NOVEMBER 2015
YOUR ONE STOP GUIDE TO THE BEST MUSIC IN THE CITY!
N O T P M A H T U O S
MUSIC
POP/ROCK/INDIE/ALT HIP HOP/BASS & MORE!
13TH NOV HAS THEIR TIME FINALLY COME?
11TH DEC the men that will not be blamed for nothing
putting the ‘punk’ into steampunk
chas & dave 40 years in the biz
ALSO INSIDE - gaz coombes | FOALS | EVIL SCARECROW | WIN TICKETS FOR INDEPENDENCE!
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WELCOME
Thanks for picking up the November 2015 Issue of Southampton Music Magazine, your one stop guide to the best music in the city. This month we catch up with the hardest working indie-rock band in the UK, The Maccabees. After a well deserved number one album and a huge UK tour has their time finally come? We also spend five minutes with Rockney’ legends Chas & Dave, we have a great chat with stand up comedian and The Men That WIll Not Be Blamed For Nothing guitarist Andrew O’Neill, we catch up with former Supergrass crooner Gaz Coombes and we have frankly the best Dumbass Questions yet with Evil Scarecrow who somehow manage to invent a new creature and write a song about it in the same interview! All this plus previews, listings and announcements for all of the best venues and events in the area and a chance to win a pair of tickets for Independence Festival at Engine Rooms.
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Indie-rockers The Maccabees have been through a war, and they’ve got the ‘Marks to Prove It’ (see what we did there?). After three years of hard work writing and recording, they were finally able to release their stonking brand new album in July this year. The band released their debut single at the end of 2005 and by 2007 The Maccabees had released their debut album ‘Colour It In’. The album was well received which lead to tours with Bloc Party and a sold out show at London’s Roundhouse. Their second album would prove to be even better; ‘Wall of Arms’ charted at #13 in the album charts. ‘Love You Better’ was the incredibly catchy and lighthearted first single from the album which was soon succeeded by ‘Can You Give It’. The album was once again closed off with a famous London show, this time at Brixton Academy. The band continued the trend of exponential improvement with ‘Given to the Wild’ which managed to reach #4 in the album chart and was later certified gold in the UK. Throughout their career The Maccabees have been championed by a number of DJs from BBC Radio 1 as one of the greatest bands around. Singles ‘Pelican’ and ‘Feel to Follow’ both continued to shape the band’s distinctive sound, and to please their rapidly increasing fan base. It was at this point that the band began to face turbulence. In 2013 it was announced that the band were working on a new album that would be released at the start of 2014. By the time 2014 rolled around The Maccabees had finished two songs and had not found their feet with the album. The band did not know quite what the next record would sound like, or how it would come to fruition. Then, all of a sudden, everything changed. In May 2015 the band announced that their fourth album ‘Marks to Prove It’ would be released on 31 July featuring eleven brand new songs, including the single that shares its name with the album. The album topped the UK charts and saw the band receive great critical acclaim. This, alongside a summer of triumphant festival performances including Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds has left The Maccabees standing tall as one of the hottest bands in the country right now. Of course, this is only going to grow more with their upcoming UK tour this November. We got the chance to chat to guitarist Felix White about ‘Marks to Prove it’ and everything going on in their world at the moment…
southampton MUSIC | NOVEMBER 2015
So, ‘Marks to Prove It’ is finally out, it was a long time coming…how does it feel to have it out there? It feels great. It couldn’t have gone much better I don’t think; couldn’t have been received with more open arms than it has. To be honest it’s a relief because it took a long time and now we’re in celebrating mode by playing it live so it’s a good place to be at the moment for us. What caused the delay? It’s always hard for us making records but it took a while cos we were working on it almost immediately from coming back off tour but we kind of realised a year into that process that we hadn’t really worked out what we wanted it to be or didn’t know how to get there or what we were trying to achieve. Sometimes you have to get right down in there in order to come out the other side and we definitely did that. It didn’t come together until we wrote ‘Spit It Out’ and from there we had a sort of sense of what the framework of the album was. Do you feel particularly bonded with this album because of the trials around getting to this point? I think you always feel desperately bonded to it and then you learn to kind of disown them a little bit in order to protect yourself so it’s kind of odd. You never really know what you think of your album really until a few years later, which is probably true of most music. You kind of need that space to work out exactly what it is but at the moment I do feel really, genuinely very proud of it and I feel like it’s a unique little thing that sums our band up in the way that we haven’t managed before. And the fact that we did it all ourselves from the start to the end in our own studio is a source of pride. It’s been very well received so far, did you expect this reaction to it? You never know do you? We didn’t expect anything. I think we were so confused by the end of making the record haha. We’d been locked away for so long I think we were just relieved to have it done more than anything. I think it’s an interesting record. It’s quite different to what the singles are, it’s a more down tempo record than the singles suggest so there was a little bit of a worry that it wasn’t going to translate but I think it has. When releasing the album, you said that ‘These new songs are a reminder of why we started the band’ what did you mean by that? Because we’ve been in the band for 13 years now, of course there are moments where you question what the reasons for doing it are and if you all feel about it in the same way you used to and that kind of thing and there are those magic, dynamic moments where it comes together and you realise that there’s some kind of specific chemistry
You’ve had an incredibly busy summer, has there been any particular highlight? All the festivals tend to blur into one another because there’s 3 every weekend and it’s normally the same bills and you’re just travelling in between them and all you can see is stages put up in fields wherever you are in the world. We played with Foals a lot, which was great. We’ve known Foals for a long time but we’ve never actually played with them so that was really good to spend 4 or 5 festivals with them.
