Robyn Writes

Radstock Festival 2013 – O2 Academy Liverpool, 30/3/13

On what was a rare sunny day in Liverpool, a brand new indoor music festival called Radstock was launched, seeing 24 bands playing across three stages in two rooms from 1pm to 11pm. With free Monster energy drinks handed out to the queue, 13 year old emo girls olds bouncing off the walls with excitement and slightly creepy older men watching them as they queue for a day long festival of rock, metal and punk; spring officially kicked into life.

The first band on the Big Deal Clothing stage came in the form of Gnarwolves. The set burst into life with a fast punk drumbeat, clean but shouted lyrics and a rumbling bassline, not to mention a few riffs here and there. There were a lot of abrupt changes of pace to fit the punk-esque style, but there were also some more pop-punk moments and even a slower softer song “because it was early in the day”. Apparently it was the earliest a band has played at the venue; whether or not that’s a compliment to the band is another matter entirely, but Gnarwolves delivered a strong set to warm up the assembling crowd.

Next up and first on the larger Monster Energy stage were Natives, injecting energy into the room with their brand of poppy, fist pumping, and sing-along rock. Thriving off crowd participation, Natives brought a thumping rock attitude with the catchy element of pop music. Respect where it’s due, this got the crowd more involved, seeing everybody kneeling down and jumping up for the chorus of the second song, not something you are used to seeing at 2 in the afternoon. A lot of the songs were very similar, in structure and deliverance, but that said, Natives clearly found a song-writing formula that worked for them and stuck with it, seemingly to the pleasure of the cheering crowd.

Drive By Night provided guitar dominated alt-rock, filled with rhythmic riffs, clean vocals and nice harmonies. It may have been their first ever show together as a band, but they proved that they are full of potential and have obvious technical ability, they were just lacking that something extra. There were no obvious faults to pick out, with the songs or their live performance; they just seemed to be lacking the extra ‘oomph’ that could make them a fans’ favourite.

Then, and controversially to some, I skipped the chance of seeing Sonic Boom Six to see Carcer City, recommended by a friend, on the Hardtimes stage. I wasn’t disappointed. With the first sign of rough vocals and a loud breakdown to bring the song in, the Carcer City show also saw the first pits of the day. Declaring themselves as ‘scouse metal’, the lead singer, Patrick Pinion, said that they were “here to bring the heavy”, and they truly brought it. Showing their diversity they also found a place for softer vocals and a more technical rhythmic song, before bringing back the crunching breakdowns with force and a solid drum dominated instrumental to round things off.

Back to the main room and Tantrum to Blind were the next band to play, with the first and only female lead singer of the day (that I saw any way), whose high-register vocals were more reminiscent of Versaemerge than Halestorm. But a lot of energy and a good stage presence came from the band who seemed used to handling the crowd.

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (RJSA) then lit up the main stage with a pitch perfect ‘False Pretence’, as the crowd started to grow and get progressively more involved. They delivered exactly the performance you’d expect from an experienced band with years on the circuit under their belt. Throughout the short set there was a great vocal performance and a raging guitar solo in ‘In Fate’s Hands’. The set was just long enough for all of the classics and a couple off the new record too, before fans’ favourite ‘Facedown’ rounded off the set with the crowd bouncing and a sense of nostalgia, since it was one of the songs that first got me listening to ‘real music’ as a young whipper snapper.

Light You Up were unfortunate to be sandwiched between RJSA and Yashin, receiving a lot less attention from the dispersing crowd than they deserved. Songs like ‘Without You Here’ crashed through with progressive riffs and pounding drums, keeping a lively tempo and showing that Light you Up deserved to be more than an interlude between bands on the mainstage.

