F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 8
KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW THE NEW ALBUM IN STORES 26 JANUARY FEATURING PLAY, HABITS & MAJOR SYSTEM ERROR AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW
LIMITED EDITION COLOURED VINYL, SIGNED PHOTOS AND MERCH BUNDLES AVAILABLE AT SHOP.ROADRUNNERRECORDS.CO.UK CATCH MARMOZETS ON TOUR 2018 02/02 Cardiff, The Tramshed 03/02 Southampton, Engine Rooms 04/02 Brighton, Concorde 2 06/02 Cambridge, Junction 07/02 London, ULU 08/02 Nottingham, Rescue Rooms 09/02 Newcastle, Riverside 11/02 Sheffield, Leadmill 12/02 Edinburgh, The Liquid Room 13/04 Belfast, Oh Yeah Music Centre
BRIAN FALLON SLEEPWALKERS
THE NEW ALBUM
FEBRUARY 9TH 2017 INCLUDES FORGET ME NOT + IF YOUR PRAYERS DON’T GET TO HEAVEN
upsetmagazine.com Editor: Stephen Ackroyd (stephen@upsetmagazine.com) Deputy Editor: Victoria Sinden (viki@upsetmagazine.com) Associate Editor: Ali Shutler (ali@upsetmagazine.com) Writers: Alex Bradley, Alex Cabré, Alex Thorp, Brad Thorne, Danny Randon, Dillon Eastoe, Eleanor Langford, Heather McDaid, Jack Press, Jake Richardson, Jasleen Dhindsa, Jenessa Williams, Jessica Goodman, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Samantha Daly, Steven Loftin Photographers: Brendan Walter, Corinne Cumming, Sarah Louise Bennett Cover Photo: Brendan Walter 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. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Upset or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. P U B L I S H E D F RO M
THE BUNKER W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M
EDITOR’S NOTE
IN THIS ISSUE... RIOT!
6 OF MICE & MEN 10 DA N G E RO US SUMMER 11 I N H E AV E N 12 T I N Y M OV I N G PA RTS 14 B RI A N FA L LO N 16 DZ D E AT H R AYS 18 M A RM OZ ETS 19 G ET CA P E , W E A R CA P E , F LY 20 P L AY L I ST
ABOUT TO BREAK
22 D RE A M W I F E
24 F U N E R A L S H A K ES
FEATURES 26 38 42 46
FA L L O U T BOY WAT E RPA RKS T H E XC E RTS TO N I G H T A L I V E
RATED
52 FA L L O U T BOY 54 WAT E RPA RKS 55 G O O D T I G E R 58 M A RM OZ ETS 59 H OT E L BO O KS 60 C RE E P E R 61 G O O D C H A RLOT T E
Fall Out Boy aren’t like most bands: content to push the same old buttons, delivering the expected to an audience always looking for a certain fix. Pete, Patrick and co. couldn’t be more different. Since returning from hiatus, they’ve pushed themselves into new, exciting spaces, challenging their fans and the mainstream consciousness at the same time. As they release their latest collection ‘M A N I A’, and take their first Upset cover, we’re delighted to bring you a band who’ll never be content to settle for the status quo.
E V E RY T H I N G H A P P E N I N G I N RO C K
UNBREA FOLLOWING EVENTS THAT WOULD HAVE BROKEN MOST BANDS, THE TIME HAS COME FOR OF MICE & MEN TO
T
PROVE THEMSELVES. ARE THEY UP TO THE CHALLENGE? WORDS: JACK PRESS.
his time last year, Of Mice & Men were wondering if their New Year’s resolutions would ever come to fruition, having been dealt a near-fatal blow in the departure of their frontman Austin Carlile. Yet here they stand, playing arenas with their brand new record – the aptly titled ‘Defy’ - under their belts. On a rare day off, bassist Aaron Pauley
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reflects on the year just gone and the year to come. “We still wanted to deliver these songs to the fans,” he explains. “We still wanted to play our songs to people who found meaning in our music. For us, it was really important to get back out there no matter what.” Relentless waves of touring hit them like a physically-straining mentally-testing whiplash, but it soon became clear they had a reason to go on. Once they began
playing their two riff-raging, hook-heavy, arena-anthem comeback singles – ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Back To Me’ – across the summer at festivals, it all clicked into place. “We wrote those songs for the sole purpose of going out and playing them live; we weren’t thinking of those songs as recordings. Like moving the needle of our band, we just wanted to play live. When we got to play them at festivals
AKABLE like Download, seeing how they moved people emotionally, and physically, was a big thing.
record the songs that we want to play live. A lot of the writing we do is live; we write by playing with each other as one.”
