** PLUS ** WHILE SHE SLEEPS // ONE OK ROCK // WICCA PHASE SPRINGS ETERNAL // MILK TEETH + LOADS MORE
March 2019 upsetmagazine.com
BACK! BACK!! BACK!!!
FRANK CARTER + T H E R AT T L E S N A K E S
UK / IRELAND HEADLINE TOUR 2019 plus guests
march 2019 15th CARDIFF / Great Hall 16th PORTSMOUTH / Pyramids 17th BRISTOL / O2 Academy 19th NOTTINGHAM / Rock City 20th HULL / The Welly 21st GLASGOW / SWG3 22nd ABERDEEN / Unit 51 24th MIDDLESBROUGH / Empire 25th MANCHESTER / Albert Hall 27th SHEFFIELD / Leadmill 28th BIRMINGHAM / O2 Academy 30th BELFAST / Limelight 2 31st DUBLIN / Green Room myticket.co.uk / deafhavana.com top 10 album ‘Rituals’ out now via So Recordings A Kilimanjaro & Friends presentation by arrangement with X-ray and Riverman
MARCH 2019 Issue 41
HELLO. Frank Carter is back. There aren’t many four word sentences more exciting than that. With a brand new track ‘Crowbar’ out now, and an album - ‘End Of Suffering’ - set to drop later this year, we’re delighted to have one of the most exciting live forces on planet rock on the cover of Upset this month. There’s a lot of buzz going around this month - not least with SWMRS dropping a storming new record. We’ll be getting into that ‘soon’, but you can check out a stonking 5-star review on p.38. Elsewhere, we have Becky Milk Teeth promising that second album won’t be too long now (hurrah!), plus the return of While She Sleeps. Something for everyone, eh?
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd
Upset
THIS MONTH_ RIOT 4. ONE OK ROCK 8. MARK MORTON 9. PETAL 10. KEVIN DEVINE 12. MILK TEETH ABOUT TO BREAK 16. WICCA PHASE SPRINGS ETERNAL 18. INDOOR PETS 20. YOURS TRULY FEATURES 22. FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES 30. WHILE SHE SLEEPS 34. WOAHNOWS REVIEWS 38. SWMRS 41. WEEZER LIVE 42. THE 1975 44. ENTER SHIKARI TEENAGE KICKS 46. BLOOD RED SHOES
Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Frances Beach, Sarah Louise Bennett 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 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.
Upset 3
Riot_ ONE OK ROCK
EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK
One of Japan’s most popular bands, One OK Rock are back with their ninth album, ‘Eye of the Storm’. Recorded with the help of Mike Shinoda, it sees them shaking things up, as vocalist Taka Moriuchi explains.
4 Upset
THIS MONTH IN ROCK
Mark Morton scribbles down everything we need to know about his new solo record. p.8
Kevin Devine chats Devinyl splits, Bad Books, and new solo material... p.10
I
f ever positivity was needed, it’s now. The world is seemingly on the verge of imploding, while a never-ending series of cataclysmic events nudge us closer and closer to pandemonium. Fortunately, there are people out there working on putting out good vibes - including Tokyo-based foursome One OK Rock and their formidable frontman Taka Moriuchi.
A naturally positive person, ‘Stand Out Fit In’ - the first single from their new album ‘Eye Of The Storm’ - sees him lead a barrelling anthem for the disenfranchised. He’s understandably excited about
unleashing the group’s ninth full-length, which saw them push themselves to try new things. “You know Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie? It’s huge, right?” he begins, explaining over the phone. “When I started making this album, I had a theme, and it was Queen and musical, and Disney. It’s not only rock’n’roll. Rock’n’roll is a lifestyle for me, not hard music, but universal - that’s why this album is super different. I was just making music, not only rock music.” Not for the first time, Taka breaks away, hurriedly speaking to his manager in Japanese for clarification: “When he creates music, he wants it to feel positive.
Milk Teeth talk Slam Dunk and that much anticipated second album. p.12
He can make better music, and also the lyrics of the songs everything is positive.” After moving to the US four years ago, Taka made it his mission to become a positive force for Asian-Americans in particular, encouraging the sharing of cultures and promoting the benefits of a multicultural society. “It’s still harder to make a breakthrough in the United States for a Japanese person, and Asians,” he explains. “It’s hard because the United States is the United States, so we jump into a different culture, different country, different languages. We have to understand each other, and then after that shake hands,
Upset 5
Riot_ eye to eye, and talk about our countries and cultures.” “When I first toured in the United States, it was for Warped Tour in about 2014,” he continues. “When I go back to Japan, there are a lot of fans waiting for us, but in the United States, it’s almost nothing. It felt scary, but it was a really good experience for us. We’re still hungry, and we never give up. “If you’re going out to tour in the United States, it’s like thirtyone places; it’s going to be two months,” he adds. “In Japan, it’s not like that.” Part of the band’s new sonic expansion sees them team up with American singersongwriter Kiiara, who also featured on Linkin Park’s last album ‘One More Light’, for their track ‘In The Stars’. The pair got chatting after meeting at the late Chester Bennington’s tribute show in July 2017. “She was talking about Chester and how they collaborated, and then we were talking about what we have to do - keep going,” Taka explains. “We were talking about making music, and I asked, would you like to join us?” Kiiara isn’t their only Linkin Park connection - the band met Mike Shinoda in the studio while recording their last album, 2017’s ‘Ambitions’, which led to him having a hand in producing their new material. “I was introduced to Mike Shinoda and the other members. I said, I’m such a huge fan of Linkin Park, and I’m doing a
rock band in Japan. If you guys are coming to Japan, we should do a tour - in Japan, or the United States. He said, yeah, I’m working on that actually!’” The pair struck up a relationship, bonding over their mutual ancestry, with Mike being half-Japanese. “He was so kind and smart. He explained to me a lot of things, like what a rock band is. I was impressed by his thinking.” Taka spends a lot of time in the studio; both their previous effort, ’Ambitions’, and ‘Eye Of The Storm’, saw them produce two different versions of the record - one in Japanese, and one in English. “It’s so hard, all the time it was so fucking stressful!” he says with an exasperated laugh. “I have a Japanese label, and I have a label in the United States, so we have to do it. “I didn’t want to do that, making different albums. The ideas, production and music are the same just different lyrics. To me, the English version is better, but the Japanese label wants a Japanese version.” Despite picking up masses of fans wherever they go, Taka’s modest about the group’s achievements - he’s happy just to keep on exploring the world. “I’m still learning American and European cultures; I have to learn more. After that…” he as good as shrugs down the phone. Who knows where the music will take him. P One OK Rock’s
THE REGRETTES ARE SUPPORTING TWENTY ONE PILOTS ON THEIR UK TOUR The Regrettes are about to support Twenty One Pilots on tour. The massive run kicks off at the end of February, and includes three nights at London’s Wembley Arena - 7th, 8th and 9th March.
YUNGBLUD HAS ANNOUNCED A HUUUUGE HEADLINE TOUR Yungblud has confirmed a new tour, including a show at London’s Brixton Academy. Playing in support of his debut album, ‘21st Century Liability’, the new shows will kick off on 19th November.
album ‘Eye Of The Storm’ is out now.
FREE THROW HAVE UNVEILED THEIR THIRD ALBUM Free Throw have announced their third album, ‘What’s Past Is Prologue’. The LP will arrive on 29th March, preceded by new single ‘The Corner’s Dilemma’, which you can hear online now. 6 Upset 6 UPSETMAGAZINE.COM
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洀礀琀椀挀欀攀琀⸀挀漀⸀甀䬀 簀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀匀䠀䔀匀䰀䔀䔀倀匀⸀䌀伀䴀
Riot_
Everything you need to know about...
Mark Morton’s new album
‘Anesthetic’
Mark Morton, the prolific guitarist from Lamb of God spills the beans on his new album ‘Anesthetic’ (out 1st March), which features a huuuuge number of guests including Chester Bennington, Randy Blythe, Myles Kennedy and Jacoby Shaddix. 8 Upset
Petal hits the road this month. You can check her out in... FEBRUARY 19 Brighton, Hope & Ruin 20 London, The Islington 22 Bristol, Crofters 24 Birmingham, Hare & Hounds 25 Manchester, Gullivers 26 Leeds, Oporto 27 Glasgow, Hug & Pint KING GIZZARD ARE GOING TO PLAY LONDON’S ALLY PALLY King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard will play their biggest ever show at London’s Alexandra Palace on 5th October. They promise a new set, new songs and a new visual experience.
CHARLY BLISS ARE BACK WITH A NEW ALBUM Charly Bliss will release their new album ’Young Enough’ on 10th May. The band are in the UK this May too, for a tour that visits Manchester (9th), Leeds (10th), and London (13th).
GRANDSON HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW EP grandson’s new EP ‘a modern tragedy vol. 2’ is due on 22nd February via Fueled By Ramen. The five-tracker is billed as “a commentary on gun violence, on apathy and sensationalized media, on truth and martyrdom.” 9 UPSETMAGAZINE.COM
FIND OUT WHAT YOUR FAVE BANDS TAKE ON THE ROAD. THIS MONTH...