By the time Yashin opened with a ferocious start, the biggest crowd of the night had assembled for breakdowns and head-banging aplenty. Despite the fact that they seem to pay as much attention to their scene hairstyles as their music, Yashin’s saving grace is that it is still fucking good music and bloody well performed live too. They showed the added bonus of two vocalists, one riling the crowd up as the other sings/screams, and the overall band chemistry and stage presence saw the teenage girls (and boys) in the crowd swoon. Those of us not falling in love with their emo/scene image could still appreciate Harry’s melodic and Kevin’s demonic vocals, the riffs ripping through each and every song and the drumbeat that feels like an earthquake resonating through the room. The crowd was kept glued to the main stage, with circle pits, walls of death and even spinning on the spot (no, really,) to keep the set fresh and interesting. Even Harry bringing his mum out on stage mid-song (a slower song, don’t worry) after she’d flown in for the show was a nice touch and received a big cheer. The first signs of crowd surfing from fans and band members alike showed that the set was a job well done and that the gauntlet had been thrown down for the later bands to follow.

The boys from Don Broco were next on the mainstage, opening with ‘Priorities’ and showcasing the walk, which is essentially synchronised marching/dancing on the spot by the vocalist, guitarist and bassist. A lot of energy was showcased by the band and the crowd, with the lads bouncing around the stage, talking to the crowd and making fans do push-ups in the middle of the floor before a wall of death. They even took time out to return a lost passport that had been handed in, but in classic Don Broco style they had to make a few jokes in doing it. Musically the distinctive vocals stand out as much live as on the record, with the funky base another stand out feature and a lot of sing-along opportunities.

Blitz Kids then came out onto the smaller balcony stage, bouncing and jumping, showing off riffs and a sweetly done guitar solo. Overall they boasted a very rhythmic sound, a show full of energy, and subtle changes in tempo helped to build up songs to a climax and slow them down in again in the verses. However a lot of the set was spoilt to some degree by the We Are The Ocean crew testing the equipment on the other stage, distracting the crowd and meaning “check, check, check,” ran over some of BK’s songs.

When WATO came on they delivered a strong set, but definitely too a tiring crowd. Despite a good mix of old and new, fast and slow songs, there were no pits or crowd-surfing. Perhaps WATO just aren’t as loved in Liverpool, or despite the strong riffs, mix of powerful live vocals and rock/pop-punk drums, maybe everyone was just getting tired?

There were more teething problems later as technical difficulties meant Bury Tomorrow were late onto the Hardtimes stage, cutting more into The Blackout’s headline show on the Monster Energy stage. When they finally managed to get on stage the lads were all very apologetic, promising a speedy and powerful set. This was a promise they lived up to with a heavy set and small but brutal pits. As I enjoyed taking part in most of the pits the whole set flew by in a haze, the three song combination of ‘Sceptres-Redeemer-Waxed Wings’ pumped the room with energy, fuelling some of the craziest pits and loudest cheers the stage must have seen all year, never mind all day. There was even time for the band to convey messages of being comfortable with and happy about who you are, I vaguely remember hearing “it’s okay to like Bieber, hey, JB has a couple of good songs”; but it was business as usual as the set ended with a blood-boiling rendition of ‘Royal Blood’.

Because of the overrun, I was very late to The Blackout, but arrived just in time for an onstage marriage proposal (she said yes, whoever they both were). However, I have been reliably informed that they were the regular cheeky chappies we are all used to, telling the crowd they’re shit, calling themselves pricks and even trying to make the fans face the back of the room for one song. All in all, standard material from The Blackout.

It was only the first Radstock Festival, but it was truly a classic. If this can be recreated again then it promises many more happy years of metal, rock and punk in Liverpool.

Modern Baseball – Sports

Sports is the debut full-length effort from Modern Baseball following a split release with Marietta. With a blend of indie, emo and pop, Modern Baseball bring song writing back to basics, but they prove that sometimes (although definitely not all of the time) the simpler the better. The melodies throughout are relatively straightforward and don’t ever achieve much in the way of complexity, but they do not try to. What they bring to the table is an album bursting with catchy rhythms and quite ordinary but far-reaching lyrics. As a band in their youth, Modern Baseball have definitely grasped the basics of a good song composition and stuck to it. They haven’t been overambitious, but they have been clinical thorough, moulding an album that will stay long in your memory.

