Clod’s Blog

Aspiring music journalist

[clodblogs]

Carnival Club

Supporting a band with fans as dedicated as King No One’s (who queued from early the morning on a cold crisp November) may be perceived as a daunting task for some. But Carnival Club made it look like they’d do this on every Friday night. The Manchester based band were given the opening slot for King No Ones biggest Manchester show to date at the O2 Ritz on Friday (23rd November) and gave their all to the small crowd that had formed round the stage. Despite the lack of numbers the atmosphere was exciting as many fans knew the words to the boys songs, and those who weren't familiar to the band were flocking from the bar to the centre of the room to inspect the four-piece more closely. Their song “Follow The Sun” received an incredible reaction from the crowd, by those who knew them previously or not, this was helped by the amazingly dynamic performance that was given on stage. The band were not shy, covering Ariana Grande’s “God Is A Woman” was definitely a brave choice, and one that many bands would have refrained from; but Carnival Club smashed it. Their final song of the set “House of Cards” reflected the high energy in the room. At the end of their set they were able to connect with the crows that had now doubled in size.“We are Carnival Club everybody. Deaf Institute, 15th December. Tickets at the back." The bands last words hung in the air as everyone in the room cheered the empty stage, still soaking in everything they just witnessed.

[clodblogs]

Calypso EP review

The word ‘indie’ has taken on a very different meaning since the genre has become more mainstream, with many bands trying to capitalise on the indie sound and not quite hitting the nail on the head. But Riscas do not fall under that category. They have found their sound; their sound is indie. And it does not disagree with them. Their new EP, Calypso showcases the classic style that many bands fail to hone. The single ‘Complex’ shows off the bands musical ability with an engrossing use of guitar. This album was made to be performed, as ‘Hide Away’ and ‘Dance’ are feel good songs that any fan can play and will have to dance to. This lively energy captures the writing abilities of the boys in Riscas and demonstrates that even with a ‘sound’ you can experiment and allow all members an equal opportunity to have fun with their instruments. The last song on their EP, ‘Calypso’ doesn’t radiate the energetic I-need-to-jump-up-and-dance-right-now attitude as the last two songs, but its thought provoking lyrics make up for it. The summer vibes that this winter album radiate are explained within this song. Unfortunately, this album cannot make the sun shine, but it will make you think of ghosts of summers past.

[clodblogs]

Pitchforks review

Welsh band, 'The Pitchforks', had the opportunity to support 'Airways' last night (Tuesday 25th September) at Le Pub in Newport. William (lead vocals, guitar), Ethan (lead guitar, backing vocals), Callum (bass) and Alex (drums, backing vocals) were faced with an apprehensive crowd for the first song they played, "Birthday". Their catchy tunes definitely attracted the crowd that the boys deserve. Their second song of the evening, "Debbie" was liked by their new fans, as the majority of the crowd started moshing. The growing energy from the crowd was echoed by the band, who encouraged the moshing.

With the attention of the crowd captured, William took the time to thank Airways for asking them to play Newport with them. After introducing their next song "Afflictions" Alex showed off his voice by saving William after he lost the lyrics watching the growing crowd and their distracting dancing. At the end of the song, Callum was struggling with some technical difficulties, so the rest of the band adapted with the change and played the next song, "Nose Song" without him. This was a nice addition to the set, as it allowed the audience to appreciate each element of the band. The Pitchforks are definitely the band to watch.

Callum's bass was replaced just in time for their next song, "Better or Worse". The crowd took no time getting back into the music and enjoying every chord played. After apologising for the technical difficulties, that every band that night faced, they played their next two songs, "Runaway" and "Date Down". Each song was unique enough that the crowd didn't feel bored it that he set was too repetitive, but was able to have a sense of familiarity to give the band their sound. "Date Down" was definitely enjoyed by the crowd and the band became more confident with each song, something that was clear to see from off stage. Their last song of the night, "Headlock" was a fan favourite, with every audience member making sure they enjoyed every moment of the song before the set was over.

"Thank you all for coming down early to see us!" William shouted down the microphone before repeating the chorus of "Headlock" one last time for the crowd to enjoy. After the band had finished and started packing away they instruments the audience cleared the room, all needing air after jumping around for almost the entirety of their set.

If you want to check out any of The Pitchforks work, you can follow them on instagram, the_pitchforksuk and you can follow them on spotify by searching "The Pitchforks".

These young boys from Wales are without a doubt a band to watch.

[clodblogs]

Bloxx Interview

Bloxx are currently on tour with the Wombats, and I was able to talk to them about playing shows, listening to Katy Perry and their own headline tour in May. Taz and Moz insisted on sitting under a table, while Paul was laying on the floor and Fee sat in the arm of the sofa, so just your average interview.

You've recently been on tour with Pale Waves, how did that tour go?

"Yeah, it was great!" the whole band agreed that the tour was good. "They're really nice people Taz (guitar) added.

"They're lovely, they're really nice. I really got into their live shows as well, their live shows are really good. Overall, it was just a really nice, fun tour to be on" Fee (vocals and guitar) explained, showing that if you're ever in need of a good live show to keep you going, Pale Waves is the way to go.

"That was the first time I'd ever listened to them as well" Moz (drums) admitted, and Paul (bass) also said that he hadn't listened to them before, but from the high praise they agreed with, I'm sure Pale Waves were added to their playlists straight away. "I do like them" Paul added, so they have been given a thumbs up by Paul.

"I love them, they're really nice guys, and I got on with Ciara really well" Fee explained. The rest of the band agreed, so not only do they produce amazing music and play an epic live show, they're also really nice people.

How has the Wombats tour been so far?

"Pretty lit, pretty good." Paul answered straight away, and considering they've only played 3 shows so far, a Wombats gig is the place to be right now. "I love Murph!" Taz added.

"Me and Murph (Matthew Murphy, guitar in the Wombats) have been hanging out; we got the ferry back from Ireland and me and Murph were just running round the ship drinking beers all night, it was great!" so the Wombats are approved by Bloxx.

Where are you looking forward to playing on this tour?

"Manchester" Taz, Moz and Paul agreed. Fee was a little more indecisive.

"London, Ally Pally and Manchester. And tonight actually" so Fee's decision was difficult. "Same," Paul agreed.

Do you prefer playing smaller or larger venues?

