The best and worst of 2009

Snowflakes are falling down Christmas bells are ringing…
It makes me realize that this year has to be almost over. 2009 has been a year full of amazing new rock bands, powerful albums, surprising videos, amazing gigs and revealing interviews. Though, we have to be honest and as a good critic I can’t just look at the bright sides of this year. There have been a few disappointments, a few horrible bands, some awful song releases and some embarrassing comebacks in 2009. Lets find out about the winners and terrible losers for what has been an amazing year so far!

THE MOST ROCKING ALBUMS…

1. Deep Insight, Sucker For Love
2. The Blackout, The Best in Town
3. Taking Back Sunday, New Again
4. 30 Seconds To Mars, This is War
5. The All American Rejects, When the World comes down

AWESOME SONGS…

1. Young Guns, Winter Kiss
2. Lostprophets, Where we Belong
3. The Blackout, Save Our Saves
4. Placebo, For What It’s Worth
5. 30 Seconds To Mars, Kings and Queens

CRUEL SONGS…

1. Lady Gaga, Paparazzi
2. Metro Station, Kelsey
3. Lamb of God, Set to Fail
4. Zebrahead, Girlfriend
5. The Last Shadow Puppets, The Age of Understatement

BEST NEW BANDS…

1. Young Guns
2. Attack! Attack! (UK)
3. Dinosaur Pile-up
4. The Blackout
5. The Cubical

CALL THAT A COMEBACK…

1. The Rasmus
2. Taking Back Sunday
3. Green day
4. Placebo
5. Michael Jackson

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO…

1. Guns ‘n Roses (comeback)
2. Panic at the Disco
3. Bring me the Horizon
4. Slipknot
5. Lady Gaga

BREATH TAKING PERFORMERS…

1. Ian Watkins, Lostprophets
2. Gustav Wood, Young Guns
3. Jimmy Urine, Mindless Self Indulgence
4. Tyson Ritter, All American Rejects
5. Sean Smith, the Blackout

REVEALING INTERVIEWS…

1. Little Man Tate
2. Young Guns
3. Attack! Attack!
4. Dinosaur Pile-Up
5. The Blackout

BEST VIDEO…

1. Lostprophets, Where we belong
2. Greenday, 21 guns
3. Young Guns, Winter Kiss
4. All Time Low, Weightless
5. Kings of Leon, Sex on Fire

Of course this is nothing more than my opnion and I can hardly imagine that you might have different thoughts about the best and worst of 2009. Though if the strangest thing occurs that we have a disagreement about something, you do have the permission to comment me about that...You can make a difference! Can we? Yes we can...

Interview with the Blackout

We are the children of the night, we are the children.... I wondered if Sean (vocals) really is a vampire. I was too afraid to stop by at full moon, but I did ask him some dark questions that reveal his dark and naughty thoughts. It seems that Sean talks a lot about “naked” fantasies in interviews, so my goal was to see if there is anything more about this blonde. Truth is, what you see and hear in interviews is really what you get. He may be a bit superficial, but I managed to uncover a bit of his dark and mysterious side. A side of Sean Smith that you would never expect him to have....

Sean, This will be a bit of a dark interview. It’s all about the night.

My favourite kind of interview!

What did you do last night?

Last night we played a gig in Brussels and then we just went back to the hotel and watched some soft porn, cause we’ve had been travelling all day. So it wasn’t a very eventful night, but hopefully tonight will be better and tomorrow in Amsterdam will be better again.

You’re a child of the night, what’s the difference between children of the night and children of the day?

I guess children of the night are a bit more mysterious and probably in an awful lot of trouble. We are lazy during the day, so I like to do things in the night.

Like?

Anything, go out, have fun and party. That is the kind of stuff I like to get up to during the night.

Where do you like to go out?

I started dj-ing a lot lately, I dj clubs and stuff. So I like to go out in club or gigs if there’s any show up.

What do you like to eat at night?

Anything, I would eat anything you put in front of me, but I love sushi more than anything, it’s so fantastic!

What do you usually do after a show?

Normally we do take a shower and then change. Not together! That would be strange…After that we just go out to a club or whatever is going on and just hang out really. We don’t have to go to work in the morning so we try to have as much fun as possible.

Are you going out tonight?

I’m not sure, but tomorrow we’ll go out in Amsterdam with the Young Guns, they’re a bunch of party animals as well, so that’s going to be messy!

You went to bed early yesterday, did you have a nice dream?

I have no idea, no sorry…

What is the nicest dream you’ve ever had?

I think that we’ve played Wembley Station once and everybody loved us, which is quite nice. I can’t think of any other nice dreams I’ve had. I normally don’t remember dreams, so this is the only one I can remember.

What is the worst nightmare that you’ve ever had?

I have nightmares about plane crashes. Like a week ago, I had this nightmare. I was in a plane and it crashed on a lake and it hit some trees. It doesn’t help that I’m completely scared of planes either. So I woke up less than happy. I dream a lot about planes lately.

Did you travel by plane?

No no no, we drove thank God!

Do you believe in dreams coming true?

I guess so, when we were younger we always used to setup our goals and when the band started we first used to play on the floor of clubs and venues and stuff. After that we were excited to play a stage and we even got to play in different countries. It’s really amazing for us that people like our band. It’s a dream coming true.

Are you spiritual?

Not really, I’m not very religious either. I probably don’t know for a fact what’s comes next. I just think that while you’re here you’ll just have to have as much fun as possible. So that’s kind of my philosophy I guess. You should party hard!

What do you think that happens after your death?

I have no idea. I like the heaven and the eternal party, but I’m not exactly sure. We could just rot in the ground as well. I’m not sure…

Are you going to Heaven or Hell?

Probably Hell, cause I’m evil.

Really? Why?

I do bad things

Like?

I don’t know if I cans say that, but I’ll probably end up in Hell sadly. But at least it is warm and there will be other evil people too to hang out with.

You like to hang out with evil people?

Yeah, they’re probably more fun to hang out with than people that are just to good all the time.

How would you describe your dark side?

It comes out in the night, in the day it’s a little bit better. How would I describe it? Naughty… Mysterious, probably annoying and probably a bit of a pest. At least when I’m in that mood. That’s about it I guess.

You’re not really coming off like a nice person, would you like to say anything nice about yourself?

I treat others like I like to be treated. I know that if I like to see a band I prefer them to be nice rather than miserable dicks. So I try to be nice, until somebody wrongs me I’m fine with a person.

How mysterious are you?

Probably not very, I guess that what you see is what you get and what I say in interviews is what you get. Yeah not very mysterious.

Are you afraid of the dark?

No, not at all. When I was younger my mother told me to eat carrots, so I could see in the dark. I’ve eaten so many carrots that I should be able to see in the dark, but it’s not true yet. I’m still trying.

