Upset, August 2020

** Plus ** Neck Deep Bob Vylan Silverbacks In Hearts Wake Hockey Dad Broadside + loads more

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upsetmagazine.com

Stand Atlantic Fontaines D.C. Wargasm

BIFFY CLYRO “We’re at a moment to stand up for what we believe in”

AUGUST 2020 Issue 57

HELLO.

It must be strange to be one of the biggest bands on the planet right now - especially one with a big album release on the books. This month, we’re delighted to welcome stadiumfilling, festival-headlining, 00s rock legends Biffy Clyro to the cover of Upset for the first time, as they prepare to deliver a brand new record into the eye of a cultural storm. There are no shows to play, no communal gatherings to soundtrack, and yet still the Biff have that winning energy you know will cut through no matter what.

If anyone is looking for an anthem, you can be sure you’ll find one here.

S tephen

Editor / @stephenackroyd

Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alexander Bradley, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Jack Press, Jamie MacMillan, Jessica Goodman, Josh Williams, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Ash Roberts, Ellius Grace, Iain Laidlaw, Jamie MacMillan, Jude Palmer, Kat Nijmeddin, Maddie Ross, Phil Smithies, Raf Chlapinski, Sally Patti, Steve Gullick P U B L I S H E D F RO M

W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M

RIOT 4. BROADSIDE 7. ILLUMINATI HOTTIES 8. HOCKEY DAD 10. REWS 14. IN HEARTS WAKE ABOUT TO BREAK 18. SILVERBACKS 22. YEAR OF THE KNIFE FEATURES 24. BIFFY CLYRO 34. WARGASM 40. NECK DEEP 44. BOB VYLAN 48. FONTAINES DC 52. STAND ATLANTIC REVIEWS 56. BIFFY CLYRO 56. CREEPER 57. PROTOMARTYR TEENAGE KICKS 58. SLEEPING WITH SIRENS

U N I T 10, 23 G RA N G E RO A D, H A S T I N G S, T N34 2R L

All material copyright (c). All rights reserved.

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THIS MONTH IN ROCK

Australian duo Hockey Dad are embracing their early-20s with talk of growing up. p.8

EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK

AN AWESOM WAVE

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ME

REWS lead-vocalist and frontwoman Shauna Tohill is a force of nature. p.10

In Hearts Wake have a planet to save, and they’re doing it in style. p.14

Newly signed to SharpTone Records, Virginia poppunks Broadside are forging ahead with their third album, ‘Into The Raging Sea’.

How have you been occupying yourself during lockdown?

Just as the tumultuous title suggests, it’s been a rough few years for the group. Since 2017’s ‘Paradise’ they’ve undergone yet more line-up changes (most recently losing guitarist/vocalist Dorian Cooke to his new project, NeverKept), struggled through industry nonsense, and now, of course, there’s a pandemic to contend with. “[It’s] an album about learning to swim against the pressures of the world,” frontman

I’m a big fan of reading, and so this lockdown has privileged me with more of an excuse to isolate myself in various books. I’m currently reading a book called Sapiens by Yuvsl Noah Harari and started a Zoom book club discussing it once a week. It’s blowing my mind. It’s about the evolution of humans and essentially, the destruction that we’ve caused to our fellow species and to ourselves over time. Aside from that, I’ve actually become a big runner. Never thought I’d

Ollie Baxxter starts. “Some would argue that it’s too late once you’ve already stepped forward blindly, but those people still pace the beach, wondering, what if?”

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Riot_ come to say that, but I run a 10k We were in the middle of the every week now and just find great countryside with little or awful satisfaction in the accomplishment. cell phone service. We were dialled in. Jeff (our Drummer) and I were Has the virus outbreak impacted connected during 100 per cent of you guys much? It must be weird the process. Not much changed releasing an album you can’t tour. from the demo versions to what It’s ruined our entire unwrapping of ultimately made the album. I the record. With the European tour can’t say that about most songs being cancelled, that was our only I’ve written. These songs are just booked tour of the summer in lieu what they wanted to be, no outside of supporting our single releases influence. Except for whatever has / building to our album release in influenced us as artists throughout July. However, we are pretty much our lives, yet still... organic. just hoping the long arm of Twitter promotion will suffice. For now.

Is it a step up for Broadside?

Do you think it’s going to lead to a bunch of bands getting new material out quicker, having had time during lockdown to write?

It’s a new staircase entirely.

It sounds like the band has experienced a new lease of life, do you feel like you’re in a good I’d have to imagine. We have almost place? half a record worth of new material.

I think on top of the virus and other political issues at hand, bands are respectful to not take away from what the world needs to focus on.

I imagine when the word gets out, we can all tour again, it’s going to be a flood.

Are there any long-term effects you’re nervous about?

Yes, first week sales are massive if you’re trying to brand yourself and not get lost in the noise of the rest of the world. I’ve been trying to break my band for eight years now, I really want this. Aside from that, I imagine, back tour scheduling will probably overlap booking new tours etc.

What’s ‘Into The Raging Sea’ about, then?

The idea is this. You approach the vast sea… it’s crashing and roaring and screaming your name, “Come swim” “Breathe me in”… You’re left with two options… swim or drown in its presence. I’ve been drowning for years now. I’ve found the voice of the band sonically. I’m going to swim until my fucking arms snap from holding against the current.

Can you tell us a bit about the process of putting it together?

It came together organically.

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Personally, I struggle with feeling like I’m always going to be in that shadow. I hate the idea that maybe I’m just another voice of people who died to be heard. I hate that maybe my light is fading. I’m obsessed with not being alone… I’m afraid that maybe everyone’s already gone. I don’t know. That’s deep... but really I’m terrified to fail. In lighter news, I love my band, and I believe in the music, but with how

harsh this business is, it’ll make you swallow your tongue quick.

Has the record sparked any ideas for what you want to go on to write next?

Yeah, I want to continue pursuing my dreams of being a writer. I’ve self-published my books of poems, but I want an agent to take me seriously. I want to meet other writers, so I feel less alone. I made the mistake of selling my own sadness, and no “Official” people will take me seriously. It fucks with me. But I’m a good writer. So I’m open for the journey.

What else is coming up for you lot?

We hope to return to the real world whenever it resets. I am hoping that this record will show other bands that we’re not just a pop-punk band anymore. I almost want to change the name of the album to “take me seriously” at this point. P

Broadside’s new album ‘Into The Raging Sea’ is out now.

“I’M GOING TO SWIM UNTIL MY FUCKING ARMS SNAP FROM HOLDING AGAINST THE CURRENT” OLLIE BAXXTER

Photo: Maddie Ross

Everything you need to know about...

ILLUMINATI HOTTIES’ Songwriter and producer Sarah Tudzin tells us about her fast-becoming-a-cultfave second album.

If you listen to ‘FREE I.H.’ in reverse at 1.25x speed, it

syncs perfectly with the intro dogfighting scene in Top Gun AND it reveals my Netflix password. There is also morse code hidden in one song.

The main guitar tone across the entire record is pure amp distortion - a little Fender Princeton on 10.

‘FREE I.H.’ was fully written and recorded over the course of three weeks in February 2020 - it started out a noise/drone record with some spoken word and quickly morphed.

The only exception to the above is the drums and bass tracking for content//bedtime which was

Yours Truly have announced their debut album, ‘Self Care’.

The record will land on 18th September via UNFD, with the news arriving alongside the Australian pop-punks’ new single ‘Together’ - give it a listen online now.

new album

‘FREE I.H.’ lifted from a two hour studio jam with Tim and Zach, and the

hook which was lifted from being frustrated and impatient during a radio session that took a very long time to set their gear up.

A few reasons to live: cute doggies, delicious bagel sandwiches, hugging yr pals, hugging yr make-out pals, when you know the seasons are changing because of the way it smells when you step outside early in the morning, jumping into the pit when the breakdown hits, shitty beer, shitty keyboards, sk8ng on brand new pavement. P Illuminati Hotties’ new album ‘FREE IH: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting For’ is out now.

Gerard Way has dropped a new single to launch the second season of The Umbrella Academy.

The Netflix adaptation of his comic and graphic novel series is out from 31st July, but in the meantime, you can check out his 90s-indebted track ‘Here Comes The End (Feat. Judith Hill)’.

arture: “I am incredibly grateful and proud of everything we have achieved.

The Regrettes have shared a new track, and with it, a new sound. ‘I Love Us’ “represents great change and growth” for the band, Lydia Night explains, with inspiration coming from “artists like Charli XCX, The 1975, St Vincent, Brockhampton and much more.”

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Photo: Iain Laidlaw.

“A LOT OF THE RECORD IS EXPLORING GETTING OLDER AND FACING CHANGES”

Australian duo Hockey Dad best buds, Zach Stephenson (vocals/ guitar) and Billy Fleming (drums) are embracing their ZACH STEPHENSON early-20s with talk of getting older, growing putting on an accent for them. up and learning the Do you spend a lot of time outside of Australia? tricks of life’s trade.

We spend a lot of the year touring It’s an inevitable coming-ofage period for the surf rock combo, who approached third album ‘Brain Candy’ with their trademark humour, wit and sense of adventure. “Our last album, ‘Blend Inn’, dealt with problems in a less mature way through fighting and complaining,” Zach explains from lockdown, where he’s hanging out with a new puppy, the lucky so-and-so. “I have come to see these situations as learning experiences — using these songs to understand my surroundings and lessons I’ve been given.”

Have you been sitting on your new album for long? When did you record?

We recorded it in May 2019, so I guess we have been sitting on it for a while. It’s been nice putting out a few songs already and giving them the light of day!

How did you find your time in Seattle, that must’ve been fun?

Seattle is super fun! We’ve recorded two albums there now, so it feels like our second home in the USA.

What are your favourite spots over there?

Dick’s Drive-In for sure! There was also a small bar by the water close to the studio we would go to all the time. We always get a kick out of meeting friendly locals and

overseas. We’re super lucky to be able to see so many different places all the time and then come back home to AUS for some relaxation.

How did you approach creating your new album ‘Brain Candy’, what were your first steps?

The first ideas for the record came from writing at home by myself. I had a few songs ready to go then we headed to a house for a week and played them over and over. A few more songs got written during that week which really got us excited and ready for the studio.

What’s the record about? What themes do you cover?

A lot of the record is just exploring getting older and facing changes that come with growing up. Whether it be changes in relationships with friends or changes within your own thinking and actions. Some songs on it are also stupid and mean nothing at all, hahaha.

Is there a moment when an album feels to pull into focus for you, or are you pretty confident in the big picture right from the start?

I think it really comes into focus and you get the clear idea of what is happening when you get into the studio. A bunch of songs can have such a different feel all the way up to that point. Once you

know the take you are doing is actually going to be the finished product forever, your mind seems to lock in, and you get the clear picture for everything else.

Do you think all the events of 2020 so far will impact what you want to write about on your next record?

Possibly, I’m not sure yet. It’s been a strange time. It feels too close and intense to think about writing about it at the moment.

And I mean how many songs are going to be written about it anyway? Someone’s definitely already beaten me to the punch.

These events sure are a lot of ammunition for a pen and paper right now.

Do you feel like the same musicians you were on your debut?

No, definitely not. I can’t say if we are better or worse. But not the same.

What were the biggest lessons you learnt while putting ‘Brain Candy’ together?

Not to take ourselves too seriously, ever. I think we rediscovered that the best record we can make is the one that we enjoy writing and playing. That’s the whole main goal in the end.

What does the future hold for Hockey Dad? More music, forever and ever. We don’t want real jobs. P

Hockey Dad’s album ‘Brain Candy’ is out 31st July.

