Th e

Ro ckett e

Always

Read The

Label

Aaron brown things happen for a reason ep review

Insertthe final chapter

MakeThisRelate

Tour Review Edinburgh & Glasgow

The new Line up

Linkssend me a tweet via twitterhttp://twitter.com/theRocketteMag

Add me on MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/d-b-designs

add me on facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/Therockette

Editors letterWell this is now the 6th issue I can’t believe it! ! It has been half a year since I left my last magazine and began “the Rockette”. I’ve been trying very hard to get new and excit ing content for the magazine, it ’s been hard work and super hectic this month.

I was invited to a gig at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh to review Makethisrelate, a new band from Glasgow. However I had already booked to see them play in Glasgow at the ABC, so I had the idea to review both gigs and compare to see which gig was best?

“Always read the Label” are back with a brand new line-up. The band even had brand new photos taken for this issue, so I hope you wil l l ike them. I was lucky enough to meet Damien (damo) at ABC in Glasgow while at “Makethisrelate” gig, he was very nice hope to see him again soon! Hopefully it wil l be “Live”, as I am yet to see his band live.

I’ve met a lot of nice bands this past year, a lot of who have shown me how grateful they are to my work. My magazine would not be here if not for them, so a big thank you goes out to all of them!

I Hope soon to be arranging my own gig for the magazine! The gig wil l feature 5-7 of the bands who have been in “the Rockette”. However this is sti l l in the planning stages at the moment! Hope to have more news on this over the next few months, so keep your eyes open!

ContentsEditors letter - page 2

Insert “the final chapter” - page 4vladimar EP interview - page 8Fallow feilds interview - page 9sound of the suburbs - page 12the lafontaines story - page 14

near escape Velocity interview - page 16Sam Barber & the Outcasts EP Review - page 18Always Raed The Label (cover) - page 19MakethisRelate Tour Review - page 26News Flash! (george alex,sevendaze & core effect) - page 40review of arron brown’s new ep - page 41Taking Hayley Interview - page 42

Fargo (cover band) interview - page 46

Insert ....the final chapter!

Live photos from Dog & Parrot Newcasle

17/06/2010

Insert a 5 piece pop punk band from Newcast le. The band made up of members, Alex Joyce s inging Lead Vocals , An-drew (Andy) Lead Guitar, Jamie, Rhythm Guitar, Anna on Bass and Aaron on Drums. They met each other in and around Birt ly Community centre.

The name ‘ Insert ’ was cooked up by Andy ’s s ister. She had suggested “ Insert band name here” as a good name for the band. This was then shortened to just “ Insert ”! Drawing inspirat ion from bands from al l genres, “ Insert ” had a unique and di f ferent sty le to a many other bands today.

They released their f i rst track, “Chapst icks”, in Septem-ber 2008. This was the f i rst of many great songs writ-ten by the band. The track was a imed at a more ‘punk’ crowd with lots of loud drumming with crashing symbols , a heavy bass and the tone of Alex ’s voice.

Short ly after, their second track “know it a l l”, written by Andy, was released. This proved to be as big a success as the f i rst . Andy wrote the main r i f f of lyr ics and the band worked the music around that.

....the final chapter!S e p T e m B e R 4 T h 2008 - m Ay 2011 R . I . p

The bands f i rst g ig ever was at the Lord Clyde in South Shields. The manager ’s wife, Gayl l , f i lmed a few tracks at this performance.

The band played some gigs back at Birt ly Community centre. They per-formed a cover of b l ink182’s track “dammit ”. This was a very good per-formance, a fan f i lmed the perfor-mance and posted i t on youTube.

On the 30th of August 2009 the band uploaded their F i rst sel f pub-l ished v ideo. “ There Goes That Gir l” was the name of the track, the v ideo shows c l ips from l ive shows to t ime in the recording studio. For a f i rst track i t received 860 v iews, not bad for a f i rst v ideo.

October 2009, the band played the Br idge Bar Bistro in Newcast le. When I asked the band about this show, Aaron admitted he was think-ing about another bar he drank in once or twice. however the band said this was a good venue and re-al ly enjoyed the performance there.

In January 2010, capital iz ing on their on- l ine popular ity, they headl ined their f i rst b ig g ig at the O2 in New-cast le. Drawing in a large crowd, making i t a near sel l out!

O2 Headlin

er

photographs

7/1/2010

Insert ....the final chapter!

That year they s igned up to the L ive & Unsigned music competit ion, where they reached the area-f inals . The band had proven themselves fa ir ly successful . Despite not winning , the band decided they would not g ive up.

In January 2011 The Rockette magazine ran i ts f i rst story on Insert with a detai led account of how they came to be. This was the beginning of a beauti ful re lat ionship between the band and the magazine.

In February 2011, Aaron, the drummer and much beleaguered member of “ Insert ” had a solo interview in The Rockette magazine.

In march 2011, fol lowing the release of their ep, “When pensioners Fal l”, a review appeared in The Rockette magazine.

Live & Unsigned photo’s from

2010

....the final chapter!S e p T e m B e R 4 T h 2008 - m Ay 2011 R . I . pIn Apri l 2011 the band re-appl ied to the L ive & Unsigned music competit ion. Despite reaching the area-f inal yet again, the band was disappointed not to win. They were having di f f icult ies deal ing with this and the band were also having some musical d i f ferences and decided to cal l i t a day!

As of the 8th may 2011, the band have off ic ia l ly spl i t up. Despite this , ‘ Insert ’ have agreed to go ahead and play one last show.

As Insert where a big band here in the Rockette, appearing in every issue so far they wi l l be sorely missed.

Live & Unsigned

photo’s from

20117

Vladimir

Tel l us about your new ep, when you wrote the lyr ics , what i t i s cal led?I t i s out ju ly 29th! we started writ ing i t a few months ago. We current ly don’t have a t i t le for i t yet .

When writ ing lyr ics , what inspires you?Normal ly just stuff thats going on around me and what I feel l ike s inging about.

Which band member wrote i t , or was i t a group effort?Peter (guitar) Joshua(bass) and Sam(drums) normal ly wr i te the music and i wr i te the lyr ics , But we a l l put in our fa i r share and i t works wel l .

Does your new ep have any speci f ic meaning behind i t?We l ike to keep i t dark and myster ious.

Which came f i rst , the music or the lyr ics?I t just depends real ly sometimes I have a set of lyr ics I have wrote and i th ink i t would go with a tune the others have came up with. But somtims we get the music then i l l wr i te the lyr ics to i t .

Overal l , what has been the react ion to the ep?Well we have played a few dates a l l over scot land late ly had the songs have went down wel l at a l l the g igs .

how many copies have you sold so far?The Ep launch is at Dexters Dundee on the 29th of ju ly so only t ime wi l l te l l .

Descr ibe your ep in no more than 10 words?Dark myster ious wal l of sound

Descr ibe your last ep performance, f rom the hotel to the after g ig party?I t was a l l b i t of a rushed panic we aren’t able to do much as we a lways have a swarm of g i r ls chas ing after us restr ict ing when and where we can go.

Final ly what plans do you have for your next ep? Hopful ly we can get i t out soon after th is one to keep the attent ion on us and keep the push going for a b igger fan-base

tell all about their new EP!!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Vladimir/174777212574935?sk=info&closeTheater=1

Facebook page

9

Genre: Pop/Rock

Members: Lois - Vocals

Chr is - GuitarNathan - Guitar

Phi l - BassJoe - Drums

Inf luences:

Comic books, wheat-free cookies , energy dr inks . . .

and I suppose music!

“Fal low Fields” .. . Tel l a l l about music , l i fe on tour and upcoming shows!

Bio: Fal low F ie lds are a f ive-piece from Hertfordshire, UK who play their own brand of pop/rock music . After forming in 2010 and re leas ing their debut s ix t rack EP, “Don’t Waste This”, they began g igg ing at venues around Hertfordshire. They have s ince p layed with many great bands such as SpyCatcher, Lecar la , Arms of At las and F loods. Their l ive shows have become what they pr ide themselves on most . They are a lways fu l l of energy and wi l l have you hooked from start to f in ish. Fa l low F ie lds ’ l ive set wi l l take you from soar ing r i ff- tast ic rock tracks such as “White L ies” to stra ight up pop punk songs l ike “Motivat ion” p lus p lenty more to keep you moving in between. I guess the only th ing left to do is get out to a g ig and see for yourselves!

how you began writ ing your own songs?