"It depends" Paul answered after the moment they all took to reflect on their past performances. Fee, Moz and Taz all mumbled in agreement, still thinking about the pros and cons of each.

"They're both as good as each other. Small venues packed out and intimate, really good," the rest of the band agreed whole heartedly with this. "Big venues, empty, not good. You want to pack out a big venue, if you're playing a big venue you want it to seem full not empty because they're easier to play that way." Fee explained.

"Bigger venues also sound a lot better because there's more space, less crammed, it's nice just to have your own room." Taz added, with mumbling agreements from the rest of the band.

"It's less dead, if i did that (claps) in a bigger venue it's gonna sound less dead than it did in here," fee explains in the small dressing room.

What's the reaction to Novocain been like?

"It's been great" everyone agreed. "Every time we play it live I see people singing along to Novocain, it's great" Moz added, obviously proud of the great song they recently released.

"It's a fun song to play," Paul added, agreeing with Moz's earlier statement. "It is; it's a hard song to play for me anyway because singing and playing the triples at the same time is really fucking difficult because my hand wants to do what my mouth is doing" Fee confessed, although when she played it on stage she managed to make it look effortless.

Was the reaction what you expected?

"I didn't expect it to do as well as it did," Taz answered straight away. "I did. It's an awesome song" Paul seemed shocked about Taz's judgement.

"I was kinda the opposite, I was bummed out that it didn't do a lot bigger than it did" Fee argued, Paul agreed with her. "I was hoping Novocain was the song that would break us into the mainstream." Fee continued.

"We haven't released Second Opinion yet" Taz argued, showing his favourite song of theirs. "I can't wait for that one," Moz agreed.

After a short discussion about what playlists they think the song will appear on when it's released Fee stoped their argument, "Second Opinion isn't like anything we've released. We're not going to have a band fight right now, we're in an interview." They joked.

You said Novocain was a good song to play live, what's your favourite song to play live?

"Mine's Curtains and Second Opinion" Moz gave a strong answer, not backing down to any other songs. "I like Novocain," Paul answered just as strong as Moz.

"I like Curtains now because of the walk on bit we have but let's not give that away until the show," Fee refuses to give any hints away.

"Surprises, surprises," Moz was equally as excited to not let any part of their live performance away. "Unless you've seen us before," Taz laughed, letting the illusion that only four people know what's going on away.

Have you got a favourite unreleased song at the moment?

"Second Opinion" everyone said at once. At least that's one answer that won't start a band fight.

Have you got any pre show rituals?

"We huddle," Moz gives the secret away. "We huddle and say Wildcats," Fee adds (High School Musical cover album anyone?).

"We listen to Katy Perry" Paul nods, clearly more excited for the Katy Perry songs than the actual gig. "There's a lot of Katy Perry" Moz laughs.

Have you ever been recognised in any weird places?

"Not in a weird place, but when we went to Community Fest last year it was the day after we played Brixton with the Wombats, and there were people there from the crowd and a few of them came up to me and asked me for a photo." Fee said, showing that if you ever see them, tell them you listen to them, or you've seen them play live.

"I have a weird story, not about me being recognised but someone met me at a gig who went to some club some other night, thought they met me again and that person had convinced them that they were me. And they pretended to be me the whole night." Taz explained, so be careful who you pretend to be on nights out.

Who are your favourite bands right now?

"My favourite band at the moment are From Indian Lakes" Fee answered straight away.

"Mines a band called Fazerdays" Taz suggested, Fee agreed.

"Highly suspect" Paul and Moz agreed with each other.

"What about new bands?" Fee suggests, trying to think of new music that she has listened to recently.

"King Nun" Moz was the first one to suggest a new band, so we all know who's on the top of his playlists. There was a big agreement from everyone in the room, King Nun are definitely a band to watch.

Have you got any unpopular music opinions?

"We usually agree with bands" Moz said. "Yeah, we're fairly open minded, I will happily listen to all of Lorde's music" Taz revealed his guilty pleasure.

"We're a flimsy band" Paul added.

"Yeah, but Lorde's good though. Lorde is good." Fee agreed.

"We love Katy Perry, we're shameless about that!" Taz shared their secret.

"Yeah, I don't have any shame about liking Katy Perry" Fee was proud to admit.

"We'll listen to anything really." Moz clarified, so any spotify playlists will be a mixture.

"Good music is good music." Taz was able to conclude their music discussion.

Do you have a favourite Katy Perry song?

"I like I Kissed a Girl" Paul was the first to answer. There was a mixture of different Katy Perry songs thrown around, Firework, Teenage Dream, Waking Up in Vegas. So the short answer is her whole discography.

Fee started to sing some Katy Perry songs, the rest of the band weren't as receptive as you'd think, begging her to stop singing so they could finish the interview.

What's the first song you learnt to play on an instrument?

"Final Countdown, on drums" Moz reminisces.

"Really! I didn't even know that." Taz joked, mentally adding it to their next band practice, as they all start singing the song a cappella.

"I learnt Frere Jacques on a flute," Paul laughed.

"I learnt something in guitar lessons," Fee started to sing the rhythm from Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple.

If you could only play one song for the rest of your life what would it be?

"Hold the Line by Toto," Moz and Taz agreed instantly.

"Sweater Undone by Weezer" Fee started to sing her rendition of the song.

Have you ever faced any difficulties being a female fronted band?

"I think low key, in the least feminist way, power to women and all that, but I dot have that strong opinions on it. But I do think that maybe if I was a male lead singer we may have gotten somewhere a bit further." Fee said.

"It's easier to sell out a show for girls" Paul added. "But you have three fit guys in the band" Paul continued.

Taz requested that I inform you all that Fee storms out at this point in the interview.

What do you think about female representation in the music industry?

"It's getting a lot better than it's ever been and that's brilliant." Taz said.

"Yeah, that's because we're feisty as fuck." Fee agreed.

"I feel that most bands that I listen to not are more often female fronted, and all girl bands." Moz was thinking of all those bands that he's been listening to recently. Everyone agreed that Haim were the best example.

Are you looking forward to your headline tour?

There was an excitement while talking about their tour, discussing ticket sales and venues. "Any chance we get to play in Manchester," Taz added, showing where he's looking forward to play.

What's one piece of Bloxx merch that you'd want to sell?