“Of Mice & Men’s always been a very liveoriented band, so we wanted to reconnect with that and to have them validate what we’re doing by saying, ‘It moves me the same way the old music did’. It’s very rewarding, you know? It feels good, and it feeds our soul and keeps us energised to be able to do what we do.
With a summer of shows over and done with, and the two new singles already heralded as staples of their set, OM&M found themselves with some free time to fill and a fire already alight inside. Their new record was not only going to allow them to continue doing what they love - touring - but deal process the seismic change within the band.
“For us, the intent has always been to play live. We absolutely love making records, but what the records are, they allow us to
“Making this record is our way of communicating with the outside world,”
considers Aaron. “After going through such a major band change, and life change, the way we get through that and express that is through music. I think making this record allowed us to heal in all kind of ways, and we hope it brings in this new chapter.” It was time to paint a record dyed in many shades; an album that addressed their feelings, their fears, and ultimately, their defiance. They set out to reinterpret and reconstruct what OM&M meant not only to them, but to their audience. “Anytime you go through major changes, 7
ABOUT TO
BREAK THE BEST NEW BANDS TH E H OT TEST NEW MUSIC
DREAM WIFE
DREAM WIFE HAVE ARRIVED WITH THEIR DEBUT, AND IT’S PACKED WITH AS MUCH ATTITUDE AND AS MANY BANGERS AS THEY COULD SQUEEZE IN.
WORDS: JESSICA GOODMAN. PHOTO: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT.
“T
wo years ago, we were this feral, wild band,” starts Dream Wife guitarist Alice Go. “We just went and did stuff. We had four songs and went out and toured Canada a month after we formed. We just did these tours where we did our own sound every night, had to get the money ourselves. We experienced quite a lot of sexism at the time, and it made us realise that things have to change.” Together, Alice along with vocalist Rakel Mjöll and bassist Bella Podpadec, are “a power trio”, she explains. “Three overworkers coming together and overworking together. You form this solidarity. You’re not just friends with these people; you’re on this journey together. Going through those early struggles, any one of us could have stopped doing it at any time. It was hard. Why are we doing this? But we just couldn’t stop.” Sentimental, nostalgic, full of belief and brimming with a never quit attitude, Dream Wife’s self-titled debut captures every jagged edge and polished corner of the band. There’s the grab and go opening of ‘Let’s Make Out’ that screams of losing yourself in the moment, the clenched first declaration of ‘Somebody’, unblinking as it promises “I am not my body, I am somebody”, the skipping twinkle of ‘Kids’ which longs for youthful simplicity and nights that would last forever, while ‘F.U.U.’ does away with threats as the band rage, riot and champion their own scene. Dream Wife for ife. “It’s our conversations being put through into the lyrics. Things that matter to us. It’s all about the energy and the conversation, rather than being analytical when we’re making it. We’re hyper-analytical about everything but
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in retrospect, which is a healthy way to work. We all came from art school so the rules, the expectations and the structures that are placed there, you’re constantly expected to be analytical about every step of the creative process but with Dream Wife, it’s about doing. You kill the magic if you overthink it.”
