This month in Upset Riot!
4. THE WONDER YEARS 8. ARCANE ROOTS 10. VANS WARPED TOUR 12. DEFEATER 13. FOXING
About to Break
14. THE WINTER PASSING 15. MUSKETS
Reading & Leeds 2015
16. FIDLAR 26. PVRIS 28. FRANK CARTER 32. AMERICAN FOOTBALL 34. AGAINST ME! 38. FRANK TURNER 40. PIERCE THE VEIL 42. RADKEY 44. NECK DEEP 48. DON BROCO 50. MARMOZETS 51. FRANK IERO
Rated
52. ALBUM REVIEWS 58. LIVE REVIEWS
upsetmagazine.com Editorial: editorial@upsetmagazine.com Stockist enquiries: stockists@upsetmagazine.com Advertising: advertising@upsetmagazine.com This month’s edition of Upset is brought to you by... Ali Shutler, Ben Tipple, Emma Matthews, Emma Swann, Heather McDaid, Jessica Bridgeman, Louise Mason, Phil Smithies, Ryan De Freitas, Sarah Louise Bennett, Sarah Jamieson, Stephen Ackroyd, Tom Connick, Will Richards, Viki Sinden All material copyright (c). All rights reserved.This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of Upset. Disclaimer:While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which Upset holds no responsibility.The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Upset or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. 3
Riot! THE LOWDOWN ON EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK.
The
WONDER YEARS
DAN ‘SOUPY’ CAMPBELL WAS LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION. AND THEN IT HIT HIM. MOVE FORWARDS AT ALL COSTS. WITH THEIR NEW ALBUM, THE WONDER YEARS ARE SET TO CHANGE EVERYTHING, FOR THE BETTER. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER.
“I’m no closer to heaven but I’m going to keep walking.”
S
itting on the front step of his house, shaking slightly in the November chill despite a winter coat, Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell was writing in a notebook trying to figure out his next record. “I just couldn’t sit inside any more,” he reflects. “[I was] just sitting there and writing. Not even writing lyrics, just ruminating on the concepts. There were three pages filled with what in the world was frustrating me and then trying to hone in on why that was happening and how I could fix it. All of a sudden it just popped out. I ended up writing this line, ‘I’m no closer to heaven, but I’m going to keep walking’. Shit, I get it now,” Dan remembers. That moment of clarity spearheading the emotional
and progressive charge that is the fifth The Wonder Years album, ‘No Closer To Heaven’. “It’s about the idea that we should be striving for progress at every turn and that we shouldn’t be resting on our understanding. It’s almost scientific and I really think people are going to love it.” Talking during one of his rare off days from the Warped Tour - “It’s the hardest tour to do; really, really exhausting, but it’s always rewarding to work hard” - Dan is “incredibly, unbelievably excited” about the imminent album. “Every time I get to show somebody new, I get like a giddy child. I can’t wait for you to hear it,” he starts. He’s less nervous than normal ahead of its release and for good reason. “We’re really confident that this is inarguably and unequivocally our best record. There’s not even a shadow of doubt in my mind - I know we put everything we had into it. I
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we are at that time in our lives. We just want to make a record that you’re going to love but also one you can grow with.”
know it’s our best record yet and I know that’s all we can do. We’ve made a really, really great record,” he enthuses. “I don’t mean that to sound really cocky at all but I’m confident it’s our best work to date, I’m confident our fans are going to love it and I’m confident that some people who didn’t like our band before are going to love it. Honestly it’s been hard for me not to leak the record myself, I’m so excited for people to hear it,” he adds with a smirk. “We’re not offering answers. I hope people understand that we’re not going to get everything right. We are not the gospel for anything but hopefully we can point you in the right direction and that’s what we’re doing with this record. At no point do we feel like we’re offering solutions, what we’re doing is trying to show you the questions. Whether it’s about pharmaceutical sales and the abuse of prescription drugs, systemic racism and class and privilege, manhood, violence and abuse or losing a friend to a tragic accident; it goes from those issues to how you handle relationships. How you handle being loved, loving 6 upsetmagazine.com
someone in return and how you’re there for the people who need you in life. Whether it’s about any of those things, we’re not here to tell you the answer, we’re saying start thinking about the question and maybe you can be the solution to it.” The idea of progress that sits so eloquently at the heart of
Closer To Heaven’ is the next bound forward. “We’re really confident the record delivers in a way that hopefully exceeds expectations,” continues Dan. “I feel like we’ve expanded on what the expectation of the genre could be. Maybe that’s a little heavy or high concept but if we’re not setting out to do that, why are we setting out?” he questions. There’s no
“This is inarguably and unequivocally our best record.” DAN ‘SOUPY’ CAMPBELL the album, is also the beating engine behind The Wonder Years themselves. “We’re only really willing to go in and make a record if we can look at each other and say, ‘This is the best thing we’ve ever done’. That’s the only way we want to make a record.” Since the band formed a decade ago, it’s something they’ve always managed despite the impressive strides and admiration every one of their releases has seen. ‘No
need to worry about the band jumping the shark though. “We don’t want to write something that doesn’t even sound like us. We don’t want people to hear it and go, ‘Well I like The Wonder Years but I don’t know what the fuck this is’. There’s a fine line to walk but why plug your guitar in if you’re just going to say ‘I’m going to write something that’s ok and I’m going to be done with it.’ We’re trying to write a record that’s honest to who
Steady growth is something The Wonder Years have endured. On 6th July this year, the band were set to celebrate their tenth anniversary with a special set at the Warped Tour but it was cancelled due to rain. It’s something Dan called the “most Wonder Years thing I can imagine.” Even on the brink of their next step forward, he can’t help but look back. “We were set to play in Jacksonville, Florida and I’m standing on the Warped Tour main stage thinking, ‘The first time we played this city, we played someone’s living room and it was too small for us so our keyboard player played in the kitchen.’” It’s the same story across America, Europe and the world. “It’s a trip, it’s never not a trip,” Dan promises. “It’s never not strange for us and we can never forget the journey.” As the band look forward, their goals are the same as ever. “Really small, achievable, incremental goals,” explains Dan. “We want to play the next biggest room and we’d like to play a few places we never played before. It’s just one step at a time.” The band ticked off Alaska and New Zealand recently from their ‘to do’ list but it’s not just geographical advancements that are afoot. “A big thing for this record is that it’s a lot of songs that I was too afraid to write before,” starts Dan. “There’s a lot of topics that I was either too afraid to confront because I was afraid
of what it would do to me as a person to face these painful memories again, or what it would do to the people in the stories that I‘m telling, or if it would be too polarising for people for me to be this open and candid.” However Dan took lessons learnt from 2014’s Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties side project and brought them to The Wonder Years. “For the sake of argument, one is fact and one is fiction but they were still having these really similar impacts on people and I realised it’s because of this honesty in both of them. Even though The Wonder Years stories were true and the Aaron West stories were made up, they were still coming from emotional places. I could take a story that actually happened to me or to someone I cared about and either composite it with other stories that happened or obscure details. I’m still telling a true story but telling it in a way that I‘m comfortable with. In that way, I’m able to write more honest songs because I’m writing about the things I was afraid of before.” The Wonder Years set themselves a heady task in trying to follow-up 2013’s ‘The Greatest Generation’ and while the band are confident they’ve achieved it, it wasn’t without struggle. “Sometimes you have to go through writer’s block and depression that cycles from the writer’s block, and writer’s block that cycles from depression. At times you really fucking dislike yourself and your inability to create something of value,” explains Dan candidly. “You argue with yourself and argue with your loved ones because you’re so upset at how bad a job you think you’re doing. I went through lots of that, of really disliking myself in trying to write this record because I wasn’t saying the things I was wanted to,” he admits. “But once we broke through that, we got to the other end.The end product is worth the toil that went into it.”
TWY ON..
Getting older… “We’re not 22 anymore, I’m 29 years old and we’re going to listen to our bodies. The last thing we want to do is walk on stage and half ass a show. If you come and see The Wonder Years, we want to put on the show you deserve. We’re just going to listen to ourselves and we’re going to go out there and listen to our bodies, physically and emotionally, and ask ourselves, do we feel good about the amount of touring we’re doing? And if we don’t, we’re going to pare it back. We don’t want to walk onstage angry, jaded, sore or too tired to jump. We want you to get a great show everyday.” Touring with Enter Shikari… “We got asked if we would do it and we were like ‘Well, are their fans going to hate us?’ We don’t sound anything like Enter Shikari and maybe they will, but we asked all of our friends when we were over for Slam Dunk. We asked everyone we could find ‘What do you think about us touring with Shikari?’, and everyone said ‘Oh fuck yeah, do that’.” Returning to Ally Pally… “I’m excited to play Ally Pally. We did it with UK Warped Tour but it was so rushed. I remember being really upset with how I played that day. We didn’t have time to dial in the monitors and I couldn’t hear anything. Somebody was checking their guitars next to us and I could hear them more than I could hear my own band play. I just really wanted to put on a great set, and I feel like we could have done better so I’m going to redeem myself this time. Alexandra Palace, I’m putting them on notice, I’m going to put on a great show.”
“[The band] put a lot of trust in me to deliver lyrically which added to the issue of writer’s block because if I don’t deliver, I’m letting down my best friends,” offers Dan. “We can help each other when it comes to writing music but with lyrics, I’m out there on my own. They can give me encouragement and support but, in a way, it feels like you’re on an island. They put a lot of trust in me to deliver, and all of them have come up to me separately since we finished this record and said ‘You really did do what you needed to do’. Casey [Cavaliere, guitarist] called me after listening to the mix and said ‘I was listening to ‘I Just Wanted So Badly To Be Brave’ and for the first time ever during a The Wonder Years song, I just started crying when it hit the bridge’. It’s cool for me to know they stand behind the things that I’m
writing.” ‘No Closer To Heaven’ is “about dealing with the idea that nothing’s really perfect. It’s more about the idea of striving for it than reaching it. People are usually so set in their ways and I think that’s really detrimental. Maybe I’ll never reach heaven, but I’m going to keep walking. I’m going to keep trying, to get better with every step and if I fuck up and take ten steps backwards, that’s ok because I’m going to pick those ten steps up,” Dan enthuses. “I’m going to keep working towards being the best that I can be and impacting the world, the best way that I can.” P Read the full interview at upsetmagazine.com.The Wonder Years’ album ‘No Closer To Heaven’ will be released on 4th September.
Need to know...
THE TWILIGHT SAD RETURN WITH STRIPPED-BACK LP A year since the release of their fourth album, ‘Nobody Wants To Be Here and Nobody Wants To Leave’, The Twilight Sad are back with a with a new offering, ‘Òran Mór Session’. The LP features strippedback versions of tracks from the record, as well as reworked songs and b-sides. It’s due for release on 16th October. MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK IN ‘PANIC STATIONS’ Motion City Soundtrack will release their sixth studio album, ‘Panic Stations’, on 18th September through Epitaph. The album was recorded live in June 2014, and was produced by John Agnello at Seedy Underbelly North in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. FIDLAR HIT THE ROAD FIDLAR have announced a huge UK tour in support of their forthcoming second album ‘Too’, due for release on 4th September. The run will kick off at the O2 Academy in Bristol on 10th November, going on to call at Manchester, Glasgow, London and Birmingham. 7
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Arcane Roots: “The riffs are bigger than they’ve ever been.” Need to know...
EVERY TIME I DIE ANNOUNCE EXTRA LONDON SHOW After their three night residency in London sold out within seconds, Every Time I Die have announced an extra London show, which will take place at the Old Blue Last on 21st November. “Intimate venues, cold pints, good mates. Don’t miss out. These gigs will be ledge,” promised frontman Keith Buckley. GNARWOLVES AND WOAHNOWS PLOT SEPTEMBER UK TOUR Gnarwolves have announced details of a small UK tour set for this September, on which they’ll be supported by Woahnows and Broadbay. The run will kick off on the 9th at Newcastle’s Think Tank, culminating a week later at the Horn in St Albans.Visit upsetmagazine.com for details. 8 upsetmagazine.com
‘I
Arcane Roots move heaven and earth for their new EP.
f Nothing Breaks, Nothing Moves’ is an apt title for Arcane Roots’ comeback single. Months of silence and the announcement that founding member Daryl Atkins would be taking a step back from live duties threw doubts over the band’s future, but rest assured, Arcane Roots are back. Their new EP ‘Heaven and Earth’ is set for release in October, and the first single, ‘If Nothing Breaks, Nothing Moves’ is a bold reminder of the band’s power. “We’ve got the opportunity for a clean slate,” starts Andrew Groves, Arcane Roots’ vocalist and guitarist. “When we started, we were just pushing ahead the entire time, trying to get to where we wanted to be. As a band, doing anything and everything we could to get to the next step but it was nice to stand back and ask, ‘What are the dreams we had at the beginning?’ We could just float for a second and revaluate what we wanted to do,” he continues. “It’s been nice to go away and be envious. Watching other bands do well has shaped this record really well, we’re hungry for it again.” That evaluation has resulted in a five track EP featuring “some of the heaviest stuff we’ve ever done,” Andrew declares. “The main thing for us was to take that and not make it too angular. Simplify, but makes things harder at the same time. The riffs are bigger than they’ve ever been, but I want to be even cleverer with them. Even with [debut album] ‘Blood & Chemistry’, where we felt like we’d got the formula correct, there’s still loads of awkward moments where you can watch people get kicked off the train live.” From ‘If Nothing Moves, Nothing Breaks’, an opening track that sees Andrew lay all his concerns about the live show on the table, to the likes of ‘When Did The Taste Leave Your Mouth’ - “easily the most poppy, KT Tunstall
influenced song” - and ‘Leaving’, which allows the band to “lean back on the music, look into the audience and remind ourselves that we’re playing a gig with our best friends,” ‘Heaven and Earth’ is dictated by playing live. “As a songwriter, if I’m not being myself, what am I doing here? I can’t keep writing music for other people. We wanted to have something that was more reflective of the live show and makes you want to dance. This tour has been really instrumental in that, the way we’ve been playing and the relationship we have on stage.” The relationship within the band has been solidified with this new outlook but the Kingston Upon Thames band, having just signed to Sony, have a new relationship to indulge in. “It felt like they really understood what we wanted to do. We want someone to really look after the stuff we’ve worked on. Sometimes it felt like we were doing stuff and it was just disappearing into the ether,” admits Andrew. “Much like any new relationship, you want to show off to each other.” “It feels like we’ve been waiting for permission to do these things and now we’re in the position, we can just do them. We don’t need permission,” he states. “All the things we’ve worked towards with the other music, we finally got that right this time round. The chemistry is correct and we’re finally working towards being the band we want to be. It’s really exciting,” he gushes. “This EP feels like the start. I’m so excited to start work on the album, which will hopefully be this year as well. I feel like we’re all doing the best we can on this record. It’s really nice to not feel modest about it, that’s the good thing. I’m so proud of it.” P Arcane Roots’ EP ‘Heaven and Earth’ will be released on 16th October.
Charlie Barnes
More Stately Mansions
Matt Skiba & The Sekrets
Vennart
Big Morbid Death Pop!
KUTS
“a trickling rivulet that gathers emotional momentum, eventually leaving you gasping for breath without you even knowing why.” – The Line of Best Fit
The latest album from the Alkaline Trio frontman, featuring Hunter Burgan (AFI) & Jarrod Alexander (ex-My Chemical Romance)
UK Tour: 23/11 Bodega, Nottingham 24/11 Bush Hall, London 25/11 Deaf Institute, Manchester 26/11 King Tuts, Glasgow 27/11 The Hop, Wakefield
– Out Now –
– Out Now –
– Out Now –
The Demon Joke New solo album by former OCEANSIZE-singer and long-time Biffy Clyro live guitarist Mike Vennart
Photo: Jessica Flynn
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International mates club:
Vans Warped Tour Our Warped Squad - PVRIS, Candy Hearts, Moose Blood, PUP, Citizen - talk making friends and playing rock shows. Words: ALI SHUTLER.
