Questions & Answers

Passionate Power Pop Firework – Meet Premier League Squad THE TREBLE

Posted on by JL

22 June 2020

THE TREBLE released their new heartfelt album RIVALS last April. An excellent work of contemporary pop-ular music. These swirling Canadians know all the right ingredients you need to write songs that excite, songs that touch hearts and souls, songs to play anywhere anytime, songs to cherish. They combine fervid passion, sing-along catchiness, towering orchestrations, addictive melodiousness, and vocal splendor in a most arresting way. Just like a British Premier League squad.

It’s a pleasure to have a chat with their frontman Mark Brusegard.

Hello Mark,

What triggered you guys to form a band and when/how did it happen?
“It happened very organically. Colin and I (Mark) were paired up for a French battle
of the bands in high school. We had the choice to perform covers or write our own material. We had never written a song before, but once we got started we found so
much joy and purpose in the process we decided to keep going with it. Later we met Graeme (guitar) through friends and found ourselves in a room with some instruments and started working on something and it clicked immediately.

We wrote a lot without ever really intending to perform, but some friends coaxed us into
it and we enjoyed it, though we were very raw. We were in the process of recording our first demo EP when the producer convinced us we likely wouldn’t go very far without drums and bass, so we sought out some people we knew that were good players. Mostly we wanted someone who would bring some energy and with Patrick Hansen we got that and then some. Not only was he a great bass player, but later became the driving force behind virtually all of our video content and most of our graphic design.”

What’s the story behind band name THE TREBLE?
“We were all pretty big fans of British football actually. Winning a Treble is something very rare, and almost unattainable. We felt much the same about writing a really good song. When we did our searches and learned there had never been a band called “The Treble” it felt like a bold and appropriate choice. If a band called Hoobastank can make it – why not The Treble?”

Which track would you play as an introduction to your
music to people who never heard of you?
“Probably “Fix OF You”. I think it has a lot of the darker more raw elements of our storytelling as well as a decent array of musical variety. We start most of our songwriting in a very stripped down unplugged way, before letting them become a bit bigger like the stuff you would hear on one of our records. It’s a pop-driven song, but it still feels like us.”

The new splendid album is called ‘RIVALS’. Who are your rivals?
“I think with this album we wanted to explore the concept of what rivalry truly is. The
idea that often in today’s day and age we are quick to paint people as rivals, whereas
we believe people have more that unites them than divides them. We found ourselves actually conflicting quite a bit during the making of this album, but as we reconciled we learned new things about each other and realized that certain things we may have vilified each other for in the past were a lot more complicated once you took a closer look.

Our goal with this album and its artwork was to encourage people to listen to each
other and make an effort to understand different experiences and points of view.”

The LP’s artwork is quite intriguing. What’s all the small text about?
“A little while ago we had asked fans to, anonymously, send us “texts they’d never sent”
to people with whom they didn’t see eye to eye. The responses were varied and we weren’t sure what to do with them. There was a lot of pent-up resentment, anger, and misunderstanding. We later had the idea to flip the question. We asked people to write
the texts they never received from those same people.

Overwhelmingly the responses were a mixture of “I love you” and “I’m sorry”. Once these started rolling in we knew they would have needed an important place. The idea that we all have so much we wish we could say to people, but all we really want to hear is love and forgiveness. The top section is the text you never set and the bottom is those you wished you’d got.”

THE TREBLE is a mighty VOCAL force. Is it what the band
has in mind when songs are written?
“The vocals/melody are definitely a big feature of our band, but its not anything we’ve ever given too much thought. We tend to write those first and add on to them rather than the other way around.”

The recent compilation clip for NO SECRETS (THERE FOR YOU) is a huge YouTube hit. Tell us more of ‘the making of…’
“Well, it’s a bit of a long story. Patrick had the idea while watching the video for Eye of the Tiger. I think the thought was that a lot of those videos had so many interesting technical elements, this kind of tribute style video would be really fun to put together. He clipped together with a selection of videos roughly timed to our song and it just looked like it would be so much fun to make. We started working on it pre-COVID and thankfully got most of the location work done before lockdown. After that, we used about 300 feet of paper green screen and hit a bunch of thrift stores before they closed and got to work.

We had to be creative in order to film everything with social distancing so each band member had their own little green screen set up and a list of instructions. It was a lot
of fun to dive into some of these rolls and also made us appreciate, even more so, how amazing the 80s were for their contribution to modern music, both visually, culturally and musically. Everything from the lighting to the outfits, to the dance moves. It really needs
to see it take off and get legs of its own after all of the work we put into it. It was also something so dramatically different than anything we’d ever done it was fun to work on something so light.”

The ‘SATURDAY NIGHT’ video gives us an idea of The Treble LIVE.
How does it feel in reality to be there on stage?
“We all grew up going to punk shows, so even though the tone of our music can sometimes be a little more mellow, we always bring a ton of energy to shows. I
think the Saturday night video gives a pretty good idea of what that feels like.”

Any rituals before going on stage?
“We put our hands in the middle and say “roast beef” no recollection as to why.”

Suppose you were asked to play a movie, that expresses your music visually,
on a big screen behind you while playing a gig which one would it be?
“Something dark but emotional. Maybe the 90s Ninja Turtles movie or like Jurassic Park?”

What does this surreal lockdown period does with an artist who
can’t play live and/or can’t record in a ‘normal’ studio?
“Lots of time to plan, write, and learn new skills. Thankfully we were so busy with our release for the first portion that we didn’t get too much time to fret about the lack of live shows.

Its definitely been a time to take inventory of what’s important. Family, friends, community. It’s also been nice to see the musical community doing lots of live streaming stuff to provide fans with a place to go during all of the boredom and uncertainty. We’ve done a few ourselves (myself) and they have been a very nice way to connect with people and provide a little joy/comfort.”

Which song would you really like to cover?
“We can never agree on these and I don’t know why. We like covering cheesy pop songs and everybody knows, the really obscure stuff that only we listen to. It’s a constant battle!”

If you got the chance to go back in time at whose door
would you knock and ask to have a selfie with?
“Sam Cooke.”

Number One artist on THE TREBLE’s list to go on a world tour with?
“David Bowie/Mick Jagger exclusively performing their cover of
“Dancing In The Street” with the video playing in the background.”

What’s the band’s ultimate ambition?
It would be great to be able to do this as a full-time job. Currently, it’s a labor of love, but it often feels like more love than labor. We love to write, we love to scheme and we love to tour. We’ve got to play hundreds of shows, big and small and I think we love them all the same. We want to keep making music that inspires people and makes them happy and continue to carve out this little niche we’ve created for ourselves.”

Thank you very much for the Q & A
May the road rise with THE TREBLE!

