ISSUE 1 MAY 2017 SOCIAL SOUNDS
2017 SO FAR
BRAND NEW MUSIC
Before the summer festival season kicks off we’re looking back to the year we’ve had so far.
Tracks from our 2017 favourites including The Indigo Project, Letters To Lions + The Ninth Wave.
+ INTERVIEWS With Edinbrugh’s Bottle Note and indie two piece Rylands Health.
CO N T E N TS
YOU ME AT SIX
From Slam Dunk and Glastonbury all the way through to Reading and Leeds, the next four months is festival season. Whether you’re going for a headliner or avoiding because of the unpredicatble weather and mud, this year will be like any other. Before looking ahead to the UK’s summer plans, we’re firstly looking back to the year we’ve had so far. From Two Door Cinema Club’s return tour to the announcement of The Amazons debut album, we’ve had a pretty good year so far. Also, we caught up with Bottle Note and Ryland’s Heath to talk about regrettable names, influences and what they would change in the music industry if given the chance to. (And yes, this is our first issue! Thanks for checking us out! )
We love new music. It’s what we live for. In-between lectures and project planning we compiled a list of our favourite new tracks, brand new artists and some of our absolute favourites from 2017 so far. All the artists on these next pages are literally a search away, so get online and have a listen. You can thank us later.
THE SHERLOCKS Favourite Tracks: Live For The Moment This band have risen unbelievebly quickly over the last 12 months. From playing to crowds of 300 people to supporting The Libertines, Kings Of Leon and playing at some of the UKs biggest festivals.
INTERVIEWING BOTTLE NOTE Who inspires you as a band, and do you think they have impact on your sound?
Their debut album Live For The Moment is due on the 18th of August and they have a UK tour starting September 14th in Newcastle.
Joe: Johnny Marr has a massive impact on my sound, playing and even the way I write songs. He likes to layer songs with multiple guitar parts and so do I. I think you can definitely hear it in Callant and Homecoming.
For fans of Spring King, The Amazons and Rat Boy.
Ross: I take influence from the likes of John O’callaghan from The Maine, I think he is just a genius with words. What are your favourite albums and tracks at the moment? We all have very different music tastes which you may or may not hear from our sound which is funny;
THE SHERLOCKS
LETTERS TO LIONS
Ross: At the moment it would have to be Deaf Havana’s new album All These Countless Nights. It’s only been out for around a month and I’ve not stopped listening to it. James Veck-Gilodi’s voice is just amazing, I would marry it if I could. And also Boston Manor’s debut album Be Nothing. Amazing album!
Favourite Track: I’m Still Young This band are possibly one of our favourite finds this year! They’re an indie four piece from the Austrialian south coast. Already picked up by Tripe J’s Unearthed (a wing of the Tripe J radio station devoted to finding new music, similar to BBC Introducing in the UK), this band are going to go on to big things. Already, their sound has been likened with bands such as Kings Of Leon and Foals, who manage to sit within the complicated indie-pop-rock genre.
PAGE 7
Jake: Values - Broken Nation Andy: Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool Joe: Pure Comedy- Father John Misty, it’s not something I’d usually find myself listening to. I never really notice lyrics in a song as I am mostly listening to everything else but the singing, but his lyrics are amazing, they’re kinda tongue and cheek, he also has a voice of an angel. Tame Impala ‘Currents’, its been out for almost two years and I just can’t get enough of it, just tune after tune. The synths on it are just mental, and it’s blows my mind every time I listen to it. >>
>> Is there any kind of meaning behind your name or is it just words together which you thought sounded good for a band name? It took us a while to think of a name that we all liked, the idea came from a message in a bottle. A random idea, but we all seemed to like it at the time and it stuck! In all honesty we would probably change it if we could but we feel it’s too late haha! Bottle Note is made up of Ross (singer and rhythm guitarist), Joe (lead guitarist), Andy (bass) and Jake (drums).
THE LAPELLES THE NIGHT CAFE
Favourite Track: Belts + Braces
Favourite Track: Mixed Signals
We love this band. We always have and always will.
Slowly but surely this band are popping up on more and more people’s playlists. Crowned as Shybutlovesmusic’ ’Sound Of 2017’ and with the backing of BBC Introducing, this band are tearing their way through the upcoming British music scene. Already they’ve been on tour with the likes of Sundara Karma and have their own UK headline tour ending on the 25th of May in Glasgow. For fans of Sundara Karma and Blaenavon.
If you don’t know who The Lapelles are, they were an upcoming ‘indie’ band from East Kilbride, near Glasgow. They’ve been on tour with quiet a few people and were about to set out on their headline autumn tour. Their lead singer, Gary Watson, got into trouble in the River Clyde and died as a result, on his 22nd birthday. The band since have decied to release their debut self titled album, made up of home demos and recordings. The album itself is out now online, however the limited edition copy of the album is due for release in June. For fans of The Night Cafe and The Magic Gang..
