John Peel would have been 73 years old today. I’m not sure if some of our younger visitors would remember this legendary UK DJ but he introduced so many amazing bands into the ears of many for decades and we miss him loads.
His voice was so endearing that I found myself encapsulated, listening in to what he had to say. The bands he picked for his Radio 1 Show were so sporadic that I would sit with my tape recorder waiting for anything that sounded vaguely punk or indie and capture it for use on the way to school. He had a tendency to throw in all sorts of random music in the mix such as Reggae, African and even Hawaiian music, so I had many taped compilations of tracks that have the first bar cut off the front end! Bands such as The Smiths, Electro Hippies, Dinosaur Jr, Intense Degree, Napalm Death…the list runs as long as your arm. It was a lottery, but such a great one that no other DJ has come close to over the years.
I met him once in a tent at Glastonbury. We both stood there whilst the rain bucketed down chatting away about hardcore punk, D.O.S.E, Mark.E.Smith and much more whilst Euro 96 football played on a screen in the tent. He was a gent and had plenty of time to chat about music to anyone. Something I will never forget. Please raise your glass tonight to this man as he graced so many people like myself with quality music knowledge that no fanzine back then could deliver regularly.
John Peel RIP. You can find his archived radio shows here. Have a look and download some brilliant sessions and shows of the past as there’s some amazing stuff in here.
Its fair to say that Hevy Festival was a resounding success this year. Plenty of ‘partying hard’ was had and the sun shone throughout! With three stages of awesome music, we though we’d bring you the highlights, the bands who really stood out, so that you can be sure to check them out at any future shows or events…
FRIDAY 3rd AUGUST
Deaf Havana
Described by some critics as ‘McFly with tattoos’, Deaf Havana are a little out of place here, especially coming on as headliners after Deez Nuts. Leaving their original southern hardcore influences behind and filling their set with pop-rock genius, Deaf Havana impress the critics and cynics a like. Old school fans will be a little disappointed that tracks from ‘Fools And Worthless Liars’ dominated, but when James Veck-Gilodi has the balls to perform a beautiful solo rendition of `Friends Like These’, a vulnerable yet triumphant highlight of the festival is being witnessed for all to see.
Trapped Under Ice
With a hench front man and chugging bass lines, basically, you don’t fuck with TUI. The kids are in their element during Trapped Under Ice’s set, these guys know how to do hardcore, everyone is moving, this is the real deal, a blistering combination of punishing punk and a whole lot of fun. Perfect.
Bleed From Within
After a small amount of heckling from the crowd due their strong Scottish accents, Bleed From Within launch into a powerful performance, a master class in modern metal. Front man Scott Kennedy doesn’t stay still for more than a second and gives the set some real guts. Riffs in the vein of As I Lay Dying blow away any remaining hangovers. After a dominating set here and having recently signed to Raw Power Management and Century Media, expect these guys to become metal titans with their next release.
Last Witness
Hevy’s line up is full of hardcore bands. Some bad ones, some average ones and some real treats. Last Witness are right up there with the best. Adrian Cecil goes absolutely nuts on bass whilst the crowd go a even more insane. The bizarre competition to ride an inflatable dolphin on top of the crowd isn’t needed, everyone is two-stepping and surfing over the barrier as it is. The bouncers certainly earned their money during Last Witness’s set.
SATURDAY 4th AUGUST
Seahaven
Seahaven’s emotive post-punk is blissful in the summer sun. ‘It’s Over’ is a calming yet tormenting track that highlights their set. Their melodies are unmatched throughout the whole weekend and fully deserve the recognition they receive from the Hevy crowd.
Bury Tomorrow
These guys had a rough deal at Hevy. First off the sound cuts out just as front man Dani Winter Bates launches into his first scream. But ever the charismatic front man, it doesn’t faze him; he interacts with the crowd at ease whilst the techies get to work. Once everything is sorted the set is victorious, Mehdi Vismara performs exquisite solos with the crowd lapping up every note with glee. Catastrophically for the band, the plug is pulled as the set over runs during the time of highest momentum. The last song is cut short and the crowd are left in disgruntled. Bury Tomorrow deserved more than just a 20 minute set, however the cheers that resound long after the band leave the stage emphasizes that Bury Tomorrow are the next big thing in British metalcore.
Glassjaw
Despite creating two genre defining albums, recent live outings from Daryl Palumbo and co. have, at best, been mixed. Fortunately, the band delivered a bursting performance of chaotic tracks taken from their back-catalogue, including ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence‘ and highlight ‘Siberian Kiss‘.