RIVALS in full…

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RIVALS: Facebook – Instagram

(photos band: via The Treble – promo press)

Gabba Gabba Hey! Meet Italy’s Riot Punk Grrrls SMALLTOWN TIGERS…

Posted on by JL

Discover up and coming bands in 10 questions…

21 May 2020

SMALLTOWN TIGERS is an up and coming all-female punk engine from Italy, formed in 2018. The riot grrls unleashed their lust for life debut album called FIVE THINGS last month. A rough rattlesnake record from the fired-up start to the bitchy end. No special effects, no arty-farty overdubs. Imagine The Stooges having a raw power fight with The Runaways while the Ramones are sniffing glue in the producer’s room. Final result: eight firecrackers, eight uppercuts, eight smoking guns, and lots of middle-fingers. I’m sure
you want to meet these tiger ladies. Before we start our chat let’s kick off with one of
the razor-sharp highlights of the album…

Gabba Gabba Hey! Here we go…

1. What triggered you girls to form a band and when/how did it happen?
“All of us have had – and still have, even though our involvement with them has been reduced – other bands prior to this one. We mostly played Ramones songs but we wanted to do something new. We’d wanted to try something more creative for a long time. In order for us to develop as musicians and escape the local live music scene that is mostly cover bands, in 2018 we started a new band, Smalltown Tigers. We dedicated ourselves to creating our own sound and transforming new riffs and melodies into original songs.
It’s been a blast since then.”

2. What’s the story behind the cool band name?
“There’s no real story to tell. A friend came up with it, for no particular reason. We liked it and we thought that the name reflected who we are and where we come from. We come from a small town in the northeast of Italy, Rimini, so… and why Tigers? Well, the tiger is a feline and we feel a bit like that. Of course we could have chosen cats, but Smalltown Cats would have sounded weird… great for a rockabilly band though! Maybe in our next life.”

3. Which track would you play as an introduction to your
music to people who never heard of you?
“Definitely, ‘Five Things’ is the perfect meeting point of what we
like to play and what we like to listen to. You know, every song from the album has a different style to us, but ‘Five Things’ represents the band more than any other track because it’s fast, loud, and pays its due to the Ramones style, like we always wanted to.”

4. Your excellent debut album is out now. On the cover, I see pieces of newspapers.
What’s the idea behind it?
Here’s Riccardo Bucchioni, the artist who designed the cover: “Well, actually there’s not a particular reason, I like doing collages for graphic practice, the first gig posters I ‘designed’ in the early 90s were made out of real ‘cut and paste’ parts taken from newspapers, photocopies and cut out text. I think collage is a very punk form of art. I thought it would have been a nice way to work around a picture and to wrap it up with a vibrant frame keeping the pic as the main part of the artwork. While listening to their songs I thought that a colourful collage might fit good with them: something ‘dirty’, but still pop and fresh, some kind of ‘orderly chaos’. I hope I was right.”

5. The LP is called FIVE THINGS. What are those 5 things?
“‘Five Things’ is the name of the album but it all comes down to the song, our new single. From the main character standpoint, the lyrics talk about different moments in our life, when things don’t go exactly the way you have imagined them. Those five things are different for each one of us but most of all it means that there are more important matters for you to think about while dealing with another person than those you’re thinking in the very moment you’re speaking, so be careful when you do it.”

6. One of my favorite songs is GIRL with that great guitar riff. What’s the song about? Is the girl you’re singing about for real or a fictional one?
“Thank you! Well, the girl in the song is fictional but could be any of us. We talk about her in the third person, in a way that somehow reminds her (and so us as well) of all the people (mostly guys) that hurt her during her life.”


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7. Is there a vivid punk scene in Italy?
“Despite appearances or stereotypes yes, the punk scene in Italy is still alive. It survived all the changes around the subculture communities that started in the early 80s and made it to these days. Although it’s not always supported by the alternative music scene which is most focused on what’s new or hyped by the media, there’s a large underground punk scene that still goes on strong with the help of musicians, internet radio and word of mouth.”

“We got a lot of punk rock bands in Italy, active since the early years of punk rock
like the Manges, SenzaBenza, Latte + and The Dirtiest, not to mention historical bands like Not Moving LTD and Negazione that were there since the mid-70s and played with the best international acts since then. All of them are great bands, with amazing live action so perfect to enjoy on stage.”

8. Which movie would you show on a big screen behind
the band when playing a concert?
“This is a really good question. Without thinking too much, we would say any Tarantino film, ‘Pulp Fiction’ in particular. We wrote this song, ‘Darling Please!’ and we always thought it had a Tarantino taste, don’t you think?. Or, we’re also thinking about the first images of ‘The Warriors’, the Wonder Wheel in the dark, the subway, the cold lights, so magical, so disturbing. Our whole record could go along with that movie.”

9. Favorite artist/band to do a world tour with?
“It would be a dream to do a world tour with Iggy Pop, CJ Ramone or Frank Carter. Iggy because he’s The Man, period. CJ Ramone because he was involved in the late Ramones and contributed to keep the band fresh throughout the 80s and more. So he’s a hero for us as Ramones fans. Frank Carter… well, he’s the one who plays the most lately on our hi-fi system, so it would be a great match, to be on the tour and to listen to one of your favorite artists at the same time.”


The Man…

10. Next step for SMALLTOWN TIGERS?
“Due to the current situation, we had to postpone a mini record release tour in England but we hope to be able to resume it in November, if Boris Johnson allows us to do it… but it is still too early to say. We are still optimistic that when this crisis ends we can finally tour again and bring ‘Five Things’ to the stage in any country, any city, and any club that would want us to play. In the meantime, all we could do is continue to create new content on social media, rehearse in our own spaces and stay connected with music zines, radio stations, and our amazing fans.

“As soon as this lockdown will be over and we can meet again (we live in different towns, although not far from each other), we will surely find a way to put up a live gig from our rehearsal room. We have so much will to play together again that we don’t really care if it’s just in front of a mobile phone. Other than that, since we’re going to have plenty of time, this might be a good time to write some new stuff. Then there will sure be another single, a new video. You guys just stay tuned, and we’ll treat you right!”

Thank you for this cool Q & A, ladies.
May the road rise with SMALLTOWN TIGERS!

Put your leather jacket on, folks,
and go mad at home to FIVE THINGS…


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SMALLTOWN TIGERS: Facebook

(band photos via PR-agent)

British Post Punks CROSS WIRES Are The Real Deal – Find Out Why In This Q & A

Posted on by JL

2 May 2020

Five reasons why Turn Up The Volume loves London’s post-punk band CROSS WIRES

1. They write killer tunes with killer lyrics as they showed
loud and clear on their debut album ‘A Life Extinct‘
2. I share their political and social views totally
3. They’re for real, not poseurs
4. They wear their committed heart in the right place
5. They like the same bands as I do, and they like a few
drinks just like I do

Enough reasons to learn a lot more about this rousing four-piece by talking to their passionate frontman and songwriter Jonathan Chapman. But first some music
with one of my favorite Cross Wires crackers ‘Paradise Club 1953…

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Hello Jonathan…

1. What triggered you guys to form a band and when/how did it happen?
“Ian (drums) Pete (guitar) and I all knew each other from drinking in a pub
called The Golden Lion in Romford, East London, and pretty much came up with the
idea for the band there. I think the original idea was to make songs that sounded like
they could fit on Singles Going Steady by Buzzcocks. The three of us wrote a bunch of pretty rubbish songs while we were looking for a bass player. Pete (bass) had been playing as a singer-songwriter and had never played bass before he joined us. We were introduced
to him by a friend. I don’t think he really had any interest in being a bass player but liked drinking in The Golden Lion as much as we did, so he said yes when we asked him. We borrowed a bass from a friend for him.”

