S O H O
Issue 33 - February 2015
S A V E
PERFORMERS, PUNTERS, SEX WORKERS, HOMELESS AND VIPS: THE PEOPLE GET TOGETHER TO CLAIM BACK THE VIBRANT HEART OF LONDON TOWN
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Gentrification is a word we’re hearing way too often these days, and in some cases it’s just the normal evolution of things. But if it’s true that people are sometimes too reticent to ‘change’ and ‘progress’, we have to question where change = progress and when it’s really a good idea. Like many others who call themselves ‘Londoners’, what makes me proud of this city is its openness, its creative edge, but most of all its unique diversity. And what is ‘unique’ and ‘diverse’ about a shopping mall, a block of luxury flat or yet another sterile O2 venue? It’s not like we lack any of these anyway. Bulldozing down Soho and the likes of Tin Pan Alley is like demolishing the Colosseum in Rome to build the Oxo Tower in its place. London’s heritage is music, theatre, the arts and Soho is their nest. This is just completely INSANE. But let’s not get into politics. In light of the recent uprising in defence of Madame JoJo’s and the 12 Bar, we are dedicating this issue to Soho and its sons and daughters: the artists, the performers, the punters, the passers-by and all those who can’t help but shed a tear looking at the new Tottenham Court Road Station where the Astoria and The Royal George used to be. We collected a few memories and pictures, and spoken to those in the frontline. This is not meant to be just a trip down Memory Lane, but also a source of information for all those who would like to help and hopefully a little showcase of what Soho means to us Londoners and to the world. You will also find interviews to Adamski, Huntress, Atari Teenage Riot, Desert Storm and Amon Amarth plus reviews of our early 2015 favourites, so if you don’t care you can skip to the second part, but we hope you do care. Because if no one cares, your local will be next, replaced with a poncy All Bar One. Then will be your trusted bakery put out of business by a Tesco local. Your home replaced by an unaffordable luxury block. If they don’t care destroying Soho – and we don’t care enough to say something – nothing is going to stop them. Save Tin Pan Alley and Save Soho. Don’t let the music die.
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P. 3: SAVE SOHO SPECIAL by the people of Soho
P. 14: ADAMSKI by Nelly Loriaux
P. 18: HUNTRESS By Matt Dawson
P. 21: DESERT STORM by Matt Dawson
P. 22: ATARI TEENAGE RIOT by David Lees
P. 26: AMON AMARTH by Matt Dawson
P. 29: ALBUM REVIEWS
by Matt Dawson, John Morgan, Nelly Loriaux, Cristina Massei
P. 32: ENSIFERUM By Matt Dawson
Cristina M.
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: Mark Fletcher, Sophia Disgrace, Cristina Massei, Matt Dawson, Nelly Loriaux, David Lees, John Morgan, Ben Twemlow, Anne Pigalle, Bianca Bianco, Chris Catalyst, Jeannie Ford, Stuart Rowland, Svenja Block, Kiria PHOTOGRAPHERS: Cristina Massei, Mark Fletcher
CONTACT US 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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SAVE SOHO
Mark Fletcher met Tim Arnold after a farewell gig at the 12 Bar on 6th January. The born & bred Soho modern minstrel has always been passionate about the area, and after joining the march for Madame JoJo’s he decided to write to Boris: Save Soho was born. But let’s hear it straight from the man… First of all, give me some background to the campaign to save Soho, what is happening and why? Who’s behind closures and redevelopment? Save Soho arose out of the closure of Madame Jojo’s when I accompanied Alexander Parsonage and Abigail O’Neil on the march that they organised to pay respect to the venue once it had closed. I was left feeling very disappointed and couldn’t quite believe that it had happened so I wrote a letter to Boris Johnson asking if he would get involved and become proactive in supporting and protecting our performing arts and the future of the performing arts in Soho. I always like to second guess what people are going to say and I thought what if people say ‘it’s too late’? I thought it may be too late for that particular venue but I care about all of the venues and I know other people who feel the same way. That’s why I asked Boris as an ongoing concern to think about what I had said in the letter. I got in touch with Benedict Cumberbatch – he performed with me on one of my albums in 2010 called Sonnet 155 and we’d been friends ever since - and I spoke to him about it and he felt exactly as I did, apart from the fact he was a fan of Madame Jojo’s in its last incarnation. After that Stephen Fry also gave his support and they all became co-signatories to the letter. But it was intentional because I thought this cannot come from a local single singer song writer in the middle of Soho; it affects everyone, both emerging and alternative entertainers and massive stars. Everyone feels the same way and I think that’s why Boris got back in touch. Your letter to Boris Johnson clearly had some great support and prompted a response from the man himself. How do you interpret his response and what do you think will happen as a consequence?
It’s a passport to do exactly what we want to do to save Soho. People say he may be saying it for this reason or he maybe saying it for that reason, to be honest I don’t mind why he said it, he’s said it and we have his support. It’s all that matters, his signature is on the paper and because of that save Soho has become an organisation which happened in a matter of weeks. Myself, Benedict, Stephen Fry, Guy Hamilton and several other very influential people formed this committee which will be ongoing. It’s not a campaign anymore, it’s an organisation that supports campaigns and the 12 Bar is one of them. What is the size of support like now? Oh God! We’ve got newspapers writing articles and doing interviews with me and other members of the committee from all over the world. As soon as I set the website up with my uncle Richard, we literally had hundreds of emails come in every day asking how they could help. People in America, Canada, and all over Europe feel passionate about Soho, particularly its character and I have said this from day one, Save Soho has one focus
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and that is the performing arts. There a lot of other concerns about Soho, some people want it to be more sexy, some people want it to be more old fashioned, you can’t avoid change and change is good but not by throwing out stuff that already works and has worked for a long time. And I think the main point about Save Soho now is to keep it inclusive which is what Soho has always been, and if you’ve felt that you don’t belong in your own home town, then you probably belong in Soho which has probably been the case for four hundred years since the French Revolution. There are also land developers (that I won’t mention) who say they support all of this but I fail to see how they can when they are pricing everything out of the market, so only people of a certain wealthy income can afford to be entertained in this area. And you also have to remember the young geniuses, the Pete Townsend of tomorrow, don’t come with fans who have lots of money in their bank accounts. They come as students and have to come to small venues that are not posh and can be walked into whenever they like. The 12 Bar has been here now 20 years, is there anything to suggest it is a failing business? My feelings on the 12 Bar are, and I’ve just heard it’s been relocated to North London, what is valuable about the 12 Bar is Mr Andy Lowe and it’s the people who cannot be replaced. It’s the faces in front of the places and it’s about personalities. People who know their environment, know their business, and know their history and the value of it all as a package. We have Ronnie Scott’s, we’ve had Madame Jojo’s,
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have you ever thought of opening Tim Arnold’s? I would love to be involved in a venue for sure but I don’t think I could run it, I have enough problems running my own life! I am good at helping other people with their own messages so I like to think of myself as being at the disposal of people who are in this business; but not a Tim Arnold venue, that’s too much. I’m a singer songwriter and I run my own label and manage my own stage show with the Soho Hobo. Maybe one day. I tell you what, if I ever start earning a living and want to settle down and open a venue, I’ll let you know. Your performance here is part of your tribute to the 12 Bar, your music has been quite accomplished over the years and now seems to be dedicated to London and Soho. What’s next for Tim Arnold? The Soho Hobo album has been ready for a while and that will be coming out this year. I’m half way through recording a new solo album which is nothing to do with Soho and I’m really excited about that. I’ve just finished recording the music for a film starring Iggy Pop and I’ve also written a song about saving Soho produced by Guy Chambers, which is about Soho through the ages with different performers having lines that I’ve written for them. And finally, what’s your wish for New Year? I have so many. I wish that Save Soho and the land owners in Soho can work together and generally wish that everyone I love and care about stays healthy.
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memories of Soho by Ben Twemlow
When I first started getting into rock music, there were a number of places and events that were talked about in hushed, awed tones. These places were the headbanger’s equivalent of Mecca, places where pilgrimages HAD to be made to pay respect to the Gods of Rock. Donington Monsters of Rock, SXSW at Austin, Texas, The Reading Festival… and, much closer to home for me, Soho in London. Luckily, I’ve been able to visit them all, but Soho has always had a very special place in my heart. Metallica and Guns n’ Roses had both had their debut UK gigs at the Marquee Club on Charing Cross Road. Jimi Hendrix and The Sex Pistols had recorded in studios on Denmark Street. Pretty much any band worth seeing incorporated a night at The Astoria into their tour if they weren’t booked into the Brixton Academy. My first chance to experience the Soho music scene in person came when I was 17 year old and got the opportunity to see Paradise Lost at The Astoria. There, up on stage, mere metres away from me was one of my favourite bands, a band that graced my bedroom walls thanks to posters pulled from the centre of Kerrang! And my god they were LOUD. Even though I’d seen Metallica at the Milton Keynes Bowl earlier in the year, nothing had quite prepared me for the sheer volume that seemed to make every bone in my body rattle, or the lights that pulsed and dazzled through the smoke machines that shrouded the band from view half of the night. I was, of course, instantly hooked and Soho became my second home. Over the years I’ve seen a number of bands in various venues in the Soho area and formed plenty of warm fuzzy memories about the place. Memories such as: - Danny from The Wildhearts attempting to sing White Christmas” at their gig at The Astoria and completely forgetting all of the words that weren’t “White” or “Christmas” - Catching drum sticks thrown into the crowd by Grand Theft Audio during Silver Ginger 5’s second ever gig (a snippet of which can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXf4E6svTDM) - Attending World Domination’s record release party for Lizard Music’s “We Are The Egrets” EP at the Crobar and drunkenly singing “New York New York” on karaoke.
