Upset, December 2019 / January 2020

** P lu s * *

Wate r p a r ks , Fu neral For A Fr iend, Char ly Bliss , Jamie Le n m an , Fo n tain e s D.C. + lo ad s m ore

December 2019 / January 2020

Twin Atlantic

upsetmagazine.com

WhoHurtYou Creeper

The best of 2019, featuring...

THE

** AND ** SWMRS, Fever 333, Pup Frank Iero, Petrol Girls, Frank Carter + more

DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020 Issue 50

HELLO.

It's an issue full of landmarks.

Firstly - and probably most obviously - we've got to the end of another year, so we're engaging in our usual rundown of the best albums, featuring some of our very fave bands. We're delighted to finally welcome The Faim to the cover of Upset, and they're joined by the likes of Fever 333, PUP, Frank Iero and loads more.

That's not the only thing that's on the books, though.

It's also the 50th issue of Upset! We'd like to thank everyone who's picked up a copy, helped us put the magazine together, or supported us in a multitude of ways on the road to our half-century. We're not done yet, though. Here's to number 100, right?

S tephen

RIOT 4. CREEPER 10. TWIN ATLANTIC 12. WHOHURTYOU 14. FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND

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ABOUT TO BREAK 18. THE CHATS

Editor / @stephenackroyd

Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alex Bradley, Beth Casteel, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Eleanor Philpot, Jack Press, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Jessica Goodman, Josh Williams, Martyn Young, Rob Mair, Steven Loftin, Tyler Damara Kelly Snappers Jez Pennington, Sarah Louise Bennett P U B L I S H E D F RO M

W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M U N I T 10, 23 G RA N G E RO A D, H A S T I N G S, T N34 2R L

BEST OF 2019 20. THE FAIM 28. TOP 50 ALBUMS 30. PETROL GIRLS 34. CHARLY BLISS 38. FRANK IERO & THE FUTURE VIOLENTS 42. FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES 44. JAMIE LENMAN 48. FONTAINES D.C. 50. PUP 52. FEVER 333 54. SWMRS TEENAGE KICKS 58. WATERPARKS

All material copyright (c). All rights reserved.

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THIS MONTH IN ROCK

EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK

Last year, Creeper departed with what - on the surface - was declared as a final bow.

Not that any of us believed them. Now, with a whole new universe to reveal, they’re back...

Interview: Josh Williams.

Live photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

4 Upset

Twin Atlantic are dropping a new album, 'Power', next year.

We got them to tell us everything we need to know. p.10

All Time Low's Jack Barakat and singer-songwriter Kevin Fisher are WhoHurtYou. p.12

On 1st November 2018, Creeper “broke up” on stage after playing a soldout gig at Koko in Camden.

On 1st November 2019, they returned at London’s 229. Luckily, frontman Will Gould reveals that they had “already planned that ending a long while before it was anywhere near happening”. All’s well that ends well, eh?

Funeral For A Friend return to the stage for a couple of very special gigs. p.14

“The idea was to end it in the same way it began, and the campaign began with a disappearing act,” he explains.

“A little bit of continuity to put another vanishing act on stage in front of everybody. It was a reference to David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust. It was much more dramatic than I ever imagined it would be, actually.

“It was a reference to the beginning of the campaign, which was very dramatic in itself, but this time putting it on stage rather than the internet. It’s difficult to get six people out of a venue when you know what they look like.

Upset 5

Riot_ for that drama was that it’s “It felt like it had a really linear ingrained as part of the band’s motif, but Creeper’s known for its dramatics; these are the kind DNA.” of currency we deal in. We had to In terms of when they decided end this one on a high, but we also to come back, Will admits that needed some time out. Getting they had “a few some time away good options from everything there, really.” and giving a “Originally, purpose, and a we were going reason to why to come back we were not sooner, but our around rather lives descended than just going into a bit of a quiet. chaotic moment.

“We’re a So, we had to very theatrical prolong it, and band, so it felt I always knew like the biggest if we didn’t WILL GOULD accomplishment come back on we could do 1st November - a was to try and do something like year to the day - that we couldn’t that on stage and draw an end to come back again, that would that chapter. It really is an end to have to be it done. It turned out that chapter as well, we did kill to be the correct amount of time the band off. The jackets, as far to wait, but like originally there as I know, are still somewhere in was a plan to come back a little Koko. We shed a skin there; it was sooner, but that’s the way life almost some sort of ceremony to goes, sometimes things work out, close it all. I suppose the reason sometimes they don’t.”

“IT WAS MUCH MORE DRAMATIC THAN I EVER IMAGINED IT WOULD BE, ACTUALLY”

It wasn’t all plain sailing into album number two, as Will reveals he didn’t know how to approach this next record for a while.

“I didn’t see the value in carrying on something and making a half-arsed job of it, you know? I’m really brutal with this sort of thing. I find if there’s no artistic merit or a lot of creative accomplishment to be had, I didn’t see the point of beating a dead horse, not knowing quite where the band fit in terms of where I was going.

“I considered for a while that maybe I should move on and make something else. For the most part, we were on track, and when we started, it took quite some time for it all to make sense.

There was some genuine concern of mine that we might be gone for a while.

“It’s a hard thing in this climate to leave things for a year. Without any releases, without any music.

That’s not the way things are done these days. Throwing out

songs week by week, that’s how the music industry works these days. It has been quite a challenge coming back to it after so much time.”

Of course, with new albums come new music and we’ve already had a taste of that in ‘Born Cold’, which it turns out was one of the first songs they wrote for the record. Why was it our first taste of Creeper 2.0?

“I felt like it was the perfect introduction to the record. The record is, in my opinion, quite challenging.

There are quite a lot of different sounds; a whole different repertoire of sounds like our genres and last record, it’s sounds. a perfect segue “It’s between old and something new.” we’re very There’s a couple proud of. We of small things aimed to try left for Will to do and deliver on before the record our promises is finished, but WILL GOULD of pure he’s excited for reinvention people to hear it. for this record.

“Every song is a comfortable ‘Born Cold’, in particular, felt little baby, everyone’s little like a great transition in from the project, because it’s just so varied. older sound into the new one.

We were listening to a lot of It was written in Southampton; different stuff, a lot of Brit-rock me and Ian had the bones of the like Suede and stuff, so there are song together, and we met with numerous difference influences the man who produced our last on it. It all married together while record and all the Creeper records we were out in America. There’s a up until now, and played him the Hollywood quality to some of the song. He wrote a bridge with us theatrics for it, and so we had basically at this time the very beginning the crux of a around, conventional Creeper song. so I’m “Then it was taken to America, very very and we found a producer to work excited.” with out there, and he added Of the… I was about to say bells and course, whistles, but there literally are when the bells! He added the actual bells comeback and string arrangements. There’s gig was a Springsteen quality to some announced of the parts and it kind of hints it wasn’t as at where the rest of the record Creeper, it goes. It’s a great transition sound, was instead cos even though I don’t think it as Fugitives

“I ALWAYS KNEW IF WE DIDN’T COME BACK ON 1ST NOVEMBER, THAT WE COULDN’T COME BACK AGAIN”

of Heaven. Will reveals that the name actually comes from a line in a song on the record.

“What I really liked about it was, in a very similar way to how ‘Eternity In Your Arms’ was interpreted in so many different ways, Fugitives Of Heaven meant something different to everyone who heard it. It has a very specific meaning to me, but it can be read by a fan and interpreted in a completely different way. It’s actually a phrase I came up with when I was in America writing the narrative for this record, it was the term I came up with for the two main characters.

“I have this habit of putting lines into my phone into the notes section and then over the tour defining and refining, and

Upset 7

Riot_ that was one of the ones that stuck around. If I had a chance to rename the band, I probably would rename it to that I think it’s essential to the narrative of the story that comes along with the record.

It also set up the show very nicely, too.”

It was important for Will and the band to get the aesthetic right too because it’s one of the things that the band are really known for.

“Trying to rearrange and reimagine the entire thing was quite difficult. We knew that we didn’t want to wear patches anymore and the jackets because we thought we’d done that to death. Then it was a case of, what do you do and how does it look?

“I remember a lot of people trying to tell us not to get rid of the patches or the logo, not to reinvent it too much.

It was really important for the themes of the record to be reflected in what we were wearing. We’re not a band that can rock up in plaid shirts and get on stage and play.”

“My hair is completely different, as well,” he adds.

“It takes hours to get right every day. It’s a nightmare, and I sweat it all out on stage in a second anyway. It has to have a very strong look and in terms of the makeup and styling and stuff. My girlfriend is a makeup artist and has been doing preparations of looks to try and make sure it was right, and get it perfect. She’s done a fantastic job.

“In terms of the whites, the idea was about trying to do the opposite style to the last one where everything was black. It felt like flipping everything to white fits in with themes of ice and cold and isolation on this new record and a lot of songs. The

8 Upset

white was supposed to reflect that. It’s all supposed to sell the themes of the record before you even hear it.”

A lot of thought has gone into the imagery of the record on Will’s side to fit in with the elaborate narrative that runs alongside.

“The logo on them, of the descending angels and the lightning bolt, has three meanings. The angel itself is in reference to the character that we have; the angel that falls to earth and falls in love with a human being.

He learns about the human condition, and learns how to feel and so this is a romantic, kind of apocalyptic love story.

“The shape of the logo is a very clear reference to ‘Aladdin Sane’, the David Bowie record. My thought was that our first record could be ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and when they made ‘Aladdin Sane’, they took Ziggy to Hollywood and made that record out there. It’s the same thing, we’re trying to make it this brand of rock and roll record. So, we’ve taken it to Hollywood as well so the lighting bolt itself is to honour the process.

“Then finally, the purple tears of the angel were to reference the very real tragedy that’s happened to us in our personal lives over the last year. It’s been a very turbulent year for all of us.

“The lightning bolt encases it all. The fallen angel is the fictional aspect, and the tears are the reality. It’s all married together inside, so it felt like it made a lot of sense. One of the cool things when you first see the logo, you get so excited because suddenly, it’ll all match up. The music, and the outfits, and the clothing; it all marries together once you’ve got a great logo.” P

LIVE IN LONDON ››››

Returning to the stage under the name Fugitives Of Heaven, Creeper are reborn in brilliant white. We were there to capture what went down.

When Creeper announced that KOKO would be “the last show we ever play,” the room felt a wave of emotions as one. There was hysteria, panic, confusion and sadness but still a flicker of hope. This was a band that had spent the four years of their existence indulging in dramatics, so just maybe this was another theatrical flourish. Maybe it wasn’t really over.

For the 365 days that followed, The Cult kept that hope alive, small and in secret.

Tonight, as the curtain drops and Fugitives Of Heaven take to the stage of London’s 229, it erupts as the bedroom familiarity of VCR takes hold.

Yes, the band are dressed all in white. Yes, they’ve all been to

the hairdressers. But this is still the same band who captured hearts and imagination by offering something a little different to the usual. As the show rolls on with palpable joy, that feeling grows. The Callous Heart might be over, but Creeper are just as mesmerising as ever.

While the opening trio of ‘VCR’, ‘Suzanne’ and ‘The Honeymoon Suite’ do their best to erase the past year, new song ‘Born Cold’ is a harsh reminder that we’re in the future now. Full of purposeful swagger, it’s wide-eyed confidence and undeniable hookery demand attention while the pyro underlines their expanded vision for chapter two. Over the top but

driven with a ragged heart, it’s Creeper but not as we know them. Heck, there’s even a costume change.

The band are tight, visibly hungry for their return and full of beaming grins. Both Hannah and Will let the room know they’ve missed this.

They don’t wait for a reply but the response to the likes of ‘Crickets’, ‘Misery’ and ‘Down Below’ speaks volumes.

There’s something in the closing sparkle of ‘I Choose To Live’ that feels more deliberate than anytime before. Time has passed, but it hasn’t healed all.

As the words light up the room, though, their connection with audience blazes as powerful as ever. Their band is back. P

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Everything you need to know about...

Twin Atlantic's new album 'Power' 'POWER', took 900 days (ish) to make …

… from start to finish it was 17,18 and most of 2019 that we were thinking, writing, learning, watching, digesting, abandoning, recording, drawing, laughing, dancing. That's from the first seed of the very first idea until the finished cover for the sleeve was confirmed.