Andrew WK
Finishing the night, we were treated to a masterclass in partying from the king of not giving a shit, Mr Andrew WK. Opening with ‘It’s Time To Party‘, followed by ‘Party Hard‘ and ramming the theme down our collective throats with ‘Party Til’ You Puke‘, we got exactly what we were hoping for from the set. Chaotic, ridiculous but ultimately a insane amount of fun, the night drew to a close as a sea of sweat and smiles.
SUNDAY 6th AUGUST
Hawkeyes
Despite this being the third festival the band had played this weekend, Leeds bruisers Hawkeyes played one of the most compelling sets of the Hevy. Setting up his microphone in the middle of the audience, singer and guitarist Paul Astick encouraged the crowd to get as close as possible, creating a raucous basement show feel in the middle of the English countryside.
Listener
On paper, an experimental spoken-word act stands out on the Hevy line-up, but with the crowed pouring in to witness them at the Red Bull Bedroom Jam stage proves they were an inspired booking for the festival. Rousing, affecting and impossible to take your eyes off, Listener are a band to be genuinely excited about.
Hundred Reasons
Although they have put out four albums in their career, Hundred Reasons are destined to be remembered for just one. Fortunately, said album ‘Ideas Above Our Station‘ was one of the finest pieces of British post-hardcore of the noughties. Realistic enough to know that they’ll never recapture that time, yet smart enough to give fans what they want, Hundred Reasons played IAOS in full to incredible effect. Despite the waves of nostalgia, the 12 songs still sounded as fresh as the first time they were played and were delivered with boundless energy, with the excitement of the band only matched by that of the crowd.
Vinnie Caruana
Vinne Caruana, the I Am The Avalanche and former Movielife frontman loves to tell a story. So much so that he only managed to play around six songs in the entire set, whilst treating us to tales of New Jersey and his ex-wife. Despite complaining that he’d ruined his voice, the songs he played still held up, with Movielife anthems including ‘Walking On Glass‘ proving a real treat.
Descendents
After a disappointing return last year, it was great to see the Descendents on incredible form. The Californian legends most definitely deserved to play to more people than they did (sadly, this was a true for a lot of the bands over the weekend), but hearing tracks like ‘Everything Sux‘, ‘Hope‘ and of course ‘I’m The One‘ live will be a memory that anyone who still holds a torch for the band will never forget.
WORDS: Emma Wallace & Joe Parry
PHOTOS: Cat McKenzie
With influences ranging between The Clash, The Buzzcocks, Joy Division and Black Flag, the Leamington Spa quartet, Sharks, are right up our street. We caught up with the James Mattock (lead vocals and guitar) and Andrew Bayliss (guitar) backstage at Hevy Festival before their set to discuss their album ‘No Gods’, signing to Rise Records and their plans for the future…
So for those who don’t know much about Sharks, if you could describe your band in three words, what would you say?
James: God I don’t know….
Andrew: Well, I’m going to go all cheesy and say, ‘Rock. And. Roll’. Sounds so cheesy I know, but it does sum us up quite nicely.
You’ve been on tour with some awesome bands, who would you say are the most inspiring bands you’ve toured with?
James: Oh I don’t know, there are so many… but Social Distortion was cool. Gallows, The Gaslight Anthem…
Andrew: We’ve been so lucky with tours, we’ve had some really good ones. We’ve had a mixed bag, lots of different genres and plenty of big names.
You’re signed to Rise Records, they are currently famous for their metalcore bands, although they do have some sweet punk bands like The Bouncing Souls. What was it that swayed you to Rise Records?
Andrew: They were just very enthusiastic and passionate about wanting to put out our records. We were a little skeptical at first because as you say their roster does lean more towards metalcore, and at the time they hadn’t signed The Bouncing Souls and other bands like that. We were one of the first bands for them to sign that was different to what they had been doing but they were so passionate we went with it.
James: Yeah, we knew of their aspirations to branch out and we were proud to be the band they wanted to branch out with, so yeah, we just went for it! They are a very good label if you want to attempt to crack America. So far they’ve helped us a lot. The only negative thing about signing to Rise Records is that people might see our video on Rise Records Youtube etc and then be a bit confused, like,’Hang on, this doesn’t sound like Of Mice & Men, where the fuck is the breakdown?!’.
Andrew: We were just enthusiastic for people to hear the record, and Rise really wanted to get it out there. We’re pleased to have signed to them.
How has the overall reception been for your latest record ‘No Gods’?
James: Overall its been great! Even these more sort of hardcore kids are into it, I’ve heard they regard it as their ‘chill out’ music, which is a little odd as essentially we are still a punk band! But whatever, as long as people are getting into it, that’s cool!
