** PLUS ** BRING ME THE HORIZON // EMAROSA // CANE HILL // BLOOD RED SHOES // QUEEN ZEE + LOADS MORE
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February 2019 upsetmagazine.com
FIDLAR
EMPLOYED TO SERVE
PUPPY TAKING BACK SUNDAY
REVOLUTION ROCK!
are ready to take control
FIDLAR EMPLOYED TO SERVE TAKING BACK SUNDAY PUPPY
Victoria Park London E3 24 May > 02 June
Fri 31 May
BRING ME THE HORIZON RUN THE JEWELS
NOTHING BUT THIEVES
IDLES SCARLXRD > YONAKA
+ MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
Tickets on sale now
FEBRUARY 2019 Issue 40
HELLO. You’d be forgiven for looking at the state of ‘the world’ and wanting to scream until your throat bled. But while dispair is entirely understandable, Fever 333’s route to recovery is probably more pro-active. This month, Jason Aalon Butler’s new troupe drop their debut album, and - spoiler alert - it’s essential listening. Burning not only with a white hot fury, but also an honest and believability that few can match, we’re delighted to welcome them to the cover of Upset. The revolution starts here. Elsewhere we go deep on Bring Me The Horizon’s expansive new album, both live and on record, catch up with former Upset cover stars FIDLAR, and get ready for an exciting 2019 with Employed To Serve. Enjoy!
RIOT 4. EMPLOYED TO SERVE 8. SET IT OFF 10. STAND ATLANTIC 12. EMAROSA 14. TAKING BACK SUNDAY ABOUT TO BREAK 18. QUEEN ZEE 20. PRESS CLUB 21. SPIELBERGS FEATURES 22. FEVER 333 30. BLOOD RED SHOES 32. FIDLAR
36. PUPPY REVIEWS 40. BRING ME THE HORIZON 42. CANE HILL 43. GIRLPOOL 45. FEVER 333 LIVE 46. BRING ME THE HORIZON 48. WOLF ALICE 49. TONIGHT ALIVE TEENAGE KICKS 58. LE BUTCHERETTES
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd
Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alex Bradley, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Jamie MacMillan, Jamie Muir, Jasleen Dhindsa, Jessica Goodman, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Frances Beach, Sarah Louise Bennett 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
Set It Off vocalist Cody Carson rounds up the need-to-knows for his band’s new album. p.8
EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK
ONE STEP FORWARDS EMPLOYED TO SERVE
Their second album, ‘The Warmth Of A Dying Sun’ saw Employed to Serve scale new heights. Now the band are following up one of the best albums of 2017 with new effort, ‘Eternal Forward Motion’. Frontwoman Justine Jones teases what’s to come. 4 Upset
It’s Emarosa, but not as you know them. The group have shed their post-hardcore roots for a sound that’s more glam... p.12
Hey Justine, what are you up to at the mo? Hey, what’s up!? We’re just on our last two dates of the Stick To Your Guns and Counterparts tour and having a great time. I’m also preparing myself for the overnight drive to Germany after our London show! Are you ready for 2019? It sounds like it’s going to be a big year for you guys. Couldn’t be more excited. We recorded the album in May 2018 because we wanted to not record in the dead of winter for
once so we’ve been sitting on the album for a while now and can’t wait to finally release it! ‘Force Fed’ is brutal, what made you choose that for your comeback track? It’s one of our personal favourite songs, and it has a little bit of everything on the album, so I feel it’s a good representation of what to expect. We also love playing it live. Do you already know which tracks you’re going to drop
Hitting twenty years together, TAKING BACK SUNDAY have much to celebrate - and it’s a party that’ll run all year. p.14
as singles, or are you going to play it by ear? Yeah, we’ve known for a while now, pretty much as soon as we recorded it with Lewis. I feel like this album has more songs that would work well as a single while still sitting well in the context of the album. Did the overwhelmingly positive reaction to ‘The Warmth Of A Dying Sun’ impact what you wanted to do with this next record? We try not to pay attention too much on outside pressures
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20
TAKING BACK SUNDAY
VISION T Hitting a milestone twenty years together, TAKING BACK SUNDAY have a lot to celebrate, and it’s a party that’ll run all year. Words: Alex Bradley aking Back Sunday are spending 2019 celebrating their 20th anniversary with the release of compilation album ‘Twenty’ and a world tour.
