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your weekly guide to music

CRYSTAL CASTLES new track ‘faith’ HEALTH new track ‘new coke’ and tour dates OUR TOP 10 this week

FESTIVAL SURVIVAL a must have guide INTRODUCING… industrial titans Nine Inch Nails FRONT PAGE NEWS interview with Kasabian

LIVE REVIEWS of Bloc Party and Queens of the Stone age

…‘Let the guns go off, let the bombs explode ’are eerily distinct as an echo of synthesised alarms ricochet’

HEALTH

new coke

Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of soft drinks giant Coca-Cola and the release of ‘New Coke’, a rather fitting birthday to

share for the first single to come from the hugely anticipated Californians new album

‘Death Magic’ in August 2015. The track doesn’t fail in providing a taster of things to come. ‘Let the guns go off, let the bombs

explode ’are eerily distinct as an echo of synthesised alarms ricochet against a

charging battalion of beats, the snare hisses as if it were a ticking clock counting down

to a sudden silence that breaks this pulsating dance anthem, sure to bring those

bodies to the floor.

CRYSTAL CASTLES frail It seems strange to be writing about Crystal Castles without Alice Glass, as for a lot of time she was considered the face of the band. Though without her, Ethan Kath’s nightmarish visions have meandered themselves into the band’s path as we are lead down a cacophony of distorted and rotating electronic charges, offset with the soothing cries of new vocalist ‘Edith’. This track asserts Kath’s rebirth into the world of dark-electro-dance but it still reverberates the classical sound of melodic despair that Crystal Castles are notorious for.

…Kath’s nightmarish visions have meandered themselves into the band’s path’

bodyache - Purity Ring

Realiti – Grimes

Remedy – Disciples

Afterglow – Wilkinson

Basically – Tei Chi

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DISCOVER

For many, an all -inclusive holiday to a sunny resort is a therapy over

the summer months, however for others, a love of mud and music are

awe-inspiring. Here we offer a guide on how to get started with planning

your perfect festival trip.

WHERE TO GO Great Britain, although notorious for its schizophrenic weather condition,

has a whole host of festivals to attend during the summer months. Sell

out events include places like Glastonbury or Creamfields, where

tickets are normally purchased months before the actual event, but there are still plenty of alternatives on

offer. Many festivals begin their promotional countdowns, unveiling

headline acts that are sure to grab people’s attention but with sometimes

over thirty bands a day there is something designed for everyone’s tastes, from hair raising metal

festivals to get your groove on dance festivals there is a festival for

everyone. As well as this, if you are not feeling the imminent downpours

you could check out going abroad to a festival where the prices for tickets are generally cheaper but you have to

factor in the costs for travel – although depending on where you go, you are almost guaranteed the sun.

HOW MUCH DO YOU SPEND? Depending on your budget and the type of music you like, you can pay anywhere in the region of £30-£70 for a day ticket for a festival, or £100-£200 for the whole weekend which includes a spot for your tent over the days and almost non-stop music. Give yourself a budget though and also factor in extra expenses such as travel to and from your destination, renting out optional lockers and obvious spending money. It is worth remembering too that just at any event there are going to be extra costs for food and drinks, as well as merchandise and souvenirs so don’t be surprised that a pint of your favourite beer is going to cost way more than the average.

‘Oxfam Stewards, Work and earn free time at one of

your chosen festivals, paying just a deposit

www.oxfamstewards.com’

1.Toilet Rolls or pocket tissues – these are a must as portaloo tend not

to have this luxury. 2. Hand sanitizers – you never know

where the nearest washing station is going to be or where you’ll be either.

3. Baby wipes – a quick shower in a handy wipe.

4. Sunscreen – we hate to sound like your mother, but long exposure and

dehydration are possible so its best to remain protected from the sun and

avoid long exposure. 4. Water – speaks for itself, really.

5. Alcohol in PLASTIC containers- depending on the festival, you can

take as much alcohol as you can carry providing they are already in

disposable plastic containers. 6. Disposable Cameras – we all have

high price gadgets that could easily be lost or stolen at a festival, so

buying a few disposable cameras will ensure some of your memories are

captured. 7. Snack food – Crisps, cereal bars

and fruits can save you a lot of money and time.