So when I’ll see you perform tonight, your eyes will glow!

Yes! Hopefully! I recently bought a pair of sneakers that glow in the dark.

If you could be a vampire, whose blood would you drink?

I would like to get my teeth in Megan Fox or there is a girl called Sasha Grey. You’d have to look her up online.

I don’t know her.

No, it’s probably for the best. Yeah, but if you look her up online you will find out who she is and what she does.

Who is she?

Uhhhhm…. She’s an actress, lets say she’s an actress!

What kind of actress?

Uhhhm, she does…She is really good! She’s a really good actress.

Is she the one that you saw last night?

I wish, she could have been involved in that one, yeah that is kind of her work and the stuff she does. She’s fantastic!

Have you celebrated Halloween?

Yes, my friend had a house party and we all went there dressed up accept for Bob our guitar player, because he’s too miserable. He’s too miserable to have fun.

Is he a child of the day?

He’s an old man of the night, that’s what he is. We all dressed up like pumpkins and hang out and people got drunk and stuff. It’s fun!

Like what did you dress up?

I dressed up as a skeleton. I got my face paint, had fake teeth and got my hair up.

You dressed up at the Lowlands festival as well.

Yeah we did that, it was quite fun though. We enjoy dressing up, we’ve done it before though. It will probably happen again, but not tonight. I haven’t got any fancy dress with me.

I can bring you a fancy dress tomorrow.

I’d be the only one then! I’ll be on my own, everybody else will be laughing at me.

Maybe I can even get you six.

Then we’ll all dress as you! Right.

Is the song “I love myself and I want to live” a parody on a very dark Nirvana song?

Yeah, pretty much. The song is kind of about just being positive get on with your live rather then let depression dig you down and eventually killing yourself. That’s what the song is about. It is just kind of a good rocking party vibe.

You sing about how much you love yourself, but what do you like the most about yourself?

Just that I get to be in a band I and that I get to meet people and get to do interviews with people that offer me fancy dresses. Right now I’m just living the best possible life I’ve always wanted.

Would you like to be in a band for your whole life?

If I could yes, it’s not even a job. People say it is the best job ever, but it’s not even a job. It is too easy to be a job. It is just amazing and we work hard and we will keep working hard so we would like to do this for as long as possible.

There is no dark side about this “job”?

Not really, we do have long driving for hours and sometimes we argue and Bob is a dick, but that’s about it really.

You don’t really seem to like him…

No, he’s a dick! He knows it as well.

What would you do if a blackout occurred during your show?

This has happened actually, we played a show in the UK and all the power went out. We were playing with a band called Funeral For A Friend. They had a football, so we just kicked the ball onstage for a bit. Basically that was the show for like ten to fifteen minutes. When the power came back we played again. So we probably try to entertain the audience and ourselves. Probably with some terrible jokes, cause we have terrible jokes as well.

Like?

I can’t think of a joke, you can’t put me on a spot! I can’t think of anything…

What was the last joke that you told to somebody?

I read one in a magazine yesterday. There are two boys, one is twelve and one is seven. They go downstairs for breakfast and father says: What do you want for breakfast? The twelve-year-old says: I want f*cking cornflakes! Father beats him up and says go to your bedroom! Then he turns to the seven-year-old and he asks: What do you want for breakfast? And he says: Well I don’t want f*cking cornflakes! Terrible joke!

How are you going to make tonight the most special night ever?

We’re going to play naked! No we’re probably not going to.

You’re not going to dress up, you’re not going to play naked….

We are going to make all the audience be naked.

Really?

We’ll try

Well good luck!

I hope so! Everyone should ne naked, I don’t discriminate, boys, girls anything! Even animals.

Is there anything more you would like to say, dark stuff or anything about the night?

If you see me in a dark alley, run away! They shouldn’t run to me, I’ll warn them! There is a good chance I’ll bite them. Especially when they look like Sasha Grey.
Sasha Grey...

Interview with Young Guns

Who would expect that Friday the thirteenth could turn out to be such an amazing day? It had been a day of amazing music and lovely superheroes. It’s actually quite hard to describe my thoughts about this fantastic band called Young Guns, cause my thoughts are wild and all over my brain. Truth is…can’t stop thinking about them. I know that they’ll be a band I would always remember. Just when I thought that I’d know what rock stars were all about, Gustav (vocals) proved me wrong. With his modest, honest and sweet attitude he’s a true superhero to me! And that’s exactly what this interview is about.

Interview with: Gustav (vocals)
Interviewed by: Pearl

So despite of Friday the thirteenth, did you have a good day?

I have had an amazing day! The guitarist said to me today is Friday the 13th and it’s an important show to us. I’m quite superstitious so I was really nervous. The last two shows were amazing, but tonight it was busy and the crowd was really up for a good time. So we’ve had a lot of fun. At least so far Friday the 13th had been a better day than I could have possibly imagined.

Are you a superhero?

Am I a superhero? No definitely not, I’m far too lazy to be as courageous as superhero.

Have you done any good deeds today?

Today? No, I haven’t done anything bad, but I haven’t done anything great today. In my life I would like to think that I’ve done some good things.

Like?

A while ago we had a house party and a girl turned up. I don’t know who she was. Turns out she is quite young and she drank too much and became ill. And it turns out she nearly died. I didn’t know this, but her dad came round next day and thanked me cause she had like slipped into a coma and if I hadn’t given her CPR, apparently she could have been seriously ill or died. I was quite proud of that, but today we’ve done nothing courageous. I’ve just gotten up and been really tired and then played a cool show!

Would you like to be a superhero?

I would love to be a superhero!

Which one?

Spiderman, without doubt! I already knew the answer on that. He has always been my favourite. When I was a kid I had like eight costumes of him. He has this great mix of powers you know. He can kind of fly, he can swing around he’s really strong, but he can also be just a person. So definitely Spiderman!

If we would be in the year 2012 when the world goes under…

Hopefully not

As a superhero which people would you safe?

Who would I safe? Well I’d be selfish and I would firstly safe my mother and my brother cause I come from quite a small family, but we’re very close. I’m lucky that I’m very close to them and they’re very supportive. Without them I wouldn’t be anything. So they would be the first two I would save. And then I suppose logically it will be my friends.

What about your fans?

Well I find it hard to believe that we have any fans, so that’s a difficult question for me to answer. We still are a very small band, but if we have any fans I would gladly save them.

Would you save us?

I would definitely save you two; you’ll be on top of my list.

Do you feel like a superhero on stage?

Well, it’s funny cause in a good show and if things are going well, there are times when I feel different because of the adrenalin, the moment and the attention that people give to you. You do feel a little bit like a superhero, sometimes. And I think that is probably why some people find it addictive, cause it is like a rush really, an amazing feeling. So I don’t know if I feel like a superhero, but I definitely feel something different than I feel when I’m walking around as a person during the day. There is a definite difference between me on stage and me off stage. That’s for sure.