- My brother having to be pulled out of the pond outside Centrepoint after a Life of Agony gig. - My own band’s debut gig at Taylor’s Bar on Soho Square (which also turned out to be our last ever gig because we were, frankly, awful. But notable for turning up to an acoustic showcase with electric guitars and a drum machine). - Spotting the cameras at a Wildhearts gig and not realising that they were filming the new video for “Stormy In The North, Karma In The South,” which also featured a scene shot around the corner on Denmark Street next to the 12 Bar Club (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=CgSsS5uf2Uw ) - Being sat outside the Astoria and spotting Jizzy Pearl and Skid Rose from Love/Hate walking past on their way in to soundcheck. And then getting their guitarist to autograph an album he didn’t even play on. - Going to watch Remy Zero play a rare, acoustic UK show at the Borderline because I’d heard just two songs of theirs… and neither of them getting played. - Seeing Megadeth about a gajillion times. - The Royal George on Manette Street and The Tottenham on Oxford Street always being packed full of people wearing identical t-shirts and emptying roughly 10 minutes before the Astoria’s doors opened. Alternatively, if the weather was nice, Soho Square would resemble the campsite at Reading as everyone drank in the hot sun and lukewarm cans of beer. - The fundraiser for Changes One. For those of you unaware, Changes One was a record shop in Newcastle which was heavily into Britrock and similar genres and the first port of call for anyone trying to track down stuff that was obscure or imported that you wouldn’t
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find in your average HMV. Unfortunately, they faced closing down and so a fundraiser was quickly organised which consisted of a 12 hour long music marathon at the LA2 featuring various little-to-unknown bands and headlined by AntiProduct after The Yoyos had pulled out at the last minute. As was a regular occurrence at AP gigs, Alex Kane stage-dived. Unfortunately, 12 hours of drinking and rocking must have taken its toll on the crowd’s co-ordination because he plummeted headfirst into the ground and ended up finishing the set with blood streaming from a gash on his head. (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=yDIuYd03RMs – I might be mistaken but I think you can see the back of my head at about 43 seconds in) Sadly, times have changed. I never got to visit the classic Marquee as it was already a Wetherspoons by the time I started spending time in London, The Astoria was torn down years ago and last week, the 12 Bar Club was closed down and relocated. Recently I was lucky enough to win a ticket to see The Dowling Poole with Givvi Flynn play a showcase for radio execs here. If you don’t know it, the 12 Bar Club was a tiny, dingy place with a stage about the size of my bed and could only fit an audience of maybe 40-50 people in a squeeze… and it was great - an intimate venue where many famous acts started out (Adele played her first ever gig here, according to Wikipedia), where the artists were so close to their fans that they may as well have been in the crowd, and you could somehow be at the back of the venue and in the third row of the audience at the same time. It’s a sad fact that as plans move forward for re-development of a shiny new Soho, the heart of the London music scene has finally been broken. We played there for a psychobilly night with my band El Camino, just the feel of the place was special, a gig in London at the historic 12 bar made me feel like we had really done a gig to tell my children about . On the stage it was hard to know where to look as a frontman: people above you, people below you and not enough room to move at all on stage, a proper grubby music pub that deserved to be there forever. Stuart Rowland, singer, El Camino
The back alley at the 12 Bar, June 2009, Dollar$ for Deadbeat$ fundraising
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SAVE SOHO
On Friday 30th January, gathered with an incessant tam-tam of social media and word of mouth, the people of Soho got together outside Denmark Street’s historic 12 Bar to keep the bailiffs from gaining possession of the building. The occupation of the 12 Bar was started 10 days earlier by The Bohemians, a ‘’collective of Artists, activists and campaigners who are willing to become Cultural Heritage Wardens, in order to prevent the disillusion of culture from Our history”. Today the door is guarded by a much larger group, including Occupy members, residents, artists, sex workers, homeless, general public and press, as the Save Soho campaign gathers momentum and people finally unites to defend London’s heritage. I made it inside and it broke my heart. The memories, the sudden realization that one my favourite corners of London is no more, more memories flooding. Is there hope? What can we do? Can we do ANYTHING? So I sat down with one of the Bohemians to find out… Hi, can I ask your name? My name is Tamas, we occupied the building about ten days ago for political reasons because we would like to save Tin Pan Alley and we would like to save the 12 Bar. What’s happening here today? Today is a resistance because the police and bailiffs are going to give a IPO (Interim Possession Order) and try to take possession of the building, should be anytime now; they served the papers two days ago giving us 48 hours. We’ll have to try and negotiate with the owner, police or bailiffs when they arrive. Are you optimistic? Yes, we have done is a big meeting here with the local community explaining our reasons, and are main one is to give back the building to the people by the people for the people - make it a community centre. If your campaign to save this building is successful, will you try to continue and save the rest of Soho? Yes, we have further plans because we would like to save the image of Soho – we are seeing a distance between the different groups and we would like to unite them, join our forces and reorganize them. The response has been really good so far, but could be better... Yes. The response could always be better but the local
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people have heard the noise, opened their ears and minds so hopefully we’re going to get our goal, this is just our first one so we’re going to see what’s going to happen. I’ve heard about something pretty big being organised. There’s going to be a march for the homes now and a march on 22nd March for Save the Spirit of Soho and Save Soho as we would like to unite these petitions. Do you know what the Council plans are for the building if they get it? I would expect them to take it down, it’s a 17th century building with a chimney and plenty of history in every wall and window, but if they start chopping it down the chimney will collapse and heritage will be lost. [At this point the chants of ‘Save Soho!’ can be heard loudly, we decide to wrap it up in case the police have finally shown up] So if people want to help where can they get any information? There’s a Facebook group called SOS Save The Spirit Of Soho, or you can search #bohemiansforsoho. People will see us around and we might do a written petition as well. Any contact with the Mayor? No, we tried to contact the owner at the very beginning, he refused all contact, now we might open his mind when he’s seen what we’ve done in a few days. For now we will keep looking after the building because you never know what’s going to happen. What does this place mean to you? Everything. This place means heritage, history, Soho, the spirit of Soho. The 12 Bar saw 21 years of music history Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, The Libertines - a great impression and image. The spirit HAS to be here and it HAS to be saved. by Cristina Massei
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MADAME JOJO-S - Heaven Under the streets of London... Madame Jojo’s was the ultimate den of iniquity. It had a constant buzzfeed of cabaret, drag acts and sleaze - all your eyes could eat and more. It sat at the very heart of Soho’s seedy allure. As a performer, Jojo’s was one of the ‘I must’ venues, a near mythical dive bar - the only place to be seen! I have been lucky enough to perform there on a number of occasions, at numerous events. Every time felt like an adventure. I’d arrive early, jostle for a space backstage, in the impossibly cramped dressing room and prepare for the long, debauched night ahead. Slowly but surely, the audience would arrive and I’d run through my act for the final time, before curtain call. It was a strange, but wonderful feeling to remove one’s clothing, to some obscure track on the tiny Madame J's stage. One I will never forget! At Jojo's I felt I had come home... amidst the glitz, the shabby glamour and the brazen misfits of yesterday.... Madame Jojo’s, you were one heluva dame. R.I.P Sophia performing with Bianca Bianco Sophia Disgrace xox I have been performing and producing shows at Madame Jojo’s for around 10 years and was featured in the film about Raymond Revue ‘The Look of Love’ as a 1950’s showgirl and snakecharmer. I have stage managed big burlesque shows and coproduced cabaret shows and even a film screening for Los Jack Machine by Free Seed Films, featuring many talented musicians and performers. A video filmed at Jojo’s featuring My Second Head. The Nucleus Remix (Featuring Hard Palm Dun) for Busy Doing Nothing by My Second Head from the Los Jack Machine soundtrack, the first film from Free Seed Films. Burlesque performances by the daring Sophia Disgrace, Miss Dolly Blow Up, Isle Harlotte, and Miss Phoenix. Filmed live at Madame Jo Jo’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suFhcMgxmAI Another memorable night was the album launch party for the Blockheads last year, such an honour to share the stage with musical legends and even Andy Serkis got up and sang with them, it was a fantastic atmosphere. Paris made a rare appearance when Adam Ant played, he did an awesome 3 sets, the first was Elvis covers, totally amazing, he is such a brilliant showman and there was also great cabaret from the Gorgeous Apple Tart and Dott Cotton. Goodtime Mama Jojo (AKA Jo King) had many fabulous shows here too, so many great memories! I performed one NYE along with Polly Rae, I did my 1940’s bomb disposal act and we then had to do a mad dash across town to perform at The Lady Luck club after that was a crazy but fabulous time! It was always a great night, whether is was White Heat, David D-lo Vilo and his street dancers, the spectacular Tranny Shack, Kitsh Cabaret, Finger in
the Pie cabaret and Burlesque Idol who unleashed new talent onto the stage, or the fabulous Folly Mixtures, there was something for everyone and no one excluded! It has been going since the 1950’s and became a thriving part of the Raymond Revue Empire in the 1960’s with Burlesque and Cabaret, in the 1980’s bands started playing and Anne Pigalle was the first, then in the 1990’s Dj’s started to become popular. It has a truly diverse cultural background and is the only place in London that has such a vibrant social diversity, it welcomes those from any social/cultural background and it is the only place certain groups feel safe and free to express themselves. It was featured in the 1999 Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The interiors were used as a New York jazz venue called Club Sonata where Bill Harford (Cruise) meets up with an old friend Nick Nightingale (Todd Field) who is playing piano there, where it is revealed that he is to play at a secret party later. It’s such a beautiful original vintage venue with stunning vintage features and dance floor, there is no other like it and it could never be recreated, it will be devastating if it is demolished. The same goes for the 12 Bar in Denmark Street, the atmosphere can never be recreated in a bigger or more modern venue! Please join the campaign to save our beautiful venues and heritage at https://www.facebook.com/groups/savesoho/ artofburlesque.co.uk Bianca Bianco
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It all started because, being French, I felt very attracted to Soho. My first job was in Soho at the French House when I was a squatter, and Soho, long ago when it started to be cultural was called the French Quarter (check the wiki page) as it wanted very much to (re)create the Bohemian style. At the time (mid 80’s) Soho had mostly rock venues, and I always liked old venues with a vintage feel. So for starters with my boyfriend, we took over which was to become the best night in London ever for many: the Wednesday nights at the Cafe de Paris,1985-1990 The management only gave us the place because I assured them the concept would be cabaret/French/European. And then I said to my boyfriend I only wanted to live in Soho, so we moved to Meard St. The place was still covered in centerfold bunnies when we moved in. I could say I revamped the bohemian aspect of Soho in the 80’s and what would become. You see you have to understand Soho was not trendy at the time, Not many people wanted to live there as it was considered sleazy...The problems started after that; already from 1990 PR vultures took the places over, and Soho was never the same. I was the first musical act to play Madame Jojo’s in 1987. I got the French embassy to sponsor, and when they came down, they didn’t have a clue, as it was still a risqué venue and probably got the shock of their lives...So many other venues and memories, Ronnie © Kevin Cummins Scott’s in the 80’s (with Joni Mitchell in the audience)... My first video was shot at the original Raymond revue bar and so on...