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summer away from home is the perfect opportunity to broaden your social circle, and for several bands on Vans Warped Tour 2015 - PVRIS, Citizen, Candy Hearts, Moose Blood and PUP - it’s quickly turned into an International Mates Club. “This is the craziest tour we’ve ever done and that is both exciting and exhausting all in one,” explains PUP’s Steve Sladowski. “It’s hot and exhausting, but we are enjoying ourselves,” continues Jake Duhaime from Citizen. “Not sure who told you we were having a ‘blast’ though. Ha. That’s a tad exaggerated,” he adds. 10 upsetmagazine.com
“The tour’s going great,” starts Moose Blood’s Eddy Brewerton. “But we’re very homesick!” It’s a feeling Candy Hearts’ Mariel Loveland can relate to. “I’m definitely a bit homesick.” “It’s definitely gruelling,” admits PVRIS’ Lynn Gunn. “A lot of work, a lot of heat, a lot of sweat, a lot of rehydration but you learn to roll with it eventually and you get into the system and it’s not too bad.” The Warped system involves stage times being announced on the day. It’s a unique quirk that puts all the bands on a level pegging but also gives their day a sense of instability. “Initially it’s something that you think might be a little strange,” explain Moose Blood, “But once you get used to the set
up it’s totally fine. We’re up early anyway so we’re never caught off by an early set time.” “It dictates everything,” add Citizen. “Par for the course I suppose. It’s when I have to miss a meal that hurts me most.” “Sometimes if we have a later set time, it affects our driving and sleeping patterns. Since we are driving ourselves in our van, a late set time can mean the difference between sleeping in a hotel and sleeping in a van depending on the length of the drive,” reason PUP. Sleep is also an issue for Candy Hearts. “It affects if I have to roll out of bed and run to the stage or if I can chill. Playing late feels really weird sometimes, I prefer to play at like 11 in the morning I think (even if I’m half asleep).”
Warped Tour stretches over forty dates, so day to day life quickly falls into a pencil drawn routine. “Well it’s different for each of us,” ventures Candy Hearts. “Typically we pull up an hour before load in. The guys wake up and get breakfast and our merch guy sets up our merch display. We find out when we are playing then I decide if I can sleep more or wake up. I go shower and eat - find coffee somewhere - while the boys load in our gear to the stage. We set up and play, then after I go to our tent and meet anyone who wants to meet us. Then usually I do press sometime during the day, watch bands, hang out in folding chairs around someone’s trailer then go to the next city!”
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discoveries whenever possible. The Dirty Nil and Lee Corey Oswald are always great – but we already knew that – and new friends Citizen, Moose Blood, and the comedians are all incredible,” start PUP. Of course, it seems foolish not to ask our squad what they think of each other. “We’ve seen all of them,” they continue. “We share a stage with Moose Blood and PVRIS (before PVRIS were deservedly bumped up to main stage), so we see them all the time. Same goes with Citizen, who play EDDY the Right Foot Stage and are a must-see band at the festival. Candy Hearts we haven’t seen as often, but we’ve spent many days with our merch tents and vans side-byside just shooting the shit.”
Glenn play drums and Eddy talk in his accent. Is that a bad reason to like watching a band? PUP have this amazing energy I can’t help but love and PVRIS... well Lynn’s voice is absolutely killer and she’s an excellently engaging front woman. I love love love watching their band play! All those bands have had massive, awesome crowds!” PVRIS are creating excitement with every show so it’s no
now it ain’t a thing. It’s virtually impossible not to hang out with other bands. The festival may seem big as an attendee, but as soon as you spend time loading in and out and seeing other bands, you make friends over dinner and shows and shared frustrations.” “I’ve finally made some friends,” says Mariel, who was worried about it going into the tour. “Makes me feel a lot better about being out on the road so long. My band jokes about how I never hang out with them because I’m always out making friends!”
“It’s really nice meeting new people, especially people in bands that you really like”
“Every morning two of us unload the trailer, two of us flyer,” say Moose Blood. “Ollie, our TM, sets up merch, goes to production for set times and press then day sheets are sorted out. We’ll arrive at the stage an hour before we’re due to play, do a rock show then pack our stuff back into the trailer. We try to watch bands when we can, we love watching Transit, Citizen, Mallory Knox, PVRIS, While She Sleeps, Night Riots and The Wonder Years. In between all that we’ll get ourselves to catering, do some press and hang around merch. There might be a nap involved here and there. “ With eighty bands and a host of comedians performing every day, there’s plenty of opportunities for artists to step away from the stage and just enjoy the festival. “We try to see our friends play every day and try to make new
“I’ve met a lot of those people and they all seem very sweet,” offers Citizen’s Jake Duhaime. “I’ve seen the ones on our stage play plenty of times and always enjoy it. On a festival where our sound is in the deep minority, I’d say we identify most with some of the bands mentioned here. At least in one form or another. Going into the tour, I knew who PVRIS were but didn’t really care. Seeing them live is such a force. It won me over fast. They’ve been doing a really awesome job. Everyone loves it,” he continues. “Yes to all of the above,” enthuse Moose Blood. “Citizen sound so huge it’s crazy, and PVRIS literally kill it every day! They’ve been bumped to main stage for the rest of the tour which is incredible.” “I watch Moose Blood nearly every day,” starts Mariel. “I was also really impressed by Transit and PVRIS. For Moose Blood I think they’re all just adorable people and I like watching
BREWERTON, MOOSE BLOOD surprise their free time is limited. “We haven’t been able to watch too many other bands because our schedules are so busy and they overlap with people, but we’ve been watching the Mallory Knox guys a lot, they’re really good friends of ours, and I’m really into Moose Blood. The whole tour’s been awesome and we’re making a lot of friends,” she says. “We all hang out, we all have different friends in different bands but I feel like everyone’s super close on Warped Tour. There are so many different friends in different bands that you wouldn’t expect. I’ve been hanging out with Beau Bokan from Blessthefall a lot. We have a bike gang together, so we bike and we walk around and get ice cream or go to Starbucks, little things like that are pretty fun. We’ve made some friends, which us cool.” PUP joined the party a week late but quickly caught up. “The only tough part was getting into a rhythm alongside a group of people with an already-established rhythm. However everyone is friendly, welcoming, and accommodating because they know we’re all in this together. We adjusted in no time and
“It’s really nice meeting new people, especially people in bands that you really like,” says Eddy. “We’ve got some friends on the tour which is great too. It’s awesome getting to see the Man Overboard and Major League boys again, and us and Mallory are never too far from each other, we get on so well with those boys, it’s lovely having them around.” “We stick pretty close to our own squad,” explain Citizen. “There are Warped BBQs that you’re supposed to “mingle” at, but it’s not exactly our vibe. Having said that, we’ve met plenty of really nice people in bands who are a lot different from our own. We’re not exactly looking for new friends, but if it’s genuine and comes naturally, I’m all for it.” “Everyone’s super family orientated and welcoming,” concludes Lynn Gunn. “There’s that ‘my house is your house’ mentality and that’s how our band is. We’re very family based and it’s definitely the same through the majority of the tour. It’s super awesome and hard to come by.” P Read more updates from PVRIS, Candy Hearts, Moose Blood, PUP and Citizen from the Vans Warped Tour on upsetmagazine.com now. 11
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Defeater embrace natural progression with new album ‘Abandoned’ They may have moved to Epitaph, but Derek Archambault isn’t trying to make Defeater “blow up”. Words: ALI SHUTLER.
“W
e’re still the same fucking band, we’re just on a different label now,” states Derek Archambault, defiantly. When Defeater announced their move from Bridge 9 to Epitaph earlier this year, the punk purists came a-calling. “We definitely got a lot of flack from people who… who knows what the fuck they think,” the vocalist reflects. “We were getting called sell outs from people thinking we were jumping ship. Chris [Wren, Bridge 9’s owner] put it very well. He said, ‘Dude, it’s not a lateral move. You’re not moving to another label of the same size, it’s just natural progression,’ which is a weird thing for me to even say.
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conviction. “It’s not something we ever thought we’d get to do with our band. We thought we’d just put out a record, tour on it and then probably break up, because that’s what bands do,” he reasons. “We got lucky.” The first point of business at their new home of Epitaph is to release their fourth studio album ‘Abandoned’. The record carries on the narrative of a New Jersey family struggling post-World War II, this time from the perspective of a lapsed Catholic priest. The storyline has run through their whole back catalogue but a question about the limitations of this device is met with a resounding no. “In my head, these characters are living and breathing,” Derek states with absolute
“They’re meant to just be a vessel for the listener,” he explains. “I’ve heard a lot of different spins on the story and people taking very different things away. People connecting with it at all is incredible to me.” “There’s definitely stuff written from a personal influence, but it’s meant to be for the everyman. I’ve pulled that influence from my favourite songwriters.” A humble disclaimer about not comparing himself to ‘The Boss’ is quickly shared before he continues. “The stuff I’ve taken from Springsteen is that it might seem like an incredibly personal song and it’s extremely affecting, but when it comes down to it,
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though. We’re all happier with the results. We’re actually functioning as a band now,” he adds with a smile. “Before things were hectic. We were doing everything by the seat of our pants and not putting forth the effort we should have. Now, we’ve been able to take the time and actually write as a band. It only took us five years but we’re much more of a real band now,” he continues. “We’ve practiced maybe ten times in the past six and a half years so we’re not normal. Everyone’s talented enough that we can just show up and everyone can play their parts.”
he’s just telling a story. He’s just really good at writing for the everyman. That’s why people connect so deeply with his music, they feel like it was written for them. That’s what I want to convey.” Defeater’s audience has always felt connected to the band; from 2008’s ‘Travels’ to last year’s ‘Letters Home’, but it hasn’t always mirrored the band behind it. “We’ve hit a couple of rough patches where not everyone in the band was happy,” says Derek, “We were all much more involved with this new record and the last one
Sitting backstage at Download Festival, interrupted by the offer of a ride to the stage while bassist Mike Poulin sits on a plastic chair eating food from a paper plate, Derek comments that being here is really strange for him. In a few hours, he’ll be commanding a packed tent. Even a guest appearance by Beratooth’s Caleb Shomo won’t detract from his captivating power. “I never saw our band getting to this point,” he repeats. “I’ve toured the UK and Europe with one of my old bands and that was mind-blowing. I knew it was attainable but not on this grand a scale. It’s very surreal.” Even with ‘Abandoned’ being gifted a larger platform through Epitaph, Derek has no burning desire to force Defeater to the next level. “I’m content here. I’m not trying to blow up or turn our band into anything bigger than it is. Whatever happens naturally happens but we’re not trying to play the main stage. At the root of it, we’re still just a bunch of idiot hardcore kids who want to relive our youth.” P Defeater’s album ‘Abandoned’ will be released on 28th August.
Foxing: “We’re trying to make everything a step forward” With second album ‘Dealer’ out later this year, the St Louis emos are constantly evolving. Words: WILL RICHARDS.
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hat does a small, largely DIY band do when every ounce of their equipment is stolen mid-tour? “We just had to carry on”, explains Foxing bassist Josh Coll. “It’s all we could do”.
our fans will do for us.”
When the band’s van was broken into in July, half way through a jaunt with mewithoutYou, the future of their tour, of future tours, and of their year as a band, had no certainty. “Luckily, this UK and European run with Tigers Jaw was never in doubt because we’re renting stuff out here, but for the remainder of the mewithoutYou tour, and for everything in the US from here on in, we were – and are - still rebuilding,” explains vocalist Conor Murphy.
This UK and European tour in support of Tigers Jaw is a chance for Foxing to see out the era of ‘The Albatross’, while also looking ahead to new album ‘Dealer’ and the future. Speaking to the band on only their second night on the continent, they’re already picking up differences between the crowds and communities this side of the Atlantic, as Hellwig details. “The crowds here actually listen to what you’re saying in between songs, where in America you have to shout to get a word in! We’re still trying to get to grips with the way things work over here, but so many of our friends in bands have toured here and have an extremely high opinion of the scene.”
One thing the band have taken from their misfortune is an appreciation for the kindness of fans and the DIY community. “Within minutes of us posting online about the theft, we had fans from all over the world offering us help, equipment and money to get us back on our feet. It’s something we’re so appreciative of. Our feelings turned from despair to a wonderful realisation of what
When the band return from Europe, they’re heading out on another long US tour after a short break, before the campaign for ‘Dealer’ begins. “Finally coming over to Europe is huge for us, so with this finally ticked off, and with a new appreciation for actually even being able to carry on doing this, we’re just trying to make everything a step forward and keep on progressing.” P 13
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The Winter Passing It’s tough making an impact when you’re from somewhere famed for being a long way away, but this Tipperary, Ireland five-piece are putting themselves on the map. Words: BEN TIPPLE
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or Irish indiepunk outfit The Winter Passing, the summer months are truly underway; both physically and metaphorically. With a style inferenced by their melancholic moniker, their beautifully sombre sounds have recently led to international attention, not least a contract with Stateside label 6131 Records alongside FITA Records at home. “Life for the band right now is really cool,” vocalist and guitarist Rob Flynn opens up, perhaps underplaying the band’s current trajectory. “We’ve been busy,” he adds. “We do as much as we can, a lot of behind the scenes stuff too. We’re happy to be active with the band right now, the shows have been great to
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play and we are excited for everything else coming up this year.” With the first half of 2015 already proving fruitful – no pun intended on the band’s most recent single, ‘Fruits of Gloom’ – The Winter Passing have a long-awaited album release looming. “We’ve been sitting on the record for about a year now,” Rob offers with an air of frustration. “We ran into some technical issues earlier in the year pushing the release back to September instead of May, but hey we’re almost there now!” “You see, when we finished tracking the record we began to move with the release with FITA Records in the UK, but once 6131 expressed their interest in releasing the record we held it back a bit, worked
some stuff out and set the original release date of May,” he recalls, “but there was an issue at the pressing plant which forced us to push the date back later into the year.” Providing the band the necessary time to settle into their current situations, Rob remains positive over the unexpected delays. “Looking back at it now, it was for the best and we’re in a good place now for releasing it,” he admits. ‘A Different Space Of Mind’ has been formed by the band’s insular experience. Fronted by a brother and sister duo, with Kate Flynn joining Rob at the band’s core, the record lays on the foundation of shared experience. “Our roots; where we came from,” Rob offers when questioned on the
driving force behind the sound. “We all grew up together in a small town in Ireland and all have a similar passion for music. The record is an interpretation of our lives and experiences, sonically.” Hailing from Tipperary, a town with a population little over the five thousand mark in the middle of Ireland, a scene for these music lovers was all but non-existent. Dublin has quickly emerged as the band’s musical home. “We’re fortunate enough to have support from a bunch of people in different cities in a bunch of different places,” he explains. “Most of my favourite musicians and bands are ones I get to see and play with on a somewhat regular basis.” For Rob, it’s an exciting time to be Irish. Citing Girl Band
A BOUT TO B REA K
“It is hard for any band anywhere to get noticed.” ROB FLYNN and September Girls as a couple of examples, the spread from Ireland towards international success is increasing. “In the major cities there is no lack of scenes, some are bigger than others but they exist,” he imparts. “It is hard for any band anywhere to get noticed by record labels or management people in the music industry I feel. It all comes down to the band’s work ethic and vision. For us, we are fortunate enough to have support from two great labels, but we wouldn’t have been given these opportunities if we didn’t just get out on the road and tour. Through touring, we met a lot of people who have helped push this band forward.” It is the consistent touring, according to Rob, that sparked interest from FITA and in turn 6131. Having signed to the latter on Christmas Eve last year, followed by some copious alcohol consumption, many doors have now been opened for The Winter Passing; doors which they are more than ready to step through. “If anything, I think signing to both labels has kept the direction of the band solid,” he concludes. “We weren’t sure what we were going to do next before the labels got involved. Now we’re more focused on working on new music, idea and moving forward with The Winter Passing.” P
Muskets
With their new EP ‘Spin’ now gracing stereos worldwide, the Brighton punk-rockers reflect on the influence of their surroundings and keep their eyes glued firmly to the road. Words: TOM CONNICK
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righton has long been known for its artistic side. From the numerous venues that make up its annual Great Escape festival to the galleries and painters who line its beachfront, it’s a city that drips with creativity. It’s here that Muskets found their penchant for the gnarled, grungy melodies of new EP ‘Spin’.
popping out of nowhere and it’s great; Munez, Glen Foye, Beachtape Murderhouse... the list goes on!” That list of comrades helped draw them towards ‘Spin’’s label partner,Venn Records – owned and run by none other than Laurent ‘Lags’ Bernard, guitarist in Gallows, and featuring rising stars Moose Blood and Milk Teeth among its alumni.
