VOICES
#1
contents I.
BRADLEY GRIFFITHS - INTERVIEW (BLOODY KNEES) II.
TYLER REED - ART
III. ALEX HENERY - INTERVIEW (BASEMENT) IV.
BENSAD - ART
V.
10 YEARS OF BANQUET RECORDS
VI.
HETTY DOUGLAS - ART
VII. BOB COOPER - INTERVIEW (PRODUCER) VIII.
REVIEWS
INTERVIEW bradley griffiths (bloody knees)
The lo-fi, grunge outfit from Cambridge welcomed 2015 in true Bloody Knees style, with 30 minutes of madness and a mutually diminished sense of self-regard that involved a steady stream of crowd-surfing and showers of Stella Artois at ‘The Old Blue Last’ in Shoreditch. The last 2 years has seen the band play with big names such as Superheaven, Gnarwolves, Great Cynics, Nai Harvest, Swim Deep and Circa Waves, as well as festival slots at Boardmasters, Tramlines and Reading & Leeds. I had a chat with frontman Bradley Griffiths ahead of a sold out date with Honeyblood as part of a string of ‘NME Awards’ shows.
Bradley Griffiths - Bloody knees
First of all, your recent shows at The Old Blue Last have gained notoriety for being pretty crazy, and your other shows are no exception. Do you feel like you’re starting to gain more fans and more exposure because of this?
Those shows were great, and loads of fun. It’s really quite overwhelming to headline a show there and have it packed wall to wall, and even more so that a good number of the crowd are there to sing along, jump off the stage and get involved. It’s the whole reason a lot of punk bands start playing music, so it’s an incredible feeling to have it pay off like that. Most of the kids at the shows have been coming to our gigs for ages. There’s always familiar faces there which is wicked because it means they haven’t got bored of it! Sure, there’s a lot of good photos that come out from these shows too, which obviously other people see and it kind of sets a tone for what people expect at a BK show, but we’re still not a big band, so we play a tonne of shows to people that aren’t so familiar with the tracks and tend to stand and nod their heads – but that’s cool too. Maybe it’s gaining us more fans? I don’t really know! We’re just having the best fun doing it, so long may it continue.
You played the introducing stage at Reading festival last year and managed to pull in an impressive crowd despite an early slot and having to compete for a similar audience to Pulled Apart by Horses. How was that experience for you guys, and would you welcome the opportunity to do it again this year?
Yeah that was quality. We certainly didn’t expect a response like that but it was great. Again, a lot of kids knew the words and wanted to get involved. If anything, I think the earlier slot benefitted us because as it gets later in the day bigger bands play, so we might have filled a gap for a few people. Also, because the stage is outside, it gives you the bonus of people walking past who might not have a clue who you are, but might like what they hear and stick around for a song or two. It was an amazing weekend and we had a lot of friends playing too which is always a treat. Of course we’d love to play again this year! They tend not to book bands on the same stage two years running, but we’ll see! If not this year, then definitely next year when we have the album out.
Fans who follow you on Instagram will be aware that you’ve been in the studio this week! Can you tell us what the band is working towards, and when we can expect to hear any new material?
In all honesty, nothing is set in stone yet. We are working on new songs because that’s just what you do in a band, but we’re not fully ready to say how exactly we will be putting them out. Probably a single, very soon. We are itching to put new stuff out.
Your lyrical content has been pretty morbid and brutal in the last 2 releases: where does this come from?