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THIS MEANS WAR Photo: Jude Palmer.

REWS lead-vocalist and frontwoman Shauna Tohill is a force of nature. A whirlwind of positivity, her powerful second album ‘Warriors’, due this summer via Marshall Records, is set to be a much-needed boost during a particularly difficult year.

“Each song on the album is a journey through a tough situation,” she explains; “all different; and I want it to show people that no matter what they are going through, together, through the spirit of music, we can strengthen, we know that we belong and we CAN do this… Today, we’re warriors!”

How have you been spending your time lately? Have you been stuck at home?

Initially, I was based at home, and my motivation was to create something that would keep everyone’s spirits high, including my own! So I made a schedule and put together some online shows, started teaching online lessons and taking more’ me time’ with yoga. Then about eight weeks ago, I started working temporarily at the hospital! It’s been such an amazing,

humbling experience.

How’s everything been since the release of your debut? Are you doing well?

Things have changed a lot since the release of the debut album, so there has been a lot of growth, many highs, some lows, as life tends to go - but overall, feeling really positive and, yes, I’m doing really well, thank you!

Were there any lessons you took away from ‘Pyro’ that helped inform ‘Warriors’?

The main thing was to be certain about what you want things to sound like, and to focus energies on the right thing at the right time.

Was putting your second album together a different process from your first?

It was similar from a writing perspective as not much has changed from that perspective, but very different from a producer / recording and drummer perspective. The producers this time around were keen to really get the best out of the songs, and we spent a lot of time doing preproduction on the tracks which we didn’t do with the first album. We also had a different drummer, Scott Hislop, for most of the album bar ‘Birdsong’ and ‘Monsters’ where Chris Steele jumped to help me

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“THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF GROWTH, MANY HIGHS, SOME LOWS” SHAUNA TOHILL

out! Very cool to work with new and incredible musicians - keeps you fresh and inspires new ideas musically.

Are there any songs on ‘Warriors’ that you particularly enjoyed creating?

They are all my babies, so I do love them all - and they were all unique in their creation! At the moment, I’d say I really loved writing ‘Love Hate Song’ - I found a phrase in an article I was reading saying ‘Hate is not for lovers’ and I thought that was flippin’ epic… it made me read more into various injustices in the world - how much hatred can actually consume you and poison you. So I really wanted to go deep and encourage more love into people so they can rid themselves of hate and thus, get rid of that poison…

Do you find there are lyrical themes or feelings you often return to?

I tend to want to write dark and angry songs that have a positive spin. On this album - Each song represents an individual journey.

It was a time of change, challenge and journeying for me and I wanted each of the songs to be things that all my fans will be able to connect with as well as pouring out my soul.

So will have anger, love, rage, pain etc. that I hope will empower people and help them when they are going through their own ups and downs.

What’s your songwriting process like?

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Very varied. I tend to start with the guitar or piano, sometimes a drumbeat that reflects the mood I’m in or the tone of the topic I want to write about. Once I find something I like, I develop my melody line and then write the lyrics. Sometimes I wake up, and I have a fully formed song in my head… ‘Bad Girl’ was one of those!

Haha!

Did any unexpected challenges pop up during the creation of ‘Warriors’? Pandemic aside, of course.

There were a few - the biggest challenge during the time probably would have been trying to balance time for work / students with being an artist who lived in the studio and pre-production studios for about two months?

Do you think not being able to tour the release for ages is going to be a bit of a setback, or are you not too worried?

Yungblud has rescheduled his headline tour for next March.

The dates were originally meant to take place now-ish, but were postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Support will come from new faves, NOISY, Wargasm (more on them later), KennyHoopla and Dylan.

I’m not too worried. It is, of course, a setback, but I think this is a time when people need new music and I’d prefer to have it out there and tour when we can again!

When do you think live music will return?

Honestly, I’d love it to be now, however I don’t think it will be back to the kind of gigs we know until spring / summer 2021. I expect that there will be some interesting outdoor music events happening soon though like drive-thru gigs, busking, park shows etc.

What are you up to over the summer?

Good question! I’m going to do my best to inspire people with this new album and make some fun online things for everyone! I might even do a small busking park tour… let’s see! In the meantime, I’m gonna keep doing what I’m doing with music and plan some cool stuff and helping out at the hospital. P

REWS’ album ‘Warriors’ is out 7th August.

Sadie Dupuis has announced her second Sad13 album, ‘Haunted Painting’. “It’s maximalist, and more true to me and my tastes than any record I’ve done,” she says. Due on 25th September, the record features artwork by Sadie’s mother, Diane Dupuis.

arture: “I am incredibly grateful and proud of everything we have achieved.

Enter Shikari have rescheduled their upcoming tour dates. The band were due to head out in support of their just-released new album this October, November and December, including a night at London’s Ally Pally - now they’re on the road next spring instead.

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Photos: Sally Patti.

Before the global pandemic hit, and muchneeded protests sprung up all over the world, the environment was a topic that dominated many a conversation.

Over the past few years, it’s become increasingly apparent that merely putting your milk carton in the recycling and re-wearing your socks [Erm?! - Ed] just won’t cut it, as we hurtle towards potentially irreversible disaster. In amongst those looking for solutions, artists have been embracing carbon offsetting, trying to balance out the toll touring, recording and putting music to plastic takes. Australian metalcore band In Hearts Wake are one such act, and they’ve taken huge strides to make their new album ‘KALIYUGA’ their greenest yet. Bassist and clean singer Kyle Erich fills us in.

Hi Kyle, how’s it going?

I’m doing well, just got married

two days ago so still on a bit of a high from that!

Congrats! Carbon-offsetting your new album is an exciting idea. You’ve touched on similar themes with your previous records, right? What sparked your passion for the environment?

We have since our release of ‘Earthwalker’ back in 2014. We grew up on the east coast of Australia specifically around the Byron shire. There are incredible beaches, mountain ranges and rainforests all around us, which played a massive part in our love for the environment and passion to conserve it.

Have you dabbled in environmental activism before?

Over the years we have planted trees, raised money for not-forprofit grassroots indigenous organisations, and we have helped plan marine debris cleanups in multiple countries.

It’s definitely something we are passionate about, and we all want In Hearts Wake to be a positive force for the world.

Are these subjects carried through to the music? What themes does ‘KALIYUGA’ cover?

A good chunk of our lyrics/ songs have an emphasis on environmental/political issues.

These themes are still very present throughout the new album. KALIYUGA in Hinduism is the fourth cycle the world goes through and it is depicted

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“WE WANT IN HEARTS WAKE TO BE A POSITIVE FORCE FOR THE WORLD” KYLE ERICH as a dark age of disconnection, cruelty, greed and fear. In order to transition into the next age, humanity must overcome the challenges that threaten our life on earth.

How do you go about carbonoffsetting an album? It sounds complicated.

It is and isn’t. We had meters at all the power outlets measuring all our consumption, factored in travel to and from the studio and lots of other smaller things.

Looking back at the data the biggest contributor was our flights over to America so we will probably record at home for the next one.

Did wanting to minimise your footprint impact your decision making for things like flying in collaborators?

We worked with producers when we were on tour close to them so we didn’t need to fly out for that and as for guest vocalists, they just recorded their parts at their homes.

How did you approach sourcing recycled materials for the physical product?

We actually got really lucky and found a company called Deepgrooves which were making eco-friendly/recycled vinyls.

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Are there any disadvantages to not using plastic in the packaging?

The biggest issue was the plastic wrap that is put over vinyls / CDs. Retail stores wouldn’t sell the vinyls without the plastic as that is usually what keeps it all together. We eventually came up with the idea to put a cardboard band around it that will hold the vinyl inside.

Do you have ambitions to bring in any other eco-friendly measures in future? Touring must be a tough one to counteract?

Going forward we are going to treat the band how we treated the album. We have a consultant working with us to properly

calculate and offset the impact of IHW, kinda like an accountant but for the climate. Touring is the tough one for sure. We won’t be using any CO²/pyro and try to use the best tour routing we can.

The goal will be to reduce our impact moving forward from here.

Are there any other bands you’ve seen working on similarly interesting environmentally-conscious projects?

term, or is it too late to make much of a difference?

It definitely helps, maybe not just us by ourselves but it really isn’t that hard of a process so hopefully more bands/companies get on board and together we can make a difference.

What can everyone do in their day to day lives to help?

Not that I’m aware of, at least within the metal scene.

Hopefully we see more in the coming years.

Just simple things like shopping locally and just generally being a conscious consumer.

There is also so much research out there showing a plant based diet is beneficial to the environment. P

Do you think introducing things like this is going to help long-

In Hearts Wake’s new album ‘KALIYUGA’ is out 7th August.

Creeper are going to play a oneoff show at Kingston’s Pryzm.

Performing on 7th December, the show will run at a reduced capacity to aid social-distancing, what with the global pandemic ‘n’ all. The news follows the band rescheduling their August tour to next March.

Mike Shinoda has released a collaborative album he made via Twitch. Teaming up with thousands of fans worldwide, he explains: “What comes out is a product of the viewers’ suggestions, my spur-of-themoment ideas, and whatever inexplicable magic is floating in between.”

arture: “I am incredibly grateful and proud of everything we have achieved. letlive. have made their demo collection available on three different coloured vinyl, clear, cobalt translucent and blue whirlpool; the tracks first arrived earlier this year to celebrate ten years of ‘Fake History’.

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WANT A NEW BAND CRUSH? CHECK OUT THIS LOT! >>> THE BEST NEW BANDS. THE HOTTEST NEW MUSIC.

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DEAD PONY It’s very early days for Scottish post-punk duo Dead Pony, but the couple of tracks they’ve dropped so far have both been proper fun. Top notch.

YARD ACT FFO LIFE et al, Leeds bunch Yard Act’s observational humour is both spot-on and hilarious. New ‘un ‘Fixer Upper’ is a particular highlight.

RENFORSHORT How many newcomers can boast a Mike Shinoda remix, eh? renforshort’s song ‘i drive me mad’ shows all the sparks of big things to come.

SILVERBACKS Photos: Phil Smithies.

Dublin five-piece Silverbacks encapsulate much of what’s great about the new wave of Irish bands that has seen the likes of Fontaines D.C. (more on them later) and The Murder Capital breakthrough with noisy, on-point commentary on society and modern living. It’s an exciting time, for sure. Recording their debut ‘Fad’ with local hero, Girl Band bassist Daniel Fox, Silverbacks are next out the gates, trying to make sense of an ever-more complex and confusing world with their charismatic collection of guitar-led rock-bops. The revolution is well underway.

Hi, you lot. It must be weird releasing an album during a pandemic, has it mucked up many of your plans?

Peadar: The album has been finished for a while, so we’re really looking forward to it coming out. We could have waited to see what happens, but we were eager to push ahead and get this one out.

Gary: It feels very weird to not be promoting the singles and album with gigs right now, but we have a rescheduled tour lined up for September. Fingers crossed that’ll go ahead!

“SOME MIGHT SAY THE BAND IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES...”

What first sparked your interest in music, then?

Gary: Growing up, we just always had music in the house. My dad was a big music guy, also a local DJ, so we always had records in the house.

Kilian: We also loved watching The Sound Of Music.

Daniel: Yeah, The Sound Of Music and my dad’s music collection. He had a rule that we could only borrow one CD at a time from his collection. That put a certain amount of value and importance on our choice, and it meant we gave what we were listening to a chance.

What do you most enjoy writing songs about?

Daniel: I like writing songs about people and stories. I know that’s a pretty vague and boring answer. I always find someone’s Wikipedia page or a YouTube comment is a good starting point to writing a song. The other day I was reading about Smirnoff.

