Tag: Haest

Haest’s Manchester Punk Festival Interview

We talk to doomy-hardcore DIY kings Haest about their tongue-in-cheek approach, originally designed for print in the Manchester Punk Fest program.

Article by Sarah Williams.

Sadly, this year’s Manchester Punk Fest has fallen victim to the COVID-19 catastrophe. Before then, Shout Louder had been working to write this year’s MPF program, including a series of band interviews. Rather than waste everyone’s hard work, we decided to post the interviews for your enjoyment here (plus keep an eye on Ear Nutrition for an excellent interview with Shai Hulud).

As one of the foremost up-and-coming bands on the current UK hardcore circuit, I was keen to speak to Haest. Based in their eponymous town of Hastings, they’re a sludgy, doom-laden co-project from members of Matilda’s Scoundrels, The Barracks, Knife Club and many others. No doubt familiar to Shout Louder’s regular readers (we’ve interviewed them in the past), they’re uniquely enthralling live, they’re also purveyors of excellent DIY music videos. They’ve recently released their first full-length album Anomie on TNSrecords.

We spoke to guitarist Dan Flanagan about all the joys of Manchester Punk Festival, their history and their tongue-in-cheek approach. Continue reading “Haest’s Manchester Punk Festival Interview”

Interview: Knife Club reveal their identity with video & album launch [Exclusive]

DIY punk rock’s most mysterious band, Knife Club, reveal their identities, tell us all their secrets and launch their new video and album!

Interview by Sarah Williams.

Knife Club are the most mysterious punk band of 2020 – teasing live shows and recordings without ever revealing who they really are. If you’ve missed the hype, we posted an article speculating about their identity (sorry folks: we were in on the joke the whole time).

Today you can finally learn the identity of the band! Our interview below sheds light on the whole affair. To celebrate, they’re launching pre-orders of their first full-length album We Are Knife Club – available from TNSrecords.

Watch this video right to the end, and read the interview below to find out exactly who Knife Club are and what they’re all about!

You can finally tell the world who you are! Introduce yourselves for us.

We are…! Continue reading “Interview: Knife Club reveal their identity with video & album launch [Exclusive]”

Exclusive: Haest Premiere Video for ‘I Thought I’d Walked In Sh*t But It Was A Child’s Mitten’

Be the first to see the hilarious music video for the first single from Haest’s upcoming album ‘Anomie’, due out on TNSrecords in January.

There’s nothing we love more than a proper DIY punk rock music video, and today’s exclusive is just that. Haest are gearing up to release their debut album Anomie to the world – due out on TNSrecords on 10 January 2020.

The video for the first single I Thought I’d Walked In Shit But It Was A Child’s Mitten is a low-budget classic, featuring Snuff/Southport’s Simon Wells as a lairy estate agent. Would you buy this house?

In their short existence, Haest have been running roughshod through the UK DIY punk scene, clocking up two EPs, various compilation tracks, a European tour and a ton of support slots with the likes of The Dwarves, The Adolescents, Pears, Birds In Row and Clowns. The band have developed a sound of their own; mixing influences from hardcore punk, doom and noise rock. Their debut album sees them spread their wings even further, creating a truly unique piece of work.

Find out more and pre-order the album here. Continue reading “Exclusive: Haest Premiere Video for ‘I Thought I’d Walked In Sh*t But It Was A Child’s Mitten’”

Punk Rock Coffee: A Hungover Tale of Lockjaw Records’ Latest Creation

Rick Delaney taste tests Lockjaw Records’ Coffee midway through Manchester Punk Festival. The result is this hilarious, hungover story, that’ll resonate even if you don’t have the slightest interest in coffee.

Lockjaw Records (Sarah Shout Louder’s other love) recently teamed up with Sham City Roasters to create their own bespoke Lockjaw Coffee. They challenged Rick Delaney, who usually writes serious stuff for Dying Scene, to take it for a serious taste-test. 

Bravely, Delaney chose to do this early in the morning, halfway through the liver-crippling marathon of Manchester Punk Festival. He’s a true hero; here’s his (inebriated, tangential, absolutely hilarious) story.

In screaming sunshine, I hotfoot across Manchester with a photographer on the verge of alcohol-induced paralysis and a shopping list of accoutrements and crucial equipment for a coffee morning. The goal is a double review – the latest compilation and a custom coffee blend from the hardworking and frankly spectacular bunch at Lockjaw Records.

Surprisingly minimal fucking around in shops later – camera operator Josh Sumner [Shout Louder’s resident photographer] sweats outside – we get the gear and head for an apartment on the North side of town. We call Carly Ashburner – one of many truly magical humans attending Manchester Punk Festival 2019 and literal bench-presser of band members. She meets us on the street in typical high spirits. We head upstairs.

In the swankiest of weekend rentals, overlooking a spectacular Manchester cityscape and the Peak District National Park, I find a scene of absolute mayhem. Continue reading “Punk Rock Coffee: A Hungover Tale of Lockjaw Records’ Latest Creation”

Playlist: The Best Live Punk Rock Bands of 2019 (so far…)

Listen to our latest Spotify playlist, highlighting the best live punk rock bands of 2019 so far.

Curated by Sarah Williams.

We’ve made a Spotify playlist of all the best punk rock bands we’ve seen live this year, just for you. Want to discover your new favourite band, or relive the best music festivals of 2019? Look no further.

Live music is the best barometer for new bands. No matter your budget, it’s impossible to capture the energy of a good gig on vinyl. Watching a band live is the fastest way to fall in love with them.