“Wel l , I got my f i rst guitar when I was about thirteen and started playing in bands when I was at school . I a lways wanted to play music that I enjoyed playing , so writ ing my own seemed to make sense. When I met Lois we started writ ing together and Fal low Fields was formed. What have been your experiences of “celebr ity l i fe”. What are theperks/negat ive s ides of fame?

Wel l , my nan l iked us on facebook the other day. That was pretty excit ing. . .

haha! I love your nan. hmm, maybe when we played at the herts Uni Forum. I t was the f i rst t ime we had our own dress ing room complete with fr idge and shower. Showers are such a luxury at venues. What ’s your favourite i tem of c lothing you own?

Def initely my zombie cat T-Shirt . I t ’s incredible.

my wardrobe is pretty dire at the moment. . . damn the recess ion, but I ’m loving my beige rol l -ups. people keep tel l ing me I look l ike an old woman in them, but whatever.

A pair of replay jeans I bought about f ive years ago. I wore them so much they got wrecked and I can’t f ind any l ike them as a replacement. Do you have tattoos or pierc ings? I f yes, how many and where are they?

: I have two tattoos. One is a r ival schools logo on my leg and I have a Bi f fy C lyro logo on my arm.

I have a tattoo on my wrist . I t ’s a treble

c lef and a bass c lef jo ined together to make a heart . I would explain i t , but i t ’s pretty sel f explanatory r ight? Oh and I have three pierc ings in my ears.Celeb crush?

: L ights *Drools* Natal ie portman

easy, Katy perry Katy perry. . .

what?. . . haha, nah she is hot, but def initely Dave Grohl .

I love lamp What would your dream house be l ike?

I ’d have a modern house made most ly from glass and stainless steel with open f loor plans and a g igant ic pool .

On a mountain over looking a lake.

Nice, but I would have to go for the family house I grew up in, p icked up and dropped by the coast for us a l l to l ive in.

I want to change mine. my dream house would have a rol ler coaster in i t and i t would make tea for me constant ly.

yes! Rol ler coasters and tea are a must. mine would have a mcDonalds in i t though. . . This is start ing to sound l ike the f i lm “r ichie r ich”. Basical ly, I want his house. Do you have posters up on your room wal ls?

I have loads of g ig t ickets and band stuff on my wal ls , no posters though.

yeah, same here with the t ickets and set l i sts and stuff. I a lso have loads of photos and posters up l ike Rise Against , Foo F ighters , A Day To remember, Four year Strong. . . the l ist goes on. Chr is has got the best posters though.

I ’ve got a huge “Fear and Loathing ” poster up and loads of marvel comics ones.

I f your l i fe was a song , what would the t i t le be And what Genre would i tbe?

Oooh, good quest ion! probably a ska song cal led “Cheer up chuck”or something s imi lar.

my l i fe would be ‘ants of the sky ’ by between the buried and me.Genre wise, I guess progress ive metal - Lots of change (not in my pocket)

Oh. . . i s i t supposed to be an exist ing song? I f i t i s then I wouldwrite “Cheer up chuck” and i t would be ‘ l i fe-song-worthy ’. Sorted.

mine would be a pop-punk song cal led “Chicken, Chicken, yada yada”

Interest ing. I ’d have a rock and rol l song cal led “ yeah Buddy ”.

As a band what do you most love about being on stage?We love the onstage energy and thr i l l of the r ide. Just performing to people you don’t and do know is amazing. Wowing those that have no idea who you are and making those who do know you feel proud is incredible. When you’re on stage and see someone in the crowd even just nodding a long and gett ing involved i t feels l ike your making a di f ference. That maybe someone in the crowd is real is ing something from your songs. . . p lus i t ’s a good workout. haha. We want to know how you prepare for a show. And do you have any excit ing shows coming up: Before a show we tend to dr ink a lot of energy dr inks. . . l ike. . . a lot . I don’t think there is a brand that we haven’t

col lect ively tasted! We were thinking about creat ing a scor ing system for energy dr inks but then we r e a l i s e d that that w o u l d b e k ind of s a d . . . o r w o u l d i t be? B e f o r e o u r shows we always try to f ind t ime to warm up as wel l . Lois makes weird cat and baby noises and the rest of us s i t there laughing at her whi lst tuning up and pract ic ing. As for shows, we are going to be g igging lots this summer. We are current ly booking up tour dates for June and July so stay tuned for the dates and expect to see us in a venue near you soon! Any other news you would l ike to share with the readers: We are going to be releasing a new ep at the end of may. I t ’s cal led “Lottery of L i fe” and wi l l inc lude a few tracks that we have recently been playing l ive. We’re proud of the tracks on this ep and can’t wait for everyone to hear them.

There is current ly a preview of one of the songs from the ep cal led “White L ies” up on our facebook, which you can check out at

www.facebook.com/fal lowfields

Ep News

Linkshttp://uk.myspace.com/fal lowfieldsukhttp://twitter.com/#!/fal lowfields_uk

This is the sound of the suburbsThis is where you can find out fans opinions of what sounds are Hot on the street,

who has the worst song & which Genre has the biggest following!

12

Name: mathew

Age: 13

Kind of music you l ike: rock pop dance

rnb

music hate: c lass ical

Favourite band: my chemical romance

Last band saw l ive: mcf ly

Worst song: hearts hearts Glor ious

hearts

Best song: my chemical romance

- teenagers

Last a lbum bought just in bieber the

remix ’s

Name: Robert

Age: 44.

Type of music I l ike: Indie, Br i t pop,

Rock, Folk and some Techno.

music hate: Any and al l chipmunk

type dance/techno garbage.

Fave Bands: Joy Div is ion, New Order,

Oasis , Keane, U2, Orbital , Faithless.

Last Band I saw l ive: peter hook & The

L ight @ The L iquid Room’s.

Worst Song: See my music hate.

Best Song: Transmiss ion by Joy

Div is ion.

Last CD I bought: perfect

Symmetry by Keane.

Name: Al ice

Age: 15

Kind of music you l ike: pop/Rock

music hate: none

Favourite band: Twenty Twenty&Al l

T ime Low

Last band you saw l ive: Twenty Twenty

Worst song: don’t have one

Best song: Superwomen

Last a lbum you bought: Smal l Talk by Twenty Twenty

This is the sound of the suburbsThis is where you can find out fans opinions of what sounds are Hot on the street,

who has the worst song & which Genre has the biggest following!

12

Name: Steven

Age: 20

Kind of music you l ike: h ip-hop, indie,

rave

music hate: chav music

Favourite band: oasis

Last band you saw l ive: prodigy

Worst song: barbie g ir l

Best song: mann ft 50 cent buzz in

Last a lbum you bought: eminem

relapse

Name: John

Age: 22

Kind of music you l ike: rock - metal ica guns n

roses nickelback, aerosmith. . .that

sort of stuff

music hate: mi ley c i rus

Favourite band: metal ica

Last band you saw l ive: n ickelback

Worst song: just in beiber that baby

one

Best song: one by metal ica

Last a lbum you bought: I haven’t ever bought a a l -bum, I download, last I download-ed was - best of

meatloaf

Name: F inle igh

Age: 18

Kind of music you l ike:Unsigned Rock/

metal/pop

music hate:Screamo & Ignorance

Favourite band:Art of pr iv i lege, Save

Arcade, Death Trap City

Last band you saw l ive:Jacks Big Break,hosemox &

Birth of Wolves

Worst song: Anything by

Coldplay

Best song:Tonight we dine in hades

- Save Arcade/The i rony of Sunshine

- Ratson

Last a lbum you boughtA r i tual

Spir i t , F i reproof match

The LaFontaines

Journey through time

“Nothing good ever comes out of motherwel l these days” or does i t? The LaFontaines are a hip-hop/pop rock band from motherwel l .

In ear ly 2008 The LaFontaines were formed from other exist ing bands. Kerr Okan was a rapper cal led “pr ime” before jo ining the band. Darren was in a band cal led “miss in’ A Bit ”. Jamie on the other hand was in a band named “Jackanoorys”.

This col laborat ion led to the formation of The LaFontaines. Fronted by rapper Kerr Okan with guitar ists Darren mcCaughey, Ia in F indlay, bass ist Anna Smith and drummer Jamie Keenan.