After the fall of the Berlin wall, there was an agreement that the thousands of Soviet Union

soldiers stationed in East Berlin could remain there over three years. Apparently, Soviet soldiers were getting paid but had nothing to do, so they spent their money on Smirnoff, Marlboro and Levi jeans. This resulted in a massive spike in Smirnoff sales and was one of the catalysts to its growing popularity in Europe.

Anyway, there’s a song there.

Kilian: ‘Fad’ has a wide range of themes. There are quite a lot of pop-culture references on the album. ‘Fad 95’ has Simpsons quotes in it, ‘Klub Silberrücken’ imagines a lost John Hughes film, the lyrics for ‘Pink Tide’ are inspired by a YouTube deep dive and ‘Grinning At The Lid’ is influenced by an Australian term that means smiling at death. Our themes are pretty unpredictable.

Some songs are just about love; some songs are about politicians in denim. Some might say the band is like a box of chocolates... heehaw.

Did you guys have a mission statement for Silverbacks when you first formed?

Peadar: For me, the initial goal

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was just to be in a good band. I didn’t want to think too much about music business ‘success’ but just rather focus on playing songs and putting them out as best we can. Funnily enough, I think that’s the best thing a band can do for people to start to take interest.

What do you make of all the acts coming out of Ireland at the moment, are you all pals? It feels like a strong scene to be part of.

Gary: Junk Drawer, Just Mustard, Autre Monde, Mob Barley, Badhands, Skinner, Tandem Felix, Altered Hours, Careerists, Melts... you could go on all day, and I think Irish bands will always try help and support each other which is great.

Daniel: Tarmac 3000 and The O-Zone Boys are great too!

What do you think sparked the current resurgence?

Kilian: Recent international success of bands like Lankum,

Fontaines D.C. and Girl Band has added a bit of a buzz about the place. But Ireland has always been great for music. My Bloody Valentine, Thin Lizzy, Rory Gallagher, The Pogues, Sinead O’Connor, Enya...

Gary: Not to forget Westlife, the Riverdance and all of the Eurovision triumphs as well.

Peadar: Mambo Number 5, baby.

How did you find writing and recording your first album?

Kilian: It was pretty easy, to be honest. We wanted our first album to largely include the best songs that we played live.

Because this is our first album, we had a lot of time to rehearse and play new songs at shows, breaking them in over and over again. We had the lovely Dan Fox to help us along the way in the studio too.

Daniel: The recording process was painless enough, but that was largely thanks to Dan Fox. He might think differently!

Are you guys prolific, already thinking about album number two?

Kilian: We’re currently sitting on a lot of demos, and I think we have another two albums worth already written. Album two won’t take too long to follow.

Daniel: We’re currently trying to pick the best of the bunch to hash out in practice. The demos take a new direction when we have everyone’s input from the band and that generally gives us a better idea of what works. This time we don’t have the luxury of testing songs in a live setting, so it’ll be interesting to see how that influences album two. Maybe it’ll be a little more mellow. There will be more percussion, keys and congas anyway, and maybe a clarinet.

What would be the most complimentary thing someone could say about your band?

Kilian: I like to think that in 30 years from now young bands will talk about how they were influenced by Silverbacks.

Gary: That’d be nice. P

Silverbacks’ debut album ‘Fad’ is out now.

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YEAR KNIFE OF THE

Hardcore upstarts Year Of The Knife have created a blistering debut full-length.

‘Internal Incarceration’ saw the group head into the studio with a scene legend, Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, to create a brutally honest beast that reckons with loss, grief, and addiction across its breakneck 31 minutes. Guitarist Brandon Watkins tells us more.

How have you guys found 2020 so far? Bit of an odd one, isn’t it.

For sure, it’s a strange year. A lot of bad things, some good things. Overwhelming...

Are you missing being able to perform live?

Touring and playing music live is a huge part of all of our lives, so obviously we feel that absence heavily. Definitely looking forward to getting back out there once we are able to.

Had you finished ‘Internal Incarceration’ before coronavirus kicked off? What was the timeline like?

We finished before it started being a big thing in America. We left Delaware to stay in Salem MA at God City the night of 1st January, 2020 and returned home on the 10th or 11th. I watched COVID’s development in China via Twitter. Pretty scary shit.

Did you have to move the 22 Upset

release back?

Yes, we were planning on touring and releasing the album in May.

It feels like now more than ever is a good time for a record that’s concerned with struggling, do any of the songs feel more pertinent to you now than when they were first written?

For sure. Every track on this is super personal to Tyler [Mullen, vocals]. I find new things I can relate to every time I listen to it, and I think despite it being really personal to all of us, it will resonate with a lot of people. A stand out track for anyone is ‘Virtual Narcotic’.

Social media has made everyone fucking nuts.

Are all the tracks inspired by personal events?

Our music is based in reality, no bullshit.

What were your ambitions for this record when you first embarked upon writing it?

This record has been a long time coming. Originally Tyler played drums in YOTK. He and I used to write the songs together. We wrote ‘Nothing to Nobody’ in like 2016. We had a different singer then. As time went on and our band dynamic changed, the way we write has changed. Newer tracks like ‘This Time’, my intention was to really push our music in a more extreme direction while still incorporating our hardcore flavour. I think our range of influences is very apparent across this record. I just wanna play heavy, fast music.

To what extent is innovating important to you?

Photo: Kat Nijmeddin.

Ultimately I strive to create heavy, dynamic music that will hold up over time. I’m always listening to old shit, new shit, and my own shit and trying to push myself to write something better. If it ends up being something new that has influence on others, that’s cool, but that isn’t the driving force to my writing.

How did you team up with Kurt Ballou? What was that partnership like?

Kurt has worked on some Pure Noise bands in the past. We’re Converge fans. I heard ‘Jane Doe’ for the first time when I was 14, and it truly blew my mind. I’m 28 now, and I own almost all their records. They’re a perfect band. Working with Kurt was truly working with one of my heroes, and I know that’s true for most of us. It was really incredible to take the songs to Kurt and to have him really listen to them, make suggestions and brainstorm ideas to take the songs to a new level. Kurt truly is a God. Don’t even get me started on the tones of this record.

Is there anyone else you’d really like to get into the studio with?

Kurt was and still is at the top of my list. We would all love to work with him again. I haven’t thought much on working with other people, but I’m an openminded person.

What’s next for Year of the Knife?

After ‘Internal Incarceration’, who knows? Whatever the fuck we want. P

Year Of The Knife’s debut album ‘Internal Incarceration’ is out 7th August.

“SOCIAL MEDIA HAS MADE EVERYONE FUCKING NUTS” BRANDON WATKINS

They’re one of the biggest British bands of their generation - capable of filling stadiums and headlining festivals - but as they prepare to drop a new album in the middle of a global pandemic, Biffy Clyro are ready to stand up and be counted.

Words: Alexander Bradley.

Photos: Ash Roberts.

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In a year of unexpected events, Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil lining up alongside Formula 1 drivers and professional gamers for the Canadian F1 Virtual Grand Prix was one of the most surprising.

The singer beams, knowing how absurd the whole concept sounds, as he explains how he loves a challenge and how the temptation to not be “sitting twiddling [his] thumbs” was too great to turn down.

In just under a month Simon went from absolutely no experience on the game to a “career highlight” of finishing 18th in the race thanks to intensive, six hours a day, crash courses on his console.

“I thought playing a show for 90 minutes was pretty intense but the amount of concentration it takes to race, even on a computer console, was just mind-blowing.

I was sweating, I was knackered, wired like I’d taken every drug available known to man,” he laughs.

Akin to some sort of Alan Partridge-style idea for a TV show, his foray into Esports has piqued his curiosity for what bizarre hobbies he can get up to next. He speculates that “next time I’ll be out in the garden or learning how to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse.

Next one after that, I’ll be learning how to sing ‘Nessun Dorma’.”

It’s safe to say that lockdown hasn’t been too unkind to Biffy Clyro. Sure, their new album, ‘A Celebration of Endings’ was pushed back from spring to mid-August but, if anything, it’s allowed the band to get creative with how they want to promote their new studio offering.

The result has been that Biffy Clyro have been more present than ever, in your face like never before.

“I’m not massive on extreme sharing on social media but, during this lockdown, it’s something we’ve really appreciated and embraced how incredible it is,” Simon admits.

It started with the soon obligatory Friday night livestream of Simon performing deep cuts,

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forgotten tracks and fan requests from the comfort of his living room but grew into drumming tutorials with Ben and bass rundowns with James. Sometimes it would be dress-up with tuxedos or boiler suits and other times it would be dress down. It was interactive too as Biffy enlisted fans to record their own video clips for their ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks’ video.

It was a level of connection with social media and their fans unlike anything they’ve attempted in 25 years of being a band. But, as entertaining as it was to watch, it was just as essential for the band.

“To be able to just connect with so many people around the world did wonderful things for my psyche and mentality. Everyone felt so isolated initially, especially in that first two months, where had I not done those first few shows then I really would have felt, like so many people have, so alone. The feeling of isolation is so real and can affect you in so many different ways so to have that Friday show just gave me something to hang the weeks around,” Simon reveals.

“I’ve really quite enjoyed this to a certain extent. I’m really missing the physical interaction with people that I’m sure we all are on a personal level (and on a musical level). But I do feel like in certain instances we have a closer connection to people in this lockdown that we wouldn’t have otherwise just on the road and playing shows.”

It’s new territory for Biffy Clyro, but that’s always what they’re searching for so it’s not completely surprising that the trio would take a global pandemic in their stride.

The struggle has been the delay in what comes “next” after the album is released, as Simon despairs at his need to “create and fucking evolve constantly”.

It’s hard not to be frustrated as the four-month album promotion from first single ‘Instant History’ in February to scheduled release in May has turned into a sevenmonth wait. The title now feels a

“WE’VE GOT FUCKING BORIS JOHNSON AND DONALD TRUMP, AND THE WORLD IS JUST LED BY BUFFOONS” SIMON NEIL tad ironic for Biffy, who perpetually have one eye on the horizon.

But, in the delay, ‘A Celebration of Endings’ has taken on a new life entirely. The album was originally Simon’s flag in the ground saying “things cannot get worse than they are right now!” but that wasn’t necessarily the case.

“We’ve got fucking Boris Johnson and Donald Trump, and the world is just led by buffoons,” he quips. “I was like, things can only get better, then three weeks later the fucking coronavirus hit us.”

And, with the global pandemic and, more recently, the prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement, ‘A Celebration of Endings’ recognised more of a global change for the better rather than the shift in just Simon’s own world.

“The things I was talking about coming to an end were kind of what is happening just now, but I was thinking in a much more subtle and more personal perspective,” he explains.

“The album, originally, was about wanting to not feel guilty for what I believe in and not feel wrong

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for having opinions on things.

For not feeling wrong for ending a relationship because it’s really unfulfilling, and seeing an older generation that is so resistant to change. I think now it applies more than ever.”

No song is more evident of the rapid revolution of the album’s significance in the recent months than ‘Instant History’. The synthdriven, sunshine soaked, pop slammer rallies with its chorus line “This is the sound that we make” as a ready-made slogan for those standing up and being counted for what they believe in this year.

Proud of the added weight of the single, Simon adds: “We really are at a moment to stand up for what we fucking believe in and not just go with the status quo,” before pointing out that the tracks opening lines of “Is this how the surface will break? / Releasing the pressure / The horrors that await” are now even more apt.

“We have to face these horrors, we have to fucking acknowledge the things in our past that give us oxygen and things that take away oxygen. I’m really encouraged with the moment we are in.”

