The Banter - June 2014

ELLA EYRE

AUGUSTINES // THE BOXER REBELLION

KATY PERRY // FATHERSON // EMBRACE // MIKKY EKKO ALSO : CD REVIEWS // GIG REVIEWS // MOVIES

Contents

22

INSIDE â—? www.thebanter.co.uk

6 INTERVIEW - Ella Eyre

Ella Eyre talks to the Banter about the Brits, Rudimental and touring.

16 CD Reviews

6

Tht We take a look at the best recent releases in the music world

44

26 INTERVIEW - Augustines

Daren Borzynki joins Augustines before and after their recent Glasgow gig.

34 Gig Reviews

A round up of some the hottest gigs in Glasgow over the last few months.

40 INTERVIEW - Embrace

After 7 years out of the spotlight Embrace return!

50 Police Scotland Youth Volunteer Project

24

52

Editorial Team Editor

Contact

Ritchie Marshall

Photos Daren Borzynski

Editorial Amie Grimason Team Sarah Moyes

Laura Donaldson

Martin Knox

Shannon McGarrity

Alyce McPherson

Roxy McCrae

Rhoda Morrison

Police Scotland in collaboration with Young A loo Scot and Youthlink launch a new volunteering programme for young people.

Daren Borzynski Rosie O’Neill Holly Lennon Francis Milligan Natasha Reid Rhiann Fowlds Kimberley Manderson

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Interview Interview

F

FATHERSON

or most people in Scotland, 2014 is just a normal year (with the exception of the Commonwealth Games) but for Kilmarnock foursome Fatherson, this is the year that they’ve released their debut album. ‘I Am An Island’ has been a long time in the making, as the guys - Ross Leighton, Marc Strain, Greg Walkinshaw and Chris Beltran - have been working towards this moment for six years.

“Me , Greg and Ross were just wee guys at school and we weren’t any good at football so we decided we wanted to be in band,”explains Marc in the guys’ dressing room in King Tut’s Wah Wah Tut on the night of the album’s launch, “we started playing gigs around Glasgow when we were still at school and then decided that we wanted to be more of a proper band and then we met Chris!” Chris joined the band after he met the guys acting as a guitar technician for them at a show up North. “I was really bad at,” Chris admits, “bad at tuning but good at playing so I got a promotion.”

Despite being at it for such a long time, the boys struggle to describe their music: “Trying to quantify what you do it always difficult,” says Greg, with Chris adding: “I think Scottish people by nature are quite bad at describing themselves.” The guys eventually decide on “a dynamic indie-rock band”.“ The day before our album comes out and we’ve finally defined ourselves”, Chris laughs.

The band are, understandably in the mood to celebrate the

4 | THE BANTER

imminent release of ‘I Am An Island’, a record which they’ve tried hard to make the best debut possible. “There’s nothing on it that we’re not happy with or would change,” says Marc, “I think we’ve all got slightly different favourite tracks but there’s a song right at the end which is a five minute, epic song”. “It’s indulgent” adds Greg, with Chris saying of the special track: “It’s very honest and heartfelt and we’ve been holding it back for the live shows and when we were in rehearsal the other day we played it and got a real buzz.

“I think it sums up the record as a whole with its honesty.

We’ve never expected anything from this, we’ve just done what we wanted to.”

The record contains a mix of material from the past few years as well as brand new tracks. Greg explains: “We had a lot of songs on the table to choose from and we knew the ones we definitely wanted on there so then it was a case of deciding which ones flowed well together. It was very clear for us that we wanted it to be an album, not just a collection of songs.

“There was songs we really loved that never made it on simply because they didn’t fit with the rest of the tunes. It was very important for us that the album flowed from start to finish.”

Ross, the singer of the band, chose the elusive title of the album and admits: “I chose it kind of hoping I’d never have

Interview to explain it!”

He gives it a good go though, saying: “I suppose it’s just about a time in life - there’s lots of great stuff happening, there’s lots of normal stuff happening and you’re just sort of in it, literally an island...that sounds a bit depressing,” he laughs.

Some of the album was recorded in Greg’s spare bedroom in Kilmarnock, with some tracks even being recorded in one take. “When it came to the studio process we worked hard at making the songs sound as best and as natural as possible, while still sounding big - I think the record sounds great,” says Greg.

“The entire time the band’s been together we’ve been building up to this point. It’s nice to have a piece of actual work that shows how much we’ve been put into this band,” adds Marc.

O

ver 50 artists and bands will join Katy Perry and Coldplay to perform at Europe’s largest free music festival, Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2014, taking place at Glasgow Green on 24 and 25 May. Joining headliners Coldplay to perform on the Main Stage on Saturday 24 May are One Direction, Bastille, Pharrell, Jake Bugg, Lily Allen and Ed Sheeran.

Kings of Leon, The Vamps, John Newman, Rita Ora, The 1975, Tinie Tempah and Paolo Nutini will all perform on the Main Stage on Sunday 25 May, ahead of Katy Perry’s headline performance.

Katy Perry said: “Your Saturday line-up is dope. I’ll see you on the weekend, I’m so excited.

Chris continues: “I think it’s nice that we’ve worked up to it ‘cause it means the line doesn’t have to be drawn here - we can carry on working and make an even better next album.

We didn’t think ‘we’ve made an album, that’s it boys’, we’re not stopping here!”

One Direction said: “We’re so excited to perform at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Glasgow. Glasgow we are coming to get you. We’re going to put on a great show and we can’t wait to see you all there.”

Even though the band have caught people’s attention all over the UK, they say they’re the most grateful for the support of people from home, Scotland. Ross says: “We’ve been really fortunate that people in Scotland have latched on and enjoyed our music so much.

Ben Cooper, Controller, Radio 1 and 1Xtra, said: “It’s a phenomenal line-up, probably the best in the world this year, in one of the world’s great music cities.”

“We’ve done so many amazing shows and festivals without an album so the fans that we have are the reason behind all that.”

Radio 1’s Big Weekend will be visiting Glasgow to celebrate the city’s hosting of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and will be produced in partnership with Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.

Marc concludes the interview with the highest praise for fans of the boys, saying: “People that come to our gigs, and every t-shirt that anyone’s ever bought, we’ve been saving all that money up to do more shows and release this album.

“Anyone that’s ever been to one of our shows has a claim in this record.”

LAURA DONALDSON

Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2014 will be broadcast live on Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra and streamed online and on mobile. It will also be broadcast on BBC Three with highlights from acts across the weekend.

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Interview

A L EL 6 | THE BANTER

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Interview

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f you aren’t obsessed with Ella Eyre (or her hair) yet, you will be by the end of this year. UK music’s newest princess, Ella is all about bringing hip-hop and soul to the charts.

Having already lent her incredible vocals to chart-regulars Rudimental and Naughty Boy, Miss Eyre now has her eyes firmly set on her solo career.

Despite her huge success with music, the 20-year-old actually began her journey to fame studying musical theatre at Sylvia Young’s BRIT School. “I actually went to do musical theatre, I wanted to be part of the West End” Ella confesses, “I loved being in front of an audience but it wasn’t as creative as I wanted to be, you know, singing someone elses words as a character? So I started writing my own songs.” This change in direction clearly paid off as less than a month after she left school Ella was quickly snapped up and signed by Virgin and Warner-Chappell Publishing.

Ella, who grew up in West London, was then thrust into the limelight when she sang on Rudimental’s number one, BRITAward winning hit ‘Waiting All Night’. She was booked into a studio session with the Hackney four-piece when they asked her to be the female vocalist for their epic UK tour. “I ended up going on tour with Rudimental for about seven months and half-way through that, ‘Waiting All Night’ came about and the audience reaction was crazy!” Ella reveals.

As well as topping the charts, the track went on to the BRIT for Best British single, and Ella joined the guys on stage at the ceremony for an epic performance. Taking to the stage in a skin-tight leather catsuit, Ella wowed audiences with her breath-taking vocals. “I don’t normally like being too revealing or too risque - or too covered either - but I had a dream about being at the BRITs in a catsuit and it came true!”

“I’m so fortunate to be a part of the success of Rudimental and that song,” she insists.

The singer is now working on her solo material, which she describes as “ultimately soul, with underlying aspects of pop and hip-hop.” To give fans a taster of what’s to come, she released an EP titled ‘Deeper’ in December that got a great reaction. “It wasn’t even meant to really be an EP!” Ella laugh, “It was just meant to be content from people who’d maybe heard me on collaborations throughout the year and wanted to hear a bit more.”

As well as dreaming of working with them one day, Ella says she’d also love to collaborate with man of the moment, Pharrell. She says: “I really love what he’s doing at the moment, he’s got such a cool style. I’d love to see how we’d work together.”

As well as singing, Ella is also a songwriter, penning all her own tracks. She admits that it can be nerve-wracking releasing tracks as she always writes from personal experience: “For me, when I’m listening to a song I like to emotionally connect to it if it’s relating to something that’s going on in my life. So when I’m writing a song, I generally feel that if I don’t believe in it, nobody else will. I put my heart on my sleeve when I’m writing so I just hope people can relate to it.”

“I’ve been writing for a while and there is times when it actually comes to releasing a song and you suddenly go ‘oh, what if people don’t like that’ and you get a bit nervous.

Ultimately it comes down to whether people like your music or not but you need to release it to find out,” she adds, “it’s exciting.”

Ella is instantly recognisable from her huge mane of curly hair, something which added to the appeal of having a lion as her personal logo. “My mum and my friends were always saying I’m like a lion, even though I’m not a Leo. I think it’s a mix of my hair and my personality - I’m very loyal, very proud - and a bit wild when I’m let out the cage,” she laughs.

The lion theme also carries over to Ella’s relationship with her team. When discussing her time on the road with Rudimental, she says: “I loved touring with them, when you get a special band like them and you form a special bond it’s amazing. They’ve got such a family vibe, “Now I’ve had to start making my own team and build my own family, it’s really nice. It’s kind of cringey to say but I feel like one of those male lions that gone off and made their own pack!”

She adds: “I love being on tour and being in front of an audience, especially my fans. It’s great to communicate with them especially when they’ve gone out and actually bought a ticket. It’s one of my favourite things to do, it’s where it all comes alive really!”

“That’s the crazy thing, I was nominated for the BRITs Critic Choice and the BBC Sound of 2014 poll, all without having had very much out to base that on so it’s very flattering and very overwhelming.”

Despite her new-found fame and success, Ella insists that life hasn’t changed that much yet, saying: “Things are quite normal for me still. I passed my driving test last year so I haven’t been on the tube that often - I’m just obsessed with driving my car!

Keeping in line with her blend of soul, pop and hip-hop, Ella cites electronic dance music duo Basement Jaxx as her biggest influences, saying: “I bought their album ‘Kish Kash’ in 2003, it was the first one I ever bought. I love their energy, they’re so strong! I still love them to this day.”

“It’s always really lovely when I get noticed, it’s really flattering when a fan comes up to me. I don’t think of myself as famous in any way so it’s a surreal experience. My life’s pretty much the same just a bit busier, a little less time spent at home.”

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Interview

Reflecting on the crazy few months she’s had, Ella struggles to pick a favourite moment from all the incredible ones she’s experienced: “It’s all been a bit of a roller-coaster but if I had to choose a highlight it would be performing at the BRITs in February. To celebrate an incredible year with the boys and then start this year myself, it was almost like signing off with Rudimental - it was definitely one of the best days of my life.”

Ella’s plan for the rest of the year includes the release of her debut album - and a lot of festivals: “I’m doing T in the Park, I’m doing Live at Leeds, Wireless, Parklife...I’m doing a whole load of them and it’s really nice because I spent a lot of time with Rudimenta while they were doing festival season so it’s really cool that this year I get to do it as a solo artist.”

Her debut record is due in the Autumn, something which Ella has been building up to for a long time. She says “The recording process for the album flowed quite naturally.

By the time it’s released I’ll have been working on it for about three years so there’s a bit of pressure now it’s being finished.”

Ella reveals that she’s very hands-on with the production process, making sure everything is just right for her first LP: “It’s in the production stages now and I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I get quite bossy and proud of my work so this 8 | THE BANTER

is the bit that’s taking the longest. It’s an enjoyable process, it’s a creative process so I think to rush it wouldn’t give it the justice that I think it deserves - especially after all the time that I’ve spent on it.”

She admits that she used crowds at shows as test-audiences for tracks to help her decide which songs to include on the record: “It was quite hard to cut some tracks,” she says, “I based it on the crowd’s reactions when I sang tracks live so without them knowing it was a bit of an experiment. It’s always nice to hear their reaction!”

As well as music, Ella also has an interest in fashion which is no surprise when you find out her mum used to be a designer. “She was always trying to get me into fashion but when your mum tries to dress you you’re like ‘no, mum, I don’t want to wear that’”, she laughs, “but now that I’ve been getting into music I have definitely been getting a lot more interested in it - I like finding things that suit my figure.”

The way things are going, we’re sure Ella will have success at whatever she has an interest in. With her talent and humility - not to mention her already impressive CV - we don’t doubt her name will be everywhere for the rest of 2014 and beyond.

Life has its ups and downs You can talk confidentially online or by phone whenever you need to.

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NATASHA REID - BANTER WRITER 2011 - PRESENT I began writing for The Banter Magazine in early 2011. I left school at the start of 6th year as I had gained my place at Glasgow Caledonian University studying BA Multimedia Journalism. But I wanted to use my time between school and Uni wisely and writing for The Banter seemed like the ideal way of doing that. I never would have thought I’d still be writing for the magazine almost 3 years later in the 3rd year of my degree.

Some of my favourite interviews have included Lawson, Cover Drive, The Feeling, The Wanted and personal favourite Kids in Glass Houses. One of my best was with Aiden Grimshaw that got me my first cover for the magazine. As a trainee journalist, getting your first cover is something you will never forget.

The opportunities that have come from the magazine for me have been incredible. Last year, I was given a media pass for T in the Park allowing me access to both the media and artists village interviewing bands playing across the weekend. I also attended the Scottish PPA Magazine awards - a prestigious awards ceremony in Edinburgh in which both the magazine and editor were nominated. This is all on top of attending gigs of some of my favourite bands and artists and getting the chance to interview them.

It is not all fun and glamorous though and involves a lot of hard work and commitment. If you are not afraid of that then you will reap the rewards of this fantastic opportunity building an enviable portfolio of work and contacts list that will see you land the job you want in the media.

The best bit is… it is unlimited! You can write for The Banter as much and for as long as you want. You are a real journalist, doing real interviews with real “celebrities” and writing real articles that really will be published both in print and online. It doesn’t get more real than that.

The Banter has undoubtedly been the best and most valuable experience I could have gained as I continue my studies in becoming a Journalist. The possibilities, experience and rewards are endless and it really is a publication that I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of.

The Banter Magazine is a Music and Youth Interest Magazine written by and for young people in Scotland. The magazine is a not for profit publication and project of Scottish Registered Charity SC032003.

This placement will provide hands on experience in publication creation. You will be involved in the in-house processes with on-going support from the project leader.

