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My Chemical Romance Alexisonfire Joyce Manor
Nova Twins. “We want people to feel like they can take on the world”
JULY 2022 Issue 78
RIOT 4. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE 8. MOMMA 12. BABY STRANGE 16. MNYS 18. GREG PUCIATO 20. THE GREAT ESCAPE ABOUT TO BREAK 22. MINT GREEN 24. THE BLSSM FEATURES 26. NOVA TWINS 34. ALEXISONFIRE 40. PETROL GIRLS 44. JOYCE MANOR 48. DUNE RATS 54. NERVUS
Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alexander Bradley, Dan Harrison, Jake Hawkes, Jasleen Dhindsa, Kelsey McClure, Linsey Teggert, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Bernhard Schindler, Dan Monick, Em Marcovecchio, Frances Beach, Indy Brewer, Martyna Bannister, Patrick Gunning, Rory Barnes, Sarah Louise Bennett, Skyler Barberio, Sophie Hur, Vanessa Heins 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. 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.
HELLO. There’s nothing especially revolutionary about suggesting Nova Twins represent the best of what louder music can be. Since their 2020 debut album, they’ve stunned with their ability to draw from across the sonic divides, creating rock music that refuses to simply be what it says on the tin. Rammed with attitude, swagger and earned confidence, their new album ‘Supernova’ has all of that in spades. It doesn’t feel that long ago that we operated in a scene obsessed with men pushing towards retirement, repeating
their same old tricks. Now, in 2022, we’re blessed with a vibrant raft of new voices, not only riding the zeitgeist, but leading it, influencing wider pop-culture once more. Finally making their bow on Upset’s cover, Amy and Georgia sit at the head of that charge. We’re delighted to have them.
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd
Riot.
THIS MONTH >>>
EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK
The Big Story
My Chemical Romance are (finally) back! After pandemic sponsored delays and a whole load of anticipation, My Chemical Romance are back in the UK, and ready to inspire a whole new generation. We headed to glamorous Milton Keynes to welcome them back. Words: Alexander Bradley. Photos: Frances Beach.
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Fresh off supporting buzziest-bandon-the-planet Wet Leg, Momma are offering up something special with their new album ‘Household Name’. p.18
Glasgow’s Baby Strange are back with a new album, ‘World Below’, and they’re not hiding from the big stuff. p.12
MNYS - AKA Nick Cozine - made his name over a decade working on other artists’ projects. Now, he’s pushing out alone with a brand new EP. We asked him to run us through it, front to back. p.16
T APPEARS TO BE UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE that the tenth circle of hell is, in fact, Milton Keynes. That’s what all the roundabouts symbolise. It’s also why it is so difficult to leave. And it’s precisely why it was the ideal place for My Chemical Romance to make their triumphant return. It’s a comeback that’s been a long time in the making. Sure, the pandemic pushed it back twice, but what’s another two years when we’ve waited 3,348 days? The time spent waiting is evident in the crowd. The “elder emo” is out in force. The fringes have receded, but there are still plenty of wristbands, eyeliner and hairspray present as nostalgia for the mid-00s fills the air. There’s the new generation, too - kids not old enough to have ever known MCR as an active band are here in hand-me-down tees in the same way previous ones wore their older siblings’ Iron Maiden and Metallica shirts back in the 90s. Side by side, young or old, My Chemical Romance have always been the gospel choir for outsiders. For three nights, this stadium is their church. A low, industrial, static grows in the distance. Is it happening? Is this it? Smoke blankets the front of the stage and envelops the first few rows of fans who have stood waiting for this moment. Oh God, it is happening! There is a brief National Geographic segment on rat infestations in India. What the fuck? Is this part of the show? They step forward. Frank Iero. Mikey fucking Way. Ray Toro. Gerard Way. It’s them. It’s happening. They’re actually here. All those old memories and emotions swim back into focus. But they’re not here for the sentiment or to relieve the old days. That static which has been rumbling for minutes now crackles into My Chemical Romance’s monumental new track, their flag in the soil, ‘The Foundations of Decay’. It’s hardly starting with a bang. Instead, they unfurl like a monster awakening Upset 5
HOUSEH NAME 8 Upset
HOLD ES.