THE MACCABEES Favourite Tracks: Marks To Prove It The Maccabees aren’t a new band. They’re so ‘not new’ infact, their breaking up. Announced last year on socia media, the band have one final tour before ending things for good. (*Cries*) PAGE 8
DECLAN MCKENNA Favourite Track: The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home
At just age 18, there doesn’t seem to be a major festival Declan McKenna hasn’t played. His first being the one and only Glastonbury in 2015 (which he returns to this summer). Aside from his extensive tours, festival performances and genuine love for what he does, one of the things we love about McKenna is his ability to encapsulate his feelings and the feelings of others in his lyrics. Whether its about the unfairness of the world cup or the feeling of the countries discontented youth, McKenna isn’t afraid to create politically charged tracks. In short, Declan McKenna could become a major voice for this so far voiceless generation who are not happy with the world their living in, and we’re not complaining. Earlier this year McKenna announced his awaited debut album ‘What Do You Think Of The Car?’ is being released on the 21st of July and we cannot wait for it. What you can expect from it is indie influential tracks like Brazil, confetti canons, crowd surfing moments and a lot of glitter. For fans of Jamie T’s lyrics and political influence but Sundara Karma and Viola Beach’s style.
INTERVIEWING RYLANDS HEATH Hi, we are Rylands Heath and we are Jack Cowap and James Deacon. How would you describe your sound and who are your influences in music? We define our music as indie-pop but we take inspiration from a lot of genres and styles so I think it’s hard to pinpoint one specific type of music that we play. Our music has similarities to The Wombats and The Amazons, with their upbeat indie guitar sound. Who are your influcences in music and why? Our contemporary inspirations vary from Saint Raymond, Mike Posner, Circa Waves but we also take inspiration from some older artists that we were introduced to by our parents such as Queen, Meat Loaf and ELO. What where your first gigs? Jack’s first gig was actually Meat Loaf and James’ first was We The Kings at Scala and has since been a venue we would love to play. What festival would you love to play? I think we’d have to say Glastonbury. It’s the biggest festival in the UK and it’s basically any UK artist’s dream to play it. What are your favourite tracks at the moment? Some tracks we can’t stop listening to in the rehearsal room at the moment >>
PAGE 9
>> are A.L.I.V.E by Port Isla and 100 Times Over by Cassia. The bands we’re just generally loving are Marsicans, Blossoms and the The Magic Gang.
THE AMAZONS
What changes would you like to see in the music industry?
One of the fastest rising bands in the UK without a doubt is The Amazons.
The negative and snobbish attitude towards pop music and the idea that genuine artistic expression is reserved for other kinds of music. Basically, the idea that anything with major chords must be vapid and unoriginal. Plans for this year? We have still got more music to release, as well as some music videos, but our main focus is on playing shows. We’ll be playing as many shows as possible up and down the country this summer which we’ll start announcing soon- so watch this space.
ODDITY ROAD Favourite Tracks: Handshake + You Possibly one of our favourite new bands at the moment, an indie four piece from Sheffield who look to be following in the guitar driven path of bands like The Shelocks and Catfish and The Bottlemen. For fans of The Sherlocks and Fronteers.
Favourite Tracks: Stay With Me + Black Magic
Already set to play some of the UK’s biggest festivals this summer including Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and with a huge UK & Europe tour scheduled for the end of the year, the rise of this band seems unstoppable. There are a lot of people classing The Amazons as just another ‘indie rock’ band, but indie bands don’t have mosh pits at their gigs. They’ve been stadium ready since day one - since releasing their debut single they’ve moved from strength to strength. Despite only forming in 2014, this Reading four-piece have swept through the UK and Europe, with past festival slots at Dot To Dot, Live At Leeds, Reading and Leeds and have already supported the likes of the Kooks and You Me At Six, alongside their own headline tours. What we’re most excited about at the moment is their debut self-titled album which is being released today! (26th of May). As your reading this we will be somewhere, sitting clutching the album cover as the 11 tracks play over and over again on repeat. (This is a bit of a spoiler but you might love us for it – There is a huge track on the album called Raindrops. The band played it live on tour and although no one knew the words, the crowd were in awe. It sounds great live and possibly will be ‘the’ track of the album.) This album is going to be huge, and without a doubt, it’ll make it’s way into our favourites of 2017. For fans of You Me At Six, Arcade Fire, COASTS and The Hunna.
PAGE 10
THE INDIGO PROJECT
THE GOSPEL YOUTH
Favourite Track: Tatse It
Favourite Track: Lightning Fires
If you’re looking for the next indie waiting to take off you’ve found them. The five piece from Leeds only formed two years ago and already had a few big years supporting The Sherlocks, The DMAs, Ocean Colour Scene and have even played at Reading and Leeds.
Already likend to bands such as Deaf Havana and (the now broken up) Kids In Glass Houses, The Gospel Youth are going to be everywhere in the next few months.
We’re saying it now, big things are ahead for this band.
If you’re going to Slam Dunk this year we suggest you try catching their set. They’re great live and if your into any kind of poppunk we’re pretty sure you’ll love them just as much as we do.
For fans of Marsicans, The Bulletproof Bomb and The Sherlocks.
For fans of Homebound, Catch Fire and WSTR.
ANTEROS
PRONTO MAMA
Favourite Track: Breakfast
Favourite Track: Aberesque
Anteros are another great band live. They supported Blaenavon and Two Door Cinema Club on their UK tours this year and released their Drunk EP just last month. This band are going to be everywhere soon enough.
