Southampton Music - October 2014

OCTOBER 2014

YOUR ONE STOP GUIDE TO THE BEST MUSIC IN THE CITY!

N O T P M A H T U SO

C I S U M

the scots rockers head south for the o2 guildhall

band of skulls

hard rockin’ trio return home!

level 42

we chat to mark king!

also this month: alestorm / soil / amercan headcharge / (hed) p.e. / asking alexandria / MC DEVVO

www.southampton-music.com

/southamptonmusicmag @sotonmusicmag

WELCOME YOUR ONE STOP GUIDE

TO

THE CITY! THE BEST MUSIC IN

TON OUTHAMP

OCTOBER 2014

MUSIC

S

the scots rockers head south

skullshome! band of’ trio return hard rockin

also this month: alestorm

for the o2 guildhall

levelto42 mark king! we chat

ia / MC DEVVO

ge / (hed) p.e. / asking alexandr

/ soil / amercan headchar

-mu www.sou tham pton

sic.com

ag /sout hamp tonm usicma g m @sotonmusic

Thanks for picking up the October 2014 issue of Southampton Music Magazine, your one stop guide to the best music in the city and surrounding area.

It’s that time of the year again and the city is already alive with incredible shows and events including our cover stars, Scots rockers Twin Atlantic who we caught up with for a little chat.

We also catch up with Southampton’s most recent famous sons (and daughter) Band of Skulls who forged their early career in the very venues you’ll read about in this mag. Also this issue we speak to bass legend Mark King of Level 42, we get US rock heavyweights Soil, American Headcharge and (HED) P.E. to interview each other and we ask some dumb questions to Asking Alexandria and MC Devvo (which is possibly the funniest thing we’ve ever printed)! All this plus a chance to win tickets for both Band of Skulls at the O2 Guildhall and Southampton’s very own one day rock festival Takedown which goes on sale this October! Crikey!

w w w. s o u t h a m p t o n - m u s i c . c o m

For news submissions and editorial enquiries email info@southampton-music.com

/southamptonmusicmag @SotonM u s i c M a g

If you are interested in advertising with us email sales@phmusicmedia.co.uk or call us free on 0808 147 1106

SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER

O2 Guildhall SOUTHAMPTON TICKETS: KILILIVE.COM / SEETICKETS.COM

THE TOP 10 ALBUM “ONCE MORE ‘ROUND THE SUN” OUT NOW A KILIMANJARO PRESENTATION BY ARRANGEMENT WITH K2 AGENCY

FEATURE

Let’s be honest here, Scotland has spawned some pretty awesome things and people - Billy Connolly, television, The Loch Ness Monster, Sherlock Holmes, Peter Pan, Long John Silver and Irn Bru, as well as some extremely RAD bands - Biffy Clyro, Deacon Blue, Primal Scream, Simple Minds, The Proclaimers, Franz Ferdinand (ahh the list goes on and on) and of course, Twin Atlantic. With their third studio album ‘Great Divide’ recently released and flying straight into the UK Top Ten album chart amid much critical acclaim amongst industry and fans alike, and an imminent UK tour in October and November, we jumped at the opportunity to pose some burning questions to lead guitarist Barry McKenna. A man clearly passionate both about his band and their ever-growing fan base.

Describe the band in one sentence.

I would say Twin Atlantic are honest and powerful Scottish rock music.

Aside from playing instruments what are each of the band members’ best skills/talent?

Sam’s [vocalist] best talent is painting - he went to art school and he’s a really good artist. Ross’ [bass] would be photography. That’s what he was studying before the band. Craig’s [drums] talent would be running.

It’s a very practical thing to be fast! When we’re not out on tour or practising etc he’s out doing 10k. Mine? Ah I’m too self-deprecating to say...but, umm, I’m a bit of a handy footballer so I guess that’s my best talent other than being a musician.

Congrats on your Top Ten album chart placing for latest album release, Great Divide. How’s the album been received by your fans so far?

The response has been overwhelmingly positive - judging by the gigs we’ve played since its release, with everyone singing along to the new songs, it’s been well received and having a good impact on people.

Most of my favourite songs I’ve been listening to for years, so it’s good to see the new songs going down so well so instantly, particularly the two we released prior to the album launch, ‘Heart and Soul’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’ - those have gone down particularly well.

What was supporting Thirty Seconds to Mars on their European arena tour like?

We’ve played some really big gigs, but never done our own headline arena shows, something we’re aspiring to do of course. Playing arenas with another band though is absolutely bonkers. We’ve played arena shows with The Smashing Pumpkins, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Blink 182, and we opened for Kings of Leon this summer [at Glasgow SECC).

It’s always a privilege to get to play with bands who’ve honed their skills as much as these guys. We can only learn and pick up tips from them. It’s quite a special thing playing to that many people, who might not have heard of you before, and make new fans. And the pressure’s off when it’s not your tour, we can just turn up with our gear and get on stage without having to worry about all the things that come with doing your own big tour, like production etc. The Thirty Seconds to Mars fans were BONKERS as well. So involved. We’d never seen anything like that before. Their fan base does seem almost like a religion. Such a level of involvement and dedication. It’s quite amazing to see.

Have you ever been a little bit star struck when playing with other bands or meeting musicians you admire?

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC - october 2014

I think I’ve definitely personally been star struck at times, but even if initially that’s how I’ve felt once you start talking and are in a conversation you usually quickly realise that this person, who you’ve maybe idolised for a long time, is actually just a normal person.

You meet them and think ‘ah you’re such a dude’. When people put someone on a pedestal they tend to forget about their human side and just think about their music persona, what you see on a stage. When I met Dave Grohl [Foo Fighters] on the inside I was like a 12 year old girl screaming ‘OMG IT’S DAVE GROHL!’ Twenty seconds into the chat and the 12 year old girl had dissipated. I guess meeting another musician meant we had something to talk about, but he’s a pretty lovely, normal guy. I don’t think musicians want to be treated any differently than anyone else. It’s always good when you meet someone ‘famous’ or someone you admire and they’re down to earth. This is one of the reasons why we try to stay grounded and down to earth. We always want to be that. We’re normal guys who happen to play in a band.

Aside from a home town show, which we assume are always the best, is there any other towns or cities you particularly love playing or visiting, and why?

We’ve been fortunate to tour a lot, and play to a lot of people, meet many new people, and made to feel at home in every country we’ve visited in the world. We have obviously got a huge soft spot for Glasgow, but a few places have really welcomed us, especially in the north of the UK…..Manchester definitely, and down south too - we played The Joiners in Southampton soo many times over the years.

In some of these places early on we had the same thing we had in Glasgow - a small but hardcore fan base. People who came to every show and packed out the smaller venues. We now play in bigger venues - the last time we played The Guildhall it was packed out. We’d jumped from the sweaty, crowded Joiners to a venue that initially just seemed a bit too big, but when we got there and played it still felt like an intimate show, it still felt like we connected in the same way with the audience as we had playing at The Joiners.

What do you think you’d be doing right now if you weren’t in Twin Atlantic?

I did a degree in marketing and psychology at uni before the band, so I think maybe I’d be doing one of two things - I’d either be a really evil marketer, or...and this might sound strange, but I’ve always been interested in joinery and carpentry so maybe I’d be a tradesman. When I moved into my new house there were things that needed doing so I did some of it myself. I feel that’s something I could do if I wasn’t in the band.

What anecdote about another member of the band do you most end up telling people at social gatherings?

We’re all really fortunate that we get on so well, but there are obvious character traits that stand out. Those are the things that define us all. For example Ross was raised as a strict vegetarian, and he’s really passionate about it, so of course it comes up in conversations. The one anecdote I do end up telling people isn’t really about a single band member, rather about us, the band, in general. There was this gig back in the early days that was a bit of a car crash, so so rubbish. We’d played so much in Glasgow and wanted to start going to different places.