'POWER' is the first …

… time we were both the writers and producers of one of our own records teaming up with Dan Austin to finish it - who engineered our first two records.

From really early on in the

10 Upset

writing, Sam had the finished painting already in his minds, so we just kept pushing towards that, learning how to do it as we went along. We built a studio to make it, hence the timeframe being super long.

'POWER', as an experiment ...

… was our way of reengaging with what we love about music, and not what we love about making music. Every song started with a beat. We would purposely have no ideas before we walked through the door of the studio each day and just work on the fly. We would buy a new piece of gear and learn to use it - barely -

Twin Atlantic are set to kick off 2020 with a brand new album, 'Power'.

Down to a threepiece and with vocalised nods to the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Depeche Mode, it's certainly shaping up to be an exciting new chapter. We asked bassist Ross McNae to tell us more. enough to get it to make a sound we found interesting, and that would be the jumping-off point for each song.

'POWER', was fuelled by ...

… hundreds of pizzas, hundreds of bags of coffee, hundreds of sandwiches, sweets (lots of from days 0 - 500, then less), late nights, early mornings, intense cold (winter in the studio), extreme warmth (summer - brief - in the studio), laughter, old friendships, new friendships.

'POWER' is meant to be …

… both serious and flippant.

Microanalytical and broad.

Relaxed and tense. But, more than anything it's supposed to be enjoyed and not dwelled on, as we honestly gave most decisions all of the above treatment until we finally realised that being honest was just asking ourselves, "do we genuinely like this" and not try to just do what is expected of us. P

Twin Atlantic's album 'Power' is out 24th January.

P R E S E N T S N

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“I’D LIKE TO THINK THAT WE’RE NOT GOING TO BE SINGLE FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES” Words: Steven Loftin.

12 Upset

Break-ups are tough, but when All Time Low guitarist Jack Barakat and singer-songwriter Kevin Fisher, aka Sweet Talker, found themselves going through rough splits at the same time, they channelled the experience into a brand new project, which soon became a band; WhoHurtYou. “It’s a bit like showing everyone your journal, so that’s a little weird,” Jack reflects.

“Personally, I never really thought about it until it came out, so when it did come out, I had a panic-moment of fear and basically a borderline breakdown. It was a new experience for me; I was like, ‘oh shit, this is real’.”

His day job as one-quarter of pop-punk renegades All Time Low means he isn’t particularly front and centre, though he does admit that he’s “very superficially [putting] myself out there” with them.

“I don’t like to let a lot of people in my life,” he explains. “So when these [songs] came out, there was definitely a moment of like... fuck. But now I feel great. It’s a comfortable thing, and I’m very happy that we did it.”

Jack’s open honesty is understandable given that’s where both of their lives sit now; they both underwent therapy to unpack and understand what they’d been through, and how to recover from the emotional trauma of their respective break-ups.

Presenting these honest, often vulnerable, accounts of the ins and outs of the end of a relationship to anyone outside of the two of them naturally brought its own string of questions.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Hey, are

you guys doing alright?’” Jack laughs. “We’re doing fine, but when the songs are written, probably not as fine.”

A far cry from the world of All Time Low, the pop monster they’ve created swells and bleeds with its emotion. For Kevin, it’s a bit closer to home since he’s a songwriter for an array of acts including Five Seconds of Summer and One Republic.

“When we first created the project, we were starting from scratch,” he reflects, “but our initial influence was we wanted it to sound like Robyn.

We wanted it to be popelectronic sounding with dark undertones and dark themes.”

The themes themselves refer to the stages of grief; hence the EP’s title, ‘Stages’.

Traversing their way through the murky depths of the five corridors grief opens was an unintentional aspect, “not like, ‘okay let’s write a song about anger, let’s write a song about loneliness’,” Jack explains. “That’s just how it made itself; it ended up being a happy little accident.”

Given they’ve dedicated an entirely new project, and penned a handful of tracks, to their respective relationships falling apart - were their exes aware?

“Yeah, that was always going to be awkward,” Jack chuckles. “When it comes down to it, if anyone has ever dated a musician or an artist, you gotta expect at some point that something they write is going to be about you."

While the process itself held a catharsis, seeking therapy was essential in understanding and being able to present their emotions as accurately as possible, as well as diving deep into what they represented.

“It was helpful for writing that I had those therapy sessions because I knew exactly what I wanted to

say,” Kevin says. “And each of those things benefits the other. You come to realisations [when] talking to somebody in therapy that you can put into motion when you start sitting down writing.”

Which is really what WhoHurtYou’s sole purpose was - a vehicle to process some complicated feelings that are all too familiar. It’s also helped Jack unlock a side of him he didn’t realise was hiding away. “It changed me in the sense that I see myself as a songwriter now, and as someone who could contribute lyrically to songs,” he says.

“I do think it also brought up some demons, and maybe makes you dwell on the past a little more than you probably should. But, overall, it made me feel better as an artist. Having something like this come out of it is a very positive thing, rather than just dwelling on it and not being creative with it. We’re lucky to have that outlet because a lot of people have no outlet; they just have to let time go by or do whatever.”

There’s also no worry for the future of WhoHurtYou. Though the initial scenario that gave birth to these ideas has, in some ways, been exorcised - though “there’s plenty more that we could say about that whole situation,” Kevin clarifies.

“With this EP, that was how we put it together in the vision of having it be like the stages of grief, but I know that Jack and I feel like there are plenty more songs that could come out of our situations.”

“Those songs are all very specific to two people that we both dated,” Jack adds.

“Whereas, you know, I’d like to think that we’re not going to be single for the rest of our lives, so I do think that there will be, unfortunately, more heartbreak in the future. But also some love!” P

Upset 13

ONE NIGHT ONLY

Riot_

Words: Steven Loftin.

Photos: Jez Pennington.

Funeral For A Friend return to the stage for a couple of very special gigs, for a very special cause.

Upset 15

Riot_

It's been three years since Funeral For A Friend last graced a stage in London, and tonight they're back in the city for one night only.

Reuniting for a special run of shows, also including two hometown dates in Cardiff, in tribute of friend and fan Stuart 'Big Stu' Brothers who sadly passed after the fundraising shows were announced, the occasions are a chance to raise money to support his family.

An emotionally-charged evening already, the fact that it's being organised by "One of the most important bands in the scene. Ever!" - as described by Raiders singer Sean Smith during his band's electrifying support slot - means that tonight is one of those gigs that will stick with everyone in attendance for quite some time.

From the moment Funeral For A Friend - including original guitarist Darran Smith - take to the stage, there's absolutely no doubt that music is a force to be reckoned with. It's a power beyond comprehension, and tonight the band are a conduit for a sold-out room of people to celebrate the life of someone dear to them; one of their own.

Like the loud kickstart of a motorcycle, 'Rookie Of The Year' bursts into life. Wasting no time,

16 Upset

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND ARE JUST AS ICONIC AS THEY WERE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO

a searing rendition of 'All The Rage' is next, and it continues with the same joyous energy throughout.

There's no stone left unturned on Funeral For A Friend's emotional venture to the past.

Only one song post-2005 makes an appearance ('Into Oblivion'), and the rest is a deep-dive into the world that made them so special, those formative years.

In true reunion fashion, the lineup from 2002, who've only ever performed "four groundbreaking shows" as per Matt, takes to the stage halfway through. Matthew Evans, Johnny Morris and Johnny Phillips come on, treating the crowd to a run-through of '10:45 Amsterdam Conversations' and 'The Art Of American Football'.

Using the closing moments of the evening to make a poignant speech, Matt speaks of what 'Roses For The Dead' means to him. More importantly, the "movie of people that have gone" that spins around his head. In that brief moment, the capacity crowd are all going through the same emotion.

When 'History' hits, Matt reminds the crowd that "for now this is it, our last chance for this moment," and to "never forget."

Life is short, moments like tonight are to be cherished, and Funeral For A Friend are just as iconic as they were all those years ago. P

3/12 3/13 3/14 3/15 -

Manchester, United Kingdom Glasgow, United Kingdom Birmingham, United Kingdom London, United Kingdom

Tickets @ impoppy.com

THE BEST NEW BANDS. THE HOTTEST NEW MUSIC.

WANT A NEW BAND CRUSH? CHECK OUT THIS LOT! >>>

SOCIAL ANIMALS Newly signed to Rise Records, Social Animals' latest single 'Bad Things' is a dark, synthled ode to superstition. FFO The Cure et al.

WORKING MEN'S CLUB Post-punks Working Men's Club excel in the dark, dry wit the genre is known for, but with a lighter, might-actuallybe-able-to-dance-to-this edge.

LAURAN HIBBERD With her scuzzy guitars and hilarious lyrics about everyday situations, Lauran's tunes are more infectious than even the most persistent of winter bugs.

THE CHATS

Aussie "shed-rock" trio The Chats are purveyors of messy, enthusiastic, always-a-goodtime tunes, and they're about to return to the UK.

"Can we go watch Fontaines D.C.?" asks Eamon Sandwith of The Chats, backstage at a European festival, cutting our interview short. Of course, we say yes because either way, they're leaving. The Chats don't care about playing by the rules. Like an excitable moth to the flame, they do what seems like the most fun in any situation. And it's carnage.

Earlier this year, The Chats supported Iggy Pop at Melbourne's Festival Hall. They spent the night before partying with friends and, "it wasn't until we walked onstage that we realised, 'oh fuck, I wish we'd written some better songs'," grins Josh Price. "As soon as we stepped up to the mic though, we got in the zone. Do not fuck this up."

"You have to do a good job when you're supporting Iggy Pop," offers Matt Boggis.

It was a similar story when they headlined the Regent Theater in Los Angeles. After a tour with Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme said he'd like to see a headline show, so the boys text him to let him know they were in town. As you do.

He asked for a few extra passes, The Chats assumed for his kids,

but as they left the green room to head to the stage, Josh was there with Dave Grohl and Arctic Monkeys' Matt Helders and Alex Turner.

"We must be doing something right," reasons Matt.

But despite the rapid growth, helped in part by the viral spread of their ode to fag breaks 'Smoko', The Chats aren't stressing themselves out.

"There's no pressure, it's fun as fuck," continues Matt.

"No one cared for a couple of years, but now they're catching up, and we're loving it," explains Eamon. "We hope that everyone else is loving it as well. It's all good times."

"It's hard to know why our music is connecting. We don't think about it, we just play," adds Matt, before Josh explains how he "just wants people to have a good time. We don't want people to look into the lyrics, because it's all bullshit."

"We're never going to write a love song," declares Eamon, with Matt pointing out he's already written one about beer.

"I like the pressure [of playing to bigger crowds]," offers Josh, but "it's the same show whatever."

Being in this band "is always fun," he continues, before Matt adds, "but it's definitely not a

Words: Ali Shutler. holiday."

Their no-bullshit approach means something to the thousands of people buying tickets to see them on tour. So are they starting to take it seriously?

"I hate that question," starts Josh with an eye-roll. Probably because there's not a funny answer to give.

"We didn't, then all of a sudden we had to," reasons Matt.

Next year The Chats are releasing their debut album.

"It sounds like all our other shit," laughs Josh, with Matt countering: "It sounds better. We figured out a much better sound.

Our last EPs, we didn't put much effort in. We recorded them in maybe a couple of hours, and we didn't have the right equipment."

"It's hard to believe we've been touring this long on just those two EPs" adds Josh. "We've got this album, and we've had it for so long. I can't wait for it to come out because it's going to be a new The Chats."

"I think when people hear it, they'll say 'actually, these guys are starting to take it a little bit seriously now'," explains Eamon.

But the message never changes.

"Bring your friends, enjoy the rock, have fun, whatever." P

“WE’RE NEVER GOING TO WRITE A LOVE SONG”

The Chats tour the UK from 30th November.

Upset 19

THE BEST OF 2019

20 Upset

THE

From the moment they broke through, there was no doubt that whichever year The Faim dropped their debut album in would be theirs for the taking - but it hasn't all been smooth sailing...

Words: Steven Loftin.

Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

Upset 21

When Josh Raven and Stephen Beerkens first started making music together, they never could have imagined how far it would take them.

