Podcast #11: KNRD Fest 2018 Special

Listen to our live (and drunk!) podcast with After The Fall, The Human Project, Forever Unclean and The Affect Heuristic!

We are excited to share our latest podcast featuring chats with not one but four bands! We chatted literal shit with After The Fall, The Human Project, Forever Unclean and The Affect Heuristic!

KNRD Fest (pronounced ‘conrad’) is a magical skate/melodic punk adventure in the Bavarian woodlands, taking place near Nuremberg, Germany. It’s a wonderful weekend of bands, banter and excessive boozing that we’ve attempted to capture in audio form for you!

We’ve also aimed to answer some essential questions for you, including:

  • How much do you remember from last night?
  • Whose anus is a “literally like an ex-soviet airbase’s windsock”?
  • Why should you always check the pockets of a pair of pooed-pants?
  • What event nearly killed After The Fall?
  • How do Forever Unclean turn all bad times into good times?
  • What do Sean Arnold’s nipples taste like?
  • Who won’t ‘doink’ with The Affect Heuristic?
  • Who’s the most socially flamboyant person at KNRD Fest?
  • And of course, what’s your personal worst tour story?

We recorded four segments across the Saturday of KNRD Fest and, as they progress, you can also enjoy hearing Sarah and her guests getting progressively more drunk!

We also play a track from each band:

  • The Human Project – The Rhetoric
  • After The Fall – Patroon Island
  • Forever Unclean – Weird
  • The Affect Heuristic – Vessel

 

 

 

 

Gig Review: Consumed @ Aatma, Manchester [13/07/2018]

Consumed rip through their Northern album launch show, with support from Don Blake, Triple Sundae and Hoof.

Article by Sarah Williams. Photos by Cold Front Photography.

We’ve been waiting for 16 years, but it’s finally here. Nineties UK skate-punk legends Consumed have chosen today to drop their EP Decade of No into our laps, after a long hiatus. Every chord, every note and every lyric is just as vibrant, exciting and relevant as their earlier releases and I’m supremely excited to celebrate the launch with them tonight.

The troopers at Anarchistic Undertones have organised tonight’s album release party at Aatma in Manchester, with a varied line up of supports in the form of Don Blake, Triple Sundae and Hoof. What better way to finish of your working week?

HOOF Live cred Josh Sumner Shout Louder 13072018 (2).jpg
I’m gonna get straight out there are say it: I bloody love Hoof. They don’t seem to have the big furore around them that you occasionally get with DIY bands, but there’s an understated charm to them and what they play is just very, very good. They fall into the camp of 90’s EpiFat-era skate-punk (and I’d hazard a guess Consumed are a big influence on them), producing a sound that’s comfortingly familiar and exceptionally well executed.

In the interest of building anticipation, they break a string approximately five notes into the set, leading to a lengthy re-stringing break before the show’s even started. Fortunately these guys are the masters of off-hand stage banter, and at least it didn’t halt the set halfway through.

HOOF Live cred Josh Sumner Shout Louder 13072018 (7).jpg

Back up and running again they rip through Epitaph and Petty Thieves, the title track from their relatively recent EP. It’s fast, hard punk rock with a strong grasp of melody and a tight technical edge, particularly on the snappy drum fills and odd twiddly riffs. They’re firmly in the class of bands incapable of playing less than breakneck speed, ideal for kicking off a show. Continue reading “Gig Review: Consumed @ Aatma, Manchester [13/07/2018]”

Album Review: Nerdlinger – Happy Place

Australian melodic skatepunkers Nerdlinger has delivered a smasher. FFO Lagwagon, Frenzal Rhomb and Teenage Bottlerocket.

Article by Alan Corcoran.

It’s summer and most of the world has been burning to a crisp in the past few weeks, so what better time to dust off your skateboard, cruise over to your friend’s BBQ and listen to some punk rock, delivered courtesy of Nerdlinger and their new album Happy Place.

The Australian melodic skate punkers have covered a lot of ground both literally and figuratively since 2013 and it’s therefore no surprise that this album has both an energy and diversity to it that is damn refreshing in a genre that’s been going since the 90s.

A fairly standard 30 second intro song starts things off, followed by guitar playing and melodies in both Contagious and Can Yu Forgive Me? that will have fans of Blink-182 reminiscing on a time when Tom Delonge wasn’t off somewhere chasing space men.

 

The first four songs barrel past in under ten minutes and while there are the spicy riffs and drum fills associated with skate punk, there are also plenty of satisfying melodies that lean towards pop punk. The aforementioned Contagious is a prime example of an intro and verse that sizzle with intensity, before serving up a tasty chorus. Continue reading “Album Review: Nerdlinger – Happy Place”

Haest: Hastings’ New Hardcore Supergroup [Interview]

We spoke to Dan and Mark from new Hastings sludgy-hardcore act Haest about their latest musical project.

Interview by Sarah Williams.

You might have heard the name Haest cropping lately. If you haven’t yet, we guarantee you will soon.

Haest are the latest in South Coast hardcore; hailing from Hastings they’re a vertiable DIY supergroup, feturing members of Matilda’s Scoundrels, The Barracks, Wizard Fight and The Dead Anyways. Seeking a new, heavier musical outlet, these four guys recently banded together to create something fresh. The result is EP #1, which showcases their gritty, sludgy take on hardcore.

We spoke to Dan Flangan (guitar) and Mark Tanner (bass) about their latest endeavour.

For a new band, there’s a lot of buzz about Haest at the moment! What first prompted you to start making music together?

