Interviews

Ella was backstage at this years Leefest and caught up with the british political punk band Skinny Girl Diet to talk about their music, politics and more!

Check it out here

So, first of all, what are your names and what roles do each of you play within the band?

James: My names James, and I motivate everyone. (Laughter) And I play the bass.

Todd: Hi, I’m Todd and I play the guitar.

John: I’m John. I’m the superstar of the band.

Sam: I’m Sam, and I lay the beats down. 

Where did the name ‘JUDAS’ come from?

James: Well, here’s a story to be told. (Echoes come from all around “Here’s a story to be told”) So, we had a guitarist before Todd, who was called Tom – and James, John, Sam, and Tom – we all had biblical names. 

John: No, it was disciples names, so we were gunna be called The Disciples, which we liked, but Sam wasn’t a disciple so we called him Judas – and then the name came about.

And now Todd has messed it all up…

Todd: Yeah, I’ve completely messed it up.

James: Todd’s the new hip and trendy Judas.

What would you say your influences are, and what genre would you put yourselves in?

Sam: We’re probably the best one.

James: Yeah, the best one.

Todd: We always get told we’re U2 and Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys.

Sam: It’s a cross between alternative and Indie Rock, I think. We try not to sound like anything in particular. 

James: Stadium rock.

John: Stadium hits.

Sam: It’s extensive. It starts and Natasha Beddingfield and ends at…

James: Mr Motivator.

Sam: Rod Stewart. 

Todd: We’re not trying to be like anyone.

James: But I’m trying to be like him and he’s trying to be like me.

What other festivals have you done?

Sam: Lots. 

John: SoundCity in Liverpool.

Todd: Isle of Wight festival.

Sam: Man on the Farm.

James: We’ve got Y Not? and Tramlines coming up and Party in the Pines.

How does Truck Festival compare to others?

John: It’s amazing.

Todd: One of the best.

James: It’s sick.

Sam: We’ve been really looked after here. 

Todd: We’re lucky enough to play the main stage here as well which is absolutely amazing. 

John: Yeah, thank you so much to the power.

James: It’s the biggest small festival.

What made you apply for the Band App?

Sam: We just saw it.

James: Obviously, we have friends in other bands and we saw that they were applying, and we thought “Fuck it, we’ll apply”, and we bloody got it.

John: Apparently there was 850 bands applied and we won, so… 

Sam: We didn’t win on the votes or anything, but we got chosen by the dudes that run the festival.

John: We did win on the votes.

Todd: Yeah, we won on votes as well.

Sam: Did we!? 

John: Yeah, that’s why we’re on the main stage. We won everything, mate.

Sam: So… we won everything. So out of 850 bands we’re better than everyone. (Laughter) 

Is there anything you want to say?

James: Find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram: weareJUDAS. Give us a like. 

John: We’ve got a new EP coming out with some absolute crackers on it. 

Sam: If you see us around say hi because we actually like people.  

John: And we’re really good looking.

Sam: And we’re all single!

When’s the EP due?

John: It’s a secret.

Sam: You’ll know when it’s out.

We caught up with musician and Game of Thrones actor Raleigh Ritchie at this years Wireless Festival to talk all things music!

Check out our interview right here:

So Hannah, how’s your 2015 been so far?

Amazing thank you! I started the year with the Holy Ship in Miami followed by a two-week vacation in Cancun and it’s been absolutely hectic since then. I’m a happy girl.

In your words what was your big break?

I don’t think there was one. I’ve been DJ’ing and grafting for over a decade to reach where I am now. Some people think success happens over night but it doesn’t. Every day, every month, every year I’d progress a little further in one way or another and I’ve still got so far to go, there’s still so much I want to achieve. It’s a roller coaster journey of a career and life.

With the music industry forever changing, how do you keep track and do you think your sound changes with it?

I don’t keep track with it and for me that’s worked out well. I’ve only ever concentrated on my game and my work; I don’t concern myself with anything or anyone else. Not least because I don’t have the time to even if I wanted to but also because I think it’s paramount that you stay true to yourself and your own unique sound.

Sounds and styles are ever evolving, that’s the joy of music! The music I’m playing and making today is not the same as I was playing or making 1 year ago or 5 years ago or whatever.

I do, make, play whatever I’m truly passionate about and if people like what I’m doing and join me on my musical journey then that’s great! It’s an amazing feeling to know that I can impact on somebody’s day or night in a positive way whether it’s listening to a mixtape or radio show or raving at a set, I love that!

You recently announced your debut solo track ‘Just’ which was premiered on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show. How excited are you to release this long awaited track?

