Issue 9 www.audio-addict.co.uk
FUNERAL for a FRIEND
STONE ROSES REUNITE
Rihanna and Coldplay collaborate HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORILLAZ!
Gorillaz turn TEN!
THE BLACKOUT.FLASH GUNS.AMY WYKE.THE DYKEENIES.THE ANSWER.
NOELGALLAGHER.SLOW MAGIC.KATY B. WE ARE THE OCEAN.
NEWS
CONTENTS
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Coldplay and Rihanna collaborate NEWS . Stone Roses reform .
. The Streets call it a day
FEATURES
10 12 .Funeral For A Friend 15 .We Are The Ocean 18 . Forever The Sickest Kids 20. Gary Numan
.The Blackout’s Sean Smith discusses the new album
REVIEWS 21 LIVE reviews KATY B, Clement Marfo And The Frontline , The Dykeenies and VNV Nation.
25 ALBUM reviews
Slow Magic, Noel Gallagher, Tom Waits, Coldplay, Amy Wyke, Flashguns, Patrick Stump and Drake.
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i All,
It has been a very exciting time for music fans recently, with the reformation of The Stone Roses. However, Editor:David Sullivan there is time for sadness as The Streets have decided to call it a day and Friendly Fires decided not to bother to visit Southampton due to ‘illness’. Features Editor: Bryony Curtis Within this issue we give you the lowdown on all of this and also offer you some exclusive interviews with cover stars Funeral For A Design Editor: Shadene Lewis Friend and the one and only Gary Numan. We also have some interesting chats with The Blackout’s Sean Smith and We Are The Ocean. Enjoy David
MEET THE TEAM contributions from David Norton Matt Cook Tom Hutchin Mikey Rush Nick Pollard Naina Sethi Luke McFarlane Mikaela Osbourne Raven lyness Sam Willis
Reviews Editor: Gabby Rolfe
Front Section: Sarah Eustace
Mitch Stevens
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Guilty Pleasures BAD NEWS FOR SOUTHAMPTON... With ...
Friendly Fires had to cancel their show the 12th of November at the Guildhall. The band announced on facebook that the gig will be postponed due to lead singer, Ed McFarlane, suffering from a throat infection. However do not fret the band also said ‘Cos rock stars aren’t half they would be rescheduling the gig for as cool as they’d like you as soon as possible. to think What films are you ashamed to admit that you like? JOHN: “What’s the age limit” It can be as adult content as you like... STEVE: “We’re not like that...” (Yeah sure) STEVE: “Dirty Dancing, yeah. I’m Sticking with that” BRIAN: “Ghost.” JOHN: “Land before time, man!” Any songs you can’t help but sing along to? JOHN: “I’m actually ashamed of my whole music taste to be honest.” BRIAN: “Chesney hawkes...” JOHN: “Chesney Hawkes is a good one. Van Hallen, ‘Jump’...f***ing love that tune and Europe, The final countdown.” Not saying anything... JOHN: “What’s wrong with that, most played on my iPod, man!”
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In terms of TV? JOHN: “JUDGE JUDY. I f***ng love that. I’m not even ashamed to like that. And Jermey Kyle.” STEVE: “Property programmes like Homes Under the Hammer.” JOHN: “F***ing love Judge Judy, man.” And what about you Brian? BRIAN: “Heartbeat back when Gary Barlow was in it, man.” Gary barlow was in Heartbeat? Yeah right! BRIAN: “Yeah f***ing Google that shit.” Any embarrassing hobbies? ALL:Frisbie. You think frisbie’s cool? BRIAN: “What’s wrong with frisbee? I suppose Bowles...I don’t actually play though” Do you even understand this question? STEVE: “Figure Skating” JOHN: “Nah figure skatings cool.”
THE AUDIO ADDICT iPOD Here at Audio Addict we don’t have an office, but if we did this is what would be playing on the office stereo...That we also don’t have.
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WHAT’S
HOT?
WHAT’S NOT!
On the 11.11.11 we are given to reOn the the perfect 11.11.11excuse we were given the watch Is Spinal Tap. ‘This perfect‘This excuse to rewatch ‘This is NEVER a bad thing. a bad Is Spinal Tap. ‘This is NEVER
Happy Nigel thing. Tufnel Day!Tufnel Day! Happy Nigel
Half of the world is celebrating the news of Westlife’s split. The other half expresses shock that they were still together.
Patrick Stump shed some beef and is looking pretty darn good.
Maybe you should have a word with Frankie, Bruno...
Pregnancy scandal? Paternity Test? We never thought you had it in you JB!
REBECCA BLACK’S ‘Friday’ video has been taken off Youtube due to disaggrements with Ark Records making it even harder for Rebecca to find her seat.
Fall Out Boys Pete Wentz attempts the worlds surrealist Halloween costume
Metallica to headline another Download festival next year. Yawn.
Queen Mom? Are you going to break the bad news to Katy Or shall I?
Jessie J tells her fans what to do with their twitter accounts...
Ed Sheeran bringing intellectual debate to social networking X Factors resident muppet, Frankie ‘Cokeupthenozza‘ Cocozza, was kicked off the show for doing something that sounds hysterically similar to his surname .
Mark Hoppus: A fountain of sensitivity
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Coldplay and Rihanna Announce collaboration ‘Princess of China’ as third single from Mylo Xyloto
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harttopping Brit-hippies Coldplay have announced plans to release ‘Princess of China’ as the third single from their forthcoming album Mylo Xyloto, which was released on the 24th October.
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The group’s latest offering is their fifth studio effort and is the bands most anticipated, if their previous albums sales are any indication.’ Viva La Vida’ or ‘Death and All His Friends’ (Parlaphone/ EMI), released back in June 2008, notched up a mere
300k in sales in just the first three days alone, eclipsing the 465,000 sold by 2005’s ‘X&Y’ in a full sales week, and 274,000 for 2002’s ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head.’ News of Rihanna’s involvement with the London-based song-writers raised a few eyebrows earlier this month when details of the collaboration were leaked. The choice to release the song as the bands third single, so close to the November launch date of Rihanna’s sixth studio album ‘Talk That Talk’ (Def Jam), does make you wonder how much of a say Chris Martin & Co. had in deciding this song in
particular as a red-hot favourite for radio. It would be a tad easy then to assume this arrangement came about as a result of label pressure but frontman Chris Martin was quick to state it was the band’s decision to initially ask the Barbadian on-board, not EMI’s. Speaking to MTV News earlier this month, he confirmed that at the time of writing the song he was hoping the R&B superstar would agree to feature, so they “came up with the idea of asking her to sing it with us, and, to our great surprise, she said okay.” Elaborating on what it
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means for the record, he added “her bit on our record is [our] favorite bit… we have nothing to lose, and so we’ve been trying some new things and trying to break down the perceived boundaries between different types of music’. As to how a collaboration between a male pop-rock band and female pop star will break down these perceived musical boundaries is anyone’s guess but it’s clear that with a combined total of album sales between both acts nearing on 130 million, come Christmas this total will be a whole lot higher.
