June 2016 #13 by New Roots Magazine

issue 13 june 2016

seafoal T

slam dunk

big bug + nothing + xrepentancex +blood youth + grumble bee +happy accidents

A NOTE FROM THE TEAM Can you believe it’s been a whole year since New Roots started up? Our first ever issue was dedicated to Slam Dunk, so we thought we’d pay tribute to the UK’s leading pop punk festival this June. We’ve got some snappy Q&As from Grumble Bee, Hit The Lights and Blood Youth, as well as a feature with our beautiful cover star Seafoal. Siâna Sweeney may not be a name you recognise but we’ve got a massive interview with the Portsmouth songsmith to tell you why it should be. You can also get behind the lens with Graham Berry, Richard Broome and Nick Neuenhaus, who share their individual stories on how they’ve worked endless nights to live their photography dreams. New Roots takes a little adventure to Scotland this month, showing you some of the best vegan places to dine, and breathtaking views to witness. Is there ever going to be an issue of NR where we don’t feature the snapchat legend DJ Khaled? In this month’s issue, we share some of his ‘major key’ life lessons, which are truly words to live by, should you ever wish to acquire your own custom filters and geotags. Finally, on top of the usual coverage of the best live shows and records, we’ve also got a sweet little preview of the latest Happy Accidents release. BLESS UP.

Editor & Art Director: Isha Shah Features: Josh Jones Sub-Editors: Charys Newton, Natalie Webb, Emily Gunn Contributors: Isha Shah, Arriana Corr, Ashwin Bhandari, Natalie Webb, Jack NeedhamLeech, Joshua Clarke, Mark McConville, Dariah Osterhage, Charlie Hill, Alma Rdgl, Tom Robertson, Dominic Bevis, Soroush Fereydoni, Tim Andersson, Chris Holloway Photographers: Isha Shah, Elliot McRae, Kristianne Drake, Ryan Dalton Rodrigues, Martyna Wisniewska (Gingerdope), Oli Johnson, Stephanie Evans, Bair Media, Ant Adams, Nick Neuenhaus, Rich Broome, Graham Berry

contents Highlights of the month news jmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twitter highlights uprooted Grinds my gears top 10 sidemen of 2k16 coasts to coasts q&a diy southampton #3 behind the lens- graham berry slam dunk review SD: gRUMBLE BEE Q&A SD: hT THE LIGHTS q&a SD: BLOOD YOUTH Q&A SEAFOAL INTERVIEW BEHIND THE LENS- RICHARD BrOOMe VEGAN GOODIES LIFE LESSIONS WITH dj khaled behind the lens- nick neuenhaus album/ ep reviews live reviews travel- scotland

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH Beach Slang announce more UK headline shows ahead of Reading and Leeds with Muncie Girls from June 7th to August 25th. Hindsights post their final show footage, live album and special zine. You can watch Pinegrove and Into It. Over It perform at Audiotree sessions. Youth Man announce UK headline dates from July 7th to 16th. The Wonder Years are playing a few inmate shows in the UK this July. Modern Baseball have launched a hotline for those feeling unsafe at their shows. TTNG announce their new album, Disappointment Island will be available from 8th July. Rob Lynch announces a new album, Baby, I’m A Runaway from 22nd July. Broken Teeth announce UK dates from June 19th with Testament till August 19th with Sick Of It All.

news Philadelphia emos Modern Baseball have set up a safety hotline for their upcoming US & Canada tour alongside Joyce Manor and Thin Lips. The band made an official Facebook post, regarding the details of how the hotline works. “You can text our tour manager if you see someone acting inappropriately or feel unsafe.” There has been an increased amount of support and awareness about sexual and non-sexual harassment at shows throughout the UK/ EU and US recently. With a band that holds a great deal of high credibility, Modern Baseball are taking control of these situations, brininggeneral awareness of such incidents which occur more frequently than you’d know. Breaking the barrier between bands and their fans is one of the key parts of their agenda. Fans that can see that their favourite bands really care about their wellbeing at one of their shows is a huge step in helping bring an end to inappropriate behaviour in these environments, and this gesture from Modern Baseball is the biggest attempt so far. But, how can we apply this to the UK? What could bands be doing in a similar fashion? Are there already things happening to help? Well, to answer the first question would also be answering the second; UK bands need to be more open minded about the situation. Can you imagine the impact it would have if Arctic Monkeys stood up and spoke about sexual harassment at gigs and put the same kind of hotline in place? Sure, their shows are much bigger than MOBO’s, but that’s even Photo by: Ant Adams

more room for un-noticed shady behaviour to happen in. However, it doesn’t always have to the big guys speaking up to make any kind of impact, the little guys should always have their say too, and usually in the UK DIY scene, there’s a lot of it. There needs to be a more constant discussion going on between bands and fans alike. The more you talk, the more people hear. So, what’s already going on in the UK scene that raises awareness or directly helps? Groups like Girls Against have been set up, mainly online to help keep that constant discussion going, as well as speaking to bands about their views and opinions on sexual harassment at shows. There was that time where Dave Grohl stopped a song during a show to tell someone to “Get the fuck out of [his] show” for fighting someone else. That kind of attention to detail is especially needed in larger crowds. The fact that those two things are the only two things that spring to my mind should make us make wonder; is the UK scene doing enough? Should there be more PSAs, more bands speaking out at shows, more organisations/charities helping raise awareness or make an active stand? The answer to that is definitely yes! So, if you’re in a band, a fan at a show, or someone who believes that things can change, speak up! Tell someone to their face at a show if they’re being nasty or inappropriate, start up a campaign, write a blog post, or a tweet! Again, the more you talk, the more people hear. Words by Chris Holloway

s MODERN BASEBALL ARE HERE TO HELP HOW COULD the UK benefit from this?

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jmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Twitter Highlights

o r p u

e n a l y : r G o N t I c i v , d n FEATUR u o r g r e d n u e s i d a r a p , g u b big 8 Photo by: Isha Shah

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top song: ‘painted blue’- The only song that can be found online, Big Bug have teased us to the point where we are begging for more releases. The track sticks to your teeth like toffee, but the king you really don’t want to get out. It’s soft pop structure and key change is melodically perfect, that it makes you feel completely at ease.

big bad bug sign 2015- Present Drums- Charlie Pollard John James Davies – Vocals/ Guitar George Kirkpatric- Bass BIG BUG is new, fresh, and ready to remind us all how to feel summer love again. They are self-described as sounding like “Weezer without all the rad solos”, but this is an understatement of the soul, rawness and grit they bring to the table. Their first single ‘Painted Blue’ is sure to shatter even the most rugged hearts. This song sticks with you like toffee to your teeth. The key change in this melodic masterpiece is beautiful in that its honesty makes you feel a tinge of your own mortality. You’d never guess this beauty was written in about 30 minutes. Look out for a soon-to-be-released music video for ‘Painted Blue’. It has been promised to have a satisfying amount of glitter, so it won’t be hard to miss.

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Frontman and guitarist John James Davies is as sweet as the cherry pie he was eating outside the Old Blue Last when we first met him. Bassist/backing vocalist George Kirkpatrick and drummer Charlie Pollard complete the trio. Like three ripples in the same pond, Big Bug’s harmonic stage presence reverberates through their manes and affect all who witness it. When asked why he makes music, whether for fame or fun, Davies replied “I just wanna get rich and famous like Justin Bieber”. With that goal in mind, Big Bug’s triple threat of poetic lyrics, gristly yet uplifting melodies, and harmonic stage presence is sure to lead them down the path of widespread appreciation. Big Bug have recently just played their very first house show in Southampton for Above The Waves Promotions, and have already pulled in quite a crowd. London based, you can catch them all over the place, from playing shows with Sad Blood and The Hosts, and venues such as The Garage, Lock Tavern, and Guilford Boileroom. Words by Dariah Osterhage

paradise underground top song: ‘plastic chavs’-‘Plastic Chavs’ – Would you really expect anything else from a British band that singing about plastic chavs? Much alike Jamie T and Arctic Monkeys musically, the track sways a little more towards Jake Bugg lyrically.

2016- present Anthony McCallum - rhythm guitar and vocals Rob Scarlett – guitar Josh Longman- bass guitar Connor McCorkindale - drums.

The buzzing vibe that the band carries has landed them slots alongside Poor Michael, Fella, Carl Barat and The Ordinary Boys. Although they are currently not on the road, the four young guys can be found anywhere in the local area, playing as many local shows as they possibly can.

London is filled with so much talent and competition, and without straying too far, there are bucket loads more on the boarders all waiting to be discovered. Buckinghamshire’s quartet Paradise Underground joined the wave of thriving talent in the September of 2014, conjuring classic British influences from Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines and The Strokes.

Paradise Underground have just released their brand new EP, Into Tomorrow, and the guys are taking the coming days as they come, booking a few shows and pushing their new music out there. The EP was recorded in London at Bethnal Green’s The Mix Room, and with a positive outcome of the finished piece it was worth the long wait. Consisting of six definitive songs, the band shows great potential for a full length, with tracks that easily follow the next.

Although the four-piece are inspired by the UK’s generic sounds, their lyrics bring more originality and excitement than the boring old story about an ex girlfriend.

Words by Isha Shah

top songs: ‘Adios’ ‘Bitter Sweet’

2014- present Vocals - Dan Lamb Guitar / Vocals - Dan Rowbottom Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals - Liam Sims Bass / Vocals - Danny Rowley Drums - Josh Wakelam Early 2000s American-flavour pop punk outfit from the West Midlands have only been around for two years. Their drummer (who has been with the group for just over a year now) Josh Wakelam is inspired by more hardcore bands like Architects and incorporates some of the genre’s harder and faster drumming to give their music extra kick and drive it forwards, whilst the vocalist (Dan Lamb) experiments with some really varied vocal effects, pedals and dynamics that keep their music, particularly their newer songs refreshing, electric and full of unexpected audible bounty. Their four-track The Secret Confessions EP which is available for free on Soundcloud, features the song, ‘Bitter Sweet’ which also has a lyric video on YouTube that demonstrates their addictive boppy melodies but does not match up to the quality of their per-

Photos by: Bair Media

formance which has come so far since then. Most recent dancepop-rock single, ‘Adios’ released on 15th April truly shows this off in style. With bouncy and vibrant synths in polished production - it is guaranteed to have you singing along and feeling the windows-down summer-drive Californian vibes, even if it’s raining outside and these are a group of skinny-jean and jacket clad musicians from Dudley, West Midlands. Just coming off their Euro Hostel sponsored UK Tour that has seen them play the north of the country up to Glasgow, young and driven poppy pop punkers have been featured in local Stourbridge and Dudley News and played on BBC Introducing and Black Country Radio. They plan to write and record more songs and play more shows this summer. Words by Arriana Corr

Find them on Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/victorylanebanduk YouTube: Victory Lane Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VictoryLaneUK iTunes, Spotify and Google Play: Victory Lane

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what grinds my gears stop moaning about the smaller bands on festival line ups May is finally over, festival season is now in full flow and over the next couple of weeks, giant festivals such as Rock am Ring, Download and Glastonbury will be showcasing their numerous acts across the weekends, a truly great time to be a music enthusiast. However, this momentous time of the year is seemingly dampened on the forums, on social media, and it isn’t caused by the weather either. The closer we get to the festivals, the smaller undercards of the festival are served out in drones filling the gaps on the lower stages, and without fail, the commenters zone in with the age old question “Who are these? I’ve never heard of them?” As if this ignorance of bands gives them superiority over the masses of regular festival-goers. These noble troops then begin to moan and groan about these acts and bands they’ve never heard of which must mean that they must be terrible and not worth their time.

This is simply not the case when it comes to festivals especially like Glastonbury and Download festivals who strive on bringing in the new waves of music, championing such bands as Marmozets, Creeper and Architects. Without there being the undercard bands that around 500 people know about, there’s no future for any of the festivals of the circuit. Sure, some may flop within a year, but the rest are The Rolling Stones, the Arctic Monkeys to come in the next 10 or so years. All of the bands that you’re interested in today are, or at least were, a small local act who played to a room of 20 people or less, sometimes just their friends and family. Give today’s new generation of artists their time to shine in their small tents in front of 20 people. Who knows? They could be your favourite act in a few years’ time. Words by Charlie Hill

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Photo by: Isha Shah

10 biggest sidemenin2k16 If you don’t already know what a sideman is then I have no idea where you have been hiding for the past three years. Although we are now blessed to have Urban Dictionary at the tap of our fingertips, “An irrelevant and powerless guy, also known as a ‘flowerman’ and shows signs of ‘moist’ and ‘soggy’ behaviour” is not exactly what I mean when talking about the top sidemen of pop and R&B music, but it’s pretty close so lets go with that. With chart music making a slight turn for the better, the music that is constantly exposed to us through our car radios, shopping centres, or annoying friends who won’t shut up about ‘One Dance’, always surrounds us whether we like it or not. So while there are some great bangers out there, there is also an increasing amount of artists who have fallen down the road and become mega sidemen, or maybe they’ve always been king of the sidemen?