More than you know! I’ve been working on solo material for months now but I’ve wanted to wait until the right time to show the world. I’ve got lots of new material coming up including a collaboration with an amazing vocalist called Detour City, there’s two versions; one’s made for the club on a techno vibe and the other is a real chill downtempo beat. It’s all super exciting!

With a Radio 1 residency and festivals throughout the summer, how do you find the time to just sit back and relax? When you do get a moment to yourself, what do you like to do?

I don’t. Well… very rarely. I struggle to switch off and relax anyway, there’s always something to do. If I’m at home and I get a couple of hours in the evening or whatever I’ll just jump on the sofa with my Sky remote (and sometimes a take-away!) and just chill.

Did you at least take some time off for your birthday earlier this month?

I was travelling from one gig to another. I checked into my hotel and had the choice of going to the cinema and dining at a restaurant orrrrr staying in… I ordered a Chinese and stayed in. To most that may sound like the lamest birthday but my schedule is that hectic I had an absolute whale of a time! Haha.

Do you have any rituals before going on stage?

No. Just a vodka and diet lemonade is good. Although I do love to get to my gig no less than an hour before so that I can check out the vibe, the venue, see what the DJ’s playing before me etc. Then I’m happy, I’m more prepared with my set and know where I want to take the crowd.

You’re playing parties across the globe this summer; Croatia, Serbia and Canada to name but a few! Where’s your favourite place to play and why?

This is a pretty impossible question to answer; there are way too many great parties around the world and all for different reasons. Boat parties are great, intimate with unreal views, playing to thousands in festival tents is just insane; club gigs are full on raves…

Recently you posted on Facebook saying “In 2010 I used to wander around Ibiza daily when I spent the summer here dreaming of being up there on billboards. Five years later it's come true”. What is it about Ibiza that makes it so special to you? Why do you think to this day it’s still the clubbing capital?

Ibiza feels like my second home. I spent two summers in Ibiza with a dream to become a professional DJ and my months spent there definitely helped start to build my name. It’s also the mecca of dance music from around the entire world, playing in the super clubs of Ibiza has got to be up there in the top goals of any DJ.

Congratulations on being nominated for the Bass category in the 2015 DJ Award! How does it feel to be up alongside some of the biggest names in the business?

Thank you! It feels surreal, I was a little surprised by the nomination! The other nominees are literally like some of the biggest artists from around the world so to even be considered and nominated next to them is a massive achievement for me.

You’ve performed Creamfields before, what’s your favourite memory from the show?

The whole gig! Honestly it was a 2014 highlight for me alongside Hideout Festival. It was the biggest crowd I’d played too, the tent was rammed and the vibe was crazy. I loved every second.

So youre geared up for this years show then?

Of course! I won a Mixmag competition in 2012 to play a set at the silent disco at Creamfields, it was my first ever festival gig! I then returned last year to play to thousands in the AMP arena which was insane. It was a definite highlight of last year so I’m super buzzing to be coming back!

We hope you’ll be sticking around the Daresbury site! If so, who are you looking forward to seeing?

That weekend I’m playing four big festivals over three days. It’s gonna be crazy but Creamfields is the last one so it’s definitely geared up to be a celebratory gig! I’ll be sticking around for as long as I can, I’ll no doubt be found in the MK Area 10 tent where I’m playing. Actually I’ve never seen Maceo Plex DJ, it’d be cool if I could catch his set to see what he’s all about.

It’s a great achievement to break through in such a male dominated industry, how do you feel about that?  What advice would you give any budding ladies out there wanting to break into it?  

I’d give the same advice to anyone, it doesn’t matter whether they’re male or female. For me gender is completely irrelevant.

I’d say don’t expect things to happen overnight. Things take time and rightly so. Secondly I’d say to act professionally and consistently. Other than that… practise, practise, practise! So many people want to be DJ’s nowadays, you need to stand out from the crowd whether that be your mixing style or selection. Make mixtapes, send (professional) emails to local promoters and slowly but surely build your profile. Oh, and don’t gain an ego! In my opinion, it’s the worst quality of them all! Be a nice human!!!

You’ll be performing at the first ever Creamfields Ibiza in August, and theres a lot of excitement surrounding this inaugural festival which many have regarded as a game changer for the island, how does it feel to be part of it? What are your thoughts about it?

I’m super honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. I’ve never played at Ushuaia before either so it’s going to be a first on a lot of levels. The line up’s great, Creamfields in Ibiza is a match made in heaven, and I can’t wait!

Finally, finish this sentence: Creamfields is…

Legendary!