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The Banter Magazine Volunteering Placement Programmes is funded by Young Start. Applications can be made by submitting via the email address:info@thebanter.co.uk We look forward to hearing from you!

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Interview

THE BOXER REBELLION Interview & Photo // Daren Borzynski

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guess I have Ewan McGregor to thank for introducing me to The Boxer Rebellion, as it was the addition of song ‘The Gospel of Goro Adachi’ on the TV series ‘Long Way Down’ that grabbed my attention. It was one of those moments, I was trying to catch the name of the band on the end credits hoping it wouldn’t pass by too quickly. There was no Shazam back then, it was in 2009.

TBR has a list of Film & TV/Video Games and Commercials using their music: Grey Anatomy, CSI New York, Shameless to name but a few. With the exposure gained from a slot in film ‘Going The Distance’ starring Drew Barrymore, I was expecting major things for them. They only problem: Not very many people in Scotland feel the same way as I do.

TBR havent received the recognition in the UK that they deserve, they are playing to sold out audiences around Europe and in the USA and Canada. With a lack of radio play, it is down to those chance moments for someone to find them.

Four and a half years later, with two new album releases in between, they finally made it back to my home town of Glasgow.

It’s been over four years since you last played in Glasgow, why has it taken so long for you to come back?

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Nathan – I guess we have played Edinburgh once or twice. I don’t know why we initially went to Edinburgh as opposed to Glasgow; I think we play to more people there. I think in the UK it’s hard for us to actually make money, not that we are all about making money. It’s more about reality, where we need to sustain being able to tour and if we’re losing money. So I think we left it a long time so that people would be at the show.

The last time you were in Glasgow, you said you felt that you always have a bigger audience in Edinburgh, does Glasgow let you down?

Adam – I think both Edinburgh & Glasgow are relatively similar and a lot of the UK is similar. We have a couple of hot spots, London in particular obviously, and Manchester is very good. Generally, we have never really had that big media support or radio play, where we have had stuff going on in the US and in Europe and a demand for us; we have never had that massive demand for us in the UK. We always try to make it so that when we do come, it’s been long enough for people to come back and see us.

This tour you are on is in support of your latest album ‘Promises’, has the album been a success for you?

Adam – It’s been our most successful to date.

Interview Nathan - We have always been a band that has always grown, obviously it’s not gone stellar like or inter galactic. As long as it keeps growing, growing and growing, that’s good for us. In the UK it’s just one album at a time.

Piers – The perception in the UK is a weird one, I’ve met a lot of people that have said ‘I want you this big’ and ‘I want you playing at this and that venue’ and it’s always been. It is what it is really. We have had to in terms of making this band work and be as successful as we can concentrate on as many areas as possible. If we purely and simply just concentrated on the UK, we wouldn’t have been able to make albums.

Adam - In the same way, we don’t want to ignore the UK, because that’s not how you treat our fans we have in the UK. Piers - The perception in the UK, they wonder how we get by. But the album has done brilliantly elsewhere and in a much more sustainable way to make sure we can still play for people in the UK. It’s fun; it’s been a really good process.

Again you have self released ‘Promises’ on your own label, ‘Absentee Recordings’, have you received more support for ‘AR’ recently?

Todd – It started off very much just as a stamp on the back of our artwork. We started off with one distribution deal and doing the majority of it ourselves. This is now our third album release on Absentee and every time we release something, it gets better and better. It been really good, it’s now a great mechanism for us to release our own material and reach a lot more people than we have done in the past.

Nathan – It would be nice for us to eventually put out other things on Absentee, it’s just right now we really don’t have the time. I think with each release, we learn from the previous and our management who effectively run the label, so with each record it gets better and better.

Piers - The sense of achievement is huge even if the amount of work we have put in, even compared to bands that we know, who have quite a big label behind them. This changes the way things work for them in certain territories, but the only one moving the wheel are ourselves and we really have to work in some territories, but we find it really rewarding.

Todd – Holland is probably the biggest example of success for us, doing it all ourselves. We have distributors that look after getting the record out there. We have a guy that handles radio stuff and he’s done a great job and we have had a lot of radio play in Holland and we are playing big shows. It just goes to show, that that can happen anyway.

Nathan – There is also that whole thing of success, what is success and what do people classify as success, because we get that a lot. We have done this solely as mean to survive for 5-6 years and we can continue to make music. I think there has been a lot of bands that burn brightly and fade away quite quickly. In those terms I believe we are quite successful.

Has the tour been going smoothly so far?

Nathan – Yeah, it’s been very good so far. This has probably been the best UK tour we have done for some reason.

Maybe it’s because we have been away and people have wanted to see us now.

You are all settled in London, has there ever been a point where on tour where you could just stop somewhere for a week or two and take it all in?

Adam – There are places all around the world that are so great that you just want to stay for a while longer. I know we all enjoy certain spots in the states. I particularly enjoy the West Coast, and L.A. is great. We actually managed to spend 6 weeks in L.A. finishing off recording Promises. We had a house there and really got to know it more than you would normally on tour if you’re stopping for 2 nights, 3 max.

Nathan – We went in January as well, it’s a good time to go.

Adam – You see great places around the world that you definitely want to spend more time in, but you can’t just because the nature of touring. It’s such a tease to think we went to New Orleans and spent one night there and only having an hour before the show to look around. It’s an amazing city but we couldn’t explore it.

Piers – We have explored Glasgow a lot, 12 gigs in!

I can honestly say that Safe House is one of my favourite tracks from Promises; can you tell me the idea behind the song?

Nathan – I need to try and think of the lyrics, because we haven’t played it in such a long time.

Todd – We haven’t been playing it, it’s one the songs from the album we haven’t really played on tour.

Nathan – It’s a song about reassessing things, about taking off the blinkers and looking at what you need to sort out within yourself and changing a little bit for the better.

Piers – Living in a house with good locks, really good locks.

Nathan – And a good security entry system.

Have you ever made a ‘promise’ you haven’t kept?

Nathan – Oh yeah, plenty!

Adam – I think everyone does. I think in that particular song is essentially about the things you imagine you would be doing when you were younger and you promise to yourself that you will achieve. The hopes you have and how sometimes when you get older those things didn’t happen.

You find that normal life can give you lots of satisfaction, and maybe then they can live up to the promises you made when you were younger.

Which album would you suggest to a first time listener to go out and buy?

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Interview Nathan – I would say ‘Union’, it’s the one with the greatest hit.

Piers – ‘Union’ is the most popular, but ‘Promises’ is the most accessible, but the album I would go back to would be ‘The Cold Still’. The Exits is really good, too.

Todd – You’ve covered the lot!

Adam – If someone approached us and said what album have I got to buy, and then I would say ‘Promises’. It’s the most relevant album to what we are doing now. Then I always do that with bands as well, if I just heard a song that I like, it’s usually the one they have just put out from their latest album. I would buy that album, and if I liked it that much I would delve into their back catalogue.

We recently interviewed ‘Augustines’, and Eric from the band told us about TBR, ‘They did something for us that most bands rarely do, they took us out on three national tours... when we didn’t have a record out, and we didn’t have a label. Many bands have to consider tickets sales and things like that, so for The Boxer Rebellion to know that we weren’t going to sell any tickets, to still take us out on three national tours is incredible and we really wouldn’t be here without their support’.

‘They might tell you differently, but that’s how I look at it’.

Todd – We have known them for a long, long time. Long before they were even Augustines, back in their Pela days.

It was a no brainer for us really, their music just needs to be heard.

Adam – We rather our audience hear something that was handpicked by ourselves even if they don’t know about them, but they will really enjoy. Rather than another band that might sell more tickets but they might not want to see us.

Piers – We have never taken a band out for the reason of wanting them to sell tickets.

Adam – That’s why we have taken Cristof out, he hasn’t got an album, and he is an amazing artist and you will hear it if you watch his support tonight. He’s from Holland via Ireland.

Nathan – He’s Dutch with an Irish accent.

Adam – I think that is our ethos, we would rather curate our show around how good the music is, rather than how many tickets they can shift.

perfectly.

Is this correct, Todd has recently done a bit of mixing for another band called Spotlight Kid? Todd – Yes I did, it’s their new record.

Is that something that you are moving in to?

Todd – I haven’t really got a lot of time. We are on the road now and then we will be writing stuff, but I really enjoy it.

I’m mixing our live album; we are just about to finish that off when we get back next week. I really dig it, because I can just sit there on my own and switch off the world and listen to things and put my own little bits in to it. I get a real kick out of it.

A few final questions: Has TBR ever supported any charities over the years?

Nathan – We have done. In Holland, they auctioned my suit that I wore in the video for ‘Diamonds’ for a local charity.

Todd – We also gave a load of instruments away to the bass player of a band called Zulu Winter. He was doing a lot of work for inner city kids that had problems in school in London; we weren’t using them as much and thought the kids could benefit from having them.

Finally – Last night you were ‘Tweeting’ that you were out in Glasgow, and you found a great curry?

Todd – The best Vindaloo I have ever had! We did a lot of research on where to go and Mother India was recommended to us.

Adam – It was actually the guitarist of Two Door Cinema club, they all lived in Glasgow for a while and that was his favourite place. That’s were the recommendation came from; maybe it’s just a network of musicians that go to Mother India.

Todd – When I tweeted it, Billy who produced Promises said that he loves that place and his wife is Shirley Manson. They know it and have been there a few times. Job done, it’s the place to be.

Is curry the band’s favourite food?

Do you feel more inclined to support smaller bands because of the difficulties that TBR had in the beginning?

Adam – Maybe we do see the difficulties and how hard it is for some bands to get started.

Todd – I think with Augustines, it was a different kettle of fish. We took them out because we are so close to them.

Personally for me, I feel as if I have a bit of a Guardian Angel relationship with Billy and Eric.

Nathan – Who’s the Angel?

Todd – Me, I’m their Guardian Angel!

Piers – And their three piece fits on the front of the stage 14 | THE BANTER

Adam – I like Japanese food Nathan – I like fish Piers - I think we were asked before about what our last meal would be. If I had a last meal it would have to be a lamb roast. If I was told someone was going to kill me in an hour, what would you like to eat?

Nathan – Would you be able to eat? I think I would lose my appetite.

Piers – I would lose it a bit Todd – Might as well eat!

Interview

I

’m Christof (27). I’m from Holland, left there at 21, lived a bit in Ireland and I’m now based in London. I’m originally from the South East of Holland from a small village near Eindhoven, a very tiny village.

I decided to move to Ireland to help me make it as a musician and I stayed there for 4 years. I’ve travelled to Australia and New Zealand for a tour, and then I finally landed in London.

I’ve never felt really at home with my music in Holland and I felt that Ireland was a good spot for me to play some folk songs and to experience performing. Now being so popular, folk music, singer/songwriter music, Ireland was the place to be, before eventually moving to London to take it more seriously.

London is good for contact, that’s where most of the music industry is. It’s good to be a musician there, you always know someone that knows someone.

Since then I’ve also supported the Staves, and now I’m out with The Boxer Rebellion on my second tour with them.

From here we go round Newcastle, Leeds and Norwich in the next couple of days. Then we have 4 days off before going over to mainland Europe to Holland, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. Then we are going on to Scandinavia, Norway, Sweden then Denmark. The Boxer Rebellion are very kind having me on this tour, it’s giving me lots of exposure.

Would you say your style of music is Folk then?

It’s Folk. I’ve just recently brought out a new E.P. called Loves Glory, its 3 tracks. It has a whole band playing on it with me, drums, bass, cello. I guess I’m still in the middle of trying to find my own sound, but I’m finding that hard to do.

Love’s Glory is your third E.P. Will there be an album on the way?

I will hopefully have an album out later this year. The album will have a full band on some tracks and the rest solo.

Love’s Glory E.P., can you tell me a bit about it?

I suppose they are all about one particular girl and a relationship. It’s about self reflection and relationships. It might sound very cliché, being about relationships and that almost every songwriter writes about love. I have tried writing about other stuff but I don’t seem to be comfortable playing other songs at the moment. And I’m not happy about those songs.

I’m sure the album will have a few different subjects.

CHRISTOF

Christof can be seen supporting Bear’s Den in the UK and Europe in May. Photo // Daren Borynski

THE BANTER | 15

Music

PAOLO NUTINI Caustic Love ATLANTIC  Paolo Nutini is back and to say he’s back with a bang would definitely be an understatement. Almost five years after the release of Sunny Side Up, he steps back into the ring with Caustic Love.

With Paolo Nutini you never know what to expect but his new record can be described as nothing other than career defining.

Every track was penned by the man himself, while he also played a massive part in production along with Dani Castelar.

Caustic Love appears to be a musical celebration of every genre Paolo has ever touched on. It’s a melting pot of soul, folk, pop and heartfelt lyrics.

The album opens with Scream (Funk My Life Up), which was the chosen debut single for Paolo’s comeback. The track expresses the musician’s undeniable passion for vintage soul and funk. While remaining all about the groove, it’s backed by a full horn section and the Scottish singer puts in one of his bravest performances to date.

Having premiered the epic Iron Sky over a month ago, the 16 | THE BANTER

reaction has been phenomenal so far – with superstars such as Adele tweeting her admiration of the track. The addition of a portion of Charlie Chapman’s gripping final speech from The Great Dictator is a particularly impressive indicator of where Paolo is heading –somewhere classic, somewhere his competitors have not yet ventured to.

Other tracks to listen out for are Numpty and Looking For Something, the latter of which he dedicated to his mother.

Numpty is a bubbly upbeat song with a slightly pessimistic message behind it, although Paolo has mentioned that it’s not the most autobiographical song on there.

The general vibe behind Looking For Something, is to always keep your feet on the ground – something which has done wonders for Paolo.

It’s hard to believe that Caustic Love was made in a digital era, due to how authentic and classic it truly is.

The album looks set to finally establish Paolo Nutini as one of the finest singer/songwriters ever to emerge from not only Scotland, but from the UK.

ROSIE O’NEILL

Music

ALOE BLACC Lift Your Spirit

POLYDOR GROUP  Aloe Blacc has been the voice of two of the catchiest songs of the last few years his own ‘I Need A Dollar’ and Avicii’s ‘Wake Me Up’ - and has now released his third album ‘Lift Your Spirit’. Blacc, real name Egbert Dawkins III, is a truly talented singer and his voice shines throughout the record. One highlight is the the acoustic country-soul version of ‘Wake Me Up’, proving the monster-hit even more favourable stripped back. Then there’s ‘Soldier in the City’, a sequel to ‘I Need A Dollar’ that’s very reminiscent of Marvin Gaye. As well as references to his hits of the past, Blacc tries out some new ideas. ‘The Man’, an epic gospel song that samples Elton-John, is instantly in your head. Unsurprisingly, it reached number one in the UK singles chart on its first week of release. Even though there’s a few great tracks on ‘Lift Your Spirit’, it’s disappointingly not Blacc’s best work. His voice sounds great and the general mood is feel-good but there’s too little inspiration and excitement so make it a stand-out record. Hopefully he comes back bigger and better for the fourth LP.