FEATURE
or a happy accident about the group that makes it bigger than everyone in it and that’s really cool when that works. I suppose songs like ‘Kamakura’ or the last sonic of ‘Dawn Chorus’ when those little accidents happen in the studio it does feel like vindication because most people that have been in bands for 10 years or have done anything that involves working with people in close quarters for that long will tell you there’s a lot of diplomacy involved.
You’re involved in Cassette Store Day this year, how did that come about and what does it entail? To be honest it entails nothing for me haha, someone said ‘do you wanna put a tape out?’ and we said ‘yeah alright’ haha. I really like the idea of putting a cassette out because we’ve got boxes of tapes from when we were little because that’s how we used to buy music but The Maccabees have never put one out so why not? And the cover looks really good on it on the black cassette but I didn’t make them or anything so I can’t take too much credit haha.
You’ve also been working on a feature documentary ‘Elephant Days’. Tell me a bit about that… Yeah, it’s being screened at the London Film Festival next month which is really amazing. We are so touched to be involved in that. We made it during the course of the record and it explains some of the principals behind the album in a much better way than I could in an interview really. It takes 6 or 7 different stories from in the area where we were making the album. So it’s us, the basketball team down the You’re heading out on a UK tour to support ‘Marks to road; the tailor opposite; a Charlie Chaplin impersonator; Prove it’, what can fans expect from the show? guerrilla gardeners; a spiritual healing pop church and it’s Well the live show is pretty much a best of the last 4 altrying to get across that there’s loads of things happening bums but what will be different about this tour coming up in that little area and everyone is trying to make something. is that we’re going to try and achieve some of the things It’s quite a subtle film and I think a pretty touching film and off the new record. So there’s going to be some brass and pretty honest as well. I’m glad we stuck our necks out and maybe some more singers, some percussion and we’re go- did it because it’s really going to frame the making of the ing to try and do some of the slightly more leftfield things record and also the area. It’s a snapshot in time, which is on the new album, live. We haven’t done that up till now nice. so I’m looking forward to trying out some of the things Words: Liam Fleming | Pics: Jordan Hughes that are slightly less direct. They should really translate well, particularly in venues like the Guildhall. Some of the Catch maccabees live @ O2 Guildhall | November 24 music from the album will really fit into spaces like that that are built for a full band sound.
THE MACCABEES
COMPETITION
Would you like to see The Rifles, Gaz Coombes, The Sunshine Underground, Toy, East India Youth, The Wytches, Blossoms, Yak, Kagoule, Theo Verney, Sean McGowan and a whole load of other bands in Southampton across one weekend in November? You would? Then you had better answer this simple question...
Q: Which iNDEPENDENCE Festival act was recently nominated for the Mercury Music Prize?
Email your answer to:
competitions@southampton-music.com or send us a direct message via Twitter or facebook. Competition closes 12/11/2015 /southamptonmusicmag @S o t o n M u s i c M a g
SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC | november 2015
independence festival
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2015
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five minutes with...
FEATURE
CHAS & DAVE
Everyone’s favourite Cockneys are in town this month. The infamous Chas & Dave started peddling their musical wares waaaay back in 1975 with their debut album ‘One Fing ‘n’ Annuver’ being picked up by the legendary John Peel. Combining the old time music hall sound with a rock n roll attitude, satirical lyrics and all the pace and punch of a good old knees up round the pian-ah led to the term ‘rockney’ being coined to describe the band’s sound.
Which song from your extensive back catalogue never fails to put a smile on your face? Sideboard Song.
Over the years they’ve appeared on our TV screens advertising beer and larking about in their TV specials; they once turned Abbey Road studios into an East London pub to record a live album and have worked on no less than four FA cup singles for Tottenham Hotspur. The likely lads opened for Led Zeppelin at Knebworth in 1979 and returned to the hallowed ground for a stand out set at last year’s Sonisphere Festival. They’ve played Glastonbury too, and even opened for The Libertines at Brixton Academy after the band personally invited them to join the shows because they were such big fans.