With a summer of festivals set up and a debut album days old, Pronto Mama are becoming the band they were always meant to be. Those the Glaswegian six piece miss with the debut album ‘Any Joy’, they’ll win over throughout their summer performances.
For fans of The Magic Gang and The Big Moon
ANTEROS
For fans of American Clay and Neon Waltz.
NEW MUSIC PLAYLIST
The Amazons - Raindrops Rylands Heath - The More That You Know The Covasettes - Higher Marsicans - Friends Declan McKenna - The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home Dancing On Tables - Waiting On Saturday Vistas - Sign Lanuage Bottle Note - Homecoming Fripps & Fripps - Apex Magic Gang - Your Love Sundara Karma - Explore Indigo Velvet - Mona Misfires - Tonight High Tyde - Keep On Delamere - Bright Young Things FREAK - I Like To Smile When I’m Sad
BACK TO THE FUTURE Before looking ahead to the summer of 2017, we’re looking back at the year we’ve had. From past tours, releases and announcements, we’ve got you covered.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
JA N UA RY SUNDARA KARMA
Starting off with an album which was long over due, we’re kicking things off with Sundara Karma’s debut album, Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect. The title is a bit of a mouthful (but we secretly love it for its complexity). Deciding on a favourite track off this album is difficult. We managed to narrow it down to two tracks. ‘A Young Understanding’ and ‘She Said’. ‘A Young Understanding’ because it’s the first track on the album. It’s the first thing you hear when you hit play and for a debut album, the first track is pretty important. We said ‘either’ because the other track we cannot get enough of is ‘She Said’. It’s a great track and if you were lucky enough to catch the band on tour, opening for Two Door Cinema Club, or their own headline tour, you know what we mean when we say it’s a great live track. The next release we love, two days after Sundara Karma’s, is possibly one of our favourites for the year. Released on the 6th of January and reaching number one in the UK Independent chart, You Me At Six returned with their fifth studio album Night People. PAGE 15
Last year the band celebrated their tenth year playing Slam Dunk and next year the band are celebrating ten years since the release of their debut album Take Off Your Colours, which is making alot of people feel pretty old. However, when seeing this band live, whether its a new track or something from the debut, the crowd know it and love it all the same. Another returning favourite of ours is As It Is, who released their awaited second album Okay. We have been following this band for the last four years pretty closely. From their initial tours, the realise of their debut EP, debut album, their multiple support sets, coheadline tours and headline tours, our paths have a tendency to cross. Most recently we caught them on tour supporting State Champs beside ROAM on their headline UK tour. Creating the album, the band worked with producer Mike Green, who’s worked with the likes of All Time Low, Pierce the Veil and Paramore and pushed the idea “it’s okay to not be okay”, not only creating mental health awareness but allowing fans to connect on another level with the band and album.
Resembling an oil spill, Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes released their second studio album, The Modern Ruin, through the International Death Cult label on January 20th. It received mixed reviews but we love it. Yes, it’s heavy and points out humanities worst qualities in tracks like ‘Thunder’ but there’s some sort of balance restored with ‘Bluebelle’. Our favourite track however has to be the wonder that is “Wildflowers”. Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes are back and they’ve got us hooked. After You Me At Six’s return, nothing made us want the end of January more than the return of Deaf Havana. We became so used to the two year wait before a new Deaf Havana album, we were at breaking point when the three year mark passed. Not to worry however, they’re back. Old Souls is four years old. Fools and Worthless Liars is five. It was time for new Deaf Havana. At Reading and Leeds last year, they broke the silence and ended our suffering. A new album was coming. Reaching number 5 in the UK top 10, the bands latest album All These Countless Nights was released on January 27th. Tracks like ‘Trigger’, ‘Sing’ and even ‘St Pauls’ remind us of the older tracks like ‘Mildred’ and ‘22’. In their four year album absence, Deaf Havana have truly returned.
LIVE MUSIC In January there were two tours which really stood out for us. Firstly, the guys over at Seaway finally returned to the UK, with WSTR and The Gospel Youth for support. It’s been a while since we’ve went into a basement in the pursuit of live music but the gig was worth it. With stage dives, crowd surfing and mosh pits, what more could you want from a gig? The second tour, was when A Day To Remember came to the UK arenas and brought with them Moose Blood, Neck Deep and New Found Glory for support. This was Neck Deep’s last UK tour before heading to the US to work on their upcoming album whilst New Found Glory used the tour to kick off their 20 years since forming celebrations. The tour of course was for A Day To Remembers ‘Bad Vibes’, the bands fifth studio album released in September 2016. The tour consisted of confetti, mosh pits and a collection of brand new and really old songs being played loud in huge arenas across the country. Business as usual for A Day To Remember.
SEAWAY
PAGE 16
BACK TO THE FUTURE
FEBRUARY When Safe In Sound was announced we really didn’t know what to expect. Lower Than Atlantis are good at creating the unpredictable. If you liked the bands last self titled album, this possibly may be your next favourite. The next instalment in the bands discography brings to us a sound which is more Lower Than Atlantis than ever. If you ever need to describe or define this bands sound to anyone, hand them a copy of this album and just walk away. It has the rawness and emotion we’re used to but also includes the bands best attempts at pop-rock tracks. Ten years on since forming, this album is the way Lower Than Atlantis should be sounding- not scared to try new things and unapologetically loud.