Basically, when BK started it was just me in my bedroom writing songs that I didn’t expect to go anywhere. I have always been very fond of bands like Alkaline Trio, AFI, Misfits, Saves the Day etc. As well as a load of metal bands who all use graphic imagery in their lyrics, so it was born from there I suppose. On the first release I feel like those themes were more prominent. Songs like ‘Who’s Hungry’, ‘Ghosts’, and ‘Dead’. ‘100 Days’ was actually about my 3 months suffering from whooping cough the summer before. ‘Ears Eyes Ohs And Yous’ was about an ex-girlfriend who was creeped out about songs like ‘Who’s Hungry’. With the Stitches EP all of the songs were more about feeling a bit useless and directionless, or about trying to escape those feelings by taking yourself elsewhere mentally. There were still hints of graphic imagery because, frankly, I think it sounds cool. Then, obviously ‘Stitches’ is an account of when I bust my eyebrow open on tour with Wolf Alice. (I actually had to get a plastic surgeon to put my face back together because it was split to the skull). So yeah, I feel like in some songs there might always be a slightly grim undertone, but it’s not like that’s the plan. It just happens. All the songs have a meaning; it’s not just blood for the sake of blood.
Does the new material differ from your previous work or would you say you’re building on the foundations laid by the self-titled EP and the Stitches EP? Yeah, for sure we’re building on foundations of previous work. The second EP sounds way different to the first, and whatever we put out next will be different again. It’ll always sound like us though. You have to evolve and progress or it isn’t fun anymore! No one wants to write the same stuff over and over, that’s just lame.
You’ve previously cited Misfits as being a big influence on you, and this clearly translates into some elements of your music. What about the time you found yourself onstage with the band? Basically, I was 14. Misfits were playing my town and I was stoked to see them again (even though they are pretty much the worst case of ‘dragging a dead Horse’ ever, but fuck it. I didn’t care, I was 14.) Jerry Only had seen that I’d sung every word to every song, so he invited me on stage to sing ‘Last Caress’. I freaked. I hadn’t ever been on a stage, let alone stood next to a band I adore. So yeah, my mind went blank and I forgot the fucking words. Dead embarrassing but very, very funny to look back on. What a night. He still gave me his wristband and a free t-shirt though, so that was rad!
Aside from you fucking your face up on that sign in McDonalds and naming an EP after the experience, what have been some of the worst band injuries or potentially maiming situations?
Okay, so busting my face open for Stitches is the obvious one. When we were on tour with our pals Birdskulls, I climbed the front of a house in Brighton (drunk out of my mind) which hung over a spiky fence. Nearly slipped a couple of times. I then got everyone to gather below and I jumped off the window bay on top of everyone. A house dive. That could have gone wrong in so many different ways. That’s the only thing that springs to mind right away but we are constantly doing dumb shit like seeing who can piss in their own mouth the most on tour and other gross stuff your mum would not approve of. Oh, we did break into this abandoned mansion one time in Exeter which involved scaling some pretty high scaffolding and then shimmying a window open. Only to then gas ourselves by spraying all the fire extinguishers, which weren’t foam. Or Water. That could have also ended in injury. Or prison? I dunno.
Finally, your music videos reflect the morbidity of your lyrical themes, and are reminiscent of slasher movies and video nasties. What’s the idea behind your most recent video for the single ‘Daydream’? Okay, so basically Scotchy (drums) watched this documentary about people that fist each other to “touch each other’s souls”, so he came up with this idea that I travel through the rest of the bands anal passages and into their souls – which are obviously slightly strange places! That’s basically it. We just like to have fun with videos, and we do them all ourselves. Tom (guitar) is a bit of a camera/editing/visionary whizz mastermind.
‘Stitches’ EP 12” available now at: www.dogknightsproductions.bigcartel.com Stream at: www.dogknightsproductions.bandcamp.com www.soundcloud.com/bloodyknees
TYLER REED
INTERVIEW Alex Henery bASEMENT
In 2012, Basement succinctly announced their indefinite hiatus, to devastating effect. Little reason was given, and a huge hole was left in the scene. In their time of separation, the five members re-evaluated their respective positions in life, and re-adjusted accordingly. In an even more concise manner to their hiatus announcement, Basement prefaced the news that they were re-forming via twitter, removing the dates “2008-2012” from their bio, and tweeting: “hi”. Later that day they confirmed their reformation. Since then, the band has released an EP titled ‘Further Sky’, and played shows in the UK, Spain, Belgium, Australia, Japan and America. Basement have just announced that they will be playing another run of shows in America this year, as well as supporting Brand New in the UK in September, and will also be playing Outbreak Fest (UK) and Groezrock (Belgium). I caught up with Guitarist Alex Henery, who currently juggles band life with both Basement and Fiddlehead, while working for Run for Cover Records in the states. Alongside this, Alex has produced music videos for the likes of Superheaven, Pity Sex, Balance & Composure and Tiger’s Jaw, and his work has been featured on Rolling Stone, Vice, MTV and Stereogum.
