SONIC SHOCKS Issue 27 - August 2014

Issue 27 - August 2014

DARLIA

ew i v Pre

Natan:

the man with a plan

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Sonic Shocks - Issue 27

P 3: DARLIA - Natan Day Interview and Natan photos by Cristina Massei P. 7: HANG THE BASTARD Interview and group photos by Cristina Massei P. 10: ROCK'N'ROLL MUSEUM - A.T. Wells

By Paul Roundhill P. 12: BATTLECROSS - Hiran Deraniyagala Interview Matt Dawson, Hiran photos N. Loriaux P. 14: PRETTY ADDICTED - Vicious Precious Interview by David Lees P, 18: BLOOM TWINS Interview by Nelly Loriaux P. 20: CLAUDIO SIMONETTI'S GOBLIN Interview by Cristina Massei P. 25: EIGHTEEN NIGHTMARES AT THE LUX Interview by David Lees P. 26: THE GOLDEN AGE OF BURLESQUE

By Sophia Disgrace P. 28: REVEREND & THE MAKERS - Jon McClure Interview and photos by Cristina Massei P. 31: THE DOWLING POOLE - Willie Dowling Interview by Cristina Massei P. 34: R3WIRE & VARSKI Interview by Nelly Loriaux

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P. 36: BACKYARD CINEMA - Dominic Davies Interview by Cristina Massei P. 38: TJH87 Interview by Nelly Loriaux P. 40: WOVENWAR - Josh Gilbert Interview by Matt Dawson P. 44: TESLA - Jeff Keith Interview by Matt Dawson P 46: THE CHILD - Multi-cast Audiobook Review by Cristina Massei P. 48: READING/LEEDS FESTIVAL 2014 PREVIEW

By Cristina Massei P. 52: BST BRITISH SUMMER TIME HYDE PARK Black Sabbath review by John Morgan Libertines review and all photos C. Massei P. 56: RIP ALT-FEEST - Requiem for a dream

By Cristina Massei COVER PHOTO CREDIT: Cristina Massei Sonic Shocks would like to apologize to all involved for the delay in publication; unfortunately major last minute editing was necessary due to Alt-Fest cancellation.

CONTACT US EDITOR IN CHIEF & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Cristina Massei thewickedwitch@sonicshocks.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Matt Dawson - cygnus@sonicshocks.com Nelly Loriaux - nelly@sonicshocks.com US CORRESPONDENT: Denise Britt - denise@sonicshocks.com

Contributors on this issue WRITERS: John Morgan, Paul Roundhill, Sophia Disgrace, David Lees, Cristina Massei, Matt Dawson, Nelly Loriaux PHOTOGRAPHERS: Cristina Massei, Nelly Loriaux

General enquiries, review requests and unsolicited material: info@sonicshocks.com Advertising enquiries and info: advertising@sonicshocks.com PLEASE NOTE: We listen to everything but - often in your own interest - we don’t always review it...

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Interview by C. Massei First time I came across Darlia was when they opened for The Family Rain at The Garage in February.

I had never heard about them before, no expectations. The first riff soon demanded undivided attention, ‘Blood Money’ exploded in the air with the overpowering aroma of the ‘next big thing’. The initial comparison with Nirvana was inevitable, yet by the end of Darlia’s short set I had found several more intriguing shades to these young newcomers.

Was that resemblance with Cobain’s band intentional? Not in the slightest. I’m alienated to music – I don’t listen to music and I don’t indulge in common trends, recent trends, past trends – I just know what music is.

We don’t have ANY intentions to try and replicate anything at all, we’re actually trying to get away from doing that. Natan is not annoyed and definitely not surprised at my question, yet he’s eager to spell out his band’s identity. I have a true love for genuine music, I don’t care what it is – I just love melody, music and pop. I might not necessarily listen to it but I have a lot of respect for a classic pop song and good songwriters, that’s what I like about music, none of that ‘I’m in a rock band’.

Today is a big day for Darlia: they’ve just played a show in Hyde Park, where tens of thousands are celebrating the return of the legendary Libertines. This means a lot to us to play here because I really respect Pete Doherty as a musician and a poet. Like I said, I don’t necessarily listen to a lot of music but I respect musicians and I could name on one hand who I really, truly respect – he’s one of them so I’m honoured to do this.

You’ve just come off stage – how did it go? It was a really good gig, the crowd seemed to love it, people jumping around, starting pits and all that. You can play in front of a lot of people sometimes and they don’t move around but to play in front of a lot and they’re visually enjoying themselves is a really amazing feeling. We played Glastonbury last week at 11am, we thought there was going to be nobody there, who’s going to get up at 11am to watch US? But it was still good – I honestly appreciate all that.

While Darlia still don’t have a full album to their name, the interest from the press has been growing by the minute. From BBC to the Guardian,

XFM and the NME, everybody seems to believe the Blackpool rising stars have a bright future ahead of them.

And yes, you might have heard this all before, but there’s something special about these ones. And that something is Natan, the driving force who planned it all since the tender age of 8…

It’s not spontaneous and it’s not…

It’s weird because I’m not necessarily a believer of destiny or anything like that, but I do think if you can will something to happen and as long as it’s got a bit of truth to it, it can manifest. I remember being in primary school and all I wanted was to just be older because I wanted to start a band; I wanted to make music and start this path since I was eight years old. I was just waiting to be older. I wouldn’t go out to clubs or make any other use of my time in the meantime – I was just obsessively writing songs one after the other.

I finished college, I wasn’t going to Uni because I was dead set on starting a band. There’s a gap when you finish college where everybody’s got to sort their life out; I started as a cleaner in my own college, Dave

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© Cristina Massei

“I knew what it was doing. It was really tormenting to be so young and trying to tell everybody I’ve got these songs, listen, just trust me”

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did that too and I’d known him for several years but had never really spoken to him because we were in different groups. We just started to talk about music and found out he played bass. I had recorded a really bad demo acoustically of one of my songs (nothing like Darlia) and it got a lot of attention on YouTube really quickly because it was quite peculiar music, acoustic type of stuff, and he [Dave] said he liked it. That’s what got us talking about music. ‘I’ll play you some stuff and if you like it we’ll do something because I’m deadly serious about this’, I told him. He wanted to go to uni in a few months so I knew we had a very small amount of time where I had his interest. I tried with so many people to start a band and I’ve pushed them away because I’m so focused on it 24/7 and they all have jobs and lives, it wasn’t working with anybody. But Dave was a cleaner too, and we’d play on our off hours. Our drummer’s a cleaner too who’s mates with Dave so we came as a package.

Once he got the right people on board, Darlia started getting gigs, but wasn’t exactly what Natan had in mind at first…

I took them loads of songs, we did loads of gigs in Blackpool, our hometown, all in the space of a few weeks; we were cleaning toilets and playing gigs on the same nights.

I thought that Blackpool’s music scene wasn’t right: people playing to Smurfs on stag dos, builders that don’t care, drinking a pint and watching TV and they’re thinking there’s an annoying band on, this is not the way people make it, this is not it. It was by chance that we started getting interest by our management, then within a few months

© Cristina Massei

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we were known massively by all the major labels that I had known and researched about – it all just kicked off really quickly.

The songs you played now are still those you wrote back then…

Honestly was one of the most tormenting things in my life. I remember when I was eight I got infatuated with the guitar and I remember having these songs and thinking that they were really strong in terms of pop.

It was pop music on a guitar, classic pop structures and I knew what it was doing. It was really tormenting to be so young and trying to tell everybody I’ve got these songs, listen, just trust me – I know the potential’ and I’ve told so many people ‘if you stick with me it’ll work’ and so many have gone ‘it’s not going to happen’, they all go off and do their lives while I’m left there like ‘What am I going to do?’. But I had this feeling these song had potential. And the thing is we’ve not released anything that piqued the label’s interest, we had these other songs that were going to come out later - THAT’s what interested these labels, they know we’re not a grunge band, and when these songs come out that’s when I’ll be happy, but to be known as a grunge band – that’s fifteen year old me.

The songs we just played today are sort of teenage angst, melodic with a pop element; the funny thing is all of the stuff that’s out right now I wrote between fourteen and fifteen years old. I wanted this to happen. There’s a massive misconception that we’re a grunge revivalist band: I knew it was going to happen and I’m fine with it because I’m playing the game. I know what I’m doing, I knew

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© Cristina Massei we’d get this grunge revival thing and I knew this would happen. But we’re not a grunge band and that’ll be proven when the songs come out that match where I am now.

Often musicians at their second album will tell you, talking about their first, that ‘it’s not them anymore’.

How do you feel now about these songs you wrote a long time ago?

They’re still mine, absolutely, but it feels like the younger version of myself is now coming into the public eye; songs like Napalm, Queen Of Hearts and Candyman are really old melodies, all the lyrics are modern, because I write a lyric on what’s happening, all the lyrics mean everything that I’ve come up with at the time, but the melodies I’ve had for years. When they came out it was justice to myself from when I was little, it’s justice because as a teenager I wanted everybody to hear those songs, but I didn’t have the songs that really hold us as a proper band – the big songs I’m really proud of. By the time I started to write these big songs, that’s when we started to get public attention for the old ones so I’m just excited for when it kind of catches up, I’m excited for when the world will hear

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those songs.

That’s what I’m confident in. I mean this with no offense to them in any way, shape or form at all, but bands like Bush, Feeder and The Vines where they’ve got that kind of grungy, bit Nirvana-y… I don’t like any of those bands so I’m not trying to go ‘I’m going to do that as well.’

I think your appearance is also in part to blame for that comparison.

I’ve always had blonde hair; when I was a kid it was platinum white, then at some point it started to go dark and it felt weird, so I bleached it to feel like I was younger, like a kid. When I looked in the mirror with bleached hair it reminded me of all the baby photos of me and felt right about it. My dad had shaved and bleached hair because he liked a band called Japan and my Mum had bleached blonde hair, but they’re not into rock music at all. I bleached my hair and I was infatuated by Andy Warhol too, I’d often cut my hair exactly like his then it would grow and I wouldn’t want to cut it again. The first time I dyed my hair black was when I was 18 to try and get away from the Cobain look and

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every time I looked in the mirror I saw someone from Cradle Of Filth; I wasn’t seeing the right me. It’s a battle to get away from it but I don’t feel right any other way…

What’s the next part of the plan then? I know by now that you have plenty of material ready for an album…

Yeah, there’s about 5 or 6 albums worth of material! In the more immediate future, there’s another single which I quite like, that’s stamped to go. Candyman and Dear Diary were not milestones, just songs we’ve put out, but I’m proud of this one. It’s kind of postmodern, still a rock song, still not one of the ‘big ones’ though. The album’s out late 2014 or early 2015 like January.

How far do you want to get? [Natan thinks for quite some time his response…]

I know where I want to go but I don’t really know how to talk about it… I just think that it doesn’t matter who you are, if it’s delusions of grandeur on how big you’re going to be, as long as you’re aware that at this point in time you’re nothing, then I think that’s a lethal combi-

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nation. If you think this is going to be massive but you’re aware that you’re nothing at this moment in time, that combination can propel you into any success. Doesn’t matter if you’re two kids from Manchester like Oasis, if you’re aware of where you are but still think it you can get wherever you want to be.

When ask what he does when he’s not doing music, Natan smiles at the idea of any ‘spare time’. His ‘masterplan’ has no room for any at the moment.

I’ll give you an example: few days off, T In The Park then Australia. It’s really hectic, I’ve never been on a plane and it’s 23 hours to Australia, first time I got a passport was when my manager said ‘Yeah, you’ve got a festival in Australia so you’ll need a passport.’

Time to let Natan fly. Aware of where he is, confident on where he’s going and with the goods to back up that confidence: Darlia have the talent and – so uncommon these days – the brains and will to make things happen. And when they will, I can’t see their frontman holding a gun to his mouth…

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Interview by C. Massei

We meet Hang The Bastard in Hyde Park, where they’re playing BST Summertime on the day their idols Black Sabbath are headlining. Of course they’re in a great mood, a perfect chance to ask how it feels being compared to a dead goat with a dildo up its ass. But let’s start with something a bit more tasteful just to warm up…

Busy weekend for you guys – Hyde Park plus Sonisphere, and you played as well Camden Rocks not so long ago– how’s the summer been going so far?

Tomas: Really well, we’re very excited for this weekend, Camden Rocks was a good time and the first time we sort of played with our new line up – new guitarist – and it all came together very well so we go into this weekend with a lot of confidence.

You hear that Camden Crawl’s been cancelled also – they went into administration yesterday. I think Camden Rocks will be the worthwhile substitute as it was quite successful this year.

I had a band play the other one and it was DEAD.

Camden Rocks was brilliant though, it was great.

Doing 3 different festivals in such a short time – Hyde Park’s central London (the posh one if you like!), Sonisphere’s the big massive rock one and then you’ve got Camden Rocks which is more of a South by Southwest thing, what do you think in regards to festivals right now?

There are a lot of them around – some fail, some come back – what’s the ideal formula?

Sam: Festivals like Download and Sonisphere have been going for years – Donington with Monsters Of Rock and all that – they’re legendary and obviously we’re honoured to play those kind of things but London’s like our hometown, apart from our singer. It’s good to play there, the venues are really good.

Personally I prefer the classic 3 day festival – your camping, the coming together of loads of people – that’s what I think a festival should be: the whole tenting experience as well as the live bands.

Camping at Sonisphere then?

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Yes we are – we love it!

Who’re you looking forward to seeing?

Chas and Dave, Ghost…

Everyone’s looking forward to Chas And Dave!

Dog Eat Dog, Hundred Reasons playing Ideas Above Our Station. I’m liking these bands playing old albums as full sets, there’s a sense of nostalgia to it – Hellfire Reign one soon [laughs] There’s only one regret I have about doing this festival today – obviously I love playing here – Electric Wizard are at Sonisphere tonight and they’re one of my favourite bands but I’ll see them again! sharing a bill with Black Sabbath today along with Iron Maiden and Metallica at Sonisphere – which of the 3 influenced you the most?

Black Sabbath all the way. If I can meet Tony Iommi I can die happily!

Joe: As a band it’s Sabbath, as an individual when I was growing up Jason Newsted in Metallica was the person that got me to do bass, I copy his stance, try his vocals but as a band Sabbath is a major influence.

Simon: Like Joe Lars Ulrich was the one that got me to play drums, I know everyone has a go at him but he’s in the biggest metal band in the world – you can’t argue with Metallica.