We kept thinking ‘where else in Scotland could we play a gig?’ There were 2 guys on the internet who said ‘we’ve heard your band, come to Inverness’, and we thought ‘great, there’s obviously a demand for us in Inverness.’ We ended up in a venue called The Market Bar. It was the tiniest venue we’d ever seen, like a small bar in a bedsit. We literally ended up playing to 3 men and a dog. And one of those men was bar staff. I’m pretty sure that NOONE even knew there was supposed to be a gig on, and those guys probably just stayed to be polite. One of the guys subjected his dog to a gig. HAHA. You’re visiting Southampton on 4th November as part of your upcoming UK tour - what can your fans expect on this tour/at this show?

There will be us, on a stage, with guitars, playing songs. Aha. We always try to put on the best show we can. When someone, anyone, chooses to spend their hard earned money on an evening getting involved with us and our songs that’s mind blowing to us. Because of that we put everything physically and mentally into that show. I think what people can expect from the Southampton shows is a better show than the last time. And lots of heart and soul. Is it a bit cheesy to say that? Hopefully it doesn’t - heart and soul is a good way to describe it.

WORDS MARIANNE HARRIS

Catch them live at O2 Guildhall Southampton – 4th November

TWIN ATLANTIC

FEATURE

South coast rock trio Band of Skulls have been around for a while, forming officially whilst all at college together, although Russell and Matt had been friends since school. Hailing originally from Southampton the band have spent the 6 years or so of their music career so far relentlessly touring and enchanting fans around the world. And injecting their music into as many media avenues as possible along the way. They’ve had their songs featured in numerous commercials (Ford Mustang, Swatch), movie trailers (The Hangover Part II), on TV and film movie soundtracks (The Twilight Saga) and even

in video games (FIFA, Gran Turismo, Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero). And the impressive list goes on and on. They even had a TV documentary broadcast about them by Channel 4 in 2012. That’s one hell of a set of credentials.

Describe Band of Skulls in 5 words Erm, rock....n roll band? [It could be 5 adjectives..?] Umm okay... no, rock n roll band sums us up pretty well.

Himalayan, as it embodies everything about what we’re doing at the moment. No doubt it’s going to change at some point.

What’s been your favourite festival this summer?

Well they all have their own identities but the two special ones for us were Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds. We all went to these festivals and others as kids and have fond memories.

I remember watching some of my favourite bands and remember the feeling of thinking ‘man, I wonder what it’s like to be up there on that stage, playing to all these people?’ A kid in the crowd one day and then the next we’re playing them ourselves.

How was Reading & Leeds for you?

It was GREAT. Reading & Leeds is the finale of the UK festival season for us. We’ve been relentlessly touring all year, it’s now nice to be able to take a few weeks off and recharge, although we do have a festival to play in Madrid in a couple of weeks and then we’re off to Los Angeles to play a show there too.

You’ve spent a lot of time in America this year, is it important to you to make an impact across the pond?

It was important to us when we started for sure. It’s so big in the US, everything is so big, it’s like lots of different countries.

Every state has its own radio stations, TV shows etc. so it does feel like going from one country to another. Some bands spend a long time playing in the UK and then go visit the US, we did it the other way round.

How did going to the US begin so early on for you guys?

We’ve always been an independent band, mostly self funded but we have ‘business partners’, people based in LA [label], in London and in Montreal who have helped fund us, so from early on we went to the US - did it DIY - a tin can van, drive 10 hours, play a show, drive another 10 hours, play a show. It started off small, and now is much bigger - it’s nice to see the transition in the size of shows from then to now.

After an extremely busy summer Band of Skulls return home on the 8th November to play a show in The Guildhall as part of a 13 date UK tour, so we thought we’d have a little chat with drummer Matt Hayward to find out what some of his favourite things are and who he’d have in his very own ‘super group’. Read on rock lovers…

You’re asked to put together a ‘super group’, who’s in yours and what would you be called?

I’d have Buddy Miles on drums. He played with Jimi Hendrix for a while and is an amazing character. I think Josh Homme would be in there too, hmm, playing on bass. He’s pretty damn good at it. I’d have Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips on guitar and doing vocals.

What would you do if Buddy’s on drums though...?

Oh I’ll work the lights, or be their roadie and just carry all their gear and set up the stage. Or I could operate the smoke machine! The band would be called Buddy and The Flaming Queens. Haha.

If you could collaborate on a new song with any person dead or alive, who would that be?

We’ve never really collaborated with anyone else before....hmm that’s a tricky one. I’d really like to have a jam with Jimi Hendrix though, that would be awesome.

What do you think has been the defining point of your career so far? Or maybe it hasn’t happened yet?

We don’t like to look at things like that. We’re always moving forward and not looking back, we’re about the future and what that brings.

What would be inscribed on the band’s memorial?

That’s a bit morbid.

Not in a macabre, dead way. In a celebratory, happy kind of way. Something for people to remember you fondly.

That’s all folks!

Ah, you’re a cartoon fan?

Isn’t everyone?

Your new album ‘Himalayan’ came out this summer, how has it been received?

Really great. I think there’s always a level of apprehension before any album release - not being sure how people are going to take to it, but it’s been amazing. Everyone’s been singing along with us at every show in every country. We’ve been dead chuffed about it.

So what comes next for you guys?

Well we’re constantly looking to visit places we’ve never been before. We haven’t been to South America as yet so we’re keen to go there. We just love making records and playing shows. It’s very cliché I know but we just want to keep doing what we’re doing - playing as many shows as possible, in as many places as possible, making music that people enjoy. We’re very simple.

What’s your personal favourite Band of Skulls track?

It’s a generally boring concept to think there’s one particular song you prefer playing, but I think if I picked one it would be

CATCH BAND OF SKULLS LIVE o2 GUILDHALL | 8th November

southampton music - october 2014

BAND OF SKULLS

+

Sat 08 Nov SOUTHAMPTON O2 Guildhall Wed 12 Nov EXETER Lemon Grove TICKETS: KILILIVE.COM / SEETICKETS.COM A/bandofskulls bandofskulls.com S@bandofskulls The new album ‘HIMALAYAN’ out now

A Kilimanjaro presentation by arrangement with 13 Artists 21/08/2014 15:39

COMPETITION

Untitled-6 blowing 2 After audiences away worldwide and tearing up mainstages at numerous summer festivals, Band of Skulls return to whence it all began this November with a huge hometown show at the O2 Guildhall Southampton. You could be there with a pal, just answer this simple question...

Q: What were Band of Skulls originally called?

Email your answer to:

competitions@southampton-music.com or send us a direct message via Twitter or facebook. Competition closes 01/11/14 /southamptonmusicmag @S o t o n M u s i c M a g

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC | october 2014

band of skulls

to p u e k a W

M A B M A B akfast at Bre

ys Weekda am from 5

FEATURE

Brace yourself Southampton, for the countdown has begun.

The south coast’s premier alternative one day festival is revving its engines in preparation for what is set to be the biggest and best Takedown Festival yet.

Originally born in Salisbury, 2015 marks the sixth Takedown and the fourth in its current home at the University of Southampton. Showcasing the best in rock, metal, tech and punk the festival prides itself on bringing you the best in up and coming artists, as well as smacking you square in the face with huge names. You Me At Six, Mallory Knox, Skindred, Don Broco and Lower than Atlantis have all graced its stages over the years and we’ve had a sneaky peak at this year’s line up and you will NOT be disappointed.