Alex Henery - bASEMENT
You upped sticks and moved to America a few years ago now; How is Boston treating you man?
Boston is cool. The weather is finally getting better and the snow is nearly all gone which is a relief. This winter was so harsh; it even broke the record for snow fall in U.S history, so there were a lot of days where we were literally snowed in. But now it’s getting warmer and I can skate or ride my bike which is great, I’ve really missed being active and outdoors.
Whereabouts in Basement’s timeline did this move come, and what drove you to Boston?
When I knew the band was going to go on hiatus, which was around early 2012 I began looking at my options, and what I was going to do as a job. I quickly realized I would do anything not to be stuck in an office working 9-5. Through doing small video projects I ended up out in the USA filming a tour/music video for Man Overboard. Whilst we were in Boston I met up with Jeff and he offered me a job to start working at Run For Cover Records. Long story short, I spent all the money I had on a flight back to America, lived in my friends basement in Philly for 5 months and then eventually moved up to Boston - where I lived on a blow up mattress on a floor for 3 months. I now finally have a room, which is probably as big as some people’s closets, but I love it.
Photo: Jesse Freeman
The release of your ‘Further Sky’ EP has personally made me super eager for another full length release; Can you tell me what we can expect in a new album and when?
*
I can’t say too much about recording - that will all be announced soon though. I’ve been writing material ever since we took a break, just recording things on my iPhone and showing everyone. I don’t know how to describe the new LP, because I only have rough demos. I would say more like ‘Colourmeinkindness’ than ‘Further Sky’. It has a range of tempos, which I’m excited about. Too many bands release boring records where all the songs are the same; I’m glad we have variety on this record. We’re all excited about getting into a studio and recording these songs.
Your fans understand now that hiatus was inevitable because of the circumstances in your lives at the time. Now that the band is back together, what else is going on in your lives?
Everyone works full time. Finding time for the band can be really hard for some of the guys because they are working so hard at developing their careers - but that’s awesome. I’m glad we’re not a bunch of deadbeats who just seek our identity in a band and touring over and over. The band is the best hobby, and I love having it as a creative outlet and a way that we can all hangout and travel together when we can.
Your own side project Fiddlehead has been described as “the super-group no one knew they needed until they heard [it]”, and you recently played on the same bill as Turnstile and Superheaven. Can you tell me a bit about who’s in it and what to expect from the “Out of the Bloom” record? The band is Shawn Costa, Pat Flynn, Alex Dow, Adam Gonsalves and myself. I love playing in this band. It’s care-free, fun and super creative. Everyone is a pleasure to be around, and we work together really well as musicians. The EP is coming out soon; I’m excited for people to hear it. There has been some comparisons to At The Drive In and references to the DC punk scene which is very flattering. We are writing for another release at the moment but again everyone is very busy, but I would love to record before the end of the year.
Your Twitter and Instagram username is @skatetochurch - so I gather that you like skateboarding, possibly sometimes to church (?) What’s your current set-up? Yeah, I used that user name when I lived and studied in Nottingham back in the UK. I lived half way up this hill and the church I attended was about half a mile away. One day they re-paved the whole road. I would bomb down that hill, and I had a perfect run all the way to church; I would look forward to that journey every Sunday! Currently I’m skating a Polar board; they are an awesome Swedish company run by a skater called Pontas Alv. I love their graphics and videos; they have an awesome aesthetic and fun approach to skating. I skate Independent trucks, and Spitfire wheels.