“We all met separately at uni and at parties and stuff,” says guitarist and vocalist Alex Cheung. Drawn to Brighton for university from their respective northern hometowns, it didn’t take long for inspiration to strike. “People say it’s the ‘sea air’ but I think Brighton just has a really positive attitude and that rubs off on anyone who moves here,” he continues.
“It’s really cool to be associated with some of these great bands because of Venn,” enthuses Alex. “When we sent our record out to different labels, we were looking for a label that was well established but also that could be as passionate about the record as we are. As soon as we spoke to Lags we knew that Venn was definitely the best label for ‘Spin’ for sure.”
“We literally spend most of our time hanging out with The New Tusk, Broadbay, Water Canvas and Richa as they were who we played most of our early Brighton shows with. But now there’s even more great bands
He still finds time for the odd starstruck reflection though – “It’s really good knowing that Lags has personal experience of being in a band himself. And not only that but they’re bloody Gallows!“
‘Spin’ and Venn seem perfect bedfellows. The label played host to the aforementioned alumni’s earliest days, giving them a platform to head up a UK rock revolution - ‘Spin’ is a record that shows that influence begin to trickle down. As a result, Muskets feel like the leaders of the pack’s next wave. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Muskets’ next step – hitting the road alongside Moose Blood and Creeper, staking their place atop the family tree of the UK’s new rock royalty. “We can’t wait to tour as much as we can!” states Alex when quizzed on his excitement for the months ahead. Indeed, as Daniel lays claim to the need to be “constantly playing, writing and touring – really going for it” following ‘Spin’’s release, it’s quickly becoming clear that Brighton won’t contain them for long - it’s the full length of the country that Muskets are looking to conquer. Don’t bet against it. P Muskets’ EP ‘Spin’ is out now. 15
THE BIGGEST ROCK WEEKEND OF THE YEAR IS HERE. R E A D I N G & L E E D S 2 0 1 5 I S PA C K E D W I T H A M A Z I N G B A N D S . O V E R T H E N E X T 3 6 PA G E S W E TA L K T O S O M E O F T H E V E RY B ES T.
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L E L z S M Sg LI Kw E PUr NK SPd IRIT FIDLAR
MAIN STAGE READING: SATURDAY LEEDS: SUNDAY
FROM THE STORIES ZAC CARPER CAN TELL, THE FACT FIDLAR’S SECOND ALBUM IS HERE AT ALL SEEMS ALMOST RIDICULOUS. AS THEY PREPARE FOR READING & LEEDS’ MAIN STAGES, THAT IT’S ONE OF THE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR IS NOTHING SHORT OF INSANE. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTOS: PHIL SMITHIES.
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“I
t was really scary not singing about drugs and alcohol, but fuck it. I needed to do it,” says Zac Carper with matter of fact clarity. You see, FIDLAR mark ‘Too’ might have started saying no to narcotics, but everything else is still met with a resounding yes. “This is going to sound so cheesy,” he continues with a gentle shake of his head. “But before FIDLAR was a band, it was still a thing. It was this mentality we all had, just do whatever the fuck you want.” It’s an outlook that rages through the band. From their all-caps name, lifted from the notebook graffiti of Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk, through the chaos of the live show, there’s a freedom. Their debut album, selftitled for a reason, painted a grotty picture of drug-fuelled partying and alcoholinduced escapism. And that’s fine for a while but ‘Too’, the band’s imaginatively named second album, is a follow up beyond chronology. Those DIY tattoos can’t be washed off in the morning. “I really believe in this whole skate culture, punk rock idea. It has an almost religious aspect to me and that’s contagious,” Zac explains. “It’s a very unique mentality but it’s important. Not everybody can be Oasis. Not everybody can be witty and cool or wear those shades and have that look. I wish I could, but our thing is a little different. It’s for the generation of people who just are. We’re not selling music, we’re selling a lifestyle,” he explains before pointing at the door. “Just get out there and do it.” It’s a confident stance from a man who’s had to be pushed into it. “The thought of
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being in a band was so far gone to me, I didn’t even think about it,” says Zac. “I had a pretty good job making records for a producer and I was earning pretty good money. I love being in the studio, I love recording bands and I love writing songs, so that was all this thing was,” he reflects, remembering when FIDLAR was just an excuse to stay behind in the studio, get wasted and play around on the set ups of Ben Gibbard or The Vines. Things grew, as they have a habit of doing, and the band took shape with Zac, Brandon Schwartzel (bass) and brothers Max (drums) and Elvis Kuehn (guitar). “I started asking for days off to do shows, to rehearse, to play SXSW,” he continues. “The producer told me, ‘You’re going to have to make a decision at some point.’” The response was a defiant, “No, it’s fine,” but with that FIDLAR mentality in the shadows, the producer made it easy for Zac. “He fired me.” Forced to deliver pizzas and stay in LA until Elvis graduated from school, FIDLAR coiled. Then, free from any responsibility beyond each other, “it just took off.” Six years later, they’ve yet to come down. “I can’t speak for all musicians,” starts Zac, thinking ahead to the release of ‘Too’ before changing his mind. “No, I can. As much as artists like to admit that they don’t get nervous ahead of releasing new material, they do. There’s something in you that you want people to relate to.You’re putting your fucking heart on audio, and that’s nerve-wracking.” There’s not just heart on ‘Too’. There’s blood, guts, shame and regret soaked into every summertime garage-punk anthem. It’s more instant than their debut, but it’ll still be there in the morning. “There comes a point
with every band where you get to the situation we were in. We were making a living doing it and we could have stayed at that point,” Zac reasons, but where’s the risk? “To take that next step in making a second record is scary. To make that jump is fucking terrifying. The sophomore slump is a very psychological thing. You try not to care, but you do care. It’s just a constant fucking battle.” “It’s just a different FIDLAR album,” he says of the jump between debut and follow up. “On the first record, everything was on and loud. This one, we learnt that we had to be quiet to be louder, but it’s still just three chords and truth, man. That’s all it is.” He adamantly declares that natural progression “doesn’t just happen.
There’s always somebody saying ‘This needs to happen’,” before explaining why it did. “I was fucked up out of my mind making the first record because I was so stressed,” he starts, playing with his hands. “It was recorded in my bedroom and the guys would come in, we
would all hang out, get wasted, do drugs, then build on top of all these songs that I’d written. They would go home and I’d still be working, sticking meth up my ass, trying to make it happen.” The answer was to get someone else to produce the record, but it wasn’t a unanimous decision. “It was dramatic. Some people didn’t want to work with a producer, some did. If that ever happens, you end up working with a producer, just to put it all together.” There was more to it than group therapy though. “Personally, I wanted the experience. If you look at every record that I grew up listening to, they all had producers. They’re clearly doing something right,” Zac explains, before looking up. “It was time to take that step, it was time to just do it.”
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NO SELFIES ON STAGE. The day before our interview, FIDLAR played a sold out gig at London’s Heaven. “It was a mental show last night. Those Brits are real aggressive and the venue was awesome. All these kids came up onstage and took selfies while I was singing and this one kid in particular, I had to stop a song because he came up and I knocked the phone out of his hand and it went flying. He grabbed it and came back up to me and said ‘Hey bruv, you’re lucky you didn’t break my phone‘ and then tried to take another selfie. I just grabbed the phone, threw it on the floor and told him to get the fuck off the stage. It’s a weird thing. I understand that it’s The Selfie Generation and everyone likes taking selfies. I’m a fucking victim of the selfie bug but it’s just weird. When you do it while someone is performing, it takes you out of the moment. It ruins it for the rest of the people. There just needs to be more people to make a stand for that. I saw Miley Cyrus perform one time and she was like ‘everyone put your phones away’ because everyone was watching through them. Just put your phone away and be in the moment. I think that’s important. Its weird because I start sounding like the curmudgeon old guy ‘fucking kids on their phones’. When Spotify came out everyone was talking shit on it, all these musicians and producers saying ‘it’s just ruining the industry’ but you got to adapt. That’s the bottom line of it. You can’t fucking adapt to kids jumping on stage, taking selfies. Once you get to our level, we played a 1000 cap room. We’re not just playing to the 200 kids in the front row.
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“There’s shit in the press of me saying ‘We will always record our albums’,” he continues, mocking his own youthful declarations. “It’s not that we’re growing up, but we are growing up. We’re getting older. If you look at the great bands, they do that. It’s progression. Change is good, change is inevitable and I think it’s going to be fine for us,” he says, confidence flashing across his face. “Working with a producer needed to happen, or we would have just made the same record again. How fucking boring is that?” It’s all in the name. FIDLAR is their ethos. ‘FIDLAR’ is the “dark as shit” party they found themselves at; and ‘Too’ is the affirmative, excessive degree. It’s simply more. “If we just made another record about getting fucked up on drugs and partying and pizza and blah blah, that would have been selling out. It was scary for a lot of us, but we had to do it.” The idea of selling out is lovingly taken down in opening track / lead single / glittering mega-anthem ‘40oz. on Repeat’. “I’ll never sell out,” the band spit before asking, their smirks somehow audible, “Wait, how much?” Originally an ode to fellow LA punks done good together PANGEA, “I remember one night me and the singer were totally coked up and drunk out of our minds, getting into these huge long fights about who was a sell out. Next thing you know, they got signed to Capitol Records,” that line also confronts the expected backlash. “It’s punk rock guilt. Punk fans are the fucking worst,” Zac enthuses. “They don’t want you to get popular, they don’t want you to make money, they don’t want you to get healthy. They just want you to play basement shows, and to keep drinking and getting fucked up. ‘What do you mean you eat kale, you fucking sellout,’” he laughs. “I love some of the poetic shit, but there’s a
time and a place. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. I listen to so much pop music, I don’t think there’s any shame in that.” “There’s something poetic in being able to relate. Whenever I hear a Radiohead song, I take a step back and ask ‘What the fuck are you talking about dude’,” he reflects. “There was this one group of kids in Italy and they didn’t speak English at all. I asked how they knew what we were singing about and their answer was ‘Your lyrics are so straightforward. There’s no trying to figure it out, it’s right there.’” Zac pauses with a smile. “I think that just explains us in general, as people.” The power to relate is an inspirational one, and it’s what FIDLAR want to achieve on ‘Too’. “It’s such a therapeutic thing, writing songs,” Zac explains. “This record is about all these little things that I’ve discovered about myself. ‘Bad Habits’ just goes down the list of all the shitty things I do. It was really hard to access those emotions, to put it on and for everyone to be like ‘Oh, Zac masturbates three times a day’. I’d like it if everybody could take away the idea that there’s no shame in anything you do.” There are a few notable differences behind the scenes of FIDLAR’s ‘Too’. There’s a producer, there’s pressure and there’s sobriety. “I wanted to make a record that was evident of what was going on in my head at that time,” Zac explains. “I was on a pretty long run of drugs, basically the whole tour cycle for ‘FIDLAR’, so for me to come out of that, I was pretty emotional.” There’s a slight pause before he breaks into a grin. “I blew fans minds. They’d come up to me with a bag of coke after a show and ask if I wanted to do a bump. I’d decline and they’d be like, ‘What’s your problem, you’re too big to do coke with us now you’re in a big shot band?’” He told them the truth. That sense of confession, that need to stay true, is what gives FIDLAR their edge. “I’ve been to about eight
rehabs so I’m very used to the idea of talking about my feelings. A lot of people aren’t, but I’m an open book,” Zac states. “Right when the band started, we went through this period of getting all these interview requests. I was very self-conscious, very worried about what I was about to say and do you know what I realised? The truth is way easier. So I just fucking talk.” Zac getting clean had a huge impact on ‘Too’. “The first record, if you think about it, is a concept record in a weird way. I was doing a lot of heroin, I was doing a lot of meth, I was doing a lot of cocaine, I was doing a lot of crack. I was hanging out with a lot of weird people, a lot of hookers in motels. It was a very dark, seedy world and this time, when I decided to stop using those drugs, I found myself watching a lot of TV asking, ‘Is this it? Is this really it? Is this all there is to do now?’ So I obsessed over writing songs and transferred my addiction to that.” “I got addicted to all sorts of weird little things though,” he continues. “I gained a lot of weight, I lost a lot
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of weight. I went through this period of going to hot yoga every day for three months. I went through a period of only eating raw food for a couple of weeks. The thing is, when you do heroin and meth daily, on a consistent basis, it gets really fucking boring. You can’t go anywhere. “There was a turning point where I decided I needed to figure this out because the band was doing really well. I want FIDLAR to be the biggest, best band that it can possibly be and that’s not going to be that if I’m strung out, kicking heroin on the road,” he rationalises. “And then overdosing three times in a month, twice in one week, was a shell-shock. Maybe I do have a problem? “This record, at least the eight songs that I wrote, was based on what I was going through. Fun fact though, I was living with Brandon, the bass player and he’s one of my best friends. He saw me go through all this. I would get off tour and I would tell him, ‘I’m not going to do drugs man, I’m going to be good. I’m just going to drink and do pot man’. And the next thing you know, I’m in my room with a needle in my arm. He saw me go through all this. ‘Bad Medicine’, that’s his view of what went down. “When he first wrote the song I
thought he was talking a bunch of shit on me but now, in hindsight, I realise that it must have been really tough on him. I see Brandon more than his girlfriend. He’s my best friend and for him to see me go through this terrible addiction was probably very difficult for him,” Zac explains before reiterating, this time in a slightly quieter voice, “It’s a very emotional record.” ‘40oz on Repeat’ is about the feeling of coming back from tour and the rest of your band having girlfriends waiting for them. “Everybody’s got somebody, where’s my somebody,” Zac reasons. “Not everybody drinks beer. It’s a song about fucking having anxiety and getting older and still not having any fucking money and growing up.” On ‘Too’, life’s still a risk but there’s the sense you need to be able to live with that reckless abandon. “I’ve got mistakes,” starts Zac. “’Stupid Decisions’ is about a girlfriend I had for a long time. We were doing a lot of drugs together and she had a drug-related miscarriage. I freaked out. I just split, went on tour. ‘I don’t want to talk to you, fuck you, bye.’ I just ran away. “She got more into drugs while I was on tour. We were trying to stay sober together, but she was still using and she lost the kid and it was this whole clusterfuck. Then she overdosed while I was on tour and died. I went through a lot of guilt and shame over that. Her mom blames me because I just bailed, and that’s definitely one regret.You write a song about it to try and work it out, to make yourself feel better.“
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“You start figuring out life,” Zac admits. “I feel more at home now. I’m homeless, which sucks, but I’m playing shows and we’re in a van together. This is what we do. I don’t feel more confident but I do feel more comfortable. We have a crazy fucking focus now. Now it’s not, ‘Where’s Zac?’ That used to be the phrase everybody lived by. Now it’s, ‘Alright, let’s do this!’ It’s just a different thing now; it’s a different band almost.” “We all wake up early, we exercise, longevity. We have our moments but mostly it’s about longevity. I think the great thing about our band is there are no limits to what we can do. There are no boundaries and nowadays, with this generation of kids, people don’t listen to one type of music. They listen to everything. “We’re in this weird pocket. Too indie for the punk crowd, too punk for the indie crowd, and too poppy for them all. It’s just this weird in between. We’re kinda heavy metal, but not really,” Zac grins, before adding. “Genre is an outdated term now. For some reason, the media and everyone has made punk this ‘get fucked up’ thing. It’s total bullshit and that’s why I don’t believe in punk anymore. Punk music should be about doing whatever the fuck you want and accepting others are going to do the same.” Zac slaps his hand down on the table, rattling his now empty coffee cup. “You know what the most punk thing is now?” he asks. “Fucking EDM. That’s the most punk, DIY thing that’s happening in the world right now. It’s a kid on a laptop. It’s a kid seeing an instrument and saying ‘fuck that’. It’s a kid seeing a band and thinking, ‘I don’t want to deal with a bunch of band members, I’m going to get a laptop. I don’t need a label. I’m going to put this song on SoundCloud and I’m going to tour the world’. Diplo. He’s the most punk rock dude I know. That felt good saying that,” Zac says leaning back into his chair. “You can fucking print that.”