Sam: Having said that : in the first incarnation of this band we said the formula was to be Sabbath crossed with Integrity style hardcore – we’ve changed a bit since then and just gone down the Black Sabbath part of it and cut out a lot of the hardcore but Sabbath is one of our biggest influences.

You’ve been working on a new album - Sex In The Seventh Circle – any more info you can give us in regards to that and the video?

Joe: We shot a video about 2 or 3 weeks ago – it’s the title track of the album. We’re all really happy and I don’t think we could have put together a better album to be honest, we’re all excited for people to hear the new band.

Sam: Every song you’ll hear tonight is off the new record, same at Sonisphere. For us we think it’s our best material so it’s cool.

I know it’s a bit of an obvious question but how does it compare to

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Hellfire Reign?

Sam: It’s a lot different – new members now, completely different writing dynamic – a lot more organic : groovier, slower , we’ve lost a lot of the chug metal aspect of it.

Simon: It’s a lot more in sync with the Sweet Mother single that we did last year.

Talking of that single, watching the video I read a YouTube comment ‘the singer sounds like my Nan’s dead goat with a 16 inch dildo up its arse’…

Sam: Perfect!

[Other band members laughing uproariously at the comment] Joe: I think someone then said ‘So metal as FUCK then…’

Sam: That sums it up, we know we come under criticism for having a new vocalist and it’s more sonic sounding now and we realise we’re not gonna please everyone but that’s what we wanted to do – go down a heavier path. That comment you read out and the follow up sums it up perfectly – have it sound as nasty as possible. Someone else said it sounded like Gollum from Lord Of The Rings.

Simon: Gollum’s a movie star so that can’t be bad.

Word Association time! If Hang The Bastard was a car which one would it be?

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Joe: Three wheel!

Simon: Ford Capri.

Drug?

Sam: MDMA I guess, thoughtful but uplifting at the same time Simon: Not that we advocate the use of narcotics…

Sam But we do…

Drink?

Joe: Whiskey and coke with a hint of lime Sex toy (since we touched that topic already)?

Sam: One of those sex swings, it’s got a lot of groove to it as you go back and forth Joe: Penetrating with the riff! It floats and it’s punchy Sam: A big protruding dildo coming out of it!

Joe – you’ve also got Chapters so how’s that getting on?

It’s me and our live guitarist Angus, I try and keep it completely different even though Angus is now in Hang The Bastard! It’s more progressive music, I have to play 20,000 more notes than in one Hang The Bastard song, at the moment Hang The Bastard is the priority going forward.

S i m o n : I t ’ s

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good to have another project as long as we all know that at the end of the day Hang The Bastard, we’re going to do our stuff, Joe can do his stuff.

Will there be a tour to support the new album?

Joe: There’s a small but select tour of dates in October and Europe for a brief run then from March next year onwards we’re going to be doing a lot of festivals [Ed note: Hammerfest was confirmed after the interview was conducted], bits and bobs for going to the USA, the main focus is next year.

First time in the States?

Simon; Yep, we’re looking forward to it.

Joe: March we’ll be doing a few select things, October – probably supporting a band.

Which city would you love to do?

Joe: New York.

Sam: I have family in Boston…

Joe: We won’t be doing Boston [laughs], Chicago I’d love to do.

Name a bastard to hang!

Tomas: it’s got to be the man of the hour: Rolf Harris!

Any final message to your fans?

Tomas: Just grow your beard and headbang!

Simon: That’s for the females too!

© Cristina Massei

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© Cristina Massei

‘the singer sounds like my Nan’s dead goat with a 16 inch dildo up its arse’… That sums it up!

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rock’n’roll museum

By Paul Roundhill “THE ROCK AND ROLL MUSEUM” IS A REGISTERED TRADE-NAME SINCE 1990. This is a module of a regular feature in Sonic Shocks magazine. All modules are available for syndication - all rights reserved.

REMEMBERING A.T. WELLS The Rock & Roll Museum has been on its holidays in Northern Cyprus searching out the legacy of Australian guitarist, song-writer and all-round polemicist Alan Thomas Wells. A.T. Wells was the power and inspiration behind “Conzentration”, “Bitter Lemons” and “Bad Country Boy”. His YouTube channel - <Alan T Wells> still exists and declares through the 100 odd uploads his creative fecundity and prolific talent although he perhaps never fully lived up to the success and promise of his early release “Maybelline” back in his native Australia (Check it out HERE).

Alan sadly passed away in his adoptive Bavaria last August and is greatly missed by those who had witnessed his relentless energy and many musical projects throughout the years.

Originally hailing from Wyong Australia, Alan was a true globe trotter and hauled his guitar across the world. He made being a “Rocker” his business, constantly writing songs, playing in bars and working on projects living as far afield as Nashville, U.S.A., Clerkenwell amongst other places in London, Bavaria, Germany and Northern Cyprus. He leaves behind him a wealth of songs, videos, film scripts, philosophical musings and a life-story which will be published at some time in the future.

Brothers Paul and Robert also are musicians and survive him. He is fondly remembered if not with a little exasperation by his many musician fellow travellers.

He would in his later years always drop by the 12 Bar Club in Denmark Street, London W1 and hold court and perform there. Fellow musicians included brother “Colby” Robert Werleman, now with his own band and family in Denmark, London Irish rocker Eunen Brady, Patrick Balfe, the late Geoffrey Lee-Pierce of Gun Club and Hew Lloyd Langton of Hawkwind; also long-time collaborator, drummer Volker Vonhoff.

His most poignant legacy is perhaps the song “Can you say I won’t die?”

By Paul Roundhill. Copyright protected, all right reserved.

For any enquiry about buying or exhibiting Mr Roundhilll’s work, please contact us or the man himself by email at ayeayerobot@yahoo.co.uk

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Š Nelly Loriaux

Interview by M. Dawson

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It’s been a strong year for Battlecross so far – coming to the UK twice on their first UK tour AND festival appearance at Download drawing strong crowds on both occasions. Matt Dawson chats to Hiran Deraniyagala (guitarist) about what the future holds on both sides of the Atlantic…

With it being your first time at a UK festival – how are you finding it?

It’s pretty awesome man! I love the variety line up of bands – I think that’s one of the coolest things about these festivals - you get everything from just rock to hard metal. It’s cool to be a part of this.

You have a varied amount of influences then?

Yeah, we all grew up listening to a variety of stuff, I mean obviously we’re predominantly metal, I grew up listening to Rage Against The Machine, Tool, Korn and stuff like that, from there it just went heavier and heavier – Pantera and Slayer. I listen to Pink Floyd, everything man.

You toured the UK earlier this year with Killswitch Engage a n d Trivi u m for

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your first UK tour – how was it?

It was awesome, getting the chance to go out with those guys again, [they’re] good friends of ours and it was very awesome of them to take us out – first time over here and what better way to introduce being over here with their kind of crowd, they definitely bought the crowd for us and we appreciate that very much, it went over great – made a lot of new fans, coming back we see a lot of ands that said they saw us at Killswitch, it’s cool to be part of that.

What are the touring plans for the rest of the year?

We’re doing some headline dates and some stuff with Killswitch – South America at the end of August then the US in October with Machine Head, Epica and Children of Bodom.

We have no plans to come back to the UK this year but hopefully the next – another album cycle.

How’s work going on the next album?

That’s what we’ll be working on during these weeks off and hopefully get in the studio by next year, we don’t have anything kind of written yet but there’s ideas brewing in our head.

Shannon Lucas was the drummer for the last record – is he the permanent drummer going forward?

At this point we’re feeling people out to come in and help

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– whether or not that continues on we’ll just have to see. It’s one of those things where you get a guy in the band , you’ve got to figure out whether they want to be there, the commitment’s got to be equal. So far he’s been helping us out with the record and the tour, it’s been great having him on board but we’ll see.

In regards to social media such as Facebook and Twitter you guys have been doing quite well – now considering new bands crop up pretty much every day what advice would you give them?

I think social media right now more than anything is the most important thing to be on but you also have to go beyond that too – you’ve got to be on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram – you’ve got to interact and basically let fans be a part of it. Information’s going so fast now on the internet people can’t keep up so you have to keep reminding them – I can’t tell you how often we post about shows and then we put ‘hey we’re playing here tonight!’ then someone’s like I just found out about this.

For new bands you’ve got to go beyond the social media and you’ve got to talk to your fans, sell your own merch, you’ve got to understand you’re going to put in a LOT of hard work and get very little back – you’ve got to really love the music and put the work in to make it happen.

Even though the new album’s in an early stage what do you feel we can expect from it?

Our goal is to outdo War of Will so keep elements of what really hit with the first two but hit harder and stronger.

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David Lees meets the outrageous Vicious Precious from Pretty Addicted to talk about their HARDER and BIGGER new album ‘It All Stems From Childhood’ out on 6th August… Enjoy!

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You’ve released a first single, Mania.

How has the reaction been to that?

Fucking awesome! Everyone has really responded to it and it’s getting played fucking everywhere! I’m truly overwhelmed by this and truly humYou have a new album due out very bled as this song in particular means soon, what can we expect from it a great deal to me and was emotional in comparison to Filth? Is there any to write so the fact that people love evolution or change in your sound? it as much as I do is a beautiful thing.

Oh absolutely! The first album was The songs on Filth dealt with a lot a combined effort of two people, of personal stuff for you. I’m guesstwo perspectives, two ideas of what ing by the title of the new album sound we should be, more of a com- that’s the same here. Could you tell promise between us. Since now it’s us what the thinking behind the tijust me (the way it always should’ve tle was and what can we expect in been done and now WORKS!) this al- terms of themes? bum is much better because it’s all Oh even MORE so here! With Filth we my vision, uncompromised and raw. didn’t have an overall concept that Better production, a firmer concept linked all the songs together but this and imagery, everything HARDER time with the childhood theme this and BIGGER! And a defined sound is present and therefore connects all that from this album forth will *be* the songs better with a whole conthe Pretty Addicted sound! I’ve made cept. This album is about how events the exact album I set out to make so and happenings from your childhood affect the rest of your life; how EVI’m fucking happy.

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ERYTHING stems from childhood.

See what I did there ;) haha How did you find the process of writing a second album compared to the first? Did it go more smoothly having done it before or were there a whole new set of challenges to overcome?

This was a MUCH more emotional experience. With the first, even though my former band mate and I wrote the album together, he was ultimately the one who spent more time putting the music together. I had less involvement in the actual construction of the music. This time I had ALL the control and this was a first for me but something that worked SO much better. I constructed and wrote all these songs myself.

I worked with A.B on engineering but I wrote everything, controlled exactly how the songs were put together, down to the smallest sound, and had completely my stamp on it so this is 100% my baby and that’s the difference. All the mixing was all A.B -I don’t pretend to do that side of things- and the mastering by Jon Doe. I was lucky enough to have some of the most talented guys in the freeform scene working on this with me and they added something SO special to my work, making it the bad ass sounding album that it is!

What’s your song-writing process like? What comes first, the lyrics or the music?

The majority of the time the music comes first. It’s very hard to write music around a set of lyrics so I try not to go into the studio with lyrics in mind as, when I do, you’re limited by the melody and structure of the words you’ve written. Sometimes it has worked writing the words first, like with Mania for example. I wrote that entire song in my head, lyrics first, before even getting to the studio but that only happens on occasion with those extra personal tracks that mean that bit more emotionally.

You chose to go the Kickstarter route to fund this album, how did

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“I don’t really think I do anything for 'shock tactics', yes I’m shocking but it’s not a 'tactic', it’s just me really! I am just offensive as a person.”

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that work out? Were you pleased with the reaction to it?

I was fucking overwhelmed and over the moon with the response! Our Indiegogo campaign did SO well and exceeded my expectations showing me something amazing, that even though the band has gone through member changes and some hardships that people were still really with me and that Pretty Addicted mattered to people. Our Crackheads are REALLY fucking supportive and constantly go out of their way to show me they’re with me and, honestly, it’s an amazing feeling. I never thought my music could matter to anyone the way it has and I hope this album brings us even MORE Crackheads!

Crowd-funding is becoming a popular way for smaller artists to create and release albums. What challenges did you encounter while doing it and would you recommend it to other artists?

I didn’t actually come across any challenges. You just really have to promote that shit! When people do crowdfunding and it doesn’t work you have to look at the possibility that they didn’t promote it enough, they didn’t bring it people’s attention enough. With Facebook algorithms being super shit and social media sort of fighting against us at the moment with all this “pay for posts” malarkey, you have to REALLY promote as much as humanly possible! Put together a mailing list of people who want to be in the know about what you’re doing and send

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out regular emails, put posts about the campaign on your personal page and ask all your personal friends to check it out via text or in person. You just have to REALLY put it out there!

People don’t always come to the music, the music has to more than often go to them!

You recently had some health problems and were hospitalised for a heart attack. How are you doing now and how has that experience affected your work?

I’m doing good, thanks for asking.

Was mostly stress related, with an overkill of drugs on a long weekend (literally!) not helping. It took me away from work for a few weeks but you can’t keep me from working for long so I was back on it pretty soon after! The events of that day pushed me to really go for what I want in life and to get this band where I want it to be. Nay, where I need it to be! I live and breathe this shit and the idea that I could’ve fucking died before getting there is the main thing pushing me to make sure I get there before I kick the bucket!

You’re going to be playing at AltFest. That’s a huge event, how do you feel about it and what can we expect from your show?

It STILL doesn’t feel real. I have been talking about this daily for months with my friend Sakura (who wil be performing on stage with us at AltFest doing some very filthy firebreathing!) and it still hasn’t set in.

I don’t think it will feel real till I get there. I mean, Marilyn fucking Manson -my idol and inspiration- is going

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to be playing. I’m going to be playing and Manson is going to be playing!

That just hasn’t fucking set in yet.

Who else are you hoping to see while you’re there?

See above haha. Marilyn Manson all the way! Also, the Numan dude.

Gary fucking Numan is going to be there. Just so many awesome bands, it’s going to be life changing.

Who would you most like to collaborate with musically (apart from Marilyn Manson, who is a given)?

Haha, you knew ;) Well apart from Manson, it would be a fucking honour to work with The Prodigy. I reckon a Prodigy/Pretty Addicted song would be OUT OF THIS WORLD! ;) Do you have any plans for music videos in the future? Any teasers as to what we can expect?

Absolutely. Planning on doing the ‘Mania’ vid SOON! You seem to be happy to do outrageous things to promote yourself (and for fun) such as your Vicious Pisscious photos and posters. Is there anything that would be taboo for you in terms of shock tactic entertainment?

