SONIC SHOCKS Issue 20 - January 2014

Issue 20 - January 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

January 2014

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Page 3: BLACKBERRY SMOKE Interview by Cristina Massei

P. 14: TBFM ONLINE: 16 GUNS SPECIAL

by Reverend Eddi

P. 5: THE RIFLES Interview and photos Cristina Massei

P. 15: AT THE MOVIES

By MatthewTilt Big Trouble in Little China, Frances Ha, Tenebrae

P. 7: CASTLES - THE TRUTH SHALL BE FREE Interview by Matt Dawson P. 8: SISTER - SLEAZE ON Interview by Matt Dawson P. 10: DEW SCENTED Interview by Sophia Disgrace Page 11: THE POWER OF MONTE PITMAN Interview by Matt Dawson Page 13: THE GOLDEN AGE OF BURLESQUE

by Sophia Disgrace The Blues & Burlesque Extravaganza, The Double R Club, Burlesque!, www.pinupgirlclothing.com

P. 16: THE ART CORNER

By James Wootton Tempo 33, Ben Eine P. 18: SONIC SHOCKS’ BEST OF 2013

by Cristina Massei P. 19: 2013 BEST ALBUMS

by Matt Dawson P. 21: 2013 BEST MOVIES

by Matthew Tilt P. 22: 2013 BEST EVENTS

by Nelly Loriaux P. 24: 2013 BEST GIGS

by Cristina Massei PLEASE NOTE: We listen to everything but - in your own interest - we don’t always review it...

EDITORIAL TEAM:

CONTRIBUTORS (this issue):

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Cristina Massei MUSIC EDITOR: Matt Dawson MOVIES & TV EDITOR: Matthew Tilt EVENTS & NIGHTLIFE: Nelly Loriaux US CORRESPONDENT: Denise Britt BURLESQUE: Sophia Disgrace

WRITERS: James Wootton, The Reverend Eddi PHOTOGRAPHERS: Cristina Massei, Nelly Loriaux

CONTACTS: Email info@sonicshocks.com for general enquiries and advertising@ sonicshocks.com if you need information on advertising with us.

Refer to the contacts page on www. sonicshocks.com before sending unsolicited material and make sure to direct to the right person.

January 2014

Blackberry Smoke’s first UK show was a quickly sold out affair that shook a quiet mid-week North London evening.

If you follow the US music scene and/or you are well into your Southern Rock, the success of their gig must not have come as a surprise; but if you stick to UK charts and magazines, chance is you’re new to their blues infused swagger. Well, get ready because the time has come for Blackberry Smoke to cross the pond; after feeling the warm waters of our audience, they’re looking forward to a proper dip with a full tour in 2014. Hear it all from frontman Charlie Starr…

How did the Barfly show go?

It was great, a really hot and sweaty club show!

What did you think of the British audience?

It was just fantastic! Very excited, I think they knew what to expect [and] by saying that I mean there were a lot of people that we’ve seen before on the cruises with Lynyrd Skynyrd so there were several familiar faces.

You’ve played with Skynyrd on a cruise?

Every year they host a cruise that floats down to the Caribbean, the Bahamas and sometimes ports in Mexico but it’s an annual event and that’s how we made our first European fans, we’ve done it for 7 years and it’s been really good, it was cool to come out here and see people that we actually knew by their first name!

Why did you wait this long?

Well we’re so busy – we tour constantly in the States and we barely have any downtime at home. We’ve come over to Europe 3 times and it was a little bit complicated each time with promoters that we worked with, tour managers and whatnot. We did France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and

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Belgium, they said it was going to be a little more difficult to get us here.

We’ve been wanting to come and play the UK for so long.

I bet! The Barfly show sold out in 12 minutes!

That’s fabulous!

Did you expect that?

Not at all! [laughs] Did you go back to the promoter and say ‘It wasn’t THAT difficult!’?

That’s what we should have said – ‘told you so’. We have a very ‘told you so’ attitude about a lot of things, there are a lot of nay-sayers in this business and we just have to continue to prove ourselves.

You guys have been together for 10 years…

Going on 13 actually.

13 then and you made it via word of mouth and your great live performances.

When we formed we started to tour immediately and as a young band back in 2001 or so we learned how to do that pretty quickly – just hit the road and stay on it. It’s completely grassroots, taking the music to the people.

So it’s still possible to genuinely reach this kind of success just by having talent and being out there rather than talent shows.

Yeah, I definitely think so, it takes dedication and time which we had a double

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dose of. We were willing to sacrifice – I know it’s a little heavy to say our lives –but really to turn loose roots at home and say ‘OK, this is what we’re going to do – travel and we’re going to play our music to as many people around the country and the world as possible’.

We had to do that because when we started the band we didn’t really have anybody standing behind us going ‘OK, we’re going to make you guys stars!’

If you could go back would you still go the long route?

I would do it exactly the same way because we’re a band and all the time spent travelling and playing the music together reinforced our bond as a band. We see people – artists- in the united States that are constantly changing band members, a lot of that would be the singular artists – a guy and his ‘band’ but there just aren’t many bands anymore in the States that are just dedicated to one another and seeing it through.

If you do that it means you get better and learn to play together , the strengths and weaknesses of everybody in the band and it just becomes second nature.

So with all this time spent together how are your relationships outside of the band?

Well we all have families and that’s great, our wives and children know that we travel, it’d be no different if we were in the military – I don’t want to sound like Tom Cruise saying that – being in a band is NOT like being in the military! [Editor’s note – Tom Cruise recently was reported as comparing being in the military in Afghanistan to making a movie.] We’re travelling salesman really but they know that when we do come home we make the most of that time and I personally know you have to leave the band ‘on the road’! [laughs] Your families are your biggest fans as well!

Absolutely yeah! They stick with us through thick and thin, they’re supporters for sure.

Are they going to travel with you when you come back to Europe?

I don’t know. I’ll have a brand new baby by the time we come back so my wife

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and son will stay home and stay cosy.

Now, for those that don’t know of you yet – you mix a lot of different influences and elements in your music. What’s the recipe for Blackberry Smoke?

It’s hard to pin down. We all like a lot of similar things whether it be the Southern rock bands like the Allman Brothers but we also love the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, and Aerosmith – the stuff that we grew up on, the soundtrack to our youth but then I come with a big dose of bluegrass and traditional country music. Brandon [Still] loves jazz. Everybody brings a little something different into the band, we have common ground but there’s a lot of varied influence as well so we don’t have a formula.

When we’re putting together new songs for an album there’s no ‘this song HAS to sound like this’ or it has to be influenced by this genre, it’s all chemistry.

Let’s talk about this album: The Whippoorwill which has been out in the US since 2012 and coming out over here in the UK next February – is there any bonuses for those in the UK and Europe?

There will be 3 bonus tracks, they were outtakes from the album and since it’s coming out so much later than in the US – I don’t want to say it’s an old album to us but it is a little bit – we wanted to make it a little more fresh for ourselves and our fans in the UK so we added 3 bonus tracks to make it different.

Obviously you played tracks from that last night…

We played songs from all 3 albums.

How was the British audience’s reaction? Did they react to the same songs that a US crowd would?

Yes and no. There was a lot of singing along to the same songs that they do in the US but there were requests from the front row for a lot of various songs from all our albums which I was very

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der now. Different coloured vinyl, in the US it had to be on 2 records due to it having 13 songs on it so when it was pressed to vinyl we made our first double album!

Now since this album was done in 2012 are you working on the next one?

Yeah, the songs are written and we’ve been playing a few of them live already and testing the water with them at our shows – we didn’t play any new ones at the Barfly but we will when we come back in February/March. That’s a great thing to do – it’s sort of an adventure to throw a brand new one out that people haven’t heard before – some audiences in the US may not want to hear something they’ve never heard before which is a little frustrating at times but there are a great many that do appreciate but the European audience is more apt to listen and appreciate something they’re not familiar with.

So with this new album do you think there’s a chance it could be out everywhere at the same time?

I hope so, that would be very advantageous and would cause less confusion [laughs] but we do have fans that once they saw the pre-sale for the UK release for the Whippoorwill they were furious but it’ll all work out in the wash I guess!

Any date in regards to the new album’s release?

We still have to record it but we did The Whippoorwill in 5 days so we just have to find a 5 day window of time.

How is working with Earache – given the label is more known for its metal origins until recently?

They’re fantastic, they have great ideas and are very supportive. The work they’ve accomplished is very impressive, they’re here to get the work done and we love that. Our label in the US is great as well but previous to that we just worked alone for so long and it’s an honour to see a group of people excited about our music here.

We just can’t wait to play for all our fans every night, that’s why we’re here and that’s why we’ll stay. happy to hear. We had a curfew so we played close to 2 hours and tried to play as many as possible.

If someone wanted to find the other 2 albums where can we find them?

On our website blackberrysmoke.com Is the new album being released on vinyl?

It’s pressed and ready to go – Earache has done a great job with some vinyl bundles that are available for pre-or-

Do you after all this time still connect with fans whether it’s through social media or meeting with them after the show?