They have their own unique sty le. Less Gangsta

r a p p e r s , more ‘Coonsi l ’

estate bashers. I t ’s appropriate

they come from motherwel l , a former Steel product ion town

in central Scot land, as they ’ve done away with

‘b l ing ’ cos they prefer to wear ‘ t in’. And whi le they may have a look of former tongue in cheek rap band “Goldie Lookin Chain”, The LaFontaines actual ly play some pretty stonking tracks.

Rap may not have a huge fol lowing in Scot land, but The LaFontaines have very c lever ly mixed the up-front rapping of Kerr Okan with a blend of poppy harmonies from the remainder of the band and created a mix which ought not to work, but somehow does, and very nicely, thank you!!!

Nothing good ever comes out of

Motherwell these days. . . or does it?

LaFontaines

Journey through time

Story By Dan ielle bangham

In February 2009 the band played King Tut ’s Wah Wah hut in Glasgow, support ing band “mongral”. Then sel l ing out their f i rst headl ine show at the ABC also in Glasgow, short ly after. Soon fol lowed the release of their ep named “ The LaFontaines”.

In 2010 The LaFontaines l i sted John Gerard as the new bass ist , replacing Anna Smith. There has been no off ic ia l explanat ion as to her departure. perhaps they have aspirat ions of becoming a ‘boy band’. They are now a 5 piece, a l l male group, made up of members - Kerr Okan, Ia in F indlay, Darren mcCaughey, John Gerard mcGinley and Jamie Keenan.

I recently had the pr iv i lege of seeing them perform at the “Rewired fest ” at the ABC, Glasgow in 2010. Being the f i rst t ime I had seen them, I was very surpr ised that their h ip-hop sty le real ly worked. you either get i t . Or you think “what the hel l was that?” I guess you could cal l th is band “marmite”. I t ’s that ‘ love i t or hate i t ’ th ingy. They real ly stood out on the night. There is nothing

else out there quite l ike them.

Nothing good ever comes out of

Motherwell these days. . . or does it?

theyve done away with

bling cos they pr efer

to wear tin

The bands name stems from no other than the late great voice over man ‘Don LaFontaine’ . The band were huge fans of the legend and were thr i l led when the man himself wanted to work with the guys on some voice-over mater ia l for their l ive shows and CD’s .

S ince they began in 2008, the band has been growing more and more popular. Their music v ideos on youTube receiv ing over 19,000 v iews on “the Vulcan” v ideo alone. With their raw talent there is no stopping them!

1 5

Ne

ar e

sca

pe

Ve

loci

ty

how did you choose the name of your band have you changed the band’s name before?Escape Veloc i ty i s the speed at which something leaves the earth, we don’t want to d ie , (but do buy us a spaceship i f you can) so we plan on st ick ing on earth c lose to the sky, Nope!!

What genre of mu-s ic do you consider your work to be? Who are your ma-jor inf luences?A l t e r n a t i v e GibbonRock

Dave: Hey Monday, Bon Jovi , Transat lant ic

Steve: Alter Br idge, 30 Seconds to Mars , Muse

Nate: The Matches,

Brand New, J immy Eat WorldJamie: Earth Wind and F ire, Porcupine Tree, Rebecca Black

When did you form your band? November 2010

What inspired you to make music together?Playing music i s what we want to do with our l ives . Univers i ty i s great and a l l , but nothing beats a sol id song or a cuhrazy performance

how has your music evolved s ince you f i rst began playing music together?I ts constant ly evolv ing. We a l l have such ec lect ic backgrounds. Nates more Hardcore, David is into 80s rock, Steve real ly l ikes pop music and Jamie loves Heavy stuff. We don’t have a genre real ly, we just wr i te music that we enjoy p lay ing and performing

Are you seeking fame and fortune?Er ic Nal ly of Foxy Shazam said

i t the best : I f we wanted to just make music , we’d s i t in our parents basements and our bedrooms with an acoust ic guitar. We want to perform, travel and meet people.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?Do i t , but get your heads in the game. Hal f of the work is promotion and pr work. Network. The other hal f i s p lay ing good music and play ing a good show. I ts hard to balance them.

Do you guys have any other hobbies besides, obviously, making music?Wrest l ing , Footbal l , Ult imate Fr isbeeSteve: masturbat ion

What ’s your most embarrass-ing experience?David: When I walked into a venue and some woman was ask ing for our bands name, but i repl ied “david”.

What ’s your dream hol iday?Steve: Going to I raqNate: Bol iv ia!

Name: Nate Ruby, Lead Vocals & guitar , Age: 20, my favourite thing in the whole world is -Nature, I real ly hate - hatred, I have a pet: Dog , But I would l ike a pet: Giraffe, my favourite colour is : Green, I love eat ing: Vegan

Name: David “pig ” Bowers, Drums, 20, Favourite thing: Strategy Games, hate- obnoxious loud peo-ple, pet- Rabbits , L ike a pet- -A Gibbon, Favourite colour: RedI love eat ing: marmite

Name: Stephen “ The Beast ” Kindness, Lead guitar/Vox19, hate--Being put under blankets, pet-None, , L ike a pet- no, Favorite color- red, I love eat ing: p izza

Name: Jamie “Bui lds” Br idges, Bass/Screams, 20hate--tardiness, pet- -Frog , L ike a pet: Gerbi l or hampster or something , Favorite: Red, I love eat-ing: pancakes and asparagus

What is your music back-ground: David: Fuck Al l , I ’m a fa i led p ianist , guitar ist and vocal ist , a l l I can do is h i t drums

What are your songs about?Nate: A lot are focused on the metaphor ica l concept of being in a cage. I ts no good for anyone. There is stuff about f r iends and ex-partners as wel l .

I f you could play on your dream tour, what bands would be on i t support ing you?David: Hey Monday, the lead s inger i s very f i tSteve: Alter Br idgeJamie: Porcupine TreeNate; The Damned Things

Quick Quest ions…-best g ig you played & why: everyone has been awesome. We just love playing shows-your funniest onstage mo-

ment: One t ime Jamie shat himself.

- l i fe on tour is : Demanding , but we’re l iv ing the dream, David: Smel ly and steve f i l led.

-band you would love to sup-port : Taking Back Sunday-would you date a fan: Of

course, i f they matched our tastes! Dave and Nate are s ingle. Nate’s Gay.

how can fans-to-be gain access to your music?

Check out Facebook.com/nearescapevelocitymusic

Sam Barber and the Outcasts EP ReviewSam Barber and the Outcasts are a f ive piece band from Edinburgh. Drawing Inf luences f rom Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie and the Who. I have been asked by the band to review their new EP “Val ley of S i lence .1”.

EnceladuSlow track begins with soft st rumming and piano. Sam’s voice is very Bowie-esk. I f you’ve watched the f i lm ‘Labyr inth’, you’ l l know what I mean. The music stays consistent and the voice strong throughout. “Enceladus” is very bal lad l ike and very easy to l i s ten to. K ick off your shoes, open a bott le of wine and relax with this t rack.

Escape VelocityThis t rack is more upbeat than the f i rst t rack. The song seems to be about wanting to escape to another planet. Mix a l i t t le ‘Major Tom’ with a l i t t le bit of ‘Starman’ and you’l l get “Escape Velocity”!! ! Sam Barber has capital ised on the s imi lar i ty of his voice and Bowie’s and created a great update of class ic Bowie tracks.

JupiterThis t rack has no lyr ics; with momentum s lowly bui lding from the start ; the music is very relaxing. A very pleasing, easy going track with piano and keyboard playing throughout. The sort of t rack you should l i s ten to in a nice deep bubble bath. And guys don’t t ry and deny i t cause we know you l ike bubbles too! This t rack was my personal favour i te f rom the EP. The only s l ight disappointment was the very abrupt end. I t just stopped!!! !

Mare Ingeni iA real cool bl ippy tempo with this t rack. Again there is a st rong Bowie-ish sound to the track. There are some quirky lyr ics in this t rack, but that in no way dist racts f rom this good sounding piece. With seamless t ransit ions f rom vocals to keyboard solo’s the track meanders along very pleasantly.

Paral lel UniverseI can see why this t rack is cal led “Paral lel Universe”, because the more I l i s tened to this t rack, the more I thought of the 60’s! ! ! I could just see gir l s in mini-sk i r ts , with knee high boots, standing on podiums

Linkshttp://www.myspace.com/sambarberuk

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Barber-and-The-Outcasts/132169280172588

and doing the swim, Groovy Baby, yeh!