Oh that’s not for promotion, I just think it’s funny! I was doing that long before Pretty Addicted haha. I don’t really think I do anything for “shock tactics”, yes I’m shocking but it’s not a “tactic” it’s just me really! I am just offensive as a person.

What’s next for Pretty Addicted?

Tours. Bitches. WORLD DOMINATION?!

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Interview by N. Loriaux

© Oleg Tolstoy Young twin sisters Anna and Sonia Kuprienko grew up in a small Ukrainian town just outside Kiev and moved to London two years ago to pursue their love of music. After a brief stint with modelling, the talented duo grew even more committed to each other and their music, striving to master as many instruments as possible. Their ethereal vocals have already been compared to Lana Del Rey, and in just under a year they’ve been featured on The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Daily Mail, Vogue, BBC London Radio and MTV Iggy, which crowned them as their ‘artist of the week’.

Still attached to their country, worried and deeply saddened by its political issues, Anna and Sonia have often voiced their concerns and used their growing fame to raise awareness, also recording a cover of Bob Marley's 'Get Up, Stand Up'.

Nelly Loriaux finds out more...

Tells us a bit about yourselves.

We are Bloom Twins. So similar outside and so different inside. Like sweet and sour, black and white. We are a perfect union that›s impossible to break.

Splitting us is like splitting words and

pauses in a book, lyrics and melody in a song.

What brought you to music?

Our parents brought us to music. Because of them we live. We started to sing at an early age. We didn’t want to talk, we thought that singing was enough to understand each other. And probably that’s why we started to talk at the age of 3.

What’s behind the name ‘Bloom Twins’? A metaphor about your innerselves?

Yes. You can certainly say that.

The name indicates the condition of

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being in flower or time of vigor, fresh- our first songs. ness. Saying that, we all have some- How do you reconcile your career bething that can bloom regardless of tween modelling, appearing on Lonage. It’s not just about being bloom- don fashion week and music? ing young. In 10, 15, 20 years to come Modelling we’ve only tried the first few there still be something that we can months we’ve spent in London. And open up in ourselves and explore. we didn’t feel like we belonged there.

We always evolve and that shouldn’t Don’t get us wrong, it’s a hard work. stop. No one is ever too old to flourish But it requires your full attention and and cause some beauty in a world. devotion, and our focus was music.

What would you say your formative Hence we only had couple of appearinfluences come from? ances during London fashion week.

We think our formative influences Saying that, we do love fashion. And mainly came from our music idol Thom we do love art. Clothes are a powerYorke. He changed the way we per- ful tool to express our mood/character. ceived music, and how to think out of It’s essential. So we certainly involve the box, and have no boundaries. fashion, but would only collaborate Where do you get your inspiration with those designers or brands that from? What drives you to write mu- correspond to our style, and our beliefs or way of thinking. Such was the sic? collaboration with Joshua Kane, whose We write about everything that touches us. It’s not necessarily about our life experience. We like to write about some heart breaking situations that we witnessed, our feelings about it and global stories that we would like to be heard.

Although your music veers towards Pop it tends to be very dark, is this a reflection of personal experiences, philosophical intake on life or else....?

For example, your latest video ‘Blue’ depicts a rather bitter-sweet storyline, quite dysfunctional…

All of the above. We can›t ©Ruben Hart say that all of our songs are autobiographical, but they were style we love. Modelling as such is a bit all influenced by real life events that different. we›ve witnessed. So they did touch us What’s your favorite part about one way or another, yet not necessarily performing? happened to us. We ask a lot of ques- Energy. That is what we are getting adtions in order to understand how this dicted to. That is when we open our machine, called adulthood, works. We souls, giving to the audience everything witness a situation and we ask what that we have, all our love, and having made the person behave in a certain their love back. That is the best feeling way. So philosophical approach / in- in the whole world. This is something take is probably what drives the «dark- that gives you goose bumps, and even ness» or the «depth» into what we do. now I feel them, and my body desperWe do witness and hear a lot about dys- ately wants this drug again. functional relationships. Looks like ev- Any highlights from the past few years eryone had that experience at some that have had a major impact on your point of their lives. life?

How did you find the transition from Seeing what was happening in Ukraine, a small town in Ukraine to cosmopoli- seeing people being cold- heartedly tan and hectic London? shot, seeing so much pain, fear and It was a big change for us. It felt like hope, and not being able to help, yet flying to cosmos. Everything is buzzing we voiced our support and appeared in a big city but yet you feel alone. No on BBC newsnight. It was a bit of an one understands you. But it made us emotional turmoil. work, think and inspired us to write

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Tell us a bit more about your efforts to make people aware about the political unrest in your country…

The thing about “news” is literally in its name. It is only relevant when it is new. And our country was going and still is going through tremendous changes. The bubble full of corruption, lies, unfair judgements and power abuse had to go bust sooner or later.

There is only as much people can take.

It only needed one push, a catalyst.

With “get up, stand up” we wanted to a) support our fellow Ukrainians not to give up their fight, and b) we wanted something that will outlive us, or any headlines. People of Ukraine/ Maidan changed the history, those people sacrificed their lives, those are the people that are building the new Ukraine.

They are fearless, persistent and full of hope. The awareness around the globe had to be raised, and not just when Ukraine was on the front pages of every paper or a magazine. Ukraine needed other countries to take actions.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned so far?

“Everything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” As there were so many troubles that we have been trough being just babies.

But only because of them we gained what we have now. We are really thankful to our team. They are all making magic. And without them we are nobodies. We are lucky that we met them.

What are you looking forward to in the foreseeable future?

We want to make a change in the world the way our managers did to us.

Where can your fans find you on the web?

You can become part of our family On Facebook, Instagram and YouTube! www.facebook.com/TheBloomTwins http://instagram.com/bloomtwins www.youtube.com/BloomTwins Or check out our website www.bloomtwins.com What’s in store for your fans?

We are working on our EP. And we will certainly put one more track out before the release of an EP. And as for gigs - you gotta join our Bloom Twins family to stay updated.

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August 2014

Interview by C. Massei

In collaboration with this year’s Film4 FrightFest, London is finally getting ready to welcome two shows no horror fan will want to miss: seminal movies Dawn of The Dead and Suspiria will be screened with Italian composer Claudio Simonetti and his band Goblin performing the soundtrack live.

Legend Simonetti has been taking the live score concept around the world since 2009, with sell-out shows in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and most of Europe. After a well received UK tour for Goblin back in February, it was time to treat the UK shores to these exceptional gigs.

We were honoured to talk to the man who created the music to Dawn of The Dead, Suspiria, Profondo Rosso and many more to find out more about the shows’ concept, his relationship with horror legend Dario Argento, the state of horror cinema today, his current projects and Jack The Ripper, before catching up on Italy’s latest news .

We are here to talk about two very special shows you’re about to bring to London, based on the movies ‘Dawn of the Dead’ and Suspiria’.

Could you tell us more about this particular experience?

Playing live music on a film is something we’ve been doing for a while.

The first time was in 2009 when we did ‘Deep Red’ in Turin, in the square where the movie was actually filmed. It was organized by Turin Film Festival and we had 10,000 people attending. We basically played the

soundtrack live in the same points where the original soundtrack would have played, something that we might do again soon in Rome. In London we’ll give you the same experience with Dawn of The Dead and Suspiria, two of Goblin’s biggest hits.

If these shows go well, is there a chance to maybe see Deep Red here too?

Depends on the organizers, we have these three movies we play live and if London likes Dawn of the Dead and Suspiria we’d certainly be happy to bring Deep Red as well. The most requested worldwide is Suspiria.

Goblin had a very troubled history when it comes to the line up; who are we going to see in London?

We definitely had a troubled existence… Until last year we were the New Goblin, with me and Massimo Morante on guitar plus two members of my old metal band Daemonia - Titta Tani on drums and Bruno Previtali on guitar. The current incarnation, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, is me, Tani and Previtali with Federico Amorosi on bass. I’m the only remaining original Goblin. However, with Titta and Bruno we played together for 15 years, so the line up has some longevity, although we only started playing shows in this formation under the Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin moniker in February this year. We did a successful tour in the UK, including the Electric Ballroom in London. A legendary venue, and the most extraordinary thing was that it was sold out.

That tour wasn’t soundtrack based but a proper Goblin tour; what’s

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your typical set list in this case?

It includes our most famous soundtracks but also Goblin albums ‘Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark’ and ‘Roller’. People know that one very well, just as much as our soundtracks.

Must be hard to make a selection out of your vast catalogue…

Well, if we should play everything the show would never end… You have to consider though that with Goblin we were only playing Goblin songs, while with Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin we also play my own personal repertoire. As Goblin we split up in ’78; after that we only got back together a couple of times for Sleepless and Tenebrae, where however we were credited with our names separately. I continued working with Dario by myself doing other movies like Phenomena, Opera, The Third Mother, up to the latest Dracula, 14 in total.

Your relationship with Dario was central to your career and maybe your life, can you tell us how it all started?

I worked with different directors and composed scores to more than 60 movies, but the most famous are definitely those I did with Dario. We go back to ’74, Morante and myself had formed the band (although was called Oliver at the time) and we were just back from spending a year in London. We had recorded some demos there which got us on Cinevox once we got back to Italy, who they were not only a record label but also a film distribution company and soundtrack publishers. Luckily for us, Dario Argento had just finished ‘Deep Red’ for them and was looking for a band and he wanted a rock sound for his movie. He had Deep Purple and Emerson Lake & Palmer and other major British artists in mind, but our producer Carlo Bixio put our name through saying he was producing these young kids from Rome he might like. He came to the studio to listen to our music and he decided to go with us. A choice that revealed to be very good for him and very lucky for us! The movie was a great success also due to the soundtrack, in fact the record sold 1 million albums

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only in the first 10 months.

So you must have been very young then…

22 years old … and at 22, Dario Argento went from Deep Purple to you, the unknown new kids… How did that feel?

Dario was already a legend back then, I saw my first Argento movie when I was just a kid and never I would have thought then I’d have a chance to work with him someday. It was The Bird With The Crystal Plumage I think in 1970, I was 16-17. Actually, he had contacted Deep Purple before: when he did Four Flies On Grey Velvet which was the story of a rock drummer he got in touch with them to do the soundtrack but it didn’t happen in the end. In fact, the name ‘Deep Red’ was in part inspired by Deep Purple! However, we were lucky to be there and be given that great opportunity. It was our first record, first movie, first everything. What a dazzling start!

How important is a soundtrack to a horror movie?

Well, back then music was really important in a horror movie, starting from Hitchcock with the great Hermann – just think of the Psycho soundtrack, pure genius, even many years before Argento. Then The Exorcist, using also some of Mike Oldfield music, then John Carpenter’s Halloween, with the music partly inspired to Deep Red. Horror movies had a soundtrack that meant something to it and stayed with you. Today not as much, and it’s not just the case of horror movies. Generally speaking, cinema is turning more commercial and the music with it, it’s often just what’s trendy at the time.

Let’s talk about a current trend: the comeback of vintage horror, especially Italian…

I definitely noticed that a lot. When we play, we get lot of people coming to us with vinyls to sign; we also reprinted most of our records on vinyl, CDs seem to be on their way out, with a huge comeback for vinyl but also things like tshirts and fanzines.

I came across some special editions of old classics, like Black Sabbath, where the American version was added to the disc next to the original and I noticed – rather horrified – that the soundtrack had been changed for the US version. Did it

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ever happen with one of yours?

Not really, no. The opposite in fact happened with Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, which he released in the US to great success with his own choice of music. When Dario Argento took the movie to Europe he asked me to redo the music, and also cut 20 minutes off the movie. When Romero heard it he liked it so much that he rereleased it in the US with the Goblin soundtrack. You can actually find a boxset DVD with 4 versions, cut, uncut, our music, Romero’s music, half and half…!

Can you see a general comeback of Italian cinema with the rediscovery of old Italian horror?

No unfortunately, people are rediscovering old movies but when it comes to new production we’re not doing well at all compared to the past. There are a few indie productions, underground films inspired to the 70s style, but at the moment I must say Spain and the Americas are doing much better. I’m working on a movie with an Argentinean director at the moment, Dario De La Vega, and he still does that cinema that in Italy has been forgotten. Here now is all about commercial comedy and TV fiction, horror is not considered as ‘culture’, differently from what’s happening in Spain. I was talking to (Jaume) Balagueró, another excellent Spanish director, and he was telling me that the Catalan government finances horror movies, while in Italy they’ve always be consid-

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ered a lower league. There are many young ones trying but it’s hard, at the most they manage to get them out of DVD. What’s the most recent Italian horror you would recommend?

I did one recently that is not bad, it’s called Multiplex; the director Stefano Calvagna normally deals with socio/political subjects, this is his first try with horror. It’s the story of a group of friends spending the night in a Multi Screen cinema and getting killed. It made it to the theatres at least!

Is there any director you have never worked with yet that you would like to?

Sure! Balagueró for a start, but also Carpenter and Guillermo Del Toro, all directors I have been lucky enough to meet but never had a chance to work with.

You have a classical education and you played everything from disco to metal. Do all these influences come into play when you compose a score?

Surely they’re all part of me, but the biggest role is played by the classical side when it comes to horror. Just think of Beethoven, or Bach’s ‘Toccata and Fugue’…

Let’s talk about London, you mentioned you’ve been living here for a year…

I’ve been to London so often that I know it pretty well by now. It’s a

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beautiful city and a fantastic audience … a city with a gothic, dark charme….

Definitely!

Is there any part of it in particular that you find inspiring for your music?

Maybe the suburbs. Central London is beautiful, but the suburbs and some of their buildings, feels like a killer is about to jump out from the dark… In Italy all we can associate with some of the suburbs is social exclusion, here you get Jack the Ripper! I have a similar feeling when I go to the States in certain area, you know, the smaller towns Halloween style, the isolated houses where some mad killer family might be hiding…

What else are you working on aside from these Goblin shows?

I’m working on a movie with Argentinean director Daniel De La Vega called Necrophobia and I just finished another with a French director, Gerard Diefenthal, called Darkside, which is about witchery.

What music do you listen to these days?

I listen to everything, from dance to metal. Recently I dug out my old vinyl player and I’ve been listening to my old records from the 70s, 80s and 90s. But I’m not narrow minded when it comes to music, one day I might be listening to Slipknot and the next I’ll be listening to Michael Jackson. Well, maybe not Gigi D’Alessio, I wouldn’t go that far…

I’m sure many Italians will be happy to hear that!