“It’s more of a mentality,” explains Zac. “Change is good, especially in our music and in punk. People don’t like change but change is good, trust me,” he says earnestly. “I want a huge backdrop, I want fireworks. I want to make it like The Flaming Lips. They make it such an amazing experience and we can do that with FIDLAR. We have the resources; it’s just about taking that step which is scary. We’re not used to it,” he admits with a gentle shrug. “We’re used to just going up on stage, plugging in and playing our songs. I just want to progress.” As the band take to the main stage of Reading & Leeds Festival and beyond, you can bet what’ll be going through their minds. They might be on a bigger stage, there might be more people watching and they might be addressing their issues on audio, but FIDLAR. It’s a way of life. P FIDLAR’s album ‘Too’ will be released on 4th September.
READING & LEEDS: THIRD TIME’S A CHARM. “The first year we did Reading & Leeds, I don’t remember a fucking thing. We got wasted at noon. The second time, the BBC recorded it and as we come up on stage you can see it in our faces, ‘Oh my God, look how many people there are. This is insane.’ My friend showed it to me recently and it kinda blew my mind again. This year, we’re playing on the main stage so we’ve got to step it up.”
PVRIS
“I think we’ll do alright.” PVRIS + READING & LEEDS = REALLY REALLY HUGE. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.
“W
e always have the mindset that no matter how many people are in front of us, we have to deliver the same show,” starts Lynn Gunn. “It’s definitely a bit more exciting when you have a bigger crowd though,” she admits. PVRIS have been spoiled for the excitement of big crowds this summer. At the start of the Warped Tour, the band were performing on the Journeys Stage, one of the festival’s smaller platforms and were ”super excited” to be there. But after proving to be such a draw, they were swiftly promoted to the main stage where they’ve been playing to “some of the biggest crowds we’ve ever played in front of.” It’s the sort of velocity that PVRIS have
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had to deal with since they released ‘St. Patrick’ a little over a year ago. While they’ve never looked out of their comfort zone, see their performance on the Alternative Press Music Awards alongside Issues’ Tyler Carter or their appearance at BBC Radio One’s Rock Week, or their sets at Slam Dunk Festival; the list goes on, the band still find the whole thing “surreal.” “I keep saying that our bones are growing faster than our skin,” explains Lynn from one of the forty stops along Warped. “We’re just trying to keep up with that, to keep up with people’s expectations and to keep bringing it to the next level.” “I feel a lot of pressure as a vocalist,” she starts. “To perform live and deliver the best we can, with what we’ve got. We don’t have in ears or anything crazy yet so I’m still singing with a monitor on the
floor. I can only hear 50% of what I’m doing and can’t hear anything else which is frustrating. I feel like people expect a lot but we’re doing the best we can, with what we have right now. It’s a lot of pressure but I like to think we’re giving people what they’re expecting, if not more,” she offers with a hopeful inflection. “I definitely feel a lot of pressure, as a female vocalist,” she continues. “Guy singers can get away with things a little more when they sing but I think there’s more pressure on vocalists if you’re a female, I don’t know why though.” Lynn knows first hand the power of presence. Citing a Paramore concert as one of the reasons she knew she could perform onstage and Warped Tour giving her a platform goal, she now finds herself stood on a similar position of influence. “I try not to think about it but I know it’s a thing that’s going on.Young ladies will come up to us afterwards and tell us that they feel inspired, that the feel like they can do this and whether we meant to or not, it’s awesome we have the power to do that, to put instruments in people’s hands.” “There’s a lot more people seeing other girls out there doing it and realising they can do it too. More and more, every day and every year there are more females getting involved in music and that’s awesome. It will eventually be a discussion that’s in the past,” she adds. “I have hope.” It’s really no surprise that PVRIS have found an international fanbase. Between the dark optimism of their debut album ‘White Noise’ and their fearless sense of voice, the Massachusetts trio have an audience wherever they go. “It feels like you have best friends all across
“Wherever the record wants to take us is where we’ll go with it.” LYNN GUNN the world,” sings Lynn. “It’s definitely an awesome feeling knowing that those people all over the world support you and will love you, no matter what and the feeling’s mutual.” Meeting those fans comes with its own pressure though. “Sometimes we’ll be busy or have to go do something and we won’t give them what they want. We’ll try our best but we’re only human,” Lynn concedes. “Everyone’s very polite and they get it. They understand what’s going on and they’re very courteous towards each other and you, it’s a good feeling.” “When people confide in you about [mental health issues] there’s a bit of pressure because everyone has a different opinion on it and expects a different response,” Lynn explains. “The biggest thing you can say to anyone is just hold on and if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. That’s the biggest thing, I feel like everyone’s afraid to ask for help and speak up about it. That’s what causes so many issues and keeps so many people in the dark. It needs to become an open discussion people need to listen.
It’s not just the band that PVRIS want to do good things with. “I don’t really care if someone hates our band but the biggest compliments are about who we are as people. We want to be known as good people. We do our best to be warm and welcoming towards other people and I think that shows. I don’t care if people hate our music so long as they know we’re good friends. We’re very family based, we’ll have everyone’s back and that’s more important.” Returning to the UK this August for the fourth time in as many months, Lynn is expecting a “grand old time,” at Reading & Leeds Festival. After a crazy year that’s seen the band barely spend any time at home, there’s still no end in sight. “We’re still going,” Lynn promises. “Put it on full blast. I mean, we’re already working on album two. We’re always working and making stuff so there isn’t really a time to step back. Inspiration comes at all
times, so you just have to roll with it and that’s what we’ve been trying to do. We never stop working,” she explains cheerfully. After the gruelling months on Warped the band are retreating to California to work on music videos and do “a bunch of filming.” Then there are a few brief days at home, “That time, I will cherish with all my heart.” “We have our goals but we don’t have expectations anymore. Wherever the record wants to take us is where we’ll go with it,” Lynn offers, a year in and still snowballing. “It can do some pretty cool
stuff, it’s already exceeded all of our expectations for the first or even the second record so we’re excited to see where it’ll go,” she says, still as hopeful and optimistic as ever but now, after months on the road solidifying their relationship, “We were already like siblings but now we’ve got a lot closer,” there’s a fiery determination. “We’re going hard,” promises Lynn. And as for the size of their crowd at Reading & Leeds? “I think we’ll do alright,” she says with a smirk. P PVRIS’s album ‘White Noise’ is out now.
PVRIS
THE PIT READING: SATURDAY LEEDS: SUNDAY
“It’s pressure because a lot of people in our fanbase are so young, they’re fragile souls so you can’t say the wrong thing to them.You just have to try your best, be gentle and be there for them, no matter what. The least you can do is just be there for someone so they know they’re not alone. I’m still learning, I don’t know everything either. It’s a lot of pressure but it’s not necessarily a bad type of pressure to have on you.” 27
FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES
THE PIT READING: SUNDAY LEEDS: FRIDAY
BLOoM IN
IT MAY HAVE TAKEN A DECADE BUT FRANK CARTER HAS FINALLY GROWN INTO THE MUSICIAN HE’S ALWAYS WANTED TO BE, AND HE’S NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED.
“I
think...” begins Frank Carter, searching for the right words. “I’ve not been as excited about anything musically that I’ve done, as I am about this. It just feels like the right thing.” He pauses again. “It feels… I can’t explain it!” he laughs, shaking his head. “I can’t put it into words. I just have this feeling as I’m walking around at the minute that something good is going on. I’ve not had that for a long, long time.” Frank’s sat in the midst of a noisy East London food market, fresh from having completed his first full headline tour under his new guise Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. His newest project first reared its head a little over three months prior, but judging from his excitement, it’s something he’s been working towards for a lot longer than that.
“It was one of those things…” he starts, revisiting his previous incarnations. “With Gallows, I was dealt the best hand but I didn’t know how to play the cards. Then with Pure Love, I was super keen to play the game and I got the shittest cards. This time, it feels like I’ve got a winning hand and I’m a really fucking good player. It feels like I understand what I need to do and I’ve been dealt the perfect hand to do it. I’ve handpicked everybody
WORDS: SARAH JAMIESON. PHOTOS: PHIL SHARP.
around me. I fired everybody and made sure to be out of all those fucking contracts and reached out to people that I’ve trusted. Now, I’ve got this really good team that really care about me and the music and my sort of vision for it, so excitement is abound right now. It’s kinda nuts. I keep calling Deano - he’s the guy who I’m writing the music with - and I keep needing him to give me a bit of a reality check.” It’s been a decade since Frank first made his mark. All fiery red hair and stark tattoos, his role as the savage frontman of Gallows soon allowed him to become an icon. Yet after two albums he called it quits, leaving his maniacal image forever seared into the minds of fans everywhere. Next, he decided to explore his own limitations by teaming up with The Hope Conspiracy’s Jim Carroll for Pure Love, before the duo – as he says himself – were dealt “the shittest cards.” “I think when I left Gallows, it was because I was really unhappy,” he thinks back. “I just didn’t like the direction they wanted to go in musically. I always promised myself, ‘The minute it feels forced or I’m not enjoying the music, peace out’. So I did, and then Pure Love was a reaction to that. It was an experiment in finding my limitations, of which I found none really. I went and learned to
sing and played the same shows that I’ve always played. When that ended, that’s when I felt really bad. That’s when I felt truly lost and I didn’t really know what the next step was.”
It was then that Frank decided to walk away. Having already established himself as a soughtafter tattooist, he decided it was about time to settle down and gain some stability, for both his wife and newborn daughter. “I really tried my hardest to cut music out of my life,” he admits. “It became like, ‘Get rid of this, it’s not working. Be a dad, be a husband. Be a good adult’, and I felt the weakest version of me. I was miserable, I was mean. I was a grumpy arsehole to be around and my wife was like, ‘Please start a fucking band!’” he laughs. “She knew it before I did. When I told her, ‘Look, I’m gonna quit music and focus on tattooing’ I thought she’d be stoked to lock ourselves in and get some security, but she was so nervous. I didn’t understand that at all. It was security and a future. The one thing she kept saying to me was, ‘You can always go back’. Before Christmas last year, we’d had a really rough year with lots of ups and downs and it was just before our daughter was born. I was like, ‘I think I wanna start a new band’ and her first reaction wasn’t, ‘Are you fucking kidding me? We’re going to have a baby in a month!’ Her first reaction was a big fucking smile and she was so happy. Then
we had a lot of talking to do, but she’s been so supportive. It was as though she knew what I needed before I knew what I needed.” After the decision was finally made, things seemed to come together effortlessly. Recruiting longtime friend Dean Richardson to get involved in the writing process, the pair would meet up once a week to write together, and from that point on, everything fell into place. “When we got into the studio - the studio being my fucking back garden - we wanted to make something that we loved,” he reaffirms. “Not for anyone else, but for me and him. We’ve been writing together for years - he was supposed to be in Pure Love but it didn’t work out – and we got to this point where we were like, ‘This is our time, this is our moment. What do we want to do?’ The songs came together. Day one, we wrote three songs. Next week, he came and we wrote another three songs. Before we knew it, we had eight songs in the bag so we went to Mitch’s and recorded them.” Completed across a handful of sessions – the first of which saw their ‘Rotten’ EP come to life – Frank’s debut album is a brutally honest offering, which harnesses all amount of energy and aggression, while still feeling balanced. “The album is a fair amount more diverse than the EP might first suggest,” he admits, “but we alluded to that with the secret track. I didn’t want it to
just be people thinking I was rehashing an old version of me. This is very much who I am now. A lot of people are like, ‘How does it feel to be going back to what you were doing?’ but I haven’t; I’m going forward. This is my hat trick. This is the third version of me musically and the best as far as I’m concerned.”
“It feels as though got a winning hand and I’m a really f**king good player.”
It’s not just the music that he’s confident in. “Lyrically, this is hands down my best work.” It’s also some of his most unadulterated. Whether the self-assuring taunts of the album’s opener ‘Juggernaut’, the haunting sentiments of ‘Loss’ or the to-the-bone cutting remarks made in ‘I Hate You’, there’s very little that the frontman’s holding back this time around. “I still read them and I’m proud of them and more importantly, they still challenge me. When I read the lyrics, there are still new questions and answers that I find in there. It’s really nice to think that, at this point, while I was feeling at my lowest, I was able to make something that was so undeniably life-affirming and career-affirming. I listened to the record on the way here, and I really love it.”
With his return to music now a living, breathing reality, Frank can’t contain himself. While he may well be having to act as husband, dad and musician, it seems to be a balancing act he’s comfortable with, especially now that he’s back out on the road. “The tour was nuts,” he says, referring to the run the band just completed. He almost still sounds in denial. “It was so crazy. I had to keep reminding myself that we only had three songs; we’d get on the stage, we’d play a couple of songs and there’d be a reaction that was palpable.You could feel it in there. It was hot as fuck and sweaty so that helped, but you could really feel an incendiary, really
volatile excitement in people. It was like they wanted to explode. They were brand new songs at that point, but when we played ‘Fangs’, the whole room, every night, it fucking lit up. I remember thinking, ‘This is what it’s about.’ Music’s been important to me for a long time - always - but I’ve never really cared for the interviews, the photoshoots. I just love playing. I really enjoy writing music, I really do, but I enjoy it because I get to perform it.” He stops and smiles, knowing that he’s found the right place to be in the world. “You can see that when you see me play.” P Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes’ album ’Blossom’ is out now.
“We’re having a lot of fun together.” THE LONG AWAITED AMERICAN FOOTBALL REUNION SHOWS NO SIGN OF SLOWING DOWN. WORDS: TOM CONNICK.