“We are not just going to let it pass us by this time,” he states, referring to the upcoming U.S. Presidential Elections and eventual, inevitable, investigation into Boris Johnson’s competency as a Prime Minister.

‘Instant History’ isn’t the only track to become more symbolic in recent months, though, with the album opener ‘North of No South’ having taken on a much larger scale too as a message for holding the courage of your convictions and holding onto your personal beliefs.

Simon keenly acknowledges how normal it is for songs to change meaning, but this is the first time they’ve changed without playing them live or, in some cases, they’ve even been released. Nevertheless, he shares: “I know that when I sing those songs, I’m going to have a level of pride in the added perspective in where I’m going to be singing it from.”

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“WE’RE AT A MOMENT TO STAND UP FOR WHAT WE FUCKING BELIEVE IN” SIMON NEIL That growth of ‘A Celebration of Endings’, the way it’s evolving even before it’s released, is all the product of a band striving to lead the way in a new decade.

But, in order for them to make a statement in 2020, it took some time for the trio to truly find what they wanted to say. Biffy somehow managed to take time away without ever really being away thanks to the MTV Unplugged release and subsequent tour and then flexing their creative muscles with the film soundtrack ‘Balance, Not Symmetry’. It was the making of the soundtrack and its surprise release which ultimately reinvigorated the band to make their next full-length record.

“I think there was an element of taking a break a bit,” Simon admits, looking back at ‘Ellipsis’.

“The reason I was so keen to do the ‘Balance, Not Symmetry’ record, and the Unplugged record to a lesser extent, I wanted to make a record that was literally just about making a bunch of music. We were never going to do interviews

for it, we weren’t going to promote, we didn’t have to think about a single or anything like that.’

‘Ellipsis’, in Simon’s words was “deliberately a more sophisticated pop record with no real chaos to it; it was meant to be quite a contained album,” and, like with every record, had elements which he would change about it if given the chance.

This made the film soundtrack the opportunity for Biffy Clyro to let loose and, for Simon, the chance to explore every possible idea that he could.

“That informed this [new] album so much because that gave this album that sense of mischievousness and anarchy that a lot of our earlier records had.

“I think part of that was just knowing I didn’t want to see us mature how I’ve seen a lot of other rock bands mature where, ‘it’s a nice song, so let’s put it out’. I want to hold us to the same fucking standards I do other bands. I want to be taken off guard. I want to be excited and shake off the whole

cycle of album promo, singles and ‘what’s this song about?’ that kind of shit and make a record purely about creation.”

It was the back to basics approach to that project that, in turn, made ‘A Celebration of Endings’ the unshackled and diverse offering it is now. “I think if we had not done that, then this album would be a lot more uptight,” he believes.

The confidence boost that experience gave Simon found Biffy Clyro back in their sweet spot of pushing themselves further in every direction but with a purpose also. It makes ‘A Celebration of Endings’ their most extreme offering yet as it explodes in every direction yet manages to remain quintessentially Biffy too.

“What I’ve never wanted to be is a band that gets comfortable or hits their stride and then just goes through the motions. That’s when you start singing about stuff that is not important or irrelevant or just a circle-jerk on yourself; eight hands and you’re just wanking yourself off. That’s never interested me,” he smirks.

The idea of retreading old ground, if anything, is a deterrent to make new music for the whole band; even more so if it’s a quickfire recipe for success. Even if it’s another love song, prog-rock song or song about death, Simon is adamant he won’t just churn out the same material; electing in favour of inspecting the outer reaches of his comfort zone.

He continues: “I want to feel so uncomfortable and unsure in myself when we are making music. I want to feel like we are talking about something genuinely life or death to me.”

That cut-throat approach to their music keeps Biffy Clyro on their toes, and that’s never been more clear than on this album.

For a band that started at the halfway point of the 90s, the notion of being relevant in 2020 seems preposterous but Biffy’s adaptability (and resistance to

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“I WANT TO HOLD US TO THE SAME FUCKING STANDARDS I DO OTHER BANDS. I WANT TO BE TAKEN OFF GUARD” SIMON NEIL

being defined) is what keeps them vital within rock music.

“Especially with a rock band, if you’ve been around for a while, it can feel like sometimes you’re just becoming part of the scenery.

That’s not what I want,” he admits.

“I want to be a part of this world we are in right now. I don’t want to [look back] to our history and think, ‘we’re great, we were great therefore we are great’. I want to show people we have a reason to exist. I feel like we have purpose with this album on many different levels.”

Creating that purpose, Simon attributes to his own mental wellbeing, his inability to rest on his laurels, which in turn fuels his hunger to create albums which push the limits of what people conceive is Biffy Clyro’s sound.

‘A Celebration of Endings’ knows no bounds as it bounces from the extremes from the vibrant ‘Weird Leisure’, the 90s balladry of ‘Space’, the power of ‘End Of’, the frenetic, scratchy guitars on ‘Pink Limit’, the delicate, soul-baring acoustics on ‘Opaque’ and the swelling strings on ‘The Champ’. It’s a rock album but it’s a dedication by Simon to be

“every colour of rock band, every shade of rock band we can possibly be”.

Aside from the lyrical content, which points to life in 2020, the musical spectrum is also representative of modern life. Not by design but embraced by the world’s relationship with music and “the album”, ‘A Celebration of Endings’ has a song for every playlist.

“I feel in the streaming age, that has given me permission to be slightly more eclectic with an album,” he suggests before pointing to his own playlist which throws up Blood Incantation, Thom Yorke and Fiona Apple in succession.

“It’s the extremities which turn me on, and I have that in my character,” he manages to say without sounding boastful but instead reducing it down to just human nature that we are all emotionally complex and mercurial.

“This time, I wasn’t concerned about the genre of any of the songs. I was like, this album is our personality as a band, my

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“THERE ARE MOMENTS IN OUR CAREER WHERE I FEEL WE DO THINGS NO OTHER BAND COULD EVER FUCKING ATTEMPT!”

you should never put together which is punk rock and prog rock.

“But it still blows me away when a song like that comes together because there are plenty of times we have mad ideas that don’t come together.”

The track is unapologetically Biffy Clyro; it’s bold, brash and beautiful in equal measure. It comes completely unexpectedly as a cataclysmic climax to the album but yet manages to be instantly recognisable as another madcap creation from the trio.

Add in the final screams of “fuck everybody, woo!” and you’ve got the seal that ‘Cop Syrup’ is unmistakably a Biffy Clyro masterpiece.

Defending the line, he explains: “It’s not as nihilistic or misanthropic as it might sound out of context. It has a spirit to it.” Regardless of its explanation personality as a person. I “Because I write the songs, I its the type of parting shot that think it is quite out there and know how they come together, only Biffy Clyro could pull off an eclectic record, but I’m not and they’re very familiar,” and make you immediately scared about that. I think people Simon details. “So it takes want to press play on the entire can handle it. I think people are someone else to shake it out album again. complex.” of me so I can start again and “There are moments in To get to the point of making rebuild and remember, what our career where I feel we do a three dimensional and are the important parts of this things no other band could ever complex album isn’t always song? What’s the part we can’t fucking attempt!” Simon claims as natural as Biffy Clyro make do without and what parts that as he reflects on the monolithic it seem though. Simon notes, are pointless? You have to be finale to the album.

“I’m constantly trying to brutal, and the more albums we And he is absolutely right. unlearn and to break habits and make, the tougher we have to be Biffy manage to lend routines,” and credits producer with ourselves. Have we done themselves to clichés like Rich Costey for helping the this before? Is this good because “expect the unexpected” and band out of their comfort zone it feels familiar?” “fortune favours the brave” but and embrace a new challenge.

At the peak of the it’s all you can bank on when it The producer, who first relationship between Biffy Clyro comes to them making music. worked with the band on and Rich Costey on this record Shark-like, they have to keep ‘Ellipsis’, was that extra push is the closer ‘Cop Syrup’. The moving to stay alive and, now, that stretched ‘A Celebration of track is a cacophony of anarchy they arrive into a strange new Endings’ to its limits and kept and chaos topped with a string decade with a sound bursting Biffy Clyro driving forward. section recorded at Abbey Road with opportunities; partly fresh Between Rich and Simon came Studios too... but of course. and dynamic, typically mindthe decisions like not making “It’s one of the best songs bending but somehow familiar ‘End Of’ the album opener I’ve written,” Simon declares too. because of its similar attitude to triumphantly.

The album may be about openers on both ‘Infinity Land’ “With a song like that there is celebrating the endings, but and ‘Puzzle’ and the decision to a definitely a leap of faith. I had Biffy Clyro are absolutely here take ‘Opaque’ from a lush power the riff for the punk rock section to stay at the very top of their and this beautifully cinematic pop song and turn it into a game. ‘Mon the Biff. P Biffy haunting cautionary tale about piece of music, and I just wanted Clyro’s album ‘A Celebration to try it and combine two things of Endings’ is out 14th August. greed.

SIMON NEIL

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London duo Milkie Way and Sam Matlock are rapidly breaking through with their own urgent blend of rap and nu-metal that’s soon going to take them on the road with sceneicons Creeper and Yungblud. Are you ready for Wargasm?

Words and Photos: Jamie MacMillan.

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“You know you’re doing well if some people fucking hate what you’re saying!”

If you feel that rock has sometimes forgotten the need to confront, to provoke a reaction, to polarise opinions, then Wargasm are here for you.

laugh. “Finally I just messaged Milkie saying, ‘for the love of God, I hope you can play an instrument!’”

To say he needn’t have worried is a major understatement. As well as being a photographer and professional model, Milkie was a skilled bass guitarist and had been doing session work for the likes of Barns Courtney.

“I have my roots in music as much as any other creative industry,” she explains today.

“It’s weird how it’s all connected.

You go to gigs and meet people, same at photoshoots, who are also in music. The creatives scene in London is just so tightly With a handful of ferocious connected.” singles and a reputation for With a mutual love of chest-rattling live shows, the noughties nu-metal titans like London-based duo have already Limp Bizkit, the two soon found begun to rattle all the right cages plenty in common as well as a as they proclaim themselves as plan for the future. “We don’t writers of ‘angry songs for sad think that old music like that is people’. Latest single ‘Spit.’, a inherently better, we just think feral riot of a track that manages that people are being a bit lazy to both scream at you while still now,” Sam reasons. “There was seducing you into their darkness, an energy back then, a certain is only the latest in a run of tracks sense of ‘fuck it, let’s just have a that marks them as set for the bit of fun.” big-time. If there is a fight to be Milkie picks up the thread, fought, Wargasm are here for it. the two cutting in and out of Talking to the band in their each others sentences as they do Northern Ireland lockdown throughout. “I respect and love home, it is striking how easy a lot of the new bands that have and natural it seemed to be for come out in the last few years.

Wargasm to come into being.

But goddamn, some of it is just For Sam Matlock, guitarist in so fucking BORING! Everyone Dead!, time was beginning to takes themselves so seriously in tick down towards his band’s the rock scene, and I just want demise in 2018. As one era ended, someone to not have a stick up another begun however with the their ass about it, you know?” suggestion that the band get the Taking their name from an L7 London scene cult photographer track, the Los Angeles band also Girl In The Pit along to shoot some brought another key influence of their shows. to Wargasm. Both of them being “We were on our way out by huge fans of the entire Riot Grrrl then,” he admits, but thankfully movement of the early 90s, it was the two stayed in touch postthe natural influence for what Dead! they wanted the band to become, “I was working in Tokyo and to mean to others. “The name for a bit, and we kept chatting is the most important thing to us throughout that and through the because it’s not only about being decay of his old band,” she carries inspired by L7,” he answers when on. asked what they want the band “I was just getting sad, drunk, to stand for. “The ‘War’ element throwing myself into different is this kind of angry, visceral projects,” he finishes with a red energy. And then the ‘Gasm’

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“WE DON’T THINK THAT OLD MUSIC LIKE THAT IS INHERENTLY BETTER, WE JUST THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE BEING A BIT LAZY NOW” SAM MATLOCK

is like the euphoria that you get when you listen to a song and think, this is so fucking hard. I love it. Those two elements are the main thing about our band, those two energies are what we want to convey on every track.”