Andrew: I’m still really proud of that record. We went in with something that is the polar opposite to what we put out, but I think that’s for the best. Brian McTernan, the producer, really helped to reign us in and get a more focused sound, because to start with, looking back it was more of just a jam!
James: I can’t put my finger on it, there’s material that has inspired us from all over. Some really old stuff too. We wrote it over a few years, whereas the current record we are writing over a smaller time scale, like two months! So its hard to say what our influences were when its such a long time span. We were just aiming for a solid debut, a timeless guitar record.
Andrew: We wanted the production raw, we wanted to walk on that line between a nicely produced record and something that is still quite alive. Kind of like The Gaslight Anthem, although they definitely have a different sound, its that kind of guitar record.
Are there plans in the pipeline for new material and tours?
James: Yeah, its going good. I guess we are about half way through a record. We’ll aim for about 20 songs, then cut back.
Andrew: We want to get it wrapped up as quick as possible to keep the positive attitude going and get people to hear new stuff. As much as we like ‘No Gods’ we aren’t going to sit on it for too long.
James: We want it written by the end of the year, and I guess we’ll have to see where we are financially, we might have to record it ourselves. At the moment we are focusing on getting the best songs we can to get out there as quickly as possible.
Andrew: We aren’t on the road as much as we have been, so we are using all this down time to write. Although saying that, we are heading out to Australia soon which we are so looking forward to, and then Japan after that!
James: Hopefully we’ll have a UK/Euro tour soon, maybe November time.
On Thursday we showed you the brilliant video ‘Snakes’, the new single by UK underground hardcore sensation, Giants. Here’s what we found out when catching up with Giant’s Jack to discuss our shared passion for skateboarding and music.
So it’s no secret that you guys have huge amounts of love for skateboarding and music, would you say that each of those passions cross over into the other?
Yes definitely. It is no secret at all that most of us would say most of our musical background comes from skateboarding, watching skate videos as kids with your mates and hearing so many different styles of music for the skaters sections, finding out what bands they were and getting into them from that etc. But I am not saying that is the only way all of us got into music haha!
You’ve listed Skateboarding as your only influence on your Facebook page, would you say that that really is the only influence on your music or do other things come into play when writing?
No it isn’t our only influence, we’re mainly influenced by everyday hardships, things that piss us off, positive times, memories, nostalgia etc. I think I put that there as it’s more to the fact that that is how we all met really.
You guys have done a few tours this year; do you guys take your boards with you on tour?
Yes! Half our time on tour is spent looking for skateparks, some that we could never travel to when we were younger, we skated Stoke Plaza a few times last year which was rad. Giants' suitably decorated amp What has been your favourite place to skate when you’ve been on the road?
I think as a group probably Stoke or Bristol, but recently we visited a plaza in Mansfield which was amazing! So many intelligently crafted little lines, it was sick!
Apart from a couple of rolled ankles or heel bruises not so much really! It’s always a bit of a worry as that sort of injury to hands or feet could prevent us from touring.
Probably a tough question, but if you guys had the choice between making a living from music or making a living from skateboarding, which would you choose?
Haha, that is actually probably the toughest question we’ve ever been asked. Erm, I am not sure. I would say it’s a lot harder to earn a living off of skateboarding, especially if you’re trying not to “sell out.”
You recently headed out to mainland Europe, the beer is cheap there and the scene even more crazy than ours… any interesting stories to tell us?!
Europe was one of the single most amazing experiences of our lives in this band, we had never been treated as kindly as we were out there. You can tell the passion for music out there is so strong. It still means something to the kids out there, they all help each other and are genuinely grateful that 5 smelly dudes playing in a punk band will cross an ocean to play in a room for them. There were so many funny stories from this tour, like we got so drunk on the first night after the first show as the venue manager gave us four crates of beer that our van got towed without us knowing. Also being our first time over there, with only one of our crew spoke very broken German, the language barrier presented so many funny situations… like when some Police officers told us we couldn’t skate in their car park as we will “make an accident on their cars.”
So what’s the latest on new material from the GIANTS camp?
We are releasing a mini-album entitled “These Are The Days” on the 17th of September, it will feature 9 tracks of our newest and best material to date. We have taken real time on these songs; we didn’t just write them in a month and record it the month after, some of them we have had with us for about a year. We’ve learned that you can only get to know your songs properly by playing them live extensively on the road, seeing how people react to them etc. If you liked our debut EP you will like this record a lot, the songs are faster, the riffs are bigger, the heavy parts are heavier but, we’ve taken into account what we’re best at and what we’re not and have therefore excluded the unnecessary.