Overal l , I can u n d e r s t a n d why they are compared to Bowie. Whi le i t i s fai r to make a comparison, i t should b e remembered that “Sam Barber and the outcasts” have their own unique sty le. Their music is clear and their lyr ics are cr isp. Their t racks are easy to l i s ten to and their EP contains many a track to help you ‘mel low’ out.

Always Read The

Label

cover story

D A m O S I N G e R / G U I TA R I S T

23

C O L I N G U I TA R I S T

22

A N DyB A S S I S T

21

m A R T I N ( T I N O ) D R U m S

25

1 9

how long you’ve been together: The current l ine-up has been together for just under a year now.

Bio: ‘A lways Read The Label ’ are a 4-piece melodic post-hardcore band from Glasgow. They started out l i fe as a 3-piece a l ternat ive rock band, formed from the ashes of Dumfr iesshire tr io, Prozac Mouse. With a new name and new l ine-up, their sound has developed over the years , forg ing some heavier post-hardcore/metal inf luences with a del icate, melodic edge resonant with acts such as Muse, Radiohead and Jeff Buckley.

As good as a brand new band in everything e lse but name, the newest and current l ine-up are focuss ing on their l ive show and have come back with a bang play ing a c luster of Glasgow shows in a short per iod of t ime inc luding venues such as Apol lo 23 and The Garage. Keen to get their name back on the map, they are cont inuing their run of Glasgow shows whi lst a lso wr it ing new songs a long the way, which wi l l form their debut a lbum.

With more mater ia l than ever, and with a new-found dynamism and prol i f ic i ty, ARTL are ready to make their mark, with p lans for their f i rst fu l l - length a lbum this year and a subsequent UK tour to promote th is .

What are you up to at the moment? Chinese, beer and r ipping i t up.

how did you get into the music industry? Through a mutual love of making music .

Who were your favourite bands growing up? Andy - Bruce Spr ingsteenmart in - Led Zeppel inCol in - QueenDamo - The Stranglers

Who where your Chi ldhood music idol ’s?Andy - er ic C laptonmart in - Noel Gal lagherCol in - Joe Satr ianiDamo - matt Bel lamy

What song is your ear l iest musical memory?Damo - Scott Walker: No RegretsAndy - Van morr ison: Brown eyed Gir lCol in - Focus: hocus pocusmart in - Abba: Dancing Queen

What age did you each decide music was going to be your career?As teenagers we al l real ised music was the career for us.

Can you descr ibe your ear ly experiences of g igging and working on your f i rst ep?We’ve went straight from releasing our debut s ingle ( Inf luence, Apri l 2010) last year to now

w o r k i n g on our f i rst fu l l - length album so we’ve not got a lot of recording stor ies unfortunately, part icular ly as i t ’s a re lat ively new l ine-up. Gig-wise, s ince our inception, we’ve played countless shows up and down the UK but the last few months we’ve been part icular ly act ive, most ly due to the fact we had a lengthy break to re-

a s s e m b l e the l ine-up, so we’re keen to re-assert our

presence in the Glasgow music scene and get our name back on the map as a ser ious l ive band.

how would you descr ibe your music?p o s t - h a r d c o r e /melodic/metal

Who would you say are your greatest inf luences and who do you part icular ly admire r ight now in the industry?Fei ComodoInmeFightstarmuseFuneral For A Fr iendBiffy ClyroDream Theater

Touring – love i t or hate i t? Would love the chance to hate i t .

What are your worst and favourite parts of being on tour together?As a relat ively new l ine-up we haven’t yet had the joys of spending

any length of t ime on tour with one another. The best part about travel l ing anywhere outs ide your hometown to play a show is just the change of scenery and meeting new people. even playing g igs on your own doorstep you get to see some fantast ic aspir ing bands and meet some genuinely br i l l iant people who, a lot of the t ime, end up becoming your fr iends.

What was the best g ig you’ve ever played, and what was the worst? The Garage and Apol lo 23 are the recent highl ights due to the s ize of the venues, the qual i ty of the l ive sound and the atmosphere created by the people in attendance.

There’s no g ig we would say real ly stands out as the worst and i t wouldn’t be fa ir to pinpoint , however there are a lways odd moments where technical d i f f icult ies and the odd f**k up can leave you feel ing a bit annoyed. We’ve gotten into the habit of f i lming al l our shows though,

so we can analyse the performances with a v iew to improving any aspects needing work.

Could you br ief ly descr ibe the music-making process? And how you come up with your lyr ics? Damo – As i t stands, I ’m writ ing a l l the mater ia l on guitar f i rst of a l l . The lyr ics come next and are often just rambl ings loosely based on my thoughts and feel ings at that t ime. Sometimes they work and just st ick and others they need a bit more work and thought. None of the songs are written down anywhere although as I approach my mid-twenties and forgetfulness begins t ightening i ts gr ip on my mind, I ’ve taken to recording snippets and raw demos of the songs so I don’t forget the in it ia l ideas.

messiest member is : AndyThe prankster is : Col in , he’s forever tak ing the p iss .most attract ive is : Andy with h is r id iculous ly stra ight hair. I t ’s l ike a dol l ’s hair. Ser ious ly.

QUICKFIRe ROUND

Superman or Batman: Batman (Superman is gay…)

Coke or pepsi : pepsi

ps3 or Xbox: Spl i t Decis ion

Simpsons or Family guy: Family

Guy

(OBV)

QUICKFIRe ROUND

Vampire or Werewolf : Vampire

Facebook or mySpace: BeBOOOOO

Friends or Scrubs: Scrubs

Ready salted or cheese and onion:

CheeSe & ONION mAN CRISpS

In future we aim to spend more t ime in the studio just writ ing together and al lowing the songs come together from scratch with the ful l band involved in order for the sound to become more natural and for the songs to evolve in a l ive environment.

I f you could do a cover of any song , what song would you choose and why? The mirror – Dream Theater, because i t ’s an excel lent tune and i t would be reasonably unexpected for us to come out with that at a l ive show – a lthough not so unexpected to anyone who’s reading this now. Damn.

What song do you get requests for the most?Our f i rst and only s ingle to date, ‘ Inf luence’ and our recently penned set-f i l ler come unl ikely fan favourite ‘F ly With me’.

What would be your ideal date?A cheap meal and a r ide at the end of i t ! As long as she doesn’t charge in the morning!

And by r ide we obviously mean at the fayre…

What song reminds you of the f i rst t ime you fel l in love? ( I t ’s up to you i f you want this to be sweet or naughty) mart in [T ino] - muse: New BornDamo - muse: Nature_1Andy - Bi f fy C lyro: many of horrorCol in - Sam heart : mario Kart Love Song

Do you have posters up on your room wal ls?Andy - Scot land F lagCol in - Naruto, Sasuke posterDamo - When I was 15 ayemart in [T ino] - John

Bonham, Bi f fy Clyro

What is the weirdest g i f t you have received from a fan?Damo – I once received c lothes and an advent calendar from a fan named Vanessa from Flor ida. Not so much weird in content as weird someone would want to send me such lovely things haha!

What ’s been the highl ight for you so far, and do you have any regrets?highl ight - The incredible and unbel ievable react ion from the crowd!Regret - Changing the tuning of our track ‘ Inf luence’, which, due to popular demand we’ve s ince changed back.

What can we expect in the future from you? A ful l - length album recording this summer/autumn and a ful l UK tour after.

What would be the best piece of advice you have been given that you would l ike to share with our readers? The best advice is to never take advice.

What art ist would you love to col laborate with?Tino - p icasso

The best g ig you have been to? T ino - muse @ meadowbank StadiumCol in - Ludovico e inaudi @ Royal Albert Concert hal lAndy - Twin At lant ic @ ABCDamo – Agree with T ino as wel l but I ’ve gotta say Br ian Wilson at the Clyde Auditor ium

What do you do to relax when you’re not working?every day I ’m shuff l in ’.

I f you hadn’t become a band/singer etc . , what job do you think you’d be doing r ight now? Working a 9-5, for minimum wage, hat ing l i fe .

Who are your celeb crushes?Andy - Sabr ina the teenage witchCol in - Kel ly CuacoDamo - Scar let Johansson (Lost in Translat ion) , Kate Winslet (eternal Sunshine) yeah, I ’m picky.Tino - Katy perry, Kel ly Brook

If a genie gave you 3 wishes, what would you wish for?Record Dealhuge Advance with 5 years to make an album.metal l ica to have never released “Saint Anger ”

Any last words?Get on to Facebook and ‘L ike’ our band page ‘Always Read The Label ’.Fol low us on Twitter: @art ltheband

Keep your eyes peeled for g ig updates and get a long to see us. See you soon!