February, for us, started off loud. Then Hippo Campus released their debut album and everything changed. Landmark is the perfect name for this long awaited album. We’re all scared of not wanting to grow old but Hippo Campus have managed to grow up, mature and yet keep hold of their youth. They haven’t traded their sound for maturity but instead have covered loss, love and grief with the same ‘just out of high school’ enthusiasm’ we heard on the bands previous EP’s. Our favourite track off this album has to be Boyish, because it reminds of the bands earlier release Suicide Saturday but shows the evolution of the bands sound. In a way they are impossible to hate. The album itself is the perfect summer record. It isn’t as delicate as the bands previous EP’s but its the sort of album you can have playing constantly and not get tired. You can turn it up loud when your on a summer road trip with friends or just blare it when your home alone (and annoy all your neighbours). Either way, its a joy to listen to.
LOWER THAN ATLANTIS
VANT’s debut album Dumb Blood comes up in a lot of our conversations. Describing the bands sound is a task and a half when you start to think of the other artists they are similar to. Whether you like Biffy Clyro, Spring King or The Bohicas, this album is for you in certain places. Don’t let tracks on the album like Karma Seeker or Peace and Love fool you - this band mean business. VANT aren’t for the feint hearted. Read the lyrics of The Answer or listen to the intro to their debut single Parasite, and you’ll understand what we mean. This album is a great listen, whether you’re moving on from Spring Kings debut from last year or want an album to be angry with; this is it. PAGE 17
Hippo Campus haven’t lost the sound we love, they’ve evolved it into something better.
LIVE MUSIC
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
From Two Door Cinema Club and Sundara Karma to The Wonder Years, our February gigs managed to highlight our somewhat weird music listening habits. Two Door Cinema Club are back! And to celebrate their long awaited return, they kicked off 2017 with a huge UK tour. Our love for this band is verging on obsessive but can you really blame us? (We did a huge run through of our favourite Two Door Cinema Club tracks on the next page, where we essentially reminisce over the last eight years and our adoration for this band.)
We managed to catch Sundara Karma live twice in the space of two weeks. Firstly supporting TDDC on tour and then they headed back out, alone this time on their own UK headline tour which had support from Will Joseph Cook and the Liverpool boys in The Night Cafe. A pop-punk gig in a student union isn’t a normal weekday night for us but it’s a night we’re not forgetting anytime soon. The Wonder Years not only brought their best loved tracks to British audiences but brought with them a collection of great live music, courtesy of Trash Boat, Tiny Moving Parts and Pup. PAGE 18
GAMESHOW IS THE FUTURE. Earlier this year, Two Door Cinema Club brought their huge new tour to the UK, not only playing brand new tracks off Gameshow but also playing our old favourites. Rather than talk about the latest album, we’re talking about all of them and our favourite Two Door tracks. Starting off with the EP no one seems to have heard of, ‘Four Words To Stand On’.
Moving on, we need to talk about the album that is Tourist History.
Not everyone is aware of its existence and a physical copy is a rarity but this EP is the very start of this band and is still well worth the listen.
If you’ve been listening to this band for the past seven years you’ll understand the sentiment this album holds. It’s seven years old! To say it makes us feel old is an understatement.
Favourite Tracks: Cigarettes In The Theatre + Undercover Martyn
Favourite Tracks: I Can Talk, You Are Not Stubborn + Something Good Can Work
Why: Cigarettes In The Theatre was the first track we had ever heard from Two Door Cinema Club. First, on the EP, it was the track that really drew us in. It is an old favourite but it’s still a great track nearly ten years on since its release.
Why: Try resisting not moving when these tracks play (it’s pretty difficult), especially when the chorus’s kicks in.
Undercover Martyn was the track we loved the most on this EP at its release. We played it non-stop for hours when the EP itself was just hours old. To this day it still means a lot to us. It’s the track we always go back to. PAGE 19
Something Good Can Work was the band’s debut single and still is a fan favourite two albums later. You Are Not Stubborn is a bit different and isn’t given the recognition it deserves. For us, it’s one of the standout tracks of this album, mainly because it isn’t like the rest.
Two years after their debut album, the band came back with an even bigger album, Beacon. Favourite tracks: Next Year, Sun, Settle + Sleep Alone Why: This was one of the first albums we had ever pre-ordered. From the initial announcement to it’s day of release we couldn’t stop thinking about this album and what it would sound like. Would the band’s sound change? Would it be as good as the debut? Would it be better? Would it go to number one? Will we love it? Of course, we loved it. We remember watching the band play live at T In The Park the year after its release and were in awe. As people who really love this band. this album went beyond all our previous expectations. Essentially we locked ourselves in our rooms for a week and played it from start to finish non-stop. Immediately it was downloaded onto our iPods (yes, it was that long ago) and annoyed our parents with 12 tracks for about a month.
