SONIC SHOCKS Issue 31 - December 2014

WINTER ROCKS FESTIVAL PREVIEW

Issue 31 - December 2014

INTERVIEWS: BOSSHOSS, PORTRAIT, JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, ROCKBOY, RIVAL SONS, WE ARE CARNIVORES, CRIPPER, ARMS & SLEEPERS

LIVE: TRAPT, CARL BARAT, DAUGHTRY BURLESQUE THE SAGA, WHITECHAPEL

RICHIE RAMONE

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P 3: RICHIE RAMONE

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P. 28: ROCK'N'ROLL MUSEUM: THE SAGA, WHITECHAPEL

Interview by Cristina Massei

By Paul Roundhill

P. 8: THE BOSSHOSS

P. 30: PORTRAIT

Interview and photos by Mark Fletcher

P. 12: WINTER ROCK FESTIVAL Preview by Nelly Loriaux

Interview by Matt Dawson

P. 32: THE GOLDEN AGE OF BURLESQUE

By Sophia Disgrace

P. 16: AMARYLLIS

P. 34: ROCKBOY

Interview and photos by Mark Fletcher

Interview by Nelly Loriaux

P. 18: CRIPPER

P. 37: WE ARE CARNIVORES

Interview by Matt Dawson

Interview and live photo by Mark Fletcher

P. 20: RIVAL SONS

P. 38: LIVE: TRAPT

Interview by Matt Dawson

P. 24: JESUS FUCKING CHRIST

Interview and photo by Mark Fletcher

Review and photo by Nelly Loriaux

P. 39: LIVE: CARL BARAT & THE JACKALS

P. 26: ARMS AND SLEEPERS Interview by Nelly Loriaux

Review and photo by Cristina Massei

P. 40: LIVE: DAUGHTRY

Review and photo by Matthew Higgs

CONTACT US EDITOR IN CHIEF & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Cristina Massei thewickedwitch@sonicshocks.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Matt Dawson - cygnus@sonicshocks.com Nelly Loriaux - nelly@sonicshocks.com US CORRESPONDENT: Denise Britt - denise@sonicshocks.com

Contributors on this issue WRITERS:

General enquiries, review requests and unsolicited material: info@sonicshocks.com

Mark Fletcher, Paul Roundhill, Sophia Disgrace, Cristina Massei, Matt Dawson, Nelly Loriaux, Matthew Higgs

Advertising enquiries and info:

PHOTOGRAPHERS:

PLEASE NOTE: We listen to everything but - often in your own interest - we don’t always review it...

Cristina Massei, Mark Fletcher, Nelly Loriaux, Paul Roundhill, Matt Higgs

advertising@sonicshocks.com

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RICHIE RAMONE

By Cristina Massei

“He saved the band as far as I’m concerned. He’s the greatest thing to happen to the Ramones. He put the spirit back in the band”. Joey’s words about drummer Richie are one of the rare testaments to the man whose contribution to The Ramones was often overlooked. In his 5 years’ spell with one of the most iconic punk bands in history, Richie played on 3 albums, one being the unforgotten ‘Halfway to Sanity’. He’s the one who penned ‘Somebody Put Something in My Drink’. Talented and diverse, he was the only one who could offer Joey’s voice some relief, occasionally taking on singing duties from behind his drum kit.

After shunning the spotlight for over 10 years, Richie Ramone found his muse again and went back doing what he does best: rock & roll. After several projects, he recently joined forces with Alex Kane, Claire Miss-Take and Ben Reagan and released his first solo album ‘Entitled’ in October 2013. December sees Richie and his new band mates bring new and old tunes to Old Blighty: an early Christmas present set to warm up 10 cold British nights. In the meanwhile, let’s have a chat with the man himself as he prepares to invade our shores…

You’re on a break between the US tour and your visit to Europe – how are you spending it?

Writing, rehearsing, collaborating with different people – just try and stay busy. I’m working on some songs with Tony Valentino – he did Dirty Water [by] The Standells.

Your solo album Entitled came out in 2013 but you’re pretty much bringing it out in Europe now…

Yeah, it came out at the end of the year.

To someone that hasn’t heard it yet – how would you describe it?

It’s hard, aggressive, in your face rock/punk music.

That’s the kind of drumming I like to do so it’s pretty intense.

Would you say it appeals to Ramones fans or are you trying to do different things?

Yes, it appeals to the Ramones fans, it has a heavier metal edge – Joey and I, we always liked the heavier stuff.

You were the only drummer in the Ramones to do vocals on some of the songs. With this band you’re basically the front man – how are you finding that role?

It works good – I still play drums and I sing from behind the drums but my second guitarist also plays drums so throughout the set I’ll come upfront once in a while and sing some songs to the kids so I can get right in their face! They kind of like that, you have to move off the drums a little bit but the drum

is my first love.

Where do you feel more comfortable in the sense of interaction with the crowd?

I’m comfortable in both positions – upfront and behind the drums. If I wasn’t comfortable I wouldn’t do it, I’ve been doing this a long time!

Tell me more about this current band – I know you’re playing with Alex (Kane) who I’ve known for a while – is it for the long term or something put together for this album and tour?

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It’ll be a year Alex is with me in December when we do the UK, I have Claire Miss-take who was also in AntiProduct on bass and Ben Reagan who plays rhythm guitar and drums so this band has been around for a year and it’s really good, a bunch of hard workers and we get the job done.

Is Alex as mad as I remember him or has he got older and wiser?

I don’t know about back in the day, I’ve known Alex for about three years – he’s always been mad! [laughs] He’s just an extremely motivated hard worker and it’s hard to find people like that, he stays busy in all his little projects and stuff but he’s devoted to this project right now so it’s looking good. Being together a year you really try to gel as a band but I really love the line up – we’re getting on well which is good because I’m a mess on the road, I really need to be taken care of! [laughs] You’ve been doing a lot of stuff since you left the Ramones – what can we expect from the setlist?

You can hear stuff off the new album, stuff that I wrote for the Ramones and I’ll give the kids some classic Ramones songs so it’s a little bit of everything but it works really well.

In 2007 you were the first punk rock drummer to feature as a soloist and co-composer in a classical composition “Suite for Drums and Orchestra” – was it you’d like to try again?

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It’s something I may do later on in life, it’s really amazing – I scored West Side Story and when they wheel those drums up in front of a 90 piece orchestra it’s wonderful to play that [and] I’ll look into that in a few years, but right now I’m on the rock scene with this record and I’m going to write one more and put that out next year.

Let’s go back to the Ramones – your relationship with Johnny was probably the main thing for you leaving but it’s been a long time so in retrospective how do you feel about those events?

Joey and Dee Dee were my good friends and Johnny was right in the middle – when it came to business he fought me a lot about certain things – everybody knows about the merchandise money, he’d only let me have one or two songs on every album because if I had more than that it would affect HIS money, stuff like that even though they were better songs than maybe what they would have brought in. By the end it was our last record with Sire so it was getting all kinds of messy.

I was only 29 when I left – still a punk little kid – I was mad and I left. Was it the best thing to do? Maybe not but you can’t look backwards, you have to move forwards , once you make a decision be a man and own up to it.

You mentioned songs that you have written that Johnny preferred to keep out of the album for financial reasons. What happened to those songs?

They’re still around – I haven’t recorded them yet.

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There’s a certain time – 84/85- a song written then may not lyrically work 30 years later.

Is it something you could modify slightly then use?

Yeah but I have ideas for now so I don’t really want to go back to that, I like to keep it fresh.

You were obviously not the only one having problems with Johnny, the relationship between him and Joey was also quite heavy – how much did that influence the career of the band in your opinion?

I don’t think it influenced anything – it wasn’t as bad as people would think – yeah they didn’t talk much but Johnny you never saw either. We did a lot of shows, Johnny would stay on his own floor in the hotel, he’d never go out afterwards so you never really saw him on the road, he was mysterious. In the van when we were travelling sometimes he and Joey didn’t really talk but that’s just part of the life of trying to be a family - you didn’t always get along.

How do you find it now? I always thought that in a way when you’re younger it’s easier to get on with people on the road…

I guess you mature in a way but it’s pretty easy right now because you’ve got to wake up a bunch of times to travel, be downstairs in the lobby of the hotel ready to go and I get a lot of respect out of this band, that’s all really what I’m looking for – everybody gets along, treat me with respect and listen. Alex, Claire and Ben – they’re a good group. Ben gets all my drums setup also so he’s a

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really important member but we get along fine. I don’t hold anything back, I tell people what’s on my mind – my bark is bigger than my bite so to speak! We all have our thing – Alex is a late nighter, stays up until 4 or 5 in the morning while for me after these shows it’s so exhausting that I’m fried after every night, I just go back to the room and I’m done.

More of a morning person then? [laughs] Yeah! It’s 8 O’clock here now! I’m in Los Angeles.

Not a good time to be up here in London – it’s quite dark and cold!

I heard it’s quite there already – in the 30s!

It dropped down this week, it wasn’t that bad but definitely winter now!

I’m looking forward to the London shows, we’re doing 10 dates in the UK. When was the last time you came to London?

I was there two years ago because I was recording a record in Dublin and I contacted the Ramonas and did a few songs with them at the Underworld so they’re friends of mine, in fact Claire Miss-take helped form that band.

Do you have a favourite part of London?

I don’t really know it that well, I just love eating the Indian food there!

Back to Ramones, I remember Joey saying that you really strengthened the band when you joined and we were talking about the respect you’ve been getting in

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this band and not getting as much before. I’ve always found that not only what you did but what you contributed to – Halfway To Sanity being one of the best albums and Somebody Put Something in My Drink is one of the most famous songs – the fact you were left out at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame – did you feel your contribution was overlooked there?

Yeah, it’s weird – when you do get these awards either you bring just the original four – Tommy, Marky, Joey, Dee Dee – or you bring everybody that was involved , somehow Marky slid in there and CJ and I were left out but I still went there and talked about Joey. It’s just a statue that collects dust so I’m not concerned about that but Joey and Dee Dee knew my strengths – Joey knew I could produce, sing, drum, write songs – he and Dee Dee were very encouraging to do all that so they were key motivators. Joey knew who he was and he wasn’t scared of anything that I would shine too brightly, it worked out well. By the end of those last two years I was singing live with him – background on the live stuff.

There was also the Grammy lifetime achievement award with all three drummers there for the first time.

How did you take the news of Tommy’s passing this year?

Tommy was a great guy, he was very neutral – Switzer-

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land – he never got involved with the fighting or anything like that and it’s shocking, all these people dying at a young age. Your sixties is considered young nowadays. I still think it’s that CBGB’s curse – I know a lot of people that ended up getting cancer, there must have been mould or something in that club, a lot of people got cancer who used to frequent CBGB’s back in the day.

That’s quite the theory!

That’s what I believe anyway. It’s sad and everything but you’ve got to move on, you start thinking it’s a jinx and everything – I went through that for a few years!

It’s just you and Marky left – how’s your relationship with him?

I never talk to him ever. He wouldn’t talk to me either [at the Grammy award] so we have no relationship.

You were basically just under the same roof and that was it.

Joey’s brother Mickey took me there, they didn’t think I was going to get up on the stage and talk but I snuck up there and said some words about Joey – Marky wouldn’t take a picture with me or talk to me, he feels a little bit threatened in my opinion because I wasn’t on the scene for ten years and now that I’m back… I have so much more talent that he could ever offer, he’s a little concerned right now! [laughs] He doesn’t need to get like that – there’s room for everybody!

You mentioned that you disappeared from the scene for about ten years – what happened there?

It was after the Ramones and I moved to California, played in some bands and I just needed a rest. I just didn’t want to do it anymore, then I came back and wanted to do something else so that’s when I did the symphony. Then I started to play some of the Joey Ramone birthday bashes in New York City and started writing again, people said ‘you should do a record’ and it all happened!