Yeah, we’ve always done that and I think we always will. We’re a ‘fans band’ because we’ve seen so many travel so far to see us play a show, that makes us appreciate them so much more, we would be assholes if we didn’t accommodate them to keep them as happy as possible!

Did you ever think when you started

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the band that you’d get this far?

I don’t think so. With each goal that we reach I’m surprised every day at what we’re able to accomplish and what feels so great is we’ve done it through working hard and sticking with it..

Any recent event or situation that even after all this time got you emotional?

I guess there are several – working with George Jones, I never thought I’d

get to sing with the greatest country singer that ever lived, playing Madison Square Garden – that was huge. Sometimes I have to stand back, take myself out of the equation and look at it all – it creates goose bumps from time to time.

If your kids said they wanted to be musicians would you support that?

I’d support that but I’d rather they’d be a doctor or an architect! [laughs] Finally to all those that don’t know you and are reading this interviewwhy should they get tickets to next year’s shows?

I think that seeing us live is the best way to experience our music. Seeing a band perform their music live answers all the questions you may have! We just can’t wait to play for all our fans every night, that’s why we’re here and that’s why we’ll stay.

Blackberry Smoke will be back in the UK for the following dates: Fri 28th Feb - GLASGOW King Tuts Sat 1st Mar - NOTTINGHAM Bodega Sun 2nd Mar - MANCHESTER Academy 3 Mon 3rd Mar - LONDON O2 Islington Ac. Wed 5th Mar - WOLVERHAMPTON Slade Rooms Get your tickets here while you still can: http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Blackberry-Smoke-tickets/artist/1043636#!

January 2014

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Ten years ago, The Rifles played their first gig at Kentish Town’s legendary live hotspot Bull & Gate; with the glorious pub now shut and boarded up, the band gives their followers a sold out show at the nearly HMV Forum, an upgrade they only owe to hard work, great tunes and good old word of mouth. Their fourth full length ‘None The Wiser’ is out 20th of January, and if your pockets are empty after the Christmas shenanigans make sure you get a copy on your next payday, together with a ticket to their upcoming UK tour.

We had the chance to ask a few questions to The Rifles’ frontman Joel Stoker after the show, here’s what he had to say…

Hi Joel! So, are you recovering from this last tour? Any funny story you’d like to share with us?

The tour went really well and didn’t take too long to recover from. Not really any madness this time round which I can think of, maybe we’re getting old and boring.

‘None The Wiser’: is that how you guys feel after over 10 years in this business?

I suppose a little bit, but we’re very lucky to have the fans we have got as there are many “hyped” bands who are now nowhere to be seen, so we must be doing something right.

You resumed your original line up for this record, how was working with Grant and Rob again?

It just felt totally normal from the first rehearsal back and i think the little break has revived us all.

How was the song writing process? Has it changed at all since ‘No Love Lost’?

There’s never really one set way of writing a song, so

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whichever way gets the desired effect, whether it be a jam all together our an acoustic song brought in to the practise room, it doesn’t really matter as long as there’s a song at the end of it.

You guys have always been averse to overproducing and I hear you’ve been trying to keep this album as well as real as possible; is it something difficult to obtain these days, and how did you manage?

I wouldn’t say we’re opposed to a bit of production but we always try and get the basic elements down live altogether to keep that feeling in the songs.

Your lyrics have always been very down to earth, is it still the case with ‘None The Wiser’? Can you give us a couple of examples?

I always try and write songs that tell a story and how i would say them so maybe that’s why they come across like that? An everyday line from ‘Heebie Heebies’ would be “I get a call from tel and I don’t know the brother he said we met last night about ten to three and put the world to writes in a minute on an empty street” Two songs, ‘Minute Mile’ and ‘Heebies Jeebies’ are already available online, do you feel they’re a good representation of the album?

I would say the sound of the album gets a bit more mature as it goes along but these two are a good representation of the more upbeat ones.

You launch a Pledge campaign back in 2012 to fund ‘None The Wiser’, did you reach your goal what was the package with the highest price tag?

Yes we exceeded our goal, I’m not sure what the highest price tag was but they all helped massively.

Would you – or are you planning to – use Pledge or a similar crowd funding system again in the future?

I would say yes as it works really well and gives the fans a great opportunity to be a part of making the album with us.

Thinking of your very first gig at the Bull & Gate, how was it playing next door at the

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Forum the other night, and how do you feel about the Bull & Gate being recently shut down?

It’s a massive shame that these little venues have to close as they’ve got so much history. We’ve played the Forum a few times now and every time has been great.

‘Heebies Jeebies’ was your choice of opener, shortly followed by your first big success ‘Local Boy’; do you find your fan base tend to reserve the same enthusiasm to old and new material?

It takes a little while for the new ones to catch hold but they all seem to eventually.

Even four albums along the line, after moving from Bull & Gate to the Forum, The Rifles’ fans seem to multiply by word of mouth rather than by publicity of any sort. Is this a conscious decision and are you still happy with it?

I believe that’s why we have such a strong fan base as everyone finds out and decides they like the music for themselves without it being rammed down there neck.

And still on the horrible commercial side of things, isn’t it bad to release an album right after Christmas when everyone’s skint?

It was the soonest we could get it out so it was important to us that everyone could get their hands on it as soon as possible So, I hear the Boogaloo Christmas shows – all three of them! – are sold out again. Will you ever stop doing those, and most of all, any chance of more dates being added?

No, I think 3’s enough and that’s what makes them so special.

Can we expect to see you touring again after the album release and are you planning on playing outside the UK? We have a tour for April/May pencilled in for the UK and Europe. (dates below) It was reported that you had to cut your Italian tour short in 2009 because of trouble with the Mafia! Can you tell me more about that?

I can’t mention any names for fear of being shot.

With The Jam being one of your biggest influences, does the song ‘Eton Rifles’ have anything to do with your choice of name?

Not at all, when I came up with the name Luke and I were doing tunes at home that sounded nothing like The Jam, but we have many influences from all different kinds of music but melody is always king for me.

In today’s overcrowded scene where every kid with a computer is a musician, can you help us spotting some new bands we should keep an eye on?

The Mono Polys are a band we’ve been touring with us and I’ve also done a bit of recording for them.

To all those who haven’t been touched by The Rifles yet, why should they get ‘None The Wiser’ and come to your shows?

I think even if you didn’t like the songs although i can’t think why?? You would still end up having a good time at one of our gigs.

What’s the best place to find out more about The Rifles?

Well, I guess we’d better give our readers the dates then!

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April 28 Cardiff, The Globe 29 Exeter, The Phoenix 30 Southampton, The Brook May 1 Norwich, Waterfront 2 London, Shepherds Bush Empire 3 Brighton, Brighton Racecourse, Modfest 4 Manchester, The Ritz 6 Glasgow, Oran Mor 8 Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms 9 Cambridge, Junction 2 10 Leamington, The Assembly 2 13 Germany, Munich, Ampere 14 Germany, Mannheim, Alte Seillere 15 Germany, Dusseldorf, Zakk 17 Germany, Dresden, Beatpoet 18 Germany, Berlin, Privatclub 19 Germany, Saarbrucken, Garage 20 Germany, Aschaffenburg, Colossal 21 Germany, Munster, Gleis 22 23 Holland, Amsterdam, Bitterzoet

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with the drums. Bertrand is obsessed with never playing the same signature rhythm twice on a record and over-analysing everything he writes, which results in rhythmical efficiency and originality. He’s also obsessed with Mario Kart.

Lyrically, Castles is about whatever I feel like shouting about.

The songs on the new record cover an eclectic plethora of topics.

As a Belgian resident – which bands would you say are ones to look out for from there?

There are lots of good bands from Belgium. Here are 10 that I like a lot, in no particular order. There are many more.

The Truth shall be free Fresh from releasing Fiction or Truth castles vocalist Edward Godby about working with Kurt Ballou once more, the Belgian music scene and how he sees the future of the industry itself.

Given the success of previous work what was your thoughts before going into the studio to record Fiction or Truth?

Our thoughts were pretty clear, we knew exactly what we had to do. We were well rehearsed, the record had already been demoed and Jérôme had plenty of Xanax for the flight.

How did it feel working with Kurt Ballou? Working with him must have been one to cross off the ambitions list…

Well, it’s the 4th record that I’ve performed on that has been recorded by Kurt, so it’s becoming a bit of habit. Of course, he’s a good man with a fine ear, a decent set of hands and an impressive collection of microphones. What more could you want? To be fair, this record is pretty special to me on a personal level - never before have I had so much freedom and control over compositions. That’s the beauty of being in a trio - there are fewer contradicting ideas flying around.

I’m not keen on other guitar players and their ideas.

For those that have yet to discover Castles, give a good description of what you think the music represents.

The music of Castles is based around heavy, downtuned guitars, yet the riffs have pop hooks and tons of interesting melodies. The vocals are aggressive, but there’s control, melody and harmony. All the singing is articulated and the words are always audible. The rhythm section is super tight - they work hard on playing together as a unit. Three instruments is intrinsically limited, so bass lines rarely mirror the guitar parts, they always offer harmonies and they invariably compliment and lock-in

Terraformer Daggers Mont Doré Augures Raketkanon Oathbreaker Facewreck Blind to Faith Severe Siamese Queens What are the plans when it comes to UK dates?