You’ll be surprised, he’s about to play in front of 20,000 people in Rome…

Ok, so we need to explain here that Gigi D’Alessio is an Italian singer songwriter that none of your friends would ever publicly admit to like; you wouldn’t be seen dead at one of his gigs for fear of becoming a social pariah, yet somehow he keeps topping the charts and selling out arenas. A bit like Berlusconi, the one everybody seems to hate but keeps getting votes somehow. And this is where our conversation turns to politics and the importance of the housewives vote

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(for both Berlusconi and D’Alessio) I need a serious chat with my mum.

We get talking about the sorry state of our country. I wonder what’s the situation for a musician out there these days.

Forget it. When I started there was still hope, records were still being made and sold; but today, when someone comes asking for advice, I jokingly tell them to find a day job.

We’re considered less than nothing in Italy. Even Dario and I, we never got in Italy the recognition we get abroad.

It’s a discussion I had with Fabio Frizzi as well, talking about his work with Lucio Fulci…

Fabio is a great friend, we’ve known each other since we were young, we played together many times. We’re in the same boat, but after all we’re the lucky ones, we’re privileged. I have a couple of gigs coming up in Italy but I’m working mostly abroad these days – Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland… Everywhere. Everywhere but Italy.

Were you ever tempted to leave?

A lot. I don’t have such strong ties here, I was born and raised in Brazil ‘til I was 12. I don’t even really live in Rome, I live 30 kms outside. Rome has changed. It was a beautiful city but it’s not the same anymore.

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To close, what is Claudio Simonetti’s past time when not making music?

Probably something music related, or seeing friends. I’m definitely not into sports, football, don’t have a hobby in particular besides music.

Dawn of the Dead (Zombi in Italy - 1978) by George A. Romero and Suspiria (1977) by Dario Argento are among the most famous soundtracks composed and produced by Goblin.

Night 1: DAWN OF THE DEAD (With a live re-scoring by GOBLIN) - THE UK PREMIERE Union Chapel, London 18+ 7:00pm doors Monday 18th August 2014 TICKETS / http://www.seetickets. com/event/dawn-of-the-dead-ftlive-score- by-goblin-/union-chapel/799240 Night 2: SUSPIRIA (with a live score

by GOBLIN) Union Chapel, London 18+ 7:00pm doors Tuesday 19th August 2014 TICKETS / http://www.seetickets. com/event/suspiria-ft-live-score-bygoblin- /union-chapel/799244

August 2014

Formed in London in 2011, Eighteen Nightmares At The Lux encapsulate elements of horrorcore a ’la early Cramps , psychobilly and the frenetic garage punk of 80’s Matchbox BLine Disaster. A fucked-up marriage of dramatic vocals, guitars that balance between deranged surf-punk and sinister garage riffs, and a rhythm section as unpredictable as the band’s influences: David Lees boldly tries to make sense of it all…

First off would you mind introducing yourselves to our readers?

Eighteen Nightmares at the Lux. Shimon, Greg, Const and Alex.

What’s the origin of your name?

It refers to the sleaze of the Parisian red light district.

Journalists seem to be tying themselves in knots to find (or make up) a genre to slot you in. How would you describe your music yourself?

Our sound is a cesspool of all the sounds we admire from Psych Garage to Gypsy Cabaret. It’s open to interpretation.

What’s your song-writing process like? What comes first, the lyrics or the music?

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© Robert Gershinson We tend to write our songs around a melody or specific sound we have in mind. Then comes the lyrics and the dance moves.

Who are your influences musically?

Anyone from Chet Atkins and Elvis to Death From Above and our nextdoor neighbours.

I’d guess from your style you’re also influenced by other sources such as horror movies. Could you share some of those with us?

I suppose it’s hard not to be influenced by other great art forms like cinema. Horror definitely plays a role in who we are. Themes of Mur-

nau’s Nosferatu and B movie culture aren’t far off.

Do you have any plans to tour in the near future?

We’ll be playing a few cheeky UK dates in September to celebrate our newest love child ‘Mouth to Mouth’ EP. We’ll be launching it at Birthdays in London on Sept 11th.

What can people expect from your live shows?

Skin and fuzz.

Finally, do you have anything you’d like to say to our readers?

Don’t get too stuck in the whirlpool of today’s hype. Love the underdog.

August 2014

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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...

SATURDAY CABARET @ The Steampunk Bar and Kitchen, Glasgow Every Saturday 7.00pm-Midnight This weekly event is fantabulously free and you know what they say about free thangs - ‘the best things in life are....’. Hosted by Rufus T, with an in house DJ to boot, sit back, order some grub and fine dine whilst watching a selection of cabaret, burly and sideshow starlets perform!

Free event!!! For further details please call 0141 204 2929 ROCK WITH THE FOXES - SUMMER SHOW @ the RMA Tavern, Portsmouth Saturday 16th August 8.30pm-2.00am Billed as ‘Portsmouth’s most hedonistic and raucous night out’, this event promises plenty in the way of thrills, spills and glitzy glamour! The night will be hosted by Burly troupe Veronique Devine and The Vixens and if reviews of past shows are anything to go by, this one’s set to raise the darn roof!

Drag, comedy, tassels and cereal chucking via Dame Le Reine guaranteed!

Tickets £5 in advance, £7 on the door. Available via Skiddle.com MISS TOBI JAMES BURLESQUE AND CABARET SHOW @ The Forum Music Centre, Darlington Thursday 28th August 7.00pm-11.30pm Well now, what can i say about this ‘lil night?! Hold onto your stocking garters/hats ladies and gentlemen, this show has a stellar cast of - wait for it - eleven acts PLUS headliner Velma Von Bon Bon! Miss Tobi you are surely spoiling us! Don’t delay -go get your tickets today! Do.It.Now! Sophia says so! photo MM #2133691

Tickets are from £8, available via the Forum Music Centre.

Contact 01325 363135 info@theforumonline.co.uk for details

August 2014

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This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s velvet curtain reveals...

Burlesque Spotlight!

The spotlight falls on something shiny and new: allow me to introduce

PIN UPS

Quick fire guides to the women who I feel embody the spirit of burlesque The first lady to be immortalised avec Sonic Shocks is the naughty but nice, the one and only

BETTY PAGE!

This US beauty was born Betty Mae Page in 1923 and is revered the world over as a counter culture icon.

BETTY PAGE-TIT-BITS 1 - Betty Page was one of Playboy Magazines first centre folds. Her exotic curves and trademark fringe quickly grabbed the hearts of a plethora of admirers worldwide.

2 - She is also credited as being the first ever fetish model, as featured in the stills and video work of the legendary photographer Irving Klaw.

3 - After her modelling career Page became a born again Christian - yes really!

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I’m escorted to the artists’ area, where Jon McClure is enjoying sun and beer with friends. It’s a lovely sunny day in Hyde Park and the Reverend has a bright smile to match. We sit in the dressing room and, rather than start our interview, we end up talking about the footie and the good old days of Van Basten and Franco Baresi. Then the conversation moves to more recent, musical victories…

I tried to watch you today here at BST and at Camden Rocks recently and they were both too packed to get in!

Yeah, I guess we’ve had a little bit of a resurgence in popularity, but I don’t think it’s known by anyone unless you try to watch us if you understand what I mean; in the minds of lots of people we’re like gone but in reality we do pretty well, I guess you’d call it like a cult thing or something maybe.

Well, a lot of people I know thought Pete Doherty had OD’d in a gutter somewhere and look at today’s crowd…

I think maybe you hit this level that’s not massive fame but it’s not failure either – somewhere in between: you can be more artistic, have more fun, live your life but still earn money.

I know friends that are in very successful bands and it would be nice to be really successful like that, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t want to do that – but sometimes I see they can’t…

It becomes a day job like waking up and going to the office.

Yeah there’s like an element of being normal but then we can to a gig and 2 and a half thousand people go nuts like today, it’s just… I don’t know – I’m happy with where we are, we’ve been doing it 10 years, done 4 albums…

We’re interrupted by the Festival people – that teaches me to get lost into footie talks – as Jon is due to interview the Libertines for the big screen outside. He asks if I can wait and I’m left enjoying the sunshine with a cold one for a while.

How was it?

They were all there but Peter.

Of course, way too early for him! So, let’s talk about you, what’s in store next?

After the end of this year we’ve got a new album we’re going to make that’s nothing like we’ve ever done before – if you heard it you’d think it was a different band.

What’s it going to be like?

Trippy. Guitars, trumpets, strings, pianos, madness.

It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Is it ready?

It’s written but needs to be recorded properly, it’s the best thing ever!

So it’ll be out at some point next year?

Next year yeah, it’s going to change my life. The last album happened by accident – we just went into the

© Cristina Massei

August 2014

Interview by C. Massei

August 2014

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“I like Suarez, Diego Maradona, Lenny Bruce – I like people that fuck with the way it’s supposed to be...”

© Cristina Massei

August 2014

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thing, 2-Tone thing.

The bass player from The Specials – Horace – keeps coming to watch our gigs, it’s fun to play – people go jogging on the spot, knees up – it’s all good man.

There’s also going to be a tour.

We did one earlier in the year that sold well, doing all the festivals then we’ve got 2 nights in Sheffield – first night’s the first 2 albums, second night – the other 2. Just a celebration then onto new stuff.

You also have Mongrel…

That was a onetime only project – Drew’s in Babyshambles, Andy’s in Arctic Monkeys, me and a load of rappers in a soundclash thing – I enjoyed it, it’s nice to try different things – gets stale if you just *do* studio one day and 3 weeks later things. We managed to get The Indewe’d finished an album. Never done pendent to give it away for free – it’s it that way before, it was amazing! good to occasionally experiment as a So with this new album being so dif- musician. ferent, do you think that you’ll con- Anything else you’ve been working tinue down that road? on?

I don’t know, we could still do what I’ve been writing a novel – historical we do live now – party, a laugh and fiction, can’t say too much! a real good time, I don’t think it has I’ve written half of it, got to change in that respect, some of distracted by making this the songs would even work with our trip record so didn’t have style, it’s just good, I feel honoured a chance to do it and I’ve that 10 years later still lots of peo- also been doing some TV ple want to see us, our albums still stuff, just good to be artissell well and we’re still getting paid tic and do different things. to make music. It’s a blessing and a What about the Soundsyshonour.

It is. Is it also still fun after a de- tem thing you did in 2010?

That almost became our cade? album – bassline and Absolutely, more so! When you first 3rd stuff like that so it became start you take it all seriously – you a bit more folded into Revworry what the NME think or radio erend And The Makers.

– don’t matter, it’s irrelevant what Now England are out of they think, it’s what people think that the football who would matters. They’re happy, I’m happy. you like to win it?

You’re also promoting the new sinBrazil – I went 2 months gle that’s out end of July… the World Cup, they The Devil’s Radio – it’s kind of a ska before play football the same way

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I’d like to play music, defensively naïve but with a lot of passion. Might not please purists but it’s beautiful.

I’d like a Brazil-Argentina final. I like (Luis) Suarez, Diego Maradona, Lenny Bruce (comedian) – I like people that fuck with the way it’s supposed to be, mavericks let’s say. I think Suarez is a genius and there’s a fine line between madness and genius!

Well, we’re probably the only two people in England to support ‘Luisito’ – maybe a few Liverpool fans. I really like this guy! Conversation dangerously goes back to football...

Plans for the rest of today?

Going to interview Spiritualized then watch some bands.

Catching the Libertines?

Oh yeah, love those guys, Carl [Barat]’s a good friend of mine.

Did you come up with any question that left him speechless?

Nah, he’s got an answer for everything, he mumbles sometimes but he knows what to say!

I leave Jon in the company of family, friends and more beer in this grand summer evening. As we go to print, we’re both still crying over Brazil’s defensive naivety…

Produced by Youth (Primal Scream) and electronic producer James Welsh (Hypercolour), the lover’s rock-influenced single ‘The Devil’s Radio’ is taken from the latest album ‘ThirtyTwo’. Listen now HERE. For more info on the two special Sheffield show and more live appearances, please head to https://www. facebook.com/ReverendAndTheMakers/events

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Interview by C. Massei

Ex Jackdaw 4 and Honeycrack Willie Dowling meets ex Cardiacs Jon Poole while taking part to Ginger’s 555% record. It’s a case of shy love at first sight (in a pure musical sense!).

Thankfully, one of them finds the courage to take the first step and make that phone call. The product of this rather magic relationship is ‘Bleak Strategies’. Let’s find out from Willie Dowling what The Dowling Poole is all about.

Your debut album – already available for pre-order via Pledge – will be officially out on August 11th.

Will it be available through all usual outlets or will it be strictly a Pledge affair?

"Bleak Strategies’ was originally

view it as a winning combination!

It was a quite slow take up until we to be a PLEDGE only album but we started letting one or two of the started getting indications that tracks be heard, so perhaps people there might be broader interest in were at first uncertain as to whether it outside of Pledge so there is to this would be something they’d like. be a ‘shop’ release of the album on In the event, we’re both very happy August 11th, the same day that the with the interest so far. single ‘The Sun Is Mine’ comes out. Tell us how this project came Talking about Pledge, together. congratulations for achieving (at Jon and I had both worked and played the moment) 165% of your total on Ginger’s 555 Pledge album. I had target. Did you expect that? produced half the album and during Truthfully, we had no idea what to the process of recording, I noticed expect. We weren’t sure whether how good this guy was, not only on people would think that a joint bass but on keyboards and guitars. project would result in a ‘watering After a couple of weeks in the studio down’ of one or other of our it was clear to me that Jon was a abilities, or whether people who different class of musician and even

August 2014

better, lacked the arrogance of many other less capable musicians. He was completely happy in the studio and clearly loved being there. It took me a long while to pluck up the courage to call him to ask whether he’d be interested in working together though, partly out of lack of nerve on my part, and partly because I was still going through the death throws of my last band, Jackdaw4. When I finally called him, it was a relief to hear him say that he’d been trying to pluck up the courage to call me and ask me the same question.

How was the song writing shared between the two of you?

We’d both bring in songs or bits of songs to the studio and then excitedly start adding bits to each other’s work, both in arrangements and lyrics and production ideas.

Some of your past work (The Work of Frank Zappa, Random Jon Poole solo and 2 God Damn Whores albums) have been made available through one of the Pledge packages. Any chance to get hold of more of your past records in the near future – Honeycrack for example?

No plans to do anything like that.

I’ve never been too fond of looking backwards to find something to do!

Back to the present, what influences can we find on ‘Bleak Strategies’?