LAURA DONALDSON

KAISER CHIEFS Education, Education,

Education & War CAROLINE INTERNATIONAL S&D  Education, Education, Education & War is the first album to be released since Nick Hodgson, Kaiser Chiefs former drummer and chief song-writer, left the band. It’s also the first album since front man Ricky Wilson was thrown into the public eye as a judge on The Voice. So while it’s a chance for the band to reinvent itself in front of a prime time TV audience, the finished product is somewhat disappointing to say the least.

On first listen, it definitely feels like the band are trying to show they have grown up with the shifting British music scene, one that’s left behind most of the bands Kaiser Chiefs spent their early years touring with. But for their hardcore fan base that appreciates jumping around to a catchy chorus, this latest record isn’t quite going to cut it.

Opening with ‘Factory Gates’ it’s clear the band can still write a great song, even if they have lost their main songwriter. And while it still has a pretty catchy chorus, it just feels like there’s something missing. Things mellow down a bit on ‘Coming Home’ but as lead singles go, it just falls a bit flat. Ricky might be singing “we’re coming home” in the chorus, but he’s not really convincing anyone that the band are back with a bang.

There are still a couple of songs that hold the Kaiser Chiefs essence that we’re used to. Both ‘Cannons’ and ‘Ruffians on Parade’ both have souring catchy choruses and huge bursts of energy, that will surely have Ricky bouncing around the stage when they’re played live to keep the fans happy.

The past few years have seen the band fall from their podium a little, especially with their previous studio album that didn’t really make any sorts of lasting impressions. Education, Education, Education & War definitely puts them back on the musical map that’d been edging away from. However if they want to stay there, then they’re really going to have to take some bigger musical risks or they’ll soon be forgotten about like most of the acts Ricky mentored on The Voice.

SARAH MOYES

PALOMA FAITH A Perfect Contradiction RCA  Its finally here, the third album from the Hackney vocalist that is Paloma Faith. The new album see’s the singer take a step in a different direction from the softer, slow ballads from her last album to a more up beat and pop feel that still shows off her strong vocals well.

The album as a whole seems to be very solid with what its trying to do… however, I can’t really put my finger on what that actually is. From tracks for too many percussion instruments that keep you guessing about the beat, to urban R&B feel with a soul overlay and topped of with Paloma’s theatrical vocals that just sometimes seem to over do it, i’m not really sure whats all going on – it just seems over the top, and thats before we even get to this crazy 70’s theme at certain stages too, it does sort of fit her eccentric style but its a but too much this time.

Don’t get me wrong, the album does have some incredibly strong tracks and the vocal talent of Paloma Faith really shines through with them, on tracks like ‘Other Woman’ its clear that its intended as an open soul feel that is soft and light just aided nicely with those incredible vocals.

‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ has been stuck inside my head since the first listen to the album and I can see it becoming a chart dominator. Its a more relaxed and calming track to the album but still has a deep punchy bass drum along with a nice round bass line to keep with the rest of the albums random R&B 70’s pop theme.

Each little aspect has clearly had a lot of thought for every track on ‘A Perfect Contradiction’ – from the drums, piano/keyboard, guitars, bass and anything else, it has been throughly planned before put into effect, but I feel its just too much thought for each track which then in turn make the album seem overdone at times.

I feel my three star rating is reasonable due to the work that has been put in, the possible chart dominators such as ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ & ‘Can’t Rely On You’ and those incredible vocals by the main lady herself have made me give this rating.

If the album could make up its mind of what genre it wanted to be it may have just pushed it that little bit further.

FRANCIS MILLIGAN

THE BANTER | 17

Music DAMON ALBARN Everyday Robots PARLOPHONE  Before I begin I must say that I personally thought Damon Albarn would never be able to top his BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session when doing a stripped back version of ‘On Melancholy Hill’ for me that was sheer brilliance however does this album prove me wrong...

Blur singer Damon Albarn has been in the music business for 20 years and over his duration he’s made a name for himself writing and performing sad songs, but songs that everyone listening to acceptance their sadness very comfortably. Albarns music makes you pause for a brief moment and take in what you’re hearing no matter where you are standing.

FOXES Glorious SIGN OF THE TIMES LABEL GROUP  You may be surprised to hear that Foxes is just releasing her debut album this month.

The British singer songwriter, born Louisa Rose Allen, released her debut single ‘Youth’ all the way back in September of 2013 and has already won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording for her collaboration ‘Clarity’ with dance DJ, Zedd.

‘Glorious’ isn’t just your typical female vocal dance album; Foxes voice is faultless the whole way through and each track has real meaning. Opening with the haunting ‘Talking to Ghosts’, a beautiful song filled with plenty of drum beats, and straight into ‘Youth’ you become aware very quickly of the fact that foxes is talented.

I predict ‘Night Owls Early Birds’ will be a big single. An upbeat track with lyrics you can relate to such as ‘let the young hearts fool around, make mistakes and live them’ she is the voice of the next generation. ‘Shaking Heads’ is the best track on the record, a song about being young, fearless and foolish. Perhaps Foxes is reminiscing about her youth throughout these tracks as this is a common theme throughout the lyrics on the entire record.

Other highlights include ‘Let Go For Tonight’, a big piano based tune that is reminiscent of Florence Welch’s style; a song about heartbreak and what follows when you have to get over it.

‘Holding Onto Heaven’ is the track which she has released to coincide with the album’s release. The first soared to number 8 in the UK Charts and the latter is quickly following suit, definitely the catchiest songs on the track list that you can’t help but sing along to.

Ending on a high, ‘Count The Saints’ is heart breaking and each verse builds up with violins and percussion to the booming chorus: ‘love isn’t always fair, but that’s no reason to be so cruel to me’.

Foxes has made a decent effort with ‘Glorious’, the simplicity of the beats on every track and her effortless voice are the perfect combination. 2014 is definitely her year.

AMIE GRIMASON

18 | THE BANTER

Everyday robots is no different. The album is jam packed full of the slow classic of Albarn. It is actually the first time an album has been credited to Damon Albarn and Damon Albarn alone. Blur have been on and off since 2003 and from then until now Albarn has made 12 albums including four with the downturned pop collage project Gorillaz.

Everyday Robots is sort of an insight into the childhood that Albarn had, and you can totally get that from the tracks - the different sounds present from various percussion instruments used or the lead guitar line create the noise of almost children’s toys.

Featured on this album other than the deep bass lines, gospel choirs, punchy bass beats and the sublime guitar skills are none other than Albarns vocals of course.

Damon Albarn has true Brit Pop vocals, in some parts of the album he has a slight ‘twang’ thats incredibly similar to the modfather himself, Paul Weller. I am in no way comparing them, just saying Albarns voice has a Weller feel to it.

Over the 12 tracks present on the album, only 3 are really up beat and less slow. The last track is definitely the most up beat of the album, and it finishes it off nicely.

The last track on the album is perhaps my personal favourite too. ‘Heavy Seas of Love’ is set to be a chart topper in my opinion, its use of the beat that makes your body move in time with the track, the strong vocals of Albarn, the excellent guitar that powers over everything and the gospel choir styled backing vocals to break the track down makes for a perfect piece of music that Albarn can most certainly boast about.

Tracks to look out for from this album are the likes of ‘Mr. Tembo’ - ‘Photographs’ - Everyday Robots’ and the previously mentioned ‘Heavy seas of love’. All fantastic tracks that show the talents held within the mind of Albarn.

I recommend you give the album a listen if you liked the slow stuff by the Gorillaz or classic Brit Pop vocals - you won’t be disappointed.

FRANCIS MILLIGAN

Music FATHERSON I Am An Island MODERN WAY  Fatherson have been making waves on the Scottish music scene for quite some time now, so it’s hard to believe this is only their debut album. The four piece from Kilmarnock have always been ambitious, especially when it’s come to their live performances, so it’s no real surprise they’ve pushed the boundaries on this eagerly anticipated record.

Opening with the title track of the album ‘I Am An Island’ we’re greeted with just over three minutes of perfect indie-rock music. If the band wanted to get our attention and keep us hooked, then charming us with soaring choruses has certainly worked in their favour. Over the course of the next ten tracks, Fatherson show us just what they’re capable of. From the catchy, more rocky like sound of ‘I like Not Knowing’ to the ‘Half The Things’, a track that’s laced with hints of Biffy Clyro.

While there are not any songs to fault on the album, there are definitely a couple of highlights. Fatherson really show us what they’re capable of on the stripped back acoustic sounds of ‘Dust’, a beautifully joyous song in all its glory. They follow it by launching into the anthemic ‘James’, a song with epic choruses that will no doubt sound amazing live.

There’s always going to be room for improvement and maybe Fatherson could have taken a few more risks, but that’s never going to take anything away from the fact they’ve made an incredible debut record. And it it doesn’t appearance on any best album lists at the end of the year, then there will be something seriously wrong.

SARAH MOYES

THE VAMPS Meet The Vamps

VIRGIN EMI  The Vamps new album All about the Vamps released 14th April this year is an 18 track compilation of catchy hooks that implant themselves into your brain and slow moving ballads designed to woo their immensely loyal female fan base.

There’s no doubt that the majority of the tracks on the album appeal to the ladies ‘Somebody To You’ ‘Risk It All’ ‘Shout About It’ are just a few of the slower, romantic serenade’s from the young boy band.

They’re brand of guitar-pop is a popular and successful market just look at One Direction, Lawson, and 5 Seconds of Summer who have all profited from this style of music but The Vamps are unique in their ability to catch you.

Releases from the album ‘Wild Heart’ which made it to the Top 3 ‘Can We Dance’ and ‘Last Night’ all have clever catchy hooks that keep the pop numbers playing around in your head all day.

Track lyrics are original in the main, apart from the very questionable cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Cecilia’. The changes they have made leave a lot to be desired and unfortunately they haven’t done this iconic song justice.

The album follows a flow of catchy faster beats then a slow moving romantic’s. This technique breaks the sound up and keeps the listener interested. Consequently All about the Vamps is a good first compilation album for the youngsters.

ROXY MCCRAE

THE FAMILY RAIN Under The Volcano VIRGIN EMI  One of the hotly tipped, ones-to-watch bands of 2014, The Family Rain, released their debut album Under The Volcano earlier this year. It’s fair to say the band, so called as they are a trio of brothers from Bath, are definitely helping to bring rock n roll back to the charts.

Carnival opens the album on an upbeat note, with prominent drums and a Kings of Leon style riff. The vocal however is far more this side of the pond. Sharp, fast and witty, William Walter’s lead vocal is supplemented by his brothers’ chipper, uplifting harmonies, making it a track impossible not to at least nod your head to.

However it’s the latter end of the album where the great tracks are hidden. Pushing It starts off with a slow, plodding tempo before leading into a Kasabian-style, aggravated march of a song.

After that comes Together, a much more chart-friendly song.

With its tambourines, backing vocals and wailing chorus, it gives more than a nod to the 60s. It’s easy to see why Miles Kane chose The Family Rain to support him on his UK tour last year.

Album closer All The Best is a more r’n’b tinged affair, the kind that The Rolling Stones have perfected over the years. Howling vocals from William really shine on this track; I imagine it would be a great moment to hear and watch this track live.

It’s clear that Under The Volcano is a hybrid of rock n roll influences all crammed into the one album. While that may make it hard to define The Family Rain’s sound, it does make for an interesting listen as it’s clear where each track ends and a new, completely different one begins. The Family Rain have captured the best parts of indie and rock n roll over the last few decades and managed to turn it into a one-size-fits-all album.

Depending on your view of music, that’s either fantastic or shows lack of imagination. Either way, Under The Volcano ain’t too shabby.

KIMBERLEY MANDERSON

THE BANTER | 19

Music

IGGY AZALEA The New Classic VIRGIN EMI  The New Classic’ is everything you would expect from someone who has hit as many bumps in the road as Iggy Azalea.

Originally from Australia, the rapper set her sights on the hip-hop game at a young age before making the life changing move to LA to pursue her dreams at sixteen.

Since then there has been a series ups and downs, from two successful EP’s to public apologies and spats with fellow rapper Azalea Banks. Not to mention the reoccurring questions about her ethnicity and gender.

Iggys long-awaited debut is powerful and ambitious, demonstrating that the time and struggle has served her well.

Tracks ‘Walk the Line’ and ‘Don’t Need Y’all’ jump head first into the relentlessly feisty lyrics evident throughout the album where Iggy speaks of her battle to get to the top. Breakthrough song ‘Change Your Life’ is the poppiest track on the album with mainstream appeal and added swagger.

‘Fancy’ featuring Charli XCX - likely to be a future hit - mixes Iggys unique style of rapping with a catchy chorus that sounds uncannily like Gwen Stefani - which can only be a good thing if you ask me. ‘Work’, arguably the best song on the album, continues the narrative of self-belief and self-made success.

While fans of hip hop will be used to raps about starting from the bottom - it makes a refreshing change to hear about it from a women’s perspective.

‘Impossible Is Nothing’ and ‘Goddess’ continue the theme of hard work and female domination before Rita Ora makes an appearance on ‘Black Widow’ for another stand out featuring performance on the album. Finale track ‘F*** Love’ is an aggressive and upbeat reminder of Iggys ambitious and unrelenting attitude ending the album on a high.

Iggy Azalea might not be the perfect rap princess we’ve all been waiting for but ‘The New Classic’ is an incredibly strong debut with a genuinely endearing and inspiring success story that women (and men) striving for success everywhere can be proud of.

HOLLY LENNON

20 | THE BANTER

EMBRACE Embrace COOKING VINYL  On the 28th of April Embrace released they’re new self-titled album after 7/8 years out of the spotlight. The time and hard graft that the band members have put into creating this new masterpiece has definitely been worth it, in short it is perfection.

The first track on the album is ‘Protection’, dark sounds in a medley of keyboard, electric guitar and fast drum beats. As promised the trademark Embrace sound is still there but the music has moved on from the days of ‘This New Day’ (2006) and far beyond the ‘Out of Nothing’ (2004) album.

The very first track to be heard from the new album was ‘Refugees’. The song is high energy, somewhat sinister but totally addictive. It kicks in with a double beat drum and follows with a light piano melody, Danny’s soft voice then builds the verse with thought provoking lyrics into what can only be an Embrace big chorus.

‘Follow You Home’ was the first chart release from the album. It is essentially a love story but with a different edge. Lyrics with hiding meanings, metaphors and twists will keep you listening until you think you know what the song is about.

‘I run’ takes you back to the old sounds of Embrace while ‘Quarters’ captures their progression with electronic beats, lengthy guitar solos and fast paced energy throughout.

It’s safe to assume that the many Embrace fans who have eagerly awaited something new from the band will not be disappointed.

ROXY MCCRAE THE VENTURA PROJECT Novopangaea EPIC RECORDS  The Ventura Project started as a transatlantic duo based in Brooklyn, New York and England between Joey Slater and Matthew Milligan. At first, they would write and record songs by sending tracks back and forth online (seriously, what did people do before the internet?) but now the pair are settled into married life in New York and are making some of the sweetest music you’re likely to hear this year.

I was caught a glimpse of the band last year when I saw them supporting Wheatus at King Tuts in Glasgow. And while it seems somewhat harder for support acts to win over an audience these days, Joey and Matthew seemed to gain quite a few fans that night with their soft indie pop sound.