We looked to our roots of whilst writing for the record, old skate-punk bands that we got into by playing Tony Hawks games like Pennywise, Offspring, Good Riddance, Rise Against as well as the modern hardcore/punk we’re all into like Comeback Kid, Pour Habit, Stick To Your Guns etc. and we feel that these songs reflect our band for what it is.
Neil D Kennedy and the guys at The Ranch Production House have done a sterling job with it, this record sounds exactly how a Giants record should sound.
You’ve got some dates lined up with We Are The Ocean, they have a slightly softer style, how are you going to win over their fan-base?
The lads in We Are The Ocean have been our best friends since school days, they live down the road from us and we both played our first shows together in different bands. To tour with our long time mates that we go to the pub with every Friday is going to be such a great experience we hadn’t really thought about this! I guess We Are The Ocean used to be a post-hardcore/screamo band, most of their fans are always asking for them to play the older material so I think we will do ok! Kids usually go mental for the heavier band on the bill at shows. Great Cynics are also an awesome punk band on that tour you should check them out!
Grab a free download of Giants anti-Scooter track ‘Snakes’ here.
Not only does August host some of this year’s best festival line ups, there are plenty of gigs going on too. Here is the lowdown from Crossfire HQ on what dates to put in your diary and who to see over the coming month: Deez Nuts
7 SECONDS
Hardcore legends 7 SECONDS are in the UK for the Winter Gardens festival in Blackpool and a show in Leeds this Saturday at the Brudenell Social Club with Agnostic Front, but Monday’s show at the Underworld in Camden with Madball should be killer.
DEEZ NUTS
Combining Hip-Hop with hardcore, Deez Nuts are a one crazy band to see live. They are also the sort of band you will either love or hate but in their own words, they ‘Don’t give a Mother-Fuck!’. 2nd Club Revolution & District 7 –Peterborough, 3rd Hevy Festival – Kent, 5th The Venue (formerly Krash) – Newcastle, 6th The George Inn – Andover, 7th Hobos – Bridgend
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND
Now joined by ex-Rise To Remain drummer Pat Lundy, Funeral For A Friend are playing a couple dates over August to subtly remind everyone that they are one of the UK’s best live acts. 2nd Sub89 – Reading, 3rd The Pavillion – Weymouth
GRIZZLY BEAR
Grizzly Bear are one of the most experimental indie bands out there at the moment. Fusing a whole load of different instruments (including banjo, keyboards, omnichord and glockenspiel) with electronics this Brooklyn based band are sure to put on a mesmerizing performance. 28th The Junction – Cambridge, 29th The Albert Hall – Nottingham
HEAD AUTOMATICA
The pop/rock n roll side project of Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo should be on everyone’s guilty pleasures list. The band haven’t been over to our shores in goodness knows how long and with some pure pop genius they will definitely get the crowds dancing. 5th Cellar – Southampton, 6th Relentless Garage – London, 7th Sound Control – Manchester, 8th Garage – Glasgow, 10th Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
HEVY
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re a bit excited about Hevy, the line up is unbelievable. Be sure to party hard with Andrew W.K. on the Saturday night and check out what other bands we recommend catching here. 3rd – 5th Port Lympe – Kent
Polar Bear Club POLAR BEAR CLUB
As well as an appearance at Reading & Leeds, the brilliantly named Polar Bear Club squeeze in a London date in at the end of the month. For fans of Small Brown Bike, Third Eye Blind, Silent Majority, Hot Water Music and Lifetime. The tour continues into September with support coming from the exquisite Into It. Over It. 24th Leeds Festival, 26th Reading Festival, 31st Borderline – London
RADFEST
Presented by SEXBEAT and Nudie Jeans Co this years festival has expanded to a secret warehouse complex in Hackney after selling out in previous years. The prospect of Ceremony, a Poster Roast exhibition and a Kristina Records pop up store all in close proximity sounds mouth watering to us. 19th Hackney Down Studios – Hackney
READING & LEEDS
The Cure, Gallows, The Gaslight Anthem, Enter Shikari, A Wilhelm Scream, Alt-J, Cancer Bats, Mastodon, At The Drive-In, Every Time I Die, Pure Love, Anti-Flag, Trash Talk… Don’t need to say much else really. Oh other than there will be a whole load of awesome newcomers to watch on the BBC Introducing Stage. 24th – 26th Reading & Leeds
YOUR DEMISE
Having put out a record that divided fans earlier this year, Your Demise are back on the road to promote said album ‘The Golden Age’ on the ‘Golden Monster Tour’. The YD boys always put on a good show and with these being some of their most intimate dates of late its sure as hell going to get sweaty. Support comes from the ever promising Last Witness (Holy Roar Records). 13th Sub89 – Reading, 14th The Mill Arts Centre – Rayleigh, 15th Waterfront – Norwich, 16th Club Revolution, Peterborough
Not many underground bands have such a buzzing hype around them as UK newcomers Proxies do, and what’s more, it’s well deserved. Proxies are one of those bands who have turned their passion into something tangible through hard work and dedication, actually getting off their arses and doing something rather than waiting for the industry to fall into the palms of their hands.