With a speedy realisation that they wanted their music to reflect both of their personalities, debut release ‘Post Modern Rhapsody’ was the first step. Describing it as a song that both “takes the piss and has a message”, it was a big moveon from the pop-punk that they were toying with in their earliest days. “It all had unnecessarily deep lyrics to begin with,” Milkie laughs, before Sam interjects.

“That [first] single hit the things we liked about old music. If you want to say it, actually commit to it. But also, if you just want to have some fun and create a space for others to have fun, then it did that. That was kind of our starting point.”

Leaping off from there, it is their cover of N.E.R.D.’s ‘Lapdance’ that best shows their flexibility and

freedom to play with expectations.

Initially planned as an exercise in working out how they would juggle vocals and work best together, it eventually arrived on a Soundcloud link. Emboldened by the good reaction, it entered the band’s live sets and has stayed there since. For the only time, and perhaps down to not wanting to be defined by a cover, there’s a slightly defensive air as Sam discusses its impact on the band’s trajectory.

“Sinatra, the fucking old Stones, a load of blues artists and stuff, they all did covers of each other’s songs. And I mean, mate, Liam Gallagher’s selling out Wembley and he didn’t write a single song! He’s comfortable being a performer as opposed to a songwriter. You can still be an artist without creating, so we thought there’s no shame in it.

‘Lapdance’ represents where we are sonically better than anything we’ve written yet because N.E.R.D. had more experience when they were writing!”

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“And we can pay homage to the great Pharrell Williams,” finishes Milkie with a laugh.

It is that very fluidity that could come to define Wargasm as something very special. Both ‘Lapdance’ and current single ‘Spit.” showcase a band that aren’t bound by petty rules or the norms of rock writing. For both of them, it is clear that the art is the important thing. Sitting forward, Sam begins. “Sometimes, what we do falls into the alternative rock-slash-emo world. Which is cool, but I don’t find that world as original or inspiring as some others. I’m hoping that, as we progress, and tracks like ‘Spit.’ show, we can be a band more like Slipknot or The Prodigy. These acts kind of cease to exist within their own genre. Slipknot are a metal band, but no metal band has their energy, and you can like them even if you fucking hate metal.”

Warming to his theme, he continues at a rate. “Same with The Prodigy. They fucking started on the South London rave scene, the punks love them, the metalhead love them. And the mums love them too, it becomes its own energy. I like to think as time goes on, we are gonna evolve into this thing that will occupy its own space you know?”

Their other defining feature is not being afraid to ruffle feathers. In fact, they welcome it. “When we were touring with Airways, we were pretty much considerably heavier than them,” smiles Milkie, “I just love seeing people either reacting incredibly strongly or reacting like, ‘Oh, I don’t know about this’.”

Grinning, it’s clear that she relishes getting polarised reactions from an audience.

Whether you love or hate Wargasm, she sees both as a win. As she finishes with a metaphorical thump, all you can feel is their desire to make people feel something, anything, about not just the band but the world around them. “The whole point of art is to get a reaction,”

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“EVERYONE TAKES THEMSELVES SO SERIOUSLY IN THE ROCK SCENE” MILKIE WAY Sam agrees. “And I think a lot of new artists in this scene have forgotten that. There’s nothing wrong with ‘just’ being a musician or a band member. But if you’re gonna call yourself an artist, you have to think bigger.”

Anyone who has caught one of Wargasm’s lockdown videos knows that they take every tiny aspect of their appearance deadly seriously.

Nothing is left to chance, every minuscule detail of performance and presentation worked on and finessed. It’s no accident he says. “You always have to think, ‘what am I saying here? Do I really commit to that, or am I just doing it? Am I doing it because its a good bridge or just to get to the chorus quicker?’”

There are plenty of bands that Sam picks out as artists currently transcending the trends and making music as art. “Well, The Wonder Years are now bigger than all of fucking poppunk. They do something special. Loathe are doing really interesting things, they’ve got a bit of metal and a bit of nu-metal. They’ve got a Deftones-y sound to them, but they are obviously artists, not just musicians. I think something that would help out rock music as a whole is if people just remembered the word ‘artist’ and what it’s all about. Find your own marimba!” he finishes enigmatically to fits of laughter from Milkie.

For a band that clearly have a fierce sense of what is right and wrong, it’s no surprise that talk eventually turns to plans of returning to London to join the current anti-racism protests.

“Bolstering the ranks” as they put it, should people fall ill with our new friend, Covid-19.

Talking the day after slave trader Edward Colston’s statue was torn down in Bristol, (“It warms your heart” smiles Milkie), it is high up in their priorities to help where they can. Again, those twin fuels of the band mix and merge into each other, burning visceral anger and hopeful euphoria creating something unbreakable.

Something hard enough to withstand anything that life can throw at it. Wargasm couldn’t be more perfectly suited for these times. P

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Words: Alexander Bradley.

Photos: Steve Gullick.

“The only way you can really describe it is, it’s a Neck Deep record.”

of the non-musical issues which have surrounded the band. Back in 2015, allegations of sexual misconduct were made against then-guitarist Lloyd Roberts.

Since then, bassist Fil ThorpeEvans has also left, with guitarist Sam Bowden and Ben’s brother In the words of Ben Barlow, Seb both joining. singer and tour guide to The growth since that point Sonderland, the fictional setting hasn’t always been smooth, for Neck Deep’s new album ‘All either. In 2017, Ben was forced Distortions Are Intentional’. to apologise after some deeply “I wouldn’t necessarily say problematic comments on it’s a pop record or a pop-punk International Women’s Day. record or a rock record. It’s got But, over recent months there all of those elements in there have been positive actions, too. that make it Neck Deep,” he The band have been active in continues, pointing towards the more conscious effort the band are promoting socially aware and progressive causes. In a world making to forge their own path as where, rightly, we’re all expected opposed to conforming with the to change and grow, the current constraints of being a part of any incarnation of Neck Deep have at one “scene”. least shown signs they’re prepared The goal is to put Neck Deep into a league of their own, with the to learn.

“We wanted to display that singer nodding to how both Bring we’re all older now,” Ben says of Me The Horizon and The 1975 are “leading the progression” in music their new record. “I was 18 or 19 when we wrote ‘Life’s Not Out To that defies categorisation.

Get You’. That album was amazing It’s an ambitious step for the and will go down as one of our band from Wrexham who have best, but that came from a 19-yearbeen pushed to grow not just as old with a naïve view of the world.” musicians, but people too in the A product of what could be the last few years. It’s impossible to signs of growing maturity, their cast a reasoned eye towards Neck determination to progress and Deep without considering some

to stand out from the crowd is obvious on ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’. A concept album set “far away / as far as the eye can see”, it revolves around Jett and Alice who fall in love, love to hate the town they live in and spend their time wrestling with the existential uncertainty of their place in the world.

By creating a place for the songs to live in, Neck Deep have liberated themselves from the world around them and taken the pressure off just writing from their own perspective. Despite not directly pointing to just one concept record as inspiration, Ben credits Green Day’s use of St. Jimmy as a narrator to ‘American Idiot’ and for how The Beatles reinvented themselves and their perspective in ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.

For Ben, the concept came together with the creation of the bouncy and optimistic hit ‘Lowlife’ which was conceived last summer while the band were touring with blink-182.

“I was just stumbling around in this daze of like, ‘oh my God, I’m on tour with one of my favourite bands of all time, and I’ve got pretty much all day to just mooch about’. I dunno, I was just really

Upset 41

stoned, to be honest,” he laughs.

“We were blazed and cruising around, and living in this little dream world. I wrote this song, and I started off writing this nonsense song of just, ‘I’m fucking living in a dream world, and no one can tell me any different’. And I thought, that’s an element of my personality. It’s not where I’d always wanna write songs from, that angle, but if I can personify this...”

And from there, ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’ started to take shape with Ben free to write “behind this veil of a character” as he puts it.

That wasn’t the only bonus either, as, by making a concept, the band allowed themselves the opportunity to make a full, cohesive album too.

“It was always the intention from the start, this record should be played from start to finish,” Ben explains. “We want it to be heard as a record. In the age of the single - where the single is king - we were like, nah we don’t wanna write an album full of a load of disconnected singles. Let’s write an album that is it’s most impactful when it’s listened to as an album. And we got that experience.”

Rather than just 3 and a half minutes and one great chorus, Neck Deep created an immersive experience and emotional story over the course of 12 songs. The journey flits in time with Jett’s mental health and showcases the band’s devotion to the dying art of album making.

“We made a very intentional decision at one point to have the, probably the sweetest song on the record, ‘When You Know’, immediately be followed up with a song [‘Quarry’] that’s really quite dark and moody. Here’s a song that we’ve never ever done anything like before, and that was to show his instability mentally and the reality of what it can be like if you’re struggling with your mental health.

How quickly you can fluctuate from being overwhelmed with being in love, to just overwhelmed by the weight of the world and your own life and your own self-image.”

Despite being a fully realised concept album that does stand alone in the Neck Deep catalogue, Ben is certain that the new tracks can stand side by side with the band’s previous work. He explains, “I still think that there are songs on this record that fans, whether you’re a

42 Upset

“WE WANTED TO DISPLAY THAT WE’RE ALL OLDER NOW” BEN BARLOW ‘Rain In July’ fan or a ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ fan, there are songs on there that fans are gonna be very pleasantly surprised by. And, I think fans will find, for whatever era of Neck Deep you love, I think we’ve managed to cover all the bases as well, again, not intentionally, it was just kind of, we’re just gonna write and see how we feel.”

However, he does refer to ‘All Distortions Are Intentional” as a “grower’, likening it to how ‘In Utero’ divided opinion as a much more polished departure from Nirvana’s earlier sound, but has since gone on to be heralded as groundbreaking. “[I’m] not saying, ‘fucking hell we’ve written the next ‘In Utero’, but, perceptions change and, to that effect, I do think that this record is quite a grower as well,” he reasons.

“Because I think our previous records have maybe just been on face value like, ‘fuck these are all really energetic bangers’. You listen to them once, and you get it, and you want to listen to them over and again. I think these, you listen to it a first time and you go, okay that was good, kind of want to listen to it again though. I kind of wanna understand this a bit more, I want to listen to different elements. Listen to the instrumentation, listen to the lyrics, listen to all the little subtle nuances that make this song what it is. And I do think that for the first time we’ve written a record that you really have to listen to to get it.”

Once you see past the concept, you can see that ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’ is filled with echoes of what’s made Neck Deep tick since their breakout EP ‘Rain In July’ from way back in 2012. The album’s introduction ‘Sonderland’ is the classic pop-punk hometown lament which would slot neatly in with

2015’s ‘Life’s Not Out to Get You’ while ‘Fall’ is the wide-eyed, arenasized, rock hit that seemed second nature on ‘The Peace and the Panic’.

Throw into the mix the “twinkly love ballads” of ‘When You Know’ and ‘What Took You So Long?’ and you’ve got a complete Neck Deep record.

“We still went into this whole album with total creative freedom, and we all made it very clear from the start not to put pressure on ourselves or on anything for it to sound a certain way or for it to feel a certain way,” Ben continues. “We were literally just, let’s hit record, let’s record something and if we like it let’s roll with it. If we don’t, let’s not - let’s leave it.”