ALSO:Jason Donovan was cutt ing about outs ide

Deichmann Shoes in Sauchiehal l Street the

other day! yASSS!

MakeTh i sRe l a t e -Tour ReviewGig Review - Glasgow 12th May 2011

Asp e n Ti d eTraff ic delays on the M8 lead me to be a few minutes late. F i rst up and already on stage when I arr ived was Aspen Tide, a local Glasgow based band. Their f i rst t rack was “Glasgow shines” a wee acoust ic t rack by Robi for his local fans. I t was their attempt to warm up the crowd and i t seemed to work!

Their second track was “Lions”. With very powerful , i f somewhat confusing lyr ics, this t rack sounded completely di f ferent l ive, a lot faster! Clear vocals supported by energetic, thumping music. Compris ing quick and slow spel ls throughout the track, which were seamlessly blended. Towards the end of the track, there was also a mind-spl i t t ing guitar and drums medley. I did enjoy this t rack; this wi l l be hard to top!

Third t rack they performed was “ageing signs” this t rack has a catchy and bouncy beat. The main vocal on the track is ably supported by the backing vocals. A very pleasant t rack, which again seemed way faster l ive! St i l l a good track, I wondered i f al l their t racks would seem faster?

No, as i t turns out, as up next was “Quiver”, this real ly s lowed things down a lot. The track was a tad “screamo” at points, but was real ly very catchy, although at the chorus, Robi speeded i t up a l i t t le. This was my personal favouri te f rom their set on the night.

To keep the crowd pumped up, Aspen Tide reminded us al l of who was coming up later that night, with each bands name being greeted with a roar f rom the crowd.

Aspen t ide dedicated their fourth t rack “breathing underwater” to a fan who was s i t t ing her exams the fol lowing afternoon. The band wished her luck. Although not my favouri te t rack of the night, Breathing Underwater is my favouri te song from their EP. ‘Bl ippy’ guitars bui ld the intro before subtle vocals are added and the track gradually bui lds to an overf lowing crescendo. The track then drops off again before bui lding back up to another peak. And so i t continues, bui lding up and crashing down again l ike well choreographed waves upon the shore.

The f inal t rack “from the strong came forth” was a new track. The track is avai lable on their new EP. Great guitar st rumming and drumming, supplemented by loud vocals and nice backing vocals. The band was consistent throughout their set and I can’t wait to see what else they have to offer us in the near future. I recommend this band to any fan of Brand New or F ightstar!

Be f o r e t h e n e x t a c t . . .Before the next act, out of nowhere, I heard someone yel l “Daniel le”. I t was Damo from “Always Read The Label”. He has spotted me si t t ing in the crowd. “Always Read the Label” have appeared in The Rockette several t imes, but this was the f i rst t ime I have actual ly met any of them. I t was very nice seeing him there, support ing other bands. We had a chat about some other bands due to appear in up-coming issues of the magazine and about the bands playing at tonight’s gig.

The Co r l e o n e sOn stage next was The Corleones, another Glasgow based band. Toni, their lead singer, was sport ing a green (Kermit colour) hoodie, st r iped top & jeans. What a look, I loved i t ! ! I so wanted that hoodie, i t was sooooo bright.

The f i rst t rack by the band t i t led “I can’t help i t” got the crowd jumping. Although, s low at t imes, the tempo of the track kept the crowd enthusiast ic. There was good guitar and drum accompaniment to the lyr ics, which f lowed smoothly through the track. Always a good way to start a set.

Next up was their brand new and yet un-named track. The band informed us this was to be the f i rst t ime that anyone wil l have heard i t . They also pointed out that i f they played i t wrong or screwed up the lyr ics we wouldn’t know! So what can I say but i t was FAB!!

The third t rack we heard was cal led “A Spot of Bad Weather”. We were told by the band that the track is now avai lable on iTunes, or steal i t i f we preferred! A short melodic intro was fol lowed by Toni’s dist inct West Coast (weedgie) accent. Their guitar playing was very good throughout the track and wove in and out and through the lyr ics very nicely.

Fourth up was “Surprise; Goodbye”, a brand new track, i t ’s not due out unt i l August. The track was very catchy. The vocals were loud and nicely accompanied part icular ly by the drums, as the guitars were more mellow on this t rack.

“Three o’clock in the morning” was the next tune to be belted out. This is my favouri te song by the band for sure. I t was the f i rst t rack I ever heard from the

guys, I was not disappointed. The track on the EP sounds good, l ive i t ’s even better. I t ’s real ly catchy and rol ls along very br ight ly. At three o’clock in the morning I would never be as bubbly or loud as this superb track.

Their last t rack was “Hope” they apologized to al l the fans for the fact that they do not sound more l ike Just in Bieber! However none of the crowd seemed too disappointed!! With a nice slow intro this t rack wafted into view. Gentle guitar and subtle drumming mix well with lyr ics to create that ‘Sunday morning feel ing’ in a musical format. Br ing on the toast and marmalade!!

Pag e 44First t rack of their set was “watch me fade” this is a FAB track. L ive this song was perfect, just the same as the recorded version. From the f i rst l ine “I ’m suffer ing si lence I don’t make a sound” to the f inal l ine “Watch me Faaaaade”. The Clear and crisp lyr ics fol lowed a short guitar n’ drum intro. This t rack is wel l balanced, tel ls the struggle of having to leave no matter how hard.

Up next was “closer” a louder t rack than the f i rst . I t had a real catchy beat to i t and was also a lot faster. The crowd were real ly buzzing which the band seemed to react to. The whole place was jumping. This was a real high octane track!!

The band then told us that they had an international footie match against MakethisRelate earl ier in the day. With Page 44 being from Birmingham, representing England and MakethisRelate (minus Dave who was unwell) , being from Glasgow, representing Scotland. Page 44 were very happy to announce that they had won by a landsl ide. They where 9-1 up at half t ime and despite a spir i ted comeback, they held on to win 19-10 at ful l t ime. They happily pointed out the similar i t ies to a real Scotland v England match.

Fol lowing that story, they played the second track from their new album. The track was cal led “i f only for the night”. This was a much slower t rack. Not quite a bal lad, but as the previous t rack had been so fast , they at least had to s low i t down to catch their breath. The guitars were slow and meaningful and made this a real classy track.

Next they played “With or without your help” f rom their old EP. Clear lyr ics supported well by the music in the background never drowning out. The track f lows nicely along and could be described as “easy l is tening”. I t could s i t wel l among many dif ferent genres. A pleasant and well rounded track.

“Anywhere” another of their older t racks was played next. Far more rock sounding than their previous t rack with a lot more bass and deeper, louder lyr ics. The lyr ics are s imple in themselves and indicate that there is no future in this relat ionship.

Before the next t rack we were al l informed that at a previous gig Adam Vygus had spl i t his t rousers and i t looked l ike someone’s grandad was hanging out his t rousers. Well thanks for lett ing us al l know that ‘Adam Stanford’, so now I ’ve got to let al l ‘Rockette’ readers in on i t too. I think one or two in the front were hoping for a repeat performance, but ‘Viggy’ let them down!! !

Their second last t rack of the night was “no truth at al l”. This song started very s imple with just l ight guitar ing and soft vocals. Bui lding more towards the chorus as the drumming kicks i t up a notch. This song seems to be about a one sided relat ionship, with lyr ics ‘you always took more than you gave’ giving this impression.

They then dedicated their last t rack of the night “Answers” to someone’s mum in the audience. Another high octane track with nice harmonies between lead and backing vocals. The lyr ics f low with vigour through the track, occasional ly pausing long enough to al low a burst of music to permeate and then bui ld unt i l the re-introduction of lyr ics. This t rack would certainly sound good on any in-car CD player on a long drive through the night.

MakeTh i sRe l a t e

(Head l i n e a c t ! ! ! )

Last on stage was the headline for the night MakethisRelate, a 4 piece band from Glasgow. They opened their set with an up-tempo and extremely loud track “Watching Cars Crashing”. The lyr ics suggest that the singer is being left by his partner. There doesn’t seem to be any sorrow, just anger. “The sparks are f lying” so “I ’m watching your car crashing”.

Before their next t rack the band wished everyone taking exams the next day good luck and dedicated “We’l l always be famous for our biggest fai lure” to them. Well let ’s just hope that they don’t fai l ! ! ! A fast paced track with good vocals throughout. A rhythmic beat keeps the track pumping along. By the end of the track we were al l “sat is f ied”.