Producing records in their bedrooms, recording vocals under bunk beds, relentlessly networking and gaining the right contacts has put the band in a promising position at the start of their career. We catch up with keyboard player/programmer/vocalist/general-busy-body Jordan Fish to find out more…
Hey Jordan! First off can you explain how the formation of Proxies come about?
Kind of by accident in that we never planned to be a band. I had begun exploring electronic music with a couple of friends, who way more talented than I, mostly for fun but also to see them in action and learn from them. I knew Joe from college and it turned out he was doing something sonically similar around the time and suggested working on a song together. So we did. Then we worked on some more. Alex lives down the road from my parents and I asked him if he could play the songs so we could try and reproduce them in a live environment, we tried them a couple of times in Joe’s university house and had fun with it. We didn’t ever expect to play live, so when a couple of our friends that liked our music asked us to support them at a few shows, we were a little on the spot. I asked my friend Josh to play bass live for us, he played in a band I’d actually stumbled across via YouTube a while back. He added some vocals in rehearsal and as officially joined a couple of months later. A little while after that I think we realised we were a band.
Proxies Live
Proxies mix many different styles and genres together, what artists have influenced Proxies?
So many. Each of us have such a wide variety of influences that when you include all of our influences together it begins to sound ridiculous. I think we’d all agree on artists like Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, Muse and Daft Punk being amongst the most influential. I know Joe listens to a lot of pop punk, particularly that New Jersey pop punk kind of sound and we share a lot of favourite bands. I listen to a lot of electronic music lately, but mostly am a rock music fan at core which might explain our sound a little. As a rule I could say everything Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen work on is golden, the first Panic! At The Disco record is a masterpiece and Katy Perry‘s singles are only ever the best pop songs… I don’t know if that’s relevant.
Considering Proxies are a relatively new band you have toured with some high profile artists and worked with big names such as Sean Smith & Gareth McGrillen. What has led to your involvement with these credible acts so soon in your career?
We had to pay them one million pounds in hookers and drugs and cash and sexual favours. We got the cash by selling our insides to The Church Of Scientology. Not really. Our band has been really fortunate that super talented people have taken us under their wing and helped us out. Gareth has been a friend for a while and liked what we were doing. Gareth introduced me to Sean a while before our band started and the feature came naturally – we all knew each other and Gareth and I were kind of on the same brainwave with the song and both had Sean in mind to do the additional vocal on it and kind of mentioned it to each other at the same time. Gareth is the nicest dude on the planet and we wouldn’t be where we are now without his help.
You have created an impressive online following and are well known for networking with fans via social media. But the internet often comes under fire with regards to illegal downloading. Do you think the internet is the future or the demise of the music industry?
The music industry is changing a lot, so in that respect the internet probably does bring about the demise of the old model. That said, our band would not exist at all without the internet. That’s really simple. It has been how people discover our music, how we’ve distributed music, how we keep people that care about our band informed on what we are doing. Beyond word-of-mouth and the little touring we have done, it has been the only form of communication we have had. Online merch orders have come in from Chile to Argentina to all corners of the US and Australia. Those people will only know about our band because of the internet. YouTube makes an almost level-playing-field for the discovery of music and great undiscovered content goes viral every day thanks to sites like Reddit. So it is the demise of an old model but it is also the future of the industry. The faster bands (and labels) can adapt to the internet generation instead of trying to control and dictate it, the quicker that will be realised I think.
‘Lost Tapes Volume 1’ epitomizes a DIY attitude to music by self producing the EP and hand-making the physical copies. What are your thoughts on the EP now that it’s complete and out there for people to hear?
I’m really glad we did it. The response has been overwhelming. To hear people singing along at shows to songs we wrote and recorded in our bedrooms is really strange and makes us even more proud of it.
'Lost Tapes Volume 1'
It seems Proxies never stop working! Do you have plans to release new material anytime soon?
Yes! We started working straight away on a sequel to the free EP, which we are recording in our bedrooms and producing ourselves once again. It will be released in the next few weeks. We have also been working for a while with back with Gareth and another producer Andy Gray on an official release. So that’s on the way too.
Selling out physical copies of your EP in seconds and being announced for Reading & Leeds are impressive achievements, how does it make you feel?