Some ask why I didn’t do it sooner… Maybe I wasn’t ready to do it, I don’t really go by time or anything like that – as long as you have the edge and give these kids what they want I feel you can just keep going. It just snowballed into this record and things are picking up with the band. Rock and roll today is really hard – it’s not the top music around anymore – that’s hip-hop and pop, rock and roll doesn’t sell many records anymore so you’ve just got to get out there and tour.

Do you think it’s a specific thing with rock and roll regarding sales or a general thing?

It’s a general thing – it’s the way it is – people getting free music and downloading stuff, you can’t fight it. Any big bands from back in the day that sold three million they’re lucky today to sell 300,000. Money comes from touring and merchandise these days. If you get your song in a movie or commercial through licensing you can make some money, but the record sales are slim.

How did you find the punk scene after coming back?

I don’t think it’s really changed much – I really like doing the all ages shows where there’s 18/19 year old kids who are out there to have a good time and they really give us the energy – we were in Oklahoma last week and it was great. Nothing about touring has changed, you still get dirty wet dressing rooms like 30 years ago, the kids are

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still the same.

Do you follow any new bands or just do your own thing?

We have the Idol Dead who are friends of Alex who wanted to join us on this tour, but normally I do my own thing, I don’t really get involved with choosing support bands because the promoter likes to pick a local band that has a draw. We’re not at that point where I can pick and choose who I want to come on the road with me. I listen to the radio to see what’s new but I don’t get too involved because I don’t want to get too influenced in my song writing – I want it to come from the heart and not be influenced by somebody else.

In the years you’ve been away what did you miss the most?

I didn’t miss anything at the time and after a while I couldn’t understand what was the matter with me and how I was dismissing the music and being creative, missing the audiences is why I came back!

In all the years of your career what was the best thing someone said to you?

That I’m a god!

[Both Laugh] I mean I’m an exceptional drummer so certain people recognise that, compliments are always great – in the celebrity business you get those and get beat up too, you just have to know what is good and what is bad.

You can’t get everybody to love you – if you can get 50% that’s good.

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What’s the future after this tour?

We come back after Christmas then in January I’ll start laying some tracks, February we go to South America for a month which is always fun – some of the best bands – we’ll continue to tour, cut some songs and get something else out there. We’re already working to come back in March/April to Europe because there’s a lot of countries I missed on this tour and then summer festivals around the UK. This is the first time I’m bringing the band overseas so I’m looking forward to see what the reaction is.

For Alex it’s a big position playing the guitar – my music is very guitar driven so he’s got a nice spot and he’s doing a wonderful job, he’s a hard worker.

Anything you would like to say to the UK fans?

I’m looking forward to seeing everybody, I don’t hide after the show - I’ll be at the merch stand, I really like to make it a party, it’s different than years ago – in the eighties you hid behind a glass wall but now with the internet it’s a lot more open – we’re people too like everybody else. Some kids know more about me than I do! Everybody can find out on RichieRamone.com, Richieramoneofficial on facebook and Twitter: @therichieramone.

I’ll say hello and I’ll be taking pictures of the show!

Make sure you bring a nice coat!

I’ll be in my leather jacket and sweaters! I want everybody to have a good time – this is useless without the fans, if they’re not having a good time I’m not having a good time.

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Interview and photos

by Mark Fletcher

I’m sat here with Alec “Boss Burns” Volkel and Sascha “Hoss Power” Vollmer backstage at Wembley Arena prior to their support to Motorhead and feeling quite relaxed with a beer, having come in from the torrential rain outside. I am really eager to get an answer to my first question…

First things first: you’re German, why Country & Western?

Hah ha ha, well that’s a good question. We love making music – we have since we were teenagers - and we have an eye and an ear for roots music which is also country music, rockabilly 60s, blues development, up to modern bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Motorhead; we have a real interest in music basically, and ten years ago we had the idea to start a band playing country music but with all of those influences that we like, do country music as we want to hear it. When we started it was actually more traditional, but as the years went by more influences helped us develop a more unique crossover to the sound we have now.

You’re quite huge in Germany in terms of record sales, arena performances, and festivals, so why the big drive for country style? Is it to do with a big Confederate following within Germany?

It’s not really to do with country, our sound has developed over the years and it’s more like Rock ‘n’ Roll with a hat on, it’s unique and it’s a show that people can watch, experience and remember. And some of it is a lifestyle thing. It’s why we wear the hats, the boots, we’re part of the gang, we have the image of riding fast bikes and cars and do what we want, travelling the world and this image helps the music.

The following you have is quite huge too, why do the fans

love you?

Firstly because of all we’ve said: they love the music, they buy the tickets, watch the show and love it. But we’re also a hard working band. We play a lot. In the early years we were playing like 200 shows a year and that’s how we’ve built our fan base.

You’re ten years old now as a band, why haven’t you broken into the UK before?

We were busy building the success in Germany. No, we tried it over the years, every one or two years doing little club shows, but without the right press reviews and record deals there’s little for people to hang onto. So now is the right time with our deal on our label Universal to reach more people and get heard.

You’ve got an album out here now and you have the UK tour with Motorhead but what are you expecting from this tour and beyond?

We’re dreaming about touring all over Europe, and since we’re quite close neighbours it’s not so far to come to London from Berlin, so why shouldn’t we tour here too. We’re quite busy in Austria and Switzerland and of course Germany and we do festivals in other countries during the summer, now we’re going back to Germany to work on the next album which will be out September 2015 which will be followed by a tour and the plan would be to tour from Vienna to Glasgow.

What do you see as your main challenges in the UK? The market. Bands in the UK that are famous are successful all over the world. If you’re a German band then it’s not automatically the same. It’s hard to get on outside of Ger-

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God Lov Loves th es Cowboys a e UK an n d fish and BossHoss d chips

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many. And with the UK having so much history of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the fans are very picky because they have a lot of big bands around, they’re not really waiting for us.

But there has been global success out of Germany. Do you think you can follow in the footsteps of the Scorpions for example?

Ha ha…No! We would love to be able to play to audiences of around 1,000 in the UK. Before we talk about the album, let’s talk about your names. You have all adapted American style names, is there something behind that?

There was beer behind it! We had a lot of fun after a long night at the bar; we decided to do country music between the two of us and our friends loved it, and they convinced us to bring it to the stage and that was how it started. We had a lot of fun but thinking about the names we decided to be called The BossHoss and it began we could be Boss and Hoss. Then the other guys we had Russ and Guss, Hank and Frank. But the name BossHoss came from an American band called the Sonics who have a song called Bosshoss and we thought it sounded perfect for our duo. Then we did some work in the studio, recorded some songs as a fun thing but then we had to put it on stage and we adopted the American names.

So following the American theme, you have the music, you have the names, and on stage you have the whole American accent too. Is what you do on stage all about the theatrics?

We put on a show. We wear the hats, the wife beaters and we’re in show business so we put on a show with an image of pretending to be cowboys, accent and all.

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When playing Germany, do you interact with the fans in English with the American accent or do you speak German?

We started for many years speaking English and no German words but since we did the TV show ‘The Voice’ where we were coaches, we spoke a lot of German of course and so now when we play Germany we mix it up a little. In the beginning it was funny, because people were not sure if we were German or Americans living in Germany but now everyone knows we are German we keep it half and half.

So the album ‘God Loves Cowboys’ was out a few days ago. A good selection…

Well it’s really a compilation of our last few years and we selected the songs for this album because we figure the UK is a Rock ‘n’ Roll country and the right songs need to be on there from our last three albums which fit best for this market.

Why ‘Word Up’?

We did Word up on our very first album which was an album of just covers because we thought it would be fun to do some pop songs in a country style and we liked ‘Word Up’ at the time; it’s a fun track live because everybody knows it and it’s very rocky. It’s one of the best songs live. We also had it in a TV commercial in the UK for some hair product.

What would be your message to potential fans in the UK? Come and see us live. Check it out. God Loves Cowboys and BossHoss Loves the UK and fish and chips.

If you could have any musician or artist perform with you in your band, who would it be?

Lemmy could do bass, Dave Grohl on drums, and Elvis in Stetson.

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preview by Nelly Loriaux

1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we catch your performance? What can people expect from your set?

We are opening the main stage on the Saturday. You should catch my performance because its high energy, hard rocking 70's rock 'n' roll (the real deal!)

2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check out? And why?

I am looking forward to checking out The Answer most 3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any new releases in the pipeline?

Yes I will have a free download available from the 1st of December and an EP which will be released early next year!

4) What are your post Winter Rocks festival plans?

We have just come off the British tour with Blackberry Smoke and just played the rolling stone weekender in Germany, we also are playing Hard rock hell and the night after Winter Rocks we are doing Planet Rockstock in Wales.

© Russ Surry - aRtUSSELL Photography

In many parts of the world, December 6th is probably best associated with St Nicholas day, the bringer of gifts, the Saint who inspired the legend of Santa Claus. So if you still believe in the magic of Christmas, be prepared for a day to remember. Forget chocolate coins, spiced gingerbread biscuits or mannala deposited in the boots you might leave on your doorstep for this early gifts tradition, instead put them on and head to Corporation, Sheffield, for the first WinterRocks Festival. The day will bring an extravaganza of international artists as well as Sheffield’s finest rising talent over two stages.

Headlining the festival will be none other than THE ANSWER, ready to deliver their stunning live show ‘We’ve been rocking out in Sheffield ever since our first UK tour so we always feel right at home there. The line-up looks great and we’re ready to play our part in a big way. Sheffield we’re coming for you!!’

Hard rockers HEAVEN’S BASEMENT will also return to grace the Corporation’s main stage ‘It’s been too long since we’ve been to Sheffield, we’ve had some epic times at Corp! Some of our favourite shit has gone down at these shows and we can’t wait to get back to see our Yorkshire friends! Let’s kick off Xmas early at WinterRocks Festival!’

Whilst Sheffield’s BLACK SPIDERS will bring their monstrous riffs to this new winter festival ‘Of our favourite top ten places to play in the Europas!! Many a city has seven hills, but the city of Sheffield is a home from home....’

The rest of the line-up will see a real mix of international talent from Eureka Machines, New Zealand rockers I Am Giant, Zodiac N Black, Swedish legends Stonewall Noise Orchestra, THE Aaron Keylock Band and Liberty Lies.

Goat Leaf will headline the second stage with their heavy groove rock show. New Zealand’s Rival State will be main support with Sheffield bands The Verals, The Black Hands, Red Jester, Coyote Mad Seeds, Perfect Crimes and Regulus completing the line up on this epic day.

Tickets are a mere £18 for the full day which includes entry to both stages, get them at www.corporation.org.uk.

Doors 12.30pm.

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(answered by Chris Catalyst) 1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we catch your performance? What can people expect from your set?

We're playing at Winter Rocks Festival at 6pm, so just after Grandstand and right before Big Break. Why should you come and see us? Because we're right good. We promise to warm up your December bones with some July tunes. And I promise you a January hangover.

2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check out? And why Black Spiders are our South Yorkshire nemeses, only joking, they're always brilliant and it'll be great to see them. Heaven's Basement are always ace and it'll be great to see The Answer. We'll be there all day, we like to see other bands, we're music fans as well, you know…

3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any new releases in the pipeline?

We're doing a new Pledge campaign at the moment, which you can get involved with here: http:// www.pledgemusic.com/projects/em4. We're aiming to have that out by March/April time. Hopefully right in time for some festivals.

4) What are your post Winter Rocks festival plans?

Chris from the band has some acoustic gigs, and then we're back in the studio to finish the album, which we think will be called 'BRAIN WAVES'. Then it's Christmas, when we fully plan on stuffing our fucking faces for two weeks solid.

5) Anything you'd like to add for your fans?

Thank you for being you, you look exceptionally sexy today.

1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we catch your performance?

What can people expect from your set?