A
year into an American Football reunion tour that was meant to last two October nights at New York’s Webster Hall, emo icon Mike Kinsella is reflecting on the runaway success of the band’s return. “I kinda thought it’d be those couple of shows and we’d walk away,” he explains, “but it turns out we’re having a lot of fun together, hanging out. So we keep doing it.” It’s an interestingly off-thecuff approach for a band whose original incarnation seemed destined to avoid the elephant in the room of their unfinished business, but once the wheels started turning, Kinsella and co. found it hard to stop. “It seems to be the right time to do it,” he admits. “A lot of bands who are doing super cool things now, if you trace their lineage, you’re gonna work your way back to American Football. So their young fans who are enthusiastic and into stuff, they weren’t there. Five years ago, I don’t think these people who have been there. So we sort of brought it back at the right time. It was the right time for us personally, too.” Personal is pretty much American Football’s middle name, with the intimacy of their self-titled EP and LP finding favour with generations of lonely teens in the years of the band’s absence. “I mean that’s what’s funny too,” he shrugs when asked how it’s felt to revisit material nearing twenty years old. “We first said we’d do it and I was like ‘man, how are we gonna get up and play these quiet, slow, sad songs to lots of people?’ But it turns out everywhere we go there’s a bunch of sad people like us!” he laughs. “So they’re
all stoked, they’re all quiet and they all wanna hear it, and we’re having so much fun playing.” “I thought I’d be getting up there and really cringing at a lot of old lyrics. It turns out it’s cool! I’m so far removed from them that I don’t have to act like I’m cooler than that now. Maybe for a while, maybe I thought I was cooler than that – I felt like I had to prove I was cooler than 20-year-old me! And now that I’m almost forty it doesn’t matter – y’know, who cares? So now that’s part of why it’s more fun too; everything I was stressed about turned out to be in my own head. So as long as I’m just going with it, it’s super fun.” The next steps of the band point to Reading & Leeds – the UK focal point of a reunion that’s seen many members of American Football visit places they’ve never been before – these stages, too, are new ground for the four-piece. “It’s sort of a new thing, obviously, for us – we’ve done a couple [of festivals] and I feel like there’s been a crowd of people for us and that sort of makes it easier. But this one in particular, we’re all like, ‘I dunno if anyone’s gonna be there to see us!’ So it might be a little weird. I think we have something that’s different and it’s unique to offer, so if you’re just there all day watching 12 bands I think we’ll stand out in a way that’s at least different,” Mike offers diplomatically. That’s not to say, though, that the band have nothing in common with those they’re sharing the line-up with. As well as influencing a number of the bands on the line-up directly, American Football are also sharing reunion experiences with
the likes of Refused and Alexisonfire. “Festivals are funny,” he explains. “It’s just a funny backstage, cause obviously there’s like 150 bands. Obviously all these bands getting back together are old dudes, and we’re all kinda jaded. Not in a bad way, but in a sort of way like it’s not like everybody’s walking around trying to schmooze and sell their band or talk about their band – it’s just a bunch of old people excited about free beer and catering and stuff.” “It’s definitely… I don’t want to call it a ‘trend’ because I’m part of it and it has a bad connotation, but [playing festivals] makes sense for these bands. They’re older, they’re doing other things with their life, and to be honest it doesn’t really make sense to get back together and play a bunch of tiny unsuccessful shows,” he laughs. “So if you’re able to play festivals then it totally makes sense. “Reading & Leeds in my head, I’m like ‘oh my God, it’s the same stage Def Leppard and Iron Maiden or whoever [have played]” he continues, before offering up possibly the surest indictor of his years of musical experience. “In my head, y’know, these were big bands and I’m sure they were getting laid and doing coke all the time – but for my experience, with the crew I’m running in, it’s just like ‘oh cool, it’s a vacation and we get to play music to a bunch of people’.”P
Q g+A b
HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR READING & LEEDS? The only thing I’m trying to do – I’m trying to drink enough every night while I’m home so that while I’m there, I don’t get to too drunk and try and pick a fight with Lars Ulrich! That’s how I’m training for these shows – I’m building up a tolerance so I don’t get beat up by Metallica’s bodyguards. SO YOU’RE NOT LOOKING TO START ANY BEEF THEN? Nope! The wife, she clearly stated that I can’t start a fight with Metallica, and she said I can’t make fun of the guy from Limp Bizkit. I need to not get drunk, which means I need to drink more here so that my tolerance is built up.
ONCE YOU HIT THAT FESTIVAL SITE IT’S KIND OF ‘ANYTHING GOES!’ Anything goes, man – you’re all in catering together, the guy from Limp Bizkit’s walking around like a total dork, what are you gonna do? Should be quite a nice atmosphere, to be surrounded by people who know what you’re going through. Yeah, we played Primavera and we were just sitting by the hotel pool, and it was like [Corin Tucker] from Sleater-Kinney’s daughter, playing in the pool and splashing everybody. It’s just a bunch of dads like ‘oh that’s so cool! We should’ve brought our kids!’.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
NME / RADIO 1 READING: FRIDAY LEEDS: SATURDAY
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AGAINST ME! MAIN STAGE READING: SUNDAY LEEDS: FRIDAY
NEW WAVE AGAINST ME! ARE SET TO TAKE THE READING & LEEDS MAIN STAGE BY STORM. IT’S SET TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SETS THE FESTIVAL HAS SEEN IN YEARS. WHY? BECAUSE AGAINST ME! ARE BLOODY BRILLIANT. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER.
“I
t does feel like there’s a future with the four of us,” starts Laura Jane Grace on the latest incarnation of Against Me!. “We’re going to at least do another record. It’s hard to explain because it’s existential and there’s not a real dividing line, but it does feel like there’s a definite chapter ending, and a new chapter beginning.” Underlining this entry is ‘23 Live Sex Acts’. Recorded across the duration of the band’s 2014 tour, it captures the heart of an Against Me! show. “The record was called ’32 Live Sex Acts’,” laughs Laura Jane before explaining that despite the wealth of material
at their disposal, the band had to consider the end product. “Finding the right mix of songs to make it affordable for people to buy, and then also for it be representative of the show was tough.” “There’s not the doubt over the songs being any good because they’re tried and tested,” she explains. Tomorrow she’ll play a tiny surprise show at London’s Lion Coffee & Records before heading out to Germany to start a run of European shows with the rest of Against Me! but for now, four hours after arriving on English soil, she’s sat in a hotel lobby. “We were trying to get a snapshot of the band we were, while touring the last record and at the same time giving ownership of the songs to Inge
[Johansson, bass] and Atom [Willard, drums] who are new to the band. A lot of the songs we play in the sets are older songs so when people come to a show and hear a song they like, they go back and buy a record but then they aren’t really hearing what they heard at the show. It’s almost a greatest hits but also a reintroduction for people.” “Performing the songs, in their own way are interpretations of gender,” she continues, explaining the story behind the title. “In a lot of ways those interpretations have changed over the years for me, and people’s interpretations of seeing them played live has changed. A lot of touring this circuit has been me examining what those changes mean.” “Going into punk rock, I thought
There might also be another collaboration with Frank Iero, “If he’s the same day, maybe we’ll make that happen.” Eighteen years after Laura first started playing under the Against Me! banner, her endurance credited to “Determination and a bit of stubbornness,” she’s still finding new audiences. “That’s one of the amazing things in punk rock. There is that certain segment of your audience that always stays the same age because there’s always a new group coming up. There’s the people that age and stick with you but that constant representation of youth, new discovery and people getting into it for the first time keeps you energised and makes it fresh for you.”
it was meant to be a place that it was very open-minded but I realised it wasn’t as accepting as I thought. As my band got more successful, we were pushed into situations like photoshoots and you can tell people wanted you to be the archetype of the front singer. That created this real disconnect of being up on stage and feeling like, ‘I don’t know who I am. I don’t know who you think I am’, and it made performing not enjoyable,” reflects
Laura. Fortunately, things have changed. “Playing with inhibition will never make a good show.” “It’s our first time playing the main stage and that’s fucking awesome,” says Laura of her band’s upcoming slots at Reading & Leeds Festival. There’s excitement, a lack of nerves and a three point plan for what she hopes people take away from their set. “A good time, that feeling of acceptance and a release.”
“It always fascinated me when I first started travelling, you could go to a city as a complete stranger but see someone in a Jawbreaker t-shirt and think, ‘We could be friends’.You have that struggle in common.You both came up feeling like you didn’t fit in, in whatever circumstances you were in and you found music. That was the unifier that made it feel like you fit in. That’s something really relatable, and it’s always been the beautiful thing about punk rock.” P Against Me!’s album ’23 Live Sex Acts’ will be released on 4th September.
Reading & Leeds 2016 headliner?
FRANK TURNER
FESTIVAL REPUBLIC READING: SUNDAY LEEDS: FRIDAY
“Nothing good comes from being in your comfort zone.”
FRANK TURNER HAS A READING CLOSING NIGHT HEADLINE SLOT ON HIS WISH LIST, BUT FIRST THERE’S A BRAND NEW ALBUM TO DEAL WITH. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTO: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.
“I
t’s good to be back in the saddle,” starts Frank Turner. “There was a break and a lot of that was arguments over what to do with the album, but I won my fights. I won my battles with record labels and now, I’m just excited to be on tour with this record.” It’s the road that’s been his home for the past decade. “By my standards, I’ve had a fair amount of time off the road in the last year,” he offers. “Part of it was working on the record and part of it was, at the end of the ‘Tape Deck Heart’ tour, there was definitely a feeling shared
38 upsetmagazine.com
everyone in the band that, ‘Wow, we’re nearly dead.’ “There’s a certain degree of bravado in my tour schedule and I realised the only person who really gave a fuck about it, was me. What is the point in sacrificing yourself on the altar of your own ego? That’s ridiculous. We have resolved to take it a little bit easier but I’m very excited to get back on tour, from Reading [& Leeds Festival] I’m going to be out for at least a year. Reading to Reading would be an interesting one,” he ventures. ”Ready? Go.” “I first went [to Reading] in 95 so it’s definitely changed. In
some ways it’s bigger, in some ways it’s not,” he explains before pausing. “That makes this 20 years, which hadn’t occurred to me until just now,” the dawning realisation taking him aback. “I’m getting old,” he exhales with a certain degree of melodrama. “With all due respect to Glastonbury, when I was a kid there was definitely Reading kids and Glastonbury kids and it was quite the social divide, Glastonbury kids were generally people interested in getting wasted and the vibe while Reading kids were into seeing the following bands in the following order. I was definitely more on the Reading
side of that divide, so there’s an allegiance to it on that level. “Reading isn’t cool in the way that Glastonbury is and that’s part of the reason I like it. I feel like that myself, I’ve never been particularly cool, I don’t think I ever will be and that’s fucking fine,” he adds with a smile. “It’s got a slightly nerdy quality about it.” Frank appearance at this year’s festival makes it nine appearances in nine years, which is an impressive run. “Over the years we’ve had a steady ascent, which is nice. I played three of four years in a row, it went well and it just kind of turned into a
thing. It was already kind of ridiculous how many years in a row I’d done and the guys at Reading took us to one side and said, ‘It’s fine, just keep playing.You’re welcome back anytime’.” It’s an offer Frank’s looking to hold on to. “Hopefully we’ll go to ten years next year. This year’s a slightly weird one. I think we’re planned for something quite big next year so they’re putting me on ice this year,” he says shaking his head. ”Putting me on ice, I’m headlining a stage, what a ridiculous thing to say. It’s going to be a solo show, which will be fun. I’m grateful to be invited and people generally come to whatever stage I’m playing so it’s all right.” He’s played practically every stage at the festival but there’s one slot he’s still got an eye on. “Fuck yeah, headlining Sunday night,” he fires back immediately with a smirk. “Of course there’s a little bit of nerves but I’m quite proud of this record,” Frank ventures of ‘Positive Songs For Negative People’. “I think it’s what I wanted to do,’ he adds. “I just wanted it to be more raw and in your face this time round. With ‘Tape Deck Heart’, we got really lost in a studio and it seemed like an interesting thing to do. I’m always trying to change up what I do, every time I do it. I always think it’s important to go out of your comfort zone because nothing good comes from being in your comfort zone, but there are parts of ‘Tape Deck Heart’ I would do differently in retrospect, shall we say. This time I wanted to capture the sound of me and The Sleeping Souls playing live, which is something we haven’t done before. Hopefully we’ve done it but it’s not really for me to say.”P Frank Turner’s album ‘Positive Songs for Negative People’ is out now.
WIN tickets to Reading & Leeds 2015 B RI N G M E T H E H O RI ZO N . A L E X I SO N F I RE . M ETA L L I CA T H E R E AR E LOADS OF AMA ZING BANDS PL AYI NG READI NG AND LE E DS T H IS SUMME R WHO WE HAVEN’T EVEN HAD TI ME TO ME NT ION IN T H ESE PAGES . WA N T TO G O ? O BV I O US LY. WA N T TO G O FO R F RE E ? T H O U G H T SO. W E ’ V E G OT A PA I R O F T I C K ETS TO E I T H E R RE A D I N G O R L E E DS - YO U R C H O I C E , D E A R RE A D E R - TO G I V E AWAY TO O N E O F YO U. I N T E REST E D ? H E A D TO U PS ET M AG A Z I N E .C O M N OW TO E N T E R , BU T G ET O N I T - T H E FESTIVAL TA K ES P L AC E T H I S AU G U ST BA N K H O L I DAY W E E K E N D, SO T H E C O M P ET I T I O N W I L L C LOS E V E RY B LO O DY SO O N I N D E E D. 39
PIERCE THE VEIL
MAIN STAGE READING: SATURDAY LEEDS: SUNDAY
Kings for a Weekend BETWEEN PLAYING READING & LEEDS AND FINISHING NEW MATERIAL, NOW’S AN EXCITING TIME FOR PIERCE THE VEIL. WORDS: HEATHER MCDAID.
“I
think everyone should try and make their new album the definitive one,” starts Vic Fuentes. The follow-up to 2012’s astronomic ‘Collide With The Sky’ has eluded Pierce The Veil fans so far, with continuous push-backs popping up, but at long last, it’s on the horizon, and everyone is rightfully amped up to see how they’ve defined themselves this time. “I don’t think you should put everything into one album and just be like ‘Hey, this is it for us!’. Just keep changing a little and keep pushing yourself.” Always finding a natural progression between releases, Pierce The Veil consistently try out new ideas from their eclectic range of influences. “We keep trying to do something different. With us, we don’t really have any set way of writing - we just kind of do what comes to us. Lyrics should come from whatever’s going on in that couple of years of life; that’s always going to change.You can just keep putting out new albums for the rest of your life if you want.”
The thing about Pierce The Veil, if you can condense it in essence, is that they’re honest. Music can often be a visceral experience for the listener, and in the vein of My Chemical Romance and other storytellers, the band reach out to people with glimpses of both reality and hope for even the darkest of moments, nestled in the midst of memorable live shows and great songs. ‘The Divine Zero’, their lead single, deals in such matter: the idea of feeling worthless but having so much more to offer. “I’ve always felt that way about myself,” Vic begins. “It’s the way I am, quiet. In being a person like that, people tend to think that they can take advantage of you. Being out in the world and trying to be yourself, people try to control you and take advantage of your kindness. I do think that resonates with a lot of younger people. I felt like that when I was younger, and it’s trying to break through and have that confidence. Getting angry about it sometimes can be helpful.”
STAGE MATES
“I think Metallica are headlining the stage that we’re on, so that’ll be pretty crazy. Add that to the bucket list of bands we’ve played with! I heard that Alexisonfire got added a little later on our stage as well. I think that’ll be a pretty groundbreaking moment to see Dallas Green playing with them again.”
