ISSUE 35 AUGUST 2018
“THERE’S A PHRASE, ‘DON'T BE SAD THAT IT'S OVER, BE GLAD THAT IT HAPPENED’” DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, P.26
UPSETMAGAZINE.COM EDITOR: Stephen Ackroyd
(stephen@upsetmagazine.com)
DEPUTY EDITOR: Victoria Sinden (viki@upsetmagazine.com) ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Ali Shutler (ali@upsetmagazine.com) CONTRIBUTORS: Alex Bradley,
Chris Taylor, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Jack Press, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Martyn Young, Linsey Teggert, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin PHOTOGRAPHERS: Sarah Louise
Bennett
All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Upset or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. PUBLISHED FROM
DEAR READER,
TEENAGE KICKS
STEPHEN ACKROYD, EDITOR
THIS MONTH RIOT!
04 GHOST 08 DZ DEATHRAYS 10 MUNCIE GIRLS 12 PVRIS 14 JIMMY EAT WORLD 16 GLASSJAW 18 MARMOZETS
ABOUT TO BREAK 20 OH, WEATHERLY 22 THE FRIGHTS 23 PAGAN 24 HOMESAFE 25 ORCHARDS
FEATURES W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M
58 DOWNLOAD
Some bands have special powers - that one aspect that means, whatever they do, we're hooked regardless. Of all those abilities, Death Cab For Cutie's trick might be the greatest of them all. Frontman Ben Gibbard could sing back our deeply depressing bank statements, and we'd still really feel it. With a brand new album out 'soon', we're bloody delighted to welcome one of our very finest to the cover of Upset for the first time. Maybe he can give us a rendition of page 23 while we're at it?
26 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
34 AS IT IS 38 TROPHY EYES 40 BURY TOMORROW 44 TRASH BOAT 46 REAL FRIENDS 50 DEAF HAVANA
RATED
52 AS IT IS 54 BURY TOMORROW 55 LIKE PACIFIC
LIVE
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EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK.
GHOST
“WE'VE ALWAYS GOTTEN STICK FOR NOT BEING HEAVY ENOUGH” A LOT HAS CHANGED FOR GHOST SINCE THEIR LAST ALBUM, OWING TO THE UNMASKING OF THEIR PREVIOUSLY MYSTERIOUS FRONTMAN, TOBIAS FORGE. THEIR MISSION STATEMENT, HOWEVER, IS THE SAME AS EVER - "I WANT IT TO BE ENTERTAINING". WORDS: ALI SHUTLER.
T
OBIAS FORGE HAS A SHORT LITTLE SHIT LIST OF PEOPLE WHO AREN'T WELCOME TO EXPLORE THE WORLD OF GHOST. Since 2014's Grammy Award-winning ‘Meloria', the once nameless ghoul has been unmasked. Sure, it came via a lawsuit issued from people who used to play onstage with the band, rather than as part of the ever-growing tale that Ghost are writing, but really nothing much has changed. Ghost has always been about the suspension of disbelief. It's always been about playing make-believe. It's always been about exploring these masked worlds that reflect our own. It's always been for everyone. Their new album ‘Prequelle' takes that crack in the door and swings it wide open. Playful, pulsating and full of rainbowbridged adventure, it's Ghost at their most welcoming. "There's been so much happening since the last record," Tobias admits, jetlagged and nursing a neck injury. "If I think about how things were when we left off in 2014, then yes that is a big gap. But I was surprised when we started this tour how little it took before it felt like I was home and back on track." Ghost don't enjoy looking back. "I see the faults like, ‘Oh you thought that was good, you should have seen what the original plan was. It was so much cooler', but such is life." Instead, they're concerned with the now. Despite the success and the scale of what his band has already achieved, Tobias still had something to prove with their fourth album. "You always do. After the hard second
record comes the hard third record. Then it's the crucial fourth record and the 'win or lose' fifth record. I don't know when you reach that plateau of untouchable. I don't think you ever do. I don't think I'd want to. "This band takes up so much time and is such a huge sacrifice for a lot of people, especially the ones very close to me, that sometimes you're exposed to the questions of, ‘When are you going to be done? When is this accomplished?' And I don't know. I don't think it ever will be done. You just try to do things as good as possible all the time. Sooner or later something will put a halt to it and hopefully, when it does, you've done it as well as you can." That full-bodied commitment to doing things a certain way wails through ‘Prequelle'. The record, focused around the idea of annihilation, finds threads between The Black Death of the 1300's and today. The winking, grinning, rampage of ‘Rats' sings: "In times of turmoil, in times like these. Beliefs contagious, spreading disease," prods at today as much as it does The Middle Ages. "I was trying to shine light onto the idea that the turmoil of the black death is not something that was isolated just to death." There's also trauma in survival. "There are numerous extreme metal records that have touched on the subject of dark and evil times, specifically the plague, so I wanted this record to be about survival rather than annihilation. I haven't heard any records that are about that. I have plenty of records about the ordeal of death but not the survival aspect. The record is about perseverance. From a personal point of view, persevering is exactly what I've been doing for the last two years." Even on the cusp of the end of all things, which is where ‘Prequelle' finds itself