W e ' r e opening up the second stage nice and early at 1.15pm. You should catch our performance because it doesn't matter if we're headlining or opening, we always play our hearts out.

2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check out? And why?

Goat Leaf. They're our brothers in rock and the best at what they do.

3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any new releases in the pipeline?

We recently released our debut album, Smoke, so we'll be plugging that pretty hard. We are very proud of what we've achieved there.

4) What are your post Winter Rocks festival plans?

We're taking a couple of months off to write new material and book tours until we return to Corp in February in support of Conan.

5) Anything you'd like to add for your fans?

You guys are cool. You keep doing what you're doing and we'll keep rocking.

© Augustinas Našlėnas

PREVIEW

1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we catch your performance? What can people expect from your set?

Everybody should come catch us at the winter rocks festival, at Corporation, on the 6th of December 2014. Come see our performance because as always we promise to give everybody something to remember. People that attend the winter rocks festival will see a really high energy onstage set from us, we love to play live!

2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check out? And why?

That's hard... We would like to try and see them all! But I think two acts we are looking forward to seeing is Black Spiders and good friends Goat leaf. They're always incredible.

3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any new releases in the pipeline?

Yes! we are currently in the making of a 5 track E.P! Unfortunately it might not be available to have for the festival, but you will hear a lot about it on the day for who attends.

4) What are your post Winter Rocks festival plans?

Our post Winter Rocks Festival plans are to release our 5 track E.P, with maybe a music video. We will also be writing more music and looking into what we can do in 2015!

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1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we catch your performance? What can people expect from your set?

We're on the Main stage, because we're a top notch band playing stadium quality shows to packed club houses. These dates are our first club shows for 2014 and to make them extra special we've asked our fans to choose the set list from our full back catalogue, so we're playing the songs you WANT to hear. If you've never experienced Black Spiders, this is your perfect opportunity to be converted to the cause. If you don't get it, that's fair enough, but we know you'll be walking out after our set knowing it doesn't get any better...

2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check out? And why There's a lot of new bands to check out, most of whom we'll be experiencing in the flesh to see what the best new sounds have to offer... we're also there to try and upstage Heavens Basement and the Answer, as we do we all bands we support, it makes for a good night and always makes for a better camaraderie.

3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any new releases in the pipeline?

What we're promoting is the best rock band you'll see in your lifetime, as usual. Self-promotion has always been our priority from DAY 1. We have 2 full albums and 5 EPs to promote, as well as our quite awesomely rich bank of other merchandise!!

4) What are your post Winter Rocks festival plans?

After emptying the Corp bar we will endeavour to continue our winter 2014 UK tour, next stop Manchester with Glasgow to complete this run. If you miss it then don't come crying to us... We'll then be collecting our thoughts and regrouping after the New Year to put in motion the next full opus for your listening pleasure.....

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(answered by Goat Leaf singer Jonny Town) 1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we catch your performance? What can people expect from your set?

We are headlining the second stage so we are going to be howling well into the nightly hours. The crowd can expect biting blues driven grooves soaked in sweat and Whisky with a sniff of unworldly pleasures…as always 2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check out? And why?

There are a lot of our brethren on the bill. I will certainly be watching The Verals and Regulus, both fresh from Sheffield bands, totally different from each other. The Verals have a leather jacket swagger and Regulus offer an earthy stoner vibe…

Zodiac N Black will simply blow minds, as will S. N. O. Just buy a ticket and don’t miss anyone,. S’gonna be quite a trip all day.

3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any new releases in the pipeline?

Winter Rocks is also the last date of our tour with S.N.O. it’s going to be a kind of transition from our Lack Of Oxygen set and introducing a few new tracks. We are busting balls working on fresh slabs of boogie Rock. There will be a new release at some point next year.

4) What are your post Winter Rocks festival plans?

Writing, drinking, touring Spain in the spring and getting our new songs down and released into the ether…

5) Anything you’d like to add for your fans?

We just want to say Thanks to one and all who has taken the time to come and watch us and bought our stuff.

2014 has been a righteous year for us, opening Bloodstock and supporting Fu Manchu being the standout experiences. We are going to keep revving the engine of the Heavy Groove Machine until the wheels come off.

1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we catch your performance? What can people expect from your set?

A high energy rock set, no click tracks or backing tracks.. playing some big riffs.

2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check out? And why There are some great bands playing. We’ll have to check out all the headliners: The Answer, Heavens Basement, Black Spiders, Eureka Machines. It’s always good to see what other bands are up to and hear them doing it well and we'll check out Rival State. Half of our band is from New Zealand and that’s where these guys are from and they're fucking awesome.

3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any new releases in the pipeline?

We have our new album ‘Science and Survival’ out now so we'll be playing all the tracks off that, some of them for the first time even.

4) What are your post Winter Rocks festival plans?

We'll be touring NZ over New Year, and then more Europe dates next year around April including a UK run. We'll be playing South By Southwest and some west coast US shows in March. We're thinking of dropping a bonus track too in December; let’s see how that comes together.

5) Anything you'd like to add for your fans?

Come check us out in advance www.facebook.com/iamgiantband . We think you might like what you hear. To our mates in Sheffield…Party Time on the 6th!! We have no more shows for a few weeks so gonna be a good one. See you guys there.

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© Heile Mania

1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we catch your performance? What can people expect from your set?

We are opening the main stage which is a big honour for us.

The Corp has been a main stay of our touring circuit for ( a n s w e r e d years now and this by Mick– is our first chance to step foot on the main, so we will be M i c h a e l Waters) making the most of it. You should check us out because 1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we will have a point to prove on that main stage, that it we catch your performance? What can peois where we should be. Expect plenty of energy from an ple expect from your set?

Sheffield Corporation on Saturday, come early performance!

2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check out along experience a fine evening of beautiful Rock n Roll! We have been in the studio and why? recording our new record this past couple of We’re good friends with the guys in Heavens Basement, months and are chomping at the bit to get they are a must see, unrivalled energy on stage. We out and play, so expect us to be up there havplayed with them in 08 to about 50 people, so to see them ing a good time! rise like they have is awesome. Black Spiders too, they are 2) Which other acts are you looking forward really nice guys; we are really looking forward to seeing to check out and why? them again.

So many talented acts on the bill, I'm sure 3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any new re- there is something for everyone. Be cool to catch up with the Heavens Basement & Black leases in the pipeline? we toured together a few years back, Yeah, this will be following the release of our first single Spiders, pretty sure beer rider won’t last long! promoting our brand new EP out early 2015. We will be 3) What arethe you promoting at the festival? playing some tracks from the EP which have been going Any new releases in the pipeline? down a storm on our most recent dates.

Yeah we have a new record just about fin4) What are your post Winter Rocks festival plans? ished, just recording some b sides as we We are touring with Magnum the week of Winter Rocks, speak! We are using this opportunity to playing Planet Rockstock in Wales the day after, so we showcase new material from the new album, may have to play it a bit sensible after our set. We have it’s called Raise A Little Hell. It’s very excitsome more support shows lined up around the country ing for us, the new material has something and we will be back around to play some headline shows special going on.. Just 4 lads rocking out like to any new fans we have gained. The EP will be released F***. and there is always new music videos and stuff like that to 4) What are your post Winter Rocks plans? be done. It is all shaping up to us being very busy in the Another show in Wales for Planet Rock the day after, then a Christmas show in N.I. early coming months. new year we shall be touring the UK, Europe 5) Anything you'd like to add for your fans? & further afield.. Dates to be released in the We can’t wait to see you all, we have new music for you next week or so. Keep an eye on our Faceand we are going to be stepping up our game, so it would book page www.facebook.com/theanswerbe great to hear all your voices, thanks for all the support rock for info. so far this year! We will be around much more in 2015!

1) Where, When and most of all WHY should we 3) What are you promoting at the festival? Any catch your performance? What can people expect new releases in the pipeline? from your set?

Primarily promoting our new single Black Cloud, Perfect Crimes are playing at 3:15 - 3:45 on the Sec- released earlier this month; we believe it is by far ond stage. We've supported some big acts at Corp in- the best thing we've ever written. We are plancluding Voodoo Six, Jeff Scott Soto and Warrior Soul. ning a music video with Fourth City Films at the We play every show like it's our last, but these oppor- moment, so expect a top-quality promo in the tunities bring out the best in us. People should expect New Year. Our 2013 debut EP, Skeleton Key will 30 minutes of Sheffield's finest, and most exciting, out also be on sale on the day! and out hard rock band.

4) What are your post Winter Rocks plans?

2) Which other acts are you looking forward to check Promote, promote, promote. And then promote out and why some more. We have the songs, the recordings, It is a great honour to share a bill with Heaven's Base- the merch, the live performances - it's time for ment, The Answer and Black Spiders. The latter are the UK to know who Perfect Crimes are, and one of Sheffield's finest exports, while the former are what we're about. We will be booking a massive two bands that we have individually and collectively UK tour for the summer, along with a load of fesadored for years. At 15, my first gig was The Answer at tival dates up and down the country. We're hopLeadmill in 2006! These 3 bands are at the forefront ing our single, along with a promo video, might of our genre, and it is an awesome challenge for us to be what finally pushes us into the limelight... see how well we fare sharing a stage with them.

PREVIEW

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After checking out Amaryllis at this year's Nightmare on Camden High Street, Mark felt compelled to ask the lads a few questions...

Where does the name Amaryllis come from?

At the time we were deciding a band name Sante and I were really into the Shinedown album ‘Amaryllis’ and thought it would be a cool name and didn’t sound like a metal or indie name so it was a no brainer!

What qualities are going to differentiate you from the day to day band?

Honestly, I think it’s our effort to not write similar stuff. We try to be a straight up the middle rock band but all the guys in our band listen to such different stuff whether it’s heavy, thrash metal to acoustic & pop. It bleeds into our sound so we don’t end up just a two sided coin.

You seem to have a decent following on Facebook, what part do social media play in the life of a band?

It’s absolutely crucial for us. We released our debut EP only having played 3/4 shows yet managed to rack up 20,000+ downloads of our ‘Amaryllis’ EP which most bands don’t get to have. We can turn up to any city and have fans turning up to see us because they’ve seen it all build online. It’s created a real relationship between us and them. Wouldn’t change anything about it.

Your EP ‘Revolt’ is pretty good, why is it free?

We decided to make it free because a single record can create an attachment between a person and a band which with Revolt EP we’ve seen happen in ways we couldn’t imagine. So only limiting that to people who were already fans that would be willing to pay wasn’t something we wanted. This EP was the story of a lot of stuff, good and bad, that we went through and wanted the world to know about. To get to know us, hopefully like us enough to come and see us live and share an experience together. Plus, money has never meant anything to us. We’re just friends that have something we couldn’t not ever do.

What influences can we hear on the EP and what stimulates your lyrical content?

After our first release which was mindblowingly successful and first UK tour which sold more than we

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Interview and photos

by Mark Fletcher w o u l d ever imagine, we had a lot of pressure. It took us over a year to write and even toured the EP in its entirety before releasing it.

It was a progression of what everyone knew of us but totally bearing all aspects of us that people hadn’t seen.

Discussing everything about human nature, what we go through inside on our own and together. We delved deeper than ever before and honestly, once it was finally out and people embraced it so much, nothing had felt better for us.

What’s the plan for future recording?

We’ve begun writing our debut album and have even started testing a few songs live and the reaction has been incredible. We went through a lot of incredible highs and horrific lows since Revolt EP was released so this album will, for the most part, be the documentation of the journey we went through.

Did you enjoy dressing up for the gig last Saturday?

We LOVED it! Trying to play and looking around to see everyone looking so hilarious was something new for all of us. We’ll have to do it again for sure!

If you could support any band, anywhere, whowould it be and why?

Deftones, Alter Bridge or Biffy Clyro at Brixton Academy would be a dream come true.