Its indoor setting means that despite being the first festival of the season, you won’t need your wellies and there’s not a portaloo in sight as 2,000 music fans take over the custombuilt fun factory that is the University of Southampton

Student’s Union. Heralded as one of the UK’s best organised festivals, both by punters and the bands themselves, the team behind Takedown fest work tirelessly to ensure you have a non-stop party with 10 hours of live acts across a whopping five stages, all followed by the infamous aftershow which allows fans and artists to carry on into the small hours, without having to leave the site.

Now we can’t give too much away just yet but what we can tell you is Takedown 2015 will be brimming with even more fun than this year (and we should know, we were there, we even had our own Introducing Stage!). More, more, more is, in fact, the order of the day….MORE bands, MORE stalls, MORE activities and EVEN MORE PARTY. And for a limited time only you can get in on the action for a ridiculously reduced price of just £20 when ‘Uber Early Bird’ tickets go on sale on Octber 3rd.

But don’t just take our word for it…..here’s what some of the bands have to say...

“We loved Takedown festival, it was our second time playing and it was a pleasure. The staff and organisers smash it every year and the crowd are always up for it!” Joe James, Blitz Kids “There’s tonnes of great bands on the bill and it’s awesome to be asked to be a part of the festival” Tom Marsh, Baby Godzilla “Takedown took a lot of festivals to school on how run a festival. Line-up to ticket price ratio should make the big ones hang their head in shame. We were honoured to be invited back!”

Stu Henshall, Black Futures “We were only on our second gig by the time we hit Takedown 2012, the vibe was awesome, the fans were tuned-in - everything was perfect!” Sam Matlock, DEAD! “Last year’s Takedown was awesome for us, Southampton has always been one of our favourite places to play even when we first started out and we were playing to no one, we always wanted to play Takedown fest so to play two years in a row is rad” Matt Sharland, Idiom

southampton music - october 2014

TAKEDOWN FESTIVAL 2015

The Brook 466 Portswood Road Southampton SO17 3SD Box Office 1pm - 7pm Mon - Sat 023 8055 5366

Current Original Artists - Now On- Sale...

FISH ~ JOHN ILLSLEY & HIS BAND ~ RICHARD DIGANCE ~ DUB PISTOLS + SUBGIANT DESMOND DEKKER’S ACES ~ BERNIE MARSDEN + XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES ~ DIRTY DC COMA + CHROME GHOST ~ JESS GLYNNE ~ OZRIC TENTACLES + MANTISMASH ~ Y & T + VOODOO VEGAS RIXTON ~ WISHBONE ASH ~ HEAVEN 17 + BLANCMANGE ~ IAN SEIGAL & JIMBO MATHUS TOYAH WILLCOX + SCARLET SOHO ~ MARTYN JOSEPH ~ AYNSLEY LISTER ~ FM + HAND OF DIMES ALABAMA 3 ~ CHINA CRISIS ~ SAS BAND – 20TH ANNIVERSARY ~ THE FORTUNES ~ MARTIN SMITH THE SENSIBLE GRAY CELLS ~ THE JOHNNY CASH ROADSHOW ~ MOSTLY AUTUMN ~ NAZARETH...

+ A Selection of Quality Tributes...

the-brook.com

facebook.com/thebrook

twitter.com/TheBrookSoton

11:00

COMPETITION

Southampton’s annual rock festival has gone from strength to strength 23/09/2014 over the last few years with unanimous praise from press, punters, artists and industry alike. Past performers include huge names like You Me at Six, Skindred, Mallory Knox, Don Broco, The Blackout, While She Sleeps, Lower Than Atlantis... who will it be in 2015? You and a pal could be front row in March next year by just answering this simple question!

SOTON music Oct 14.indd 1

Q: Who headlined the first ever Takedown Festival?

Email your answer to:

competitions@southampton-music.com or send us a direct message via Twitter or facebook. Competition closes 01/11/14 /southamptonmusicmag @S o t o n M u s i c M a g

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC | october 2014

takedown festival 2015

FEATURE

Brace yourselves as three American powerhouses of nu-metal come crashing into town this month. It’s fair to say that these three bands have been around the block, honing their head-pummeling rock skills to absolute perfection and bringing you the very best of heavy music. All three of these bands have toured together before, they all work the same circuit and have their own friendships across the scene so we thought we’d cut out the middle man and get them to interview each other because let’s face it, who better to ask those behind the scenes questions than the bands themselves…?

Spawning in 1997, SOiL have been through a few changes over the years but continue to melt faces the world over with their crunchy groove metal. Perhaps most famously known for 2001’s smash album ‘Scars’ and hits ‘Halo’ and ‘Unreal’ their 2013 offering ‘Whole’ is just as rocking and their live show proves them to be masters of their craft. Last seen hitting the UK soil (sorry!) with American Head Charge in 2006, we asked bassist and founder member Tim King to put his questions to American Head Charge…

How does it feel to be back together after the brief hiatus? Any new plans for a new album?

Ted Hallows: It’s been great and yes, thanks to our successful Indiegogo campaign we are actually in the recording studio at the moment, recording the new album.

It’s been since 2006 that we last toured together on a UK tour. We are looking forward to the upcoming run with you guys.

So are we going to throw all the dishes and tea kettle out the bus windows again?

Chad Hanks: Only if the windows open, that said, I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Do we need to bring Cameron a bag of white socks for this tour (inside joke)?

Chad Hanks: I guess it depends if we are either going to jack off a lot or do our reprisal of The Uplift Mofo Party Plan tour.

I have heard many people compare your sound to FAITH NO MORE. I see it a little but there is still a lot of originality in your music.

How do you feel about the comparison?

Chris Emery: It’s better than saying we sound like Disturbed.

What’s your favorite food from the UK? Chris Emery: Is this a trick question? I’m quite partial to white pudding.

Chad Hanks: It’s definitely not pizza or taco bell. Anything that’s not from the UK.

UPCOMING SHOW 19th OCTober | THE 1865

Industrial-edged metallers American Head Charge burst onto the scene in 2001 with a slot at Ozzfest and debut major label album ‘The War of Art’ which contained the huge hit ‘Just So You Know’. For the next few years they toured with pretty much the Who’s Who list of metal until the death of guitarist Bryan Ottoson in 2005. The band managed to stumble along following this huge blow, releasing a live album and DVD however in 2009 the group disbanded. But in 2011 they came back, refreshed and stronger than ever and embarked on the hed2head tour alongside (hed) PE and Mushroomhead (see what they did there?) and having slammed an Indiegogo campaign promising a new album on the way there’s definitely more to come from AHC! We asked them to pose their questions to Jahred Gomes from (hed)PE… Chad Hanks: We heard your DJ isn’t in the band anymore, what happened?

He’s doing other things right now. We will always be family.

Chris Emery: Are you going to play anymore reggae on this tour?

We close the show with a reggae track for sure.

Ted Hallows: Do you guys wanna do another Hed2Head Tour?

OH hell yes. Especially now that Mushroomhead has blown the fuck up! It would be huge and Mushroomhead could close every night, which is also great cuz its easier for me to watch their show.

Chad Hanks: If you had to choose between being the top scientist in your field or having Mad cow disease which one would you choose?

Definitely the top scientist, as I am not a fan of diseases of any sort.

Ted Hallows: What was your favorite Robin Williams movie?

It’s not what is my favorite Robin Williams movie, it’s what is my favorite Robin Williams character, and that without a doubt is Mork from Ork. I’m an old geezer, so when Robin Williams first came on Happy Days as the Mork from Ork, I totally resonated with his comedy and laughed with him from that day on.

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC - october 2014

(hed) PE complete this epic line up.