Photo: Jesse Freeman
You have a lot of cool videos out there that you’ve produced for a load of bands – for instance, you filmed the music video for ‘I’ve Been Bored’ (the first Single from Superheaven’s forthcoming album ‘Ours is Chrome’.) What video for you has been the most exciting/fun to work on?
Yeah, that video came out for SideOneDummy, and I work for Run For Cover full time doing video work. I don’t think I have a favourite video, but I do love the videos I have done for Cloakroom. I love travelling out to Indiana and hanging out in the rural area of the region.
If you could switch roles with anyone in any of the bands on the Run For Cover roster, who would you swap with? This means not only would you play in their band, but you have to TRUST them to play in Basement too. Lol. Probably Doyle from Cloakroom.
Finally, you covered Suede’s ‘Animal Nitrate’ on the 3-track Further Sky EP, but if you could lock the rest of the guys in a studio and make them record an EP purely made up of covers, which 3 would you choose - and why?
Autolux - Blanket This song has such an awesome guitar riff for the chorus. The vocal melody is awesome too. The whole tone of Autolux’s album ‘Future Perfect’ is incredible. David Bazan - Strange Negotiations I literally could pick any David Bazan song because I love them all so much, so I kinda just picked this at random - but it is a beautiful song. There is a live performance of this song on YouTube where they extend the ending and just jam it over and over and it rules. Fugazi - I’m So Tired This would be interesting to do on guitar and full band. I lived with Greg from The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die a few years back and he taught me the piano part on guitar and I love playing it. It would be cool to try and do something completely different with this song. Plus, I think Fisher’s voice would lend well to this song.
* Since this interview, Basement have been in the studio recording tracks for their new album with producer Sam Pura.
‘Further Sky’ 7” available now at: www.silverbulletmerch.com/collections/run-for-cover Or Stream at: www.runforcoverrecords.bandcamp.com
bensad
Having risen from the ashes of the financially burnt out retail arm of the ‘Beggars Group’ in 2005 and turning the exhausted business division into this profitable, well-known and well-loved shop, Banquet records celebrated its 10th successful year of business in February. Located on Eden Street in the busy London suburb of Kingston, Banquet continues to embrace the physical format in the same way in 2015 as it did in 2005 and before, specialising in Vinyl Records and CD’s across an eclectic range of genres, from Punk, Emo and Indie, through to Techno, House, and Drum & Bass. In their 10 years, Banquet has prospered, and nullified the meagre forecast set by industry sceptics on the ability to survive the growth of the MP3. Infact, the only times the mass of records and CD’s are displaced is when displays are muscled out of the way to accommodate the waves of fans who come to the shop to watch their favourite bands perform in this exclusive and intimate setting, occasionally even to the regret (?) of the staff in hindsight, when the energy of the crowd outgrows the makeshift venue. It is easy to assume that Banquet Records has a certain ubiquity in Kingston-Upon-Thames that can be felt all across the riverside town; the shop is responsible for a large portion of punk, emo, indie and pop-punk gigs that pop up all over the suburban landscape. Moreover, Kingston owes many of its most popular club nights to the business, such as Indie night New Slang, and Punk/Emo/Hardcore night New Noise. Small venues like The Fighting Cocks have played host to bands like Real Friends, Citizen, Balance & Composure and Moose Blood in the last year alone thanks to Banquet Records, while the Hippodrome has hosted indie big boys like Vampire Weekend, Foals, Babyshambles, The Maccabees and Bombay Bicycle Club over the years - while Peace showed up to play in celebration of Banquet’s 1500th show on the 19th February. Given the success of their gigs, club nights and in-stores, you’d have thought this would be enough for managers Jon, Mike, Jane and their team. You’d be wrong. Alongside all of their contributions to Kingston’s music scene and their hugely successful store, Banquet Records own Label is responsible for vinyl pressings from some outstanding bands and artists, with the likes of Modern Baseball, Fireworks, and The Front Bottoms in their repertoire. These are sold in admirable quantities through the store to hordes of students and music fans alike, and of course on their online store. Just how instrumental this establishment is in the conservation of the local scene and how omnipresent their influence is can really be felt when you realise it’s the shop staff and managers who check your tickets before a gig, pull you over the barrier because you’ve been crowd-surfing, and then thank you for coming on your way out. It’s clear that Banquet records remains the beating heart of Kingston’s music scene, and the enduring success of this independent store undoubtedly gratifies both the patrons of the store and the industrious team of staff in equal measure. Happy 10th birthday, Banquet Records – here’s to another 10 years!