Gorillaz
Celebrate 10 year anniversary of first album with compilation C.D. By Matt Cook.
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D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russell will be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their debut album, Gorillaz, at the end of November. With an astonishing career spanning singles, videos and a remixes album, their human counterparts Damon Albarn and animator Jamie Hewlett look set to be commemorating the occasion with this release. The album consists of an eclectic selection from Gorillaz, Demon Days and Plastic Beach. The track list includes ‘Clint Eastwood’, ‘Dirty Harry’, ‘Kids With Guns’, ‘El Manana’ and ‘On Melancholy Hill’ as well as 10 other accomplished songs from previous releases. The announcement of the album has come days after virtual member Murdoc’s Twitter read, “Gorillaz are TEN. Ten years old, eh? T.E.N. What’s that stand for? The End is Nigh…!” Murdoc has then gone on to tweet several other acronyms for T.E.N including “This Era’s New “ and “This Extravaganza’s Nutz”.
These acronyms have started talks about the future of Gorillaz and what the next step for them will be. For all you Rillaz obsessives or those who just want to ‘feel good’ then this album is for you. It will be available for purchase and digital download on the 28th of November.
Ash
Release compilation CD after their epic singles series.
N By Matt Cook.
orthern Ireland alt-rock band Ash recently released a compilation LP of their greatest hits. This LP includes breakthrough hit ‘Girl From Mars’, their highest charting single ‘Goldfinger’ and the enduringly popular ‘Burn Baby Burn’.
As well as this LP, they have released a DVD depicting their rise from local school heroes to the star band that topped the charts with their debut album ‘1977’. Hollywood film star Ewan McGregor is narrating the DVD which focuses on Ash’s highs, lows and immoralities during their previously unseen tour documentary “Teenage Wildlife’. The release of this compilation CD came days after frontman Tim Wheeler hinted that the band were ready to record an album for the first time since recording ‘Twilight Of The Innocents‘ in 2007. When Wheeler talked to BBC6 Music he stated, “I think the album is probably still the best medium because in a way it’s almost the most economic
one when there’s so little money coming in to make music,” he explained. “This probably offers the best way of doing it because you don’t have to market it for very long whereas a year of doing a singles campaign is quite challenging.”
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Available via iTunes and in all good retail shops.
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The Streets
We bid a Final farewell as Skinner calls it a day.
By Tom Hutchin
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s it turns out, the farewell tour of last year was not the last time we’d see Skinner on stage performing as The Streets. On the official website there is only a ‘closed’ sign posted by Skinner, however it has been confirmed that the last ever Streets gigs will take place at The Big Reunion Festival in Skegness. The Streets will be headlining the stage twice over two weekends from the 18th to the 20th and the 25th to 27th of November. Other acts to play at the festival include Example, Professor Green and Pendulum will be showcasing a DJ set. It is undoubtedly a shame that The Streets are retiring but this last show will at least allow them to go out with a bang.
EMI Sold to Universal
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By Mikey Rush
MI, the iconic British label behind the likes of The Beatles, Radiohead and Coldplay have started the process of being broken up with the sale of their recorded music unit.
Universal spent £1.2bn in the auction for EMI’s recorded music business, beating rival Warner Music by £250m. Whilst Sony have agreed to buy out the publishing division for £1.4bn. The sale comes after a take-over by US bank Citigroup after previous owners Terra Firma became heavily indebted to the tune of £3.4bn. Management and artists alike seem to be more than happy with the news with Lucien Grainge, recently promoted chief executive of Universal, stating that they will be preserving EMI’s ‘cultural heritatge’. He said: ‘For me, as an Englishman, EMI was the pre-eminent music company that I grew up with. Universal is committed to both preserving EMI’s cultural heritage and artistic diversity and also investing in its artists and people to grow the company’s assets for the future’. Universal have also said that the legendary Abbey Road studios will be retained and EMI’s many record labels,
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like Virgin Records, will continue to be supported. Mick Jagger also waded in with his thoughts after famously removing the whole of The Rolling Stones catalogue from EMI to Universal in 2008: ‘I particularly welcome the fact that EMI will once again be owned by people who really do have music in their blood’.
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Stone Roses Reunite
A By Nick Pollard
fter harsh words between members over the last 16 years, they have finally buried the hatchet: The Stone Roses are reuniting. Having teased fans with cryptic tweets for days, and refusing to confirm their plans, Ian Brown’s brief confirmation by text message echoed around all corners of the Internet: “We are going to rule the world again. It’s happening.” He continued at the following press conference, “We are going to shake up the world”. His
global plans are not an understatement. With the announcement of the reunion comes the promise of a world tour and a third album, their first since 1994’s Second Coming. The band crumbled in 1996 on bad terms, after negative reviews of Brown’s live performances, and guitarist John Squire’s departure. Ever since then, rumours had appeared and been denied. In 2009, when guitarist John Squire was asked whether there was any chance that the band would ever reconcile, he answered “none whatsoever”. Brown admits, “let’s face it, the wheels did come off ”.
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The Stone Roses are to perform three comeback concerts in Heaton Park, Manchester. All 225,000 tickets sold out within just one hour, grossing £12.3 million. Ticket touts are swarming eBay with ambitious prices of up to £10000. Big names in British music have expressed their excitement. Mark Ronson says that the reunion is “a bigger deal than Zeppelin”. Oasis’ Liam Gallagher was no less excited. Arguably too excited, stating on Twitter “Stone Roses getting back together not been this happy since my kids were born.”
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It’s The Stupid Blonde Hair Really
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The Blackout’s Sean Smith talks to AudioAddict about new album Hope, collaborations and all things British. By David Sullivan AudioAddict
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ou released your new album Hope recently how do you feel you have progressed from your previous albums?