Flying into view next was “Today I ’m on Autopi lot”. Another high tempo track from their f i rst EP. Wi l l they ever s low down??? The crowd were encouraged to s ing along with this t rack. Kevin would s ing a l ine then let the crowd sing the next. Both versions were very well supported instrumental ly. Not real ly sure which version was best though, lol .

Next up was a brand new track cal led “Sugar Glass”. This t rack was a good track to say the least!

Then they played “This Conversation is Missing Your Voice”. Some of the lyr ics f rom this song were used to create the t i t le of their new EP “One More Second Chance”. There was a moderately long musical intro before the lyr ics began. A s lower and sl ight ly mellower vocal than normal for this band. But that didn’t last very long before i t was ramped up again. There were some nice sections throughout the track where there were no lyr ics, just music and these made nice inter ludes. The lyr ics were great during the track, part icular ly as i t wound

Nex t s t o p Sn e aky Pe t e ’s

i n Ed i n bu r gh . . . .

i ts way nearer to the end of i ts seven minute enti rety, when they slowed down again and asked for “One More Second Chance”.

Their f inal t rack was cal led “Pick Your Side”. A lot of loud drumming dominated this intro. But not to be outdone, the guitars came back with their own banging r i f fs . And al l the whi le, lyr ics are blast ing out. A real quick and styl ish t rack with lots of momentum. The whoa oh oh’s at the end of the track real ly kept the crowd going.

The band wanted to play on and add more tracks but those nasty and boring venue staff said enough is enough and cal led an end to the performance. There was however, st i l l t ime to meet and talk to al l the bands who had played at the merch area, where they happily s igned autographs and posed for photos.

Mee t i n g t h e b a n d s . . .

MakeTh i sRe l a t eGig Review - Edinburgh 31st may 2011

Rememb e r Pa r i s

This was a fol low-up review on the MakethisRelate tour, having previously seen them at the O2 ABC in Glasgow. I got to the venue around 6.30, as the doors were due to open at 7.00. Unfortunately, there were some technical di f f icult ies and the doors didn’t actual ly open unti l 7.30. Although, whi le wait ing outside I happened to bump into Aspen Tide’s Robi and Ross and also Danny from MakethisRelate, so at least the delay was for me, worthwhile.

At each of their di f ferent venues, di f ferent bands have been there to support. This has meant I have met a lot of very talented bands f rom across Scotland and beyond. At sneaky Pete’s there was even a band from USA.

F i rst up were “Remember Paris”, a 5 piece band al l the way from Indiana, USA. The band is made up of Ryan Diskey – Vocals, TJ Greer - Guitar/Vocals, Ronnie Ish - Guitar/Vocals, Ramsey Hal l – Bass and Mike Babb on Drums. Unfortunately, only 3 members of the band were present, the others had been delayed at Heathrow Customs, along with most of the bands equipment.

Their set had a completely di f ferent feel to i t , as the band members where perched on stools, as opposed to standing on stage. Their f i rst t rack was a solo by T.J. (not their usual lead singer) with just him and an acoust ic guitar. This t rack had a bit of a Daughtry feel about i t .

MakeTh i sRe l a t e For their second track, “Hard T imes”, T .J. was joined by Mike who accompanied the acoust ics with his bongo drum. A s low hand clap was encouraged from the audience toward the end of the track, whi lst the band repeatedly sang the rhyme ‘st icks and stones may break your bones’ unt i l the end.

For their third t rack “Run Something Terr ible”, Ramsey joined the others on stage with his bass. This t rack had a much quicker tempo and the acoust ic, bass and bongos worked real ly wel l together.

“Remember Paris” produced a very good performance despite missing most of their equipment and being 2 members down. I f they can produce a set l ike this under these circumstances, I would real ly l ike to see what they can do at ful l s t rength.

Asp i n Ti d e“Aspen Tide” had also been on the bi l l at the O2 ABC in Glasgow, and I had been looking forward to seeing them again. They had done a l ive acoust ic set onl ine the night before which I real ly enjoyed. I think this band is one to watch. They had even taken t ime to decorate the stage with “twinkly l i t t le Christmas l ights” before their set.

Their f i rst t rack was “From the strong came forth” taken from their new EP. This is a very ‘ loud and proud’ t rack and I think this was a better opening track than in Glasgow. The band was trying to get the gig going and encouraged everyone from the back to come forward. Again, just l ike in Glasgow, the lyr ics were loud and backing vocals were good. This was also supported by the great guitars and the drumming.

Fol lowing that was “Lions” which I decided to video. I have sent this to the band so maybe they wi l l post i t onl ine for everyone to see! Again I enjoyed this t rack as much as I did in Glasgow. After speaking with Robi, he has s ince explained that to understand their lyr ics you have to unravel them, they can have a lot of di f ferent meanings for di f ferent people. And I st i l l love the guitar and drums medley near the end of this t rack.

Third up was “Ageing Signs” this t rack was very good. Again, this performance was better than when they played i t in Glasgow. I think a lot of this was to do with the crowd’s part icipation. I t was a more int imate gig in Edinburgh, due to i t being a smaller venue.

Next was “Quiver” a much slower t rack with clear cr isp keyboards. This was a nice change of pace and I enjoyed this t rack, which although general ly s lower, real ly sped up towards the end. The lads had played this t rack l ive onl ine and I fel t that this song had been better acoust ical ly, than either of the two gig performances.

“Breathing Underwater” is the f i f th song the band played. Again the bands vocals were a lot clearer that Glasgow, with a nice mix of vocals and support ing vocals. This is a real catchy tune which hits in waves. This is st i l l my favouri te f rom their EP.

They f inished their set of f , just l ike they had started, with a real thumping track. “Colours” has a real stonking beat. A real Mosher at t imes which then becomes bl ippy and then moshey again!! ! This t rack had been wri t ten by Ross and Robi whi le s i t t ing in Robi & Garry’s f lat one day. They hadn’t played this t rack at Glasgow so I couldn’t compare i t .

Gar r y

Ros s

Rob i

Ia i n

a r t o f p r i v a l i g eArt of Pr ivi lege are a 4 piece band from Edinburgh, the band is made up of Mart in Gray - Vocals / Rhythm Guitar, Dan Colvin – lead guitar, Chris Aien – Bass and Jamie Hughson on the Drums. They are Grunge Rock with a twist of metal!

The band had set up on stage and where ready to play when they real ised they were missing a member, their drummer ‘Jamie’. He had dashed off for a pee whi le the band were sett ing up and no one had noticed he hadn’t come back! He eventual ly appeared and rushed on stage only to discover he didn’t have any Drumsticks. Come on Jamie, get a gr ip!! !

F i rst t rack was “Confl ict” the vocals where somewhat lost to the music. This was a high tempo track with loud guitar and even louder drums.

Next up was “Hero” this had a good guitar intro to i t . The lyr ics again, where rather quiet. There were good long instrumentals during the t imes that there were no vocals.

I t must have been hot work up there on stage, as before the next t rack, Jamie took his top off and al l of a sudden, I had a craving for a rack of toast! ! !

“T ime Fl ies” was up next. This was a s lower t rack. A real whiney type track. Imagine yourself in a darkened room with the hazey smell of herbs in the air , your eyes s l ight ly glazed over and feel ing

somewhat peckish.. . . . that is how this t rack should be l is tened to, yep STONED!

The next t rack “The Crawler”, the band told us, was for al l the cock teasers out there. I t began l ike a real head-banger. Thumping music with a good tempo, which drops away when the lyr ics kick in. The lyr ics were their best so far. The tempo then picks up again and they played some good instrumentals. Then the track keeps banging this t ime, along with the lyr ics. A real good thumping track!

Fol lowing that was a track cal led 3 6

a r t o f p r i v a l i g e “From Her Point Of View”, the band claim they have been told this had a very “Al ice in Chains” sound to i t , al though I thought i t sounded more l ike Creed. Again this was good head banging material . The actual lyr ics, (not the whole track) had a kind of ‘Smiths’ twang to them.

Their s ixth and f inal song was “Add Another Day”, this t rack was a fast number again. There was a good tempo to this t rack and a real deep sounding under-current also playing in the background.