MARCH 01 Dublin, Whelans
PETAL
Pond’s Cold Cream. My face gets really, really dry on tour and when it gets dry, I literally can’t think about anything except the fact that my face is dry. Sometimes you feel really grimy on tour, and when I put this on my face it smells good, and it makes me think of home because my mom always had cold cream in the house.
Fanny Pack. I lose everything, and I lose things significantly less now that I bring a fanny pack on tour.
Cool Vintage Gig Outfits. I work at a vintage store, a lot of my friends run vintage shops, and it’s fun to collaborate with them to pick cool pieces to wear on tour. Changing out of my day clothes that I was driving the van around in and into my show clothes helps me to focus and makes me feel confident. Who needs showers!
Blank Notebook. I like to draw and journal and write when I’m on tour since personal space is limited. It’s nice to have a sort of tangible representation of space where I can do whatever I want. I have notebooks from all over the place that I like to collect. Upset 9
Riot_ Dillon Eastoe tackles Kevin Devine backstage at his recent London headliner to chat Devinyl splits, Bad Books, and new solo material...
“I
didn’t want to make a new record; I didn’t want to rush that or do it from a reactionary place. ‘I need to make a record because I’m going to go broke’ is not a good reason to make a record.”
Speaking backstage at a soldout show at Camden Assembly, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Kevin Devine is reflecting on a challenging eighteen months, both personally and professionally. Having announced a temporary hiatus from solo recordings in mid-2017, a planned world tour playing guitar for Brand New collapsed due to events outside of his control. “In my immediate world and life, your plans change dramatically and immediately, and then you’re trying to figure out how to react to that,” Kevin admits, “...on every level.” Having released nine solo albums and numerous collaborations, for maybe the first time in his career Kevin had nothing concrete ahead of him. With a family to provide for and a suddenly empty calendar, he quickly booked in some acoustic shows and got to work on the second series of his Devinyl Splits, a collection of 7” singles where another artist joins Kevin for a double A-side. The second series has so far taken in collaborations with The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, Petal, Worriers and Cavetown, with one instalment still to be announced. “I didn’t think that anybody was sitting out there being like, ‘He said he wasn’t gonna do anything!’” Kevin jokes, in regard to his extremely brief ‘hiatus’. “I’m a niche public figure, but it’s not as though the news cycle starts and stops based on what I do or don’t do. So it’s a fairly low impact situation.” Deciding not to head straight
to the studio, Kevin has the benefit of a wealth of material, which he delves into with consummate ease during a ninety minute set on a wet and windy January night. Armed with an acoustic guitar and greeted by a packed Assembly crowd, he meanders through a masterful set that draws from all his albums and includes a generous request section. There’s a warmth and humanity to Kevin’s songwriting that, even for those familiar with his music, can still punch you in the gut. Even where songs carry a political bent, the Brooklyn native manages to conjure human empathy rather than empty sloganeering. A fragile run through ‘Geißen’, a touching tribute to his late drummer Mike Skinner, is a highlight tonight. Touching in its honesty about the pair’s past debauchery it also drives home the acute hole his passing left in Kevin’s life. Sadly, processing grief is something he had to deal with once again, with a planned Devinyl Split with Frightened Rabbit put on hold after Scott Hutchison’s passing last year. “I never got a song from him, it didn’t get there,” Kevin admits. “We were in touch until three or four days before what happened. And I looked recently, and the last thing we talked about was he had to triple confirm with their label and get back to me. And I was pestering him; we were coming up against a deadline...” Although that collaboration didn’t ever come to fruition, Kevin did join up with Julien Baker, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, Craig Finn and The National’s Aaron Dessner for a charity tribute show in Scott’s memory late last year. “It was great, and it was sad, and it was also affirming in some ways,” Kevin remembers. “The crowd was wonderful at
that show. It was affirming to hear his music played by all these people, and to hear the audience- it was the most generous audience you’re ever going to play for, you know? Little mistakes here and there, everyone just wanted to be in the room for some cheesy-” Kevin stops and corrects himself. “You know it’s not cheesy; it’s someone’s life, they were in the room for something cathartic and healing.” Also on the horizon is the long-awaited Bad Books III, the next record by Kevin and members of Manchester Orchestra, which saw its last instalment in 2012. Recorded in five sessions across the past two years, Kevin is coy on the sound of the new songs. “I don’t wanna be cute; there’s a part of me that wants people to hear it first. It’s different; I know everyone says that. It sounds like Andy [Hull] and I wrote the songs, you’re not going to hear it and be like ‘What the fuck is this?’ But it’s a certain colour of what he and I do, which has not been a primary colour in Bad Books music.” While Bad Books is pretty much in the bag, a new Kevin Devine solo release is still quite far off in the horizon for the time being. “I essentially put out a record every two years, for ten years. That’s a lot, and [a break] might be good for me and everyone else too. You know, people can’t miss you if you’re there all the time can they?” Kevin remarks. “But also it’s nice to be somebody that’s thought of being consistent and present, and I don’t want to totally bail on that.” As a masterful show reaches its finale, you could hear a pin drop in the Assembly. The crowd in the palm of his hand, songs and side projects to spate, Kevin Devine is ready for whatever comes next. P
Upset 11
Festivals_ THE LATEST LINE-UP NEWS
MILK TEETH @ SLAM DUNK
“IF IT TAKES ANY LONGER I THINK I’M GONNA LOSE MY MIND!” Becky Blomfield and co. are among the latest acts confirmed for this year’s Slam Dunk - Milk Teeth are gearing up for an exciting year, she tells Jamie MacMillan.
Hey Becky, let’s talk Slam Dunk!
Yeah! We played there once, two years ago and it was super fun.
What makes it stand out as a festival for you?
I used to go all the time anyway, even before I was in a band - I used to go to the one that was Wolverhampton, and then became Birmingham. I feel like the line-up is always really strong, they get a good mixture of US and UK artists which I think is really cool. I think it’s exciting that a lot of bands that play, we might not necessarily get to see all the time as they only come over to play the festivals.
What was the best line-up that you saw there?
2017, when we played too. Turnover played, and we had been on tour with them that year, and it was like a big reunion. I watched Against Me! that year, it was amazing seeing them. Another time, it was the first time I’d ever seen Cancer Bats. I dragged my best friend along; I was like “I have to see them!” They played this teeny tiny stage indoors, and it was like me and ten other dudes, proper metal-heads, one of my favourite moments ever actually.
Slam Dunk 2019 line-up: All Time Low, Angels Du$t, Anti-Flag, Atreyu, Bad Religion, Bullet For My Valentine, Cancer Bats, Employed To Serve, Gallows, Glassjaw, Hellogoodbye, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, Knocked Loose, Lagwagon, Less Than Jake, Lights, Mad Caddies, Microwave, Millencolin, Milk Teeth, New Found Glory, NOFX, Our Hollow Our Home, Pagan, Plain White T’s, Real Friends, Saves The Day, Seaway, Silverstein, Simple Plan, Story Of The Year, The Bombpops, The Bronx, The Get Up Kids, The Interrupters, The Menzingers, The Word Alive, Tigers Jaw, Tiny Moving Parts, Touche Amore, Trophy Eyes, Turnstile, Wage War, Wallflower, Waterparks, WSTR
Seeing them in a tiny room is wild!
Yeah, I saw them last year in London too, they’re awesome.
What about this year? Anyone you’re excited to see?
Yeah, I’m excited to see the Mad Caddies because I feel like everyone my age went through a teenage Mad Caddies period. I’ve never seen Trophy Eyes before; I’m interested in seeing them live after listening to them.
Will you be hanging around to watch the whole thing?
Oh yeah, I fucking hope so. I’ll be there with cider in hand, running around and exploring. It’s the dream world, having the luxury to play and also go watch bands.
Enough about the other bands,
let’s talk about Milk Teeth. You described last year as negative for a variety of reasons, but with the ‘Stain’ release, the Enter Shikari tour and now these announcements, how are you feeling?
I am very, very excited to see what the year brings. I have a lot I’m working on behind the scenes. I’ve quit my job, I’m just immersing myself completely into writing the next record for now. So I don’t have much money, but I’m in music full-time which is nice. I can’t wait for people to hear it [the new music], because it’s like a collection of stuff I’ve been working on for the last year or two, and obviously a lot of stuff did happen last year that gives me more to write about.
Will we get to see the record this year?
Yeah, definitely. If it takes any longer, I think I’m gonna lose my mind!
I guess now you have to wait for Em because of Nervus’ tour?
Yeah, that’s the only thing. We’re juggling dates all the time, it’s kind of exciting, and we both play 2000trees this year so she’s gonna be playing double sets. She’s equally committed to both bands, and they’re both completely different so it’s exciting for her to throw herself into one thing and then come to us and do something different.
Is she well organised? Or do Upset 13
Festivals_ you have to remind her which band she’s playing?