The record opens with ‘Your Guitar’ a song that instantly reminds me of some of the better music The Moldy Peaches made over the years. It’s simple, yet endearing and lets both Joey and Matthew’s vocals shine. But before you start thinking they’ve set the tone for the record, the burst into ‘Vienna’, a track laced with a much rocky sound.

That’s what I like most about this record. Just when you think you have their sound figured out, they go and throw something else into the mix to show you how versatile they can really be. ‘Bridging The Gap’ is just another example of that.

The song is a bundle of joyous synth pop at its finest, and it’s bound to go down really well when it’s played live too. Other highlights on the album include the catchy ‘Us Against The World’ and the beautiful ballad ‘Sunflowers’ which closes the record, and definitely leaves you wanting more. SARAH MOYES

Interview

RACING GLACIERS

O

riginally intended as a one off collaboration, Racing Glaciers produced their debut EP over five days in a living room. The EP quickly gathered attention, reaching #1 in the Bandcamp Alternative chart. It had such an overwhelming reception that the first half of 2013 was turned into a balancing act between working on new material and finishing university.

They are a young 5 piece (aged 21-22) originating from Macclesfield, and they have moved to base themselves near Liverpool recently.

Racing Glaciers are: Tim Monaghan (Lead Vocals/Keys/ Guitar,) Danny Thorpe (Backing Vocals/Rhythm Guitar,) Matt Scheepers (Backing Vocals/Bass/Trumpet,) Simon Millest (Lead Guitar) and Matt Welch (Drums.)

Racing Glaciers knew each other through school. They played in different bands before getting together as Racing Glaciers, starting as a summer project. They explained: “We just wanted to record some music, we didn’t really have any intentions of it taking us somewhere. After we recorded or first songs, we put them online, people were interested, so we did some more.”

When they wanted to play as a live band, they needed a drummer. Luckily band member Matt Scheepers had studied at university with fellow musician, drummer Matt Welch.

Matt W: “They put me through a gruelling audition.”

Matt S: “He didn’t get a majority decision, but he did alright.”

Listening to their music, they sound more experienced and mature than their age would have you expect. They are influenced by Post Rock, although they explain that they draw from a lot of classic music way before

their time. “Classic rock from the 70’s including Fleetwood Mack, Pink Floyd, The Doors and a big bit of soul music.

We all have a very diverse taste in music and I guess we try to be more than the sum of our influences. When we write, we don’t aim to write in a certain kind of genre, we just write as Racing Glaciers. We try to create big atmospheric sounds, especially guitar work. We try to write normal songs, then we try to create this vibe and atmosphere and I guess that’s the post rock element. We love those big vast post rock sounds, but at the same time, we think the whole, purely instrumental thing isn’t necessary. We look to combine that approach, maybe with a bit more of a pop element added in.”

We all originally came from other bands, and we tried switching round instruments. When Racing Glaciers got together, we looked at what instruments we wanted to play. Matt Sheepers took up bass. Matt added: “I’ve been playing trumpet classically since I was nine, and that can add a different element to what we do. It was all quite natural, when we all came together from different bands we all had different musical backgrounds and we all fell naturally into what we do and play.”

Racing Glaciers’ obvious strong musicianship caught the attention of many of their musical peers, and the reaction to track “South” led to a series of live dates around Europe, supporting the likes of Dan Croll, The Vestals & Kodaline as well as blazing a trail on the Sofar Sounds tour.

“Our EP ‘Ahead of You Forever’ is doing well, it’s been on Radio 1 a few times. It’s only now that we are really trying to promote it while playing live at different shows. It’s hard to tell if people are really enjoying it until you get out there and play it live.”

“It’s great when people come up to you after a show and say ‘I loved it’, or seeing a comment on Twitter. It was quite similar when we put out singles ‘Moths’ and ‘New Country’; we got quite a strong reaction.”

‘Touring is so much fun. Since we were all kids, we have all dreamed of standing on a stage and playing music to people all around the country. Now that is happening, it’s awesome!’

When asked about a release date for an album, Racing Glaciers explained: ”We are just sticking with EPs at the moment. We write whenever we can, so we have loads of new stuff to play live. We can see how people like them first. We are anticipating releasing our third EP, possibly in the summer, and then we will take it from there’.

DAREN BORZYNSKI

THE BANTER | 21

interview

Feature

22 | THE BANTER

KATY PERRY

Feature

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he kissed a girl and liked it back in 2008, and since then there’s nothing this girl hasn’t done. With multi-million selling singles, albums and a sell-out tour about to hit the UK, it’s harder to picture a life greater than Katy Perry’s at the moment. But the girl with the cherry chapstick has matured somewhat in the last 6 years, and according to her, there’s still a lot more to come.

Her biggest headline world tour to date, the Prismatic Tour, kicks off on May 7th. And it starts right here in the UK – something which Katy is more than pleased about.

“I’m very excited to be kicking off in the UK because the audience there, the fans, their energy is wild and that’s what I want for the first shows. I want that wild energy.”

And in return for your wild energy, Katy promises a tour unlike any other tour she’s done. If you’re lucky enough to have already snagged your tickets to one of her UK dates, you can expect an advanced stage, with something incredibly colourful and altogether more futuristic and modern than before. “Basically this tour is just on another level,” Katy remarks.

So there’s a lot of anticipation in store for us here in Glasgow on May 17th, and Katy’s not giving too much away in terms of what we can expect. “It’s just so fun. There’s a lot of comedy in the show, all these little bits of humour.”

Apart from fun, frolics and futurism, the Prismatic Tour is about more than just putting on a show a night to us doting UK punters, fleeing in the night from one city to the next without knowing where she is or where she’s been.

“I’ve kind of routed this tour like an old rock group that has a family and kids and a hip problem! I routed it so I can really enjoy myself along the way and have experiences and make memories.”

It’s clear that Katy Perry is more than just about the roboticlike manufactured popstar career path. It’s not about relentless promotion, churning out singles and albums and then persistently touring the record to milk everything for all its worth. Katy’s having fun along the way, and also doing her bit for the fans. She makes conscious efforts in each city she visits, and here in Glasgow it’s no different.

“I’m an adventure junkie when I’m on tour. So when I do go to a city, maybe I’ve had an incredible experience there, and I then have more to say than, ‘Hello Glasgow…’ I should know exactly what Glasgow is like. What’s the coolest pubs, where the best fish n chips are, I like to go out and find out that stuff.”

So if you’re lucky you might catch Katy ordering a deep fried mars bar down your local chippy this month. But again there are more depths to Ms Perry than the pop world would have you believe. She’s actually a bit of a history buff and loves spending her time exploring the cultural wonders of whatever city she’s in.

“We always bring bikes on tour and cycle all around to find the best parks. In the UK, there are some beautiful old historic parks,” Katy remarks, also revealing that she and her crew sometimes take a pitstop and drop off tickets for her shows in nearby cafes. But you didn’t hear that from us.

Let’s not forget though, the reason Katy will be cycling round our fair city and eating fish and chips is because she has created some fantastic tunes over the years and she’ll be playing a whole host of them live for us. As Katy puts it, “The writing and making of a record is exciting, but it’s also like you are sitting on a golden egg - you can’t really show off this golden egg as it’s not ready to hatch yet.”

And we know Katy is no stranger to laying a golden egg or two. Her albums have all been packed with hits from the poptastic likes of California Girls and Roar to the more intimately revealing likes of Wide Awake and Thinking of You. Each album and indeed song Perry pens comes from her own personal experiences, struggles and memories. It’s something which makes her that unique kind of popstar, one who is cute and quirky and provides all your Friday night anthems, and one who’s extremely talented and vulnerable. She lives on both sides of the fence, giving an insight to what it’s like beneath the shiny veneer of outlandish costumes and highly public personal life through each carefully crafted song.

It’s a talent Katy has been blessed with, and something which she feels comes naturally. “For me, there’s no other way I know how to write. I only really know how to write in my voice and what I’ve gone through.”

Along with her great commercially successful pop songs like Roar, Perry is proud of the more exposing she crafts, even if they don’t reach the same level of chart recognition and worldwide success.

One such track, taken from latest album Prism and which means a lot, is By the Grace of God. “I’ve heard that it helps kids feel as if they aren’t so alone in whatever situation they are going through. I think the willingness to share and be open helps people feel safer and not alone.”

But whether her songs help you through the hard times or have you partying through the good times, there’s no denying Katy Perry will put on a spectacular show in Glasgow this month, encompassing this variety of tracks.

From the hits to the costumes, set designs and more, you’ll be sure to have a great time.

The only parting words from Perry herself are “if you are coming to see me on tour I will give you one hint – do not be late, because you do not want to miss the opening!”

Katy Perry plays the SSE Hydro, Glasgow on May 17th, with special guests Icona Pop. KIMBERLEY MANDERSON

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Feature

A

LOVE YOUR CLOTHES

s a nation we own a staggering £30 billion worth of clothes. This may not be that surprising when you look at the rise of the high-street post-recession (and you’re a shopaholic yourself ) but what may surprise you is that as well as buying more and more clothes, we are also binning more and more. In fact, research shows that in the UK we throw away garments that are still worth £140 million.

Now, a new campaign in aiming to show that there’s plenty you can do to access those wardrobe billions for yourself.

Love Your Clothes aims to raise awareness of the value of clothes and gives out tips to make the most of the clothes we already have. Focussing on encouraging people to think about way they purchase, use and dispose of clothes, the campaign includes advice on how to make your clothes last longer, reduce the environmental impact of laundering your clothes and deal with unwanted clothes.

This advice is aiming to help minimise people’s impact on the environment by reducing the amount of carbon, water and waste created through the manufacture, laundry and

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disposal of clothing while also helping to save money and resources.

Love Your Clothes has been developed as part of the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP), which is coordinated by WRAP, a not-for-profit organisation supported by UK Governments. SCAP brings together clothing retailers, brands, suppliers, local authority representatives, end of life organisations recyclers, charities, trade bodies, academics and the public sector to work together and look at how to reduce the environmental impacts of clothing in the UK. Earlier this year, former supermodel and head of Edinburgh International Fashion Festival Anna Freemantle joined Scottish designer Niki Taylor, who counts Alexa Chung and Florence Welch as fans, at Denny textile recycling plant to launch the Love Your Clothes campaign.

Taylor said at the launch: “The Love your Clothes campaign is something that I am very passionate about. Having worked in the fashion industry for 15 years, you see

Feature first-hand how much waste there is. It’s also frightening as consumers how disposable clothing has become, creating massive landfill and great harm to the environment and to in some cases the workers.

Due to this insight I decided to make a difference in my own purchasing and to take responsibility as a designer. I set up a new sustainable business in line with my values, which alongside supporting new designers, sells vintage, recycled garments & 100% organic T-shirts made in a wind powered factory. We need to buy responsibly, look after and recycle our clothes.”

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead added: “I welcome this focus on how we treat our clothing to extend its lifespan and get the most out of it. A staggering volume of textiles ends up going in the bin every year – much of this needlessly. By reducing this in line with the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan and being smarter about how we deal with clothing right across its life-cycle, we can help the environment, save money and create social value.”

Research carried out for the campaign highlighted some interesting differences between the shopping habits of men and women. Apparently, more than half of men decide what they need before going clothes shopping and stick to the plan, compared with just 35% of women, and 80% only buy what they need compared to 35% of women . However, it was also found that women appear to be more open to the value of unwanted clothes with almost double the number of women selling their unwanted clothes on sites like eBay compared to men. A higher number of women than men were also willing to repair or refresh their old clothes, donate to charity shops or swap with friends, instead of putting them in the bin.

It’s this attitude to old clothes that the Love Your Clothes campaign is really trying to get people to adopt. In Glasgow’s West End alone there is well over ten charity shops, including Salvation Army, Oxfam, Shelter and Cancer Research. There’s also plenty thrift shops across the city such as Handbags and Gladrags, Circa Vintage and Starry Starry Night. Even if your clothes are too damaged or worn for re-use, they can still be donated for textile recycling rather than being thrown out.

As well as helping the environment, using the tips given out in this campaign can save you money and open up your wardrobe to many more influences. More money and more clothes all whilst helping the planet...what could be better?

LAURA DONALDSON

L

ast month, tens of thousands of women, including celebrities like Holly Willoughby and Kym Marsh, took to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, posting barefaced pictures of themselves, and encouraging others to do so, in a phenomenal attempt to raise money for Cancer Research.

To many people’s surprise, the #nomakeupselfie campaign has raised millions of pounds, with most women asking others to ‘dare to bare’ as well as donate money through text or online. While it is probably true that a few partakers have chosen not to part with their pennies, the campaign has proved very successful in raising not only money, but awareness too. Facebook was plastered with information on how to check one’s breasts for warning signs and when to alert your GP, as well as inspiring stories of brave individuals who have already suffered the cruel disease. And if that wasn’t enough, it has also sparked the creation of many other campaigns such as the mentally scarring ‘sock selfie’ to raise money and awareness for male cancers too.

But yet again, the ‘I don’t follow the crowd’ keyboard gangsters took to their typing once more, criticising those taking part in this ‘utterly pointless’ campaign. And let’s not forget the trail of highly witty boys who pleaded with the charity-givers to put their make-up back on and fix their broken camera lenses. Side-splitting stuff. And what, you ask, is the reason for such bitterness? That taking the no make-up selfie won’t cure cancer.

My reply? Of course it won’t cure cancer. No one ever said it would.

Running the Race for Life doesn’t cure cancer, nor does dressing in pink, shaving your head or holding a bakesale. But every little does help. Should we really be picky about how one goes about donating?

You would think that, in raising money for a good cause and enjoying yourself while doing it, that everyone wins but there are always those out to spoil everyone else’s fun.

Let’s face it, raising money for Cancer Research is at the front of everyone’s mind. It’s the point, the aim. But it would seem that these days we need the permission of every ‘friend’ and ‘follower’ before we go so far as to take our own photograph and post it on our own wall in an attempt to help find a cure to an illness that 1 in 3 of us will suffer from. The biggest revelation to come out of this latest craze is not that all women are vain and attention-grabbing but that there are always a select few who are unable to live and let live or in this case, live and let take a selfie.

RHODA MORRISON

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W

hen Augustines come to town, you know the night is going to be something special. It was a night that the Banter couldn’t miss, we had to be there, and even better, we were invited by the band to hang out with them during sound check. We also had the opportunity to chat with them before and after the gig, talking to Billy about - well everything, and Rob and Eric about their excitement of another successful Glasgow gig.

Interview and Photos // Daren Borzynski

Interview What type of guitars are you using on stage tonight?

The guitars I will playing, a Gibson 335, Gibson 137, 1980 Fender Telecaster, a new Guild Starfire, a Dobro and a Martin acoustic guitar. I never really realized that, it’s a lot right.

Favourite Guitar?

My own personal one? That’s a great question; probably my prized possession is my guitar that I have had since I was a teenager. It’s a very old 1969 Yamaha acoustic, and I carried that thing around the world in my backpacking days and I used to busk with it, and it’s taken some abuse. I’ve played with it so long and in so much weird weather that the bridge is bowed and the strings are getting so high, that I had to shave down the bridge. I’ve shaved it down so far now that I can’t play it anymore, so I’ve retired it.