I am convinced it is a big elaborate prank that one of my friends has planned and everybody is in on the joke. It definitely has just crept up on us and been a huge surprise. We’re all a little bit shocked but determined to try and make the best of it.
So finally, after an impressive start, where do you see Proxies in 5 years time?
Haha, wow. Hopefully we will have put an album out properly. I’d like to be able to perform a headline tour too. But I don’t even know what we’ll be doing in 5 months time, 5 years is such a huge scale. Maybe Joe will be working on a solo experimental acapella folk punk album and Alex will be trying his hand at movies. Maybe people will say they liked us better when we recorded EPs in our bedrooms and struggled to survive, before we sold out and recorded in one of those “mainstream recording studios”. Or maybe nobody will care. Regardless, I like to think we’ll still be making music.
Make sure you check out Proxies at their up coming UK dates and of course at this years Reading & Leeds festival.
As always Reading & Leeds has an impeccably strong line up. Headliners The Cure, Kasabian and Foo Fighters are joined by numerous big names across several stages including Cancer Bats, At The Drive-In, The Gaslight Anthem, Enter Shikari, The Maccabees, Every Time I Die… The list goes on! But for those who are more interested in finding some fresh blood, the recently announced BBC Introducing is the place to be.
33 up and coming bands have been selected by various BBC Radio Introducing shows and the festival promoters Festival Republic. We’ve handpicked our favourites below with the full stage line up as follows: Attention Thieves, Backyards, Bearfoot Beware, Black Moth, Crooked Tongues, Cut Ribbons, Danica Hunter, Dear Prudence, Dingus Khan, Empror & Duppy Beatz, Escape To New York, Escapists, The Establishment, Family of the Year, Fish Tank, Glassbody, Hawk Eyes, Hildamay, Ifan Dafydd, Lady Lykez, Marmozets, Marsicans, Max Raptor, Mikill Pane, Park Bench Society, Proxies, Rachel Sermanni, Samoans, Sarah Williams White, Seasfire, Wet Nuns, We Walk On Ice, We Were Frontiers.
Proxies:
After selling out physical copies of their EP ‘The Lost Demos’ in a matter of minutes, having toured with the likes of Hadouken! and Canterbury, releasing a single featuring The Blackout’s Sean Smith, and, with over 16,000 followers on Facebook is a bit of a surprise that Proxies are on Reading & Leeds smallest stage! Well we can assure you they won’t be there for long, watch this electric young band up close and personal while you still can!
Hawk Eyes:
Describing their debut album as, “sleek and modern and hardcore and suitably post-post-everything,” and themselves as, “Band, four people, Leeds, riffs, spend a lot of time in a van,” Hawk Eyes are a no frills, yet exceptionally fun, British rock band. We can guarantee that Hawk Eyes won’t be playing these smaller stages for much longer so catch their intimate set while you can…
Samoans:
Samoans are masters of the fretboard. Their distinctive brand of progressive math-rock draws influence from the legendary Reuben and Maps & Atlases. The raw emotion in the vocals is comparable to early Biffy Clyro, making Samoans are compelling and intense live band.
We Walk On Ice:
After featuring on Fred Perry’s Subculture ‘Best New Music’ section and filling out some of London’s coolest venues, We Walk On Ice are one of those buzz bands that you need to catch. Renowned for surf-pop-soundscapes, We Walk On Ice are the perfect accompaniment to a British summers day (weather permitting).
Attention Thieves:
Born in the vibrant Reading music scene, Attention Theives combine straight forward rock with some gutsy punk spirit. You may recognize front man Alex Green from tech-metal band The Arusha Accord, but Attention Theives are on a completely different end of the alternative spectrum with a much more accessible sound. Constantly living life on the road and frequently treating fans to new music videos, Attention Thieves deserve this exposure.
So Hevy is only a few weeks away and after several festivals (including Download & Isle of Wight Festival) being complete wash-outs this year, Hevy have decided to defy the elements and gain a roof!
A statement on the official Hevy website reads, “Using production wizardry and festival witchcraft, we’ve put a roof over every stage for this year’s Hevy Festival! We’ve merged our 4 existing stages into 3, with 2 alternating Main Stages under one roof (which means there are now no clashes for all major bands) and our Red Bull Bedroom Jam Stage boasting it’s own tent. All this without compromising set times!”.
So now we know that we aren’t going to get too soaked at the festival, which bands are on the must see list? Obviously main stage headliners Andrew WK and Descendents should be seen- this goes without saying but there are plenty of other acts across the board that should make it onto your timetable. Crossfire reveals all.