Settle sounds incredible live. It’s difficult to explain but the experience is just something else. Where Next Year, Sun and Sleep Alone belong on the main stage at festivals, Settle belongs at gigs with thousands of people in one room. It brings people together and everyone, no matter who you are or what you think, bounces and it’s just something great to be part of. After Beacon, the band disappeared for a few years. Everything fell silent in the TDCC camp. Then, the long-awaited return of Two Door Cinema Club came in 2016, with Gameshow. In the year where everything bad seemed to be happening, the band came back with a slightly different sound and 10 tracks to prove the wait was worth it. It’s the album where the band’s sound has gone through its biggest change yet. Favourite Tracks: Are We Ready? (Wreck), Lavender + Ordinary Why: The track Are We Ready? (Wreck) is sentimental. It was our first glimmer of this album. >>
>>
It didn’t come as a shock to the system.
The track could be pulled from any of the previous releases. Its sound isn’t too different and some did initially think this new album would be the same as the previous releases. Oh, how they were wrong. Tracks like Lavender and Ordinary exist, where, for us, the bands newer style comes into its own. Dropping the more indie guitar driven sound, Ordinary and Lavender have a more toned down sound yet keeps the whole crowd moving. It’s the progression of the band’s sound. The boys at Two Door have grown up, their sound has grown up and developed into this slightly less indie, more pop subdued sound which still works for them. Even if they have grown up and found a slightly different sound, they’re the same three piece from Derry who self recorded their debut EP and have found themselves touring the world. PAGE 21
BACK TO THE FUTURE
MARCH An album came out earlier this year which literally changed our lives. Released on the 3rd of March and fronted by a red head, theis artists thire album brought us just over ten tracks which will have people singing all summer long. And we’re not talking about the album named after a maths symbol. We are of course talking about Mallory Knox’s third album ‘Wired’, which kind of blew us away. We at Social Sounds have a bit of a soft spot for Mallory Knox. They’ve had us obsessed since the ’Pilot EP‘ and their acoustic cover of Green Day’s ‘Good Riddance’ in 2012 had us sold. Our favourite tracks off this new album are ’California‘, ‘Come Back Around‘ (which just reminds us of ‘1949’ off the bands debut album ‘Signals’) and the albums lead single ‘Giving It Up‘.
PAGE 21
This band have never fail in coming through with a release. Every track, album and live date out does the last. If you want to find the future leaders of British rock music, your looking at strong contenders. Jumping from one favourite band to another, the guys over at Can’t Swim released their debut album ‘Fail You Again’. The five piece from New Jersey were signed by Pure Noise Records before playing a single live show and in February 2016, released their debut EP ‘Death Deserves A Name’. We’ve caught them live a couple of times including the times they supported Boston Manor and more recently Real Friends on their UK tour. As much as Can’t Swim are a great support band who are great at getting a crowd fired up, we think their own headline gigs would be next level..
MALLORY KNOX 2000 TREES 2016
CIRCA WAVES
Moving momentarily from the heavier stuff, we need to talk about Circa Waves new album. It’s called ’Different Creatures’ and was released on the 10th of March through Virgin Records. There are a lot of opinons about this album. Lots of people love it, some seem dissappointed and a few really don’t like it. It’s understandable - every release faces some criticism in one way or another. What we like about it, is the fact the band haven’t changed their sound to be more pop and less ‘indie’. They held their ground and didn’t let anyone push them away from the sound that made them the band we know them as now. This album is heavier than their debut, Young Chasers, and if anything it works better than the previous lighter sound. Watching them perform, you know they are still the same band who delivered their debut album just three years ago, with their huge track T-Shirt Weather, but you can see they’ve moved on and grown up.
Creeper as a band, have developed a huge, devoted fan base over the last few years and with them have created a huge community of devoted fans,. With such a fan base, the band were able to create a whole story with a plot relating to their previous and future releases, just after their set at Reading and Leeds last year. We we’re pretty confused with it all, as were most people, and so followed the weird posts and cryptic messages. The supposed disappearance of the band trended on social media for days, with every story development drawing more and more people in. After nearly three months, the band resurfaced and announced their debut album. Creeper are the only band we know who could pull off such a build up. The praise for this band is enormous and has been, it feels, since their formation. They’ve already played Download, Reading and Leeds, supported Funeral For A Friend and people are comparing them to My Chemical Romance. This band are going to be big.
Young Chasers is like a nostalgic memory where as Different Creatures is the more Eternity, In Your Arms was so hyped up and political, mature, ‘difficult second album’. by the time March came around, everyone Which in our opinion, this band have smashed. needed this album to be released. We said earlier we were momentarily moving away from the ‘heavier stuff’ because we are going back into wormhole of alternative rock music with this next album.
We won’t give anything away, other than advice: Go listen to this album. We want you to have a first listen with the suspense and curiosity we first did.
We are talking about Creepers debut album, Eternity, In Your Arms. PAGE 24
BACK TO THE FUTURE
LIVE MUSIC After all of their in-store performances and signings promoting their new album Different Creatures, Circa Waves headed out to play some of their biggest gigs to date across the UK as part of their UK/EU tour. We already had a huge love for this band At just days old, we were firmly in love with this album but nothing could make us emotionally ready to hear the tracks live. Playing older tracks alongside brand new singles was something pretty special to witness. We felt a sense of pride watching Circa Waves play to a room full of people and being part of the crowd who were singing every word back to them.