Starting out life as Small Town Heroes back in 2014 before ‘getting discovered’ and evolving into The Faim, the Aussies were quickly bundled over to LA to write with poppunk producing legend John Feldmann, Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and a number of other top-notch songwriters. The results of those sessions, debut single proper ‘Saints Of The Sinners’, and later EP ‘Summer Is A Curse’, created a buzz of rare scale.

Their first major tour, which had them on the road throughout 2018, included several shows on UK shores supporting Lower Than Atlantis, playing scene staples Slam Dunk, Download and Reading & Leeds, and putting on hyped sets at new band stomping grounds The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City.

Now with the band’s debut album ‘State Of Mind’ having just landed, their future is wide open.

“In complete and utter honesty, the energy going into [the album] wasn’t that motivated,” Josh admits, reflecting back on the record’s starting point. “That’s not because we didn’t want to write the album, it was more just because our touring schedule

22 Upset

“EVERYTHING WE DID FOR THE ENTIRE FIRST YEAR WAS UNCHARTED TERRITORY” STEPHEN BEERKENS

was mental.”

Once the hype train leaves the station, it’s often time to go hard or go home.

“It’s definitely a case that we’re adapting,” Stephen adds.

“Everything that we did for the entire first year was uncharted territory; it’s a sink or swim situation.”

Josh continues: “Time that we were meant to have off we’d end up recording, or touring, or doing things we needed to sort out and organise. We were burnt out, really quite tired.”

“Our EP [‘Summer Is A Curse’] has taken us all around the world,” Stephen explains. “I think by the end of this year, we will have played two-hundredand-thirty-seven shows in the last eighteen months, which is gnarly.”

It’s not just their time on the road that has provided “trials and tribulations,” as Josh puts it, that have fed into the release. “There are things that have happened in our personal lives, and that reflects in the album as well.

“It’s been a very, very difficult growing experience for everyone,” Josh expands, “because when you’re faced with these challenges, emotionally, physically, you tend to look at yourself in a third-person perspective. Especially when it comes to dedicating a lot of time to writing, and finding the truest part of ourselves to put out in the world.”

The honesty that The Faim put into their music is part of the

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reason why they’ve lit a match bridging age-gap where I had a that shows no signs of burning childhood of not having access out. to those things. Information is “People are connecting put into your head and put into on such a deeper level,” Josh your face at a thousand miles a enthuses, “even before we minute.” released the album, people This is part of the reason knew most of the new songs why Josh and Stephen have put that we hadn’t so much focus released yet. into writing “Now ‘State Of Mind’; they’re it’s the echoes released, I of their life, think the both before and level of after The Faim intimacy took off, but people have also an attempt with the to understand a songs is really world that feels humbling and increasingly something volatile and that you don’t intrusive. really expect “You can to see happen look at mass in the flesh.” shootings in the With that US in a school, intimacy to the biggest comes a less celebrities JOSH RAVEN than envious messing flip-side; up, or the one that uproots the normalcy next modelling shoot,” Josh of your everyday life. It’s explains. “It’s like an extreme something Waterparks have world of information.” just tackled head-on with their “I like to absorb everything album ‘FANDOM’, an astute and to learn, so I can grow look at the invasive and often from that,” he says. “Our part scary obsessions that can of the journey has made me a develop around those in the little more aware; a little more public eye. honest. It’s made me care a “Sometimes I’ll take a little bit less in the sense that second to tip my hat to and I care less about what people salute people like - not that think. I realised I need to be the I’m a huge fan - but people person I have to be for myself. like Justin Bieber,” Josh says, It’s easy to get consumed with “who’s so young, younger everything that’s around you.” than me, who grew up in this Being who they want to be crazy world of the spotlight. is why The Faim have been When you’re in a band, you on this relentless journey; constantly feel the pressure. the opportunity is there, and I’ve got better at handling they’re seizing it. Josh’s inner it, but I put myself under a punk comes out when he magnifying glass.” explains how he “[despises] It’s especially an issue when being told what to do, and how everything - and everyone - is to do things.” Which, in a world so readily available online, he of relentless comment boxes, says. thoughts and opinions, doesn’t “People inherently compare sit too well. themselves, you know? This “Being in a band, you get generation is kind of raised on given a lot of opinions and a it. Unfortunately, I’m from that lot of perspectives. You get

“NOW THE ALBUM'S RELEASED, I THINK THE LEVEL OF INTIMACY PEOPLE HAVE WITH THE SONGS IS REALLY HUMBLING”

24 Upset

given a lot of ways to do things; the handbook on how to do things - which I hate! It taints this progression when you’re told as an individual to just follow the same regiment.”

“The whole concept - the whole trajectory - of where this band is heading has completely changed since the start,” says Stephen.

“Especially with you know, half the lineup changing.”

In August of last year, Michael Bono (bass, keyboards) parted ways with the group following allegations made against him, then in November Sean Tighe (drums, percussion) announced his departure to pursue other projects. Guitarist Samuel Tye and drummer Linden Marrisen stepped in as replacements.

“Those guys coming in has completely reshaped where this band is heading, in the best possible way,” Stephen says.

“They really like drawing the best out of myself and Josh, and we’re doing the same

back to them. There’s a whole musicians. You’re able to be new side of musicality that’s more engaged in what you want coming into everything. We’re from the band; you feel more very excited about what’s coming comfortable in your own shoes. in the future.”

“The more you write, the more The Faim are resilient, that’s you work with people, it just for sure. opens your mind up to so many “All the life lessons you learn is different things. Searching for crazy,” Stephen those things reflects. “Every that are different day you spend intrigues you on tour is like to create in a ten-twenty different way. It days you spend affects your life at home; if too, and that’s the you’ve been really cool thing away for like about what we do. a year, you It’s like one big come back, circle.” and you’ve “The journey got so much of discovering a experience unique sound is, JOSH RAVEN under your in a strange way, belt. You’re so a never-ending self-sufficient that you then take one,” Josh admits. “Which is that back into your everyday life.” a good thing. If it were easily “It definitely helps the attainable, then everyone would maturity of the band develop, the be in a band.” more you learn about yourself,” Thanks to the accessibility he continues. “Not only as of at-home tools and streaming a musician but as platforms, these days even your people, from nan could bash out a tune in touring and her bedroom and pop it online working for millions to hear, likely more with quickly than it takes for her other sponge cake to finish cooling.

Bands need to push themselves to stand out, and they need to do it fast.

“There’s the fine line which sets you apart from other people,” Josh agrees, “because the art really doesn’t do that. You make

“THE JOURNEY OF DISCOVERING A UNIQUE SOUND IS A NEVERENDING ONE”

a sacrifice for the art by stepping out of your comfort zone, and you never, ever, ever, ever do something within your ability.

If you do it will never be as great as you want to be - it’s a neverending learning process.

"Every single day on Spotify, there are thirty-forty thousand [tracks] released, so what do you do to be bigger or stand out amongst that? And that’s just Spotify! That’s just sonic saturation of sound, and it’s just trying to really find your unique part in it.”

Stephen continues: “It’s one of those everevolving things, we’re always looking for that next thing. I remember my music teacher when I was younger saying real musicians are never satisfied; you’re always looking to learn songs, or something else.

“We’re super stoked with what we’ve done and everything, but it’s like an itch - you’re always looking into the future.

You’re always excited about the possibilities that are out there that you can keep exploring.

“It’s one of those ever-growing things: how can we surprise people even more with what we’re gonna do? That surprise is one of the biggest elements of being in the band that you can use in your favour.”

Their embracing of change, surprise and far-flung travels has given the band a new appreciation for more homegrown comforts.

“Oh, absolutely, it’s [given us] a completely different perspective, Stephen chuckles. “When you get back here [to Australia], you

appreciate all the little things like homemade dinners. Ooft, I never thought I would appreciate a homemade dinner as much as I do now!

“Just having time off to yourself, and to reconnect, and have that time with your family.

Budgeting that is such a big thing now, it’s easy to take that for granted.”

For Josh, being the man in the middle, the voice for The Faim, his world is constructed a bit tighter.

“I wouldn’t call myself wise,” he jokes. “Anyone can be wise. Anyone can be honest with themselves. I think it just

real way possible.”

“Sometimes [being in a band] can be a lot,” Stephen considers, “but it’s essentially like being a unit; you’re four brothers that go through it together. Everyone’s always there to help you out and pick you up.

“It’s not just the band either; it’s your family, friends and loved ones along the way. It’s them that keep you going, and it’s definitely not an easy journey. If it was too easy, everyone would be doing it,” Stephen says, mirroring Josh’s earlier sentiments.

‘State of Mind’ has opened up a whole new level of opportunity; personally, musically, and professionally. That inevitably means more miles to travel, by air or tarmac, but “the great thing is when you’re on the road with the four of us guys in the band and the two guys in our team, it’s a very tight squad.”

Stephen’s voice swells. “And you know, you’ve just got to be there for each other. We’ve been side by side now for almost two straight months, and before that, we only had two weeks off. Then before that, was another couple of months. We spend every day with each other.

If you’re not with people that can help you out - and at any moment - then, you know, it doesn’t work.”

So what’s next?

“It’s an infinity of milestones, man,” Josh laughs. “As soon as you stop looking for a goal, as soon as you stop looking for a perspective or a vision, then you’ve lost what you started with. You’re back to square one.

If you don’t have goals, and you don’t have milestones, it just won’t work.” P The Faim’s debut

“YOU'RE FOUR BROTHERS THAT GO THROUGH IT TOGETHER. EVERYONE'S ALWAYS THERE TO PICK YOU UP” STEPHEN BEERKENS

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takes some level of criticism or understanding; to put a mirror up to yourself and pick out the things that bother you. Mentally and physically, be honest with yourself about how you want to grow. That’s being wise.”

Is there a part of their journey that made them both feel stronger as people?

“Not stronger, but maybe smarter,” Josh muses. “And much more aware of me. I’m twentytwo years old, but I feel much older; I’ve had to grow up quickly.

Moving forward, I’m excited and passionate because I feel like I have a lot to express and a lot to say, but in the most honest and

album ‘State Of Mind’ is out now. They tour the UK from 7th December.

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TOP ALBUMS OF 2019

FFifty ifty

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Another year, another batch of brilliant albums to digest. The end of another calendar means only one thing - the annual Official Upset Ranking of the last twelve month’s releases. We’ve run through all the full-length records we’ve reviewed, rated and revered over 2019, and then objectively assigned them a number in order to cause a ruckus. Agree, disagree, write us a stern email - these are our Top 50 Albums of 2019.

50. THE MURDER CAPITAL

46. STELLA DONNELLY

Seeming to appear from nowhere, The Murder Capital may have arrived as if in a flash of lightning, but all the evidence is pointing towards that this is a band here for the long run. P Jamie

Stella Donnelly isn’t afraid to line up deserving targets and take fire with her wistful tunes. It only takes until third track for Stella to be telling you to “Fuck up your life” and “Fuck off yeah, good!” like some sort of pottymouthed ghoul. As her voice cuts through, rattling around, she delivers choice lines that could be seen as a textbook for speaking your mind. P Steven Loftin

WHEN I HAVE FEARS

MacMillan

49. TACOCAT THIS MESS IS A PLACE

Every track on ‘This Mess Is a Place’ is an immediate earworm, digging deep into your head. But that doesn’t mean there’s not a teeth-baring edge; Tacocat's punk bloodline runs through everything they sing and stand for.

P Steven Loftin

48. LA DISPUTE PANORAMA

Gifted a title which sums up its place in La Dispute's lexicon, 'Panorama' matches Jordan Dreyer’s storytelling with an intricately stitched, shifting soundscape that knows exactly when to push and pull. P Dan

Harrison

47. QUEEN ZEE QUEEN ZEE

Though they've since split, Queen Zee were a force to be reckoned with.

Their debut is a bold and boisterous punk celebration of everything queer and extraordinary; an inquisitive and personal opus where anyone that doesn’t fit in is welcomed. P Jasleen Dhindsa

BEWARE OF THE DOGS

45. AMERICAN FOOTBALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL

There were 17 years between American Football’s first and second albums.