8. A bum bag – a 21st century fashion statement ensuring the safe keeping of any valuables you want to take to the

dance arena. 9. Waterproofs – including but no

limited to; a poncho, wellies, carrier bags for all your soiled clothes and

extra socks. 10. A torch – at night time, festivals are dark and it might be hard to find

where you left your tent.

WHAT TO EXPECT Despite the price you pay overall for a ticket - don’t expect luxury. Festivals are designed to be an experience not a holiday. So portaloos will stink after a few hours and sleeping in a tent, dancing about and spending long hours outside are going to make you feel dirty – most festivals do have basic bathing facilities but its’ pretty useless to even try and maintain cleanliness. Just as in any environment, there will be a select amount of people who will display similar characteristics of those with ASBO’S but if anyone is causing bother, there is always professional help at hand. Try and check out a map of the places you can camp too and pick the best spot that is close enough the main stages that you don’t have to do a massive trek back home after the last act but quiet enough so you can try and get a few hours’ sleep in between.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to equip yourself at a festival. A cheap tent can be purchased and left behind, major clean up operations ensure that

any worthwhile shelters are repacked and sent to countries that most need them –

so as with all things, failing to prepare is preparing to fail, so

remember to take with you the following;

There we have it, we’re off to pack now but be sure to catch up with us in next week’s magazine as we review some festivals. ;)

The year is 1988, in desperate need to write and record, a young, despairing

but talented cleaning assistant strikes a deal with his manager – in return for

cleaning toilets at his recording studio, he will be allowed down time

and access to equipment .

Fast forward a year later and after many tireless nights working unaccompanied, the

synthetic pounding of ‘Head like a Hole’ charged menacingly into the underground music scene, stomping itself firmly into

the Top 100 Dance Anthems of the day. From here, Trent Reznor’s debut album ‘Pretty

Hate Machine’ in 1989 has earned his band, a colossal cult following – this teamed up

with Reznor’s obvious gifts as a multi-instrumentalist and the mesmerising

destructive nature of his live shows has ensured that Nine Inch Nails is a staple band within the alternative music world. But why is it then, that nobody knows who they are? In a world where the logos of

Paramore and My Chemical Romance are adorned onto the attire of the youth – Nine

Inch Nails music is nowhere to be heard. So watch this space and discover NINE INCH

NAILS.

Since his debut, Reznor has been coined as the ‘Dark Knight’ of the alternative music

scene, as well as a pioneer of what is considered ‘Industrial’ music. A type of

music that lends itself to the dark, mechanical sounds of machinery combined

with layers of dance and haunting vocals. Not just Nine Inch Nails, but pioneers such

as Ministry, Skinny Puppy and KMFDM have bought this dance/mental hybrid to the

masses. In order to understand the influence of Trent Reznor though, we have to first imagine America within the 80’s

and early 90’s, a time where grunge’s gloom was literally the spirit of teens with Kurt

Cobain’s blonde mop top as the literal figure head. Reznor’s bleak imagery in

songs such as ‘Something I can Never Have’, where he retorts ‘’this thing is slowly

taking me apart/ grey would be the colour if I had a heart’’ confirmed the angst, loneliness and resentment gripping the hearts of much of the youth in America

where the threat of the war was imminent and their voices were not listened to This

popularity catapulted Reznor ‘s music to the mainstream and his influence was not limited to his listeners but he became

famed for his producing skills too.

After his second album ‘Broken’, (an angry 6 song EP that was designed as the soundtrack of a self-titled snuff movie) that Reznor began to produce the music of Marilyn Manson , shaping and moulding Mr. Manson to become one of the most successful artists of the Industrial and Alternative music genre. It was at this time too that Reznor won a grammy for ‘Wish’, the only ever song to ever win a grammy with the lyrics ‘fist f*ck. From ‘Broken’, came Multi-Platinum award winning ‘The Downward Spiral’, a widely heralded masterpiece that was born in the house of the notorious Tate murders – where pregnant Hollywood actress Sharon Tate was brutally murder under the instruction of lunatic Charles Manson. Reznor obviously had to buy the house and convert it into his recording studio. On the album are brooding classics such as ‘March of the Pigs’ and ‘Piggy’, obvious allusions to the blood-stained walls of the murders where Charles Manson’s posse scrawled ‘Pig’ upon the walls. Reznor’s music mastery is ever present throughout the album, where drug abuse was a prominent feature within his life at the time. His gaunt slim figure, long black hair and pent up aggression made live shows around this time menacingly memorable- in his notorious show at Lollapalloza in 1992, Reznor’s band stole the show when they clambered onstage covered in mud, fighting with one another and eventually destroying all the instruments in front of an awe inspired crowd – watching Reznor was like watching a car crash, as much as you know you shouldn’t look – a magnetism forces you too, although you don’t regret the consequences. Since the Downward Spiral, Reznor struck his worse luck – having his grandparent guardians die, he hit a severe bout of writers block, forcing him to retreat into his isolation for a further five years before he returned with the mammoth double-disc album ‘The Fragile’ in 1999 – an album that explores all sensitive states from the birth of a destructive soul in ‘Somewhat Damaged’ w here Reznor proclaims he is ‘Broken/ bruised/forgotten/ sore/too f*cked up to care anymore’