What’s the difference?

I’m offstage a lot quieter and a lot less of a show-off.

What to you is a legendary band?

Well my favourite band of all time is a band called the Police. So they are my favourite band, they are a legendary band to me. I also like The Beatles; they are obviously one of the biggest bands and best bands of all times. When I was a kid my mother was really into the Police. So the Police and the Beatles for me.

Do they influence your music?

Not so much the Beatles, but the Police definitely do. In a way they look at song writing. We may not sound that necessary much like the Police but it’s kind of in the way that they approach their song writing. Is definitely something we try to keep in consideration. They wrote like pop songs in essence like verse chorus, verse chorus, but tried to step outside the band music. I like to say that we’re a pop band, in a kind of popular sense. We just don’t necessarily have like the Britney Spears kind of vocals. Pop music is a lot more than the kind of horrible shit that you see. It’s just popular music that is written with a structured and catchy formula.

I read your lyrics and they’re really beautiful!

It’s funny cause I’m so far of being satisfied with my lyrics you know. I think that they can be an awful lot better. It’s very kind of you to say so though. And I do like the lyrics, but I like to think that I can push myself and get better all the time Do you know a band called Say Anything? They’re an American band. On the surface it’s kind of emo/indie, but his lyrics are like out of this world. Phenomenal! It’s just incredible. When I listen to something like that I just think that I should better give up. So thank you, but I would like to think that we can get a lot better.

How are you going to make your band a legend?

That’s a difficult question, I think…What I would like to be legendary for, if you would like to be legendary for anything, I would like to play small shows, in small venues and everybody has to go as crazy as they possibly can. We would like to be a big band that plays in small venues. So if I could be legendary for anything, it would be for that.

Tell me the truth, are rock stars just desperate womanizers or are they true superheroes?

Well it’s not like that. You know like everywhere else in the world rock stars are mainly guys and because of that they’re interested in girls. But I wouldn’t say that they are superheroes either. If there are superheroes, they would be people like doctors, people that really contribute. I think it’s probably unfair to say that much rock stars are just after the girls, cause there’s a lot more than that. But they’re not superheroes, they’re just somewhere in between.

http://www.myspace.com/youngguns

Interview with the Cubical

These great guys from Britain managed to be named `One of the coolest bands ever´ by Mojo magazine. I have to admit that they really are... Due to their unique sound, which is bluesy, raw and like nothing else you’ve ever heard. I don’t think there’s need to say anything more. Just find out yourself at http://www.myspace.com/thecubicalthecubical
Listen to their rocking tunes and keep an eye on this amazing band!

Interview with: Dan (vocals)
Interviewed by: Pearl

How was your day? Did you do anything special?

My day has been pretty good, bit of a hangover but just relaxed all day watching True Blood. But nothing special.

You´ve just released your debut album, how would you describe it?

I'm never too good at describing our sound so I'll just say a collection of finely crafted songs, some fast, some slow, mutated blues.

What have been your inspiration sources and influences on this album?

We draw on a wide variety of influences and each member of the band brings something different but we all love the blues, Son House, Howlin Wolf, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, Dr John, Nick Cave. We are also into the likes of Hank Williams, Bing, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, all the classic song writers.

Why did you choose for Dead Young Records?

Dead Young Records are a pretty cool label, good guys and into similar stuff so we kinda picked each other really.

How are you going to conquer the British music scene?

Well were just gonna do our thing, play our songs around the country and hopefully people will jump aboard the good ship Cubical. We've already gotta a cultish following in bizarre pockets of the UK.

Do you think that being in a band is a way to escape the everyday life?

Well maybe at first but we've been doing it awhile so its just part of our everyday lives now but yeh it does break up the mundanity of the daily grind.

Have you changed as a person since you were in this band?

I suppose I have yeah I've probably grown in confidence and ability amongst other things. Bad habits too. People change by nature.

Would you change your sound and become more mainstream for the money and the fame?

No I don't think we could ever do that really its not in us. Personally I could only do something if I was interested in it and excited by it artistically and I'd say the same for the rest of the guys.

You´ve already achieved a lot, but do you have any unfulfilled dreams left?

Of course plenty of unfilled dreams. We just want to take this forward to the next level, record a new album and come and play in Holland, hopefully though that will be early next year.

Interview Dinosaur Pile-up

Interview with: Matt and Steve
Interviewed by: Pearl

It was a complete coincidence that I ran into them on the streets, but something in me tells me that this was meant to be! I’ve had an interesting conversation with them and that’s exactly what made this interview so special...The fact that it wasn’t really an interview! After a mind-blowing gig in a sold out Heineken Music Hall they were still full of adrenalin and full of amazing stories and fantasies which they, kind as they are, would like to share with you! Be prepared to read about some interesting stuff about a band that isn’t a typical rock band in an interview that isn’t a typical interview...

Did you enjoy playing the Heineken Music Hall?

M: Yeah, it was really cool! Amazing!

P: Where do you know the Pixies from? (They played the gig with the Pixies)

M: Where do I know the Pixies from? I kinda have always known the Pixies. They’re just one of those bands of the 90s that inspired bands that we’re into. Mayor bands like Nirvana. I’m not into all their stuff, but I’m into a lot of it! So I don’t know, I’ve known them since I was little. For you it´s probably the same right?

S: Yeah, cause they are an influence for a lot of our favourite bands, so that’s a big deal!

M: They’re just one of those bands that you should know about.

P: How is touring with them?

M: Cool! It’s really cool! The places we play in are really big which is a shock for us, cause we’ve only played in a few big places like the Leeds and Reading festival. And it’s because you’re below the Pixies, that there is a whole crowd…

P: You’re not below the Pixies!

M: Well...

P: I really believe that you’re better than the Pixies.

M: Yeah right!

P: Really.

M: Shit!! That’s kind of a compliment! Well look at you, you’re just saying that...

P: I have to admit that I didn’t really know that Pixies until today, but I really liked your show!

M: Okay cool, thank you very much!

P: Do you hang out together?

M: We haven’t really talked to them much, but Steve has talked to them right?

S: They take a lot of smokes and I smoke too, so the conversations are more like: Can I have a cigarette?

M: We’re not really hanging out together, they go straight from the venue to the hotel, so it’s not like we meet them in a passing.

P: What do you think of touring?

M: It’s wicked!

S: To me it’s the best thing of being in a band! Totally wicked!

M: I really like to sit and write songs and I like to record them. So the hardest thing about touring for me is that I’m always on the road and don’t have the chance to just shut the door and stuff. I did it today for like half an hour or an hour before we left the hotel, but it’s never the same, cause when you write at home you know the room and it is comfortable. So I love touring, but when you’re on tour you have to give something up.

