'I’m Not the Man I Thought I’d Be' Western Addiction Review

Release Date: 10^th March 2015
Label: Fat Wreck Chords

Western Addiction are a punk rock band from San Francisco. One of the key aspects that sets them apart from other punk rock bands on the scene is their history: Western Addiction were a three piece band formed of Fat Wreck Chords employees in the early 2000s, now they are back in 2015 as a four piece. The punk rock veterans are renowned for their bass-heavy riffs and old school punk mentality, which is displayed perfectly on their latest 7” release ‘I’m Not the Man I Thought I’d Be’. 

Opening track ‘Cold-Hearted Maceration’ is full of angst from the opening second: Jason Hall’s rough vocals merge perfectly with the fast-paced guitar riffs. The bass-filled song is not only catchy, but it definitely proves that punk music is not dead yet.

Despite being a demo track ‘Clatter and Hiss’ demands your full attention: the angry lyrics and pure passion in the vocals are something which most bands leave to be desired. The energetic yet short song instantly transports your mind to a recording studio, as the unedited track is full of raw emotions and riffs.

Final song ‘I'm Not the Man That I Thought I'd Be’ is possibly the best song on the record due to its familiar yet unique structure. The vocals are rough and powerful, and Dara from metal band Serpent Crown sings the second verse. If you had to define modern punk music in one song, ‘I’m Not the Man That I Thought I’d Be’ would definitely do the trick.

8/10

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SMILEfest Interview - Laura Snapes

I spoke to Laura Snapes, features editor of NME, about female musicians, how to deal with entitled males and how to break into the music journalism world.

You said in the conference about the Reading and Leeds Festival line up that there were hundreds of other bands that have more credibility, what were some of that bands that you were thinking of?
Don’t make me name 100 (laughs)! There is so many! Slater-Kinney, Warpaint, St. Vincent and Wolf Alice.. I mean, maybe they are playing. Paramore! There are many, I am really bad at thinking of things off the top of my head. But the thing in these situations is when the bookers of these festivals are getting defensive, ‘yeah, well who could we book?’ and when people say that then it is evidence to me that they are just not looking very far and trying very hard. They are pretty happy with the way things are because their festival will sell out regardless of who they put on.

Do you believe that as a music journalist that it is harder to get into or do you believe that there is more equality and that it is based on how well you can write?
Yeah, I think that it is all about being good basically. I feel lucky in that I have never really come across any, or very few entrenched, chauvinistic editors or anything like that. I mean, to the contrary, I was really lucky when I was nineteen I started writing for The Quietus, which is run by two guys: John and Luke. And John was in his early forties and he was such a champion! If I ever got any bad treatment, I don’t know if you saw the thing in there, but the guy who gave me abuse, he was one of the editors that I meant, and I said ‘John, this guy has just said this to me’ and it was John who emailed around the other editors like ‘never commission this guy again!’. And there was a couple of times where people would be aggressive towards me and people like him are just such champions. It is such a good positive reinforcement to have people like that on your side and I know that not everyone is lucky enough to have it, but those are the kind of people that make it worthwhile. But no, I positively discriminate. Like a man, this dick, emailed me the other day asking for advice on a live review that he had written and I didn’t have time to do it, but he sent me about five more emails and I eventually got to the point where I was like ‘I haven’t got time’ and then he started having a go at me. I was like ‘get your male entitlement out of my inbox’ and he was like ‘Oh, you’re being sexist now are you?’ and I was like ‘what? To be honest with you if you were a woman then I would have read your review so probably I am sexist.’ But I don’t know, I feel more predisposed towards helping people who are not entitled young white boys. And also I think that all of the best young music writers are mostly women. If you made me name them then it would probably be ninety seven per cent women and three per cent blokes!

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to break into music journalism or feature writing?
I would say first of all to make sure that it is something that you are really, really, really dedicated to and passionate about! It is the kind of thing where I go to work, I work in an office and I work 10am to 6pm, but your work never stops because music is a thing that you are into all of the time. I have a friend that works at a financial magazine and she comes home and she is like ‘Oh, I don’t have to think about that shit anymore!’ So yeah, first of all make sure that you are super passionate and dedicated to it and just think about ‘what is it that I want to say about music and why do I want to say it?’ This is such vague but important advice: just work really hard at being the best that you can possibly be. In order to do that read the best music writers that you can. Read new stuff, old stuff in all different formats. Really study it and take it apart, sit and read something that you think is amazing and then think ‘what is it that is making this amazing?’ Pull it apart like you are in a school English lesson and think ‘this is how they are using adverbs’ and ‘this is how they are constructing arguments’. Look at the technical side of it and pull it apart a bit, because if you study that you will come to absorb it a bit as well. So yeah, just read loads and figure out what you think is smart. Do your best to not necessarily emulate it, but there was definitely a period where I emulated what I thought was good and then just off doing that you get into the rhythms of writing and  then you can kind of go off and fly! Do it your own way. You just need to have a ferocious appetite for music. If I get to the end of a year and I see music journalists saying that is has been a bad year for music, and you are like ‘really? You just were not looking hard enough’. It has to kind of be everything. I am not saying that you should work all hours by any means, I go home and watch House Of Fools like everybody else does, but it is kind of more than just a job.