Is there anything you’d still really like to achieve? Just being alive, playing live shows and writing new songs.
You’ve played some seemingly bizarre yet ultimately perfect bookings over the years, how was stepping out in front of thousands of metal fans at Sonisphere 2014? Just another great Chas & Dave festival crowd.
And finally, tell us one thing we don’t already know about Chas & Dave… I don’t think there is anything :) Words: Zan Lawther
Catch chas & dave live @ engine rooms | November 21
No one stirs up a party quite like Chas & Dave so we were honoured to grab a quick five minutes with Mr Charles Hodges in the run up to their show at Engine Rooms You’re currently celebrating 40 years since the release of your first album, how does that feel? Seems like yesterday rather than 40 years ago. After 50 years of friendship and 40 years of working together, has your relationship with each other changed? Not at all. What do you think it is about ‘rockney’ that keeps reigniting that spark in fans old and new? It’s honest and comes from the heart. How has life on tour changed over the years and do you still enjoy being on the road? Much better. We don’t have rusty old vans any more, we’ve got a Mercedes and stay in nice hotels rather than sh*t houses!
southampton MUSIC | NOVEMBER 2015
CHAS & DAVE
any money. So if we’re on tour for two weeks, I’m not doing my job and I don’t get holiday pay. The tour we’re about to do, I am the main support act so I’ll be doing half an hour of stand up before each show so that keeps me sharp and it keeps me standing up. They kind of complement each other. Over the summer we did a lot of festivals where I did comedy and the band but fitting it all in is a clash.
What happens when a long haired, metal loving, cross-dressing comedian starts a band with his best mate; a pink (sorry, purple!) bearded man with a penchant for musichall lyricism and all things Victorian? The mutha of all steampunk bands is born, that’s what. The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing are coming to town this month and they’re armed with their new album ‘Not Your Typical Victorians’ and a whole host of shouty, sweary, gin-soaked (yay!) fun. Here’s what happened when our resident pink-haired, beard fetishist, gin enthusiast met up with guitarist and all round dark lord of comedy, Andrew O’Neill… So your new album came out TODAY. How are you feeling? Really excited. It’s easily the best thing we’ve done and we’re very, very proud of it. The first album was pretty much me and Andy dicking about with some ideas and we were surprised that people seemed to like it so we put a band together and recorded an album and bit by bit it’s sort of grown. And then this album, it’s more of a grown up album. But really, you already let it slip out a few weeks ago…did you just get tired of waiting? Yeah we’re a bit impatient haha. We’re punks. We’re not very good at doing things officially so we were like ‘we’ve got them. D’you want them? OK’. How do you come up with the subject matter for your songs? Well this is all Andy. On this album he wrote the main lyrics for every song so they’ve come to him in various ways; in the bath or when he’s cycling to work. He’s got a very, very dark mind. This album features an entire song about gin. Do you like gin? I like gin… I do, yeah. We’re all quite big fans it has to be said. The cheaper the better. And how do you take your gin? Oh with tonic. We’re old school so we go with tonic. Some cucumber, if you’ve got it. Fruit and vegetables, shove it all in… Where do you stand on the lemon vs lime debate? Whatever’s to hand. I think you’re underestimating my raging alcoholism. I’ll put a banana in it if I need to! How do you fit the band in around your comedy gigs? Really badly. Very unsuccessfully. It’s a struggle, to be perfectly honest because stand up’s my living and the band doesn’t make
southampton MUSIC | NOVEMBER 2015
Is it strange to support your own band? It depends on the show. Steampunk crowds can be pretty weird. They’re very confident and they’re very heckle-y in very strange ways but they are smart, so there’s a pay-off. Supporting any band is strange because of the environment so you really have to get people to shut up and listen. They’re stood up, rather than sat down; people talk over music so they’ll talk over stand up so you have to be a bit more direct. You have to overcome the urge to go ‘No! You’ve got to listen!’ and there are various techniques you can use. You do quite a lot of music festivals with your stand up so you must be quite used to taming that sort of audience… Yeah, exactly. For a festival crowd it’s different again because often they don’t know who I am and they’re not there to see me; they’ve probably just walked past and thought ‘oh, it’s a thing, let’s have a look’ so the material has to be punchier. You can’t do anything like a running theme because people have walked in halfway through so you have to be punchier, a bit more aggressive even. You guys have played some major festivals, which one was the weirdest? Secret Garden Party. It looked like The Road. It was the most depressingly post-apocalyptic thing cos it absolutely hammered down with rain and as we got there, because it’s a young crowd that are not used to it, there was this mass exodus of people having given up on the festival and going home