The album includes two new tunes but is mainly a voyage through their seven studio albums with the band making damn sure to include all the biggest hits to chronicle the heartbreaks, feuds, lineup changes and emo phases that shaped them into one of most reliable alt-rock bands in the world. But, for the usually effervescent and swaggering frontman Adam Lazzara, looking back at the history of Taking Back Sunday is actually unfamiliar territory. “It’s funny putting out this record ‘Twenty’ and even going through that stuff I was hesitant because I don’t want to be redoing something we’ve already done, or standing in still water looking back. I wanna be moving forward,” he begins. “But, it has been nice as I’m not usually the kind of person to do that in the sense of being able to look back and say, ‘Man, I’m really proud of us’.” While the semi-reluctant participant of a nostalgia trip into their back catalogue, Adam’s vision for the anniversary release differed slightly as his idea was to release a box set of the band’s entire work but in the end settled to whittle their songs down to 19 hits and then the two new tracks. In the end, looking at his work retrospectively had its bonuses. “The thing that I’m proud of is that each record and era of the band is a perfect snapshot and representation of who we were at that time. It’s very easy to fall into this cycle of doing what you know will work and there are glaring examples on each record of us not doing that.” The anniversary allows both the band and fans an opportunity to see Taking Back Sunday with a wider perspective and appreciate the full extent of their evolution. Back at the turn of the millennium, when the band
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FEVER 333
JASON AALON BUTLER has never exactly been a shy, retiring type, but with his current outfit FEVER 333 he’s ready to start a revolution. Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.
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F
ever 333 want you to know there’s strength in numbers. Since the promise of debut single, ‘We’re Coming In’, the band have loudly, proudly and passionately shared their mantra of the three c’s with soul-prickling conviction. Community, Charity and Change provide the foundation for this revolution while their debut album tears down anything standing in their way. You feel that? There’s a fever coming.
“I want people to feel power,” starts frontman Jason Aalon Butler. “I want them to feel the power they have within themselves. I want them to know the sense of power they get from being represented by others that speak to them and along with them but never for them. Very simply put, it’s power. I hope we can offer power on this album.” Last year was a whirlwind for Fever 333, “but in the best way possible.” Their debut EP ‘Made An America’ was released with no warning in March then two months later, they did the same again with the gun violence questioning of ‘Trigger’. There was a surprise appearance at Download Festival, a scheduled but no less raucous demonstration at Reading & Leeds before a bounce around Europe with Bring Me The Horizon saw them take control of countless arenas and make it look easy. There was also the small matter of a Grammy nomination in Best Rock Performance for ‘Made An America’, which was “not anything I expected,” Jason reflects. “It wasn’t something I’d put on my list of things to do in 2018, but it’s cool to be recognised by our peers and by an industry that I see as rather antiquated. It’s an interesting place for us to exist, among the recording academy but it’s cool.” Fever 333 have been followed by a swell of excitement, embraced with open arms and hungry hearts. It’s not just because they make music you can thrash around to, or because their live show is a carnival of chaos. It’s a band formed on belief, preaching belief, offering reasons to believe. “I hoped that the things I was feeling would offer representation
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FIDLAR
FIDLAR are growing up. “I hope people see we’re not just slacker punk stoner idiots,” says frontman ZAC CARPER. Words: Ali Shutler.
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“WE’RE FUCKING MILLENNIALS DUDE; WE GET BORED QUICK” ZAC CARPER
“O
ur entire career, nobody ever took us seriously,” starts Zac Carper with a grin. “And rightfully so. I mean we do have songs called ‘Cheap Beer’ and ‘Cocaine’ so I understand. Half of it is our fault. Nobody thought we’d be on the radio or play shows, so it goes to prove that nobody fucking really knows. Nobody knows anything.”