Brixton for all of us has been a dream as growing we’ve seen some of our heroes and idols play there and where we would imagine what it’s like to be them.

If you could spend ten minutes in a broken down lift, who would you like to be with you and why?

Simon Neil because he’s Simon Neil!

What is your message to your fans and readers of Sonic Shocks?

Thank you for all of your support and hopefully we’ll see you on our UK tour in February!

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"This EP was the story of a lot of stuff, good and bad, that we went through and wanted the world to know about"

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© Alina Omerbasic

A band that has the ability to play one festival FIVE times is one that we all have to keep an eye on right? Enter Cripper - who in their chat with Matt Dawson give their albums of the year, memories of playing on a boat and what drink they would create for the 70000 Tons Of Metal!

What are your feelings on signing with Metal Blade?

Christian: First of all we’re pretty lucky to have such a renowned and strong partner for our upcoming album and hopefully the following ones. We were comfortable with Metal Blade right from the start. They took notice of us at the Metaldays festival in 2013 and sent an e-mail afterwards. First we were thinking someone is kidding us.

Then we realized that this is the “real” Metal Blade and that they are seriously interested. Having signed the deal doesn’t change much of the processes within the band. We still are responsible for the creative output: song writing, artwork, videos, playing shows etc – but we are proud to have a vinyl edition of the upcoming album and to spread our music all over the world which really is a good thing!

Britta: It’s a very exciting phase for the band. We can already feel that the overall interest in Cripper has increased a lot. Now we’re looking forward to the actual release of our baby and then present the new songs live.

Hyena is your fourth album – were there any lessons you learned or any fun moments while recording it?

Christian: Yeah, we really tried a different approach this time. We split the recording process. In 2013 we recorded four songs in the “Kohlekeller Studios“ to assess or work status and to create the sound we wanted to have.

We abstained from double layered guitar tracks for ex-

ample to get to the heart of it. We then recorded the remaining songs in summer 2014 in Kai’s and other friends’ studios in Hannover.

Britta: We kinda split the recordings for two reasons.

First we wanted to take our time with sound of the record this time. It is not easy to decide on a sound right after you have recorded it. We have learned from the past that it would be a wise decision to let it settle for a while first and then finalize the sound. So sound wise we made some changes, with which we are really happy on this album. It carries the music very well and I am glad we put as much effort into the sound as we did.

The sound is more transparent and we used less guitar tracks, which gave us more possibilities in the mix. That of course adds to the more aggressive and heavier overall atmosphere. The second reason why we recorded our fourth album in two stages was that we wanted to look for a record company. We were happy with the way things were going with SAOL, but still we wanted to look what might be out there for Cripper. Good timing as it turned out, because Metal Blade then showed interest in us before we even reached out to anyone.

Growing up in Hannover – how was the metal scene?

Christian: Well, sadly many live clubs and record stores were shut down in past years, that’s why the scene suffered a setback. Despite of the lack of a “meeting point”, there are still many highly motivated fans and metal musicians. Furthermore there’s a metal disco called “Symphony of Sickness” where they played our upcoming album in full length this past weekend. So there’s still something going on in Hannover.

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You have played the 70,000 tons of metal cruise twice – describe to us what it must feel like performing on a boat to an incredible number of metal fans!

Christian: It was fantastic and an honour to play there twice!

It was the furthest from home show we ever played in front of an international audience. We met many friends, fans and watched our fave musicians having their dinner, haha.

The atmosphere on board is really unique. It allows you to meet and talk to your faves at any time.

Britta: I especially remember our pool set in 2014. It was around midnight and our slot was awesome since there was no other band playing at the same time. The pool deck was packed and I remember having full-body goose bumps when started playing. We had so much fun and it was something neither of us will ever forget.

What are your thoughts on playing Slovenia’s Metaldays FIVE TIMES? Do you hope to make a sixth appearance?

Christian: Sure we hope to be there again. Slovenia is a beautiful country, so is the crowd. Last year we got in contact with Metal Blade in Tolmin and filmed our bonus DVD at the festival in 2014.

We surely can’t expect to play there again next year. It might be too much to ask for, right? But one can always dream .

If you could create a drink for the 70,000 tons of metal or any festival – what would it contain?

Christian: Haha, this is a good one. Alcohol, blood, bones, vegetarian meat, and sugar. And chocolate.

Britta: That sounds disgusting, haha! Give me a rum & coke and I’m a happy camper.

What are your plans in regards to the UK?

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Christian: We don´t have any fixed dates for the UK yet.

It’s been a while since we’ve been there. Our last trip to England was in 2010. We’ve been on tour with mighty Overkill. Hope there will be a return for us very soon to celebrate and perform Cripper’s new material.

As we reach the end of 2014 – give us 3-5 albums that you’ve loved in the past year…

Christian: I just got the latest Exodus, At the Gates, Primordial and Obituary albums… I´m excited to check them out finally. Heard some tracks of Sanctuary’s release by now. Good stuff!

Britta: Ummm let’s see... I really enjoy The Haunted’s Exit Wounds a lot. And I gotta name Gojira’s L’Enfant Sauvage, even though it’s a 2012 release. It is one of my favourite albums ever.

Any fun tour stories that you can share?

Christian: There was a spontaneous snowball fight going on between Overkill, us and the other supporting acts. That was fun! There were even more sport games on that tour. We started a soccer game for example.

Got fouled and ruined my knee. Wasn’t worth it for I had some problems on the next couple of shows, haha.

Oh yes, and we had a “silly 80s moves competition” on stage every night while touring with Onslaught and Izegrim in 2012, haha! At the Netherlands we played these common tricks you do on last stop of each tour. We were dressed up in a really ridiculous way and crossed Marduk’s back stage area when marching straight on to the stage havin’ the mission to disturb Onslaught´s show.

Amusingly, Marduk were even more irritated than our friends from the UK!

© Steffen Flugel

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Sonic Shocks - Issue 31

It took some time – thanks to technology being a burden rather than a blessing – to catch up with Scott Holiday from the acclaimed Rival Sons but in the last few months they’ve managed to perform on two of the biggest shows on both sides of the Atlantic and are getting ready for another big UK tour to close out another successful year on.

Together Matt Dawson and Scott look back on another year full of memories…

It’s been another great year for Rival Sons once again especially as it’s five years since the band was formed how is it to reach the five year milestone?

It feels good actually, there’s a lot of hard work put into it that’s very visible to everybody because we’re always on the road or making a record. It’s a busy time honestly that it’s a passion that we’d do without money. Last night we played to a sold out room in Paris, it was an old opera house - beautiful like Shepherd’s Bush Empire, that kind of beauty where you’re like ‘YES! I get to play HERE tonight?! Oh My God, yeah!’ [laughs] That’s the feeling when we do something like that for me - I get really romantic in my brain...

You were in Paris after all...

We were already in the land of romance but this is how I personally reflect when we do something like Shepherd’s Bush or The Forum - man I would do this, I would PAY to do this if I had to, ‘we’re going to fill a room up and you can pay some money, it’ll be full.’ That sounds like something we’d probably do, that sounds great! [laughs] To be able to be doing this and have it grow it feels like you’d think it does - it feels good!

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The European tour has started and is going really well so far from how you’ve just described it...

It’s been going well - three days in - they’ve been sold out and lots of happy faces, it’s been great and fun too even in the last few days it looks like every date is selling out where ever we go!

The UK dates are also coming up -how is it to be coming back to the UK once more?

The UK’s one of our places, a home away from home, we can’t wait to get out there - the UK dates started to sell out immediately which is a really great compliment from our fans there.

You released Great Western Valkyrie earlier this year.

What do you think on how the record’s been received following the release?

I think we’ve been really fortunate for the most part, it’s been pretty positive, I think our identity is building as a band and retains a good amount of the character we’ve built off of - it takes a few different left turns - we’ve heard this could be our best record. Every band should be able to say their last one is their best one or they’re not doing it right!

You again worked with Dave Cobb for this album - who’s quite the regular producer for you...

Yeah - he gets us - we’ve done 5 records with him at this point, I had worked with him pretty intensely with Before The Fire , he really influenced the band and we’re friends.

He’s going to be producing the new Europe record as

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well!

Yeah, I just spoke with him a couple of weeks ago when he was there making the record, he just rattled it off in a chant and I was like ‘Europe? ‘The Final Countdown’ Europe?’, he was like ‘Yeah man!’ and I was ‘You gotta be shitting me! That is AWESOME!’ Joey [Tempest] is a big fan of the band, I’ve seen him wearing our shirts on TV shows and it’s like I can’t believe the Final Countdown dude loves our band! [laughs] I look forward to hearing what he does.

Speaking of TV shows you’ve been on two iconic ones in recent months - Later with Jools Holland in the UK and David Letterman in the US. Yeah it was really trippy because they were in the same week even with flying and everything , we would do Letterman, play the next day then fly in and do Jools.

With Letterman it’s just so quick, we have a full crew so we’re not getting into the studio until they do camera blocking and testing sound out real quickly, the soundstage is arctic cold - 30 degrees Celsius so it’s like ‘Woah!

Oh my gosh!’ My guitars are feeling cold, the strings are feeling cold but it’s very quick - we go down there, played the song one time for them, went back upstairs and the show started. We’re watching it in the green room to be called down, played one time, went through the back door and went out to a bar!

I’ve been thinking about that for years and we just did the whole thing in a hour! Jools was a much bigger thing for me with being a huge fan growing up on that show, tivoing every single one I could, that was really exciting -

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it’s just the greatest idea they have with these bands and the round, there’s nothing like it - we don’t even have it in America , we had Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert in the 70’s which was a very focused music show, maybe The Old Grey Whistle Test with our good pal Bob Harris and I taped all of those when I was a kid too.

Nowadays this is what we’ve got [in] Jools and it’s insane - the booking is out of control and we had quite an interesting night altogether I say - all the people hanging out afterwards, it’s really something.

It’s interesting because that’s pretty much the only music show we have in the UK because you have the music channels but in an era of Youtube and one where Top Of The Pops died years ago Jools is a pretty good way to get yourself out there!

Absolutely, something big comes with it and we’ve been wanting to do it for years so when they called us - and I’ve had people ask me ‘How do I get on that show?’ I go you don’t - THEY invite YOU! - Jools was great, he spent a long time talking with us, it was cool being the only rock and roll band, there was Rumer and Labrinth - nobody was really a rock and roll band so it was interesting to line up a fuzz guitar after hearing Rumer - ‘OK, this is going to sound totally the other direction!’ That’s the beauty of the show.

Jools has had Mastodon, Metallica and the like on in the past...

Mastodon have done it? I’ve not seen this!

Yep! Remember that Feist collaboration they did?

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That’s how it started!

That’s cool, Feist is great! That’s the vibe, you just all chat afterwards - Labrinth had this big choir and every single one was in our little tiny green room hanging out - ‘I want a CD!’ [laughs] When it comes to the US chat shows now you’ve done Letterman do you want to do the Tonight Show as the next step?

Oh sure, we’ve got to do [Jimmy] Fallon’s show, I’m sure we’ll make our way back to Jimmy Kimmel’s and the other benchmark to check off would be Saturday Night Live maybe, I’d like to do Conan [O’Brien] even though he’s not on network TV anymore, I’m a huge fan of him.

You worked with Ikey Owens on this record - what are your memories of him?