TWENTY ONE PILOTS ARE ON THEIR WAY BACK WITH TWO NEW SINGLES, AN ALBUM, AND SOME UK TOUR DATES (PHEW)
Twenty One Pilots have come roaring back into our lives with two new tracks - ‘Jumpsuit‘ and ‘Nico and the Niners‘. They’re the first tasters of the followup to 2015’s ‘Blurryface’, with the duo dropping their fifth full-length ‘Trench’ on 5th October. They’ve also announced a big ‘ol tour for early next year, which features a few nights over our way - Birmingham, Genting Arena (27th February); Dublin, 3Arena (1st March); Belfast, SSE Arena Belfast (2nd); Glasgow, The SSE Hydro Arena (4th); Manchester, Manchester Arena (5th); London, The SSE Arena Wembley (7th). Exciting stuff. DISRUPT THE NOISE 5
THE BEST NEW BANDS. THE HOTTEST NEW MUSIC.
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WANT A NEW BAND CRUSH? CHECK OUT THIS LOT! >>>
LOTUS EATER
Self-described as “dark" and "groovy", Glasgow metallers Lotus Eater are best played at window-rattling volume - assuming you don’t have any neighbours, that is. Keep an eye out for new material dropping this summer.
BLOODY KNEES
After a false start a few years ago, now’s Bloody Knees’ time with their not-long-released 5* EP ‘Maybe It’s Easy’ full of retro-indie charm and hooks for days, and a new EP on the way too. Top stuff.
LOWLIVES
This alt-rock four-piece consists of former members of The Defiled, Amen, No Devotion and The Ataris. They’re playing Reading & Leeds, and their debut EP is due on 31st August - keep an eye out for ‘Burn Forever’.
OH, WEATHERLY
B
LAKE ROSES HAS HAD A BIT OF A TIME OF IT. FROM THE DEATH OF HIS DAD, TO HELPING RAISE HIS BABY SISTER, TO HIS FIANCÉ BREAKING OFF THEIR ENGAGEMENT - ON OH, WEATHERLY’S DEBUT, HE BARES ALL. HEY BLAKE, HOW’S IT GOING? EXCITED FOR THE ALBUM? Hey! It’s going great. We are very excited for our first full-length album. One of my biggest goals was to put out a fulllength, so it’s kind of like having an extra Christmas this year. HAS ‘LIPS LIKE OXYGEN’ BEEN A LONG TIME COMING? There are a couple of songs on the record that I’ve had in the works for a little over a year now, but most of the material was written about six months before recording. I took that time off work to buckle down and get in my feels. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH JAKE FROM MAYDAY PARADE? My experience with Jake was amazing. He’s an incredibly talented, humble, and down to earth guy and I don’t think this album would be the same without him. HAS HE GIVEN YOU MUCH BAND LIFE ADVICE? There were a lot of “Dad moments” as Jake would call them where he’d help guide and give his input where it was needed. He definitely helped shed some light on what the music business is like and shared his own personal experiences. HAVE YOU GUYS HAD TO OVERCOME MANY CHALLENGES DURING YOUR TIME IN THE BAND? We have had our fair share of challenges and setbacks within the past couple years that we’ve been together. Although we’ve wanted to throw in the towel at
“ONE OF THIS BAND’S MOST DEFINING QUALITIES IS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PUSH THROUGH FAILURE” BLAKE ROSES times, I think one of this band’s most defining qualities is that we are able to push through failure until we see success. WHAT DOES BEING A MUSICIAN MEAN TO YOU? Being a musician to me is having the power to help people with the same life struggles that pushed me into starting a band. I know what the lowest of lows are like, and I’ve been there. Nothing feels more right to me than being able to make a difference in people’s lives just by sharing my story. TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU USE MUSIC TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT LIFE? I don’t think I use music to figure out how I feel about life necessarily, but rather to express how I feel or felt about my darkest and brightest moments. YOU’VE SAID THE ALBUM IS A TRIBUTE TO THE LESSONS YOU’VE LEARNT, AND THAT YOU NO LONGER EXPECT ANYTHING FROM ANYONE BUT YOURSELF - HAVE YOU BEEN LET DOWN A LOT? This album will definitely show that I have been let down on many cases and I’ve never quite shared this much personal information. I try not to look at it as being let down anymore, but more or less as a lesson learned. The lesson