We have a 7 date UK tour coming up in March 2014. dates will be announced shortly.

Given you’ve used Bandcamp to recently do a ‘pay what you want’ offer – what are your thoughts on services like it and even the idea of Pledge Music/Kickstarter?

I think Bandcamp is great and we’re taking advantage of the ‘donation’ download system to promote the new record. It won’t be available for nothing forever, only until 01/01/14.

Kickstarter campaigns are great too, especially for bands that have a decent-sized, loyal fanbase. I think that if you decide to self-release something and you have enough people willing to invest in the idea of the release, it’s the veritable proof that what you’re doing has value, not just on a personal but on a public level. Getting people to actually care about your music (or any art for that matter) is a real achievement.

As we reach the end of 2013 – firstly what were your favourite records and other media from 2013 and secondly what are your thoughts of the state of punk/metal as we

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head into 2014?

Wow. OK. There have been quite a few great records in 2013, across a whole load of scenes and genres that interest me.

In terms of ‘other’ media I’d have to say that (predictably) Breaking Bad blew us all away.

‘Punk’ and ‘metal’ have both become so diluted, that I think they’re hard to analyse. What is punk, in 2013? And metal? Metal has become a parody of a parody of a parody.

Such posturing and posing, and so little originality. I think we’re faced with a generation of insanely proficient musicians that lack soul, and the ability to break away from the rigid musical blueprints provided by the bands that influence them. All that said, there are some truly remarkable metal bands around right now, that embrace everything that punk should be about. Or are they punk bands that embrace the musicality of metal? I’ve confused myself.

Records-wise, I decided to ask our bass-player, Jerry, because he is a truly dedicated record collector and a man with genuinely eclectic taste that is in no way affected or influenced by a fad or trend. He’s a real music lover. Here’s his list: Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin Poliça - Shulamith Oathbreaker - Eros/Anteros Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe The National - Trouble Will Find Me Mogwaï - Les Revenants Arcade Fire - Reflektor Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away Mont-Doré - Escalades 69 Days Of Static - Wild Lights Finally – when it comes to books: fiction or truth?

I like an autobiography or a travelogue or a manual as much as anyone, but come on, where reading’s concerned, literary fiction is king. You don’t see sporting stories in the Man Booker Prize nominations, do you?

Listen to some Castles here: therealcastles.bandcamp.com

As their new album ‘Disguised Vultures’ gears up for release on the 21st January, Matt Dawson talks to vocalist Jamie on why a live show is ‘total chaos’, touring with Wednesday 13, why Crashdiet deserve a big break in 2014 and how GG Allin’s an influence (to a point).

Firstly for those that are still yet to discover Sister – describe what they can expect from a live show…

Total chaos! When we hit the stage we just lose our minds, run all over the stage and bang our heads off, we always give 100%.The size of the stage or how big the audience is doesn’t matter at all. On every gig I want to give the crowd an experience and I want them to feel like they are a part of the show.

How did it feel to play the UK again recently once more with Wednesday 13?

It felt just perfect and right in time for us to come back once again! To tour with W13 is awesome, they are really nice guys to be on tour with and their crew is as well. England has actually become one of my favourite countries nowadays, it’s quite similar to Sweden but the liquor and the food is cheaper!

With Disguised Vultures what was your mindset before heading into the studio?

To make a raw and filthy punk album.. I’m really sick and tired of all the over produced music that keeps coming out, It seems like many bands wants to have that clean, polished, computer stiff, modern sound on their albums which is difficult to perform live. Take a look at the first Kiss records for example, the records sounds ALIVE, real and true but

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Sleaze On

when they stepped on stage the sound just blew your ears out. That’s the way I want it to be.

How was it working with Martin Sweet and Linus Nirbrant?

We’ve been working with Martin since 2006 so we’ve known each other for a long time and it’s always very easy to work with him. He really knows what he’s doing and he’s a great producer to work with! The Disguised Vultures album is live recorded and I think that both Martin and Linus really succeed to mix it that way and catch that dirty and raw punk n roll sound that we wanted.

I would describe us like a darker punk version of Twisted Sister vs. GG Allin with hair and no shit on stage.

Now given the punk/glam crossover feeling I’m getting from listening to the album – what would you say were the biggest influences when making the album?

The biggest challenge was to make a better and more variable

album then our first one “HATED”.. I don’t really have specific influences involved, We just write and it comes natural. In Sister we listen and gets inspired from all kind of music, maybe that’s why people can’t put us in a specific genre. I would describe us like a darker punk version of Twisted Sister vs. GG Allin with hair and no shit on stage.

What would you say is the strongest/favourite song on the album for you?

I’m like them all but if I have to choose I’ll say Sick. The song, video and lyrics really show what Sister is all about and where we stand today.

As we begin 2014 which bands (aside from yourselves) do you think will make it big?

There are so many great bands out there so it’s hard to say. Hopefully our friends in Crashdiet and Sister Sin. What are the plans in regards to touring the UK/Europe once again?

Our plan is to tour the shit out of UK and Europe after the summer (maybe earlier) and just play as many festivals as possible all over Europe.. We have been touring in Europe for 3 months this year and hopefully we’ll tour more next year! Promise that we will be back ASAP!

January 2014

I grabbed a drink with Dew-Scented vocalist Leif, ahead of their highly anticipated London gig. Leif was friendly, thoughtful and well, a jolly nice chap....

So how’s the tour been so far? Any highlights in particular for you?

Paris was good - really intense audience wise, the whole tours been a blast! We are so happy to be touring with a band like Death Angel as well, they are really nice people and we are real fans of their music, we grew up listening to them.

We are also very happy to be back playing in the UK as it’s been a good few years since we were here last.

I’ve noted that all your album titles start with the letter ‘I’ - are there any other Dew-Scented ‘quirks’ you’d like to divulge?

There’s a couple of things that could be seen as unusual I guess: our name – Dew-Scented – isn’t typical for the scene. I remember it from my teens, I came across this word and it just stuck in my head. We only intended the whole ‘I’ thing to be used on a couple of albums, but it’s just sort of stuck, years on and we are still doing it.

We have had a lot of line up changes over the years but I think our sound has stayed the same more or less.

This could be said to be different compared with some other bands.

Jeff Hanneman sadly passed away earlier this year, what are your thoughts on this and how do you feel the thrash scene has evolved over the years?

That’s a tough question, but a good one. Obviously Jeff Hanneman passing is a huge loss to the scene. He was such a unique player and riff writer - he was definitive in his sound. He is a huge influence on us and always will be. He penned some immortal riffs, ones everyone knows even if they don’t like them!

Bands on the scene like Slayer, Kreator, Testament are still coming up with cool, modern versions of their music. They are still keeping things interesting but at the same time they are of course aging and dynamics are changing. They are still able

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to live through their history though and newer bands such as Lamb of God and Meshuggah are adding new styles and elements to the scene.

Retro influenced bands like Warbringer are playing a part too and I hope Dew- Scented have their place as well.

We consider ourselves to be first and foremost a thrash band, with maybe a heavier edge to our sound. Thrash initially fuelled our love for making music so we always relate back to that.

Personally we aren’t into being an 80’s throw back thrash band, we like to keep things current and make our music as heavy as we can.

How has the band evolved from its inception?

I think we have learnt to be better musicians, to be better at what we do and to learn what does and doesn’t work, what translates well live. We know our strengths and try to promote our assets.

We don’t want to win an originality contest, we want to stick with what we feel works for us as a band.

We are always striving for perfection within the band, I think things can always be improved upon, I think it’s important not to become complacent.

What can fans expect from DewScented in 2014?

A new album - we are already writing new songs for it and it will be the first time that the whole line up contributes to this. It’s going to be interesting to see how this goes into the mix. We hope to go into the studio around spring/summer time to record.

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We are going to Japan in April 2014, we’ve not been there since 2005 so will be cool to go back.

We’d love to come back and play London, maybe a festival like Bloodstock, but i think it’s hard for German thrash bands in the UK. You’ve already got a good scene, with bands like Evile so it’s very competitive. We’ve been playing in London since 2001 so it would be nice to do a festival or something.

Do you have a favourite song to play live?

I like most of the songs we play - we are lucky that we have a good back catalogue of songs to choose from, we can cherry pick and keep our sets varied. I think my favourite at the moment is an older track, ‘New Found Pain’.

How are you guys spending Christmas?

I’m going to Egypt with my girlfriend we are just going to enjoy the sun and do nothing! I’ve been there before and just like to relax on the beach.

The rest of the guys are going to be spending time with their families and kicking back.

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January 2014

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The Power Of

With The Power Of Three out this month, Matt Dawson speaks to Monte Pittman about his metal roots, working with Fleming Rasmussen (who did some band called Metallica’s first 4 albums) and being MADONNA’s guitarist…

So how does it feel to return to your metal roots with The Power Of Three?

