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Spanish Love Songs
Be Your Own PET
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D ISRUP T T H E N O IS E
Speedy Ortiz
Caskets
Magnolia Park
Ratboys
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HoldingEyes Absence Trophy Hot Milk Honey Revenge Movements Creeper
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upsetmagazine.com
September 2023 RIOT! 4. 2000trees 16. Speedy Ortiz 20. Caskets 22. Movements 26. Magnolia Park ABOUT TO BREAK 28. Enola Gay FEATURES 30. Empire State Bastard 40. Hot Milk 44. Spanish Love Songs 48. Holding Absence 52. Be Your Own Pet TEENAGE KICKS 58. Ratboys
UPSET Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler
Hi.
If you’re looking for icons in modern heavy music, you could do worse than Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil. But - because everything isn’t about how many units you shift - the band’s long time touring member and excellent solo artist in his own right Mike Vennart is a bit of a legend himself, too. Teaming up for their new project Empire State Bastard, they’re shooting raw adrenaline. It’s good to shake things up occasionally. On the cover of this month’s issue, it’s a message that’s especially relevant to Upset. Changes are coming, Dear Reader. Keep your eyes on upsetmagazine.com for more.
Stephen Ackroyd @stephenackroyd Editor
Scribblers Alexander Bradley, Alex Ingle, Dan Harrison, Kelsey McClure, Linsey Teggert, Melissa Darragh, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Anthony Purcella, Frances Beach, Frank Fieber, Hannah Hall, Kirk Barnett, 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
2000 TREES Beloved and brilliant in equal measure, here’s what went down at this year’s 2000TREES. Words: Alexander Bradley. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.
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→ 2000trees is brilliant. For 2023, they get it absolutely spot on, confirming the festival as a vital space for alternative music in this country and one that must be protected at all costs. There seem to be two distinct camps when it comes to festivals recovering from enforced years off and the financial climate. There’s the “build it, and they will come” approach where they stack the line-ups but cut corners everywhere else, and too many people show up, ahem. And then there is 2000trees, who take on all the feedback from last year and set out to make an incredible festival-going experience while boxing clever on the line-up choices. This year, Soft Play, Bullet For My Valentine and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes headline while Bob Vylan are tasked with closing out the early entry Wednesday evening. But beyond those headliners is a solid undercard of some old returning favourites, some evergreen bands and a whole host of emerging talent. And that’s not to mention the dedication to addressing the gender balance on the line-up, too, with women and non-binary people represented across all the stages. Even Rou Reynolds does his best Dave-Grohl-at-Glastonbury impression, popping up here, there and everywhere. There’s great food, decent beer (albeit a couple of poorly poured pints), some sunshine and just the one biblical downpour; lots of nice touches like the photo booths, seating areas and the new streamlined entry system. The forest remains a magical setting to enjoy music in too. 2000trees continues to be the best opportunity for alternative bands to have a moment feeling like absolute rock stars. Long may it continue. The start of 2000trees also brings about the end of Press To MECO. Having planned to slip away at the end of last year, the trio were convinced to say a proper goodbye at the place that “has made us feel like a bigger band than we are every time we have played here,” in the words of singer Luke Caley. Bidding farewell with a final rendition of ‘Gold’, Press To MECO get the ending they deserve, but not before plugging Luke and Jake’s new venture, Unpeople, too.
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RUN RABBIT SPEEDY ORTIZ find emotional catharsis and inventive musicianship in their latest album ‘Rabbit Rabbit’, inspired by childhood rituals, desert recording sessions, and confronting past traumas. Words: Linsey Teggert. Photos: Shervin Lainez.
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→ Ever since she was a child, Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis has repeated the superstitious incantation ‘rabbit rabbit’ on the first of every month. It’s said that the utterance will coax good luck your way, and as a child coping with OCD and early trauma, it’s a ritual that she found comfort in. After delving into these difficult memories for Speedy Ortiz’s fourth record, which Sadie began recording demos for on 1st July 2021, it seemed like it was destiny to name the album after this habit. In a strange twist of fate, before Sadie had mentioned the name to anyone, guitarist Andy Molholt asked Sadie what was up with her ‘rabbit rabbit’ tweets every month and suggested it would be a cool album name. “I’d never heard that phrase before,” recalls Andy. “I wondered what weird portal into hell I’d found on Sadie’s Twitter, so I casually asked her about it and said it would be a cool album title. She looked at me with total disbelief and told me it was already the name of the Google doc she was using for the demos.” Chance coincidences like this are not something that usually occur in the Speedy world, with Sadie taking the same carefully meticulous approach to planning and demoing their new record as she had with previous releases. Having grown sick of what she jokingly calls “me-projects”, referring to her
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KEEP
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Exploring new territories with defiant abandon, MOVEMENTS shatter expectations and embrace new influences in their ambitious album ‘RUCKUS!’. Words: Steven Loftin. Photos: Anthony Purcella.
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STATE From a chance encounter to a seismic tribute: EMPIRE STATE BASTARD’s debut album ‘Rivers Of Heresy’ unleashes cathartic chaos in metal form. Words: Alexander Bradley.
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HOT MILK’s explosive debut album ‘A Call To The Void’ embodies their all-or-nothing attitude, channeling vulnerability and defiance into a genre-defying journey of emotion and self-reliance. Words: Steven Loftin. Photos: Frank Fieber.
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BETTER W
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WAYS TO
HOLDING ABSENCE embrace their sonic evolution and chart a course for the future in their triumphant album ‘The Noble Art Of Self Destruction’. Words: Steven Loftin.
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JOY AS SPANISH LOVE SONGS embark on a profound and optimistic journey with their new album ‘No Joy,’ blending existential dread with themes of hope and compassion. Words: Rob Mair. Photos: Hannah Hall.
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AN ACT
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, PET Words: Linsey Teggert. Photos: Kirk Barnett.
BE YOUR OWN PET roar back with ‘Mommy,’ a triumphant return of ferocious garage punk and unapologetic control after 15 years of hiatus.
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rivers of heresy
the debut album
out 1st september cd • lp • digital • cassette empirestatebastard.com
roadrunnerrecords.co.uk