Well we’re told that there are elements of XTC, 10CC (anything with ‘cc’ in it), Squeeze, The Beatles, The Kinks….all very flattering and to some extent we hope there’s

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comparisons there to be made, but that’s some pretty rarefied air to breathe if there is even an ounce of truth in it.

Time for word association! What would ‘Bleak Strategies’ be if it was…

• An animal?

A weasel • A movie?

A weasel • A season?

Pepper?

• A football team? A weasel

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contrived and temporary and this was neither in its intent. We’d both like to go on doing it for as long as it is viable and people are interested.

And finally, why (the title) ‘Bleak Strategies’?

It’s funny, I always thought that this little bit of pomposity was going to be obvious. Our mascot, on the front cover of the album and indeed throughout the pages of the booklet of ‘Bleak Strategies’, is called ‘Edwina One’, which was a further clue to what we thought was clear. The creative writing and performing process of much of Bowie’s three Berlin albums were aided and abetted by ‘Oblique Strategy’ cards, an invention of Brian Eno (ENO –Edwina ONE?) and Peter Schmidt, a series of cards with aphorisms designed to inspire and break creative blocks. In short, we were kind of taking the piss a little. With the greatest respect to Eno who frankly we would walk over broken (but blunted) glass to work with.

Please feel free to add a final message for your fans and followers!

Aside from the special Pledge Thank you for your support and shows, where can we catch The encouragement, and my wife and I both hope that we can count on Dowling Poole live this summer? your votes in next year’s crucial by We hope to be announcing some election.

September dates any day now so please check our Facebook page at least four times a day.

'Bleak Strategies' is still available The essential question: are you in for pre-order via Pledge here http:// it for the long run or is this a one- www.pledgemusic.com/projects/ off project?Both Jon and I dislike thedowlingpoole or you can wait for the notion of a ‘project’. It sounds it to get to the stores on 11th August.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;After a couple of weeks in the studio it was clear to me that Jon was a different class of musician and even better, lacked the arrogance of many other less capable musicians.â&#x20AC;?

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Interview by N. Loriaux

This busy Drum and Bass duo work closely with the Ministry of Sound and MTV to bring the sounds of the underground through to the mainstream.

Creative DJ and producer R3WIRE has gained him respect within the EDM scene thanks to his eclectic style of mixing. Focusing around Progressive, Electro & House, R3WIRE has been known to switch-up sets with hints of Dubstep, Trap and D&B. At the front, in charge to get the party going and everybody bouncing is the energetic Varski with his trademark face paint.

Do you want to know how to work a dance floor? Read on…

Tell us a bit about yourselves.

We’re R3wire & Varski, the dynamic duo!

What were your early passions/influences?

R3wire – I’ve always been into DJing from a young age - It’s all I ever wanted to do. I loved the idea of being that guy that could move & excite a crowd.

I looked up to DJ EZ. He was my hero!

(Still is!). His technical ability is unreal. I literally have so many influences though. I was like a sponge when it came to music all through my early teens. I’d listen to everything from Hip Hop to Trance Anthems to Jungle and UKG. In my early stages of DJing, I found myself gravitating towards UKG. It was far too expensive for a school kid to buy more than one genre of music at this time. The price of records was ridiculous; I’d save my lunch money all week just to get a few records!

What do you consider to be the, shall we say, ‘eureka’ moment that led to your career as DJ/Producer? ���������������������������������� R3wire – I was about 18 and smashing a set. The club was going off and the buzz I got from it was unexplainable. I always wanted to be a DJ but the buzz of seeing people going cra-

& zy gave me so much drive to try and ‘make it’ big.

Varski – it was about 5 years ago now. I had been focused on being a host/rapper for years but I wanted more. I wanted to deliver a whole DJ & host package. I felt I could do it, so with a little help from R3wire, I went away that summer and learnt how to mix!

The relation between audience and DJ is obviously crucial but seems to be depending on genre, trend or ‘flavor of the month’. How do you balance between giving what the audience want and introducing them to something new?

R3wire & Varski – There is a few ways in which we do it. One would be through live ‘mash-ups’- such as mixing popular vocals over a new track.

Another way in which we achieve this is by building trust with a crowd.

If you gain their trust properly, you can play whatever you want. Essentially, you must be able to read a crowd.

Which track would you play to bring the house down?

R3wire & Varski – Wow, there’s so many. It really depends on the crowd but one of our favourite tracks at the moment is - Steve Angello vs AN21 & Sebjak – ‘Gods’. The second drop is mean! Simple as that. When it drops, your body just goes wild and your face screws up!

And which track would you play to ‘rescue’ a dying dance floor?

R3wire - Usually something with a vocal to get everyone interacting again. It depends how much the last track bombed! Lol. I have my go to back-up bootlegs. ‘Show me love’ has to be an all time banker for every DJ right?! This again depends on the type of gig we’re playing at though.

Is there an all time classic track that, no matter the audience/club/festival, you always play at your performance? The ONE that never fails?

R3wire – I don’t always play it but

‘ D a f t Punk – One More Time’ always goes down a treat. It’s classic and cool. Everybody knows it. It’s such a feel good track.

What’s your core live set-up?

R3wire & Varski – Pioneer DJM 900nexus with 3x Pioneer CDJ 2000nexus & 2x Cordless Mics.

What is your ‘beat mixing’ trademark? What makes you unique?

R3wire – I’m very meticulous & creative on the decks. I don’t really have one particular trademark whilst mixing other than you never know what to expect. One thing I will say is that I use all the tools around me to put on a show. I’m always trying to progress my technical abilities.

Now, a bit of a controversial question if I may. In your opinion, what constitute a ‘true’ DJ (Turntable vs CDJ vs Controller... etc.)

R3wire – I came from an age where DJs only used turntables so I understand this debate all too well. I believe it doesn’t matter what DJ’s use these days, it’s what they do with the tools that’s important. Fundamentally, a real DJ is one that can move a crowd by whatever means necessary. It’s not just about the music and mixing but their body language too.

During IMS in Ibiza, Andrew Scheps said ‘always take stuff out of the mix instead of adding to it. Make it simple’. Do you agree with his ‘less is more’ insight? What is the secret to good mastering?

R3wire – I agree. What I’d personally say is get the right sounds then you won’t need to add more. Simple is always the best when it comes to music. The most popular tracks are often simple call and response ones.

Take Avicii – ‘Levels’ or Fedde Le Grand – ‘Put your hands up for Detroit’ for example.

What’s your ‘typical’ workflow in your process from idea to development?

August 2014

R3wire - Typical work-flow when producing often starts from a dodgy voice memo recording of a melody or idea. I’ll start by laying down a quick beat and getting the melody down.

Does it sound like it’s going to work?

If it does, then I’ll develop the 8/16 bar loop into a full track with optional harmonies/extra bits. At this stage I’d usually start by finding the right lead sound then move onto the kick & bass. After that I’ll fill in the gaps – drum percussion, extra synths and fx etc. It all depends though, sometimes I want to get a track completely laid out then concentrate on the specific sounds.

What one piece of kit/plug-in/software you cannot live without?

R3wire - I need Sylenth. Virtually all my tracks will contain some sort of sound from it. It’s so versatile.

How do you think new technology affects the music producers release?

R3wire - New technology has allowed everything to be done inside the box. You can record, mix and master on a laptop…in your headphones if you want. I’m not saying it will be as good as top end gear but it’s pretty close. What this means is that it’s a lot cheaper & quicker for an artist to get a record sounding finished and ready for release.

What part of the production process do you find the most challenging?

R3wire - Mixing a track is always challenging. I’m never completely happy with my mixdowns but it’s because I’m picky. I’ll always find a flaw somewhere What drove you to collaborate together?

R3wire - Collaboration was a natural progression for us after performing on stage together for so long. We wanted to make our performances more personal and play our own music. At the time, Varski was getting into production and his ideas were outside the box. We had similar tastes in music so his input combined with my technical ability and musical knowledge seemed like the perfect combo.

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Have you ever played in Ibiza? if not which clubs would you aspire to appear at?

Space, Sankeys, Ushuaia, DC10 or maybe Pacha? and why?

R3wire – No, I’ve never played out there. Can I answer all of the above?

For any DJ, playing in Ibiza is an absolute privilege. It’s what every budding DJ dreams of when they aspire to ‘make it’. We’re lucky enough to be playing out there this summer.

The DJ award will once again take place in Ibiza in September. How do you feel about the merit of this award?

R3wire - Unfortunately, I don’t believe it’s based on DJ ability but fan base so I don’t take it too seriously.

I’m not saying there aren’t good DJs on the poll but it doesn’t really reflect the ‘best DJ’, just the one with the most fans.

What is, in your opinion, the highest award for a DJ? R3wire - I guess for everyone it’s going to be different. It’s always rewarding when the people you look up also respect you…that and playing the main stage at Tomorrowland!

What›s in store for the foreseeable future?

R3wire & Varski – We have loads gigs booked in. Highlights including V-Fest, Ibiza, MTV Crashes Londonderry. We have just been in talks with a new remix agency so expect

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some soon. We’ve been working in the studio between touring for the last 6 months. We have several tracks ready to go and more in the pipe-line. We’re currently sourcing the right label for the releases. You can expect infectious big room music from us very soon.

There will also be a music video for ‘When The Bass Goes’ out soon. It’s already recorded! We’re quite excited to reveal it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxm1bXFxBpI What advice/tip/insight would you give to the myriad of bedroom DJs around the world? How can they rise above the masses and have a real crack at the pro scene?

R3wire & Varski - Don’t chase fads.

Be yourself. Go out and get it - Don’t wait for it to happen, no one is going to hand you anything.

If you could stage a rave anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

R3wire – I love beach festivals. So somewhere tropical like Thailand. If you’ve been, you’ll get it.

And finally, for VARSKI, what is the meaning of the face paint?

Varski is a character so at the beginning I wanted a way to distinguish this person from the everyday me.

I tried the face paint thing – people reacted they liked it…so it stuck. It’s a great way to express myself.

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Interview by C. Massei Last week we were invited to watch classic Pulp Fiction outdoors in Camden on a lovely London summer night. There were cocktails, popcorn, burgers, beers, bean bags, deck chairs and cool people.

How could we say no?

If watching movies on your telly/tablet/mobile/insertdeviceofchoice just doesn’t cut it, you can’t stand paying 15 quid + overpriced refreshments to sit on a chair for two hours in religious silence, but you still are a sucker for a good old movie, then you owe it to yourself to experience this. But let’s leave the details to mind behind it all, Mr Dominic Davies…

unusual locations.

Bigger and better than ever! Haha, classic quote. In short it’s the same great ethos but bigger and better, bigger screen, better projector, we have some really great partners this year too, Honest Burgers, Brew Dog, El Jimador, which means we can provide a full package.

Still with the bean bags and deck chairs. It makes life harder but we can’t be having people pay £15 and sitting on cobbles now can we?

How do you pick the movies to There has been a one week delay on show? the start courtesy of Camden Council I hear, what happened exactly (if I guess its like movie DJing…. as in Hi Dominic! For a start, how long you can tell us)?

I pick them. There are the obvious has Backyard Cinema going on now classics though, things like Goonies HA, only the most stressful week of and Back to the Future will always and how did you get the idea? my life, not quite Camden Council sell out. We do a handful of new reBackyard Cinema has been going but a bin lorry crashed into our 10m leases too, i.e. Grand Budapest, Lego for just over two years now. I have high screen structure the day after movie stuff we know people missed, always loved film but kinda hate it was built (which took 2 days). We then this year I went for pretty much the cinema, it’s even a struggle to had to take it down and rebuild it to anniversary films, Cruel intentions get people to come with you. I had make it safe. It was not a fun time, and Matrix both 15 years this year, heard of outdoor cinemas, decided but we did a video message to cus- Pulp Fiction 20 years, Ghost busters to try and build on in my back garden tomers explaining and everyone has 30 years! These things are meant to for a bit of fun (hence the name) and been really supportive. add nostalgia so I think those films then thought, I think people would work. Plus they just never get old! pay for this. Although Camden is a So, for those who tried Backyard EVER. huge gig for us, it is our only outdoor Cinema before, what’s new this one, most of our stuff is indoors in year?

Do you feel Backyard Cinema is more of a viewing or socializing experience?

Hopefully both, it’s been tough though as cinema has been so standard and basic for so many years that it’s hard to get people to shift from what they know or expect. You CAN drink at the movies, you CAN get good food at the movies, you don’t have to turn up 15 mins after the start time to miss the adverts. If you like a bit you should be able to clap or cheer, movies are meant to be fun, so why not cheer or clap. We are a bit too British sometimes, but we have had some crazy screenings.

August 2014

Halloween for example, people had been in the bar for a while before so by the time the 10:30pm screening came, people we screaming in fear and standing on chairs, clapping it was a hoot! We try and encourage that, it just takes a bit of time.

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they saw what we did last year they wanted in and together we have managed to do something fun with it like the Backyard Burger which is currently exclusive to the cinema, but they will be selling in their restaurants from August onwards. I feel very privileged to have a burger named after me at Honest! Brewdog comes from the idea of not wanting to sell cans of Red Stripe like every other popup.

Recently there have been talks of ‘regenerating’ part of Camden Lock, I saw a couple of ‘dance and sing a move which could see the end of along’ screenings in the program Dingwalls amongst others. What – including one of my favourites are your feelings on that?

Grease. Can you tell us a bit more Everyone hates change, especially about that? when somewhere iconic or old is inSimilar to the above really and a volved, but change is good. Camden tribute to our first proper one in my Lock have been great to me and realback garden, everyone came in Blues ly helped in getting our gig there off Brothers outfits and we had beers, the ground. If making these changes BBQ, everyone danced around it was enables events like ours or other great. So let’s try it with loads more small businesses to make Camden people. Grease will be a great sing Lock their home it can only be posialong, and Blues Brothers we have tive. If it can start getting the people some special surprises which I am of Camden back into Camden Lock not revealing, we have already sold rather than it just being a tourist desout, so hopefully the people coming tination you visit then that’s great!

It’s not like they are trying to build will enjoy the secret extras. a massive Tesco or anything. I think Are you organizing any other similar it’s positive. event in London at the moment?

You offer a whole experience for the Halloween at the moment… I say price of a movie in the West End. Do Halloween, it falls over Halloween you think prices but its Zombies really…. We did it last could be a factor in year and it was a huge success, this the current cinema year again, bigger and better. More crisis, or is it just zombies, bigger areas, more scares, down to piracy? great food, great films, a full on Zombie Apocalypse, immersive cinema, I think it’s all down to the experience, party, dancing experience... people want more Brewdog and Honest Burgers are for their money. this year’s official partners, did you However we live approach them or did they come to in London, we are you? happy to pay for it providing it’s good.

