VERACIOUS MAGAZINE
Featuring: Yungblud
Issue 8 // October 2018
Featuring: 6
Bang Bang Romeo
14
The Glorious Son
18 AnDel 26 Yoshi 28
Knox Hamilton
36
Album Review
38 Yungblud 44
Tramlines Festival
50
New Hope Club
Founder, Editor-in-Chief: Samantha Toy
About Us:
Playlist Editor, Designer: Tiffany Martinez Photographers: Alan Cruz Avery Kelly Eva Maria Burns Ian Enger Rebekah Witt TJ Martinez
Alexandra Schnell Emily Freya Guy Hurst Kailey Sullivan Samantha Toy Valerie Rudland
Veracious is an online and print music magazine located in San Francisco, California. We have a worldwide team of photographers, writers, interviewers, that all have a passion for the music industry, and promoting upcoming musicians. We not only photograph, and interview the bands themselves, but we also cover behind the scenes crew such as: managers, tour photographers, publicists, lighting directors, and merchandise sellers. It’s our goal to showcase those who work hard behind the stage to make the musicians shine. Say Hello // Talk To Us:
Reviewers, Transcribers, Writers:
Bryony Murch Guy Hurst
Dana Hope Samantha Toy
www.veraciousmagazine.com https://issuu.com/veraciousmagazine contact@veraciousmagazine.com Twitter / Snapchat: veraciousmag1
Interviewers: Samantha Toy
Instagram / Facebook / YouTube: veraciousmagazine Many Thanks:
AnDel Andrew Scott Ava Mirzadegan Bang Bang Romeo Benjamin Everest Boston Manor Casey Kozieja Chloe Lauter Chvrches Cooper & Gatin Dea Zazula Dorothy Emily Cooper Hillary Siskind Jana, Anna, Sam Jenni Vodden Jennifer Stookey Jesse McCartney Joshua Tanner Kevin Young Knox Hamilton Lyssa Hurvitz Maggie Rogers Nathalie Rubin New Hope Club Peter Quinn Sasha Camacho Shawna Hudson Taylor Haughton Tom Grennan The Glorious Sons The Wombats Tramlines Festival Troye Sivan Vans Warped Tour Yoshi Yungblud Cover Photo: Yungblud by TJ Martinez
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Photography by: Guy Hurst & Interview by: Samantha Toy
You released your five-track EP, Shame On You at the end of August and it was recorded in LA, NY, and the UK. What made you decide to record these songs in two different countries? We signed a record deal with Five Seven Music, part of Eleven Seven Label Group, at the beginning of the year and we got the amazing opportunity to go work and learn with some amazing producers/writers out in LA and NY. The majority of the album has been done in the UK but that sort of opportunity doesn't come around often and in those two weeks we produced some of our best work.
Do you think recording in different areas of the world made a difference to your music? I don't think it's where we recorded it that really affects it too much, but more the people that we worked with. When we worked with James Shelley (American Authors) on Bag of Bones, we really broke down the meaning of the lyrics and got really deep into our own personal experiences. The production was certainly influenced by the American guys though, we really focused more on the groove and simplicity and quality of sounds rather than layering stuff up and it meant that we have songs that vary in dynamics across the album. We want to take you to different places, not just the same place at different times.
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Did you have these songs completely written before heading into the studio, or were you working on them as you were recording bits and pieces? It can be a variation; the bones of the song tend to be already there through Stars or Ross and then the studio is where we add the meat. We love to experiment in the studio but we just do what is natural for the song. Sometimes the song is there already; sometimes experimenting can inspire different things.
Can you tell us more about your first album that will be released next year? It's called “A Heartbreaker's Guide To The Galaxy� and our literal blood sweat and tears have gone into it. You're going to hear songs written in our bedrooms, and every single side of us that there is. We're proud of what we've created, including the artwork that we enjoyed putting together ourselves.
What made you decide to release the Shame On You EP in August and then your full length next year instead of releasing the album at one date? Was it just a strategy to get your fans excited or known about your music sound? Our sound has changed over the past two years as we develop and we really wanted to give people a taster of the full LP. The EP has a bit of everything on it!
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You have played major festivals and visited some amazing cities this year. What would you say your main highlights are so far? We've been lucky to play some amazing festivals this year including main stage at Tramlines, and then shows at Victorious, Kendall, Truck and Y Not. But our favourite moment has to be opening the Isle of Wight festival on the main stage for it's 50th anniversary. It was such a privilege and we fucking loved it. Big love to John, Rick and the Solo team for giving us our first major main stage festival appearance. Such a buzz.