1. pitbull Also known as ‘Mr. Worldwide’, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s the biggest sideman of them all. Can you even name ONE song that he has made that’s even remotely decent? Now that’s not to say that he doesn’t feature or make great songs because ‘Time of Our Lives’, ‘Fun’ and ‘Give Me Everything’ are certified bangers, but he still needed a bit of help with each one. Pitbull is a very strange artist, despite the fact of looking like a human pitbull, he just doesn’t add anything to the songs he features in apart from the “MR WORLDWIDE” in every intro. He’s such a great sideman that he even introduced Jason Derulo in his own track ‘Drive You Crazy’. The Miami, Florida rapper hasn’t been active since his 2015 release Dale, which surprise, surprise no one really knew existed. So maybe Pitbull was always a sideman and always will be? It’s probably for the best anyways.

2. Sean Kingston There must be something in the waters of Florida, because it’s where our sideman number two comes from. Following in the footsteps of Pitbull, Kingston has provided us with some equally great but annoying hits such as ‘Beautiful Girls’, ‘Fire Burning’ and ‘Eenie Meenie’ (feat. Justin Bieber), the latter being the song that came at the peak of his carer. Some of you may have even forgotten about the baby faced hip-hop artist as he did burn out with his 2013’s attempt on Back 2 Life, but Kingston is very much alive. If you call a very commercial single which losses all flavours of his tropical reggae voice with ‘All I Got’.

3. lil wayne There will only ever be one song that Lil Wayne is remembered for and it’s definitely ‘Lollipop’, (yes that song Framing Hanley covered back in 2007). Although some of his best songs are solo based such as ‘A Mili’, most of the top hitters are due to the featuring acts that dominate the tracks. Kayne West, Bruno Mars and Eminem have been pulling Wayne up the social ladder, but only by a short piece of rope, while Wayne has cut the rope completely with his latest release ‘Heaven’, all efforts have been wasted.

4. Iggy Azalea If Pitbull is the number one sideman then Iggy can easily have a spot in the top five. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing worse than seeing a white girl rapping and using N***** in her lyrics to try and make up for being an outwardly racist person. Sure Azalea does have some ultimate tunes that will never fade out, but its more thanks to the featuring artists – Rita Ora, Charli XCX, MØ and Ellie Goulding – for picking up all the terrible pieces she is determined to destroy. Azalea was born into the sideman category and will most likely stay there for the duration of her career.

5. Juicy J I think Juicy J has just accepted his place within the sidemen community and embraced it. Unlike most in denial sidemen, the Tennessee hip-hop artist is a close brother to Ty Dolla $ign, and Wiz Khalifa. In fact he has a whole album, which is just filled with sidemen tunes, titled Taylor Gang. Even his most played songs on Spotify are not recognisable, so the question ponders if he is even worthy of being in the top 10 sidemen or if he’s just an add-on? Either way there are two albums out there are filled with the ‘Taylor Gang’, and that’s already two albums too much.

6. Ty Dolla $ign A sideman who also has other sidemen in his songs? Well it’s no wonder why “Dolla $ign fuckboy” is number five in our countdown. We’ve all seen Tyrone William Griffin, Jr’s name appearing on our screens as feat. Ty Dolla $ign, but who exactly is this artist? ‘Or Nah’ (feat. The Weekend, Wiz Khalifa [side man number 10] and DJ Mustard) is one of $ign’s most memorable songs, alongside ‘Saved’ and ‘Wavy’. Clearly not capable of producing a slight banger, Ty Dolla $ign is only known when he is rejoined by his fellow sidemen or established friends, (Kendrick Lamar and Trey Songz).

7. 2 Chainz Now I wouldn’t actually call 2 Chainz a sideman, but his recent release Collegrove proved us all wrong. Eight songs collaborated with sideman number three, Lil Wayne, it seems like Chainz has lost his bling. I mean ‘Birthday Song’ is one of his treasures, but Kayne West totally overpowers this track and without him it wouldn’t be live. Even in ‘We Own’, he partners up with Khalifa to make a super sideman track that we can forgive ourselves to turnt up to.

8. Tyga We probably all know Tyga for reasons that do not regard his music, but this is a better thing because his music is far worse. The problem with Tya is thay he is a wannabe sideman. The fact is he’s not even there yet; he’s at the stage where he begboys Chris Brown and making songs titled ‘Ice Cream Man’ and ‘Bitches N Marijuana’. So it’s not really a surprise when he’s ranked pretty low at being a proper sideman.

9. Ludacris It’s pretty peak when the only reason we know whom Ludacris is, is due to ‘Baby’, which young Bieber birthed. Sure it’s a great song, but it’s not exactly something you want to be recognised for. With an unresponsive year, the now thirty-eight year old hasn’t got a lot of time to get out of the sideman list, and although ‘Get Back’ and ‘Good Lovin’ are borderline hits, the rapper is trying to regain his status with Usher, Miguel and Monica, but somehow is still missing from the chart list.

10. Wiz Khalifa We’ve experienced Khalifa since the birth of his carer in 2005 with Show And Prove right up until he broke through with ‘Black And Yellow’, a track we all wish we could get out of our heads. Even with this massive hit, Khalifa hasn’t managed to regain his superior status and quickly fallen off the radar of hot thriving artist. ‘See You Again’ (feat. Charlie Puth) may be a small attempt and escaping the sideman pit, but he has a very long way to climb if he ever wants to get out.

q&a with coast

Could you tell us a bit about your latest EP, Dwell ? A: It’s been crazy, because we’ve been recording it since last September… And it’s taken ages to get it out! T: Too long, like… We wanted to release it in December, and it was just pushed back and back and back. Mainly, in the lyrics, I think Kei (Keiran Hyland, vocals) pushes relationships and not dwelling on the past, which is why ‘Dwell’ came about. So, not trying to change something that can’t be changed. FOX RECORDS ARE A NEW RECORD LABEL, HOW DO YOU FIND WORKING WITH THEM? A: Yeah, it’s sick! Lovely. When we played Birmingham last time with Better Than Never on the tour that we did with them, it was the poshest back stage room we’ve ever had. There was free food and stuff. D: Don’t forget the beers, a fridge full of beers. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACED IN GETTING THAT FROM START TO FINISH? K: Probably waiting to play new songs we wrote. We couldn’t really play them live, because obviously we wanted people to hear them on record first. So we had to play old songs that none of us really wanted to. And it was quite hard to be patient, but obviously in a band that’s what we need to do. T: We didn’t want to play things live and people would just be standing there like, ‘Oh, this is a new song, and then three months later be like, Oh! That makes sense now.’ So it’s been hard writing new songs and waiting. They were so much better than the ones we were playing. We were just like, these songs are old, get rid of them, don’t want to play them anymore.

Photo by: Stephanie Evans

where are your favourite places to play in the uk? A: I quite like Camden, Camden is really good. There’s something in the air. It’s like, everyone really likes it, don’t they? K: It’s the slices of pizza at the market. D: Camden Market. T: I think Camden mainly though, because it’s the only time we’ve gone and had a whole day to spend there. Every time we’ve played Camden, it’s not that we’ve made an effort to go there, but we’ve just had time to go there and have a look around. And it seems that people turn up to random shows, whereas in Birmingham we have to be like, ‘Please come to this show!’ A: I do like Birmingham though, obviously! We always get the best reaction in Birmingham. K: I quite like going to different venues and seeing what I like. Some venues are really cool and then you’ve got some that are really crappy, but they’re still fun to play. This is probably my favourite one. WHAT CHILDHOOD INFLUENCES HAVE SHAPED THE MUSIC YOU MAKE TODAY? A: Growing up for us all really, well, Daz and me were really into the early 2000s pop punk. So like Blink-182 and New Found Glory and Simple Plan, all those type of bands. But I think now, I’ve got more of a broad taste in music. K: For me, I didn’t really listen to the older pop punk that much when I was younger. But then the bands that brought me up, like The Wonder Years, mainly and other bands like that - and the American bands that started making a name over here for themselves. But before that I didn’t really listen to much pop punk. So that’s why I’m more against the older stuff and more into the newer stuff. But I do like Good Charlotte; they’re like my favourite band. They’re old. When I was younger, I didn’t really listen to music that much, I was

ts to coasts

just running around. T: I just listened to whatever my dad listened to. So like from Rage Against The Machine all the way to Biffy Clyro… D: Well, the exact same as Al. But I listened to more, I listened to the same as Al, the early pop punk. But then at the same time, I listened to a lot more dance, drum and bass, dubstep and metal. I’m more of a metal and hardcore fan than pop punk. (Pauses) But, I like Al. ‘CORNERSTONE’, FEATURES A GREAT LYRIC ABOUT HAPPINESS. HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS TO FIND HAPPINESS AND A HOME IN OTHERS IN COMPARISON TO THE IMPORTANCE OF SEEKING HAPPINESS AND A HOME WITHIN YOURSELF? K: When I was younger, I didn’t really have many friends or didn’t really do much, [I] sort of kept myself to myself. And then in recent years, I’ve been more adventurous in doing things, obviously with the band and stuff. I used to think that when I was on my own I was alright. But now looking back, I realise I was sort of in a bad place on my own. So it’s better when you meet people. The lyrics are from when I went to America and I met my girlfriend over there and then we came back over here. So the lyrics are about meeting people that change your life and sticking with them really. POP PUNK HAS BECOME SUCH A POPULAR GENRE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT NOW YOU HAVE BANDS LIKE NECK DEEP CALLING THEMSELVES “GENERIC POP PUNK” WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THIS AND WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO POP PUNK BANDS STARTING OUT ON FINDING THEIR OWN SOUND AND STANDING OUT? T: My advice would be to make friends with everyone. Don’t think anyone’s better or worse than you, just make friends with everyone as people.

K: The problem with me is when I first joined the band I was focused on trying to be like my favourite bands. But now I’ve been in the band a couple of years, I’m thinking that rather than trying to be something that’s already happened, take elements from things you like and love and try to make your own sound from it. Like, the ‘generic pop punk’ thing - it worked for Neck Deep and it worked for a couple of bands. But now it’s dying out, I think you need to have something a bit different if you want to go any further. That’s why we’re trying to move more into indie rock. Just be yourself and write music you like, rather than trying to copy bands that already are. A: With our last EP, Dwell, every song we wrote is because we like it. Some people said that the songs are a bit different from each other, but they were just the songs that we liked. T: We’ve never started writing a song and gone, that sounds too indie, we’re a pop punk band. We’ve just gone: I like the sound of that, we’ll go with that, I like the sound of that, we’ll go with that - it could be anything. CAN YOU GIVE US THREE WORDS TO SUM UP WHAT COAST TO COAST IS ABOUT? D: Dad-bods, football and cheeseburgers. K: What about sad happy songs? That’s what someone said, there was a podcast the other day and the guy was like, your songs are sad but also happy, so: Sad Happy Songs. A: Yeah, we’ll go with that. Interviewed by: Arriana Corr

D.I.Y. SOUTHA

Photos by: Kristianne Drake

AMT PON #3 D

IY is important. It expresses the appreciation of art and diversity, free from the oppressions of trend and ‘what’s cool’. It shouldn’t be about ‘bros’ hyping up the next best thing in UK Emo/Grunge who will inevitably be forgotten about in five years time. One thing that keeps the spirit alive, and keeps getting it right, is DIY Southampton. Curated by Kristianne Drake and friends, DIY Southampton is an all-day celebration of local pride and independent brilliance in the Southampton community. From arts and crafts, to poetry, live readings and music to homemade skin and beauty products, there is something for everyone with that ‘do it yourself’ attitude in any field. Dave Hubble had plenty to say about the Conservatives, Jeremy Hunt, and what he saw on the other side of the bus window. When he wasn’t entertaining the crowds with his sharp words and witty observations in his poetry, he sold zines and badges that he had made himself the night before. In the same room was a zine made by university students called Jawache, cassettes, and zines that looked into the politics and importance of The Smiths. Amy Kibler was helping people create shape poetry and encouraging people to get creative. You never know - it’s possible someone discovered a love for poetry they never knew they had.

hile there were new additions to this 3rd installment of the DIY Southampton series, such as Negative Vibe zine, they were as important and respected as the veterans like Dave Hubble, The Queer Alternative - a non-profit organisation for queer people in alternative scenes - and Curb. Curb deliver food with a message by keeping the masses fed with food saved from landfill on a ‘Pay As You Feel’ basis. There is so much going on in local areas that people don’t know about. DIY Southampton is an example of that. It’s people in the community pursuing a creative outlet that expresses themselves. From students to teachers and shop assistants, it really shows just how much art and vibrancy there is in an otherwise grey city. What keeps these events going are those who buy zines, watch people perform their poetry, or just hang around for a chat. They are the ones who make it all worthwhile. DIY Southampton just proves that huge, corporate industry is nothing without the little guy. A world with out independent, hard working artists, musicians, writers and creators is a world I don’t want to live in. Don’t let something like this die, keep DIY special. Words by Josh Jones

Graham Berry

behind the lens

Im Graham Berry, I’m a full time Civil Servant and Photographer based in Reading. I started taking photos at gigs in the early 2000s, all small DIY shows in and around Leeds with a terrible Kodak point and shoot. I was always interested in Photography, going back to my early teens and so combining this with my love of music was a no brainer. Plus it gave me something to do at the gigs when I was Straight Edge when all my talented mates were playing in bands! I do live music photography because it combines 2 of my greatest passions, music and photography. I get antsy when I haven’t shot a gig for a while. My current and so far favourite set up is a Canon 1D mk 3 with a Sigma 50mm 1.4 and a Canon 70-200 2.8L along with various Canon and Yongnuo flash guns. Any band that has energy onstage are great to shoot, such as Zoax and Heck would be two main bands that spring to mind. As for favourite venue, The O2 Forum Kentish Town, O2 Brixton Academy, SSE Wembley Arena and the Underworld.