“Re-Do” kicks of the album with a strong riff which builds up into regimented bursts of energy. The toing and froing between choruses and verses bring smooth changes of tempo with it and this is a common feature throughout the album, allowing for some miniature dramatic crescendos throughout in each song. The foot-tapping pace, which quickly develops into a belting chorus follows the singer’s “unrequited love for life”, before “Tears Over Beers”, one of the catchiest songs of the year never mind the album, shows the vocalist’s resentment of the typical teen story of the pretty girl who doesn’t know her own worth pining over some ‘jock’ while the ‘nerd’ looks on. Modern Baseball’s approach is a refreshing take on pop punk which emphasises the ‘pop’, but is perhaps lacking in the confused angst displayed by its noisier sister which places a little more emphasis on the ‘punk’ half of the equation.

Modern Baseball craft songs which are charmingly awkward as the narrative works through the emotional growth associated with the age group populated by those guys who are no longer boys but not yet men. Several songs on the record include explicit references to the digitalisation of modern culture, especially noticeable in “@chl03k” which describes conversations and relationships conveyed through Twitter and Facebook. This can make the songs sound a little too descriptive of a bland ordinary day in the life of a teenager, but it is part of what makes the listener become enveloped in each track. However the literality of the songs makes no room for artistic metaphor and they are left lacking much in the way of complexity, but this may enter in as the band matures.

One of the best things about Sports is its ‘relatability’. The lyrically simplistic songs detail events that will occur in the average life of every teenager. These themes jump from feeling socially inept when compared to the popular kids, the emotional struggles associated with leaving home, and as you would expect, teen love in all of its awkward and cringey glory. This is clearly nothing new and it could be argued that such themes form the basis of most young bands’ writing, but it’s their ability to get people singing along and empathising while keeping the issues and music itself simple that makes this debut a clear success. As a band in their youth Modern Baseball don’t only show a few green shoots and potential for growth, every bar of music resonates the promise locked inside Sports which could explode out into a very special second album. While I have picked out its simplicity as one of the keys to the success of this release, it would be nice to hear a bit more complexity and experimentation next time around, but what we are left with for now is a solid debut from a band you have to look out for in the future.

Four out of five high fives!

Artist Spotlight – The Ocean Between Us

Ten years ago, if anybody had asked me what I knew about Yorkshire I’m not sure what the answer would have been, but it certainly wouldn’t have been, “Oh, you mean the hotbed of metalcore?”. Since Bring Me The Horizon formed this time nine years ago that all changed and the trend didn’t begin and end with them. Enter the stage The Ocean Between Us. Also emerging from in and around Yorkshire, TOBU are a post-metalcore band whose music, appearance and location are more than enough to see comparisons form between themselves and BMTH.

TOBU forge a sound that is a fusion between metalcore and melodic death metal, delivery raw riffs, screamed vocals and heavy breakdowns that promise to make any pits or walls of death at their live shows truly brutal, while maintaining the guitar-based catchy, rhythmic verses that can get a whole venue bouncing. The latest single released from their debut album is a perfect example of all of these features united in one song. Hitting in with a crunching bassline “Safety” pounds along at a pace for the most-part with a fast drum beat and racing guitars, but it reels itself in to deliver a chorus dominated by vocalist Judd’s demonic screams. A special mention also has to be reserved for the penultimate track “What Do You Stand For?”. Also featured on their self-titled EP, this song kicks into life with a riff that is more rock than metal, the song gives Judd’s vocals worthy pride of position throughout the verses where the kick-drums burst into life to power the song along. But at points both subside allowing the insanely catchy riff to take over again, before ripping through the song with the aggressive growls that have already made this a fans’ favourite.