In the weeks following its release, the single has already become a well-versed addition to their catalogue, kicking off their summer Warped Tour set. “[The response has] been awesome! We really wanted to be able to experience it with our fans and see them singing along and stuff. It’s been awesome from the get-go, a lot of singing along and people going crazy. It’s cool to start the show with something new.” To the wider record, ‘The Divine Zero’ is what they wanted to release for the live show, but isn’t necessarily indicative of what else to expect. “People know our band as being pretty eclectic - we do a lot of different styles and stuff like that is no different for this record. We didn’t want to put out the power ballad first or anything! We tried to do a few things we’ve never done before and surprise people. We will be putting out the new album really soon - I know our fans have been patient and we can’t wait to play it for them.” From the response on Warped, it’s safe to say there are many who can’t wait either. Having played the touring festival a few times before, it’s proven an odd one this summer with guitarist Tony Perry forced to take time off after a biking accident. Given how prominent a part of the band touring is, the idea of losing a member even temporarily must notably shake up the dynamic. “Jesse Barrera from My American Heart, he’s brilliant, man. He’s the first person I thought of when Tony got hurt. He learned the songs in like two
days and really saved us, but we do miss having that feeling of our band.” They’re a notoriously dedicated group when it comes to the road, with a reported 280 or so shows played in 2014 alone. When the band walk out on stage at Reading & Leeds this summer, it will be their first time, and it’s got an almost legendary presence in their circles. “I think this might be the most excited I’ve been for anything in our band’s career,” enthuses Vic. “It’s a huge honour to play a festival like that. I know from hanging out with a lot of my friends from the UK and going over there that everyone talks about Reading & Leeds. It’s a huge privilege for us to play it.” Pierce The Veil have an untameable live energy, the brilliance that comes with a band who push themselves for their fans. “For festivals we try to do everything on a bigger scale, and do it as big as we can. We try not to play a lot of slow songs because that’s usually not the vibe at a festival; everyone wants to party and have a good time. There’s a lot of energy so we try to keep the set energetic and visually make it as big as possible. “I think each festival has its own vibe or theme, the best way is to embrace whatever that theme is and find your friends and have a good time with it. It’s easy to take things too seriously, and usually you’ll drive yourself crazy!” P Pierce The Veil’s new album will be released later this year. 41
“We want people to hear it and think, f**k, finally!” AFTER A FIVE YEAR WAIT, RADKEY FINALLY ARRIVE WITH THEIR DEBUT. WORDS: HEATHER MCDAID.
T
eenage boredom is the source of a lot of things: wandering through the same town over and over hoping something different happens, well maintained Tumblr accounts, the search for new hobbies. The latter is what Missouri-born brothers Radkey faced, starting a band and jamming indiscriminately after traversing the waters via their father’s extensive music collection. What few may have expected was that by the time any of them reached their twenties, they’d have ticked several of the bucket list boxes for bands. They may have only formed in 2010, but they’ve played festivals all over, toured the other side of the world, and even performed on Later... with Jools Holland. A far cry from the humble room in which they began. It’s in 2015, though, that this culminates in a definitive work of sorts; their debut album ‘Dark Black Makeup’ marks them leaving behind their homeschooled roots and discovering the world on the road. “We wanted to do something different this time,” says bassist Isaiah Radke. “We wanted to actually experiment with some other sounds and work to our absolute limit to see what we could do.” Their musical influences broadened through this push for something new. “This time we were able to find some weird heavier stuff, some mellow stuff and some weirder things. We would jam and it would be a lot of gibberish with a melody and I would just listen to the recordings of that and we’d write lyrics to it for like hours.”
movies, some home-grown observations. “There’s stuff like Stanley Kubrick’s movies that really inspire the vibe, to have a few things that were pretty interesting to listen to or maybe some lyrics that would catch you. It’s things like that, just drawing people in to something that sounds sort of disturbing, so maybe you want to see it through and hear the rest of the songs, see where it goes from there.” Their title track is about youth wasting their potential, which seems a particularly interesting topic given Radkey’s trajectory through their own teenage years. “A lot of young people these days... not everyone, but there’s just a lot of waste. It seems that a lot of people are trying to be cool and doing whatever they feel they are supposed to do. It’s like mass-produced shit. If you could just be an individual and make your own decisions, you would spend more time doing what you want to do instead of sitting around being mad at some shit. Just disconnect from whatever’s towing you down.” Just one listen to their album showcases
command attention when they’re playing from their erratic and free-flowing stage presence.You never know what’s going to happen next, but you’ll definitely stay to find out. “We’re really excited. We did the festival tour last year and we’re really stoked to get to do it again. It’s a pretty crazy experience - we’ve never done Reading & Leeds or anything like that, so we are pretty stoked. I watch live Iron Maiden DVDs and stuff like that,” he adds, on how they prepare for taking their show to that next, festival level. “You have that archived in your brain, so you’ve kind of seen that big crowd before and you’ll make sure you won’t be really boring.” Radkey’s live shows are notoriously raucous and well-received, so much so that it’s just as integral a part of the band’s identity as the music itself. “I think a live show is one of the most important parts of a band. We just sort of have fun and do whatever’s natural to us when we’re on stage. It feels right, and it seems to be working out.” Working out so well, in fact, that they’re returning shortly after their festival run for a UK tour from Brighton’s Green Door Store towards the end of October through to The Dome in London on November 5th. “We’re expecting to have a really good time. Last time was incredible, the time before was amazing, so hopefully this time can be even better than those.”
“It seems that a lot of people are trying to be cool; it’s like mass produced shit.”
They’re open about how they grew up limited the experience from which they could draw lyrical inspiration, so the album benefits from them reaching adulthood on the road, giving their stories a legitimacy they previously guessed at. “There was a lot of made-up stories,” Isaiah notes. “We didn’t have a lot of life experience, but now we have more to write about.You hang out, you play some shows, you meet new people, you meet girls. I feel that to really write a song about it, you have to go through the bad experiences too to really draw relatable, weird stuff.” That relatable edge they sought is tinged with a darker treatment, exploring themes from obsession and jealousy to regret and insecurity, some of which come from
ISAIAH RADKE the leaps that they’ve made over the years. They throw musical curveballs without a second thought, surprising the listener on top of drawing them in to these more mature stories they weave. It feels like a bold statement against mediocrity. “We want you be really excited for rock music in the future. We want people to hear this and be like we want more albums like this. Like it’s rock and it’s catchy and heavy.” There’s an element of disenchantment with the current standing of a lot of music, and that’s what they want to tackle head on: “We want people to hear it and think, ‘Fuck, finally!’” It’s a sentiment that’s evident in a live setting, and one that will dominate their sets at Reading & Leeds Festival. The brothers
It’s said that Radkey see music as a chance to articulate, a mode of pure expression, so, in its essence, what do they ultimately want to say? “Cut loose, relax and fucking party. Have a good time and don’t worry at all about what other people think about you and how you may look while rocking out. Just enjoy it all.”P Radkey’s album ‘Dark Black Makeup’ is out now.
RADKEY
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NECK DEEP
MAIN STAGE READING: FRIDAY LEEDS: SATURDAY
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NECK DEEP AREN’T TRYING TO REINVENT THE WHEEL, THE BAND EXPLAIN; THEY JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN. WORDS: SARAH JAMIESON.
W
hen you think of pop punk, it’s easy to be instantly transported Stateside. Hanging out on a sun-drenched beach, heading to a pool party with red cup in hand, jumping in the car for a road trip to Warped Tour; it’s a genre that’s somehow come to embody an entire way of life. But what you probably don’t think of when putting on your favourite pop punk record is, well, North Wales. Wrexham quintet Neck Deep are doing everything within their power to change that. With their debut record ‘Wishful Thinking’, they laid the foundations. It’s with their forthcoming second effort, though, that they’re really making the genre their own. “We didn’t wanna change,” begins frontman Ben Barlow, on the essence of his band. He’s currently in the midst of Warped Tour, on an off-day during which there’s a party at “Mattie from A Loss For Words’ house.” Right now, Ben’s living the dream, and it’s all his. “We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel,” he goes on. With their new
full-length the band were just intent on being the absolute best version of themselves. “We just wanted to keep doing what we’re doing, and make music that we like. To make music that we grew up on, because that was the kind of music that made us fall in love with music, so we’re just trying to put our own spin on that.” For ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’, they’ve done just that. Having decamped to Florida last year, the band found themselves working with the rather impressive trio of Andrew Wade, Tom Denney and A Day To Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon, who all offered a hand to have Neck Deep’s vision of direct simplicity come to life. “They’re pretty much responsible for A Day To Remember’s success and it’s pretty clear why, after working with them,” offers Ben. “Tom is just a riff machine!” he laughs. “We were actually meant to have a week just with Tom before we went into the studio with Jeremy and Wade, but he was really sick so we missed out on a couple of sessions. We got the bones of three songs out of him though. He gave us some ideas that he’d been working on and sometimes,
we’d just sit and jam something out, but yeah, he was awesome to work with. “Jeremy is awesome,” he continues. “He’s obviously a big figure within this world, and it was great to work with someone who has done as much as he has and accomplished. I trusted his judgement on a lot of things, but at the same time, he wasn’t too overpowering, he didn’t want to change our sound. He said from the beginning, ‘I want this to be a Neck Deep record. Anything you don’t like, let me know.’ We had a good rapport going on. Some of his ideas turned to be some of my favourite parts on the album. He was a super chilled guy, really humble. Wade’s just a genius and works super, super hard. All of them were just full of ideas, really nice dudes who were great to work with and seemed to just really get what we were about.” Together, the band were able to hone their songwriting skills and make real progress. Having previously only ever worked with Ben’s brother Seb taking on production duties, the change not only saw them stepping out of their usual environment in a less
tangible sense, it also saw them heading to the other side of the world. “We kinda wanted to switch up how we went about the recording process,” he explains, touching upon their visit to Florida to work with Denny, Wade and McKinnon. “I love my brother, and he’s done everything prior to this but as much as I love him and I think he’ll really go far, we needed to take a bigger step and go to someone who has a reputation for making great records, has a legit studio and knows what it’s like to make big records. “It was about taking ourselves out of our own environment and get ideas from other people. It was a different experience that worked out really, really well. We basically rented out an apartment - I don’t know how the hell we found it! - that was really nice. Right next to a Five Guys and Chipotle… It was about half an hour
away from Jeremy and we got fully immersed in the American way of life. It was crazy.” You can take the boys out of Wrexham, but... “We’ve always got a lot of love for where we’re from,” assures Ben. “We’re just
my comfort zone. I think we were all in a good creative space” Their newest effort isn’t just about offering up perfect chunks of pop punk goodness. As its title hints, Ben’s also keen to assure fans that they’re
“We’re just small town boys on some mad adventure.” BEN BARLOW small town boys on some mad adventure but it definitely good inspiration for writing an album; I wrote most of the songs in the studio. I just sat up late at night writing. There was a bunch of times I’d stay up, sitting in the living room just writing and writing. I definitely felt like I was driven to that much more because I was out of
a band who want to help. “I think the whole theme of ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ is about writing music that a lot of people can connect to,” he explains. It’s about living life for the moment, and remembering that tomorrow can always be different. “You hear a lot of stories and you know that some people have got
some sad stories to tell and it’s grim, but I didn’t want to write music that would make people sad. Instead, I wanted to give people who might be having a shit time…” “I mean,” his point starts to conclude, “now I’m older and I enjoy life and I’m luckily in a position where I can say, ‘Look, here are all the good points so focus on this,’ but I know that sometimes, when you’re in a dark place, you just need a new way of thinking about things.” A change of environment, a newfound circumstance. It’s not about to bending to the norms; it’s about transforming the name of the game. “I wanted to bring that in with the lyrics.You can apply it to whatever you’re going through in life; I just wanted to help people.” P Neck Deep’s album ‘Life’s Not out to Get You’ is out now.
“We’re a rock band and we always will be.” THE DON BROCO BOYS AREN’T AFRAID OF SPANNING GENRES, BUT ROCK IS WHERE THEIR HEARTS LIE. WORDS: JESSICA BRIDGEMAN.
D
on Broco don’t play by the rules. And as they prepare to debut their second full-length, ‘Automatic’, for music press, friends and, well, anyone who’s managed to sneak in to the Red Bull Studio space in South London, their sense of riotousness is contagious. Sure, they’re running late from a clothes fitting, fumbling into their party wares between interview questions and scoffing cold pizza, but as Rob Damiani, Simon Delaney, Matt Donnelly and Tom Doyle scramble about us, they’re sounding far more together than their physical chaos suggests. “It’s exciting more than anything,” says frontman Rob Damiani on the release of their new record. “It’s been a couple of months since we finished recording but we’ve been living with some of the songs for a good year or so. We’re still enjoying them,” he insists, before tackling the elephant in the room. Despite bands like Set It Off and Issues gaining phenomenal exposure with their fierce pop influences in the last twelve months, the Bedford foursome’s ability to tip the genre scales has long been something to divide opinion. “We’ve always straddled genres,” Rob says. “From our first EPs there’s always been a variety of music on there.” Bassist Tom adds: “I think on a whole, we get away with it probably more than some rock bands do. I don’t think people expect us to sit within just rock, so we get away with using other elements and being potentially that bit more pop.” “We don’t stick to the rules!” Rob fist-pumps in jest. “We’ve always tried to embrace anything that we think sets us apart.” As for ‘Automatic’? “If we come across an idea that we wouldn’t think we’d hear another band do, we embrace that and won’t shy away from it,” the singer says. “I think we try to mix it up but I’m not going to say we’ve created some sort of new genre. I mean, I’d love it if people look back in a few years and say ‘Wow, that genre called Don Broco…’, but for us it was more about all the elements of things we like, all our influences and artists we love, chucked into the melting pot, and this is what it’s
ended up sounding like.” At first, you wouldn’t be blamed for dismissing guitarist Simon Delaney as he jokingly compares his band’s sound to Queen. On paper though, there’s an argument to suggest that extracting the very best qualities of multi-genres to construct your hotly-anticipated second album is every bit as rock and roll as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Almost. “We’re a rock band and I think we always will be,” Rob declares off the back of his bandmate’s brave comparisons. “We love guitar music but on this album we embraced a few other genres, but I think we always have in our writing.” “At the heart of it, it always will be [rock],” Tom says in support. But while they were tucked away working on the follow up to 2012’s ‘Priorities’ - with Grammy Award-winning producer, Jason Perry, at the helm - the music landscape around them changed.When Don Broco released ‘Money Power Fame’ at the back end of 2014, they didn’t anticipate the digital backlash that would follow. Despite a big budget video, fans were quick to notice its absence from Spotify. “The video came out and we were busy in the studio so we weren’t really thinking about what goes on with the ingestion process of getting [songs] online,” Rob explains. “People almost couldn’t understand why it wasn’t on Spotify straight away, it was almost their right to have it there.Then when it did go on [in July 2015], people lost their minds.” So as they weigh up chart opportunities and the possible success of a rock album in 2015, Don Broco know it’s all too crucial to have a grasp on how their fans are consuming music day-to-day. “Very much digitally,” says Simon. “We’re quite lucky we have a lot of hardcore fans who are still that record buying collective. Some are going to want the physical CD or vinyl, but the majority are going to be streaming.” Tom adds: “Traditionally you saw music videos on TV or maybe on YouTube in slightly later years, and then you’d
buy the single when it came out. It wasn’t a question of instantly having it in your music library.” With that they pour time and efforts into producing Hollywood-inspired music videos, with both of ‘Automatic’’s lead singles landing on the internet in slick formats.Think Miami beaches, dapper suits and their vey own banquet to begin. “When people hear of your band they’re going to check you out on YouTube,” Simon explains, “and often it’s going to be the first thing they see and the first impression. It’s so important that visually, you nail the tone of what you’re doing as well as nailing the song in the first place.” Beyond the music videos, fashion appointments, free pizza and album parties, these Brit boys plan to rely on the hectic touring ethic that got them this far. Between a week-long run to support the album release at the beginning of August and their biggest headline gig to date at Brixton Academy in December – something Simon dubs a ‘massive’ milestone for the bandthere’s a small matter of playing Reading & Leeds Festival this month. And the pressure to top the success of their 2014 set on the NME / BBC Radio 1 tent certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. “For me definitely, it’s the best stage at Reading and Leeds,” Rob says. “The idea and the aftermath of main stage is insane but we’re the kind of band who love the intimacy of lively energetic crowds. When you get into that tent - it’s so massive that you have the huge crowd anyway - the sound is great and everyone’s just sweaty and vibey. It’s going to be the highlight of the summer again.” Rules? Who needs ‘em.P Don Broco’s album ‘Automatic’ is out now.
DON BROCO
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MARMOZ ETS
“You’re either with us or not.” AHEAD OF THEIR READING & LEEDS SETS, THERE’S FIGHTING TALK FROM MARMOZETS.
