Let's do things just a little bit different this time:
Want to see that video on our YouTube channel? Of course you do!
Text from article reads: It’s obvious to anybody that has seen
them play that Cardinal Bay are a force to be reckoned with. From thunderous
new music to playing most of the show in the crowd, the Bridgewater 5-piece are
nothing short of determined to deliver a good set.
Besides, it’s not as if they don’t have
the experience to do just that. All five members have played in other bands in
the local scene but joined forces in 2014 to make the post-hardcore super group
that is Cardinal Bay.
Now they’re preparing to unleash their
second EP ‘Answers’ on May 13th 2016, which all but formed the
set list for their incredible performance at Leamington Spa’s Zephyr Lounge
last week.
The set opened with new single ‘Answers’
which tackles a solemn and conspicuous social issue with all the energy that it
deserves.
“The track ‘Answers’ is about divorce
and how it affects any young children of those parents” the band have said
“It’s about how a child might perceive the situation, perhaps believing or only
hearing one side of a story … and not understanding until they’re older, trying
to find ‘the answers’ themselves…”
With a vivacious drum track from Matt
Ward, ‘Answers’ translates perfectly in a live setting and the dash of scream
adds the edge that the topic needs.
Once the precedent had been set the
rest of the night kept up the pace showcasing what could be the most promising
EP release of the year.
Vocalist Josh Rogers complained of a
scratchy voice but it didn’t hold him back one bit, launching into the crowd
and staying there for a majority of the set you would have to be blind to miss
his undeniable vigour.
‘Hold Tight’ and ‘Way Back Home’ from
last year’s EP (of the same name as the latter) were also thrown into the mix. Both
tracks have stood the test of that short time and stack up nicely against the
new offerings. Somehow they add even more raw brashness to the live performance
and it will be a sad day when either disappears from Cardinal Bay’s set list.
It was an electrifying performance and
remarkably distinguished. If this is their output at 18 months then the potential
here is staggering, they may well be able to outdo those artists they’re
constantly compared to. Watch out Mallory Knox.
But yes, all of that is completely
obvious to anybody who has seen Cardinal Bay live. But what might not be
obvious is that they do really questionable things before they walk out on
stage and would completely sell out given half a chance to tour with Justin Bieber.
No seriously, you can hear all about it on our YouTube channel.
·Catch Cardinal Bay on the main stage at Teddy
Rocks Festival at the Blandford Forum, Dorset, on April 30th 2016
·The explosive second EP ‘Answer’s will be
released on May 13th 2016
·Watch the video for new single ‘Answer’s on the
bands Facebook
Jack Barakat & Alex Gaskarth 3Arena, Dublin 16/02/2016
I’m not going to sit
here and claim that All Time Low are some sort of hard rock band, because I’m
not on drugs or delusional (not currently or completely at any rate). That
being said, they have for the most part stayed on the right side of the line
that divides ‘rock music’ from…let’s call it everything else.
Nevertheless, I haven’t seen them in a year (didn’t see them
at Reading Fest, only went one day, got no money, please send cash) and I’m man
enough to admit that I was starting to worry. Risky moves have been made and I
was pretentiously passing judgement all over the place.
But All Time Low eliminated those worries, shot down my
pretentious judgement and proved that they are still the same boys that I fell
in love with when I was 16. It wasn’t easy though. The way I see it, they
adopted a four step program to achieve it.
Step 1: Take Good
Charlotte out on tour.
YEP. YOU GUESSED IT. CAPTAIN HIPSTER HAYLEY SAW GOOD
CHARLOTTE IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS.
No but seriously I did. I had to do the research but I haven’t
seen them since 2005, and that was a good 5 years into their career.
Alex Gaskarth & Joel Madden (Good Charlotte) 3Arena, Dublin 16/02/2016
Good Charlotte are a part of pop-punk identity and by taking
them out on tour All Time Low have played a huge part in preserving that.
Better yet, they’ve helped re-launch it.