Having lead the way for their own brand of gansta-punk or rapcore in the early noughties they effortlessly combine hugely danceable beats with crushing breakdowns that epitomize the sound of the baggy jeans crew of the time. Their latest album ‘Evolution’ was released this summer and has a decidedly Rage Against the Machine feel to it. Jahred from (hed)PE asks Tim King from SOiL… Jahred: Don’t you guys hate touring with (hed)PE? I hear Jared can be quite obnoxious, constantly overcompensating for his insecurities?

Quite the contrary. One of the funnest tours we have ever done is the first “Born To Ride” tour we did in Aug/Sept 2012 with (hed)PE. We all love you guys!!

How has it been with Ryan back in the band?

It’s been great. It feels like SOiL again. The albums we did without him (True Self/ Picture Perfect) were great albums, but it just didn’t have that classic SOiL feel to it.

The new album “Whole” definitely brings us back to that original vision we had when we started. We are also getting along great and just having a real good time playing together.

How about doing “Born to ride 3”?

Bring it on!! We had such a great time on the first 2, let’s do a 3rd!

Tim also works at (hed)PE’s label Pavement Entertainment. How did that come about?

I have always liked the band. When we toured together and got to be friends I liked the band even more. We started talking about their current label situation and what they wanted to accomplish on the new album and my ideas on what they should do were exactly what they wanted. It turned out to be a perfect situation. I think they have made one of their best albums and definitely the perfect album for this stage in their career. I’m really proud of them.

This will be our first time playing Europe together and sharing buses. What can we expect?

Many laughs and good times…..and yeah…..

PLENTY of drinking!!!!!

SOIL | AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE | HED PE

FEATURE

Avast, ye landlubbers! From the deepest darkest depths of eastern, er, Scotland comes Alestorm, a drunken band of pirates on an epic quest to drink your beer, steal your rum, and be the greatest damn band that ever did sail the seven seas!

Describing their style as “True Scottish Pirate Metal”, Alestorm play an infectious blend of modern folk and power metal with a unique piratical twist. After forming in 2006 and rapidly gaining a cult following in their local scene, the band signed to Austria’s Napalm Records, and released three groundbreaking albums; “Captain Morgan’s Revenge” (2008), “Black Sails at Midnight” (2009), and “Back Through Time” (2011).

What is your favourite kind of rum?

I like a bhuna the most, but Gazz prefers a jalfrezi. We find that they pair excellently with sea shanties and naan bread.

Who was the greatest pirate of all time?

As we all know, the greatest pirate of all time was Chris Eubank.

We were so saddened to hear of recent his untimely demise. He had the best hook in the business. Eyepatch.

Do any of you get seasick?

No, but I once shat myself on a plane.

How was Sonisphere?

I think a more pertinent question is “Who was Sonisphere?” Did you know that in the 11th century Sir Henry Sonington-Sphere invented piracy, eyepatches, and the bedside clock radio?

You’ve just released your fourth album – how is it going so far?

We already answered this one? Jalfrezi, and Gazz prefers a bhuna.

Right? Does it feel good to get a metal album into the UK charts?

Ooh yeah, I’m a metal man. All my life I’m a metal man.

Ooh yeah, I’m a metal man. All my life I’m a metal man.

Which song are you most proud of, and why?

I am most proud of “My Trousers Have A Lovely Belt” which is a lovely ditty written by Peter Alcorn. And why? Because I don’t, and I love lying through song.

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC - october 2014

Now in 2014, hot on the heels of their recent live album “Live at the End of the World”, Alestorm are back with their outstanding third studio album “Sunset on the Golden Age”.

It’s piled high with catchy songs with an abundance of parrots and eye patches that showcase the piratical life on the seven seas. And to top off the fun, they’re currently cruising about playing some live shows too - a real treasure for pirates and rum-lovers! Captain Christopher Bowes and his crazy crew are sailing through `Bacon Powered Pirate Core´ with sleek keyboard riffs influenced by Folk Metal and classical Power Metal and you can’t fail to have fun with them. You can, however, fail to get a sensible answer out of them during an interview. Just take a look at what happened when we caught up with master of the keys Elliot ‘Elephant’ Vernon…

You work a lot with an orchestra on your recordings? How do you go about writing your songs?

As you know, we hire the City of Prague Philharmonik to compose and perform all of our songs. Also Andrew Lloyd Weber is my dad, and he saves lots of spare songs for us. There’s very little work in it, really.

Would you rather have a wooden leg or a hook for a hand?

I’d rather have a jalfrezi and a robotic head.

Your fans are known to be pretty animated and really get into the spirit of the show. What’s the best costume you’ve seen?

Really? I’m disappointed to find out that our fans are animated, we always thought they were real. I guess computers can do so much these days.

The best costume we’ve seen is the one where it looks like two dogs are carrying a present.

What can we expect from the live show on this tour?

Expect guest celebrity chefs making meals live on stage. It’s not to be missed! Also, “Most Haunted” star Derek Acorah will be making his signature dish “Derek Pakora”, which goes delightfully with a jalfrezi.

WORDS ZAN LAWTHER

CATCH ALESTORM LIVE!

11th october - THE 1865

ALESTORM

Would you rather be able to run 100 miles per hour or fly at 0.01 miles per hour?

Run at 100MPH. Flying at 0.01MPH is just hovering!

Would you rather have a photographic memory that can only retain disgusting thoughts for life or have a 1 minute memory where you constantly introduce yourself to everyone?

A 1 minute memory where I constantly introduce myself because that obviously wouldn’t annoy me, I wouldn’t realize!

Would you rather have an extra finger or lose a toe?

Lose a toe! It would be far harder to get laid if you had an extra finger!

If you could have any celebrity as a tamagotchi, who would it be?

What the f**k is a tamagotchi? Can you have sex with a tamagotchi?

I’m gunna change the question to “if you could have any celebrity as a f**k buddy, who would it be?” And my answer is Jennifer Aniston because she is hot and she is always getting dumped, so she would need a lot of pity sex from a f**k buddy.

What Disney Prince/Princess would you most like to see in the Royal Family?

Belle! I wouldn’t mind licking a stamp with her face on it!

If you had to play one of your songs on stage, on the spoons, which song would it be?

It wouldn’t matter. I can’t play the spoons so no one would know what song I was playing!

Insert an unlikely item into the M&S slogan, “It’s not just any … it’s an M&S… Orgasm Who in the band would make the best girl?

Me! I’m the prettiest!

What’s your favourite tour bus snack?

Pussy.....or chocolate.....or both together!

Which reality TV show would you most like to go on?

I wouldn’t! That would mean my career was over and I was desperately trying to keep relevant by degrading myself on a reality TV show!

If you had the choice to make unicorns real or bring dinosaurs back to life, what would you choose?

Unicorns! It’s like a flying horse....with a seat on it’s head!

Who’s got the worst habit in the band and what is it?

James....when he drinks he fancies blokes!

What bands are you really into at the moment?

Rival sons new album is incredible. Also loving the new Slipknot Tunes.

What can we expect from the live show on this tour?

A good, old fashioned rock n roll show where anything goes!