It’s really smooth. She’s exciting to write with, she helps me with all the crazy, tangled mess of intricacy that are my ideas. It’s refreshing to have somebody that you can give music to, all stripped back, and both her and Oli are able to make some magic.
Is ‘Stain’ a good example of what’s to come?
People are going to be surprised, it’s going to be different to the EPs. I wrote them at 24, I turn 28 next month - obviously I’ve grown up and seen different things. I love them and I’m proud of them, but they didn’t come out necessarily the way I would want to. Hopefully, it’s not so much of a change that people won’t be on board. It’s an exciting time.
The reaction to ‘Stain’ must validate your ideas though?
It went down a lot better than I thought it would. It’s slightly heavier, darker, not the happiest of songs.
Does it feel like a whole new band?
43 MORE BANDS HAVE JOINED THE BILL FOR DOWNLOAD 2019 Loads more bands have been announced for Download 2019. The new names include Fever 333, Enter Shikari, Black Peaks, Conjurer, Trash Boat, Halestorm, and Beartooth. The three-day festival takes place from 14th16th June 2019 at Donington Park, Leicestershire.
BRUTUS, CAN’T SWIM, PAGAN, PETROL GIRLS AND MORE ARE PLAYING THIS YEAR’S THE GREAT ESCAPE With more than 100 acts joining the bill, there’s also room for Bitch Falcon, Viagra Boys, Horror My Friend and Haggard Cat. If that wasn’t enough, Upset will be returning to the seaside again with our own showcase stage. More on that ‘soon’.
TRUCK FESTIVAL HAS ANNOUNCED THE FIRST BANDS FOR 2019’S FESTIVAL. The names include this year’s headliners, Wolf Alice, Foals and Two Door Cinema Club, as well as Slaves, You Me At Six, IDLES, Kate Nash, Shame, The Futureheads, Sea Girls, Ten Tonnes, Fontaines D.C., Spector, Sports Team, Milk Teeth, Puppy and more. Truck will take place from 25th-28th July.
ANOTHER BATCH OF NEW NAMES HAVE BEEN REVEALED FOR THIS SUMMER’S READING & LEEDS FESTIVAL A Day To Remember, Against The Current, CHVRCHES, Enter Shikari, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Maine, nothing, nowhere, Royal Blood, The Story So Far, Twin Atlantic and You Me At Six have all joined the bill for this year’s Bank Holiday blow out.
FRANK TURNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED AS THURSDAY NIGHT’S MAIN STAGE HEADLINER FOR 2000TREES Also new to the bill, are Möngöl Hörde, Skinny Lister, WSTR, LIFE, Petrol Girls, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion, Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun, Crazy Arm, Sean McGowan, Oxygen Thief, Johnny Lloyd, Brand New Friend, Deux Furieuses and Grace Petrie.
MORE BANDS HAVE JOINED BRING ME THE HORIZON’S ALL POINTS EAST SHOW A new batch of bands have been added to the line-up for Bring Me The Horizon’s day at this year’s All Points East festival. Architects, While She Sleeps, Employed To Serve and Alice Glass will all play the event, curated by the Sheffield band, on 31st May.
It does, yeah. Even little things like how we look after each other. Em’s really taken care of me and Oli after a hard time. It’s great having someone who gives a shit about you.
Where else can we see you play this summer?
We are touring with PUP in April which is gonna be awesome. We are playing Mad Cool, and 2000trees too. P
Slam Dunk takes place from 25th-26th May. 14 14 UPSETMAGAZINE.COM Upset
BRUTUS NEW ALBUM ‘NEST ’ COMING MARCH 29TH
TOURING ACROSS UK & EUROPE IN APRIL / MAY INCLUDING:
04.05
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BRISTOL
05.05
HYDE PARK BOOK CLUB
LEEDS
06.05
BROADCAST
GLASGOW
08.05
BOSTON MUSIC ROOMS
LONDON
09.05
THE GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL BRIGHTON
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L ATE ST RE LE ASE S FROM HASSLE RECORDS HASSLE RECORDS .COM
PRESS CLUB DEBUT ALBUM ‘LATE TEENS ’ OUT NOW
TOURING ACROSS UK & EUROPE IN APRIL / MAY INCLUDING: 17.04
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BRISTOL
18.04
THINK TANK?
NEWCASTLE
19.04
SNEAKY PETE’S
EDINBURGH
20.04
MANCHESTER PUNK FESTIVAL
02.05
THE ISLINGTON
LONDON
03.05
THE DARK HORSE
BIRMINGHAM
04.05
LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY FESTIVAL
05.05
STAG & DAGGER FESTIVAL
GLASGOW
08.05
CLWB IFOR BACH
CARDIFF
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THE BEST NEW BANDS. THE HOTTEST NEW MUSIC.
WANT A NEW BAND CRUSH? CHECK OUT THIS LOT! >>>
FONTAINES D.C. London’s Fontaines D.C. are FFO Slaves, IDLES and Shame. Watch out for debut album ‘Dogrel’ from 12th April. They’re also touring in November.
WICCA PHASE SPRINGS ETERNAL SO HOT RIGHT NOW
Scranton, PA singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Adam McIlwee has just dropped his Run For Cover Records debut, ‘Suffer On’. Words: Steven Loftin 16 Upset
HORROR MY FRIEND Aussies Horror My Friend nod to fuzzy 90s pioneers Sonic Youth, and they’re coming over to the UK to show off their lo-fi tunes this spring.
S
ince leaving indie-rock upstarts Tigers Jaw back in 2013, Adam Mcilwee has spent most of his time on the internet. From trawling Tumblr for hours, to meticulously formatting tweets; its central purpose focused on developing a musical project - Wicca Phase Springs Eternal.
Emotionally charged and raw, as he found this project coming to life, he also saw something else being born - a movement. Alongside fellow like-minded creatives Cold Heart and Horsehead, he co-founded gothboiclique. Steadily growing in size - even counting Lil Peep amongst its ranks at one point - it’s now a collective of artists who draw from similar emotional angles, and find their roots deep in rap, trap, electronic, emo, alternative and anything else they fancy. Taking Wicca Phase to the next level, Adam’s previous releases, predominantly mixtapes, are what he considers “just collections of songs”, making ‘Suffer On’ is his first fully-fledged album. After signing to Run For Cover Records, the record and, his future, is all in the balance. “When I see Horsehead and Cold Heart releasing really good albums, and Døves doesn’t [even] have that many songs that are released, but his songwriting is so good! And I’m like, I have to do that… I’ve written songs that are better than those.” He pauses, chuckling. Adam’s competitive
nature is a catalyst for creativity. “That’s what’s in my mind. The bar has been set, and now I want to raise it a little bit more. It’s a healthy competition - I want to record music that I think is at their level, and I also want to record music that my friends or my peers will aspire to make… I’ve always felt like that. When I started writing songs, I just wanted to write songs that were better than my friends… not out of jealousy, or anything like that, although I do get jealous when my friends write really good songs, so there’s that element of it. It’s not as negative as it might sound!” As for why Adam and co’s new strain of musical influence has taken off to such great levels? He pauses. “I think there’s a cool factor to having rap beats. That element of it can appeal to people who aren’t necessarily into underground music. The guitar aspect of it is like an emo-worship thing that some people think is cool. I don’t think it’s that cool, [but] that’s pretty trendy now.” In reality, it’s the emotional aspect of the genre that’s genuinely the anchor point for this moment. The Soundcloud artists are all rooting around the same idea - of being true to the life you’re living, even if it’s a swirling darkness most would swiftly avert. The roots for ‘Suffer Now’ came at a time in his life when things were full on, to say the least; the title itself should give some indication as to Adam’s headspace through the
HOT MILK Manchester’s newest Emo power-pop band, Hot Milk have just finished touring with You Me At Six. Check out debut single ‘Awful Ever After’.
“THE BAR HAS BEEN SET, AND NOW I WANT TO RAISE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE” creation. “I was stressed out all the time when I started writing the album. I’d left my job to pursue music full time which turned up the stress to eleven in my day to day life, being like, ‘shit, this has to work!’” With an air of relief, he confesses. “There was [also] some personal stuff at home with different relationships that seemed to be at their worst when I was writing this album.” Does he feel that belonging to a world that’s renowned for creeping amongst the realism and darkness of life? “When you’re doing that every day for hours on end, I think that darkness and that negative emotional theme gets turned up, it gets magnified,” he pauses, before ending: “In this case, it worked. That’s how I’ve always written songs.” It’s this resounding openness to himself and his followers that sets Adam, and Wicca, above the rest. There may be a constant revolving carousel of quick-thinking hopefuls who’ve purchased some beats and a microphone, but to delve deep into the ‘emo’ of life, well, no one does it quite like Wicca Phase. P
Wicca Phase Springs Eternal’s new album ‘Suffer On’ is out now.
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INDOOR PETS I HYPE! HYPE! HYPE!