ALL TIME LOW
Later in the month, one night after the other in the same venue, we caught State Champs and Lower Than Atlantis on their huge UK spring tours. Not only was it great to see State Champs again and hear Lower Than Atlantis’ new album live for the first time, these tours were pretty special because each night boasted incredible support acts including ROAM, As It Is, Hands Like Houses and Young Guns.
AS IT IS
Later in the month, we saw All Time Low for the third time in three years and as usual, there was a lot of confetti. Every time we see this band we instantly feel like 13 year-olds again and hearing older tracks like Dear Maria and Weightless are an emotional reminder of why we love this band.
ALL TIME LOW
The bands new album Last Young Renegade is due on the 2nd of June – we can’t wait for it.
CIRCA WAVES
PAGE 25
BACK TO THE FUTURE
APRIL April finally brought us the debut album we have waited months in anticipation for Blaenavons debut album.
Written over five years, the album showcases who this band really are. It contains multiple genres and manages to still work as an album.
The album announcement felt like it would never come. On the 12th of January this year, the band finally announced their debut album That’s Your Lot was due to be released on the 7th of April. Along with the album announcement came a huge UK tour.
Don’t let the gorgeous cover art fool you into a sense of calm and peace. Big sweeping vocal pieces come to an end and the next track, full of guitars, causes havoc at gigs. ‘What you see is what you get’ doesn’t apply to this album, nor this band.
Sharing the name with the Welsh town Blaenavon, it didn’t take long for a gig to be scheduled there. It was never going to be your typical Blaenavon gig, mainly because they were accompanied by the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir.
Another album we could not wait for was DYGL debut album ‘Say Goodbye to Memory Den’.
The album itself is unfathomably delicate in places, with acoustic versions of the tracks showcasing the bands talent - swapping guitars for a piano and double bass. BLAENAVON
We’ll be pretty surprised if you’ve ever heard of DYGL (pronounced DayGlo). They’re an indie-rcok four piece from Tokyo who will change the way you think about international music. Forming in 2012, the band released their debut EP Don’t Know Where It is in 2016. They’ve already played at SXSW (South By South West) and their tracks feature in Spotify’s Tokyo Rising playlist. Released through Hard Enough Records, finding a physical copy of this album in the UK is a bit of a challenge but to hold a copy is worth all of the trouble. We’re hoping for a UK or a trip to Japan may be in order for us.
LIVE MUSIC There were a few huge tours in April that we still haven’t got over yet. Firstly, Blaenavon toured the UK to celebrate the release of That’s Your Lot, the band’s debut album. Within a few days, we were back in our favourite venue King Tuts, celebrating the release of another upcoming debut album this time it was with The Amazons.
COASTS
After postponing their tour late last year, Real Friends returned to the UK giving British fans the chance to sing along to their favourite tracks live with the ‘Illinois sad boys’. Our favourites in You Me At Six played some of their biggest UK gigs to date whilst The Hunna were back on tour with Coasts as support.
THE AMAZONS
YOU ME AT SIX
Rather than glossing over Coachella or gooing on about our love for Glastonbury, we’re talking about the festivals we actually want to go to, not just for its namesake. Where are we talking about? The places mosh pits are encouraged and crowd surfers are welcome. Where distressed denim and Vans have always been the only thing to wear and a sea of band merch and check shirts are the only thing you see. We might not have Vans Warped Tour, but we’re British, we don’t need it. Especially when we’ve got the likes of Slam Dunk, 2000 Trees and Download.
FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON MANOR
One of our favourite line up’s, year after year, always belongs to Slam Dunk. The three day festival in May celebrates the best pop punk and rock music in not only the UK but from around the world. This years festival will come with mixed emotions. Enter Shikari who are closing the main stage each night with their headline set, celebrating ten years since the release of their debut album ‘Take To The Skies’. Whilst We Are The Ocean are playing the festival for one last time as they announced their break up and played their farewell shows earlier this year. There will be tears. Deaf Havana are back, bringing a collection of new and some very old tracks, One of our favourite songs of 2013 was Mildred (Lost A Friend). Don’t ask us to explain it, we don’t know why but we just loved it. It’s been four years since the release and hopefully our wait will be over. Hopefully, we have waited all this time to hear the track we used to love so much at the festival we now adore. PAGE 31
Playing alongside Enter Shikari, We Are The Ocean and Deaf Havana are the likes of Beartooth and Don Broco. Besides crying our eyes out at We Are The Ocean and Deaf Havana, the stages we will be spending most of our time at are the Monster Energy Stage and The Key Club mainly because we love everyone playing them. Why Monster Energy’s stage? Because WSTR, Neck Deep, We The Kings, Cute Is What We Aim For, The Maine, Like Pacific and Trophy Eyes are playing. Do we really need to say anything more? We’ve already mentioned the Key Club stage so lets talk about it. Every band playing on this stage we have seen before at least once, which is a bit scary for us but impressive at the same time. The line up features our favourite Australians Tonight Alive and With Confidence. Set It Off are going to be there alongside Waterparks, Fort Hope, Black Foxxes, Decade, Boston Manor and even the boys in Seaway coming back over to the UK from Canada.