The rough challenge of making a ten-song set list out of a
ten-year career was made to look easy with some expected tracks (Girls and Boys, Lifestyles of the Rich and
Famous) but more importantly with some absolute bangers in Riot Girl and The Story of My Old Man.
I thought I hit peak nostalgia at Reading but that was
N-O-T-H-I-N-G in comparison to seeing those songs played live again. Mad props
to All Time Low for having the balls to choose a band that holds a piece of
pop-punk history, and means something to the community on a deep level, as
opposed to a corner-cutting act that realistically might have sold a few more
tickets. Way to hang on to your identity, and your place on that dark side of
the line.
Step 2: Don’t play a
single song from THAT album.
I’m not one to often take chunks out of an artist publicly
but All Time Low themselves have said that 2011’s Dirty Work was potentially a step in the wrong direction for them. I’m
not saying the album is trash, far from it, but for me it represents a time when
they very nearly crossed that line and forgot who they were.
The fact that their set list spanned their entire career,
even including Coffee Shop Soundtrack from
their 2006 EP Put Up Or Shut Up, but
did not include one single track from Dirty
Work speaks volumes about All Time Low’s determination to never come that close
to the line again.
I felt the absence of the So Wrong It’s Right era, in particular Remembering Sunday, but I respect their decision to bump the
acoustic track in favour of Missing You since
it’s a song that clearly means a lot to them (it struck a chord with me too, there
were tears).
Jack Barakat - Guitar 3Arena, Dublin 16/02/2016
Besides, they played Poppin’
Champagne with all the ridiculous bra-drenched energy they always
have
done, so it’s not as if set list crimes were committed.
The night relied more heavily on Nothing Personal (because it’s a blinding record) but was dominated
by the edgier tracks from last year’s Future
Hearts like Kids In The Dark and Dancing With a Wolf.
Honestly, I was chuffed with their set list choices and I
could have forgiven a lot more as well. Perhaps fans that have followed them
since the very, VERY, beginning would have a few words to say if they saw it
written down but here’s the thing, All Time Low are incredible performers and frankly,
they got this.
Step 3: Stop the set
half way through a song because the Mosh Pits aren’t up to scratch.
So it’s pretty clear to me by now that All Time Low really
are going as far as they can to stay true to themselves and stay with us here
in the alternative world. But last night they proved that there will be no
crowd-slacking on their watch.
When a rock vocalist like Alex Gaskarth tells you to start a
mosh pit, my advice to you all is to start a
Alex Gaskarth - Vocals 3Arena, Dublin 16/02/2016
mosh pit. If you don’t, he will
stop the song, he will call you out and he will tell you that you failed and
demand you work harder.
Of course, he will then completely forget what key the song
is in and have to restart it again but that’s irrelevant (and mostly hilarious).
My point is, you might be fooled into thinking that you can go to an All Time
Low show with your glow-sticks and iPhones and spend the entire show uploading
footage to your Snapchat Story or Whatsapping bae but frankly, this was a
pop-punk show and you’re an eejit. Embrace the traditions that make these shows
what they are, or leave.
I heard an Irish woman say eejit whilst doing an impression
of a Leprechaun at the National Leprechaun Museum on Monday. It was a really special moment
in my life.
Step 4: Announce that
you’re playing Download Festival half way through the tour.
And finally, just in case anybody was still in doubt of All
Time Low’s love for the rock scene, they go and announce that this summer they
will be playing Download Festival 2016.
Not only will they be playing at the spiritual home of rock
music but they will be headlining the Zippo Encore Stage. They’ll play just
after Twin Atlantic (it’s as if all of my dreams have come true) and at the
same time as Rammstein.
Pop-machine bands don’t do that.
You would be right to think that going all the way across the
water is a bit mental, especially considering we live in such close proximity
to the London arena (and what an incredible venue that is).
It’s not even as if we can justify it and claim it was because
of the band. All Time Low are not Irish. (FYI: this is an incredibly subtle way
of reminding you of that time we saw Twin Atlantic in Glasgow…it’s best to
remind you since I don’t bring it up a lot.)