“I like to think we are better song writers now. It honestly is in our opinion our best work to date. We love it and it seem to have gone down well as well, because we didn’t think of how the fans would like it before, like literally the day before it came out I went ‘ah f*** we forgot to think what they might think of it’ and then it came out and it’s done quite well so people have liked it. It’s all we can ask really. “ So you did what you thought you really wanted to do? “Well yeah we always write music that we like over anything. If you start writing music for other people I think you’re f**ked. If we made an album right now, for the people, it would be some dubsteppy rock nonsense that would probably die in about six months or something. So yeah we just make the music we like and hopefully others like it, if not we’re doomed. “ Throughout the years you have collaborated with a number of artists such as Ian Watkins and Hyro Da Hero how do you feel these collaborations come to fit with your genre? “All of those collaborations came about accidentally I guess. For that Hyro bit I started rapping when we were recording for a laugh with Jason the producer and he was like ‘that’s good you should do that’ and I was like ‘I can’t rap I’m from Merthyr Tydfil and I’m white’ so we got Hyro in and yeah I think it’s a good thing,
I think more people should do it, it brings more people together I guess. Us and Hyro we are two different bands I guess and now we’ve come together and we tour together and it was awesome for both so it’s a good thing.” Is there a bit of British pride then with you? “Yeah defiantly. There are some many American bands that are coming over that everybody is worshiping that are an absolutely shit version of British bands. It fries my fucking brain, just because they’ve got American accents, they’re not cooler; they’re most of the time dickheads. So there’s loads of good British bands out there that people need to go find for themselves I guess.”
No I guess not, none of us have really changed like we’re all really the same. Like I was a cock in school and I’m still a cock now so it’s never been like an ego thing were people go like ‘Ah when I knew him he used to be different and now he’s this arrogant Knob’. I was always a knob and that’s how it is. You’ve just got to adapt to the situation, just be yourselves is the main thing. We’ve literally hung out with all of our heroes and hung out with all these massive bands and they are just normal guys. People put people on a pedestal, but like Jared Leto now for instance everyone would be like ‘ah Jared Leto, ah Jared Leto’. Jared Leto has defiantly caught his dick in his zip at some point or banged his head getting out of a car or stubbed his toe. People are just normal people and the sooner people see that the better I think.
How do Americans find you? “They don’t get our sense of humour I guess and they struggle with the way we speak to be honest because us being Welsh it doesn’t really transcend very well to their accent. We’ve got a lot of friends that are American but they do crap bands really well. That’s the thing, I love all of my American friends and all their bands are great but when they do a crap band they do it really well and it normally gets really big as well. Like Brokencyde, what the fuck is Brokencyde its fucking shit. I saw them miming, if you can’t scream live then you should be in a fucking band, ah it makes my blood boil.” Your band quickly developed into something huge with support to MCR and main stage at Reading. Did you have trouble dealing with the success?
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Is that why you work with two singers? “I guess so. When we started I did it because when we first started the band I was DJ-ing in the band and Gary was singing and then I decided I would try song yelling and that went alright so I got rid of the decks, which were too heavy anyway, too heavy to carry around. I always loved writing melodies and stuff but I was always too under confident, I guess, to sing them and to sing live. So one day I just went for it. It’s all about confidence singing, so I did it and it just worked and then we decided to have two singers because nobody else was kind of doing it so it adds to the showmanship and when you watch it its more to see, its more to try and take in. I think that’s where the energy comes from as well.”
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F
uneral For A Friend has been part of a staple diet of British rock history and this year they celebrate their tenth anniversary within the harcore scene. To mark this milestone, FFAF have come back with a blistering fifth album release, ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’. This amount of time within any industry has its ups and major blows and FFAF have experienced no difference from this. Label changes and mass rearrangements of line ups have all added effect to their career, but FFAF are back with a powerful line up and a new sound to give them strong stance in the future. The years 2010-2011 have been frantic, to say the least, for FFAF with two EP releases (‘The Young And Defenceless’, ‘See All You In Hell’) and the release of comeback album, ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’. However before this appearance, a musical drought saw FFAF shy away from the scene, as creating an album worthy of a comeback takes valuable time. “It takes quite a while to build up a collection of songs and to be able to go into the studio and record. We pretty much spent the time finishing the ‘Anthology’ and then we pretty
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much started writing right away.” Kris Coombs-Roberts and Gavin Burrough explain. “Yeah there has always got to be that interim period. I suppose to the public it seems like we are not doing anything but in actual fact we are sitting down, picking about guitars, and having arguments with each other and all that bollocks”. A huge amount of effort and care has been taken into the creation of ‘Welcome Home...’ as can be heard through the technicality of both music and lyrics in turn. A huge importance to get things right and also to prove a point comes hand in hand with a comeback and tensions were high when creating the piece. “It was different to what we had done for previous records, obviously having Gavin and Richard in the band, they have done things for us previously but this is the first album we’ve wrote as a band”. Roberts states. It is as though FFAF at this point have become a new band and see themselves as something fresh, lending to the fact that writing Welcome home came somewhat easily to them. “It was given a different dynamic because Gav was very creative and Gav comes up with a load of ideas and so does Rich. So it meant we had quite an abundance of ideas and we weren’t trying to scrape the bottom of the barrel to get ideas together.’ FFAF wrote ‘Welcome Home...’ in the state of mind as fans of music they love to listen to. This in turn led to what fans see as ‘a return to where they started’. The emphasis of making the record involved the same ethos that they had gathered as fans of music.
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“It was more aggressive, going back to the older elements of the band, making the songs faster. Bring back that energy”, Burrough muses. “I definitely think that the direction was to try and bring back that ‘fan’ element to the songs and to make stuff challenging to play and also challenging to listen to. I think that in the past we kind of dumbed ourselves down a bit and gradually done it without realising really. It was about going back and thinking about all the things that made me want to play guitar and write music in the first place,” Roberts explains. FFAF have always been at heart a hardcore band, albeit they have wavered paths throughout their career. However they still hold their roots at the forefront and even performed at CBGB’s on their committed punk pilgrimage, a place that has left a strong memory on the band.