Check out new releases and upcoming gig listings at: www.banquetrecords.com
hetty douglas
INTERVIEW bob cooper (producer)
Bob is a recording, mixing and mastering engineer and a record producer. He currently works from Airtight Recording studio in Manchester and has worked with loads of great bands here and at previous locations such as Beat360 with legendary record producer Mark Saunders. (Please be assured, Bob is just as much a legend in his own right.) In the recent past, Bob has worked on albums and EPs for Hindsights, Headroom, Calls Landing, Walleater, Nai Harvest, Healing Powers and loads of other great people that are listed across the next two pages where me and Bob had a chat about his job, having dates with studio equipment, and that time Basement played a gig in his living room.
BOB COOPER
Hey man! First things first: For the people who simply consume and aren’t necessarily aware of the hard-work that goes on behind the scenes to create the records they listen to, can you explain exactly what tasks your job comprises of?
Hey dude! I typically work under the umbrella of punk and indie music, and all the attached subgenres. Here’s what I’ll typically do on a record: listen to demos and make notes on those, tune the drum kit, set up microphone placement, go back and retune the snare a million times, select the right guitar and amplifier for the part, set up guitar intonation if it’s way out, make suggestions on arrangement, ensure the musician gets the best performance they can, record multiple takes and compile them into one great performance, edit to tighten up parts if necessary (both tuning and timing), mix, master (for digital and vinyl).
Can you tell me what you’ve been working on recently and what your next/current project is? This week I’ve been working with a great band called Downers, they’re a grunge/shoegaze influenced band featuring Bobby from Me Vs Hero and James from Sonic Boom Six; it’s such a rad record, fuzz all over. We finished up guitars last night and I got to try my new Superheaven Fuzz pedal on it which sounds rad. Next week I’m starting an EP with Scouts [Now called Big Nothing], who funnily enough Bobby from Downers used to play for. I loved their last EP and I’m super excited to work on the new one. I’ve also got a bunch of mix and mastering sessions coming up that week with Doctrines, James Carroll, All Down But 9, About:Blank and Humans As Ornaments. Basically next week I’m gonna be the world’s busiest guy, but I am very stoked about it.
Out of all the bands you’ve worked with, who have been the most fun to work with? What has been the most fun EP/Album to produce? I’m in a really fortunate position that I love pretty much every project I work on. I think one of the most fun (from a nerdy effects point of view) was an album with a band called All The Best Tapes - they’re an insanely talented three piece and we managed to track the whole album in 6 days which is wild. The guitarist/vocalist Marcus has two huge pedal boards and he gets the most insane sounds from them.
I always have a blast with my guys in Nai Harvest, we’ve been mates for ages and I think we have a really good, no bullshit working relationship where we can tell each other if an idea/tone isn’t working. Hindsights are always super fun; they’re some of my best mates. Insanely talented dudes - and Jack and Miles are the world’s funniest double team. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much as I did in those sessions. I could keep going on forever, but I’ll just mention Walleater, Healing Powers, Don Blake, Classically Handsome Brutes and Keeper as being a ton of fun.