“YOU KILL THE MAGIC IF YOU OVERTHINK IT”
Dream Wife has become bigger than the three of them. Working with other artists on remixes, teaming up with photographers to explore the visual side of their bond and helping create the Bad Bitches Club with their longterm friend Meg Lavender in which they find, celebrate and champion the people coming to their shows, collaboration is queen. “It’s about letting other people into the vision because things can become stronger for it.” “There’s a part of the show now where Rakel will call up the Bad Bitches Club. It’s girls to the front. It’s about everyone being on the same level; it’s about us all being there together. It’s about solidarity, people that stand together with you and share the same frustrations but also the same energies, coming together on the same page. “It’s interesting in a set where the whole crowd is singing ‘I am not my body, I am somebody’, and then two songs later that same crowd is all screaming ‘bitch’ together. It’s a conversation with everyone, but in particular young girls. It’s amazing to feel like what you’re doing could mean something to somebody. “Over the last year, we have seen a
change in the people coming to our shows with girls feeling like they’re included in a rock show which is in its heritage intrinsically masculine. I never felt like I could just go to a show when I was younger. Obviously, everyone should come to our shows, but to create a space for young girls and to fly that flag, it’s an honour. “I hope people feel pumped up by this album. I hope people listen to it before they go out, I hope people listen to it and you’re just getting the bus into college, and you feel alone. Maybe it’s something that can help you feel less alone. Music for me when I was younger, it made me feel like I was less alone, that there were others out there who shared my views. If it makes them believe in themselves in some way, any positive feeling can only be good. “It’s about being heard, and if people feel like they can be heard and they’re not alone, it’s all good. Maybe the songs mean different things to different people but the fact it means something to people, that’s what it’s about. It’s a vital time to be having these conversations and hopefully changing people’s minds just by playing our rock shows.” P Dream Wife’s self-titled debut album is out 26th January.
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REAL THE
LAST
OF THE
ONES
WHEN MOST BANDS REACH A CERTAIN LEVEL, THEY’RE HAPPY TO SIT BACK AND KEEP IN THEIR LANE. NOT FALL OUT BOY. WELCOME TO ‘M A N I A’. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTOS: BRENDAN WALTER.
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“W
e get slammed for having this gee-whiz nature about things,” smiles Patrick Stump. “It’s this thing where it sounds like false modesty after a while, so I understand it, but you tell me, how unlikely is it that Fall Out Boy, of all bands, is still here?” Andy, Joe, Pete and Patrick have been such a relentlessly present force in recent years, a mainstay of radio, arenas and hearts, that it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t always the case. Coming back from any hiatus is tough enough. For Fall Out Boy, they had to shake off a sound and image that helped define the early noughties as well as find a new space to call their own. Echoing the past was never an option. Former glories are for those with nothing new to say. The back to back might of 2013’s ‘Save Rock and Roll’ and 2015’s ‘American Beauty/ American Psycho’ saw the band switch lanes, carve out their own space and create something new. ‘M A N I A’ sees them switch it up all over again. “The older I get, the weirder it is that I’m still here, that we’re still here doing this and that we’re still talking about this,” continues Patrick. “It still feels weird to me every day. Not in a bad way, it’s amazing, but I’m in genuine disbelief every night when we play and have that many people sing along, or are excited to see us, or are wearing the shirt or have the tattoo and all that. Really, still?” he asks with a grin. “It just shocks me. Maybe I’m just oblivious, but it feels very surreal. You never get used to it.”
B
ack in 2003, Fall Out Boy had a “pretty successful” record with ‘Take This To Your Grave’. “It was fairly up the middle in terms of genre. You can define that album,” explains Patrick. “So when we did ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ [in 2005], I was college age. Maybe I was going to go back to school if the band didn’t work out. And here I am about to do a major label debut record! Most of those major label debuts disappear without a trace. That’s the story for most artists. The odds are you do this; then you never make another record again. I knew bands personally, and that was their story. A lot of the bands from Chicago, a lot of the biggest bands in our universe, our sphere, were bands that had gotten signed and then disappeared off the face of the planet. They got signed, put the record out, nobody cared. That was the narrative
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we assumed we were going to be a part of.