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After performing at a festival or show, what do you want your fans to walk away from your set with? We want them to walk away having enjoyed an experience WITH us, we leave it all out there on stage. We want the crowd to enjoy the same buzz that we get when we hear our words sung back at us and if a few young people pick up instruments too along the way then even better.
What are some goals you would like to accomplish as a whole? We're big fans of soundtracks, particularly Hans Zimmer. So if he's reading this and wants to write some stuff together and then perform it on the moon that would be cool. A band's gotta dream right?
You guys will be opening up for P!NK on her European arena and stadium tour next summer! How crazy is that?!
Aside from the P!NK tour, what other things can fans expect from you guys at the end of this year or in 2019?
It's mental. We're so pumped for it, she's such an inspiration and a puts on an incredible show too and it's a pleasure to open for such a global icon. “Hello Wembley!� What the fuck is going on? Haha.
We'll be out on the road as much as possible, meeting as many people as we can and spreading our music as far and wide as we can including our first couple of dates in mainland Europe with the legendary Spandau Ballet and of course releasing music like our lives depended on it. We can't wait for you guys to hear what we've created.
For the people who may not know you all, what are a few things you could mention about yourself individually or as a band?
Keep an eye on our socials and website to keep updated and for where to catch us: www.bangbangromeo.com
Stars beats men in arm wrestles, Ross owns a designer menswear shop in Bawtry and Rich shaves his armpits (although he insists he only trims) haha.
Basically we want your heart for the whole of our set, we don't ask for much...
Dorothy
Photography by: Eva Maria Burns
CHVRCHES
Photography by: Alan Cruz
Interview with The Glorious Sons
Interview by: Samantha Toy & Answered by: Jay Emmons Hey all, I hope you all are having a safe tour! Where are you located at the moment? We are currently in Nashville, Tennessee for a show with a day off tomorrow to relax and enjoy the city.
Photo Credit: Rob Blackham
You are currently on the road with Welshly Arms around the US. What’s your favorite memory on this tour so far? So far we have had a lot of friends come out and catch the shows and hang out (Philly, Boston, NYC.) It’s always nice seeing familiar faces on the road, it really helps break up the monotony of the tour grind.
On the topic of traveling, there’s always a few items you must bring with you from home and some items you can easily buy at the store. What are some belongings you must have from home and some you can buy at Target or Walmart? You can never have enough clean socks/underwear on the road and no matter how much you bring you always need to re-stock. Other than that, making sure we keep the bus clean and are well stocked in various cleaning supplies is key. Keeping a clean bus is good for overall morale. Adam has been a trooper and has taken the lead on this for this current US run.
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Are there any items you have in Canada that you can’t get in America? Belmont cigarettes are a prized commodity in the TGS camp once we cross over the border into the US. Brett, Josh and Jesse really enjoy their Canadian cigarettes. The American counterparts are much harsher and damage Brett’s voice.
When you have days off, do you usually spend it sleeping, out exploring if you can, or is it strictly heading to the next city? Everybody is different, Brett writes music and plays Madden football manically, Koster enjoys watching family feud, Jesse, Adam and I explore the restaurant and bar scene and Mamba finds parks and open spaces to fly his drones. If you do have the option of exploring around, do you all search up on your phones specific places you want to visit or do you walk around areas that’s near you? Google Maps is very helpful tool to explore new cities, we usually rely on our phones pretty heavily to navigate in new cities.
You all just released your record, “Young Beauties and Fools” almost a year ago. What were the differences between “The Union” (your first album) to “Young Beauties and Fools”? Do you usually write lyrics and have melody ideas before heading into the studio or do you come up with lyrics/melodies once you’re with producers? When we set out to make YBAF, we were really making a conscious effort to step up our game as a whole. Lyrically and melodically, Brett had spent about two years writing bits and pieces of different songs and we sorted through almost all these ideas to get to the songs that ended up on YBAF and even when we were in the studio writing and recording these songs, he left no stone unturned as far as making sure each word was the right spot in every part of the song. Sonically, we recorded in a very modern way which was very unlike how we recorded The Union. The Union was recorded in a very traditional rock and roll way in a studio with tracks that started by building from the drums up. YBAF was recorded more like modern hip hop and pop songs as we built the tracks in a very small writing studio and tracked the live drums afterward. This allowed us to be much more flexible as far as being able to structure and re-arrange songs during the recording process which we had not been able to in the past. What made you decide to release a live album of your performance at Rogers K-Rock Centre? Who came up with the idea of recording your live set and having it available on Spotify for fans to listen to it? Was it difficult setting up this type of request with the venue and/or your management? This idea what quarterbacked through our label and management, we didn’t have to put much thought into this but were glad that it showcased the live energy of the new songs and old songs on record.