“Art of Pr ivi lege” are a crazy sounding band with just as crazy a l ine-up. They appear to be led by a JLC (Just in Lee Coll ins) look-a-l ike, have someone from the Brady bunch on guitar and borrowed ‘animal’ f rom the muppets on drums. There only apparent sane member is their new basist , but perhaps i t is only a matter of t ime unti l he is as mad as the rest of them. This is the f i rst t ime I have seen this band but I would defini tely go see them again and again and again and again!! ! ! !

MakeTh i sRe l a t e (headl ine act!! ! )

Headlining for the night was MakethisRelate and I managed to catch Dave just before he went on stage and wished him a happy bir thday! They started their set by playing “this conversation is missing your voice”. I t begins with a popsy-ish style intro before a huge wave of musical noise hits you. Once again, this t rack was better in Edinburgh than in Glasgow. I f we had been keeping score i t would be about s ix or seven ni l to Edinburgh by now.

The second track was “We’l l always be famous for our biggest fai lure”. At t imes the lyr ics where a bit drowned out and this was a l i t t le disappoint ing! However as i t went on the band got better. You could clearly hear the harmonies and they completely wowed me with the stonking guitars.

Fol lowing this was a track cal led “Watching Cars Crashing”. Taken from the new EP “One more second Chance”. Glasgow gets a point back, as this t rack is more about the vocals. The style of this t rack real ly needs the lyr ics to be clear and they were a l i t t le too quiet in Edinburgh.

Just before “Sugar Glass”, Kevin asked for the mic to be turned up a bit . Bel ieve i t or not, this t rack was once again, better in Edinburgh than Glasgow. Danny’s drumming real ly was amazing on this t rack, got to give him credit for that. Kevin’s vocals carr ied well over the music. This ent i re t rack was very enjoyable.

Kevin made a l i t t le announcement before the next t rack. They where dedicating “stop,look, l is ten” to me!! ! I t is my favouri te song of theirs afteral l and I was most disappointed when they didn’t play i t in Glasgow. I can say i t was worth the wait , I love this t rack! However poor Kevin cut his ‘ i t ty bit ty wit t le f inger’ after playing that t rack for me, so an extra big thanks to him for holding back the tears and playing on.

Last t rack of the night was “Pick Your Side” this t rack had much better vocals. This is a much quicker t rack with real ly good instrumentals, part icular ly the drums which had a mil i tary style marching beat to them at t imes.

I ’m sorry to say Glasgow, but on comparison of the two gigs, Edinburgh defini tely came out on top. The venue in Edinburgh was smaller but this gave a more int imate feel to the gig. The age group seemed a l i t t le older in Edinburgh and more mixed as opposed to Glasgow being mainly younger females! I also think the overal l sound was better in Edinburgh, despite at t imes the vocal mic being too low, the instruments seemed much clearer. I real ly enjoyed both gigs and I suppose i t is unfair to give a complete comparison as di f ferent bands played each gig!

Ove r a l l . . .

I recently caught up with George for a chat. you may remember he was the “solo star ” in Apri l i ssue.

he told me, in the next month o r so his new album wi l l be ready.

he also spoke about v ideo for a new track; however the track name may change for the v ideo.

George said ‘ the name of the song is drugs and alcohol but I want change this ’. I t ’s a cartoon video but not in the way you or I may expect.

he informed me that the v ideo wi l l be amazing , so stay tuned!

NewsFlash. . .

George

Alex

SevenDazeCore

Effect

SevenDaze have just announced they wi l l be support ing marc malone on the 23rd June at the hareand hounds in k ing ’s heath Birmingham. Doors wi l l open at 7:30pm.

T ickets wi l l cost just £5.00 and you can get them from

h t t p : / / s e v e n d a z e . b i g c a r t e l . c o m

be sure to get your t ickets whi le stocks last!!

Wel l the band recently had a show with S ick puppies in St Andrews on 19th of may, and then The magic Bag on June 3rd. . . they are not current ly recording a new CD unti l ear ly next year, but they have told me they are very busy writ ing new tracks for i t now!

Arron Brown

Things Happen For A Reason - EP Review

Arron Brown is a singer/songwriter from Luton. He found music helped him to be more expressive, and helped him through a lot. Regular Rockette readers may remember him from a previous issue. Now he’s back with his new EP “Things Happen for a Reason” and The Rockette was lucky enough to get a copy!

Track 1 – ReasonThere is a long smooth instrumental intro to this track last ing 35 seconds. When Arron began s inging his voice was not over-powering , but rather soothing! Basic guitar ing and l ight drumming , combined with subtle vocals make this song relaxing. A romantic sounding bal lad which seems to be about wishing things would change, but knowing they are meant to be that way for a “Reason”. musical ly this could be a hinder or Daughtry track. But there are c lear di f ferences vocal ly as Arron has a much younger and less gravely sounding voice. This track could easi ly make a good soundtrack to a ‘ rom-com’ type of movie.

Track 2 – Without a dadArron, a guitar and a moving song about growing up without a father. This song had a much shorter intro to the previous track. A lot s lower with a sad feel to the track with only l ight guitar and soft vocals . Lyr ics “hey dad do you remember me, your only son who you never see” and “I got through i t on my own” makes you wonder how dif f icult i t i s growing up “without a dad”. I t i s not c lear i f h is dad left or died before he grew older but the song seems to be about

surviv ing without the input of one of h is parents. Anyone who has lost a ‘mum’ or ‘dad’ should be able to relate to this song.

OverallThis ep was deep! Ful l of meaning , hurt and feel ings. I enjoyed this ep, i t was di f ferent from my usual choice of ‘noise’! ! ! Arron Brown has his own s low smooth sound and i t i s d i f f icult to compare him to anyone else at the moment. This ep should appeal to just about anyone. I f you’re in the need for contemplat ion, st ick this ep on, grab a box of t issues, f ind a quiet corner and snuggle down and l isten.

Linkhttp://uk.myspace.com/arronsolo

4 1

Alistair Keenan, 18, Lead vocals

Levi Keeling, 21, Guitar/backing vocals

Dan Fenton, 18, Lead gui-tar / backing vocals James Vaughn, 18, Bass guitar Jay Murphy, 20, Drums

Name: Jay MurphyStatus: s ingleWhat do you do in band: drumsFav Band: pierce the vei l

How did you come up with the name for your band? Was i t your F i rst choice?

Fi rst choice I bel ieve was waking Vegas?

Did you have any other band names in mind?I wanted the balcony scene

What does each of you bring to the band?Sugar, spice and everything nice

How long have you al l known each other? I ’ve known Levi a good few years but the rest the guys the last 12 months

How did you meet?Threw past bands and social s i tuat ions

How would you describe the ‘ look’ of your band?Sexy

Who or what are your major inf luences?Mike Funetes (drummer of pierce the vei l ) Dave Grohl

Who do you l ike and who don’t you l ike, why?I don’t l ike oasis cause I th ink they are highly overrated and I l ike Katy Perry

Which songs do you perform most f requently? Erm, id have to say we play ‘Don’t Let Go’ most f requently, we’ve never played a gig and not played it

What are your rehearsals general ly l ike? Intense, l ike hours, hard work and dedication

Do you have a set t ime each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

BiographyTaking Hayley are a pop/rock 5 piece from Birmingham;who formed in November 2010. Within four weeks of the band being created they had recorded and released two tracks of their own material f rom their EP through Myspace and YouTube. On top of that they headlined a sel lout show in their hometown. This real ly defines how exceptional and driven this young, talented group are and i t is mirrored in their forever growing fanbase.

The band claim that they are inf luenced by similar groups within the pop/rock genre including Paramore, You Me At Six and.

Since their f i rst show they have gone from strength to strength. In February 2011 they sold out a headline show at the o2 Academy Birmingham within weeks of the t ickets going on sale. Taking Hayley have worked hard over the past few months to become well known within the Midlands and across Br i tain. They have recently been playing shows around the country and just come off tour with “The Summer Set” as part of the Ourzone tour playing in f ront of 300+ crowds every night.Taking Hayley l ive performances are jam packed with high energy r i f fs and powerful emotional vocals. Their f resh blend of edgy catchy guitars, double kick drums, strong vocal melodies and harmonies real ly adds to an enticing and energetic stage performance.

www.myspace.com/takinghayley

www.facebook.com/takinghayleyuk

On average it’s l ike 3 t imes a week, for 4 hours a night

What has been your biggest chal lenge as a band?To be something new and fresh

What’s the one thing you HAVE to have on tour?Music to l i s ten to. P ierce the vei l at least once a day

What’s your favori te tour story?Box man

What’s the weirdest thing you have ever s igned?t in of carrots in Wolverhampton

Name: Levi Keel ingStatus: s ingleWhat do you do in band: Guitar & backing vocalsFav band: K ids in Glass houses

How did you come up with the name for your band? Was i t your F i rst choice?Taking Hayley came from the norse word for Hero which is

Halea. I th ink we were looking at Waking Vegas to start off with but as i remember i t was taken.