I spoke to you before about when Basement played a gig in your front room – can you explain the circumstances that surrounded that house show?
Oh yeah, that was super fun. Sometime at the back end of 2009/start of 2010 I used to live in a town called Huddersfield and my friend Dan was putting on a date of the Basement / Tigers Jaw / End Of A Year (now Self Defense Family) tour at a local bar, which got double booked. We were scrambling for a place to put on the show (in a small town with few venues) and just decided my living room would be the best place. I’d already done a lot of recording in the house so we weren’t too worried about noise complaints; it ended up being a really great night. Turns out there were a bunch of people at that show who I later became really good friends with, but didn’t actually meet that night (including Ben from Nai Harvest).
If you looked at your diary right now, what would stand out to you as something you’re really excited to do this year?
I have some really cool stuff! The Scouts EP will be a blast. I have a band coming over from Germany called Rivers & Tides to do an album and I’m mixing an album for Bird Skulls which I’m very excited about. I’m also doing really cool records with Pipedream, Larkhill, Home Schooled, Hora Douse, Coloured In and something I can’t mention yet!
If you could have produced any album ever, what would it be and why?
‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’ by Panic! At The Disco. How can one record have SO many hits? I still love it like 10 years later.
Is there any cool equipment you’ve acquired recently?
I picked up the Superheaven Fuzz which sounds rad; I also recently got this really cool little thing called a snare weight. It’s kinda like moon gel but it just makes snares sound great! I grabbed a Laney GH100L after I tried Jamie’s from Home Schooled; it’s a cool sounding amp. Recently I’ve been buying more boring stuff like acoustic treatment for my mix room, it’s made such a difference to the way I hear sounds.
If you could take any amp on a date – what would you take?
Don’t tell the Hot Rod Deluxe but I’m pretty in love with my Marshall JCM900 SLX right now.
Finally: FUCK/MARRY/KILL Benio Baumgart (Hindsights) Jamie Hughes (Home Schooled) Ben Thompson (Nai Harvest, Headroom, Plough Lines, Fruit Bomb) Oh hell. Ok, I’d marry Benio, he laughs at my shit dad jokes and he’s pretty hench, so he’s a good cuddler. Also he’s polite so I could introduce him to my parents. Oh man, now I’m torn, Jamie and Ben are both good looking guys, I’m pretty sure Ben reads Cosmo sex tips, but I think Jamie said he hasn’t got laid in a while so maybe he’d work harder. Also I think Ben would be less upset if I said I wanted to kill him (sorry Ben). Ok, fuck Jamie, kill Ben.
Website: www.bobcooperproducer.com Showreel: www.bobrecordsbands.bandcamp.com Bob also has a great blog full of tips for working and aspiring producers, which I can’t recommend enough if you are either of those. Check it out: www.bobcooperproducer.wordpress.com
REVIEWS For Fans Of: Make Do And Mend, Turnover, Headroom, Hindsights. The Sheffield 2-Piece’s latest offering begins not with the familiar northern tones of James Eardley but with the musings of Fred Jung on the value of life without wealth from the 2001 movie ‘Blow’, which encourages contemplation in the context of this instrumental track. Fred’s words extend into a brooding rhetoric, as he asserts that “money isn’t real... it doesn’t matter. It only seems like it does.” Cheers Fred. Reflecting on those ideas seems futile, as the track bursts into 30 seconds of ranting guitars and a cymbal-heavy percussive line where you it feels like you’re pulled away from your thoughts and pushed into a mosh pit.
