We caught up with them recently to find out a little bit more…
What’s your name and what do you do in the band? I’m Paul Denson and I play lead guitar and share lead vocals, and I’m Chris Ralph, I play rhythm guitar and do the rest of the vocals. When did you first start making music and what prompted you to do so? Chris: In our late teens, Paul, myself and Sam were in a band together in which I started writing, but we really started collaborating when we formed WE ARE ROBOT. Paul: What prompted me was if we ever made it, I wouldn’t want Chris having all the money! Who are your biggest musical influences? One of our biggest influences, as I’m sure a lot of bands would say, is the Beatles. Their strong melodies, harmonies and song structure are something that we hold in high regard. Others include Mumford and Sons, Travis, Frank Turner and Noel Gallagher. When did you first think ‘I want to do this for my job?’ Paul: When I did it as a job, I worked in Spain in a duo playing music of an evening for two summers. It’s a good way to learn many classic songs, and progress as a musician.
Paul: And our bass player Vijay Amarnani was kinda my boss when I worked for a Television Production company in London. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before? Well we are made up of 2 acoustic guitars, drums and bass. We can sound a bit folky at times but overall we would say acoustic rock, maybe with elements of Britpop. Where can we see you live next? We will be playing at the Old Mill in Holbury (Southampton) on the 14th Aug Hoburne Park in Christchurch on the 21st Aug Cellar Bar (Chaplin’s) in Boscombe on the 4th Sept. What’s on the agenda for the rest of 2015? This year we’ve decided to really push our original music which started with the recording of our album. The rest of the year we are dedicating to getting our name out there more and furthering our music careers If you could tour with anyone, who would it be? Paul: Travis Chris: Frank Turner Paul: So if Fran or Frank is reading this please get in touch Why should we come check out your live show? Paul: If you like melody driven music played with acoustic guitars then we would be the gig for you. Chris: We are proud of all our songs and would love for more people to hear them. www.facebook.com/wearerobotband
How did the band get together? Chris: Myself, Paul and Sam have known each other since college and have been in a cover band before.
dorset MUSIC | august 2015
WE ARE ROBOT
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