“I THOUGHT H E LOV E D THE SONGS. HE THOUGHT I LOV E D T H E SONGS. WE REALISED WE HAD A PROBLEM B ECAUS E NEITHER ONE OF US DID”
“Not only did that that not happen, but we put out ‘. .. Cork Tree’, and it was a big hit. Then we put out ‘Infinity On High’ [in 2007], and by some measures, that was an even bigger hit. It doesn’t make any sense. I don’t mean this in a self-deprecating way, but I’m not the most charismatic guy on earth, right? I didn’t imagine that I would be a part of something that would be that successful. Then we put out ‘Folie A Deux’ [in 2008], and the way this story goes for most bands is that that’s it. That’s all you get. Time’s up. You’re going to be playing the festival circuit, or carnivals and state fairs, for the rest of your life. That’s normally what happens.”
PETE WENTZ
Not for Fall Out Boy, though. “When we came back post-hiatus [in 2013], it was amazing because I genuinely didn’t know people still wanted us. I didn’t know people missed us or wanted anything out of us. The fact we were coming back with new music that was very different to what we left with, and then people embraced it, that was very liberating. The things I’ve gotten to do now, after the hiatus. It’s so amazing. If Fall Out Boy had kept going and kept being what we were, I don’t think we would have ever been able to score films or work with orchestras and write hip-hop beats and do all the things we get to do now. That would have been an option if we were just the little midwestern pop punk band forever. It’s definitely been very liberating.” That feeling flows through new album ‘M A N I A’ like blood through veins. Once again but like never before, it sees the band push things forward and chase rabbits down twisted warrens. From the shattered glint of ‘Young & Menace’
through to the spread palm of ‘Bishop’s Knife Trick’, Fall Out Boy nudge your expectations and shift the boundary lines a little further. It’s what they were always going to do, though. Believers never die. Back on ‘. ..Cork Tree’, Patrick said to himself: “This is my only shot. This is probably the last time I’ll ever put out a record. I want something that 10, 15, 20 years down the line, will have laid a blueprint for musical change. I know I’m not a genre guy. I’m not the guy who’s going to be playing the same kind of music for the rest of his life. I wanted to make sure that was there, even then. “The thing that I’m excited about is that it feels like this record finally realises that for me. It’s like all the things I wanted to set up in ‘. ..Cork Tree’ have come to life. All the weird, different elements of folk, blues, RnB, future bass, metal and jazz are there. There’s all sorts of weird stuff.”
S ’ T A H T M N I A T ENTER BETTER TERPARKS KNOW , SOMETHING WA ON D THE TEXAS INI AN OP D E RL RIS WO LA ROCK NDS OFTEN PO BETWEEN THE HIP ’, FRONTMAN NS NT TIO ME SUCCESSFUL BA LA ATE RE TERTAIN SECOND LP ‘EN TH THE LOVE-H WI OF . E ST AS AGAINST HIM… MO LE ING RE AN TH THE WILL ABOUT THOSE CONTINUE WITH CK TO FU T A SE E VE GI OM ’T THREES Y HE COULDN HT EXPLAINS WH AWSTEN KNIG N. SO RD HA RIC WORDS: JAKE
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MENT
T
he question of what constitutes ‘rock’ music t causes in 2018 is one tha p seven fans to verbally lum other on a bells out of each sic, it now daily basis. Rock mu ut a sound seems, is less abo gy and and more an ideolo kari, Hey aesthetic: Enter Shi P), Twenty Violet, Lil Peep (RI … none of One Pilots, PVRIS what you these bands make ditional’ would regard as ‘tra they rock music, and yet brella all fit under the um . thful alt-rock world of the modern, you ns is izo hor k’s roc of The broadening who better – after all, undoubtedly for the box-ticking nt, gna sta a of t wants to be par lling-down of the genre? But the dia o, rap ergence of electr guitars and the em ative culture ern alt in ces uen and pop infl n’t ists, and there are is upsetting the pur g off the oldsin pis at ter bet s many act parks. guard than Water has sten Knight, who Led by a man, Aw t his ast in the belief tha adf ste n bee ays alw right ative music is the ern alt to ch roa app tarist