  • Mark: Dan could’ve started the idea off before, but I’m pretty sure I got involved after a few drunken conversations with Dan about a side project for a bit of fun playing some heavier stuff.
  • Dan F: Matilda’s Scoundrels had 10 weeks off at the beginning of the year without a show and I had a bunch of riffs I’d written that weren’t really Scoundrels material. So Mark and I spoke about it then got Dan K onboard.

Haest Live 1.jpg

How would you describe your sound to someone?

  • Dan F: I’m not really sure how to describe it. It’s very mixed. Hardcore driven with sludge/metal elements?
  • Mark: My favourite description I’ve heard is that we’re like a punk Black Sabbath mixed with early Black Flag. I guess we’re sludgy hardcore/punk. Slunk!

Continue reading “Haest: Hastings’ New Hardcore Supergroup [Interview]”

Exclusive: Revenge of The Psychotronic Man Premiere ‘Planet Earth II’ Video

Manchester’s DIY-heroes’ latest video captures the stunning crowd reaction at Manchester Punk Festival 2018.

Earlier in 2018, Manchester speed-punks and DIY-scene heroes Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man saldy announced that they would be splitting up in December.

The band have been active for 14 years, playing over 500 gigs all over the UK and Europe. In true Revenge fashion, the band decided to go out in style rather than fading away, making 2018 one of their most active years to date.

They announced a collosal run of live dates, all leading up to one massive headline all-dayer at Rebellion bar in Manchester on Saturday 8th December. Revenge have curated a bill of 14 support acts who they’ve shared stages with many times in their career, all doing 20 minute sets. The bands are booked along with a host of other surprises, however they won’t be announced until just before the gig! There are just 110 tickets left this this once-in-a-lifetime show – get yours before they’re gone.

Alongside this run of final gigs, the band have also released That Was Just A Noise. The album features 26 tracks from between 2004 and 2018, including some previously unreleased material and a series of rarities.

Planet Earth II is one of those new tracks. Already a live favourite, the track is a homage of sorts to David Attenborough, but also a discussion about spending every weekend on the road, being constantly knackered at ‘real’ work, but so grateful for the experiences the DIY punk scene offers.

The video was recorded at the sold out Manchester Punk Festival in April 2018 by Bobby Stikah/Occlumus . Continue reading “Exclusive: Revenge of The Psychotronic Man Premiere ‘Planet Earth II’ Video”

Podcast #10: Fair Do’s Talk Leopards, Foxes and Sasquatches

Manchester’s masters of metal / punk crossover join us for a tongue-in-cheek chat about woodland animals, touring and technical excellence.

On today’s thoroughly entertaining episode, Sarah is joined by Danny Cummings and John Holt from Fair Do’s. These tongue-in-cheek Northerners have been an important part of both the UK DIY punk scene and the wider European skate-punk scene since 2009 so we were delighted to speak to them, especially as they get set to unleash their stunning new album Leopards.

We learn why their bassist is a weasel, why a stage catching fire doesn’t mean the end of a show, and they share the story of their foxy new video for their single, Closing In. We also discuss KNRD Fest, touring with After The Fall and Death By Stereo and, erm, morris dancing.

Finally, they also completely throw their bandmate Dave Speechley under the bus on the personal worst section of the podcast, telling two fabulously embarassing tour stories. Probably serves him right for being such an disgustingly good guitarist.

We also discuss their album Leopards, which is due out on Lockjaw Records on July 27th. We’re a tad biased, but we think it’s one of the best melodic hardcore albums that 2018 will have to offer, and you’re a fool if you don’t pre-order it from Lockjaw Records right this second. Continue reading “Podcast #10: Fair Do’s Talk Leopards, Foxes and Sasquatches”

How To Beat Post-Festival Depression

Article by Sarah Williams. Cover image by Josh Sumner.

The struggle is real. We have all been there after a great weekend: suddenly alone, wanting to grin and cry in equal measure. Post-festival depression is the worst part of loving live music.

You’re mentally exhausted from the sheer amount of fun you’ve had. At best you’re a hungover, sunburned mosquito-feast, at worst you’ve sustained an actual injury. You’re bruised and broken from the physical exertion of a ‘holiday’: mosh pits, human pyramids, sleeping on floors.

You’ve showered but you can’t cleanse your insides; sitting in the office on Monday morning feeling like a ragdoll stuffed with shit spaghetti, desperately hoping none of your colleagues notice your mental state.

In the weekend punk-bubble it’s completely appropriate to curl up in a ball on the floor if you need to, to joke about your hands shaking or your jaw aching. You can show off your pit bruises and laugh about all the stupid things you did when you were peak drunk.

Suddenly, Monday comes and you’re crash landing into the reality of your day job, forced to keep schtum about this ‘other life’ you’re living. When your colleagues have innocently spent the weekend ferrying their kids to swimming lessons, doing a spot of gardening and redecorating their kitchens, you can’t exactly counter it with tales of gincidents, Class A’s and a complete disregard for your own physical well-being. When you’re enduring this inevitable dip, the worst part is that you have to keep quiet and pretend you’re totally fine.

Having experienced the crushing loneliness of post-festival depression umpteenth times now, I wanted to share my advice on overcoming it.

Reach out to your friends

There’s a good chance that they’re feeling just as shit as you are, so reach out to your mates and make sure they’re okay. Share the pain. The post-fest depression hits us all at different times; for me it’s usually about half an hour after I say goodbye to the last person I see, when it’s had a little time to sink in. It might vary a bit depending on the strength of your bangover, how long your journey home is or who you’re going home to. Continue reading “How To Beat Post-Festival Depression”