Alleycat 2014
A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted again to play some of these places, but you could see that Soho was going slowly and how difficult it was becoming: I played Jazz after Dark, some new night at Jojo’s, the Alleycat but you could tell something was dying or had been dead I mean already all the yuppies had taken over...I couldn’t even find a Sex shop that would have us so I found one in Goodge Street! Anne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Pigalle www.annepigalle.com http://annepigalle.wordpress.com/ www.myspace.com/annepigalle Cafe de Paris in the 80s
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SAVE SOHO The loss of venues large and small in Soho signals yet another loss for the culture and another victory for the vulture. The destruction of any subculture and the watering-down of culture have wider implications than having to buy a sandwich at a faceless Subway. People will grow up not realising that difference is interesting, and that this homogenisation ultimately affects every part of our lives. The flattening of vital venues like the 12 Bar Club, where every musician in London (and beyond) has cut their teeth, or the Astoria, a step up on the ladder where you could see any number of amazing bands on their way up (or down) is symptomatic of the flattening of our subcultures and another kick in the knackers for all that they mean something to. It’s inspiring to see so many
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Here’s a photo of TEXAS TERRI BOMB! (semi acoustic) performing live at 12 Bar in December 2012. TEXAS TERRI is a personal friend of mine and this photo perfectly captures the Queen of Punk Rock crowd surfing during one of the 12 Bar’s finest memorable moments. This picture made the rounds on the internet when I first released it but I believe it’s time to show it again! Hope you like it as much as the many people who saw it and the lucky ones who where there that night. Svenja
Eureka Machines performing at 12 Club 's Dollar$ for Deadbeat$ fundraising in 2009
people trying to save this region of immense cultural significance. We need these venues, these meeting grounds for generations of the disenfranchised, otherwise we’re going to end up a nation of McSheeran’s and Kentucky Fried Coldplays all trying to outsame each other. We’re halfway there already. Celebrate these differences while we’ve still got ‘em. Chris Catalyst, Eureka Machines www.eurekamachines.com
e of the is the 12 Bar is on t once, All I have to sayrs no r, ve have ne I ba on nd Lo w fe . And I've or barred fromro ghts been removed op er rock and ll ni had a lot of pr . X there. Jolly good Kiria Lepink
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The music venue I miss most in London it’s the Astoria and LA2. It was my absolute favourite place to watch bands. Bands like Fear Factory, Death Angel, The Distillers, Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster, Queen Adreena, AFI, Morbid Angel, Sick Of It All. The last band I saw there was Gojira which was amazing. I remember seeing Monster Magnet there and decided to crowd surf during ‘Powertrip’. This was back in the days when Myspace was really popular. I had Ed Mundell and his wife Karen as friends on there. She is a photographer and it was funny that she had actually taken some photos while I was crowd surfing and sent them to me. I miss being able to go to there, over time I walk past and now you can hardly recognise the place, it’s changed so much. I keep the all my Astoria memories alive in my mind and look back at old tickets.
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out ‘Hey David Bellemy’! He thought it was funny too. Still with no ticket I suddenly saw a friend in the line with someone who didn’t really wanna see the show, so she sold me the ticket for 50 quid! When I got inside the show started, Chris Cornell was handing money out to fans in the audience at the front because people had paid so much to get in to the show. It was so hot in there a girl had fainted in the mosh pit next to me so I carried her out and made sure she was OK before weaving my way back in to the front again to enjoy the rest of the show. Catching Tom Morello’s guitar pick made my night, a little momento to remember the gig by. Another story about the LA2 is when I had just bought my Reading Festival & Monster Magnet ticket from Stargreen box office up the road and was walking past the Astoria on my way home. I saw a bunch of Foo Fighters fans hanging around so I asked what was going on. They said that it was a secret Foo Fighters gig tonight! So I walked round to the back alley and there was Dave Grohl chatting to fans and signing stuff. He and the rest of the band came out a few times to say hello. I though how awesome would it be if I could see The Foo’s at the LA2, so I stuck around. Suddenly lots of other bands started turning up to see the show like Bowling for Soup, Good Charlotte, Jack Osbourne, Zane lowe, and System of a Down all turned up. Though the coolest musician I met that night was Travis Barker with Blink 182. Dave’s mum and Jordan his wife arrived and it started to feel very surreal as I had no idea the gig was even happening not long before. A strike of luck and the security guy said here would you like a ticket? Erm… Yes please! So next minute I’m inside jumping around moshing to Everlong, pretty great night to remember that’s for sure.
When it was announced that Audioslave were playing their first London gig there tickets sold out so fast. I went down anyway to try my luck as I always believe that where there’s a will there’s a way. When I got outside the Astoria, I remember a funny moment as Matthew Bellamy from Muse walking past and I called
Jeannie Ford
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Sonic Shocks - Issue 33
SAVE SOHO
So, what is really happening in Soho? Why are we all up in arms? Are we exaggerating, is it a positive change we’re rejecting so strongly? Burlesque performer and campaigner Bianca Bianco explains what’s the future of Soho if we leave it in the hands of Westminster and the developers… The Save the Spirit of Soho / Save the Spirit of London campaign began a few months ago taking over from other campaigns which had started a couple of years before and ran out of steam. We represent the real people of London, the residents, the general public, the artists, creatives and film makers, performing artists/musicians and sex workers. People have turned a blind eye thinking it doesn’t affect them, e.g. when they came to evict the sex workers no one wanted to help, they took people’s homes of 20-30 years, no one cared enough to stand up for them, they come now to take the music venues, a few people are finally waking up. They are taking office space, they are destroying local business and wiping out history for luxury flats and hotels and high end shops. Westminster has even sold the old war bunker in Soho Square to Crossrail for a mere £175,000, to be yet another restaurant; to add insult to injury they intend to use the square as a builders yard for up to 10 years: this is a public space, which the Soho community desperately needs. Soho is the Heart and Soul of London, its vibrant character, its nightlife and diversity have attracted tourists from all over the world. It’s a unique village unlike any other on the planet; it is steeped in history, with the musicians, the theatres, the film companies, the artists, the erotic shops, the bohemian shops and coffee bars. It has a diverse creative community and social vibrancy. Nearby Denmark Street is also unique, it has survived since the 17th Century and is also host to a huge wealth of musical history including the birth of British Punk which happened at number 6 where the Sex Pistols started out and there are still their drawings on the walls. It is important to remember these areas are part of the ambience and traditional lifeblood of Soho and are a tourist attraction in major cosmopolitan cities - imagine Amsterdam without a red light district. Now that social vibrancy is being sucked out! All music venues are at risk, the five year plan is to have seated only venues in Soho. There will be nowhere left for musicians and performers to play in the area, the reason being that residents have complained about the noise late at night and they will also try to stop people standing on the pavements outsides pubs. They are only interested in theatre and restaurants and high end shops: this is NOT what Soho is about. The Astoria and the Marquee have already gone along with the Black Gardenia, the Royal George, LA2; now Crossrail 2 threatens the Curzon and the Odeon Leicester Square to be a hotel. Another Hotel going up in Berwick Street threatens all the small traders there. Madame Jojo’s has recently lost its licence in suspicious circumstances, with no chance for appeal two months after freeholders tried to terminate their lease unsuccessfully! Madame Jojo’s is a beautiful venue with spectacular authentic vintage decor and original dance floor that many try to replicate. “Nowadays, cabaret has come
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full circle. Burlesque and variety are back in a big way, with new audiences discovering the pleasure of watching live entertainment on stage, skilled artists performing in their natural habitat, the classic, intimate West End nightclub. Still going strong after 50 years, Madame Jojo’s is the jewel in Soho’s crown its place in West End history is assured” - quote from Madame Jojo’s website. Sadly we fear the redevelopment will kill the essence of what Jojo’s is about. Madame Jojo’s is a symbolic loss, if that goes we fear the rest will follow and there is not much of historic Soho left. The Walkers Court development will demolish two listed buildings in a conservation area. Berwick Street is being torn apart and the market has been slowly strangled by Westminster and the addition of a new hotel will seriously impact the demise of small business including Beetroot, So High Soho and That’s Andy, which is a lifeline to all local business and residents alike. We fear this is only the tip of the iceberg and are concerned how this will affect the Soho residents, the gay community, the creatives and the performing arts community. We the Soho community, dread to think how much of Soho will go this way in the next few years, where will this end? Regardless of what has happened or why it is important to remember that historic and iconic venues and small business need protecting, they are vital to the area. The most important fact to remember is that old Soho is a unique village, there is nowhere else like it and it must be made a heritage site along with Denmark Street. We need to know which areas/streets/venues will be preserved for the future to be enjoyed by locals and visitors who come for the history and culture of Soho. Tourists come and ask specifically where Walkers Court is because they want to see the adult shops and authentic seedy side that it offers, they want to see the rough edges and the quirky characters who roam the streets. All independent business owners are at risk of extortionate rent hikes, even the film companies will be at risk, one film company has already lost its offices and had to move out of Soho. Something must be done to stop the unfair rise in rents which are driving out independent business owners. The situation is critical to the future welfare of London, If Soho loses its artistic community and history, London will surely lose its soul. Let’s all help to do something positive to save the future of the Spirit of Soho! https://www.facebook.com/groups/savesoho/
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SAVE SOH