Hannah Wants will be performing at Creamfields Ibiza on Saturday 1^st August 2015 and Creamfields UK on August Bank Holiday weekend, for info and tickets go to http://www.cream.co.uk/ 

Having caught Boston Manor at 2000Trees opening 'The Cave' on Saturday, I caught up with Henry and Jordan for a chat about their plans, past 10 months, and what is upcoming for one of 2015's rising 'Pop-Punk' stars.

Hi guys. First of all, how has your 2000Trees experience been? 

Henry: Yeah, really good- we've never been to this festival before and we're really enjoying it. 

Jordan: As we're up in Blackpool, we've never come down here, we usually go to places like Leeds, Kendal Calling, but I was expecting it to be a lot smal ler than it is- I was really surprised at the size of the arena, and we've been having a great time. 

Have you had enough time to see anyone?

Henry: Here and there, I didn't get here until yesterday.

Jordan: The rest of us have been here since Thursday, we watched CREEPER, on The Cave- where we played, and saw DEAF HAVANA last night and THRILL COLLINS- they were great, they're a cover band, and everyone was loving it. 

Since your Driftwood E.P came out, (Available on Failure By Design Records) you've had a pretty non-stop schedule- What have the highlights of the last 10 months been?

Henry:  The last two tours we've been on (with Moose Blood and As It Is/This Wildlife Co-headline) that was awesome, they're both really great bands and they were fantastic tours to be on, a lot of people were checking us out for the first time but it was just a really great opportunity for us.

Jordan: It was a massive step up for us as we were playing larger rooms that were selling out- that's new for us, it's such a difference compared to last year, where we would be playing to 3 guys in a pub basement. 

Henry: It's been quite a quick transition, really. Today is our first outdoor festival, so that in itself has been a new experience for us- it's definitely different, it's a whole different animal. 

What has been your main influences in your songwriting process and have they changed while being on the road? 

Jordan: I think when we're on tour we mainly focus on that, as when you're on the road you want to be concentrating on playing well and what you are doing each night. A bit of writing may happen on tour, and we know band who do that a lot; but when we come home, that's when we focus on writing.

Henry: Everyone thinks that touring is just having a laugh with your mates, it's great, but it is hard work- so you're busy with that. We're writing at the moment, but we haven't had to write on tour yet. In terms of inspiration, and not to sound generic, but it is just lots of stuff- it's constantly changing, When we write, we never set on exacting a sound, we just write what we want to hear, play how we want to play and let it evolve from there.

In a genre that can be so vicariously therapeutic for your audience and fans, and for fan loyalty and inclusion, what is your opinion on paying for meet and greet with bands?

Henry: It's fucking bullshit, anyone who does that is a dickhead- you're only able to be doing what you're doing because of the people who want to meet you, and you don't deserve to get paid just to grace someone with your presence, It's arrogant and I don't agree with it at all.

Jordan: Yeah, we're all human beings at the end of the day, and should be equal.

Henry: I know Avril Lavigne does it, and you have to stand two feet away from her, it's ridiculous.

The UK is having a bit of a moment for 'Pop-Punk' currently, and giving that you have had such a great year, what advice would you give younger musicians who are starting on their own musical journey? 

Henry: Never aim to emulate another band, listen to as much as you can, and play how you want to. I see so many bands just trying to mimic other bands, from everything- their music, their aesthetic and their branding. You have as a person so many facets to your own creativity and your life, channel that into what your band is, instead of echoing it into what other bands have done. You'll feel more creatively fulfilled, and it'll stand you in better stead.

Saying that, what would you go back in time and avoid?

Henry: Get breakdown cover when you go to Europe. We were there for a long time.

Jordan: Stuck in a tent, on concrete.

Henry: For three days, the fourth in a hotel, but we were there for a while. It was stupid. Apart from that, nothing. It sounds cliched but I think of the mistakes we've made, we've learnt so much from them that it was worth making them in the first place. 

Jordan: I kind of do believe that everything happens for a reason, and if it's got us to where we are now, then fair enough.

Henry:  If you're going to start a band, you're going to make a billion mistakes -and that's important- learn from them, we're still making mistakes every day. 

How do you spend your days off on tour?

Henry: They are a rarity, you have to make the most of them. On the last tour, we had two days off- The first we spent swimming, playing 3 on 3 American Football, watched American History X, and then went to bed. The next one was in Manchester, and we went to a trampoline park.

Jordan: It was a massive warehouse full of trampolines, you just jump around- it sounds a lot more fun than it is.

Henry:  Your reckon? I loved it! 

Jordan: After 5 minutes, you're absolutely knackered, and you just want to sit down, but you cant, because there's trampolines everywhere!

Henry: Yeah, we did that then had a Wagamamas, we try not to just sit around, but sometimes you're just knackered and want to play xBox all day.