You don’t realize how shitty your instruments are until you get good ones. It’s got a lot of character to it, but it’s a not a utilitarian piece, it’s sort of like its soul. I’ve carried it around Australia, Spain and Mexico. Hot humidity, cold snow and I have the same case for it, it’s got all these stickers from different countries. I didn’t go to university, but it’s like my life degree was that case, it’s totally covered in stickers.

I didn’t really graduate, I got kicked out of high school and I had a really tough time in those years because I didn’t know what I was doing with myself. Obviously when you just start playing music it’s not giving you any promises. Even after all this time it’s still not.

I don’t know why it got into me to travel, it’s such a beautiful accomplishment for me because I didn’t have to have a past, I didn’t have to have a plan. I was kind of just accepted for who I am, and I think it was so rewarding for me to travel.

I remember one time, I had done some travelling and then I went back home to where I’m from and a friend of mine got tickets to a basketball game and took me. I was pissing at the urinal, right next to this guy I went to high school with, who was a complete arsehole to me. As I’m pissing, the tone in his voice: “What’s Up Bill?”, It was the same kind of put me down tone that he had given me all those years, and he was just insulting me while having a piss. I hadn’t seen him around 5 years; small towns are really hard like that. So this guitar case is my most prized possession that I have in the world.

Do you collect lots of mementos; find it difficult to give things up?

I have things in my wallet, Saints you know? I have notes that people have given me in my pocket.

One time a soldier came back from Afghanistan, he started crying and he put his dog tags around my neck and I wore that for a long time. I now keep it in my bag. Yeah, I hold on to things a lot, and I don’t know where that comes from, possibly my childhood, I’m just not sure.

I have this journal that I have worked on for over 4 years, maybe 5 now. When I was busking and travelling a lot, I carried this thing around with me and illustrated it and the

rules were that I couldn’t have my own camera, I couldn’t have my own paints. All materials for my journal would be found materials. So I would be painting in a cafe in Spain with coffee, colouring the book with coffee or pencils I borrowed from where I stayed. In Ireland, it was weird snippets of newspaper and in Italy the same, using things I found in the trash. It made it from Northern California to all the way to Jerusalem and the way down to the South Pacific and across America a few times. Each page has a story to them.

I think I would like to publish it someday, it’s some poetry.

That would be like me with my guitar, when I got in trouble I would just open my case, I would make money and get to the next town. I was hitchhiking, it was always so strange, I would get picked up by some weird guys that were trying to pick up a young man on the street, or weird Catalonian families that were smoking cigarettes with all the windows rolled up, it was just like never normal.

I was in Kenya, in Nairobi, then I went south into the hills and if you ever get the chance you can see all my travels.

Instagram @williamjmccarthy You have mentioned some difficulties with travelling, how do you find touring?

I lost a blazer last night that I was really happy with. I was happy about having a nice blazer that I had spent a little bit of money on. We were in a magazine in England, we shot a photo in London, and I decided to buy something nice for it. Part of travelling is losing things because you are always exhausted, so you leave your earphones, your phone or a pair of shoes. A lot of living out of a suitcase is about weight.

You can only have 50lbs at the airport so you constantly have to part with things. As painful as it is, it’s like ‘I love this sweater’, it’s just making my bag too heavy so it has to go.

So you start getting down to essentials, so you finish the gig in one town then you drive on to the next place and you drive to 3 in the morning. I can’t sleep in a van sitting up, I can’t sleep sitting up. Then you have an early wakeup call at 9am, and you’re so tired that you forget something.

I was talking to the crew about it, and it’s almost as if you have to starting thinking about things annually, like theft, damage and loss kind of thing for tax. People will steal from you or break into your place; we have had people steal our Whisky. I’m sad I lost my blazer, I went on stage with it, I took it off on stage and I never saw it again. Some guy tried to run off with my hat last night. I guess it’s sort of a Buddhist thing, or a Christ like thing, you shouldn’t fond over worldly possessions too much, so it teaches you that - to be humble. But it’s hard to lose shit man, it really is!

One time in our last band, Eric had this really beautiful wooden craftsman like type of bass where a guitar builder had made it. All his formative years playing music was on it, he played it all through college when he went to school for music. He would also just sit in the basement with his friends playing it for hours and weeks and weeks. He left it at a club and never saw it again; it’s just how it happens.

When you get to a certain level, guitar companies will give you free guitars or loan them, but it’s not as special. It’s THE BANTER | 27

Interview funny, Kurt Cobain used to talk about being a millionaire but how he missed the old days when he was excited to have $20 to go into a thrift store to see what he could get.

Some of that stuff does kind of change the instrument side.

You used to save all your tips bar-tending, or sell something and try to hodge-podge together a little budget to get yourself an amp. Not that I don’t miss those days, I wouldn’t want to go back to them, but it’s so crazy to think that the differences over time as a songwriter as I live my life through the years performing then I’ll stop, then I will go somewhere to begin writing. It’s really crazy to think that I used to write weekly, it was part of my life, writing all the time. I was funding my own gear, my own taxi ride home and amp repairs and buying my own strings, that’s different. It was fucking hard! It was really hard to have a damaged amp that you spilled beer on at a shitty show and the reason you had been drinking too much was because the show was shit.

You have spilled a beer all over the circuit board of your amp, and you try to take it apart, what are you even looking for, are you just hoping for some possible way that you can fix it so you don’t need to pay the $150 an hour to get it looked at when you make $150 a night bar-tending.

and mine are on the 15th of August, Eric’s on the 16th. So we call ourselves Augustines, and when my last band was going through this tumultuous situation and we were on our last legs, I met this guy, Todd. We were signed to The National, they have a record label, and when we were coming up on the New York scene we had a rehearsal space, on their label and playing shows with them. We played on their record, and our guitar player played on theirs and we were in the same little bubble with them. So when I saw the name, The Boxer Rebellion, I thought it was some sort of bad British knock off of The National, because Boxer was their big record.

It’s funny how the residue from our childhood, or how we were raised, stays with us. I won’t buy myself a soda at a restaurant, I won’t get a coke with my meal, and I will always get water. I can’t get myself to spend a dollar on a coke.

What is your most extravagant purchase?

My motorcycle, I was in this position where New York was relaxing.

We did 255 shows over 23 countries for the last record, and I would come back beaten to a pulp, and I would get back to New York and there would be all these honking horns, and “Fuck You Buddy”, it was all really rough. I couldn’t relax; I would walk down the street feeling tense. So I bought this motorcycle, and this is what’s really cool about having some kind of vision. If you can get to make a plan a follow that vision, they do pay off. Like what we were saying about our childhood residue, were I wouldn’t buy a soda, but I would buy a beer at a pub, I would never get dessert or appetisers, just a meal. It seems extravagant to do that, but I will buy a whisky, but only on duty free. It’s really funny, but kind of living hand and mouth for the majority of my life, I started saving. What I did was, I stopped paying rent and I would stay at friends’ houses rather than hotels when the tours were over and I amounted a little bit of a budget and I was thinking what the fuck am I doing. I thought, maybe I would buy something a little later on in life.

There is a great Scotsman called Ewan McGregor and he did this fantastic documentary called the Long Way Round, and that actually has a lot to do with why Augustines are here.

There is a guitar player in a band called The Boxer Rebellion, his name is Todd...

So, I’ve long loved motorcycles and enjoyed them, and after my brother passed away I was destroyed, so I was drinking everyday and big long series things are great to watch when you are depressed, because they fuckin’ keep going.

I watched stuff like Band of Brothers, and when I watched Ewan McGregor and he just had this dream with his friend Charlie where they wanted to ride around the world. So he bought a 2004 BMW GS1150 and I’m watching this thing and at the end of the show there is a song, and the credits came up saying The Boxer Rebellion. I thought maybe that guy Todd isn’t like a joker, I google it and thought ‘Fuck’.

They had over 60,000 friends on Myspace back then, I was looking at it and thinking this guy is legit. So I got talking to him, and he told me his birthday was August the 16th, so Todd gave us our first tour. It was just Eric and I sitting on stools and then we got Rob when they invited us to tour the UK and we paid for it with our money from driving a truck in Queens doing a shitty art handling job. Rob became our drummer, and we sat down on stools at first, but on the tour we played on a stage so short that we couldn’t sit on our stools anymore, so we had to stand and that was our first standing gig. So it turns out that Todd and Eric have the same birthday, and he gave us our first tour and introduced us to our manager today...

Alright, I will explain everything to you. Augustines is because of my birthday and Eric’s birthday and my brother’s birthday all being within 1 minute of each other. Jimmy

So after living on the road for 2-3 years, I took all the money I had saved to buy a 2004 BMW GS1150 like Ewan’s, pretty full circle.

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Interview

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Interview

ROB: AUGUSTINES

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Interview You just came off stage, how was the Glasgow show?

It was more than we could have hoped for to be honest, although that might sound a bit cheesy.

We played here nearly 2 years ago, October 2012, with Kodaline and we know Glasgow always comes out and has a good time, especially on a Friday night. It was great, it sounded great up there on stage, and hopefully it sounded really good out there in front. We just had a ball.

The good thing about playing these size halls, you still get to see faces. When you’re playing festivals or bigger rooms, you might lose that intimacy, but it was definitely there tonight. Scotland can be very proud, they were great, sang along to every song, arms going wild. It was wonderful; this is what makes it worthwhile.

You are always driving in the morning or in the evening, so during the day, you get to see the cities. Today I could walk around Glasgow for a little bit, and see the some of it for an hour and a half, that will be the same for all the cities. So when we go to Germany or Switzerland, before when we didn’t have that luxury, but now we can, so there a lot of benefits and good stuff.

How many shows are part of the tour?

For the UK tour, Newcastle, London, Manchester, Bristol, and then we head off over to Zurich from the 23rd. Then we will be in Europe all the way through until the 6th May, before coming back to play in Brighton on the 8th May. There will be more around the UK and another trip to Scotland to play in Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms on 15th May. What are your thoughts on touring with a hectic schedule?

We have just come off a 7 week U.S. tour; we had about 5 days off and then straight back into it. We had a couple of days rehearsal to freshen things up a bit. We’ll tour for another six and a half weeks and then it will be festivals.

Then we will have a full tour back in the States and hopefully back over here again. There has been some talk about Australia and we’ll see if that comes through, it’s not definite yet. So it is “be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it”, and I’m not complaining.

We all know the stories of Pela, and I’ve been playing since I was a wee lad of 6 and playing live at 11. This is almost a second chance for us, and it means a lot, so we play every show like it’s our last. Eventually one day it will come to an end, all good things do, and we are just trying to do the best we can.

To answer the question about touring, we love being on the road, we get to experience this and communicate with other people we have never met and have that great relationship on stage for those 2 hours. We get to meet people after the shows, hang out, and see lots of new cities.

This is glorious.

We are really fun lads, so we do like to have a good time. It is not as glamorous as people think it is, it’s really not; there are 20 hour days, long travel days and there is a lot of work, but it’s worth it.

I have seen your tour coach around earlier, it looks luxurious, but is it for 3-4 months?

It’s close quarters, you’re living in there, you’re eating in there and you’re sleeping in there. There are nine of us on this tour, with the crew. It’s all very harmonious; you are not always in there. The good thing about being on a bus tour is when you pull up to and city or wake up, and you might not have to load in until the afternoon or have interviews.

You live over in the States, what do you miss most about the UK? I have been over there for 11 years, and for quite a bit of time I didn’t actually come back, and then I would only come back once or twice a year, and then with Augustines, we would be over for 4 or 5 times a year. Then I really started to miss a good Indian meal or a full English breakfast. I’m a Londoner, so a Pie and Mash is my go to. Two pies and mash with green liquor all over it, it’s a proper London delicacy.

I also miss the chocolate, I just go crazy for 6 days, then it’s back on the old salads after that. You can get all the good British chocolate in the U.S., but you have just got to know where to go. There are a couple of English restaurants over there that did it well, like Fish n’ Chips. You can get it in New York, but it’s not quite the same, you need the snot running out of your nose, freezing your bum off eating piping hot Fish N’ Chips outside, that’s what I’ve missed.

The biggest challenge is to stay healthy on the road. You have to eat, take your vitamins, lots of water, exercising - and on top of your show. It’s important if you are doing long, long stints. It’s hard to feel good for 6-8 months.

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Interview

Just off stage, how was tonight’s show for you?

I absolutely loved it.

ERIC: AUGUSTINES

I’m from New York, 3000 miles away, and even though this is the second time we have played here and with the 2nd album. With the 1st album, everything blew me away, I had no expectations and everything that happened surpassed my expectations. I was talking with my wife about it and the idea that now this is the second album and we have already

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seen some of the crowds come out, we’ve seen people sing along, would it change the way I feel about everything? I’m realising now that it hasn’t at all. I’m still amazed that people are there and singing along.

While playing ‘Weary Eyes’ tonight, I hadn’t quite processed that people have listened to the new record yet. I understand when they sing along to ‘Chapel Song’ or ‘Book of James’, but when they start singing along to the new

Interview record, I’m like, ‘how do you even know this?’. It really blows my mind and tonight they were F%$king singing their hearts out, it was just amazing.

How was the atmosphere compared to last time here?

That’s the most exciting thing about it. We were nervous about it, obviously when you’re in a band and touring and you’re out there and doing your thing and you take time off to write and record your new album. For me, I get into a very different head space, because I’m a big studio nerd, and I love sound, much like the reverb in this hallway.

It’s a different mindset, a different place to put my energy, and coming back to the stage, I was a little nervous about if we were gone for too long and how people would react to the new record and if people had stopped caring about us. That’s certainly not the case, and there really is no comparison between the last time and now. I’m just amazed that it hasn’t changed. It’s like a skateboard, as if we had just jumped back on it and we are able to do it.

Everything is happening like the way it happened in the past and we haven’t lost anything, it’s exceptional.

Does the band have any superstitions, or something you do before you go on stage, a routine like to do?

The band all warms up and that’s normal, but I think one thing that we do, it’s not a superstition, it’s just how we are as people, we always hug each other, we give each other a big hug, congratulate and celebrate that moment right before we get on stage that moment right there with one another.

With our guitar tech, tour manager, or whoever that’s there we all bring it together and celebrate that moment together.

How is Al fitting in with the band, it looks as if he has been part of the band for a long time?

Well, he has been in many ways. We met him when we played a show in London and we got a few horn players to come out and play with us and Al was one of them. For whatever reason, we connected and bonded with him and we went up to the bar afterwards. Al and I hung out, drinking and talking for hours and hours, and we really connected instantly. We brought him with us for the rest of the tour we were doing. He jumped on the bus and stayed with us for two weeks. We then went away to start to write and record, we went to the studio and Al was in London, so we flew him over to Connecticut and we recorded with him. Al did all the horns on the new record and then we finished the record, went to Seattle to rehearse and we took him with us. So he has been with us for a long time, and he will be with us for this whole album. We are good friends.