It’s exciting to finally have gotten to this point. I’m always playing guitar and writing heavy songs so it’s great to be doing this finally with my own band and releasing it to the public. It’s slowly built to where it is now and I’m glad things have turned out the way they have. I’m happy this is happening now of all times. It’s a very interesting time in music. Just when things get stale in all aspects of life and the wave hits its low point, the calm before the storm happens. Music revolves in cycles and I think the only way to go is up from here. I grew up in East Texas and had a metal band there called Myra Mains. During the last decade, I would go back and forth between playing guitar for Madonna and Prong. It seemed like when one was done with a cycle the other was starting up again. So far the response has been great by whoever has heard some of the new album.

What was it like with Flemming Rasmussen given his acclaimed previous work with bands like Metallica and Evile?

Flemming is amazing. He really knows his sounds. He’s got amazing gear and amazing ears! We used some of the same mics and gear that he used to record “Ride The Lightning” & “Master Of Puppets”. The same vocal mic, etc.

You can tell the same guy did those albums. Flemming easily fits in as the next member of the band. When we were recording the second single, “Before The Mourning Son”, that’s all four of us playing the snare drums. So he’s technically part of the band too! He had us record together playing in the same room. We tracked to tape. There wasn’t any “fixing in the mix”. We got it right from the source. We went completely old school making this. I learned a great deal about recording and about sound from just being around him and watching him work.

I rented an apartment in Copenhagen for me and the band. Living together for a week and not being in Los Angeles really helped with the chemistry and focus. Flemming has some signature effects and audio tricks that people will be familiar with. Some of my favorite mo-

Dimebag or Gary Moore. I think Jeff Beck and Freddie King would be two of my top guitarists now. They are two of the best who have ever played the instrument.

You’ve worked with many artists and bands – including Madonna. How did that opportunity come about?

I moved from Longview, Texas to Los Angeles at the last days of 1999. I worked at a music store but quit after a few months to start teaching guitar lessons because people came in all the time asking if we could recommend any teachers but nobody knew of anyone. I taught in Texas but it was a pretty scary leap of faith for a minute. Guy Ritchie wound up being one of my first students and they were dating at the time. Soon after, I started giving Madonna guitar lessons. Just one month after her first lesson with me, she & I did an acoustic performance on The David Letterman Show. After that, she was getting ready to go on tour for the first time in about 7 years and asked me to play guitar for her. I’ve been on every tour or live performance she’s done since the end of 2000 starting with Letterman. From there I’ve either done a bit of writing or played on something within her albums. Sometimes I come in at the beginning of a project. Sometimes I come in at the end.

How did you feel about the response to the video of Madonna playing a snippet of Pantera when it hit the internet?

I was surprised that stayed in the set!

That was all a result of while getting her prepared for the “Sticky And Sweet Tour”, I was showing her some right hand exercises to work on. I was telling her about this time Dime came to a Prong show and he was asking me and Tommy what songs we were playing in the set. He asked if we were playing “Cut Rate” and shared his love for that song.

In particular, the rhythm guitar part underneath the solo. He shared some fast/ tight picking tips with me that I later on shared with Madonna. He kept saying “you gotta stay on top of that string”.

The next day at the beginning of her lesson, she walks in and starts playing some palm muted 16th notes and I noticed a huge difference already in her right hand. She said “you gotta stay on top of that string”. So then after letting it sink it that Dime taught me something that I later taught to Madonna, I started show-

ments on the album are sections where he took full advantage of space that was left on purpose for us to be creative in the moment there in the studio. You hear that at the end of “Delusions Of Grandeur” and “All Is Fair In Love And War”.

What led to the decision to work with Kane Ritchotte and Max Whipple?

Kane played drums on my last album “Pain, Love, & Destiny”. Max and Kane grew up playing together. Max almost played bass on that album but I wound up playing bass because I only had 24 hours left in the studio. They are some of the best and most gifted musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. What I think is interesting is that they didn’t grow up listening to Metallica, Slayer, & Pantera like I did. That’s all new to them and you hear their new take on that style of music on “The Power Of Three”. Other than Max and Kane, Alex Skolnick does a guest guitar solo and Chris Barnes does a guest vocal both on the last track, “All Is Fair In Love And War”. I like having guests when I can. That usually comes from playing something for one of my musician friends. Kelle Rhoads played some piano on my last album. That might be something I’d like to keep going in the upcoming albums.

What would you say are your biggest vocal and guitar influences?

That’s something that’s always changing.

For vocals: Chris Cornell, Ray LaMontagne, Jeff Buckley. Or I wish I could sing like them, I guess. I don’t know if I have any vocal influences. I just try to do what I can do and go with that. People have made comments that at times my vocals sound like Ozzy, Layne Staley, and a second of Robert Plant sometimes. So if someone says something like that to me, I try to figure out what causes that and how I can make it better. Sometimes it’s as simple as layering techniques or if your voice is worn out. For guitar: Ace started it for me like so many others. When I first started learning how to play, Metallica, Slayer, and all of the Thrash bands were a new thing. I’m very fortunate for that. There are guitar players whose careers are an influence like Jimmy Page or Steve Vai. There are guitar players whose tone is an influence like Billy Gibbons,

January 2014

ing her “A New Level”. I showed her in Dropped D tuning so it was easier to play.

At rehearsals, when we finished playing her song “Hung Up”, she kept going in to that riff. The rest of the band joined in not being familiar with Pantera and that’s how all of that came about. I didn’t think Pantera fans would be too happy with having the biggest artist of our time playing something like that but even members of the Pantera family have told me they think it’s awesome. The interpretation was kind of to treat it like was a classic piece of music. Not covering the original and trying to be just like it. One of my deepest regrets in life I’ll always have is not taking advantage of more opportunities I had to hang with Dime so it’s kind of my tribute to my home town hero growing up also.

Is Madonna as determined and a perfectionist as they say?

Oh yes! She leaves no stone unturned.

She expects the best out of everyone and will see what you’re really made of. She pushes past all boundaries of comfortability. Where most people would give up, she’s just getting started. That’s just one of the reasons she’s accomplished what she has. Going back to your previous question, I can always tell that if I give her something to work on you can tell she’s been practicing it. If you think about all the things she has to deal with in a day, she always makes time to work on what she needs to work on. And it’s not like I can tell Madonna “if you learn how to play this scale or this chord, then one day you’ll sell a million albums”.

What’s the atmosphere like behind the scenes on a tour with her?

It’s a lot of work. We rehearse usually 12 hours a day for 2 to 3 months before playing our first show. Our rehearsals are longer than some people’s tours. A lot of that is because it takes a while to get every component of the show together.

The set takes about 2 weeks. Basically, a song a day usually. Once that’s settled, you work on where everything is going happen in the live show. As far as touring, it’s about as good as it can get. There are usually an average of about 200 employees on tour. There’s always someone to hang out with! You get to travel and play in places that I never imagined going to.

What do you feel is the future of the in-

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

dustry? A more social outlook and fan funded with the likes of Kickstarter or something different?

I think as soon as you think you’ve got it figured out, it changes.

Crowd funding is a great bonus and a great help no matter where you are in your career. Spotify and streaming are the current thing right now. I think Spotify is great for finding new music but I like to have the highest quality I can have when listening to music so if I like something, I’ll buy it. I kind of see it like back in the day when you could copy your friends’ cassette tape with ‘High Speed Dubbing’ (How long has it been since you heard that term!?). It never sounded nearly as good as if you bought the album and had its original source. Old branches fall from the tree and new ones take their place.

How was it working with Adam Lambert?

He was my singer when I was starting a “rock” band. It was Adam on vocals, me on guitar, Tommy Victor on bass, and Steve Sidelnyk on drums. That’s how I played bass on the Prong “Power Of The Damager” album. Tommy wanted to play bass on something just to do something different and then he needed someone to play bass for Prong. We both said “I’ll play bass in your band if you play bass in my band”. Adam left to go on American Idol and that was it for the band. He thought the music was too heavy anyway.

I thought his voice was great for that but he went a different direction. I played guitar and was the musical director for his tour and some TV appearances he did after being on the show though.

What is the biggest thing you’ve learned from Madonna, Adam Lambert and any other artists you’ve worked with?

When people ask me that about Madonna I say “pay close attention to details”.

From Prong I learned a lot about getting guitar sounds and some of the secrets that go with that. “Cleansing” has one of the best guitar tones ever in my opinion. Also in Prong I sang backing vocals and would sing part of the dual verse in “Prove You Wrong” live. That helped me out when I started playing my own solo shows and had to sing. The ice had been broken. I always liked how Adam would take a melody and elaborate on it. With Madonna I’ve been fortunate to experience touring as good as it gets. With Prong I’ve got to experience touring in a van and showering at a truck stop. I love both equally! I’ve learned from each experience that will help me with what’s to come.

What are your future plans – with this record or any other project?

The new album is out January 21st. on Metal Blade. We’re all preparing for that now. Hopefully I will be out on the road

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turning every person I can on to what I’m doing and playing this new album for everyone. We are building this one step at a time. Now I’m assembling the team and booking shows for 2014. There’s a video we shot for “Before The Mourning Son” that will be out just before the album is released. We’ll do some more videos after that. One for the first single “A Dark Horse” and whatever the third single is going to be. I’ve been writing a lot in the meantime and when the time comes, record the next album. I would love to do a couple of side projects with friends!