CATCH ASKING ALEXANDRIA AT THE O2 GUILDHALL - NOV 5

13 1

15 11 5 14 2

8

1

3 9

10

2 6

4

3

6

4 5 6 12

7

13

11

13

12 14

1

2 4

7

5 10

8

9

1

CASTLE VAULT

2 3 4 5 6

GODS HOUSE TOWER

7 8

GUILDHALL SQ

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

KING JOHNS PALACE MARLANDS SHOPPING CENTRE CITY ART GALLERY LANCASTER

WEIGH HOUSE HOLYROOD CHURCH SS SHIELDHALL PLATFORM TAVERN WESTGATE HALL

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

14

9 8

METTRICKS COFFEE HOUSE

94 HIGH STREET

3

15

UNDERCROFT VAULT

10

11

7

12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Mo’Club O2 Guildhall Orange Rooms The Cellar Platform Tavern Firehouse The Old Farmhouse Unit Lennons The Rockstone The Shooting Star The Hobbit The Joiners Marshals The Alexandra O2 Guildhall Box Office Mutant Lab Studio Tattoo Monkey Oxfam Music Asgard Guitar Central Lucid Beatnik Emporium Ph Music Media Mango Planet Sounds Harbour Lights The Guitar Store Academy of Music & Sound

FEATURE

Most music fans in their 40s and 50s will fondly remember Level 42 ‘Running In The Family’, ‘Lessons In Love’, ‘Something About You’ - all MASSIVE Top Ten hits in the 80s. If you’re reading this thinking ‘oh WOW, I remember them. They were great’, then you may also know that vocalist Mark King is a bit of a badass slap bass player. A wellknown one. Probably THE best slap bass player in the world. If you’re reading this not knowing who Mark King is, now you know that he’s a badass slap bass player, and that he’s in a really awesome band, who had huge success in the 80s, and who are still touring and making music today, called Level 42. With a UK wide tour coming up in November to support their late 2013 6-track EP ‘Sirens’, including a show in Southampton at The Guildhall, we thought we have a little chat with Mr King to find out what he thinks of festivals, which bands he’s currently digging and about insuring body parts. And a very lovely chat it was too.

Hello Mark, how’s 2014 been treating you so far?

Very well! We dropped the first new recording for quite a while, Sirens, which is also the title for the upcoming tour. It’s our first new lot of material since 2006. We’ve always been busy and doing things, but this year’s been particularly busy with festivals - we’ve played some in the UK, Belgium, Holland, Germany, oh and Kazakhstan - that country is BEAUTIFUL, an amazing place. I thought it would be all goats, and weird cheeses and disease, but it wasn’t, it was stunning to travel around and look at. 2014 has been really great, and we’re excited to be ending the year on a high with a tour.

Talking of festivals, how do festivals now compare to those you played in the 80s?

I love going to festivals, I’m a huge festival fan. My wife and I went to Glastonbury this year - it’s such an amazing festival. I got to see many many artists that I like, like St Vincent and Connan Mockasin, both of whom are incredible, everyone should check them out. And of course Dolly [Parton], which was insane - there must have been, what, 200,000 people there watching her..? We headlined the Sunday night at Glasto in 1986, there were 80,000 people when we did it, which was awesome at the time. Just shows how much the festival has grown though. There are a lot more festivals now though than back in the 80s, although the bigger ones are a little bit more corporate, and a lot have become demographic specific, rather than about appealing to certain age groups. A lot more music is appealing to a much wider audience, it’s no longer only middle aged people going to gigs. We have a lot of teenagers as well at our shows now, new fans as well as old. I think the general appreciation for 80s music nowadays is huge, probably bigger than ever. It still appeals to all ages. There were just so many styles of music, a really eclectic mix. You had the new romantics, punk, glam rock, pop, metal, electronica and funk - lots of REALLY good bands playing a huge range of genres all doing really well at the time.

And some of them are still doing really well, playing festivals with 80s lineups that are attracting a lot of people.

Do you think it’s easier or more difficult nowadays for home grown bands to become successful?

That’s a very interesting question, and one I think about a lot myself.

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC - october 2014

I’ve been to a lot of festivals this year, both ones I’ve been playing and ones I’ve just gone to, and I love watching new bands. I listen to BBC 6 Music all the time and it’s great for introducing you to new music and emerging talent. But I think it must be really hard for new bands generally. Labels don’t put much or any money into new music nowadays, most releases are done on spec - see how one goes before they’ll fund the next. When Level 42 got their first big record deal it was for 5 albums. That rarely happens now. Everyone has to be able to pay the bills, feed the kids, the only way for most bands to be able to do this is to get a job. It’s a real problem, that we never really had. All I’ve done for the last 35 years is exactly what I’m doing now. I realise I’m a lucky guy.

In an interview with The Telegraph earlier this year you talk about your £3 million thumb [Level 42’s old label Polydor once insured Mark’s thumb for £3 million]. Has anyone else in the band insured any part of their body? If not, who do you think should, and which part?

Well...Mike [Lindup] who I’ve been working with for 35 years, is also ‘big’ in the porn industry, if you know what I mean. They insured his private parts for MUCH more than £3 million... [pause] HAHAHAHAHAHA I definitely just made that up! He’s not got enough time to be a porn star.

We actually thought you were being serious then. We’re still going to print it, it’s hilarious.

You’re infamous for your style of bass playing [slap bass] but you were originally a drummer. Do you have a drum kit at home? Do you still practice or ever been tempted to go back to playing drums?

There have been a couple times when we’ve done this big percussion thing, we did it on tour in 2010 for example [30th anniversary tour]. I got the chance to show everyone what I do by drumming onstage with Pete. It wasn’t with a sit down kit but it was still cool. I do have a kit at home [his son plays drums too] in my studio, and when I record demos I have a go. It’s great to be able to just sit and have a jam. I’m very happy to be playing bass on stage though.

Can you play any other instruments?

I do, yeah. I play guitar, and I play keyboards....quite badly but good enough to get the idea across. With so much incredible pc software that does the job for you though you don’t need to be able to play an instrument well to get ideas down. I do most of the programming for tours - there were quite a lot of songs we’d never played live before so when I program one of those it takes me back to when we first wrote the song. You blow the dust off and it all comes back to you.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?

I love Connan Mockasin. He’s a New Zealand dude living in London who makes incredible music. That’s not really a guilty pleasure I guess, but I do really like him. St Vincent is more of a guilty pleasure. It’s a guilty pleasure because how good she looks is never far from my mind when I’m listening.

Over the years you’ve toured with some pretty big names (Madonna and Tina Turner) - is there anyone you’d like to be able to add to that list before the end of your music career?

There are just SO many fantastic artists I like. I would love to have played more with David Bowie, I did it once at a Prince’s Trust Concert and it was amazing. I would also love to work with Bryan Ferry from Roxy Music. It’s been great seeing old footage of them on BBC 4 recently.

Being from the Isle of Wight originally we imagine you’re no stranger to playing in Southampton - have you ever viewed it as a home town?

Are you looking forward to your show there in October as part of your Sirens Tour?

A big yes to both of these. We rarely ever got to play on the Isle of Wight, a total of 4 times, which is not very good, but we’ve played in Southampton a lot of times and do see it as a home town. We’re really looking forward to our show at The Guildhall on the 20th. All our family usually make the trip over from the IOW too. Red Funnel have made a few quid out of my family going over to shows over the years. I hate the ferries, I seem to spend my whole life chasing them. I drive down thinking I’ve got plenty of time then end up coming off the motorway and into Southampton on 2 wheels trying to catch it. And then miss it and spend 2 hours waiting at the docks for the next one. It’s happened so many times. I’ve probably spent months and months waiting for a ferry. When I’m on my deathbed with lots of time to contemplate life I’ll be lying there trying to work out just how long I’ve spent waiting for a bastard ferry.

WORDS MARIANNE HARRIS

Catch them live @ O2 Guildhall Southampton – 20 October

LEVEL 42

FRI 31 9pm £3.00

THURS 30 8pm £14.00

MON 27 8pm £9.50

SUN 26 8pm £18.50

SAT 25 8.00pm £8.00

FRI 24 7.30pm £8/£6 FRI 24 11pm FREE!