That freedom to test the waters in any way they wanted leads to the album’s finale ‘Pushing Daisies’. As an “epic Britpop ballad straight into a Sabbath style riff”, it’s the moment of epiphany and release as the shouts of “Fuck society / fuck your politics / fuck yourself / and fuck the way it is” becomes the cathartic cries of the story’s characters realising they don’t need approval from anyone but one another.

That “Sabbath style riff”, actually, could be credited to the spooky presence that lent a helping hand

on the record. Yes, really. Working in the renowned, and apparently haunted, studio at Monnow Valley (situated in the middle of nowhere, Wales), Neck Deep “conquered the ghosts” as part of the album-making process.

“We were chill with them. We got pretty fucking scared at first; we were like, ahh this is too weird, a couple of super fucking weird moments. But in the end, I think we made peace with the ghosts.

Apparently, it’s the ghosts of Sabbath’s old bassist or guitarist who died so maybe he’s trying to encourage us to write a better record. I think he was pleased by the end, because I think he left us alone eventually.”

It was, though, when stuck on coming with how to transition ‘Pushing Daisies’ that the ghost stepped in according to Ben. After getting frustrated with how writing the section was going, drummer Dani Washington left to jam it out on his drums while the band took a break.

Ben describes, “Dani went and played and just out of nowhere, [on] the other side of this house, all I heard was this faint sound of this Sabbath-esque riff, and I’m like, I’m not sure if these guys are just

fucking around right now but I’m gonna walk in that room and tell them that that’s what it needs to be.

It just happened. It just came along, and as soon as I walked into that room everyone was just like, fuck yes. Everyone’s faces were glowing.

I think the ghost helped us out with that, and it’s the last track on the record.”

Whether you believe in the supernatural forces working on Neck Deep’s album or not, it’s undeniable the effect of recording ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’ back home in Wales had.

“No bullshit, this is the most focussed, the most free that we’ve ever felt writing a record. We’ve recorded records in Florida, and we’ve recorded records in LA and, while we had an amazing time doing those things, those records all came out great, we felt as though sometimes just things can be a little distracting really,” Ben rationalises.

To escape the distractions of partying and producers in LA, the band elected for the live-in studio (with the added bonus on no phone signal and “fuck all” wi-fi) to allow them complete autonomy and absolutely no distractions.

“We could get up at whatever time, start at midday and work till

3am if we wanted to or we could start in the evening and work till stupid early in the morning. We could do whatever the fuck we wanted, and we were really cut off from the rest of the world.”

That, with all the comforts of being close to home helped create an unrivalled atmosphere in the studio that “100% had a very positive impact on making the record,” he adds.

Of course, any new endeavour in 2020 has to cope with the small matter of a global pandemic. In late February, the band managed to host an immersive fan experience in Camden to celebrate the announcement of the album, but the original plan was to do much more with record store signings and performances, festival appearances and more pop-up shops planned for around the world this year.

Not only that but they also were forced to change their music video ideas pretty quickly with the plan to continue the story on from the ‘Lowlife’ video now not possible.

Originally, the music was going to be the soundtrack to visual accompaniment that would tell the entire story of ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’ and, while that plan hasn’t been completely scrapped, it’s unlikely to happen any time soon.

“Maybe we won’t go full Beyoncé and have a million-dollar budget for every video, but we’ll try and do what we can with it for sure,” he hopes.

In spite of all the setbacks, Neck Deep have instead found ways to “get back to basics” by connecting with their fans through Twitch. The band have been sharing a few group calls hyping their new album and deep diving on some older works but, more importantly, they’ve been streaming their time on Call of Duty and Animal Crossing too. It’s a long way from the big plans they had but, in Ben’s opinion, they “stripped it all back to a pure fan experience.”

They’ve made the best of it in recent months when other bands would be disheartened by their best-laid plans going awry. With ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’, they’ve redefined themselves apart with a concept album that is definitive Neck Deep. They’ve made their own world, and you’re invited to live in it.

P Neck Deep’s album ‘All Distortions

Are Intentional’ is out now.

Upset 43

44 Upset

Words: Steven Loftin.

Photos: Raf Chlapinski.

This year has been a whirlwind for change - from the outbreak of a global pandemic, to vital protests pushing for positive change in racial inequality - and one of the bands leading the charge are punk duo Bob Vylan. The pair’s new EP, ‘We Live Here’ sees them deftly confront racism, police brutality and injustice head-on across a rapid-fire eight tracks.

Upset 45

“We’ve been trying to tell you that shit’s fucked up for a long time but nobody wanted to hear,” frontman and producer Bobby Vylan states. “[Now] everyone’s looking for something new, and apparently this is the new thing to report on and talk about, you know?

So it does feel very…” He pauses.

“I’ll be honest man, it feels pretty shitty.”

Having been a band since 2017, who they are or how they sound hasn’t changed one iota, so the recent sudden thrust of attention feels like a double-edged sword.

Even over the phone today, Bobby’s juggling sorting out re-pressing their snapped-up debut project (“It’s long enough to be an album, I’m just not necessarily man enough to get the balls to call it an album”) amidst a whole hoard of other things.

They’re “fiercely independent”, he explains.

“It feels pretty shitty to talk about these things… let me rephrase that.”

He collects himself. “It feels shitty to have people that we brought this music to, and they didn’t care, suddenly caring. It feels very shitty.

“There are definitely some blogs and magazines that we found ourselves on in the last couple of weeks that we could not get on for the life of us just a month ago or two ago, you know before George Floyd was killed. It also feels very disingenuous, the attention, some of it, to a certain degree, which is quite disheartening, but it’s to be expected.”

Double-edge aside, Bobby isn’t wasting his new-found spotlight, be it previously declined interviews, press or national radio play.

“They didn’t want to play it, but then they played it a couple of days ago - that feels shitty, but it doesn’t feel shitty for me,” he considers. “I feel shitty for them, because now… now I know who you are. Now I know that you’ve exposed yourself as just seizing the opportunity to align yourself with it because God forbid somebody calls you a racist for not speaking about it or doing something.”

The mix of bubbling anger in

46 Upset

his voice is quelled by the reality he’s always lived in. “I mean, look, I can equate that experience to this thing that happened in my life,” he continues. “When [someone] just wouldn’t rent me that house or I didn’t get the job, and I feel like it was because you know I went in there with locks or my afro out or whatever it is.”

All of these current societal moments can so easily be seen as advantageous to the “brands posting up black squares but not actually saying anything,” but that’s not Bob Vylan.

This band is a conduit for saying things. Just listen to ‘We Live Here’, the duo’s - completed

by Bob13 (drums and spiritual inspiration) - raging attack of the simple-minded, right-wing attitude that’s so flimsy it’s pulled apart by the mouth-agape truth of “we didn’t appear out of thin air, we live here!” Their debut project is rife with targeted lyrics that cut to the core of the matter, artfully dodging notions of unrepentant anger and, instead, laying the truth down like a winning hand.

The musical element to Bob Vylan is a cataclysmic eruption of grime and punk, living as they always should - taking society in a righteous forward motion.

“We’ve been talking about these issues, topics of alienation and persecution: sexism, homophobia, racism, classism, and obviously we have a very first-hand experience of what it’s like to be marginalised because of the colour of our skin; or because the income of our household or the area that we live in or [where we] grow up or whatnot.”

He mentions that along with understanding, his marginalisation comes with “solidarity with the LGBTQ community, and women’s struggle; other kinds of aspects of marginalised people, other struggles that we don’t suffer from, but we have suffered too.”

It’s this reality which has caused ‘We Live Here’ to become the Bob Vylan calling card, and nothing could sound better as the world stands in the glorious promise of

ruin and rebuilding. Protests and societal change for the umpteenth decade in a row, the electric feeling in the air is palpable. All across TV, computer and phone screens, outside your window, there are signs of a world justly begging for change. People are finally “seeing that racism exists and classism exists, and the world is not this perfect utopia for everybody.”

Bobby’s time growing up was split between Ipswich and London, so he’s experienced first-hand what life’s like in both a smaller, change-resistant town and a vast, fast-moving city with its swirling combination of gentrification and survival.

“I think slightly smaller towns, it’s very different from growing up in the city. Obviously, you realise that when you grow up between the two. People hold on to this idea of what Britain is. It’s very prevalent in those smaller places, even though the town is run down. The town looks like shit. The town has not moved on. They’re still holding on to this thing of like, ‘This is England, and it’s a fucking great place!’ but like, I don’t know that it is.

“And then you go to the city, and everything just looks like shit but like a little more… a little scarier,” he continues. “To me, it’s the same, but amplified, because in Ipswich for example, there is a huge drug problem - a huge heroin, opioid problem, that just goes unmentioned. You realise this is people’s way of living in these smaller towns and smaller cities; you turn a blind eye to the undesirables. Whereas I think in London, the undesirables, you just can’t turn a blind eye to them because they live opposite you.

[You’re] more neighbourly with the people that you know society claims to be the ‘the scary underbelly’. It’s not so scary.”

“After all,” he concludes, “we’re all just trying to do the best that we can. And like I say, we’re not all starting at the same starting line.”

P Bob Vylan’s EP ‘We Live Here’

is out now.

A HERO’S A post-punk band going Top 10, then getting a Mercury Prize nod? With their debut album, Fontaines D.C. broke out in a way no one expected. Now it’s time for round two.

Words: Jessica Goodman.

Photos: Ellius Grace.

48 Upset

“There’s a really innocent beauty in no one caring about the name of your band, or no one knowing the name of your band,” guitarist Conor Curley reflects.

DEATH

“We were the only five people kind of propping that up.” A lot has changed for Fontaines D.C. in the three-and-a-bit years since they started releasing music together. Hell, a lot has changed for them in the one-and-a-bit year since they released their first record. Top 10 charting, Mercury Prize-nominated, and album of the year lauded, it’s hard to imagine a time when no one knew the group’s name.

Upset 49

“Whenever we’d meet people, we’d talk about us being in a band,” he recalls. “I suppose we don’t really have to do that anymore.”

“There’s a feeling of conspiracy, like Curley was saying, when you’re starting off with a band,” frontman Grian Chatten agrees.

“Nobody knows you, and you have that belief that you’re amazing.”

It’s been a turbulent few years for the Dublin City outfit, but this belief in their own creativity is something the band – completed

by Conor Deegan III, Carlos O’Connell, and Tom Coll – have never lost. “It’s just you, and you’re driving around in a van, and you feel like you’ve got a secret that no one else knows about,” Grian fondly reminisces. “That’s something that you have. That’s a particular magic that’s exclusive to the beginning, to the formative years of a band.”

Driving around in a van to play shows around the world, across the continent, even across the country is something of a distant dream right now (Fontaines D.C. currently have tour dates scheduled for next year), but the magic they felt when they did it the first time is, wonderfully, in no short supply – interestingly enough that’s at least in part because of the fact they haven’t been able to tour. “We have that [magic] again with the fact that we’ve been sitting with this new album,” Grian enthuses. “There’s that element again of the five of us being charged with this knowledge that no one else knows.”

Writing for their new record started more or less as soon as their first album was finished. In fact, the writing process never really stopped. “I think it’s more satisfying for us as writers to try and develop very quickly,” Curley mulls, “instead of sort of letting [‘Dogrel’] be what people know of our writing for longer than a year. It just didn’t seem like that’s how we wanted to be perceived as a band.” Which isn’t to say the group have any regrets – quite the opposite.