Glassjaw
After tearing up Hevy in 2010, the mighty Glassjaw return to destroy the Rock Sound stage on Saturday. Although combining multiple genres including screamo, punk and psychedelic rock, Glassjaw are most often celebrated for their hardcore roots. The band are nothing short of iconic in the hardcore world, with many present day artists taking inspiration from these legends. Known for their emotive yet ferocious records and aggressive -and at times insane live shows- Glassjaw are definitely on our must watch list.
The Safety Fire
After touring relentlessly with the likes of The Arusha Accord, Periphery, The HAARP Machine and Xerath, The Safety Fire have slowly but surely started to make an impressive name for themselves amongst technical and progressive metal fans. Their debut album ‘Grind The Ocean’ has been complimented by many critics for its punishing riffs and soaring vocal melodies and will most certainly impress this year’s festival crowd too.
Trapped Under Ice
If there is one band on the line up that will demand you take notice it’s Trapped Under Ice. Last seen over in the UK as support to Your Demise where they dominated an obviously strong line up that also included Man Overboard & Basement, Trapped Under Ice define pure and gutsy hardcore. Hevy is the only summer festival in 2012 where you can catch this great band, don’t miss out.
Sharks
Raw and emotive, Sharks are a true DIY British punk band. Their critically acclaimed album ‘No Gods’ (which was released earlier this year via Rise Records) has finally got heads turning in the right direction. Although tamer than many other bands on the Hevy bill, Sharks do still have a strong bite to their The Clash/The Gaslight Anthem; Brit-pop infused rock and roll.
The Smoking Hearts
Despite a continuous touring schedule, every The Smoking Hearts show is just as crazy as the next. Famous for their rather destructive performance, expect to see instruments thrown around, the band in the pit and the crowd on the stage. Despite only forming in 2009 they have already shared the stage with huge names such as Gallows, Bring Me The Horizon & The Misfits. If you want some insane rock n roll to party to check these guys out on the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Stage.
Bleed From Within
If you are after a bit of straight forward metal with no strings attached, Bleed From Within are for you. This hardworking Scottish band have shared the stage with bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Suicide Silence, After The Burial, I Killed The Prom Queen and All That Remains and have 2 EPs and 2 Studio albums under their belts. Bleed From Within are currently working on their third album and will hopefully preview new material to the festival crowd.
Gnarwolves
Gnarwolves are awesome. Not only for having a brilliant band name and for their love of skateboarding but for their ridiculously energetic pop punk. Having already shared the stage with the likes of Touché Amore, Basement & The Wonder Years, hype has started to develop around these Brighton boys. Check them out as they open up the Punktastic stage on Friday and see why their latest EP ‘CRU’ recently entered out Buzz Chart.
Seahaven
Seahaven are a buzz band at the moment, one of those underground groups who will soon burst into the limelight for all to see. Forming in 2009 as the brainchild of singer/songwriter Kyle Soto, Seahaven caught the attention of Run for Cover Records (Tigers Jaw, Title Fight, Man Overboard) after self-releasing the EP ‘Ghost’ and went on to release their debut LP ‘Winter Forever’ via RFC records. Hevy have treated fans to a bit of exclusivity as Seahaven’s performance will be their first on UK shores!
With summer being a wash out so far, we decided you may need some fresh beats that are been dropping into speakers all over the world right now. Search through these mixtapes, videos and album reviews of what are officially Abjekt Approved and if you would like to contribute towards the next edition, then contact us.
TOP 4 MIXTAPES
Wiz Khalifa – Taylor Allderdice
Wiz Khalifa is back with a brand new mixtape, Taylor Allderdice, a nod to the name of his high school in Pittsburgh. The rapper found mainstream fame with his album Rolling Papers, but if the sugary nature of most of that album wasn’t for you, then worry not – Taylor Allderdice is a return to form, seeing Wiz vibe out again like he did on the brilliant Kush & OJ mixtape.
There are features from Juicy J and Rick Ross, production from Spaceghostpurrrp and Jake One as well as a Frank Ocean sample and plenty of weed references, of course. Sound like something you want to chill out to? Then grab it here.
Action Bronson & Party Supplies – Blue Chips
Action Bronson said he wanted to give something back to the people that have supported him over the past couple of years and what better way than some free music? The larger-than-life cook turned rapper has teamed up with producer Party Supplies for this mixtape full of references to food and women. What else was he going to rap about eh?
The beats aren’t always the most sophisticated, but they all hook you immediately and give Bronsolinho the perfect canvas to spill his guts, so to speak. You can just hear him grinning throughout the length of the mixtape and you’d be hard pressed not to do the same by the end. Get that get that.