2. What’s the story behind the band’s name?
“We are named after a song by XTC” (note: check it out here)

3. Which track would you play as an introduction
to your music to people who never heard of you?
“At the minute I’d say Distraction Technique because people seem to have
connected with that song more than any other from the album.”


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4. The lyrics of your excellent debut album ‘A LIFE EXTINCT’ read like critical comments on the grim times we live in. Is Cross Wires a political band?
“Not in the way that bands like The Clash or Manic Street Preachers are but politics
definitely does influence my writing. I try not to be too preachy. Not much in life is
black or white but I also don’t want to hide my views. Before last year’s election, we did
a Labour Party fundraiser gig with The Blinders in their For The Many Tour. We are all
from working class backgrounds. It’s pretty obvious what our political leanings are. I
don’t want to say I’m 100% right and you’re 100% wrong unless you have far-right
views. When I started writing the lyrics for ‘A Life Extinct’ the idea was a ‘break up
album influenced by the sixth mass extinction on earth’”.

5. How’s life in Brexit England?
“It definitely brought up some pretty ugly stuff on both sides. It’s crazy how tribal it’s become. Romford was one of the only London boroughs to vote leave. That was extremely upsetting. I moved away from Romford to Bethnal Green not long after we started the band. It’s easy to forget not everyone has the same views as you, when you’re surrounded by like-minded people. I wanted to remain but many people obviously didn’t agree. I don’t think branding all those people as racists helped at all and it absolutely killed Labour’s chances of winning the last election.”

6. The LP’s front sleeve is quite intriguing. What inspired the image?
“It was a photo taken by our guitarist Pete on his honeymoon in Santorini. I knew it would be the cover of the album as soon as I saw it. I think it’s such a striking image. Everyone asks about it.”

7. One of my favorite tracks is PARADISE CLUB 1953. What’s the song about?
“Thank you. It’s about a man whose dreams are haunted by an ex-lover he thought he
had long since moved on from. When he’s awake he never gives her a second thought but when he’s asleep they meet in the Paradise Club in 1953. It’s a completely fictional place. I don’t know why I chose that year. In my head, it’s a smoky room with red velvet curtains. It’s funny as that’s exactly how the guys in the band also imagined it. This song was built around Pabs brilliant bass line.”

8. You just released a brand new EP called ‘Distraction Technique’.
What can we expect?
“We wanted to find a way to keep pointing people back to A Life Extinct without just putting out Distraction Technique as a single. We came up with the idea of putting it out as part of an EP. The other 3 tracks on the EP are from various Demos we recorded at a studio called Soundsavers in Homerton, East London a few years back. Unfortunately, it’s closed down now. It was part-owned by Mark Jasper from the band Witching Waves with a lovely guy called Alex Clegg who produced our demos. Mark is actually offering a great pay what you can afford mixing and mastering service for bands during this pandemic. You’ll probably be able to find out more on their Twitter account.”

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9. Suppose you were asked to play a movie, that expresses your music visually,
on a big screen behind you while playing a gig which one would it be?
“That’s a good question. I’m not sure I’d want to tie our music to somebody else’s art that has already been established for a number of years so much. I quite like the idea of what The National did with their last album and film. Something like that could be fun. Either that or ‘Dunston Checks In’. Hahahaha”

10. Your favourite band to tour with?
“I know for a fact that each one of us would have a different answer, so I’m going to choose a festival and say we’d love to play at Glastonbury. I’ve been quite a few times and there’s just something special about it. I know people think it’s become too commercial but it’s still magic. A great example of that was Idles set on the Park Stage last year. Once in lifetime stuff for a band.”

11. What song or album did you hear so far this year that
made a huge impression on your ears?
“Lots of stuff. Loving the new Strokes album. I’m really looking forward to the new Protomartyr album. They are probably my favourite band of recent years. I’m gonna give a shout out to my pal Luke’s band False Heads. They’ve made a really great record called ‘It’s All There But Your Dreaming’, and I’d also like to mention a band I discovered called Bugeye. They’ve got an album coming out on a great label called ‘Reckless Yes’. A band called Hunt Us have put out some exciting stuff. A sort of folk spoken word post-punk. Hope we get to play with them at some point.”

12. Next step for Cross Wires?
“We’ve got about half of the next album written and it’s sounding really promising. I’ve got a theme for the next album worked out but don’t want to say too much until it’s finished as I could well easily end up hating what I’ve written. Hopefully, we will be able to get out there and play live again this year. We have a couple of gigs booked for Autumn which I really hope go ahead.”

Thank you, Jonathan, for this interview.
May the road rise with Cross Wires!

Stream/buy A Life Extinct here…


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CROSS WIRES: Facebook

10 Questions For Up And Coming Noise Engine SINKA

Posted on by JL

3 March 2020

SINKA is a rowdy trio of three young wolves from Watford, England. A band with a powerhouse impact, a band with an appetite for titanic tunes, a band with a loud
future. Their newest single ‘SEE WHAT IS SEE’ says it all. This hot-blooded engine
produces a wall-of-pulverizing noise with overwhelming riffage, dynamite drums/bass potency, hell-raising stoner rock choruses, and rumbustious vocals. Next month they release their long-expected debut EP. So, before they conquer the world let’s talk to frontman Shaun Sewell-Sears, bassist Matt Smith and drummer Jack Wright about the
band’s past and present and their towering sonic force.

Welcome! Let’s rock!…

1. When did SINKA hit the scene and what’s the story behind the band’s name?
“The band began at the very end of 2016 whereby a 6-piece group abruptly disbanded, and from those ashes, SINKA was born – armed with our first single ‘You Run’. The earlier iteration of the group was called Sin Kaprice (a name that was formed whilst drinking a Capri Sun under the influence…) so when we halved the band we halved the name too!. Since Jack’s inclusion in December of 2018 we have really been taking our work ethic to a whole other level. And because Jack had never even drummed before joining it was really fun to relearn the songs with him and start making new music again, which is what brings us to the new EP. I think we’d all agree that we’ve never been in such a good place.”


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2. Under the band’s logo on your FB-page I see Roman numerals: M-M-X-I-X.
Why and what does it mean for the group?
“For us, this signifies the year 2019, the year we truly began. As mentioned before we
have been working relentlessly since Jack joined us and it really paid dividends with all
the coverage we received for ‘Fussy’. The logo has since moved to M-M-X-X as this year we hope to be even bigger – with our EP dropping, the single out, and now another releasing on March 13th. We are really excited to see what happens.”

3. How would you describe your sound yourselves and which artists influenced you?
“Some may just prefer to label us alt-rock because it’s easier that way. But our music is fluid and that’s just an inevitable result of each individual influence bleeding into a track. One song could be alt-metal, the next a ballad – there’s no schematic to our sound. We’re also quite heavy in an accessible way and like to meld aspects of different genres into our music. Many people liken our sound to other artists that do this, like Radiohead, Muse, Smashing Pumpkins, Highly Suspect, Biffy Clyro, Arcane Roots, etc. We like this uninhibited method of writing as it keeps it fresh for not only the listener but us as well, there’s
no way we could make the same old-same old and be content with what we’re creating.”