P: Where do you prefer to write your songs?

M: I usually just write in my bedroom, but recently I started writing in another room, it’s really quiet and I go there every day.

P: Does that room give you some special kind of inspiration?

M: It just feels comfortable. Inspiration is just like stuff that happened and stuff you think about. That room just feels easy.

P: So what’s the funniest thing that happened to you on this tour?

M: The funniest thing that happened to me personally was probably last night at 3 am when Tom and Steve banged on the door. Me and Wayne were asleep and I got out in my pants and Steve and Tom walked in head to toe wrapped around everything in maps of Amsterdam, just like a massive map, they had maps everywhere! It was crazy! They found a lot of maps at the reception and they did that..

S: We just wanted to show Matt what we’d made actually.

P: How did you react?

M: It was more of a noise than a reaction actually.

P: Where did you go last night?

M: After we met you we went to a pub that we got recommended. We went to a supermarket and then got a metro to the hotel.

P: I’ve seen that you have a lot of gigs on your tour, how do you manage to survive?

M: I don’t know, this bit right now is the easiest bit. We have Wayne and people that are helping us with getting the equipment and it will get a lot harder when we’re just with the three of us. Then we’ll sleep on peoples floors, so we’ll see how that goes. That will be hard, but this part is easy. This Friday is the last show with the Pixies and then we’ll fly back and from that start it’ll be really hard. We use humour to survive, we’re just stupid idiots at the end of the day and we make each other laugh, that’s what keeps the spirits up between us!

S: We talk about a lot and that’s the key to a band surviving and also a bit of humour. But too being able to talk to each other and being okay with each other.

P: Do you talk about everything?

M: Yeah everything.

P: So you’re best friends?

M: Steve to me is really really close, cause we spent a lot of time with each other in difficult situations, we’re being helpful and I really need this guy!

M: You have to get that right, cause you face a lot of hard times on tour.

P: What do you think of the different music scenes in Britain?

M: Don’t know, because it’s not about how many genres there are it’s all about the genres you like. The trouble we have is that the music we’re into is not really represented in the UK. There is a massive Indie scene that is really shit music!

P: It’s not shit music!

S: Pretty much everybody in England is in a band. Like in Europe this is not the same, but a lot of these bands miss the concentration.

M: When there’s a gig in Europe it’s more special. In England you can go to a gig in every venue in every city at every night and most of these bands are just horrifying. If you would go to London you could go to a gig every night and if you would go to Leeds you can see 4/5 bands every night! But it makes it quite hard for us, cause there’s so much competition, so many bands! So the people that can do things for you are divided so many times. The problem is that the good bands don’t get noticed because there’re sooo many bands...

P: But don’t you think that the competition is good for the quality?

M: Yes that’s good if you’ve made it.

P: But you’ve made it.

M: We’ve not made it, we have a long way to go...

P: It’s a good start.

P: In Holland we don’t have such a music culture as you do in England and the bands that we have are usually really bad, have you heard any Dutch bands?

M: There’s one really nice band, they’re from Utrecht and they’re not a big band yet, but they’re really cool. We’ve played with them last time we were in Holland and after that they’ve played with us in England. It was great!

P: I just bought your ep, the most powerful ep in the universe, why is it the most powerful ep in the universe?

M: Well, because we’re big egos..Just joking. To be honest with you the name is more of a joke than a statement. A lot of people say us: So it’s the most powerful ep in the universe, and we’re like it’s a joke you know. It’s just an ep.

P: I’ve heard that you would like to make people feel like you did at a Foo Fighters gig, can you describe that specific feeling?

M: Well, that was T in the Park and I was just blown away! I love their first two albums, amazing albums! I felt really inspired, it’s just what they do and who they are.

P: You both kind of looked like Dave Grohl on stage with all that hair before your faces.

M: Really? O no..

P: So tell me, how does it feel to go from a member of the audience to a member of the band?

M: We still are members of the audience. We still go see bands that we like. So I don’t know, it’s pretty awesome really! When I was younger I remembered going to the Reading festival and I always felt deep down that I wanted to perform on that second stage. It has such a good atmosphere and the sound is so good! So it was just really cool when we got the chance to play there! Sometimes when we perform I sing really close to the mic, so that I can see the people in the crowd and then suddenly it hits me and I realize what I’m doing. It’s really great, isn’t it?!

P: Are you still capable to sing when that happens?

M: It was a bit like Awahahahwa... It’s hard but well. It’s something you usually just think about afterwards. When you get back on your feet after the show you think hang on, did I just play that?

P: If you could organize the Reading festival, what bands would be on it?

M: Cool,okay.. Torche! They’re amazing! Slayer..

P: That is really hard!

M: But that’s not why. I’m a punk rocker, but they’re obviously one of the best bands technical.

S: I’d have Nirvana, I would bring them back.

M: I’d have the Foo Fighters, short after they’ve released the first album.

P: Wouldn’t it be hard for Dave to play twice?

M: He would play twice. Maybe we could have like two dimensions, that would be awesome! Who would you have to play Steve?

S: I’d have really heavy metal bands!

M: I’d have some very predictable stuff, early Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Melvins..

P: No girl bands?

M: There are a few good girl bands,

S: Janis Joplin, P.J. Harvey, Kylie Minoque

P: If you’d be in the audience at your own festival, where would you be?

M: I’d probably be in the front.

S: Definitely!

M: If all those bands played at one festival and I wouldn’t be able to play that festival I would cry. I would literally be crying, horrible, it would be tearing!

P: Have you ever cried during a gig?

M: No, but I’ve felt very near to happen.

P: I’ve cried one time during a gig, it made me feel like a loser.

M: What gig was that?

P: The Lostprophets..

M: Wauw!! Awesome!! I wasn’t expecting that..

P: What do you think of the Lostprophets?

M: They really started off really good, but they ended up not so good. They started off really heavy and technical.

P: They’re making an album that is a lot darker.

M: they started off really really heavy and technical, but recently they’ve just released really bad stuff. You’re a big fan, I can tell!

S: She is like die hard!

M: Yeah, she’s like no no they’re going to do an album that’s darker!

P: But they really are!

M: Hahaha, I can listen to them. There are a couple of songs that I like, but I can’t remember how it goes..

S: Tudududutututududu..

P: Shinobi versus dragon ninja!

M: That was when they were good, I like that song.

P: They usually perform that at the end of the show and then they go crowd surfing.

M: Really? haha

P: Do you ever crowd surf?

M: I’ve crowd surfed as a member of the audience.

S: I haven’t done it in this band yet. You did it at...

M: No, I didn’t it was Tom.