Just three separate the second from the third – but ‘LP3’ is light years ahead. Incorporating fuzzy shoegaze and metronomic postrock, it expands the palette with rich and vibrant colours. With the voices of Elizabeth Powell (Land of Talk) and Hayley Williams (Paramore), it's bursting with ideas. P Rob Mair

44. FIELD MOUSE MEANING

There’s a certain something to a band that are more than comfortable in hazier, more dream-laden climes. Sitting against a deliberate disconnect of lyrics about “more or less the end of the world”, insomnia and mayhem, ‘Meaning’ is driven by a lazy day chaos engine of opposing poles. Self-described by vocalist and guitarist Rachel Browne as a “liferaft”, Field Mouse are floating on with purpose. P

Stephen Ackroyd

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Petrol Girls

43. PETROL GIRLS CUT & STITCH

On ‘Cut & Stitch’, Petrol Girls are as raw and ballsy as they have ever been, and experiment with a new range of different artistic expressions. From the start of the record on monologue ‘Intro’, the band’s second LP cements itself as one that has an animalistic, tribal quality at its core. ‘Cut & Stitch’ isn’t a normal hardcore record, nor is it explicitly political, instead feeling more experimental, introspective, and personal. P

Jasleen Dhindsa 30 Upset

Words: Tyler Damara Kelly.

Where their debut album 'Talk of Violence' was a direct expression of rage towards political standpoints collected in of all the songs that they had recorded up to that point, Petrol Girls' subsequent release 'Cut & Stitch' saw them explore more of a contemplative and personal perspective on their observations of the world.

"It was quite a conscious effort with this record to just be more vulnerable. Also, for me personally as the frontwoman of a band, I'm really sick of being treated like I'm some sort of anger machine. I felt like I wanted to display a different side of myself."

The candid nature of Ren Aldridge's lyricism and visceral delivery has been one of the core components of Petrol Girls since their inception in 2012.

While these moments are still prominent in 'Cut & Stitch' there are ever more poignant aspects to be found in the interludes and spoken-word verses that are littered throughout the album.

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These serve as a respite from the intense anger that would pour out of Ren when she was at a point in life where it felt necessary to shout.

"The way that I view making music is often a kind of metaphor for political action, so I don't think shouting is always the best way of getting your point across. Sometimes it is more poignant to say things more quietly, and there's a gendered thing about that as well. It interests me that what I do on stage is something quite traditionally masculine, and quite a masculine energy – which I try to offset by wearing sparkly hot pants. But I think that having a quiet word, you could see it as a more traditionally feminine thing to do."

From the first interlude 'Q&A' with its lyrics: "We came with questions / they gave no answers" to the bold statement that "emotion is an enemy" in the final interlude 'They Say' – honesty is contemplated on all levels. This transformative honesty proved to be therapeutic for Ren, especially in the song 'Monstrous'.

"It was just so fucking satisfying for me to perform. It's like me literally saying to the audience 'this is not all of me and I choose the parts you see' and to be able to say that directly to a crowd is really liberating because I don't always like – this

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sounds really bad – but I don't like the expectation that people have of me."

Petrol Girls hit the nail on the head in 'Tangle of Lies' and 'No Love For a Nation' which highlight the many intersecting and defining issues of climate justice. While Ren has found that playing these songs for as many people as possible can help make waves on smaller scales and affect people enough for the messages to spread, she is well aware that there is a bigger picture that needs to be tackled.

"What can I do about it? Just be someone singing in a punk band? I think we have to start fundamentally questioning the way we organise our society on the basis of nations and under capitalism.

"It's like all of these things are really huge, and it's hard to sort of work out where you begin to engage with them. If punk and culture cannot be a space where you can start attacking these big things, I don't know where is, and I think if lots of people start thinking about these things like nationality and gender binary, those ideas will start to wither away. We used to organise ourselves on the basis of Kings and Queens.

That idea withered away and was replaced by nations. People think that the nation is going to be withered away and replaced by consumerism - let's try and work out how to replace it with

something better."

As a band, Petrol Girls go to great lengths to create safe spaces for the marginalised, and Ren believes that there has been a difference in their live shows because of her call to encourage women and non-binary people to the front of the stage. In spite of her efforts, there is still a long way to go. She still gets threatened by men, and even recently broke her finger trying to intervene during a situation at a show.

"If I thought things were gonna be fine then I probably wouldn't bother, but the reality is that men hear a heavy band and they think that gives them license to smash into the people around them, regardless of what the band is saying, and I wanna fucking challenge that."

'Cut & Stitch' is a wholly progressive and eye-opening proclamation on sexual violence, patriarchy, colonialism, and the attack on our planet. Despite all of the negative subject matter, Petrol Girls provide a form of catharsis and are pioneering an effort in maintaining hope throughout the uncertainties of our future. "One of my fundamental political feelings is that we can't see what's going to happen next, and we have to use that as a reason to be hopeful, right? We can't see the future.

The future is not crystal clear; therefore, there is the possibility of political change if we act." P

42. PUPPY

39. OF MICE & MEN

‘The Goat’ is a dark record that feels triumphant.

Chugging riffs and soaring choruses take charge on ‘Vengeance’, and gothic tones entice on ‘Poor Me’. Sounds are switched up on ‘Bath in Blood’, where post-grunge creeps in, and the lullaby-like quality on ‘Nightwalker’ is a side many bands could not pull off. Puppy are enchanting and otherworldly, creating metal that’s not all about aggression. P Jasleen Dhindsa

‘EARTHANDSKY’ continues to expand on Of Mice & Men’s metalcore roots, but elevates those classic breakdowns and screams to a heavier hard rock sound. The band have taken no mercy in showing a different side of themselves, presenting a newfound sense of cohesion; from the song titles, the darker lyrical themes and even the cover art, ‘EARTHANDSKY’ is a carefully constructed addition to their catalogue. P Beth Casteel

41. PRESS CLUB

38. NERVUS

‘Late Teens’ perfectly captures the essence of modern life, where nothing can be taken for granted nor lasts forever. Greg Rietwyk’s guitar barrels each song along, a propulsive force of nature matched only by the ferocity of the raw, unpolished edge to Nat Foster’s vocals. Anxious but not angsty, there is an electrifying spark that transforms these themes of turmoil into tracks that are both universal and personal. P Jamie MacMillan

’Tough Crowd’ is Nervus’ most dynamic effort to date , tackling socio-political topics head-on.

Given the shit show Britain is facing, the album offers a sense of relief. It’s not so much a comfort blanket, however, but a mammoth protest sign. The beautiful ‘Where’d You Go’ is a perfect way to end an album that has so much to say about the damage done, delivering with unapologetic wit.

P Jasleen Dhindsa

40. YONAKA

37. SLEEPING WITH SIRENS

THE GOAT

LATE TEENS

DON'T WAIT TIL TOMORROW It’s been a couple of years in the making, but finally Yonaka feel like genuine rock mega-stars in waiting. ‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’ is nothing if not bombastic - a record full of big moments designed to punch through the paper thin attention span of modern life. It works, too; there’s every suggestion they’re more than capable of delivering with a swagger in their stride. P Stephen

Ackroyd

EARTHANDSKY

TOUGH CROWD

HOW IT FEELS TO BE LOST

After catching some flack for their evolution away from post-hardcore and into poppier territory, Sleeping With Sirens have found a way to appease all of the naysayers while not backing down from their corner. ‘How It Feels To Be Lost’ is the platform SWS needed; a return to form, Kellin Quinn does what he does best in hanging high above the brutal onslaught with his melodic vocals. P Steven Loftin

36. MANNEQUIN PUSSY PATIENCE

From the opening blast of its titletrack, ‘Patience’ is the sound of a band moving somewhere fast.

That’s a pretty good marker for Mannequin Pussy in 2019. Though this is their third album, it’s their first for label Epitaph, and comes with the kind of taught urgency mixed with subtle, underlying confidence that makes it captivating company. P Stephen

Ackroyd

35. THE MENZINGERS HELLO EXILE

The Menzingers’ sixth album, ‘Hello Exile’, serves up big portions of nostalgia for better days, tapping into the anxieties and anguish of a generation that sees their future hurtling towards them on the horizon beforemthey ever really grew up. It's a small evolutionary step, but one that nudges them further away from their punk origins into the next part of their journey. P Jamie MacMillan

34. RAMMSTEIN UNTITLED

Rammstein thrive on the theatrical and for the first time in a long time, the Germans inject the creativity of their live show into their studio performance. A newfound sense of range lends itself well to their usual shtick, upping the ante on harmonies throughout. ‘Untitled’ isn’t a ground-breaking masterpiece; it doesn’t need to be.

It’s the sound of a band at the peak of their creative powers. P Jack

Press

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33. DINOSAUR PILE-UP CELEBRITY MANSIONS

Chances are even Dinosaur Pile-Up didn’t expect to deliver one of the most attentiongrabbing albums of 2019, and yet here we are. To suggest ‘Celebrity Mansions’ is a bolt out of the blue would be more than unkind - DPU have been a constantly solid prospect for years now - but it’s also much more than a simple shift up the gears. Less a pile-up, more a riot. P Stephen

Ackroyd

32. WHILE SHE SLEEPS SO WHAT?

With an unswerving sense of confidence borne out of the underdog triumph of ‘You Are We’ breaking into the top ten, While She Sleeps ignore the easy temptation of just re-packaging the same present in different wrapping. ‘SO WHAT?’ sees them flexing new muscles and moving into new territory while losing nothing that made them so vital in the first place. P Jamie MacMillan

31. THE REGRETTES HOW DO YOU LOVE?

Some bands have the ability to change the weather. A few, cherished souls can lift or switch moods - not through the nuts and bolts of the music they make, but the indefinable something that surrounds it. That’s The Regrettes.

Whatever the four-piece have going on, they should bottle it.

Essential sunny day vitamin C vibes flow from every corner. P

Dan Harrison 34 Upset

Charly Words: Jessica Goodman.

y Bliss "Spend a little, live a lot." As it turns out, this is not just the slogan for a chain of discount supermarket stores. This is how Charly Bliss have spent their year: a little time in the studio has led the band to release an album and an EP, tour around the world, perform sessions for the likes of KEXP and rock an NPR Tiny Desk concert, have their music featured in a hit television show, create their own 24-hour TV channel, and become reality TV stars – and these are just a few of the high points the New York outfit have soared to in the past twelve months.

Honestly, we're tired just thinking about it.

"I'm always like, 'we're not doing enough!!!'" Eva Hendricks laughs. "I think I get so in the rhythm of doing a lot that when it stops, I freak out." So, starting their own cooking show and shooting their own version of MTV's Cribs? Just a way to pass their week of

downtime before heading to tour Europe and the UK in promotion of their new record. "It's been a really crazy year," Eva agrees. "I'm so proud."

Want to know what life is like at the top of their game? Look no further than 'Innocence Is Bliss', an hour-long reality TV pilot showcasing a day in the life for Charly Bliss: Eva is writing her memoirs. Dan is modelling like it's no one else's business. Spencer is the best DJ you've never seen, and Sam? Give him a harmonica and witness skills like nothing else. It's a wild ride from start to finish, filled with laughs, tears, and an elated resolution (complete with shoutouts to everyone's favourite cereal – Hall and Oates – and Eva's favourite author – DJ Salinger), and one we're desperate to see more of.

"Our reality TV show?"

Eva grins. "I feel like you haven't seen the end of it. I think we've got to do more," she enthuses. Yes, it might be turning the drama up to

30. CHARLY BLISS YOUNG ENOUGH

Charly Bliss could light up a black hole like Blackpool’s illuminations at Christmas. It’s not that they’re the only band that takes the darkness in their lyrics and turns it to tropical fire with their music, but rather the fact that they do it with a punch and panache unrivalled by their peers.

Bliss by name, and all that. P Stephen

Ackroyd

eleven, but it's also Charly Bliss as they were always meant to be seen: having the time of their lives doing what they love, and inviting everyone else along for the ride. "I think it'd be pretty narcissistic of me to think anyone would care about my memoir at this point," Eva comments of her caricature in the show, "but I do really, really want to write a book."

"I do honestly really want to write a book, and I plan on trying to do that next year, but I feel like I shouldn't tell anyone that because now they'll always just reference 'Ignorance Is Bliss'," Eva laughs. Already on your third extension, huh? "Exactly!" she exclaims. "I spent all my advance on rosé." As for Spencer's already-infamous DJ single (featuring the immortal line "don't have to be in Incredibles 2, 'cause I'm feeling so incredible too"), a release may actually be in the works. "Maybe we should do it for the holidays as a gift," Eva mulls. "I'll talk to DJ Spenny."