4. Almost two years ago the explosive ‘FUSSY’ single impressed many.
What’s the song about and how came it together?
Shaun: “In many ways, it’s a song about dismissive people. Y’know the people who will
give up before they’ve even tried something? It started off about one of those people in particular but eventually, I came to the conclusion that it’s about all of the bullshit people spread in day-to-day life (thanks to social media). I don’t understand it. All it does is hinder you in so many ways, so as individuals I feel we should strive to alter our mindset and get more out of life. As my family always tell me, life really is too short so stop worrying about everything and give it a go.”


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5. New single ‘SEE WHAT I SEE’ is a smoking steamroller too. So what do you see?
Shaun: “Thanks! I guess I’ll take lead on this one again. I wrote this song as a means of unloading some real dark shit I was going through. As a guy, it can be particularly hard to talk about what’s going on in your head, and I don’t have good emotional management so I will often bottle things up rather than have the conversation. It’s self-destructive and I’m working on getting better at opening up to people. It also has a message behind it that we never know what someone’s going through, so it’s best to be compassionate and try to handle a situation with grace rather than confrontation. It’s hard to talk about those deep-rooted problems if it feels like the other person is attacking you, even if it is because they care and want to help. In those situations, it’s really about having patience and understanding.”


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6. I love the psychedelic artwork of the new single.
Who developed it and has it any significance?
“Thanks again! Shaun made the artwork for this track, and it’s symbolic of the mind embroiled in a tumult of insanity, the spiral indicative of a complete loss of control.”

7. Your upcoming debut EP, out 17 April, is called ‘F.W.Y.K.’ What do
those letters stand for and how many tracks may we expect?
“It stands for ‘Fuck What You Know‘ and will be a 4-track EP,
with both singles featuring on it of course.”

8. What is a SINKA gig like?
“Put simply: Loud, fun and engaging. The room is usually silent and attentive whilst
we play so we like to think we get people listening. Often people say we are thought-provoking and captivating to watch. We’d definitely benefit bigger stages though
because often the space is quite small so we’ll inevitably go down in the crowd to dance, headbang or whatever suits the song. I suppose we also like to remove that pedestal between listeners and band. Music is globally inclusive so why can’t the shows be too?!
It’s more entertaining.”

9. Which artist/band is on top of your list to go on tour with ?
“Biffy Clyro would be amazing to tour with and are the very reason we desired to be a power trio in the first place. Being one of our biggest influences, relatively close sonically (barring the Scottish accent, sadly) and the energy we both emit – I think it would be the show of a lifetime! They also seem like great guys and would be fun to grab a pint with. I’m keeping my fingers crossed one of them see this and give us a shot – been listening since their debut album Blackened Sky and love everything they put out. Speaking of which, their new single is a bit of a banger, right?”

10. The band’s ultimate ambition?
Shaun: “I’d say playing arenas around the world but that’s anyone’s dream. No, we want
to be content making the music we want to make for the rest of our lives, and hopefully inspire others with our music the way that we have been by our favourite artists. I often worry that we won’t get the opportunity to showcase everything we can do because there’s not enough money or time right now to make it happen. It’s frustrating being uber-creative but then being drastically limited by finances. Having said that, we are incredibly grateful for the opportunities we’ve had so far! Playing venues/festivals that we’d go to in our younger years is a really fulfilling experience and we can’t wait to continue this trajectory. I know that playing the Underworld in Camden (London) is on Matt’s bucket list so that’s something to work towards right now. With so much to come, there’s a unified belief that if given the opportunity we will blaze an incredible trail for years to come.”

Thanks for the interview, guys.
May the road rise with SINKA!

Can’t get enough of it…

SEE WHAT I SEE streamable on several platforms right here / SINKA: Facebook

(photo on top: promo for press – via band)

10 Questions For Mind-Puzzling British Shoegaze Duo… BLACK DOLDRUMS

Posted on by JL

Discover up and coming artists in 10 questions…

2 October 2019

London‘s psychedelic shoegaze duo BLACK DOLDRUMS is singer-guitarist Kevin Gibbard and drummer Sophia Lacroix. Early last month they released their second, spellbinding EP titled ‘SHE DIVINE’. A haunting record that has a magnetic and puzzling impact on your inner stereo system. Its multi-layered reverberation is capable of messing up your mind and soundtrack your nightmares. Enough reasons to have a chat with this pretty awesome duo about poet Allen Ginsberg, ‘The Good The Bad and The Ugly‘, Ancient Egyptian symbolism and much more cool stuff. But let’s start the acquaintance with some hypnotizing music. Here’s one of the new EP’s highlights ‘Mae’s Desire’…

Hello Kevin and Sophia, thanks
for making time for this interview…

1. When did BLACK DOLDRUMS hit the scene and
what’s the story behind the band’s name?
KG: “We got the name Doldrums from a poem Allen Ginsberg wrote to Jack Kerouac
called ‘The Denver Doldrums‘. It was referred to in the book ‘On The Road‘. I identified
with the book and the relationship of two people and liked the phrase ‘In the Doldrums‘.”
SL: It’s a double meaning for me as it’s also an area of the Atlantic where weather conditions are eerily calm or really stormy, which I think fits our music and the way
it’s structured well.”

2. Which track would you play as an introduction to
your music to people who never heard of you ?
KG: “I’d say ‘Mae’s Desire‘ covers a lot of what we do in terms writing and sound.”
SL: “I still like ‘There Is No Eye‘, we’ve had it as the opening song to our live show for about a year now and I think we placed it there because it’s a good intro to us but also escalates as the song goes on.”

3. Your 2018 debut EP called ‘SAD PARADISE’ has that pitch-black spellbinding
wall-of-sound that makes the hairs in the back of my neck stand up. What sort of vibe/feeling is it that you want to express/communicate with that sound?
KG: “I do believe the best songs kind of write themselves so it’s hard to say what we want to express specifically as the song kind of has a life of its own. When writing we like to explore and experiment so I suppose we like to escape with music but then control it enough to say something relevant. I suppose we want it to transport you a bit but not so far that it doesn’t mean anything. It has to mean something. We want our music to be layered and have a certain depth to it but also instantly grabs you.”
SL: “For me, I feel that it’s important to communicate something to your audience through music and that can be completely interpreted any way the listener wants to. All of our songs have meaning and are pulled from different stories, experiences and events, but we write them in a way that leaves it completely open to the person listening because then they can make their personal connection.”

https://open.spotify.com/album/2PYwEzYStpwW64AUaiNqD5?si=N8rhlbmJQLSfrV9NhRXg4w
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4. Now the excellent new 5-track EP ‘SHE DIVINE’ is out. Are the songs
connected in any way or rather individual compositions?
KG: “They are essentially individual compositions but as most of them are written
around the same time they do have the odd reference to similar themes and inspirations that were around us at the time. It can be a particular theme or something we’re reading at the time. I also remixed ‘Those with a Rope Around Their Neck‘ for the last track on the EP, so they are definitely connected.”
SL: “There’s some occult and religious references in there”.

5. The artwork for the EP puzzles me. Who designed it
and what’s the idea/story behind the image?
SL: “I design all of the artwork for our material, videos, posters, merch, etc. This one was taken from a photo of Batty May Golding, who inspired ‘Mae’s Desire’. We focused in on the defensive position of the arms around the shoulders and it represented more intense emotion than her face, which is equally as interesting. I used the colours in reference to the ones used on ‘Sad Paradise‘, although slightly different, I wanted to keep a theme there as the EP’s are supposed to almost act as a part 1 and 2.”