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With the most interesting toilet I’ve ever seen
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As for changes within the band, with members coming and going, many different hallmarks have been left on the band with present new members Gavin Burrough and Richard Boucher feeling as though they have entered the band as fans, which is an honour in itself. The strongest connections these members feel to the band is through the new releases surrounding and including ‘Welcome Home...’. It is at this present time that FFAF are set purely to have fun and enjoy where they are as Roberts and Burrough openly admit their favourite songs to play involve the fact that they are “generally the easier ones” and “The ones you can run around to”.
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A strong history runs through the music of FFAF as Roberts explains, “The older songs represented the days of us ten years ago whereas the new ones represent who we are today and what we are as a band”. Newly released EP, See You All In Hell, was released somewhat abruptly after the release of Welcome Home and showcases one new song and a variety of acoustic and live tracks and seemed to be pre-planned during the release of Welcome Home. “The idea came from the fact that we had been writing new material again. It wasn’t a thing of being forced into it or being asked to do it, we just had some time and we started writing and we were like it would be quite cool to show some people some a new song and kind of like the direction that the band is heading. So it’s kind of a companion piece to the album where it’s like different interpretations of songs on the new album”. Roberts explains. The EP is quite unlike anything released by FFAF in previous years
and certainly shows a different direction yet again taking place. ‘See You All In Hell’, also an insight into the versatility of FFAF with slices of every piece of the new band being held high as acoustic, live and studio all take equal right. “I think it’s a testament of a good song really when you can strip it down to its bare bones and then still connect with people so whether it be an acoustic version of ‘Streetcar’ so compared to the actual song its totally different but it still conveys the same meaning”, Burrough states. As well as audio releases, FFAF also released a Live DVD of their show at Shepherds Bush Empire commemorating the last show of past member Darren Smith where collectively FFAF played debut album, Casually Dressed And In Deep Conversation in its entirety. Not only is this release an everlasting piece of memorabilia for both Smith and fans alike, it offers as a milestone as to where FFAF are today. With all of these releases within such a short space of time it could show that FFAF are purely out to promote their comeback onto the scene. Roberts explains, “I think with the EP the idea was to kind of do something like we first started through EPs and I think there’s something quite special about those EPs and as well That was always the idea with the EPs and they work as a predecessor to the album as well. Obviously we’ve finished up with the other one now.” From a first listen of new material, it offers a sound which lends to FFAF leaning back to their roots and where it all first started. “What we do is always about looking forward and focusing on where we
want to go as opposed to where we’ve been. I just think that when Gav and Rich joined the band they brought a fresher dynamic and made us take a look at ourselves and be honest and what we really wanted to do and these guys think what we’ve done in the past is what we’ve done best”. Burrough continues, “We’re not in to rehash old material it’s more of the ethos and everything and bringing back the elements that’s we do best you know that aggression opposed with the melody. That what I feel Funeral For A Friend is all about we’ve revisited and may have made a couple of mistakes two of the albums.”
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I’ve always loved the idea of putting four songs out there and its quite nice to be very concise in what you’re saying in four songs
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Both Richard Boucher and Burrough entered the band as fresh meat and were not shy to put their point across. Via being both honest and rational about the direction and the sound of the band, it allowed every member to take a step back and re-evaluate themselves and what the band should be doing. With this state of mind it has allowed the band to create one of their best albums to date. Burrough explains, “If my opinion is welcome then I’m not going to make excuses or apologies to anybody and
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we’ve always done what we thought was right at the time. What’s always held important for the band is integrity and to try and be as original as possible and try to make departures from the music that comes most naturally to us I suppose. It’s really hard to know how people perceive you when you are in a band because generally people aren’t at that honest to you. But obviously because I wasn’t in the band for like 5/6 years I was kind of privy to that information so I suppose maybe where the influence came from me and bring the elements back that people want”. Being such a hardcore rooted band it seems strange that FFAF wavered in and out of the mainstream. However it seems today FFAF have regained their punk attitude as Roberts explains the changes, “I don’t think it’s ever been a conscious decision to try and blow the band up or be successful and it was just being what we thought at the time was being natural and the natural progression to take. You can be the heaviest band in the world but if you get massively successful you can become mainstream that way”. Funeral For A Friend have embarked on an incredible journey throughout the past decade and the ride seems yet to be over. With new material that will be hard to fault and the mind-set of a fresh, debut band we are excited for what the future shall bring. ‘See You All In Hell’ EP & ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ out now via Distiller Records David Sullivan
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W
e Are The Ocean are quickly growing on the hardcore scene. Having just released second studio album ‘Go Now And Live’ the band has not only toured the country to support this, but are gradually taking on the world. We speak to Jack Spence and Alfie Scully to see how they’re getting on. You released your second studio album ‘Go Now And Live’ how has this progressed from your previous work? Jack: “We had never written an album before, we had done a few songs, but the first album, we were trying to write an album and trying to get to grips with that. Come the second we knew more what to expect from it and how to write an album as opposed to songs. We were a lot more comfortable when it came to the second one. The first albums called ‘Cutting Our Teeth’ which means like learning curve, learning the ropes. By the second one we had found our sound a bit more and were experimenting with ideas and we had more time to play around with it. I think. The first one was kind of a bit rushed to get it out. Alfie: The sound has just kind of jumped the bar. We like to keep things fresh and kind of raise the bar a little bit. We just wanted to push ourselves, Dan wanted to push his voice and try different things and we just wanted to play things we wouldn’t normally play I guess and all
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bands should. You don’t want to get into a formula because you will get bored and everyone will get bored.” You reissued it as a Deluxe edition with a special supplement showcasing your acoustic gig. How was it to be a stripped down WATO? Alfie: “It took a lot of practising because we’ve only ever been like a loud rock band. It was relatively easy for some songs to be formatted to acoustic songs; we didn’t really have to change them. Some songs sounded country style others sounded like jazz so we switched it up and it gave us the opportunity to do something different. “ How did people react to this? Alfie: “They thought it was wicked. After we had done that gig people were coming up to us like ‘Ah you should do an in store here’ and it was like yeah we can do that now. Jack: I think the show itself was quite a small show and it sold out quite fast and that people that came were like core fans who knew all the songs and wanted to see them acoustic opposed to people who had never heard them before and would have been a bit miffed.” Do you think it’s important to show a softer side? Jack: “Yeah, it was steeping out of our comfort zone and doing something a bit different is what we wanted to do.” What was the reason as to not just releasing the addition as a stand alone live CD/DVD? Jack: “The thing is with that, is that we don’t intend to play acoustic that often and if we released a CD there might be people that loved the
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acoustic CD and then they would come to see us and we would be rocking. If we went further with it then it would have been like a third album and people would like, ‘What? They were like this now they are acoustic?’ and for that reason it made more sense to do a bonus CD.” You travelled to Australia recently. How was it experiencing the world? Jack: “We had been there before and we knew we loved it.” Alfie: “We are really lucky to have gone out to Australia twice as a band and its definitely one of my favourite places to go. Everyone loves music and you have rock bands playing on the radio all the time. There is a great scene out there, it’s quite a heavy scene but for us it was still great.” You have spent a lot of time touring with other British bands. Do you think it’s important to keep it close a to home? Alfie: “I just think we are really fortunate to have a lot good band in the UK.” Jack: “When there a good bands like Canterbury and Deaf Havana you want them on tour with you. There’s just a tight knit group of all these bands in the scene and helping each other out. But if the bands weren’t good, nobody would do it. I think there just great bands in the UK seen at the moment so why wouldn’t anybody want to us that.” ‘Go Now And Live’ Deluxe Edition out now via Hassle Records By David Sullivan
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It was stepping out of our comfort zone and doing something a bit different.