Did you have any other band names in mind?There were l i teral ly 100s of names thrown about at the start but we narrowed it down to Taking Hayley, The Balcony Scene and Waking Vegas.

What does each of you bring to the band?Between us i th ink we cover al l the bases, we’re quite good at managing ourselves as wel l as song writ ing. Without one of the others the whole thing wouldn’t work.

How long have you al l known each other? I th ink i ’ve known Jay the longest and then the rest of the lads about a year or so.

Which songs do you perform most f requently? The f i rst song we ever wrote was ‘Don’t Let Go’ and I think we have played it at every s ingle show so far.

What are your rehearsals general ly l ike? Rehearsals are great. Lots of hard work and but a great laugh.

Do you have a set t ime each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?We rehearse 3 or 4 t imes a week for 4 hours a practice. Kinda l ike a part t ime job.

Taking Hayley’s eagerly

awaited debut s ingle “Crying

Eyes” is avai lable on iTunes

and was released in March

2010. The music video for

Crying Eyes is current ly

featur ing on Lava TV.

How did you meet?We al l met through playing in past bands and col lege. We instant ly cl icked and kinda just grew from there.

How would you describe the ‘ look’ of your band?I th ink we al l have our own individual look about us but st i l l t ies in with the stereotypical image of the pop / rock scene.

Who or what are your major inf luences?My biggest inf luence as a guitar ist i s my uncle. He l i teral ly taught me everything I know. Who do you l ike and who don’t you l ike, why?I real ly do have a soft spot for good old MJ and I know this i s quite cl iché but i can’t stand Beiber.

Quick Questions…

What’s your ringtone:Jay - my r ingtone atm is we came as Romans - broken statues

Levi - Forever The S ickets Kids Me Vs Everyone

Last album you bought:Jay - the summer set - love l ike this

Levi - Same as Jay, The Summer Set’s new album.

Music hate:Jay - oasisLevi - Oasis & blur

celeb crush:Jay - I ’m going to guess a lot people wi l l put Katy Perry so I ’m going to pick Is la f i sher

Levi - Hayley Wi l l iams f rom Paramore. She is DANK!

What has been your biggest chal lenge as a band?Not too sure as a band but personal ly i t was recover ing from a broken wrist before our f i rst ever show.

What’s the one thing you HAVE to have on tour?Hair st raighteners! ! ! ! ! !

What’s your favori te tour story?Gett ing pul led over on the motorway for speeding (not us dr iv ing haha)

What’s the weirdest thing you have ever s igned?An orange!

4 5

The First cover band to appear in the Rockette magazine, they come from the Midlands of the UK. They cover all songs AC/DC – Biffy Clyro and everything in between! Here’s what they said when I caught up with them.....

Linda - Vocals

Dave - guitar and backing vocals

Alex – guitar

Neil – Bassist

Pete - Drummer

Fargo When did you real ise you wanted to be in a band?

Age 14, in 2008. Or was i t 1908? I ’m so o ld I can’t be sure.

Ear ly 20s for me When I saw Iron Maiden dur ing

their ‘Women in Uniform’ tour (showing my age)

When we got a l l the p ieces of the same j ig-saw together in the same room.

Wanted to be in a band from being a teenager. Put Fargo together in 2009.

What is your favourite song to cover? Honkey Tonk Woman

Led Zeppel in - Rock and Rol l Led Zepps Rock & Rol l

When we got a l l the p ieces of the same j ig-saw together in the same room.

Rock ‘n ’ Rol l by Led Zeppel in , but Heaven ‘n ’ Hel l by B lack Sabbath comes a c lose second.

And what ’s your least favourite? : Anything by ‘ The New Seekers ’

and Ruby Murray World Turned upside down by the

Oysterband!! Hahaha Ain’t no sunshine - sorry chaps

Anything that doesn’t real ly groove.

Pete: I don’t have one, l ike them al l .

What song do you wish you could play that you can’t?

H-h-h-m-m-m.. . . . . the solo f rom Beethoven’s ‘ Moonl ight Sonata’ Anything from Les Paul & Mary Ford

One by Metal l ica Wish I could p lay anything; I ’m

only the s inger Any o ld Rock steady or late ‘60s

Reggae that only me and a handful of other people would get .

This i s a d i ff icu lt one to answer, we real ly haven’t found a song yet that we can’t get the hang of, that ’s not to say that there won’t be one in the future.

Did you ever write your own songs? Yes , s ince the age of 8 . For the

last 30 years I ’ve a lso recorded some of them in my ever- evolv ing studio . . . . . but just for mysel f, fami ly, f r iends and my website.

Not with Fargo, but yes with my old band

Yeah, st i l l do. Personal ly, no. Could never f ind

my pen…. Yes

Do you think you wi l l again? I wr i te a l l the t ime, but three-

quarters of i t goes into the b in. Maybe but doubtful

Yeah, wi l l do Do bass ists wr i te songs? Yes, poss ib ly.

Wil l you take fan requests? I have a fan?

Yes, of course REASONABLE ones yes, once

s inging in another band got offered hal f a twix in the middle of B lack Sabbath’s Neon Knights . Ah the g iddy heights of fame. . . .

As long as i t ’s legal . ; ) Yes .

Can playing covers be stressful? Not at a l l . I f you play with good

music ians i t ’s pure, unbr id led fun. One day. I hope that I ’ l l f ind some.

Sometimes i f i ts a new song or got a part icular ly d i ff icu lt so lo part

Not any more Only on the way back at 2am, on

a motorbike, in December….

Yes in my other bands but not in th is one. We a l l get on - no egos in s ight .

(quick round)Favourite snack food? Dave: Jumbo cashew nuts f rom Aldi . m-m-m-m-mAlex: P izzaL inda: Marmite r ice cakesNei l : Four course Indian. Why rush?Pete: Bacon sandwich with brown sauce.

Favourite tv show? Dave: Ant iques Road Show. That ’s where I found the band.Alex: How It WorksL inda: Current ly ‘ The Cr imson Petal & the White’ but a lso l ike anything Sc ience F ict ion.Nei l : The Mighty Boosh. Pete: NCIS

Favourite f i lm, and has i t changed over the years? Dave: The Godfather Tr i logy. No . . . . a l l three have remained just as they were f i lmed.Alex: Goodfel lasL inda: Bram Stoker ’s Dracula and no i t hasn’t changed, and oddly he hasn’t aged. Nei l : ‘ The Harder They Come’ with J immy Cl i ff ( fe l t I had to c lar i fy th is as i t sounds a b i t dodgy) . Yes , i t ’s changed over the years . ‘L .A . Conf ident ia l ’ i s cool too and ‘Easy R ider ’.Pete: A l iens, no i t ’s st i l l my favour i te.

Do you l ike/play any sport? Dave: You must be jok ing! A l though I cyc le a lot around the Leicestershire country lanes where I l ive with my wife. A lso, doing yoga every day is my way of f ight ing back at o ld age.Alex: No, sport i s pants!L inda: Depends what you mean by ‘sport ’ & ‘p lay ’ Nei l : I l ike footbal l and fo l low the Manchester team that p lays in b lue. Everyone has their cross to bear….Pete:Watching footbal l ( I don’t p lay now too busy with the band)

The Sexiest member of your band is? Dave: Oh come on! What do you th ink I ’ l l say? I can dream can’t I?Alex: Me!L inda: Darren and John our roadies , who a lso do the sound and l ights – they are renowned babe magnets , the rest of us don’t stand a chance.Nei l : Whoever ’s buying the next round. Pete: The drummer of course

What can we expect from you next? Another year o lder and deeper

in debt . B igger and better g igs , b igger

and better songs! More

My round….Bigger and better th ings.

Any last words?. . . Why didn’t we get the Royal

Wedding Gig? Pr ince Albert and Vicky would have loved us.

. . . . Death, that ’s the f inal word.

B l indfold. C igarette. Thanks for the interv iew Danie l le

http://uk.myspace.com/fargorocks

http://fargoband.co.uk

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Next issue due in July