A bit of both really, we know Hon- Hopefully we can est Burgers well from last year, plus remind people of as they are on site at Camden, so their love of cineevery meeting I ever have there fin- ma again and peoishes with an Honest Burger. After ple can go away

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thinking ‘that was worth it’.

With Backyard Cinema being strictly an outdoor event, do you have anything in mind for the rainy season?

Although this is our biggest gig to date, we aren’t actually an outdoor cinema, we will always look at doing outdoor gigs, whether Camden again next year but all of our previous stuff is indoors. For us it’s about finding somewhere cool and unusual you wouldn’t normally find a cinema and putting on screenings. Halloween for example is all indoors, its bloody freezing in October!

And finally… well, what’s the plan if it starts raining? It’s London after all!

It won’t rain! Ha, if it does, we have ponchos on site for people to buy for a quid as well as blankets to hire (£1) we also have some emergency big parasols to put up to try and help. If it’s particularly horrible we will put on some nice drink offers to keep people happy. Hey it’s England, we have to go with the flow, cinema in the rain can still be fun… right?

Backyard Cinema is in Camden Lock until 4th September. Tickets are still available for some of the shows, be quick! Pick and buy at http://www. backyardcinema.co.uk/#!whatson/ c73l To follow Backyard Cinema’s future events, keep an eye on these: http://www.backyardcinema.co.uk h t t p s : / / w w w.f a c e b o o k . c o m / backyardcinemas?ref=br_tf https://twitter.com/BackyardCinemas

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Interview by N. Loriaux Their 2012 hit ‘Break Away Kicks!’ was described as ‘Daft Punk on crack’ and ‘a full-on electrorgasm’; Finnish duo Timo Juuti and Hector 87 are now ready to launch new EP ‘Good Life’ feat. Gamble and Burke, released on August 23rd. Here they tell everything about it to our Nelly…

Tell us a bit about yourselves?

TJ - We live in the northern part of Finland, where we’ve built a nice studio inside a huge warehouse.

Sometimes we tour, mostly around Finland at present, but most of

our time recently has been spent making new songs.

What made you decide to become TJH87?

H87 - After making tightly genrebased music for over 10 years we both got tired of stylistic rules. Few years ago we saw a French house movement starting to rise again and since we’ve both been really into the whole French scene since 1990s we decided to incorporate that free and song-based thinking to our own stuff.What is the driving force

behind TJH87?

TJ - I think it’s what H just said.

Instead of trying to sound exactly like someone else or following certain ‘genre specific rules’, we rather break them, but it’s not the whole point either, sometimes it’s fun to do a really generic disco house track! ;-) Is there a mantra you live by?

Make it interesting. Don’t limit yourself.

Where’s your ideal place for a party?

TJ - I’d say in northern part of Norway, right by the Arctic Sea and all the waterfalls at the middle of the night in midsummer when the sun is still up (it’s up in where we come from too, but not that up) Which track would you play to bring the house down?

TJ - Right now I love the new Porter Robinson track ‘lionhearted’, damn that kid suddenly went from mediocre boring EDM to absolutely fantastic and really original stuff.

And which track would you play to ‘rescue’ a dying dancefloor?

TJ - If I had already played Lionhearted then I’d go for Come On Surrender by NAPT and Chris Lake.

Works like a charm.

What is your ‘beat mixing’ trademark? What makes you unique?

H87 - We put a great deal of thought on our mixing. Sometimes a long and harmonically correct mixing is the best solution but sometimes it’s better to make the transition fast and effective. It’s all about taste and style.

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© Juha Moisala What are your thoughts on DJs that still spin vinyls?

TJ - If that’s how they enjoy DJing the most, even with all the heavy lifting and being limited to only 12” releases then go ahead. If they do it for ‘other’ reasons, then that’s like very 2004 and un-cool.

What one piece of kit/plug-in/ software you cannot live without?

H87 - We use Logic and Cubase.

Both of these sequencers have the kind of features which we are so used to that it would be difficult to make music using some other sequencer software. We just got a 32 channel vintage Soundcraft console so it will play a big role in our future producing.

In term of producing your own track, how do you go about ‘building’ it?

What come first?

TJ - It changes a bit, but usually either one of us has a short riff… or actually tens of them. Then we pick the best ones to start building a full track from. The riff can be a complex

chord riff or a really simply bass riff, whatever spurs most ideas for the rest of the track.

What do you find hardest when creating it?

TJ - I think when you work the same material for days, you get a little bored with it and that’s when you start adding unnecessary stuff into the mix which is always bad.

During IMS in Ibiza, Andrew Scheps said ‘always take stuff out of the mix instead of adding to it. Make it simple’. Do you agree with his ‘less is more’ insight?

H87 - I do consider it as an ideal but it’s really about what works best for the track/song you’re making.

Adding more stuff to mask poor mixing is always a bad idea though.

Have you ever played in Ibiza? If not which clubs would you aspire to appear at? Space, Sankeys, ushuaia, DC10 or maybe Pacha?

And why?

TJ - We were supposed to play there

last summer, but unfortunately the promoter had to cancel it. Would be cool to experience it tho, in any of those clubs really. Maybe next year!

Who would like to ‘go against’ at the turntable and why? TJH87 vs….

H87 - We played on a festival with A-trak two years ago. Amazing DJ. Selection was so stylish and he’s super talented (DMC obviously…). If we have to go against a DJ, it might aswell be the best one then.

TJ - Good one H! Can’t think of anyone better than A-trak.

What’s in store for your fans in 2014?

TJ - We have a lot of new music coming up! Whether it will be in a form of album we cannot say yet but nevertheless, there will be some big releases and tour plans too.

Anything you’d like to add?

TJ Thanks for the interview, and check out the new TJH87 single ‘Good Life’ featuring Gamble & Burke!

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Interview by M. Dawson

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Following the news that their lead singer had been arrested and later admits guilt of trying to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife, the rest of As I Lay Dying decided to start work on material with Shane Blay (Oh, Sleeper) for what is now known as Wovenwar.

The self-titled debut album, due out on August 5th, has already produced a couple of strong singles in All Rise and The Mason. Matt Dawson called bassist Josh Gilbert – right as he was moving out of his apartment – to find out more about the record and hear his thoughts on the coverage of the Lambesis trial…

Firstly I have to say congratulations on the Wovenwar record – particularly with the singles getting quite a lot of positive attention – All Rise making a true statement of intent.

Definitely, we chose that song specifically as the first kind of taste because we felt it was a pretty cool kind of bridge between what As I Lay Dying did and what Wovenwar is doing now – it has the metal elements but also a good showcase of Shane’s vocals, we picked that one because it packed a punch.

Now musically the album has metal and more melodic elements – on the last thing As I Lay Dying released [2012’s Awakened] there were hints of that direction, do you feel that Wovenwar’s material is expanding on that?

I think with anything in life after you’ve done it for a decade or more you want to start expanding your horizons but for multiple reasons – one being the expectations of our fans and also just the abilities of the members and lead singer of that band back you into a corner for what choices you can make musically and it’s something as we were going [along] we’d push further and further, eventually you hit a wall.

the vocalist for Wovenwar?

It was really cool – we’ve all known Shane for a long time, I saw his and Nick’s first band when I was 14 years old in Alabama and I knew when he played in Between The Buried And Me, we started at first throwing around a few demos but we were kind of lost on where exactly where we wanted to go because we didn’t know who was going to be singing [on them], we were writing a lot of riffs and sending them back and forth – drawing a blank on a singer because how many do you know that aren’t already in a band? Nick [Hipa] brought up Shane because we really like his voice from hearing it in Oh, Sleeper.

We brought it up to him and he mentioned how ‘people are getting married so Oh, Sleeper isn’t going to be as active.’ so it seemed perfect and we decided to get Shane to fly out There were certain songs I think that and see how the process would go – were an attempt to reach out of the writing lyrics, recording some vocals box that we were sort of in and this on some of these demos and the first record with Wovenwar is the same song we actually recorded vocals on writers but I feel we were able to ful- was All Rise. I have a studio here in ly explore because we knew we could LA, Shane came and crashed with do what we fully wanted with this. me – I didn’t know him that well and were kind of forced into this spend What exactly led to Shane becoming the night party for a week straight

and wrote lyrics and melodies for some of the songs.

When Metal Blade and management heard it they were sold on it and so were we – it wasn’t one of those things where we had a tryout or a bunch of people in mind – we all knew Shane and the chemistry was undeniable when we started tracking so it worked out perfectly.

How have Metal Blade been throughout the whole process?

They were amazing. We met 3 weeks after Tim went to jail, we had a band meeting – I was in Atlanta with my wife at the time it happened– we were all talking and were like ‘This is what we do- we know we have to move forward.’ I was 19 when I joined the band, Nick was 19/20 and Phil was 17 so we really didn’t know how to do much else except write and play music; so while we were all meeting Brian Slagel, he told us ‘we want you to know we support you guys’ and that set the tone for the entire process – we didn’t know the style, name or anything but we knew Metal Blade was behind us and that helped a lot. They’ve always been amazing to work with and with this band they’re stepping up even more because they

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safe right now so that’s the most important thing.

As you say there’s a lot of partial apologies and there’s his idea of morality when he decides he’s not Christian anymore towards what he did to Meggan… how was Tim’s character prior to all that went down?

know w e have some work to do to get back out there and they’re up to the challenge.

that, it was just strange to me it was released the minute he was sentenced because I feel like it portrayed Tim in a light that isn’t accurate, sprinkled with partial apologies but Now I don’t know how far you want also never quite owning up to what to go when talking about the past he did. year’s events but we’ll begin by asking on how you felt about the whole I think it hurt our feelings a lot bemedia coverage of it in general? cause Ryan Downey was a guy that we knew and there was a lot of damIt was a shocking moment for all of aging and completely untrue stateus when we heard the news, I think ments in his interview – as a posithe media coverage as with anything tion of being a fan of the band it’s was pretty sensational – ‘Ex Christian probably very confusing as you want rocker…’ – but it was also a very in- to believe the most positive and the sane story, the sensationalism was least painful interpretation or somewarranted but for us it was no matter thing but it just wasn’t the truth and where we turn there was something for us it’s a little hard to navigate that about it for a while – newspapers, because our fans from that interview Fox News – crazy places I’d never kind of took that we abandoned Tim thought I’d see my band’s name but in his time of need, he portrayed that not for the reasons I wanted I guess! no one cared or visited but I’ve mentioned it on my Facebook , Nick menFollowing the trial the interview con- tioned it as well that I visited him at ducted with Tim by Ryan Downey his house two times to talk with him was released – what were your ini- about stuff and to see where his head tial thoughts? was at – we had constant contact with him over the past year, we’re Three of the band actually attended not just a band, we’re a business so the sentencing and we all saw it be- there’s been other things we’ve been cause it was timed – according to trying to settle and that on top of all what I’ve heard – at the request it’d of it was really hurtful to read. be released the second he was sentenced and I thought it was kind of Ultimately what needed to happen a shady method but I won’t go into happened and Meggan’s family is

Without going into too much personal detail and like Nick said (note: Nick had conducted an interview with Chuck and Godless from Metalsucks the week prior to this interview) we want to avoid drama, we don’t want the drama of this story to haunt us forever, it’s tough because… [Josh pauses] It was clear to the people around him that things had changed – whether they knew about his change of heart regarding religion or his overall outlook on things and actions but I wouldn’t say anyone expected what happened to happen, if it happened say 5 years ago I probably would have been a lot more surprised but at the same time to answer it best I can: we saw changes in Tim and everybody wanted to be a part of helping him through those changes but at the same time when you’re dealing with someone that’s their own person it’s like you can only do so much for them, they have to do it themselves.

Moving towards the future you’ll be playing Reading and Leeds Festivals – are these the first UK shows as Wovenwar?

We’re also playing a small show at the Barfly in London (21st August), that’s the first technical show but Reading and Leeds is our first festival show – we’ve never been invited there before because we were regarded as the Download/slightly heavier band so it’s exciting to us to be invited.

Later in the year you’ll then be touring with In Flames and While She Sleeps.

August 2014

That’s something we’re really excited about as we’ve known In Flames for a long time and always looked up to them musically, we’ve been trying to get a tour with them and it’s really awesome to be doing it in Europe because we’ve always had amazing fans in Europe and making our first official club tour with them and While She Sleeps is more than we could have asked for.

With the song writing for the album - were there any topics you feel were consistent and do you feel that there may be some that tag Wovenwar as a ‘Christian metal’ band?

There’s a few recurring themes, one of them – there’s a song we put out a clip for, in fact the first music we released as the band called Matter Of Time – that song was actually written BEFORE the whole situation happened as me and Phil were going to be doing a project together on the side and it was going to be written for that. It wrestles with one of the topics brought up recently – I wrote the lyrics about how uncomfortable I was

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with us agreeing to play the Christian festivals where every band was that or evangelical style when ours really wasn’t that. The band never did anything about what we believed but at the end of our last band we were like people interpret our lyrics how they may and that’s awesome – I think you should write a song that is universally tangible and coming from the perspective of people that have been religious it’s kind of a slippery slope.

Regardless of what the members considered themselves – being a Christian band and playing at a festival that is paid for by a church just always sat strangely with me, it’s about saying we can look the other way yet we’re not spreading a religious message on stage.

With Shane – he wrote lyrics dealing about coming of age and another thing such as All Rise and The Mason was taking a situation and turning it into something positive or negative, that’s something important to balance I think.

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Where do you see the future for Wovenwar?

The immediate future is touring and playing to as much people as we can, we continue to write music so hopefully the next year’s filled with sick tours and we can continue to do what we love to do. At this point we’re grateful that people are interested to see what we have to do after everything that’s gone on.

The studio was a good escape then?

Definitely, with all the craziness and mayhem surrounding the situation – for us it was an escape to write music and put our thoughts down and do what we all do as musicians. Sitting at home was not something we were interested in – of course not that was the important part, that was making sure the family was safe but I have a positive outlet right now, the reason things came together so quickly was the best way to process it was making music.

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Interview by M. Dawson With their new album Simplicity showing that Tesla still have it and a return to the UK recently at Download, Jeff Keith chats to Matt Dawson about his experience at UK’s biggest rock Festival, 20 years of Bust A Nut and why co-producing works for them.