being, expect nothing from no one but yourself. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ALBUM’S VIBE? The album has a more poppy and sometimes punky vibe than our earlier releases, but it still has that good oldfashioned Oh, Weatherly emotional touch. HAS ANYONE HAD YOUR LYRICS TATTOOED ON THEM YET? I haven’t actually seen any tattoos yet, but I’ve seen people saying they are getting them and I think that’d be pretty kewl. (Hint, hint.) ARE THERE ANY LYRICS ON ‘LIPS LIKE OXYGEN’ THAT PARTICULARLY MEAN A LOT TO YOU? In the song ‘Where Have You Been’ I have the most descriptive, personal lyrics I’ve ever written. Basically, every word in that song makes me feel a certain way and gets me every time. Also, my mom sang with me in it. WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS? We are hoping lot of tours. We’ve also been dabbling a bit with a vlog and other videos to keep things interesting, but in the meantime, I’ll be writing new tunes for the future. P OH, WEATHERLY’S DEBUT ALBUM ‘LIPS LIKE OXYGEN’ IS OUT 27TH JULY.
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SUNNY SIDE UP COVER STORY
WITH TWO (SORT OF) NEW MEMBERS AND A BRAND NEW ALBUM, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE ARE A BAND REFRESHED.
WORDS: STEVEN LOFTIN. PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.
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EATH CAB FOR CUTIE FRONTMAN BEN GIBBARD HAS BEEN PONDERING THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF HIS BELOVED SEATTLE. IT'S A STORY THAT'S RELATABLE THE WORLD OVER; AS TIME GOES ON THE PLACES WE KNOW AND LOVE CHANGE, FAVOURITE SPOTS ARE TAKEN OVER BY MODERNITY AND GENTRIFICATION. It's a physical evolution that has become something of a metaphor for Ben's life. At the age of forty-one, twenty years deep into his band's career, the irony isn't lost on him. The first glimpse he offered into Death Cab' newest chapter, ninth studio album 'Thank You For Today', specifically focused upon the idea of a changing world, once again neatly falling into the wheelhouse that's previously served them so well - an emotive resonance few can match. The reaction to ‘Gold Rush' was positive, but vulnerable to backlash following the departure of co-founder, producer and guitarist Chris Walla with their last record 'Kintsugi' back in 2014. "We've all done this right?" Ben begins, chuckling. "Fans tend to be very reactive with very little perspective when they hear the first note of a new album, so you want to make sure that you can reassure them that the band hasn't become something too different to what they're used to. "Over the years, our singles have tended to be a little bit divisive or atypical of the time. ‘I Will Possess Your Heart' was the first single from [2008's] 'Narrow Stairs', and that's an eight-anda-half minute can-jam, you know?!" he says, laughing. "We've always wanted the singles to be a little bit of a left turn than what the tone of the album is. I've always preferred to have songs be hotly debated than to have them be universally loved or hated." Mission accomplished, then. "When Chris left the band that was a really emotional time," he continues. "Chris's contributions to the band and his playing and production are a huge part of this band's story and sound. One would not be able to go through that transition without having to ask themselves some really tough questions." The future of the band was one of those questions, but Death Cab are still here. With touring musicians Dave Depper and Zac Rae moving up to fullfledged band members, they're raring to go. "We never intended to replace Chris with a capital 'R'," Ben explains. "It wasn't like we were going to find somebody like
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“WE HAVE A LOT OF REALLY GREAT ALBUMS STILL IN US” him. I think why it's been so inspiring for us is that while we may have lost a particular skill set - and a brilliant musical mind - Dave and Zach are unbelievable musicians with skill sets that I wasn't even aware they had until we got in the studio. "I believe that this record, it sounds a little cliché, but it's the beginning of a new chapter. It's one that I'm excited about because we haven't even begun to tap the potential of the music that we can make with Dave and Zach. Will people like it as much, or will it be as revered as these albums we made in the early-mid oughts that have become our calling cards? We'll see, who knows?" Ben openly admits. "I mean, obviously the realist would say that it's unlikely. When we've had a run of albums as we did in the early-mid 00s that have really defined the sound of this band, it's impossible to recreate those zeitgeist moments. "That said, I feel like we have a lot of really great albums still in us, and whether or not people speak of them in the same tone that they do 'Transatlanticism' [2003], or 'Facts' [2000], or 'Plans' [2005] or whatever else, will be to be determined. But I certainly think that I am more excited about the future of this band, and the songs that have yet to be written than I have been in quite a while. Twenty years in, I think that's saying something." The loss of Chris from the Death Cab ranks, while unfortunate, offered the opportunity for a much-needed shake-up. "Oh, it was incredibly freeing," Ben divulges. "Certainly, without speaking out of turn, when you have a creative relationship with someone like Chris - who is a very brilliant and yet very opinionated and strong-minded person, and that is your working relationship for sixteen years - as with any long relationship, you end up in situations.