There is a real mixture of bands at different points in their careers playing on this stage especially. Tonight Alive have released their third album. Seaway have released their second, Boston Manor, With Confidence and Black Foxxes all released their debut albums last year while Fort Hope’s debut is due this summer. WITH CONFIDENCE
Already two of the festivals dates have completely sold out with the last closing in on the sell out status. There is no Scottish date this year but with a line up as good as, its a line up you do not want to miss. Slam Dunk takes place between Saturday 27th of May and Monday 28th of May. Saturday 27th May Midlands – Birmigham NEC
Rock Sound this year again have their stage, dedicated to showcasing the best upcoming music from the likes of Turnover, Milk Teeth, Sorority Noise, Casey, Homebound and The Gospel Youth (who have literally just announced their debut album ‘Always Loose’ which is coming out on July 14th.)
Sunday 28th May North – Leeds City Center - SOLD OUT Monday 29th May South – Hatfield Forum - SOLD OUT
WSTR
FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
DOWNLOAD This years Download line up is possibly one of best yet. Turning 15 next year, Download once again boasts a huge line up, which is possibly better than last year which included the likes of Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes, Neck Deep, Twin Atlantic, All Time Low, Puppy, Against The Current, Bury Tomorrow and Fort Hope. So who’s playing at Download 2017? Biffy Clyro, Pierce The Veil, A Day To Remember, Creeper, Sleeping With Sirens, ROAM, Simple Plan, Youth Blood, Dead!, As It Is, State Champs, Wallflower, Trash Boat, The LaFontines, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Sum 41, Basement, Of Mice And Men, Four Year Strong, Crown The Empire, Casey, Junior, Knuckle Puck...the list goes on and on.
FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES DOWNLOAD 2016 // PHOTO BY BEN GIBSON
Why do we love the Download line up so much? Here’s five reasons why: 1. Biffy Clyro are headlining the main stage. Nothing more needs to be said. 2. Lots of smaller bands are getting a chance to play the big stages. 3. Sleeping With Sirens, State Champs, Four Year Strong, Pierce The Veil and Of Mice and Men are at Download, bring the UK close to the Warped Tour line up we all dream of. 4. BRAND NEW MUSIC. Who doesn’t have new music out who is playing? Everyone has some new track to show off. 5. Download doesn’t have Eminem headlining.
2000 TREES
TWIN ATLANTIC 2000 TREES 2016
With the festival turning just 10 years old, the people at 2000 Trees have spent no time in discovering the secret to creating perfect lineups. 2000 Trees for us leads the way in celebrating the world of alternative music. For a decade, it’s been up there with some of the countries biggest festivals. It may be younger than Download and doesn’t have the history of Reading + Leeds but every year the award-winning festival announces a line up challenging it’s much larger rivals. Boasting previous line-ups including Twin Atlantic, Frightened Rabbit, The Xcerts, Wolf Alice, George Ezra, Kids In Glass Houses, Canterbury, Mystery Jets, Funeral For A Friend and even Frank Turner at the very first 2000 Trees, the festival is always a summer highlight. What’s special about 2000 Trees is anything goes. Whether you are a stadium sell out or just a small band trying to cut their teeth in the industry, a huge crowd is there and waiting to see what you’re like.
There never is a controversy over a certain act headling or a type of music not fitting in because the people at the festival nail their line up every time. It’s a festival where music is celebrated and valued. People don’t turn up for a namesake or to show off their ‘festival fashion’. It’s a festival for devoted music lovers curated by people who really know what they’re talking about when it comes to music. This year’s lineup is huge, including some of our favourites in Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, ROAM, The Wonder Years, Honey Blood, The Menzingers, Tall Ships, Decade, Get Inuit, Wallflower, Spring King, Gnarwolves, Milk Teeth and Puppy. No lineup this summer is complete without some old favourites returning with brand new music and 2000 Trees is no different with their line up including Young Guns, Mallory Knox, Deaf Havana, Lower Than Atlantis and Nothing But Thieves. Whether you missed any of the acts on tour earlier this year or just wanted to catch up again, 2000 Trees is one of the best live experiences you’ll go to this year. PAGE 34
BOARDMASTERS WHEN: 9th - 13th of August WHERE: Cornwall WHO’S PLAYING: Two Door Cinema Club, Alt-J, Jake Bugg, Wild Beasts, The Vaccines, Frank Turner, The Amazons, Ten Tonnes, Will Joseph Cook and Slaves.
GLASTONBURY WHEN: 21ST -25TH June WHERE: Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset WHO’S PLAYING: Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Royal Blood, Biffy Clyro, Warpaint, George Ezra, Glass Animals, Kaiser Chiefs, Declan McKenna, Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes, Courteeners, Warpaint, Haim, First Aid Kit, Alt- J and Circa Waves.
Y NOT WHEN: 27th - 30th July WHERE: Pikehall, Derbyshire WHO’S PLAYING: The Vaccines, Nothing But Thieves, Two Door Cinema Club, Deaf Havana, The Hunna, Declan McKenna, Frank Turner, Twin Atlantic, Oddity Road and Asylums.