It’s funny cause you meet somebody, maybe this is an adult thing, as you get older and you meet somebody you might not even know them that well but you can tell their spirit or whatever, you can tell they are a good person and that resonates with you. Al is definitely that way.

H

omegrown heroes Biffy Clyro and Calvin Harris will close the Main Stage at this years T in the Park, becoming the first Scottish acts to do so in 13 years with what will be their biggest ever shows on home soil in front of the 85,000-strong daily crowd over 11th – 13th July.

Biffys Balado outing will be their 10th and will see them become the artist which has played the festival the most times. Biffy Clyro guitarist and singer Simon Neil said: “It’s so great to be playing this year. We’ve seen so many amazing bands at T in the Park over the years. Genuinely T in the Park has shaped our lives in more ways than just our experiences of performing there. We wouldn’t be here, doing this now, if it wasn’t for playing T in the Park.

To headline it finally is amazing – it just feels poetic to be headlining on our 10th time. It’s going to be the night of our lives, hopefully it’ll be the night of your life and we can’t wait.”

Global Superstar Calvin Harris will close the T in the Park main stage for the first time. Calvin Harris said: “I’m very excited that I’m going to be headlining and closing T in the Park’s Main Stage. Last year was incredible, so I can’t wait to be back this year. It’s going to be amazing – I’ll see you all there!”

Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter/producer and man of the moment Pharrell Williams will be bringing some hip-hop, R&B and soul to the mix and will be joined by already announced Arctic Monkeys, Paolo Nutini and an array of top acts including Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Sam Smith, Tinie Tempah and Scottish favorites Franz Ferdinand, Twin Atlantic and Nina Nesbitt.

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Music

G I GS Photo // Daren Borynski

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Music RADKEY King Tuts, Glasgow GIG REVIEW

ONE REPUBLIC O2 Academy, Glasgow

Radkey brought their energy and excitement back to Glasgow’s King Tuts as part of their headline tour of the UK. The three young brothers from St Joseph, Missouri, Dee Radke, lead Guitar/Vocals (20) Isaiah, Bass/Vocals (18) and the 16 year old Solomon on drums returned after a recent trip to Scotland in October, then supporting Sheffield duo Drenge.

If you were in a band and found out your gig clashed with Fall Out Boy’s gig at The Hydro, you might be a little worried - yes?

GIG REVIEW

On the night, Radkey had support from three bands in Vladimir, Lyger and Turbogeist. As the bands took their turn to warm up the crowd, Isaiah, Dee and Sol could also be seen rocking in the middle of it all.

When Radkey finally hit the stage, it started with a selfie from Isaiah and some of the crowd. This small moment just highlighted how relaxed and confident they are on stage.

Kicking off with ‘Out here in my head’, their fast playing and short length songs each hit with a punch. Their style can only be described as a mix of Punk, Rock & Grunge, or, as Isaiah called it in a recent interview with The Banter, ‘Grunk’.

One Republic certainly didn’t seem to be phased by the competition. Running a little late, they flew straight from filming The Voice UK in London and stormed the stage of Glasgow’s o2 Academy.

Not too late to “apologise,” the delay was quickly forgotten as the five-piece from Colorado quickly set the standards high for the pop-rock euphoria that was about to be shared.

Opening the show with escalating intensity and anticipation, “Don’t Look Down” and “Light It Up” were the first tracks to be played. It was instantly clear, One Republic were at home playing live on the stage.

Frontman Ryan Tedder certainly proved he had “All the Right Moves” as he worked the crowd with his powerful voice and flawless falsetto. There was big competition on the volume front however with the Glasgow crowd giving him a good run for his money.

With the bands third record, “Native” being their highest charting album to date, One Republic have advanced their style on new levels and seem to be peppering their music with as many instruments as would fit. Tedder admitted on stage their “new stuff is the best f***ing stuff we have ever done.”

As the headliner, they had more space on stage and covered every bit of it.

Albeit not in French, new track ‘Le Song’ was an instant hit with the audience. ‘Feed my brain’, another recent release, is a little slower in tempo but still had the power to move the Tuts audience.

Isaiah dedicated ‘Red Letter’ to Haggis, wondering if anyone in the crowd carried a Haggis with them. As each song passed, the energy in the audience built and it wasn’t long before a mosh pit started.

The set lasted around 45 minutes, with Radkey briefly leaving the stage before coming back for a one song encore with ‘Romance Dawn’. With Isaiah crowd surfing to finish the night off, it was another great performance.

The momentum is building with Radkey, and a bigger stage awaits.

DAREN BORZYNSKI

After enhancing one of their older songs, “Good Life,” with an anthemic synth riff from M83s Midnight City, it became clear just how familiar the crowd unknowingly were with all of One Republic’s tracks.

The band also played ‘Burning Bridges’ after it was highly requested on Facebook. Tedder said every band needs a pub song and this is theirs. Asking for the crowds help, he confessed it is a “b**ch to sing.”

Further highlights of the night included a surprise Mediterranean musical interlude from guitarist Zack Filkins which had the crowd cheering and clapping throughout.

“Stop and Stare” and “Counting Stars” also served as a strong reminder of how firm a place in mainstream music One Republic have managed to secure.

The band closed their set with a promise of what has to come. “If I Lose Myself” sees One Republic experiment with dance music and the crowd were not disappointed. With bone-rattling drums and a light spectacle the set came to a close and a cannon fired confetti out over one very happy crowd.

NATASHA REID

THE BANTER | 35

Music

Photo // Stuart Westwood

YOU ME AT SIX O2 Academy, Glasgow GIG REVIEW

Like a fine wine that gets better with age, You Me at Six have definitely moved onto bigger and better things. Performing to a sold out crowd at Glasgow’s O2 Academy almost 8 years after their first Glasgow gig, they didn’t disappoint. Support act’s Don Bronco and Young Cato livened up the crowd before You Me at Six took to the stage. The five-piece from Surrey opened their set with ‘Too Young To Feel This Old’ from new album Cavalier Youth and straight into hit song ‘Fresh Start Fever’ as confetti flew out of cannons across the venue. The boys pulled out all the stops for this tour; using a spectacular video screen back drop that showed music videos, lyrics and shots of the crowd and band the entire night and an amazing light show that lasted the whole evening. ‘Stay With Me’, a song about heartbreak from their second album ‘Hold Me Down’ went down a storm before continuing into ‘The Swarm’ which was written to promote the new ride of the same name at Thorpe Park. ‘Little Death’ and ‘Loverboy’ from third album ‘Sinners Never Sleep’ quickly followed before finally introducing themselves and announcing how happy they were to be kicking off their tour in Glasgow.

Francheschi decided to teach the crowd some of the lyrics from the new songs so they could join in. In fact he didn’t need to do much singing at all, especially during the older hits. ‘Underdog’ and ‘Liquid Confidence’ had every single fan shouting the lyrics and having a good time.

Lead singer Josh Francheschi proved just how good a frontman he is; he had the crowd on the floor, jumping, crying and chanting “here we go” throughout the whole night. A fair chunk of the new album was played with songs including ‘Forgive and Forget’, ‘Room to Breathe’, ‘Wild Ones’ and ‘Cold Night’. Cavalier Youth’s lyrics are more mature than the past albums yet stick within the same grounds of heartbreak, love and growing up.

As Josh said, who would have known that 8 years later the band would still be going strong? Their fan base increases every year as their songs are timeless and remind everyone of their own youth. Their first UK number one album shows that the boys still have better things to come and are showing no signs of slowing down. After all they are only 25, definitely too young to feel this old.

Francheschi expressed the band’s gratitude for the support they have received over the years saying: “We were 17 when we first played in Glasgow, we didn’t anticipate that 8 years later we would have the fan base to take our album to number one on iTunes. So thank you.”

However the best were kept for last. Revenge anthem ‘Reckless’, the aggressive and in your face ‘Bite My Tongue’ and debut single from the fourth album ‘Lived A Lie’ were undoubtedly the crowd pleasers and arguably some of the bands best songs to date. More confetti fell across the crowd as Josh invited two young fans to sing on stage during the final seconds; no doubt the best moment of their lives as the two teenagers took pictures of the crowd and with each member of the band.

AMIE GRIMASON

36 | THE BANTER

Music CHVRCHES O2 ABC , Glasgow

R5 O2 ABC , Glasgow GIG REVIEW

Electro-pop trio Chvrches were welcomed back to their home city with open arms by an excited and energetic crowd on 8th March at the Barrowlands.

R5 rolled into Glasgow’s O2 ABC on Thursday as part of their “Louder” tour, in support of their album with the same name. When on stage, siblings Riker, Rydel, Rocky and Ross Lynch, along with their best friend Ratliff, tend to crank it up.

Their style of music is created to make everyone feel excited and happy; they’re not into anything too deep and dark.

Support began with talented teens Brandon & Savannah.

With an energetic start and great vocals, they had the predominantly teenage audience rush to the front of the stage. Followers of TV show America’s Got Talent may recognise them from reaching the quarter finals of Season 8, although their fan base will now have increased in Scotland with their Glasgow performance.

GIG REVIEW

The set had a strong start, with opener ‘We Sink’ followed by ‘Lies’, but it really stepped up a notch with ‘Gun’, the second single from their debut album ‘The Mother We Share’.

‘Recover’ was another highlight as it’s one of the band’s best-known songs and the crowd sang along to every word.

The night was clearly special for the band, with bassist and vocalist Iain Cook saying, “I could go on about this all night but this city and this room mean so much to me” and lead vocalist Lauren Mayberry revealing that her first Glasgow gig was Jimmy Eat World at the Barrowlands.

Mayberry’s sugary sweet vocals contrast brilliantly with the band’s darker lyrics and her voice really stood up to a live performance. Cook took over from Mayberry’s vocals on ‘Under The Tide’, and was just as successful as a frontman.

There was a slight slump in the evening during ‘Strong Hand’, a lesser known, slower song which the audience weren’t as in to, but this was followed by ‘Science/Visions’ which got everyone dancing again.

The final song before the encore was the band’s first single ‘The Mother We Share’, which appeared to be the crowd’s favourite and the song that got people moving the most.

After a short break Chvrches returned with ‘You Caught The Light’ and ‘By The Throat’, which were perfect songs to wind down the set and end a brilliant gig.

R5 finally hit the stage, coming on one by one to screams of excitement. The volume increased as the first few lines of “Forget About You” exploded into the venue. Ross took charge of the vocals in most of the songs with backing from the rest of the band. Rydel also had a go at lead vocals and rocked the mic on ‘Love Me Like That’. R5 are confident on stage, and are well accomplished musicians, with experience of performing since 2009.

I wouldn’t normally go along to watch a band like R5, it’s a little bit too much pop for me. I also felt quite odd that I was in a very small minority, that of men, the other few being a couple of fathers sitting near the back. The show was entertaining enough and the young audience certainly enjoyed the show. With the mixed selection of support, I’m sure most people would agree they had good value for their money.

SHANNON MCGARRITY

DAREN BORZYNSKI

BACKSTREET BOYS SSE Hydro, Glasgow

GIG REVIEW

It was nineties night at the SSE Hydro as All Saints and Backstreet Boys took to the stage for a pop music spectacular.

All Saints warmed up the packed crowd with their greatest hits. The four-piece were on point with their vocals making a refreshing change from many of the reformed bands who can barely string a note together between them.

(Of Being Lonely) and ‘All I Have to Give’.

Songs from their new album ‘In a World like This’ were less known amongst the crowd but were still well-received. The band might not be writing classics like they used to but the quality is definitely still there.

US boyband – well, manband now, Backstreet Boys reduced the crowd to acting like excited teenagers as they appeared on stage for their two-hour slot in matching white suits.

The bands performance of first single ‘We’ve Got It Going On’ and finale ‘Everybody (Backstreets Back)’ were undoubtedly highlights of the night as the band and crowd performed the old dance routines like they were still in their early twenties.

Having barely altered in their vocal ability and dancing since forming almost twenty one years ago, it was obvious the band have been doing this a long time. Their vocals were as good as, if not better, than those on their records as they ran through their lengthy back catalogue from opener ‘The Call’ to ‘Don’t Want You Back’ to ballads ‘Show Me The Meaning

One would expect that a band that has been around longer than I’ve been alive would, understandably, let up in their more mature years but Backstreet Boys show no signs of doing that anytime soon. And going on the crowd’s reaction, I think they are more than okay with that. One thing I learned from the night – Backstreets back, alright!

HOLLY LENNON

THE BANTER | 37

Music

Photo // Stuart Westwood

FALL OUT BOY SSE Hydro, Glasgow GIG REVIEW

Despite it being the last date on Fall Out Boy’s European tour, they showed no signs of weariness or following robotic routine as they charged on stage wearing balaclavas, thundering into The Phoenix.

Ok, so there was a stereotypical curtain drop to reveal the band, whose live shows have certainly upped their game over the last decade, but the raw energy was still there nonetheless.

They carried on with some of their older hits, and crowd favourites, including ‘I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me,’ ‘A Little Less 16 Candles, A Little More Touch Me’ and ‘This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race’. And while nobody can deny that Fall Out Boy are the masters of tremendous song titles, one of the most major criticisms of the tour has been their lack of new material – or perhaps the reluctance to play it live?

However the Glasgow audience were treated to five songs from latest album Save Rock n Roll, which considering their back catalogue of hits and fan-favourites, seemed more than fair on the night. Nobody would’ve been happy if ‘Sugar We’re Going Down’ had been replaced with an album track that not everyone could belt out the first line of.

There was a great moment mid-set where Pete, Patrick and 38 | THE BANTER

Joe took to a mini-stage halfway out into the crowd, for beautiful acoustic versions of ‘I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Getting You Off (Me and You)’ and ‘Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy’. When they disappeared seemingly into thin air to find their way back to the main stage, a drum solo from Andy ensured he was given the spotlight for a few minutes.

As with most great live shows from seasoned acts, all the stops were pulled out in the encore. Patrick took to the piano for a version of Save Rock n Roll, which saw some of the world’s biggest and best rockstars appear on the big screen behind him throughout the song. This then led into the ‘Thanks For The Mmrs’ and most appropriate song of the night, ‘Saturday’, which provoked the biggest crowd reaction of the night, especially when Wentz jumped into the crowd.

There were a lot of big arena moments, like giant balloons floating around the venue, moving stages, big screens and much more. But it’s apparent this suits Fall Out Boy and doesn’t detract from their talent, as they played and sang perfectly throughout the evening. It was also clear from onstage banter and appreciative smiles at the crowdsurfing audience that these boys are now definitely at the top of their game and enjoying the view up there.

KIMBERLEY MANDERSON

Music BRODY DALLE The Garage, Glasgow GIG REVIEW

Tonight’s show in Glasgow marks the highly anticipated return of Brody Dalle. It’s been a long time since her last project Spinerette released any music. And given that it’s been even longer since she last played live in Scotland, it’s no real surprise that the venue is completely packed out with people eagerly awaiting her appearance on stage.

Opening with The Distillers classic ‘Die on a Rope’, Brody sends the crowd into frenzy straight away and it’s soon clear the majority of the audience are huge fans of her former band. But tonight is all about Brody’s new music ahead of her debut album ‘Diploid Love’ which is release later this month.