Everyone got excited, suggesting Bloxx socks, Bloxx clocks, Bloxx coke cans. Fee got a little too into the conversation and thought they were talking about Greggs. After finding out there was a Greggs downstairs, she stormed out to Greggs (another request from Taz).

So if you want to get into Bloxx's good books, play Katy Perry and bring them something from Greggs.

If you want to follow the band for their latest updates, you can follow their social media below:

Instagram - @bloxxuk

Twitter- @bloxxband

You can also check their website: https://www.musicglue.com/bloxx/about to keep up to date with their tour and music.

[clodblogs]

Blink 182 Cardiff show

The hum of the stranger things theme tune echoed amongst the crowd. Cheers of excitement roared as everyone knew what was coming. Everyone knew who was standing behind the curtain. Everyone was waiting for it to drop. The Union Jack merged with Blink’s logo was a welcome sight, but all we wanted was for it to drop. Claps and cheers grew as the theme tune slowly faded away; the thump of the drums signalled the drop of the curtain. Blink-182 were in Cardiff. Wasting no time with the pyros, fireworks shot up almost immediately, with a fiery FUCK behind Travis on drums.

The first two songs on the setlist, Feeling This and The Rock Show, were taken from their older albums, making old fans feel at home. Blink’s new album California, released July the previous year, was most definitely a hit with fans, the most popular amongst fans were Cynical and Board To Death.

The beginning chords to What’s My Age Again began to play, and the crowd instantly recognised the famous song; even parents and those in the crowd who were there to keep friends and significant others company were jumping and singing to this classic song. I Miss You began to play, and after the show many fans began to remorsefully remember Tom’s ‘scratchy’ voice, especially during this particular song.

Clearly needing an ego boost, Mark asked the crowd about their views on the support acts, Frank Turner and The Front Bottoms, both getting loud cheers from the crowd. “Do you like Blink-182?” Mark joked, getting the loudest cheer from the eager crowd. The crowd, and Mark and Travis, demanded Matt show us his raping skills, suddenly, a glow stick was launched onto stage. “I don’t rap for fucking rave toy throwers. Fucking ass wholes” Matt remarked, as they launched into another classic song.

Travis’ solo was one of the main spectacles that night, with blasts of fire, and every camera on him, the king of drums was able to perform. As the end of the show grew closer, the stage looked even better; they even turned off all lights and performed a song with just our torches, which Mark claimed that “Harry Houdini himself died trying to attempt.”

The highlight of the encore was All The Small Things, which included videos of the crowd on the screens behind the band, a constant reminder that bands need fans. And fans need bands. Travis was then replaced by his mini-me, his son. Landon was clearly trained well by his father, and had the privilege of throwing the drum sticks to the crowd of screaming fans. Mark’s ‘Olaf from Frozen’ joke had clearly gotten out of hand, as he ran around the stage playing the final song with an Olaf mask on his head.

“Thank you very much, we’re Blink-182, see you next time, goodnight everybody!” signalled the end of the gig. The end of the gig of the year. Fans flocked to the barrier, trying to find astray guitar pics or setlists, or any type of memorabilia they can get their hands on.

[clodblogs]

Neck Deep gig review

'Neck Deep, Neck Deep, Neck Deep’ the crowd chanted, waiting for the sheet to drop. The opening chords to Judgement Day started as the crowd cheered. Dani began playing the drums. The sheet dropped. ‘Cardiff!’ Ben shouted. Neck Deep were here. Fil supported one of their support acts, wearing a Real Friends t-shirt, whereas Ben was wearing his Terry Barlow Records shirt, as the crowd would later be reminded that a year ago, on the 12th October his father had passed away. The highly energetic mood continued onto the next song, Lime Street, where the band became more mobile around the stage. They moved away from their latest album for this song, choosing their second song from their 2015 Life’s Not Out To Get You album. Continuing with Life’s Not Out To Get You, the band ensured no one was still on their feet at the end of Gold Steps, continuing the energetic performance through till the end.

Returning to their latest album, The Peace and the Panic (which you can buy from here: www.neckdeepuk.com/) they sang Motion Sickness, which anyone watching the crowd may have; the energy wasn’t just on stage. Crowd surfers and mosh pits are always a fan favourite at shows, keeping the high energy up. Throwing it back for some of the older fans, What Did You Expect, from their 2014 album was next. New fans would definitely recognise this song, as it was a highlight for many older fans. Their next song was Parachute, from their latest release, during the soundcheck Q & A, Ben revealed that it was one of his favourite songs to record (along with In Bloom) because recording for him “is pretty much in, sing, and fuck off.” Despite this, Parachute was definitely fun to sing from the crowd as well as recording it was for Sam and Ben. Kali Ma was the next song on the set list, from the album Life’s Not Out To Get You. A Neck Deep gig definitely isn’t for the faint hearted, this song proved it. ‘Wes for pres’ was chanted by the crowd, for Wes to run for president. Ben and Fil laughed this off, though Ben did give us a small insight into the world with Wes for pres. “He’d probably change all the water into Root Beer and have pizza every meal.” Seems like the ideal world to me. Returning to their latest release for Heavy Lies for their next song confused Fil. The most pit that had formed earlier in the gig all sat down for this song, though Fil didn’t quite get the memo, having to ask what they were doing.

Neck Deep continued the set with Citizens of Earth, the display of lights and the band’s constant energy, along with the crowds singing created a great spectacle for anyone who was there. Don’t Wait continued the set, with Ben joking about bringing Sam Carter onto stage with him. “You’re all too smart, you weren't gonna fall for that. I’ll have to try harder.” The Grand Delusion continued the wealth of new songs that we were able to experience on this tour. Even though the songs were from the latest album, the crowd new every word.

In Bloom was the next song on the setlist, and was a fan and band favourite. Ben joked about the music video before he told us the name of the song, with the crowd screaming the loudest they had all night when they realised what song was next. “Just to confuse you, we have a fuck load of different versions of our next song” Ben announced to the crowd. “And we don’t have the £3 million that we need for Mark to be on tour with us, so you’ll have to put up with the original” Ben laughed, as the opening chords of December began. The crowd was wild, as parents who may have been dragged to the gig began to dance along to this legendary Neck Deep song.