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By Nelly Loriaux You may know him as Adam Paul Tinley, Adam Sky or Adamski , no matter what the name is, the man is more than just a ‘Killer’ tune. Find out more about his raving days, how he handle dry spell and what drove him to pursue his NEO-WALTZ project. Welcome to Adamski’s Futurewaltz revolution. Who/What were some of your influences/inspirations when you started? My Dad used to listen to classical music very loudly directly beneath my bedroom...I discovered John Peel when I was 9 or 10 ....I think. Malcolm Mclaren and Vivienne Westwood’s ideas really sparked my imagination ....2 tone became THE thing when I started secondary school swiftly followed by electropop....so all of that really... What led you to get involved in the rave scene? I got into house and techno through pirate radio in London around 87 when I was already making and performing sequencer/sample based music with attitude and got heavily influenced by it .Then I went to Ibiza in summer of 88 and just merged into the whole cultural and social experience.... my music fitted with what people wanted...and the Balearic/M25 scene fitted with what I wanted.. What’s the best or maybe the most unusual recollection of your part in the illegal rave scene around the M25 in the 80’s? In the same vein, what is the worst? Personally it was pretty weird going from playing to handfuls of people in squats and small clubs to playing to 1000s of people almost overnight...music I’d likely put together the same afternoon in my bedsit above a kebab shop...and seeing that reaction and receiving all that adulation....it was so much fun that it was all quite unusual.....there’s not been anything as revolutionary creatively or culturally since so it seems like the zenith of pop culture in retrospect.....Thank god I was that age at that time and had something to bring to the table. Do you feel the relation between the music and the place it is played at influence how it is perceived by revellers/ party goers? Yes How did Thatcher›s war on acid house as well as the criminal justice and public order act of 1994 affect the scene? It must have undoubtedly been a bit of a downer to deal with police breaking up the fun but at the same time, may it have also increased the taste for the forbidden pleasure,
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a sort of parallel with the prohibition era in 20s America... Yeah, running across the countryside with drum machines and synthesizers whilst on chemicals and with the police in hot pursuit probably just intensified the excitement of it all...then when you plugged in and played it was a massive up yours to the establishment....an almighty buzz for a 21 year old You went on to produce number 1 hit ‘Killer’ with Seal, a track that has not only be covered by many different artists but also appears in H&M campaign ( Le Youth remix). Did you ever think it would become such a timeless classic? Did you ever get tired of being defined primarily by this track? No I didn’t expect it to do that well, it all came together serendipitously, how I met Seal and all .I do get pissed off when promoters expect me to play it ....I only play in 3/4 time (waltz...3step...whatever) now so I just can’t haha.... I’ve made untold music that I think defines me artistically more than killer but obviously lesser known ....however I’m forever grateful I’ve never had to get a ‘proper’ job What do you feel about Le Youth remix? Do you feel H&M is the best vessel for your ‘Killer’ track? I only listened once. I think the sounds I used 25 years ago sound more edgy to be honest...for me H&M is an anachronism (or whatever the word is) for homogenous and mundane Are there other tracks you believe should have reached the same status?’ Flashback Jack’, ‘Space Jungle’ or maybe ‘Get your body’ with Nina Hagen? I could’ve got ANYBODY I liked from the music world to guest on the follow up to killer ...so choosing to sing an Elvis song myself over my beats was commercial suicide...but I’m not a businessman, I’m an artist ...and back then I was also a delusional piss artist. All 4 include some pretty wonderfully wacky videos, how involved were you in their ‘creation’? ������������������������������������������������������� The killer one was some people involved with Terry Gilliam I think...they told me what to do and I felt like a bit of a cunt trying to be all ‹arty› and mysterious....but I never had a stylist ...I always enjoyed putting my looks together ...people aren’t allowed to do that anymore are they ? The others were shot by my 1st manager Phil Smith who had encouraged me and helped me a lot but wasn’t very good at business so I let him do the videos as a consolation for getting other people to manage my affairs .... Your ‘rebel’ streak seems to still be running through your
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During the rave days I used to fantasize about going back to the hippie era with a box of records and drugs and saying ‘you lot are a bunch of lightweights’
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veins. You are now bringing back what used to be known as ‘The forbidden dance’, the 18th Century subversive and controversial Waltz. What drove you to ‘re-capture’ the 3/4 beats with your NEO-WALTZ project? I fell in love with the waltz rhythm by hearing it in Venezuelan folk music....I’ve spent a lot of time there...then I researched its origins and became fascinated by the parallels with the acid house movement and its effects on society and culture....there’s a limitless lode of samples and ideas in waltz music - be it traditional Viennese ballroom or jazz or pop or film music that dance music producers haven’t used because it doesn’t fit the 4/4 norm.... You have quite a few collaborators on this project featuring eclectic figures such as David McAlmont, Viktoria Modesta,Harmony Boucher and more. How did you manage to get them on-board? I just seem to cross paths with interesting and talented people who believe in my concept and are happy to contribute I believe you showcased Neo-Waltz at Chats Palace Hackney and Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival .How did it go? It went well considering it’s something very different and my ineptitude at self-promotion on the internet I hear some Waltz lessons were available. Did people embrace the opportunity? Any memorable ‘pairing’ whirling around shamelessly on the dance-floor? Yes I had professional teachers early in the evenings teaching the fundamental waltz steps...I want people to take that and go with it expressively...when I play in Germany and Austria a lot of people start waltzing without me instigating it....the nature of the rhythm encourages a lot of spinning and it’s such a buzz to see people doing different moves after 25 years of the same old same old... What else do you aim to achieve with your future Waltz? More shows or regular events in the pipeline? I aim to continue to make a living doing what I love to do the most....ideally it’d influence other people to work in 3/4 and if I’m to be really grandiose about it see clubs and warehouses full of people dancing in couples and dressing up especially to go out ....not in H&M .....but if they don’t I don’t give a shit ....I’m a one man waltz activist and enjoy
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my little indulgences.... What would be your ‘dream’ guest on your production? (dead or alive) Elvis or Sid Vicious What part of the production do you find most challenging? Finishing the mixes and making sure all the frequencies are not clashing... Do you ever hit a ‘brick wall’ or ‘dry spell’? If so, how do you deal with it? I never really do but if I did I’ve got a backlog of a zillion tunes that I could finish With so much music out there, it becomes increasingly difficult to build a long lasting ‘relationship’ with a track, let alone a full album, so how, as a producer, do you approach this dilemma? I chain smoke cigars What’s your take on the current state of dance/pop/electro music? is there any artist(s) that have, in your opinion, managed to outperform the bland dribble being offered to us on a daily basis? A lot of grime artists and at a global level Kanye West What advice would you give to an upcoming DJ›s/MC›s in correlation with today›s club scene and burgeoning technology? Stop being boring and predictable when you have the easiest access to create whatever you want ever in the history of music If time travel was possible, which era would you go back to and why? During the rave days I used to fantasize about going back to the hippie era with a box of records and drugs and saying ‘you lot are a bunch of lightweights’ Is there an all-time favourite track that gives you all over the body shivers when you hear it? Shostakovich jazz suite no.2 (it’s in Stanley Kubrick’s eyes wide shut).... Any last word before I let you go cavorting in the moonlight? Revolt
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By Matt Dawson It’s always a treat to speak to Jill Janus – someone that manages to combine a life in theatre with their love for old-school heavy metal always equals a fun chat – Matt catches up with her to discuss how successful 2014 was for her and Huntress, how it was to be in Lemmy’s hometown, their upcoming 3rd album and how she learned Guardians Of Asgaard during that show in Plymouth! OK, we’ll start with asking you how it is to be in Lemmy’s hometown… We played this strange little bar two years ago here as an afterthought and at the time Lemmy was a friend of mine and I remember thinking I’ve got to get Lemmy to co-write a song with us and then it’s been an interesting fateful journey and here we are again! How’s it been going so far with the tour? This is the best bill we’ve been aligned with, I really feel like Amon Amarth and Huntress are a really good combination – it’s really working out, the fans are responding really well to us and I love these guys. We were able to tour with them on Mayhem fest back in 2012, became friends and then the Gods allowed this to happen – it was destined! Now the last time we talked was Download Festival 2014 and at the time you were getting ready to set out on a tour with Kreator and Arch Enemy in the US – how did that go? Oh man, we’ve been on so many cool tours my mind is blown – with Arch Enemy especially as the new era started with them with Alissa – we’ve become good friends – it was a really cool tour especially with Kreator, we look up to them, they’re such deep warriors of metal they’ve been at it for so long there’s a lot of respect for them, Arch Enemy is great – they bring it hard! You also mentioned you were working on a new album at the time – the Crone part of the trilogy – any update on that? It’s coming out this summer – my goal was achieved of recording one album a year, we’re just finishing up now but that’s what I wanted for the first three albums with Napalm, as you know my spiritual journey was Maiden, Mother and Crone – the Crone signifies death and new beginnings but she’s old, horny and a cunt and I’m having a lot of fun – I’m looking forward to her leaving too because sometimes it takes over and I’m looking forward
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to shedding her and moving on. It’s been an interesting process let’s say that. Well when you get horny what can you do… There’s a few things! It’s been an interesting tour because there was that one day in Plymouth… I read the Loudwire blog about it last night! Oh it’s up! Great! There’s a picture of you with Johan’s ear-in pack looking so sad that’s so awww! [Jill laughs] That night had to be one of the weirdest tour experiences for you and Amon Amarth surely? It was weird. I was so happy that the fans embraced me because I initially thought I could get murdered [laughs], when a metal fan is angry you never know! Fortunately I went out and said how it was going to be very special, a once in a lifetime performance – ‘Johan Hegg was taken away by Vikings to go and fight a war, nah his voice is fucked!’ Big J was great, the band was very supportive. What it comes down to is do you want to cancel a show and leave all the fans that wanted this experience with Amon Amarth or do you move on and try to save it? It was almost like cabaret which is where I’m from – that New York City cabaret/musical theatre… Bohemian. Yeah! I’m able to banter fast and react quickly so for me it was a lot of fun and I got to sing Guardians Of Asgaard. So we mentioned the bohemian lifestyle – how does that transfer to Huntress and touring because you also were a DJ before as well… Yeah, it just turns into abandonment of all other ambitions and really living for your art and that’s what it really comes down to – prior to Huntress I was a DJ and making money to support my art, when Huntress clicked I had to shed all that and lose that income, I knew it was coming and I was prepared for it but you have to put stuff in storage, I sold my car, I got rid of my apartment – I’m at the mercy of friends and family when I’m off the road. Living the way I did in New York you have to have a fuck it attitude and realise that’s what you were born to do and I couldn’t be happier. You do get moments when you get bogged down by
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‘Johan Hegg was taken away by Vikings to go and fight a war... nah his voice is fucked!’