Bayoné – Honeycomb EP
These guys have made big moves since the shout-along’s and noodling that were prominent in their ‘1866’ EP; Their latest offering enacts maturity and boasts sensibility Gruff Punk/Emo throughout, especially in the creeping introduction to ‘Drive’, where they challenge 2-piece from Sheffield God and question death. The new addition of bass (which appears here but is excluded bayone.bandcamp.com from their live sound) drives through this song with power but without intrusion, adding another dimension to their sound, while Josh Leary of Healing Powers doubles the clean vocals with his own screamo adaptation. The thing I love most about this EP is that each song feels like it builds on the last; they manage to bleed into each other without all sounding the same, which is something I have a lot of respect for. The nature of this record means that the sentiments it evokes flit between being pitiful and inverted to being totally uplifting. There are moments that make you feel like the vocalist wants to punch you in the head, and others where he wants to give you a cuddle and talk about feelings. Is that the formula for a perfect EP? Who knows?
Slowlight EP
For Fans of: Fugazi, Jawbox, Slowcoaches. This is a stand-out record for me. Slowlight dropped this EP right at the start of the new year, and the erratic punk correlations in these tracks, reinforced by the satisfying discordance between the melodies of the guitars and vocals, make this a really strong, divergent offering from the Glasgow 4-piece. Opening track ‘Crossfire’ flirts with various tempos and the structural irregularity keeps you on your toes, which is something they are consistent with throughout all four tracks. Angular Post-Punk from The guitars are generally pretty raspy, but the twangy, bright intro to ‘Repeat the Pattern’ Glasgow gives you a false sense of security while Beth Black’s vocals provide a calm before the storm of the latter half of this track. The mixture of vocals from Beth and Colin really slowlightglasgow.bandcamp.com complement eachother and the dark inherence of this EP; It’s refreshing to hear the sort of raw, jarring vocals that were so characteristic of 70’s punk, post-punk and new-wave acts such as Joy Division, Fatal Microbes and Bauhaus represented in 2015.
Avida Dollars Pizza Elders EP
Lo-Fi, brazen, fuzzy garage punk from Sheffield
deliciousclamrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pizza-elders-ep
For Fans of: FIDLAR, iceage, Wavves, No Age. There’s a lot of shit going on in this EP and it takes a few listens to realise it all. The telling-off you feel you’ve just received from ‘Power Bottom Blues’ is inconsistent with the atmospheres created in the hazey, Californian loveliness of ‘Dream, Babe’ and ‘Seen The Light’, and that inconsistency, and the unpredictable path that this record carves is fucking exciting. The vocals are sharply bipolar in quality (don’t shit yourself and think I’m being facetious about a mental disorder, it’s an adjective too m8) and that lead voice quickly changes from the snarling screams heard on track one to the dulcet croon found on track 4: ‘Meat Scene’ - a fucked up, yet equally romantic portrait of the group of band’s from Sheffield who hang together. Romance is cool. So is shouting. Listen to this EP if you like romance and shouting.
For Fans of: Seahaven, Basement, Title Fight, Hindsights. There might only be 3 tracks on this EP, but it leaves nothing to the imagination. There are sulking introductions and heavy-hitting chorus’ a plenty on the band’s first release, and they achieve a power that is reminiscent of some of their peers listed above, delivering a hugely likeable sound that you’ll find yourself singing along to on your first listen. The climbing melody from the guitars provides the perfect sonic landscape for the emotionally crushing one-line chorus, with those sweet, sweeping vocals chanting “your words, they feel like hands around my neck” over and over on track 1, ‘Waves’. This track was a highlight for me before I’d even heard the other two, which are just as intense and as stirring as the first. ‘Shelter’ draws the EP to a close, and is absolutely drenched in reverb Last Light in places, which sounds great, and the drums sound really far away too. I’ll be honest, I Waves EP thought the second track was a cover of that soppy Frankie Goes To Hollywood song that Powerful emo/alt rock was on the John Lewis christmas advert that time, but it wasn’t, which is good. Instead, it from Birmingham was a bloody nice song called ‘Ember’ that made me want to have long hair and be able to let said long hair dangle over my face and have a cry. lastlightuk.bandcamp.com Listen to this EP if you like crying, but also listen to his EP if you never cry (like me) but just like really powerfully emotive songs.