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I also photograph portraits and weddings, which keeps me out of trouble when it’s out of gig season! I’ve been pretty lucky the last few years and have struck quite a few bands off of my bucket list, Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden to name a few. My main goals are to be able to quit being a Civil Servant and be a full time photographer, whether this is possible within live music photograph is debatable. I went on tour with my friends bands back in 04, 05 and 06. The 1st two tours were with a band called the Mingers, a street punk type band from Leeds. The 3rd and final tour was with the Plight, also from Leeds, when they supported Gallows (Frank Carter era) on tour. It wasn’t massively different to going to show, except you generally got a lot more access, from what I can tell it’s not changed too much in that regard. A definite plus is that you learn the bands moves, if they’re gonna jump etc and can capture that on camera.

A perfect set up for a live shoot has to include a lighting tech that know what they’re doing/the ability to use flash, with a minimal backdrop and a band that have energy.

I’d also like to add- Stay positive, stay focussed and always be nice to upcoming photographers, there’s no need to be mean to someone just cos they’re younger/less experienced, you were there once!

As well as covering live music for a number of online publications,

Words and photos by Graham Berry

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Photo by: Isha Shah

The championing pop punk festival, Slam Dunk celebrates their 10th anniversary with some old time favourite bands, as well as brand new faces to this years Hatfield Forum. With grand headlines such as Fall Out Boy, The All American Rejects, All Time Low and You Me At Six, this year is sure to top every festival goers fantasies with Panic At The Disco!, as well as Of Mice & Men, Every Time I Die and The Story So Far. Find out what we had to say about the cheerful festival â&#x20AC;Ś

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With Confidence Starting out early at Kerrang! Fresh Blood stage, all the way from Sydney, Australia, With Confidence bring sunshine into the dark room with their colourful and dancey pop punk melodies. Fresh vocals soar smoothly over tuneful guitar, taking everyone back to when Good Charlotte and Sum-41 stole the charts, but with an undeniable 2016 burst of flavour characterising the slightly quirky yet down-to-earth lyrics and solid melodies. People are bouncing all around and the band seem really grateful and appreciative to be playing here today, thousands of miles from home where their announcement that they will be back soon to the UK on their winter tour with Real Friends and Knuckle Puck is warmly welcomed. Even if they are less established than many of the acts featuring across the bigger stages at Slam Dunk, With Confidence live up to their name, playing unyielding happy, sunny pop songs that will likely be received with even more rejoice come cold December. (8/10)

Young Guns With the release of their underwhelming third album last year and the recent departure of drummer Ben Joliffe, Young Guns have a fair amount to prove in the run up to the release of their new record. Unfortunately their performance falls extremely flat from the start. Despite opening with old favourite ‘Daughter Of The Sea’ the band’s show lacks gusto, and the “exclusive” performance of new single ‘Bulletproof’ doesn’t inspire the excitement that hearing new material should. When preceded by as a band as exciting as Moose Blood and with the muchloved Yellowcard around the corner, you’d think it would be a no-brainer for Young Guns to put on a better show. [4/10]

Hit The Lights This is the Ohio five-piece’s fifth appearance at Slam Dunk festival and by now they’ve played pretty much everywhere on site at Hatfield University. Today was their first time in the Forum, the main room, and for so early in the afternoon, the energy couldn’t be more palpable. Everyone knows Hit The Lights for the anthems that can be found on their debut album This Is A Stick Up… but it was exciting to see so many of the crowd singing along to tracks like ‘Fucked Up Kids’ and ‘No Filter’ from their latest record, Summer Bones. Despite being festival veterans, Hit The Lights are always such a pleasure to watch and the day wouldn’t be the same without them. [8/10]

Grumble Bee This is all new for Jack Bennett’s alter ego Grumble Bee. Not only is this his first year on the festival circuit but he’s also playing the acoustic stage this weekend. If Bennett wasn’t talking so much about how different it is for him playing the songs from his debut EP on an acoustic guitar no one would have known. It’s also a great setting for his powerful raspy vocals to completely outshine everything else. Bennett is an artist who is enjoyable and exciting to watch in this acoustic environment and it’s heart-warming seeing a crowd singing along to songs from one of the smaller artists on the bill. [7/10]

Photo by: Isha Shah

young guns

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk

moose blood

“Our aim today is to make you lose your voice!” Announces Bert Poncet of Chunk! No, Captain Chunk to an eager crowd of energetic youths who seem ready to go along with just about anything the singer has in mind. Everyone certainly may be singing along, but not to an extent to which it competes with Poncet himself, who is throwing himself over the barrier into receptive hands and glowing enthusiasm. Colourful charm is painted across a room full of breathless, captivated and engaged fans of the band, who turn the entire room into an easycore-pit-party. For the third date in a row, French hardcore-pop punk heroes bring more people together than are able to fit into the packed room of excitable bodies gathered at the Impericon stage. With a ramped-up rendition of Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’ and all-time-classic debut single that to this day still never fails to bring smiles to everyone’s faces: ‘In Friends We Trust’, the group prove to themselves, and everyone here in the room, just how much of a demand there is for their very own brand of positivity and fun and how much of a good time it is possible to have when you really put yourself a hundred percent into the music and the people around you. (10/10)

Real Friends

hit the lights

It turns out it’s a good thing that everyone didn’t lose their voices during Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! as it would appear that someone else has lost theirs and will be needing everyone else’s. Walking rather abashedly onto stage with his iconic ruffled, curly hair, Dan Lambton of Real Friends begins with an apology: “You’re going to have to help me here,” he explains, detailing how he has no vocal chords left. After their intensive reel of back-to-back shows, this comes as no surprise, but Lambton gives himself no slack and the rest of the band collaborate with utmost effort bringing the group’s stage presence into more vibrant life than ever before. This may not be their most record-perfect performance due to Lambton’s exhausted state, but it is certainly nothing short of beautiful. The words to every song ring out loud and clear from the hundreds of voices of dedicated fans, drawn together by their love of the emo-pop punk genre which this group have crowned with the sweat and tears that amass amongst everyone at Slam Dunk South.

real friends

The room is absolutely filled with heartfelt, emotional triumph. The band could have easily called the show off due to injury, but they carry on, giving it more than is expected and showing just how dedicated they really are to their music and fans. For a bunch of friends who came from playing hometown shows and being local heroes, to becoming the established group standing here today playing to a room full of strangers, the persistence of a band who truly never give up, is resembled, if somewhat rather ironically, during ‘I’ve Given Up On You’. Lambton keeps yelling and wailing his heart out even when his voice is breaking, until there really is nothing left. It feels like the whole world should be here right now, to witness his honest intent and dedication to his art, because in this moment, it is clear that to Real Friends and everyone gathered with them, nothing else matters more. By the end of the show, it really comes to light just how much the Real Friends family has grown, as friends with teary eyes tied to memories and emotion all pour in together to give these songs all they have got. Between the band and their fans, this intimate and unified performance stands out as much overdue homage to show Real Friends that the collection of songs they brought here today are clearly significant, poignant and relevant to a generation who often feel lost and out of place. But in this room this evening, it is clear that everyone feels anything but misplaced and misunderstood - it is a rare occurrence of experience which is modestly and earnestly, entirely comforting. 10/10)

grumble bee

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the story so far

mayday parade

the starting line

roam

new found glory

Photo by: Isha Shah

elder brother

Panic! At The Disco It’s clear from the get go that Panic At The Disco is really just the Brendon Urie show but with a legacy like theirs spanning over ten years, a sizeable crowd has gathered to sing and dance along to songs old and new. Opening with new single ‘Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time’ and quickly following it up with debut album favourite ‘Time To Dance’ it’s a non-stop extravaganza from hereon in. If anything is certain, it’s that Urie can sing, throwing in a shrill falsetto at any given opportunity. It does get a little tiresome after a while but with a voice like his you can’t be too mad. However, the real crowd divider is when Panic! At The Disco take ten minutes out of their set for their own cover of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Their rendition is entertaining enough, but we came to a Panic! show and the thought that they could be playing ‘Camisado’, ‘Lying Is The Most Fun…’ and ‘But It’s Better If You Do’ in that time is a bit of a let-down. Regardless, Panic! At The Disco came, saw and conquered. [9/10] Words by Natalie Webb

The Story So Far The Story So Far don’t play as if they are the headline band of a festival in a nonchalant, relaxed lavishing of songs which barely pushes the 30-minute mark. When everyone is expecting a longer set, a pitfall of empty space echoes, opened up characteristically by pushing their biggest song first, as they open with no other than ‘Empty Space’. Older, more hardcore songs that usually get the pit going the wildest and the beloved, tear-inducing delicate melodies of ‘Clairvoyance’ are absent: and these are the songs that tempt the utmost highs and lows of the band’s discography. With all this said, the songs they do play are near record-perfect re-enactments of many favourites, including much awaited, but saved until penultimate-performance of ‘Roam’ and most popular singles: ‘Heavy Gloom’ and ‘Quicksand’. The Story So Far do light up as being pure pop punk brilliance, there is no denying it - and the band don’t even question whether they will get an encore, smiling as they stride back on stage moments after exiting. A more mild, mellow pit and exhausted happiness wells up at the end of a long day. Under the blue lights and cool satisfaction of having played last at such a pivotal music event of their genre, before leaving the stage, Parker Cannon wishes everyone peace - leaving an air of calm and restoring balance, to what has been an intense rollercoaster of emotions and energy for thousands of musically invested people, brought together by their mutual love of all things pop punk and hardcore. [9/10] Words by Arriana Corr

yellow card

grumble bee

The production on your debut EP Disconnect is so tight, is that hard to translate into a live setting, either acoustic or full band? Yeah, full band I think it’s actually harder because I used to play quite open chords in my last band, and then this stuff has simpler parts but standard tunings so if I’m playing the wrong thing you just hear all the notes. Before, I used to just play an open chord, which was just anything, and it’d sound great. But now I literally have to make sure it’s bang on. So it’s different. Disconnect only came out in February, are you taken aback by how it’s all kicked off? Yeah, well it’s kind of weird because I don’t have a label; I’ve had interest but it’s not really the route I wanted to go down. So it’s kind of taken me back a little bit but on the flip side some people are like “how come you’re not playing all the major festivals and stuff?” but I just wanted to keep it as low key as possible. Everyone who has got involved has come to me and that’s been really nice and organic. I’m just hoping for the best really and it seems to be going alright so far. You’re working on your second EP at the moment… Yeah, it’s finished; I produced it and mastered it myself this time. I’m just trying to keep costs down even though Kris [Crummett] was really super affordable. Out in America it’s just dirt cheap compared to the UK, it’s like the same price in dollars as it is in pounds over here which is a big difference. So I went over there to meet up with him for the first EP and I would totally go over if I can’t get the right result with this second EP. At the minute I’m just trying to get my own studio to the level where I can produce it myself. So it is finished but I’m gonna re-mix it because I’ve been learning all the time.