This imagined pilot is just a drop in the ocean of what Charly Bliss have achieved this year. "I will never forget the show that we played in London a couple of days after the album came out," Eva recalls. "The album is so personal. I think it almost didn't occur to me that everyone is going to hear it," she explains. "Looking out at that show and seeing that people already knew the words to the songs even though it'd only been out for a couple of days, and seeing that people were already connecting to the singles..." she describes. "It was a wakeup call, but in the best way possible, and I feel like it just continued on from there."

With the release of 'Young Enough' in May, Charly Bliss made the leap from

Upset 35

Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett.

“IT'S BEEN A REALLY CRAZY YEAR. I’M SO PROUD” EVA HENDRICKS

bubblegum rock charmers to power pop sensations. "It's been a big year of change for us, personally, even after the record has come out," Eva expresses. "A lot of the time when I'm writing lyrics I don't fully know what the story of the album's going to be until it's done. Even now, months out from that, I feel like I see even more." Crafting songs with instantly catchy hooks, to forge a record that grows and evolves as you do, Charly Bliss are a force to be reckoned with.

"I'll listen back and realise there were certain things that I was able to voice in a song before I was able to voice to myself," Eva portrays. "Writing a song like 'Chatroom' I didn't necessarily feel as strong as that song lets on," she explains. A song the band describe as "a celebration of reaching the point of a 'fuck you' that isn't diluted by self-blame or apologies," it might not have started out this way, but the track has become an anthem showcasing Charly Bliss at their most empowered. "It's not like I'm always in this constant state of being like 'the person who abused me: fuck them! I'm strong, and I've moved past it!'"

Eva admits. "I feel like that in some moments. I hope I can feel like that more often."

"The longer the record's been out, the more I do feel like that," she continues. "I look out, and I see people singing back those lyrics, and it just makes me feel like the person who did that to me can't hurt me any more.

36 Upset

It's bigger than them now." By taking the risk of wearing their hearts on their sleeves, the band have found an elated sense of freedom. "Instead of it being this dark thing in my life, that used to feel like it completely had total control over me," Eva portrays.

"It's this vehicle for connection with other people in a really meaningful way. That's really special."

From Brooklyn to Berlin, Manchester to Melbourne, Saskatoon to Singapore, and beyond, Charly Bliss have the world at their feet. "The highlight of this year for me," Eva states, "has been travelling around the world and seeing that somehow this thing that I started with my brother and two of my best friends has grown in scope to the degree that we can go halfway around the world and have people care, singing along to our songs, and fully understanding where we're coming from."

"You can't really control who's going to respond to your music and who's going to care about it and who's going to get it," she adds. True enough, though

there's no doubt that Charly Bliss fans are among some of the most entertaining on the internet.

Don't believe us? Search 'Charly Bliss Potato' for all the evidence you'll ever need – and then some.

"Charly Bliss Potato is one of the best things to come out of this year!" Eva exclaims.

What started out as a mistranslated headline (or at least, that's the most logical explanation anyone has for it) has become something else entirely.

A fanbase? A movement? A series of funny-as-hell memes? Who knows? "I'll never understand it. I don't even know that I want to," Eva beams. "Usually the internet is like a burning garbage fire, but I feel like Charly Bliss fans took this and made it into something beautiful." An apt description, coming from the band who turned one of the darkest moments in their life into a shimmering pop anthem. It's not been an easy road – far from it, in fact – but after all their hard work, Charly Bliss are watching their dreams come true.

"When we were about to go into the studio to record 'Young

29. OSO OSO

BASKING IN THE GLOW Delivering a suitable follow-up to 2017’s outstanding ‘The Yunahon Mixtape’ was never going to be easy. While ‘Basking In The Glow’ is a more intimate return and provides a stark glimpse into Jade Lilitri’s often conflicted psyche, it also matches the level achieved by its lauded predecessor thanks to some unflinchingly honest lyrics and gorgeous arrangements. P Rob

Mair

28. ALEX LAHEY THE BEST OF LUCK CLUB

Enough', I remember having this feeling of my brain being totally emptied out," Eva recalls. "I was like 'oh my god, if someone held a gun to my head and asked me to write a song right now, I don't think I could write another one," she laughs. Six months on, and everything has changed.

"I feel the opposite of that right now," she enthuses. "I feel really, really excited for whatever's coming next for us."

So what does happen next? As we enter into a new decade, the possibilities are limitless. "I would really hope that we figure out teleporting," Eva deadpans.

"If you could teleport to your show then teleport back home and sleep in your own bed?" she questions. "That would be pretty nice." Of course, the band also have slightly more grounded aspirations for the next decade. "I would hope that we just continue to enjoy making music with each other and feel like our relationships

are getting stronger and that we're growing together," Eva describes. "I think that's really all I could hope for."

Though she's quick to add that "I would also hope that we'd still have the Potatoes by our side - I think that would be a pretty nice version of the future."

On a mission to "continue to push and challenge ourselves," and to "write a total pop banger," what we've seen this year is Charly Bliss becoming comfortable in their own skin. Now they know who they are, they're capable of anything. "This is a record that's about coming out of a really dark moment in my life, growing up, and growing into the kind of person that I want to be," Eva illustrates. "I think the more we play it for people, and the more I see that people respond to it and understand it and connect with it, the less alone I feel." To paraphrase one of the greats: here's looking at you, Bliss. P

As angsty poppunk goes, you’ll be hard pressed to find too many better examples; Alex Lahey is at her best, rocking out with ruminations about love, mental health and vibrators. She makes the everyday feel like something to belt out at the top of your lungs, and on this second album she’s added a directness to her sound that pushes the songs further without diminishing their fighting spirit. P Dillon Eastoe

27. FIDLAR ALMOST FREE

’Get Off My Rock’, the first track from FIDLAR’s third album ‘Almost Free’, sets the stage. Crossing lanes well-travelled by Beastie Boys, it spits attitude until it drips from the ceiling, turning lyrics inside out. It’s a development FIDLAR have been building towards, their slacker-punk vibe only ever one step from full-on brat-pop. In a society more divided, even the party has to stop eventually. P Stephen Ackroyd

Upset 37

26. CHASE ATLANTIC PHASES

What is genre anymore? It’s something we find ourselves contemplating with increasing regularity, as boundaries bleed and break down for the better. Chase Atlantic, clearly, understand which way the tide is flowing. ‘PHASES’ is leaps and bounds ahead of their peers in realising that drawing influence from wide and far makes a much more interesting palette. P

Dan Harrison

25. GREAT GRANDPA

FOUR OF ARROWS ‘Four Of Arrows’ is something of an about-turn for Great Grandpa.

Stripped of rough edges, it’s a far more expansive and musically expressive experience, sitting comfortably alongside the likes of Hop Along or the much-missed Rilo Kiley. It’s gorgeous too, lifted by strings and textured arrangements that ebb like a tide; at turns a gentle swell, at others a tumultuous crashing. P Rob Mair

24. CAR BOMB MORDIAL

‘Mordial’ is an unrelenting experimental odyssey that takes Car Bomb’s metal sound and warps it. It’s an album where nothing is quite as it seems; you’re pummelled by heavy riffs on the visceral ‘Fade Out’ before being pulled in different directions as ‘Scattered Sprites’ evolves into odd drum patterns and spacy, winding guitar solos. It’s a diverse record that challenges and excites in equal measure. P Martyn Young

38 Upset

Frank Iero

Words: Alex Bradley.

o + the Future Violents

23. FRANK IERO & THE FUTURE VIOLENTS BARRIERS

Truth be told, you’d have forgiven Frank Iero for making a very different record. After a much-publicised near scrape while touring, frustration, anger or base fear would all have been understandable reactions. But that’s not what ‘Barriers’ represents. Instead, it’s the sound of letting those boundaries crash down and watching the freedom of endless possibility flood in. P

Stephen Ackroyd

The reinvention of Frank Iero for his third solo outing was always going to be different from the rest following his wellpublicised near brush with death while touring Australia back in 2016.

Back, as The Future Violents, Frank took his new perspective on life and transformed it into his most ambitious album yet.

With 'Barriers' released back in May, Frank has spent 2019 making up for lost time. Touring the UK with Laura Jane Grace, playing one of the standout sets of 2000trees, shows here, there, everywhere, beefin' with Joe Jonas about rumours of a My Chemical Romance reunion but still managing to send MCR fans into meltdown for referencing 'I'm Not Okay' in his song 'Young and Doomed'; it's been pretty non-stop for him. (And no, he didn't let slip what was going to happen next... Ed.) Ahead of the release of 'Barriers', you spoke a lot about how changed you were post-Australia and then time away after the crash. Having now released the album and seen the response to it, are you more comfortable with how changed you feel?

I don't know if my comfort level has ever been dependent upon other

Upset 39

“I'VE BEEN LEARNING TO HAVE MORE FUN�

FRANK IERO

40 Upset

people's feelings about the things I create. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely nice that people enjoy the record and have been able to relate to the topics the record deals with, that's a very nice feeling.... but I think for me it's a day to day thing with how I feel. If you're not happy inside no outside influence is gonna change that y' know? Peripheral happiness is fleeting. I suppose the short answer is I'm still working on it, and I imagine I will be for the foreseeable future.

With touring for 'Parachutes' being cut short and then the time leading up releasing

'Barriers' being longer, were you nervous in the run-up to its release and how quickly did any fears you have for project subside?

Well, it was definitely nice to be able to tour this record as opposed to what happened last time haha! I 100% prefer playing shows over physical therapy. But aside from that, I think early on in the writing process, I became very at peace playing with Tucker, Matt, Evan and Kayleigh.

It was fun and inspiring, and there was little to no fear once I cracked 'Six Feet Down Under', and the songs came rolling out.

The band gave me confidence,

and after getting everything recorded and mixed in time, I knew the record was strong.

The release shouldn't be a fearful time, that's just jittery excitement. I just wanted to be able to get the songs on a stage without my friends and I being taken out by a fucking bus this time.

Did you ever imagine you'd have to explain yourself so much for referencing 'I'm Not Okay' in 'Young And Doomed'?

Haha, no way!?! I probably wouldn't have done it if I knew. Eh or fuck it, maybe I

would have.

Since playing songs from the album live in the second half of the year, how have the new songs evolved? What ones are enjoying live?

'Medicine Square Garden' is definitely one of my favourite songs to play, hands down.

Even in the early stages of writing it, collectively, we were all just dying for the opportunity to play it live for people. I also think 'Fever Dream' got real exciting the more we played it, especially to energetic crowds... it's fun to see which songs become fan favourites.

Sometimes you can predict it, and sometimes it's a giant surprise.

The Future Violents, both recorded and live, feels more special, can this project be more than just a one-off?

Haha! Well, rules are meant to be broken I suppose. Who knows what the future holds.

Anything is possible.

What have been the standout moments of your year?

I think the release of 'Barriers' was a big one, of course. Touring South America with The Future Violents was a really fun time. I took my kids to their first Yankees game, that was exciting. Shit, the year ain't over yet! I still got some tricks up my sleeve.

What have you learned this year?

I've been learning to have more fun. Slowly but surely...

I'm at a point in my life and my career where I just do the stuff that makes my soul feel good. I got no time for bad times.

What are your hopes for 2020?

It's usually the same, just to smile more than I frown. P

22. PIJN & CONJURER PLAY… CURSE THESE METAL HANDS

Pijn and Conjurer may best be known as two of UK metal’s brightest talents, but as they join forces they’re burning with a brilliant, uplifting glow. That’s ‘Curse These Metal Hands’ - a record that feels saturated with positivity and a sense of wellness. At a time where everything feels so bleak it might just collapse around us, these metal hands are raising up. Rejoice in the good vibes. P Dan Harrison

21. SLIPKNOT

WE ARE NOT YOUR KIND The lead up to ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ was littered with calls for Slipknot to return to ‘Iowa’ levels of heavy, and they’re not too far from it. From the warning alarm sample to the vicious guitar attacks, percussion from Clown and the powerhouse of Corey Taylor’s voice; Slipknot have always come out on top with anthems for the disenfranchised, and ‘WANYK’ could well be their most immersive chapter to date. P

Steven Loftin

20. AMYL & THE SNIFFERS AMYL & THE SNIFFERS

Long known as one of the best, and most intense, live bands around, Amyl & The Sniffers easily live up to the challenge of transferring it to record with their sensational debut. If seeing them in the flesh is like being strapped inside a washing machine, then this near as dammit matches it. It's a real ‘keep-it-on-repeat’ record from a band who are bursting into greatness. P Jamie MacMillan

Upset 41

"When I'm high, I'm in heaven / When I'm low, I'm in hell," cried Frank Carter on the opening track of 'End Of Suffering' and those lines could not be more ďŹ tting for the year he has had.