Algae Bloom i am still scared of living EP
For Fans of: You’ll Live, (old) Nai Harvest, Bonehouse, Merchant Ships. Algae Bloom cite “stasis” and “catharsis” as being two notions that drove the conception of their latest release, and I feel like their period of inactivity has provoked a sense of frustration for both of these guys that manifests itself in these 7 songs. “The Pull of Thoughts at Dawn” is subtle; it doesn’t need words because this first instrumental track tells of boredom and frustration with its slow motion militaristic drums and the twinkly, repetitive guitar part that ends before you know it. A lot of skramz music I’ve come to love has built an expectation in me for 100mph ‘musical’ shit-fits, but this release is clean, slow and Clean, twinkly screamo legible. That said, it’s as emotionally destructive as they come. Algae Bloom confront pain from Norwich and suffering on this record, while some themes are cloaked in metaphors which contrast algaeblooms.bandcamp.com with the simplicity of their sound and add to the distraught, poetic identity of their lyrics. This is a refreshing take on screamo, and it showed me another side to the genre that isn’t whiney/American/drowned in reverb/emo-violence etc. Safe.
Pjaro Softcore EP
pjaroscps.bandcamp.com
For Fans of: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think, Pixies. It feels like ages since the last Pjaro release, and this one was bloody worth the wait. The first track “Passed Out, Covered In Drugs” squeals into existence and insists on knowing: “when you look in the mirror, do you smile?” in an anthemic sort of way. The drumming is urgent and erratic as expected, so much so that the band takes a breather for just over a minute in track 2 where they eavesdrop on a really dull Yorkshireman’s conversation that persists through the slow, experimental prelude titled: “Car2003”. This car goes 0-60 in about 9 minutes and turns into a frantic high-gain solo that weaves in and out of the clean Experimental post-punk ostinato provided by the other guitar in what is resemblant of tracks such as Joy Division’s 3-piece from Sheffield “Disorder” and New Order’s “Ceremony”. The third and final track is a lot more mathy and angular. This sort of track is the reason I fell in love with Pjaro in the first place - I haven’t got a fucking clue what time signature it’s in, and I haven’t got a fucking clue what’s going on, but it’s sharp, unpredictable and mad. Just when you think they’re going to end with a nice, restrained twinkly number, it turns into a tantrum of distortion and frequency, and just generally goes a bit mental. Pjaro are going to release this on the 4th of May for a quid, but until then you can get a taste for it by following the link on their facebook page for the first track.
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P H O T O S
COVER
Tyler Reed
BASEMENT
Jesse Freeman jessefreeman.tumblr.com
tyler reed www.tyler-reed-art.com Instagram: @tylerxreed benSAD keepsad@icloud.com Instagram: @keepsad HETTY DOUGLAS www.hettydouglas.com Instagram: @hettydouglas
t h a n k s
Bradley Griffiths Alex Henery Bob Cooper Jon Tolley Woody Delaney
In Memory of Nick Mann (ASFAR Zine)
“Hero of the DIY music scene” This zine is dedicated to the memory of Nick Mann. Nick was a pillar of the hardcore community, and his passion for it shone through in his writing for Big Cheese Magazine and his own publication, ‘A Short Fanzine About Rocking’ (ASFAR). Given the sheer dedication that Nick exuded through the various manifestations of his love for music, it is hardly surprising that he died selflessly, trying to save the life of his brother, Robert. I can only reiterate the words of so many other people whose lives were enriched by Nick’s and those who he supported and helped, in saying that he will be sorely missed by such a huge community of people. An online fund has been created by Nick’s wife to raise money for a memorial in Nick’s honour. The fact that the £1,000 target has been surpassed, and that the figure after only 5 days stood at £4,625 speaks for itself. If you’d like to donate, I’d encourage you to do so by visiting the link below. Rest In Peace Nick
www.gofundme.com/nickmannmemorial
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