S: But there is a picture of you.

M: Yeah, I ran into the crowd once, but I ended up on the floor.

S: The first time I’ve crowd surfed I was really rocking and kicking ass! Me and Matt did it together.

M: That was a good one!

P: I’ve always wanted to crowd surf sometime.

M: You really should! It’s cool! It’s fun!

P: I’m a bit afraid for the touching..

M: As a girl I should warn you. Boys in crowds aren’t to be trusted and they’ll take advantage you know.

P: So what things keep you busy besides music?

S: I have a dog.

P: Do you take him with you on tour?

S: No

M: Things beside music..There’s nothing else I think.

S: Even if we’re in the van driving to venues we still play the guitar.

M: And we’re all air drumming on Slayer!

P: So what is the name of your dog Steve?

S: Pig, he’s a half-blood terrier and he looks like a pig, so we call him pig. He’s the best dog ever!

M: He’s good, he’s the most handsome dog ever!

S: He’s very cool, he’s the kind of kid that enters the van of a very famous band and would just walk up and say hey. He’s like that in a dog form.

M: If Steve talks to him he just ignores him. The dog is just like; I’m not talking to you.

P: Are dogs your favourite animals?

S: Yeah, dogs and than rats. A rat is an amazing pet. I used to have a rat, his name was Smeagel.

M: Rats are amazing, but I like dogs more. They are so intelligent, really affectionate and laid back.

P: What about dinosaurs?

M: No

P: What would you do if you would live in the Dinosaur era?

M: We would start a rock band called Dinosaur pile-up and play gigs. I don’t really think about time.

S: I think that the world would be a lot more civilised. If a city gets attacked by a massive dinosaur, it would make people a lot closer, cause they would have a band and stuff.

P: Woow you’ve really thought about it!

M: I think a lot about Jurassic Park en Deep Impact things. I also think that I have to make a plan, like an escape route just in case the Dinosaurs come and Grrrrrraaaaahhhhwwwww!!! Oooeeeeaaaaaahhhh!!! If they would come here, what would you do?

P: I would play my guitar so loud that I would just blow them away.

S: Every now and then I feel a bit sad that they’re not still around.

M: Me too!

S: I want to see them so badly! Like knowing that I never will is really sad. I really want to see them!

P: We probably wouldn’t exist if they were still here.

M: That’s very true. Tyradactills were one of those, DANGEROUS!

S: Raawwwwwwwr!!

M: They were really bad.

S: They would eat a lot of people.

M: Yeah they would, they would bite you to death. Imagining being eaten by a Tyrex!

S: It just wouldn’t be like being bitten by a Tyradactill, I would rather be bitten by a Tyradactill.

M: No you wouldn’t, no you wouldn’t! If a Tyrex would bit you, you would be like.. A Tyradactill would beat you up and bite you with his massive deathly uuuhhh (shiffers)...

P: So what is Dinosaur pile-up coming up with in the future?

S: We’ve just released our new ep and in the New Year we would like to do an album.

P: Okay guys, sounds good! Thank you very much for this interview!

Agony Way

I’m not sure why they picked this name, cause Agony way is everything but an Agony way.
They may even sound a bit cheerful, but that might be just my opinion. One thing is for sure, Agony Way is ready to enrich the alternative rock scene!
This punky rock band from Italy is only a few years old, but they’ve already managed to capture their very own sound in their new record called ‘For rent’. The next Vanilla Sky? No, cause they’re not as poppy and emotional as the Vanillo’s. But they do have potential, cause they sound like no other; Original, energetic, catchy, honest with a punky attitude.
“For Rent” is full of powerful songs that makes you want to dance, jump and scream at the same time. Especially “At terror street” and “The quick brown fox” are very addictive songs, even when you listen to this songs for the first time. I usually need to get accustomed to songs, but this time it was different, special... The songs sticked to my head even after the first time of hearing them. So, that could mean that the songs are catchy, predictable, easy listening or just pretty amazingly special?! Some of the songs on “For Rent” are catchy and some of the choruses are maybe a bit predictable, but that’s okay, cause they’re part of a total called ‘great rock music’. Let me be clear about this: Music doesn’t need to be complex, it needs to be friendly for your ears. And that’s what makes this music so pretty amazingly special! Agony Way is nice and punky, just the way I like it!

Interview Attack! Attack!

Honesty didn't get me anywhere, but I'm sure it got them far...
I've honestly never met such an honest,nice and relaxed band before. The way that they treat their fans is phenomenal, so gentle, so polite and very sweet! But once they climb the stage they turn into wild animals! The energy and power that they capture in their songs on-stage is mind blowing, something I haven't seen before. It's obvious that great music brings out the best in Neil(vocals), Ryan(guitar), Mike(drums) and Will(bass). Attack! Attack! is ready to Attack! the global rock-scene by stealing millions of innocent hearts by honest, nice and polite raw booming ROCK MUSIC!

Interview with: Neil and Ryan
Interview by: Pearl

Are you excited to play in Rotterdam tonight?

Neil: Very, even more than normal I think, because of what happened last time. We couldn't make it then.

How are you going to make up for that?

Ryan: We'll play naked tonight!
Neil: Yeah...

Really?

Neil: Yes! No that's not making up for that. You don't want to see us naked. There's nothing we can do, we promised to come back and we did, so that's everything we can do. So that's probably the best that we can do, but we always try to do that anyway.

I'm always surprised by the energy that you have on stage. How do you capture the energy and power in your songs?

Neil: that's a good question...I don't think that there's an answer on that, it's just natural I think. Music and the energy that we feel is in the music just brings out the best in us while we are on-stage and playing it. That's probably just what it is. It's just that we enjoy the music so much that we really get into it.

You grew up admiring the Lostprophets and you've got the opportunity to work and tour with them. What did you learn from them?

Neil: I think that they taught us that you can be a couple of average guys of South Wales and still make it in the music industry with hard work and determination.They worked so hard, they believed in what they did and they've achieved their dreams. That gives bands like us the believe that we can achieve our dreams as well.

I've seen the video of "you and me" and it kind of reminds me of the film Charley and the Chocolate factory.

Neil: Really? Cool, I love that film!

Which one is your favorite character?

Neil: My favorite is Grab a Joke!
Ryan: God! I think it's got to be Willy Wonka, Gene Simmons. It's got to be Gene Simmons...
No he's not Gene Simmons! Gene Simmons is definitely not Willy Wonka right?! haha..
Neil: I didn't see the remake, what was the remake like?
Ryan: Nothing on the original...

I haven't seen the original.

Ryan and Neil: O NO! You've got to see that! Get it on the screen now!
Neil: Is Grab a Joke even in the remake? Our answers are based on the original.

The video also reminded me of a time I was afraid of people coming out of the television.

