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Lonely The Brave
Lande Hekt
NOAHFINNCE
Kid Kapichi
The Xcerts
Normandie
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upsetmagazine.com
You Me At Six The Pretty Reckless
Frank Iero
THE DIRTY NIL
Fuck Art
January 1, 2021 Scan Me!
thedirtynil.com
FEBRUARY 2021 Issue 62
RIOT 4. THE PRETTY RECKLESS 9. NORMANDIE 12. THE XCERTS 14. KID KAPICHI 16. DRONES 18. CHEAP MEAT ABOUT TO BREAK 20. NOAHFINNCE 22. FOR YOU THE MOON FEATURES 24. ARCHITECTS 34. LONELY THE BRAVE 38. LANDE HEKT 42. FRANK IERO 46. YOU ME AT SIX REVIEWS 52. YOU ME AT SIX TEENAGE KICKS 54. LAURAN HIBBERD
Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alex Bradley, Connor Fenton, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Edie McQueen, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Kelsey McClure, Linsey Teggert, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin, Tyler Damara Kelly Snappers Alice Dennt, Carla Mundy, Daniel Harris, Ed Mason, gingerdope, Indira Cesarine, Kamila Cwiklinska, Katy Cummings, Rachel Kiki, 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
All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.
HELLO. OK, so 2021 hasn’t magically fixed everything overnight. It was a long shot anyway. Still, as we embark on the 2020 DLC nobody asked for, there are still so many things to look forward to over the coming months. Prime amongst them are this month’s returning cover stars. Architects are a band who have had to deal with tough times themselves, but that’s not what defines them. Continuing their ascent as standard-bearers of a whole scene, we get the story behind new album ‘For Those That Wish To Exist’.
They’re not the only beloved act returning with fire in their veins either. You Me At Six are back with an album that hits way differently to how you’d expect. Add to that Frank Iero, The Pretty Reckless and so much more, and there are plenty of positives to focus on. Every cloud, and all that.
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd
Riot_ EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK
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THIS MONTH IN ROCK
The Xcerts run us through their brand new covers EP, track by track. p.12
Kid Kapichi have arrived. With their debut album, they’re trying to find some fire in an otherwise bleak world. p.14
Drones excel in the kind of punk that lives in the darkness but points towards the light. p.16
DEATH BECOMES HER Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Indira Cesarine.
Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas? With their brilliant new album pretty much finished at the start of last year but with no touring to back it up, The Pretty Reckless had to look elsewhere to stay excited. “I’ve been trying to use this weird, horrible time to inspire something different,” says Taylor Momsen, speaking over the phone from her snow-covered home in Maine. Instead of dwelling on how weird it is to have released a chart-topping single that they still haven’t played live, Taylor has released acoustic versions of their own songs alongside collaborations with Alain Johannes (covering Chris Cornell’s ‘The Keeper’) and Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron (reworking Soundgarden’s ‘Halfway There’). There are still plenty more surprises to come, though.
“AS CLICHÉ AS IT SOUNDS, IT REALLY WAS ROCK AND ROLL THAT SAVED ME” TAYLOR MOMSEN
“I don’t want to spill the beans,” starts Taylor before spilling them anyway. “But we’ve been talking about covering ‘Where Are You Christmas?’ [the song Taylor sang as Cindy Lou in the 2000 live-action film, How The Grinch Stole Christmas] in The Pretty Reckless style for years. It might be something that’s in the works. Again, I’m not confirming or denying anything, but I’m putting it out there - 2021 is going to be a fun year.” Here’s hoping. Her attitude of “in times of strife and struggle, you just have to find the positives of the situation you’re in,” wasn’t just a lesson learned through lockdown anxiety though.
In 2017 The Pretty Reckless were on tour supporting Taylor’s childhood heroes Soundgarden when Chris Cornell took his own life (“I’d hugged him the night before, it was devastating and crushing in ways I can’t put into words”). Less than a year later the band’s unofficial fifth member, producer and Taylor’s best friend Kato Khandwala died following a motorcycle accident. “Those hits took me into a very dark downward spiral of depression, substance abuse and all the shit that comes with that,” says Taylor. “I didn’t know how to handle anything, I couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it felt like there was no hope. I’d given up on life.” Upset 5
TOP SE
Riot_
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ECRET
Swedish alt-rockers Normandie are taking back control with their third album, ‘Dark & Beautiful Secrets’. Words: Sam Taylor. Upset 9
COVER STORY
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ARCHITECTS
Architects have already secured their position at heavy music’s top table. With their latest album, they’re letting instinct reign supreme. Words: Tyler Damara Kelly. Photos: Ed Mason.
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H 34 Upset
IM -T
LONELY THE BRAVE
HOPE IS MPOR TANT Returning with a renewed energy and focus after a tumultuous few years, Lonely The Brave are striding out into 2021 with their new album, ‘The Hope List’. Words: Steven Loftin. Photos: Carla Mundy.
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LANDE HEKT
Muncie Girls’ Lande Hekt is going it alone for what might just be her most personal record yet. Words: Linsey Teggert. Photos: @gingerdope.
“I want it to be clear that this is a queer project and make it about being a queer artist. I really want coming out to be the main theme of the album.”
Muncie Girls’ Lande Hekt has never been one to shy away from sharing personal experiences via her songwriting. Known for her candid and relatable lyrics, her debut solo album and first release as an outwardly gay person, ‘Going to Hell’ is her most honest offering to date. “Basically, I couldn’t help it, even if I’d tried to make a record that wasn’t about
coming to terms with being gay, it would have been about that,” explains Lande. “Even if it’s not the main topic, a lot of the songs are about either coming out or looking back to times when I was trying to pretend to be straight.” “Though I’m not coming out late in life (I’m still in my 20s), I’ve been in a band publicly and not known I was gay, so I wanted to
do this in the best way I can - by writing songs so I can be totally open about it and hoping that some people will be able to relate. I’ve always written super personal things, there’s a song on the last Muncie Girls record, ‘Jeremy’, that was a big fuck you to my dad who I hadn’t spoken to in ten years! That was slightly terrifying, but this was more exciting than Upset 39
What’s that, new music from Frank Iero you say? Go on then.
HEAVE SEN Words: Alex Bradley.
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EN NT
FRANK IERO
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PUNCH
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YOU ME AT SIX
HER’S
CHANCE Seven albums deep, and You Me At Six are still pulling out surprises - their bold new record ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ sees them once again embracing change. Words: Steven Loftin. Photos: Katy Cummings, Daniel Harris.
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