because they couldn’t stand the rain. People in shorts with carrier bags on their feet because they hadn’t prepared for The Outside. We had to carry our gear across the whole site. I had to put my effects pedals in plastic bags cos they were being rained on. But then the flipside of that is doing Glastonbury or something where you’re looked after. It was a dream come true. Why steam punk? What is it about the Victorian spaceship stuff that pushes your buttons? Well, me and Andy were obsessed with the Victorian era. That’s basically what it came down to. For me, it extends from reading Alan Moore’s ‘From Hell’ and then I got really into Ripper-ology. I did a show about Jack the Ripper a few years ago and off the back of that I do Ripper Tours round the murder sites. We both just really love the era and the aesthetic and then we found steampunk and kind of went ‘oh, there’s a name for people like us’. Steampunk kind of found us really. A bit like an other-wordly Chas & Dave… Yes! I’ve always loved Chas & Dave. I’ve always loved the cockney thing. And we took the punk bit in steampunk literally and there’s not a great deal of sci-fi in what we do; there’s actually not a great deal of steampunk in what we do. It’s basically just Victorian punk rock. But that musichall thing is superb and it’s delightfully freeing to be able to do exactly whatever we want with a song. Y’know if we were an orthodox black metal band and said ‘shall we do a cockney knees up outro?’ well, no, because people will think it’s shit but weirdly we’ve got loads of black metal fans. But we also have the ability to go as heavy as music gets. There’s grindcore and there’s black metal in what we do. We get a lot of people saying
Obviously you’re a big fan of metal anyway, but those kinds of fans are often the ones with the best sense of humour… Oh yeah. Well, people underestimate how self-conscious metalheads are. I mean, Napalm Death know that that’s a funny name. Cradle of Filth know it’s a funny name. I’ve always said if brevity is the soul of wit then Napalm Death are funny as f*ck. It’s true. Metalheads are smart. That’s why doing stand up for them at Download and stuff is good because metalheads are the ones who read books at school. You like to cross-dress. I bet everyone asks you about crossdressing. Do you get bored of talking about it? Yeah. I mean, I did a radio show on it so I will refer the reader to that. It’s weird because it’s so just a part of me that it really takes effort to step out of it and think about it consciously now. Basically, a long time ago, I destroyed all notion of gender boundary and I dress however I want on any given day so it feels a lot less like I’m crossing a boundary now and it’s only when people give me the cartoon double take when I walk out the toilet and they double check the gents’ sign that I notice. So if it wasn’t for that, it probably wouldn’t occur to me that that’s what I’m doing anymore because I’ve folded it into my life. Andy has a pink beard… He does. Although he gets offended when people say it’s pink so I have to state that it’s dark purple.
My apologies, it must be the settings on my computer screen… You’re an idiot, and you’ve made a fool of yourself haha
FEATURE
to us ‘I don’t normally like music that heavy, but I like you’ and the humour brings them in so we’ve got a very diverse range of audience membersesesesseses…
But I thought we were kindred spirits because I have pink hair and I love beards. So what I’d give for a pink beard. If I could grow a beard, I would. If I could grow a pink beard, I’d never have to work again. Can you grow a beard? No. Oh no. My facial hair just gets in the way of putting on make up so I have to have a wet shave. No, if I try and grow it out I look like I’ve got a sea anemone on my chin.
What’s the most ridiculous billing of your band name you’ve ever seen? Cos it’s a tough one… I think we’ve been called The Men That Won’t Be Blamed For Anything before…and when someone changes the ‘nothing’ to ‘anything’ that’s when you know they’ve gone several steps too far. ‘The Men That’ we had once and sometimes even the acronym is wrong. But the thing is, it’s a historically accurate grammatical error but when we first came up with the name, we said ‘The Men Who’ so you can’t blame people haha! Words: Zan Lawther
Catch the men that will not be blamed for nothing live @ Talking Heads | November 18
THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING
CELEBRATING OUR 48TH BIRTHDAY MONTH
The Computers
3rd
Sugarmen
6th
+ The Rising
Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio
8th
Racing Glaciers
11th
John Otway
12th
Pennyfest 2
14th
Feat. Burn The Fleet
Suburban Legends
17th
Pretty Vicious
25th
Apologies, I Have None
26th
+ Hindsights
Hercules Morse + Science of 8 Limbs
28th
NOVEMBER 141 ST MARY STREET, SOUTHAMPTON, SO14 1NS // Twitter: @joinerslive 02381 782021 // info@joinerslive.co.uk // access: one step // live room: 14+ // bar: 18+
We may know him best as the beloved be-sideburned frontman of Brit Pop legends Supergrass but recently Gaz Coombes has been striking out on his own and making not inconsiderable waves with his latest solo album ‘Matador’. In fact, as we went to print the wave turned tidal as it was announced that the album has been nominated for a coveted Mercury Prize. Ooooh… so what’s all the fuss about?