B
ecca Macintyre gets told she can’t do what she does “all the time. But we don’t give a fuck about that sort of talk,” she says as defiant as ever. “You’re either with us or not,” she explains ahead of Marmozets’ first show in Australia. A couple more follow and then the band are off to Japan to continue a summer run that’s seen them take in Russia, Europe and the US. “What else do you do with the band,” Becca reasons. “The whole point it to play everywhere. You never know what each day is going to be like, or what each stage is going to be like. That’s what makes it special, not knowing.”
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WORDS: ALI SHUTLER.
Marmozets thrive on that idea of the unexpected, but getting to this point couldn’t have been more clear-cut. “It was one of those situations where you’ve got no choice what you do with your life,” starts Becca of the band’s origins. “We all have such a love for music. We’re a family so we already had that relationship,” she continues. “It wasn’t starting something new, there was a friendship between all of us before we even thought about being a band. We’re lucky, it just happened.”
What they do is the result of years of hard work and experimentation that came to a glorious head with the release of debut album ‘The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets’ last September. While the album release set the ball rolling, it was their much talked about appearances at Reading & Leeds that acted as the final slog to the summit. Their return this year is the perfect chance to show people just how far they’ve come.
“I’ve been into music my whole life,” she states. “All my family is musical and it’s the same with the Bottomleys [Jack, guitar; Will, bass]. We’ve always been surrounded and grounded in old school, real life music and artists that actually talk about real shit. It’s why we keep doing what we do.”
“I’m not really thinking about it until it comes to us starting to prepare for it,” says Becca. “I’ve got to get my outfit sorted, get my nails and my hair done,” she continues before breaking down in laughter. Composing herself she admits, ”There might be some nerves the night
“We want to go bigger and we’ll do everything we can to do that.” BECCA MACINTYRE before and that day. That’s the beautiful thing about going through that little section, being nervous. If you’re not nervous, I don’t think there’s much point. I think it’s great to have a lot of confidence but for those big things, you need to be so nervous.You want it to be so perfect and you want to make sure you win that crowd over. “At the end of the day, it’s down to us. It’s not down to lights, or smoke machines or fire. We’re all about the live performance and what each member of Marmozets can do. That’s what we call a show,” she proudly says. “And anyway, we can’t really afford production yet. Maybe next year.” Being in that spotlight isn’t all sunshine and dance though. “Obviously you get your ups and downs.You have a bad day and feel down about shit but you always pick yourself back up again and just try. That’s just a natural thing about human life.” “We’re getting the respect we think we deserve,” she considers. “We’ve been a band for seven years and we know our music does help people.” But Becca doesn’t let her growing influence affect her actions. “I’m just about being me and myself. Not living a fake life. That’s a great thing for people of all ages to see.” The Marmozets show, focusing on comfort in self, isn’t slowing
down anytime soon. After the festivals - including Reading & Leeds - the band are heading out to America again for another run of shows and then they can start thinking about album number two. “We’re just writing while being on tour then we’re going to have loads of time to do an album. It’s going to be exciting to be in that process again, to be grounded for a while. I think it’s going to do us all really good. We’ve got to go back through those situations of wanting it to be perfect, where every single song is a hit because that’s the sort of band that we are. We want to be proud,” states Becca before reiterating, “We want to be really proud of whatever we bring out. It’s a long process. It’ll be out when it’s out but we’re not going to keep people waiting.” “From all the experiences we’ve gone through in the band, it’s so much more personal than people think,” she explains. “We’re just a bunch of kids, musicians, who want to relate to the world and tell [our fans] what we think about life. We already have a platform there, and we want to go bigger and we’ll do everything we can to do that, to keep doing that and to keep being there for everyone.” P Marmozets’ album ‘The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets’ is out now.
MARMOZETS
MAIN STAGE READING: SATURDAY LEEDS: SUNDAY
Frank on Refused The last time that Frank Iero visited Reading & Leeds Festival, he was headlining with My Chemical Romance. Now, he’s returning to the more intimate confines of the Lock Up tent with his new project, and he cannot wait. “I think I’ve played three or four times before and every time has been life-altering for different reasons,” he laughs. “I’m excited to get to play and it’s amazing to be given even a shot to play it again with a different project. I feel very fortunate to be able to do that.” It’s not just playing that he’s looking forward to, either. “I get to see Refused again too,” he exclaims. “Fuck man! One of the greatest sets I’ve seen in my life was when Refused played at Groezrock [earlier
this year]. I can’t wait to see them again. I mean, I had a conversation with a friend of mine when we were watching their set together, but when you go to school and say you want to be a lawyer, they’ll give you a case study. They’ll show you examples of all the laws people have made or the cases that people have worked on; how things can go right and a perfect situation to be in. They should just videotape Refused’s set and just show it to anyone who wants to be in a band and say, ‘This is as good as it can get. If you can’t come close to this, then this is not the right place for you!’ “I mean, they had seventeen years apart or something ridiculous like that, and I’m still so head over heels for them. I’ve seen a lot of bands and I’ve seen a lot of sets but theirs was as close to flawless as you could possibly get.” P 51
RATED
Bloody great, m8 Prrrretty good It’ll do Bobbins
FIDLAR Too
Wichita Recordings
eeeee Keg party anthems with a darker than black undertone, FIDLAR’s second album is both beautifully simple and brilliantly complex all at once.
F
IDLAR sit across the divide. Enough slacker West Coast cool to sit with the indie kids, make no mistake - at the heart of it, in their own imperfect way, Zac Carper’s crew are punk as fuck. Punk as fuck with an album so amazing it should shift enough units to immediately have them branded complete sell outs. Obviously. The band’s previous self-titled debut fulllength is no slouch. An immediate blast of adrenaline, fast food and intoxication on a budget, it’s the kind of album that becomes fast friends on the first listen. But ‘Too’ -
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that’s something else entirely. No fat, no pretence, no high art - its nothing short of a masterpiece. To attempt to unravel its magic would only ruin the spell. Petulant swagger, anthemic brilliance - in their own way, this is FIDLAR’s big moment, just without any concessions to lazy radio friendly fodder lesser peers would entertain. Instead, they tap into the kind of dumb, skyscraper sized abandon no other band does quite as well. Take ‘West Coast’ - a demo plucked from an early EP, polished up and turned into the kind of impossible no-fucks-given cool that instantly sounds both dollar store cheap and impossibly expensive at the
eeeee eeee eee ee e
same time. It’s nothing short of huge. ‘Why Generation’ and it’s woozy verses explode into a chorus so catchy it was almost certainly extracted from the head of an errant Beatle with the munchies. ‘Drone’ is the rebellious fist pump that stands as the antithesis of every overblown slice of sixth form social commentary lesser bands may churn out, while ‘Punks’ explodes in an avalanche of classic riffs and screamed defiance. FIDLAR are not messing about. And yet underneath the non-stop fun, there’s a darker heart. ‘Bad Medicine’, ‘Sober’, ‘Bad Medicine’ - the titles themselves hint at Carper’s demons. It’s to his credit that at no point does ‘Too’ ever feel like listening in on a free therapy session. Only on ‘Overdose’ is the pace fully slowed - a stalking confessional that, as heavy as it may get, never once feels awkward. A party album from the top of the pile, with undertones of genuine personal trauma - the fact that FIDLAR made ‘Too’ work at all is remarkable. That they’ve made it into one of the albums of the year is nothing short of amazing. Stephen Ackroyd
RATED
Don Broco
Agent Fresco
Knuckle Puck
Blessthefall
Epic
Record Records
Rise Records
Fearless Records
eee
eee
eee
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A newfound direction.
A hefty mix of experimentation.
The band’s future becomes all the more exciting.
Ambition by the bucket-load.
Destrier
Automatic
Animosity slotted over synths? Melancholy peppered under pop? More and more rock bands are making it trickier to pigeonhole them. For Don Broco’s latest release, ‘Automatic’, that’s certainly the case. The quartet are dipping into different influences, borrowing elements from the opposite end of the spectrum and allowing a little more tug and pull on the fist-pumping, lad-centric image they portrayed when they first stepped onto the scene in 2008. Admittedly there’s sure to be some reluctance towards the band’s newfound direction, but who doesn’t love a sultry bassline or two? Emma Matthews
Whether it’s avant-garde synths slotted between prog rock riffs or metal snares given a jazz-meets-alt backbone, Icelandic quartet Agent Fresco have never been about fitting in. The four-piece’s second LP, ‘Destrier’, is a hefty mix of experimentation that explores vast influences and creative freedom. The ambitious mix of genres does make the release feel cramped – particularly on songs like ‘Wait For Me’ and ‘Dark Water’. That said, it’s only fair to congratulate a band who aren’t afraid to step away from their comfort zone and delve into both the past and present, as well as the future. Emma Matthews
The Wonder Years No Closer To Heaven Hopeless Records
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“M
Defiant and hopeful: The Wonder Years take another bold stride forward.
aybe I could have made a difference,” cries Dan Campbell on ‘Stained Glass Ceiling’. It’s one of several scrawled asides that act as the source for ‘No Closer To Heavens’ message of change as the band yearn for better. Across their previous three albums, The Wonder Years have struggled with the sense of home but now, with the world watching, their sense of belonging has thrown up some questions bigger than their own porch. Their stance is powerful, their gaze steady and their voice, assured. From the atmospheric shimmer of ‘Brothers &’, through the stuttering but
knowing pace of ‘A Song For Patsy Cline’ until the surprising peace of the title track, ‘No Closer To Heaven’ sees The Wonder Years take yet more bold strides forward. There’s no caped crusade on ‘No Closer To Heaven’, nor is there a single placard to march under but the idea of change is powerfully unifying. “I may never reach the gates,” The Wonder Years admit with resolution at the close of the album. “I’ll keep walking anyway. I’m no closer to heaven.” Defiant and hopeful, The Wonder Years have grown into themselves and discovered it’s not just themselves that need to be different, it’s the world around them. Ali Shutler
Copacetic
Slots on the Warped Tour and a signing to Rise Records have accompanied the final part of Chicago’s Knuckle Puck’s journey to their first full-length, after nearly four years of EPs and singles. The LP, then, arrives with significant expectation and excitement. ‘Copacetic’ wastes not a second in asserting its gritty, honest intentions and trying to answer these expectations. Opener ‘Wall To Wall (Depreciation)’ begins an album drenched with a feeling of relief at a band finally letting a full-length loose. This sense gives ‘Copacetic’ a punch that only such a long amount of time waiting could provide, and a want to make it worth it. There’s little up-and-down over the album’s forty minutes, but ‘Ponder’’s stripped back instrumentation gives Joe Taylor’s vocals the chance to rise to the top and be significantly more affecting than anywhere else on the album. It’s the first time his voice is fully let loose, and they thrive when given extra space to roam. With highlights far from constant across ‘Copacetic’, a sense that four years of EPs, singles and waiting could and possibly should have culminated in something a little more inventive can’t be escaped, and it’s an itch that threatens to overshadow what is a promising release in many places. ‘Copacetic’ is surely solid, but it’s only in the instances when it rises above the formula of every pop-punk album that’s already been written – on ‘Ponder’ and ‘Untitled’ – that they become intriguing, and when Knuckle Puck’s future becomes all the more exciting. Will Richards
To Those Left Behind
“We’ve taken a giant fucking leap forward,” says vocalist Beau Bokan on the topic of album number five. ‘To Those Left Behind’ is Blessthefall’s latest push for the next level as musicians by their own accounts, and one that sees them aim for the sky. ‘Up In Flames’ was a tame introduction to this vision; compare it to single ‘Walk On Water’ and it immediately pales: this demands attention, the disarming echoed vocals setting the listener on edge. The calm reprise rings the same as many other tracks, that bridge between thrashing verses and crowd-pleasing choruses dampening a track in a formulaic template. Often, these leaps and curveballs are welcome and interesting, but it can feel like momentum is being sacrificed to shifts that appear across the board. There are attempts to push their music further: ‘Condition_Comatose’ features an mellow electro blend of sorts, where electronic nuances pepper ‘Looking Down From The Edge’ and ‘Keep What We Love & Burn The Rest’. ‘Dead Air’ and ‘Departures’ are the impassioned live singalongs, and achieve this confidently. Their most fluid songs remain their heaviest, crafted in a way that their more experimental works haven’t quite reached. Their formula, however, is tried and true. While there are obvious attempts to push themselves musically, interesting if jarring at times, there’s a predictability to many moments, several shifting gears away from something that felt bigger. It’s still their best album by far; they’ve pushed for something and got ambition by the bucket-load. Heather McDaid 53
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Defeater
Frank Turner
Epitaph
Positive Songs For Negative People
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Polydor
Thrilling, heartfelt and imaginative, this is Defeater at their most dramatic.
Fundamentally straightforward.
Abandoned
There’s simply no escaping the intensity of Defeater frontman Derek Archambault. Throttling and uncompromising in his delivery, the tragedy in his storytelling has never felt as ferocious as on this 11-track outing. And while it may be commonplace for most bands to depict their own highs and lows on any given release, ‘Abandoned’ sees the Boston hardcore quintet continue to do nothing of the sort. Inspired by his favourite authors, Archambault concludes the story of an unnamed New Jersey family at the centre of the band’s backcatalogue. From the turmoil of debut ‘Travels’, heartache of ‘Empty Days’ and sheer compassion of ‘Letters Home’, this fourth full-length provides the ultimate plot twist. Capturing the moment that good turns to evil, then, spawns tracks like ‘Unanswered’, ‘Spared In Hell’ and ‘Divination’, in which Archambault sings of grand biblical revelations. It’s throughout the entirety of ‘Abandoned’ that the frontman questions religion and, while not scrutinising particular beliefs, examines the idea of belief itself. ‘Borrowed & Blue’ is the tale’s turning point, where guilt and sorrow are made all the more chilling with guest vocals from Made Do And Mend’s James Carroll. By the time ‘Penance’ drops, the narrative is so bleak it’s a wonder it didn’t consume the band during the writing process. Even at the slowest moments of ‘Vice & Regret’ - the dramatic finale - the band remain in sync. Jessica Bridgeman 5 4 upsetmagazine.com
eee Many discuss rock troubadour Frank Turner’s evolution from punk outfit Million Dead frontman to his current guise with a mixture of cynicism and respect. His Etonian heritage an arguable contradiction to his standing within the comparably liberal punk scene, yet his rise to fame and success undeniable. This year alone sees Turner continue his touring prowess with a stop-off at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace. Yet between Million Dead and his now grandiose commercial rock that occasionally teeters towards Americana, Turner dominated another phase. Moving out of his punk origins, he toyed with his emotional side. Early solo material was not only downbeat but brutally gut-wrenching. With it, Turner developed a masterful balance between introversion and mass connection. On ‘Positive Songs For Negative People’, his sixth full-length, he all-but waves goodbye to the overtly morose, instead welcoming an energy which he began to hone back on 2011’s ‘England Keep My Bones’. The folk elements that facilitated the storytelling of old have also largely been swapped for a Bruce Springsteen like bravado, particularly on lead single ‘Get Better’. With the departure from Turner’s heavily emotive days, ‘Positive Songs For Negative People’ doesn’t provide a challenging listen. Other than a closing foray into the tragically honest, his sixth effort is fundamentally straightforward. Yet the predominantly upbeat compositions do all that is intended. Ben Tipple
Miss May I Deathless Rise Records
eee A pleasantly aggressive racket. Miss May I received criticism for their 2014 release, ‘Rise Of The Lion’, due to it not being ‘heavy’ enough. Speculation understandably arose as to whether new record, ‘Deathless’, would go in a similar direction. Fret not, it hasn’t. Instead, the band have put the gimmicks aside and crafted a pleasantly aggressive racket that brings them right back to their roots. Storming guitars? Check. Raging snares? Check. Intense Riffs? Double check. With producer, metalcore supremo, Joey Sturgis leaving his stamp on ‘Deathless’, it’s the comeback record that many fans want. Emma Matthews
Stray From The Path
Subliminal Criminals Sumerian Records
eeee Political metalcore at its very finest. Known as a band who use their influence to call-out the villains of the modern world, Stray From The Path’s ‘Subliminal Criminals’ is political metalcore at its very best. It’s seething, it’s intense and, quite honestly, it couldn’t be more relatable. From the slaying of unethical capitalists in ‘The New Gods’ to the relentless stab at privatised healthcare in ‘Outbreak’, the album depicts the people’s rights in a way that will leave you wanting to storm the streets in a blind fit of rage. Emma Matthews
RATED
Against Me!