We had a chat with Jack Bennett AKA Grumble Bee at this year’s Slam Dunk festival about his first year of festivals, his upcoming second EP and soya milk. So this is your first year on the festival circuit as Grumble Bee? Yeah so I got asked to do [Slam Dunk] acoustic and I was like “Can I do this full band?” they were like “no, we’d prefer you to do it as acoustic”, so then I had to learn how to play an acoustic guitar! I mean, I do play that anyway but it’s not my first thing but I’m loving it, it feels good.

What have you got in store for the rest of 2016? Well just loads of festivals, I’m hoping to get Leeds and Reading, I’m meant to be playing but I may or may not be and it’s sort of up in the air. I’m hoping to release another single in early July around 2000 Trees. So festivals like 2000 Trees, Camden Rocks, and Fortfest which is a really cool festival this year. I’m just looking forward to loads of shows basically. We were gonna do a bunch of headline shows at the end of this year and we still may do. I’m just trying to work out if I’m going to do them this year or early next year along with a second EP or the first album.

Do you prefer playing as a full band rather than acoustically? I love full band, I love running around, feeding off Zach [Phelps, bass] and Cal [Connell, drums], just that sort of heavier vibe really. But acoustic, it surprised me by how much I’m into it because you can hear everyone singing the songs. It’s weird, but you can really feed off that, so it’s good.

Are there any bands in the world that you want to tour with right now? Yeah, Dance Gavin Dance in November; I wanna tour with them right now. With Jonny Craig, Kurt Travis and Tilian Pearson, that’s gonna be a busy stage and they’re playing some small venues as well. We’ll see what happens.

Is it exciting to play festivals like this where people who come to see you might not be interested specifically in your genre? You played The Great Escape last weekend as well, so it’s completely different types of people. It’s weird because no one can really pigeonhole what I’m doing yet, which is nice but it also means no one has a clue what I’m playing and why. So I play acoustic but we nearly had a mosh pit at Great Escape, I was trying to get people to run around and stuff. Acoustically I try and put the same amount of energy into that set so people can sort of wander in if they’re into it.

Are there any bands we may not have heard of who you think we should check out? Have you heard of In Dynamics? Their album’s coming out soon, they’re absolutely awesome and they’re really hardworking guys. They don’t have the support that I’ve had and they do it themselves. They’re still getting there and I think that’s awesome.

Interviewed by Natalie Webb

Do the songs on your second EP differ a lot from what we heard on Disconnect? I think they sound quite poppy, at the minute, but basically that’s all I tried to do on the first EP. I tried to write the catchiest music that I could write and it have that heavier tinge going through it. I’ve tried to work out what people like from this first EP and then amalgamate the best of those. People see it as selling out but it’s kind of like market research almost.

Photo by: Isha Shah

What’s your favourite flavour ice cream? I used to have strawberry cheesecake flavoured ice cream. I’ve been vegetarian since birth and I’ve been vegan for the past ten months. I have soya milk anyway because I prefer it for my voice. I literally recorded it and tried the difference and it sounds better

‘It’s starting to get weird now, people are like “I listened to you when I was 12 and now I have three kids.”’ We sat down with Nick Thompson from Hit The Lights at Slam Dunk accompanied by a bottle of Waitrose red wine to talk about their legacy at the festival, the band’s new EP and the tenth year anniversary of their debut album. This is your fifth time at Slam Dunk, what keeps you coming back? This is the most fun festival that we play. It’s my favourite reason to come over here, the shows have always been amazing, and Ben Ray has always been awesome to us; he’s paid for our flights and stuff. All of our friends are over at the same time as us and it’s always wild. Everywhere you go around this festival there’s always a band you wanna fucking see. You walk by and it’s like “oh cool, I can watch this”. It’s awesome. You just released your first acoustic EP Just To Get Through To You, what was the thinking behind releasing something a bit different? We were off the road for six months and we were getting ready to do the Pure Noise tour and it just seemed like having some type of material out would be nice but I didn’t want to start giving out full band songs and stuff when we have an album to write. I know people that like acoustic stuff a lot so I just figured it’d be a perfect time to do that. It originally started as just a couple of tracks we redid from our record Summer Bones and after that I was like “well we’ll just do some old stuff in there too” and then ended up doing an original. So it all came together nicely. It’s something to pass the time, give people material while they wait for new stuff.

hit the lights

So you wrote ‘Lighthouse’ specifically for this EP? It’s something that just made sense. I had an acoustic guitar out for a month and a half or whatever, which I never wanna see again but it kind of just fell into place. How did you go about picking ‘Save Your Breath’ and ‘Drop The Girl’ out of three albums worth of songs? I think the obvious one to do would be ‘Bodybag’ or something but online there’s some really good renditions of ‘Bodybag’ anyway, it just seemed really safe. ‘Save Your Breath’ was the first song idea I brought to Hit The Lights when I joined so I just thought it’d be a cool thing to kind of bring to light. There were a couple of songs we tried out and tried different ideas with but that’s the one that came out the prettiest. When you do acoustic stuff, I’d rather make it its own song rather than just like “okay these are the chords, they’re just on an acoustic guitar now” and it’s worked out better that way. The EP title Just To Get Through To You is a line from ‘Count It’, why did you pick that? We were going through so many titles, we couldn’t think of anything and then we came up with that one and we were like “goddamn it we should have done an acoustic version of ‘Count It’”. That never even crossed my mind. So it’s just us being stupid. Why didn’t we do it? It would have been so fun. So I’m a little mad that we didn’t have time to do that. 2016 is the ten-year anniversary of your debut album This Is A Stick Up… Don’t Make It A Murder and some of the songs still feature quite heavily in your set. Do you still love playing those songs as much as people love hearing them? Yes, that’s the fun for us. When people are excited to hear it, that’s the best part. We’ve been playing those songs for a decade so obviously sometimes you get tired of it; you know, new stuff’s more fun to play. You get tired of playing two songs in your set and someone going “bodybag!” That’ll always be annoying but that’s part of the process. The fact is that these songs

aren’t just ours anymore, they’re people’s memories, they’re points in their life and they remember why they’re singing along to that song and who they’re with. It’s just bigger than us now and that’s really cool to be able to, especially come across the pond here, travel thousands of miles and then have people sing songs back to you that you wrote in your parent’s basement. That’s what it’s about, people screaming back at me and that connection is what makes this so fun. You can’t complain. Are there any bands that we might not have heard of that you think we should check out? I’ve been listening to a band called My Sweet Fall from Indiana. I know they have a new record coming out that they did with Sam Pura from Panda Studios but their other record is on Spotify now, it’s great. Interviewed by Natalie Webb Photo by: Isha Shah

blood youth Blood Youth frontman Kaya Tarsus and guitarist Chris Pritchard talk us through their whirlwind first year as a band and what they may or may not have in store for the next 12 months. It’s been a crazy year for you guys. You literally released your first EP last summer; did you expect for things to kick off this quickly? Both: No, no, not at all Kaya Tarsus: This is still really surreal to us that people want to talk to us and stuff because we’re from a very small town and I know how generic that is to say but we’re not used to stuff like this. We released a few songs and now we’re doing all this crazy shit. You were one of the first bands to play today, how pleased are you that you can just relax now? Chris Pritchard: It was definitely a weight off, I’m stoked we can just have the entire day to hang out. At the same time it is kind of almost soul destroying playing first, but then again who cares, it’s a festival. K: We were driving here and we were like “no one’s gonna be there because we’re on at one o’clock, Moose Blood and Trash Boat are playing, but that’s the mentality we have as this band. C: We set ourselves up for failure. But you seem to be doing the absolute opposite… K: We rolled up and the whole room was packed and we were like “this is insane”. You’ve been on some pretty perfect tours, Beartooth in November and Every Time I Die this week. Could you have asked for more perfect support slots? K: No, and before Beartooth we did Architects. C: I don’t hate it, but it’s kind of like, what do we do now? Because people ask us what our dream band to tour with is… K: And those are literally the top three bands we would have said. C: Other than Slipknot there’s Beartooth, Architects and Every Time I Die. K: But we’ll just go on tour with them again, it’s all good. It’s just crazy. All that is down to our agents and our manager who work so hard to land us this type of stuff and they believe in what we do as much as we do. C: They stuck by us from day one, even before we had any songs. K: All they said to us was, even before we recorded the first EP, they were like, “this has got to be good”. Did you feel the same pressure on the second EP, Closure? C: No, the second EP came so naturally, it didn’t even feel like we’d written anything. These songs just popped up out of nowhere. We wrote lyrics for them and then jammed them and then it was like, oh right, we can go to the studio now and it’s only been four or five months since the first EP. Writing, for us, is a very

Photo by: Isha Shah

quick process. You just put out the double vinyl package of both EPs. Why did you decide to group the two into one release? K: Closure, is like the sister of the first one, Inside My Head, it’s literally closure on everything that we were talking about on that EP. The artwork, and everything, it’s all kind of the same theme. And everyone was like “we want both of them!” C: [In a faux American accent] It’s a journey. K: Yeah, so you can listen to it and be like, “I get it”. I’m well sad and then I’m coming to terms with everything. You mentioned the artwork, who is the artist? C: Jake Carruthers from Toronto, Canada. He’s a good friend of ours. I mean, we don’t know him personally, we just know him through the business but he’s just been back and forth, and works with artists like Real Friends and Neck Deep. K: When we were looking for artwork we were being put forward for different things and we said what we wanted and he just nailed it straight away. The second EP came along and we wanted a similar sort of vibe with different animals, and asked him to see what he could do. He nails it every time. You also just put out a video for ‘Mood Swing’… K: It’s weird, like everybody has a different favourite song. So everybody goes, “you should have done the video for this”. We released ‘Closure’ and some people loved it and some people didn’t, but you know, that’s just music in general. C: Yeah, that one was our favourite from the get go. We released ‘Closure’ as a single because… I don’t know why we did it… K: It was our manager’s favourite song, and she was like “we need to do a video for this”. But we love all the songs. C: Overall, ‘Mood Swing’ kind of sums up Blood Youth in a nutshell. We didn’t expect people to latch onto it as much as they did, but a load of people love ‘24/7’ as well. We were surprised about that because it was just metal as fuck, and we just wanted to do a really heavy song; so we did it and people seem to buzz off that more than ‘Closure’, which is cool. But yeah, ‘Mood Swing’ went down really well and that surprised us. It’s good to see people understanding it like we do. So you’re working on an album now? K: There’s only so much we can say about it but we are working on something. That’s probably the debut album… K: It’s not gonna be an EP.

“It’s good to see people understanding it like we do.”

And that’ll be out early next year? K: You’re too far ahead right now. You’re gonna get us killed. What else do you have planned for 2016 that you can tell us about? K: Loads of festivals, a couple of headliners, stuff like that. There’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes so things will be announced. C: I hate that as well, I hate having to say you’ll have to just wait. Are there any bands that we may not have heard of who you think we should check out? C: I’ll say one thing that no one will really know; I love a band called Cloudkicker. He’s just an instrumentalist, like atmospheric, not djent, but heavy. And he does a lot of acoustic stuff. I can’t think of a new band. K: I don’t really… I don’t listen to music; I have no interest in music at all. C: You should keep an eye on Red Seas Fire. K: Yes, our merch guy is the singer in a band called Red Seas Fire and they’re so great, he’s such a talented dude, they’ll be popping up all over the place. C: He’s hands-down one of the best vocalists I’ve ever seen. [Looks to Kaya] Sorry! But he’s pretty sick. Interviewed by Natalie Webb

Siâna Sweeney may not be a name you’ve heard before but their alias Seafoal Certainly should be.

s e a f o a l

ver the past year the young artist has supported Jonny Craig on his UK tour, appeared at Ghostfest and most recently played Slam Dunk festival; all three of which vary massively in atmosphere and audience. “I feel a lot more comfortable here [at Slam Dunk],” Sweeney tells us. “At Ghostfest the only acts playing who weren’t metal were me and Jonny Craig, so it was a bit more daunting to play a festival like that. Now that I’m here there’s a stage for acoustic and solo acts, so I feel more at home. It’s a big difference but it’s a good difference.” This isn’t too surprising after Sweeney tells us that she was about to buy a ticket for Slam Dunk prior to finding out she was playing! When the latest Seafoal EP, Lucid Living, was released towards the end of 2014 their music was straight down the road acoustic folk/pop. In the passing of 2015 Seafoal’s music has changed in direction quite drastically. In turn, this has given a helping hand to the variety of gig and festival lineups Seafoal has the opportunity to appear on. “We’ve kind of switched genres a bit because we’ve transitioned into something else,” Sweeney explains. “It’s easier to go into different festivals and stuff. We’re getting in what we can and playing to as many different audiences as possible. So it’s an exciting opportunity.” However it does seem as though the industry is finding Seafoal’s music a little tricky to pigeonhole. Previously labelling her music as “ambient folk”, Sweeney describes explains how it has now taken a turn down a “dark poppy electro” route, but even then there’s still room for negotiation. “ There’s a song that we’ve been playing in our new set called ‘Samara’, and there’s a bit in it that sounds like prog-rocky. That’s channelled by Fightstar because they’re like one of my favourite bands”. When searching for this sound you don’t have to look far as this mix of genres and influences is evident from Seafoal’s two latest singles. However, the transition between first single ‘Van Gogh’, released in February, and the very recent follow-up ‘Chess’ was a purposeful move, as Sweeney explains, “We were still trying to find a proper sound with ‘Van Gogh’, but because we produced and put music to ‘Chess’ after we had ‘Van Gogh’, that was when I really started finding my new sound. I think that’s the sound I want to go for because it is really dark and it’s kind of boomy and it’s got apathy. I think that’s the kind of genre I was going for anyway and now that we’ve got it, that’s the direction we’re going in.” After hearing ‘Chess’ in particular it’s hard not to draw comparisons between Seafoal and Halsey. “A lot of people have compared it to PVRIS meets Halsey and Lights and stuff like that. I’m absolutely fine being compared to them because they’re all amazing.” Sweeney does admit that “it’s not like it hasn’t been done before but [Halsey’s] voice is so distinctive you can easily tell who it is when you hear it on the radio”.