Well Jay was the closest to Ikey but I was certainly friends with him and that was a really big bummer, a big terrible loss but he shone really bright while he was here - played on some really great records and we were honoured to have him on our record, it was just the perfect fit and timing [as] we had been wanting to do something for a while. He was the primary keyboard player on this record. Last time I had a really good hang with him was at home in Long Beach , I was just being lazy and having downtime with my family one night and I got a call from Jay saying 'You've got to come down to the studio right now.' We have a friend that owns a recording stu-

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dio called The Compound in Long Beach. Jay goes 'We're having a jam session right now and you need to get down here immediately, it's gonna be fun! Ikey's down here, we've got Marc Ford from The Black Crowes, our friend Anthony drumming, our friend Stu from Bristol who's in town from Phantom Limb - everyone's playing together!' Boots come right off and I'm about twenty minutes away so I jump in the car immediately, grab the guitar - you know what? I actually think I didn't grab the guitar and Jay said don't bring anything because there's guitars everywhere - I walked in and I could see Ikey, Marc Ford and Jay playing already, there›s a song going and Marc takes his guitar off [and] hangs it around my neck - that jam lasted fifteen more minutes without speaking or stopping so we all got to hang and catch up. It was a really festive, loose, happy fun time and that whole thing was taped - it's worth going back through and seeing what we've got there.

His work on the Great Western Valkyrie and with The Mars Volta as well...

It was a tremendous loss for Jack [White] and his band, you lose a friend but also the sound so god bless him!

He was honoured by so many people - Eddie Vedder said some nice stuff.

You mentioned downtime - how do you like to relax?

I’ll spend time on the beach in the summer, I live really close to the ocean and I have a couple of young kids and I’m married - when I’m home, I’m pretty much with them full time, get a little bit of music in - playing with new things, collecting different guitars, I’ll produce when I’m home if I have a big block of time. The most recent thing I did was my wife’s project, I’ve been offered things but I’m waiting for the right connection. Taking my kids to the park, taking the trash out, watching the tube, sitting on my own couch!

If you could create the Great Western Valkyrie drink what would it be?

It’s got to be a whiskey based drink but with a twist maybe an Old Fashioned! [laughs] You know there’s booze but there’s another kind of strange thing happening, it’s rock and roll there’s no questioning that!

Since Christmas is near - what would you suggest as a good gift?

Well without a doubt the best gift if you don’t have it yet is Great Western Valkyrie! [laughs] We’re going to be doing limited edition stuff too which will be nice gifts I promise!

As we wrap up 2014 - what would you say are your favourite albums of the year?

I really liked the Band Of Skulls record, it was out of control good and I don’t think it’s got enough visibility personally, big fan of The Black Keys’ new record - I listen to that at the beach and really enjoy it. I really like St Vincent’s - I think it’s wonderful, real modern, almost like Eno/electronic but she’s a brilliant guitar player, it’s strong. I also got the new Eric Burdon record - I just met him at Classic Rock’s Roll Of Honour, a great moment for us, the most common denominator for Rival Sons is The Animals - people might not know that but between me and Jay this is a very strong meeting point so it was exciting!

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© Cristina Massei

"I’ve had people ask me ‘How do I get on that show?’ You don’t - THEY invite YOU!"

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Interview and photos by Mark Fletcher

Speaking to Remi (Remi Semshaug Langseth) AKA Jesus Fucking Christ (JFC – this is not a brand of fried chicken!) feels a little enigmatic I must admit. I am in possession of a bottle of water – I wonder if he can turn it into wine?

Maybe I’ll ask after the interview.

Remi, tell me a little about JFC… It’s my one man project that I started after my last band got dispatched. I wanted to do something that was solo based to see if I could write music on my own and I thought Jesus Fucking Christ would be a good name for it.

Where does the name come from?

I wanted to make a band where a third of the audience is at the front going mental, another third is dancing and the final third is standing at the back wondering what they are watching.

I guess the name will stimulate interest and shock. Is that the intention?

Absolutely, I want people to want to come and see me for a variety of reasons and if part of that is because they want to know who I am because of the name, then that’s fine. It’s a great name too because everyone knows it and most people use the phrase day to day. People always put their own meaning to things and some will be provoked by it which I think is great because it’s funny that three words put together cause provocation.

You don’t stop there with the provocation. Your new EP has a name that could be interpreted as controversial too?

Well I am a Norwegian artist called Jesus Fucking Christ

so everyone is going to think I am Black Metal but even if I called the album “This is Not Black Metal” people will think it’s so Black Metal, it’s not even called Black Metal!

So I had to find a title that showed I am not Black Metal and I thought there’s not that many Metal bands that turn to the subject of homosexuality; and it’s a subject I really care about because it is now 2014 and it’s still an issue to some people so I thought the title “Homophobia is Like Totally Gay” was fitting. It’s also a political statement of our generation. It means nothing and is self-contradictory.

Your first video for ‘Imma Gonna Kick U In Da Face’ has a harsh subject matter and is delivered with an almost satirical slant. Again, is this intentional?

It starts like any other video with a guy looking into a camera singing and straight from the get-go everything falls apart. My initial idea was too big budget so about three days before the shoot I came up with the idea and started to make some calls to get some things together, like the toilet. (there is a scene in the video where Remi has his head pushed into a toilet and flushed – think Trainspotting).

How did you film the head down the toilet?

I am really glad I didn’t use a real toilet but I have a friend who works with plumbing and stuff and he had an 100% unused (So he says!!) toilet with a crack in it so they couldn’t sell it so we just used a Go-Pro and a flashlight and filmed like that.

What inspires your music and your lyrics?

It’s a bit cliché but everything around me and things that I care about, things that others don’t care about. And my

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music, I want to mix things the way no one has mixed before. So I will use things as differently as I can so the verse in ‘Imma Gonna Kick U In Da Face’ is inspired from a thrash metal bass line combined with electro beats and I have a punk bass line in the chorus with a hip hop vibe and sometimes it works.

This is your first time in the UK, where have you performed up until now?

Well I’m less than a year in existence so I have only played in Norway so far but now with the release I will be playing more in the UK before the end of the year. I have a show scheduled for Iceland too and I’ve always liked Icelandic music and the last track on the album was written there in the countryside.

If you could have anyone in your band, who would it be?

That’s a difficult one. If I said Trent Reznor from Nine Inch

it’s a subject I really care about because it is now 2014 and it’s still an issue to some people so I thought the title “Homophobia is Like Totally Gay” was fitting. It’s also a political statement of our generation. It means nothing and is self-contradictory.

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Nails then I would sound like Nine Inch Nails because he is such a strong force. So I don’t know.

Maybe Jeordie White aka Twiggy Ramirez. I really like bass and Hi Hat and he is an amazing bass player.

What are your expectations today?

I’m not sure. I don’t know how many people will come but I remember going to festivals and seeing band names on the poster and I would say “I’ll check them out” and I hope that is what happens today but whatever, it will be fun.

And finally, if you could be stuck in a lift for ten minutes, who would you like to be stuck with and why?

Wow, these are good questions and the kind of questions I like to think about for like a week. I could say my girlfriend but I get the chance to see her a lot, so maybe a technician who can fix elevators!

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Interview by Nelly Loriaux Formed in 2006, Arms and Sleepers is the music duo comprising of Mirza Ramic and Max Lewis. With 16 albums/ EPs AND numerous tours in Asia, Europe and America under their belt, their mesmerising Trip-Hop and mind-blowing cinematic display has conquered many fans around the world.

Mirza takes time out of his busy touring schedule to talk about the challenges of bringing the dynamics of a 2 people’s studio work into a 1 person live performance, what ‘technology’ means to him in term of creating and performing Electronic music in today’s world as well as what their fans can expect in the foreseeable future.

Tell us a bit more about yourselves...when did it all begin?

Two friends that met in high school in Boston, Massachusetts, didn’t really become friends until college and then started playing in various bands together. Split off from everyone else in 2006 to start Arms and Sleepers, have been releasing music and touring ever since.

It is a peculiar name you have, what’s the story behind it?

A recent article from Bit Candy explained it perfectly - much better than I ever could: “It represents the ever-present violence fetish of the powerful (‘arms’) and the shameful apathy of those who quietly ignore it (‘the sleepers’).”

You have been very prolific in touring Europe and the world but looking through your past appearances (unless I have missed it somehow), I do not see any in Spain, particularly Ibiza the mecca of Electronic/Dance music.

Why? Unfortunately promoters in Spain have never invited us to play there, and the few times our booking agents tried to arrange something, it didn’t work out. Our music has also

never really fitted into the dance music scene - a lot of our material is slower paced.

Going back to touring, you recently did a few shows in the UK (which I unfortunately missed). How did it go?

Any particular venues you liked best?

To be quite honest, touring in the UK is very difficult for smaller bands. We first toured here in 2008, and in the six years between then and now, not much has changed.

Outside of London, it’s tough to get people out to shows.

It’s expensive to come here for American musicians - 130 quid for a work permit alone. So, unfortunately, we don’t tend to make it here often, and if we do, it’s usually just London. I did really like Cargo in London - the show there was really fun.

How do you decide to play a particular set list?

I play keyboards and use several effects processors, and sometimes will even have a glockenspiel or melodica with me. I always play with visuals which feature videos that are synced to the live set, so it’s a full audio/visual experience for the audience.

Is there one track that you ALWAYS include in your set?

THE ONE that never fails maybe? Why? In the last couple of years, there have been a few songs that I’ve continually played live. In particular the song ‘Kepesh’ from our 2011 release ‘The Organ Hearts’ has been a regular in the live set. It’s a great opener and I guess I still play it because I’m not sick of it yet.

Do you feel there’s a relation between the music played and the venue it is played at?

Absolutely - the atmosphere, the setup (sitting vs. stand-

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ing) all matter in how the live show is perceived. As we have gone through many different styles of music in our eight years of existence, we’ve played our quieter material in sit-down spaces and more upbeat material in dance club-like venues, and when that is not done right, it definitely feels weird and awkward.

Some Electronic music artists (and DJs) just seem to press play on their laptop. What is your view on the balance between technology and bringing your music live to your audience?

We definitely don’t consider ourselves to be DJs - we have actually never DJ’d before- but as we do use a lot of technology both in the studio and in a live setting, I can say that technology is definitely something that we think about a lot. I think that there is a wider discussion about what constitutes a live performance, with many people expressing dissatisfaction with “laptop” music’s live constraints (and the “press play on a laptop” syndrome). I recently came across a really well-put comment on YouTube in response to someone complaining about electronic musicians not doing much live - basically saying that music has changed drastically in the last 20 years and that we can’t expect someone who makes music on a computer to come on stage and play all the instruments or whatnot. This would, in fact, be impossible and absurd. I think both live bands and electronic musicians have a place in the world of live music, but we must appreciate what they each bring to the table, not what they lack within the conventional definition of live music.

I have seen electronic musicians who do a lot of interesting things with the equipment they have on stage, and 4-piece bands that suck at their instruments and are so boring that I’d rather they just press play on a laptop and vice- versa. So, it’s all contextual, and I definitely think it’s quite silly to place everyone that plays electronic music in the category of “it’s not really live” music. For me, I try to *play* and *do* as much as possible on stage. Arms and Sleepers live is now just me, so I am of course limited in what I can do - but the two hands and the one brain that I do have with me I try to put to hard work every time I perform live.

If you could stage an event ANYWHERE in the world, where would it be and why?

We’ve been trying to get to Tehran, Iran for a while, and continue to do so. We hope to play there at some point down the line, as there are a lot of really enthusiastic young people into electronic music. It would be great to connect with them in person.

With so much electronic music out there, it becomes increasingly difficult, for some, to recognise what is an original or a remix. With this in mind, how do you approach the recording of your music? Talk us through your typical workflow from idea development to conception…

At least for us and our audience, there is usually no confusion between originals and remixes - we largely write original music, and the remixes that we do are only officially released by the artists who we do remixes for. Our remixes do tend to sound very different, in fact completely unrecognizable, from the songs we are remixing. That’s because we usually only pick one element of the original

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song to use, and then build a whole new song around it.

In terms of workflow, as of late , we’ve been starting with a beat and a vocal sample and then adding synths on top, then often completely rearranging the track.

What is your current studio set-up?

Logic, Reason, a bunch of midi controllers, Apogee Duet, 88-key Rhodes, Yamaha CP-70, Access Virus Indigo, Animoog app, and a bunch of other software and little random instruments.