Ones where you're like ‘Oh I see, you don't like my guitar part because I didn't buy dinner three weeks ago at that place'." "It's like the emotional water has become muddied," he quickly clarifies. "When you start the band at twenty, and you've grown up together, in some ways, there are elements of the relationship that do grow, and some are frozen in the embryonic stages when you're still learning how to communicate with other human beings. "When I look back on those early years of the band, I'm just shocked at how poor we were at communicating with each other. I haven't had this much fun making an album since we made 'Transatlanticism'. "When we were leaving the studio at night, sometimes one or two of us would end up walking along back to the apartment together. Nick [Harmer, bass] and I would end up talking, like: ‘Hey, you know, this is really fun, right?' "We were very reticent, very quick to make sure that we weren't equating a fun environment with making a good album. Just because you're having a good time doesn't mean what you're making is good - I think that goes without saying. But in the history of this band, the records that we've had that have been the most enjoyable for us to make, have tended to be the better albums because ideas are flowing, creativity is flowing, people are communicating well, we're enjoying each others company. We're not bringing whatever bullshit that just kind of piles up after you've been a band for as long as we have, that just doesn't exist anymore. "As we make more records with Dave and Zach we'll start to build our own little pile of bullshit, but I think Chris would probably say the same thing - that after sixteen years of playing music together he just realised that he had accomplished what he wanted to
‘GOLD RUSH'
AND THE HAUNTS THAT MADE IT BEN OFFERS UP A WHISTLE-STOP TOUR OF THE MISSING PLACES THAT INSPIRED 'GOLD RUSH'. "The Green Cat, or The Globe, or Orpheum Records or Fall Out Records or Eileen's sports bar. I could keep throwing them at you. Just so many places‌ you know the bunker where we recorded [2000's] 'The Forbidden Love EP'? That's now just condos. I would go to a bar and work on lyrics at night, that bar is now a Starbucks. "If there's one thing I hope people take away from the song it's that I don't view these shifts and changes in the demographics and the geography of the city as things that have been done to me. I don't feel like I'm a victim of some kind of invisible hand of capitalism. It's more-so that this is something that I've done to myself, I have formed this relationship with the city that I live in and the places in the city that are no longer there. "This is what happens when one connects their geography to memory, as I have. One thing I really wanted to make sure in the song is that it didn't come off as like an old guy complaining about how everything has changed. It's more so that this is the experience of when you place your eggs in that basket; this is one of the outcomes of that."