After this year, what can your followers expect from you? More touring? Possibly back to touring in the UK? Much more touring, writing new music in the new year. Lastly, do you have any words for your fans? Thanks for the support!
http://www.theglorioussons.com/ 15
New Releases
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Dancing Alone - Axwell /\ Ingrosso
Welcome To The Neighbourhood - Boston Manor
Promises - Calvin Harris & Sam Smith
Tell Me - EAUXMAR
Bambi - Hippo Campus
I Wish You Were Here - HRVY
New Releases
Born To Be Yours - Kygo & Imagine Dragons
High On Life feat. Bonn - Martin Garrix
Guiding Light - Mumford & Sons
Lost In Japan - Shawn Mendes (Zedd Remix)
No Place Is Home - Welshly Arms
Radar feat. Honne - Whethan
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Interview with AnDel Can you tell us three things your fans should know about you? Hmm… Let’s see… More than anything, I’m so damn grateful for them. It’s the biggest blessing God has given me that people listen to my songs and want to dance or connect to them in some way. I’m thankful for each and every person. I want to make projects with meaning. Most, if not all of my songs have either a lesson or a meaning, and I really love when people search for it. It’s the whole reason I started writing in the first place! I think one of the most important things I have learned is to embrace all parts of myself… Good, bad, and ugly. That is the only way to live honestly, in my opinion. Self-awareness is an invaluable weapon, and even though getting vulnerable and sharing dark parts of myself is scary, it is necessary to grow. I hope that through what I share through music, others can grow for themselves too.
Interview by: Samantha Toy
Your stage name, “AnDel” means ‘angel’ in Czechoslovakian. Are you Czechoslovakian or did you like the meaning and because it’s a combination of your birth name? The second one. Definitely not Czechoslovakian. I can barely even spell it. Haha. When I was choosing a name, I wanted to find one with meaning. I had stumbled upon it, and since it meant “angel”, it reminded me of my home: Angels Camp, California. It’s a small town, but everyone there is so loving, the community is so supportive that it reminded me of where I came from. It was only later I found that all the letters in it were in my actual name, so I capitalized the “D” and the rest is history.
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Do you still visit your hometown in Angels Camp? Not as much now, because my parents moved to Orangevale. My grandparents still live there, so we visit them on holidays and I’ll hit up my friends who are still around. But I plan to live there again when I retire. If I end up having kids, I want that community for them. I miss that place a lot.
You released a new song, “One Night” earlier this month. Can you tell us more about the single ? The song is about knowing you aren’t emotionally available but still wanting to be physically intimate with someone. In the video, I’m trying to get over a past relationship by starting a new one with someone else, but I wake up the next morning feeling worse because I still miss the old one. It’s based off of true events that I’m saddened to say I lived, but I learned a lot of valuable lessons from that experience. Lesson I learned? It’s better to be alone until you’re ready to give your heart to someone. Learned that in spades. haha
How long did it take to film the video? Was it filmed in bits and pieces or was it shot in a one take? It took about 12 hours. We did tons of takes in a few locations, and Josh, Jay, Nicole and the rest of the crew put in a ton of effort to make the best possible product. I couldn’t have done it without every single one of them.
Since “One Night” is your first released single, can we expect more released music from you in the near future? Oh yeah. I’m working on a few projects right now that I’m so stoked to put out. No dates yet, but I will say it’s gonna be real soon, and that some of them will tie into the storyline I established in “One Night”. Be on the lookout.
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You are originally from Angels Camp, CA but moved south to Los Angeles. What are some things you have learned from living in LA throughout these years? Yikes. The number one rule I learned very quickly is that LA is a battleground. This isn’t a place to make friends or build a community, though it is possible. This is the place that people come from all over to build an empire, and if you see it in any other way you tend to get burned very quickly. On the other hand, LA gave me a backbone. It taught me how to stand up for myself, thrive in the face of adversity, and to take care of myself without needing people to survive. It’s exciting and beautiful, yet it’s very dark and chaotic at the same time. I always have to keep the nature of what LA is in the back of my mind. If you don’t learn the lesson the first time around, guaranteed this city will teach it to you again. What would you say are some positive and negative aspects from living in LA? Well, I want to end on a positive note, so let’s go negative first… Fake friends, the cost of living is insane, traffic, a bunch of people walking around with the wrong priorities, an excess of materialism, Priuses(They always cut me off on the freeway)... Positives? Pure, unadulterated freedom. The ability to be anyone, anything. Endless options to have fun. A melting pot of cultures. Acceptance (or lack of caring) for whoever you are, whatever you choose to be. The beach. Amazing weather. But the biggest positive for me is the most interesting, talented, beautiful, crazy people you will ever meet in your life. There’s no place quite like it. What are some things you would like to accomplish as a singer? More than anything, I want to inspire others. I want to show them that they don’t have to be defined by their past, that they can take their power back, and they don’t have to follow the way the culture tells us we have to live to “be happy”. I don’t want fame or fortune… I don’t really need to accomplish anything other than making a living doing what I love and leaving the world a better place because I was here. One day when I get more established, I’ll want to put money into the drama department at my old high school, because I really and truly wouldn’t be where I am today without the teachers who saw something in me and nurtured it. Other kids who went through the same things I did really need that. Everything else after that is a bonus.