The band left the stage as Ben was left with an acoustic guitar. “I wrote this song for my boyfriend, Dan Lambton,” Ben announced as he launched into Head To The Ground. Fil returned to the stage, as Ben began talking about the “difficult personal year” that he and Fil have faced. Ben then said that it was a year ago to the day that he lost his dad, and began to cry. The crowd certainly also began to cry, as the rest of the band ran on, higged Ben then left. “This isn’t the song you’re expecting” Ben said, as he started to try and sing Wish You Were Here. He wasn’t able to sing more than a line before having to pause. The emotional song came to a close, and there was not a dry eye in the room. A Part of Me was the next song on the set list, that the band was sure to raise the moral in the room before leaving the stage.

The crowd were ready for an encore, as the words ‘Fuck Neck Deep’ appeared on the display on stage. The crowd didn’t miss a beat, as almost immediately everyone was chanting this as the band came back on the stage. “That’s the oldest trick in the book!” Ben laughed, as they began to play their final two songs. Roots was the first encore song, and the crowd definitely didn’t want to leave as the band introduced their final song. Where Do We Go was the last song that Neck Deep played, and it was the most energetic. More people were being pulled over the barrier, mosh pits were getting bigger and thee band were treasuring their last moments on stage.

You can find out more information about the band from their website: www.neckdeepuk.com/

Follow them on Twitter and Instagram: @neckdeepuk

[clodblogs]

Stuck in Love

We Were Glue are building up a reputation for releasing instant fan favourites, and their new song is definitely fitting this trend. Stuck In Love is definitely one of my favourite songs that have been released by the band, showcasing their talent for melodies and lyrics. The infectious indie music has already been picked up by the Indie List on Spotify, showing the bands full potential with their music. The four piece can only go forward, with a solid set of songs behind them I'm excited to see what they produce next.

If you wants to follow We Were Glue on Instagram or Twitter, you can here: @wewereglue

If you want to check out their music on Spotify, search:

We Were Glue

If you need some of their merch or their EP, check out their website:

http://wewereglue.bigcartel.com

[clodblogs]

Oddity Road support the Sherlocks

Oddity Road have become regulars whenever the Sherlocks play Cardiff, and last night was no different. Their set began with their latest release, Same as it Ever Was, their high energy ensured the crowd were engaged from the first chord. This song was well received from their fans when they released it back in November; and it was well received from the new fans they made in the audience at Tramshead. The smooth transition into You showed off Jack's vocal range, as his talent is not one to be missed.

Their set continued with a song they just announced they were releasing, Don't Hold Me Down, where it was guitarist Dan's turn to demonstrate his talent. Drummer Ethan was even able to get a quick video of the crowd clapping and singing along, as it was difficult not to. Oddity treated the crowd with even more new content, playing Too Late Now, a song that will hopefully be released in the not too distant future. To go along with their new CDs (that they have on tour with them for £2) they sang Bad Idea. By this point in their set, those who hadn't heard of the band before were making a note of their name, and those who had were praying their set wouldn't end.

The constant energy on stage definitely drew the crowd in, as they played yet another new song, All Again. The abundance of new music was a treat for those who knew the band and those who didn't, as far as Sunday nights go, this was the way to spend February 11th. Jack thanked the crowd for coming early to watch their set, and played their anthem, Handshake. Bassist Joel was more mobile around the stage, clearly loving the reaction that this song inevitably creates.

If you want to check out Oddity Road on Instagram or Twitter then follow them @oddityroad

If you need to listen to their song right this second search them up on iTunes or Spotify: Oddity Road

Or if you want to see if they’re touring near you, you can check their website: http://www.oddityroad.co.uk

[clodblogs]

High Tyde’s new song!

High Tyde’s new single, In Your Head, had its world premiere on BBC Radio 1 last night, and it was good! The four piece band from Worthing aren’t strangers to having their music played on Radio 1, but this is my favourite song so far. A sure fan favourite, this song will sound even better live, jumping up and down to the beat, shouting the lyrics back at the band, if you miss out on their new tour, then you’re missing out big time. The song shows the pure tallent these boys have, I’m definitely excited to see what the future holds for them.

Listen to their songs on Spotify: High Tyde

Where I’m sure you’ll find your new favourite song!

Make sure you follow the band on Twitter and Instagram: @wearehightyde

To keep up to date with them, and to know when you can steam their sick new song!

If you NEED to see them live (which is a necessity after today!) check their website for tickets and merch: https://www.wearehightyde.com

If you missed their song, go onto the BBC Radio 1 page and check out Huw Stephens show!

[clodblogs]

Same as It Ever Was

Oddity Road have done it again, with the release of their new song Same as It Ever Was. The acoustic song fits in to their repertoire of songs on Spotify and iTunes, but shows a different side to the boys musical abilities. The song showcases the talent of Oddity, and is a favourite of the boys, as drummer Ethan revealed in an interview. The melody and raw talent of these four boys from Sheffield really shows through this song. Once again Oddity Road’s new song is sure to be fan favourite ahead of their tour dates, some of which they’ve already released for next year. If you’re looking for a new band for the New Year, look no further, just search Oddity Road into Spotify or iTunes and you’ll be sorted.

If you want to check out Oddity Road on Instagram or Twitter then follow them @oddityroad

If you need to listen to their song right this second search them up on iTunes or Spotify: Oddity Road

Or if you want to see if they’re touring near you, you can check their website: http://www.oddityroad.co.uk

[clodblogs]

I caught up with Oddity Road’s drummer, Ethan Lambert to talk about all things music, Stranger Things and new releases.

What’s inspired you to become a band and write music?

“I don’t think it’s inspired really. I think our parents we’d say, because we’ve always been doing it from day one, playing instruments. It’s something we can’t live without, it was more ‘oh, we have four people who play instruments’. It’s fun to us, it’s just, fun. We’re not trying to be anything, we’re not trying to gain anything, we’re just trying to have fun. We’ve always done it and I think it would be weird if we didn’t. It was kind of destined to be in a way, as cringey as that sounds.”

What’s your favourite song to hear the crowd sing back?

“Of ours? Probably Handshake, Handshake or You. Definitely one of those two. I mean, it’s hard to say because we’re holding back for a minute on songs. So they’re our two; our Sex On Fire, Kings Of Leon. In Handshake we do this thing where we stop playing and the crowd sing it back, and it’s proper good that. We all turn around and smile at each other, probably that to be fair. Yeah, I’d say that in Handshake.”