What piece of software/hardware could you not live without?

Reason.

How do you think the technology affects the music producer’s release?

This is a big question, but technology is, whether we like it or not, at the centre of what every musician does today. I think this has been true in the past as well - better electric guitars had to do with technology, better sounding pianos had to do with technology, etc., etc. When we speak of today’s technology we usually refer to computers, but it’s good to remember that before computers, the word technology was still very much there.

Technology will always affect musicians, producers, and really anyone involved in music in some way or another. The challenge is to keep up with technological progress and innovation (the “tools” of the trade) while maintaining integrity behind the process of music writing. I think it’s easy to get lost in the former and forget that writing a good piece of music starts with oneself and one’s imagination and not with technology.

What part of the production process do you find the most challenging?

I’d say recording acoustic instruments. It can be quite difficult to properly capture those melodicas and glockenspiels, for example, and it becomes very frustrating when you can’t get the sound that you’re hearing on tape. There have definitely been a few occasions when we were recording acoustic guitar and because we couldn’t get the recording to sound right, we got so frustrated that it completely disrupted our workflow. This was, of course, quite annoying and time-consuming. This is something that we’re still trying to get better at.

What projects are you currently working on and what can we expect from you in the foreseeable future?

We just released our new full-length album ‘Swim Team’, so we’ll be promoting that heavily in the next year or so.

I’ll be touring a lot while Max, the other half of Arms and Sleepers, will be working on some remixes in the studio.

We’ll most likely also release a short EP in early 2015, but the focus will largely be on promoting the new album.

When the party is over, which music do you chill out to?

Bohren & Der Club of Gore.

Could you recommend 2 artists to our readers that you feel deserve their attention?

A.M. Architect and Isan.

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By Paul Roundhill

rock’n’roll museum presents

the Saga, Whitechapel After delighting our readers with his exclusive real life tales, Rock’n’Roll Museum author and photographer Paul Roundhill has finally decided to put his memories in black & white in an ordered (well, that’s the plan anyway) autobiography. We have a little taster for you this month, touching on Monsieur Doherty, The Krays and sparse East London decadence. More coming, stay tuned!

I first met Peter in January or February 2003 during his first wave of success with The Libertines. He was sharing a Victorian terrace house 12a Teesdale st, off the Hackney road with Carl Barat and dubbed it The Albion Rooms.

James Mullord who later managed Babyshambles or, more specifically Peter had been nagged by the diffident bard to bring him around to my Whitechapel flat where he’d heard Eleusian Mysteries were conducted on moonless nights. It’s a chain, perhaps a daisy chain perhaps forged from bonds of steel that winds its way around us and I’d met James through Sarah Churchill, the singer with Cosmetique “Lady Di, Why did you die?” Too many mysteries are seldom a healthy thing and James was under orders not to appear at my front door more often than once a month. As a captain in the Royal Signals Regiment with two tours of Northern Ireland under his Sam Browne belt James was accomplished at taking orders and never bothered me much. He was nervous about introducing Peter to me and rightly so, I had sufficient experience in the dark arts to know for certain that I had no wish to be part of anybodies tragedy; James and I both recognised that Peter was a prospective rail crash - a slow train coming round the bend or rather I did, James had yet to encounter his own dark night of the soul, he had already used up his one visit of the month and Peter was yapping at his heels, figuratively fucking his leg like a randy Jack Russel for an introduction at the groves of Acadream.

I am three years old and I have been put to bed upstairs in the vicarage of st Paul’s South Harrow, it is probably 1958 late in the year for it is growing dark and my two sisters are already also in their beds in the adjoining room. There is a restless air abroad, we have not settled and my father still young, bounds up the stairs to offer the first one asleep a three-penny bit. I can visualise the gilded gleam of the small octagonal coin and a similar glint from the gloaming light limning the rims of his gold framed spectacles. His almost black hair, bryll-creamed to

tame crisp curls also shone, its edges yellow metal. “How will I claim the thruppenny bit if I am asleep, how will I know?” I wondered. My father the philosopher with customary humour had imparted an early lesson in the politics of theology along the lines of one’s reward in heaven … after one is dead! How will I know? I wondered, then slept.

It is sometime in the noughties and I am lying supine along the couch - north / south axis in the Whitechapel flat. Perpendicular walls having been removed to allow increase space and light, there now were hardboard sheets tacked onto the remaining joists giving the space an arched shape redolent of the interior of a Nissen hut.

Wrapped around me is a tartan wool travelling rug backed with dark brown sheepskin with a lighter brown border. It was once the property of local gangland boss and murderer Ronnie Kray. I knew this because Mick the Finder had brought it from outside a pub belonging to the twins’ cousin and on the death of senior brother Reggie it had been removed to outside covering a stack of beer kegs. Subsequently a senior detective recognised it and confirmed its provanence. My life and metabolism are governed by biological imperatives, exterior glands, narcotic secretions from gangland. I lay in stasis, horizonkal, biding time, reptilian, conserving chemicals. I am entirely dependent on outside factors, the whims and desires and needs of a select group of others. A knock on the door. It is a life that is unlife, necrotime, hands crossed at my chest like a cold stone carved knight sleeping his sleep of ages, a corpse in its crypt, underground, beneath the churchyards soggy sod, under rich earth and bright green grass blades, my dusty cavern.

I imagine the whispering, faint despairing whining of the surrounding gossiping dead. This dread unceasing bickering and whimpering, low wretched incontinent muttering, indistinct accusatory utterances achingly and eternally vapid spite-filled jabbering. It will not stop this eternal recriminatory blizzard in which I am participant.

Starving in my garret was a key element in my career trajectory, I had read somewhere, I think Hans Christian Anderson that first one must starve and suffer sufficiently long then one will achieve greatness, that’s all you have to do. So I tried it. When I moved into my Whitechapel flat there was a mixed demographic and amongst my neighbours were the last remnants of the white East End dock-workers and their families, old villains, old villains’ pubs. Silver-smithing students from the John Cass, anar-

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chists, bright long sari lengths hung from the washing lines between the buildings. The buildings had originally been built around the beginning of the 20th century for the mainly Jewish population that occupied the area and they represented the best of late Victorian civic virtue; by today’s standards they were palatial, generously proportioned rooms with plain simple cornicing and architraves, a fireplace in front and back in which stood an cast-iron stove and oven which would burn coal or wood. The brick chimneys running up at each end of the rooms acted as storage heaters, when fireplaces were boarded up in the fifties and sixties those old brick built dwellings began to die. The deep wainscoating and windows were made from a deep orange-pink Canadian Maple which had been so cheaply plentiful it had crossed the Atlantic as ballast in the ships returning from delivering Birmingham’s manufactured goods to the New World and the furs with which the ships were packed for the return trip were not sufficiently heavy to set them adequately in the water. When I moved into mine at 70 Myrdle street there were hazelnuts set in every corner by the departing hippy girl and what I thought was a piece of electric cable beneath layers of paint on the door frame. I set about scraping it off only to discover too late that it was a Jewish prayer scroll, to be touched and acknowledged on entering and leaving the room. A tightly rolled scroll of paper with dense minutely printed Hebrew script on it in a tin or lead tube.

A larcenous looking old Jewish boy looking like a 1920s silent film villain with a pencil moustache would come by and call every week with scraps of smoked salmon for sale and tubby Mr Rogg on Cannon st Road pickled and sold about half a dozen types of soused herring from his

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premises. He wore an Astrakhan hat and was rosycheeked stamping his feet in the cold shop to warm them, his breath condensing like smoke on freezing mornings, his window display a dazzlingly precarious ziggurat of Matzo boxes. Across from his premises running into Rampart Street was a short road called Sly Street and in 1976 “Operation Julie” gained the distinction of becoming Britain’s largest ever under-cover police operation as up to 300 officers dressed in loon pants and Afghan coats left no turn unstoned as they combed the country in search of a nefarious cabal of L.S.D chemists and distributors responsible for flooding the world market with high quality and high strength purple pyramids and green and black microdots, 150 - 250 mic trips of a quality and strength hitherto unknown in such consistent quality. Her Majesty was being embarrassed as exports and the balance of trade boomed. Quantities of 10,000 and more were turning up in Australia and turning on the inhabitants. Numbers at free festivals in the West Country swelled that year with unconvincing looking and acting hippies hogging spaces round camp-fires as they attempted to “blend in” to the rest of the population who by now were trading their blue denim flares for black gabardine drainpipes and leather jackets, their E.L.O. albums for Iggy Pop 7” singles.

A pair of Cambridge graduates were eventually collared by some overweight hairies begging to be given an antidote for their accidentally ingested light fantastic and back in Sly Street opposite Mr Rogg’s soused herring shop, a building on the corner with Cannon Street Road was found to be warehousing such large quantities of lysergic acid that the building had to be dismantled brick by brick in case any was missed.

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Interview by Matt Dawson Photos Stefan Johansson The year 2014 ends nicely for Sweden’s Portrait – dates with the excellent Primordial, a UK tour on the horizon and a split EP with label mates RAM to name a few things – we find out how life has been for guitarist Christian Lindell…

As 2014 ends you’ve decided to release a split EP with label mates RAM – what inspired you two to collaborate together?

We have known each other for a long time and I have spent quite some time in their hometown Gothenburg lately, and when discussing the current status of heavy metal and its followers with Oscar we came to the conclusion that this split EP is needed. There’s a lot of fashion and little passion amongst Swedish “headbangers” and most of them are spoiled brats that will be gone within a few years when listening to Witchfinder General instead of Iron Maiden isn’t cool enough anymore. This split EP is for the rest, the true heavy metal headbangers with honest intent.

What led to the choice of Aggressor by Exciter being the cover – were there any other choices that were considered?

We wanted a song with a kind of terrorist vibe to it to fit the concept of the split EP so the choice was quite obvious. I don’t think we discussed any other alterna-

tives actually. We also want to show our appreciation for a band that kept doing what they believe in also during (commercially) harder times, and that’s why we chose a “new” EXCITER song and not one from the 80’s.

You’ll be playing some dates with Primordial in November followed by a UK and Ireland tour next February – what led to the decision on the latter to have Rabid Bitch Of The North as main support?

They contacted us and offered to help us out with some of the gigs and mentioned that they would gladly be the support act. They sounded cool so we approved that right away.

How is it to tour with a band like Primordial?

We look forward to it very much and everything seems to be very professionally set up. One show is completely sold out and the two others will probably be too, so it’s gonna be great!

What was the song that made you decide to be a musician?

I don’t think it was any particular song, not that I can recall anyway. But the most important bands were Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica. I have always enjoyed playing live but the most important part for me is the actual writing process. It is great to see the progress from one album to another and to be able to musically express things that can’t be described with words alone.

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What’s your favorite tour/festival story that you can share?

I could write a book about gig and festival promoters that “forget” to pick us up at the airport when we arrive. I don’t know if it only happens to us, but it’s pretty much the same thing every time. These occasions don’t belong among my favorites anyway. There’s a lot of alcohol related stories of course but not more interesting than any other bands’, so my favorite is probably when we played a Swedish festival called Huskvarna Rock & Art some months ago.

Blaze Bayley played later that same night and invited Per on stage as well as Tyrant and Hellbutcher of Nifelheim, performing together an amazing version of ‘Man on the edge’. I will never forget that.

Has any writing begun for the follow up to Crossroads?

Yes, it has. I have almost three songs ready and a lot of ideas, and the others have started as well. I know that both Mikael and David have written one song each too. After the Primordial thing and the release party for the split EP we will start to focus fully on that, and I think we should be able to record the next album in 2015.

As we reach the end of the year what are the albums that defined your 2014 and which albums do you love that were from 2014?

It has been a great year for the band. It is good to see that from each show to the next we become a better live band, and that this line-up works so well as a unit. I am very satisfied with Crossroads as well, and Halford’s words about our “Mother Sun” cover meant a lot of course.