Kagoule
Strange Loop Records
Bullet For My Valentine
Xtra Mile
Earache
eeee
Venom RCA
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The songs take on a new life.
Radkey
Dark Black Makeup Confident and selfassured. It’s forgivable to hear the slick production and brooding vocals of Dee Radke on the opening title-track and assume that Radkey are a band far older. ‘Romance Dawn’ snarls and shifts tempos like it’s going out of fashion, ‘Love Spills’ is punky at the off but fuses a bluesy twang. ‘Glore’ is their ‘Ace of Spades’, frenzied and furious, capturing their live shows in one explosive burst. Their playful nature sees unpredictable twists thrown in without second thought; the famed Misfits-y sludge underpins much of the album. A confident, self-assured debut. Heather McDaid
Easy to connect with. Bullet For My Valentine have something to prove with this album; their first without bassist Jay James, and with newbie Jamie Mathias. It’s an odd sort of sandwich they have: it’s unashamedly their heaviest work to date, with attempts to slow it down peppering the middle. Lyrically, Matt Tuck has pushed himself into darker territory, pulling from past experiences, but the result is an album that’s far easier to connect with. The band claim it’s the strongest they’ve ever made, and pleasingly they seem to be right. Heather McDaid
Neck Deep
Life’s Not Out To Get You Hopeless Records
eeeee Pop punk isn’t dead. obviously. Neck Deep have always showed promise. Right back to 2013’s
23 Live Sex Acts
“We’re gonna fuck shit up tonight!” chants Laura Jane Grace as Against Me! launch into ‘I Was A Teenage Anarchist’. The reason people go and see the same bands time and time again is that the experience can transcend that of listening to an album; these settings create memories from people united in celebrating the same music. Hearing the chat, the euphoric cheers, it makes the feeling tangible. Against Me! sadly don’t tour by your house every day, but this captures that experience in a wonderful snapshot that you’ll happily play on repeat. Heather McDaid
‘Rain In July’, the Wrexham quintet have managed to sway the majority of genre skeptics. Whether you believe pop-punk was ever at risk of dying out or not (it wasn’t), this British mob’s second full-length stands to crush the naysayers. When word spread of Ben Barlow and co hitting the studio
Urth
eee Stateside 90s grunge on a day trip to the midlands. Kagoule are from Nottingham, but they could just as well hail from any early 90s US grunge stronghold. That’s the musical spine that runs straight through the trio - a discordant, effortless line in detuned rock. ‘Glue’, with its almost spoken word verses and off-book earworm chorus stands out. ‘Adjust The Way’ has punch and spirit without ever being obvious, while ‘Empty Mug’ is a glorious one and a bit minute long thrash. Find that one killer moment, and Kagoule could well go stratospheric. Stephen Ackroyd
with A Day To Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon, escaping the safety of 2014‘s ‘Wishful Thinking’ seemed paramount. Unsurprisingly, the twelve-track record is soaked in the Ocala musician’s influence. There’s an air of scatty, Sum 41-style angst about opener ‘Citizens Of Earth’, as Barlow’s vocals echo like a war cry to fans. The quick riffs of ‘Threat Level Midnight’ shift back towards the band’s comfort zone, but it’s the confident vocals that set it apart from their back-catalogue. Lyrics about friends, relationships and growing up continue through ‘Lime St’, ‘The Beach Is For Lovers (Not Lonely Losers)’ and ‘Rock Bottom’. Cliche? Maybe. But for a band who’ve not long shed their teenage years, songs about mortgages and marriage breakdowns may be a way off. ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ is everything Neck Deep have been working towards, but having achieved it so thoroughly is testament to more than just a genre trend. They aren’t going away anytime soon, thankfully. Jessica Bridgeman 55
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Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes Blossom
International Death Cult
eeee Grin-inducing madness. There aren’t many modern
Meat Wave Delusion Moon SideOneDummy
eeee Punk vibes. After releasing their ‘Brother’ EP back in January, Chicago’s Meat Wave have wasted little time in bringing us their second full-length, ‘Delusion Moon’. Usually, such a rapid follow up might be something of a surprise, but with Meat Wave it makes total sense.Very much a vibe-heavy band, pretty much the entirety of ‘Delusion Moon’ sounds like it could’ve come from one jam session. All delivered with the off-kilter punk swagger the band have made their trademark, most of the songs on the record are centred around one musical phrase or vocal hook that’s repeated, built upon, briefly deconstructed and then 5 6 upsetmagazine.com
repeated again. It’s a simplistic way of doing things, sure, but the band are just about weird enough – it’ll take more than a few listens for the bizarre lunar sub-plot to start making any sense - and incorporate just enough variety, with tracks like the grooveheavy ‘Witchcraft’ and the syncopated idiosyncrasies of closer, ‘The Gay Contempt’ to pull it off without it ever feeling formulaic. That said, there’s certainly a few moments across the thirteen tracks on the record where a phrase or lyric can feel like it’s been repeated one too many times – with the longer tracks, ‘Sunlight’ especially, finding themselves most susceptible to this. Still, the energy levels involved even in those parts that begin to drag mean that ‘Delusion Moon’ hits far more often than it misses, even checking on the track’s time marker a few times towards the end of those tracks is nowhere near enough to detract from how enjoyable this record is. Ryan DeFreitas
rock icons like Frank Carter. No matter how many times he vows to step away from music, he’s always dragged back by hordes of rabid fans, eager to lap up anything the firebrand might put his name to next. This time backing himself with members of The Ghost Of A Thousand, the earliest teasers of
The Rattlesnakes promised to bring back the snarling side that made Carter such a punk-rock pin-up back in the Gallows days – a far cry from his indie-baiting, patchy Pure Love stopgap, and a welcome return to the heavier fold. Experimentation seems to have given way to a desire to cram in another high-gain guitar line at every opportunity. Carter brings forth moments of his signature grin-inducing madness, but for every vocal-chord splitting wail of “even on my own, you can’t stop me,” as in opener The Juggernaut, there’s a ‘Fangs’ waiting round the corner, its ode to “golden legs – they hypnotise” an unwelcome hark back to the needlessly objectifying cock-rock of old. When Carter’s not making your skin crawl, ‘Blossom’ proves he’s still capable of standing up the hairs on the back of your neck, though – the sucker punch of “you coward fucking scum” as ‘Paradise’ reaches its mid-point in particular. Subtle, it is not; memorable, however? You bet. Tom Connick
RATED
The Devil Wears Prada Space EP Rise Records
eeee Masters of the EP, TDWP hit gold again. Five years on from their last, career-defining EP, ‘Zombie’, a newly trimmed TDWP have put forward another release that may finally topple said record’s crown. Everything’s more refined than ever; from the trashy breakdowns to the infinitely quotable samples before each breakdown. When they hit too long a stride, Prada seem to lose focus – strip things down to EP-sized clenched fists though, and they illustrate exactly what’s helped them maintain their pace for a full decade, in a scene filled with flashes in the pan. Tom Connick
Donovan Wolfington
How To Treat The Ones You Love Topshelf Records
eeee Donovan Wolfington know that it’s hookdriven punk rock that they do best You know those days when you wake up and think, “Fuck it”? Donovan Wolfington feel you. With the difficulties the trio faced while recording their sophomore effort – the death of the album’s original producer and friend of the band, Rick Nasier midway through the recording, as well as losing two members along the way – there has to have been times where “fuck it” seemed like an appealing option. Despite being laced with some genuine pain along the way, the
majority of ‘How To Treat The Ones You Love’ retains the laid-back burnout charm that’s become the band’s trademark. Even the album’s most frank moments of self-doubt, as seen on ‘Basalisk’ and the Weezeresque ‘Solo Cup’, are delivered with a cool air of nonchalance. It’s not all bouncy songs about getting high and watching wrestling though, with some serious curveballs thrown in the shape of ‘Hxc Punk’ and ‘Locust’, an uncharacteristically sludgy affair. It’s almost jarring to hear those shifts, but given the feelings of self-doubt and frustration, a few moments of lashing out and getting a bit weird isn’t all that far-fetched. Those aside, though, Donovan Wolfington know that it’s hookdriven punk rock that they do best, and as the joyfully catchy ‘John Cena’ and the sarcastic ‘Manchac’ demonstrate, they’re getting better and better at it. ‘How To Treat The Ones You Love’ places them firmly alongside Joyce Manor and Sorority Noise at the very top of their genre. Ryan De Freitas
Tellison
Hope Fading Nightly Alcopop
eeee A charming release. Poster-boys for the unsuccessful and broken-hearted ‘til the end, Tellison’s third full-length opens with a so-Tellison-it-hurts self-referential ballad. “Please accept my reluctant, though necessary, resignation,” ends frontman Stephen Davidson, after recounting the wearisome journey of almosts and notquites that have constantly batted the group back from the position of indie breakthrough. From there on out, though, it’s all guns blazing, and ‘Hope Fading Nightly’ instantly reveals its true form - so much more than the navel-gazing ode to sorrow its title might suggest, if this is really it for the perennial underdog, they’re going out with one hell of a bite. Tellison have always skirted between both twinkling lullaby and ballsy, straightforward anthemic rock – on ‘Hope Fading Nightly’ they’ve polished both sides of the coin to within an inch of their life. ‘Herman & Felix’ explodes into life after the aforementioned title track, burning away all cobwebs with a purpose-built festival flare of a singalong. It’s followed up by ‘Boy’, which sadly arrives too late to soundtrack the sunnyday road trips it seems born to. Chalk that one up to that classic Tellison luck. ‘Hope Fading Nightly’ probably won’t bring the band fame and fortune, and the sentiments of that opening ballad will likely remain pertinent for a long time to come. As their third record finally creeps forward though, and they approach their thirteenth year on the toilet circuit, none of that seems to matter – ‘Hope Fading Nightly’ is another addition to a canon that will remain impossibly important to those who are privy to its charms. Sometimes, that’s more important than stage sizes and success. Tom Connick 57
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5 8 upsetmagazine.com
Live Marmozets O2 Academy 2, Oxford
“G
od damn it, isn’t music great,” comes the breathless realisation of Becca Macintyre three songs into Marmozets’ headline show at Oxford’s O2 Academy 2. It’s an unrelenting lesson that the Bingley five-piece take great pleasure in teaching again and again throughout the evening. The last time we saw Marmozets, it was during a sold out run of UK headline shows at the start of the year. Wide-eyed and triumphant, the band looked like they couldn’t believe their luck, but fresh from a run of international festivals, and with more before them, tonight they know exactly what they’re capable of. From the spotlight-searching introduction of ‘Move, Shake Hide’, the band leads the room in a frantic, intense celebration of acceptance. The floor is swaying under the movement of the engaged crowd. Later on, Josh Macintyre will pass out backstage from the heat. Burning through a roaring ‘Is It Horrible’, the scratched ‘Love You Good’ and the quivering ledge of ‘Particle’, the band are still as gloriously awkward as ever but are wearing it with an newlycrystalised confidence. Marmozets own the stage with an assured step. “Music, money and the world is a funny thing. We’re just trying to go the right way about it and we hope you guys can appreciate that,” reasons Becca moments before a pulsating ‘Vibetech’ once again turns crowd into united mass. It’s the first of a few comments angled towards the idea of selling out, but as the band air a two minute sneak peak of upcoming material – determined, lucid but with a wicked
Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett
sense of chaos about it – it’s the only crack in Marmozets’ rugged charm. “Wait till you hear the rest,” grins Sam Macintyre. With the end of a chapter looming, and recording penciled in for the end of the year, there’s a real sense that Marmozets are about to do something arching, transient and life affirming. Tonight, they’re already there. Ali Shutler
RATED
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NOFX
with Alkaline Trio, Capdown and Lagwagon O2 Academy Brixton, London Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett
“W
e’re going to play ‘… Here To Infirmary’ in full, if that’s okay?” Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba asks politely after ‘Private Eye’. In reality, it’s the pull of hearing their 2001 record that’s justified a double Brixton billing as loyal fans turn out to see two of punk rock’s most prestigious albums from start to finish. As Alkaline Trio proceed into ‘Mr. Chainsaw’ and ‘Take Lots With Alcohol’, the seamless, co-vocal dynamic shared between Skiba and bassist Dan Andriano glistens softly in the spotlight. As headliners NOFX reluctantly dive into 1994’s ‘Punk In Drublic’, the influential four-piece chop up the tracklisting, urging fans to stop them when they’ve heard enough. Fat Mike and co. may not want to indulge the 21-year-old album, but the likes of ‘Leave It Alone’, ‘Dig’ and ‘Jeff Wears Birkenstocks’ keep things ticking nicely, and encore of ‘Fuck The Kids’, ‘Don’t Call Me White’ and ‘Kill All The White Man’/’I Wanna Be An Alcoholic’ that ensure this is a typical NOFX show. Punk has never been about keeping everyone happy – NOFX are ensuring it stays that way. Jess Bridgeman
60
2000trees Upcote Farm, Cheltenham
“N
ew and underground” is the sort of tagline that sends shivers down the spine, but after nine years 2000trees has learnt to twist this into nothing short of a celebration. From the triumphant return of Deaf Havana closing out the main stage on Friday night to Nothing But Thieves‘ evershortening fuse on a ‘soon to be left behind’ mid-afternoon slot, the Cheltenham festival steps up and plays the hits. Creeper are one of the most exciting bands in the UK right now: it’s a painfully obvious fact, and a sterling performance sees the Southampton five-piece garner another wave of fans. It’s a similar story for Black Peaks who, despite the majority of the crowd only knowing two songs, captivate an evergrowing crowd with theatrics atop a rich vein of musical texture. Bringing his ‘Demon Joke’ to life, Vennart is all impressive mastery, well timed kicks and goose bumpinducing beauty. From ‘255’ until ‘Music For A Nurse’, the band indulges
Photo: Jess Jones
in victories both old and new. With the return of Biffy Clyro getting ever closer, Vennart’s moments are fleeting but in their ebbing chaos, feel forever. mclusky* called time on their band a decade ago but with a reunion, of sorts, the band are enjoying a brief return to the sun. Their importance has grown during their absence, and tonight’s headline set is proof that every ounce of that admiration is deserved. As glorious as the look back is, it’s nothing compared to Future Of The Left’s forward motion on the main stage. From the stuttering howl of ‘adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood’ through to the jagged charm of a new song, the band is ferocious and gifted space to prowl they’re terrifyingly entertaining. Woahnows’ sunshine punk is perfect for a festival crowd while Tellison look surprisingly at home on the main stage. It’s The Xcerts who really grab for the crown though. From an acoustic performance in the woods, surrounded by birdcalls and a breeze toying with the leaves, to a crowded main stage a few hours later, The Xcerts are faultless. Last year’s ‘There Is Only You’ has galvanised their audience and gifted the band a dynamic prowess. As the band lead the field in the exhausting purge of the title track, there’s a real sense that there’s an arena-dominating band itching for their chance. And therein lies the magic: new or underground, every band at the event is important and by giving them a platform, 2000trees has found its sound. Ali Shutler
NE XT MONTH IN U PSET
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