50 Upset

“The first album for anyone is a really special thing,” the guitarist explains. “Even with all the time that we’ve had off, it’s still something that I find hard to digest, the past year.” Having played in 50 cities throughout Ireland, Europe, and America in 2019 alone, it’s a lot for anyone to take in. “Just dealing with people’s reaction to your music – whether it be really good or really bad, it doesn’t really matter – it’s kind of hard to adjust to people having

opinions on things that you create.”

Spending so much of last year on the road, other peoples’ opinions were something the group saw and heard a lot of.

It’s something they’re quick to express their gratitude for, while admitting that, at the time, experiencing it was rather surreal.

“When you’re on tour you’re sort of confronted with a conveyor belt of other people’s opinions,” Grian agrees. “It’s challenging to

“THE FIRST ALBUM WAS A LIST OF COMMENTS; I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A LIST OF CONFESSIONS” GRIAN CHATTEN

kind of respect them, but at the same time, not listen to them, you know?” he expresses. “Particularly compliments. I think compliments are the most terrifying things.”

Wanting to make the most of every opportunity, the group had set out to play as many shows as possible – something they started to realise was taking a toll on them day-by-day. This sense of discomfort, coupled with the displacement of not recognising the city out their window was what sparked the inspiration for ‘A Hero’s Death’. “We slowly learned that if you burn yourself out, you end up kind of hating what you’re doing to a certain degree,” Curley reveals. “It’s definitely not the route we ever wanted to go down. It was a real steep learning curve.”

Finding themselves out of their comfort zone, the group started to forge their escape through new

inspirations. One such inspiration was found in the music of The Beach Boys. “Whenever we were in the van, we didn’t have guitars,” Curley recalls. “We started trying to emulate their vocal harmonies - which would take up lots of journeys: some lads singing something flat or it not really coming together...” he chuckles. “It just became a part of our writing.”

Escaping into the worlds of Brian Wilson and co, Fontaines D.C. decided that’s exactly what they wanted their second album to be – their own world. “We, all of us, walk around every day with an eternal kind of refuge, you know?” Grian expresses. “It’s a place within ourselves that is very particular to us. To be able to actually bring something that whole and that complete out of you, and turn it into a piece of music, that other people can then actually understand, therefore they can understand what’s inside of you...” He trails off, reverence overtaking his enthusiasm for what he’s portraying. “I think that that’s kind of the height of creative achievement.”

“We had to write the second album to remind ourselves who we were, and of the fact that we were mates with each other,” he continues, reflecting of the mood in the back of their van. “We had to write a second album because we needed a refuge. We needed a place to rest our heads.” In dire want of an escape from their surroundings, that’s exactly what the five-piece set about creating.

“That’s what this album is, I think,” Grian portrays. “To me, it’s more escapist and a little bit more fantasy than the first album. It’s a place that we invented to run to.”

After singing so fervently of life in Ireland’s capital city on ‘Dogrel’, with ‘A Hero’s Death’ the group wanted to do things differently. “It was important to reflect our environment,” Grian contemplates. “Our environment was in constant flux, in every sense. We had no environment.

Or, at least, we rejected the

environment that we were given.”

It might’ve been a difficult thing for them to navigate at the time, but giving them the inspiration they drew from to make their second record, the group look back on it with a distanced fondness.

“You almost develop trust issues with countries or with the idea that you’re in a different country, you know?” the frontman conveys.

“If somebody says, ‘wake up man, you’re in Germany’, you kind of feel like saying, ‘prove it’,” he laughs. “All you actually see is petrol stations, coffee, and you know, slightly different cigarette marketing.” Written, at least in its most basic form, on the road, ‘A Hero’s Death’ carries itself with a captivating momentum, a rallying cry of defiance, of self-belief, and hope in an uncertain – or even unrecognisable – world.

“The first album was a list of comments about something,” Grian describes. “I feel like this is a list of confessions.” Confessions of love – feeling trapped by it and reaching out for it – of loneliness, of escapism, determination, of hope: these are the songs that make up ‘A Hero’s Death’. “I think that there’s something to be gleaned from the album,” Grian begins, “in the sense that it might encourage...” he trails off and pauses, before shaking his head. “Yeah, to be honest, I’m just talking rubbish,” he laughs. “I was onto something there, but I lost it.”

“There’s the whole idea of the second album being difficult,” he tries again. “Essentially, if you liked who we were on our first album, if you were kind of hanging on to it, that hero is dead.” Hence the album title.

“It’s tongue in cheek, really, you know?” Taken from a play by Irish playwright Brendan Behan, the album title signifies exactly what Fontaines D.C. wanted the record to be: an ending to the chapter that was their debut, and the start of something different and thrillingly new. P Fontaines

D.C.’s album ‘A Hero’s Death’ is out 31st July.

Upset 51

52 Upset

New album at the ready, and Stand Atlantic are back to reclaim their crown as one of the most interesting bands in pop-punk.

Words: Jack Press.

When you think of pop-punk, you think of college parties and pizza, beer bongs and teenage angst, snapbacks and skateboards. It’s

an image we’ve seen a thousand times, from Blink-182 and Green Day in the nineties, to Sum 41 and New Found Glory in the noughties, and again with the uprising of All Time Low and State Champs in the tens.

Along with a handful of fellow Australians, Sydney pop-punkers Stand Atlantic are ripping up the rulebook, throwing the codes and conventions in the proverbial bin, and bringing a whole new flavour to the genre with their strikingly vibrant second album, ‘Pink Elephant’. From its pop-sensible arena-ready sing-alongs to its explosion-of-colour cover, vocalist and guitarist Bonnie Fraser, guitarist David Potter, drummer Jonno Panichi and bassist Miki Rich are done with being down as ‘just another pop-punk band’.

“We wanted to show that it’s so easy to just stick a label on a band from a certain scene. We wanted to prove that we’re more than that.

Genres don’t exist anymore, and people just do what they want,” says Bonnie defiantly, not letting the confines of her hotel room during self-isolation following her return to Australia stop her from taking a stand against the old guard. “We wanted to prove to ourselves that we’re not one-trick ponies, and we like writing songs no matter what style that is.”

One trick ponies and one-hit wonders, they are not. While 2018’s ‘Skinny Dipping’ was a dazzling

debut of pumped-up pop-punk, ‘Pink Elephant’ rearranges and reinvents their sound. They’ve spent some time slipping, sliding, and shapeshifting through genres, resulting in experiments in earlyera PVRIS electro-rock (‘Shh!’), synth-pop (‘Blurry’), singersongwriter acoustics (‘Drink to Drown’) and late-night laid-back R’n’B-meets-pop-punk vibes (‘Silk & Satin’). Like a sponge, they’ve soaked up the suds of the washing bowl of popular music.

“Music is always changing in terms of trends, and that’s not to say that we set out to follow any trend, but there’s so much music coming in that it’s hard not to get inspired by new sounds and new things.

“I wouldn’t say there was any ‘we want to sound like this band’, it was kind of like, ‘yo, this song by this band is really cool’. That song itself might not even sound like the rest of that band; it was just the process of taking little factors of different sounds we’ve heard.

It’s just a big conglomeration of everything.”

While Stand Atlantic were working on their sound, they were also writing a record in realtime, drawing off of the day-to-day experiences and emotions they were working through. As a result, Pink Elephant is at once a collection of perfectionate, polished pop-punk and a riveting, raw expose of their struggles.

“The whole album is about having tough conversations, whether that’s with yourself or somebody else. It’s fucking scary

Upset 53

“WE WANTED TO PROVE TO OURSELVES THAT WE’RE NOT ONETRICK PONIES” BONNIE FRASER to think about needing to talk to someone about something or have someone confront you about something you’re doing wrong.

“You end up going, ‘oh no, I’m not a bad person, I swear, no I’m not’, and you then have to have a conversation with yourself and be like, ‘right, why am I doing these things and what can I do to change that?’ It’s about learning to accept yourself as well, and finding the strength in what used to be a weakness as you’re addressing it and taking control of it.”

Bonnie has not only taken control of the strengths she’s developed by addressing her weaknesses but has embodied these experiences and distilled them into every single note you hear on ‘Pink Elephant’.

Empowerment, it seems, is at the very heart of Stand Atlantic’s second album. “’Pink Elephant’ is a representation of delirium, like being trippy and out of your mind, but it’s also that concept of addressing the elephant in the room. The whole album conceptually is addressing elephants in the room of your life, basically, things that you can’t avoid, you just need to talk about them.

“On the other side, it’s also about how not wanting to talk about them fucks your head because you’re not letting the universe deal with it so you’re just left to your own mind which can be your own worst enemy a lot of the time. It’s like you’re tripping on your own problems, and you

54 Upset

kind of build it up to be something completely far-fetched to what it actually is, and that’s where we were going with it.”

‘Pink Elephant’ addresses the elements (and elephants) of Bonnie and her bandmates’ lives that they’ve been brushing under the rug and running away from, bringing them into focus as part of a cathartic process.

“For me, writing lyrics is the only way I can truly express my feelings. I’ve said this a million times, I’m not very good at talking about my feelings, and I feel like I lose confidence as soon as I start opening my mouth and try talking about something. I don’t know why the fuck that is, but when I start writing songs, like, it’s kind of the way I wish I would talk about things, but I don’t know how so I just sing about them. That’s a cathartic experience for sure.

It helps me get over things. For example, if I’m angry at my mum or something, I write a song about

it, and it’s like me putting it to bed and getting over it.”

Just as the album’s music promotes empowerment and self-discovery in the face of adversity against a soundtrack of vibrant pop-punk, so too does its artwork. It’s not easy to describe the concept of a pink elephant crawling out of a cutout skull against a backdrop of kaleidoscopic fluorescent colours, and that’s something Bonnie learnt the hard way during its creation.

“The artwork, our manager and I were talking about it and sorting it out for eight months straight. It took so long, and we had so many versions of it. We had so many different artists that would just give us stuff. There was one copy of the artwork, and I’m not joking, it just looked like someones budgie smugglers. I was like, ‘what the fuck’ and one of them - I’m not sure I should really say this - but one looked like a vagina. I was just

like, ‘how have you gotten that from what I’ve said?’”

With a new album and new artwork comes newer tours and longer sets, which ultimately means more power and responsibility for pleasing their hordes of fans. In the age of social media, bands have come under constant attack for their setlist choices, but as they finally reach a point where they’ve got enough songs to fill a set without playing them all, they’re not letting the keyboard warriors worry them.

“We just have to fuck them off.

We’ll never pull a Radiohead and not play the biggest song we have, or the one everyone wants to hear - we’re not dicks. But like, other people think they know what they want to hear, but ultimately we’re just trying to get a good set flow and make sure people aren’t bored. It’ll be fine.”

That feeling of it being fine, a positive mental attitude that ultimately seeps through

everything Stand Atlantic do and say, is something they share through the support they both give and receive from their fellow patriots. Along with artists like Dune Rats, Yours Truly and Eat Your Heart Out, Bonnie and co. are bursting off of their island and into the big wide world, a feat that they still feel is surprising.

“The main difficulty is money, it’s expensive - not only to fly yourselves, but all your gear, and VISAs and all that kind of stuff.

We’re quite lucky in the sense we get good quality bands because we understand how difficult it is to leave, so the people that do are the ones that really want it, and they’re going to try their best to do it and make the best shit.

Or, at least, I hope they do. I’m just talking for them. I think it’s a different kind of drive, really, everyone just supports everyone.

It’s a nice little home to grow out of.”

It’s a support they’ve grown to lean on a little, almost like their own little community spirit superpower. It’s something that excites them as they climb the ladder from hometown heroes to international stars.

“Australians always have this cute little bond. Even if you don’t really know each other, if you see another Australian artist like us doing well overseas it’s like, ‘good on you mate, it’s fucking hard to get out of Australia’. I think it is really cool, and all of these bands are really, lovely people. It’s nice to know we don’t have dickheads coming out of our country.”