What’s another style of music you’d like to write in?

“I’m gonna say, like funky jazz, that type of stuff. If we’re not practicing in the studio we’re just messing around that’s the stuff we usually like to play. We have proper rock classical solos, Dan plays that, Joel plays those funky bass lines, like Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers. It’s sort of like that, messing around, yeah, I’d say that.

What’s the meaning behind your band name and where did it come from?

“Right, basically, Dan was in a band called The Oddities when he was younger, in year 9, year 10, year 11, so he was like ‘we should call ourselves The Oddities’ because of that. At the time everyone in Sheffield were calling themselves road names, after bands, so we were just like ‘oh, we’ll stick road in’ and we called ourselves Oddity Road. It’s not really got any meaning to it; it’s just us pissing around. We didn’t really think about it, we were just like we need a name quickly kinda thing. It’s not something special.”

How do you feel about the role the internet plays in the music industry?

“It’s amazing, it’s beautiful, because there’s a band that have just come out, they haven’t done any gigs and they’ve just sold out a massive O2 Academy here (Manchester), 2,000 capped doors just through the internet. I think it’s amazing for getting your music out there and getting people heard, like Spotify, I think it’s so good. I think it really, really helps. In some ways I think it breaks it, as in people won’t go to gigs now unless you’ve heard the band and you like them. 20 years ago you’d go to a gig even if you hadn’t heard the band, because you just enjoy it, but nowadays I think that (the internet) stops it. Apart from that I’d say it’s absolutely amazing.”

Name a band or artist you think are overrated and underrated.

“I don’t know any bands that are overrated, I wouldn’t say any band is overrated because every band is good in their own way. Underrated, I don’t know. In a weird way I want to say pop music is underrated, because I listen to Radio 1 all the time, and I just think pop music gets slated way too much; and I think it’s really, really good. I’ll tell you a band that I think are good, are Red Faces, they were on the radio a second ago. They’re really good, yeah, they’re from Sheffield.”

What’s your favourite and least favourite venue to play at?

“Least favourite, I don’t have a least favourite actually. Favourite, we’d all probably say this, the Deaf Institute here (Manchester) or the Rocking Chair in Sheffield, it’s called something else now. They’re just small and you can feel the crowd, you can really get into it with everyone. We’ve done the Albert Hall here too (Manchester), and that’s good but when you go back and you think that you’re with your fans in the crowd, I like that. So, yeah, Deaf Institute and Rocking Chair, or whatever it is.

What have been your biggest challenges as a band?

“Getting through school and going on tour. So it was during our A-Levels, we’re having to run out of school, do a gig, do all our revision, do all our exams and get on with the gig. At the time we we’re doing the massive Sherlocks’ tour, and we’ve had our own stuff going on; having to go down to BBC and do all these interviews and it’s really fucking hard doing all that. It was really hard for us, that’s probably the hardest thing we’ve ever done is doing all that. Nothing’s hard about it apart from that, I’d say, because we enjoy it so much.”

Did you do well in your exams after all the gigs?

“Yes! We did all the exams, we didn’t miss a single one. We all did fine in our A-Levels.”

Who are your biggest influences?

“Kings of Leon, massive influences. U2, Coldplay, they’re really good, kind of really big arena anthemic bands like that rather than other things because they’re always on in the van. U2 are always, always on in the van, stuff like that, really big arena bands Red Hot Chilli Peppers, they’re always on. Just stuff like that. We really, really enjoy it, we really, really like it.”

On Twitter you had a poll, Skins vs Stranger Things. So, Skins vs Stranger Things?

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I haven’t seen Stranger Things. It wasn’t me who put it on. I don’t know what the rest of them would say, I’d say Skins, ‘cause I’ve seen Skins. I don’t know, I’m gonna go with Skins because I haven’t seen Stranger Things, but I will watch Stranger Things and see what it’s like.”

What advice would you give to people who want to start a band or learn an instrument?

“Make sure you’re enjoying it, don’t pick up an instrument or join a band because you want to get famous, do it because you’re passionate about your music. If you are in a band keep writing, constantly keep writing. Do it more than gigs, you want to be writing all the time. Just do it because you love it and not because you want to be famous. If you’re doing it to be famous you’re in the wrong thing. Do it because you love it, is what I say, because it gets hard, and love is going to be the only reason you keep going with it.”

You said you’re constantly writing, have you got any favourite unreleased songs?

“Yeah, we have. We have an acoustic song coming out on Spotify, Same As It Ever Was and that’s coming out Friday. That’s good.”

If you want to check out Oddity Road’s music, check out their Instagram and Twitter: @Oddityroad

Spotify: Oddity Road

For all upcoming gigs, check out their website: http://www.oddityroad.co.uk/

[clodblogs]

Otherkin interview

I was able to have a chat with Luke and Rob from Otherkin before their Cardiff show, talking about writing songs, Idols, and Brittney Spears.

What inspired you to become a band and write music?

“I think we were all just really just musical when we were younger and all really into bands” Luke reminisced, “going to gig and going to concerts and it’s something that you gravitate towards and want to do because it looks like the funnest thing in the world and it is.”

“Yeah, I mean I played in bands since I was 11 years old and pretty much never stopped so. I guess it’s all I know really.” Rob was able to show off his music ability, “It’s either that or sports so and the football team didn’t want me so.”

“Star goal keeper” Luke added, not sure whether to tell more about his sporting past.

“I was actually quite a good goal keeper, but let’s not get into that” Rob was quick to boast.

What’s your favourite song you’ve ever written?

“I think, my personal favourite is a song that’s called “Yeah, I Know” I like that song a lot” Luke was quick to point out, with Rob agreeing with the answer.”Yeah, just because, I guess it’s a bit of a different sound from a lot of the other things we do, and I’m not gonna say it’s an unusual song, but it definitely works really weirdly. There’s no real chorus and there’s no verse” Luke explained the make-up of the song.

“Yeah, well we were drunk when we wrote it, but I can’t remember how we wrote it, ‘cause it’s a really weird song” agreed Rob. “And it seems to be a fan favourite too.”

“We always tend to leave it pretty late into the set so it, it tends to get pretty, pretty rowdy. Which is the way we like it.” So you know how to react when you hear this song.