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FTSK talk losing band members, trimming the fat and new music!
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orever The Sickest Kids are happy, punky and ready to party. However, with the recent blow of members Kent Garrison and Marc Stewart leaving the band for a grown up life of marriage and school, a shadow has been cast upon the band. Jonathan Cook and Caleb Turman share their views on the loss and their immense touring schedule. After a huge stint across the USA Forever The Sickest Kids grace our shores to play what seems like every possible area of the UK. It seems exciting for Jonathan Cook as he showcases his new modified band, “I’ve really had a good time over here. This is the first time to tour over here as our four piece band. The fans have been amazing. We haven’t done a headliner over here in like three and a half years, it’s been really energetic.” Life for FTSK does not stop here. A planned tour with Simple Plan instantly afterwards suggests the mix of bands are set to cause destruction, “We have done a tour with them before and the guys are hilarious man, they keep us on our toes. A lot of them can speak French so they can easily prank us behind our backs,” Cook explains with a smile. However, it is not all fun and games. The absence of Kent and Marc still lingers as Cook explains the changes, “Marc and Kent are still really good
friends of ours. They both made decisions on their own. Nothing was forced on them by the band. There comes a time in your life where your priorities change for everybody. They are both back in school and Marc’s married so he’s living the married life. I saw him write a post on his Facebook last night “could life be any better”, so I think he’s enjoying it.”
“ We haven’t done a
headliner over here in like three and a half years, it’s been really energetic.
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There are no massive plans for the future for FTSK but progress has been made in moving forward and making changes. Six opinions are a lot of opinions to have, from this change, a tighter band may form. Cook explains the changes, “We have written three new songs and its good stuff. As far as big changes, we’ve maybe trimmed the fat, I’m not calling Kent and Marc fat. Its exciting you know, change is always risky but its always fun whenever you see that the risk was worth it.” FTSK are keeping a lot to themselves but Caleb Turman sheds some light, “This is the first time we have talked about this, but we are not with our label as of right now and this is the first time we have had absolute freedom with our writing. When creating ‘Underdog Alma Mater’ the label said go write and then took control of what we were doing. Now we don’t have that so now we are
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writing anything we want”. Freedom is the desired destination for FTSK, Cook explains, “We actually got offers from Warner Brothers and from Redbull Records and turned them down because we want to be on our own. We appreciate what the label has done for us, but goodness its really rewarding to be in a spot where you don’t have to have a label anymore and don’t have those clutches.” In past reviews Forever The Sickest Kids have been slated as clumsy and auto-tuned for earlier work due to the clutches of the major label. Cook states how they reacted to the press, “It’s funny because everyone thinks being hated on is a bad thing but it’s actually something that our band has fed off since day one. We came out with a bold name, we came out with six band members that were all out there. “When the hate stops you worry, because if your not hated on then there is no jealousy and you worry why people stop talking about you.” Forever The Sickest Kids are a hard working band. The loss of Marc and Kent may have offered a slight blow but this will not slow them down. With work already started on new material it seems that they are excited to prove what they can accomplish as a foursome. With the ability to work as they please with their new found freedom, exciting stuff is due to follow as FTSK are far from ready to settle down yet. David Sullivan
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GARYNew-
MAN Nick Pollard talks to New Wave legend GARY NUMAN.
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hen listening to his latest album, anybody who knows Gary Numan solely for his early seventies and early-eighties number ones, such as Are Friends Electric and Cars could be forgiven for thinking that there was a packing error at the CD printing plant. Released in September, it bears the macabre title Dead Son Rising. “It’s not a pop record or a happy sunny day kind of record. I don’t ever really do that.”Despite having the same distinctive voice, his music has changed dramatically over the years, from the chirpy bleeps and bloops of synthpop in the late 70’s, to an electronic industrial concoction today.While the changes have taken place over the course of over thirty years, it was not a smooth process. “When I very first started in the late 70’s, I made records because I like them and I kind of got my fingers crossed and hoped that other people liked them too.”
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Reflecting on his hit number ones singles in 1979 and massive success at the time, Gary feels that his style is now where he belongs. “I was very lucky many years ago when I wrote things that got into the chart but I do think that it was almost by accident because I’m not good at writing pop music. Never have been really. I don’t think I’m ever gonna write pop music. It’s a decision I’ve got to live with, but it means that I love what I do and I’m proud of it when I look back” However, it was this early success that would spark a downfall; a change of mindset as he was under pressure to follow his number one albums and singles with more. “I became quite successful but then it started to slip away quite badly. At that point, I started listening to what other people were saying, and I lost that confidence.” These matters would go from bad to worse. Gary had some harsh words said about his music at the time, hitting such a low point that he was ready to turn his back on the industry entirely. “I put out a really shit album in 1992 called Machine and Soul which I’ll regret for the rest of my life. I realised that what I’d been doing wasn’t the right way to do it. I took a bit of time out and really thought through everything. Even whether I wanted to leave the music business.” Since these twists in his career, things have changed. He is now back in his comfort zone, and feeling freer than before. He may not be topping the charts, but he seems to care less than ever. “I don’t think commercially at all. I think it’s why the albums these days are so heavy. There’s no way they’ll get on the radio. There’s no way they’ll get on the TV. It’s too heavy for that.” Married with three
children, it would be fair to say that his life is different now. However, some vital attributes have stayed the same. Most importantly, his image. As ever, he hides behind what seems to be an entire bottle of eyeliner.