With their debut album Savoir Faire coming out March 25 and a UK tour to promote it, bassist Ben Beagles and vocalist Judd Wrighton took the time to speak to TwoBeatsOff about their influences, the comparisons to BMTH and the state of metalcore in the UK. Introducing themselves as “badly dressed and skint as owt, but in high spirits”, this seems to be an attitude that resonated through the lyrics of the whole album – no money but no worries. Explaining why the album came to be called “Savoir Faire” the lads said: “Its French for ‘Know How’. Have you ever seen that dodgy Disney film from the 90’s called Oliver and Company? Based on Oliver Twist. It’s about this cat that gets stranded in New York City and then meets these dogs that live in a boat and don’t need any money to get through life ‘cos they’re all streetwise. It kinda reminded me of ourselves since we used to tour whilst jumping trains and pushing our gear about in shopping trolleys. At one part of the film one of the dogs sings a ‘r8 good song’ and it goes like this. ‘Why should I worry? Why should I care? I don’t even have a dime, no, but I’ve got street savoir faire.’”

The debut release has been in the works for the past 18 months since the band’s EP over 2 years ago, and while the current line-up is approaching the 18 month-old mark, they have “had just about every musician in Northern England play for [them] at some point.” Influenced by the relative hard times experienced by youths in the UK today, the band doesn’t tend to take themselves too seriously: “Our lyrical influences are about general hard times being young adults living in Britain. Being raped from every angle by absolutely everyone and still nobody gives a fuck, metaphorically speaking.” But rather than thinking that they really are the hardest done to people in the world, they describe their songs as “a way to complain about first world problems,” while their music more generally is “influenced by what we hear around us mixed with psychedelic thinking hats.”

Although some bands get incredibly aggressive at attempts to pigeon hole them into a definite genre or at comparisons with other bands out there, TOBU aren’t so resistant. Asked if the comparisons to other bands such as BMTH annoy them, they said: “no, not at all. Bring Me The Horizon are a brilliant example of good British metal music. If people compare us to bands like them we take it as a compliment.” But these good vibes and words of praise for BMTH didn’t extend to the metalcore scene in the UK in general. “Absolutely hate it. Ever since people stopped wearing BMTH t-shirts and started wearing More Than Life t-shirts. It appeared that t-shirts still remained to be t-shirts, but to 80% of people in the UK that like heavy music it is evidently very very gay to be into us. Ball deep.”

So what do you get from TOBU’s debut release? 11 tracks of head-banging, viciously screamed post-metalcore; what’s not to love? Especially from a band who are happy to describe themselves as “whingeing little pussies” and have the motto “work hard, play hard, fuck bitches harder”. One thing that TOBU have that many young bands lack is a true understanding of song composition. Each song is well thought out with perfectly judged changes in pace and a thrashing rhythm. So looking forwards to what the future holds, “that’s up to everyone else. Watch this space.”

The Ocean Between Us are Judd Wrighton, Ben Beagles, Billy Gaskell, Simon Smyllie and Fraser Mulholland. Their debut album, Savoir Faire, is coming out on Monday 25th March on Wolf At Your Door Records. The band are currently touring the UK.

Rockets On Wire – I Am Not Your Home

Rockets on Wire, a dark indie-rock band from New York, are making waves with their new debut album I Am Not Your Home. They even managed to win over some new fans when they made their new album available for a name-your-price download via their Bandcamp page for a week.

The whole album is bound together by the distinctive vocals of singer Marie Mayes, which allows the whole record to flow together as a solid whole while each song fluctuates with fluidity from the faster bouncing songs to the slower haunting tracks. The vocals, being probably the standout feature of the record, can be seen as a cross between singer-songwriters Christina Perri and Imogen Heap, but with moments of more gruff aggression and energy.

The song opens with the atmospheric rise and fall of the short first track, “Wake”. Listeners are lured in by the slow purposeful accompaniment of guitar and vocals, bringing in a consistent drum beat and backing vocals to increase the intensity before fading out into a platform for second song on the album “Fall” to jump off. Unlike the opening track, “Fall” swings along with a fast-paced, foot-tapping beat, but the main feature of the song is still the raspy vocals of Marie Mayes.