THURS 23 8pm £11.00

TUES 21 8pm £8.00

MON 20 8pm £10.00

SUN 19 8pm £18.50

FRI 17 8pm £8.00 SAT 18 8.00pm £9

WED 15 8pm £10.00

TUES 14 8pm £10.00

MON 13 sold out!

SUN 12 8pm £16.00

SAT 11 8pm £6.00

FRI 10 7.30pm £8/£6 FRI 10 11pm FREE!

TUES 7 8pm £14.00

MON 6 8pm £11.00

SUN 5 8pm £11.00

SAT 4 9pm £5.00

FRI 3 8pm £8.00

THURS 2 8pm £12.50

WED 1 8pm £15.00

NERINA PALLOT + TAYLOR & MARIE LUCIUS + LAPLAND SIKTH + HEART OF A COWARD + IDIOM FREE IN FANCY DRESS WEREWOLF CUB CLUB HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

+ KAZABIAN OFFICIAL TRIBUTE + KILL KASPER + MOODY DJ

JILTED GENERATION PRODIGY TRIBUTE BAND

JULIAN COPE + SPECIAL GUESTS DAN CROLL + PANAMA WEDDING + WILL JOSEPH COOK THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS + SPECIAL GUESTS BURY TOMORROW + HANDS LIKE HOUSES + IN HEARTS WAKE + SLAVES (US) COMEDY CLUB DAMIAN CLARK + RIA LINA + KEVIN McCARTHY IT’S A SIN RETRO ANTHEMS & GUILTY FAVOURITES TONIC MUSIC FOR MENTAL HEALTH FUNDRAISER

BEATS & SWING PRESENT DEEKLINE AUDIO CORRUPTION + TOM MAYHEM + 24HRDJ

GRANT NICHOLAS + TENTERHOOK DRY THE RIVER + GENGAHR + LIU BEI THE DOORS ALIVE + SPECIAL GUESTS FREE B4 10PM FUNK•STUNT & SHAKE FUNK•SOUL•DISCO THE SUBWAYS + BLEECH + THE PLANES TOM VEK + FUN ADULTS KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES + SAVE YOUR BREATH COMEDY CLUB JOEL DOMMETT + MIKE GUNN + HENRY PACKER IT’S A SIN RETRO ANTHEMS & GUILTY FAVOURITES BACK TO THE 80s!

DURAN2 + SPECIAL GUESTS + IT’S A SIN DJS THE HOLD STEADY + THE SO SO GLOS NICK MULVEY + SPECIAL GUESTS WE ARE THE OCEAN + DECADE + BOY JUMPS SHIP BIPOLAR SUNSHINE + SPECIAL GUESTS IT MUST BE MADNESS + SPECIAL GUESTS

OCTOBER 2014

THUNDERDOME ROCK • METAL • ALTERNATIVE DSTM PRESENTS . . WEDGEWOOD-ROOMS.CO.UK FOR DETAILS WOLF CUB CLUB FREE TILL 2.00am OXJAM IN AID OF OXFAM IT’S A SIN ROOM TWO TONIC MUSIC FOR MENTAL HEALTH ROOM 2 WEREWOLF CUB CLUB

A PORTSMOUTH PUNK ROCK PARTY ACTION MEN + DEAD NECK + FAIR DO’S + LUCKY ONE DIES FIRST + DARKO LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF + ALMEIDA + THE STAYAWAKES + SOMBULANCE SHOOTING FISH + SLM/DEAD BY DAWN/BLACK ANCHOR + FAT NEPHEW

WOLF CUB CLUB FREE TILL 2.00am

BREAKING BANDS FEATURING LOOTEN DUKE + THE LEFTINES + OSKAR’S GRACE + THE SWEETCHUNKS BAND

AGAINST THE CURRENT £10 COASTS £8 AUGUSTINES £12 INSPIRAL CARPETS £20 COMEDY CLUB £8/£6 BEANS ON TOAST £9 THE FLIKS £6 followed by HIPSHAKER (free) DREADZONE £15 THE BEARDS £12 BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST £12.50 COMEDY CLUB £8/£6 XMAS EVE tbc KOJAK’S REVENGE £9 NEW YEARS’ EVE tbc ROMESH RANGANATHAN & SUZI RUFFELL £12 RICHARD HERRING £15 COMEDY CLUB £8/£6 THE SMYTHS £10

COMING IN 2015

13 17 18 19 24 27 31

1 2 3 4 5 9 12

Check website for availability of tickets for other events on sale through the venue Box Office. Please note these may be subject to a booking fee

4 THE WEDDING PRESENT £14 6 CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN sold out!

7 COMEDY CLUB £8/£6 8 THE POMPEY RUMBLE £20 10 UNITED WE STAND £12/10/9 13 EMILY BARKER & THE RED CLAY HALO £12.50 14 HAIRFORCE 5 £6 16 SIMON EVANS £14 17 AGAINST ME! £14 18 BOY & BEAR £10 19 THE SINGULAR EXPLOITS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES £10/£8 20 [SPUNGE] £10 21 COMEDY CLUB £8/£6 22 THE BEAT £16 23 NIZLOPI £15 24 TONIGHT ALIVE sold out!

26 RICH HALL’S SHOWDOWN £17.50

NOVEMBER 2014 DECEMBER 2014

WEDGEWOOD ROOMS ALSO BOOKING

SAT 25 tbc FRI 31 £5.00

FRI 24 10pm FREE

SAT 18 8pm £tbc

FRI 17 11pm FREE

FRI 10 10pm FREE FRI 17 tbc

SAT 4 12.30pm £7.00

FRI 3 11pm FREE

FRI 3 8.00pm £3.00

Advance prices shown Tickets are non-transferable as per terms & conditions of sale

www.wedgewood-rooms.co.uk

Would you rather kiss a jellyfish or step on a crab?

I reckon a crab because they walk sideways and I think that’s a bit shifty. People need to know that crabs are dodgy. I once saw a crab fighting in a nightclub toilets and the bouncers let him off because he walked funny. That to me is proper wrong. Plus they would be good for air hockey once you’d ripped their legs off What’s the best thing about being a northerner?

Northerners are cool as fuck. So everything. Yorkshire is the biggest county and we are all proper people. The rest of everything else is pretenders. Plus, we shout Yorkshire really loud as a proper good chant.

I see you’re a fan of Kestrel lager. If you had a real kestrel, what would you train it to do and why?

Firstly, I would train one kestrel to recruit and train more kestrels.

Then I would plan a series of burglaries in argos because some of the things are kept on really high shelves in Argos warehouse so a kestrel would be able to fly and get stuff and then get more stuff.

What colour brick would you rather be and why?

I think I’d be a regular house brick because they are notorious for smashing windows, faces, having scary threats tied to them and being the best. Breeze blocks are dicks.

Which reality TV show would you most like to go on?

Big brother because it’s just like my day normally but with more nobheads.

If you were made mayor of Doncaster, what would be the first thing you’d do?

Change its name to Devcaster and then sign myself up for Devcaster Rovers as a striker. I would then change all my stats on the cheat screen and I’d end up playing for Manchester United.

Do all MC’s drink in the same pub? Are you mates with MC Hammer?

I used to do a bit of tiling with MC Hammer actually. 39 Granby Road in Sheffield has got some of the finest grouting you will ever see.

What’s the best (non-swearing) insult you can hurl at someone?

Bell end. It’s somewhere between a swear and not.

What’s your ideal night out?

Cans in the park after dark What’s your ideal night in?

Cans in the park after dark Tell us one thing about you that people might find surprising...

I have written a book and I’m bringing it to my gigs. What? How much? £5, pal.