But it turned out Ireland was the most sensible place in the
world to see All Time Low. My favourite thing about this place is that it has
an incredible history, an unrivalled sense of identity and the Irish go to
wonderful lengths to help preserve that.
I hate to suggest that words are not omnipotent but the fact
of the matter is that there are NONE to describe how happy I am to tell you
that All Time Low carries that exact same spirit in their hearts.
As 2015 went, not many had as much success as Tigress did.
They recorded their debut EP with Max Helyer (You Me At Six)
filmed a stunning new video in Iceland and went on the road with Metro Station.
It’s impressive to say the least, but considering Tigress
didn’t even exist in 2014 – it’s mind blowing.
As if their 2015 wasn’t good enough they took to the stage
at Vans Warped Tour UK in October and then they met us!
The line of duty meant we couldn’t catch their set and we
were pretty gutted about it. Less than a month later the debut EP ‘Human’ was
released and frankly it infuriated me.
I HATE MISSING AMAZING BANDS LIVE!
Apple Music put ‘Human’ in their ‘Hot Tips for 2016’ list
and from the start it’s blindingly obvious why.
‘Alive’ is the perfect example of everything they re-branded
for. Big guitars, plenty of personality and a giant dosage of dramatics.
Whilst that dramatic heart beats throughout the EP the
tracks are distinct, showcasing the different veins that pulse can travel
through.
‘Human’ take it to an upbeat anthem-like tune with scaled
back verses and a stadium sized chorus.
On a personal note – I’ve become obsessed with vocalists
singing in their natural accents instead of a default/stateside slur. The
pronunciation of the word ‘after’ (a-r-fter) is wonderful. It’s the little
things. It really is.
A touch of darkness is thrown into the mix with ‘Future’,
the video for which is nothing short of gorgeous. A screeching guitar solo and
cymbal-heavy drums to close, this track is the biggest highlight of the record.
I’m not the only one to notice that things are going
swimmingly for these guys. Vocalist Katy Jackson told us how track ‘Lucky Ones’
was written about the momentous events of the past few months and how she feels
that Tigress are indeed incredibly lucky.
Well sorry Miss Jackson (ooh) but I disagree. Luck couldn’t have
less to do with it. What it really comes down to is that Tigress is made up of
5 incredibly talented musicians who know exactly what they want to do, who they
want to be and are in the most perfect time to do it.
‘Miracle’ is as big and shiny as they come, and prove that
Tigress might have left their more pop-punk days behind them but they are the
Kings and Queen of the woah-oh. There’s nothing worse than a perfect woah-oh
when you know you missed a band live. God dammit.
‘Human’ closes with a slower offering in ‘Fire’. A
beautifully dark track but quieter in tone then it’s predecessor but only stays
that way for 2 and a half minutes before stepping up into that explosive nature
that, at this point, Tigress have mastered.
I love this EP and cannot wait to see what more writing will
produce for Tigress. It’s incredibly exciting to see a band of this calibre on
their first steps. Back at Warped they told us they wanted to be timeless. If
this first offering is anything to go by, then that’s 100% achievable.
But there was never a chance in hell that I was going to
keep on being ‘the girl who missed Tigress at Warped Tour’ so I demanded that
they meet me in their hometown of Chelmsford, Essex, and perform a song for me.
No seriously I did. As a sidebar, if somebody could buy me a new camera so I
can make videos that look as beautiful and creative as the bands that I’m lucky
enough to work with, that would be fab.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Tigress also talked me through
‘Human’ so you don’t even have to take my word for it. You can see both of the videos below!
Thank you (times a million) to the Tigress guys for being so
unbelievably lovely!
Caleb Shomo - Vocals Birmingham O2 Academy 2 - 28/10/2015 Photo Credit: Nick Neuenhaus Photography @nickneuenhaus
When Download
Festival released tickets without a line-up earlier this year, there was no way
in hell they were pulling me in. As one of my Facebook friends very eloquently
put it “You could put Little Mix up there for all I know.”
But yesterday morning I finally gave in and spent all of my
pennies (SERIOUSLY GUYS, PLEASE SEND CASH) on my 5 night camping ticket. Why?