"THERE'S NO WAY THEY'LL GET ON THE RADIO. THERE'S NO WAY THEY'LL GET ON TV. IT'S TOO HEAVY FOR THAT." Even though Gary has stepped a long way back from commercialism, he is still involved with popular acts of today. After a phone call from musician Trent Reznor, he joined Nine Inch Nails onstage in London in 2009, to perform some of his own songs with the band. “I went along to that and when I got there he wanted to do a couple of songs, which I actually thought was a mistake to be honest. I said to him at the time, ‘I don’t think your fans are gonna be interested in having someone else singing. I think they’ll hate it.’ I was f**king terrified
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but it was brilliant’’. His surprise appearance in London received a glowing reception, and he was called back for Nine Inch Nails’ final farewell shows in the USA. “I loved every moment of it.” August saw the release of American experimental rock trio Battles’ latest single, My Machines, which Gary lent his vocals to. He explained the troubles involved in the creation of that one song and its video, a process that involved two visits to the USA. “They got in touch a while back, saying that they would be interested in collaborating. I started to check them out a little bit and I met up with them in Boston towards the end of last year… I went back to America to do the video for it, which again was really good. One of the more interesting videos I’ve ever been involved in.” Complicating matters further still, the recording of his vocal thousands of miles away from the band was difficult and slow. “They sent me the track that they wanted me to work on, so I did the vocal for it and sent it back and it wasn’t really what they wanted. So I had another go.”Having delved into darker territory in recent years, it seems that he had no plan to stop until hitting absolute blackness, as he explained that more was on its way next year: “I’m working on now which I’m trying to get out in the middle of next year. It’s very heavy, very aggressive and very dark. There are elements of Dead Son Rising in that, but it’s much further along that particular road.” Be afraid. Gary Numan will perform in Southampton Guildhall on 09/12/11, His latest album Dead Son Rising is out now. 20
Katy B
LIVE at 02 Academy Bristol - Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford
K
athleen Brien is on a mission with her sell out UK tour.
With acts such as DJ Zinc and P Money warming up the crowd on a Saturday night, everyone is buzzing to see 22-year-old Katy B, from the 15-yearold girls to the drunken geezers who fancy her. It’s been a hectic yet successful year for Katy as her debut album ‘On a Mission’ hit the UK album charts at number 2 in April. She’s moved on from supporting the likes of Tinie Tempah to embarking on her own adventure through determination and hard work. Her presence on stage is calm yet confident as she walks on with her fiery red hair and glittery jumper she opens with her third single ‘Broken Record’. The atmosphere differs from when I saw
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her earlier this year at Bestival. This show was more personal, and the connection between the crowd and Katy was electric. Before every song she explains the reasoning behind the lyrics, whether it was being at university and staying up for a solid 48 hours (‘Louder’) or being hit on in the most repulsive way at a nightclub (‘Easy Please Me’), more or less the crowd could relate to pretty much everything she was saying. Her vocals are outstanding and she explores new boundaries by covering some of her favourite 80s tracks such as Inner City’s, ‘Good Life’. The mixture between saxophones, trumpets and keyboards creates a ‘jazzy’ vibe which gets everyone moving. She finishes with ‘Lights On’ her second single featuring Ms Dynamite.
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I would be lying if I said there’s a slight disappointment when the grime queen herself fails to on stage to s upport the vocals but nonetheless an outstanding performance from Katy B. By Naina Sethi
Katy B’s debut album ‘On A Mission’ Is instore and online now
Clement Marfo
The Frontline
and
LIVE at the Student Union, Southampton Solent University
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011 Has been a great year for 7-piece hip-hop/ rock act Clement Marfo and the front line. Earlier in the year they were signed to Warner and their single ‘Champion’ became the title track for the Sky Sports adverts promoting the 2011 US Superbowl. On the 12th October they played the Solent Student Union and despite the smaller sized crowd Clement said that they will ‘Give it 100 %’. They did and by the end of their set, the audience loved them. They kicked off the set with a new track, ‘Lights Out’. The influences of the band are apparent immediately;
the way Clements’ rhymes flow with speed and precision are reminiscent of Jay-Z.. The band’s influences of indie rock, soul vocals and the funk style drumming wrap up this epic package. The track itself has strong harmonies within the vocals and bassist Johnny gives a lot more punch to the rhythm. The next tracks ‘Uncomfortable’ and ‘Rule the World’ show that as well as having slick verses for Hip Hop fans, the chorus’ have awesome drive as well showing off lead vocalist Koja’s soulful voice. When I chat to the band backstage they tell me that they’ll be performing their cover of ‘I Need a Doctor’ by Doctor Dre and I’m buzzing.
This cover is inspired, replacing Dre’s verses with some of Clement’s own, yet it still resonates within the chorus, giving a personal touch. The arrangement in the band is personalised as well with flourishes from guitarists Dan and Rich as well as Keyboardist Stacy’s vocals, which are great at hitting those notes with ease. The single ‘Overtime’ that was released on November 14th, and ‘Champion’ set to be released as a single in early 2012. For ‘Overtime’ they go all out on the guitars with full distortion for that heavy sound, and the fact that they’re bounding around the tiny stage shows that they’re
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truly having a blast with their music. ‘Champion’ is a great finale. The chorus is empowering and a crowd of thousands singing along comes to mind. During our chat backstage Clement says that he’d love to play the music festivals and when you listen to these guys, you can believe it. They are really on to something with the combination of tight musicianship, slick rhymes and powerful vocals. Clement Marfo and The Front Line are one class act and with media giants Warner behind them, they could be set to take 2012 by storm! By Tom Hutchin.