Frank Carter + the Rattlesnakes Words: Alex Bradley.

42 Upset

On 19th September, Frank was involved in a serious car crash in Devon. He was lucky to walk away with some cuts, scrapes, "a kneecap in the wrong place," bruised ribs and "a headache that won't go away'. He is lucky to be alive.

Just over a month on and while the physical scars are healing, the mental ones will take longer. He is changed, understandably; his whole perspective on life along with it. And, while he is still in the process of healing, he is already determined to turn staring death in the face into something positive.

"It refocused my life," he explains. "I've been writing more than I've ever written. I wrote loads of songs. I've been painting every day."

There has always been his own blood pressed between the pages of his lyrics so its no surprise that this incident has sent his creativity into overdrive. But, for Frank, getting back on stage can't come soon enough. Immediately after the crash, the Rattlesnakes' tour of North America was cancelled, but they are spending the end of October and November playing shows around Europe.

"You have no idea how excited I am to go on tour on Monday and play shows because I haven't sung since the accident.

"We didn't even get a chance to do any pre-production, we are just going in without a practice - its the first time I'm gonna see a lot of the boys because they've gone away - this tour that is coming is going to be biblical. Properly lifeaďŹƒrming. I'm really excited."

It's on stage where Frank Carter within our band and the focus is at his happiest it seems. It's and intensity, and it was really always been the case whether it special to do that with them." was with Gallows or Pure Love, All that they learned from but this year, Frank Carter & The those Foo Fighters shows was Rattlesnakes have taken it to packed into a blistering set at another level with their live show. Reading Festival where they A lot of that has been having to played third from the top on play stadium-sized venues with the Main Stage slot. That was a Foo Fighters all summer. huge moment for Frank who had "What's nice is to get out there his whole family, his daughter with all that nervous energy included, there watching as he and play like your fucking life was realising his dream in the depends on it - and kind of it slot, that to him is reserved for does. You're being measured bands people know are going to up, whether you like it or not, stand the test of time. against fucking Dave Grohl He triumphantly adds, who is arguably one of the most "And, for a band that isn't important humans in rock music, even five years old, its a huge ever, historically. accomplishment for a British, "So in order to even just get guitar-based, band that is notpast that, you must be on your indie - we're fully a rock band. fucking top game. Then you turn "It just really felt this year that around and see him rocking out people were getting behind us in watching you and its like okay, a way where they haven't really nothing matters, this is what we ever and that's really fucking are supposed to be doing. And its exciting, man. That really makes nice, you come off stage, and he you fucking appreciate what is goes 'fuck you, I've got to work going on." harder with you guys on this tour' In true Frank style, he quickly and that is what you want is for a balances out that high. man like Dave "And, maybe, Grohl to tell I somehow you he has even though I brought you thought I was out to keep incredibly him on his aware of toes and that's everything that END OF SUFFERING when you is happening Out of the know you are when I had that darkest pain doing things crash, I realised can come a properly. It's how much I had glimmer of outrageous. been missing. hope. So it is He's my When you have with ‘End Of fucking hero. an event like Suffering’, Frank Carter’s I grew up that after having third album as a Rattlesnake. listening to events like we This time round, his heart is his music in had all summer not so much worn on his all guises and - playing with sleeve as it is presented on a to have that is Foo Fighters, platter. In a genre that has pretty special. playing the bathed in toxic masculinity "But those Colosseum, too often in the past, this shows were playing Reading record steers in the opposite pretty special, & Leeds - it puts direction and is infinitely and they all those things more powerful for it. It's the changed into perspective. emotional pulse of a man things for us.

"Man, like fighting his way onwards They changed next time I'm and upwards. P Jamie the whole complaining MacMillan atmosphere about anything,

19. FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES

I need someone to slap me across the chops because I have got an incredible life and I need to enjoy it, and that has been one of my problems my whole life. Maybe not feeling like I deserve it or like the ego get in the way a little bit, but that has all gone now."

Somewhere in between it all, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes released 'End Of Suffering' too.

"Anytime you think you've got Rattlesnakes pegged, we're gonna flip it on you," he smiles. And they did. Musically, its rock music through a pop lens with Frank's vocals front and centre too. There are Amy Winehouse inspired soul moments in the misery of 'Love Games', there is fizzing electronics in 'Supervillain' and a cameo from Tom Morello on 'Tyrant Lizard King' and everything you thought you knew about The Rattlesnakes blown to smithereens.

"We wanted to be Rattlesnakes like we always have been but inject it with as many steroids, fireworks and dynamite and then just deliver it to people with a bow and a match."

And they achieved that with aplomb. It's an album of very personal experiences to both Frank and all the Rattlesnakes but, again, it manages to find a voice for the voiceless; for those who are in struggling in similar ways. There is a dark heart at the centre of the album, but there is also optimism - love and loss - while tackling more specific issues of toxic relationships and mental health.

It's those messages, being a voice and ally to the marginalised, plus their explosive live shows that have made Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes truly special; now more than ever.

They'll be back in the UK early in 2020 with their biggest UK headline shows ever and, while they have big plans for the production, Frank promised to "play all the fucking music we've got because we've got some great songs and it'd be a shame to leave any of them behind." P

Upset 43

Ja

18. GIRLPOOL

WHAT CHAOS IS IMAGINARY Girlpool have grown since their folk punk beginnings.

‘Powerplant’ was their most eclectic effort to date, but ‘What Chaos Is Imaginary’ firmly snatches that crown. Crackling with fuzz and lo-fi vocals, particular stand-outs are the static and soft ‘Where You Sink’, and the hazy, layered dream pop of ‘Minute In Your Mind’. The duo feel like a different band, one that’s both wiser and passionately conscientious. P Jasleen Dhindsa

17. INDOOR PETS BE CONTENT

It hasn’t been the easiest journey for Indoor Pets; however, instead of sitting around and feeling sorry for themselves, they’ve made light of these darker times, which resonates blindingly on ‘Be Content’. The record is chock full of Indoor Pets’ cartoony indie pop, the production formulated in a way that brings every part of their character to life. This is one immensely powerful debut. P

Jasleen Dhindsa

16. EZRA FURMAN TWELVE NUDES

In the world of modern guitar music, Ezra Furman has become a voice for the misfit, the outsider, and the misunderstood.

His confessional lyrics, which often detail his personal struggles with mental health and gender identity have allowed many to finally feel seen. ‘Twelve Nudes’, full of pain, passion and fervour, is everything you could want from an Ezra Furman punk album. P

Eleanor Philpot 44 Upset

15. JAMIE LENMAN SHUFFLE

Yes, 'Shuffle' is ‘sort of’ a covers record, but at the same time it's anything but. New versions, reinterpretations and inspirations of things that have influenced or been held dear, in an era of carefully curated selfexpression, it's an album that draws us into Jamie Lenman’s world in a more personal way than mere words and pictures ever could. An audio autobiography, 'Shuffle' is devilishly smart, wonderfully intimate and fascinatingly unique. P

Stephen Ackroyd

amie Lenman Words: Alex Bradley.

It's been the most planned out years Jamie Lenman has ever had. Back in January, he was working on his album 'Shuffle' and the plan was for Lenmania 2, some festival shows and then a tour.

Well, that all happened without a hitch; he even played Glastonbury and filled in as the frontman of Black Peaks at ArcTanGent along the way.

As for the album, it was a creative explosion which pushed the boundaries of the singer's already fascinating imagination; including in it a film score, a chapter from Moby Dick, a reinvention of the 'Popeye' theme song and a Cyndi Lauper cover to boot.

The idea was bold and, while it's always been evident how technicoloured his tastes are, 'Shuffle' packs all the charisma Jamie possess but rarely shines through in his recordings. So, while 'Shuffle' was made up of other people's work, it was one of most personal dives into the mind of Jamie Lenman yet.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing by any means.

"I had lots of people, including my producer saying, 'I think this is a mistake', he laughs. 'And lots of people predicted the end of my

career, and I had to hold fast and say 'no, this is what I'm doing' but I still, with all that tension, I was very worried."

For someone who seems to ooze self-assurance, that hesitation over the album coupled with organising an even bigger and better Lenmania to immediately follow the release made for a very tense few weeks.

What eventually saved Jamie, one night at 3am, was a welltimed review of the album.

"The review in Upset was the first review that I had seen, and it wasn't the point it was a glowing review but more, for me, the realisation that the reviewer understood it and realised straight away that it wasn't a lazy cash-in... 'Oh I haven't got any songs... oh I'm between real albums'.'

"Straight away he made clear to the readership, 'this is a real fucking album' and whatever he said past that, even if he had trashed it - that would have been fine, but the wave of relief that washed over me when I realised at least it is possible for people to to get it, at least this guy understands what I'm trying to do, that was just massive, and that took a lot of the pressure off, and that meant a lot to me."

In his own words, that review was the highlight of his year.

The album was released in early July with all those worries in the run-up to the album long gone. Having stuck to his guns, in the end, Jamie seemed almost annoyed he hadn't alienated himself as much with the concept

of the album, and he hadn't managed to "freak out" his fans.

"I think if I hadn't done 'Muscle Memory', 'Shuffle' might have been a bit of a harder sell but because people are prepared for anything then 'Shuffle' went down easier than I thought it would; maybe I still underestimate people,' he explains.

"I thought people were going to be freaked out by 'Muscle Memory' and they weren't and well how can I make that mistake again because I thought people would be freaked out by 'Shuffle' and they weren't...so that's good, but maybe I should learn my lesson and give my audience credit."

Not to be deterred though, Jamie Lenman teased, "Believe you me, there are a couple of records stewing in the pots which will genuinely test people's faith.

I can't tell you more than that, but it's fucking weird!"

Whatever weird concoction the singer is cooking up in those pots should be available to hear sometime in 2020, or at least that is the plan anyway.

"I don't think a whole album, its a bit close to 'Shuffle' which was a heavy, rich, meal that I think will take some time to digest. So, maybe a short format record - an EP or a mini-album or just a single. I would like to do a lot of festivals in the summer. I hate to be coy, but we've got a lot of things we are talking about."

Whatever does come, expect the unexpected. P

Upset 45

14. KNOCKED LOOSE

11. WATERPARKS

8. BLINK-182

A genre-fluid collection of adrenaline rush emotion, 'Fandom' is the kind of record that's always on edge. Built around the break up of a relationship, it ties in fan culture, emotional uncertainty and the modern realities of being a band. Lead track ‘Turbulent’ isn’t selling anything short; it really is.

Everything turned to maximum saturation, Waterparks remain rock’s brightest hope. P Stephen

Ackroyd

A record of textbook latter-day blink-182, 'Nine' is a testament to just how comfortable Mark, Travis and Matt are in their own skin. Evolved but never standing still, it’s a record that knows exactly what it’s attempting to achieve. At their heart, blink have become the template for their craft; no matter what the calendar says, they're still the mark by which every other band of their class should be judged. P Dan Harrison

10. THE FAIM

7. DREAM STATE

Since The Faim first burst onto the scene, we’ve known they were heading for something big.

Now, with debut album ‘State of Mind’ finally on the table, they’re a fully-formed sensation in waiting.

Opener ‘Tongue Tied’ packs a vocal that Patrick Stump would sign off with glee, while ‘Where The River Runs’ shows a whole different side, full of emotion and heart. The Faim have delivered. P Stephen

Jasleen Dhindsa

Ackroyd

Emotionally raw and dealing with life as it comes, Dream State are tapping into a vein of no holds barred rock that’s more than willing to draw from any and all directions.