6. One of the EP’s track – last year’s single – is brilliantly titled ‘ THOSE WITH A ROPE AROUND THEIR NECK (DON’T ALWAYS HANG). Impulsively I thought about Nigel Farage and his lying gang who mislead the British people regarding the Brexit referendum. Are those the sort of people you wrote that song about?
KG: “Yeah pretty much. It’s about the accountability of people’s actions and how these people always seem to get away with it. It came from watching ‘The Good The Bad and The Ugly‘ whilst playing guitar. The film covers rough justice pretty well which I liked and at the time in the news there was a lot going on about Tony Blair’s Iraq trial plus I was obsessed with Dylan’s ‘Masters Of War’ so there you have it.”

7. The video clip for title track ‘SHE DIVINE’ brings characteristic retro psychedelic footage to mind. It could have been one of Pink Floyd’s early 60s clips. Why did you opt for this kind of visualization?
KG: “I think we’re pretty much influenced by a lot of the 60’s counter culture and it just seems to fit. We aim for a multi-layered sound which adds a bit of colour to our music so the video is a way of heightening this aesthetic.”
SL: “When I was making the video for ‘She Divine’ I wanted to focus on the idea of divine and the divine feminine. The visuals in the video tell the story of Ra, the Egyptian Sun God and brings in elements of the goddess Isis, of ma-gick, healing and protection, also the phoenix which features a lot on Ancient Egyptian symbolism. I wanted to mix that in with imagery of us and have a mirror effect to illustrate what you put out there is reflected back at you.”

8. Suppose you were asked to play a movie, that expresses your music visually,
on a big screen behind you while playing a show which one would it be?
KG: “Any one of the films from the ‘Man With No Name‘ trilogy.”
SL: “Maybe ‘Lucifer Rising‘ by Kenneth Anger.”

9. What song and/or album did you hear so far that
will end up in your best-of-the-year-list?
SL: “Something new that was released this year? L’Epée‘s album Diabolique is really good, although I recently discovered Erykah Badu, who’s been around for a long time, but I’ve never really gone out of my way to learn who’s big in hip hop and r & b, but she’s really cool, she does a lot of jazz/rap/hip hop. She’s a witch as well.”

10. Next step for BLACK DOLDRUMS?
KG: “We’re currently writing more material and putting plans in place for
recording an album. We’ll also be touring UK and EU next year.”

Thanks, Kevin and Sophia for the cool chat.
May the road rise with BLACK DOLDRUMS!

New EP ‘SHE DIVINE‘ here in full…
https://open.spotify.com/album/3WiD8bZYQeiIaqLTLzXEPy?si=YSF2zfTdSciizN3VV-HrDA
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BLACK DOLDRUMS: Facebook

(promo photos band via Black Doldrums)

10 Questions For Psychedelic Weirdo… LEOPARD SKULL

Posted on by JL

Discover up and coming artists in 10 questions…

Basically LEOPARD SKULL is just a Belgian singer/songwriter. But one who loves to dream 24/7, one who gets lost in his own and other ones’ thoughts, one who makes a far-out sort of tranquilizing music with a psychedelic twist so your chaotic mind can join the fun too. Think of Syd Barrett, deep down in some of his tranquil moods, having an exhilarating jam with Brian Eno, the legendary atmospheric sound explorer while Beck doing some backing vocals.

Leopard Skull is one of those many imaginative musers who became a musician to avoid, as much as possible, reality’s boredom and real-life itself. Yes, expect a kind of self-made weirdo who writes puzzling tunes for all other weirdos, like us, who have not the talent to do so. Enough reasons to have a chat with the man, but before starting the acquaintance let’s have breakfast with this peculiar artist…

Hello Leopard,
Welcome, let’s talk…

1. Why did you choose an alias to present your music to the public
and who is that guy called LEOPARD SKULL actually?
“I chose Leopard Skull as an alias because my birth name has a weird meaning in English. It’s also nice to have an extra front, this way certain things don’t get smacked in your face too hard. The Leopard Skull guy is a weirdo, he doesn’t like to be labeled with genres, it kind of annoys him. He likes to write music (duh) and likes to experiment with sounds
and progressions. He hopes to continue making interesting music.”

2. What’s your signature track so far to introduce yourself with?
“Well, to start with, I think the Leopard Skull books exist of two chapters at the moment, the first one was a rough sounding, surfy chapter with ‘Beach Crawler’ as signature track. The second chapter has just begun, but already sounds a lot more grown-up, but I don’t know if it already has a signature track. If you can trust YouTube statistics, ‘My Thoughts’ will be this chapter’s track.”

3. Your new album is titled ‘WELCOME HOME’. So, who got
back home and where has he/she been?
“As I was recording and puzzling the record I noticed a certain pattern about mental disorders and being afraid of it or being interested in what a person suffering such disorder would feel like. Like creating a different world where you start with checking in,
in the ‘The Weak’ hotel and going through a different number of disorders to be welcomed home again after that trip, where you can find peace and quiet. The song called ‘Welcome Home’ is actually made with sounds recorded in the streets of my hometown and sounds of daily life at home.”

4. The LP’s artwork is pretty kooky? Who designed it and what’s the story behind it?
“It was made by the incredibly talented visual artist Jan Vandeplancke! I met Jan at our favorite bar in Ghent and asked him if he wanted to make the artwork for this record. At his apartment, he showed me a bunch of his paintings, this way I could pick some favorites and give him a lead for what I’d like the artwork of ‘Welcome Home’ to be. But there was this one painting that kept haunting my mind: the pickle!”

5. ‘DUNES’ is one of my favorite tracks. Sounds like two songs in one. What is the song about and how came it together musically?
“It indeed originally started as two separate songs that were each stuck in someplace,
that I couldn’t go on with it. Something was missing and I didn’t know what exactly. But after a few months, it came all together in my head while sitting at my desk of my daytime job. I rushed home after work and combined the pieces and I made it work. As for the meaning of ‘Dunes’, before finishing the song I had a few conversations with people who are suffering from insomnia. So eventually the song ended up about being afraid of becoming an insomniac. I really need my sleep. It seems horrible to be tired but still
not being able to catch some sleep.”

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6. What records/songs were you listening to during the recording of the album and did any music or artist had an influence on ‘the making of’ WELCOME HOME?
“At some point in time when I was completely stuck with the whole songwriting, my friend Charles Vanderborght, drummer of Mountain Bike sent me ‘Here Come the Warm Jets’ by Brian Eno. This album led to a much needed creative breakthrough for myself. Around
the same time I also rediscovered ‘The White Album‘, which I finally started to appreciate because of its ‘fuck it, we do our own thing’ kind of quality. I continued to dig into this particular musical era and was eventually also influenced by Kevin Ayers, John Cale,
Todd Rundgren…”


Brian Eno, the man of many sounds, influencing many artists…

7. What movie would you pick to show on a big screen behind you when
playing your new album live?
“That’s a hard one, I’m not really a movie connaisseur, but it would definitely be cool to have a whole animation film made by Triplophonic (Rafael Hilario and Samuel Dhoore) and screen it behind us. Triplophonic is the creator of the clip made for the ‘My Thoughts’ single. Haven’t they done a wonderful job? 4 minutes of their art is just too short!”