Who do you see making an impact in 2014?

Well, you can always expect the unexpected. Sometimes there are bands you think are going to be massive and that doesn’t happen but there are bands that get massive and you try and see why everyone goes crazy over it. I’m not just being biased here, but the albums Metal Blade has put out this year have really been incredible. Amon Amarth, Uncle Acid & the deadbeats, & Battlecross just to name a few. I think Holy Grail are killer. They’ve got great songs and they are great performers. Persistence pays off.

That’s how KISS did it. I should keep my opinions to myself but I’m not a big fan of a lot of the most popular music that is out there and gets forced down your throat everywhere you go. I would love for people to say “Wait. What did I ever see in this?”. On one hand I hope it goes away but on the other hand it makes me want to write heavier music. There are so many talented bands out there playing their instruments, writing their own songs, and working so hard at it. I hope we see more bands like that make an impact and bring something fresh but also giving us what we’ve always loved.

January 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

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By Sophia Disgrace Burlesque!

Welcome to your one stop drop for all the news on the best burlesque nights, in the capital and beyond! My name is Sophia Disgrace and I’ve performed at numerous events in the U.K and abroad, from festivals to the most exclusive clubs. I tend perform in a neo burlesque style and incorparate other elements, such as fire play, into my routines.

Burlesque - or ‘the art of tease’ as it’s also known, first rose to prominence in the 1950’s; in recent years it’s enjoyed something of a revival, with stars such as Dita Von Teese helping to popularise the scene once again.

Here are my pick of all things burlesque this month... 2014 stylee!

BLUES AND BURLESQUE EXTRAVAGANZA @ Ain’t Nothin But Blues Bar, London Sunday 5th January 2014 8pm-Midnight Lift those post Xmas blues and get yourself quick smart to this night of the beautiful and the damned! Live bands will be keeping the mood down n’ dirty, whilst burly artists Miss Giddy Heights, Miss Ruby DeShabille and a choice selection of other starlets will be seducing and teasing in equal measure for your delight! Yum! Tickets £5.00 via 020 7287 0514 THE DOUBLE R CLUB @ The Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, London Thursday 16th January 2014 8pm-11.30pm This has featured in my column of wonders before, and it will do so again, as it has to be one of the most innovative nights on the London scene.

The inspiration behind this award winning night is David Lynch - so expect a surreal selection of the dark, the disturbing and the insanely exquisite... Don’t question it, just sit back and enjoy the ride...

Tickets £10-please call 020 7739 2727 BURLESQUE! @ The Fiddlers Elbow, London Saturday 25th January 2014 8pm-Late The Fiddlers Elbow is a rather modestly sized venue, nestling in London’s Camden Town. However do not be fooled by its low key exterior, this infamous bar has seen more band’n’burlesque action than most! I myself performed here a year or two back and got a great reception from the warm’n’ welcoming locals.

They are keeping schtum about the exact line up for this forthcoming night but you can rest assured it will be a tassle twirling stonker!

Please call 0207 4853 269 for tickets and further info

This month’s velvet curtain reveals...

Burlesque Spotlight!

www.pinupgirlclothing.com If you have some post Christmas pennies to spend you could do far worse than spend them here. This US based website has a whole host of beautiful vintage inspired outfits and accessories for purchase.

I love their hats - from fascinators to decorative fruit platter hats and cute as a button bows there’s something for everyone - all at rather reasonable prices too!

Oh and Masumi Max is a featured model for the site, so y’know if it’s good enough for Masumi....!

Picture by Mustard Raff Photography

January 2014

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i d d E Rev s t e e m It felt natural to invite them in to share their love of this genre and both of them did not disappoint with their choices.

Classics from Menace ‘GLC’, 999 ‘Absolution’ and Chaos ‘Tribal Warfare’ were stand out tracks and it was a joy to hear about their experiences and stories connected with each choice.

Both Tom and Paul are huge music fans and every song was greeted with singing along and banter.

The show didn’t go without one or two funny moments, Paul being stuck in traffic and arriving as Death or Glory was finishing up. The usual Rev mistake happened as the mic was left on during a song and the world was told that Tom had to use the little boys room.

These fun elements make Shock Treatment the show that it is, the show goes out unedited and live.

16 Guns Special on ‘Shock Treatment’ h t t p : / / w w w. m i x c l o u d . c o m / ReverendEddi/shock-treatment22nd-november-2013-16-gunsspecial/ The Reverend Eddi and TBFM welcomed Tom Halpin and Paul Beeson from 16 Guns onto Shock Treatment back in November. 16 Guns have been one of the shows favourite bands after a chance meeting in Camden with their drummer and staunch supporters of the show.

What also came across was how hard working 16 Guns are, hardly a fortnight goes by without the lads playing somewhere in the UK. They got a great reception at Rebellion and have been invited back for 2014. Recent supports have included GBH, UK Subs, Subhumans and The Vibrators.

They have also found time to get back into Diablo Studios in Camden with Doyley (Guitar Slingers) to record some new songs and re-work some oldies.

2014 is going to be a cool year for 16 Guns.

Listen and enjoy ‘Cracked’ and ‘Don’t Care’ and join the 16 Guns salute TBFM was given. https://www.facebook. com/pages/16GUNS/97149611165?fref=ts http://www.tbfmonline.co.uk

January 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

Out now in DVD and Blu Ray format on Arrow Video Big Trouble in Little China is pretty much everything you would imagine if someone mentioned a cult film. From the semi-offensive stereotypes to the ridiculous dialogue and the dodgy effects this should be banished to the bargain bin, but thanks to Carpenter’s solid directorial skills and a game performance from Russell, Big Trouble becomes something warmer and less forgettable.

A box office bomb at the time, compared to the similarly themed Eddie Murphy vehicle The Golden Child, Big Trouble has aged well, riffing on the excess of eighties action flicks and martial arts and banking on a likable cast. Even Kim Cattrall comes away smelling of roses, making this a worthwhile watch for anyone who sat through the spectacularly offensive Sex and the City 2.

The story is simple: the big bad wants the pretty girl to break a curse. Its pure fairy tale, adapted for an audience who are well aware of the troupes by scriptwriters brought up on the rapid fire dialogue of Golden Era odd-couple films.

Then there’s Russell’s performance, pulling from the all-American heroes that occupied westerns and thrillers and dropping him into the chaos and mysticism of Carpenter’s Chinatown. James Hong battles this by chewing his way through the scenery as walking, talking stereotype Lo Pan, the big bad, and is clearly have a blast doing this.

Carpenter builds all this up to a final battle that perfectly merges comedy and action, and a warm ending that feels right despite the clichés, leaving Russell walking off into the sunset ala John Wayne in The Searchers.

Out now in DVD and Blu Ray format on Arrow Video After two films of supernatural excess Dario Argento returned to the murderous bloodletting of giallo.

Tenebrae is a wonderfully pulpy slice of murder mystery that sprays fluorescent claret across the screen with abandon; it’s less about the creeping tension of Suspiria and more about a series of brutal set pieces.

Containing Argento’s favourite themes of misconception and sexuality, Tenebrae moves at a fast pace, with frequent nods to the nature of murder mysteries from Detective Giermani. The story barely registers as we move from one meticulously arranged scene to the next. In fact there are so many lapses in logic throughout that you’re better off enjoying the audio-visual experience that comes from classic Argento.

Half way through there’s an incredibly tense scene where a young woman is chased to the killer’s liar by a dog and finds herself trapped. It’s wonderfully shot, dripping with tension and offering a real threat that feels distant from the more ridiculous aspects of the story.

The performances are over the top, screeching through exaggerated facial expressions but they work within the confines of the bizarre story with suspicion falling onto 90% of the characters as the murders progress.

Unlike Suspiria, or even The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Tenebrae hasn’t aged as well, falling too easily into predictability and relying on stylistic choices over cohesive storytelling.

Still this remains a reminder of what Argento is capable of, making his recent output all the more depressing.

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By Matthew Tilt

Out now in DVD and Blu Ray format on Metrodome Distribution Greta Gerwig may be the ultimate kooky girl. Zooey Deschanel may have garnered more mainstream success for playing the ‘undateable’ weird gal, but Gerwig fully embodies these idiosyncrasies and she has never been better than in Frances Ha, which she co-wrote with director Noah Baumbach.

Frances is 27 years old, a dancer on the verge of sinking or swimming, coming close to losing her best friend and the cosy - though financially tight - life they have built for themselves. Her journey to maturity is at times hilarious, infuriating and upsetting.

Baumbach’s pacing is relaxed, languishing over Gerwig as she waltzes from scene to scene. The humour is light, with an improvised feel to it, as we follow Frances from apartment to apartment, job to job, trying to make her way in the world.

Between awkward pauses there are moments that are laugh out loud.

Her desperate search for an ATM is a wonderfully scripted slice of slapstick while her painfully uneventful trip to Paris evokes guilty chuckles.

Once again this is Gerwig’s film.

Her easy chemistry here is less pretentious than her turn in Damsels in Distress, offering up a fun, easy watch that still resonates after watching.