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loneliness especially with the boys in the band, they have wives and girlfriends at home – eventually you have to decide whether you want to keep this up or quit so we’ve been shedding members as we go along and that’s fine – it’s just the natural evolution of Huntress. From the most serious I think we’ve ever got [Jill: Yeah!] to how did the whole #clitboner deal come about? My sense of humour – again I have to credit the gays, I grew up around a bunch of homosexuals from the time I was a little girl in theatre and they’ve shaped who I am today – I feel like a gay man in a woman’s body - I was thinking one day because when you think about it the clitoris is like a little mini penis – it gets hard, bigger and stimulated – and I have a masculine side to me, I thought that’s how I feel when I see something I like. It then turned into a fan favourite and blew up then it became a fucking shirt! It’s our best selling t-shirt, girls love it and also who knew this – the clitboner has evolved, she’s very demanding but what’s even more demanding is my cameltoe! My cameltoe is a diva, she’s very demanding and we just got a light box and I’m looking at the pictures and going this is basically highlighting my vagina and I wear really tight clothes – ah shit I’ve got a full on cameltoe! She then was even more demanding and I’m not just getting clitboner yelled at me but also cameltoe. At least it’s not about my tits it’s moved onto the vagina so.. It’s about being defiant and embracing being a woman but being strong about it – I have good fun with it, it’s either I embrace it or try to resist it – if you don’t have fun and you can’t have humility you’re going to be miserable. Did you feel you achieved all your goals for 2014? Yeah absolutely. I did a five year review, sometimes I lay alone and listen to Danzig I,II and III and go places visualising from the very first point when I started Huntress to
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now and it’s exactly what I wanted perfectly on track and even surpassed a couple of my expectations. What are the plans after this tour? Go back and do a few more vocals on album 3 , drop it this summer then touring, touring , touring and then I’m getting transmissions for the fourth album. Blake’s like ‘shut the fuck up about the fourth album!’ I decided I’m going to give the boys six months from the next one! Now could there be a chance for summer festivals as well such as Download? We love Download and they’ve been so supportive of Huntress – we got two years consecutive which is not common, this year we’re trying to spend more time in the US this summer – of course we plan to do some in Europe and the UK – but I want to focus on the US, it depends what comes our way. Given musicians seem to be starting their own podcasts and interviewing each other… Oh you must be pissed! It’s fun though because you get to see how other musicians think like Jamey Jasta so let’s say hypothetically you decided to do a podcast – who would be your ideal guest? Rob Halford – I met him at Revolver Golden Gods and that was life changing for me. You met Halford at theirs and Doro in ours then in 2013… Yeah! I presented her with the legend award, she’s delightful – you can see she’s been at it and has a lot of integrity and she loves animals which is a big deal for me.
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By Matt Dawson With their blues/sludge metal crossover Desert Storm have a very bright future ahead of them; drummer Elliot Cole chats to Matt about Desertfest and if all of 2014’s goals were achieved… For those that have not heard of Desert Storm – sum up the band in three to five words. Heavy blues, sludge metal. As we begin 2015 – do you feel you got all the goals for the previous year achieved? Mostly, however we didn’t have a lot of luck with UK festivals last year apart from our appearance at Hammerfest of course. Luckily we have quite a few confirmed already for 2015, but hopefully there are more summer festivals to be announced. In terms of touring though I am very happy with how we did last year. We did a colossal 18 date UK tour with our pals in Karma To Burn which was awesome and a lot fun, as well as a five date UK tour in October with Nashville Pussy. We also got out to RoadKill festival in Belgium last August and played a one of show in Holland. We also had the privilege of support Corrosion of Conformity and Acid King. With the new album being released soon we hope 2015 will be even better! You worked with Jamie Dodd for Omniscient – what was it like working with him and when did the moment hit where you realised everything was clicking on the making of the new record? It was great. He was really good at pushing to get the best takes out of us. A very chilled out guy which is what you need in a creative environment. I think it was pretty
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much as soon as we started when we realised we had made the right choice in choosing to work with him. We’d heard his work on Orange Goblin’s ‘Eulogy for the damned’ before going into the studio, so we knew what he was capable of. What are your thoughts on the state of stoner rock in the past year? Really good. We have a great UK scene with so many cool bands. It just seems to be getting more and more popular which is only a good thing. There are always new bands emerging with a lot to offer as well as some great releases from bands who have been around for a few years now. It’s also good to see some of the bands who we’ve been playing shows with for years, actually getting recognised and signed to bigger labels and having the opportunities to tour with bigger bands. Obviously you get a lot of generic stuff too though, but that’s the same with a genre of music or sub genre of metal. You’ll be playing Desertfest in April – who are you looking forward to seeing? Yes we can’t wait! Last time we were there was in 2012. It’s such a brilliant festival. I’m really looking forward to seeing Sleep and Floor for the first time. Obviously Karma To Burn, Eyehategod, Orange Goblin and Red Fang will be awesome too though. Aside from Desertfest what are Desert Storm’s current touring plans? Well we are going out to Europe again at the start of February for a short tour. We have shows in Germany, Belgium and Holland. Hopefully we’ll do some more dates in Europe later in the year too, as well another UK tour but it’s all being discussed at the moment. We are mostly aiming to hit up the festivals this year. We are doing Red Sun Festival in Cardiff in May with a load of cool bands and Mammothfest in Brighton in October with Hang The Bastard, Feed The Rhino, Slabdragger, etc . Given the rise of musicians doing podcasts – if you could create one what would be the format and who would your dream guest be to interview? I’d have a weekly show and I’d have each member of Desert Storm taking in turns of weeks to host their own show. I’d feature a different drummer every time it was my turn. My dream guest would be Bill Ward.
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not open anymore, we will even go further into the direction they are hating, haha… But then again we did write a lot of really hard stuff that we didn›t want on this album and we will still release this in one form or another… we do what we like.