Fresh off supporting buzziestband-on-the-planet Wet Leg, Momma are offering up something special with their new album ‘Household Name’. Words: Sam Taylor. Photos: Sophie Hur.
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NEW WORL ORDER Glasgow’s Baby Strange are back with a new album, ‘World Below’, and they’re not hiding from the big stuff. Words: Sam Taylor. Photos: Rory Barnes.
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Nova Twins aren’t just the future of rock, they’re the present too - and with their new album ‘Supernova’, they’re here to prove it. Words: Jasleen Dhindsa. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.
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ALL FIR ALL FIR ALL FIR ALL FIR ALL FIR ALL FIR 34 Upset
RED UP RED UP RED UP RED UP RED UP RED UP Back with their first full-length in thirteen years, Alexisonfire are a band reborn.
Words: Alexander Bradley. Photos: Vanessa Heins, Sarah Louise Bennett
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“It was a very deliberate intention to embrace playfulness with this record. Allowing yourself to have fun and be silly is necessary and vital to sustaining a political life as either an individual or as part of a movement: punk’s power is in irreverence. That’s not to say I’m not still furious about things; I’m still furious about plenty of things.” Since forming in 2012, Petrol Girls have become known for their incendiary brand of math-rock inflected punk, with outspoken vocalist Ren Aldridge stoking the flames with her blasts of political rage. Yet after the release of 2019’s ‘Cut & Stitch’, Ren began to find the position she had placed herself in as the band’s mouthpiece to be unsustainable. “Being a musician is incredibly challenging
For the band’s new album ‘Baby’, Petrol Girls’ Ren Aldridge is both tackling trauma and embracing all sides of her personality. Words: Linsey Teggert. Photos: Martyna Bannister, Bernhard Schindler
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After a year of change and a risk of burnout, Joyce Manor are back as fresh and essential as ever with a new album, ‘40oz to Fresno’. Words: Rob Mair. Photos: Dan Monick.
FEEL LIKE I’M ONE of those kids in the Make A Wish Foundation,” laughs Joyce Manor’s Barry Johnson. “Like, ‘What do you want to do, little buddy?’ ‘Well, I wanna make a record with Rob Schnapf and Tony Thaxton.” Little about the last four years has been straightforward for Joyce Manor. After losing drummer Pat Ware when he decided to go to law school, the group – completed by bassist Matt Ebert and guitarist Chase Knobbe – had to contend with burnout before finally reconvening for their sixth record, ‘40 oz. to Fresno’. But with a drummer’s stool to fill, they needed a quick and productive solution. Step forward Tony Thaxton of Motion City Soundtrack, one of the best in the business and highly endorsed by Joyce Manor’s label boss, Epitaph’s Brett Gurewitz. Then, with a desire to reunite with ‘Cody’ producer Rob Schnapf – who helmed some of the group’s best songs, including the enormous ‘Fake I.D.’ and ‘Last You Heard of Me’ – Barry had acquired the necessary dream team to take the band to the next level. Yet, there’s still a selfdeprecating humbleness to Joyce Manor. Barry jokes about being undeserving of such collaborators – even though the end results on ‘40 oz. to Fresno’ are yet another high-watermark for the Californian group. Like all bands, however, the last few years have been challenging. For Joyce Manor – a group which had found comfort in a timetable that saw a new album drop every two years between 2012 and 2018 – the handbrake was something of a blessing and a curse. While it meant everything related to the band ground to Upset 45
A WHA A Dune Rats are never happier than when they’re on the road. With an enforced pause over, and a new album to play, they’re ready to get back on their game. Words: Steven Loftin.
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ALE OF TIME.
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