Let’s begin by talking about your recent performance at Download Festival – the second time you had played at Donington.

That’s the grand daddy of them all where everyone wants to play and we got to play it – there’s one thing in particular that stands out to me and was brought to my attention after the show – we did not perform Love Song!

People were coming backstage and one said that we didn’t play it, I said ‘oh yes we did!’ Well, silly me I didn’t pay attention – I was in a van by myself and the guys were in the van right before me, they had decided to not do Love Song , had *I* been in the van I would have put pulled out my musket balls and my bayonet and say we’ve got to play Love Song so when that girl brought it to my attention she asked if I could sing a piece of it to her then another person came along and said the same thing then another so that’s where I vowed and the band agreed – we will NEVER play another set without Love Song in it!

The set was thirty five minutes long – that’s the only thing about big festivals: short sets BUT you get to play all your staple songs like Love Song and I think we got the chance to play one new song and we’re really having fun playing these songs off the new record.

The new song was So Divine I be-

lieve – they show a highlights programme over here in the UK and they had a short snippet of the set…

Yes, So Divine is the first single – we have our own record company but we also have eOne and over in Europe Frontiers Records to help us work together to distribute it or however that works – but sometimes we haven’t played that when we’ve had a short set.

My main concern was when people came in they were happy and get to see their favourite band then go smiling, every concert I’ve been to it’s all about how I feel when I’m walking out – if I’m feeling ‘Wow! That was great!’

I can’t tell you the setlist or what they were wearing except maybe Bon Scott’s blue jeans, tennis shoes and no t-shirt – it’s all about overall feel and the vibe when they’re leaving is of ‘I’ve had a good time.’ That’s what really counts.

Simplicity has been released for quite some time now – in fact it was released the same week as the Download performance. Why was there the six year break before the release?

See, all that business side of things I don’t know, I know we released it first over in Europe before USA because on our last record we released it a week or two before Europe over here so to kind of make up for that I understand we released Simplicity first in Europe but those strategies I have no idea how they do those things, never have, never will.

What were the main motivations behind the new record, any particular reason why it went back to basics?

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To be honest with you we’ve always recorded building off a live rhythm track – me singing on a Scratch vocal mic, we’ll get that vibe and do a particular track three to five times and pick which one has the best energy and vibe then we’ll start building from that. There’s been times when we’ve come in and done drum parts or sometimes we’ll all agree ‘let’s keep this track.’ Sometimes it’s been the whole rhythm track we’ve started off with.

Of course I always do things on the Scratch mic but I’m in the room feeling the energy with the guys and then I go back in, we rent that perfectly tuned mic that’s fine for my voice and I redo all my vocals, still the live energy’s there and yes we wanted to get back to how we did it for the first three records – we were working with Tom Zutaut who co-produced Simplicity and actually signed us to Geffen records plus worked closely with us on the first three so we wanted to go in with that vibe of the two inch reel to reel tape because with all this technology you can stack track upon track and have yourself in a big mess – ‘Well that doesn’t sound like me and I can’t replicate that live!’

We keep that live rhythm track, minimal overdubs and make sure we can re-create it live.

You mentioned co-producing the album. What would you say are the pros and cons of doing it that way?

Well when you get somebody that’s an actual producer then they at times especially in the early days have the rights to say no – Steve Thompson and Michael Barberio – who we love and they helped us make the first three records and we had a blast doing it - but especially on the first record you don’t know totally what your identity is and by the time we did Psychotic Supper we knew exactly who we were and who we wanted to represent – a blue collar, hard working rock and roll band.

Producers can come in and go no and they’re there to bring the best out of you whereas co-producing you’re just putting another person into the mix and we’re always bouncing ideas off one another – Tom Zutaut has a really great ear , I call him my human jukebox because he has a record collection like you wouldn’t believe, really listens to them and has a really good ear for it, when there’s a really good feel he’ll stand up for it, he’s good at helping us capturing that feel and a good person

August 2014

to bounce off of.

Sometimes producers can pull that card of ‘this is my record and I’m the one it’s going to reflect back on’ and sometimes have you do things you don’t want to do.

To go back to ‘Love Song’ – would you say that’s the song that defines the band and if not which one would you pick?

There’s so many songs but ‘What You Give’ is one of my all-time favourite Tesla songs because it was inspired by myself having to put a dog down – she’d be in the car with me, when I went down to California to join the band she was right there and a really good friend, long story short we can get very attached to animals same way we can with people and some people understand this – many that have come out and said ‘I was mourning from losing a dog.’

I was staying away from everybody in my back yard so I could cry and mourn so then I was inspired in what I wanted to write – Frank had an idea from the latter end of The Great Radio Controversy, I loved the song from the first note – I’d cry all night playing it and when that close personal friend said it was just a dog I went ‘that’s it!’ What’s just a bush or a tree stump to somebody is everything to me and that’s the

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whole idea of that song.

Love Song though – definitely [defines the legacy] – even today we can go and play festivals with bands like Annihilator, Tesla can go out there and be the odd man out and sing about love – Tesla is a band that can sing about love so we practice what we preach – Love Song- there’s hope, love will find a way.

Tesla have been reunited for quite some time now so what would you say has been the best moment since getting back together?

That first show playing at Arco Arena was packed and we had broken up for four years, Tommy Skeoch left the band – we held the spot open for him for ’95,’96 as a four piece just to show him we weren’t trying to replace him, that didn’t happen – broke up in 96, got back together in 2000 and then committed to the one show in Arco – all our fans there loving us and adoring us, three shows in California – that worked well, put together a leg of a tour and that worked.

Next thing you know it was 2003, we’d done every other commitment without signing a contract saying we’re back together, next is making a record so we made Into The Now – we wrote that ourselves, produced it ourselves, it’ll always be special to me for that after getting back together, in 2004 we went

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out with the Scorpions and the band’s ultimatum was Tommy had to be clean and sober, I think I was the first to jump on the wagon and go, I can’t tell a man to do what I can’t do, the band go we’re not asking you to do it Jeff, he’s a great guitar player but it’s lost when he crosses that line. Point being we’re all clean and sober to this day when we play live, tighter than ever, there’s a lot of things to be grateful for.

We made a change, we’re glad we did and we love Dave Rude – Tommy will always be a part of the band as he wrote a lot of great songs and will always be loved but we found a guy in Dave and we’re having fun with it.

2014 is the 20th anniversary of Bust A Nut..

Twenty years old can you believe that?! Wow! Looking back on that album – how do you feel about it in 2014?

I love Bust A Nut, lately we’ve been learning more songs off it, we did it with Terry Thomas and he’s a great song writer/producer, great guy it was unfortunate for us at the time that we didn’t realise the core of the band was having a meltdown but we paid the price – broke up and we couldn’t be more grateful to be back together.

I love that record – one of my favourites.

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presents its first multicast production

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For its first multi-cast audio dramatisation, Audible enrolled an array of outstanding names – Andy Serkis, Rupert Penry-Jones, Emilia Fox, Stephen Marcus – and choose a terrific book in Sebastian Fitzek’s bestselling crime thriller The Child. The novel, which knocked The Da Vinci Code off the top spot in Germany in 2006, was made into a movie in 2012. But make no mistake, no movie will take you where this exceptional audiobook can.

Robert Stern is a defence attorney getting villains out of jail for a hefty fee, surely not the cops’ favourite guy. He finds himself out of his depth when Simon, a 10 years old boy, tries to hire him through ex girlfriend Karina. The child, a terminal cancer sufferer, claims to have killed several people in another life and he’s about to do it again. While Stern is not inclined to believe in reincarnation, the bodies he finds following Simon’s visions are very much real. In the meanwhile a nasty electronic voice blackmails him and brings back a past that maybe was never really buried. Soon the lawyer finds himself in the seedy Berlin underworld of child trafficking and paedophilia, and none of his ex clients can match the horror he’s about to see up close.

Fitzek is extraordinary in capturing the reader’s attention fully from the start. He keeps his narrative fast, brutal, tip-toeing around a blurred line between real and spiritual; Stern’s pragmatic beliefs start to wobble, shake and reel as he gets closer to the child. Right until the end, the story is peppered with unpredictable twists keeping the reader on edge, unable to hit pause. Gripping, intense and utterly brilliant.

The multi-cast format is reminiscent of the old radio dramatizations that made way for TV series, the ones our granny would listen to in the morning to alleviate the boredom of her daily chores. With the reader’s own fantasy supplying vivid images, there’s a much higher level of engagement than a movie could ever deliver. Yet the different voices make it easier to follow than a single narrator, kind of watching a movie with no need to look at the screen, while you get the same amount of original information as you would from the book but without looking at the pages. You can ‘read’ The Child while

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you cook without burning anything, while you commute without stumbling or a trolley case, and most of all – whatever you do – without missing any of the details and emotions this story is so rich of.

Forget the movie, forget 3D and True HD, take a step back in time and trust your imagination to give you the best possible viewing experience, with some help on the audio side and the talent of the marvellous Mister Fitzek. The Child is available for pre-order now via Audible. http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B00LEVX8LM

by C. Massei

© Lucia Fuster

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PREVI

by C. Massei

EW

August 2014

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Reading/Leeds Festival is back with its unrivalled diversity, a brilliant bill from main to the smaller stages and the prospect of a weekend of live music, DJs and comedians to close summer 2014 with a bang. Let’s start with having a look at Reading’s Friday/ Leeds’ Saturday.

MAIN STAGE sees Queens Of The Stone Age headlining - whatever your thoughts on ‘…Like Clockwork’, you need to se QOTSA live at least one in your life. Dare the crowds earlier to check out Blood Red Shoes, Jimmy Eat World and Paramore. If you want to get closer, JEW is also headlining the LOCK UP STAGE, also featuring two interesting ladies: smooth newcomer Misty Miller and ex Distillers Brody Dalle.

My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way makes his solo debut on the NME/ BBC RADIO 1 STAGE, in good company with Drenge, Mallory Knox, Twin Atlantic, Temples, Warpaint and headliners Courteeners. For your boogieing needs, head to BBC RADIO 1 DANCE STAGE, today giving you Gorgon City, Rufus, Duke Dumont, Alunageorge and the one and only Annie Mac opening for headliner Netsky.

It’s FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE however that brings you two of the most watched new talents about town, one after the other: make sure you don’t miss our cover stars Darlia followed by The Fat White Family. Hang around a bit longer to check out Sweethead, featuring QOTSA guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.

Head to BBC RADIO 1XTRA STAGE to check out I Am Legion (Noisia and Foreign Beggars’ collaboration) and David Rodigan MBE, then take a break the ALTERNATIVE STAGE, opening

with Transgressive Soundsystem DJs Huw Stephens, Jen Long and Bless, then bringing you some excellent comedy with Terry Alderton (Terry in Eastenders) and headliner Bill Bailey amongst many.

Reading’s Saturday/Leeds’ Sunday MAIN STAGE is a nice mixed bag today, with Pull Apart By Horses and Peace divided only by Dry The River and followed by The Hives, Foster The People and Imagine Dragons. Headliners Arctic Monkeys is another headliner you need to watch at least once. The NME/ BBC RADIO 1 STAGE today offers Marmozets (also playing LOCK-UP STAGE today), Lonely The Brave, Royal Blood, mental South Africans Die Antwoord, then mellows with Chvrches and Bombay Bicycle Club. A live set from Nero ends proceedings.

Our boogieing moment comes courtesy of Mo early in the day and a DJ Set from Pendulum at the end, all at the BBC RADIO 1 DANCE STAGE. For the heavier stuff, walk to LOCK-UP stage where you can catch Empress AD and Wovenwar amongst others. The FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE is the place for rock’n’roll today: headlined by Band Of Skulls, brings you Snow Patrol’s Nathan Connolly rockin’ new project Little Matador, Californians Nico Vega and Boston favourites American Authors.

Pop at the BBC RADIO 1XTRA STAGE to listen to Meridian Dan’s German Whip for a World Cup reminder, then catch Katherine Ryan and Nick Helm & The Helmettes on the ALTERNATIVE STAGE if you’re in need of a good laugh.

Reading Sunday/Leeds’Friday Young achievers and old legends meet on MAIN STAGE, in the guise of You Me At Six and Sleeping With Sirens on one side vs Papa Roach

The only duo to play Main Stage at Reading since the White Stripes: Steven from Blood Red Shoes answers our questions!

Where, when and most of all WHY shall we catch your performance at Reading/Leeds?

We’re 3rd on the main stage on the same day as QOTSA. You’ll notice us because we’re the only 2 piece band to play on the main stage, in fact we’re the ONLY rock duo to have played the main stage since the White Stripes.

And this is our second time. You can decide what that means.

Which other acts are you looking forward to check out?

If we get the chance, we’ll be checking out Drenge, the Wytches, Slaves...

Sadly we’re not on the same day as Pulled Apart By Horses or we’d be seeing them.

Oh and we’ll see Queens of the Stone Age, but that’s obvious.

We’re sharing a stage with ‘em 3 days in a row so we’ll be drinking their tequila at the side by then.

What are you promoting at the moment?

Haha “promoting”?? We have a new album if that’s what you mean, but

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and Blink 182 on the other… and American rapper Macklemore somewhere in the middle. The NME/BBC RADIO 1 STAGE is up to a great start with The Wytches; later you can catch – amongst others – The Kooks launching an exciting new album, The Horrors, The 1975, Clean Bandit, Maverick Sabre and headliners Disclosure’s live set.

The LOCK-UP STAGE starts with some of the ‘bands to watch’ in Blacklist Royals and Baby Godzilla, moving to the more established ones in The Wonder Years, Every Time I Die and letlive (DO catch them live!) and close with colourful headliners Gogol Bordello. In between, check out Klaxons on the BBC RADIO 1 DANCE STAGE. The FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE presents an interesting line up, starting from the Weezer-ish sound of the Carnabells, then the rather raw Baby Strange and a series of young acts on the line between indie and pop punk including The Bohicas, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Sivu, Drowners, The Sunshine Underground and Mayday Parade.

Your weekend would not be complete without the Propaganda team – with special guest DJs Frank Turner and DJ Dan – and comedian Simon Amstell to laugh it all off. The best thing about Reading/Leeds however is discovering the bands you still don’t know, and that’s what I’ll be doing. Hopefully this brief preview will help you find some gems, but make sure you wander around rather than stick to one stage and let the music surprise you. Walk, dance, sweat… you still have all of Monday to recover!