If you could fight any character from Eastenders (past or present) who would it be?

All of them. I would line every single one of them up and I would do my 1 inch punch on all of them one after the other until someone said it was hometime.

CATCH MC DEVVO @ UNIT 31st OCTOBER

eat • drink • be mango

Bar and Restaurant since 2007

Meanwhile... At The

Alexandra Beer Emporium what’s on?

(oct/nov/dec)

3/10 - charity gig / dj herbal gerbil + guests - £donation free

10/10 - flying Alexanders + guests

£3 17/10 - flight brigade, just Millie + guests

free

31/10 - 8th annual Halloween party, fancy dress get free cocktail, live music + djs

£3 1/11 - the living dead lights + guests £3 entry

7/11 - BreakOut anti bullying charity gig / mark morriss (bluetones), brother goose + guests - £donation free

14/11 - the consigliere's 'school disco' Dj all night, open until 3am

£3 22/11 - LST + guests free

12/12 - Christmas karaoke 2 with jumping jack 13/12 - radio lollipop Christmas party live music + Dj - £donation 31/12 - NYE party, Hollywood

£8 theme, amazing drinks deals, tix live music + djs, Open until 3am

The normal stuff...

• huge BEER GARDEN • • LIVE FOOTBALL • • home of the famous star wars & Game of thrones THEMED COCKTAILS • • 24/7 student discount • • star wars pinball • • pool table • • retro gaming! NES, SNES, N64, MEGADRIVE, PS1, PS2 & PS3 - 200+ games • • open mic & comedy nights • • Live sports over 6 screens •

come + get involved! /TheAlexandraBeerEmporium thealexpub.co.uk @thealexpub1

The alexandra. 6 BELLEVUE ROAD, SO15 2AY. 02380 335071

Edition 10

previews Brutal, powerful metalcore

Upon A Burning Body was started by accident “A Side project gone wrong.” These San Antonio, Texas natives mix brutal breakdowns with catchy two steps and heavy blast beats. They have managed to dominate the Texas metal scene, and are known for their intensely brutal and fast sections combined with breakdowns and gang chants, making their live shows powerful and violent.

FOR FANS OF: ATTILA / BETRAYING THE MARTYRS / WHITECHAPEL

SAVAGE MESSIAH

NOV 18 | JOINERS

NOV 17 | TALKING HEADS Melodic thrash metal

Melodic thrashers Savage Messiah formed in London in 2007 by vocalist, lead guitarist and all round creative force Dave Silver after the demise of his previous band, Headless Cross. Expect to be thrown into a wall of unrelenting, pummeling drums and a tidal wave of wailing vocals and huge twiddly guitars. This is new skool thrash metal at its finest so get down the front and get those windmills turning!

FOR FANS OF: IRON MAIDEN / EVILE / METALLICA

A deathcore experience not for the faint hearted After a year of silence (!) and anticipation in 2013 as to what they would do next, Suicide Silence are ready to bring deathcore back to mainstream music. With a new drummer, their influences of combined black metal and groove metal has expanded their sound, so expect fast paced drum solos, crunching guitars and a mixture of death growls from lead vocalist, Eddie Hermida.

FOR FANS OF: BMTH / ASKING ALEXANDRIA / CHIMAIRA

KERBDOG

UPON A BURNING BODY

SUICIDE SILENCE

NOV 19 | MO CLUB 90s grunge rockers return

Cerebral and heavy tones with a generous helping of grungey riffs are the order of the day from 90’s Irish heroes Kerbdog.

Shimmering melodies abound with effective breakdowns between crunching guitars.Their fans remain firecely loyal despite several comings and goings over the years but they’re BACK and on the road again to delight followers new and old.

NOV 19 | TALKING HEADS FOR FANS OF: THE WILDHEARTS / THERAPY? / REUBEN Spunky leaders of the pop punk revolution LIT - A PLACE IN THE SUN TOUR During the 90’s LIT lead the way alongside other punk rockers like Offspring and No Doubt to break through the wall of grunge and out into a cleaner, brighter sound. Pop punk had arrived in all its spiky haired, baggy jeans, wallet chained goodness. And you know what? LIT’s songs stand the test of time. Still catchy, still bouncy and still rendering the listener unable to stand still.

FOR FANS OF: EVERCLEAR / SEMISONIC / SUM 41

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC | OCTOBER 2014

NOV 21 | 1865

previews

previews PROTEST THE HERO

NOV 25 | MO CLUB

Progressive mathcore

This Canadian progressive metal band from Ontario combine technical metal and progressive post-hardcore instincts to bring you a face-melting display of mathcore at its best. Originally named Happy Go Lucky, the line-up has remained the same since formation in 1999.

They changed their name to Protest the Hero shortly before releasing debut EP, Search for the Truth, in 2002 and have never looked back.

FOR FANS OF: MASTADON / DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN

Eclectic indie folk pop

Having started his career as a wildly shambolic mess in the middle of a room full of drunks, the Baboo we see these days has grown into a confident live performer, both funny and heart warming in equal measures and a maturing recording artist with a good ear for melody, a heavy soul and a sharp tongue ready to knock anyone off their block. All hail, the Mighty Baboo!

FOR FANS OF: TELEMAN /PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

JOHN GARCIA

DEC 03 | TALKING HEADS Industrial metal champions

SWEET BABOO

NOV 30 | TALKING HEADS Stoner rock legend

John Garcia’s vocals have become synonymous with stoner rock and the desert rock sound. He is the air-raid siren, screaming, batteries-included, rock and roll voice of California’s stoner rock scene. Founding member of the legendary Kyuss, he’s also fronted unida, Slo Burn, Orquesta del Desierto, Hermano and others. Their drug-filled grooves changed the face of stoner rock forever.

FOR FANS OF: KYUSS / VISTA CHINO / KADAVER

This explosiveUK five piece mix groove-laden hardcore metal with furious electronics to produce metal you can really get down to. Heralded as the savious of British metal, it’s an all-encompassing live performance that accompanies powerhouse metal riffs, sing/scream combined vocals and underlying electronic elements which all combine to give the band’s sound a heavy groove and a melodic tone.

FOR FANS OF: RISE TO REMAIN / CROSSFAITH / HACKTIVIST

HACKTIVIST

THE DEFILED

DEC 04 | TALKING HEADS Bounce to the BASS

Featuring ex-members of Heart of a Coward and Margot Kidder, hardhitting, raw energy is assured at any Hacktivist show. With bass as heavy as you can handle and two rap vocalists these boys are LOUD and have been hammering their way through the scene, laying waste to festivals and venues alike. We defy you not to get down to this new brand of noise as Hacktivist breathe new life into rap metal.

DEC 07 | JOINERS

FOR FANS OF: TESSERACT / MONUMENTS / CROSSFAITH

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC | OCTOBER 2014

previews

AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS OCTOBER

Portsmouth’s Biggest Small Music Venue!

56, Cromwell Rd Southsea PO4 9PN

03/10 - THE STRAWBS (Acoustic) 04/10 - KOJAK’S REVENGE 10/10 - RODDY RADIATION (The Specials) 11/10 - CURVED AIR 15/10 - COMEDY CLUB featuring GARY DELANEY from Mock The Week 16/10 - MARTIN TURNER’S WISHBONE ASH 22/10 - DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD 24/10 - THE SILVER BEATLES 25/10 - OFFBEAT OFFENSIVE 28/10 - HARRY MANX 29/10 - NEW APOLLO HALLOWEEN PLAYS (until 31/10) NOVEMBER 01/11 - BEATS & SWING present REEPS ONE 02/11 - HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN 03/11 - JON ALLEN 06/11 - EofE 08/11 - ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW 09/11 - FELDSPAR 11/11 - NICK CLEMONS BAND 13/11 - FOCUS 14/11 - JONA LEWIE 15/11 - THE MODS 19/11 - WILLIE NILE 20/11 - SHARON SHANNON 21/11 - DAVE KELLY BAND 26/11 - RUARRI J0SEPH

For info call 023 9282 6249 on advertised gig days ONLY, from 5pm.