As for 2014 releases I really like Judas Priest “Redeemer of Souls”, Accept “Blind Rage” and Hellion “Karma’s a bitch”! I hope also that the Nifelheim mini-LP will be out this year. I have heard the songs live and that mini-LP would definitely be a nice addition to this list…

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December 2014

Burlesque!

Welcome to your one stop drop for all the news on the best burlesque nights, in the capital and beyond! I’m Sophia Disgrace and I’ve performed at numerous events in the UK and abroad, from festivals to the most exclusive clubs. I perform in a neo-burlesque style and often incorporate other elements such as angle grinding into my routines. I like to shake the audience up a bit!

Burlesque - or 'the art of tease' as its also known - first rose to prominence in the 1950s; in recent years it has enjoyed something of a revival, with stars such as Dita Von Teese helping to popularise the scene once again.

London as ever is at the fore front of this movement, which is both alluring and inspiring for men and women alike...

Here are my pick of all things burlesque this month - NOW WITH ADDED FESTIVE CHEER - enjoy!

CONEY ISLAND XMAS SPECIAL @ The Bethnal Green Working Mans Club, London Saturday 13th December - 9pm2am

THE BURLESQUE BALL @ The Classic Grand, Glasgow Saturday 20th December - From 7.00pm Infamous burlesque producer Chaz Royal is behind this event so expect a rapturous night! Billed as the perfect showcase for both burlesque newbies and seasoned aficionados, there will be a carefully curated selection of artists performing, with prizes for the best dressed audience members. Outrageous cabaret, classic burlesque and a medley of variety acts - sounds like an absolute cracker (sorry!) of a party to me. There’s even a free Xmas raffle to enter - and you can’t go wrong with a good raffle!

For further information and booking details please call 0141 847 0820

PROUD CABARET PRESENTS 'THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH’ @ Proud Camden, London New Years Eve - From early evening right through to 5.00am See 2015 in with a bang! Proud Cabaret's very own ring master (!) will be presenting some of the most sensational fire, burlesque and circus performers. The theme of the event is well, the circus - in case you hadn’t realised.

Also included in the ticket price is a sumptu-

o u s course so eat be merry ing

off!

After all that dence, you can to the dance yourself and off some Crimbo exwill be playing all hits until the early hours.

Tickets are £79.00 per person, 0207 482 3867 to book your

© DCD Photography

Experience the very best of the Big Apples Coney Island, in erm, Bethnal Green.... Yes, this event comes with extra 'festive cheer', mustard and ketchup apparently! A selection of freakshow acts will be performing throughout the night-one of which is rather aptly called 'The Snowman' - I can only imagine what this will entail.....! Other highlights include a limbo competition (How low can you go?), DJs spinning a selection of retro hits throughout the night and if you get there early enough you can even get a photo with Mr Claus himself!

Dresscode is sexy christmas cool/hawaiian shirts/mermaids/ novelty Christmas jumpers....you get the idea!

Tickets from £5.00, please refer to the venue website for more details - www.workersplaytime.net

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three meal, a n d whilst watchw o n derful people t a k e t h e i r clothes decat a k e floor dance of the cess. DJs the latest

please call place now

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This month’s velvet curtain reveals...

Burlesque Spotlight!

The spotlight falls on something shiny and new: allow me to introduce

PIN UPS Quick fire guides to the women who I feel embody the spirit of burlesque

GYPSY ROSE LEE This feisty Miss defined the art of the tease for the masses. She was born in Seattle, Washington in 1911. Although best known for her work as a burlesque dancer, she was also a playwriter, author and actress! She passed away in 1970 after 3 marriages, a rollercoaster of a career and was survived by her son Erik Lee.

Here are a few salacious tit bits about the iconic Gypsy Rose Lee....

1-Born Rose Louise Hovick, she began performing at a young age, after her parents divorced. Along with her sister June, she supported the family by appearing in Vaudeville shows. After her sister eloped with a dancer in their act, Rose fell into the burgeoning burlesque scene.

2-She became renowned for her classy, understated style of performance. She was one of the most popular showgirls at the notorious venue Minskys Burlesque, where she performed for 4 years in New York.

3-She appeared in no less than five Hollywood films, although her performances were sadly never well received. Lee also wrote a mystery thriller called 'The G String Murders' in the early 1940s.

This was later made into the film Lady of Burlesque starring Barbara Stanwyck.

4-Her Mother Rose ran a guest house in her later years and shot and killed one of her guests there.

The guest, a female, had been her lover, but had reportedly made a pass at Gypsy, driving her Mother to murder!

AND THATS ALL FOLKS, PLAY SAFE AND SEE YOU ON AGAIN VERY SOON! XOX

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Interview by Nelly Loriaux Blending edgy rock beats with in your face Hip-Hop lyrics and melodic choruses may seem farfetched but not for the four members of ROCKBOY. Not only have they created a new HIP/ROCK genre, but they are also ready to bring it to the world, starting with mega infectious ‘This Is Trash Music’.

Lyra, Pontus, Marcus and Nick take time to answer a few questions about their past experiences from Lyra’s involvement in the UK rap scene as solo rapper Lyracis as well as being mentored by none other than Beyoncé’s father to Pontus’ amazing career as co-founder and lead singer of Dead By April with DBA’s bass player Markus.

First of all, can you introduce yourselves to our readers?

Pontus: My name is Pontus Hjelm. I was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. Apart from my involvement as a guitarist and writer/producer in Rockboy I’m also the co-founder, songwriter, producer and lead singer of the band Dead By April. Dead By April had its breakthrough in 2009 and we’ve been touring the world ever since.

Lyra: Hey I’m Rockboy aka Lyra the lead rapper/singer of the group, from London now living in Miami, I was formerly known as Lyracis a couple years back when I was in the UK’s urban scene which I really learnt a lot and gained loads of experience from live shows supporting acts like Chris Brown , The Game, Ciara, and loads more, to being supported by radio and TV like MTV, Radio 1, kiss , Choice FM. I was also mentored by Beyonce’s father Mathew Knowles so yeah I’ve had a great journey so far!

Nick: Born in Gothenburg 1989, bred in a small town on the Swedish west coast called Falkenberg. As a young kid I was always at the local shows supporting all types of bands, Punk/rock, Hardcore, Metal, Pop, Hip-Hop. I’ve been playing in some different constellations during the years, starting out with my homeboys from school in a band called Seven Days Story back in 2004. 2007 I joined a band called Union Square, did a three month self-paid underground tour in USA, back home from that we won ”MTV Nordic unsigned” and ”Bandit rock unsigned” and got signed to Warner Music Sweden and Universal publishing. 2008 we released our debut album ”Making Bets In A Burning House”. In 2010 we started up a new band and named us A Silent Escape and released a self-titled album ”A Silent Escape» on our own. After leaving that project I decided to move back to my hometown Gothenburg, and here we are.Marcus: My name is Marcus Wesslen and I play the bass! I have always played music, started with guitar as everybody else then for some reason I found the clarinet. That didn’t last too long; so back to guitar and then later on I was forced to play bass since my two buddies that I just formed a band who were so much better than I .So bass it was and at first I wasn’t very happy with that, but after a while I came to like it. A friend of mine, Dick Lövgren from Meshuggah , took me in and showed me some stuff and after that I was hooked and since then I’ve never stopped playing. The following years I joined a couple of bands and did some tours around Europe. It wasn’t until Dead By April that I really

knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Of course I always wanted to be a Rock Star but it felt so far away at the time. Besides all this Metal I liked HipHop and had all the CDs with Snoop, 2Pac , Ice Cube, Nas and stuff like that. I never ever dreamed of playing it myself until I heard some songs with Rockboy. The thought of being able to really rock out to Hip-Hop on stage made the deal for me and here I am!

Lyra and Pontus: I believe you first met in Sweden in a writing session, creating internet Rock/Rap smash hit ‘Speakerphone’. Did you expect it to blow up so quickly?

Pontus: That was amazing to see actually. In these modern days with internet and social media basically running the show, you never know what to expect but people connected with Speakerphone in a way that allowed it to go viral. That was great!

Lyra: No way, it was just an experiment as Pontus was a fan of what I was doing and vice versa so we thought what would happen if we mixed each other’s worlds together and Speakerphone was born. The rest is history.

How was it to get recognition from Simon Cowell’s label SYCO, Universal Records and JAY Z’s ROC Nation?

Lyra: That was an amazing feeling to be noticed by all the majors so quickly but I believe it was a curse as well as because it was a tester that blew up. We weren’t ready for what they were asking; I didn’t even understand it, it was all new to me so we agreed that we would fall back and master the new craft before making a big mistake and becoming a one hit wonder… [laughs] What was your next move?

Lyra: So from there I carried on touching the streets with more Hip-Hop songs to stay busy and me and Pontus went into the studio to create more bangers of the Rock / Hip-Hop genre and kept our heads low till now.

LYRA: You began making a name for yourself as Lyracis in the UK music scene as a solo rapper, with your hits flooding on Radio 1, Choice FM, Capital and KISS FM. Do you miss it? If so, what do you miss the most?

Yes , like I said I’ve had an amazing journey so far with all the support I got from major radio stations and TV stations; everything I put out in the past was loved and supported which I am thankful for. I wouldn’t say I miss it as I feel I’ve turned a new page in my book and started a new chapter as Rockboy.

Do you still have any contact with the London scene?

Yup, I still speak to a lot of the UK scene to keep me updated.

LYRA: You were also mentored by Mathew Knowles, what did you learn from this experience?

Being with Mr Knowles I learnt a lot, like learning how to be more diverse and doing more than just rap so I taught myself to sing which is important to be able to write ,rap ,sing and even produce songs to make you a complete artist .

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PONTUS: You founded the Pop-Metal band DEAD BY APRIL, getting signed to WARNER BROS and UNIVERSAL RECORDS and touring internationally. I believe you left in 2010 to focus on being a songwriter, how was the transition like?

Well, there was a lot going on within the band back then.

The major obstacle was one of the ex-members. And really, it’s always a constant challenge to keep a band together. It’s important to take individual responsibility as well as being a team player and understand the basic concept of that. However, I kept writing songs for Dead

By April even after I’d left. And eventually I found my way back into the band which was a great feeling.

You’re still involved with the band though right?

Pontus: Yes, very much so. I’m now doing the lead vocals again, just as I did in the beginning of Dead By April’s career. I also wrote and produced the latest album ’Let The World Know’ which was released in 2014.

PONTUS: Rockboy is quite a different direction musically from your previous band, what do you expect to achieve from this new outfit?

Pontus: When I first met Lyra and we started writing music together, we really connected musically. And as an artist, Lyra himself is very inspirational. The way he shines and performs on stage is unlike anything I have ever seen.

I’m very grateful to be able to write and produce music with such a talented artist as Lyra, and I look forward to many years of writing and performing together.

MARKUS AND NICK: What was the turning point that made you decide to get involved with Rockboy?

Nick: Breakdance was a big part of my life as a kid, and back in 2000 I got two CDs that really was my first introduction into hip-hop (Various-B-Boy classics Vol.1 and Wu-tang clan the ”W”) and since then I’ve always been listening to both hip-hop and the rock music. So when I heard about Rockboy there was n o doubt about joining as the Drummer.

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Markus: We had him with us on tour with Dead By April and I saw him live! I liked the songs before that tour but after that I was hooked!

Are you all based in Miami now?

Pontus: Lyra is based in Miami. The rest of us are based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Nick: Nope, still based in Gothenburg, Sweden and have only been on the West coast in the states so have no idea how the music scene is over there. But I would love to discover it in the near future.

Lyra: I’m the only one based in Miami I needed a change of scenery, but also to learn different cultures which I’m loving right now.

Do you think that being from different part of the world and from different music background bring some different dynamics into the band?

Markus: I really believe it’s our strength, and that’s what we are gonna show the world!