Writing in August, I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy a plenty of punk gigs and festivals already this year. Feisty bands like Not On Tour, The Penske File and Nosebleed have consistently got me dancing. I’ve been impressed by old favourites like The Bronx and Consumed, who haven’t lost their edge. And I’ve caught new acts like Cryptic Street and Daves and had my mind blown.

Here is a Spotify playlist of the best punk rock bands of 2019 so far. Who would be on your list?

Continue reading “Playlist: The Best Live Punk Rock Bands of 2019 (so far…)”

Review: Haest – EP #2

“Haest sound like they’ll drink all your cider and shit in your bathtub.” FFO: Amebix, Axegrinder, Discharge

Review by Ollie Stygall.

Let me ask you a question. What is punk rock?

Is it the aggressive take on hard rock first put forward by bands such as The Sex Pistols and The Damned? Is it the metallic rush of bands such as Discharge and The Exploited? Is it the hyperspeed grind of hardcore bands such as Ripcord or Heresy? Is it the melodic, pop-tinged sounds of The Offspring? Is it the off-kilter, angular, dub-infused sounds of Fugazi? The answer is, it’s all of this… and more.

Haest from Hastings (see what they did there?) is punk but don’t easily fit into a convenient punk-rock pigeon hole. To my grizzled, ancient ears they sound like the modern day bedfellows of 80’s crust bands such as Amebix and Axegrinder as they throw a touch of sludge into their grimy grind. Continue reading “Review: Haest – EP #2”

7 Punk Rock Bands To Stalk In 2019

Our recommendations for ones-to-watch this year – these bands are set to explode.

Written by Sarah Williams. Cover photo by Cold Front Photography.

Now that we’ve completed our round-up of 2018 (check out our top albums, EPs, festivals and live bands) it’s time to look ahead of the future.

The DIY punk scene is thriving in Europe currently; it’s feels like we’re on riding the crest of a wave that’s growing into a tsunami. Online connections are enabling us to share recommendations and enthusiasm across continents, so word is spread quickly about exciting new acts.

It’s easy to find new music nowadays, however I’ve believe there are two methods that stand out above the others: watching support acts at gigs and listening to recommendations from your friends. In 2019, I implore you to get out and see as many new bands as possible. To get you started, here are Shout Louder’s top recommendations:

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Wolfrik

Canadian thrashers Wolfrik are unlike any other band I’ve heard… although it’s safe to say they’re fans of Alexisonfire, A Wilhelm Scream, Protest The Hero and Belvedere. I’ve been keen to get their EP Skeleton City into the ears of anyone I can find and, so far, everyone’s been bowled over by their awesome sound.

Fortunately Skeleton City also found its way to the ears of the Manchester Punk Festival promoters, who pretty much instantly added them to the bill. If Wolfrik are as good live as they are on record then they’re going to tear the faces off the whole UK punk scene when they arrive in England in April. Erring on the metal / rock end of the punk scale, they combine a variety of genres, but it’s all fast, raucous fun with a healthy dose of experimentation. Continue reading “7 Punk Rock Bands To Stalk In 2019”

Podcast: Dan Flanagan of Matilda’s Scoundrels & Haest

Recorded on the beach at Punk Rock Holiday, Dan and Sarah talk gigs, bands and festival antics.

As the guitarist in both TNS folk-punk favourites Matilda’s Scoundrels and new sludge punk band Haest, as well as one of the organisers of Wotsit Called Festival, Dan Flanagan is one of the most active members of our current UK DIY punk scene.

I’ve been meaning to catch Dan to record a podcast since we first got started, but we finally managed to make time while both in Slovenia at Punk Rock Holiday! Where better to record than on an deserted beach in blazing sunshine, with our feet dipped in the crystal clear river, surrounded by stunning mountains?

Dan Flanagan Shout Louder Podcast 1.jpg
Photos courtesy of Dave Sloan

Although the scenery is idyllic, you can definitely hear our hangovers in the first section of the podcast, and I struggled a bit with my battered vocal chords. Fortunately, Dan’s capable of stringing a sentence together, and we get onto a proper discussion of festival antics. We talk about the joys of Punk Rock Holiday (including Mad Caddies, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Comeback Kid and Almeida), as well as Manchester Punk Festival, Pie Race, Wotsit Called Fest and all kinda of other shenanigans.

We begin by saying we’re not doing to bad on the hangover front, but you can definitely hear the wear and tear in my battered vocal chords and the difficulty in stringing sentences together. You can hear us verbally wake up about 20 minutes in!

These are the tunes we played:

  • Matilda’s Scoundrels – Mr Martyn
  • Haest – I Didn’t Throw A Single Stone And Still I Got Pissed On
  • Bootscraper – The Family

 

Exclusive: Haest Premiere Video For ‘I Didn’t Throw A Single Stone And I Still Got Pissed On’

South Coast hardcore punk act Haest burst onto the scene with their new video!

Shout Louder are proud to bring you the first single from new Hastings’ hardcore act Haest. The band have burst onto the scene with their first release: EP#1, which is available on Bandcamp for pay-what-you-want.

“I Didn’t Throw A Single Stone And I Still Got Pissed On is basically about lying politicians and the media,” explained vocalist, Dave Cullern. “Tricking people into being stupid or making stupid choices, like Brexit, Trump or being racist…. and the damage that does to the world.”

Or, as guitarist, Dan Flanagan, put it: “It’s about a cunt called Amber Rudd.”

Either way, pop this on your stereo, sit back and watch Haest blow up.

Like what you hear? Read our recent interview with the band here. Continue reading “Exclusive: Haest Premiere Video For ‘I Didn’t Throw A Single Stone And I Still Got Pissed On’”

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]”