Well, firstly, it’s a big step away from the punchy Brit-rock of Supergrass. Over their 17 years and 6 studio albums together Supergrass honed their instantly recognisable sound and built a name for themselves as the cheeky chappy lads of 90’s Brit Pop with their hits such as ‘Caught by the Fuzz’, ‘Sun Hits the Sky’ and ‘Pumping on Your Stereo’. They worked hard, they played hard and ultimately the band paid the price when they announced their split in early 2010. But we’ve all grown up a bit since then. Well, Gaz Coombes certainly has and ‘Matador’ is a perfect example of a musician facing up to the self-doubt, personal loss and even the drug-induced tour psychosis of his past. “There’s definitely a tenderness, darkness and uncertainty to the songs,” Gaz says with a smile. “But I think there’s a resilience and a confidence about being vulnerable, even though that sounds contradictory.” It’s a story told many times before as artists separate from the confines of their band to express their own individual journey through their solo work. But ‘Matador’ is not only a step away from the high-spirited lyrical content of the Supergrass days, it also comes with a radical new musical backdrop, which Gaz first hinted at on his 2012 solo debut ‘Here Come The Bombs’. “That record was all about creating some distance from Supergrass in how I approached writing and recording,” he says. “In a way I think I forced the issue at times and put too many ideas on there; I guess that’s partly the nature of a first album… This time around I was more relaxed, more direct in my approach – but at the same time I still didn’t want the record to sound like anything I’d done before.” And it really doesn’t. It’s softer; it takes a massive step away from rock towards electronica and is reminiscent of bands like The Orb. Teaser track ‘Buffalo’ was the first release from the album and with its soaring soundscape it perfectly encapsulates the shift in Gaz’s writing and performance style. “It was a compliment when people said they didn’t think it was me,” he says with a smile. “It’s basically just Mellotron, drums and piano, but still with a really epic sound. That was what I was looking for; to simplify the music but still have these big impact moments.”
FEATURE
GAZ COOMBES
the dream-like cadences of ‘Oscillate’, it’s the sound of a songwriter melting musical boundaries. Lyrically, Gaz removes himself completely from the comfort zone of pop, tackling subjects as tender as the druggy darkness which descended on Supergrass (summed up in the chorus of ‘Detroit’: “The poison, the powder and the lies/ Better jump right in ‘cos the water’s fine”) it’s both intimate and unflinchingly honest. At its heart, however, there’s a romantic core that binds Matador’s songs together, most evident in the exquisite ‘Seven Walls’. “I wrote that with my wife,” says Gaz. “It’s a musical love story about the nights we’d have together in Oxford years ago, when we’d sit in the back of the car park having a joint and a couple of beers. Nothing special on the face of it, but it’s about the magic in those tender moments.” We get the feeling that ‘Matador’ is all about creating those tender moments for Gaz. It’s the noise of an artist opening themselves up and moving on and we can see exactly why it’s in that list of Albums of the Year. “There’s this disposable vibe around music at the moment which is odd, because it’s so obviously central to most people’s lives,” says Gaz in conclusion. “Life is full of moments of fear, loss and longing, but it’s how you get through those things and triumph over them which define you. But there’s as much light as there is dark on this record; there’s beauty in both of those states and that has always intrigued me.” Words: Zan Lawther
Catch Gaz Coombes live @ iNDEPENDENCE Festival Engine Rooms | November 14 “There’s this disposable vibe around music at the moment which is odd, because it’s so obviously central to most people’s lives”
Playing all the instruments himself, Gaz utilises an arsenal of analogue synthesizers he’s amassed over the years, writing instinctively and placing emotional honesty over technical perfection. “It was a really exciting and liberating way of working,” he explains. “Lyrically I wanted to keep it very raw and emotive and the music reflects that. I’d start with a loop or a little riff then use this little blue box I’ve got to take it in various directions –whether it was using different time signatures, adding orchestral samples or speeding songs up and slowing them down. It might sound arrogant, but I see it as similar to the way you create art - you have to feel it on the spot.” There’s a sense of space which permeates the entire album. From the astral gorgeousness of ‘The Girl Who Fell To Earth’ to
southampton MUSIC | NOVEMBER 2015
GAZ COOMBES
NOVEMBER THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE MUSIC
FREE ENTRY! 5th THE PAPER TRAINS + SCOTT FREEMAN 12th THE HORSE + SUPPORTS 19th BEN GUNN + SUPPORTS 26th ‘ALL ABOUT THE GIRL’ NIGHT - 8 OF THE BEST LOCAL FEMALE ARTISTS IN 1 AMAZING GIG! INCLUDING JUST MILLIE & CHARLEY MACAULAY
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PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
FRÁNÇOIS & THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS
FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER
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FEATURE
p a rt y
onth m e h t of
After the fun of Halloween and with the build up to Christmas looming, you might be forgiven for thinking there would be a lull in the party opportunities this month, but you’d be WRONG.