It’s always difficult when you’re playing music that the audience haven’t heard before, but Brody has the crowd in the palm of her hand as she previews her new music.

One of the best songs we get to hear is ‘Don’t Mess With Me’, a catchy song that displays her raw vocals in all their glory. And what all the new songs have in common, is that they’re all still laced with that punk edge we’re used to, making everyone even more excited to hear the full record.

Throughout the hour long set, Brody also treats her fans to some of The Distillers biggest hits including ‘Sick Of It All’, ‘Dismantle Me’ and the title track for her bands last record ‘Coral Fang’.

The hour long set flies by, and before we know it she’s thanked the crowd and walked of the stage. Since the

house lights remain down, there was lot of confusion over whether this is actually the end or not. So while the night may have ended with a tinge of disappointment, the message that Brody Dalle is back and here to stay was heard loud and clear.

SARAH MOYES

ELLA EYRE King Tuts, Glasgow

GIG REVIEW

After bursting onto the music scene only a year ago with number one hit Waiting All Night; a collaboration with Rudimental, Ella Eyre is a force to be reckoned with. She has already been nominated for BBC’s Sound of 2014 Award and the BRITs Critic Choice Award, both of which she came runner up for, and released her debut EP ‘Deeper’ in December of last year. The 19 year old Londoner began her first UK tour this year and did not disappoint the fans in Glasgow last month. Warm up acts included Jake Isaac and Javeon whose debut album due out in summer titled ‘Mercy’. Many tracks were played from the album included ‘Breaking’ which was featured on BBC Radio 1’s Introducing.

Ella Eyre - 001 for Website

paved the way for what was to come. Hits from her debut EP such as ‘Deeper’ definitely got the crowd going. ‘Love Me like you’ was a more sombre affair; the heart-breaking lyrics showed off her beautiful voice and powerful vocals whereas ‘Deeper’ had everyone dancing along. A cover of Basement Jaxx’s ‘Good Luck’ proved that Ella can put her spin on anything and make it sounds just as amazing as the original. An expected and anticipated rendition of ‘Waiting All Night’ was the highlight of the entire night and had the crowd was jumping up and down and singing along. At the end Ella proclaimed that so far Glasgow has ‘been the best crowd’ and that was the ‘best reaction’ she had had to that song yet.

The small but excited crowd didn’t have long to wait at King Tut’s before Ella bounded onto the stage, blonde curls flying and filling the venue with her powerful and soulful voice. Although her set was a mere thirty minutes long, she managed to cram as many future hits into the set list as she could. Opening her headline gig with tracks such as the uplifting ‘Don’t Worry about Me’ and ‘Don’t Follow Me’

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised and left the venue wanting to rush out and buy her EP and anything else I could get my hands on. Her debut album which is still yet to be titled is due out in the summer. 2014 is going to be a standout year for Ella Eyre and boy does she deserve it. With that powerhouse voice, I dare you not to find her infectious.

AMIE GRIMASON

THE BANTER | 39

Interview

EMBRACE

40 | THE BANTER

Interview

ARE BACK

by Roxy McCrae

THE BANTER | 41

Interview

Y

orkshire 5-piece Embrace are set to return to the big stage this year with their new self-titled album released on the 28th April and a UK tour starting in May. For those of you who are fans of Embrace this news will come as no surprise, we always knew they would be back, but for those unfamiliar a quick re-cap of the bands successful career is in order.

made an album that we thought was the best we’ve ever done. To get the 10 songs we have on the album now we’ve been through around 60 to 70 song ideas at least and that’s what has taken the time. The record label phoned us every year asking if we had something yet and all we could say was when we’re ready. And at the end of last year we were ready.

Their previous albums including Good Will Out, Out of Nothing and This New Day all went to number one in the album charts, with ‘Nature’s Law’ reaching number 2 on the singles chart. The band have six top ten hits under their belt, have performed to thousands at sold out arena shows, at festivals such as Glastonbury and recorded England’s football world cup song in 2006.

‘Refugees’ is a track off the new album but is also part of a 4-track EP can you tell me about that?

Yes ‘Refugees’ is on the album but the three other tracks ‘Chameleon’, ‘Decades’ and ‘Bullets’ which we absolutely loved are not so we released them beforehand as an EP so fans had 3 extra tracks along with the first release from the album. The new album includes Refugees plus 9 other tracks including the new single ‘Follow you home’ which will be on the radio from today.

Embrace band members consist of the two brothers Danny McNamara on lead vocals and Richard McNamara on guitar, bassist Steve Firth, Mickey Dale on keyboard and drummer Mike Heaton.

After around 7 years out of the spotlight the band are more than excited to back with a fresh new sound and I spoke at length to the drummer Mike Heaton about Embrace past and present.

New album out on the 28th April, Excited?

Absolutely we are immensely proud of the new album and can’t wait for it to be released. It was produced in Embrace’s own studio in Halifax and has been a long time in the making. It’s been a difficult process but rewarding.

In the 7 to 8 years that Embrace have been out of the spotlight how much time was spent on making the new album and what other things did the band members get up to in their time away?

The end of 2006 was a mad year for us, the album went to number one and we were touring all over the place we also did the world cup song that year which was a strange one for us. We lost our direction and needed to re-group, people though we had split up but we never did. We all decided to have a few months off for the first time in 12/13 years. The band members decided to do different things – I started teaching and working with young bands as well as mentoring young musicians.

Rich began producing bands, Dan had a club and mickey had another band that he was working with called Talk to Angels. This all ended up lasting a couple of years. Then one day we were all chatting and we knew there was unfinished business. We never wanted to split up we just needed a bit of time. Rick had started writing songs again and had written refugees so we just went back into the studio and suddenly we were back on it. That was about 4 and a half years ago.

Refugees was one of the first songs we completed and because that song was so good, the bar was set and we knew we would have to make the rest of the songs as good if not better. We didn’t want to come back until we had 42 | THE BANTER

What kind of reaction have you been getting about ‘Refugees’ and the new tracks?

It’s been amazing, and has really shocked us after all this time away and people asking us when we would be releasing a new album and playing in big arenas. I say you’re only as good as your last album, we could come back and play to 50 people or 3000 who knows? Luckily we have come back and the reaction has been phenomenal, people have loved the music pretty much across the board. We’ve had a great reaction from radio and when we put the UK tour on sale in February this year in the first day we sold about 10,500 tickets. We were absolutely blown away that people have waited for us and all our loyal fans have come back in their droves, it is really heart-warming You did a series of small gigs in Scotland this January can you tell us about them?

Yeah the idea was just to get back into playing live again because it’s been about 7 and a half years and we just wanted to get back out there so we picked Scotland. It’s always been a great market for us and we try to go as far north as we can and cover a lot of areas that other bands don’t. We went for the highlands tour and did four or five little shows just to get us back into the flow of things. Again we received great reactions from the fans. Some of the new stuff on the album is sort of high energy for Embrace and has a darker edge to it with a lot of rhythmic interest, but at the same time there are songs on the album like ‘I Run’ which will have our old fans hooked as well. It still has the thread of what we are, great lyrics, great melodies and big choruses but the music has leaped forward a giant step.

Tell us a bit more about the idea behind the video for ‘Refugees’.

The idea behind it is whatever you want to make of it.

Essentially it’s about the transition from childhood to adulthood. People could view it as quite sinister but we didn’t see it that way it’s quite a sentimental thing and again we wanted to do something different, we didn’t want to come back with a standard video of a band in a room playing music. Rick had the idea for the video initially and it expanded and grew into what it is now.

Interview

The tour starts in Liverpool on 9th May can fans expect a mix of new and old songs in the set?

It’s going to be a complete mixture, we want to play as much of the new album as we can but I know as a person who goes to see bands that people want to hear the older stuff because they’re not familiar with the new album. We still enjoy playing the old stuff because we still rate it, as far back as the first album, so yes it will be tracks from our whole back catalogue, cherry picking the ones we think are best plus songs from the new album.

We’re really excited about getting started on the main tour; I think there are still tickets left for some of the venues. A few left for Glasgow, so tell everyone to get down and see us at the O2 Academy on Friday 16th May. After the UK tour will the band proceed to tour elsewhere?

Wherever things take us, we’re so proud of the new album and we want to play it to as many different people as we can. We’ve just been asked to play in Japan and we have an American tour lined up and hopefully Europe as well so basically wherever we can play and people will come and see us we will go.

You spoke earlier about going into teaching tell us more about your drum school.

I’ve been teaching for about 4 years anything from beginners to intermediate players. I’ve really enjoyed the experience because it’s made my playing so much better by having to focus on how to teach someone else. It’s something I plan to keep running even though I’m heavily involved with the band again, along with the other things I’m involved with like working with young bands and mentoring them. I’m heavily associated with a charity called

Martin’s House Children’s Hospice and promoting that through the young band competitions, it’s all something I love doing and working with young bands over the last few years has really revitalised the way I see music. You can get a bit cynical when you’re in the business side of things too long, so it’s been good to come out of it and have a break, seeing the young bands and how enthusiastic and untainted they are has been quite a revelation for me.

Anybody you have mentored that we should watch out for?

There’s a few I think will have a good chance. A band called King No-one and The Mexideans will hopefully be making their mark. A few of the bands that won our competitions will be first on stage when we’re on tour to give them the chance to play to a wider audience.

This is your 24th year with the band how do Embrace stay together?

There’s always bumps along the way. When you work together so closely, touring together intensively working in the studio and sharing a room you’re always going to have those ups and downs. We’ve never rushed into anything, which may have gone against us in terms of success. We’ve always taken our time making albums because we try to make them as good as possible and taken long breaks in-between albums at times. With this last break if we’d have gone straight into making another album after the first two were so successful I think we may have broken up because the pressure would have become too much and we would have gotten sick of it. I think we were right in taking a step back, doing something else then come back to it. Also the fact that we were 17 when we got signed, now we’re a bit older we’re slightly more sensible and know what to do to keep ourselves in one piece, Rather go down the road of drugs and disaster!

THE BANTER | 43

Interview

MIKKY EKKO INTERVIEW BY NATASHA REID

J

ust over a year ago, artist Mikky Ekko received a phone call that would change his life forever - global superstar, Rihanna wanted a song he had written.

“Stay” was the duet with Rihanna that launched Mikky Ekko and his music into the spotlight. He wrote the song in London with Justin Parker who has also written for the likes of Lana Del Rey and Bat For Lashes. “Initially I was just worried it was going to come across as too emotional or too vulnerable.” But that emotion and vulnerability is what ultimately connected with Rihanna. She had fallen for his touching, dreamy and melancholy sound. Ekko admits to this day he still does not know how she heard it but wants to keep it that way as “it still feels magical” to him.

Having received a phone call from Rihanna’s team asking for the song, Ekko’s first reaction was that he was being pranked and asked them to call back when they were serious. But little did he know, they were as serious as ever and he was about to catch his big break.

The duo recorded the track a month before Rihanna’s album “Unapologetic” was due for release and it quickly became a top ten smash hit in over 25 countries earning the pair a performance slot at the Grammy Awards in January this year. This would be his first live performance since he 44 | THE BANTER

started writing music. “You have to believe you are capable of doing it otherwise you are destined to fail. It was just a matter of walking on stage and knowing that curtain is going to come up. It was all such a whirlwind of trying to keep my brain in one place when it felt like the world was spinning. It was madness.”

Since the success of “Stay” and his Grammy performance, Mikky Ekko is working hard to become a fully-fledged artist in his own right.

Ekko grew up in the South of America. His dad was a preacher and so he felt he learned a lot about creating music with people from a young age. He had always been a part of music that brought people together. “It made me feel things on a spiritual level an there is still a lot of that which I look for in music. But there is a part of me that really loves going into the wild to try find the craziest stuff and trying to make that part of what I do as well.”

Growing up listening to a lot of grunge and hip hop, Ekko left university where he was studying Psychology to pursue a music career with the support of his friends and family.

Despite his early musical influences, he found himself writing music for a whole different genre. “After I wrote ‘Stay’ that turned something over in me where I realised there is

Interview also something really personal that people can connect to. They really want an emotional song and an emotional delivery.”

Though not quite the Grammy’s, Mikky Ekko has just come off tour supporting Collorado band, One Republic. Having toured the US with Jessie Ware, this was Ekko’s first chance to playing live in the UK. “It’s such a cool testing ground for songs. I get to work out little tweaks here and there and see how people respond to stuff. I just love that exchange.”

CREATIVE SCOTLAND With a new single set for release over the next couple of months and an album scheduled for release in September we can be sure we will be seeing a lot more of Mikky Ekko in the UK over the next year or so. “The new single will be out in just a couple of months. It really is between three singles right now for me.

I’m trying to finish them all at the same time.

For the album, I’m hoping September. I keep pushing it back but it’s only because better songs are coming, not because things aren’t getting finished. It’s been a tug of war but there are worse problems to have.”

One thing yet to be confirmed is whether we will see any more superstar collaborations from Ekko although he has hinted he would love to do a duet with Lana Del Rey who just happens to be working on a new record at the moment.

If “Stay” is anything to go by, Ekko’s new album will promise great things. “For me it’s about keeping it diverse. I want to make sure I’m giving them solid songs and it’s not just like listening to someone bounce of the walls.

At the end of the day, I realise what ties it all together is me and my perspective and how I approach singing.”

C

reative Scotland is delighted to announce £338,177 support to help boost youth arts provision in West Dunbartonshire.

The funding is being announced as part of Scotland’s National Youth Arts Strategy Time To Shine and will be used to create a network of nine regional Youth Arts Hubs from a total funding package of £3.1m, across the country.

The Hubs – in Aberdeen and North East, Argyll, Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, Highlands, Moray and West Dunbartonshire - are being formed through partnerships between local and national arts and youth services providers, to increase access to youth arts across Scotland across a range of art forms.

West Dunbartonshire’s youth support organisation Y Sort It will work with partners to deliver #FreshCreations, a new space for West Dunbartonshire’s young creatives. #FreshCreations is both virtual and physical and connects young people to projects, activities, events and initiatives to inspire and invigorate. #FreshCreations will place young people at the centre of decision making and will make the arts a welcoming, accessible and relevant place to be.

Youth Arts Hub partners for the area include West Dunbartonshire Council Arts & Heritage, CAOS (Community Arts Open Space), Scottish Music Centre: ‘Music Plus’, Media Co-Op, West College Scotland, Tullochan, The Pulse, CAOSYoung Scot, Enable and The Prince’s Trust.

THE BANTER | 45

Opinion

BODY FEVER TAKES THE BISCUIT

I

t’s that time of year again. The nights get lighter, daffodils sprout by the roadside and the sweet scent of sticky hotcross buns fills the crisp air. But along with the arrival of fluffy baby chicks and skipping lambs, spring also gives birth to the nation’s annual obsession – achieving the perfect summer body.

