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THE DAMNED THINGS // TWENTY ONE PILOTS // TACOCAT // FONTAINES D.C. // HOT MILK + LOADS MORE
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May 2019 upsetmagazine.com
ANDY BLACK BRUTUS YUNGBLUD SWMRS
w it h P U P O n ho m e tu rf
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“…ONE OF ROCK’S NEXT BIGGEST BANDS…” LOUDWIRE
THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM INCLUDING THE SINGLES GHOST AND HEROIN OUT NOW CD // VINYL // DOWNLOAD // STREAM www.badflowermusic.com
MAY 2019 Issue 43
HELLO. Some bands grab hold of a special place in your heart. It’s not just that they’re especially brilliant musically - they’ve also got another, almost more important quality. You want to root for them. You and them vs the world. PUP are one of those bands. Their most recent album ‘Morbid Stuff’ is predictably great, so we were cock-a-hoop to head over to their native Canada to hang out in some of their favourite haunts and chat all about it. 16-pages of chat, in fact. Oh yeah, it’s big. Elsewhere this month we’ve got other long term faves. Brutus’ second album already has five shiny Upset stars under its hefty belt, while Tacocat are one of those underground gems that deserve to go big. With the considerable star power of The Damned Things and the raw upstart energy of Fontaines D.C., plus some guy called Andy Black (us neither - Ed), there’s loads to get your teeth into. Enjoy!
RIOT
FEATURES
4 ANDY BLACK 10 SEAWAY 12 YUNGBLUD 14 THE WONDER YEARS 18 TWENTY ONE PILOTS 20 PUPPY 22 SWMRS
26 PUP 42 BRUTUS 48 THE DAMNED THINGS 56 TACOCAT 58 FONTAINES D.C.
ABOUT TO BREAK 24 HOT MILK
REVIEWS 62 FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES TEENAGE KICKS 66 DEAF HAVANA
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd
Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alex Bradley, Dillon Eastoe, Jack Press, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Jessica Godman, Linsey Teggert, Martyn Young, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Amanda Fotes, Frances Beach, Sarah Louise Bennett, Vanessa Heins 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.
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THIS MONTH IN ROCK
EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK
Interview.
With his new solo album, Andy Black lays himself bare like never before. Words: Steven Loftin
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Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell is gearing up for a new album with Aaron West and The Roaring 20s. p.14
Twenty One Pilots are at the peak of their power at Wembley Arena. p.18
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Interview.
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Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell is gearing up for a massive year of playing live with The Wonder Years, a new album with Aaron West and The Roaring 20s, and impending fatherhood. Words: Alex Bradley Upset 15
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Cover story
They’ve just dropped their best and most honest - album so far. We head to PUP’s native Toronto to talk ‘Morbid Stuff’. Words: Jessica Goodman Photos: Vanessa Heins, Amanda Fotes
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“I
’ve been navigating my way through the mindnumbing reality of a godless existence. Which, at this point in my hollow and vapid life, has erased what little ambition I’ve got left.” On paper, such a tirade comes across as hopelessly futile. There’s no rhyme. There’s no reason. There isn’t even any resistance to the sense of negativity that clouds what’s being said. But PUP have never been ones to let negativity stand in their way. Snarled on the lead single from the band’s new album these words practically twist in their bitterness, kicking and screaming to be heard with a determination that’s anything but hopeless. All it takes is a rallying cry of “I’ve embraced the calamity,” and that prior negativity starts to melt away, making way for one of PUP’s most heart-achingly wholesome and endearingly human sentiments yet. “Music for us, and this band for us, is a way to be productive with all the negative things that come with life. It’s supposed to be a positive experience,” Stefan Babcock proclaims. “It’s not supposed to validate our negative feelings. It’s supposed to kind of rage against them,” he explains, “to help lift us out of whatever shit we’re going through.” Punk can be many things – as its most stereotyped, it’s aggressive. But for PUP it’s never been about anger or aggression, rather the energy and the drive to escape those things. “If you’re trying to make meaningful music, or meaningful art, it’s important to probe the darkness,” Stefan conveys. “But at the same time, let’s not kid ourselves. This is pretty fun for us,” he beams. “There is this constant reminder to ourselves when we’re probing that darkness that at the end of the day, this is for fun. It should be fun. The people who listen to our band, we all want them to have fun.” “That’s why we play in this band: it’s fun,” the frontman continues. “We want people who listen to the record and come to the shows to have fun. We don’t want to be...” he pauses, rethinking his statement. “We are always miserable, but we don’t want to be,” he laughs. “So we’re trying hard not to be.” “And we’ve got dad jokes,” guitarist Steve Sladkowski interjects, “just in case you were wondering. Tonnes of dad jokes.” Gathered around a table in a busy ramen restaurant in Toronto, jokes are in high order. Whether it’s taking the mick
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Brut Interview.
Belgian trio Brutus are one of rock’s best up-and-coming bands; following a crazy couple of years, their second album ‘Nest’ is a corker. Words: Linsey Teggert
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Crime Watch Interview.
Supergroup The Damned Things are back after nearly a decade away with a renewed passion for collaboration; Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman tells us what’s what. Words: Jasleen Dhindsa
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t’s been nearly ten years since supergroup The Damned Things’ debut album came out. Comprised of members of Fall Out Boy (Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley), Every Time I Die (Keith Buckley), Anthrax (Scott Ian), and Alkaline Trio (Dan Andriano), the band have returned with a second album that feels considerably more organic than their debut, ‘Ironiclast’.
“When we originally did the band, Scott, Andy and I were jamming in a warehouse based in Chicago,” Joe explains, “and then we ended up doing some demos with [producer] Joe Barresi in Pasadena that we never ended up making an album out of. It was very raw and loose, and even though it wasn’t the right thing, to a degree, we wanted to do it. “Then we had compiled the full band with Rob [Caggiano, The Damned Things’ former guitarist and Anthrax member], and we were forced to do it on a major label because of contractual reasons. All of these things started to happen, and it felt bigger, and I was thinking, ‘Oh shit, we should make sure this production is very slick’. “With all of our other bands and all of our other records,
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Too Real
Interview.
Post-punk newcomers Fontaines D.C. are breaking out of Dublin with starkly honest tales of everyday frustration. With their debut album having just landed, they’ve a huge year ahead. Words: Steven Loftin.
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