What inspired you to want to become a journalist and write features?
It was a couple of things. I always loved listening to Radio One and I loved pop music as a kid, and then I would get to hear Jo Wiley and stuff when I was like ten/eleven, and I thought that I would really love to do what she does and interview people. I didn’t even know that the word was journalist or whatever! I was just like I want to interview people, I want to ask people who make music about how they do it and stuff. And then a few years later there was this musician that I was really obsessed with and I was like I want to meet this person, how can I do it in a way that is not just like ‘hi I think you are great’, but like a professional excuse to have a conversation. I was like maybe I could interview her or something? And then I just really liked doing it and it was just a way of like, using careers advice, young people are not given enough as it is and figure out how to make your hobby your job. My little brother is sixteen and there was definitely a time where he wanted to be a footballer, and it is like face facts, you are never going to play for Manchester United, unless something amazing happens! That does not mean that your dream is dead, because if you look at that one footballer and think about how many hundreds of people work in the industry around them. I mean, I only ever wanted to be a music journalist, I never wanted to be a musician or anything, but figuring out how to make your hobby your job, that is a thing that everybody can do pretty much, and I think that is a piece of advice that people are not given enough.  

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SMILEfest 2015 - Vinyl Revival

Music industry legends Tony Crean, Anya Strafford and Mike Smith gathered in JM315 on Wednesday, March 11 for the first SMILEfest conference of 2015, entitled ‘Digital Witness: The Future of Music?’.

One of the most common similarities between the three guests was that they have all changed job roles throughout their career, which indicates that to get into the music industry you need a wide variety of talents and skills.

Despite the conference being about the future of music, the main focus was on vinyl records, which could indicate that vinyl is increasing in popularity.

All three of the panelists shared a love for vinyl records: Mike Smith believes that vinyl is a ‘wonderful and romantic experience to share’, Anya believes that vinyl ‘helps to tell the story of an album more than a CD could’ and Tony believes that there is definitely an ‘emotional engagement’ involved with vinyl.

As vinyl is becoming increasingly more popular, the three guests all agreed that there needs to be more vinyl pressing plants in the UK. There are only two pressing plants in the UK and even major labels can struggle with an eighteen-week wait for releases.

When asked whether vinyl is more of a gimmick than a revival, Mike Smith said that he can easily get songs on Spotify, but he can remember where he was and when he bought every vinyl that he owns, proving that there is more of a connection with vinyl records.

The hour long session was concluded with the musical guests all agreeing that the best way to manage artists is to take time to build up good acts, and that bands need to have connectivity with social media and their fans.

Record Store Day is fast-approaching, with many bands releasing exclusive vinyl copies of their records on Saturday, April 18.

SMILEfest 2015 - Music and Misogyny

Last week some of the biggest female names in music took to the stage to talk about the problems that women face in such a male dominated industry. NME’s Laura Snapes, Mute Press’ Zoe Miller, BBC Lives’ Mel Lewis and tour manager Tre Stead joined forces on Wednesday, March 11 for the second SMILEfest conference of 2015, entitled ‘Blurred Times: Music and Misogyny’.

One of the big hot topics at the moment is the Reading and Leeds line-up being only 10% female, and it is safe to say that all four of the guests were horrified at this statistic. Zoe believes that there are whole sections of the music industry that have a problem with the number of female acts, but other genres such as electronic music have many women in a position of power and strength. Laura believes that many of the males in the music industry are discriminating and not even realising that they are doing so.

Another shocking fact that was mentioned was that females who work in the music industry feel the need to dress down to escape their femininity so that they can be taken more seriously by men. Tre spent years wearing jeans and no make up to try and look like the rest of her male colleagues, but now wears what she wants as she feels more comfortable in her job. Zoe also mentioned when she has worked with female artists and they feel the need to dress down because of sexism.

All four of the females have experience sexism in the work place. Mel has been called patronising names, such as ‘babe’ and ‘darling’, Zoe mentioned that when males come into the office for meetings they direct their questions straight to the other male members of staff, Laura has been talked down to due to her gender and when Tre first starting working with bands people would assume she was a girlfriend or groupie.