Mixing riffs and electronic wizardly, ‘Are You Ready To Live’ is a direct hit, while ‘Open Windows’ skewers the insecurity and disconnection of a social media obsessed modern life. There’s no doubting it at all; Dream State are the real deal. P Stephen Ackroyd

12. BLEACHED

9. BRING ME THE HORIZON

6. BRUTUS

A DIFFERENT SHADE OF BLUE It’s been a little over three years since Knocked Loose’s debut album ‘Laugh Tracks’, with its unique blend of hardcore and metal, cemented the band’s place amongst the best. With its followup, they’ve once again produced one of the year’s top releases, airing the group’s grievances through daring riffs, agonising vocals and deeply personal lyrics.

P Beth Casteel

13. BLACK FUTURES

NEVER NOT NOTHING From the chaotic and full-throttle ‘Love’, to the uplifting, glaring sun in the desert spirituality on ‘Karma Ya Dig?!’, ‘Youthman’ and ‘Trance’; Anarchic electro punks Black Futures construct a vision of the future which tackles both everything fucked up and everything beautiful at the same time. Buckle up, it’s a bumpy ride that’s well-worth the nausea. P

DON'T YOU THINK YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH? Putting down the bottle never sounded so good.

‘Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?’, the third record from sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin, sees the duo scale up their ambition hand-in-hand with a scaling down of their drinking.

It's a huge leap forward in both style and substance. No longer tethered to their scuzzy garage rock sound, Bleached appear like a band reborn. P Jamie MacMillan

46 Upset

FANDOM

STATE OF MIND

AMO

Ambitious. That's the best word to describe Bring Me The Horizon. Like any band that develops away from their initial sound to something more - gulp mainstream, they’ve suffered their fair share of slings and arrows. No matter what the haters say, though, ‘amo’ isn’t a cynical sellout; it’s the sound of a band striving to find something beyond narrow genre boundaries. P Stephen Ackroyd

NINE

PRIMROSE PATH

NEST

Belgium may be better known as the home of chocolate than it is Quality Rock Music, but if Brutus carry on their charge, that'll all change. The trio’s second album, ‘Nest’, is nothing short of remarkable. A progression from an already formidable debut, ‘Burst’, they’ve spent the time since honing their craft - and it shows.

Brutus are quickly pulling away from the pack. Take cover. P

Stephen Ackroyd

5. EMPLOYED TO SERVE ETERNAL FORWARD MOTION

Still basking in the glow of the criticallyacclaimed ‘The Warmth Of A Dying Sun’, Employed To Serve return with another feral and ferocious offering.

Taking their roots in hardcore as a familiar starting point, ‘Eternal Forward Motion’ lives up to its name by propelling the Woking band into exciting new soundscapes. This is a band still exploring their own potential: still pushing forward, still exploring new possibilities, refusing to look back when the future is brighter. P Jamie MacMillan

Upset 47

Fontaines D.C. Words: Jessica Goodman.

"We were always ambitious," Conor Deegan asserts. It's dark outside, even though it's only just gone six o'clock, and in the basement of Paradiso in Amsterdam, the Fontaines D.C. bassist is taking us on a short stroll down memory lane.

"When we had one of our first practices," he begins, "we came out of it and our guitarist at the time said 'we're the best band in the world!!!'" Overactive enthusiasm?

Or an early indication of what would follow? "He was being sarcastic, I guess," Conor shrugs, "but he was being genuine as well."

He thinks for a moment, shaking his head. "We were awful then," he laughs. "Now, we're okay."

"Okay" is probably an understatement. In the past twelve months alone, Fontaines D.C. Have toured, released their debut album, toured some more, been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, toured even more, recorded their second album, and are now embarking on a sold-out tour of the UK and Ireland. So, yeah, it's probably safe to say that Fontaines D.C. are doing okay. "We've always had that belief inside that we're pretty good," Conor expresses. "I don't know if that's egotistical, but it gave us a bit of ambition."

This same sense of ambition is what drove the group to create 'Dogrel'. Since they announced the release of their debut record back in February, the band's rise to fame has been practically meteoric.

48 Upset

When it was finally released in April, 'Dogrel' introduced the world to a band that seemed destined to take the world by storm. "The music is pretty nononsense," Conor distils. "We just wrote songs that we wanted to write in the way we wanted to write them, and that's the way they turned out," he shrugs. "People react to that kind of thing."

And what a reaction it's been: top ten chart positions, award nominations, and sold-out shows abound. The best part?

Connecting with their audience through something they've created. "I was talking to a woman who got a tattoo of a lyric I wrote for 'Dogrel' yesterday," Conor starts, reflecting on a newer memory. "She was telling me how she felt connected to it."

The lyric in question – "we trip along disaster in the whirlwind of the free" from 'Dublin City Sky' - presents itself with all the realism and resolution that's now characteristic of Fontaines D.C. Whether it's talking about life and books with fans after shows, or going for a run in a foreign city, 'enjoy the little things' isn't just a rule to adhere to in Zombieland.

"It's quite difficult to keep up," Conor portrays, "you have to remind yourself to be present because it's so busy that you can lose sight of it," he describes.

"You're constantly moving around, focused on the gig you've got that day." It's a work in progress, but hey, Fontaines D.C. never claimed to be perfect (just "the best band in the world!!!").

"We've got better at touring, at getting up and doing the thing every day," Conor asserts. "Because we've gotten more confident as performers and in ourselves as

people, we connect more to the people who come to the shows and talk to them afterwards," he enthuses. "It's an awful lot more rewarding in that way."

Playing shows from Monaghan to Melbourne, selling out entire tours before they even start, this is one success story that shows no signs of slowing. In fact, their second album is already on its way.

"It's done. It's all recorded.

It's just being mixed now, and it gets mastered after that," Conor reveals. Recorded "literally on Sunset Boulevard, with the Hollywood sign in the background," the release is a little way off yet ("next year some stage"), but with the band describing it as being "more ourselves", there's every reason to get excited. If you're lucky enough to catch the band live, maybe you'll even get a taste of it.

Readying for these sold-out shows, the energy in the band is at a high. With a headline show at Brixton Academy in London in February already sold out, there's no doubt that – to quote the band themselves – it's "gonna be big."

"The day we signed to Partisan we went to Cigarettes After Sex's gig in Brixton with the head of our label," Conor reminisces. "We were looking down and going 'Jesus, this band are so successful, what the fuck?!'" he laughs. "We were young lads, and we hadn't done anything at all. It was so high above us," Conor recalls. "I think we had played The Shacklewell Arms, but hadn't sold it out," he describes. "Now I'm standing here, and we've sold that venue out ourselves..." He trails off, the reality of the occasion sinking in.

"It's crazy," he adds. "It's fucking mental, actually." P

4. FONTAINES D.C DOGREL

It’s rare that a debut album from a band as hyped as Fontaines D.C. still contains the power to excite and surprise, but ‘Dogrel’ is that record. The Dublin quintet have delivered something that doesn’t just resist pigeonholes and easy labels - it kicks them down the street and into the River Liffey.

The poetry of Grian Chatten’s lyrics is striking; while everyone else is chasing the sound of the last big thing, Fontaines stand apart as a band who couldn’t care less. P Jamie MacMillan

Upset 49

PUP PUP

50 Upset

Words: Ali Shutler.

Punk music in 2019 has been defined by the global worries of anxiety, Armageddon and arseholes. We’ve had rebellion and hope by the bucketload but no one’s dealt with the despair quite like PUP. ‘Morbid Stuff’ sees the band laughing in the face of it all, while struggling to be better than their surroundings.

Taking the excitable garage punk that gave their first two albums (2013’s ‘PUP’ and 2016’s ‘The Dream Is Over’) such energy and pushing it to vibrant new extremes, ‘Morbid Stuff ’ is both a comfort blanket and call to arms for a generation of kids who know just how fucked things really are, but have never known any different.

The band started touring the record way back in March.

By the time Christmas comes around, they won’t have had more than a week and a half off at any one time. “It’s been a slow grind upwards,” grins Steve Sladkowski. ”This tour has been really rewarding, we can see that things are starting to kinda work out for us,” adds Stefan Babcock, full of humble pride.

Why do you think this album is connecting with people so suddenly?

Stefan: I guess there are a lot of upset people in this world. But honestly, I don't know. I was just kinda try to work through my own bullshit and I didn't really expect it to connect with people.

But the fact that it has, has been pretty awesome. I think people feel good cause they maybe don't feel as alone in all this garbage and it's been really rewarding for

me because it makes me feel a lot less alone.

There’s been this steady progression with PUP but right now, it feels like you’re in this comfortable, solid position.

Stefan: The past couple of years have been fucking awesome. I'm a truly lucky individual. I would even say blessed, if I believed in such a fucking thing. We’ve worked really hard in terms of touring, just coming back and pounding down the doors. It's definitely been a slow but very steady and positive crawl to the top. Well, to the top of the bottom.

What do you want people to take from a PUP live show?

Steven: I hope that it's real. We're imperfect and it's an imperfect live show. We try and just be ourselves. We can have tough days, obviously, but we're really lucky to be able to do this, so we feel like the least we can do is fucking put on a show that's entertaining and has energy and that people are gonna hopefully be able to find some catharsis in.

Zach: I hope the audience sees a

3. PUP

MORBID STUFF PUP have always thrived in adversity, taking fuck-it-all nihilism and refracting it through three-minute pop-punk gems. ‘Morbid Stuff ’ is bleaker than anything they’ve done before, and that says a lot considering last time out vocalist Stefan Babcock wanted to murder his bandmates. But, while ‘Morbid Stuff ’ is dark, it couldn’t really be called brooding. Instead, PUP fill the time with gallows humour and infectious pop-punk. P Rob Mair

competent band, but I can in no way guarantee that.

Stefan: We are one of the least professional bands playing thousand-cap rooms. I promise you that. That's kind of great because the people who are connecting with the music and coming out to see the shows, they know that we're unprofessional and they know that we're just doing our best and scraping by. They come to those shows expecting it to be a bit of a cluster fuck, and hopefully it is, in a good way.

Zach: A good general lesson is that lowered expectations always have the best outcomes.

Stefan: Six years of lowering expectations, congrats guys.

And now you’re at the point where you can play 1000 cap rooms. You’ve sold out London’s Electric Ballroom twice, which is 3000 people. Are you getting comfortable on those big stages?

Zach: Yeah but I feel like sometimes we're refusing to adapt to a big stage. We always set up like close together no matter what.

Nestor: I feel like we're like good in like a 200/300 cap room. That's where we know how to do our thing. We're still getting used to the bigger things.

Steven: It’s pretty bananas.

Stefan: It’s pretty fucking wild.

There are a lot of dummies in the world.

Do you know where you take PUP next? Apart from home for a break.

Stefen: I don't think we even need to think about it. I mean we've been doing this as a full time job for five-ish years now and we've never fucking had a plan. We've always just been like, ‘Does this sound cool? Is this cool? Do we like doing this? Let’s keep going.’ And here we are. No plan required. Just fucking do it until we're sick of it or until people are sick of us, whichever comes first.” P

Upset 51

The energy that fuels Fever 333 has shown no signs of drying up in 2018. With the debut album 'Strength in Numb333rs' out at the start of the year, the trio found a way to bottle the revolution and deliver it to the masses with a sound that stretches its self with shades of hip hop, metal, hardcore and straightup pop. The aim is to be accessible and having the opportunity to spread their message to anyone who will listen. That message is built upon their mantra of Community, Charity and Change.With incendiary live demonstrations across the world in support of their Grammy-nominated album, the platform for Fever 333's message got a whole lot louder this year.

Inspired by the response and continued enthusiasm for this project, frontman Jason Aalon Butler is currently working on its follow-up. The goal was always for him to be the change he wants to see in the world, and so the question is whether he has seen a positive change as a result of Fever 333's message.

"It's really interesting, I think we have had some really ostensible proof as well. I had a gentleman come up to me in Iowa, and straight-up said to me, being fully transparent, 'I believed in very racist things. I participated in very racist behaviour, and I heard your band'."

"First and foremost, he was like, 'I just loved the music, and so I just listened to that, but when I heard the message, I felt very confronted but then I went deeper and watched interviews and learned about y'all as people and how you

52 Upset

approached it and then came to a demonstration'. And he was liked, 'It changed my life'. He wanted to thank us all for that. And that is a very glaring piece of evidence things are moving in the right direction and the way we would like them to.