FIDLAR’s self-titled debut dances with drugs, parties hard and tries to numb the pain. It’s a torn page in staying young forever while ‘Too’ is an intense, emotional album that sees the gang embrace mistakes and sober up. Third album ‘Almost Free’ is the next step but it doesn’t see them growing up or settling down, so fear not. Instead, the record clings on for dear life as the band are tossed this way and that. That is the story of our generation after all. “Getting older is just wild,” laughs Zac. “And nobody talks to you about it. Supposedly it gets easier, but I’m not sure.” Life post-‘Too’ has been “pretty up and down” for FIDLAR. Touring saw them pogo between Europe and America countless times, keeping them busy and keeping them confined, so when they finally did get home, “it’s hard to be creative,” Zac says. “Your brain space is all crazy. We have this thing called P.T.B.D. (Post Tour Band Disorder). After tour, you can’t deal with life, and it’s such a weird thing.” Unfortunately, there was a whole lot of life to deal with. “I was going through a crazy break up, and some of our friends were kind of going crazy.” That ride was poured into ‘Almost Free’. Instead of cranking it out in one month, the band took twelve. A few weeks here, a few weeks there, it allowed FIDLAR to really play.
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POWER The time has come: PUPPY are kickstarting 2019 by finally releasing their long-awaited debut. Words: Jessica Goodman.
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G
o big or go home: not just a sentiment of daring encouragement, this is an attitude Puppy have lived by for a long time. Combining riffs brazen enough to rival the boldest metal acts with an affinity for addictive pop hooks, this is a band who make no apologies for who they are. With the release of debut album ‘The Goat’, their freewheeling sense of character has never felt clearer.
“We thought it was kind of funny calling a debut album the greatest of all time,” frontman Jock Norton introduces. Talking on a day off between tour dates, the group are in high spirits. With their long-anticipated first record on the rapidly approaching horizon, such energy is only natural. “I don’t think we ever sat down at any point and went, ‘Right, album time!’” Jock recalls, laughing. “‘We gotta write a hit, boys!’” he proclaims in an American accent. “We didn’t
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Rated_ THE OFFICIAL VERDICT ON EVERYTHING
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BRING ME THE HORIZON AMO
e eeee
A
mbitious. That’s the best word to describe Bring Me The Horizon. Their drive to make it to the very top hasn’t been without controversy - like any band that develops away from their initial sound to something more expansive and - gulp - mainstream, they’ve suffered their fair share of slings and arrows in the process. No matter what the haters say, though, ‘amo’ isn’t a cynical sellout. In much the same way as 2015’s ‘That’s The Spirit’, it’s the sound of a band striving to find something that goes beyond the narrow genre boundaries that defined the scene they first arrived into. 2019 isn’t so much about barriers and tribes, but for crossing the musical divides of old. That’s what ‘amo’ does. Bubbling with high flying synths and pop sensibilities just as often - if not more so - as it finds a meaty riff, at times it sounds like a totally different band. The short, sharp ‘ouch’ comes from a totally different world, and yet it works.
‘Nihilist Blues’, which sees the band team up with cybergoth queen Grimes, is equal parts shiny and sinister, finding a bridge between their two rapidly merging universes. But while some may see these as disappointments, they’re undoubtedly in the minority. Each makes Bring Me The Horizon a more interesting, relevant band, refusing to remain in the time loop that threatens to consume any act unwilling to cross the streams. When they find the balance, ‘amo’ is up there with the best Bring Me have. ‘Sugar’ is equal parts brutal and bombastic, while lead single ‘Mantra’ demands maximum attention, by force if necessary. Yes, it’s pop rock rather than metal, but it’s still a million miles from chart filler. It’s when they fully depart the ranch that ‘amo’ really shines, though. The pulsating ‘Why You Gotta Kick Me When I’m Down’ may be as much Chase & Status as it is Bring Me The Horizon, but it signals a band unconcerned with expectations, trying out their artistic urges. The truth is, for a band to exist on the scale Bring Me The Horizon aspire, they need to constantly evolve. As rock struggles to gain a hold on streaming service playlists, sitting still was never an option. While the spirit stays the same, the sounds change and twist, refusing to sit and get fat on the old rules of yesteryear. Right now, when it comes to finding a mix that works, Bring Me are the best in the game. What’s not to love? P