NINE INCH NAILS

to the healing nature of death, with the last instrumental track ‘Ripe, with Decay’. This took Reznor to his extremes emotionally

and he laid his fragility bare to the public, where once again he received

critical acclaim for the album. However, he left the limelight again for a further six

years where he focused his attention to remaining drug and alcohol free.

He returned with ‘With Teeth’, a collection of collaborations with drummer Dave Grohl

amongst other musicians, his focused tracks reigned in on the dance genre with songs

that delivered driving disco beats with the brute force of drums and grinding guitars. With this came a spectacular live show that allowed Reznor to push his creative genius

further, with light shows that left his audience hypnotized. Next up came the even

more focused and multi-layered concept album ‘Yero Zero’ that was produced entirely on a

Mac when touring, with a multimodal mass marketing operation that produced a series

of fabricated websites, stories and evidence that suggested the Earth was under control of a force known as ‘The Presence’ - the

physical copy of the CD even features thermo-chromatic paint revealing a binary sequence that directs fans to a website

revealing ‘another version of the truth’. The dystopian album explores humanity as it comes to its end days as proclaimed in ‘In

This Twilight; ‘As our time is running out/let me take away your doubt/we can find

a better place in this twilight.’’ The concept has shown Reznor to be far more than a personality, but also someone who houses the creative genius to captivate his fans

and use a wealth of media platforms to utilize his visions.

As well as his ground-breaking work in the realms of film soundtracks, producing and remixing – Reznor initialised ‘free music

downloads for fans’, where he allowed people to purchase his albums for whatever price

they wanted to pay, he has created databases and software allowing fans to remix his

songs and have the chance of being included on his own albums, he has worked tirelessly

on major movie soundtracks including The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl and

even Call of Duty being nominated (and winning) countless awards. After he recently

signed a contract for a new job role as Apple’s Creative Director and the release of

‘Hesitation Marks’ in 2014 alongside his first tour in Europe since 2007, which sold out within days, Reznor’s popularity, whilst it may not be as acclaimed as it should be,

is definitely on the rise.

..

Why I love Nine Inch Nails – From the Editor When I first heard ‘The Hand that Feeds’ when I was around 15, I knew my entire music collection was going to change forever. Nine Inch Nails is one of the only bands that combines relatable lyrics with music that is both beautifully layered, offering a multi-faceted musical experience that pushes and pulls you through every emotion. Reznor’s lyrics are entirely relatable and seeing him live twice within a week last year had me breathless, the entire set up and light show –as well as Reznor –are just captivating.

The Downward Spiral (Interscope,1994)

TOP TRACKS CLOSER – The Downward Spiral THE PERFECT DRUG –Lost Highway Movie Soundtrack (1997) HURT- The Downward Spiral

With fifth album 48:13 steadily on the rise up the UK music charts, KASABIAN

are a band that join the elite of classic brit-rock, sharing this title with their influential brothers Oasis,

Primal Scream and Arctic Monkeys. However, whilst the Gallagher brothers may use their attitude as a taunt and

Alex Turner’s new quiff and shades allude him as a mysterious sophisticated

songwriter, Sergio Pizzorno and Tom Meighn have kept Kasabian true to the

heart of what they believe in – working class music for working class people. We

gain an exclusive interview with Tom Meign and Sergio Pizzorno ahead of their

recent sell out tour.