Lute – West 1996
Lute is a new rapper on the block, coming out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Whilst it may not be the hotbed of rap talent, Lute comes out swinging, talking up his manor, proving that you don’t need to come from a coast or the dirty South to have skills. Technically, this may an album, rather than a mixtape, but either way it’s a thumbs up.
The beats are super throwback, as could have been guessed from the Nas-esque cover and that’s what makes it such a great listen. The drums snap, the samples are tight and the rapping is stellar. This might not be an instant bang-fest but give it a few listens and you’ll be sure to enjoy it. Stream it here.
Pete Rock – Portland Connection
The last offering comes from Indamix Records with the MY-G “Portland Connection” mixed by Pete Rock featuring 38 unreleased jumpoffs. Hopefully this will bring the sunshine to this rotten UK summer so far. You decide.
TOP TRACKS
El-P – The Full Retard
El-Producto is back with a new album, Cancer 4 Cure, out on Fat Possum right now. He released this and we got hyped. You should do the same as the album is amazing. Pump this shit.
Stalley – Everything New
Stalley’s latest project Savage Journey To The American Dream dropped at the end of March. Chad Hugo from The Neptunes produced this and we love it.
Yasiin Bey – Sunshine Screwface
Yeah yeah, we still call him Mos Def and he still rules. This track was produced by the always wonderful Dilla [R.I.P.] and sets us up nicely for the release of the next album, whenever that may be.
Killer Mike – Butane (Champion’s Anthem) feat. El-P
There are a few ways of getting my attention and making me love what you’re doing – one is to be affiliated with Outkast and the other is to have El-P giving you beats – Killer Mike fits the bill with both of these and as such it was with excitement that I listened to his new album, R.A.P. Music [Rebellious African People]. Read my full album review here.
VIDEOS WE LIKE
Joey Bada$$ & Capital STEEZ – Survival Tactics
Joey Bada$$ might not have the best name in the world, but considering he’s just 17, the dude has talent. He hooks up with his mate Capital STEEZ on this track where both rappers prove their worth. The video is cool, the beat is great and the MCs wrap it up nicely. Boom.
Schoolboy Q ft. Ab-Soul –Druggys With Hoes Again
Schoolboy Q’s album Habits & Contradictions has been getting some serious playbacks and this is one of the bouncier tracks, amongst the laid back, understated vibe of the majority of the record. With crew mate Ab-Soul riding alongside with him, it’s one to crank up high.
Flatbush Zombies – Thug Waffle
Likely to be next in line to win hipsters over, following in the footsteps of A$AP Rocky, Flatbush Zombies are a duo that sport gold fangs and smoke a lot of weed. Both of those things are fine with us, especially when they name tracks Thug Waffle.
A few pints in and we arrive at the brewery with Enter Shikari to find free booze on tap and some strange frogspawn type food on the ends of wooden spoons. I had to try one but looking back I have no idea what it was. It stayed in my stomach though, washed down with a mohito and a can of weak beer, lunch was done.
Welcome to the Kerrang! Awards 2012, one of our favourite piss up’s of the year. The lovely organisers decided to give us seats next to none other than Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne who sat with his wife Sharon and Kelly. Thankfully there was no dog shit to be seen under the table like in their house of madness. I did check.
As bands and hangers on guzzled champagne, Tenacious D’s Jack Black hit the stage to massive applause and picked up a Service to Rock award, various other awards were handed out to Mastodon, Machine Head, You Me At Six and others, an Aussie comedian laid into the Queen, Slash walked his walk and we threw sausages at emo kids.
We won the Award for stickering up the bogs and playing records badly at the after party. Now we have large hangovers. Thanks Kerrang! Hopefully next year we can can share frogspawn with Slayer. Enjoy the pics.
Ozzy and Sabbath celebrate being the kings of all metal!
Enter Shikari won best live band. Rou Reynolds won best skateboard hat of the night and Hero of the Year Award. Drummer Rob Rolfe won the award for the best piss into a bottle on the night.
Bring Me The Horizon took the Best Video Award, no pissing involved here.
Ever wondered why Kerrang! Icon Slash is so called?
Yep, of course we drank Tony Iommi’s beer. It was Carlsberg though so no wonder he left it.
The Best British Newcomer Award was well celebrated by While She Sleeps.
Glen Matlock from the Sex Pistols welcomed us with open arms.
Hawk Eyes love a bit of sausage. Fact.
The man with the best riffs in the biz knows. Inspiration Award won hands down.
On Thursday we showed you the brilliant 
A few pints in and we arrive at the brewery with Enter Shikari to find free booze on tap and some strange frogspawn type food on the ends of wooden spoons. I had to try one but looking back I have no idea what it was. It stayed in my stomach though, washed down with a mohito and a can of weak beer, lunch was done.