WHERE: Switch | Above Bar St | Southampton WHEN: Saturday 14th November| 10.00pm – 5.00am HOW MUCH: £8 FIND OUT MORE: www.Facebook.com/SwitchSouthampton
This month the good folks at Switch have teamed up with ever yone’s favourite mountain rave specialists Snowbombing to bring you the launch par ty to your winter season. Featuring a stonking 2 hour set from Sub Focus as well as MC ID, Hannibal Lodge, Bitr8 and Lewis Witlock it’s got ever ything you need to get your snow season star ted. NOT YOUR THANG? CHECK OUT SOME OTHER HIGHLIGHTS ON OFFER THIS MONTH…
13/11 The Cuban Brothers return to Orange Rooms for a night of hilarity, dance & nakedness
05/11 Ministry of Sound take over Engine Rooms with Toddla T & Zed Bias
EVERY THURSDAY Café Parfait opens its own Chocolate Factory with free sweets and a 6ft chocolate fountain
SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC | november 2015
party of the month
S
’ N O T P M A H T U O S
k u . o c . o i d a r m voicef Southampton’s own local FM radio station voicefmradio
@voicefmradio FEATURE
‘What Went Down’ is an intricate blend of complexity and vulnerability that’s accessible enough to allow the listener to feel part of the club but melancholy enough to keep you at arm’s length. The opening title track drags you straight into the melee. The listener is pushed right into the depths of the world of Foals almost as if the band themselves are shoulder barging you in.
The album then entices you on via the twangly ‘Mountain at My Gates’ and through to the naked, vocal driven rawness of ‘Give It All’. We rest for a moment in the progsoaked 70’s vibe of ‘Snake Oil’ which languishes mid-album and then we’re brought back round out of our smoke-filled haze with ‘Night Swimmers’ which will see hands raised skyward as it reverberates around fields across the UK this summer. The ethereal ‘London Thunder’ comes next and with its haunting minimalism and bare emotion you’ll have to excuse us a moment as *cough* we’ve just got something in our eye…
Foals ‘What Went Down’
The final tracks glide down through the watery reeds of ‘Lonely Hunter’ with its bleak open-hearted lyrics and finally leaves you with a sense of peaceful restlessness as ‘A Knife in the Ocean’ slices through the storm we’ve just witnessed as the wind dies down, the leaves settle and we breathe again.
All evidence points to this being the year of Foals. To celebrate the release of their fourth studio album‘What The soundscape Foals have created throughout ‘What Went Down’ is surely one that Went Down’they announced a series must be witnessed live. The scale of the soaring build ups and the pulse of the afrobeat of“club”shows – or venues the size of drumming combined with the evocative melodies of frontman Yannis Philippakis’ vocals should translate into a mesmerising and magical experience. We can’t wait. the O2 Guildhall, to you and I – and followed it up with a huge arena tour announcement for February 2016. And who d’you reckon we’ll be seeing all over the festival line ups next summer? Foals. Because this album is going to take them to the next level and here’s the reason why… catch foals live @ 02 guildhall | november 13
southampton MUSIC | november 2015
FOALS
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Would you rather have fingernails for teeth or teeth on your fingers? I’d rather have penises for fingers, but that wasn’t the question. I guess teeth on my fingers so that I could punch and bite something simultaneously. Like a SHRENGUIN for example. What are you afraid of? SHRENGUINS! Describe the Evil Scarecrow experience in 5 words: Sonic Boom party biscuit… CHAMPION!
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? I would live in the centre of the earth because that is the most metal place there is! Hot molten metal! So metal that it would kill me! Have you found your new van yet and if so, what’s it called? We haven’t found the new van yet. Dr Hell has a massive wad of fifties in his pocket, but I am sure he’s just gambling it all on illegal cockfights and he’ll turn up with a wheelbarrow and say that was all he could afford. No doubt the new van shall be called VANessa IV (as is tradition) but I am not sure what its tagline will be. We had VANessa I, VANessa II (The Revenge), VANessa III (The Bitch) so we should call VANessa IV… erm… The Wheelbarrow. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever posted on a social media site? I don’t use Social Media as I don’t think it will catch on. We only promote the band with leaflets and a man wearing a sandwich board. If you could breed 2 animals together and defy the laws of nature, what would you create? A frog and a pigeon. That would make a frigeon. Would that be any good? Probably not. Maybe a shrimp and a penguin. A SHRENGUIN! That would be awesome. Its beady black shrimp eyes staring at you and its fragile slender wings (used primarily for perching according to Wikipedia) would be a sight to behold. Have you ever wielded a sword? No. And even if I had, I wouldn’t tell you. Imagine what the police would think! I would be in jail before you could mace spray a maniac What’s your favourite board game? SHRENGUIN Trap. It’s like Mousetrap, except you have to slowly build a SHRENGUIN trap and then catch a rabid SHRENGUIN at the end. It comes with an actual real life SHRENGUIN that you have to feed and care for until you play the game. Although once you have caught the SHRENGUIN you are advised to kill it. Do you think scarecrows are evil? No, not all of them. That’s why we’re called Evil Scarecrow. To denote that we are actually evil.