Atari Teenage Riot are among the world’s most outspoken artists; they defined digital hardcore with their raw headchopping meld of techno, metal, punk and fiercely politically engaged lyrics. When new single Modern Liars was revealed in October, Alec Empire explained: “Edward Snowden had an impact on this record. It’s not a dystopian view. It’s not a cyberpunk negative vision of the future. It’s proven. When we warn about the government and technology invading privacy, it’s real. It doesn’t mean we’re these paranoid musicians and artists” As Berlin born Alec Empire, Japanese-German Nic Endo and Londoner Rowdy Superstar gear up for the release of new album Reset on March 23rd, David Lees decides to hear more from their candid frontman… Last year’s single Modern Liars had a surprisingly poppy chorus that polarised a lot of people. What was the reason behind that and is it something we’re going to see more of in future ATR releases? Since we started making this music, a small die-hard hardcore faction of the fans had problems with every single we released. They screamed “sell out” or “they’ve gone soft now” and stuff like that. If we are honest, then Atari Teenage Riot always had a pop element in the music. Underneath the distortion were always melodic baselines or guitar riffs that could have come from the second Nirvana album or The Sex Pistols or bands like that. That is why Atari Teenage Riot has always reached more people than the purist hardcore stuff that is out there. We love the surprise element in music and in this song it made perfect sense. Modern Liars is raising questions that many people don’t want to hear. When we look at how Google bullies independent artists, check out Zoe Keating’s blog post for example, this is the stuff we already addressed in the Modern Liars and the interviews we gave when the single came out. Digital Maoism is a destructive force and we had better move into a new direction. Once indie culture dies out, there won’t be anyone left who can innovate. We are talking about a huge change that is happening right now. From music blogs disappearing to small and medium size venues closing, to new bands who can’t maintain their businesses despite a healthy fan base. With Atari Teenage Riot we will always make the music we want to make, and frankly we can’t think of haters on the internet who have only one purpose to drag other people down. That is why we find punk rock so inspiring, because sometimes you can only say to those types of people that you don’t care. The thing is that the moment people are
It does strike me that when dealing with the issues ATR does it would be easy to be negative and nihilistic but there›s always an element of positivity and action to these songs. Do you hope to inspire people as much as comment on what›s happening in the world? Often we describe something that is negative but we do it because we must name the problem to get people to think about it. That works really well. Over years we have met amazing people who used our music as an inspiration to change their lives, convince their friends to explore alternative political ideas for example. This is happening. I have talked to fans who were seriously thinking about killing themselves and they told me that the music helped them to confront reality. It gave them the energy to keep going. That is the best thing someone can say to you! In Germany we had the worst history with the Nazis and the Holocaust and World War II. Then I grew up when the Berlin Wall was still up. Music can make you realise your own power, you can get something off the ground. A lot of mainstream culture these days humiliates people, makes them feel rather small and powerless. This is not a coincidence. Neocons worked out in think tanks how to demonise the working class. While in the 50s for example it was the exact opposite: Rock’n’Roll was about being respected, not giving up. Over the coming years we will need a lot of that spirit back in our society. Atari Teenage Riot started out with an anti-Neo Nazi agenda and since the economic collapse fascism does seem to be on the rise across Europe. How do you see that situation playing out? It is always about keeping a balance. Right now things have got out of balance. What people have to understand is that Neo-Nazis and Islamo-Fascists have a lot in common. These are two really dangerous threats right now. I think years ago the left made a big mistake in welcoming Islamo- Fascists with open arms. They had a screwed up sense of justice that will backfire now. In Germany it is easier to understand all of this because of our history but I feel that many young Europeans underestimate the situation right now. These people don’t stop anywhere. If you love freedom of speech, for example, you will become a target sooner or later. I think the music scene must speak out against this stuff. This ideology is creeping back into society. The internet doesn’t help when people haven’t learnt how to treat certain information more carefully, and spread propaganda and dangerous ideas which cause harm to real people out there. The time to just take some drugs, escape and not have an opinion on this stuff is over. There›s clearly been a push towards totalitarianism from various governments in recent years, using technology to try and monitor and control people but interestingly that technology has turned out to be a double-edged sword, for instance the use of mobile phones has seen incidents of police brutality recorded and broadcast to the world. In a sense the surveillance state can work both ways. Do
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We are creating a world which will not be fun. And this happens even though we have amazing technology at our hands. But more and more people are starting to understand this so I think we can still make a change.
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you think it›s possible that totalitarianism can actually be fought more effectively now that it ever could in the 20th century? Totalitarianism is against human nature. Hitler had to lose the War, it was inevitable. A surveillance state will self-destruct at some point. We just have to make sure there are not huge amounts of victims, hopefully that can be avoided. I believe that the American constitution will protect us. The biggest critics of the surveillance state are coming from the US. That gives me a lot of hope. In the UK we›re seeing the rise of a right wing, anti-immigration party in the form of UKIP. They›ve had a disproportionate amount of media time in the last few years purely because their leader, Nigel Farage is entertaining and livens up debates and TV shows. It feels like the media wants to dumb politics down to the level of manufactured reality TV, while more and more people are going to the internet for their news. Do you think there›s a danger in relying on, effectively, amateur journalism and people may end up less well informed due to access to too much information and if so how can mainstream media be saved from populism and corruption? Yes, of course it is a huge danger to rely only on amateur journalism. We don’t even have to look at politics. Look at the music industry. Losing the diverse landscape of magazines and skilled music critics that we once had has done a lot of damage. We need the press to be independent and, more than that, the press needs to have more power. The way the press has become dependent on Google for ad revenue is dangerous. This is just one example. When journalists ask me to say something about Miley Cyrus, so the article comes up more in the search engines, that is insanity at work. The sad reality is that people could read a lot of very valuable stuff online but the majority simply doesn’t do that. I don’t know how this downward spiral can be stopped. People need to demand something better. While they don’t see this as a problem, there won’t be any change. How effective do you feel art and music is as a weapon against totalitarianism? It is a very powerful weapon. People should realise this. You can force someone with a gun to do something but you won’t change his mind. To the cynics out there I can only say, look at all the examples where violence has not worked. The news is full of them. Music is a language many people can understand and share. It can inspire people to see the world in a different light. Music can unite people, bring people together more than anything else. It is one key tool in bringing down dictatorships for example, it is part of every non-violent resistance plan. You don’t need to want to bring down your government to use music for change. You can overcome racism, for example, or have female role models which inspire young girls. Laws don’t help if nobody understands their rights, you need to figure out your potential. Music can help you do that. The recent Charlie Hebdo murders have brought the subject of free speech into sharp focus. However, here in the UK our government have immediately tried to use it as an excuse to outlaw encryption on the internet. How do you feel about the fallout from these events, do you think it will be positive overall or just bolster the Right in Europe? It is no secret that I support free speech 100%. In any
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form. It is shameful how some blamed the victims, the cartoonists for making jokes. Encryption is a very important tool to secure our privacy. The governments betrayed us. For me as a German it was a huge deal. There was always a contract between us and the authorities: Privacy and property rights are protected. This contract does not exist anymore. Creatives are stripped of all their rights when it comes to controlling their work. Citizens have no privacy anymore. It is changing our society, it is making our society worse. Look at Germany’s history, how people treated each other, couldn’t trust each other anymore, spied, lied. We are creating a world which will not be fun. And this happens even though we have amazing technology at our hands. But more and more people are starting to understand this so I think we can still make a change. There seems to be a whole generation growing up now with no concept of the importance of privacy thanks to Facebook and other social networks. Do you feel this is a dangerous precedent and if so how could it be combated? Yes, and the music industry played a role in creating this. People are starting to feel the consequences. If there is no privacy, there is no freedom. I lived in squats at some point in my life. And we had the anarchist faction who were very pro privacy and then the more socialist faction who hated locks on doors and thought you should share the same toilet seat at the same time and stuff like that haha… We are experiencing the same thing online it seems. People have joined the social networks because they wanted to become popular, but it should be pretty clear right now that won’t really happen. If you are a band, having a Facebook page doesn’t get you anywhere. That time is long over. In fact I think that only those artists who used hacker strategies, faked stats, manipulated YouTube views and so on got somewhere. But it is all very short sighted. Leave that side of the internet. Stay off the radar, use Tor, try to stay anonymous as much as you can. Communicate with your friends face to face. Go out. Don’t publish your music online on those platforms. Why would you? To get bullies to write negative comments? Most musicians feel that the whole system is a scam and they don’t get anything out of it. I think journalists, photographers, indie film makers, all these creative people see the same bullshit. I recently spoke at the 31c3 hacker conference in Germany, organised by the Chaos Computer Club, it is the biggest hacker conference in the world right now. I pointed out how creativity and privacy go hand in hand. They depend on each other. Try to write a book with fifty people reading over your shoulder. I mean I can’t even concentrate on reading something on my phone on the plane if a stranger next to me stares at my screen! Now think about coming up with something creative. It just doesn’t work, because it’s a different process. You›ve been involved with the hacking community lately, and even gave a speech at the Chaos Communication Congress last year. Do you feel that hackers and musicians have a crossover in terms of creativity and process, or is that an entirely political thing? We have been close to the hacker scene since the beginning. It was mainly to do with the reality of the same people programming music plug ins or software and other tools, I am talking about the 90s here. Our music came