What are we looking forward to for the rest of the year- can fans expect new music soon? 

Jordan: There is a new E.P recorded that we want to get out.

Henry:  Im going to say Autumn, that it will hopefully come out- that's what we're aiming for. We're really excited about it, and we're actually writing an album which we're taking a lot of time to do that. We have some show throughout the summer, and some other festivals. Hopefully there will be a tour in the late Autumn/early Winter time.

Jordan:  That could be in line with the E.P release

Henry: Yeah, there will be some shows for that, and then hopefully another tour- but that's all up in the air at the moment.

You can check out Boston Manor Here

Dave Rutherford caught up with The Blackout at this years Takedown Festival, check out his interview here!

Dave Rutherford sat down with Mallory Knox ahead of their Takedown 2015 performance, see what they had to say!

The Scribes are a unique up-and-coming hip hop trio, who have performed sell-out gigs across Europe. As winners of EatMusic’s ‘Best Live Act’ award, their stage shows are a real tour de force; combining crowd participation with thought-provoking lyricism. I join lead vocalist Shaun before the launch of the band’s latest album, A Story All About How.   

So tonight is the album launch. Congratulations! How long has the album been in the making?

Since the dawn of time! At least, that's what it feels like. It's definitely taken a while due to the amount of gigging we've been doing, the amount of time taken up with signing the Kamikazi Airlines deal and me generally being far too much of a perfectionist about the whole thing.

It has probably taken about 2 years, maybe more. It’s been an arduous but rewarding process and we had help from some really talented musicians along the way; Jake Galvin, Jack Joyce, Kenny Hectyc and more, which made a huge difference.

With the album being totally sample free and heavily featuring live instrumentation, it does take a bit longer to pull together than some of our more traditional hip hop releases but I’m honestly chuffed to bits with the results. I couldn’t be happier with the final record and it’s going down really well with early press so that’s a good sign, I just hope people enjoy it as much as we do.

Do you have a favourite track from the album?

That really is a hard question! I’ve changed my mind about my favourite track about twenty times throughout the process of making the record. We whittled the 16 final songs down from about 30 that we had, so the standard was set pretty high to get on there. Well, pretty high in our minds at least! If you’re really going to push me I’d say my favourite song at the moment is probably La Mancha; it is one of the rockier numbers on the record and it has really grown on me. Actually, can I change my mind? It’s CONvictions. I have had it stuck in my head after hearing it again on a radio show and I think it’s just a really solid track. Conceptually and musically, I thoroughly enjoy it. But then, it would probably be worrying if I didn’t!

Is this album different from your previous work?

I think it is the natural progression from our previous work, so yeah, it is a bit different. It’s more musical, more melodic. It’s still firmly rooted in hip hop when it comes to the beats and the big bass, but it has got a lot of guitars and synths in the mix. I think it’s definitely our sound. It is uniquely us and doesn’t really sound a whole lot like anything else out there. We have spent years experimenting and refining our style; learning new things and improving what we do. The thing is, personally I hope that we will always keep evolving as a band. We will keep on creating new sounds and trying new things. If it’s not too pretentious to say so, I think the record is a marker point on a journey that will hopefully never end, but is definitely a complete and finished article in itself, if that makes sense. Does that make sense? It’s probably best that people have a listen and decide for themselves!

What is your favourite thing about the live shows?

I love live shows. The travelling is a bit of a pain sometimes and you can get on each other’s nerves a bit on the road (especially when you get lost) but being on stage performing your music for people is one of the best feelings in the world. We have spent the last few months in the studio finishing this record, so going out, playing the songs and seeing a crowd react to the music is something genuinely special. When a new track goes off and a crowd goes mental for it, you really can’t beat it. I don’t really know if I’ve got a favourite bit to be honest. It’s all good! We have a lot of fun on stage with each other; there is a lot of joking and such like. Interacting with people is a big part of it too. We do a lot of freestyle stuff live and crowd participation which is always a joy. Plus the songs mean a lot to me, so it’s always nice to vent them on stage! Plus we get to do it all together as friends. So through all the ups and downs, the big shows and the small ones, the sell outs and the wash outs, we always have a laugh.

What show are you looking forward to most this year?

Tonight is going to be special with the album launch and people getting a first chance to hear some of the tracks, so that’ll be cool. I tend to take it one show at a time but festival season is always fun so we’ll see what that brings. Boomtown last year was a beast so that will be hard to top but I’m sure we’ll manage.

How would you describe your sound?