With a debut album finally about to arrive, Indoor Pets’ time is now. Words: Jasleen Dhindsa
ndoor Pets are in full force in the lead up to the release of their long-timecoming debut record, and frontman Jamie Glass has just got back from the filming of their latest music video.
“We’re re-releasing ‘Pro Procrastinator’,” he explains. “We’re shooting a new video; it’s wild.” Featuring a procrastinating dinosaur, it’s a tad less creepy than the Frankenstein-like monsters CGI’d into their previous music video ‘Being Strange’, he says. “’Being Strange’ was very creepy, but we didn’t get involved in the creepiness until right at the end where we saw it all come together, I was being carried around by people in green suits... which I guess is kind of creepy. Whereas this
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one, we’re very much in the thick of it.” Being in the thick of it is something Indoor Pets are very much used to. From a very public name change to a dropped album deal, this is a band who have been through a lot. Thankfully, Indoor Pets are working through all the trials and tribulations of being an indie band in the 21st Century in their favour, and it even inspired the title for their debut album. “’Be Content’ [as in the synonym for satisfied] was a theme through [the record], but we also like the idea that you can interpret it as ‘Be Content’ [as in substance]. It depends on where your mind is.” Indoor Pets’ debut mixes
the exciting and refreshing new with much loved older material, a decision that the band has stuck with for quite a while. “We had songs that we wanted to be on the album since we wrote them, and we tried hard to keep those. Every song that we questioned we knew instinctively that it shouldn’t, if it’s a no brainer then let’s write a new song.” Their debut record has been in the making for several years. “We got to a situation where we were virtually signing a record deal with a label. It was good, and we were very excited, and it was basically going to guarantee us a nice solid few years with a major label. It fell through last minute; the plug was pulled and left us in limbo. It happened to us twice with
the same label. It’s as if we enjoyed punishment,” Jamie says. After signing to Wichita, the band decided to scrap their then two-year-old album. “It’s like having an extra band member,” Jamie says of having Wichita on board. “Not in a controlling way; they’re so supportive, and they want to come along to every show because they love us. ‘Be Content’ is a record that solidifies so well what Indoor Pets have crafted over the past five years. What glues all tracks together is Jamie’s signature satirical twang; whether it’s an upbeat fuzzy pop number or an emotional melodic banger, you’re always going to hear a tongue-in-cheek quip about modern day life or personal insecurities. “It’s tricky to pinpoint where it’s come from,” Jamie says about his lyrical style. “I find it very hard to be happy, and I find it hard to be actively sad [because] I feel like I’m trying to get attention. So I’m somewhere in the middle,
“WE STILL FEEL LIKE THE SAME PEOPLE WE DID THREE YEARS AGO, WE FEEL LIKE PHONIES AT THE PARTY” I’m passively sad, and I’m passively happy. “I used to read a lot of the teenage icons like JD Salinger, and Charles Bukowski books where it’s very much woe is me, everyone’s shit and I’m so much smarter than everyone else, and no one else can see it. That’s where my head has been since I was fifteen, and I just can’t shake it - I’m perpetually moaning and walking around wet.” It’s not as if Indoor Pets have just been waiting around for the release of their debut. They’ve established themselves as favourites in the UK indie scene, having toured Europe and played massive festivals like Reading & Leeds. “We still feel like the same
people we did three years ago, we feel like phonies at the party. We love making music and being around people who make the same type of music, but we’re nowhere near as cool as all of these people, and they’re so much smarter and more handsome and pretty. “We’re just sitting in the corner, like how did we get invited to this party?” he says with genuine disbelief at what his band have achieved. With such a huge achievement in ‘Be Content’, it’s hard to see how they could top it in 2019. “We’re going to America, we’ve got our first album out. We’ve got loads of stuff to show people about the world that we’ve made, our virtual world. We’re headlining Scala which is insane, a thousand people. I don’t know a thousand people! I feel like this is the year where I get to quit my day job, which is the dream.” It’s safe to say that’s a dream which could easily become a reality. P Indoor Pets’ album
‘Be Content’ is out 8th March.
Upset 19
YOURS TRULY INCOMING!
F
Vocalist Mikaila Delgado introduces her band, Yours Truly.
ollowing a buzzy support tour with The Faim, Sydney bunch Yours Truly have signed to UNFD Records for a new EP that channels the optimistic, posi-vibes of their Aussie pals Tonight Alive via relatable songs about personal trauma and disillusionment. Did you grow up making music, or is it a new thing for you?
Each of us had been playing in different bands or studying music growing up, so it was definitely something we knew we wanted to do from a young age.
Where did you guys meet?
We met over Facebook and mutual friends - the world is so small on the internet.
Touring with The Faim sounds fun, was it good?
The tour with The Faim was SO. MUCH. FUN. Not only are they an amazing band to watch but they are some of the loveliest guys we’ve ever had to privilege of touring with.
Any behind-the-scenes gossip?
“THE TOUR WITH THE FAIM WAS SO MUCH FUN”
Your new EP ‘Afterglow’ is great, how did you put it together?
empower myself through my lyrics, and I’d love for the people listening to feel the same way.
We took end-of-tour photos and edited [guitarist] Lachie’s face in one to look really strange. We sent it to everyone in the same folder as the normal photos to see if anyone would notice, haha!
We spent a good few weeks in the studio with Stevie Knight at Electric Sun Studios. It was super fun to put together, at times songs went through changes, and everyone put their ideas together. I’m really proud of how it turned out.
What do you most enjoy writing songs about? Is it important to you they have a positive message? While writing ‘Afterglow’, the guys and I felt like we had so much to say about the things we had learnt in these past few years. I enjoy writing about my life experiences. I find that through writing I become way more positive about things and
Have you thought much about your debut album yet? We have started on our debut album; it’s such a huge thing to release your first album, so we’re making sure we go into it with a positive frame of mind. I’m excited to see what we come up with as ‘Afterglow’ has been such a huge step up for us.
What’s next for you lot? ‘Afterglow’ is released in April, so we’re getting ready for that. We’re hoping to be doing some cool things for it before heading over to the UK. P
Yours Truly’s EP ‘Afterglow’ is out on 12th April.
G E T E V E RY I S S U E D E L I V E R E D D I R E CT TO YO U R D O O R WO R L DW I D E
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Frank Carter has been through a lot, but as he returns with his Rattlesnakes for a new single ‘Crowbar’, and the promise of album ‘End of Suffering’ to follow, he’s more than up for the fight. Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.
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F
rank Carter and the Rattlesnakes are a band of big change. At the start of 2015, they simply didn’t exist; by the end of 2017, they’d sold out Brixton Academy - but they were far from settled.
2018 saw their Summer Of Snakes take things even further, sharing stadiums with Foo Fighters, stages with Prophets of Rage and generally causing a big ol’ ruckus wherever they went. It was all a warm-up for what comes next. From Glastonbury to Download, their carnival of chaos has turned heads and won hearts while their fuselighting anthems of trust, lust and honesty have taken hold. The Rattlesnakes have grown from a band you need to see live, to the sort of band people live by. Their debut album ‘Blossom’ came out swinging, determined to prove that Frank still had the fight, energy and hunger to carry a band while ‘Modern Ruin’ shimmered with the belief that The Rattlesnakes were so much more than another hardcore band. There was plenty of prove. “We were trying to show that we were a viable option. It’s tough because it’s rare to get a chance in the music industry, and I’ve had three,” offers Frank, nodding to his past in Gallows and Pure Love. “It gets harder, it doesn’t get easier. People want mystery and the minute they think they’ve worked you out they get bored, unless you’ve got great songs. “When I was younger, the idea was that if our live performance was better than anyone else, then we would stand the test of time. There is a truth to that but really, what do you want to be remembered for; being crazy live or writing songs that make a difference?” Frank asks. The answer can be found in every moment of third album ‘The End Of Suffering’.
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T
he Rattlesnakes have never really had a breakout moment. There’s not a song, not a live show, that’s changed their trajectory. Far from a fairytale, they’ve pulled themselves up and built the community that surrounds them gig by gig. Every person matters.
“They care because we care. Your fans can see when you’re giving everything to something. They see that we’re not trying to rip anyone off. We certainly don’t feel like it’s owed to us. There’s no entitlement to our band, no sense of privilege; we just work fucking hard for this.” After a relentless few years where the band didn’t stop or come up for air, they disappeared for four months: no live shows, no new music. Their return bundled all the excitement of the past few years together and focused it. “Our fan base feels very awake for the first time,” starts a beaming Frank. “They’ve always been supportive, but I’ve never seen this sort of engagement before; they’re talking to me every day, and
that’s a really nice thing. “I feel like we’re really giving people power at a time where they feel quite helpless.” What started as a solo project has turned into something a lot more collaborative over the past few years. Frank and co-songwriter Dean Richardson are now partners in crime, best friends and lifelines. “We’re coming into the spring of our relationship, we’ve made it through the winter, and now everything is, no pun intended, starting to blossom,” starts Frank. “We’ve definitely done the list of all the things that you shouldn’t do though. Let’s move in together, let’s get a studio together, let’s get a flat right next to it.” “It’s like we’re trying to test it. What else can we do to put even more pressure on?” adds Dean. “We have no problem challenging each other on really difficult things,” continues Frank. If you don’t have someone like that in your life, you can relive a lot of your bad behaviour, and that trickles out in songwriting as well.”