his genre blending does definitely have its perks by way of Seafoal having the ability to appeal to wider audiences. As well as this they’re also finding it reassuring to see other artists in a similar vein receiving press coverage in rock, alternative and more pop-centric publications. “I think a lot of it’s to do with their image and stuff. With Halsey, even though her music might not be really heavy, she still looks kind of alt and I think that’s what translates well with rock fans. At the same time, I wanted to translate that through my music as well and go all in different directions with it; never be too poppy or too heavy.” Sweeney’s music taste is just as varied as you may expect from listening to Seafoal, “My favourite band is The Dangerous Summer, even though they’ve broken up, they’re still my favourite.” Creep-

er and Boston Manor are also amongst their favourites when it comes to those beside her on the Slam Dunk line-up. As if Sweeney wasn’t involved enough in melding together different musical styles with their original music, they’re also been known to put an acoustic take on some not so acoustic tracks, both live and on YouTube. Her favourite two are “between ‘Dance Dance’ by Fall Out Boy and ‘Numb’ by Linkin Park. I like being able to put a different spin on songs and bands like that. I know it makes them seem really different but I really enjoy doing that kind of thing.”

With regards to live shows, there’s one artist who Sweeney would really like to share the stage with. “I would love to tour with Melanie

Martinez; she’s touring the UK again in November. But oh my god, I don’t think I’ll get that but I love her so much, she’s one of my favourites. If I get to tour with one of my favourite artists that would be amazing, but even being on this festival and playing on the same bill as Panic! At The Disco is just ridiculous anyway.” Before the Autumn, the ever-so-humble Seafoal will be hitting the road across the UK in September for a few dates with Anavae, “they’re supporting me, even though I should be supporting them really, they’re amazing.” Finally something we really wanted to chat to Sweeney about was sexuality and the acceptance of the LGBT+ community within the rock music, especially as their has briefly spoken online about being non-binary and pansexual. “I’ve not really thought about it. I think they’re as accepting as any other genre of music, for example there’s Laura Jane Grace who came out as a trans woman and as far as I know a lot of the fans have been so accepting of that. I know that’s not sexuality but I think because it’s the LGBT+ community it’s sort of the same thing. I think as the years go on, obviously people become more accepting of it so I don’t think it’s different in every scene. There probably are genres of music where the fans are more homophobic than others but I’ve not experienced that, so I don’t know, I’ve never really thought of it. It’s just become more of a normal thing now.”

Alongside Seafoal’s “tiny tiny tour in September” featuring

dates in Manchester, Birmingham and London, they’re also playing both Secret Garden Party and Glass Butter Beach Festival over the summer. “I’m hoping to get on more tours and stuff like that. So it’s supposed to be that and just writing and releasing new music. That’s all I have planned at the moment.”

“As the years go on, people become more accepting of LGBT, so I don’t think it’s different in every scene.” words by Natalie Webb

behind the lens

Ric

“I want to be in a position that I’'''m paid enough to live. ideally Stopping my Gran asking when I’m going to get a ‘real job’.” My name is Rich Broome, I’m a freelance music photographer and like lengthy walks along the beach. I’m based in Kent. Photography was always a hobby of mine, but I never gave it much thought. I knew I enjoyed it – I was always ‘that person’ at parties snapping away and wasn’t too bad at taking holiday and landscape snaps. I studied mechanics for two years before moving to Oxford to study Motorsport technology. Photography was a hobby and I always said I’d never turn my hobby into a job because it would take the fun out of it. It’s safe to say I have never been happier to be so wrong. After I dropped out of university I applied for an apprenticeship at my local photography studio, lost out to a more confident younger lady but they kept me on as a ‘commercial executive’ and assistant wedding photographer. Long story short, I got fired and as a giant middle finger to them, I instantly started up my own company

and went straight into photographing local bands. I’ve had very little idea how to go about getting bigger and better events and have taught myself pretty much everything I know about photography, videography, editing and so on. Last year I put my neck out and got into Hevy Fest unaccredited, which opened up my eyes massively. Everyone agrees that listening to music live is always better than listening to it on a cd and for me it’s the same with photo/videography. Band portraits are all very well and good but seeing them perform and come alive, the thump of the speakers, the roar of the crowd behind you and to have some amazing musicians in your viewfinder… nothing quite beats it. Also, I get a little thrill being able to go somewhere jo-public often can’t. I shoot with a Nikon D7000 and will be soon using my recently acquired Sigma Art 18-35 1.8. I love an active band that makes me work

ch Broome BUCKETLIST BANDS: Slipknot, Rammstein, Ill Nino, System Of A Down

for the live photos, so Feed The Rhino spring to mind. I Really enjoyed shooting Thy Art Is Murder the day after their Download set in 2014. Aside from music photography – and maybe I shouldn’t admit this – but I do everything under the sun. Photography IS my business, I am self-employed, it’s my only income and like all businesses, I need to make money. I make music videos for local bands, I photograph and video weddings, nightclubs, sports events, dances and I’ve worked on cruise ships as a photographer and lab technician. If someone is going to pay me to photograph or film something, who am I to turn it down? I have to have back up plans should music not work out, that’s the way I am. I’ve done the strict ‘no job will do unless it’s music’ route. It keeps me doing what I love and I always learn something from every new job that I can apply to music. It’s all transferable skills.

All photo/videographers experience the same issues. Lack of/ late pay, people not necessarily thinking it’s a real job – “all you do is press a button” rubbish. Being taken for granted at times and being in a profession that most people either think they can do themselves or most people hate or think are scum until they need you. One memorable moment was a passenger on ship shouting at my team that we were worse that ‘Chuggers’, or charity muggers, then she turned, cackled and strutted off. Nice. I wish her all the best. I want to be in a position that I’m paid enough to live, ideally. Stop my Gran asking when I’m going to get a ‘real job’. I want to be invited to friend’s birthdays and such and have to turn them down – “Sorry buddy, I cant make it, I’m off on tour with Lamb of God”. Words and photos by Rich Broome

vegan goodies

twisted burger company sheffield

Falafel and halloumi are great, but when that’s the only vegan or veggie option at a pub, it gets a bit boring. Sheffield and Doncaster are blessed with having the Twisted Burger Company supplying beautiful vegan burgers that you never would have thought are meat free. Located at The Harley and the Vintage Rock Bar, there are two places where you can find these lavishing treats in Yorkshire. Born in 2011, TBC are all about creative a market for the alternative music scene, working with the likes of While She Sleeps

and Bring Me The Horizon for a special ‘Drop Dead’ vegan burger. This colossal burger is filled with jackfruit pulled pork, vegan cheese and two hefty patties that can fool any meat eater. As prices go, TBC maybe a little bit more expensive than your average burger as it doesn’t come with chips, but a sharing side and a bite out of the many burger choices is sure to leave you feeling satisfied.

Stereo glasgow

Situated down a side road off the highstreet, Sterol is a very cool café/bar which hosts live music downstairs. Serving organic breads and pittas which is made in house, Stereo not only cater to vegans but anyone who wants to enjoy great fast food, without all the junk that goes into it. The menu is pretty basic, with set main meals and daily specials that are considerably cheaper than the fixed ones. Straying away from the typical burger, Stereo offers an amazing mushroom and chickpea burger with spicy mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, in a pitta pocket and a side salad. Just £9 with homemade chips, you cant really go wrong here if you’re a classic eater. If it’s pizza you’re after then there’s three selections to choose from, all large sizes. Stereo maybe slightly more pricy than what you’re used to, but for the quality of food you are getting, and the friendly service, it’s a café you should absolutely eat in.

The Auld Hoose edinbrugh

Edinburgh is filled with loads of vegan and veggie goodies, and you’re never short of a walk to the nearest store. On our short visit to the beautifully historic city, we stopped off at The Auld Hoose to try their very famous giant sized nachos. It offers the biggest plate of nachos you could possible dive into, within the whole of Edinburgh. Legendary for giving people their moneys worth, the giant plate is only £15, and can serve as many as eight people. If the size of the plate didn’t already scare you, they pile up cheesy tortilla chips with chilli beans, sour cream, guacamole and Jalapeño’s in every available space, it’s honestly like food Jenga. The pub also does vegan haggis, served with traditional neeps and tatties, if you’re feeling a bit traditional and want to get a full Scottish experience. The staff are friendly and welcoming and make your visit truly pleasurable. If you’re ever in Edinburgh, The Auld Hoose is somewhere you HAVE to go.

Words and photos by Isha Shah

life lessons from

dj khaled

Bless Up For some, it’s pretty hard to keep up to date with what the hell DJ Khaled is even talking about half of the time. With specialist words for everything, “Bless Up” is just another word for appreciate or be grateful. It’s no doubt that Khaled has got to where he is without being blessed and grasping everything as it comes, but he teaches us that even the small things in life are worth valuing and saying thank you every now and then really does help for a positive lifestyle, so remember to “Bless Up” and be blessed.

FAN LUV Fan love is not about boasting about how many fans you have, it’s about sharing your love for the people who make you. So when you hear ‘FAN LUV MEET ME AT 7:30” on his Snapchat, it’s about telling his fans how much he loves them and takes the time to meet as many as you can. Something as simple as arranging a time and a place to meet people who you don’t even know exist is one of the most humble and gracious things Khaled does, and it can teach us all to say hello to the little people we sometimes miss in our busy life.

we the best So much more than just a marketing strategy to promote his clothing line, DJ Khaled has mastered the positive attitude of believing he has already won, so in the end he actually does. “We The Best” is basically something we all need to say everyday, in other words, it’s faking it ‘til you make it. So if you truly believe that you are the best, then chances are you are going to work ten times harder to be the best than anyone else.

THEY DONT WANT US TO... Whenever Khaled says anything about THEY not wanting us to have something it basically refers to the people who keep saying you can’t do this or you can’t be that. Similar to “They”, They Don’t Want Us To… is more about proving people wrong and doing what’s not expected of you. So carry on and succeed in life, despite what anyone ever tells you.

stay away from they “They” are essentially the haters, and if you don’t have haters then they’re the people who are dragging you down without you even knowing. On countless occasions Khaled mentions “They” and how we need to stay away from them. He teaches us that “They” don’t have one specific name because “They” can be more than one person, and the person is constantly changing. He also gives us some extra advice for the people you love that start turning into “They”. “If you see someone turning into THEY, you need to throw them into the ocean and pray for them.”

win more Another motivational kick we all need, comes from our own voice, not anyone else’s. In other words, Khaled teaches us that we need to always be thinking how we can improve and better ourselves. Winning more isn’t just about winning and coming first place, it’s about knowing what you want and going for it with the attitude that you are going to succeed. His hit single ‘All We Do Is Win’ sums everything up basically, and when in doubt just play that song and everything will be resolved.

lion order Something as little as a lion statue that is situated in Khaled’s beautiful garden is what he welcomes day and night to bring him peace and clarity. It’s still a mystery as to why he shouts “LIIIIOOOONN” without any other explanation, but I think it’s clear that Khaled is teaching us skills keep an eye on the little things in life. He often screams “LION ORDER” or “LION TALK”, and we now have this emotional connection with the king of the jungle. The lion statue symbolises being on top, as lions are within the animal kingdom, they are the highest praised animals and possess brave qualities.

i’m up to something This one is pretty self-explanatory. Khaled lets us know when he’s on a mission, or doing something top secret. “I’m up to something” is another way we can tell ourselves that we are doing something with our lives, even if it’s something small. Motivation talks with yourself is the only way to bring success to your life and by saying that you are DOING something, will make you do anything you’ve ever wanted..