Neil: Like the film the Ring! have you seen that film?

No

Neil: That happens in that film, it's a horror movie, it's scary!

What used to be your fears as a child?

Neil: Still is, fish. I've always been scared of fish and chickens. At least when they're alive, cause I love them when they're dead and tasty!
Ryan: I'm not scared of anything! No.

Never been afraid of the dark or something like that?

Ryan: Maybe afraid of the dark when I was a kid, maybe...
Neil: maybe this time?
Ryan: hehe I'm not afraid of chickens... I used to be scared of dogs, don't know why, I love dogs.

What things inspire you to write songs?

Neil: All different kind of things: Everyday life experiences, touring in a band, being on the road, news things, movies.

Really personal stuff?

Neil: That's coming to it definitely.

Do you write about things that are very close to your heart, or do you prefer to write about things that everyone can identify with?

Neil: I think they both cross over anyway, cause a lot of stuff that happens to you, happen to a lot of other people as well. And you can interpret lyrics in your own way, so we might have written something that means this, but somebody might think it means something else. That's cool, as long as they could relate with it.

What's the nicest song to perform live?

Neil: I really like playing "From now on".

Are you going to play that tonight as well?

Neil: Yeah we will. When we recorded this song we didn't know what the song sounded like. It's hard to explain. The song wasn't finished when we started recording it. It might sound strange, but the first time we played the song from start to finish was actually live. I really like it because of the fresh feeling of playing it. A lot of songs you play hundreds and hundreds of times and then you record them, but this song is differently. We had the ideas, but we didn't actually have the full song.

Is it also your favorite song to perform live?

Ryan: No I like to play "You and Me" I think...I don't know I like them all I think.

Will you be playing all of your songs tonight?

Neil: We're not playing "Lost for Words"

That's too bad.

Neil: Sorry, we've played it only a few times, but it's a little bit hard to sing and that can cause problems. It wouldn't be so bad to sing it at the end of a tour, at the last day, cause if you damage your voice you can have time to recover. But that's not possible when you're on tour. i struggle with that sometimes. We stay away from that and pretend it doesn't exists.

You´ve performed on the London Forum, which is really big, but tonight you´ll be playing in Watt, which is a bit smaller but cosy at the same time. What do you prefer?

Neil: That depends as long as it is full. I definitely prefer Europe in general to the UK. You do get treated better by the promoters and the venues are very helpfull. In the UK, a lot of the time you get at a venue and you're out there on your own. In Europe there're always people to help you and that's cool.

Is there a difference between the British and the Dutch audience?

Neil: Must be..Neither of them understand us, cause we're Welsh, we speak too fast.
It's funny, because in the UK there are different parts with totally different attitudes towards bands in general. So you have places you look forward to more to go and play in the UK. We've played in two different places in Holland, Amsterdam and Nijmegen. The Amsterdam crowd is always really cool. And Nijmegen...You were at the Nijmegen show, it's always good. We've never had a bad reaction anywhere we've been, whether it's Holland, the UK or anywhere. But the Dutch fans always seem to be up for a good time, so that's cool. Enthousiastic! Which is always good.

What would your life look like if there wasn't any music?

Neil: Dark, boring..
Ryan: What our life would look like? No good!
Neil: I would have to kill fifteen hours a day. I don't know, I love listening to music, love playing music. If there was no music...
Ryan: That would have been bad wouldn't it?
Neil: That's why I would say thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing, thanks for all the joy they're bringing. I'll ask in all honesty, what would life be like? Do you know that song? No

Would you be another person if you weren't in a band?

Ryan: I'd probably be in prison right now.
Neil: In Wales you have two choices music or crime.

What kind of crime would you commit?

Neil: Anything! Car theft, drugs, an occaisional murder... Like when Mike and Ryan were younger they were in a crime gang. Ryan, show her your tattoos! They were dark times, but luckily they discovered music and it can pull you out of these things and give you a totally different direction.
If you could kill one person in the world who would that be?

Neil: Sean Smith..
Ryan: Can we kill a band?

SEAN SMITH??

Neil: No joking...I knew I would get a reaction on that!
Ryan: I would kill Scouting for girls.

Really? Why?

Ryan: Because it's a terrible band!
Neil: Are we going to be found out for killing this person?

No

Neil: Okay, this is good..Gordon Brown I think. Gordon Brown is the prime minister of the UK. I got to kill Gordon Brown and give the UK a fresh start in politics.

Wouldn't you kill the other Attack! Attack! band?

Ryan: O yeah, we'd kill them as well!
Neil: No we'd hug and kiss!
Ryan: I'd kill them, definitely!

How would a sixteen-year-old Neil or Ryan look at the person that you've become today?

Neil: I don't think I'd believe it.
Ryan: No I wouldn't believe it, I'd laugh!
Neil: I've totally changed, cause I was very shy as a child. I think I'd be very happy with what I've done with my life from that point of view.

You don't have any regrets?

Neil: There're always regrets, meeting Ryan that was a regret.

If you could have a time-machine, would you go forward in time or would you go to the past?

Ryan: I'd definitely go back.
Neil: I'd go back too.
Ryan: I'd go back to the seventies.
Neil: No I'd go to the sixtees when that whole Beatles explosion happenend, that would have been cool to see.

I've heard that Mike is the father of the band, in what ways does he different from you?

Neil: He's taller and he's kind of sensible I think. When it's time to leave he's always like "comon can we leave now?" He's always thinking ahead of the next show.

Are you a typical rockband? You know where the singer and the guitarist are more with the groupies and stuff, while the drummer and the bassist are more down to earth?

Neil: Well, you can't keep Will away from the girls. He can't stop it. I don't really think it's like that.
Ryan: We're nothing like that at all.
Neil: We like to meet people, but we're not interested in "Do you want to come back to our bus" kind of stuff you know? Forget that. We have our computer games on the bus, what do we need girls for?

Is there any prejudgement about rockbands you would like to get rid of?

Neil: No, it does happen with some bands. Some guys in bands are into that kind of stuff and maybe that's why they go in a band in the first place, cause that's what they wanted to do. But it's different for us, we're just four guys looking to have a laugh. We'll see what happens and we'll be going with the flow. But it does happen, just not to our band.

If you could solve one problem in the world, what would that be?

Ryan: Poverty
Neil: Poverty is a good one. I was going to say disease, but then can you imagine if you get rid of disease that the population will grow absurd! So I would go for poverty as well.

If you could be president of the USA what would you do?

Ryan: O that's too much! I can't go into that one.
Neil: I think Obama is awesome, really really awesome! You just try to do the best you can, it's a job that I wouldn't want. I would not want to deal with such a big country. It's the most important country of the world!

You would be very famous!