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There were moments when Dean had to ask Frank if he was ok. “There was a defeat in me for a long time. I’d given up on a lot of things, but the one thing I’d given up on the most was hating myself. I’d just accepted it. I’d stopped fighting. The past few years have been a transition, and the album is about that transition. It’s about that journey that you have from the dark place into, hopefully, the light. “It is fucking painful, and it’s really savage, and at times it feels like it’s never going to end,
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but it does. It will get better. Ultimately, it’s a redemption album. It’s about how, at your very worst, you wanna give up but you really fucking shouldn’t because life is a wonderful thing, innit?”
F
rank Carter has an opendoor policy with this band; the music is for whoever wants it, and it’s always offered something. Despite the much bigger audience, ‘End Of Suffering’ doesn’t shy away from that connection. Instead, it’s emboldened it. “I used to write deep in
the labyrinth of metaphor,” says Frank. “I wanted to find interesting ways to say what I was trying to say, but this time around, I just fucking said it. ‘Hey, guess what? You can do this, and you won’t die’. This is the most honest look I’ve ever taken at myself.” It’s why the record sounds the way it does. “We tried to be restrained at times,” offers Dean. “We talked a lot about giving space to what we were saying. Our instinct is to try and deliver everything at full, but often you won’t hear it as well. If you just pull it back
There is no way to sugar coat that. It’s still about war; it’s just a lot more personal.” Owning up to your mistakes is tough. Putting them across an album for all to see, that’s something else entirely. “Hopefully, people can see the transition of it. I’m in quite a good Album title ‘End Of place now, and Suffering’ comes from the Buddhist there were times translation for where I didn’t enlightenment. think that’d ever “I love that you can take be possible.” the word enlightenment, The most which is all about hopeless moment achieving the highest on ‘End of state of consciousness Suffering’ is ‘Angel and rephrase it with Wings’. If the these hard, savage sounding words. This record is a journey, album wouldn’t be the that song is the same if we just called start. it ‘Enlightenment’. It’s “That was the the end of suffering, lowest point for but ultimately it’s a sure,” starts Frank, beautiful thing. It’s before wrestling a really nice way of with himself about saying things can get how to explain better.” Rather than focusing it and how much on that destination, he wants to give the band felt it away. “I was in a was important to bad place, and I “acknowledge the was struggling battle and the journey.” with coming to “’Blossom’ was just terms with who I about sadness and was. I kept making not knowing what to the same mistake, do with it. ‘Modern Ruin’ was about which was quite a ruin, destruction serious chemical and nihilism. ‘End Of dependency that Suffering’ is about crept up on me out a little bit, there’s hope, it really is. It’s of nowhere. I’ve about knowing nothing more space for never taken drugs is forever and that everything. You can really in my life.” things don’t have to hear what Frank’s But after an stay bad. It’s also about actually saying, on-tour ear injury the immense amount of and it’s not a sonic energy that sometimes kept causing him onslaught.” is needed to change to experience The other day those bad situations,” vertigo, Frank someone spoke to promises Frank. started worrying Frank about their about his love of previous upcoming flight to Australia. songs ‘Thunder’ and ‘Paradise’, “I was panicked about the and how he questions war in pressure of a long haul flight. society. They wanted to know I was terrified that I’d have a if there are themes like that on serious bout of vertigo on the this new album. plane where I couldn’t escape, “No,” came the answer. “It’s so I was given prescription about the war against myself. meds, and then the rest is
“I FEEL LIKE WE’RE REALLY GIVING PEOPLE POWER AT A TIME WHERE THEY FEEL QUITE HELPLESS” history basically. “I wouldn’t take them all the time, but I would take them the way that you’re not supposed to. That combined with severe self-loathing, severe self-hatred and severe self-doubt was just a fucking perfect storm. Luckily, like with all storms, it passed. I got fucking wet and struck by lightning a few times, but I didn’t drown, which is good.”
T
he Rattlesnakes know better places don’t always come easy. You have to fight, work and struggle for them. It’s why they’re determined to encourage their audience to be better. Despite the evergrowing size, the band never feel out of control.
“There’s no pressure, just excitement now,” says Frank. “You hope your band gets bigger, you hope your audience grows, but we’ve only ever been able to do that through being honest with ourselves, who we are and what we want to write about. “We kept doing that, and now more people are coming, and they’re paying attention. There’s more responsibility, but it’s not something we’ve ever been scared of. That’s what we’re best at. Give us people, and we will be fucking
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“A REVOLUTION STARTS WITH A BIG FUCKING CHANGE” clear with them about how we think it’s best to live our lives, which is open and honest while questioning the bad parts of yourself and trying to change them.” The Rattlesnakes are for anyone, but they’ve really connected with a young, male audience, putting focus on Frank’s openness about mental health, self-acceptance and selfexploration. “It’s scary to think they don’t
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have a lot of other artists that are talking about it,” begins Dean, before Frank explains: “I’m excited and proud that I have the opportunity to do that for people. I hope more young male artists spend more time focusing on themselves, questioning their actions and their behaviours and I hope we continue to give space to female artists to talk about the same situations as well. “Bell Hooks wrote an
amazing book, The Will To Change: Men, Masculinity and Love. I would suggest everyone reads it, but ultimately she’s saying that there’s this idea that men are helpless and can’t be helped, but really we are all needed, we are all important, and what men need is a lot of help. We need more help than we admit. “For me, what I’m sharing online now is a lot more considered. I’ve said it before onstage, that there’s a lot of strength in vulnerability, but maybe I wasn’t acting upon that until now. Now I’m actively trying to change the energy I put out into the world and show people you can be strong, and it can mean different things. “A lot of times men are measured by their threat level. I really want to change that. Being a strong alpha male who can hunt and hurt is glamourised and celebrated, but it’s 2019. I want us to be measured on the good we can do in the world.” The Rattlesnakes have made it a point in their shows to promote a safe and respectful environment, too. “What I want more than anything is for people to come to our shows and feel like family,” says Frank. “I want people to be among the crowd and know that everyone there is with them. It doesn’t matter how you look, what you wear, what music you listen to, what your sexual preference is. Your race, your religion, your age; it doesn’t fucking matter. You’re here because you like our band, and we love you. We just want you to enjoy these songs. We want these songs to make a difference to your life so you can go and be better humans. Ultimately a revolution starts with a big fucking change, and that’s what we’re trying to do.” P Frank Carter and the
Rattlesnakes’ album ‘End of Suffering’ is out 3rd May.
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WHILE SHE SLEEPS
After the runaway success of ‘You Are We’, While She Sleeps are back with a record that sees them pushing the boundaries of metal. Words: Jamie MacMillan.
I
t would have been easy, understandable even, for While She Sleeps to try and repeat the same trick again. The story of ‘You Are We’, their crowd-funded third record, and reaching the UK top ten in April 2017 has passed into history as a true underdog tale - triumph over adversity, celebrations being snatched from the jaws of despair.