"But ultimately, again, being able to go to an award stage and not talk about ourselves. That, to me, is things moving in the right direction where we can continue to be offered these platforms and then utilise them authentically and align them with what we started out with [then we're making progress]."

"We can't go up there talking about ourselves, Enough people do that, and I'm not mad at them for that.

People can do whatever the fuck they want, but I'm not here to do that. So I think that we are very lucky that we have been offered platforms and we have been shown by our listeners, and maybe some people that don't listen to us but invest in the messages separately, we are seeing progress in that movement, and that is a win." P

2. FEVER 333 STRENGTH IN NUMB333RS

Rock bands fighting against the wrongs of society is nothing new.

There’s a lineage that goes back far past the Rage Against The Machine, but they remain the measuring post for those that follow. Few, if any, make that grade. On their debut, Fever 333 definitively do.

Intrinsically political and unafraid, ‘Strength In Numb333rs’ is a rallying cry. The revolution is here. P Stephen Ackroyd

F

Fever 333 Words: Alex Bradley.

Upset 53

SWMR SWMRS 54 Upset

RS RS

It should be no shock to any regular reader of Upset that SWMRS' fantastic 'Berkeley's On Fire' would take our Album of the Year gong for 2019. A socially-aware sugar rush of anger and adrenaline, it's equal parts fun and important. But, as we pulled our list together, it took a more poignant turn.

Shortly after Cole and Max gave us the track by track run-down you'll find on the next page, the latter was involved in a serious road accident.

A recent update from the band explains: "Although Max will heal from these injuries, he’s has a long, hard road ahead.

“In addition to breaking both shoulders, bruising his lung & fracturing vertebrae, his biggest challenge will be recovering from the traumatic brain injury. While currently assisted with a wheelchair, he is working everyday on regaining his strength and BERKELEY'S ON FIRE ability to walk.

Fizzing There was truly with a guardian ambition light that night, and energy, one that we ‘Berkeley’s will forever be On Fire’ thankful for." rallies against the world Everyone at around it, but with hope in Upset wants its heart. In a time where to wish Max everything feels to be and the band falling apart, there’s a quiet, the best in unspoken confidence that his recovery. perhaps things could get We hope to better in the end. This isn’t see him back on stage very so much a spark that starts soon indeed. a fire, as a personal pledge.

1. SWMRS

Music that matters, but that’s not afraid to have fun along the way. P Stephen

Ackroyd

Upset 55

Berkeley's On Fire

IN THEIR OWN WORDS...

SWMRS'

'BERKELEY'S ON FIRE' Cole: 'Berkeley's on Fire' came together very deliberately.

After years of approaching the recording process as an extension of our craft as live performers, we decided that our first album on a bigger label was a good opportunity to dig deep into our music and deconstruct our playing in order to make a body of work whose sound was entirely its own.

We talked a lot about the idea of metamodernism; the idea that by cutting together fragments of very disparate influences ranging from J. Dilla to Alanis Morrissette, we could produce music that sounded like nothing we had ever heard before. Given the nature of the songs we wrote going into the studio, this felt like the only path forward: Max and I both had been writing a lot about the personal feelings that accompanied us and the young people we interact with at shows as we navigate a world that seems to be crashing down all around us. Recreating the past is no longer an option for all of us young people who are marching haphazardly toward an uncertain future. How do you grow up healthy in a world that might not exist in a few years? Of course, the question is rhetorical, because none of us really have a fucking clue. We made this album because we knew that by creating a space for people to sing and dance through that question, we could take a break from all the worry for a second just to enjoy the fact that we're alive and we're not alone.

And who knows, we might just come out of that space renewed with the energy we need to fight for our future.

56 Upset

Cole: In 2017, I went to a protest with some friends in Berkeley to protect free speech. The UC Berkeley Fascist Club (aka Berkeley College Republicans) had booked A Right-Wing pundit named Milo Yiannopoulos (maybe you've seen him on TV) to come speak with the explicit intention of antagonizing students of color, queer students, and feminists to make the case that keeping students safe from hate speech and the violence that accompanies it is somehow OK and should be sanctioned by the University. Really stupid shit.

Anyways, the protest got rowdy, and a group of antifascists had lit a small fire in the centre. Nothing super serious. When I got home, my mom had the television on, and the local news was playing what looked like combat footage. I was confused, and then I was angry. Someone was pulling strings to paralyse us with fear.

It made me realize how insidious our news cycle really is-- They make things look scary to strike fear into your heart, so much fear that you don't have any energy left to fight for your future. TV NEWS is BAD FOR YOU appeared in my brain, and I kept repeating it to myself. My friend Owen inverted it for me, pointing out too that BAD TV is NEWS FOR YOU these days too. BERKELEY was ON FIRE apparently, and I knew then that it was time to retell the story of that night without striking fear into people's hearts, but instead emboldening them, making them FEARLESS and ready to fight for the future.

Too Much Coffee

Max: This is a song about making a life decision and never really knowing if it was the right or wrong thing to do. Anxiety is so common among millennials and

gen Z, and I wanted to write a song that clearly depicts having anxiety, but I wanted to pair it with instrumentation that feels uplifting. I tried to connect it to a topic that many people can relate too: having too much coffee.

Trashbag Baby

Max: This is a song about eavesdropping on a breakup (true story! Was quite uncomfortable), but the song is all about the play by play. I want people, young people especially, to think about the amount of baggage, or garbage, that they bestow upon their significant other or their friends, and I want to reconsider its distribution. I also wanted a guitar riff that would get stuck in the listeners head within seconds of pressing play.

LOSE LOSE LOSE

Cole: Let's be real. It feels like we're losing all the time. In 2016

in your ear are the only way of subdividing time to give order and form to the chaos. When it seems like everybody wants something from you that you haven't figured out how to give yourself, rhythm moves your needle a bit closer to the solution.

Lonely Ghosts

Cole: No matter how lonely you feel, there's always someone who feels the same way. That's why I love playing shows-you get to connect with people and see people connect with each other in a way you might not have realized was possible. This song is an ode to loneliness in all its forms and to all my lonely ghosts out there.

IKEA Date

and 2017 the fascists won a lot of big victories in their quest to exploit people and the planet. I wanted to sing about this because I got so tired of the idea that we have to beat these people in order to survive. I am tired of losing to these motherfuckers, and tired of being forced to play by their rules.

LOSE LOSE LOSE is about defining the world for yourself, not letting your life become a chess piece in a game you didn't ask to play.

April in Houston

Cole: Fragmenting the past! This song has a guitar riff I recorded on my voice memos as its main hook. It has hi-hat samples from a trap music sound pack. We recorded Jakob (from Ultra Q) saying "Drums in my ear just what I need" because we had heard a clip of Marvin Gaye saying that before recording "Heard It Through The Grapevine". When life gets hectic, sometimes drums

Max: This is a song about being in a long-distance relationship.

Heavily inspired by Interpol and New Order, we wanted to provide an avenue for people to daydream during the song. It's a song about having a dream that you are with your significant other in Ikea, playing house, only to wake up and realize that you are very far away from them.

Hellboy

Cole: In America, we have a really intense gun problem. I can't count the amount of times I have had to make peace with the possibility of experiencing a mass shooting; it's part of being a young person in the states. I wanted to explore the explanation story that Americans tell every time a mass shooting happens. Often times it seems like we make excuses for the "misunderstood" shooter, treating it as if it's a fluke that this angry white teenager decided to shoot up a school. How could it be a fluke if these shootings are carbon replicas of the one before? Why are white teenage boys so susceptible to this hateful violence? A lot of it has to do with toxic masculinity, and how we never teach boys healthy ways of expressing emotion. That's why

this song is so heavy; punk music was always an emotional release for us when we were growing up.

I believe that these kids aren't acting for themselves, but instead in response to the violence we absorb every day on our television, that the NRA and its associated churches, politicians and corporations actively profit from (rifle sales go up every time a shooting is carried out), because we teach American kids to put away negative emotions, to beat them into submission, make them disappear instead of talk through them, so it's no wonder these kids think killing people is going to solve their problems.

Bad Allergies

Max: This is about recognizing

that no one is perfect. Everybody has "allergies" or something they are dealing with. It's important to communicate these things (if you are comfortable) with the people you are close with, so they can understand where you are coming from.

Steve Got Robbed

Cole: I was listening to a lot of Mexican Ranchera music and was really inspired by how strong the narrative structure in the songs was. I wanted to write a song that was a story, that you could follow from beginning to end, leaving space for the listener to imagine the imagery as the song moved forward. Our friend Steve, who we make a lot of videos with and has been a friend of the band since we were kids, got robbed twice in one night; his car got broken into, and then he was later robbed at gunpoint. Unfortunately getting robbed is a pretty common experience in Oakland. It's very uncommon, however, to get robbed successively in such a short interval, so I thought it was kind of a funny story to tell. Also, we recorded all the music on an sp-1200 (the production unit RZA made all of Wu-Tang's beats on), which was such a fun and rewarding experience. Steve is doing better now. P Upset 57

EVERYONE HAS THOSE FORMATIVE BANDS AND TRACKS THAT FIRST GOT THEM INTO MUSIC AND HELPED SHAPE THEIR VERY BEING. THIS MONTH, GEOFF WIGINGTON FROM WATERPARKS TAKES US THROUGH SOME THE SONGS THAT MEANT THE MOST TO HIM DURING HIS TEENAGE YEARS. WITH... GEOFF WIGINGTON FROM WATERPARKS

LINKIN PARK Crawling

I wasn't quite in my teens yet, but the first song I ever heard from this band was 'Crawling' when it made its radio debut in 2000.

I've always loved pop and electronic music so when I heard all the awesome guitars, mixed with Chester and Mike's vocals, then added the awesome DJ 'Mr. Hahn' with amazing electronic tracks into the mix, I immediately fell in love.

SENSES FAIL Steven

Senses Fail got me more into the 'underground' emo/punk type scene that was emerging with My Chem, Taking Back Sunday, AFI, and all those other bands coming up around that time. I had been going through a pretty rough time with losing my mother to cancer, and their track 'Steven' kinda helped me through some of the feelings I was going through.

I remember being extremely excited when I found out they were coming out with 'Let It Enfold You' after I had been listening to their 'From The Depths of Dreams' EP for so long.

SUM 41 Fat Lip

This band inspired me to pick up a guitar. 'Fat Lip' - amongst pretty much every other song on 'All Killer, No Filler' and 'Does This Look Infected?' - was a mustlearn for me. Dave is an amazing guitarist, and he's the one who I wanted to learn how to riff like. All of their songs remind me of feeling like a kid and not having anything to be worried about.

58 Upset

SUGARCULT Memory

I'm pretty sure this was my 'HEY I'M GETTING OUT OF THIS STUPID RELATIONSHIP' I was in at the time song. I discovered this album one summer after my freshman year. I was a hopeless romantic when I was going through high school. Shout out to these guys for being so great. Not only that, but that guitar solo is so good!

INCUBUS Pardon Me

I had just gotten my first stereo, and I was so excited to finally start listening to stuff that I wanted to hear instead of whatever my dad or grandparents had been listening to. 'Pardon Me' was the first song that I played through it. It always stuck with me as my first song I got to just crank up in my room.

OUTKAST Hey Ya!

'Hey Ya!' was instantly stuck in my head, and made me consistently in an awesome mood, amongst all the angsty things I had been listening to throughout high

school. Not only was that song great, but the music video was super entertaining as well.

ALIEN ANT FARM Summer

My mother got me into Alien Ant Farm one year when I was visiting her. She showed me this band, blink-182, Sum 41 and many others. Alien Ant Farm's song 'Summer' was one of my favourites at the time. Still, to this day when I listen to their 'ANThology' album it brings me back to a simpler time and its just one of those albums that I can always go back to.

CHIODOS The Words 'Best Friend' Become Redefined

This song was the first song I had heard from Chiodos. That undeniably insane intro was an immediate hook, and it got me to look even deeper into their discography. They ended up being one of the first bands I went to go see live. Jason Hale definitely played a huge part in my obsession with playing guitar. Pretty much always shredding all over the place. P