Nick: absolutely! We have all our different ways of thinking, playing and making music, that’s what I believe is gonna make our live shows and sound stand out.

Genre blending is ever increasing from Rock›n›Rave to Electro-pop so what does Hip-Rock represent for you?

Nick: I seriously believe that Hip-Rock is a future major genre; and to describe what Hip-Rock is for me, I would say Hip-Hop wrapped up in massive rocks on crack that drops a nuclear wall of death sound live with attitude and perfection.

Do you believe the American scene, and the rest of the world for the matter, are ready for the new Hip-Rock sound of Rockboy?

Pontus: I guess they can be ready or not. We will still be here doing our thing.

Lyra: I definitely believe they will be ready as a lot of the music right now is the same.

Everybody

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is following whatever is cool so we’re doing just that, and I know it’s unique. I think we’ve really captured the true art of Hip-Hop /Rock mix Nick: With a new genre and a brand new sound on the market it may take some time for people to get that this is not another Linkin Park or Limp Bizkit. I’m sure when the world get the full picture of what we do people will understand that this is the next level in the Hip-Hop industry, and I think we can get the most unexpected response from Rock/Pop/R’n’B even Metal people not only the usual Hip-Hop lovers.

Markus: They better be because we are coming for them!

If so, can you elaborate and tell us why?

Lyra: Well what I love about our sound is we really have got the best of both worlds some songs you will hear the crazy rock beats with the raps on top with me as a rapper singing an epic hook with Pontus backing up so it sounds so dope and then on other songs we have the 808 driven hip hop songs with rock guitars on top which sounds incredible and the Hip-Hop world loves it.

Do you think that the public and critics may expect too much from you?

Lyra: Probably at first but that’s ok. Anything new people get a bit scared initially until come around to the idea and just watch.

How do you go in the creation of the music for Rockboy?

Pontus: It’s all about energy. Let’s say I start with building a beat in my studio. Then adding some guitars, some synths. And we always use Skype calls so that we can work on the track together real-time to get the energy right, even though we’re on opposite sides of the globe.

Lyra: As Pontus said on the rock side he will usually start the idea then we skype and add and change sounds, structure and then I go off writing and if it’s a hip-hop driven track usually I will get the idea down first send to Pontus to add some epic guitars.

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What challenges, if any, do you have to face?

Lyra: Placing our sound in the world of music.

If you could bring back one or more artist(s) to ‘guest’ on one of your tracks, who would it be?

Lyra: B.I.G, Tupac and John Lennon.

Nick: Kurt Cobain and Tupac.

Which artists/music do you listen to when you relax?

Pontus: As for now I’ve already started putting some Christmas music on when I’m home relaxing, even though it might be a little bit too early since it’s only November.

Otherwise my biggest inspiration in music is Michael Jackson and has always been. He has written so many good songs that are perfect to relax to.

Lyra: Kanye West, Imagine Dragons, Lorde but mostly classical music - I love strings.

Nick: There are so many different, depends on my mood.

But to name a few I would say Ben Howard, Chords, Comeback Kid, Outcast, Dead Boys, Yellow Jackets and much more...

Markus: Rascal Flatts is one of my favourite bands and is perfect when you just wanna take it easy but even metal has that effect on me.

What is the side of you that the public never see?

Lyra: That I am a joker full of jokes.

Any tours planned? New tracks? Album/EP? Lyra: We’re actually working on an EP for next year and hopefully we’ll be touring.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Lyra: Check out our latest song on all social sites called this is trash music rockboyofficial. https://www.facebook.com/rockboyofficial http://www.rockboysworld.com/

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© Mark Fletcher - Sound Photography

After an electrifying performance – and some PA troubles – at The Stillery for Nightmare on Camden High Street, Mark Fletcher reaches We Are Carnivores to ask a few questions.

Great gig with lots of energy. Do you ever get tired of being so energetic on stage?

We never get tired, we even had a slumber party right after the show.

We had a sexy pillow fight till late but we had to stop ‘cause Beu slipped on some gravel.

Where does the name We are Carnivores come from?

We’re all massive fans of Jurassic Park so we went on bandnamegenerator. com and John Williams dubbed us We Are Carnivores dumdum dumm dumm dumm.

What’s the brief history of the band?

Where do you all come from? and what’s your background?

We all started off in Y-fronts and eventually moved to boxers after an increase in peer pressure around year 7.

Ray Mears is our current desktop background.

What is Math Rock?

Rock that you can count on.

What’s on the agenda album wise?

We’re lining up a triple upside down back to front sticky tape core concept album concept core (TUDBFSTxCACx) delux limited gold star platinum edition. It’s going to be very esoteric stuff; only John Petrucci and Brian Eno will vibe it.

What happened to the PA during your soundcheck, and how did you overcome the problem?

Our riffs were too powerful for the speakers - we dialed back our GPa/m³ (Giga Palpatines per midichlorian cubed) to flip reverse the speakers. This is actually the same units that the force is measured in.

Tell me something about We are Carnivores that no one else knows.

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We couldn’t possibly tell you that ‘cause then it wouldn’t be a secret and everyone would know. But we can tell you Giraffes have high blood pressure and Kangaroos have 3 vaginas.

If you could have any artist from anywhere and any time playing in your band, who would it be and why?

It would probably have to be Bob Geldof or Bono. Bob has written so many classic hits and keeps it crème fraiche even after all these years, while Bono just has such an infectious quality in his work.

What influences your music and your lyrics?

Shania Twain has been a massive influence on most of our stuff so far. You know that song where she’s on a bike and it’s like Tron, but with a big flying robot thing chasing her and firing lasers out of its face? That was a banger.

What was it called? We’re looking that up right now.

What is your message to your fans and readers of Sonic Shocks?

Hey everyone good hustle, we hope you enjoy this ELECTRIFYING interview (amirite?)

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18th November 2014 Hailing from San Francisco, Death Valley High came together in 2010, introducing the world to their deadly undead rock. ‘We want listeners to know that they don’t have to feel like Folk, Indie or Pop music is the instant go-to. We want to bridge like-minded fans and bands to stand up for all sort of music with teeth.’

They certainly showed us all how big their teeth are. With his Adam Ant-esque make up and ‘Batdance’ swagger, Reyka whipped the crowd into a frenetic rollercoaster of style: Metal, Hardcore and Electro-Goth infused with melodic elements and throwback 80’s synth. They could have done with a bigger stage to get the full effect of their energetic set. Regardless, the heat grew hotter and the cheering louder. After a small breather for celebratory shots with the support band, they resumed their raging heavy riffs, finally joining the crowd to get them to scream ‘Death Valley High’.

By this stage, The Borderline had become a sweltering sauna, full to the brim with fans eagerly awaiting the headliners. And wait they have, for the past 10 years, for Chris Taylor Brown & Co’s return to the UK. With a wild cheer welcoming TRAPT on stage, there’s no denying that the die-hard fans are here tonight.

Although in support of new album ‘REBORN’, the setlist brought back some old school TRAPT to the delight of the audience. With a cheeky grin, Chris teases the crowd with ‘Who’s Going Home With You Tonight’, whilst acknowledging the long break from their last visit with ‘Waiting’.

‘Living In The Eye Of The Storm ‘and ‘Love Hate Relationship’ are well received but TRAPT’s set wouldn’t be complete without the song they found fame with. ‘Our credo has always been you fail on your own or you succeed on your own so are you…’ oh, yeah…the fans are ‘Headstrong’, singing in unison and, surprisingly, quite in tune, alongside Chris’ emotionally charged hit.

And to the sound of ‘We want TRAPT’, the band returns to rapturous applause, concluding the night with ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Still Frame’.

More photos on our GALLERY

Review and photo by Nelly Loriaux

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LIV E

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Review and photo by Cristina Massei

December 2014

21st November 2014 Carl Barat officially introduces his new band The Jackals to a sold out 100 Club. The legendary Oxford Street hangout is bursting at the seams, and it’s not just an invasion of Libertines fans waiting for a couple of major hits. Despite a human tsunami crashing the front rows when Death On The Stairs comes on, the audience sings word by word every song, including those from the yet unreleased Jackals album ‘Let It Reign’.

Barat’s latest outfit showcases a collection of catchy, unpretentious guitar laden indie tracks that will undoubtedly leave their own mark rise to favourites with fans of the genre. It’s however Carl’s caring words for ‘his boy’ getting clean in Thailand and his homage to Doherty with the touching Ballad of Grimaldi that unleash the love across the room.

It’s all good news from London tonight. The creative flame is reignited, the passion and hunger stronger than ever on both sides of the imaginary line dividing a performer from his audience. A line that seem to equally evaporate in a steamy cloud of happy sweat when Carl or Peter are on stage; a line Libertines fans just can’t keep behind as they twist, scream and shout for the boys in the band.

SET LIST

Deadwood Victory Gin Glory Days A Storm is Coming France/Ballad of Grimaldi Gin & Milk Let It Reign Summer in the Trenches Bang Bang You’re Dead We Want More War of the Roses Death on the Stairs The Gear March of the Idle I Get Along Run with the Boys

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14th October 2014 After bursting onto the music scene nearly ten years ago as a finalist on American Idol, Chris Daughtry wasted no time winning over fans of his pop rock anthems across the world. Six months after playing a pair of sold out shows at the Shepherds Bush Empire, the singer and his band made their return to London for a gig at a bustling Roundhouse.

Young Irish upstarts the Whereabouts were tasked with warming up the venue’s eager crowds. Despite only being formed last year, the suit clad four piece certainly didn’t show any signs of nervousness as they introduced themselves, and their bluesy rock and roll. In fact with Chuck Berry, The Beatles and The Stones as major influences, it was a refreshingly original, and technically confident performance from the fresh faced musicians. While unlikely to be the next One Direction (thankfully), they could perhaps be a far more interesting future prospect to keep an eye on.

As Daughtry made their way onto the stage the screams of the heavily female crowd grew louder. A quick hello was hardly audible before the band opened their set on newer track ‘Baptized’. ‘Feels Like Tonight’ saw Chris sway and lean into the mic as the band powered through the track with fine tuned precision. ‘Over You’, saw the now guitar clad frontman belt out his vocals with vigor. ‘Renagade’ and ‘Traitor’ quickly followed maintaining the evening’s fast tempo, only slowing for a few quick words here and there. As expected, despite some talented musicianship in the band, Chris, his unfaltering vocals and easy charm remained center stage, and center of attention at all times.

A brilliant rendition of ‘It’s Not Over’ was a set highlight, before things slowed down once more for ‘I’ll Fight’ and ‘Witness’, as the band returned to their newer material and pop sensibilities.

Flexing his faultless vocal skills on a beautiful cover of Chris Isaac’s Wicked Game, Chris left the crowd speechless for a moment before the room once more burst into rapturous applause. Explaining how one couple had got engaged during the meet and greet earlier in the evening, ‘Start Of Something Good’ was dedicated to them. ‘Wildheart’ was then quickly followed up by ‘Battleships’. The track bringing all those sitting on the second level to their feet for a chant of “boom”s. The song, like most of the band’s newer material may be as much pop as rock, but it is undeniably catchy. Something the audience certainly didn’t seem to mind.

With ’Home’ the night was brought to its climax. Word for word sang back to Chris, as he bellowed out the lyrics for the song which first brought the band to the attention of the British public. It’s still a classic, and one that obviously has a special place in the heart of many audience members. With set closer ‘September’ the band made their thank yous and quickly left the stage before returning for encores ‘Waiting For Superman’ and ‘Long Live Rock And Roll’. Despite a 17 songs set the evening seemed to fly by.

Despite the increasingly obvious pop influences there is something genuinely heartfelt about Daughtry’s performances; his powerful vocals evoking a sense of real emotion that would fall flat with other vocalists. It’s this emotion that left the Roundhouse buzzing, and will keep the crowds coming back for more.