Neil: Yeah, but it would still be bad! You wouldn't be able to do anything, everything you do is watched and critisised. Very little praise is coming out of doing that job!

Do you like to be famous?

Neil: No, not to be famous. I like to be in a succesfull band and I quess that will become part and part together. So I suppose yes is the answer, but not to be famous. To be succesfull with the band that's what we want to be. Honestly, we want as many people to come to our show as possible and for every night to be in big venues and to meet loads of new people and have fun everywhere around the world. Which I think you can't really have if nobody knows who you are.

I'm giving you three wishes..What would you wish for?

Neil: Health

For yourself or for the world?

Neil: I was going to say for my family and friends, which sounds a bit selfish. What would you choose Ryan?
Ryan: Succes and inpoverty
Neil: Yeah something like that.
Ryan: What would I wish for? Loads and loads of money!

Always usefull

Ryan: You can do a lot with money!
Neil: You can cause and also solve a lot of problems. I think I would buy a football club if I had loads and loads of money. I think I wouldn't buy a big one, but a small one and try to build them up. I would help a small team to get bigger, maybe our home town Cardiff, that'll be good...

Thank you very much for this interview Neil and Ryan!

Taking Back Sunday in Amsterdam

Let it be clear, Taking Back Sunday is new again! With their new singer and cd they manage to sound like they've just reborn. And along with this powerful cd called New Again came a glorious and spectaculair gig in the Amsterdam Melkweg.

Starting with one of my favorite songs, this gig was garanteed for a lot of fun. Imagine the intro of "What's it feel like to be a ghost?"and you'd probably know what I mean. Adam, the singer really looks like a performer and apperantly he is. he has the moves, the looks, the attitude, the only thing I was missing was a real honest connection with the audience. Come on rockstars, you know what them girls on the front row like. Take off your shirt! or at least give them some high fives, that shouldn't be too hard right?

But I have to be honest, this had been an exeptional good show. The music was powerful and so full of energy. They've played for one and a half hour in which they performed 17 songs. Almost all of their good songs. Songs that really make you go crazy like spin and liar, but also songs from the new album called New again and lonely lonely. Trust me, you would really like to have this new cd, it's Taking Back Sunday like you've never heard them before, fresher, more energetic and completely New Again.

bye bye blackbird

There's an ending to every story. It may sound depresssing, but unfortunatly it is. Luckily their is a start to every end as well, although it might be hard to see the light at the tunnel sometimes.I hope you're not expecting a very cheerful story right now, cause this is the time for me I start to realise that some rockbands may sound immortal, but doesn't seem to be.

It has already been a few weeks ago since the announcement of the break-up of Little Man Tate. Right, it 's devastating and so unexpected! The last time I've seen them had only been a few months ago. I've even had a interview with them and nothing, really nothing in the interview, performances or conversations referred to a upcoming break up. They were're really the most cheerful and funny band I've ever met. They were one of the few bands I was sure of that could last, cause of the on and off stage fun they had. Don't people say that fun is the most important aspect of a job? Anyway, apparentely they thought about that in a different way. Or are they just very good actors? It seemed like they had it all....Looks, fun, critical acclaim. Alright, they didn't agree with me on the last part, but as a serious rockband, you have to be a bit realistic too. They sold out arenas, tours, had a lovely and huge fanbase, but still they wanted more. Jon (singer) actually told me that he thought that Little Man Tate was one of the best modern britpop bands. I have to say that I agree, but I'm sure that a lot of people would laugh at him if he tries to compare his band with The Beatles. But it all doesn't matter anymore, cause they quit. They are done! Finished...Over and out.

If it could happen to the most cheerful and fun band I've ever known, what would that mean for the others? Does that mean (I can barely write this down...) the end of bands like Deep Insight? The Lostprophets? Uncommonmenfrommars? It can happen to anyone of them and that scares me a bit...

And the most scary part of it all is that you can't really prepare yourself for it. How do you know if a band is going to breakdown? Or what does a band need to last?
First of all a lot of fun. Most musicians just don't make that much of money, they have to make music cause they love making music and not for the money, groupies or lifestle. They also need some fans, cause they have to get confident with the music that they are making. They need support, otherwise they'll get insecure and lets be honest, they just won't be able to handle it financial. A third and very important point is that the bandmates have to be good friends or family.Someting underrated is the role of the mamagers and promoters. They also play a very important role in the band. I'm sure that there are tons of other important factors for a healthy and long bandlife, but how can I know. I've never been in a band for more than 2 months...

So it's not that I blame them. The important message that I'm trying to tell you is that you always have to be aware that nothing lasts forever.
Eventhough,always remember the that there is nothing more worth than a great memory. Remember that memories never break up. Remember that memories never collapse. Remember that memories never get wasted or addicted. Remember that memeories and music never die.

lyric by me

CLEAR

Seperate the thoughts of a paranoid mind
You´ll gave me the clear insight of a magical kind
Fantasy walks into reality but never turns back
Confusing my mind and blocking my track

My thoughts are rare
but the answers are there
Seperate love from lust
Affection from trust

Tired of waiting and seeking trough my mind
Concluding that fantasy is what I can´t find
The colours of the wind, the music in my head
Let it never be said

My thoughts are rare
but the answers are there
Seperate love from lust
Affection from trust

The story so far...

It feels just like yesterday that I went to pre-university education for the first time. Me as a little shy girl inc. braces and a huge backpack! Emberassing? no, cause I think everybody had been that way once and I'm pretty proud of what I'd become out of that little girl...You're probably wondered why I'm so sentimental right now..Well, it had just been graduation day and I am finally finished with my pre-university education!! Congrats to me;)

This day really made me think of all the changes I've been trough... I've gained more sense of style, I've grown a lot, but most important I've leared a lot about music! I've got the chance to meet a glorius phenomenan called rock music...

But let me think...Where did it all start? Right, I remember..you have to promise me though not to tell this to anyone! The first artist I'd been a huge fan of was Jamai. The first Dutch Idols winner. I even made a hat with his name on it. Loving artists had always been in my DNA I quess, but why Jamai? I really don't know...I quess love really makes blind...and deaf!

I went to his gig in a huge venue called Ahoy, he sang there along with several other artists, including The Rasmus. This band impressed me so much. I didn't know if I had to love or hate them. They scared me and pleased me at the same time. For the people who don't know who they are: Finnish gothic/pop band famous for their song 'In the shadows'. They were mysterius and that really attracted me, though I wouldn't admit that to anyone including myself. But at a certain time during second grade I became a Rasmus fan.

When they came to Amsterdam I really had to go and it was going to be my first real rockgig! Dressed like the singer Lauri (feathers in my hair and DYNASTY written on my arm with permanent marker) I went to a Rasmusgig. I know what you're thinking...but be honest, haven't you been just like me, once? a long time ago?