What’s the meaning behind your band name, and where did it come from?

“This is actually a question for Connor, our guitarist, because we had been looking for a band name for I’d say about six months, and it was awful” Luke was quick to pass the blame. “Yeah, we tend to be really bad at naming things anyway. We have a song of ours, called Enabler, which we played for about a year and a half before it got released which we used to call ‘Slow and Heavy’ because it was, slow and heavy. That was the name for a year and a half.”

“It was actually when we went into record the album, we were forced to give it a real name.” Rob confessed.

“People actually wanted to keep the name ‘Slow and Heavy’” Luke didn’t sound too pleased at some members contribution.

Rob continued, telling the story of how Connor “found an article in a magazine basically, that said the word ‘Otherkin’ and we didn’t do any research into what it meant, and we were like yeah, that sounds great. Then found out it was this crazy online subculture, who constantly message us asking if we’re representing them. We’re not.”

“It’s a bunch of goth kids in America, basically, who are on twitter a lot. They are!” Luke added, to help us understand the youth culture they unknowingly represent.

“They all think they’re half animal and stuff. They’re not, they’re quite obviously humans.” Rob added.

“They’re actually quite nice. They’ll say stuff like, we like the music but what does this have to do with Otherkin. And we never really have a good answer.” So if you wanted to do some research yourself by contacting the band, Luke has warned you about their not-so-good answers.

“Yeah, we’ll take the piss and say that sometimes we are representing them.” Rob joked. “ People seem to hate that subculture, like they fucking hate it. If you look at twitter, they hate it. It’s always like fuck Otherkin, those guys are dickheads, so it’s never about us, I think.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to know. But we’ll always re-tweet it” Luke laughed, so if you ever give a bad review they won’t be 100% sure it’s for them.

What is a song that you wish you wrote?

“I love, ‘Tomorrow Knows’ by the Beatles, that’s a fucking dandy song, and that would have been a pretty cool feeling to have written that song.” Luke was quick to comment. “Toxic, Britney Spears.”

“Yeah” Rob was quick to agree.

“Yeah, actually I would have liked to have written that song.” At this point Luke looks regretful of his first answer.

“Yeah, made a lot of fucking money from that song” Rob agreed. “Final answer, Toxic,” Rob confirmed.

What style of clothing do you try to go for?

“I think like, well we quite obviously dress in a certain way, but I think it’s just, I don’t know, I think quite a lot of the bands that we look up to, like the Ramones and the Libertines (well I do anyway), it’s just sticking to classic leather jackets and we just kinda stick to that.” Rob answered, looking down at his own black jeans and leather jacket.

“It’s very easy to wear as well, you know” Luke added, also looking at his outfit choice today.

“If everything you own is black, then you don’t have to put much effort into it. Exactly” Rob laughs, pointing to my outfit of a black tshirt and black jeans. “The perks of it all.”

“I’d hate to be in the Vampire Weekend or something, where they have to have a new polo shirt every day, and a new cardigan. Whereas we can wear the same clothes every day.” Luke thought of the horror of owning more than two shirts.

“What, are you trying to start beef with the Vampire Weekend?” Rob warned.

How do you feel about the role that the internet plays in the music industry?

“It’s destroyed it, but it’s also kind of, opened up a lot of opportunities I guess.” Rob said after a few moments of thought.

“Yeah, it’s a double edged sword, in the way. As in, I guess the way it used to be in the 80s and 90s, where that you would have a very small minority of bands that would get elevated in a way that you could ever get to hear about them. Whereas, at least now you know, people in Argentina could have hared of us, whereas, if we hadn’t been elevated back in the 90s they would never of hared of us. It’s democratised.” Luke said, giving an insightful thought into the internet music industry.

“People in Japan and Jamaica. God bless the internet I guess.” Rob added.

“It’s really democratised the music industry in a way. And it is beneficial for bands, who don’t have a lot of main stream appeal, because they can get out and tour and make enough money by selling stuff through the internet, like merchandise, and what not, or promoting for themselves. Whereas those bands would not have stood a chance 20/30 years ago. So it’s cool from that perspective.” Luke added.

“But nobody pays for music anymore, so.” Rob was able to draw a negative from the internet. “ So that’s kinda shit. Just the reality of it I guess.”

Name a band or artist that you think are underrated

“Yak” Luke was very quick to suggest.

“Yeah, Yak is a good one.” Rob was quick to confirm. “They’re fucking amazing, we’ve seen them a few times. I get why they don’t get the main stream appeal, because it’s pretty heavy stuff. It’s amazing, but it wasn’t a very busy show, which is sad to see.”

“I feel like, they’re not really a band that are not necessarily underrated, because I’d say the reviews of their album are really strong so, they’re just underrated by the public I guess. And they deserve to be, deserve to be known.” Luke added.

“The band Idols. We actually met, the bassist last night.” Rob added to the list of underrated bands.

“Yeah, he’s pulling pints. Really nice guy, they’re off to play with the Progedy this week.” Luke pointed out, so they’re not that underrated then?

“They’re about to not be underrated, they’re playing huge gigs now.” Rob amended his previous statement.

What’s your favourite and least favourite venue to play at?

“It’s called Jimmy’s in Manchester” Rob pointed out with little hesitation.

“Yeah, it was pretty shit. It was only open and they were really unequipped. It would probably be a really nice venue to play in,” Luke added, just in case anyone who works there sees their bad review.

“It was a bar with a stage essentially,” Rob said, painting a more vivid picture of the venue.

“Yeah, I think they’ve improved it now” Luke added.

“That place was shite, the one in Sheffield. I mean, we’ve had a few exceptionally shit gigs,” Rob reminisced about their Sheffield gig.

“At The Rocking Chair, well that is not a good venue. And we’ve played two soul destroying gigs there. And we’re pretty used to like, playing to nobody, but these were extremely difficult gigs. It’s like literally no one at one of them.” Luke added,” So yeah, there are two answers for worst venue. Best venue.”

“Best venue. Paradise in Amsterdam, it’s pretty good. It’s an old church, that they’ve changed. That’s like what, 2,000 +” Rob suggested, pretty quickly.

“Yeah, we played a festival there,” Luke added, clearly remembering the amazing impression that the venue had for him.