CELEBRATE SUCCESS One last positive talk is to enjoy life and just celebrate. We may not all be fortunate enough to celebrate success the only way or the right way with Apple Ciroc, but we can certainty celebrate the little things we encounter in every day life. So remember to be proud of anything you accomplish, no matter how big or small and remember: celebrate responsibly. words by Isha Shah

behind the lens

My name is Nick Neuenhaus and I am a photographer based in Birmingham. I am 18 years old and have been doing music photography for four months. I have always had a passion for photography ever since my parents bought me my first camera when I was around 11 years old, so I have always wanted to work with photography as a medium. Alongside photography I have always been a big lover of music and combining the two seemed like a great way to create a career. I shot my first gig back in November 2015 and have been hooked ever since. I do live music photography, as I love providing the bands fan base with images and a glimpse of the performance. A lot of the time fans arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to visit the shows and providing them with eye-catching images can allow them to feel the atmosphere. I also love the advertising and promotion of the bands that comes along with publishing media online. When I take photos I am not only providing people with images, I am capturing the raw emotion and energy that can be seen within the performance. My set up to use is the Nikon D810 and 70200mm 2.8. I love to use a longer focal length as I feel as though it challenges me to look for shots more; it also allows me to pick up on key details such as emotion and power, which I love to portray within my images.

Nick Neuenhaus My favourite genres to photograph are hardcore and pop punk. This is because there is a lot of action and movement involved within their sets and this leads to emotions and expressions being more prominent within photos. Venues such as Asylum and The Institute are perfect for lighting for the style of photos that I love to create. The perfect gig set up for me would be a large open stage giving the performers ability to move around stage. This also gives me the ability to move myself during the songs in order to get a variety of different angles on the performers. The lighting is also a big factor for me, as I love my shots to be full of colour. Smoke machines are also important as it allows the backgrounds to have texture (however not too much, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to loose the drummer in a cloud of smoke) I have always been into photography so i am always trying new things and experimenting. I started photography capturing aviation and action shots from local airshows and events. Words and photos by Nick Neuenhaus

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ALBUMs

happy acci You Might Be Right

8/10 London’s Happy Accidents are bringing back the joyous light we all once felt as a kid. Those days where we would run around a field, with not a care in the world whether our jeans had grass stains on. Within the three years of forming, the three-piece have only released one promising EP, Not Yet Jaded, warming every indie pop fan’s heart with their bouncy beats and fun-feeling vibes. This massive leap to a full length comes as no surprise; following such an assuring EP it was only a matter of time before we started yearning for a full record to party to. You Might be Right opens with a response to the title, ‘But You’re Probably Wrong’, and it’s just one of the many treasures that is found within the record. Its mellow start is consistent throughout, acting as the perfect introduction to a

song for those who may not be familiar to Happy Accidents. Second track in, we’ve already reached their hit single, ‘Leaving Parties Early’, a track that certainty would make you stay. Rich Mandell quirks his way into the spotlight, with his strong nasal vocals that keep all eyes centred. Despite their music being structurally simple, there is no underestimating how solid the songwriting is. In order to create such a unique sound that sticks in your mind for days, the three-piece have come up with modest pop tunes that are filled with zest and fresh ideas. Mandell is yet again is able to charm his way through ‘Chameleon’, a bold track that picks you up the floor after a lazy day in bed. ‘Facts and Figures’ trails alongside their solid streak, with his vocals

idents sounding even more like Seaheaven’s Kyle Soto’s. This is until we are greeted by a bittersweet snap from drummer Phoebe Cross, planting her levelling voice against Mandell’s. Matched with an equally as creative video, ‘Running’ draws the record to a gradual close with a song that is pretty self-explanatory. The great thing with Happy Accidents is their ability to conjure up lyrics that relate to the majority of music fans, covering themes that pass us in our day-to-day life. With an album packed with some very leading songs and others that stray towards the subtle side, it’s been a massive leap for the trio to get right, but it has also been a leap in the right direction. Putting out an album was exactly what our young ears wanted to hear, filled with a selection of sunshine rays, and chilling down blues, there is something for every mood.

Alcopop Records July 1st 2016

You Might be Right is the album which most UK DIY bands aspire to produce at some point in their life, but fail to deliver. It’s only taken this band two chances in succeeding, and they have rocketed so high that the only way forward is up from here. Happy Accidents encapsulate the angsty youthful voices that we still all posses deep inside, blasting energetic pop tunes that don’t quite belong in the mainstream charts. Words by Isha Shah

ALBUMs the hotelier Goodness

Hailing from Massachusetts, The Hotelier are mostly known for their 2014 release Home, Like Noplace Is There, which became a classic in the Emo and Punk scenes with just nine tracks. After a long album cycle, they retreated to write its successor, and are coming back with Goodness. Goodness had a lot to live up to : The Hotelier, like many bands in their scene, have a huge hype around them, thanks to the success of their sophomore album. So not only was it highly anticipated, the artwork, which features eight naked elderly people, was censored virtually everywhere. And yet, even with all this mystery and hype surrounding them, The Hotelier may have written their most humble album to date. Opening the album is the first of three interludes, ‘N 43° 59′ 38.927’, a spoken word, and the coordinates in the Interlude titles reference the place where vocalist and bassist Christian Holden recorded them. Now, with a lot of other bands, opening with an interlude might have been detrimental to the listener getting into the album, but after all this is The Hotelier, and it blends flawlessly into second track ‘Goodness, Pt. 2’, which builds up with vocals

and drums only until it finally kicks in and the album truly starts, much like ‘An Introduction To The Album’ on Home, Like Noplace is there — which since became a fan favourite. ‘Piano Player’ sounds like a well measured of every Emo and Punk band they’ve been compared to (the likes of Modern Baseball, The World is A Beautiful Place, and Joyce Manor) and been grouped with, except it’s more than 5 minutes and unlike Modern Baseball, who started doing longer songs on their new album, The Hotelier have always been fond of that. As the album flows, it becomes clear that Goodness sees the band going in a lighter direction than they previously did ; ‘Two Deliverances’ shows their signature mix of a calm instrumental and Holden’s heart wrenching vocals, and when he sings “I can’t drop my history just to become new”, it’s a good indication of how The Hotelier might be headed towards the light with this album, but they’ll always be a band that people hold dear for their classics on Home, Like Noplace Is There, and knowing that, it’ll be very exciting to follow them as they open this new chapter. ‘Soft Animal’’s

true love Detroit five piece, TRUE LOVE are raising hell with their debut full – length on Bridge9 Records: “Heaven’s Too Good for Us”. With two previous releases under their belt, the Michigan Hardcore quintet are looking to sculpt their definitive onslaught by revisiting songs from previous releases and new songs to match the consistent and urgent energy that True Love has built a reputation for with their sound. Bringing together a tracklist weighing in at 17 minutes, with features from Turnstile’s Brendan Yates and Forced Order’s Nick Samayoa. With this release, True Love have made the effort to polish what their discography had already offered; with the return of 3 tracks from 2013’s A Floral Note. These songs don’t offer anything to show that they have been revised in terms of structure but rather the sound much tighter with more performance

Photo by: Ryan Dalton Rodrigues

chorus goes further in that direction and shows Holden slowly regaining hope while encountering a deer ; The Hotelier also haven’t lost their ability to do storytelling through their songs, which sets them apart from a lot of other bands. It’s important to note that even though this album may carry the same themes, it’s not a sequel to Home, Like Noplace Is There : it may respond to it, and inevitably, it follows an album that has become an Emo classic since it was released which is a hard task ; but the beauty of Goodness is that if you took it independently from its predecessors, it would still be blinding and overwhelming with feeling— in a good way.

8/10

Words by Alma R.

heavens too good for us

coming from vocalist Dominic Vargas, compared to the songs older counterparts. As far as laying out True Love’s sound in brief, imagine the song writing of Background Music by American Nightmare but with really good production. The lyrics are fleshed out but poetic, often containing stanza’s and images of endearment. Each song on this record has restless, pummelling riffs accompanied with Vargas putting out a matched effort with his vocals, snapping him in tune and setting himself at the bar his band had already raised as soon as the first overdriven chords came powering in. Heaven’s Too Good for Us doesn’t pace itself... more often or not you may not realise when a song has started or stopped or even If the song you’re listening to is actually the song you thought it was but it works, there’s

no stopping this pain train, fucker. True Love shows a lot of initiative with this debut record; it presents itself as contemporary and retains the traditional Hardcore complex at the same time. Composes itself with aggressive linearity and does not stop for anyone... I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to listen to Hardcore but needs something more accessible in terms of production. Words by Dominic Bevis

7/10

singles

letlive.

If I'm The Devil

Night Verses

A Dialogue In Cataplexy Night Verses’ new single, ‘A Dialogue In Cataplexy’, picks up exactly where the quartet’s debut Lift Your Existence left off. The track’s guitar led introduction is as thought out and intricate as one would expect, as it gradually builds and Douglas Robinson’s vocals kick the song into gear. Aric Improta’s notorious drumming skills seem restrained to begin with but it’s not long before ‘A Dialogue In Cataplexy’ is engulfed by complex symbol rhythms and elaborate patterns. This is just one of the track’s we’re set to receive on 8th July from the quartet’s second album Into The Vanishing, so Lord knows what’s in store for us on the other ten songs. Words by Natalie Webb

nails

You Will Never Be One Of Us letlive. have become a powerhouse. The New York based band are true frontrunners when it comes to revealing truths and desires through their sound and lyrical qualities. Their new album If I’m The Devil… is a political statement, and a record that doesn’t stick to one particular category despite maintaining that call for change. Change needs to happen, and letlive. know that. They know no boundaries when it comes to enforcing their capabilities and opinions. Leading man, Jason Aalon Butler is a strict and formidable vocalist and lyricist, pushing for action and hope. His voice is beautiful, unique, and naturally elevating when needed. The record features songs that go close to the bone, rattling the ears. They’re all entertaining and melodic, harmonious, and bubbling with clear intent. It’s an opus that can be listened to on many occasions, when you’re downbeat and want to unwind, or when the world seems like it’s tumbling down upon your head. letlive. have committed to the cause and have given their fans the chance

to sing along for peace. If I’m The Devil… is a dark album too. The lyrical content may shock and it may inspire. Butler writes with a creative pen, capturing his thoughts and putting them down. He truly is a sincere poet, energised, and maximising his abilities on the new record. There are hits bursting from the seams on If I’m The Devil…; tracks such as ‘Nü Romantics’, which begins with a great guitar presence as Butler offers his vocals within a speech, as though he’s bellowing for closure. The track suddenly powers on, gaining volatility as it goes. ‘Reluctantly Dead’ is sensational. Butler opens the song with his angelic like voice, until the chorus breaks out and he conveys his feelings on a crumbling world. There’s little protection. ‘Copper Colored Quiet’ is one of greatest songs that letlive. have ever produced. The guitar lines are soft and add a great undertone. The band bellow about watching the world burn. Words by Mark McConville

9/10

Just when you think grindcore outfit Nails couldn’t get any heavier, they drop the single for their upcoming record You Will Never Be One Of Us. Clocking in at 1.32 seconds, the production is slightly cleaner than before but it’s still an unstoppable juggernaut that with enough listens will most likely melt your fucking face off. Just face it, you’ll never be as heavy as Nails, no matter how many people you spinkick in the face next time you go see them. With sludgy riffs and ear shattering double bass beats, things look very promising for their new record out in June. Words by Ashwin Bhandari

rain SOLIS

Bedroom labels such as Close To Home hold great value to the UK scene when it comes to lifting hidden treasure bands such as Rain. Following the Swindon-based quartet’s debut EP Symphony Pains, Rain have released another joyace track, that is sure to lift anyone’s mood. Showing a bouncier side to Rain’s dark and mysterious sounds, ‘Solis’ fills the eyes with vibrancy of vivid summer colours. Publishing a video to match, this 1950’s setting of an American high school gym seems rather entertaining to see teenagers dancing to shoegaze in. Words by Isha Shah

holy fever Hailing from Los Angeles, California, hardcore punk group Holy Fever consist of members who were around during punk’s prime time in the early 00’s. For instance, vocalist and bassist Samantha Barbera was a member of Malbec, while guitarist Neeraj Kane was a member of Hope Conspiracy and Suicide Fire. With each musician’s expertise of the ever-popular genre, they’ve come together to create what is an exciting and fresh album. Starting with ‘Duress’, the fiery opening track introduces the band’s sound perfectly. With the sing along chorus and blazing distorted guitars, it’s loud, furious and full of attitude with all the makings of a punk anthem. There are a string of moments on the album that show the band are diverse and dynamic. While ‘We Are the Wreckage’ sounds like something you’d hear at Glastonbury with its anthem-esque chorus and the constant dreamy melodies, tracks like ‘What Now?’ are loud, explosive and aggressive in the way that the Sex Pistols would be. The band’s great musicianship and talent for song writing shows that

