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66
upsetmagazine.com
** Plus ** Rise Against Tyler Posey Cassyette Black Peaks Mannequin Pussy Holding Absence + loads more
The greatest hits of
JUNE 2021 Issue 66
RIOT 4. BLACK PEAKS 8. WALTER ETC. 12. MANNEQUIN PUSSY 14. FIDDLEHEAD 18. HOLDING ABSENCE ABOUT TO BREAK 20. SOFTCULT FEATURES 24. WATERPARKS 32. TYLER POSEY 36. RISE AGAINST 40. CASSYETTE REVIEWS 44. WATERPARKS TEENAGE KICKS 46. OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME
Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Aleksandra Brzezicka, Dan Harrison, Edie McQueen, Jamie MacMillan, Jessica Goodman, Kelsey McClure, Linsey Teggert, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Ashley Osborn, Jason Siegel, Judith Priest, Mitch Wojcik, Morgan Stickney, Olof Grind, PHOBYMO, Robert Aaron Nuñez, Sam Lees, Storm Santos 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. Do you have any idea how long we’ve been trying to get Waterparks on the front of Upset? It’s pretty much as long as there’s been a) a magazine and b) the band Waterparks. Finally, though, the timelines have worked out. About bloody time. With their new album ‘Greatest Hits’, they’re as brilliantly nuts as ever - if not more so. As the world starts to move a
little closer to normal, it’s the perfect point to give a band who never feel mundane or boring a debut cover, eh? Exactly.
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd Upset 3
Riot.
Twelve months on from the release of last record ‘Dark Comedy Performance Piece of My Life’, Dustin Hayes’ Walter Etc. are back. p.8
THIS MONTH >>>
EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK
“IT WAS KIND OF A NO-BRAINE A live album from a period where there’s been no live shows? Black Peaks, explain please... Words: Linsey Teggert. Photos: Sam Lees.
B
y the time this issue of Upset goes to print, Black Peaks’ livestream event, Live At The Brighton Centre has already taken place, and no doubt been rapturously received. It’s also been released via digital platforms, though fans desperate for the vinyl release will have to hold tight until autumn. “Why cover old news?” you may be shouting. Well, because this cinematic performance will be an important staple in the Brighton band’s history, and because it has once again cemented the fact that Black Peaks are one of the most vital alternative acts in the UK right now. Even before the pandemic hit, Black Peaks had suffered unforeseeable setbacks, with vocalist Will Gardner suffering a life-threatening illness, thus Live At The Brighton Centre marked 16 months since the band had last played together. In fact, even their
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“IT’S BEEN SUCH A WEIRD COUPLE OF YEARS” JOE GOSNEY
last notable show in August 2019 at ArcTanGent festival didn’t feature Will, with Jamie Lenman stepping up to the plate to perform vocal duties. “It’s been such a weird couple of years,” muses guitarist Joe Gosney. “Obviously, before the pandemic, we weren’t able to play shows for some time. As musicians, so much of the pay-off of actually writing music and spending all the time on putting the
whole package together is getting out and playing to people, so having this livestream event has been a good point of focus to throw all of our creative energy into.” Admittedly, the ‘lockdown livestream’ concept has come a long way since the pandemic first shut everything down. Those poor-quality bedroom acoustic sessions have been usurped by live sets with way more impressive production values, albeit played to empty venues. “At first, we were very much in the camp of ‘we don’t want to do this, they suck!’” laughs Joe. “We thought we would just wait until live gigs come back and then get out and play a real show. But then we started watching a few of the shows with better production that were really good, notably Nick Cave, Biffy Clyro and Architects, and the longer all of this went on, we realised that if we could do something that had the production value we’re happy
Heading to the studio with one song and a bunch of anxiety, Mannequin Pussy’s new EP is the sound of a band in full flow. p.12
Fiddlehead are back with their second album, ‘Between The Richness’. Singer Pat Flynn and guitarist Alex Henery do a deep-dive into the release. p.14
ER”
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. t s e eat Fed up of a year of being stuck inside? Fancy a bit of disorganised mayhem? You’re in luck. Waterparks are back, and they’re better than ever. Words: Jamie MacMillan. Photo: Ashley Osborn.
Upset 25
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“OKAY, I’VE PEAKED. MY LIFE CAN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS”
With multiple bands already under his belt, Tyler Posey is trying his hand at going solo - albeit with the help of some pretty well-known names...
Words: Jessica Goodman. Photo: Storm Santos.
Upset 33
With bold new album ‘Nowhere Generation’, Rise Against continue their fight against injustice. Words: Aleksandra Brzezicka. Photo: Jason Siegel.
“A
s the world changes, our albums help people to see what’s happening around them and in that sense, they helped us reshape our mission,” says Tim McIlrath. It’s a mission that led straightedge noisemakers Rise Against from day one of bumming around Chicago to breaking through mainstream stations and stages with a loud voice shouting for change. It was a call for arms in a fight for animal rights, against homophobia, environmental crisis and socio-economic injustice that struck a chord in scene kids’ hearts worldwide. “Rise Against has always tried to be the voice of the underdog, unafraid to be a thorn in the side of the establishment. To sing about things that not a lot of mainstream bands are singing about. We want to always bring our punk and hardcore roots into the radio because that’s where we came from,” states Tim. After going AWOL for four years while a new legion of contemporary musicians picked up their battle, Rise Against are back. Filtrating modern issues through their veteran lenses, fuelled on the post-2020 revolutionary Upset 37
TAPE
Essex newcomer Cassyette melds pop, rock and metal for a fearless new take on alt. Words: Steven Loftin.
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NOTES
C
assyette has been busy redefining herself. Dripping in 90s goth aesthetic - blonde mullet and all - she’s rapidly gaining attention via where else but TikTok. After putting her impressively powerful, gale-force howls on the likes of Olivia Rodrigo’s super-smash hit ‘Drivers License’ and Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’, she’s here to beat some life into that old dog, rock ‘n’ roll. Her music, engrained within the realms of empowerment - or more precisely, using it to kick a few teeth
in - is also centred around personal tragedy. After losing her dad at the beginning of last year, the pressure release valve holding all that raw emotion in needed turning. Naturally, Cassyette blew the whole thing clean off. And appearing through the dissipating steam was a cataclysmic merging of rock with her teen years of genre exploration of pop, techno and everything in between. “I got a lot angrier,” she reckons on her move into this raucously alternative-centred world. “Obviously, after something like that happening
- and then living through lockdown and being so isolated…a lot of stuff happened in my personal life [too]. The music is a reflection of that. I stopped giving a fuck about everything!” she cackles. “It didn’t just come out of nowhere - I was a bit of a shithead as a kid. I’ve done a lot of stuff that my mum’s had to get me through. Bless her, she’s a saint!” Raised on a diet of classic staples - yer Motley Crüe’s, Guns N’ Roses, Sex Pistols etc. - it’s no wonder the roads finally merged to this point. On Upset 41