8. I saw you playing live some weeks ago. Instead of using tapes, as many solo artists do, you used a full band to get your music across. A statement or the only way you want an audience to experience your songs?
“I think it gives the whole performance a more energetic, dynamic vibe and I love to have the on-stage engagement with my friends, who are magnificent musicians. Also, I like how some songs take form and evolve when you play them live with good musicians, as they always have interesting ideas and their own styles to bring to the table.”


The Leopard Skull Orchestra…

9. When will ‘WELCOME HOME’ be a success for
you personally and as an artist & performer?
“As an artist, it’s already a success. I’m grateful that close friends and musicians like Mathias Stal, Ebert Dhuyvetters and Charles Vanderborght kept supporting me and pushing me forward through the process of making this record. And on top of that, Greg (EXAG’ Records) having faith in me is just a total blessing. I’m a happy man. As a performer, I love it when people sing along with the lyrics because I guess it means they truly and fully enjoy my music. That’s just an intense form of happiness. People buying my records, T-shirts or tote bags is of course also very cool, as well as when people come up to me after a show to have a chat. If the audience appreciates what I bring on stage, that’s all I need to be a content performer and have a good night.”


This is how a happy man looks like…

10. What’s the next step for LEOPARD SKULL?
“The next step is playing a lot of shows, letting people know this record exists. But I am already making blueprints for a new album. It’s nothing concrete yet, but my fingers start
tingling to record new sounds and songs. There’s also a bunch of new music in the making with buddies in other projects such as Accordion Planet 15, so I won’t be at rest for the next few months!”

Thanks for the chat Leopard
and success with your Skull!

You can stream brand new debut album ‘WELCOME HOME‘ here…

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WELCOME HOME available via Bandcamp
LEOPARD SKULL: Facebook

10 Questions For French Euphonious New Post-Punk Wave Tandem… SÔMBRE

Posted on by JL

Discover up and coming bands in 10 questions…

15 August 2019

SÔMBRE is a French duo featuring singer Cédric Manine and producer/instrumentalist Axel Wursthorn. They started their musical collaboration back in 2011, but it was only after signing with indie label Uproar For Veneration Records that the pair was able to launch their debut longplayer called ‘LINSAY’ earlier this year. An intriguing record where 80s post-punk influences and new wavish synth soundscapes go smoothly hand in hand with tuneful songwriting turning the final result into a multifaceted sonic realization. From dancey Sisters Of Mercy moods to doomy Depeche Mode moments. Enough reasons to
have a chat with the ambient tandem, but let’s start the acquaintance first with some music. Here’s ‘FALSE ILLUSIONS‘, one of the highlights of their first longplayer…


.
Hello Cédric, hello Axel,
bonjour and welcome…

1. What sparked you to start a band in the first place?
Axel: “We both have been in several bands prior to Sômbre, but I really think this project
is a way for us to reconnect with our past and with what we always wanted to do. Our musical DNA has been influenced by post-punk, cold and new-wave more than many other kinds of music, so I guess this is the most natural way to compose for us. We met in a studio about 20 years ago, I was already a sound engineer and in charge of the recordings of Cedric‘s hardcore band at the time, called ‘Waiting For Better Days‘. We shared many interests, but I was occupied with my metal band Carnival In Coal at the time. Ten years later, free from any engagement, we decided to launch Sômbre and release our first EP ‘Half Light‘ in 2012.”

2. What’s the story behind the group’s name?
Cédric: “There is nothing in particular, it’s complicated to find a band’s name that is catchy enough to make people want to listen. It was more or less a joke at the beginning, but we found it was not bad to have a name in French and that illustrates our music a little. The funny thing is that no one outside the French-speaking pronounces it correctly. We laugh while listening to the radio shows and podcasts that played us everywhere.”

3. Your debut album is titled ‘LINSAY’. Who is she/he or it and
why dedicate an LP to her/him/it?
Cedric: “Linsay is a fictitious name but it is also the title of a duet with Regina Sosinski. She was the singer of a band that I loved in the early 2000s. We had exchanged some emails at the time and when we wrote the album I wanted a duet with a female voice. I contacted her and she immediately agreed. So let’s say that this album is more or less dedicated to her, cause I love her voice and her band meant a lot to me.”


Meet the real Linsay vocally, above…

4. The influences by post-punk/new wave bands from Joy Division back then to Interpol today, are still very present and prominent. Why is it that their doomy sound is so attractive for many other artists including you?
Axel: “I wouldn’t call it doomy, but maybe a sincerer, harsh, deeper sound. And this sound gets old with grace. Bands like Depeche Mode, The Cure, And Also The Trees, New Model Army, Killing Joke and much more are still here, and their sound is still relevant and influenced many bands through the years.”
Cédric: “It’s very exciting to see that the scene is growing. So many bands, so many radio shows, cool labels. During the last months, I met a lot of very nice people dedicated to the scene.”


The 80s are back… from never being away

5. The artwork of LINSAY is pretty mysterious. Tell us more about it.
Cédric: “That’s my fault! Hehehe. I did not really know what I wanted to do at the very beginning, I just did tests with various materials and then reworked it all on computer.
At the end we see things that were not planned, like this effect of mountain and clouds. That is nothing in particular but it illustrates quite the dark side of our music I think.”


Artwork ‘Linsay’ album…

6. The last song on the record is a cover: KIM WILDE’s Kids In America’.
Why exactly did you pick this one to cover?
Axel: “It’s simply one of the best pop songs of the eighties. Catchy, well sung and produced, somewhere between Blondie and Billy Idol… pop music at its best. We’ve been lucky enough to live our teenage years in the eighties, to be fed with artists like Joy Division, New Order, Depeche Mode, Propaganda, The Smiths, and many more. Contrary to what many people think, the 80s was an exciting musical era, along with the evolution of gear (synths, beatboxes, samplers, sequencers…) and many new styles and bands came out of this new evolution.”


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7. Which track would you pick to introduce
somebody for the first time to SÔMBRE music?
Axel: “It’s hard to make a choice because each track has its own specificity, but many people seem to point ‘Black Skin Twins‘ as their favorite tune, so why not this one… and
then you’ll want to listen to the others!”
Cédric: “Yes, ‘Black Skin Twins‘ seems to be a favourite but it’s complicated to answer
this question because the album is very varied. There are electro-pop songs, others with shoegaze sounds, and an EBM influenced one. We want to make music without barriers, we write on instinct without any calculation, except that it sounds good.”

8. What movie would you pick to visualize your music on a big screen while playing?
Axel: “Hard to tell… could be a TV show like Black Mirror, or Russian Doll, or Sex Education…maybe a David Lynch movie, or something much older, by Murnau or Fritz Lang…”
Cedric: “Nice question. I think old horror movies would be great. It’s funny because I
often write texts with images in mind. As if I was working on a song’s video clip.”