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You lived through a rough childhood, and music was your escape throughout those times. Why do you think you were so connected to music rather than the other areas of the creative arts such as dancing, painting, etc? Honestly, music wasn’t even on my radar until about a year after I moved to LA. When I was younger I loved to sketch and draw and paint… on rare occasions I would write poetry as well. Mostly though? I did musical theatre from about the age of eight. We moved around a lot while my mom was still a single mother, but she always made sure I had an artistic outlet by putting me into musical theatre whenever she could. When I was 15, I FINALLY started listening to the radio and fell in love with pop music, but I didn’t start writing my own songs until a year or two after I moved to LA. When I started music, though, I stopped acting and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. There is such a freedom in writing your own songs. With acting, you are bringing to life someone else’s ideas. Someone else wrote every single word you say and every action you do. With music, it’s mine. They are my words, my melodies, and my ideas… For better or worse. You can’t hide behind a script. You have to lay everything you’re going through bare on the table, figure out how you feel about it, and somehow fit all of that into rhymes and condense it down to three minutes and thirty seconds. I find it so exciting, and it’s only that much more exciting when I’m performing the very words and melodies I pieced together. It’s incredibly theraputic.
If you could collaborate with any artist in the music industry right now, who would it be? Ariana Grande. Hands down. Just cuz I think our styles would go well together and I may or may not be kind of in love with her. She’s kind of perfect.
Photo credit: Jzhfilms via Instagram
AnDel’s Spotify Playlist: Lauv - “I Like Me Better” Lauv - “Enemies” Camila Cabello - “Real Friends” Daniel Cesar & H.E.R. “Best Part” Charlie Puth - “The Way I Am” blackbear - “IDFC” Kehlani “Again” LeyeT & PHYNX - “One Day”
AnDel’s Social Media Accounts: Instagram: @officialandel Twitter: @AnDelOfficial Facebook: @andelofficial Spotify: AnDel YouTube: AnDel
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The Wombats
Photography by: Avery Kelly
Maggie Rogers
Photography by: Valerie Rudland
Interview with Yoshi Flower www.yoshiflower.me Souncloud: yoshiflower Spotify: Yoshi Flower Facebook: yoshiflower Instagram: yoshiflower Twitter: y0shiflower
Interview by: Samantha Toy
Photo Credit: Daniel Marty
You just wrapped up your tour with Whethan just a few weeks ago! How was the tour?
What are your must haves in your dressing room or rider?
Electric!
Water. No Dasani though.
Do you have any favorite show(s) or memories from this tour that you can share with us today? Denver was mental. There hasn’t been one moment though poking out, it’s all a beautiful blur. Making music on the bus is fire. Meeting fans and raving.
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Your first album, “American Raver” is officially out ! How are you feeling right now? Excited? Nervous? Both of the above, Yes. Also hopeful, grateful.
The meaning behind this record is about your conflicted role in modern America and the issues this country is dealing with at the moment. Is that correct? It's surely not incorrect. We all attribute meaning to different representations in different ways at different times. Could you also go into more detail behind the record and art cover? The cover art is freedom of expression. Freedom from control. Freedom to be yourself. True American elements put on display. How did you come up with the title aesthetic? Did you have this capital theme in mind as you were creating the tracks or did happen after the album was finished? It was a mix on that front. Some came before and others fit later.
Just the other month, you performed alongside Dua Lipa in Las Vegas! How was the how and can we expect a collaboration together someday? The show was splendid, she was lovely. She is extremely bad ass but incredibly sweet. A collab would be killer. What can fans expect from you in the next few months? More tours? A headline tour in 2019, more music, more art, more love.
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Photography by: TJ Martinez & Interview by: Samantha Toy
KNOX HA
MILTON
Website: knoxhamilton.com Twitter/Instagram: @knoxhamilton
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Your band name, Knox Hamilton came from a yearbook you found at your church thrift shop. Did you end up buying the yearbook that day you discovered it and how did you get in contact with his mother? Pretty sure Boots ripped that page out of the yearbook. He still has it somewhere. She just randomly showed up at one of our Little Rock shows once. It was awesome.
Is the mom aware that the band is named after her son? Yeah, we spoke to her at length about it. She was very sweet and appreciated that we were honoring her son.