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W AL BU M AS IT IS ’S NE D H TH E IN S AN DE AL S W IT PR ES SI ON . OU TS OF DE IS RE CO RD “I WAN T TH PO RTAN T TO SPAR K IM TI ON S,” CO NV ER SA Y TM AN PATT SAYS FR ON . WALTE RS WO RD S: JA
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E T ER NAL FLAME BURY TOMORROW'S NEW ALBUM 'BLACK FLAME' SEES THEM CROSS THE DIVIDE FROM CULT FAVE TO MASSIVE, WORLDWIDE CONTENDERS. WORDS: JACK PRESS
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RCHITECTS? HEADLINED ALEXANDRA PALACE. BRING ME THE HORIZON? GATECRASHED THE CHARTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POND. WHILE SHE SLEEPS? TOOK MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS AND INDEPENDENTLY REDEFINED THE WORD ‘METALCORE’. For the first time in over a decade since the glory days of the mid-noughties British invasion led by Bullet For My Valentine, British heavy metal is in the midst of a renaissance period. Led by the aforementioned flagbearers Architects, Bring Me The Horizon and While She Sleeps, and redefined by the likes of Venom Prison, Employed To Serve, and Loathe, heavy metal is breaking out of
Brixton Academy and into arenas and mainstream charts. Between it all there’s been one band who’ve held the scene through thick and thin for the last twelve years, having quietly risen through the ranks by paying their dues and earning their reputation as the fan-favourite underdogs. That band is Bury Tomorrow, and as they begin the touring cycle for their fifth album ‘Black Flame’, Upset speak with frontman Dani Winter-Bates, who’s assessing his band’s position in this new world order. “Look at bands like Architects, While She Sleeps, Bring Me The Horizon; they’re doing amazing things in the metal world, and it’s got us talking about how we want a top twenty album in the charts, and how we’re headlining the Forum [in London], and we’re going to sell it out. That’s madness, and when DISRUPT THE NOISE 41
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REAL FRIENDS HAVE PULLED THEMSELVES BACK FROM THE BRINK TO CREATE AN ALBUM THAT’S JUST AS CONFUSED AS THEY ONCE WERE. “IT’S ABOUT UNCERTAINTY,” EXPLAINS DAN LAMBTON. WORDS: JACK PRESS
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O BE COMPOSED IS TO BE IN A STATE OF CALM AND IN CONTROL OF ONESELF. NAMING THEIR NEW RECORD ‘COMPOSURE,’ POPPUNK UPSTARTS REAL FRIENDS ARE IRONICALLY AS UNSTABLE AS A CHOCOLATE-DEPRIVED CHILD IN A CANDY SHOP AS THEY TALK THE TALK JUST HOURS BEFORE THEY KICK OFF THE FINAL RUN OF AMERICA’S GODLIKE TOURING FESTIVAL, WARPED TOUR. “If you’d have told me when I was fifteen that I’d be in a band that gets to play Warped Tour on four different years, I’d slap you in the face and call you a poser,” exclaims frontman Dan Lambton. “To me, that wouldn’t have come true, but here we are, and it’s fucking awesome.” Being asked to aid in bowing out one of the biggest alternative extravaganzas the States have been lapping up for years is just cause for lack of composure, but the excitement dies down when the record itself comes calling, a sea of calm washing over the waves that is Dan’s face. It’s no hidden secret that Real Friends have been through the wars and back in the two years since the release of their second effort, ‘The Home Inside My Head’. Dan was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and soon found himself caught up in a carousel of prescription pills, hallucinogenic drugs, and alcohol, and it slowly began to rip into the fabric of Real Friends. “I feel like there were a lot of reckless things that I did that made the rest of the band question whether they wanted to do Real Friends anymore, simply because of how unpredictable and off the wall I was,” reflects Dan sombrely. He found comfort in rediscovering who his real friends were. “Luckily I had people that cared about me enough to sit me down and be like, ‘Look, something’s not right. You’re not you right now. Something is off and smoking a shit tonne of weed and dabbling in drugs isn’t going to fix whatever’s going on with you’.” Through a series of band-to-band, manto-man, and friend-to-friend conversations, Dan was able to acknowledge the need to seek out help and get himself back on DISRUPT THE NOISE 47
TH E ON LY VERDICT YOU NEED.