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January 2014

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r e n r o C t r

A e h T

by

Ever seen stickers in the street advertising nothing but art and a streak of rebellion? Sonic Shocks spoke to one of the most well recognized sticker bombers in the UK, Tempo 33 to see the psychology behind this new development in ‘Street Art’ Tell me a bit about yourself I’ve been a little shit since four, a tagger since 12. Street artist, never! Sticker Bombing has inspired me since 22. I’ve been named one of the biggest consistent sticker/paste up artists in the UK. Find it hard to believe myself, but apparently it’s true.

Do you see yourself as a Street Artist?

I’m labeled as a street artist by many and I do more work than most other street artists in Birmingham and mammoth size pieces too including billboards. But the funny thing is I hate street art. I hate street artists who want to make money from street art and hold street art exhibitions to get that little bit of extra recognition. Especially if they only been around 5 minutes. Whereas people like The Toaster, The London police, Pez etc, have made enough contributions to the scene to be worthy of having their names in lights.

How do you balance what you do?

I do graffiti with the tougher class of writers, having jams, doing quick dubs and going bombing. I do my stickers mainly alone or with those who inspired me to begin with. I hate fakes and hate people who try to be something they just shouldn’t be. Don’t mean to come across a bitch but it’s like the saying beer before wine feeling fine. The way I look at it is Graff before art looks smart. Art before graff looks naff. Stick to what you know and if you’re going to experiment then do it behind closed doors first.

What draws you to Birmingham and where else do you sticker bomb?

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Wo James

Overall I love my city and wish that others will follow me in the getting up side of street art rather than filling the bank account side. I pretty much inspired the city with the mass amount of area I was covering. Walking from town to country side and hitting all circular routes. A street art era had started but I have always been in my own bubble, not a lot of people understand why I’m so passionate about my icon but so against others work, it’s a graffiti writers mentality, especially in cities like Brum and London.

You take out what you can and you build a name for yourself. Sticking 20 photos of yourself on flickr and instagram does not make you somebody, swapping stickers and doing collaborations with everybody does not make you somebody. Getting up and being accepted and into the crews you’ve always looked up to for your style, approach and impact on your city is when your somebody.

What parts of the world have your art taken you to?

The furthest I’ve travelled is Australia and China but they was opportunities rather than graffiti inspired. I’ve travelled various cities in Europe. My favorites all are based in Holland. I started doing stickers in 2007.

I was inspired by SOL Crew, The London Police and a few other similar iconic artists. The past 2 years I’ve traveled to Eindhoven and Amsterdam on a regular basis to catch up with SOL Crew and The London Police. I have collaborated with SOL and TLP and I am sure we will again. Me and TLP have some ideas floating around as we speak.

What materials do you use?

Just plain old wall paper paste.

I’ve tried all the other methods but it’s too time consuming and when you wake up at 5 in the morning to hit a spot the last thing you want to do is start

making pancake mix. I’ve got m y consistency perfect and now I can throw a billboard up in less t h a n half hour. Hot spots, big bollocks and pressure is all you need.

Is your work politically motivated?

Politics is all bullshit to me, Tax this tax that is all I read about all that shit on my bus to work. This is my escape; this is my freedom to escape all that shit. This is the game where I set the rules and I do the brain washing. This is fun time for me, I like to play with people’s minds, I leave no name, I make small changes and hit everything. People see it once and think nothing, they see it agin and think nothing, then there it is again, and again, and again, and again. WHAT THE FUCK IS IT??? In 2007 when I first started Tempo33 there were no stickers, just graffiti.

I got it up on the streets so much in so little time even the writers were thinking what is this? A brand? A night club? An advert? Most people know it now so my new game is traveling to new cities, filling them with faces and then wait. Few days later you’re seeing your work in that city being put on Instagram tagged tempo33, that’s when you know you’ve made it as a symbol.

What have you got planned for the future?

The future is and always will be a blank canvas for me. I will develop in my own time, shock people when they least expect it and I will always stay true to my graffiti roots!!

January 2014

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The A by

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Ben Eine is one of London’s most prolific and original street artists who specialises in the central element of all graffiti – the form of letters. Eine is driven by a love of typography, and says to be influenced by how ‘letters change shape when combined with the other ones’. His letters – on their own or spelling entire words - have been appearing on walls and shop shutters in East London over the past decade.

Internationally known since Barrack Obama was gifted an Eine piece by the British Prime Minister to mark a state visit, Eine now makes this limited edition hand cast resin sculpture produced in collaboration with London iconoclasts Fluorescent Smogg. Limited to an edition of just fifty the sculpture captures the artist’s signature circus font, each in a totally unique colour-way. A super limited edition of 5 “glitter” sculptures marks the high point of collectability. All are hand signed, numbered and authenticated by the Eine and hand crafted by the renowned model makers - Alban Studios.

London’s forward thinking new creative collective, Fluorescent Smogg, has released a limited run of fifty exclusive new Ben Eine ‘E Is The Magic Number’ hand cast resin sculptures, launching his first foray into 3-D art.

Thanks for talking to Sonic Shocks, I have seen your work and admire your efforts in the art world; what drives you?

Beating the next person, painting something bigger and in a better spot than the next person, and not having to get a real job.

How do you balance what you do?

I say yes to most things that are fun and then try to do as much as I can, I’m not scared of working hard.

What draws you to art?

It’s always been a passion since I was very young, then I discovered spray paint and graffiti, which changed my life. I was addicted to tagging and painting trains for years, it was only after about 20 years I became disillusioned with how

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stagnant I felt graffiti was that I started street art. I like the excitement and freedom street art offers.

What parts of the world have your art taken you to?

Everywhere: Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan, all of Europe, Africa and most of the States.

What materials do you use?

Fun spray mostly

Is your work politically motivated?

I’ve never voted, I would if there was a box that said ‘please don’t count my vote’. The act of painting something where it’s not meant to be raises questions but as a whole it’s nothing political.

What have you got planned for the future?

Baby, green card, a few shows and keep on painting.

50 x limited edition Eine x Fluorescent Smogg ‘E Is The Magic Number’ are released for purchase exclusively at: http:// www.fluorescentsmogg.com

January 2014

2013. The year young Miley Cyrus became a woman – of the worst possible kind. The year we sadly lost Jeff Hanneman allegedly to a spider, but no wild animal was merciful enough to take a bite at Ian Watkins. Was also the year the world finally got the first hint that Lady Gaga is an overrated attention seeker with the most awful fashion sense.

Talking about taste, Kanye West has been flying the flag for the boys with his appalling video for the almost as appalling song ‘Bound’; only James Franco and Seth Rogen were able to put a smile back on the poor viewers’s faces, and for that we thank them.

On the reunion vs breakup front, we’ve lost My Chemical Romance and got The Replacements back – what’s not to love?

Britney Spears came back too, but no one noticed, while Paul Di Anno retired AND un-retired; no one noticed that either. Pete Doherty’s Babyshambles came back with an epic album and a tour where all dates were honoured, now that’s noticeable.

Robbie Williams Swung Both Ways – in and out – of the charts, staying on top long enough to score a Christmas n.1 and fourth best selling album of 2013. First was One Direction, next to Robin Thicke scoring top single. Kill me now.

Forget the charts’ high flyers anyway. Down h e r e we saw a pleasant new trend amongst music fans: from stealing to paying in advance, the 2013 way to publish is crowdfunding.

Pledge, Kickstarter and the likes brought artists and audiences closer and gave many an opportunity to get their music out there without selling their soul to a record label or, even worst, to Simon Cowell. Until someone runs off with the money, or releases a shit album with it. Thankfully Black Sabbath still have a label. Meanwhile on the high street was HMV’s turn to bite the dust, when over 100 stores were shut. That’s karma for putting independent record stores out of business. Besides, the Morrisons that replaced my local HMV is way more useful.

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

Movie wise, classic vintage horror saw quite a comeback. Plenty of old school Bava, Argento, De Palma and Fulci were re-released – with Arrow Video leading the trend - and composer Fabio Frizzi sold out his first ever London date of the Frizzi2Fulci s h o w.

W e even had two pretty decent remakes in The Evil Dead and Carrie. On the small screen, was the year of Breaking Bad no doubt, while Dexter’s finale disappointed and a full frontal of Alexander Skarsgaard wasn’t enough to digest the lazy conclusion of True Blood Season 6.

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another greatest hits – and HEY! Spector, Vintage Trouble and The Vaccines, isn’t it about time?? Personal dream comeback album: The Libertines.

Once again the capital has plenty of live goodness coming; Babyshambles are back, Caro Emerald is making up for cancelled 2013 dates, Camden Rocks is back and paving the way with a series of ‘introducing’ shows, with up & coming names handpicked by Chris McCormack – by the way, keep an eye as always on the weekly bill for Jubilee at the Barfly. And then Panic At The Disco!, Pearl Jam, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, Clutch, Steel Panther, Monster Magnet and too many to remember. Most of all support your local venues, feel the emotion of discovering the next big thing when you were just expecting a couple of pints with your mates. London and the UK are thriving with talent, tunes, poetry, inspiration. Independent Venue Week starts January 27th, get involved!