Despite many horror stories being shared, one of the most important lessons to be gained from this conference was that women in the music industry stick together and that people will be there to help you out when you are faced with sexism in the work place. 

Ashestoangels Interview

I spoke to Crilly from Ashestoangels at Takedown Festival about damaged knees, internet piracy and Johnny Cash.

How do you think your set went today?
Pretty good, nothing broke! I stood on the audience and they seemed to like it! I had a good time, it was really exciting and it is nice to play to a full room during the day.

Are you planning on checking out any of the other bands on today?
Creeper, 5.35pm! I have got the time tattooed on my inner arm like the guy from Les Misérables, except instead of the number from a time that I was in a French prison for stealing bread to feed my family it is just the time to see Creeper! They are going to be good.

How would you describe your music to someone who has not heard it before?
A goth punk explosion!

How has the reception to Horror Cult been?
Pretty good, people seem to like it! They seem to love stealing it from the internet, which I am actually fine with. I would rather people stole it, enjoyed it and came to see us play it. I don’t care about online sales, which is lucky so we gave half of them to Music For Good to put houses somewhere. Somewhere nice, I hope!

What inspired the band name?
David Bowie! Ashes To Ashes is my third favourite David Bowie song, we couldn’t call ourselves Ziggy Stardust or Spiders From Mars, that is a thing!

What made you want to become a musician?
Well I wanted to be a fighter pilot, but that didn’t work out. So I went for the second best of not killing anybody! Also I started going to local gigs and being like ‘yup, that is what I want! I want to be on that stage!’

Who would you say that your major influences are?
It started out as A.F.I and Aiden, and now…  I don’t know, I still love those bands, but I don’t really think about anyone else when I am writing, I just try and write the best songs that I can, the only way I know how… Like Johnny Cash! Three points for the Johnny Cash reference, number three!

What advice would you give to anyone that wants to become a musician or a singer?
Look after your knees! I left my knee brace at home, I made this one out of duct tape and it is pretty bad… I am going to pay for this one tomorrow! When I started out first of all I fucking sucked, and that is fine! You don’t have to be good to begin with; in fact it is good to have to improve because it teaches you valuable lessons. But I really wish that I had learnt how to sing a little bit better than I did in the beginning, like I never used to warm up and because of that I get vocal problems. But yeah: warm up, tune up, play and make sure that you practice and you will be alright!

What inspires you to keep playing songs and writing music?
Stuff like today! I think we are the kind of band that people… There are no like casual fans, people don’t just check us out. People either don’t like us, don’t know us or they are really into it and they are the people that like music the way that I like music. I am an old man compared to most of the people in this venue and to see people who have the same passion that I do is just amazing and I hope that they keep it up, because I have and I am still here.

What do you think that people should expect from a live show?
Well… They are going to get involved! I don’t stand for any of that standing still! And also people have stopped videoing us, there is no video evidence of us playing for the past two years. I don’t take a stand against it, we are not one of those bands who are like ‘fuck your camera!’ or any of that shit, I just think that you are going to have more fun if you are actually involved.

What else do you have planned for 2015?
Got to record another album, because I get bored! We are going to go on tour some more. I really like being on tour and our new van is more reliable so… Cool!

Is there anywhere that you want to play that you haven’t before?
Festivals! I want to start doing the festivals! We are doing D.I.Y tours, and that is fine. We have been doing them forever but now like our last one, half of it is sold out which is fucking crazy! So we are going to keep doing that and building on that. We’d really love to play some festivals! I have such a good time at them!

Ashestoangels head out on tour again later this month with 48Hours. Catch them at a date near you:

March
26 HARLOW - Square
28 MANCHESTER - Satans Hollow
29 NEWCASTLE - Think Tank
30 BIRMINGHAM - Asylum
31 BRIDGWATER - Tiki Beach 

April 
01 LONDON - Barfly

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Takedown Festival at Southampton University 7/3/15

Punk rockers Miss Vincent (8/10) were the first band to grace the Obsidian Stage, and it is safe to say that they managed to warm up the crowd well: “Takedown is a long day and you’re going to be here until 11pm… It’s important to stretch and warm up for the amazing bands, and that is our job!” The local four-piece managed to entertain everyone with their fusion of harmonious vocals and bass-filled riffs, and they even had more people joining the crowd as they played. 