To follow, we asked our usual 4 questions to some of the acts on this year’s bill…

for us playing live is an end in itself it’s not a tool to sell an album.

Where can we find out more about you? uh....on the Internet, same as anything else.

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Will is excited to play 4 shows in one weekend! Make sure you catch at least one Where, when and most of all WHY shall we catch your performance at Reading/Leeds?

Reading on Saturday twice! And the same in Leeds on Sunday and just because it’s been two years since our last R+L performance and it’s gonna something special Which other acts are you looking forward to check out?

For me personally, Royal Blood, they slay it every time I’ve seen them, a great band and great guys What are you promoting at the moment?

Well we recently released a single ‘Captivate you’ and we also released a 4 track EP in the states and then it’ll be album time.

Where can we find out more about you?

For anything you can check out our website which www.marmozets.com or you can check our twitter and Facebook for the latest updates Straight after a German tour with Imagine Dragons, Californian three piece Nico Vega hit Reading…

Where, when and most of all WHY shall we catch your performance at Reading/Leeds?

We are on the Festival Republic Stage on the 23rd in Reading and the 24th in Leeds. It’s a powerful show that you won’t want to miss. Unstoppable energy!

Which other acts are you looking forward to check out?

Glitch Mob, Hozier, Band of Skulls, Bipolar Sunshine!

What are you promoting at the moment?

Our new album Lead to Light out in the UK on Monday, September 22nd.

Where can we find out more about you? www.nicovega.com. Find us on instagram — @ nicovega!

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The Hives will be playing Reading on the Sunday and Leeds on the Friday, but if that’s not enough you can also catch them in London on 21st headlining Brixton Academy!

Where, when and most of all WHY shall we catch your performance at Reading/Leeds?

Where: England When: 2014 Why: do you like yer rock’n’roll with sweat, blood and beer? Then that is the reason Which other acts are you looking forward to check out?

We like Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Jimmy Eat World, Brody Dalle, and Gogol Bordello are always good live.

What are you promoting at the moment?

World peace and world dominance simultaneously, plus we are playing some new material as well as presenting some rare hives nuggets that we have never played live.

Where can we find out more about you?

This might be a long shot but the internet if that is still up? http://www.TheHivesBroadcastingService.com/ http://www.twitter.com/The_ Hives (mind the underscore @ The_Hives) http://www.instagram.com/thehives (@thehives) http://www.facebook.com/hives http://www.youtube.com/thehivestv http://www.myspace.com/thehives

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© Gullick

Ollie answers our Festival questions for Empress AD: Where, when and most of all WHY shall we catch your performance at Reading/Leeds?

We’re playing at Reading and Leeds festival this year on ‘The Pit’ stage early-mid afternoon. You should come and see us if you want to see real music and passion that doesn’t really on gimmicks to get heard.

Which other acts are you looking forward to check out?

Crosses. I’m a big Deftones fan so it’ll be interesting to see Chino’s new project live.

What are you promoting at the moment?

We’re promoting our debut album ‘Still Life Moving Fast’, which is out September 1st in the UK. Where can we find out more about you? empressad.com, facebook.com/ empressad, @empressad, all the usual places!

James Brown reveals a peculiar choice of stage outfits for Pulled Apart By Horses…

Where, when and most of all WHY shall we catch your performance at Reading/Leeds?

We’ll be on the main stage Saturday daytime in Reading and then Sunday daytime in Leeds. You should probably catch us at these shows because we’ll be performing in full drag with 25 cabaret dancers and a firework show to top it all off.

Which other acts are you looking forward to check out?

Loads of awesome acts this year! Hoping to catch Queens of the Stone Age and Blood Red Shoes kill the main stage again as they’ve both played corkers in previous years.

NME tent has also got the new and upcoming Drenge and DZ Deathrays who I would massively recommend you see if you haven’t heard of them!

What are you promoting at the moment?

Our third studio album ‘Blood’ which is released on September 1st. We’ve already previewed two tracks from it called ‘Hot Squash & ‘Lizard baby’. We spent a lot of time on this record and it really is the best thing we’ve made so far!

Where can we find out more about you?

Internet pipes pal - www.pulledapartbyhorses.com

This lovely young lady and her band were wrestled off stage at The Great Escape for excessive noise levels. Can Reading handle Misty Miller?

Where, when and most of all WHY shall we catch your performance at Reading/Leeds?

To have a rip roaring time, of course! If you don’t want to be bored come check out the set on the Lock Up Stage! We wanna make everyone sweat.

Which other acts are you looking forward to check out?

There are a bunch of bands who I’m good mates with and I’ll definitely be checking out their sets. Such as Fat White Family, Childhood, Slaves.

What are you promoting at the moment?

My single Taxicab, it’s out now on iTunes and 7inch. There is a video up online, too. Be prepared though… it’s very scary. Hopefully you can handle it. And my next single - a double A-side of Stars and Marmalade - is out on Sept 1st!

Where can we find out more about you?

My blog is the best representation of me, www.mistymiller. com takes you straight there. Music I like, side projects I do, videos and music of mine that I want people to hear… it’s all there.

August 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 27

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© Cristina Massei

There’s not a dry eye in the field as Lemmy makes a welcome return to the UK live front. Much has been made of the legendary Motorhead frontman’s recent health issues and, despite looking far from 100%, fans young and old are delighted to see him back where he belongs. A great start to the day’s main stage proceedings and a reminder that, while he is still here, he still plays rock and roll.

It’s been a long time since we saw Faith No More on these shores and many were curious to see just what Mike Patton and co had in store for us. The answer? A great hits set that demonstrates the uniqueness and charm that this band have always had in abundance, plus the first new material after 15 years. “From Out of Nowhere” and “We Care a Lot” haven’t aged a day, and with Mike’s voice in fine form the crowd are left in no doubt that there’s plenty of life left in this band yet.

Next up Soundgarden, who choose today and the recent 20 year anniversary of the monumental “Superunknown” to showcase the aforesaid album in its entirety. With the whole field joining in for classics like Black Hole Sun, it was a triumphant return for the boys from Seattle.

As the sun begins to set in old London town, the sound of “Air Raid” sirens fill the air and the day’s festivities come to a rousing end with a return to UK by Birmingham’s favourite sons: the one and only Black Sabbath. With Tony Iommi’s well publicised health issues and Ozzy seemingly getting more and more incoherent with every interview of late, the questions were there: is this the last gig? Can they still cut it? Are they still worthy of being described as one of the most influential bands of our time? Well, as soon as the opening riff of “War Pigs” kicks in, the young and the old that filled Hyde Park today are left in no doubt: Sabbath Rock!! A greatest hits set featuring many well known classics flow from one to another and the inclusion of “God is Dead” from the band’s latest double platinum album 13, proved that not only can the band write great songs well into their sixties, but that they still have the ability to entertain a crowd with classic tunes from the decades past. Seeing Ozzy and Tony smiling throughout and Geezer locking the sound together with ultimate professionalism brings a smile to the face, and by the time the band sign off with ageless set closer “Paranoid” the won over crowd are left in no doubt that today they have been treated to something that will stay in the memory for many a year.

Will they ever return? Who knows. We live in hope, but if tonight was a swansong, then what a very special swansong it was. All Hail! © Cristina Massei

By John Morgan

August 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 27

Page 53

Š Cristina Massei

August 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 27

Page 54

by Cristina Massei

So much ink has been wasted on court cases, crack pipes, model girlfriends and other minor gossip that we almost forgot the magnitude of a British band with still a lot to give: tonight the Libertines remind the crowd in Hyde Park what they can do and prove there’s still hope.

Closing a monumental day with performances from The Pogues, Spiritualized, Reverend & The Makers, Darlia, Deadcuts and Lipstick Melodies amongst others, Carl and Peter appear on stage after a nostalgia display of old pictures and happy memories. “Vertigo” and the beginning of “Boys in the Band” are enough to excite the audience: they over the barrier separating the front section from the rest of the paying public, the show is interrupted, Doherty tries to calm down the fans, safety is temporarily re-established with a few minor injuries. Another interruption occurs during ‘Time For Heroes’ and again well into the show to get people off a sound delay tower.

And you thought those bat-eating metal types at Sabbath last night were unruly!

It feels like there’s a giant magnet on stage. Everyone just wants to get there, closer, in a giant inebriated embrace. The unforgettable songs, Doherty’s undeniable charisma, the playful chemistry between him and Carl, that love-hate brotherhood that ignites such creativity in its destructive collision; music, poetry, emotions, a thing that goes straight down to your guts and make you want to make love to the world. A night that can’t, and won’t be a one-off.

There’s something more mature about Peter Doherty tonight. He seems to be exactly where he wants to be and have it all under control. A positive performance for Britain’s latest ‘enfant terrible’, culminating in Babyshambles’ ‘Down in Albion’ near the end - with a shout out to Barat’s hometown of Basingstoke – and a heartfelt final homage to the armed forces; Peter and Carl read one line each of Siegfried Sassoon’s poem ‘Suicide in the Trenches’, before of course ending the show on the floor… The magic seems to be there, and not even an unruly and troublesome audience can do enough to spoil it for the majority.

There are rumours of a new album being recorded (yes please!) and a three nights residency at Alexandra Palace is already booked for September. For the benefit in particular of Jake Bugg, who believes The Libertines only have two decent songs to their name and is probably wondering why he only has ONE night at Ally Pally, here’s the set list – numbered, in case Jake can’t count - for this superlative, magic Hyde Park night, minus ‘Good Old Days’ and ‘What Became of the Likely Lads’ which had to be cut off due to the earlier interruptions…

1. Vertigo 2. Boys in the Band 3. The Delaney 4. Campaign of Hate 5. Time for Heroes 6. Horrorshow 7. Begging 8. The Ha Ha Wall 9. Music When the Lights Go Out 10. What Katie Did 11. The Boy Looked at Johnny 12. Can›t Stand Me Now 13. Last Post on the Bugle 14. Love on the Dole 15. The Saga 16. Death on the Stairs 17. Radio America 18. Don›t Look Back Into the Sun 19. Tell the King 20. Up the Bracket 21. What a Waster 22. France 23. Albion 24. I Get Along

August 2014

Sonic Shocks - Issue 27

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Š Cristina Massei

Sonic Shocks - Issue 27

August 2014

Page 56

R.I.P.

requiem for a dream

So, Alt-Fest is not happening. For those who missed it, here’s the official announcement from HQ after days of online speculations and attacks: http://www.alt-fest.com/index.html As we’ve all be thinking – and not just for the past week – the team behind the first crowd-funded alternative festival made some huge mistakes with figures. Which can happen of course. But in this case, all of us in the industry raised our eyebrows as soon as Marilyn Manson was booked, so how did they not see that it just didn’t add up? For a start they were ‘inside’, dreaming the dream and being carried away by their own enthusiasm.

Plus they blamed ‘poor advice in the early stages by a company who were supposed to help us work out what the festival would cost to put on’ – please tell us who they are in case we ever decide to hire a consultant for our next business venture…

Many things were said, documents downloaded from Companies House, details dissected and analyzed by a sudden army of accountants and logistics experts.

Some deductions are probably right, some probably wrong; none of us was there throughout the whole two years, no one walked all those miles in Dom and Missy’s shoes. Sonic Shocks lost out many others: advertising revenues in our case, which however we must say Alt-Fest offered in good faith to pay all in advance; offer we refused in good faith charging them month by month instead. If they were planning to run with as much cash as they possibly could, I doubt they would have offered that, so I must believe this wasn’t some elaborate premeditated con and they’re not sipping pina colada on a beach somewhere far away - maybe a beer in South Bank. And I do believe that the reason why they didn’t announce the cancellation until the

last minute is because they kept trying, or maybe just hoping in an investor, the lottery, a miracle, which was wrong in its naivety but again their intentions were good. Or maybe I’m the naïve one, and they’re a couple of evil devious wicked crooks. Maybe evil tempted them half way through.

Chance is, we’ll never know.

What I do know after this week is that, sadly, the alternative community is much smaller than we all thought.

Not because Alt-Fest didn’t sell as many tickets it was supposed to, but because it took Marilyn Manson (alternative? Oh dear…) to sell them.

Because so-called supporters invested in a project that was supposed to be alternative (i.e. corporation-free), but in the end expected the same standards of Live Nation. Because most of them haven’t even TRIED to get a refund before attacking the organizers online. Because some of them haven’t stopped to think that this is something new organized by people who have never done it before and it COULD fail - hell, even Sonisphere did, Secret Cinema did, not to mention what poor Pete Doherty fans have to regularly endure! So if you’re travelling from the other side of the world you might consider getting travel insurance and/or organize a little holiday around it, that way if it all goes wrong you still get something out of your trip. What if Marilyn Manson had a stroke, or the lovely English weather decided to flood the whole area of Kettering?? Shows CAN be cancelled for the most various reasons and it’s something you have to take into consideration, especially for something ‘alternative’, hence lacking the financial backing and experienced organizations of the biggest events.

And let me say: Christ, it’s just a Festival! If you had thousands to spend on it, I hope you didn’t take them off your kids’ mouths or the electricity bill. If you did, you’re an idiot and you deserve to be left to hang dry.

If it was part of your ‘disposable in-

come’, hey, plenty of people have missed their holidays for the passport office strike. I missed two gigs because US customs kept me longer than necessary for no particular reason and made me miss my connecting flights. Shit happens. Deal with it. Rant over.

Back to the Alt-Fest people, should they have kept it smaller? Probably without Manson and the Cult 7,500 tickets would have been enough.

Then again, reading the reactions on the event’s page, without Manson they would have probably sold 1,000, while with Manson there was a good chance of selling 15,000 and everything would have been fine. Too many ifs and buts.

I don’t know if Dom and Missy are heroes or villains, but let’s pretend for a moment they were in good faith, they really hoped and thought this could work, had a backer up their sleeve who unexpectedly pulled out last minute and some misleading advice. I’m sure what’s hurting them the most right now is not the failure, the financial consequences or their reputation being ruined. What really hurts is the realization that you’ve done it for something that doesn’t exist.

They made huge mistakes, they fucked up, hell, maybe they robbed you and they’re laughing all the way to the bank. Whatever. But if you want everything to be 100% safe and smooth - with Marilyn Manson the cherry on top - do us all a favour and next year book Download instead. It’s called mainstream. Stop fighting with yourself, accept and your life will be suddenly easier. You don’t even need to change wardrobe, just have a walk around Camden if you don’t believe me…

It’s not just a festival that failed this week, it’s the alternative spirit as a whole. Indeed sad times.

By Cristina Massei