Both born and raised in Leicester, Kasabian’s first album ‘Empires’ in 2006

catapulted the band straight into the limelight with obvious comparisons to with charging guitars, didactic vocals

offset with the pounding rhythms of drums, Sergio Pizzorno’s eclectic song

writing sealed hits for the band such as ‘Fire’ and ‘Shoot the runner’ as instant

anthems. Despite this, they have been compared to many bands of their time and

it’s been said that their work is not original, copying others and housing

little development “it’s just the same old shit, saying we haven’t moved on,

and we have,” Robustly, Meighan, assures “But people love us, our music gives

people a passion and a lift and a joy. And that’s all it is.”

“But people love us, our music gives people a passion and a lift and a joy. And that’s all it is.”

Kasabian have moved on though, from the hustle and bustle of this archaic elite, instead developing their sound into one of pulsing, effects-driven, rocking electro-rave music that presents itself on their new album exquisitely. Their emerging popularity and strengthening cohort of loyal fans have ensured that Kasabian will be headling Glastonbury later on this year. And this alum is the perfect accompaniment for such a thing. The irresistible Eez-eh, with its nonsensical rhyming couplet, “Everyone’s on bugle/Now we’re being watched by Google”, could staple the song as the greatest comedy nutter’s drug anthem of all time.

‘’Unintentionally? I think it’s hilarious! We’re taking the piss“ Someone wrote, ‘It’s unintentionally funny, rhyming bugle with Google’,” sniffs Pizzorno. “Unintentionally? I think it’s hilarious! We’re taking the piss, we’re from Leicester. F*ck ‘em, f*ck ‘em all! The people will decide…”

"Some bands feel they’re above the crowd – look at me, stand there like you’re the man – that’s never been us. We’re more – we’re all gonna have the fucking best night of our lives. And that’s not cool. You’re not supposed to let them in on that secret. F*ck that man, I can’t wait! I think we’re all about honesty, there’s no front here, there’s no Clark Kent into Superman bullshit. I’ve met a million bands, a million lead singers – who’s that guy? He's nothing like that guy. We are who we are.” Catch Kasabian as the headline Glastonbury next week.

Bloc Party 22.02.13

BLOC PARTY’S SELL OUT SHOW ENSURE THEIR FANS ‘DANCE TO THE SOUND OF

SIRENS ’

.

For Bloc Party, Earl’s Court is a big deal. Recently coming back from hiatus with album ‘Four’, it is a surprise to

many that Bloc Party are standing on stage at all due to front man Kele

leaving to pursue his own projects. However, Bloc Party’s cult following has

secured the band’s popularity and his fans take Okereke’s lyrics as gospel

truth, in one of the set’s quieter tracks, Kele whispers to confess ‘This

modern love, breaks me.’ – resulting the mass of squashed sweaty bodies chanting

and screaming the lyrics back at him, creating an atmospheric vortex that make

the 4-piece look engulfed on stage.

Queens of the Stone Age, 23.11.13

QOTSA RETURN TO SELL OUT WEMBLEY -TWICE

A gigantic clock counts down the seconds before towering 6’4 Josh Homme, wearing the longest black trench coat to probably have been manufactured, swaggers on stage, guitar and cigarette in hand. Of

course, his attitude is due to the fact that ‘Queens of the Stone Age’s only London date sold out so quickly that another one had to be added due to such high demand, confirming his

standing as one of the most influential and recognizable front

men in history, he shouts to assistants; ‘ turn that light f**king spot light off – I control the lights

in this place, not you’ . The set begins deliberately and cautioned,

Homme’s deeply accented growls reverberate through the 20,000

capacity audience who all move to and fro, before hits like

‘No-one Knows’ and ‘My God is the Sun’ cause power riffs so strong that tremors are sent through the crowd and circle pits start to ensue. Homme’s charisma works hand in hand with the grungy, stoner drive of such smouldering songs as ‘Burn the Witch’ and ‘ Make it with Chu’ where he summons the crowd to ‘dance and sing along together’. The concert brings a feeling of togetherness that unites the bands previous albums with new release ‘…Like Clockwork’ giving the fresh studio album a live presence of its own.

However, despite the enormous shoes Bloc Party have to fill with such a historic venue, they take it in their stride and London boys bring an infectious energy that is heightened by the sheer amount of lasers and lights that illuminate the sweat on the faces of those who dance the night away.