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out of the hacker scene. Or the cyberpunk scene. Then out on an opportunity but it’s not true, they are exploitit grew. So yes, we apply the hacker ethics to music. How ing your creative content or your live show or whatever we approach music. it is you have to offer. Focus on the music. Try to be the best in your field. Trends come and go much much fastthan they used to, often they don’t even materialise The internet seemed set to become a way to democratise er if that makes sense… So following a trend won’t get you music and break the stranglehold of big record compa- anywhere. Build your own identity. It is all very difficult nies, however I›ve seen a lot of bands end up giving up as when you have huge corporations and even governments piracy eats into their record sales and the abundance of against you. music festivals makes touring unprofitable. It does seem to have fallen flat. Why is that and what would your ad- What is it that you really want? Think about this first, and take your time. I mean think about this for weeks, while vice be to a band starting out in today›s world? are working on your music. Most of the stuff that has Yes, I remember I warned about that in the days when ev- you worked for other musicians doesn’t work anymore. The erybody applauded Radiohead for being ‘innovative’ about architecture is flawed. Hopefully we can build something their ‘business model’ and so on… It has always been, new, but difficult times are ahead. Be aware of that. since Napster to be exact, simple maths. The tech industry built their wealth on the back of the entertainment industry, exploited it. I don’t mean that as a negative or positive What are this year›s plans for ATR? Will you be touring? thing, it’s just the reality. We’ll see. We played more shows in the years 2010-2013 Those who deny it, will hit a wall at some point. I explained than in the whole 90s! That is how crazy this was! Right that in my keynote speech at the hacker conference and of now we feel we want to work on a lot of new music. We will course some members of the Pirate Party left the room play shows of course, but not as many… I don’t know… we outraged. The famous triangle : High Quality-High Speed- might feel bored in the studio and will change our mind Low Cost . You can never have the three... it’s just real- again… it depends. I am just being honest here. ity of the creative process - now think about what happens, and make no mistake about it it’s happening now Do you have any other work or side projects coming up? and has been for a few years , when you try to do it with zero cost?… You are freezing culture and we see this hap- Yes, there is tons of stuff I am getting ready at the mopening. A good example is festival line-ups, look at how ment. That is also a reason why I don’t want to be on the road all the time. I will announce it when release dates they’ve developed since the 90s. in place. I have been experimenting with a lot of If you are a band starting out right now, desert. It starts are new ideas. Teamed up with some other amazing musiwith a few things: cians. You will see. Fame is not a currency you want to accept as the only payment. Do not step into this trap. You will have doubts, and people will give you this feeling that you are missing
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© Cristina Massei
I guess it’s all about when we have enough material for a new one. Has any preparation started for it? Not really! We’ve been talking about things and I think we have a theme for the new album but that’s basically it – when this tour is over we’ll take a couple of weeks off then get started for real. What would you say were your favourite moments then from this cycle? On a fitting winter’s night Matt gets the chance to talk We started it off with a few festivals in Europe – that was to guitarist Olavi Mikkonen prior to their show in Stoke really cool, we played festivals we haven’t really done about the state of heavy metal, the memorable night in like not strictly metal festivals, we then did the Mayhem Plymouth and why 2015 will be the year Amon Amarth tour in the US – that was the first time we did a proper head into the studio… festival tour there, we did festivals in Australia which So let’s begin by asking you how the tour has been go- we’ve never done before, the South American tour was ing so far… amazing, the tour with Carcass… I think all the tours have Good! been really good – a two year victory run! There has been of course one memorable gig on this How were Carcass as touring partners? tour… Good guys! They’re your countrymen – good lads. Plymouth yeah, where Johan lost his voice, that was def- Bloodstock as well. initely something we’ve never experienced before but it Two dragonheads that were huge, that was a cool stage is what it is, you can’t really do anything about it – it’s set up. not like you can restring your voice, if it doesn’t work, it So 2015 in a nutshell is recording the new album, what doesn’t work! I think we did a fair thing – all the people else are you thinking of doing personally aside from that bought tickets got the opportunity to get back their that? cash or see the show and then if people don’t want to I enjoy fishing at the lake and pretty much that’s what see it without vocals they have the option to not see it I’m going to try to spend as many hours at as possible but I think only five guys chose not to see the show. It unless I’m trying to improve my house because I used to was a good one, definitely something different - since be a carpenter before Amon Amarth took all my time! the vocals are such a big part of the music we were not Nowadays a lot of musicians are doing their own podsure we were really going to pull it off but I think it was casts and interviewing others – if you could do one who a cool thing. would be the ideal guest? I saw some footage of it on Youtube – Jill did a song or King Diamond’s been a huge influence in my life, same two. with Slayer, Maiden and Priest. I would probably like to She did one song – ‘Guardians Of Asgaard’ and some en- have a chat with K.K Downing, maybe Adrian Smith. tertaining bits while we were doing tuning breaks. What were your favourite 3 albums of 2014? You also had fans come up and do a couple of songs. Grand Magus, Behemoth and I really liked the new MaTowards the end we had fans coming up and that was chine Head as well. cool and fun. Behemoth was the top album for me, the emotion that Of course the rest of the tour has been going smoothly ! Nergal showed was very powerful, Grand Magus was As you guys start 2015 off with this tour do you feel you good as well. How do you feel metal will do in 2015? achieved what you wanted to do in 2014? I feel we have a very interesting year, Slayer has a new I think it’s been a good cycle – we did a lot of good tours, one soon and I heard rumours Maiden were going to the album has been selling very good and we strength- bring something out too. ened our position as a band and I think it’s been all good Maiden’s Christmas card indicated something… – pretty much touring around the whole world. I think we have a strong year coming up. Is this the last big tour for the cycle then? We’re reaching the point where you get to savour them Yeah, this is the last big tour until the next album, basi- while you can especially at festivals – people might be cally we’re going to spend the rest of the year working divided about headliners but when you have a strong on a new album – we haven’t really decided when [but]
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number of bands throughout there’s still some strength left. Heavy metal’s doing really good compared to the mid nineties. I can see what you say about the older bands – who knows how many years, Maiden/Priest and Sabbath have and who is going to take over? The level is going to drop dramatically. What would be your goal for 2015? To be able to write the best song I ever could.
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the chance to live out in his words ‘his Bruce Dickinson impression’ and they valiantly make it through their set earning the respect of the crowd. Huntress follow up with a show that combines the theatrical side of vocalist Jill Janus and music that shows a love for the city that gave birth to Lemmy – who is given a shoutout before the song he co-wrote with them ‘I want to fuck you to death’. By the end of the set there are people queuing to buy merch – a sign that many new fans were made.
As Amon Amarth take to the stage – following a mass sing along to Iron Maiden’s Run To The Hills no less – the energy in The Sugarmill is at a hyper level as people jump 24th January 2015 and mosh along to the likes of ‘Death In Fire’, ‘As Loke As the queue for this night stretches to around the cor- Falls’ and ‘Father Of The Wolf while Johan Hegg smiles ner of the venue and beyond this is a night for metal to and proclaims his wonderment on why it took Amon so rule Stoke – from traditional to Viking and Pagan genres long to play there. By the time Twilight Of The Thunder God and The Pursuit Of Vikings hits – with fans singing alike. the intro to the latter – the glee on everyone’s face is Savage Messiah put on a show that’s good for the fans evident. that embrace the era of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal sadly due to technical difficulties with an amp we A fun and truly great night of metal in a town that dedon’t get the full experience however Dave Silver sees serves more metal shows of that calibre. Amon Amarth live @ Stoke Sugarmill
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Burlesque! Welcome to your one stop drop for all the news on the best burlesque nights, in the capital and beyond! I’m Sophia Disgrace and I’ve performed at numerous events in the UK and abroad, from festivals to the most exclusive clubs. I perform in a neo-burlesque style and often incorporate other elements such as angle grinding into my routines. I like to shake the audience up a bit! Burlesque - or 'the art of tease' as its also known - first rose to prominence in the 1950s; in recent years it has enjoyed something of a revival, with stars such as Dita Von Teese helping to popularise the scene once again. London as ever is at the fore front of this movement, which is both alluring and inspiring for men and women alike... Here are my pick of all things burlesque this month - enjoy!
FREAKY FRIDAY! @ The Village Inn, Birmingham Every god damn Friday! From 11pm ‘til Late! Late! Late baby! The Village Inn is one of Birmingham’s best loved and most established gay bars. They host an impressive rota of events throughout the week, and Freaky Fridays is surely a highlight. DJ Lotty warms things up with a selection of camp classics, then at 11pm the show really begins. Enjoy some of Cabaret’s brightest stars, doing their thang just for y’all! Once you’ve had your fill of burly greatness you can grab a bevvy (or three) and shimmy the night away - the venue closes at 4am! This event is F.R.E.E! Get more information at www.villagebirmingham.co.uk Guanabara Presents CIRCO DO GUANABARA! @ Guanabara Bar and Restaurant, London Every Wednesday Doors from 5pm - show starts at 9pm Guanabara is a Brazilian themed bar and restaurant, located amidst the hustle and bustle of London’s Covent Garden. It hosts a wonderful variety of events, my favourite of which is their weekly circus themed performance night. The action kicks off at 9pm sharp and their line up of artists changes for each show. So, who knows what you will witness...a contortionist? A hula hooping lovely or a beautiful showgirl? My money is on all three. Together. At the same time....!!! After the show you can join in with an interactive samba class and then get down and dirty with DJ Limao and some bangin’ carnival beats! Burlesque with Brazilian bite! Please call (0207)242 8600 for more details and tickets. Art Shark presents CIRCUS SHOWGIRLS @ Embrace Arts, Leicester Sunday 15th February 2015 From 7pm ‘til late The perfect anti –Valentine’s night out for couples and singletons alike! Hosted by Kirsty Munro, get ready for a circus inspired assault by the likes of Scarlett Honey and Doe Demure! You are also advised to bring your sketchpads and pencils - there will be a prize for the best drawing… ooooohhh! Tickets are £6.00, please refer to www.embracearts.co.uk for more information, thank yoooooou!
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This month’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
MARLENE DIETRICH Marlene Dietrich mixed exotic glamour with gender neutrality to mesmerising effect. Born in Germany in 1901, she lived a long and illustrious life before her death in Paris, France in 1992. She began her career as a chorus girl in vaudeville, before going on to become one of the highest paid stars of the 1930s onwards. Her magnificent eyebrows, androgynous style and razor sharp cheekbones set her apart from the more mainstream pin ups of the era. Marlene - some fun facts 1 - She originally trained as a concert violinist, but due to a wrist injury changed career path. Her first notable film role, in ‘The Blue Angel’ (1930) bought her international fame and a contract with Paramount Pictures. 2 - From the 1950s-1970s Dietrich performed in her very own cabaret show. She wowed audiences with her sultry tones and an array of figure hugging dresses. She even graced the stage in Vegas, Broadway and even London’s very own Cafe De Paris! 3 - Marlene was bisexual and boasted a whole host of lovers including, it is rumoured, a certain Mr J F Kennedy! She enjoyed defying gender stereotypes and had a particular penchant for boxing! 4 - Marlene influenced many of today’s most popular artists - a famous still of her from the film ‘Shanghai Express’(1932) has been cited as a direct influence for the iconic Queen II album art.