"W
hen music is at its best, it is capable of holding a mirror up to the human condition in a way few other art forms can ever match. In the hands of the observant, the erudite, the compassionate and the philosophical, music allows us to better understand who we are and feel powerfully less alone.” That’s how the release that introduces As It Is’ third album ‘The Great Depression’ begins. Which of those positive traits they’re attaching themselves to remains unclear, but one thing’s for sure, they’re not lacking in ambition. A band almost unrecognisable, just one look at them is enough to suggest something quite radical has changed. While image is often only skin deep, it’s a move that extends to their music too. You’ve probably already seen the social media snark, ‘As It Is have heard a My Chemical Romance’ album, so the sneering refrain goes. It’s not without foundation, too. A four-part collection of three track movements based around a singular central figure (‘The Poet’), there’s a sense of the theatrical running front to back. But that lazy comparison, it’s one hell of a compliment too. Drawing a line to quite probably the most big picture, culturally important band of a generation is hardly a slight. For a band that previously were no slouches, to risk a jump this big shows a confidence in their own voice that most peers simply wouldn’t contemplate. By and large, they pull it off too. Both more complex and effective than before, there’s both immediacy (lead single ’The Wounded World’) and introspection (‘The Question, The Answer’). ‘The Reaper’ magpies Biffy’s staccato stabs, while closer ‘The End’ has enough melody to keep a glee club active for a full academic year. Sure, there’s THE GREAT a feeling the edges are DEPRESSION too smooth in places, but FEARLESS RECORDS at its heart this is still pop eeee punk, tugging on emotions IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL with a baited honey trap of LIKE... WE'RE GOING TO saccharine sweetness hiding SAY IT. MY CHEMICAL the shards beneath. ROMANCE. NO. REALLY. Whether observant, erudite, compassionate or philosophical, such descriptions are effectively moot. As It Is aren't prepared to sit back and ride the wave anymore. Are you? DAN HARRISON
AS IT IS
BODEGA
ENDLESS SCROLL eee New York art-punk band Bodega were born from local art scenes, and with a rather large bee in their collective bonnets about mass consumer culture. The odd witticism shines through, but their lyrics often feel “fake deep”. ‘Endless Scroll’ is saved, in part, by the incredible art punk grooves: it’s an album built for angular, robotic dance moves in dark, sweaty clubs with graffiti covering the walls. It’s brief, at just over 30 minutes, but it’s a non-stop rollercoaster. CHRIS TAYLOR
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE GRAVITY eeee
Taking the lofty ambitions of 2013’s ‘Temper Temper' and channelling them through the hard-hitting hooks of 2010’s ‘Fever' with the rejuvenated passion and spirit that ran through 2005 debut ‘Poison', Bullet For My Valentine’s sixth album ‘Gravity' is the definitive BFMV album in the best part of a decade. Defying the odds, they’ve risen from the ashes and returned fully to form, creating their finest album for the best part of decade. JACK PRESS
CHELSEA GRIN
ETERNAL NIGHTMARE eeee Chelsea Grin's first album with new vocalist Tom Barber, any suggestion the four-piece may soften up for their latest full-length goes quickly out the window within seconds of opener 'Dead Rose'. Like charging head first into a particularly sturdy brick wall, there's no inch given. Indeed, the adversity of line-up changes seems to have fired up a band that need little encouragement to go in hard. While that may result in them sticking to the ground they know best, comfort is rarely that comfortable in the world of Deathcore. An assault on the senses, that 'Eternal Nightmare' has some room to run yet. DAN HARRISON
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WORDS: ALI SHUTLER, STEVEN LOFTIN PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT
DOWNLOAD 2018
FESTIVALS 2018
ON STAGE. IN HERE.
ONE OF ROCK'S BIGGEST FESTIVAL CONTENDERS,. DOWNLOAD KICK-STARTED THE SUMMER WITH SOME OF THE LOUDEST BANDS AROUND. HERE’S SOME OF THE.HIGHLIGHTS....
DAY ONE It may be raining as the arena gates open, signalling the start to this year’s Download, but there’s more than enough on offer to blow those grey clouds away. First up, and rattling through their Cali-punk . ANDREW WK S . offerings are Culture Abuse, the perfect remedy to a slightly dreary start. Just as immediate as their in-yourface sound are the principals they bring, in songs such as the life-affirming ‘Bee Kind To The Bugs’. Without letting any of the early dust settle, Employed To Serve swiftly bat straight for home. While the Avalanche tent may not be completely packed, those that are in attendance bring much ferocity. It’s an earth-shaking monument to the sheer power that a fiery riff and screaming vocals can bring. There’s excited energy rumbling all over the grounds of Download, but Marmozets are here to take things nuclear. Since returning with their latest album ‘Knowing What You Know Now’, they’ve stepped up to becoming one of the most exciting live acts around. Rioting out onto the behemoth main stage, they turn it from a potentially anxiety-inducing event to one that feels custom made for them. “1, 2, 3, play!” Becca McIntyre screams out, as they waste no time in kicking things into gear. At times it can feel like they’re waiting for the crowd to catch up, mostly because Marmozets are an unstoppable force who abide by their own rules. With the set getting emotional toward the end, it’s easy to watch on in awe. But it’s also important to not forget the blood, sweat and tears that got them to this point – a feeling mirrored by the non-stop flood of bodies cascading over the barrier,
. AVENGED SEVENFOLD S .