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The Dykeenies
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LIVE at Boarderline, London - Photo by Martin Mckeown (DigitalEcosse Photography)
magine if you will, a dark, crowded room filled with wide eyed fans of whom are waiting, waiting for a band. A band who's absence has caused these fans to start chanting their name in a continuous, erratic manner. Who could this band be that's causing these fans to act so excitably. The answer to that question dear reader, is none other than Scottish indie rockers The Dykeenies! Entering the stage in a rather modest fashion, especially when you take into consideration the extremity of enthusiasm conveyed by the audience, the band immediately break into ‘Are You With Me Now’, the first song from their début album ‘Canyons and Echoes.’ Wearing a rather cool Saved By The Bell T Shirt, and some not so cool thick rimmed glasses (which appear to be mockingly sported by the rest of the group too) lead singer, Brian Henderson provides a
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faultless performance pleasing the dancing,morph-suited men amongst the audience. Yes, the theme of spectacles is present and not just in the form of hipster eye wear as after only two songs drummer, John Kerr somehow manages to break a metal drum stick, impressive to say the least.
only to ironically reappear just in time for the lyrics “don't run away dear”. A broken bass string appears to be the root of this disappearing act.“This is the first time I've broken a bass string” he mutters in a thick Scottish accent, to which the audience jokingly respond asking for an English translation.
After addressing the audience's need for some familiarity the band play ‘Things You Can Not See’, a vintage track from what seems like an ancient first album. It seems being away for four years hasn't effected their popularity one bit as drunk fans show their appreciation to the band in the form of Halloween decorations, taken from the ceiling and presented to the group in a gift-like gesture. An act which is later reprised on several occasions throughout the gig. A sing- along erupts in the form of Stitches, in which bizarrely, bassist Andrew Henderson vanishes from the stage
English impressions out of the way drummer, Joe moves the show forward asking the audience if they looked better as a three piece before moving swiftly into ‘Feels Like sleep’. An unlikely choice from the first album, but seems to be a crowd favourite.While Henderson performs a routine that is reminiscent of ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ on stage the audience stand captivated by the intensity of the performance. Most definitely a shivers-down-your-spine moment .
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By Shadene Marie Lewis
VNV Nation
LIVE at Talking Heads, Southampton - Photo by Vivamusicro
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icture Rammstein singing in English, with no band or pyrotechnics; just a vocalist and a synthesiser. In a nutshell, that is Solar Fake progressing on Germany’s Krautrock history whilst establishing themselves in today’s industrial music scene. Generally, it’s a slightly deficient atmosphere for a live show, albeit not inadequate. For the most part it is certainly not the most invigorating performance, but amiable at least. With their luminous presence, VNV Nation take to the stage and bring power and excitement, causing a ripple of goose bumps to spread throughout the venue.
fantastic evening. ‘Darkangel’ and ‘Beloved’ are played with hypnotic intensity and energy, instantly wooing the crowd. Sophisticated melodies echo emotionally when the band break into the opening of ‘Illusion’ causing many lighters and mobile phones to be quickly rummaged out of pockets. Ronan, who has recently been suffering from the flu, is back on form and seemed ready to take on anything and everything, even some technical difficulties. Soon the band are back on track and don’t waste any time getting the crowd wrapped round their little finger. Inspirational moves and encores make a beautiful end to a
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It’s a very memorable and unforgettable night, one to be remembered by all that were present. VNV really choose victory not vengeance. By Raven Lyness
VNV Nation’s Album ‘Automatic’ Is In Store and Online Now 24
plucky guitar pieces and mellow sighs transport you to your favourite beach destination, If the sea could make music, this is what it would sound like. Sorry Safari has an all together different atmosphere, beginning with an intensifying intro or whirs and whirls seeping into a quiet piano piece. The fluctuations between the almost alien like sequence of quirky sounds and tinkering piano keys somehow works; offering a summer nights feel. But the main protagonist is Corvette Cassette. The infusion of so many tinks, twists and tunes creates a melody that is beyond unworldly.
Slow Magic-Pyrimid (Unsigned)
E
ver imagine what it feels like in those “My life flashed before my eyes” scenarios? ... Well, It’s Slow Magic.
Everyone loves an enigma, a bit of mystery and that is what this musical newbie offers. Referring to himself/herself as Slow Magic only and with just three major single releases under their belt there is undoubtedly more to show... More to experience. Single releases Toddler Tiger, Sorry Safari and Corvette Cassette offer
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musical escapism at it’s best. The scratchy undertones of Toddler Tiger, mixed with hearty beats,
“Plucky guitar pieces and mellow sighs transport you to your favourite beach destination”
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The staggered pace and intricate combinations of so many different elements makes this tune a firm favourite. Marinating in ultimate trendiness and sitting comfortably within a fresh unkempt genre, Slow Magic is perhaps one of many new musical persona’s that are brimming with kooky, chill out expressions. With a Bandcamp site (http:// slowmagic.bandcamp.com/) and Facebook profile (http://www.facebook.com/slowwmagic) both picking up speed there is hope yet that Slow Magic and perhaps others of a similar taste will soon get the recognition that is truly deserved.
By Mikaela Osborne
Noel Gallagher- High Flying Birds. (Noel Sour Mash Records) By Luke Mcfarlane
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hen Oasis has revealed that they had split, only one thing came to mind, when is Noel releasing a solo album? With the disappointment of Beady Eye’s debut album, (the remaining members of Oasis) all the focus was then turned to Noel’s solo effort. Released last week (17th October) High Flying Birds, flew straight to number one in the album chart, and rightly so in my opinion. Fans of Noel’s songwriting in Oasis shouldn’t be dissapointed in this solo effort and those who weren’t fans of Oasis, try something new and you might enjoy this brilliant album. Although the majority of the album doesn’t seem a step too far form his Oasis days, High Flying Birds is brilliantly written, well produced and a great listen.
Tom Waits -Bad As Me
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(ANTI Records) By Mikey Rush hen a new Tom Waits album gets released if you listen carefully you can actually hear journalists and bloggers reaching for their dictionaries searching for a new way to describe the Californian legend’s voice.Because when a Waits album drops it’s a safe bet that it’ll be good. It’s just grading how good against his past efforts. ‘Bad As Me’ then is his 20th showing and doesn’t dissapoint. That voice is still as visceral as ever and beats back any claims of it being a gimmick.Yet, as this is his 20th album there’s nothing especially new. Sure it’s nice to listen to and he’s a talented songwriter but although being technically perfect, it’s just another Waits record. There’s two types of people. Those who love Tom Waits and those who really don’t. Worth buying for the former, worth giving a go for the latter.