And that is all for now, until we meet again...sinful kisses from Sophia Disgrace xox
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reviews
CARL BARÂT & THE JACKALS Let it Reign
KOUDLAM Benidorm Dream
Out 16th Feb on Cooking Vinyl
Out now on Pan European Recording
By Cristina Massei
By Nelly Loriaux
Compared to the Libertines, everything is a side project. THIS ‘side’ project, however, has more consistency than some ‘main’ ones around and, if ‘Let It Reign’ is anything to go by, Carl Barat is in radiant form. The ten greatly crafted tracks on the Jackals’ debut album transition effortlessly from gritty punk rock to catchy-as-hell pop sensibilities, leaving no ear unfulfilled. First single ‘Glory Days’ sets the pace gearing on the punk side, ‘Victory Gin’ boasts a stronger pop element with his haunting chorus and ‘Summer in The Trenches’ is a sure crowd pleaser. With further changes of speed but never shying away from the accelerator, ‘Let It Reign’ refuses to settle for a filler. As it progresses towards the end, the album continues to show his diverse colours . The powerful closing riffs of ‘War of The Roses’, an intense anthemic rock tune, leave way to the cheerful punk choruses of ‘Gears’, a brief and direct punk piece, followed by mellow closer ‘Let It Rain’. ‘Let It Reign’ is a grower, one of those albums where each song will become your favourite at some point and the whole record will sound better every time you listen. Buy if you want value for your money. Or if you can’t wait for the new Libertines to come out. Either way, just buy it, listen and be merry: one likely lad is back amongst us in all his glory. Let’s hope now the other also makes it back to Albion.
Gwenhael Navarro AKA Koudlam may well be labelled as a French Electronic composer but it does not do any justice for this atypical and visionary artist. I see a modern day Mozart or Wagner, his music standing as an archetype of what people usually regards as the more ‘classical’ EDM, bringing us variations of complex electronic symphonies. Listening to ‘Benidorm Dream’ is like losing yourself in a Vangelis’ or Jean Michel Jarre’s symphonic electronica. Delicate compositions transforming into wondrous themes, at time retro, at time futuristic intertwined with a conflictive array of sounds bringing out feelings of melancholy as well as gloom, befit as a score for Bunuel ‘Un Chien Andalou’, Parker’s ‘Midnight Express’ or even Scott’s ‘Blade Runner’. This album has it all, not just one style but hymns filled with trance, pan-flute, techno, ambient, North African rhythm and more. Don’t take my word for it, the 3’07’’ ‘Ouverture’ will pull you into Koudlam’s phantasmagorical opus that will keep you enthralled until the last notes of ‘Nostalgia’ ‘Ouverture’: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=w-hoKImJe9Q
NAPALM DEATH Apex Predator-Easy Meat Out now on Century Media By John Morgan
Plying their trade in hardcore crossover music since the Eighties, Napalm Death are an English band that rarely get the credit they deserve. Fusing blastbeat heaviness with guttural vocals and Discharge-esque riffs has been a trademark for the band over the years, and this year’s release is no exception. 14 tracks of mayhem is what fans expect, and that’s exactly what they have got. The band show that they have still got what it takes to stir up listeners, even adding a Killing Joke feel with the track Hierarchies. This is not an album for the faint hearted, just another instalment of the experimental extreme music the band have been issuing for years… Long may it continue. 8/10
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reviews
VENOM From The Very Depths Out now on Spinefarm By John Morgan
The trouble with a new studio album from Venom is that, having released some of the best Black Metal albums ever recorded, they have a lot to compete with.... Having gone through numerous line up changes over the years, the new album is the second to feature the current line up and in one listen it’s obvious that they have now formed the understanding to produce a record that can sit with the very best offerings in the bands history. Cool riffs and thunderous drums fuse together to form a menacing sound, add Cronos’ vocal homages to the dark lord and you have one hell of a great record. If it didn’t have the Venom logo on it, it would be considered a breath of fresh air. However, as it is, it’s simply another great album in the legacy of a great band that just won’t die. Satan himself would take time out of his day job to listen to this. Great stuff. 8.5/10
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PAPA ROACH F.E.A.R.
MARTIN DANIELS Blue Noon O.S.T.
By Matt Dawson
By John Morgan
Out now on Eleven Seven Music Out now on Bleakscape Records As one of the bands that were around as nu-metal was in the death throes Papa Roach have managed to keep up a successful live act over while evolving into more of a heavy rock band – this time the beginning of their latest album might surprise you. With the title track that sounds like it could be taken from new contemporaries such as Of Mice & Men – the synths, the breakdown and fade in vocals in particular – it can’t be denied that the band have seen what is popular in radio rock over the past few years and decided to do their take on it. Rather than trying to be a clone however there is still some elements of the angst that fans knew from the Infest era – ‘Gravity’s vocal structure and ‘Broken As Me’ being two examples and closer ‘Fear Hate Love’ going back to the radio rock style. ‘Warriors’ however which contains a cameo from Royce Da 5’9 that seems woefully short given his most recent output in Slaughterhouse and DJ Premier collaboration P:Rhyme and takes the electronic rock crossover too close into Korn circa The Path Of Totality era rather than being the balance that the rest of the album manages well. In a way this is a good jumping on – or jumping back on for casual fans- point as papa Roach take their sound into 2015 and make it work for their audience and fans of that particular style to follow.
Clocking in at 92 minutes and spread over two disks, this is a soundtrack album that will scare the unscarable. With a nod to the mighty Sunn0, the music displayed here is a fusion of drones and synths that leaves an unnerving chill on the spine. This is music that leaves the listener open to their own interpretation of what they are hearing...a touch classical, a touch ambient, call it what you will... Some will find it hard to understand, but it is definitely a piece of music cinema that few will be able to ignore. Well worth more than a moment of your time. Avalaible for a limited period through Bleakscape records. 8.5/10
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dour And Lies and Bonus Song at the very end – what led to those being included? Neito Pohjolan came along in early 2013 and Markus had some ideas for that song and he asked us what if we would make this kind of song for the next album and everybody liked the idea so we started to work on it. And it turned out to be really good song with Finnish vocals from Netta Skog. We like to have fun with music and break some boundaries too. Bonus Song got started in the studio when it was time to decide the cover songs and our management and record label wished for 4 to 5 extra tracks. We just couldn’t figout what other cover song to do anymore so Sami 20 years of Ensiferum hits in 2015 (the band was found- ure shouted about we make one more Bonus Song, with ed in 1995); to celebrate One Man Army being released that titlehow and put cool lyrics in it too. We all thought in February, Matt Dawson caught up with vocalist Petri that hey that´slet´s a magnificent so then we wrote that Lindroos to talk about plans for 2015, working with Flem- song in 15mins for all of your idea pleasure. ming Rasmussen (producer of an album called Master Of What led to the cover of Rawhide? What other covers Puppets…) and who his ideal podcast guest would be… As 2015 has begun, do you feel you accomplished all were considered as a bonus? Rawhide as a song is just brilliant and we all the goals you wanted in 2014? it from Blues Brothers movie and it didn’t Yeah, we got the album done and that was our main goal liked a great effort to make it sound like we did. for last year. That´s why we didn’t do any longer tours need schedule was very tight in the studio so we maineither so that we could focus only on writing the new Our ly focused getting our own material done and not material for the One Man Army album. This year is go- waste thaton much time to figuring out cover songs. ing to be very busy for us, after the album release we All covers we considered also ended up on the album. will start touring in Europe and USA and playing tons of What are your plans regarding the UK – hopes on playfestivals in the summer. ing Bloodstock in the summer? You’ve worked with a producing legend in Flemming Rasmussen back in 2003 – tell us some of the experi- We are coming there again on our European tour, London show is on the 24.3.2015 at 02 Academy and Bloodences you had working with him… festival is also confirmed!!! Can’t wait to play some Flemming Rasmussen was a really nice guy and great to stock new stuff for you guys!!! work with. His studio fitted perfectly for us back then and What are your thoughts on the state of folk metal as we he had good working mentality, he was also tough when needed and over all a true professional in this business. enter 2015? We were very satisfied with the end result and the way I haven’t had the time to get to know the latest albums the album sounds. from this genre that much but seems like things are goFor One Man Army you decided to go analogue – what ing well with folk metal in general. We have been enjoying nice amount of fans everywhere we´ve played this far enticed you about using that means of production? Mr. Kippo has two of these analogue mixing consoles in so from our perspective folk metal is doing good. his studio so it was only natural that we would use it. He If you had a podcast and really wanted one guest to was speaking highly of them before our recordings started interview who would it be? and we were very excited to hear the sound and when we God with one question: What is the meaning of life?! did we´re amazed how great it sounded. Analogue console gave the sound a bit more warmth and slightly darker feeling too so we like that lots. Not so many studios use analogue machinery nowadays so we also wanted to do something different this time and this was a great way to do that. How was it working with Anssi Kippo? Working with Anssi Kippo was absolutely great, he´s amazing man when it comes to producing ideas and he knows all the tricks with how to record different instruments and he´s also very enthusiastic to try all kind of new methods too. Astia studio was perfect for us, it has nice and relaxed environment for working. Anssi is so easy going and professional so we didn’t have any problems whatsoever during our five weeks stay there. oh yeah, the sauna is great too!! Aside from the mixture of folk/Viking and power metal the end of One Man Army has two songs that you might say lean towards country and disco – Neito Pohjolan aka Can- © Ester Segarra