With great difficulty! We’ve had lengthy discussions about how to describe ourselves genre-wise. I think we settled on ‘alternative electro hip hop’ which really doesn’t tell you much! We’ve got hip hop beats, we’ve got some booming bass, some funkier bass. We’ve got strings, synths, lots of guitars. We’ve got raps, we’ve got singing, we’ve everything you could ever want really, all pulled together in our own chaotic style. One of the songs on the record calledA Wake is pretty much punky drum and bass so we cover a lot of ground, but there is definitely something about the sound of it all that stays consistent. At least hopefully. It is definitely different which makes it really hard to draw comparisons. I think we might have to start going with ‘Scribes-hop’!

Finally, who would win in a fight?

Well, being the cool kid I am, I did go to a professional wrestling school briefly, so I can throw a mean suplex and cut a super sweet promo. That would definitely give me an edge in the build up to the fight, provided I can find my trunks and my entrance cape. Lacey has been hitting up the insanity work out lately and keeps flexing at me all the time to prove it. As much as I hate to admit it, he is looking pretty trim so he’d probably have the edge fitness wise.  The thing is though, for some reason despite not working out ever, Jonny is naturally built like a mahogany Spartan. He has been since we were kids as far as I can remember. So unless Lacey and I form some kind of dastardly alliance, I think he might take the crown.

The Scribes latest album A Story All About How was released on January 29^th 2015 and is available on itunes, Amazon, Spotify and all good online retailers. 

It’s the first stop on the 36 Crazy Fists’ album tour. The venue is practically overflowing with nu-metalheads eager to welcome back the US-based band after a 5 year break from the scene. I manage to grab lead vocalist Brock Lindow for a quick chat before they hit the stage.

So your seventh album Time and Trauma is on the horizon and last year marked your twentieth year together as a band. Is it difficult to come up with new material?

I don’t think so. I love music and it’s been a huge part of my life. We definitely won’t be touring forever, but creating and writing songs has got to be something I do forever because it’s been such a huge outlet for me. It’s not easy but it’s what I really dig.

Is it quite hard to find inspiration now, or is it just as easy as when you first started?

My inspiration all comes from my life. I don’t write about really religious or worldly topics; maybe somewhat, but only how they relate to me. The entire album Time and Trauma is about the process of losing a loved one. My mum passed away from cancer three years ago and so the entire record is about that piece of my life. The inspiration for songs is just what is going on in your life. It’s like a time-vault. With every album, I know exactly where I was at that time. It’s not hard to come up with inspiration.

It has been about 5 years since the last album. Is Time and Trauma quite different from your previous work?

I think it’s more comparable to the early stuff as opposed to the last couple of albums. That’s mostly because I wanted to get back to the singing style instead of just screaming all the time. So the vocal approach was a little different.   We have released three songs now on itunes before the launch of the album and a lot of people are excited that it sounds like the early stuff which makes me happy.

I absolutely love the track Also am I. I have been singing it all day and torturing everyone! Was that always going to be the single or did you decide that later on?

I didn't even decide it. It was more of a collective idea because the people outside of the band who work for us thought that it showed all of the facets of our sound. I love the song, so I'm cool with it.

This is the first date of twenty eighty in the tour. Is there anywhere in particular that you’re looking forward to?

I have been counting down the seconds on the clock for weeks to start this tour. There is a reason that we started in the UK; it’s the first country that really embraced our band outside of Alaska where we’re from. I don’t think we've ever played here in Plymouth before, so that’s great. Years ago we went to a place called Yeovil and sadly we never went back. It was the most insane show! It was this little clubhouse and there were kids diving off of the balcony. We have been touring the UK since 2001, and I dig going to places we haven’t been to before. Bristol and London really go off. They are all good. UK rules.

So who is the most likely member of the band to act up on the tour?

I think everybody is pretty good. We like to have a good time. We flew in yesterday morning and when we got here at 7:30am, it’s really 10:30pm where we were the night before. It’s closer to either going out or bedtime, one of the two. Yesterday, we just powered through the whole day in London and went out. I almost got hit by a car! Today, the work starts and everybody is a little under the weather so you've got to have your hip-flask with you. But everybody is ready to have fun.

Finally, what is your favourite thing about being on the road?

Playing the shows, definitely. The connection with the people. Getting to hear your songs sung back to you is always killer and the UK seems to one of the best at that for sure. The rest of the tour; some is really fun and the rest is a bit like Groundhog Day. But the one hour of the day when you’re doing the show is the best part for sure.

Well thank you very much for giving me your time and good luck with the rest of the tour.

No problem. Thank you for the coverage.

36 Crazyfists new album Time and Trauma is available in the UK from February 16^th 2015.

Check out all of the Rachael's photos here: http://www.facebook.com/martianartsimages