“I’d say Europe as well, they just do everything.” So I can guess where Rob wants to spend more time touring.

“Any places in England that are pretty good?” Luke asked the question I was ready to know the answer for.

“We played the Deaf Institute the other night. I’d never been there before. Especially since we played a shit gig the night before in Manchester, so that was actually an amazing show. They had a fully vegan menu as well. That doesn’t happen very often.” So there you have it, any vegan Otherkin fans know the gig to go to.

Could you describe your process of writing songs?

“There isn’t really a process,” Rob shamefully admitted.

“Yeah, we just stand in a room with our instruments on us and play things and if it works it works, if not we just, bicker for a bit then hope something good comes along” Luke joins in, giving us an insight into the inner workings of Otherkin.

“Oh, you should see the fights” Rob jokes, and by the smirk on his face I guess he wins most of them.

“No, it’s very democratic.” Luke was quick to amend his band mate’s comment. “If someone has an idea they play it, if other people enjoy it then they join in.”

“If no one likes it, they don’t join in. They just won’t play along” Rob jokes, they both laugh, evidently enjoying the extremely democratic process.

“Maybe someday we’ll get fancy, and go to a studio and write songs there.” Luke dreams.

“But for now we’ll just thrash it out in a room together. Hopefully not forever, because there are definitely better ways of writing songs than how we currently do it. All of us just blasting music as each other, trying to decide what to do.” Rob joins in.

“We don’t really have the patience to sit down with acoustic guitars and write songs. We do that the odd time, but the majority of the songs that we do are done by just being in a room.” Luke remembers the evidently painful times he has actually attempted to write a song.

“I wish there was a formula; it would be a lot easier if there was.” Rob joins in on Luke’s dream. “We’re drunk sometimes, that helps. But sometimes we’ll just write the shittest songs. We’re just faking it basically. Sometimes songs just come out and you’re just like yeah cool.” Rob tells me.

“We’ll let you know when we have a proper answer.” Luke assures me (I still haven’t received one though)

What have been some of your biggest challenges as a band so far?

“I’d say cracking in was the start, because we’re Irish, it’s quite tough,” Rob admits. “We don’t get to tour here as often as English bands; because they can tour then just go home. Whereas we have to do a three week shift, which means we’re playing on a Monday night gig, when sane people play on the weekends. It’s a lot easier to sell out a Friday night show than a Monday night show. But, I think, luckily its started to change. We had an amazing Reading-Leeds, we played it last year.” Rob said, a little more positively than he started.

“Yeah, it seems to be getting better.” Luke agrees. “I know we’ve done some tours that have been really grim. It’s one of those things where the English bands we’ve played with, we toured with the Amazons a while back and they said they’d done the tent that we’d been in four times. That was our first time being there. So it’s quite difficult for us, because we’ve probably spent the same amount of time being in a band, but spent a fraction of the time in England which is where we try to be.”

“But, we’d sell pretty big shows in Ireland, but that’s because we play there often. Whereas, over here, this is our first time in Cardiff, especially since we’ve got an album out.” Rob continued.

“Which is mad, it’s mad considering we have an album out but it’s just the way it is.” Luke states.

“And especially when you’re in Ireland there’s essentially three cities you can play in. Whereas where, there are fucking like, 29 or something. Everyone is like, bigger than Dublin, which is the main city in Ireland.” Rob admits, not bothering to name all 29.

“So I think that’s been our biggest challenge, us trying to crack the UK.” Luke returns to the question after some consideration. “And even still trying to crack the UK, like we could do a show in a certain city in the country and get nobody and we want to be at the stage now where we want to be able to know where we’re going to draw a crowd. It’s just difficult to be, in Ireland. We just have to be expecting that things are happening over here when we’re not here. At least in Ireland we know how well we’re doing there because we live there, we can’t do that in the UK. That’s the biggest challenge.”

“There’s probably a way better answer, but I can’t think of one right now.” So I take it that Rob isn’t too keen on the answer that he gave.

“Song writing?” Luke suggests, laughing.

“Song writing! Yeah, Jesus. Playing instruments, that’s a good one.” Rob adds, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

What’s a popular music opinion you have?

“I don’t particularly like the Beatles.” Rob happily admits.

“ Yeah, that’s really unpopular” Luke is obviously still sore about this subject.

“No, I appreciate the fact, like I know that they’re a very influential band, but I was never a Beatles person. And I’ve met people who are the same, so I know it’s not just me.” Rob defends his opinion.

“He doesn’t really like Radiohead, which is bad.” Luke adds, still clearly appalled by his band mate’s music choices.

[clodblogs]

Controversy at Neck Deep

The role of security is simple. To keep fans safe. However this wasn’t the case in Nottingham tonight.

The Neck Deep show was reportedly called off after one song because of the brutality of one security guard.

The fan was crowd surfing, a normal activity especially at such a high energy gig. However, this is a risk to the crowd surfer, the crowd and the band. Security, arguably doing their job pulled the crowd surfer across the barriers.

But that was the end of their job.

The security apparently smashed the fan onto the floor, causing the band to stop playing, put down their instruments and step in, by attacking the security themselves.

This lead to the show being cancelled, and many fans jumped to twitter to defined the band for sticking up for their fans.

I am a big Neck Deep fan, and how the security handled this situation wasn’t ideal, I am in no way sticking up for the security and their actions. However, did the band react in the best way?

Videos have surfaced of the band shouting down at security from the stage, some show Dani kicking the security in the head. I’m aware that in the moment that we’re doing what they thought was correct, that they were standing up for their fans, but maybe the violent backlash was the wrong help for this situation.

The band were then taken off stage. Ben Barlow even came out to some of the crowd and apologised for the cancellation of the show. Though fans were quick to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault.

Neck Deep fans now wait for an official statement from the band.

[clodblogs]

Airways

Airways supported King No-One at Clwb Ifor Bach on Wednesday 4th October.

Their set used pseudonyms to confuse fans (or maybe it was to excite those in the audience who didn’t know who they were).

They opened with a song from their latest album, ‘Starting to Spin’ (which you can buy from here: https://www.airwaysofficial.com ). “How you doing Cardiff?” Jake asked, as the first notes of their opening song started, Reckless Tongue (or Fretless Monk if you’re going by the set list). The crowd, despite the fact that many hadn’t listened to Airways before, were hooked.