Well now I’ve seen Beartooth.
Back in May I was desperately trying to see Beartooth the night
before another amazing but incredibly disparate gig. Unfortunately, logistics
are hard and we couldn’t make it, so when I heard that the “really loud” Ohio
rock squad were heading to my old haunt of the Midlands, I was all about it.
From the very beginning, with opening track The Lines, not one single scrap was held
back. The perfect opener for last year’s Disgusting
(the band’s first full length album) proved to be a belter of a live intro
too.
Oshie Bichar - Bass Birmingham O2 Academy 2 - 28/10/2015 Photo Credit: Nick Neuenhaus Photography @nickneuenhaus
So with the inexorable tone for the night set and the early
mosh pits already kicked up, we were pulled through one of the most energetic
performances I have ever seen. Ignorance
Is Bliss, In Between, Keep Your American Dream the whole night was all rise
and no fall.
Whilst that tone no doubt comes from the metalcore vein that
runs through everything Beartooth make, that energy is all punk rock, and so
are those crowd-involved lyrics. As hybrid’s go, it’s a great one to carry
through.
Kamron Bradbury - Rhythm Guitar Birmingham O2 Academy 2 - 28/10/2015 Photo Credit: Nick Neuenhaus Photography @nickneuenhaus
Three years is hardly a long time for a band to be together,
especially with member changes spattered over the past 18 months or so. That,
and the fact that there’s just the one full length Beartooth album at the
moment justifies the short set (because trust me, everyone in that building could
have kept the energy up for a 2 hour show).
But what they have done in that time is used their extensive
and broad musical experience from previous bands to secure definitive anthems
and tour the hell out of them with all of the right people. There’s been a
steady and well deserved rise in recognition for Beartooth, and that has put
them in the exact right environment for their new material to be unleashed
into.
Of course they know that, and before they closed up their
main set with Beaten In Lips vocalist
Caleb Shomo took a moment to recognise the fact that this belter has made a
huge contribution to their career.
I am so stoked that I got to see Beartooth on the last night
of this UK run and have sky high hopes for the new music. I’m crossing my devil
horns that it’s out before Download, but either way you’ll see me in the mosh pit.
Oshie Bichar - Bass Birmingham O2 Academy 2 - 28/10/2015 Photo Credit: Nick Neuenhaus Photography @nickneuenhaus
A huge thank you is owed to Nick for allowing us to use his amazing photos of the night (we failed miserably to get anything that could actually pass for a photo!)
Sam McTrusty - Vocals & Guitar
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
24/10/2015
I know. I know that when the wind of change blows some
people build walls and others windmills. I now that change is remarkably
inevitable and I know that change is supposed to come bearing gifts. But,
change is exhausting.
My use of pretentious quotes might be ridiculous but my
disdain for change is quite legitimate. I can’t be the only person to feel that
change makes everything peculiar. Unsettling. How many times have you felt that
you were getting on okay, and then that prat ‘Change’ rocks up and mugs you?
Frankly, it’s a wonder Change hasn’t served time, the common petty criminal.
But much like that distinctly irritating wife from Breaking
Bad, some people find that they want to try and live with the criminal. That’s
the position I found myself in when I did something not nearly as iconic as my
writing would suggest.
We road tripped to see Twin Atlantic again.
Now before anyone starts yelling at me, claiming I’m using
long words and dramatic structure to legitimise the fact that I am a pathetic
fan girl beyond help…I do have a point and I’ll get to it. If you weren’t going
to claim that, and the thought never even entered your mind, then you really
ought to be more observant because that is exactly what I’m doing.
Ever since Reading Festival I’ve been dying to see Twin
Atlantic again. I spent a whole night in a strop because I couldn’t make it to
their Perth show in September. Lost a whole other week when I found out the
sneaky bastards were playing the Budweiser Live Tour and I couldn’t make it to
that either. It’s not a feeling I’ve ever been fond of, missing out. Now I’m
expected to adult all the damn time, it’s a feeling I get more often than I’m
used to. Growing up is easily the most tedious of Change’s roles.