In the media whirlwind, the Sheffield band became something of a household name even outside the metalcore world, a feel-good online buzz surrounding them in a comfort blanket of support and goodwill. Hardly the moment then that you would expect them to dust off their old Daft Punk records and delve into a bit 90s trance, easily two of the least predictable influences you could imagine going into ‘SO WHAT?’, the impressive follow-up to its all-conquering predecessor. But with this band, it’s always a case of WHY NOT? As the band prepare for their highly anticipated Beijing gig, guitarist Mat Welsh reflects on a crazy few years. “It’s manic. But we learnt from the last album that it just stays manic, and you’ve just got to accept it.” These latest shows in China are laying the groundwork for a huge 2019, with shows at London’s Roundhouse coming in March as well as a prime slot at 2000trees. They also form the world’s first glimpse of the ‘SO WHAT?’ era, a
bold release that challenges and swerves any preconceived ideas from the wider world. “Towards the end of the ‘You Are We’ cycle, we were just so stoked to carry on and do more, get back in the studio. We were on such a high, we were like ‘Fuck it, let’s keep the train running’,” explains Mat. “We felt good, we wanted to write, and we felt creative.” Returning to the studio in February, the quintet continued with their tradition of keeping things loose and concept-free. “It’s just ‘do what you want’. We are confident that we don’t have to write inside a little box to please the metal world,” is how Mat describes it. “It’s always about finding something that makes you feel cool at the time, whether it’s a riff or a vocal, if we all feel it then that’s the seal of approval. It’s about how you want people to feel on their first listen.” As with all great music, a contradiction lies at the heart of the bands’ immediate, yet multilayered, sound. “We’re not an ‘oh, you have to listen to it a hundred times to get it band’,” is how Mat sees it, yet equally, “I do think we are a three-listen band, minimum. It takes that much to hear all the stuff we’ve put into it.” Amongst all the bonecrunching riffs and beats of thunder, one surprising element emerges from the riot: those
helmeted Parisians, which at times sounds a bit Tron-ish. “Yes! That’s mint that you heard that! I’d probably call it a vibe rather than a style, but that’s something we really had as an influence. We were listening to loads of Daft Punk, that and trance music where it’s just a beat and a hook, and it gets inside your head. It’s always childhood tunes that are embedded in your brain.” At times, it’s almost subliminal, yet once heard it brings a futuristic edge to some classic big guitar sounds. “The album’s full of them as we find it difficult to say it’s done because we enjoy making it. If we didn’t tell everyone we’re doing it and announce the date we’d probably still be sat in the studio.” ‘BACK OF MY MIND’ is another leap, complete with a rap from SHVPES frontman Griffin Dickinson that came together in startling speed. Less than 24 hours before recording, Sheffield’s poet laureate Otis Mensah was due to deliver a piece, yet came to the band admitting that he couldn’t give it the necessary energy required. Turning to their good friend Griff, they asked him to “fucking drop what you’re doing right now, write something and record it. All in twelve hours.” Calling back to their mutual love of drum and bass and the Bomfunk MC’s (we told you there were unlikely influences), Mat and Griff bounced phonetics backwards and forwards over WhatsApp until ready for the studio. “I’ve never worked with someone who’s just grabbed something and fucking run with it like that, such a pleasure to work with.” It’s yet more evidence of a band who shrug off adversity like it’s nothing more than a nagging fly. Next single ‘THE GUILTY PARTY’ on the other hand, is
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“WE DON’T HAVE TO WRITE INSIDE A LITTLE BOX TO PLEASE THE METAL WORLD” a thrilling, quadruple-layered beast of a track that skips up and down the gears like a speeding car that is barely in control. So victorious is it, and much of ‘SO WHAT?’, that it’s only within the album’s lyrics that you sense a band angry and raging in despair at the world, something Mat attributes to an overall feeling of exhaustion as the albumtour cycle continued. There is no doubt that the whole recording process left the band drained, as he admits that it gives them a mental beating due to the tortuous and forensic nature of their style. But when lead single ‘ANTI-SOCIAL’ growls “Sick of the hand we’ve been dealt, sick of the drugs that they tell me to take”, or ‘I’VE SEEN IT ALL’ rails “We’re so self-destructive, we’re never gonna wake up”, it seems that themes of ennui and frustration resound through much of ‘SO WHAT?’, a feeling that ‘INSPIRE’ describes as “the symptoms of a careless empire.” “Sometimes we have a guilty pleasure in just wanting to turn it all off, that translates into how we feel about the wider world a little bit,” ponders Mat. “I’m super positive about the idea of change, but sometimes the tasks that it requires to try and fix things are like mountains, it’s overwhelming.” As well as wider human issues, something a little closer to home has also begun to affect the band. “We’ve all just basically hit thirty! It’s a slight midlife crisis,” he laughs. “It’s like we’ve blinked sometimes, and we’re like ‘holy shit!’ Ten
years passed so quickly, and I have no idea where it’s gone.” Ten years ago, While She Sleeps were just a few years in with the debut album some distance ahead on the horizon. Now, with headliner status at this year’s 2000trees alongside You Me At Six and Every Time I Die, they are very much an established force - even if the band have to remember it sometimes. “One night we were going to go on stage, and we were joking around, but we had to remember that the crowd didn’t know we were shitting it! They don’t know that we’re all like ‘ooh, can I still do this?’” It’s moments of stark honesty like this that sets the group apart from much of the bravado that resides in their genre, a reflection of the internal drive to fight, explore and overcome anything thrown their way, traits that defined them so well in the ‘You Are We’ cycle. “It’s all given us a nice little bit of confidence to say that this is a career that can be sustainable now if we’re clever about it, and if we don’t fucking piss it all up the wall.” The road from Scunthorpe to Kun Ming is not a well-trodden one, but the fact that the Yorkshire band filled a venue in Western China, a part of the world where the Western social media channels are outlawed, is a striking one. “How the fuck did they know us? How can we be here? There were so many more people there than were at our first show in Scunthorpe, for us to be that far away from home and for it to be normal… well, that’s crazy.” Still triumphing against all the odds, still surprising even themselves at times, the underdogs are now thoroughly on top. P While She Sleeps’
album ‘SO WHAT?’ is out 1st March.
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NOW
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“I
am still so proud of the old records, but this feels like a different band,” considers Woahnow’s Tim Rowing-Parker.
Having all moved to Bristol, and with a new record in hand, 2019 finds noisy power-poppers Woahnows refocused and reenergised. Words: Rob Mair.
Just one listen to the fun, upbeat ‘Young and Cool’ will confirm the assertion. Marrying Woahnows’ trademark off-kilter indie with some of the most glorious power-pop you can imagine, it’s a softer, more polished album than its predecessor, ‘Understanding and Everything Else’. It’s also bright, confident and energetic – and well worth the three-and-ahalf year wait. Rewind to 2015, and the then broadly West Country based band (Tim was in Plymouth, drummer Adam Wherly was in Bristol and bassist Phil Randall residing in Cheltenham) were somewhat ubiquitous, playing relentlessly off the back of ‘Understanding…’. For the last two years or so, however, they’ve been much quieter, hitting the road in 2018 for a handful of shows but otherwise keeping a low profile. “I guess we have been laying low for a while,” laughs Tim. “We love doing the band, but it was a case of growing older as people. We wanted to be happy in our lives as well, so our priorities changed. “It’s hard enough to function as a band, so to be happy people is a good first step. Also, you recognise that the band needs to be fun. As soon as you do too much, it becomes less fun, and when it feels less fun, it’s kinda pointless.” Part of this move to improved happiness and wellbeing came from the relocation to Bristol. It’s hard for Tim to extrapolate whether it was move driven by personal or band reasons, but it’s clear that one feeds into the
other in a symbiotic relationship. It’s also clear that the results of the move show on ‘Young and Cool’, an album that does away with the lyrical obliqueness of previous efforts to make this a bold and self-assured return. Sure, it’s a record with some serious messages, ruminating on ideas of identity, but it is also eager for listeners to enjoy the experience of a fun and inclusive record. It’s a fine line, but one which Tim and co. have walked perfectly. While much of the content on ‘Understanding and Everything Else’ focused on issues of queer identity and heteronormative culture, it was hidden by wordplay and vagueness.‘Young and Cool’ reflects Tim’s newfound confidence, containing songs that have heart and soul to match the clever riffs and chops. “It was written a long time ago when I was working a lot of it out and allowing myself to be comfortable within myself,” says Tim of their previous effort. “It was at a point where I was unsure of myself and scared of the whole thing, so the theme is masked. “With this record, I was quite comfy with that element of myself, and taking the time out allowed me to work that all out. It’s not just about that; it’s about everything really.” That said, the album’s strongest moments come when Woahnows cast their caustic eyes over the heteronormative culture that continues to thrive in punk rock music. Songs like ‘No One Else’ – and in particular the droll and prescient lyrics “All the boys in the band are just boring me now / All singing that shit you don’t understand / ‘Awww c’mon yeah, let’s change the world’ / Just as soon as we’re done hitting on girls”, allow Woahnows the opportunity to be themselves while also hinting at the hard
Upset 35
lessons they’ve learned to get to this place. Unsurprisingly, it’s also one of Tim’s favourite lyrics on the album. “That whole song; you’re listening to people in this maledominated place being like ‘we’re right on, we’re punk’, then looking at the way they behave and thinking, ‘what the fuck is that all about?’,” he laughs. “When I was younger, I would hold back from being myself, but now I realise I’m fortunate to be in a position where the work I do, and the people I surround myself with, and my family, are supportive of me being who I am. It’s all of these things – like being able to wear make-up at shows if I want to; I feel like I have the support to be myself.” In turn, this means there is more visibility for people who identify as queer, and Tim hopes that such a decision will give other people the courage to be themselves. “It’s a positive for other people to see that I’m visible,” says Tim. It has taken Woahnows a while to arrive at this point, and when we talk about learning the hard way, they are a group that
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“WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I WOULD HOLD BACK FROM BEING MYSELF” has had it tougher than most. From starting out and finding themselves on a steady stream of “bloke rock” bills, to having interference in tours by other bands’ management, they’ve learnt to be selective and passionate about who they tour with, making it a victory for common sense and band ideals, rather than just getting the band in front of as many eyes and ears as possible. In recent years, such decisions have seen them tour with indie-punk legends Lemuria, and up-and-coming names Wild Pink, and Ratboys. They’ve also lined up some album launch shows with Katie Ellen (Anika Pyle’s ex-Chumped act). It makes for some varied bills, but means Woahnows get to play with bands who share their inclusive way of thinking. “We’re way more careful
now,” attests Tim. “When we started out, I don’t think people got what we’re about, and we weren’t great at putting that across. “We’ve learnt to make sure we’re playing with people we like, regardless of their musical output. And there’s plenty of times we could have played to a bunch of people, but what if that would have alienated the people we care about or the people who would listen to our band?” It’s a comment that gets right to the heart of what makes Woahnows so great. ‘Young and Cool’ is written for everyone; even at its most serious, it’s fun and uplifting – triumphant even – but comes with the experience of some hard-won truths. Its themes are universal, set against a backdrop of a society that doesn’t work for all. Amidst this, Woahnows serve as a marker for what can be achieved with a little love and some PMA. “I’m not here to be the biggest band in the world,” muses Tim. “We just wanna enjoy our lives, and being in this band is a cool part of that.” P Woahnows’
album ‘Young and Cool’ is out 22nd February.