Having a supportive family is very important to you all. When you first brought up that you wanted to be in a band as a full time career, what were their reactions? There was a little hesitation only because we all had full time jobs and some of us were recently married but they were champs and supported us. Couldn’t ask for better.
The band has been around for eight years now. What are some things you have learned over the years? Write songs you love and don’t worry about what industry people are going to say. The rat race, study group approach is killing music.
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Your musical inspirations include Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen just to name a few. Which artists in the recent years influenced your latest EP, Beach Boy? Still Michael but these newer songs were born out of our love for ‘80s pop. George Michaels, Ready for the World, Prince etc.
Lyrics from your songs are based on your personal lives. Do you ever feel like you’re announcing too much personal information to the public in your songs or do you know the limit? We try to keep a little something back for our spouses. A relationship needs some secrecy.
You embarked on your first headlining tour this year. What are some things you would like to add or change for your next headline tour? Basically, we just need more fire. Jk. We’d love to play a little longer and also hang out with our Familton more. Never feels like quite enough when these awesome fans have driven hours and spent their hard-earned money to see us.
What are your thoughts on having your fans to stream your music instead of purchasing them? We’d be lying if we said it didn’t worry us at first but that’s just being stuck in the Compact Disc past. Music is about sharing experiences with others and streaming is a huge part of that.
Which social media website/application is the most important to you as a band or are they all equally as important? Instagram is my (Cobo) favorite just because I can express myself better on there. I love the art of it. Twitter is too mean for my taste.
For the brothers Cobo and Boots, did you know you wanted to become musicians let alone be in the same band together? Always.
What plans do you have next for Knox Hamilton? We’re the most excited we’ve ever been about our songs right now. Can’t wait for what’s next.
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Troye Sivan
Photography by: Rebekah Witt
Jesse McCartney
Photography by: Alexandra Schnell
Album Review: Boston Manor “Welcome To The Neighbourhood” Words by: Dana Hope From the moment the title track Welcome To The Neighbourhood begins, you know you’re in for a ride. Boston Manor’s second album is a fantastic mix of older styles that can be heard on their debut album “Be Nothing” and EP, “Saudade” while morphing into a developed sound that fits perfectly into the 2018 scene. With a quick lipped, rap style pre-chorus, backed by a subtle beat is a style of sound that is very prominent this year. As the chorus comes in, surrounded by keyboards and percussion, listeners are emerged into the ‘neighbourhood.’ These light tones and soft percussions are cut short as you dive into the album. The music itself becomes heavier and the lyrics become darker as the tracks go on. Vocalist Henry Cox describes how Blackpool, their hometown and where most of Boston Manor’s songs are written, was once a booming tourist destination that has declined into a drug infested, high unemployment rating, broken little town. This is referenced in Funeral Party, where the lyrics “Give me cheap alcohol & put me on the dole” alongside “I’m falling & I can’t slow down. In a hole with no way out”, is an insight into what occurs when there is high unemployment. People use alcohol as a comping mechanism while they struggle to find a job or keep their homes. This decline can be rapid and an extremely hard situation to get out of. Hopefully with the platform that Boston Manor have, they can shed some light and hope onto this once busy coastal town to get it back to where it was. Flowers In Your Dustbin and Tunnel Vision are two of the catchiest songs on the album, that will have the crowd going mental when they are played live. The lyrics are dark and don’t mean to be political but can be related to so many issues that those around us face every day. “I take my meds, I live through my phone”, lyrics from Flowers In Your Dustbin points out how many are stuck in a haze, influenced by technology. Filming concerts through phones instead of being in the moment, having insights into people’s lives via social media in more depth than humans are designed too. This amount of information can be unhealthy to many, resulting in a high number people nowadays needing medication to help them get by and deal with their mental illnesses, many stemming from issues that are targeted or created via social media.
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Tunnel Vision with its slow, creepy introduction of keyboard and synths, has a sharp pull in of guitar and vocals that capture a raw emotion of a relationship that has gone wrong and the decline that is inevitable. With the ideology of being stuck in a car, trapped and unable to escape as we’re “heading for the edge”, many may relate the story told throughout the lyrics with being trapped in a toxic relationship with no way out. I certainly did. The second single released, Bad Machine shows the raw emotion that is living throughout this album. Bound by heavy guitar riffs and hard percussions, all of which appear in Hate You and Digital Ghost, these songs are intertwined perfectly throughout the album to allow a great sound that flows from one song to the next, similar but so different at the same time, while they scream old school Boston Manor with a modern twist. Closing off the album is the heartbreaking, tear jerking acoustic track “The Day I Ruined Your Life’. Easing from soft guitars into electrics screeching through the track, drawing out the angst and emotion of the lyrics and themes displayed throughout the album before fading back into acoustics, and into nothingness. Boston Manor have done wonders with this album, exploring dark and deranged themes and emotions that many artists are scared to get into. From drug abuse and unemployment, to death and emptiness with declining mental states, this album will put you through the wars but in turn will make you think more and feel more, forcing listeners to not be so apathetic. Boston Manor are currently on tour in North America with Real Friends and Grayscale.