Finally, get your wellies ready for another Festival season: Download already has the headliners sorted, Sonisphere is back in the game, Reading secured Blink 182, new player Alt-Fest surprised everyone with the likes of Marilyn Manson, Rebellion hired Killing Joke to lead the party – speaking of which, dear fellow Pledgers, Jaz’ book is finally being shipped! – and this is just the beginning.

Have I left anything out? Of course I have.

Some because wasn’t relevant, some because it’s better to ignore, some I’ve simply forgotten. What can I say, sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world… May 2014 bring even more beauty, enough to obscure some horrors, from Miley’s chicken butt to Harry Styles haircut.

Sadly some of the horrors of 2013 cannot be obscured, surely not with a 25 years sentence…

So, aside from a dramatic improvement in True Blood series 7 and the Brazilian World Cup, what should we look forward to in 2014? Hopefully many more retirements of old tired dinosaurs looking for the last paycheck and some interesting new blood taking their places. Keep your eyes on Deadcuts’ rapidly rising star: they’re really believing and so are we – and Monsieur Doherty.

Nathan Connolly’s true rock soul is finally out, as he takes a break from Snow Patrol with Little Matador.

DO check them out.

Southern Rock is invading the UK, get your fix with Blackberry Smoke and Cadillac Three. Smooth/ jazzy vibes are spreading in London thanks to Miss Melissa James, after an acclaimed string of shows for charity Small Steps. Mr Dawson suggests Centiment for some techmetal/chiptune crossover and Seething Akira for an eclectic rap/tech/dubstep fusion.

We’ll have new records coming from The Computers, miss Lily Allen, Blondie, possibly Motley Check our editor’s pick of 2013 albums, Crue – o wait, movies, gigs and events to remember in that’s probably the next pages. Opinions are personal. If

you don’t agree... Tough shit.

January 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

THE albums

Page 19

by Matt Dawson

20. Everything Everything – Arc (RCA/Sony) Art rock is in a weird state – the days of Franz are well behind us now and whatever remains of that era has a small number of fans keeping them alive. Everything Everything’ sophomore album manages to freshen things up. The combination of darkness and brightness punctuated by Jonathan Higgs’ vocals hits, and you figure out that what you’ve been singing along to is either about war (Kemosabe), self esteem issues (Torso Of The Week) or the moment the world crumbles around you (Dust). It’s cerebral but not condescending. What Arcade Fire only do briefly, EE flesh out.

19. The Graveltones – Don’t Wait Down (Lagoon Dog) Mikey Sorbello and Jimmy O: the rock duo of the year no question. From virtually unknown a year ago to a strong debut record that mixes classic rock with the swagger of blues. With Rimmel’s and the Irish Lottery’s ad scores and a slot at Download Festival already under their belt (come on Andy Copping, bring them back, Quo or Aerosmith day?), the Graveltones are fiercely heading a new age of traditional influenced rock that we can all approve.

18. Factor – Woke Up Alone (Fake Four) As Kanye West’s Yeezus makes it in most ‘top of the year’ lists, reaching beyond the obvious we find Factor. In a genre that can be dominated by women, money and the amount of drugs you sell, Factor’s one of the artists that deviates from this trend by showcasing the extreme lengths a man can go to in a time of grief. In this instance, he’s willing to use necromancy to bring her back. What’s told through great production and guest spots by the likes of Open Mike Eagle is the consequences and inevitability of it all.

17. The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation (Hopeless Records) Concluding Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell’s trilogy about growing up, this is the record that signifies pop-punk in 2013 as a man realises his faults and sets out to finally fight them. Consider this also chronicles Dan’s own struggles with anxiety and depression and you get an emotional record that at places will resonate with you.

16. Disclosure – Settle (PMR/Island) With songs that just urge you to dance (White Noise, Latch, When A Fire Starts To Burn) and good launching pads for the likes of AlunaGeorge and Sam Smith, the Lawrence brothers make an album that - bar a couple of songs featuring Jesse Ware and London Grammar - works in both the club and home environments. Special mention to Hudson Mohawke’s remix of White Noise for doing what many remixes of a dance song fail to do – give it an extra lease of life.

15. Clutch – Earth Rocker (Weathermaker) With Neil Fallon’s voice stronger than ever, a band that has had dalliances in blues alongside their rock roots combines both at a great level, to create the strongest album of their careers = a record that causes you to ‘dance the goodtime dance’. The use of harmonica at the start of ‘DC Sound Attack’, the dark western ballad in ‘Gone Cold’ and the mighty chorus of the title track all add up to a pure southern rock record.

14. Steven Wilson – The Raven that refused to sing (and Other stories) (Kscope) One of the strongest progressive rock albums of recent years. Steven Wilson’s choice to focus on his projects outside Porcupine Tree may have been a very wise move as he brings out his greatest album yet.

With topics such as love, trauma and a classic ghost story in ‘The Watchmaker’ combined with a band featuring Guthrie Govan, Marco Minnemann and even Alan Parsons on ‘The Holy Drinker’ – a true love to prog has been created.

13. Caro Emerald – The Shocking Miss Emerald (Dramatico) With her love of jazz, pop and even a bit of hip-hop beats thrown in, Caro has defied those that predicted she’d turn into another ‘cabaret’ style music act, managed to score a number one and even got acclaim from the likes of Devin Townsend for her powerful lyrics, with a slight feeling of a cheeky grin now and again over incredibly catchy tunes. One listen to ‘Liquid Lunch’ and it is not hard to figure out the reason of her growing success.

12. Mutation – Error 500 (Ipecac) ‘Supergroup’: a cliché term people tack on just ‘cause it fits some sort of ‘rulebook’ that I and others must have missed the memo on. Mutation rewrites those rules. Ginger Wildheart, Jon Poole (God Damn Whores/Cardiacs), Shane Embury (Napalm Death) and cameos from Mark E Smith and Merzbow create two albums that are very hard to label and that’s a very good thing. Error 500 manages to take the listener on a ride through the likes of death metal, prog and with the closer ‘Benzo Fury’ noise rock to create an album powerful enough that just calling it extreme music seems insulting to the madness within.

11. Mark Lanegan – Imitations (Heavenly Recordings) Known by many as a member of Queens Of The Stone Age for a period of time, one of the architects of grunge in Screaming Trees releases an album that showcases his love for music’s past and one star of the future. Hearing Mark do his own version of ‘Mack The Knife’, ‘You Only Live Twice’ and songs by Nick Cave and Chelsea Wolfe will give you goose bumps and accomplishes a rarity – a cover album that feels right.

January 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

THE albums

Page 20

by Matt Dawson

10. Äänipäa – Through A Pre-Memory (Editions Mego) 4 tracks that combine a master of drone in Stephen O’Malley, Mika Vainio’s minimalist techno, the words of Anna Akhmatova and the vocals of Alan Dubin from Khanate to create an album that while putting you through darkness will let you gain brief respite of ambient music before sending you back to the screams.

An album that’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re willing to listen closely it becomes one of the most sonic audio treats of the year.

9. The Temperance Movement – Self Titled (Earache) Classic Rock’ Best New Band Award winners The Temperance Movement bring in a strong debut filled with the southern rock/blues combination that has the potential to be in arenas in the future. The mixture of pure rock and roll on tracks like ‘Only Friend’ showcase their craft – songs that while powerful on record go to another level live – as evidenced by hearing a room sing the whole chorus at their exceptional live shows. Keep an eye out for them over the next few years – you won’t regret it.

8. Power Trip – Manifest Decimation (Southern Lord) Southern Lord has brought out a number of great records that exemplify hardcore in 2013, so trying to narrow it down to one choice was a difficult task. The reason Power Trip get the acclaim is because this is the record you’ll see every new band that’s trying to find the mixture between hardcore and thrash try and copy. If you love Slayer mixed with Cro-Mags then the pure circle pit causing carnage inside, this will surely be for you.

7. Monster Truck – Furiosity (Dine Alone) Canada’s pure rock purveyors this year managed to make an album that soothes your soul but also manage to get onto the Download Festival and play with Vista Chino making their stoner rock credentials pretty damn good. 2014’s already shaping up to be a great one and with tracks like Sweet Mountain River – if you can’t smile to this you need to take a long hard look at yourself.

6. The Meads Of Asphodel – Sonderkommando (Candlelight) The most intriguing album of 2013 – not least due to the subject matter involved. Many may worry at a black metal band talking about the greatest recorded genocide of modern times created by pure monsters in the Holocaust, but Metatron attempted to make sure that if he was going to do it, he would at least try his hardest to put in research. The way he did that was travelling to Birkenau and Auschwitz to get the mindset right for lyrics and work from there, the result being an album that shows the horrors in graphic detail. One of the most chilling must be ‘Lamenting Weaver Of Horror’, a track that twists the Witches from Macbeth, and then a conversation between a recently deceased boy (played by Metatron’s own son) and Death, followed by the closing track with Metatron recording his lines from inside Birkenau itself.

5. In Solitude – Sister (Metal Blade) In a year where all conventions towards black metal get thrown out by some of the most established acts, another band of the Uppsala Metal of Death ideology combine elements of Mercyful Fate, New Model Army, Jarboe and Echo and The Bunnymen to create a record that proves it doesn’t always have to be about Satan all the time – the atmosphere can get darker.