9. For which band would you sell your soul to the devil do a world tour with?
Axel: “As an old fan, and because the band still exist, I would say And Also The Trees. They created a unique sound and very personal atmosphere, and they’ve always been close to their fans. They still tour, so it might happen, who knows?”
Cédric: “I would never sell my soul!! But touring with Depeche Mode or being guest at a The Cure show would be awesome. But to be more realistic, we would love to share the stage with newer bands as Actors, Drab Majesty, Creux Lies, The Foreign Resort, Crying Vessel, Silent Runners. We just have to be ready for playing live, that’s what we’re working on right now.”

10. SÔMBRE’s ultimate ambition?
Cédric: “Once again, we are realistic, we have no other ambitions than to release our next album on a good label dedicated to our music, play concerts, meet people… we’ll see what will happen for us.”

Merci Cédric and Axel for the interview.
May the road rise with SÔMBRE!

Stream/purchase LINSAY in full right here…


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SÔMBRE: Facebook

(band pic on top via band SOMBRE)

10 Questions For London’s Moony Ambient Project… WHERE WE SLEEP

Posted on by JL

Discover up and coming bands in 10 questions…

18 July 2019

Impassioned singer/songwriter and performer BETH RETTIG, the arresting frontwoman
of former British synth force Blindness started her solo project WHERE WE SLEEP last summer with the release of three stirring ambient tracks. And last May her impressive
5-track debut EP, titled ‘EXPERIMENTS IN THE DARK‘ featuring members of The Fall, Echobelly and Curve saw the day of light. Five gloomy electro grooves, five bedazzling sentiments, five magnetic moony moments, five vocal highlights.

So Turn Up The Volume is delighted to have a chat with Beth. But before starting
the Q & A let’s get in the right mood with her new clip for one of the EP’s intriguing
cuts. Here’s ‘CONTROL‘…

Hello Beth,
welcome…

1. Is WHERE WE SLEEP a BETH RETTIG solo trip or rather a collaborative project with befriended musicians helping you out to translate your musical ideas and the stories you want to tell?
“It’s a bit of both really. Three of the tracks on the EP feature guitarists, the other two are just me. I’m definitely hoping to keep the collaborative element going as much as possible. There are advantages to both formats. It’s nice to have the freedom and control in working by myself – and I am a bit of a control freak. But, I’m not a good enough musician to do it completely by myself. And, more importantly, you get so much from working with other people – new ideas that you wouldn’t have come up with on your own, new challenges, different moods and directions. And that’s really really exciting.”

2. What’s the story behind the name WHERE WE SLEEP?
“I actually set up a Soundcloud page before I started this as a proper project to repost stuff that I’d been doing – not just Blindness but a couple of collaborations as well – and have them on one page. So when I decided to release new songs under this project, I kept the name. There isn’t really a story behind the name – if there is, it’s probably a really boring one.”

3. Last year WHERE WE SLEEP shared its first tracks (‘Crawl’, ‘Veins,’ and ‘The First One’). Why did they not end up on the debut EP and making an album out of it?
“I did consider that, bringing it up to an album. I suppose I ended up just feeling like, as they had already been released, they could stand on their own and I should move forward. There were a couple of other factors as well, the first two songs were mixed by Guy Fixsen, whereas the others have all been mixed by John Cranmer. I wasn’t sure if they’d sound right together. Also, the five songs on the EP, for some reason, just seemed right together in my head.
It’s really hard for independent musicians to release music. I’m not sure everyone realises how much goes into getting one song sounding right. It’s so expensive to get songs recorded, mixed, mastered, promoted etc. and I don’t expect to make any of that cost back from whatever I’m releasing. So at one point, it did occur to me to just release singles to make it a little easier and spread out the costs a bit. But I still like having a body of work of some kind. And, at some point, I’d like to get the EP out as a physical release and that’s obviously, easier than releasing several singles.”


.
4. Do we need to take the EP’s title ‘EXPERIMENTS IN THE DARK’ literally?
“I’m not one for talking about song meanings but I guess a little of all the above.
The title of the EP is obviously taken from the name of the last song. I just really liked
the title for the EP as well. It seemed to sum up the mood of it. And Experiments In The
Dark was the first new track that I wrote for Where We Sleep, before Where We Sleep was actually going to be a thing. It was the first new song I’d written in a while.”

5. I really dig the artwork of the EP, especially that very intriguing ring.
What represents or signifies that beautiful ornament?
“I don’t know that it signifies anything really. I have a bit of a thing for images of lizards.
I don’t know why. I really liked the ring and once I’d messed around with it, I just liked the image and though it worked well as a cover. “

6. ‘The Desert’ is my favorite track. Great swagger, great guitars, great vocals. Sounds also very personal. Will you share with us what it was that you wanted to express in that song?
“Again, I’m not that great at explaining songs. But I really like the imagery of driving through the desert night. I grew up in Africa and one of the things that really makes me yearn to be back there, is huge open spaces and skies. I’ve often felt quite overwhelmed when I’ve seen images of those endless skies and vast unpopulated plains. Even more so when I go back there. It wasn’t something I was conscious of when I wrote The Desert, but once it was written it was obvious that that nostalgia and need in me has found its way into some of my music.”


.
7. The title track deals with anxiety and a sort of claustrophobic fear when
being left alone? To me, it resonates like a universal feeling in these troubled, egoistic times we live in again the past few years. Do you agree?
“I don’t think that’s wrong – I think a lot of people are struggling to navigate the complexities of our current times. Experiments In The Dark certainly has a thread
of helplessness running through it.”


.
8. Does this new project mean that your former band BLINDNESS is over?
“So, Blindness ended in 2016 when I left London for a while, although we released the Monsoon EP, which we had already been working on, the following year. That’s how it is at the moment. I wouldn’t say that’s definitely it, because you never know, but we haven’t got any plans to do anything.”

9. What movie would you pick to visualize the EP’s
music on a big screen while playing?
“I actually don’t watch a lot of films anymore. But I guess it would be something dark, dramatic and visually beautiful. Something involving dystopia and rebellion.”

10. Next step for WHERE WE SLEEP?
“I’m hoping to do an album next. I have some songs written, one or two that I can start thinking about getting mixed. I have a few ideas about people I’m hoping to work with
on some of the other tracks as well, which I’m quite excited about so I’m starting to think about first steps for that now.”

Thank you for this interview, Beth.
May the road rise with WHERE WE SLEEP!

Stream/purchase
EXPERIMENTS IN THE DARK here…


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WHERE WE SLEEP: Facebook / photo on top by Nando Carniel Machado

(promo photo on top: via Beth)

10 Questions For Clamorous Noise Force Called… PEUK

Posted on by JL

Discover up and coming bands in 10 questions…

11 June 2019

PEUK is one of Belgian‘s up and coming noise rock forces with an international potential, led by the young, clamorous and heftily howling frontwoman Nele. This crushing three-headed steamroller released their astonishing self-titled debut album earlier this year.
A barbed wire punk & grunge body of work. Enough reasons to find out more about the band via a short chat with Nele. Let’s start the encounter with one of their best cuts on
the new longplayer…

Hello and welcome, Nele…

1. What sparked the start of the band in the first place?
“I was looking for musicians after my previous band split up. Jacky and Dave were fans of my music and I knew them from previous gigs so I asked them if they would join me. And they did.”