The Wreckage punk has way more to it than meets the eye. It’s more than just a group of people playing three songs really fast or someone stabbing a safety pin through your nose; it’s a sound and lifestyle that is embedded in the music. Holy Fever’s musical style goes from fierce punk to fluorescent indie. This is shown directly in the track ‘Someday’ which has such a radio friendly tune that it sounds like it could be on a car advert. Some tracks could belong on the radio but it doesn’t take away from the true force of the band’s music. There are times where the band really put themselves out there through the medium of music, for example ‘Separate the Wreckage’ which is driven by raw emotion and is oddly reminiscent of Iggy Pop’s ‘The Passenger.’ The Wreckage finishes on the fiery ‘The Failure Card’, which combines all elements of the band’s eclectic punk sound with twinges of indie. Overall, The Wreckage by Holy Fever, while it may not be the most original

album and sometimes relies on genre clichés, is an enjoyable listen and the fiery rock anthems along with the happy melodies mean that it’s the perfect summer album. The angry side to their music also makes it relatable to the outcasts of the world, as some songs are just so melancholy they call out to those who feel lost in the world. Words by Megan McMillan

8/10

tiny moving parts celebrate

Following 2014’s Pleasant Living, Tiny Moving Parts bring us their third full-length, Celebrate, via Triple Crown Records. Whilst continuing to write within their signature emo/math influenced sound, this album has a clear progression from their previous releases, which Tiny Moving Parts have refined on a whole new level. Opening up the record with an unmistakably emo line, “Nothing’s ever good enough” we get a clear idea of the lyrical content of the album. Throughout the record, Dylan Mattheisen sticks to the Tiny Moving Part’s lyrical style they are known and loved for. Metaphorical, poetic and vague, the lyrics are both relatable yet clearly specific to Mattheisen’s own life. His words always have, and always will, poke at your feels and with this release he does not fail to deliver. Following previous releases, Mattheisen’s guitar work never fails to impress. Celebrate is explored and written in new and lower tunings than ever before. This is found on the song ‘Minnow’, which is written in drop C#, and ‘Birdhouse’, which is written in a half step down from Mattheis-

en’s standard DAEAC#E. Whilst in the past, Billy Chevalier’s drumming has been slightly hit and miss in regards to the way the technicality can be slightly overbearing, Chevalier has got it completely right on this album. Showing off his complex skills, it works harmoniously with the other instrumentation and really adds to each song. Produced by Gregory Lindholm at The Warming House in Minnesota, the production on Celebrate is a clear step up from previous releases. Lindholm has got the guitar tone for this LP completely spot on, and it perfectly captures the energy of Tiny Moving Parts’ guitar riffs. There is also a new level of clarity with the vocal production on this record, and the production does Mattheisen’s and Matthew Chevalier’s (bass/backing vocals) brilliant vocals nothing but justice. Unlike on previous Tiny Moving Parts full lengths, this album features a number of guest vocalists. On songs such as ‘Birdhouse’ we hear guest vocals from Kelc Galluzzo of the band Jetty Bones. Galluzzo’s

vocals, whilst sitting in the behind Mattheisen’s, create some very nice harmonies and support Mattheisen’s in a very effective way, adding depth to the song. Another set of guest vocals we have are from Foxing’s very own Conor Murphy. Murphy is renowned for being an incredible vocalist and does not fail to deliver in his guest vocals on the track ‘Common Cold’. Coming in fast and feelsy in the second verse with an emotional “I wanna hear you speak,” Murphy’s vocals immediately bring a tender and more emotional tone to the song. The verse then builds up and Murphy and Mattheisen bounce off one another in a way that really could make you cry by the end of the song. Words by Tim Andersson

9/10

nothing

tired of tomorrow

Nothing’s Tired of Tomorrow ties grunge’s thundering power chords and infectious riffs with dream-pops ethereal vocal instrumentation, but still leaves room for half-time breaks of singing guitar melodies that build a wall of sound that even Trump would be proud of. Vocalist Domenic Palermo wraps tales of anxiety and feelings of disdain for humanity around soft, melancholy melodies reminiscent of 90’s emo. However, Nothing stray from the now cliché’d loud/ quiet dynamic by incorporating the best moments of their first album Guilty of Everything. Stand out track ‘Curse Of The Sun’ perhaps take a little too much influence from the 90’s, lifting the intro riff from Nirvana’s track ‘School’ and upping the tempo after adding their signature fuzz. Opening songs ‘Fever Queen’ and ‘The Dead are Dumb’ make for a forgettable introduction, but third track and lead single Vertigo Flowers picks up the record with hazy chords cut-

ting through drum fills. Fourth track ‘A.C.D. (Abcessive Compulsive Disorder)’ Palermo’s vocals to sit to almost contrast the soaring delayed guitar. This follows into ‘Nineteen Ninety Heaven’ where the half-time drums fail to chime with the strained vocals, a shame considering the dark lyrics beg for the wall of sound Nothing have come to perfect. Unfortunately much of the rest of record doesn’t ask much from the listener. “Eaten by Worms” and ‘Everyone is Happy’ falling flatly and passing by. Penultimate track ’Our Plague’ delivers an outro that fans of Nothing’s first album Guilty of Everything would enjoy, juxtaposing the closing (and title track) ‘Tired of Tomorrow’, where haunting strings and piano replace guitars and big muff pedals. Through all of this, Nothing’s sophomore studio album brings big riffs and asks bigger questions, transforming out from

the more dirty Guilty of Everything and deeper towards dream-pop territory. However, pace problems are obvious and perhaps could have been avoided by replacing some of the more flat songs with bonus tracks ‘The Heavenly Blue Flu’ and ‘Tic Tac Toe’, which feel more at home on the record than some of their A-side counterparts. Jack Needham-Leech

8/10

eps sad blood Legion of Gloom If prizes were given out for hardest working band then Sad Blood would be a shoe in with little difficulty. Relentlessly playing the south coast and beyond, the band has finetuned the elements of modern emo to a tee. Nowhere is this clearer than on Legion of Gloom, featuring five tracks of such pivotal and personal gravitas that it comes as a breath of fresh air to the scene. “I’m obsessed with depression” croons vocalist and guitarist George Phillips on the EP’s most string pulling track ‘Formerly Creative’. Lyrics that hit so close to home they could only have been penned by those who have lived through these moments themselves. It fits perfectly up against the emotive and open instrumentation.

Closer ‘The Worriers’ is an irresistible blend of the emo sounds of old and nuances towards the genre’s modern strain. It pushes the envelope musically because a bridge between these two sounds often comes across as messy, yet it is the defining force on Legion of Gloom, simply because it is formulated so well. No jarring jumps between musical ideas instead it flows, more akin to a spoken word piece than a recent emo album. With no lasting tracks longer than three minutes, Legion of Gloom captures a mood and atmosphere so quickly and effortlessly that it begs

for its ideas to be able to mature in a full length release soon. A must listen for anyone that remotely cares about music. Words By: Jack Webb

9/10

Photo by: Ryan Dalton Rodrigues

eps pet library The Corners Of My Eyes Hold The Most Vivid Visions When you think emo heroes who do you think about? Sunny Day Real Estate? The Promise Ring? American Football? Well it’s time to welcome our new local emo heroes, here to save us from the pains we’ve all too often experienced. Pet Library are an emo trio, hailing from Hertfordshire, who implement math riffs into an emotional pancake mix ready to hit home. Having only started recently, they have gained a small, yet impressive cult following in their local emo scene with their 2016 Demo, recorded in Tim Andersson (Guitarist and Vocalists) own bedroom, on a high school musical microphone (the secret to success is out boys and girls).

Pt I’ and ‘Pt II’, contradicted by destructive vocals and dissonant rhythms in ‘Disappearing Act’, you could not ask for more of a debut EP. The House Parties continue the ongoing

Following the great response received by their fantastic demo, Pet Library headed into the studio to record their 4-track debut EP, The Corners of My Eyes Hold The Most Vivid Visions, with the extremely talented Thomas Le Beau Morley (having recorded bands such as TTNG, Orchards and Three Trapped Tigers). The boys shared their adventures in the studio on their Facebook page, shortly before uploading a music video consisting of live footage as well as studio footage for their extremely ambivalent track on the EP, ‘Accidents’, describing an all-too-familiar feeling of uselessness and crippling depression, as well as the running motif of guilt. These lyrics are complimented by the slow riff, and the extreme shift to a more aggressive, often screamed chorus to highlight the intense guilt experienced by the vocalists (Andersson and George Milner).

theme of guilt and depression throughout the album. As the album title as well as the lyrics suggest, most of the guilt and depression arise from past experience. Depression is not however, what this entire EP is about. This EP embodies creativity and a fresh sound from the UK emo scene, with fantastic moments such as the gang vocals in House Parties Pt II: “Chug chug chug woo!”

If you thought that was great, wait until you experience the rest of the EP. With energetic anti-party songs like ‘House Parties

Pet Library also take a page out of Touché Amoré’s book in the track ‘Disappearing Act’, where they introduce a more melodic

Photo by: Ryan Dalton Rodrigues

hardcore sound to keep audiences on their toes. This track is of course the mosh track of the EP, so as you can imagine, this would most definitely be one of the most enjoyable live tracks within Pet Library’s set, with the intense sound that will reverberate in your chest and make you experience the emotions conveyed by Milner. Having spoken almost entirely about the lyrics and sound of the EP, I feel like the instrumentation deserves a very special mention. The trio each bring an individual playing style that complement each other like PB&J. Andersson brings a twinkly sound to the table that is in the same league as giants such as Tim Collis (TTNG) and Steve Holmes (American Football). Conor Mulhern adds emotions through bass, while Milner brings the perfect rhythm through his excellent drumming. There is not a lot to complain about concerning this amazing piece of art, but if one was forced to complain, it would be the blandness of the vocals at very minor points within tracks such as Accidents and House Parties Pt I. Overall, this is a fantastic EP that deserves great recognition and a quick rise to fame. Words by Soroush Fereydoni

9/10

Best of Enemies Sorry State Best Of Enemies’ brand new EP Sorry State opens up with the title track and bursts into life straight out the traps. It’s evident from the start that this is going to be another collection of alternative rock with an undeniable British vibe. The overall sound of the music echoes the likes of Mallory Knox and Moose Blood, especially the former, sounding as though it could slide comfortably into the band’s debut record, Signals. ‘Way Of Life’ flows into a middle of the road rock song, the kind that Deaf Havana do quite well, and it’s easy to see that Best

burn

Of Enemies wear their influences on their sleeves. However, this isn’t always a good thing, sounding far too similar to what we’ve heard before as our concentration levels start to wane. ‘Call To Arms’ provides a bit more gusto and punch but again slips into all too familiar territory, killing any anticipated momentum and promise. Mid-paced and repetitive snare rolls jazz up the dreamy guitar picks, which build into a predictable yet infectious chorus for closer ‘Tired Eyes’. This isn’t a bad set of songs, the production is clear and the songwriting

shows

glimpses of promise, it’s just that Best Of Enemies are heading down the same path as everyone else. Words by Joshua Clarke

6/10

From the Ashes

For a band whose mere name has been ingrained in the soul of hardcore for over two decades—a genre labelled by some as restricted—, Burn have remained consistent with their musical experimentation, all the while forging their identity through the medium of each and every record they put out. This should come as no surprise, seeing as members have done time in a whole host of bands, ranging from Absolution, Quicksand, Side By Side and Beyond. Lyrically and instrumentally, Burn were always ahead of their time; a band that provided an ending to the brilliant, yet at times monotonous, 1980s. An era that gave us the birth of NYHC bands such as Warzone, Underdog, the Cro-Mags and countless others. But the question that I find myself asking, faced with the eminent release of ‘…From The Ashes’—the first since ’Last Great Sea’ (2002)—have the years been so kind to Burn? It is the usual and unfortunate case

fanclub

sometimes, that when an older hardcore band reforms, they visibly lack the energy and power, both in their live shows as well as on record. Time might have drawn them to change their sound somewhat, yet it is incapable of changing the fact that each member wants to be a part of this. They are creating songs that they love, and when that is perceptible through the music, it’s pretty commendable. …From The Ashes pulls no punches. We are thrust into powerful opener ‘Novelist (Drums of War)’. It’s a leap from familiar territory and though it feels like a song ripped from the ‘Cleanse’ EP (2001), it grows into something so much more. frantic, harsh, powerful. Soon enough, we are introduced to the frenzied ‘You Can’t Stop Me’ and heavy closer ’We Don’t Stand A Chance’. Both songs are pleasant additions, reminiscent of ‘…Shall Be Judged’ and ‘New Morality’. However, what really allows ‘…From The Ashes’ to come into its own, is the contributions made by singer

Chaka Malik. Much like Burn’s self-titled, anguished cries switch to haunting spoken word in an instant, such is his versatility and lyrical ingenuity. Alan Cage is absent, though Durijah Lang is a more than worthy replacement. The drumming here really carries the rest of the instrumentals with the perfect sense of urgency and style, never straying too far from classic Burn amidst the new direction.