In recent years, the concept of ‘slimming down for summer’ has taken the world by storm, with weight-loss pills, fad-diets and all the other ‘latest things’ keeping the craze alive. In today’s society there is no running – or sprinting or skipping or lunging - from it. Magazines, social networking sites and even cereal boxes are plastered with images of Kim Kardashian and Audrina Partridge showing off their tanned, toned bikini bodies, encouraging women of all ages to ditch the digestives and get their running shoes on. But can these women really be used as ‘thinspiration’ for women? Kim, Audrina and a long string of other celebrated celebrity bodies have undergone cosmetic surgery, whether it is to enhance their breasts, bums or any other part of their body. The truth is that, by covering our fridges with pictures of these women, we are giving ourselves false hope, striving for a ‘perfect body’ that is unattainable – unless of course, you’re willing to fork out thousands of pounds on plastic surgery.

Shockingly, despite the obscene costs and the numerous dangers associated with plastic surgery, the number of procedures being performed per year is growing rapidly, with over 50000 taking place in 2013. And no surprises – around 90% of these were on women. Being compared constantly to perfectly proportioned celebs has left women longing for a quick fix, and it is clear that in order to do this,

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they are willing to go under the knife, putting their lives at risk, all for a bigger bum and a tighter tum.

But it’s not just those opting for surgery whose lives are in danger. It is thought that the number of young people, in particular young females, with anorexia and other eating disorders has risen greatly in the 21st century and shows no signs of slowing down. It would be ignorant to believe that this obsession with ‘operation: bikini bod’ only exists among adults. The mind-set of our nation is seeping into the heads of the younger generation, brainwashing them into believing that everyone should look the same. It is therefore no wonder that anorexia has been said to start as young as 6, with children copying their mothers’ daily rituals of stepping on the scales each morning and counting every calorie they consume. Without realising, we are producing an army of under-confident, self-conscious women who believe that happiness is found in a smaller dress size.

We must take it upon ourselves to make sure that the need to have the perfect body – if there is such a thing – is not the philosophy we pass down to the younger generation.

While it is not my aim to convince anyone that exercise should be avoided or that it is acceptable to feed your vegetables to the dog, I do believe that there are much more important life lessons that we should be teaching them. That beauty comes in many shapes and sizes. That being healthy is more important than being skinny. That life is too short to cut out its small pleasures. The key is to enjoy a little bit of everything – everything in moderation. So I beg you, take the plunge and eat the hot-cross bun. And let your children know that it’s fine – better perhaps – to have it with lots of jam and butter.

BY RHIANN FOWLDS RHODA MORRISON

my boss

believedin me when I didn’t

For someone with a mental health problem, what you do makes a difference. Be there. Be yourself.

People with mental health problems can sometimes be treated unfairly at work. By being supportive of colleagues with mental health problems, you can help change this. You can make a real difference.

LET’S STOP THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILL HEALTH

www.seemescotland.org

Interview

ELYAR FOX INTERVIEW

BY LAURA DONALDSON

F

ollowing in the steps of Justin Bieber and Conor Maynard, Elyar Fox has made a huge name for himself thanks to his YouTube covers. One video, a cover of Bieber’s own ‘Boyfriend’ was noticed by thousands across the world, including American Idol presenter Ryan Seacrest, who tweeted his love for Elyar’s version of the track.

The 18-year-old Londoner is now signed to RCA records and is still reeling from the success of his debut single ‘Do It All Over Again’, which got to number five in the UK charts in January. Despite the fact he’s now excelling as a solo artist, Elyar actually began his music career in a band when he was just 15. “I joined a band in school, we were kind of a pop-punk boy band. We were really into it, doing two gigs a week a some weeks and then after doing that for a year I’d decided that it had to be music or nothing,” he reveals.

The band then went their separate ways and Elyar took a year out of school. He says: “I decided to write some songs and record some demos at home and do some YouTube covers and then things went from there! I left my email below the videos and people started to get in touch and word got about.”

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The teen is now enjoying going it alone, saying: “There’s a lot more control as a solo artist. I like to write my own music so being on my own, it means I can write whatever I want to write.”

Embarking on his career solo, Elyar decided to change his last name from Afshari to Fox. “When I was at school someone called me “foxy” and I said “yeah yeah, I’m Elyar Fox” and I thought it was actually quite catchy so a year later I decided to use it as my stage name,” he says, “Afshari’s a bit long, Fox is snappier!”

The singer got his first big break supporting X Factor boyband Union J on their UK tour, an experience which Elyar says was “incredible”: “The first couple of days I was still finding my feet but after that it was amazing, just so cool.

I’d never played gigs that size before!” He’s now supporting another huge boyband, The Wanted, on their final tour together. Elyar explains how that came about: “I got a text from Tom [Parker of The Wanted] saying “do you want to come on tour” and I was joking like “hmmm let me think about it.””

“I think it definitely helped that I’ve known Tom for a while

Interview

as we’re on the same management and we’ve been out a few times.”

Elyar says he enjoys life one road, even though he’s spent most of the last six months travelling. “I always get inspired for writing when I’m on tour, when you’re stuck in one place it’s really hard to be inspired. I really like it!”, he insists, “I’ve seen so many new places. I always try to remember to do something new in all the places I go.”

In between tours, Elyar squeezed in time to release ‘Do It All Over Again’, he explains the decision to make that track his debut single: “It just felt right at the time. It was in my head a lot and everyone else felt the same way so I thought it must have been the right choice.”

Following the success of the track, Elyar is now gearing up to release his debut album this summer. He says the record has a variety of sounds: “The album has three sides to it. Obviously it is a pop record but there’s a bit more of a party side, the more acoustic side and then a little bit of a rocky side.

Kings of Leon SSE Hydro, Glasgow

20th June

CHVRCHES T in the Park, Balado

11th July

“It’s got a little bit of everything I like and what’s inspired me throughout my life so it’s basically just an album of me!

Elyar worked with some big names on his album including Wayne Hector and Dr Luke but he says he likes to work with his friend Chris who worked on ‘Do It All Over Again’. “We’re just really good friends,” Elyar explains, “When you’re friends with someone it’s so much easier to write a good song, you can just chill.”

Elyar also seems to be following the teen star trend with his fans. Dubbed “Foxers”, fans of the singer are known to be very passionate. Elyar recently did something called a ‘Tweet and Greet’ where he tweeted a location, then headed there and played some acoustic tracks.

“Unfortunately I don’t think I can do them anymore,” he says, “It was really good but it was just too much, it was hard to contain it!”

“I’m so grateful for the support of my fans though, they’re so sweet and they’re always so polite. There have been some crazy situations like when someone tried to break into a cab I was in but in general they’re so nice and so supportive.”

With the support of his fans, his songwriting talent and the exposure that the tour with The Wanted is guaranteed to give him, it looks like Elyar may have what it takes to be a breakout star of 2014. If the career’s of Bieber and Maynard are anything to go by, he might very well have a crazy couple of years ahead of him.

Foxes King Tuts, Glasgow

30th May

Calvin Harris Radio 1 Big Weekend, Glasgow

24th May

David Gray Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

30th June

Kacey Musgraves O2 ABC, Glasgow

8th July

The Pierces Oran Mor, Glasgow

14th June

Snoop Dogg O2 Academy, Glasgow

5th June

THE BANTER | 49

Movies

X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST 12A

FROM 23RD MAY

The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The beloved characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from “X-Men: First Class,” in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.

GODZILLA 12A

FROM 16TH MAY An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

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iCE AGE 4 U

FROM 30TH JUNE

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

One of18TH filmdom’s FROM JULY most beloved trios - “Ice Age’s” Manny, Diego, and Sid - embark upon their greatest adventure after cataclysm sets an entire continent adrift.

Separated the rest ofevolved the herd, theyled use iceberg as a makeshift A growing nationfrom of genetically apes byan Caesar is threatened ship, whichoflaunches them on of anthe epicdevastating seafaring quest.

Manny anda the gang by a band human survivors virus unleashed decade are challenged likeanever become heroes and do as theboth impossible, earlier.

They reach fragilebefore peace,tobut it proves short-lived, sides areas they encounter exoticofsea creatures, a brave and brought to the brink a war that willexplore determine whonew willworld, emerge asbattle Earth’s ruthless pirates.

Scrat’s reunion with his beloved but cursed acorn catapults dominant species. him to places no prehistoric squirrel has gone before..

Movies

COMING SOON

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY FROM 1ST AUGUST

MALEFICENT PG FROM 30TH MAY From Disney comes ‘Maleficent’ – the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the 1959 classic ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land.

Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthful betrayal – an act that begins to turn her heart into stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading King’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora hold the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent’s true happiness as well.

An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe.

To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits--Rocket, a gun-toting

raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer.

But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand--with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

22 JUMP STREET

FROM 6TH JUNE

After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college.

But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don’t have to just crack the case - they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

THE BANTER | 51

Television

GAME OF THRONES

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******WARNING THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS******

y the time you read this, one of the biggest TV phenomenons, if not the biggest will have returned to our screens.

April 7th sees Game of Thrones, the TV adaptation of George R. R Martin’s epic sprawling fantasy series of novels Song of Ice and Fire, return to our screens as the ambitious series begins its fourth season on Sky Atlantic.

Since its premiere in April 2011 the show has slowly seeped in to the cultural zeitgeist, but it wasn’t until season 3 and its penultimate episode “The Rains of Castamere” which contained the infamous Red Wedding that has seen the show explode into the mainstream.

The show has broken all kind of records, the season one box set sold 350,000 units in the first seven days of its release, the largest first-week DVD sales ever for an HBO series and also set an HBO series record for digital download sales.

The release of the second season box set seen First-day sales again break HBO records, with 241,000 box sets sold and 355,000 episodes downloaded and the season three box set racked up £5.4 million in sales and was one of Amazon’s biggest ever TV pre-order titles.

It isn’t just traditional means in which Game of Thrones excels, fittingly about a show about corruption and betrayal – it is the most pirated TV show in the last three years, with 52 | THE BANTER

one episode downloaded about 4,280,000 times through public BitTorrent trackers in 2012, about equal to the number of broadcast viewers that watch the show as it airs on American cable channel HBO. It has even lead to the creation of new languages (Dothraki and Valyrian) and even new words, such as “sexposition”, a term that was developed as the first season was guilty of having frequent scenes in which characters explain their motives or background while having sex with prostitutes gave rise to the term “sexposition” - the practice of providing exposition against a backdrop of sex and nudity. It has also led to some strange tie-in merchandise, ranging from bobbleheads, beer and $30,000 replicas of the show’s Iron Throne.

One of the main surprises of the show’s popularity is that prior to it’s airing , it was dismissed and patronized by critics, with the New York Times describing the show as “boy fiction patronisingly turned out to reach the population’s other half”, before concluding: “If you’re not averse to the Dungeons & Dragons aesthetic, the series might be worth the effort.”

Prior to airing in 2011, the show was being described as “The Sopranos meets Middle-earth”, with the links to the New Jersey mob saga taking prominence over JRR Tolkien’s epic tale. The mantra it seemed for the marketing

of the show was: don’t mention the fantasy. Despite the substantial success of fantasy movie franchises such as Harry Potter and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, fantasy is still a bad word in some circles.

Television

Fantasy may be a bad word but since its premiere Game of Thrones has just went from strength to strength with Sean Bean front and centre of season one’s promotional campaign; many viewers were attracted to the show to see the legendary British actor but then King Joffrey chopped of his head…

Yes, they killed of the biggest star and the main focal point of the show’s first season in the penultimate episode of the season.

Game of Throne’s tone was set.

Then that tone was escalated with character after character being killed off – no matter how important they seemed to the show.

Starks, Kings, Warriors, Children, Night’s Watch, Dothraki all killed in a manner of gruesome ways, it seems the show’s and George R. R Martin’s mantra is “no one is safe.” Ned Stark’s death put that mantra in place but the show’s infamous “Red Wedding” in season three carved it into stone.

Season four will see us return to Westeros and see where the events of the “Red Wedding” have left our warring families and the introduction of some new face among them the man nicknamed “The Red Viper” – Oberyn Martell.

Chilean actor Pedro Pascal has been cast as Prince Oberyn Martell, a man that isn’t the biggest fan of The Lannisters: “This was a tough one”, said showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss about the casting. “The Red Viper is sexy and charming, yet believably dangerous; intensely likable, yet driven by hate. The boys love him, the girls love him, and he loves them all back. Unless your last name is Lannister.

We found a fellow who can handle the job description and make it seem effortless. He wasn’t easy to find and he won’t be easy to stop”.

Other new additions include Indira Varma cast as Ellaria Sand, the paramour of Prince Oberyn Martell and Roger Ashton-Griffiths, who joins the cast in the role of Mace Tyrell.

Roles that were recast for season 4 include Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis. Huisman replaces Ed Skrein, who portrayed the character in season 3 and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson was cast as Ser Gregor Clegane, called “The Mountain”. Hafþór replaces Ian Whyte, who portrayed the character in season 2.

With news breaking that Game of Thrones has been renewed by HBO for a season five and six and creator George R. R Martin starting rumours about an epic movie to end it all, it seems fantasy may no longer be a bad word.

THE BANTER | 53

Feature

POLICE SCOTLAND YOUTH VOLUNTEER PROJECT LAUNCHED

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IMAGE // IAIN FLEMING/POLICE SCOTLAND

ore than 100 pioneering youth volunteers from Police Scotland have been recognised by the Chief Constable and are set to serve their communities after a passing out parade.

The 24 young people from Ayrshire took part in a volunteering pilot programme at Dumfries House, Cumnock. They were previously recognised by HRH Prince Charles, the Duke of Rothesay.

The event, held at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan, was attended by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House QPM, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and the family and friends of the youth volunteers.

Sergeant Craig Rankine, National Programme Manager of Police Scotland Youth Volunteers, said: “The PSYV represents a fantastic and unique opportunity for young people across Scotland to become involved in positive volunteering opportunities nationwide.

Five groups of volunteers, who came from communities in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Cumnock were recognised.

The project has been carried out between Police Scotland, charity Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland, the national agency for youth work.

“This is a bespoke initiative designed to provide positive opportunities and destinations for the young people involved and represents a significant commitment by Police Scotland to engage positively with young people in the communities which we serve.

All the volunteers participated in a range of activities aimed at instilling values of citizenship and public service over a 12-week induction period.

“We have also linked all of our future volunteering opportunities to national awards such as Duke of Edinburgh, Saltire and Youth achievement awards, to ensure our young people gain the appropriate recognition for their efforts as the programme develops.”

Training included working with police officers and teachers to learn about the rank and structure of the police as well as a range of specialist functions.

Louise Macdonald, Chief Executive at Young Scot, said:

It is anticipated that many of the volunteers will have the opportunity to deploy at the Commonwealth Games later this year as well as the Junior Ryder Cup in September.

A pilot youth volunteer scheme was previously held involving young people from two school communities from Cumnock and Auchinleck Academies.

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“Young Scot are delighted to be working in partnership with Police Scotland and our colleagues at YouthLink Scotland to give young people from a wide range of backgrounds the opportunity to gain an insight into Policing in Scotland. It will help to deepen engagement between the Police and young people, increasing dialogue and breaking down barriers, as well as leading to exciting new opportunities for young people over the coming months.