urgently trying to join in the moment. This is a defining moment for them; one where they find themselves confidently climbing those steps to being an eventual, and welcome, headliner. Talking of moments, none can come close to defining the true spirit of Download quite like Andrew WK. A mid-afternoon slot on the Zippo stage, and with an astonishingly large contingent of loyal party followers in tow, it swiftly becomes a flurry of swinging long hair, power chords and lyrical positivity. Quite possibly creating one of the weekend highlights, a countdown from one-hundred (something he calls “a countdown to New Life’s Eve”) results in absolute pandemonium for his staple ‘Party Hard’, complete with an unhinged Andrew attacking his keyboard in a volley of hand strikes. This afternoon features a whole host of bands who are returning to Download after some time away, amongst them is Cancer Bats, who last played five years ago. Having released a brand spanking new album, and celebrated one of their career-defining ones (2008’s ‘Hail Destroyer’), at the same time, the rammed Avalanche tent bursts into life the moment they appear. Frontman Liam Cormier stomps about the stage, stoking the already frothing crowd. A crowning moment comes in the form of a brutal cover of Beastie Boy’s ‘Sabotage’ which creates so much bedlam that it’s a wonder the tent is still standing in their wake. Another band who are seizing their opportunity, and are undoubtedly now a staple in British rock, You Me At Six are back in their corner, ready to fight in round six – or ‘VI’, as it became known earlier this week. Closing out the Zippo stage, their first major show since the tail end of last year, they’re rather DISRUPT THE NOISE 59
IVE BANDS AND TRACKS EVERYONE HAS THOSE FORMAT IC AND HELPED SHAPE MUS INTO M THE GOT T THAT FIRS MAX HAYLER FROM YOU , NTH MO THIS THEIR VERY BEING. E THE SONGS THAT SOM H ME AT SIX TAKES US THROUG TEENAGE YEARS. HIS ING DUR HIM TO ST MO MEANT THE WITH... YOU
ME AT SIX
NIRVANA - SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT
This is the song that really got me interested into guitar music at an early age; it’s one of those songs you wish you could hear for the first time again as it was a life-changing experience that made me love rock music. THE KILLERS - MR BRIGHTSIDE
I remember being in school hearing this for the first time and then it becoming an anthem for every weekend going out with friends growing up. A timeless song, in my opinion! QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - NO ONE KNOWS
I remember a friend's Dad giving me their CD 'Songs For the Deaf' and this being the standout, such groove in the song but a proper bop. Still a song I listen to now and enjoy. GREEN DAY - AMERICAN IDIOT
I went to a Green Day concert with friends back in 2005 when this record came out; it was an amazing show as Billie Joe picked me to come up on stage and shoot a water pistol with him. Shame it wasn’t guitar but 62 UPSETMAGAZINE.COM
to get up in front of a massive audience being that young was a great memory I’ll always have! BRAND NEW - JESUS CHRIST
I remember going to shows with lots of friends seeing Brand New. It always felt like a coming together of friends singing their hearts out. INCUBUS - ARE YOU IN?
A massive summer banger, I remember being in park's hanging out with friends hearing this. It’s almost like you didn’t expect this song on their record and it showed a new side of the band. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE - KILLING IN THE NAME OF
This song was the first time we in the band heard this band, and it blew us away, We've all have had a massive love for rap and hip-hop since hearing Rage Against The Machine's self-titled record. PINK FLOYD - MONEY
Another one of those important songs that I learnt from my Dad. When I used to play
football at a young age, he would always blast this song in the car on our way to practice. It was only until later on in life I really got into Pink Floyd, and this song reminds me of those times. OASIS - DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
One of the best British bands that has ever been. One of my first records was ‘What’s the Story Morning Glory’ when I was 13 years old, and it changed the way I looked at music. BLINK 182 - THE ROCK SHOW
Blink 182 we’re one of the first ‘pop-punk’ bands we ever listened to, and this song is an absolute banger. We have played shows with Blink, and it’s always amazing to play shows with people that changed your own taste in music. JAY Z / LINKIN PARK - ENCORE / NUMB
Another rock hip-hop tune, what an amazing marriage of two amazing acts with two of their best songs. The whole album 'Collision Course' was full of bangers. YOU ME AT SIX'S ALBUM 'VI' IS OUT 5TH OCTOBER.