Howdy.
April 2023
If we were forced to make a list of new musical royalty, there’s probably one name that would stick out from the crowd when it came to the last decade. In the mid-00s Pete, Patrick, Hayley and Gerard were all sprinkled with the star power to make them identifiable from a single name. From this generation, one man has quite clearly gobbled the lot. Awsten Knight is a force of nature. Waterparks are back on the cover of Upset, and they’re coming for our fish and chips. This will not stand, Awsten. We fight at dawn.
RIOT! 4. FIDLAR 12. LIES 20. SNAYX 22. Black Honey ABOUT TO BREAK 26. Pool Kids 29. Coach Party FEATURES 30. Waterparks 40. Bury Tommorrow 46. Manchester Orchestra 52. The Van Pelt REVIEWS 56. Fall Out Boy TEENAGE KICKS 58. Bar Stool Preachers
Stephen Ackroyd @stephenackroyd Editor
UPSET Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler
Scribblers Alexander Bradley, Connor Fenton, Jack Press, Jamie MacMillan, Kelsey McClure, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor Snappers Alice Bailey, Jamie MacMillan, Leila Rummery, Martyna Bannister, Mimi Hong, Sarah Louise Bennett, Shervin Lainez PUBLISHED FROM WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER.COM PO BOX 420, HASTINGS, TN34 9LZ
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.
THE MONTH IN ROCK
THAT’S LIFE... 4 Upset
RIOT!
A much-needed refresher in how to have fun: it’s the long-awaited return of chaotic punks FIDLAR. Words: Jack Press. Photos: Alice Baxley.
→ The dumbest thing you could do is take FIDLAR too seriously. The Californian punks don’t do deep. They smoke toads, and argue over 90s pop culture. If it doesn’t crack them up, they’re keeping schtum. Spending their afternoons sticking it to post-tour sickness, the trio of Zac Carper, Brandon Schwartzel, and Max Kuehn play it cool. Dusting off the cobwebs with comeback EP ‘That’s Life’, the trio say goodbye to founding member Elvis Kuehn and the mad scientist studio experiments of 2019’s ‘Almost Free’ and say hello to three chords and the truth. “’Almost Free’ was us reacting to touring so much. It was like, ‘let’s go into the studio and do the studio stuff we aren’t allowed to do’ because we’re constantly touring,” Max says in a rare moment of reflection from the band. “’That’s Life’ feels like a reaction to not being able to tour and being in the studio for too long, where you’re like, ‘let’s make some loud, fun shit that’ll go off live’ – it’s a product of where we’re at and what we’re doing.” Like snorting speed, the aggro-punk of comeback single ‘FSU’ is a giveaway for anyone guessing where they’re at after a global pandemic and four years away. We think? Zac claims it made the cut first because “that was the dumbest one, gotta set the palate right away”, but for Brandon, it was a way of kicking the door back open. “Since we hadn’t done anything for a while, if we’re gonna kick the door open, ‘FSU’ seems like the best song to obliterate. It’s the biggest punch we had of just being like, ‘wow, what the fuck, that’s gnarly’,” says the bassist, with Max jumping in to say that “coming out of quarantine, that’s how we all felt - fuck this whole thing, we’re pissed. ‘FSU’ went off at the first couple of shows; it was fucking crazy to see Upset 5
RIOT!
12 Upset
RIOT!
Mike and Nate Kinsella - long-standing members of American Football et al - have teamed up for a new project: introducing LIES. Words: Rob Mair. Photos: Shervin Lainez.
Upset 13
22 Upset
Black Honey are back, and they’ve brought their best album so far with them.
Words + photos: Jamie MacMillan.
Upset 23
30 Upset
WATERPARKS - the most chaotic band on the planet - are back. But what’s the problem with fish and chips, Awsten? Words: Jamie MacMillan.
Upset 31
40 Upset
Pulling themselves back from the brink, BURY TOMORROW return rejuvenated, and with one of their best albums yet. Words: Jack Press.
Upset 41
VISIONS O
46 Upset
OF A LIFE Focussed on resilience, rebirth and self-redemption, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA are back with a surprise new project. Words: Alexander Bradley. Photos: Shervin Lainez
Upset 47