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (Capitol Records) By Luke Mcfarlane
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oldplay’s fifth studio release ‘Mylo Xyloto’ isn’t worth the ‘pre order’ or the ‘rushed out to buy’ it purchase. Singles ‘Paradise’ and ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’ are two of the better tracks on the album. Mylo Xyloto to me is just a carry on from previous album Viva La Vida with the sound, the arrangement and production all sound incredibly similar to it’s predecessor. The majority of the album is just standard Coldplay, slow, emotional lyrics, all very well if your into that but as a music fan, I was expecting more from the band. Princess of China featuring R&B superstar Rihanna is certainly an eyebrow lifter, with many seeing it as a strange collaboration. But to put it bluntly, it’s probably the best track on the album, in which Rihanna comes off the better.
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Amy
Wyke
Keep Breathing (Unsigned)
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ow really does seem to be the time for strong female icons, with Beyonce cementing her place as an international star, Rihanna getting set to achieve world domination and not to mention the countless other popstresses controlling the charts. It is clear that Amy Wyke has been influenced by the new music trends: all four songs on this EP have a defined rock/angst element, cased in a very saleable mainstream pop sound. The title track ‘Still Breathing’ is definitely one that demonstrates this mix perfectly, with swingy, pop guitar parts and strong percussion it
sits within the borders of rock, just enough to appeal to the masses. ‘Save My Heart’ offers a slow, minimalist number. The tone is sombre and the backing track makes this connection with the listener, but it is undoubtedly skip-able.
“Strong pop tunes and classic pop rock style ballads” ‘You and I ‘however, is by far one of the best musically. It’s simplistic and professional; the acoustic guitar gives it a raw, almost live sound. The
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track showcases Wyke’s vocal range, and is comparable to porock icon, Taylor Momsen. The EP finishes with ‘Jealously’ on a similar note. With a slightly more up beat feel. Regardless of its cheesy rock ballad arrangement after a few listens you find yourself singing along. Still Breathing is a well-rounded EP. It offers strong pop tunes and classic pop-rock style ballads. Even though there are moments where Wyke transforms into a tribute act for The Pretty Reckless, within this genre Wyke could come into her own and with enough tweaks, she’s a recipe for mainstream success. Mikaela Osborne
Flashguns Passions of a Different Kind (Humming Records)
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lashguns debut album, Passions of a Different Kind, is a melting pot of gritty overdriven guitar led rock, brooding indie pop and haunting acoustic numbers. The eagerly awaited debut from the london based trio was released on the 17th of October and does not disappoint. It manages to seamlessly evolve from hard hitting rock numbers like “Sounds of the Forrest”, to the title track, “Passions of a Different Kind”, an imaculate indie anthem. The rest of the album seems to follow down the indie-pop route but also throws in a beautiful acoustic number: “Heat & Fire”, and even the blues riff driven “Racing Race”. It is this mix of sounds that makes this album so interesting.Flashguns were graced in the studio by Barny Barnicott, who has worked with industry giants Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian, and Luke Smith, who worked with both Foals and Depeche Mode. Their effect on “Passion of a Different Kind” is extremely impressive and instantly audible. For fans of Flashguns it has been an excruciating and long winded wait for this album to finally hit the shelves, but their patience has paid off and flashguns have repaid their loyalty with a quality and brilliantly produced debut album that cannot fail to impress. By Sam Willis
Patrick Stump Soul Punk (Island Records)
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eaving an award winning and multi-platinum selling band that have been around for almost a decade to venture on a solo career is a daunting task for any musician, but Patrick Stump has managed to do it with flair and awe-inspiring confidence when bringing out his debut album “Soul Punk”. Stump’s voice has always been more akin to Micheal Jackson’s than any of his pop-punk predecessors that gave inspiration for Fall Out Boy, and this Album really brings it into its own. The Album, which is produced solely by Stump, uses a lavish amount of multi-tracking on the vocals, a technique used emphatically by the late king of pop, and has even borrowed some of MJ’s trademark grunts and high pitched squeals.“Soul Punk” really is Stump’s true love. It shows his funk and soul background, showcases his talent on a variety of instruments and exposes his huge amount of passion that had been somewhat stunted behind the shadow of Pete Wentz. Songs like “This City”, which is about the love for his hometown, Chicago, and “Explode”, the opening song of “Soul Punk” are the two songs that define this album. It is all about a love for home, his favorite styles of music and is a breath of fresh air that Stump seems to have been waiting to take for a very long time. By Sam Willis
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Drake
Take Care (Universal)
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fter the huge successes of mix tapes ‘So Far Gone’ and ‘Comeback Season’, Aubrey Graham, otherwise known as Drake, released his debut album, ‘Thank Me Later’ on June 15th 2010 to widespread critical acclaim. The album went gold in the UK, as well as platinum in both America and Canada and spawned a number of hit singles including ‘Over’ and ‘Find Your Love’. Drake has come back with his sophomore album, ‘Take Care’, just over a year after his first release and to massive hype from fans and critics alike. The album itself is miles apart from it’s predecessor. While ‘Thank Me Later’ used guest producers, such as Swizz Beats and Timbaland, ‘Take Care’ uses Drake’s in house producers, Noah ‘40’ Shebib and
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Boi-1da as well as guest producers Just Blaze, Lex Luger and Jamie xx (of The xx fame).
taking on Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘I’ll Take Care Of U’ from his collaboration with Jamie xx ‘We’re New Here’.
The album starts with a light and airy opener ‘Over My Dead Body’, produced by Shebib. It sets the tone for the rest of the album and in turn, shows Drake’s intention: to make an album that pulls away from the monotony of regular hip hop. ‘Headlines’ tells the story of Drake’s superiority within the game, while openly admitting his short comings, “I had someone tell me I fell off, I needed that” while ‘Marvin’s Room’ laments a lost love through the eyes of an intoxicated Graham, using melancholy beats perfectly to create the perfect ambient R&B song. While he’s hardly the world’s biggest secret, ‘Crew Love’ introduces the soothing R&B tones of The Weeknd to the world. The Jamie xx produced ‘Take Care’ shows Rihanna and Drake
It’s flourishes like this that set this album apart from any other commercial hip hop album of the past 10 years. Drake has used every tool at his disposal, including innovative producers and production techniques and his own skill for a great vocal performance to make sure that the world pays attention.
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With great guest spots from Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamarr and Andre 3000, Drake has crafted an album that not only stands out amongst the great albums of the year, it sets a mould for hip hop albums for years to come. By Mitchell Stevens
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