2. The range of your voice is just phenomenal. When did you discover you could blow people away vocally and how does it feel to go up there on stage and scream your heart & soul out without being arrested?
“I never really discovered it. Can’t answer that right now, ask me again later.”

3. Are the debut LP’s influences (Nirvana, Hole, Sonic Youth) something you wanted to make sure people would really hear and experience or did the sound just came together naturally regardless of the outcome?
“We grew up with that kind of music so naturally, it influences how we make music a little bit, but it isn’t intentional, we just do our own thing. Any similarity to 90’s bands is kind of
a coincidence.”

4. The artwork of the album looks both scary and attractive like ‘The Beauty and The Beast’. Who designed it and what was is that the band wanted to express/visualize with the image?
“The artwork got designed by Viktor Froyen, it was a work he was doing on the side while
he was working on the actual cover for the album. When I saw it laying in a corner and thought it would fit the album. The monster on the cover gets seen as an external by people but does it need to be like that? Can it be a representation of an internal fear? Make up your own mind. The image doesn’t need to be taken literally, it’s open for interpretation.”


5. ‘Magpie’ is one of my favorite tracks. What’s the song
about and how did it come together in the studio?
“The song is about being no-one’s possession, it’s about people’s desires and how manipulative they can be just to fulfill those desires. Magpies are birds that get triggered by shiny objects, so yeah, metaphor. The song already existed before I met the guys, but the guys just made it a bit better, adding a bit more power and dynamics to it.”


.

6. The band’s live power is HUGE like a volcano in action.
What feelings trigger those eruptions?
“A combination between the power of the music and the mind, eh.”

7. Favorite band/artist that PEUK wants to go on a world tour with?
“I would have to feel comfortable with the artists that I go on tour with so even if I have some favorite bands I don’t know if I would feel comfortable with those people, so I dunno. Maybe Chan Marshall, she seems nice, maybe PJ Harvey or Patti Smith, I’d like to hear her stories.”

8. How easy or difficult is it to play in a small country as Belgium and
does the band has international ambitions?
“It’s not that hard, you can drive from one end of Belgium to the other in about 3 hours. It’s just that you see a lot of the same gas stations after a while. Some small tours in foreign countries would be nice.”

9. What movie would you pick to visualize your music
on a big screen while playing live?
“Preferably a David Lynch movie, but I’m not sure which one yet. A compilation of all the happy, sad and destructive scenes from his entire catalog.”


All things Lynch…

10. Next big step for PEUK?
“World domination and drown in it.”

Thanks for the interview, Nele.
May the road rise with PEUK!

Debut album in full here…


.
PEUK: Facebook

(All concert pics by Turn Up The Volume!)

10 Questions For Swiss Swirling Satan Sensation – Here’s… ANNIE TAYLOR

Posted on by JL

Discover up and coming bands in 10 questions…

26 April 2019

After seeing London‘s new guitar pop heroes Wolf Alice led by the wonderful Ellie Rowsell, Swiss Satan lover Gini Jungi did what she actually wanted to do for quite a while. Forming
a band! With three friends she started ANNIE TAYLOR back in 2016. The swirling 4-headed outfit recorded some cutting ear-opening singles fueled by big guitars, pumping beats, and sensuous vocals and today the band release their 5-track debut EP titled NOT YOURS! You can feel and hear the giant steps this quartet made in the meantime. They rock, they roar and they roll and most of all they seduce you with rad tunes. Enough reasons to talk to frontwoman Gini Jungi about the trip so far. Let’s start the acquaintance with one of their earlier glam crackers…

1. What sparked you to start a band in the first place?
“I always liked making music with my best friend, but we were usually just jamming without really playing actual songs until I went to a festival where I saw Wolf Alice playing.
It was my first time seeing them perform and I was so inspired, that I couldn’t stop thinking of starting my own band. My only goal was at that time to practice a lot, so one day I could be opening for them. Didn’t happen so far, but this is still one of my goals.”


Without Wolf Alice no Annie Taylor…

2. What’s the story behind the group’s name?
“Annie Edison Taylor was the first human who tossed herself over the Niagara Falls,
back in 1901. A pretty crazy thing to do! We liked her attitude and thought this would
be a nice way to honour strong and emancipated women like her.”


Annie Edson Taylor …

3. The band’s bio on your FB-page starts with the great line: “Satan
I want to marry you”. Are you into black magic and/or Satanism?
“Not really! But we actually also have a song about Satan. But to me, Satan is more
like a metaphor for doing forbidden things and crossing limits. There are always so
many people judging and expecting you to do things in their way. It feels like Satan
stands for the power of ignoring expectations and do whatever feels right to yourself.”

4. ‘S.L.E..E.P.’ is the newest single off the debut EP. It’s actually
my favorite track. How did the song came together?
“Oh, thanks! S.L.E.E.P. is the outcome of a summer where I was working a lot and still wanted to be part of all the activities and festivals which were taking place around me. Classic fear of missing out. So I ended up having a great summer but not a lot of sleep. Tobi totally got the vibe of the song and played some of my favorite guitars on it. I guess that’s why it ended up to be so dreamy and dramatic.”

5. The debut EP is entitled ‘NOT YOURS!’ So why isn’t it ours?
“The second track of the EP is called ‘Not Yours‘ as well and it is a very precious song to me because it was the first song I’ve ever written and brought into the band. Since we didn’t use it for a single, we wanted to honor it in another way, that’s why we called the EP after the track.”

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6. The EP’s front artwork is quite powerful. Tell us more about it…
“We were super lucky and got through our friend Kai Barbian in touch with Dominic Foster, who also worked with great artists such as The Coral, Cabagge and Noel Gallagher. We fell in love with his style and, luckily, he agreed to do the artwork also for our last singles and the music videos for ‘Under Your Spell‘ and ‘S.L.E.E.P‘.”


Artwork Not Yours! EP…

7. I think, as far as my memory still works well, you’re the first Swiss guitar band
I ever interviewed. Doesn’t Switzerland has an alternative rock scene?
“There are quite a lot of rock bands in Switzerland…. or bands in general! Also there are a lot of bands traveling through Switzerland on their tour in Europe, so we are very spoiled
by the offer of live shows! I wish though there were a bit more dirty, dark and sweaty rock’n’roll venues around our home town Zurich.”

8. What movie would you pick to visualize your music on a big screen while playing?
“Ah man, that’s a hard question to answer! Well, I really like the movie ‘From Dusk Till Dawn, because I love the vibe of the movie and also because it has a really weird twist. The soundtrack, stage-setting, and costumes are just amazing! I don’t know if I can compare our music to it, but maybe that’s an aim for our next song.”


Annie Taylor’s future movie soundtrack…

9. You already played with great bands such as Sunflower Bean and
L.A. Witch. What band would you sell your soul to do a world with?
“There is a whole list of bands, which I hope to play with one day.
But on top of the list is Wolf Alice for sure.”

10. ANNIE TAYLOR’s ultimate ambition?
“To keep on playing shows, make people
sweat and dance and record the first
album this summer!”

Thank you Gini for taking time to answer the Qs.
May the road rise with ANNIE TAYLOR!

Stream NOT YOURS! in full here…

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You can buy the EP via Bandcamp

ANNIE TAYLOR: Facebook – Bandcamp

(press promo on top via band / Annie Taylor)