If you were born as a member of the opposite sex, what would your name be? Sister Pain. #obvs If you had to tag team up with another band for a wrestling match, who would you choose? I think I’d choose Fleetwood Mac because I bet Mick Fleetwood could perform a mean elbow drop. Would you rather have eyes on the back of your head or one on each side of your head? I’d rather have penises for fingers! And bumholes on my tongue! And testicles for eyes! And I’d like to have chickens feet instead of my own! I’d like to have the wrists of a porpoise and the wings of a bee for eyebrows (forty two above each eye/testicle). Do you like Taylor Swift? Does she like Evil Scarecrow? No? The feeling is mutual. What’s your favourite song? EVER. This one: F#m A#dim They didn’t believe me when I told them the news, E11add9b5 G5 There was never any indication or any clues, Dm Bm7#5b4 In a battle ‘gainst nature, nobody wins, C KM7*11#9th_∂ƒ´®~ƒπ∑®ƒ∆~√…? Prepare yourself for the attack of the SHRENGUINS!
Catch evil scarecrow live @ the firehouse | november 7
previews Multi instrumental sampling with a message
Public Service Broadcasting have been a hot ticket ever since the release of their debut album Inform-Educate-Entertain popped up in 2013. Using a unique blend of public service announcements, news clippings and samples from famous speeches they craft their electronic soundscape around the information being imparted to form a glorious concoction of well, education and entertainment.
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
FOR FANS OF: DJANGO DJANGO / WILD BEASTS / EAST INDIA YOUTH
FOZZY
NOV 29 | ENGINE ROOMS
NOV 27 | O2 GUILDHALL
A true force to be reckoned with
The band Fozzy has really always been about one thing: having fun. What started out for guitarist Rich Ward as a weekend cover band soon became an internationally signed act with the biggest star in professional wrestling, Chris Jericho, as its lead singer. When you have such high-energy performers and such an overall passion for music combined on one stage, you can’t fail to enjoy their heavy metal. FOR FANS OF: TRIVIUM / BLACK STONE CHERRY / HELLYEAH
Pop punk with a modern edge
The Story So Far is a five piece pop punk band from Walnut Creek, California, formed in 2007 to bring you their classic combination of energetic pop punk and wistful emo-fuelled bangers. Definitely on their way up after their last smash out tour, don’t miss these guys as they hit the 1865 in December. Long live the good ship pop punk and all who sail in her!
THE STORY SO FAR
DEC 02 | THE 1865 Nobody move… We Are Scientists are coming!
FOR FANS OF: NECK DEEP / KNUCKLE PUCK / STATE CHAMPS
WE ARE SCIENTISTS
DEC 02 | ENGINE ROOMS Cult cockney rock n roller
We Are Scientists burst onto the scene in the UK in 2006 with their part post-punk revival, part indie-rock with a smattering of 80’s synth pop sounds. Laced with a brilliant sense of humour (their name was inspired by an awkward conversation with a U-Haul employee accusing them of looking like scientists) you cannot fail to enjoy their infectious tunes and raucous live shows. FOR FANS OF: THE EDITORS / FRANZ FERDINAND / THE KILLERS
Wreckless Eric gained notoriety in the 70’s with his clever pop melodies, engaging sense of humour and his fondness for rock & roll. With his whiny slurred cockney voice he bashed out a series of ragged, chaotic, three chord punk-pop singles driven by his pent-up energy and a knacn for melodic pop hooks. New album ‘amERICa’ is a comment on his experiences touring and living in the States, recorded with his wife Amy Rigby. FOR FANS OF: IAN DRURY / GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR
SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC | NOVEMBER 2015
WRECKLESS ERIC
DEC 04 | CAFE REFLECTIONS
previews HANDS LIKE HOUSES
DEC 10 | JOINERS
Australian post-hardcore up and comers
Taking on the music industry with their own unique sound, Australian rock band Hands Like Houses has spent the last 3 years bringing their powerful, high-energy brand of post-hardcore music and live shows to an increasing fan base across Australia, the US, Europe and the UK. The band are renowned for their live performances, glorious mustaches and sophisticated musical style. FOR FANS OF: SLEEPING WITH SIRENS /OF MICE & MEN / SLAVES
Fast, tough & wild punk rock
Although often categorised as one of the founding fathers of the punk era, Eddie & the Hot Rods were simply interested in playing loud, fast, in your face Rock ‘n’ Roll rather than bad mouthing the Queen or fermenting anarchy. The energy and attitude certainly endeared them to the punks, but the hard and fast style that made them one of the most exciting bands of the era has never really dated or gone out of style. FOR FANS OF: THE STRANGLERS / DR FEELGOOD / THE DAMNED
THE DARKNESS
DEC 14 | O2 GUILDHALL All your favourite songs, twisted
EDDIE & THE HOT RODS
DEC 11 | TALKING HEADS Glam rockers are GO
Great news! The Darkness are BACK and they’re coming out on tour! Their high energy, hard rocking, tongue-in-cheek performances have been sorely missed, as proven by the success of their pop up festival appearances. But they’ve got a new album out and we can gurantee a rocking show as The Darkness rip through their repertoire of ruddy great songs with new drummer Rufus Taylor. FOR FANS OF: STEEL PANTHER / AIRBOURNE / WARRANT
THE LOUNGE KITTENS & SHOWHAWK DUO
What happens when you take Southampton’s own heavy metal harmonising *cough* sweethearts The Lounge Kittens and team them up with a pair of boys that can start a rave with two acoustic guitars…at Christmas? The mutha of all parties happens, that’s what! Don’t miss TLK’s unique covers of literally ALL genre of song or SHD’s 90’s dance mash ups when they buddy up for this extraordinary night.