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T
reading a thin line isn’t easy. It takes practice to find balance, not swaying too far to one side or the other before crashing to the floor.
SWMRS BERKELEY’S ON FIRE
e eeee
But practice - that’s one thing SWMRS have definitely done. 2016’s ‘Drive North’ was a barnstormer of an album that drove them to new heights. Signing with scenestealers Fueled By Ramen felt like confirmation of a band ready to live up to their promise.
Never really going away, the band honed their craft further on the road, moving up the bills and building a world around them as they went. Three years on, they’re ready to cash in all that hard-earned experience, and boy does it show. ‘Berkeley’s On Fire’ is SWMRS supercharged, and yet still perfectly poised to cross the great divide. ‘Lose Lose Lose’ breaks out the moves, while ‘Too Much Coffee’ shuffles to a killer melody. Fizzing with ambition and
DRENGE
STRANGE CREATURES e e e ee As openers go, ‘Bonfire of the City Boys’ certainly isn’t of the shy and retiring type. A spitting, furious assault of elastic energy and vitriolic anger, it sets the scene for Drenge’s third album perfectly. From the direct floor filler ‘This Dance’ to the bouncing shadow-stalking of ‘Never See The Signs’, the brothers Loveless are in fine form. Adding both a maturity and an ear for a good tune, ‘Strange Creatures’ is more evolution than revolution, but it’s a development that’s more than welcome. P Dan
Harrison
INDOOR PETS BE CONTENT eeeee
energy, it’s a record raucous enough to have a good time, but not so violently combative it pushes the world away. What really stands out, though, is the brightness. ‘Berkeley’s On Fire’ is a picture painted in strong, primary colours. Direct but never simplistic, even in its bittersweet moments, it’s a record with an underlining sense of hope. It’s never written in such explicit terms - at times, like on ‘Lonely Ghosts’ and its bemoaning of the modern condition, it even
feels to sit against the lyrical content - but it’s there. In a time where everything feels to be falling apart, there’s a quiet, unspoken confidence that perhaps things could get better in the end. Rallying against the world around it, but with hope in its heart, ‘Berkeley’s On Fire’ isn’t so much a spark that starts a fire as a personal pledge. Music that matters, but that’s not afraid to have fun along the way, it’s proof that SWMRS have found that perfect line to tread. P Stephen Ackroyd
It hasn’t been the easiest journey for Indoor Pets; however, instead of sitting around and feeling sorry for themselves, they’ve made light of these darker times, which resonates blindingly on ‘Be Content’. The record is chock full of Indoor Pets’ cartoony indie pop, the production formulated in a way that brings every part of their character to life. Kicking off with the soaring ‘Hi’, the band don’t hold back on their wackiness, from the zigzagging guitars of ‘Teriyaki’ to the loopy new track ‘Thick’. The concoction of older material next to newer numbers is so cohesive, demonstrating the band’s ability to bring a flawless consistency to everything they do. This is one immensely powerful debut. P Jasleen
Dhindsa
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Rated_
ONE OK ROCK EYE OF THE STORM eee e e
One OK Rock sound like a band on the verge of something huge. Not an unexpected assertion, perhaps, but the horizons of latest full-length ‘Eye Of The Storm’ seem set high. From its opening title-track, it’s an album that’s hard not to root for. Pop-rock that reads the room, ‘Stand Out Fit In’ is an outsider anthem from inside the club, while ‘Push Back’ has been listening to more than its fair share of Queen via Thirty Seconds To Mars. At times, the polish may shine just a little too bright, but regardless, One OK Rock are about to make a noise. P Dan
Harrison
STELLA DONNELLY BEWARE OF THE DOGS eeee
“I’ve worked too hard to not be biting the hand that feeds hate.” If ever there was a line to sum up Aussie songwriter Stella Donnelly, it’s this. She isn’t afraid to line up deserving targets and take fire with her wistful tunes
that’ll both charm and straighten you out. It only takes until third track for Stella to be telling you to “Fuck up your life” and “Fuck off yeah, good!” like some sort of potty-mouthed ghoul. As her voice cuts through, rattling around, she delivers choice lines that could be seen as a textbook for speaking
your mind. That’s what’s most special about Stella’s craft: ‘Beware of the Dogs’ is ready to fire out unbridled bitterness. P Steven
Loftin
WHILE SHE SLEEPS SO WHAT? eeee
With an unswerving sense of confidence borne out of the unexpected underdog triumph of the crowd-funded ‘You Are We’ breaking into the U.K. top ten, While She Sleeps ignore the easy temptation of just re-packaging the same present in different wrapping. ‘SO WHAT?’, their fourth studio album, instead sees them perform the trick of flexing new muscles and moving into new territory while still losing nothing that made them so vital in the first place. Suitably for a band that name-checked Daft Punk as a major influence on this record, early single ‘ANTI-SOCIAL’ begins with a faint electronic hum that is
40 Upset
slowly overtaken by a riff - gentle at first, before an immediate escalation of power. It’s something new, yet something equally familiar from the Sheffield band. With a barrel-load of anthemic, soaring choruses, it is easily their most accessible release to date and another shift away from their metalcore origins. But as the thundering ‘ELEPHANT’ or the globe-shattering crescendo to ‘INSPIRE’ shows, they have lost none of their potency or ribcagerattling power. P Jamie
MacMillan
WOAHNOWS YOUNG AND COOL eeee
Arriving nearly four years after their first fulllength, it’s a fair assumption that the Bristol-based Woahnows are no longer ‘young’. They are, however, still cool – albeit in an off-centre kind of way – but leading with the title ‘Older and Quirky’ doesn’t have the same allure. Anyway, while Woahnows may be a little greyer and grizzled, they still have the knack for delivering fun-filled three-minute pop songs. Musically, much of ‘Young and Cool’ sees the group softening the edges of their sound, instead focusing on traditional song structures, ringing melodies and sharp hooks. The off-kilter riffing is still there in abundance, making them sound like Fountains of Wayne wired to the teeth on Red Bull and Sour Patch Kids, but there’s now also clarity of focus in the lyricism that reflects the growing confidence of songwriter Tim Rowing-Parker. What ‘Young and Cool’ does so well is define Woahnows’ sound and identity, marrying all of their ideas together in a perfect, easily-digestible, package. Fun, irreverent, heartfelt and passionate, it’s a winning combination when set against the group’s grasp of what pop music should be. P Rob Mair
IN
BACK WEEZER WEEZER
e e ee e
With every new album comes the same question - which Weezer are we getting this time?
For decades now, Rivers Cuomo and his band of merry men have dodged expectation like few others. On the one hand, sit those that simply want them to return to their roots. With 2016’s self-titled White Album, they thought they’d finally won the battle, too. Sure, it wasn’t the legendary ‘Pinkerton’, but it nodded in that direction. But then, on the other, sits the band’s own ambition. At various points over their career, Weezer have flirted with the ridiculous. Cuomo clearly has a frustrated desire to experiment. At times, it’s sort of worked - 2008’s Red Album had its moments. At others, well... ‘Raditude’. And then there’s the middle
ground. While ‘El Scorcho’ and ‘Say It Aint So’ might be where the hardcore see Weezer’s greatest moments, ‘Keep Fishin’’ and ‘Hash Pipe’ were the jumping on point for a generation too young to remember ‘Buddy Holly’, but still captured by their harmonic charms. Which is all a long-winded way to set the scene for your traditional Weezer muddle. Though tracks titled ‘Zombie Bastard’ and ‘Can’t Knock The Hustle’ might inspire sighs in those looking to be disappointed, ‘High As A Kite’ shows that classic ear for a melody hasn’t dulled in the slightest. At times, the Black Album feels like an awkward band trying to hang out with ‘the kids’, at others, it feels like a brilliant mind trying to work out where it fits in the modern world. That’s so Weezer. P
Stephen Ackroyd
Upset 41
Live_ ON STAGE. IN HERE.
LOVE IT THAT THEY’VE MADE IT AT LONDON’S + PALE WAVES, NO ROME
O2 ARENA Words: Ali Shutler. Photo: Frances Beach 42 Upset
P
rogressive, proactive and doing things their own way, tonight sees The 1975 return to London’s O2 with a very different show to the pristine and soulful stand they made here at the end of 2016.