Stephen Ackroyd
BLOOD RED SHOES GET TRAGIC e e ee
A lot has changed since Blood Red Shoes last selftitled album back in 2014. Falling apart then pulling back together, there’s a refreshed energy to the record that’s come out of the turmoil. ‘Get Tragic’ might be named after the clichéd coping mechanisms the duo turned to in their time away, but it’s anything but a move of desperation. There are highlights aplenty - many of which have arrived as singles over the past 18 months. ‘Mexican Dress’ thumps with a vampish flair, while ‘Bangsar’ is one letter from doing exactly what it says on the tin. More about raw oomph than needless musical fiddling, BRS 2.0 sound like a band with a point to prove. P Stephen Ackroyd
CHAPTER AND VERSE GLOW EP e e ee
Having been ticking and toiling away for the last few years, East Londoners Chapter and Verse are finally gaining a bit of traction, and what better way to celebrate than in the form of a second EP. More importantly, what they’ve done here is hit the ground running to prove to the world they’ve only just begun. It’s an emotional rampage fully backed by instruments that sound intricately savage - lighting a fire behind the Chapter and Verse name. From the slightly refrained opening of ‘The Casket’, to the falsetto-breaching ‘Magazines’ and the prowling, escalating end of ‘Ink’, ‘Glow’ takes hold of everything that Chapter and Verse have been working towards and pushes it further toward being an unstoppable behemoth. P Steven
Loftin
Upset 41
WITH... LE BUTCHERETTES
Everyone has those formative bands and tracks that first got them into music and helped shape their very being. This month, TERI SUÁREZ COSCÍO from LE BUTCHERETTES takes us through some the songs that meant the most to her during her teenage years. The Beatles - Julia from The White Album
This record holds a special place in my heart because my father showed it to me when I was very little. It has since inspired my way of approaching songwriting. I was moved very much from the emotional and vulnerability of this record. ‘Julia’ being an outstanding song for me. It’s the kind of song that stops everything around you but within a sudden blow all your feelings you’ve had for your mother intensify to the second degree.
Selda - Gitme from (Türkülerimiz, Vol. 2)
This album moves me to tears and hypnotises me at every listen. Selda’s sadness and rage translate through the speakers while the guitar work sedates the listener
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with just the right dosage of effect pedals fused with Turkishinfluenced funk. She was one for the pioneers of activism and feminism in her own right. ‘Gitme’ is a revelatory song in which a wound is desperately trying to be protected, to be wrapped without much further luck, the wound begins to rot... her songwriting is poetry and leaves the mind aching her aches.
one of my first exposures to a fierce and mean sounding productions with a ridiculous overflowing feel of sensuality and dangerously heart-melting lyrics. I have never heard a record that contained over a three-minute drum solo, and it certainly shocked me as I would listen to it in my bedroom, letting the drums take my mind into a meditative state of violent hunting.
Fela Kuti - Mister Follow Follow from Zombie
The Pretty Things - Death from SF Sorrow
Fela Kuti is a fearless gamechanger, especially given the era he endured in Ghana to make his risking-taking art, having endangered his own life to write his bone-shaking realist lyrics. A rebel with many causes. The funk guitar and earthy African beat elements are potent. Spiritual conviction fused along with the fiery leading wind instruments, which immediately possessed my body and made it move like it has never moved before.
Cream - Toad from Wheels of Fire
The main reason this record changed my life was that it was
I thought I was numb during the period where I came across ‘SF Sorrow’, and when the first song came (‘S.F Sorrow is Born’), I was instantly attracted to the sound and vocal melody. Once you get into the story of The Pretty Things, you start becoming more intrigued with the history of their music. This record along with ‘The White Album’ opened my mind to the craft of harmonies. Overwhelmingly dark and beautiful. I remember walking into my room after school (after a long day of being bullied). P
Le Butcherettes’ album ‘bi/ MENTAL’ is out 1st February.
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㈀㔀⸀ ⸀㈀ 㤀
䘀䔀䄀吀唀刀䤀一䜀 吀䠀䔀 匀䤀一䜀䰀䔀匀 ᠠ圀伀刀䰀䐀 匀吀䄀一䐀匀 匀吀䤀䰀䰀ᤠ ☀ ᠠ䈀䰀䄀䌀䬀 䠀伀䰀䔀ᤠ
䌀䐀 簀 嘀䤀一夀䰀 簀 䐀䤀䜀䤀吀䄀䰀 倀唀倀倀夀嘀夀䈀䔀匀
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