Progressive rock legends InMe (9/10) managed to appeal to both young and old fans with the performance of their debut 2003 album ‘Overgrown Eden’. Despite being out for over fifteen years, the Essex trio were able to mesmerise the crowd with their passionate and energetic performance. Dave McPherson’s vocals were both harmonious and heavy, truly reflecting the theme of InMe’s performance style. They were also able to excite fans by announcing the release of a new triple album in May. For their final song ‘Faster The Chase’ they invited Mikey Chapman from Mallory Knox to join them on stage, resulting in mass amounts of mosh pits and beach balls flying everywhere.

Bristol-based goth punk band Ashestoangels (7.5/10) were a sure-fire hit on the Obsidian Stage, appealing to fans of bands such as Fearless Vampire Killers and Black Veil Brides. Lead singer Crilly was no stranger to getting involved with the crowd, constantly jumping into the mosh pit and engaging with excitable fans.

Local metalcore five-piece Our Hollow, Our Home (9/10) drew in a huge crowd for their set on the Uprawr Stage, proving exactly how many fans their hard work and persistence has gained them. They definitely have the stage presence of a much bigger band, as they were constantly able to encourage fans to create mosh pits and circle pits. Despite having technical difficulties at numerous points during their set, their professionalism and talent allowed them to continue performing one of their best shows to date.

Metal loudmouths The Hell (8/10) managed to insult the crowd numerous times during their set, but their fans seemed to love it. Their offensive yet humorous act proved that metal music does not always need to be serious. With lead singer Nail$ hurling insults left, right and centre, it is safe to say that if you are easily offended then you should steer well-clear of the bandana-wearing five-piece: “It is international women’s day tomorrow, so I want every woman in here to kick a man in the face!” Playing songs such as ‘Bangers And Mosh’, ‘Deal With It’ and ‘Everybody Dies’ The Hell managed to engage with a rowdy yet passionate crowd.

Forming from the ashes of electronic rock band My Passion, British rock trio Fort Hope (8/10) managed to impress Takedown-goers with their beautiful lyrics and harmony-filled vocals. Sounding much heavier than they do on record, Fort Hope rocked the crowd with songs such as ‘Control’, ‘The Rapture’ and ‘Sick’.

Uprawr Stage headliners Heart Of A Coward (10/10) proved exactly why they were so high up on the bill with their energetic and exciting performance. The Milton Keynes based metal five-piece rocked the crowd with their heavy riffs and fast-paced songs. Lead singer Jamie Graham’s vocals were on top form, filling the arena with harsh screams and angry lyrics. Jamie also proved that Heart Of A Coward were all about the music and not violence as he stopped their set due to violent people in the crowd and refused to continue until they had left. They also performed a new song for the first time ever, ‘Hollow’, which sounded even heavier than their previous material. Ending their set with fan favourites ‘Deadweight’ and ‘Around A Girl In 80 Days’, Heart Of A Coward were able to entertain fans from start to finish, providing a fitting end to an incredible day of live music.  

Photography by Rob Campion. 

Attila at The Talking Heads, Southampton 5/3/15

Support: Fathoms, Silent Screams

Brighton-based five-piece Fathoms (8/10) were the first band to grace the stage, instantly turning The Talking Heads into a sweat-filled mosh pit.  The self-proclaimed ‘hategroove’ band wowed the crowd with their heavy riffs and angst-filled breakdowns, which were amplified by lead singer Max Campbell’s harsh vocals. Playing old songs such as ‘Old Bones’ and new songs such as ‘Truant’, fans both new and old were able to hear their favourites.

“Southampton I want to see the biggest circle pit you’ve got!” Melodic metal Midlanders Silent Screams (7.5/10) tried to engage the crowd from the second they bounced onto the stage and it’s safe to say that it worked. Their pure energy and enthusiasm allowed them to prove exactly how hardworking they are, and they definitely gained a few more fans tonight. Lead singer Joel Heywood had no qualms about getting into the crowd, and he managed to sing perfectly whilst manoeuvring through hundreds of sweaty gig-goers.

“There are no rules at an Attila concert, let’s go fucking crazy!” Party metal rockers Attila (8/10) often get a criticised online and in reviews, but there is no denying that they know exactly how to work a crowd. Their laid-back stage persona and outrageous lyrics allowed fans to bounce around like they were at a rave rather than a metal gig. Despite being a ‘party’ band, Fronz was able to scream and rap with incredible precision, proving that Attila are actually extremely talented musicians. Fronz and guitarist Chris had funny stage banter, which definitely amused the crowd. With drug, sex and party references, it is safe to say that Attila would not be a band that you would take your mother to see, however, if you are a metal fan that does not take themselves too seriously, then you would definitely have a lot of fun watching Attila strut their stuff on stage.

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