completed by gui one, Waterparks – o Wood and drummer Ott ton ing Wig off Ge sten course with, as Aw – are on a collision re on (mo ” s, rdo bea puts them, “the old pise everything the them later) who des do. band are trying to to be d we were going “I’ve never doubte o instantly wh n, ste Aw ins successful,” beg . confident individual comes across as a going to be a re we we e iev “I had to bel to be I do in life, I want success. Whatever you can’t want how see ’t don I great at; g when you’re workin success, especially early days. I always the in s wa I as as hard there, and if anyone thought we’d get ’re say, ‘Trust me – we I’d , me ned questio happen’.” it ke ma to ng goi re,” or seemingly “got the Waterparks have g close to conquerin at the very least are e they set out achiev whatever the “it” gs instays, radio darlin was. Magazine ma Geoff winners, Awsten, and Warped Tour hottest property in and Otto, are the op/ emo/pop-rock/alt-p 2018’s pop-punk/ ll-it pack. Yes, -ca nna -wa you whatever-elsemore nks to tunes with they’ve done it tha tory, but as fac ap -wr ble bub pop than a g the they’re just makin Awsten explains, nted to. wa ays alw e y’v music the thing sic more than any ite “I listen to pop mu is one of my favour $ha “Ke s. say he else,” a lot of hip-hop and to en list I and , people ments so many great ele rap too. There are
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E R D Y DA 42
G N I M A E TO COMPETE WITH AK OUT. “WE WANT XCERTS’ TIME TO BRE . OD CLE NOW COULD BE THE MA S MURRAY THE BIG DOGS,” SAY NE CUMMING. DAID. PHOTOS: CORIN WORDS: HEATHER MC
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E H T IN S W O D SH A SAME BUM,
RELE
NTLE
SS
HT ONIG AL RE. T NEW BEFO BEL, R A E UM L V E HE B NEW THAN UP T - U P, BITE LINE KICK E L R W A O E N M TION WITH T I VA BUT E MO MISM IS TH ’ D OPTI L R S. RWO NEED UNDE 2018 E’S ‘ ER. ALIV HUTL ALI S : S D WOR
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RATED
52
P H O T O : B R E N D A N WA LT E R .
FALL OUT BOY MANIA eeee
F
all Out Boy are on the move again. While both ‘Save Rock and Roll’ and ‘American Beauty/American Psycho’ stood proud with their singular purpose and ten-chapter story of reinvention and purpose, ‘M A N I A’ is as glitching and chaotic as opening track slash inspirational spark ‘Young & Menace’ suggests. The band are at home where the wild things roam. Tossing between exhaustion and the desire to be the best yet, the track still hits like a whirlwind. Under the nightmarish electro breakdown, static charge and smirking glee beats big soul and spirited adventure. That Neverland escape whistles through ‘M A N I A’ as the band bend art pop to their liking. From the whistling reggae dancehall of ‘Hold Me Tight (Or Don’t)’ to the soulful surrender of ‘Church’, ‘M A N I A’ draws influence from space and time. Rather than parody, repetition or tired checklist of theme weeks from the X Factor, the record takes each new, robust flavour and owns them. There’s a reason in the risk, a message in the madness. Sure, ‘Champion’ sounds like Fall Out Boy of recent old but the lyrics are more pointed, more direct and less guarded. The idea that they’re the champion of the people who don’t believe in champions is stitched into sleeves and worn across chests. It’s a purposeful backing that lets ‘M A N I A’ dig a little deeper, stay a little longer and take a moment to look around at their surroundings, toying with conversation. Both band and Burna Boy are entwined on ‘Sunshine Riptide’, impossible to pry apart or tell where one begins, and the other ends while the ultralove stomp of ‘The Last Of The Real Ones’ twists over a chirping twinkle. Every leap of faith comes with fullbodied commitment. Every brand new move, an unwavering belief. Stepping further away from the arena rock that’s defined their post-hiatus output and attitude, this record sees the band once again exploring pastures, new, old and undiscovered. Impossible to peg down or box in, ‘M A N I A’ sounds like Fall Out Boy enjoying being Fall Out Boy, and taking full advantage of all the freedom that offers. Catch them if you can. Ali Shutler 53