Tickets also available from Eastney Community Centre Bransbury Park 10-3 weekdays.

www.thecellars.co.uk /thecellars @cellarseastney

S ’ N O T P M A H T SOU

k u . o c . o i d a r m f voice Southampton’s own local FM radio station voicefmradio

@voicefmradio

Have you been approached

by Artist Management or a Record Label?

For clear, affordable and local legal advice, contact Luke at Eric Robinson Solicitors and get professional support to look out for your best interests.

Email: luke.english@ericrobinson.co.uk Find us at @robinson_law and @englishmedia www.ericrobinson.co.uk | 4 Carlton Crescent, Southampton SO15 2EY

ones to watch

Soul & Fire’s debut self-titled EP is released this month featuring 5 tracks that perfectly exude the flavour of their live performance. This duo’s sound is filled with the infectious rhythm created by the guitar and percussion and the melodies that you simply can’t get out of your head. Their lyrics come from a huge array of life experiences that transform into soulful melodies steeped in rock and roll and the precise percussion adds a contagious energy that gives the sound of a full band.

The band consists of Southampton-born Dave Mitchell on vocals and guitar and Sicilian Paolo Pecoraro on drums and percussion.

Dave and Paolo first met in Palermo, Sicily, where their love of rock and roll broke the boundaries of culture and language. The band was then formed as soon as Paolo got off the plane and arrived in Southampton.

This summer they’ve been cooking up a storm with festival appearances across the south, winning audiences over with their infectious sounds. We caught up with vocalist Dave Mitchell to find out more….

What made you first want to start making music?

I come from a musical family, so it’s always been something that I’ve done. Learning piano from a young age and then taking an interest in guitar and music from the 60’s and 70’s. Paolo was into classical and jazz thanks to his Grandfather who introduced him to the sounds when he was only 13, Paolo later studied drums in Rome for 5 yrs.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

I’ve always had a strong influence from my parents music (60’s and 70’s). I like to see it as a bit of a journey through finding my own with Nirvana and Oasis in my teens and then back to Pink Floyd, Beatles, Syd Barrett and Hendrix. Being an avid vinyl collector- I get carried away buying too many.

Paolo has great influence from Jazz backgrounds inc. Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman etc. where he fell in love with Jazz drums. Upon forming the band, Paolo took a huge interest in the worldwide tradition of percussion: particularly the Latin American influence of the Cajon and the tammorra of Sicily.

SOUTHAMPTON MUSIC |OCTOBER 2014

How would you describe your music to someone who had never heard it before?

We had a really good comment from a friend recently which kinda sums us up. He described us as having infectious rhythm, and songs that get stuck in your head for days.

Are you recording or writing at the moment?

We are always throwing ideas around, we hope to get some new songs recorded soon. However some exciting news recently has been signing to Moondust Records which will see the release of our current E.P to the digital market which is expected to be available mid Oct. What’s been your best festival experience this summer?

We have had an excellent response from the festival circuit this year, special moments include completely ramming the Larch stage at Blissfields festival and having the whole crowd singing our songs, and Pulse festival that set us off for the summer.

What’s on the agenda for the rest of 2014?

We are very excited for the digital release of our E.P, available on Spotify and ITunes from 14th October. We are booking up lots of shows to coincide with the date including playing one of our favourite local venues, Talking Heads, on 8th October supporting Wille and the Bandits.

If you could tour with anyone, who would it be?

Led Zeppelin. I’ve read a book by their tour manager- it’s everything you’d expect it to be. Haha.

Tell us something about each of you that we might find surprising…

Dave ‘I’m a good cook courtesy of my mums recipes’ Paolo ‘I started my percussion career with Chinese sticks and pots and pans’ And finally, why should we come check you out at a show?

We love what we do and it shows. We are a two man party steeped in rock and roll and when we get on that stage we can assure that we will get you dancing and singing along. Come and party with us!

Catch them live supporting Wille & the Bandits @ Talking Heads – 8th October www.facebook.com/soulandfireuk Words: Zan Lawther

SOUL & FIRE

B

X

A

Your one stop shop for Piercing Jewellery, Plugs & Tunnels!

Tunnels

Stretchers

Hairdyes

Smoking Accessories

Grinders

Shisha

Bongs

Scales

Rolling Tobacco

Cuban Cigars

CD Packs

Tickets

Find us at...

111 East Street, Southampton SO14 3HD Tel: 02380 636 636

Scan and like our facebook page for special offers & updates

Monday - Saturday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Sunday: 10:30 am - 4:30 pm

C www.facebook.com/lucid.southampton

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!

KOBRA & THE LOTUS

TOM BAXTER

DENDERA

TALKING HEADS | 07/10

WILLE & THE BANDITS SOUL & FIRE ALESTORM THE DIRTY YOUTH I DIVIDE VALLENFYRE 71 CHAIN

LAGERSTEIN RED RUM RAINBOWDRAGONEYES

PET SLIMMERS OF THE YEAR

CAGED SPECTRUM A NINJA SLOB DREW ME

AFTER THE BURIAL MONUMENTS CIRCLES

SOIL AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE SUMMER THE TREATMENT BUFFALO MASSIVE HED (P.E.)

WOLFBORNE

BRANT BJORK VERSES FEED THE RHINO NIGHT BABY GODZILLA ANDY BURROWS PURSON COLOR MORALE THE WORD ALIVE THE LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES MC DEVVO !

T U SOLD O THE STRUTS BEL ESPRIT PRESENTS LOW DESERT PUNK

SKINDRED ANIMALS AS LEADERS

TESSERACT NAVENE K WHALES IN CUBICLES THE BLACKOUT YASHIN SINISTER BIGELF BEND JOLLY UPON A BURNING BODY SAVAGE MESSIAH THE MORE I SEE

KERBDOG SUICIDE SILENCE

LIT

DENDERA

SPYTFYRE

CIRCLE OF REASON HEY YOU GUYS

THY ART IS MURDER FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY BLACK TONGUE

ARMY OF FRESHMEN HEY VANITY

PROTEST THE HERO

THE FACELESS THE CONTORTIONIST PALM READER

SWEET BABOO & THE PICTISH TRAIL

JOHN GARCIA

THE DEFILED

JOINERS | 06/10

AVATAR

TALKING HEADS | 08/10

THE 1865 | 11/10 JOINERS | 11/10 TALKING HEADS | 16/10

HOBBIT | 16/10 JOINERS | 18/10 THE 1865 | 19/10

JOINERS | 20/10 JOINERS | 21/10

JOINERS | 24/10 TALKING HEADS | 26/10

JOINERS | 26/10 JOINERS | 28/10

UNIT | 31/10

T! LENNONS SOLD O| U01/11 TALKING HEADS | 02/11 TALKING HEADS | 03/11

LENNONS | 08/11 1865 | 12/11 TALKING HEADS | 12/11 TALKING HEADS | 17/11

JOINERS | 18/11 TALKING HEADS | 19/11

MO CLUB | 19/11

1865 | 21/11 MO CLUB | 25/11 TALKING HEADS | 30/11 TALKING HEADS | 03/12 TALKING HEADS | 04/12

GUILDHALL BOX OFFICE (CIVIC CENTRE - Tel: 02380 632601) OXFAM MUSIC (EAST ST) / www.southampton-music.com