Even as Stand Atlantic play a part in a bigger picture of Australian pop-punk, they’ve always been a little different with the way they evolve their sound and the way they present themselves. In many ways, they’re the de facto leaders and flagbearers of their own little scene, and with that comes the pressure of exposure and the responsibility of playing a role model. As a woman and an advocate for LGBT+, it’s a topic Bonnie pulls no punches on but simultaneously

shies away from.

“To be honest, I get a bit conflicted at times. When people ask me questions about being a woman in the industry, part of me is like, ‘well, is that part of the problem?’ because it’s just amplifying the fact that I’m a woman, when, my mindset is like, that’s never been my thought process.

“I’ve never thought ‘I’m a woman, I need to make myself known!’ - I’m just like, ‘I want to be in a band, I’m going to go and do that’. I don’t give a fuck if anyone is going to treat me differently, because that just reflects on them more than it does me.

“I think in a way, and I hope I don’t get shat on for this, it’s helped us because when we were coming up, people were hungry for more female-fronted bands, and I think that made people more open to listening to us, or other female fronted bands. It’s good in a way because we’ve had a surge.”

While at times her thoughts on her responsibility as a role model are conflicting, Bonnie, much like the music she makes with Stand Atlantic, and the songs that fill out ‘Pink Elephant’, is empowered by the actions her and her fellow artists make.

“From where I stand, I’ve always just thought that instead of talking about it, I’d rather show through example. That it doesn’t matter what you are or who you are. As long as you’re a genuine person and your intentions are good, and you work hard, anything’s possible really.”

Possibility, ultimately, is what Stand Atlantic and Pink Elephant stand for. Through their belief in anything’s possible, they break through the barricades of pop-punk’s cliched bravado to pack out shows with their evolutionary sound. If they’re addressing any elephants in the room, in particular, it’ll be anyone who’s ever doubted they’ll take themselves to the next level and conquer the world. P Stand

Atlantic’s album ‘Pink Elephant’ is out 7th August.

Upset 55

Rated_ THE OFFICIAL VERDICT ON EVERYTHING

BIFFY CLYRO A CELEBRATION OF ENDINGS

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A

fter the double albums, the soundtracks and the live records, you could be forgiven for wondering whether Biffy Clyro were entering a ‘difficult’ middleaged period as they approached studio album number nine. But any worries that the inner fires that have fuelled them for this long are starting to wane seem largely, if not totally, misplaced on ‘A Celebration Of Endings’.

When Simon Neil warns at one point that “This is not a love song”, it is a strong case for understatement of the year. This is a record that exists in a bitter

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state of acrimony and betrayal from the start from a band that is closing its ranks against a common enemy. Whatever the nature of the fall-out that runs through the whole record, it has left some real nastiness in its wake. In some ways, that bile proves strangely beneficial as it allows the band to skip any comfortable middle-aged lyrical clichés for something fiercer and furious.

With early single ‘Instant History’ not proving to be quite the rug-puller that it initially seemed to be, much here sticks closely to the triedand-tested Biffy sound with a few exceptions. ‘Space’ dials back the carnage as it bares its emotions for all to see, and the album highlight ‘End Of’, as sharp and dangerous as an assassin, rumbles along on a filthy bass riff. As the closing ‘Cop Syrup’ casts an eye back to their early days, it injects a much needed unpredictability right at the death and shows that they can still avoid the pitfalls that most rock acts of this longevity slump into. This is a band that is still nowhere near finished. P

Jamie MacMillan

BROADSIDE

INTO THE RAGING SEA

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A whole heap of selfquestioning is the order of the day for Broadside. Vocalist Ollie Baxxter has clearly set some demons free as the savage storm that comes with passing years has wrapped itself around him, threatening to drag him under. This collection of songs is Broadside laying it all out on the table. While it may seem that Broadside are wading into the raging sea, there’s nothing too unfamiliar. Instead, it’s a statement about hope, and accepting the future. It’s one that says even when water could be pouring onto your deck, there’s always a lifeboat waiting. P Steven

Loftin

CREEPER

SEX, DEATH & THE INFINITE VOID

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Not many can convincingly disappear for a year after a dramatic ‘break up’ on stage, but Creeper are no ordinary band. ‘Be My End’ is a stone-cold anthem, a double whammy opener alongside the spoken word ‘Hallelujah!’. Singles ‘Born Cold’ (given a brand new mix for the album), ‘Annabelle’, and ‘Cyanide’ parade Creeper’s various musical influences but it’s what lies deeper within that provides its most interesting moments.

‘Poisoned Heart’ is pure goth country (it feels so wrong, and yet so so right) while ‘Four Years Ago’ sees Will and Hannah duet perfectly. One of the album’s many high points, ‘Thorns Of Love’, vibes with American 60s rock ‘n’ roll, building to a crescendo that Meat Loaf would be envious of.

‘Sex, Death and the Infinite Void’ is the sound of a band picking themselves up, putting themselves back together, and going for something completely new. It’s bloody brilliant. P Josh Williams

burst of hopeful introduction and thoughts of life’s inevitable conclusion. ‘Ultimate Success Today’ marks the perfect mid-point between those two diverging thoughts. Sounding beaten down at times, railing at the world in the next, it continues to mark him out as one of post-punk’s most fascinating frontmen and lyricists. The next decade awaits. P Jamie MacMillan

STAND ATLANTIC PINK ELEPHANT

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FONTAINES D.C. A HERO’S DEATH

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Last year’s ‘Dogrel’ was a debut packed full of poetic landscapes of a grim reality, soundtracked by tunes that dig their heels into the dirt, affirming the idea that if you’re gonna do something, make ‘em remember you. ‘A Hero’s Death’ continues their trajectory of lamenting and riling songs, moving away from any pints-in-the-air choruses, found sparsely on ‘Dogrel’, and instead really honing in on the brooding, but with an added twist of optimism. “Life ain’t always empty,” frontman Grian Chatten demands on the titular track. They don’t just want to be a band of sullen majesty; they want to be multifaceted, though they don’t quite follow through on this idea wholly. Fontaines aren’t a one-trick band, they simply know who they want to be and what they want to say; though some singalong moments wouldn’t go amiss... P Steven Loftin

HOCKEY DAD BRAIN CANDY

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Like every album planned for the last few months, Hockey Dad’s ‘Brain Candy’ may have been slightly postponed, but when push comes to reassuringly mighty shove, there’s no keeping a record with

so much propulsive oomph back for long. From the thumping melody of ‘Good Eye’ to the slow-burning, lighters-aloft ‘Itch’ and the sugarrush garage rock of ‘In This State’, there’s a winning energy throughout.

Solid good fun. P Dan Harrison

IN HEARTS WAKE KALIYUGA

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In Hearts Wake’s fifth album may be noted by many for its commitment to environmental sustainability - and rightly so - but there’s much more to ‘KALIYUGA’. Opening with the words of Greta Thunberg - no, they’re not the first band to do that this year ‘Crisis’ grabs attention from the word go. From there, there’s little letting up. Like being shaken awake, there’s a sense of immediacy and urgency that goes far beyond that of a band releasing a new record. The stakes on this one are sky-high. P Dan

Harrison

PROTOMARTYR ULTIMATE SUCCESS TODAY

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With a decade passing since their debut ‘No Passion All Technique’, the thoughts of Protomartyr frontman Joe Casey’s mind bounced between memories of that urgent

Hotly anticipated, the second album from Stand Atlantic doesn’t disappoint.

Energetic, conscientious, packed with hooks; if pop-punk has a future, this is what it sounds like.

The band’s hunger is infectious, and what makes these songs pop off the record in spite of their somewhat choreographed arrangements. ‘Drink to Drown’ is a sobering piano ballad sitting in the midst of the chaos showcasing Bonnie Fraser’s vocals and the quartet’s knack for a tune.

Armed with a modern take on a tired genre and a firebrand frontperson, the sky’s the limit. P Dillon Eastoe

THE ACACIA STRAIN SLOW DECAY

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Based around the concept of the breakdown of reality, The Acacia Strain’s latest fulllength may find itself landing closer to home by the time it arrives than originally intended. Opening with the punishing, not exactly uplifting ‘Feed a Pigeon, Breed a Rat’, at times ‘Slow Decay’ feels like a brick stuck on spin cycle, rattling around the drum until it rips itself apart. That’s the point, though. “There’s no evidence to suggest we aren’t actually in a living hell,” vocalist Vincent Bennett offers up in an accompanying statement. If we are, The Acacia Strain have certainly penned a fitting soundtrack. P Dan

Harrison

Upset 57

EVERYONE HAS THOSE FORMATIVE BANDS AND TRACKS THAT FIRST GOT THEM INTO MUSIC AND HELPED SHAPE THEIR VERY BEING. THIS MONTH, NICK MARTIN FROM SLEEPING WITH SIRENS TAKE US THROUGH SOME THE SONGS THAT MEANT THE MOST TO HIM DURING HIS TEENAGE YEARS.

WITH... NICK MARTIN, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS GREEN DAY Burnout

Every song from ‘Dookie’ was seminal for me. There isn’t a single track that I would skip, even to this day when I listen to it. But, there’s something about the quick snare drum intro that kickstarts the album, and it immediately sends me back to being a teenager and just jumping around like a madman in my bedroom. Billie Joe Armstrong is someone I’ve always looked up to as a musician & he made me feel OK about being a young punk rock outcast, even when I’d get teased at school for it.

NIRVANA Territorial Pissings

Again, every song on ‘Nevermind’ is timeless. But, this song always stood out to me. It was just so raucous, loud, abrasive, and emotional. You can literally hear Kurt Cobain’s voice cracking throughout the song. You know that he’s completely losing it in the vocal booth and you can feel that in the song. ‘Nevermind’ was a game-changer for me that I started listening to before I was a teenager, but that I’ve still had on repeat since.

Photo: Jessie Morgan.

SILVERCHAIR Tomorrow

I think Daniel Johns was a genius.

He wrote this song and their first album ‘Frogstomp’ when he was 15 years old. It went on to go double platinum. WHAT THE FUCK?!

‘Tomorrow’ was the first song I ever heard from Silverchair, being introduced to them via MTV. His lyrics were so dark but so relatable as a teenager. It was always inspiring as a kid to see someone his age become such a massive success, but also just so insanely talented with his craft. He wrote such great

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choruses and the soaring vocals in ‘Tomorrow’ prove exactly that.

THE CLASH London’s Burning The Clash are probably in my top three favourite bands of all-time.

Their first album is absolutely timeless to me, and I still listen to it frequently. Joe Strummer’s angst mixed with Mick Jones signature guitar riffs just stuck with me as a teenager. Every time I hear this song, I just want to do the Joe Strummer leg stomps. I would play this song on guitar constantly when I was a kid and try to emulate all of Joe Strummer’s moves. I quickly learned there can only be one Joe.

DEAD KENNEDYS Nazi Punks, Fuck Off Jello Biafra was someone I followed as a teenager. His punk rock ethos

still rings true to this day, and this song is still pertinent to current day situations. I suggest you turn it up to 10 so the neighbours can hear.

RANCID Ruby Soho

There’s something about this song that just takes me back to riding around on my bike as a teenager with headphones and blasting this loudly. This whole album is one long punk rock hit. This is another song that I’d play on guitar in my room all of the time and try to emulate both Tim and Lars. I still think Rancid is one of the greatest punk rock bands and hope to one day meet Tim and thank him for being such an inspiring soul. P

Sleeping With Sirens’ ‘How It Feels To Be Lost Deluxe’ is out 21st August.