It is now that we really start to see what Marie can do and make people feel with her voice, unleashing the emotionally charged “Rose”. Although this track also features a strong drum beat and uptempo guitars, Marie steals the limelight with her gritty vocals as she rasps: “And I keep praying to god that I’ll break my fucking limbs.”
These powerful driving guitars are prominent in several songs throughout the album and especially in the fifth track, which clocks in at just over one minute long. Despite how short it is, “Repast” really packs a punch and as most punk fans will know, good things really can come in small packages – cliché and all. The lyrical content stays unwaveringly harrowing and its delivery through the medium of Marie’s vocals doesn’t lose any of its torturous nature as she crows about a failed romance: “Even Jesus Christ couldn’t save you now; you will sink like a rock.”

For a debut album, Rockets on Wire have definitely pulled one out of the hat with I Am Not Your Home. The whole record comes in the form of an indie/punk crossbreed which musically conveys the devastating emotional content of the lyrics with drums crashing like waves on the rocks and guitars swirling like a maelstrom. Pride of position rightly goes to the haunting vocals, but the band does not stand or fall with Marie’s voice; there is more to their sound than that.
Rockets on Wire have sent out all the right signals with their first record which has rightly caught people’s attention; it will be interesting to see how they cope with the tricky second album.

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3.5/5 high fives!

Vera Grace – The Lucifer Effect

Despite being a relatively young band, formed in early 2011, the boys that are Vera Grace have toured tirelessly throughout the UK, earning themselves a reputation for destructive live shows and engaging every crowd. Now they are entering a make or break period in which they will be hoping to take 2013 by storm with the release of their new EP ‘The Lucifer Effect’ on February 7 2013.

Forged in the quiet town of Witney, a matter of miles away from Oxford University, the unsigned band can see their efforts mirrored by their fellow Oxonians, both being full of potential and bloody hard working.

Following their debut EP, ‘Rotations’, in October 2011, Vera Grace have built upon their reputation for crunching live shows with a violent brand of riff raging metalcore, noticeably taking influences from bands like Underoath amongst others.

The new EP gives pride of position to the raw, emotional, raspy vocal style of Stephen Nulty, backed by melodic but ferocious riffs and pounding drums. The thundering composition and infectious melodies show what Vera Grace can deliver, with lyrics that are solid even if they are nothing especially original or deep and meaningful, covering most of the typical themes from evil to a lack of human morality. However, even though the energy, honest lyrics and haunting riffs display all the best parts of the band’s sound, the vocals lack a degree of depth and power that is possessed by a lot of bands on the metalcore/hardcore scene.

That said, one song that goes some way to justifying the comparison to students at Oxford is the first track, “Carrier”. This isn’t because it is about tea and scones; it doesn’t have lyrics about boat races, but what it does have is a slow and purposeful rhythm, showing that the band really thought about this song and it wasn’t just the result playing all of their instruments as loudly as possible until a tune stuck. I’m not saying that is how most metal bands get together to record an EP, but when you listen to “Carrier” it is immediately obvious that the whole song has been constructed in a very precise way, something that is hardly characteristic of metalcore music.

Third track, “The Father’s Eyes”, shows another glimpse of the promise that Vera Grace hold for the future, but the repetition in the chorus can become monotonous. While it might have seemed like a point worth repeating at the time of writing the song, only the band will know whether its repetition was worth the sacrifice of any diversity and originality they could have injected in its place.

Judging by the EP in its entirety, there are a few things that need to be done if the band’s raw potential is to be transformed into something bigger and stronger which can hold its own in the wider world of music. Nevertheless, if they take the time to perfect their writing style a bit more and try to strengthen and bulk up the vocals, they promise to be on the frontline of what could be a new wave of metalcore.

2.5 out of 5 high fives!