** PLUS ** AS IT IS // BOSTON MANOR // UNDEROATH // MANNEQUIN PUSSY // PETROL GIRLS // JOHN FLOREANI + LOADS MORE
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July 2019 upsetmagazine.com
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B ARONESS JAMIE LENMAN WATERPARKS ST PIERRE SNAKE INVASION
Come in, dinosaurs...
Y Y U U N N G G B B L L U U D D ...your time is up.
“ONE OF THE MOST ATTENTION GRABBING ALBUMS OF 2019.” UPSET 4/5
THE NEW ALBUM OUT NOW CD – LIMITED CLEAR VINYL LP – DIGITAL INCLUDES THRASH METAL CASSETTE & BACK FOOT DINOSAURPILEUP.COM
JULY 2019 Issue 45
HELLO. As you probably already know, we like people that kick up a bit of a fuss; those who go against the grain and win the argument anyway. If we’re looking for a poster boy for a non-conformist route to stardom, we’d not do much better than this month’s cover star. Yungblud’s rise continues to be stratospheric. Crossing the burning ruins of the long fallen genre divides at will, he’s 110% attitude at all times. It’s working, too. With a huge tour coming up later this year, a Reading & Leeds main stage slot on the books and all manner of absolute bangers in his back pocket, those dinosaurs better watch out - this is their extinction event. Elsewhere this month, we’re packed with Upset faves. Baroness and Jamie Lenman both return with new albums - we’re talking to both - plus catching up with Waterparks, Boston Manor, As It Is, Mannequin Pussy, Doll Skin, Underoath, John Floreani, Petrol Girls and more. There’s loads to get your teeth into. Enjoy!
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd
Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Jamie MacMillan, Martyn Young, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Frances Beach, Glen Matheny, Patrick Gunning, Sarah Louise Bennett, Tom Pallant 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.
RIOT 4 JAMIE LENMAN 8 ST. PIERRE SNAKE INVASION 11 JOHN FLOREANI 12 FANGCLUB 15 UNDEROATH 16 DOLL SKIN FEATURES 18 YUNGBLUD 28 SLAM DUNK 2019 36 BARONESS 40 MANNEQUIN PUSSY REVIEWS 42 JAMIE LENMAN 45 THE LAFONTAINES TEENAGE KICKS 46 PETROL GIRLS
Riot_ EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK
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THIS MONTH IN ROCK
Four years on from their debut, The St Pierre Snake Invasion have put their all behind follow-up, ‘Caprice Enchanté’. p.8
Fangclub have fought with addiction and depression to produce their visceral second album, ‘Vulture Culture’. p.12
Trophy Eyes frontman John Floreani bares all on his debut solo album, ‘sin’. p.11
UNDER THE INFLUENCE Interview.
Packed full of covers and reinterpretations of music, movies, books, games and cartoons, Jamie Lenman’s new album ‘Shuffle’ might just be his most ambitious project yet. Words: Steven Loftin
M
oustachioed muso Jamie Lenman is one of rock’s wildcards. A self-starting go-getter, over the years he’s hosted his own festival (Lenmania), been a part of a lauded rock band (Reuben), and established himself as a rocking and rolling solo figure with two albums under his belt. So, where to next?
A covers album, of course - but not just any covers album. ‘Shuffle’ is a deep dive into Jamie’s inspirations that also features spoken word and acting, and does away with any preconceived notion of track-listing. This is a record where
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Riot_
Fangclub have fought with addiction and depression to produce their visceral second album, ‘Vulture Culture’. Words: Steven Loftin
Interview.
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n the two years since Fangclub released their 2017 self-titled debut, singer Steven King has been through the wringer. Battling with addiction and depression, it all came to a head with an overdose and the harsh feeling of reality - he’s feeling far more optimistic now, however. “It’s very strange. When I look back, it seems like a different Steven; a different person,” he confesses. “I’m grateful that all that happened. It’s been such an amazing time in the band, right now I have this unstoppable drive for Fangclub. I feel super confident; it’s a good place!” The album in question, ‘Vulture Culture’, is undoubtedly the result of a dark learning
experience. It’s Steven, along with drummer Dara Coleman and bassist Kevin Keane, reflecting back upon the journey they’ve been on and setting it alight for all to see while exorcising some of those demons. “All of the songs are quite thematically violent, that’s what I was going for: brutal honesty and inner violence. You’re your own worst enemy, and you attack yourself so much. The things you say in your own mind, you wouldn’t say to your worst enemy.” The album starts not with a raging banger, but an ember-burning six-minute jam. “That was this nice way of juxtaposing - starting on this huge sentimental goodbye because it’s a huge goodbye song,” Steven explains. “I wrote it from this note I’d written my girlfriend a year ago,” he says. “When things were quite bad, and that song it goes from sounding quite sombre, and it becomes uplifting and hopeful - it sets up that sentimentality of saying goodbye to the first chapter of Fangclub. And then you smash straight into ‘Vulture Culture’ for the rest of the record.” Just as Steven says, the titular follow-up track is a true-to-form stomper - no holds barred in digging deep into that part of your brain that just loves a damn good riff. It’s a reminder that Fangclub are a band who have that pure energy - three people, playing instruments, and working through their lives. It’s how Fangclub began, and with such pure beginnings, it’s easy to see how Steven fell into the romance of the industry that’s
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THE THE THE THE POETRY POETRY POETRY POETRY IS IN THE IS IN THE IS IN THE IS IN THE STREETS STREETS STREETS STREETS Every so often, an artist comes along that refuses to conform to expectations. When Dominic Harrison first emerged on the scene, it was hard to imagine Yungblud would end up as one of the most exciting new voices in rock - yet, by crossing boundaries and blending worlds, that’s exactly where we are.
Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: Glen Matheny, Tom Pallant.
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“Of course I have something to prove,” grins Dominic Harrison. “I will do until the day I die. It’s what keeps me driven.” With his Halsey and Travis Barker collab ‘11 Minutes’ currently all over the airwaves, follow-up ‘Parents’ continuing the party, a headline show at London’s Brixton Academy on the cusp of selling out, main stage slots at the likes of Reading & Leeds filling up his summer, and album two well on the way, Yungblud’s world is painted seven shades of excitement right now. “Everyone’s asking, ‘Is this Yungblud kid going to drop off?’ ‘Is this just a hype moment?’ And of course, that’s what it is, but the people asking that, I believe they’ve only skim read the brand.” Brash, opinionated, and from the working class town of Doncaster in northern England, it’s easy for naysayers to dismiss him as just a loud-mouthed kid out for attention. “Do you know what I love more?” he asks with a beaming smile. “Proving them wrong.” If you’ve seen Yungblud live - if you’ve listened to the likes of ‘Loner’, ‘Parents’, ‘Polygraph Eyes’ or ‘Kill Somebody’ - you know this isn’t a passing moment; there’s more to Yungblud than neon socks and a capital-lettered need to be heard. He talks openly about anxiety, mental health and suicidal thoughts; he knows his generation has inherited a world that seems intent on destroying itself as quickly and as brutally as it can. But alongside that, there’s a clenched fist optimism; a defiant, unrelenting belief that change is possible.
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“I’m not trying to piss anyone off, I just want to build a community” “I’m not trying to piss anyone off. I’m not trying to be whatever these kids demand, that’s boring to me. That’s not interesting. I just want to build a community that helps people and is real. That’s it. I want to help people ‘cos they helped me. “All my life, I’ve been searching for a sense of belonging. All my life, I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. I felt like I had to manipulate myself just to fit in somewhere. But finally, I fit in somewhere in this life, and that’s with my fans. I don’t feel lonely anymore. “At the end of the day, I’m just building a culture. For me, it isn’t about how many hits I get. It’s about my fans and how many people are in the room. Do I care about being at the top of the charts? Eventually, one day. “All I’m bothered about is connecting with people. I just want to put out dope, real shit. I want it to get as big as it possibly can get, of course - I want to be the biggest artist in the world but that isn’t the priority. If that is the priority, I believe you’re in it for the wrong reasons. You want fame, go be a fucking TV presenter. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m not here to do that. I’m not here for fame; I’m not here for money. I’m just here to tell my story and connect to people. I need to. People need to know how I feel, or I’m going to disintegrate.” Somewhere, there’s a photo
of baby Dom just six hours old, outside the hospital he was born in, with a The Beatles ukulele across his knee. Eleven years later, he started playing in a garage band. “I just started writing these diabolical songs but to hear them played back by other musicians, that got me instantly addicted.” His music “was always very political,” he explains, “but I remember moving down to London at 16, and when I first met management companies they tried to mould me into something that wasn’t political and wasn’t feisty at all. They tried to beat it out of me. They wanted me to flutter my eyelashes and wink at the girls because they thought that’s what would get me on the radio. After a year of that, I’d had enough. Fuck that; I’m gonna do my thing.” Growing up on My Chemical Romance, Marilyn Manson and Eminem, Dom was never going to be the poster boy for radio friendly. “They said it as it was. Why beat around the bush? Fuck the bush. Burn the bush. I always tell people how it is, even if it gets me into trouble.” The turning point was a meeting with A&R Declan Morrell at an open mic night. “I was playing acoustic songs and jumping off the fucking speakers. He realised there was a disconnect. I told him what music I was into, The Clash, Gaga, Oasis, and he helped me get back to myself.” But still, “not a single label in the UK wanted to know. They just didn’t care. Everyone misunderstood me as this bratty kid who was disrespectful to older generations. I’m not that ignorant. I pay attention to the times. I make sure I’m informed, and I make sure I know what the fuck I’m talking about. I love being challenged. I love arguing and I love proving people wrong. If I’m not getting a record deal, I’ll release it myself.”
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Festivals 2019.
Slam The Review.
Words: Ali Shutler, Steven Loftin. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett, Frances Beach
Slam Dunk is one of the most reliable highlights of festival season, a hotbed for both established faves like All Time Low and Waterparks and buzzy newcomers like Pagan and Hot Milk. Here’s what went down at Slam Dunk South 2019.
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Dunk All Time Low
Taking their spot at the top of the Slam Dunk bill, All Time Low know exactly what they’re doing. Coming on to The Beach Boys’ classic ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, they provide escapism from the world at large. “We’re here to Spice up your life,” vocalist Alex Gaskarth remarks as they take fire at the apparently awful sound at yesterday’s Spice Girls gig. The Baltimore band’s charm and energy mean that even ten years later, the songs they bust out from third album ‘Nothing Personal’ - including a few deeper cuts - sound as fresh as they were a decade ago. Awsten Waterparks comes out for ‘Break Your Little Heart’, before the band treat the Slam Dunk South crowd to new track, ‘Getaway Green’. As the set barrels onwards and the sun disappears, All Time Low round off the night with a fan stage-invasion during the urgent call of ‘Time-Bomb’, and the encore of ‘Lost In Stereo’ and staple ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’ encompass what Slam Dunk is all about: nothing matters but having a good time. Upset 29
Interview.
GOING FO
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OR GOLD With ‘Gold & Grey’, Baroness have dug deep to deliver an album that’s both assertive and adventurous. “We raise the stakes every time,” explains frontman John Baizley. Words: Steven Loftin. Upset 37