But just when Change and I were about to get into some
serious hair-pulling fisticuffs, I fell down a flight of stairs at a train
station. I busted my ankle up pretty bad and there were two girls (they hadn’t yet
seen Change play that tedious role of his) who thought it was the funniest
thing they had ever seen. At best, it was mildly amusing.
So I’m at home, curled up in a blanket fort, trying to convince
my cat that he could TOTALLY cook Chicken Noodle Soup, when I got a Twitter
notification. Twin Atlantic were playing a 400 capacity venue, on a Saturday,
within 200 miles, for £5 a ticket.
Yes, I do have Twitter set up to notify me when Twin
Atlantic do anything. Shut up.
I am just the best
Naturally, I bought two tickets and then I text my regular
road trip buddy to tell her that we were
going to Leeds. I’ll never know if she
actually wanted to go or if she realised pretty quickly that she never had a
choice. Either way she was on board!
It's been along time since I was last in Leeds, for Slam Dunk in
something like 2009. I went all the way up there by myself and met up with a
girl who wasn’t exactly a friend. Don’t get me wrong, she was a really lovely
person, incredibly beautiful and over the top in style, but I didn’t really
know her. I’m not even sure why I was going to Slam Dunk, who was I going to
see? In any event, six years later and I’m in my little VW driving back up
North with a girl that I talk to about 5 times a day, to see a band that I
adore. Alright I admit it; Change can be funny at times.
Leeds is just over 200 miles away from where I live. 9
months ago that would have seemed like we were travelling to the moon and back
but since the last real road trip we took was to freaking Glasgow, 200 miles
flew by. A change in perspective can be quite useful, new experiences can be
terrifying but once you’ve already tackled it (and then some) it’s all just old
news.
Then it was time for the show (700 words later, isn’t it
funny how I still insist this is a music blog?)
After a brief emotional moment in the hotel (along with
several hundred other things Change has also taken 2 stone away from me
recently, it’s nice) we finally jumped in a cab and headed over to the
Brudenell Social Club.
Ross McNae - Bass
Brudenell Social Club - Leeds
24/10/2015
As ever, a word about the venue. Brudenell is easily the
most ridiculous venue I have ever had the sheer pleasure of visiting. As the
name would suggest, it’s in a residential area with a Sainsbury’s local up the
road, and not much else. The inside is as basic as the outside and that is
precisely what I loved about it. Big fancy pants venues or festivals are magnificent.
But for me there is nothing better than a small venue, with a great view of the
stage wherever you stand (integral for a 5ft nothing girl) and a good bar, even
if the bar staff claim my friend is ‘sassy’. That’s okay. She is a bit sassy,
that’s why she’s fantastic.
Twin Atlantic casually strolled onto the stage, grabbed
their instruments, took a second to look around them, and then exploded into
one of the most abrasive and perfectly important Twin Atlantic songs of all
time, Edit Me. This song aggressively
throws forward the message that if you know it’s not right, then it’s not right
and you can’t listen to it. They can’t edit you. Yeah. Suck it Change!
Next up was Fall Into
The Party, the video for which was filmed at the first Twin Atlantic show I
ever went to. We had no idea that show would be half as good, as iconic, as it
was and the energy and impact of this ‘hip-hop’ track played a huge part in
that. We were primarily there that night to interview another band and to see
Scotland for the first time. But then all at once I fell head over heels for a
band and had a hell of a lot to catch up on. Change works quickly, but I guess its
work can be quite wonderful.
At this early stage in the show (though shamefully an overly
late stage in this ‘review’) it became apparent that there are some things that
Change just can’t get to. When I get the chance to see an incredible
performance, I lose my mind completely. We were lucky enough to meet Twin
Atlantic before the show, and I was gutted because I didn’t ask them (or throw
all my toys out of the pram and FORCE THEM) to play The Ghost of Eddie. So when they went ahead and played it anyway, I
lost my shit. Please see video footage for proof.