Photography by: Joshua Halling
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Photography by: TJ Martinez at Vans Warped Tour 2018 Interview by: Samantha Toy & Transcribing by: Bryony Murch
You moved from Doncaster to London at 16 years old to pursue music. What has been the most eye opening experience since your move? I think as soon as you leave home your eyes open, it's kind of a weird experience. You know you kinda see the world through, you take off the rose tinted glasses your mum and dad put on you as a kid, you see the world through your own eyes. That's exciting, obviously is scary but it's exciting! Like you have to fend for yourself, pay your own rent, think about taxes, blah blah blah, but I remember this on experience in my first flat and I was staying with a 'house mum' at 16 and she was lovely, but she was stern and I'm quite energetic and hard to deal with; I remember coming home after a night out, making myself beans on toast and a cup of tea but because I had bit to drink, I used the best china plates and I just dropped it on the floor, smashed it, no one heard me, so I kinda just left it under my bed for three months! One day she was cleaning up and she found it, so the moral of the story is and what was very eye opening is if you smash someones best china, don't wait three months to tell em' and don't hide it under your bed. What is the most important thing for you as an artist? Yeah, I think that's it man, like, you can get caught up in a bit of hype and whatever but the most important thing for me and the most exciting thing for me is the connection with my fans, you know. It's the replies I get on my DM's and when I meet them, when I talk to them, it's the most craziest thing in the world that people are finding answers within my music and people say that they're finding and that they can use their voice because that's what I'm about. I think artists can put themselves on such a pedestal nowadays, that they have the microphone and everyone else should shut up but this is the first time in my life, I feel like I'm being heard, it was like I was shouting in a dark room before, but now I feel like I'm having a conversation with my fans and that's exciting! That's why I always meet them and hang around after the shows because how can I write the music I'm writing about and not be connected to them? It's about creating conversation by music and I love talking to people because their issues and what they think of the world inspires me to write new music.
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Your full length has released a while ago. Can you tell us more about it? I'm so excited, firstly! This album is an accumulation of all the anger and emotion that's been gathering up my whole life. It's where Yungblud's born I think. It's gonna shock a lot of people and I hope it does because it mixes a lot of different genres, talks about a lot of issues and I want it to be an outlet for people who feel like they can't be themselves or feel like their voice isn't important.
I read that you had written over 20 songs. How do you determine which songs make it to the record, and what do you plan to do with the rest of the tracks? Will you possibly turn it into an EP? Yeah! It's weird and there's been a lot more since I was writing the album. A lot of music is coming out, but I just haven't figured out who I am, I don't know, I just wanted to pick the songs that represent this album because it's almost like a concept, like a story and I pieced it together in my mind and I chose the songs that were the most fitting for the story, but yeah man, I don't want to release this album and the sit on my a** for six months, I want to be constantly releasing music, so get ready, this album isn't going to be released and then I'm going to be taking a break! There's so much more coming, because there's so much more, ready to go!
What do you want your fans to take from your music and your live performance? I want people to feel empowered, I want people to hear the messages, hear what I'm talking about, relate to it and find answers in it but I want people to have a lot of fun! That's kind of it! The live show is the best because it's a happy environment, you know, my version of punk, I don't want to divide people man, that's old, that's been done before, that's boring! I want to unite people for one greater cause and at my shows I want people to leave exhausted, I don't want people to be able to go "Oh man, shall we go out for dinner?" after that I want people to be like "F**k me, I need to go to bed!"
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How important is it for you to have social media accounts and for your music to be streamed on Spotify plus AppleMusic? That's it man, it's incredible. Those platforms allow my voice and what I've got to say to get heard and it's such an easy way to connect to people internationally, it's the best thing for me and that's why I love being on social media, it's fun for me! It's fun when I get to speak to people from Korea or Australia, Nijmegen in Holland, Germany and Seattle in one day, that's just exciting and the thing about Spotify and AppleMusic, I think they're brilliant because it means that anybody can be heard, anybody in music can be heard, just put it up and it opens opportunities across the world. Your musical influences range from The Clash, Eminem, Dua Lipa, Lorde, and Post Malone. How do those artists’ music or personalities incorporate into your sound or as a person?
You played at Vans Warped Tour, Reading/Leeds, and Lollapalooza this year. What are you the most excited about playing at festivals, and which artists would you love to meet backstage someday?