4. A Day To Remember – Common Courtesy (Self released) An album that almost never got released due to lawsuits with Victory Records – ADTR combine pop-punk and metalcore once again to create a record that will get you singing along while at times allowing you to mosh.

3. Paramore – Paramore (Fueled By Ramen) The album that Paramore always wanted to make. The departure of the Farro brothers was a step in the right direction; as while Hayley Williams gets even stronger, there’s the best amount of combination of 80’s inspired pop, gospel choirs and near punk songs to keep even the most cynical person trying their hardest to not smile and fail in the process.

2. Letlive – The Blackest Beautiful (Epitaph) How do you follow the album that got you noticed on a global scale? You go even more hi-energy, more powerful mixed emotive vocals from Jason Aalon Butler and you even have him joke around with the listener in places. From ‘Banshee (ghost music)’ to the percussion intro of ‘White America’s Beautiful Black Market’ and the closer ’27 Club’, Letlive prove why when it comes to their brand of music no one can come close to touching them.

1. TesseracT – Altered State (Century) The only tech/prog crossover on our list and with good reason – while Carcass did a great comeback after 18 years away, TesseracT have had quite the ride over 12 months. Losing another vocalist so quickly after the last one usually mean a band are in trouble, and fans were briefly worried. Thankfully they found Ashe O’Hara, who helped bring prog at the forefront after its shy appearance alongside the band’s tech metal core (when ‘djent’ was the big trend). With a strong opening and even using the saxophone at one point TesseracT defied the odds in order to create the comeback of 2013.

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

January 2014

THE MOVIES

Page 21

by Matthew Tilt

10. Thor: The Dark World

Of course it’s Hiddleston’s film but Alan Taylor’s direction and a warm script combines to make one of Marvel’s best.

9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Peter Jackson manages to pick up the pace; while this is no LOTR it’s a visually stunning adventure.

8. Only God Forgives A brutal series of tableaus that makes up for its lack of cohesion with a hypnotic, Noe-esque style.

7. The Place Beyond the Pines Never buckling under its own weight, Derek Cianfrance continues his examinations of family on a huge scale.

6. Stoker Park Chan-wook’s English language debut is a stunning gothic horror that is as strange and un-Hollywood as his Korean efforts.

5. Frances Ha A whimsical black and white story brought to life by Greta Gerwig’s stunning performance.

4. Kill Your Darlings Few films catch the spirit of the Beat poets quite like this energetic, yet ultimately tragic flick 3. Filth McAvoy’s stunning performance holds this film steady throughout the breakneck pace that never feels diluted despite the source.

2. Blackfish A heart wrenching documentary that unearths the horrors of animals in captivity and portrays the true power of these animals.

1. Metro Manila A devastating slow build thriller that perfectly portrays the lengths people will go to. Utterly tragic, disturbing and mesmerising.

January 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

THE events

Page 22

by Nelly Loriaux

10. Midem Off - Cannes, France It may not be as glamorous as the world renowned film festival, but if you’re into music this is the place to start the new year in style. In parallel to Midem festival, Midem off offered smaller free concerts throughout Cannes’ trendy bars proving there’s more to Cannes than meets the eyes.

9. IMS - Ibiza, Spain Year after year, Ibiza emerges from its well deserved winter break with 3 days of conferences and keynotes, the official start of the Ibicenco parties’ season and the idyllic place to discover what is going on in the EDM world.

8. Dalt Vila - Ibiza, Spain For whoever thinks that tourist attractions like an UNESCO fort is boring, Ibiza demonstrated that you can combine the old with the new. The concerts were just spectacular: the music, the view, the atmosphere. Come and check it out for yourself in 2014.

7. Ushuaia New Tower opening - Ibiza, Spain The Ushuaia empire grew bigger with the opening of its new tower, a summer of free events that attracted the crème de la crème of artists and revellers alike. This was THE place everyone wanted to be seen at.

6. Hed Kandi parties @ Es Paradis - Ibiza, Spain 2 icons under one roof, EsParadis glamorous opulence and Hed Kandi’s glitzy decadent sound: a marriage made in heaven.

5. Ibiza Rocks - Ibiza, Spain 16 weeks of live music al fresco from international icons to emerging artists, need I say more?

4. One Day @ Roof Gardens - London, UK From Ibiza to London... After a summer of mega parties on the white isle, the Roof gardens in good old Blighty opened up its roof to help party goers reminisce on their raucous and extravagant times spent in the mecca dance island.

3. Berlin Music Festival - Berlin, Germany What do you get when you combine a 1930’s disused airport, art fairs, awesome artists and music lovers? A damned good non-stop party in the heart of germany. An essential destination for your September calendar.

2. DJ Awards @ Pacha - Ibiza, Spain Dj›s from around the world gathered once more to receive the much sought after Kryptonite, a red carpet event not to be missed.

1. Red Bull ‘Revolutions In Sounds’ @ EDF Energy London Eye - London, UK Redbull gave us wings and a healthy dose of 30 live DJs’ sets in the privacy of London most spectacular attraction for the lucky few but also in the comfort of our living rooms via the World’s first simultaneous Live stream.

January 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

THE gigs

Page 23

by Cristina Massei

10. Vista Chino @ The Roundhouse, 3rd November Was Kyuss Lives, and before that was Kyuss. No lawsuit managed to kill the spirit and the music for John Garcia and Brant Bjork, as they hit back with an excellent album in ‘Peace’. Unfortunately the name change proves tricky, as the tickets sales doesn’t make justice to this majestic performance.

Kyuss lives still, but fans don’t seem to have been notified.

9. The Soho Hobo @ Groucho Club, 17th February Because we love this town, we love Soho and we all secretly watch Eastenders: nothing says ol’ London more than a Tim Arnold gig in the heart of Soho. As our favourite minstrel sings of tailors and barbers in the Soho Sunset, Phil Daniels and Kat Moon join the fun for a unique evening treat.

8. The Graveltones + The Temperance Movement @ The Borderline, 5th February Two for the price of one, the Borderline is sold out for this double introduction. Meet two of the bands to watch in 2013, 14 and more to come. Breathe the blues, enjoy the rock’n’roll, swing your hips to some of the most infectious tunes the UK have seen in a long time.

7. The Computers @ Shepherds Bush Empire (supporting The Heavy), 27th November ‘Love Triangles Hate Squares’ marked a change of direction for The Computers, but the energy is still heading the same way: from the stage to an enthusiastic audience, fomented by larger than life frontman Alex Kershaw and irresistible tracks like CRUEL. Elvis is back in the building. Don’t miss him this time.

6. Killing Joke @ The Forum, 16th March Following the 2012 success of MMXII, Killing Joke keep touring and proving why they can snub an opening for The Cult and Mission. Charismatic Jaz Coleman does no disappearing act when it comes to his own crowd and, 34 years on, leads the post-punk legends in another excellent performance.

January 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 20

THE gigs

Page 24

by Cristina Massei

5. The YoYos @ Camden Rocks - Camden Barfly, 1st June Because every time we thought it would never happen again, because every time we don’t know if it’s ever gonna happen again, because we’re all suckers for a good ol’ trip to memory lane and because nothing lights a room like Danny McCormack’s smile and boogieing to Keepin’ On Keepin’ On. The Time of Our Life, every time.

4. Spector @ Reading Festival, 25th August ‘Enjoy It While It Lasts’? Let’s hope that’s a long time to come. Fred McPherson & Co get over the loss of Chris Burman delivering yet another fulfilling performance, as they come back to Reading to headline the Festival Republic Stage. Where’s that second album already?

3. Little Matador @ Jubilee - Camden Barfly, 15th November Nathan Connelly’s new outfit has nothing to do with Snow Patrol and more to do with QOTSA, potentially better. Tonight he boys filled the room with an overdose of energy and powerful tunes in front an excited sold out crowd, and they’re booked to support Band of Skulls at Shepherds Bush Empire in March: we bet it’s going to fill up early. Watch – and listen – carefully.

2. Deadcuts + The Berries, Winnie the Poof & The Naked Grace Missionaries @ The Macbeth, 28th December The East End increasingly establishes itself as the most happening place in London when it comes to the arts. The Macbeth puts on a magic end-of-theyear show headlined by local darlings Deadcuts, conquering a festive crowd with their alluring, raspy indie swagger. A sensationally assorted support is provided by 3 brand new acts in girls band Berries, eclectic duo Winnie The Poof and K-Tron new acoustic project The Naked Grace Missionaries. Note those names and most of all catch the Deadcuts at Cargo on January 29th.

1. Babyshambles @ Brixton Academy, 14th September Following the most underrated album of 2013 ‘Prequel To The Sequel’, the ‘Shambles enter Brixton Academy greeted by a Killamangiro sing-along. Peter crashes on the drumkit and lies down on stage several times. False alarm: he’s still around to sing it. It’s poetry, it’s melody, it’s magic. It’s a reminder that even pop music, after all, is a form of art. And as such it’s imperfect, each flaw making it more unforgettable, all together creating a whirlwind of emotions that transcends the order and precision of the bloody lyrics. Deal with it. One of the few of his generation who deserves to be – and will be – remembered.