It’s hilariously embarrassing, but when you're at a show like
this, Change demands a ticket. Change works alongside adrenaline, passion and
alcohol to help you let go of everything you left at the door and focus on the
one thing that you actually, really, care about.
What I’m trying to say is that The Ghost of Eddie was a highlight, but outside of that it’s so
difficult to pick out which tracks were important enough to talk about. It was
great to hear What is Light? Where is
Laughter? from the 2009 album Vivarium,
Crash Land was as magical as ever (and all the verses were in the right
order this time) follow that with Yes I
Was Drunk and the tears were inevitable.
Barry McKenna - Guitar (and the Cello obviously)
Brudenell Social Club - Leeds
24/10/2015
The second reason I love Twin Atlantic so much, has nothing
to do with them at all. Leaving the venue after the first time I saw them, the
crowd continued the show by blaring out the words to Heart and Soul in a perfect, giant, karaoke. The second time, at
Reading, a girl I had never met before used her phone to light up the floor so
that I could change the batteries in my camera. Here in Leeds we met two girls
who helped us get to the venue, another girl complimented my hair, and two
other girls said that I was a great person.
Clearly, Twin Atlantic fans are wonderful human beings. But
surely it’s a little minute to suggest that only gratifyingly beautiful people
listen to Twin Atlantic. Wouldn’t it be more wonderful to suggest that Change
has spent some time in this scene. It’s worked alongside music and venues and
fans and led us all to a time where we are revolutionarily nice to each other.
I love Change for that.
Sam McTrusty - Vocals & Guitar
Brudenell Social Club - Leeds
24/10/2015
But honestly, HONESTLY, this set was flawless. Bring on the
days when Twin Atlantic can do a whole tour playing Free and The Great Divide in
their entire, full blow, abrasive, glory. I wait with baited breathe for the
next Twin Atlantic album, which they are in the studio recording right now. Apparently
it’s completely different to everything they’ve done before, so I guess Change
got to those guys too.
If Twin are embracing change then maybe I should to. I guess
my disdain for change is a little unfounded, though not completely so I’m sure.
It’s a bitch, let’s face it. But maybe without change there would be no
butterflies.
Or maybe I should just admit that I’m obsessed with Twin
Atlantic, quit trying to make that sound like some sort of life lesson and go
and get some work done. I’ll post a real life, professional music review in a
fortnight.
Me! Ver: Drunk & Emotional
Brudenell Social Club - Leeds
24/10/2015
Twin Atlantic meet Jules and Hayley
Leeds
24/10/2015
Here it is! The final Louder Now Grab Bag victim at Vans Warped Tour UK 2015 was Jinxx of Black Veil Brides! It was a huge pleasure to be able to meet with Jinxx and have what was actually a pretty serious chat for us. He was, of course, lovely and had a small request for his fans to quit calling him a certain name. Black Veil Brides also absolutely nailed their headline set with a hell of a lot of pyrotechnics. But who would expect anything less? We got some ridiculously amateur footage of it, which you can check out in our highlight reel (coming up later today).
WE INTRODUCE TO YOU THE YOUNG GUNS/TAYLOR SWIFT/LOUDER NOW DRINKING GAME. THE RULES: Take a shot every time Fraser or Ben say the name Taylor Swift or any variation there of. THE RESULT: You'll be hammered. Young Guns are no stranger to the Louder Now Grab Bag because it once harassed them in a pub. True story. Luckily, they haven't got sick of us quite yet (but that will happen) and Fraser and Ben were happy to face it once again. For anybody that doesn't know, Young Guns were recently robbed in Leeds causing them to cancel a date of their tour. Obviously, this is gutting for the band, the support acts, and the fans. The guys have released a list of the items stolen (which can be seen on their Twitter and Instagram accounts) so please do keep an eye peeled for any of it! They also have some stunning merch pieces, sales of which would really help them get back on their feet. You can find the link below. YOUNG GUNS CAN BE STALKED AT: https://www.facebook.com/younggunsuk?fref=ts https://store.universalmusic.com/youngguns/ http://weareyoungguns.com/ https://instagram.com/younggunsuk/?hl=en