I think they are fundamentally themselves, they're in their own lane and that's what I love about them. I just think, they're not trying to be anything else and when I walk into a studio, I just write what I'm inspired by that day, you know, I never want to be genre defined, I don't want my next record to sound like my last record, so, I take influences from everything and then sprinkle a bit of Yungblud on top and that's how I write my songs. I think as an artist if you're representing something individual and representing yourself that's when you are an artist, because if you just f**king singing a song, you're a singer, and I don't wanna be a singer.
Woah! That's a good question. I love playing festivals, I think it's so good as everything is positive and that's amazing because it's all about the energy with me and everyone at festivals have bucket loads of energy. It's been crazy, some of the festivals already I met some mad people, like I met Bec the other day, I've met Tom Morello and it's crazy because I was just walking up to them like "Alright, I'm Yungblud, I'm so inspired by your music." I'd die to meet Kendrick Lemar at Reading and Leeds, I'd love to meet the Arctic Monkeys, I don't know man, if you're there I'm going to come and say hello, it's just in my nature.
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Tramlines Festival 2018
Boy Azooga Photography & Words by: Guy Hurst
Tramlines Festival is not your
typical music festival – it’s something so much, much more. Celebrating its 10 year anniversary since it all began has paved way for it to be the biggest and best festival that Sheffield, England has ever seen. A new location at Hillsborough Park to hold more festival revelers, more local cuisine and eateries to bless your palate and last but not least, way more exciting and bigger performances. This year’s headliners included Stereophonics, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Craig David’s TS5, all artists that you would struggle to find on the typical festival circuit, so you know you’re in safe hands with Tramlines.
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Noel Gallagher
Previous years line-ups have seen fewer artists, but always keeping the ethos of bringing in those big, unique names that make the travel all worth it. Performances from the Wu Tang Clan, Sugarhill Gang, Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Libertines, Public Enemy and Metronomy have all graced the main stage, so rest assured that next year will see more acts and even bigger artists. Tramlines main USP and attraction is that it showcases local, up-and-coming talent, giving younger artists the chance to showcase to the world what their made of. An opportunity which sadly doesn’t reflect across most festivals. Whether attending to enjoy the music, comedy or cuisine, there’s that more personal touch in all aspects compared to any other typical festival out there.
The Big Moon
Blossoms
Fickle Friends This year’s highlights would have to be experiencing Stereophonics magic on stage. They’re not a band to tour extensively or frequently gig, so this rare occasion of them playing at Tramlines festival 2018 would be worth attending for this aspect alone. Playing golden favourites such as Dakota, Maybe Tomorrow, Local Boy In The Photograph and Handbags and Gladrags reminded me of that lost feeling I had when seeing such an incredible band perform. A special moment was hearing an acoustic rendition of Have A Nice Day with the band huddled around a drum kit on the walkway to re-enact their early days playing on a stage in small clubs that size. Being humble for how far you’ve came ever goes out of fashion.
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Stereophonics
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Everything Everything
Bang Bang Romeo
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Tom Grennan
Photography by: Emily Freya
This Wild Life
Photography by: TJ Martinez
Photography, Interview, and Article written by: Samantha Toy in San Francisco, CA George Smith, Reece Bibby, and Blake Richardson lounge on a beige couch in their dressing room at August Hall when they stopped by the other month with their label mates, The Vamps. Just a few minutes before the interview, they wrapped up a meet and greet with their lovely Bay Area fans. For these guys, it’s a nonstop schedule; for example, they have to adjust to time zones and jet lag constantly, in addition to maintaining relationships with their families back home. “We’re very good! We flew in... when did we fly in?” questioned Blake. Quickly George chimed in stating that they flew in the previous night. “Yeah, what he said! We LOVE San Francisco, so it’s always good to be back,” Blake also noted. For New Hope Club, they are no strangers to the city. I mean they have only been to the Bay Area in four times total and sadly they have only been quick visits, but they pretty much know where to go about in regards to tourist spots. Last year in the summer, they were in San Francisco twice they mentioned. When they were touring around the USA with Sabrina Carpenter, they walked around the streets of the city after their show. George even said that they spent the night next to the legendary Golden Gate Bridge. Now this year, they have been to the area twice so far. “The last time we were here, we were with Sabrina Carpenter on her tour. After the San Francisco show, we had another gig just a few hours away, so we actually slept next to the Golden Gate Bridge like on our tour bus, and when we woke up, we saw the whole Golden Gate Bridge like in the morning as well,” said George. As much as the guys have toured a lot over the years, they actually don’t get to explore as much as you think when they are on the road. If you’ve been following