But then ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’ is a very different record to what’s come before. That first album grabbed attention, the second grabbed headlines, while this one has wrapped itself firmly around hearts, minds and imagination. Tonight it feels like anything is possible. As ‘Love Theme’ disintegrates into ‘The 1975’, the band take the stage and tear into the rugged screech of ‘Give Yourself A Try’. It’s chaotic, raw and triumphant before the dance-routine bop of ‘TooTimeTooTimeTooTime’ spins through colour and joy. The shimmering romp of ‘She’s American’ quickly follows, new shades and new shapes making themselves at home in the ever-shifting space. The world of The 1975 doesn’t begin and end with the band though. Dirty Hit labelmates No Rome open the show, a fizzing blend of pop velocity and rock star confidence that really comes into focus when he joins The 1975 later in the night for ‘Narcissist’. Next up, Pale Waves’ gargantuan and gothic pop songs are custom built for rooms of this size. Hand on heart and eyes wide open, they flicker with brilliance before turning inwards, sharing secrets and standing apart. At times The 1975 are on the brink of falling apart. There’s a god-like reverence to the visuals of a giant phone screen that opens up and allows Matty to walk inside, before he falls to his knees. Trapped in a box, ‘The Ballad Of Me And My Brain’ rages with a claustrophobic uncertainty. ‘How To Draw/Petrichor’ starts with serenity but quickly
crumbles into a cyclical, glitching breakdown while even autotune can’t hide the anger of ‘I Like America and America Likes Me’. Scared of dying, holding onto belief and fed up of being ignored, it promises it’s fine but it’s a terrible liar. Other times, The 1975 are the most perfect pop band in the world. It’s impossible to argue with songs like ‘Love Me’, Sincerity Is Scary’ or ‘Girls’. ‘Loving Someone’ sees a field of rainbows caught in phone screens, ‘Robbers’ finds tears onstage and off and the band are always first to embrace the absurdity of it all. Matty is the pointed end of The 1975’s vision. Catching roses, sharing meme t-shirts with the rest of the room and basking in the spotlight before bridging the distance between stage and audience, The 1975 are his favourite band and there’s not a single moment of tonight where you wouldn’t believe it. But still, that idea of destruction is never far away. ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’ wrestles with it, bathed in a white light while the apology before ‘URGH!’ tumbles with the unknown. “Forgive us for playing a slightly longer set than advertised, we don’t know when we’ll get to do this again.” It makes ‘Love It If We Made It’ so much more powerful. Reflecting the world outside going up in flames and eating itself alive, it’s buoyant, persistent and finds a light in the dark. Speaking about hope, even for a few minutes, feels victorious and the following greatest hits parade of ‘Chocolate’, ‘The Sound’ and ‘Sex’ underlines and amplifies the voice of the community that’s come together under one roof tonight. “Rock & Roll is Dead,” promises the video screens at The O2. “God Bless The 1975,” cos they’re refusing to kneel. P
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Live_
STOP THE CLOCKS AND START THE PARTY AT LONDON’S BRIXTON ACADEMY
I
n the decade since Enter Shikari last played Brixton, they’ve found a wicked sense of peace. They used to be a gang raging against labels and trying to outrun the rules. Quick glances over their shoulder, there was a common dread about being seen as predictable, so they giddily leaped from place to place. Jarring, madcap and brilliant, they created their own space. A place of acceptance, solidarity and welcome. In the years since, they’ve made it bigger. More inviting and just as daring, now there’s no looking back.
The last time Enter Shikari played London, it was headlining the cavernous Alexandra Palace off the back of ‘The Spark’. Dazzling, sparkling and a step up in every way, it saw them continue to kick down doors and explore the unknown. Fearless and full of confidence, Enter Shikari made those big arena shows feel comfortable. Tonight’s show at Brixton Academy isn’t a step back though. It’s not a retreat. Enter Shikari don’t know how to stand down afterall. Instead their three-month ‘Stop The Clocks’ tour sees the band taking the roads less travelled in a bid to discover just how wide this world of theirs can go. Black Peaks have seen a lot. For a band who’ve already done
44 Upset
+ BLACK PEAKS
Words: Ali Shutler. Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett. so much, ticked and reticked things from an outrageous bucket list, they still play like a band whose wildest dreams are only just coming true. They’re the first band to play Brixton this year and ‘Glass Built Castles’ is the first song. In the steadily filling expanse, it trades its scrappy snarl for something a lot more devastating. Will air guitars about the stage, a kid in his bedroom playing along to his favourite band. Liam screams along to ‘Electric Fires’ from behind the drums while Joe and Dave throw themselves into every gnarled twist and shimmering leap. Despite the relentless weight of the music, the band inject colour and arrowhead precision throughout. ‘Can’t Sleep’ floats in the air, ghoulish and claustrophobic before the quaking ‘Eternal Light’ points fingers and flirts with oblivion. Giddy smiles, raised glasses and they’re off all too soon. Enter Shikari embrace change at every opportunity. The first tour for ‘The Spark’ was a big, beautiful arena-spectacular but tonight, they get down and dirty. Sure, the opening one-two of ‘The Spark’ and ‘The Sights’ is a bewitching escape of wonder but as the band once promised, anything can happen in the next
half hour. And it does. ‘Step Up’ swiftly follows, a burst of strobelit fury and the encouragement to be better before the euphoric ‘Labyrinth’ drops, all skipping glee, decadent excess and confetti for good measure. The band bounce between the shine of the arena and the grime of the everyday with reckless abandon but the crowd match them at every turn. This world that Shikari have curated lets them reach far and wide as old and new share the same space. ‘Arguing With Thermometers’ and ‘Rabble Rouser’ get the blood pumping, screw faced and not taking any nonsense before ‘Gap In The Fence’ and ‘Shinrin-Yoku’ create a space for calm, reflective intimate connection. The jokers of the pack, wherever Shikari go, it feels like home. There are no straight lines or defined shapes (apart from the ones Rou pulls) tonight, instead it’s a kaleidoscopic explosion of past, present and future. ‘Juggernauts’ looks forward, ‘Live Outside’ stares towards the sky and new song ‘Stop The Clocks’ wants to embrace it all. “I’m grateful to be alive on this stage tonight,” starts Rou. “I’m grateful we still have music in a world that’s incredibly divisive. Be a sponge. Soak it all up. Fuck knows me need it.” P
Upset 45
WITH... BLOOD RED SHOES Everyone has those formative bands and tracks that first got them into music and helped shape their very being. This month, STEVEN ANSELL from BLOOD RED SHOES takes us through some the songs that meant the most to him during his teenage years. The Pixies Hey
It’s pretty hard to choose which Pixies song I was most obsessed with as a teenager, but I think this one might have been it. I mean I’m still obsessed with it now, there’s no other band on earth that will ever be The Pixies, what a weird, evocative, aggressive, spooky, amazing sound. There’s nothing else like it.
Sex Pistols Holidays In The Sun
As a teenager, my dad saw me reading books about 70s punk, and he went up into our loft and got out all his old 7” vinyl. One of them was ‘Holidays In The Sun’, which I still have to this day, and it still never fails to make me want to smash up my room.
PJ Harvey The Whores Hustle and Hustlers Whore
Certain things you listen to as a teenager you grow out of or move on but PJ Harvey is someone who has been a lifelong inspiration to me, in fact to both of us, in the band. I’ve never been as starstruck in my life as the one time I saw her randomly in Angel tube station in London, and I froze on the spot, and everyone hated me for being in the way.
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At The Drive-In One-Armed Scissor
Just the opening of this song is enough to kill a person. It’s so abrupt and kinda violent and sounds like a band about to collapse from their own intensity. Which they basically did on Jools Holland that time, still some of the greatest TV I’ve ever seen.
Dr Dre Still DRE
I was never into skateboarding or BMX bikes growing up, but most of my friends were, and they listened to a lot of hip-hop. Growing up in small-town Sussex, hearing stuff like this just had this whole groove and swagger which felt like it came from another planet.
Madonna Into the Groove
One of the things that really bonded our band together when we first met is that we both loved Madonna as much as we loved Fugazi. That was a big deal for us in a scene which was really stuck in its ways and had no room for anything sexy or fun or danceable. This tune is so badass that sonic youth even covered it, I mean,
wake up you blinkered punks, SONIC FUCKIN YOUTH SAID IT’S COOL.
Sonic Youth Dirty Boots
I remember desperately trying to work out how to cover the title-track ‘Goo’, or other songs from this album, and being super confused because they didn’t use normal guitar chords and everything was in weird tunings so you couldn’t get it. It just added to the mystery and allure of the band, and this era is them at their peak.
Fugazi Do You Like Me
Well, I couldn’t namecheck Fugazi and not put a song in. This is the opener from the album ‘Red Medicine’; again it was my skater friends who turned me onto Fugazi, I discovered them way too late but luckily just in time to catch their last ever tour. Every band I’ve been in and every side project I’ve done, someone has compared to Fugazi, which says a lot about the influence they’ve had on me. P
Blood Red Shoes’ album ‘Get Tragic’ is out now.
M O N T H N E X T
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