DEC 18 | ENGINE ROOMS Vikings, Pirates and incredible metal
FOR FANS OF: ME FIRST & THE GIMME GIMMES / RICHARD CHEESE
SABATON & ALESTORM
FEB 09 | O2 GUILDHALL
Two titans of heavy metal come crashing into town. Alestorm will bear down on our shores as their rum-laden pirate galleon rolls across the ocean, deafening all around her with their sea-shanty themed metal. Meanwhile, lurking under the murky waters, Sabaton’s submarine bides its time, awaiting the perfect moment to send forth a barrage of action fuelled metal that will leave such ringing in your ears you may never hear again! FOR FANS OF: DRAGONFORCE / AMON AMARTH / MANOWAR
previews
Limited Edition
regular ÂŁ3.89
large ÂŁ4.89
callum crunch
nutty natasha
crunchie & oreos topped with maltesers
reese's cups & banana topped with nuts
harvest hannah
orange OMG
double banana & honey with nuts on top
jaffa cake & terry's chocolate orange topped with white chocolate buttons
super simon
ravishing ruby
choc chip cookie & peanut butter topped with flake
kinder bueno & maltesers topped with minstrels
all shakes can be made with fat-free frozen yoghurt if you'd prefer! try your shake hot, you won't believe the taste!
Faux are a ‘dirty-pop’ band drawing influences from the likes of Brand New and Manchester Orchestra. They combine brisk guitar riffs and raw vocals to create music that’s fun to listen to, yet still retains a gritty edge. Having received much success with their EP ‘Patterns’ at the start of the year, the band are back this Autumn with new single ‘Swimmingly’, a track which flaunts the band at their finest.
Who are you and what do you do in the band? Hello, I am Lee and I sing and play guitar. How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard you before? Emo Foals I think is my favourite, second only to Dirty-Pop. How did you come together as a band? Me and Luke (bassist) had a previous project that started to fizzle out when he suggested we had a jam with James (drummer) who gave us a new lease if life. It was then we approached Dan (guitarist) who, despite looking like a grumpy git, is an exceptionally talented guitarist. After our debut EP ‘Patterns’ had run its course we started work on the second and that’s when Daly comes in.
ones to watch
FAUX
What brought about the decision to add Daly to the line up? He engineered our ‘Patterns’ EP under Neil Kennedy’s watchful eye (made us cups of tea) and our friendship developed from there. The next step was our demoing and writing of this second EP which really did make us feel we wanted an additional guitarist/singer to make it sound as big live as on record and he was the only person we felt could offer more to the song writing process than just playing live parts. Tell us about your new single ‘Swimmingly’… Swimmingly is a song about holding on to something you feel is worthwhile and precious even if nobody else quite sees it. We are blown away by the amount of people who have already watched the video it’s much more than we thought so thank you very much if you were one of those! Why should we come check out your show? We have lots of harmonies, riffs, dynamics, Emo choruses and indie/math rock inspired time signature changes. We also love a good chat so even if you think we suck come down and tell us a story.
If you could tour with anyone, who would it be? I mean from a 5 lads getting lonely on tour view I’m going to say Katy Perry or Taylor Swift... From a professional point of view I am going to say Brand New, Foals or Yearbook. What’s next for Faux? We are back at The Ranch recording our EP from the 6th of November and then on tour with our friends Yearbook from the 27th of November until the 5th of December.
www.facebook.com/fauxbanduk
SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC | november 2015
FAUX