After the first song had finished they played a new song, ‘Le Slow’ or as it will be known when it’s released Slow. The song blended in well with the rest of the set, and with the already released songs from Airways, but it was a very individual song, compared to their first release, Ghost Town in February 2016.

They then continued with a familiar song to those who know their latest album, White Noise Boys, or ‘Les White Noise Blokes’ if you want to go from their setlist. The crowd had definitely found a new favourite band at this point in time, some even joining in for the chorus.

Another new song followed this, Listen to Your Friends. Another sure hit when it’s released, in their new EP, or later albums, it was one of the highlights of the set.

‘Une Matee’ was by far the best song on the set. Not just because it’s my favourite Airways song, but those who discovered them at the show loved this song as well.

Jake then tried to tell a heartbreaking story behind their last unreleased song of the set, Alien. It was written about when they were denied entry to America to play their shows accords the pond. Alien must be included on their next release, the catchy tune and infectious guitar will ensure their next release flys off the shelf.

The last song of their set was ‘Uno Foote’ or as anyone who isn’t in Airways know it, One Foot. Their second released single back in 2016 ensured the crowd would go home and google, Airways band.

You can follow the band on twitter and Instagram: @ airwaysofficial

And you can find all of their socials, learn the latest about tours and get their merch here: https://www.airwaysofficial.com

[clodblogs]

King No-One

Music, tattoos and lucky pants, King No-One’s Cardiff show lit up Clwb Ifor Bach. And they even brought their own confetti. Zach, James, Alex and Joe were able to take time out of their busy schedule to have a cup of coffee with me, (‘fucking good coffee’ according to Zach) and a chat.

“How many shows have you played so far on this tour, and how many have you got to go?”

‘This will be our 12th, and we have 8 after tonight.’ Zach told me.

“What’s been your favourite place to play so far on tour?”

‘Manchester’ they all say in agreement. So if you’re looking for a good gig atmosphere, you know where to go.

“What inspired you to become a band and write music?”

‘In terms of music, music has always been a way of self-expression, so someone that can’t understand their own feelings, it’s the only way of finding out about something. That’s how song writing came about’ Zach said insightfully, the other band members nodded. ‘As far as inspiring to become a band,’ Zach continued, ‘it was never a case of being inspired to be a band it was more of a case of all of us having a passion for music. I don’t know, just, songs need playing, so we got together and started playing them.’

“What’s your favorite song you’ve ever written?”

‘Favorite song?’ Zach had to think about his answer for this one.

‘So, mines Anti-Christ’ Joe confidently said, nodding in agreement to his own statement.

‘Mines probably Alcatraz. Good banger. Banging tune.’ Alex was trying to hype up his own song, but he didn’t need to try, Alcatraz is definitely one of my favourites.

James had a little more trouble thinking of his favourite, ‘I’m going through the set list in my head and I’ve forgotten most of the songs!’ Definitely a good sign (I can gladly report that he didn’t forget the set list on stage). ‘I think it has to be Anti-Christ for me as well.’ (SET LIST SPOILER: the song he finally picked wasn’t even on the set list, so trying to remember it didn’t help anyway.)

‘What’s your favourite song to hear the crowd sing back at you?’

‘At the minute for me it’s Alcatraz because on tour it’s the last song on tour and it’s great. Definitely my favourite.’ James said, probably thinking back to the last time he played the song on stage.

‘Halo, if they get their Halo chords right.’ Joe said, ‘Oh yeah’ Alex said in agreement.

‘Anti-Christ is euphoric, ‘cause basically it’s like a, like a crowd participation thing, naturally.’ Zach told us. ‘And it’s very, like, euphoric, it feels like you’re visiting Satan’s church.’ So buy your tickets for the rest of their tour now, if you want to visit Satan’s church.

“What other styles of music would you like to write in?”

‘I wouldn’t mind rapping’ Joe said smugly, clearly hiding a hidden talent.

‘Yeah, I think we all like rapping’ James added.

‘I fancy myself as a bit of a rapper’ petition for him to have his own rap album anyone?

‘You can spit bars’ James hyped him up again.

‘In his day he had some serious bars’ Zach teased. I sadly cannot confirm or deny these accusations, as I wasn’t lucky enough to hear these rapping skills.

“Who’s been one of your biggest influences?”

‘In terms of song writing there aren’t really any per-say’ Zach informed us. ‘Not consciously anyway, because like I said before, songs are convections, is convections a word?’ Zach looked to his band mates.

‘Convection is a word, but it’s not what you’re trying to say.’ James was able to help out.

‘Yeah, yeah, it’s just conveying, conveys of emotion.’ Zach finished, finally finding his words. ‘Any inspiring people, Travis Barker for him,’ Zach pointed to James, the obvious inspiration for any young drummer.

‘Oh yeah! Knows what he’s doing’ James agreed.

‘I don’t know if this is bad but he actually loves Travis Barker, but hates Blink-182’ Zach confessed on behalf of James.

“Did that hurt?” (Referring to the tattoo on Zach’s forearm)

‘No, it didn’t. I wasn’t really thinking about it, I was 16 at the time and I was more worried about getting asked for ID half way through so I didn’t really concentrate on the pain. The other ones hurt, more and more as I got more. So I stopped having them.’ Zach told me, whilst trying to convince me to get a King No-One tattoo.

“Have you got a lucky pair of socks?”

‘I’m wearing my lucky pair of socks right now’ James lifted his foot to above the table so I could see his lucky socks.

‘You’re wearing your lucky boxers right now’ Zach added to the conversation while we were waiting for James to show us his socks.

‘I am wearing my lucky boxers’ James said, whilst everyone else complimented his socks. ‘Oh, they are good socks. They go with my jacket. There’s a few things a good sock should do. One, be comforting. Two, be warm. Three, on a really special day go with an outfit. And I have all three ticked today.’

‘He has some pants that say “I love vodka” on today’ Zach added again, just in case you wondered what type of slogan you should have on your lucky pair of pants.

‘Yeah, they’re my lucky pants and only lucky people get to see them.’ James.

If you want to catch King No-One on tour you can buy tickets from here:

https://www.seetickets.com/tour/king-no-one

You can also follow them on Instagram and Twitter: @ knomusicuk