6/10

bullet head

Some have eagerly awaited the return of 90’s Californian skate indie/rock, but the fact is, it never left. Irish-originated Fangclub have refreshed the sounds of bands like Unwritten Law, but with a darker, more tumultuous edge on their EP Bullet Head. This EP drips 90’s teen angst through every pore and chooses not to embrace the happy-go-lucky edge of other bands in their genre. Bullet Head’s sound is very straightforward when considering their use of instruments and simplistic lyrical structure. The lyrics this EP contains are as dark as you’d

expect them to be with a lyricist by the name of Steven King. Although there is little evidence of innovative experimentation on this EP, it may suit the taste of those looking for some no-nonsense indie/rock. The positive aspect of the simplicity of this EP is that it leaves us eagerly anticipating how they will evolve and refine their sound. Bullet Head is teeming with an energy that leaves its audience anticipating their next release. Perfect for those preferring to embrace the darker side of this summer.

Words by Dariah Osterhage

6/10 53

Live hotos in p

foxing The Joiners, Southampton 1.5.16

Photo by: Isha Shah

Live

four year st + set your goals + boston manor The underworld, london 31.5.16

set your goals

Photos by: Isha Shah

boston manor

trong The affects of the previous three days of Slam Dunk Festival across the UK don’t seem to have had much of an impact on tonight’s audience as a fair sized crowd has gathered at the Underworld for openers Boston Manor. Their brand of emo meets pop punk is as inoffensive as any and disappointingly the first half of the five piece’s set does lack anything particularly special. It’s at the point when they play new track ‘Cu’ that they take things up a notch. Far stronger than their other material it kicks things into gear for final two tracks ‘Driftwood’ and ‘Trapped Nerve’. Their ones to keep an eye on when their new material drops, for sure. Set Your Goals grace the UK with their presence for the first time this week in four years and they’ve been welcomed with open arms at both Slam Dunk last weekend and The Underworld tonight. Opening with ‘Don’t Let This Win Over You’ and diving straight into ‘Echoes’, Set Your Goals are intent on taking us on a trip down mosh pit memory lane. Performing tracks from all three of their albums as well as the first song they ever wrote as a band, ‘Goonies Never Say Day!’, it’s a perfect setlist. However there is a point about two-thirds of the way through where both frontmen, Jordan Brown and Matt Wilson, look a little bored, but this isn’t before set closer ‘Mutiny’ reunites whole room in one massive gang vocal. It’s good to have Set Your Goals back. It’s so hot and crowded in the Underworld’s basement that the floor is only half full as headliners Four Year Strong take to the stage. Similarly to Set Your Goals, the quartet play a set packed full of everything from old classics to new favourites. The problem with this venue is that if you’re not standing down by the stage, it’s impossible to hear what a band with songs as fastpaced as Four Year Strong’s earlier material really sound like. Unfortunately this even permeates down through to the “safe zone” on tracks like ‘Catastrophe’, especially where the drums are concerned. The four-piece put on a great show regardless, squeezing in an additional five songs that they hadn’t played across the Slam Dunk dates. Looking around the room at a show as unique as this one is always special. Set Your Goals and Four Year Strong are both bands that the majority of this crowd grew up listening to and they’re bands who have shaped the tastes of everyone here. Nights that can truly bring together fans old and new are always the ones that get remembered, but legends never die. Words by Natalie Webb

Live hotos in p

eat me

Photo by: Elliot McRae

milk teeth + black foxxes + eat me The Joiners, Southampton 14.5.16

milk teeth

black foxxes

milk teeth

Live

muck

every time i die

Photo by: Ryan Dalton Rodrigues

very time i die + muck + blood youth

the underworld , london - 1.6.16 8/10 This is the second of four nights in London that Every Time I Die are set to headline this week, rescheduled from the cancelled latter dates of their November 2015 UK tour. Blood Youth bound onto the stage all guns blazing, kicking off with the heaviest song from their latest EP, ‘24/7’. Throughout their set it is astonishing how tight and heavy the four-piece sound. Unfortunately what lets Blood Youth down is frontman Kaya Tarsus whose vocals, whilst screams are on point, lose their way when it comes to clean sections and hooks. This is most noticeable on their penultimate track ‘Closure’, which is by far one of their poppiest songs where the hook relies on Tarsus’ singing. It’s hard to tell whether his lungs just aren’t up to the standard of their studio recordings live or it’s Slam Dunk and the previous night’s show at The Borderline taking their toll; either way, it’s disappointing. That being said, Blood Youth are an excellent choice of support for this run. “Muck from Iceland” could very well be from another planet not just another country. From the second their first riff is struck, it’s a relentless onslaught of metal for the following half an hour. Are all European bands who are this heavy this nuts? That’s definitely not a bad thing. The audience that’s gathered look on in awe, mesmerised by the intricate guitar playing and relentless drum sequences. There’s just something excellently bewildering about a band whose frontman spits up at the ceiling only to have his saliva narrowly miss his head on the way back down halfway through the next song, isn’t there? Every Time I Die are some kind of hardcore force of nature managing to pull their fans back to see them four nights in a row in London. With some alterations to the set list for each show, it’s something die-hard fans seem unable to bear missing out on. After rattling through their first six songs, including ‘Bored Stiff’ and ‘Decayin’ With the Boys’ in around fifteen minutes we’re treated to the first of two new songs tonight, titled ‘Puddle’. If that track and ‘The Coin Has A Say’ are anything to go by, Every Time I Die’s forthcoming release is set to be as insane as its earlier counterparts. The crowd are restless throughout the set which includes a mid-show stage invasion and frontman Keith Buckley pulling a few audience members on stage for their first stage dive experience before the band launch into the triple threat finale: ‘We’rewolf’, ‘The New Black’ and ‘Floater’. Every Time I Die don’t need to prove that they’re one of the best metal/hardcore bands on the planet, but if they did, this show would do the trick. Words by Natalie Webb

rozwell kid

Live hotos in p

into it. over it.

rozwell kid

Photo by: Isha Shah

int

to it. over it. + The Hotelier + rozwell kid the joiners, southampton 7.5.16 the hotiler

the hotiler

Live nothing

chain of flowers

shallow sanction

Photo by: Ryan Dalton Rodrigues

shallow sanction

nothing + Shallow Sanction + Chain Of Flowers

moth club, london 15.5.16 - 10/10 Nothing could easily hold the title for being one of the unluckiest bands around, having nearly had their latest record be distributed by scumbag Martin Shkreli’s record label, as well the recent passing of frontman Dominic Palermo’s father and Palmero’s recent assault from a group of thieves while on tour. Despite this, the shoegaze revivalists have come back to our shores for the release of Tired Of Tommorow, thanks to the good folks at London based label Rough Trade. Opening up a room, filled with barely enough people to warrant starting the show for, are anarcho punk group Shallow Sanction [4/10]. With a weird and offputting chorus pedal being played through the guitar amp and a series of songs that were just as dull as repetitive as the next, it’s odd that they’d been asked to play this show as even they seem to be having a rather mediocore time on stage. The performance feels like a rushed speed run of a band rehearsal to kill time rather than actually warming up the audience for an apathetic but still energy driven shoegaze show. Overall Shallow Sanction stick out like a sore thumb and not in a “mixed bills are a good thing” sort of way. Thankfully Chain Of Flowers [7/10] bring things up to speed again, despite the warbling feedback that pierces through the PA during their first three songs. Comfortably sitting between noisey dreampop and elements of blatant Joy Division worship, the moody Cardiff lads bring a macabre and melancholy atmosphere to Moth Club this evening. While mostly performing songs from their self titled record that came out last year, for a band comprised of ex-members of Crossbreaker they know how to make interesting 80’s/90’s worship music without simply regurgitating their influences, and the crowd sways to and fro apathetically but joyfully in response. A slightly longer set would have made up for the technical hiccup at the beginning, but Chain Of Flowers still manage to pull it off and presumably win over some new fans.

chain of flowers

Taking quite a considerable amount of time to get ready on stage, the anticipation to see Nothing [9/10] is understandably high considering how little they’ve come to the UK before. Opening with ‘Fever Queen’ and ‘Vertigo Flowers’ from their new record, the energy in the room feels like a hardcore show as kids jump off the backline and angrily finger point over the contrasting ethereal guitar riffs and vocal lines provided by Palermo and Brandon Setta. While not as uncomfortably loud as say My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive, the reverb feels like you’re drowning from the sonic tones and keeps the audience mesmerized while still retaining a sense of high energy. During the outro of ‘Bent Nail’ an audience member manages to kick the microphone stand into the crowd, and even after the mic wire has clearly been ripped out people are still screaming “if you feel like letting go/giving up” in an almost euphoric chant which, despite the nature of shoegaze vocals being drowned in the mix, can be heard with perfect clarity from the back. Dropping a mindblowing version of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ into the setlist and ending on ‘Dig’ (despite bassist Nick Bassett running off to the toilets and having to be called back to the stage to continue), the crowd response is phenomenal, and with good reason too. Nothing deserve all the best for all the shit they’ve had to put up with, and even if this was only a one off show, they laid waste to Moth Club and thoroughly outdid themselves this time. Words by Ashwin Bhandari

Live hotos in p

blind authority

+ realm

blind authority

renounced

realm of torment

Photos by: Oli Johnson

repentancex

m of torment + renounced + BLIND AUTHORITY

Tunbridge Wells Forum, kent 21.5.16 realm of torment

renounced realm of torment

Live hotos in p

Tom Playfair of Bad News

Photos by: Martyna Wisniewska (Gingerdope)

GUN SHY

gun shy + big bug + Glaciers + Tom Playfair

ATW HOUSE SHOW, SOUTHAMPTON 6.5.16

GUN SHY

BIG BUG

GLACIERS

BIG BUG

Live hotos in p

giants

landscapes

landscapes + capsize + giants

boston music rooms, london 20.5.16

capsize

landscapes

Photo by: Ryan Dalton Rodrigues

l e v a r

SCOTL

Photo by: Isha Shah

TLAND

new roots takes a little trip to the scottish highlands, for a week of breath taking views, irn-bru and kilts. 73

Edinburgh

Now we were only in Edinburgh for a day, but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much to be done, with beautiful sites at every eye turn. IF YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF IN THIS HISOTIC TOWN, THEN MAKE SURE YOU CLIMB UP A FEW HILLS AND MOUTAINS, EAT SOME VEGAN HAGGAS, AND ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL VIEWS.

Photo by: Isha Shah

Calton Hill

h St Ma

ryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s C athed r

Calton Hill

Edinburgh Castle

oban & easd

There may not be a lot to do in oban, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great place to stop off and have a break. There are regular busses and ferries to some jaw dropping islands and wildlife.

Photo by: Isha Shah

dale island

lismore isl

with an island that has more animals than people, do you really need another reason why lismore is amazing? 20 MILES IN LENGTH AND A WALKABLE 1MILE IN WIDTH, THIS PRETTY ISLAND HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER, FROM CASTLES, TO RUINS, TO A CAFE AND MUSEUM.

78 Photo by: Isha Shah

land

the croft cot

There is nothing more relaxing that renting out a cottage in the middle of nowhere and unwinding in front of a warm fire. lismore island has around 200 people living on the island, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got more of a chance seeing sheep and dogs than people. It maybe a little bit more than a hotel, but you deserve a luxury getaway. Photo by: Isha Shah

ttage

Nevis Rang

for just ÂŁ12 you can get a return gondola up the mountains to explore the wonderful nevis range. from here you can go on two trails to see the ukâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest mountain ben Nevis, and in the winter even ski down. The views are remarkable right from the moment you get there, until you get off the bus.

Photo by: Isha Shah

glasgow

Photo by: Isha Shah

ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS CITIES IN SCOTLAND, GLASGOW DOSENT NEED AN INTRODUCTION Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M SURE. WE SPENT OUR LAST DAY WALKING AROUND THIS GRAND PLACE, AND GOT TO CHECK OUT A FEW EYE OPENING PLACES ALONG THE WAY.