TRNSMT WHEN: 7th - 9th of July WHERE: Glasgow Green, Glasgow WHO’S PLAYING: Catifsh and The Bottlemen, Kasabian, The Amazons, Biffy Clyro, Two Door Cinema Club, Declan McKenna, Clean Cut Kid, The LaFontines, Vistas, The Vegan Leather, Sundara Karma Fickle Friends and The Van T’s. FOALS READING 2016 //PHOTO BY SAM NEIL
WHERE’S T IN THE PARK? At the end of last year, T In The Park made the decision not to hold the annual festival in 2017. Even now, the news is a bit of a shock to some people. Not everyone was aware of the announcement and we do sort of take it for granted that the festival happens every year. After the recent events which have occurred at the festival, it only seemed right for the festival to be put off for 2017, giving the team time to assess and fix things out. As people who attend festivals we know what its like, the nerves and excitement (especially if its your first festival) and you want to feel safe in an environment which is friendly and has a good atmosphere about it. Taking T In The Park out of 2017’s festival lists was a big decision but it does seem worth it. We won’t be seeing any performances from Strathallan this year, nor will we get to see this years sunset over main stage but if a year or two out makes the festival better, we’re all for it. However, we aren’t missing out completely. It wouldn’t be summer without a music festival and whilst in a different location, TRNSMT festival is being held in Glasgow over the T In The Park weekend as a sort of replacement festival. There isn’t the oppertunity to camp at the festival and it isn’t on the same scale as T In The Park but it isn’t supposed to be TITP in a new location. It’s an inner city festival bringing some of the biggest names in music to the country for one weekend. With a line up including Radiohead, Kasabian, Biffy Clyro, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Two Door Cinema Club, The Kooks, Twin Atlantic, Blossoms and George Ezra, is it really fair to complain about not being able to pitch a tent and stay the night?
DOT TO DOT
COMMUNITY
WHEN: 26th - 28th of May
WHEN: 1st of July
WHERE: Manchester - Friday 26th of May Bristol - Saturday 27th of May Nottingham - Sunday 28th of May
WHERE: Finsbury Park, London
WHO’S PLAYING:
Catifsh and The Bottlemen, The Wombats, Nothing But Thieves, Redfaces, The Hunna, Fickle Friends and Nothing But Thieves.
Sundara Karma, Amber Run, Honey Blood, The Big Moon, FREAK, The Night Cafe, Ten Tonnes, Redfaces and JAKL.
WHO’S PLAYING:
KENDAL CALLING
READING + LEEDS
WHEN: 27th - 30th of July
WHEN: 25th - 27th of August
WHERE: Lowther Deer Park, Cumbria
WHERE: Richfield Avenue, Reading Bramham Park, Leeds
WHO’S PLAYING: WHO’S PLAYING: Stereophonics, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Frightened Rabbit, Circa Waves , Nothing But Thieves, Little Comets , The Hunna, Fickle Friends, The Vegan Leather, The Ninth Wave, Neon Waltz, NOAH NOAH, Indigo Velvet, Dancing On Tables and The Indigo Project.
FOALS // READING AND LEEDS 2016 PHOTO BY SAM NEIL
The Amazons, Bear’s Den, Blossoms, Moose Blood, Circa Waves, Mallory Knox, Marmozets, Glass Animals, Everything Everything, You Me At Six, PVRIS, Sundara Karma, Against The Current, The Sherlocks, Bastille, Kasabian, Muse, Rat Boy and Two Door Cinema Club.
END NOTE Social Sounds was originally created as part of a university project. We were given the opportunity to create a full media project and we chose to create Social Sounds in collaboration with Shybutlovesmusic. During this project, we had the chance to work with a group of amazing people – from interviewees and photographers to those who gave us their thoughts, opinions and help throughout. Genuinely, we could not have created an issue such as this on our own and we are genuinely thankful to you all. (You know who you all are.) We want to say a special thanks to the people in Bottle Note and Rylands Heath for their time and for agreeing to be our first interviewees. Also, a huge thank you to those who’s images we used in this issue; Sam Neill’s photo of Foals at Reading and Leeds last year, Ben Gibson’s ‘Frank Carter And The Rattlesnake’ images from Download 2016, the images of ‘Fort Hope’ at Download from Kennerdeigh Scott, Adam Elmakias’ images of All Time Low at Download last year and the people at 2000 Tree’s who gave us access to their collection of images from last year’s festival. All images which aren’t credited are our own images. Our aim for this project was to create a publication which isn’t like other publications. We abandoned formatting rules alongside the journalism codes most writers follow. We wanted to combine the online world of blogging with the more physical design aspects publications have. Combining both aspects, we created this magazine. All opinions expressed in this issue are the personal opinions of those in the team.
BLAENAVON
ALTHOUGH THIS IS THE END OF OUR FIRST ISSUE, THIS ISN’T THE END. THIS IS JUST THE START.
Got a track you think we should listen to, an idea for a future feature or do you want to help write our next issue? Contact us socialsoundsmagazine@gmail.com