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New Hope for a while now, you know they have visited some of the most famous spots like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, and Empire State Building in New York to name a few, but they are mostly playing shows or hanging around airports when they’re traveling. “We actually don’t have a lot of time off on tour really because we’re always flying to places a lot of the time, but today in San Francisco we got to go to the Golden Gate Bridge and the park because it’s so cool,” commented Blake. “Early today I went to the same place I took a picture [The Masonic] with Tanner, and I was wearing the same jeans and same shoes. I was like ‘oh no’! The only difference is my haircut, but that’s it though,” chuckled George. In the comparison of the United States and England, there’s a vast difference in show sizes. In the UK, they are greeted by fans at the arena, train station, airport, and hotel, but not as much in America. When they perform in the US, they play at venues with a capacity less than 2500 at the moment, but that number will someday change. I asked the guys if they prefer playing arenas over smaller venues or vice versa. “We obviously love being on tour with The Vamps, and it’s always an honor to be with them because we love those boys, but I think we love every kind of show. Like the big shows are great because the fans are crazy and we always have fans constantly watching us, but like the smaller shows are just as amazing and it’s so intimate because we get more personal responses with the crowd and see more of the people. So yeah, I think they are both equally as important, but we love playing shows altogether,” Blake commented. I then asked if they get more nervous playing in front of smaller crowds
than arena-sized ones and they all nodded in unison. “Yeah like we did a little radio show yesterday in Portland, and like fifteen people were watching us, and I was like ‘oh my god’ in my head because they’re all looking at us and watching every move. I was more nervous because I can easily make a mistake,” uttered George. “So like in school during assemblies and stuff we got asked to play a song, and that was the worst because we could go up to like hundreds of people and be quite okay and not that nervous but like playing smaller gigs at school still were super nerve-wracking,” voiced Blake. At one point throughout the evening, I was chatting with George, and Blake while Reece was listening about how they are always busy, but it’s worth it in the end. For instance, before the tour even started, the three had a nonstop schedule. They first came off their UK run with The Vamps, had a few days off, flew New York, and then Mexico for shows in addition to day-long press. Furthermore, they still had to fly out to America for their North American run, but they made a stop in San Francisco first to be at a few radio stations then to Seattle, Washington for promo and topping it off with their first United States show the following night. I don’t know about you, but that schedule is pretty hectic, and that’s just a few days of their schedule this year that I’m aware of. I give a massive appreciation and applause to New Hope Club’s tour team, Ben, Tanner, and Joe for keeping everything organized even when they’re at home. While NHC can be in two different countries on the same day, it’s tough to keep track of the time. When they have a few moments to themselves, they spend it either sleeping or talking to their families. I’ve always wondered though if they ever had
an encounter with their parents calling them while they were playing a show, but they laughed and said no together. Blake chuckled and said, “Haha no we keep our phones either in the dressing room or with Ben.” And George mentioned, “Since we’re always so far from home and can’t see our families much, we try to call, text or Facetime them as much as possible. Time zones are super hard, but we try to keep our parents or siblings updated as much as we can.” In addition to talking about traveling, playing shows, and time zones, all three of them had the chance to share a few weird stories with me while our interview was coming to a close. While they can’t have a tour bus everywhere they are in the world, their go-to transportation is Uber. George started, “We were driving one time, and one guy was driving with one arm.” In addition Reece, who was unfortunately sick and needed to save his voice for his set, had a chance to say, “Yeah, one time a guy had a broken arm and blood was everywhere. Another guy brought children’s books and was showing us these array of songs so like the whole journey he was singing them while driving.” While ending the interview on a little laugh, the guys also mentioned that they plan to come back to the United States soon, and hopefully next year in 2019. They even have ideas of a headlining tour in North America...? Make sure to share New Hope Club with your friends, relatives, and neighbors about their EP, Welcome To The Club Pt.2. In the meantime, check out their curren tour dates, videos and more. It was a pleasure to speak with New Hope Club before the show, and I hope to chat with the guys again in San Francisco!
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Photographs by @joshuatphotos via Instagram L-R: 2017 & 2018
New Hope Club in San Francisco, CA 2017 Photo credit: @newhopeclub via Instagram
Left: Blake Richardson Instrument: Guitar/Vocals Age: 19 Twitter/Instagram: @newhopeblake
Right: George Smith Instrument: Guitar/Vocals Age: 19 Twitter/Instagram: @newhopegeorge
Left: Reece Bibby Instrument: Bass/Vocals/Drums Age: 20 Twitter/Instagram: @newhopereece 55
New Hope Club @ August Hall in San Francisco, CA Photography by: Samantha Toy
Cooper & Gatlin
Photography by: Kailey Sullivan
All Time Low
Photography by: Ian Enger
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