The Rasmus had been great that night, but I discovered something new that night. Something way more exciting than The Rasmus. Something I loved and still love sooo much! Four of the roughest and toughest guys I'd ever seen! Deep Insight... They played before the Rasmus, and I couldn't take my eyes of of them. Especially not of the bass player Miska Holopainen. He looked so wild and handsome and I totally fell in love with him and his music. After the show I asked them for some pictures and autographs and that made me so happy! I couldn't wait till I got to see them again..

About six months after that, they came back to Holland. I was really excited, had become an even bigger fan and couldn't wait to see Miska again!There he stood along with the best band in the world! They blew me away with their gorgeous songs and super energetic performance. Even so much that I needed to see them a few days after that again.

That day the 18th of April 2006 is going into history as the best day of my life until now. Deep Insight performed in a tiny cosy venue in Amsterdam and I was about 45 minutes late, but fortunately they'd just started. They played incredible, amazing! Jukka even sang me a birthday song! And they played my requested song as an encore 'Red Tape'.At the end of this show, I got the chance to talk with them and that was really special. I had always seen rockbands as this unatainable people, but Deep Insight is different and that really makes them special. Although this had been over three years ago, I still know what they said that night. First Jukka gave me a hug when he came off stage and wished me a happy birthday. Then I got a little chat with him about the gig and that he thought wasn't emotional enough. Then I went to Miska for a picture and he apologized for being so sweaty, which I didn't have problems with though;) After that I went to dear Johannes and he kept saying that he liked me name so much. When I turned to Ville he even followed me and told my name to Ville and then Ville told me: Pretty name for a pretty girl... Alright I'm getting too much into detail, I'm sorry...It's just that I get so excited telling this story that I tend to forget what is really interesting...

I quess my rock obsession started with Deep Insight, but not only my music interest! Thanks to them I think about musicians in a different way than I used to do. I'm not afraid to approach them anymore. I'm less shy, I do my interviews, I'm even going to study communication science to become a music reporter or international journalist, because of Deep Insight... They've also given me an interesting approach of life. I'm determinded to marry a rockstar, I'm a huge fan of Finland and I do not drink alcohol, nor smoke or use drugs. And this all had started with Deep Insight in some way...

My interest for other rockbands had also been awoken by DI. Like my second love 'The Lostprohets' Their shows impress me so much! And not only because of Ian Watkins, although he has a lot to do with it. I really can't help it, and it is cliche but I do really think that Ian is really attractive. And that is why I've always said that Ian is going to be my lover and Johannes (Deep Insight) my husband. Believe it or not, I don't care, I will:) Ian is really the driving force behing the Lostprophets, he is a really really good performer! And that is simply why all the girls and boys go wild during a Lostprophets gig. But of course they make terrific music as well (I'm not that superficial!). How much of a fan I really am? I've once waited 11 hours in front of the venue for a gig of them. Convinced? Probably...Was it worth it? Definately! Cause I got a picture with Ian Watkins!

Anyway, you can read more about that gig in another blog called "Lostprophets are heaven". The Lostprophets are the first British band I really liked. But you can't really call it britpop. The first real meeting with britpop had been on the London Calling festival in Amsterdam. Going to festivals is a really good way to develop your taste in music. I've seen a lot of nice britpop bands on the London Calling festivals, like The Pigeon Detectives, The Wombats, The Rifles, Little Man Tate and Look See Proof.

In first instance the Pigeon Detectives impressed me the most. The energy on stage had been an inportant factor for that. I fell in love, again...with the singer called Matthew Bowman. With a head full of curls and his British look, I thought he was irresistable...I've seen the Pigeon Detectives 7 times now, but I still can't wait to see them again! One time I even won a meet and greet with them! Although the best time with this cheeky lads was on the Lowlands festival.

Another nice britpop band that have played a huge role in my life is Little Man Tate. I've interviewed this band as well and they were definately the funniest band I've ever met! Alright I'm sorry but I have to tell this story in more detail... We went to Parafdiso to ask the woman there if we could go backstage for an interview. I have to admit it was only three pm, but the band was already there. This stupid woman told us to come back at 8.30. That wouldn't be a disaster, but it was raining really hard outside... So we had a drink, something to eat, a little shopping expedition and than we went back. While we were walking we walked passed the band! I was so nervous and shocked that I didn't have the guts to walk up to them and asked them for the interview. So we followed them....alright stalked them. They went into an Irish pub and we still stood outside in the rain. Suddenly the bassist Ben went outside for a sigarette. I thought this was my chance, so I went to him and asked him for the interview. He said O you're Pearl! And kissed me on the cheeks:) He said: We will be back in the venue soon, but you can have the interview here as well, if you want... Of course I did, so we went inside and I had an interview with Jon (one of the most charismatic men I've ever seen!) We had the interview and it was so nice to talk with them cause they had a huge amount of british humor! After the interview we talked for over an hour until the last minute till they really had to leave for their gig. We talked about things like pooing in a Dutch toilet."When I have like this huge poo, it just touches my but!" and he was convinced that I kissed Matthew, which I didn't. He told me what Dutch man he thought were attractive, he called some footballers, but I didn't know them... About him standing on the Wallen (red light district), how he would be as a woman and if Jon had to choose between 10 virgins and one gorgeous experienced woman, he would go for the last one...I quess you know what kind of conversations this were, you get the picture... We went to the gig and it was awesome!! Really cosy audience and a incredible band, what more do you need? After the show Ben came to me and he started taking to me. He kept saying "We are friends now":) He was really nice, really a sweet guy. After a while we went downstairs to a party, but me and my friends dind't stay long. I went to Jon to say goodbye and then to Ben to say goodbye. He kissed me on the cheeks and then he asked me to come the next day to the gig in Utrecht as well. I told him that I wasn't sure if I could make it, but he said I really needed to come and then I had to asked for Ben and then he would come and get me. And then he kissed me again:) This had been one of the nicest gigs ever, along with Deep Insight and the Lostprophets. The next day I went to Utrecht and there I met Ben again. The first thing he asked my friend was how old is Pearl? I had told him nineteen the day before..But I actually was 17. Well, he could see that I lied... But he was very sweet and when I left he told me to really keep in touch with him over e-mail! Well that lasted for about two e-mails...

But that wasn't such a disaster, cause while I was e-mailing with Ben, I got this lovely e-mail from my favourite guitarist of my favourite band Deep Insight. Just out of nothing and I was very very very shocked and surprised and definately not worried about the not replied e-mail to Ben anymore. It was the sweetest mail I've ever gotten and I will never forget it in my whole life. Luckily the e-mail contact with him lasts longer than that with Ben, cause I still receive an e-mail now and then. Although I really love it, it makes my life a bit more difficult as well...I really don't know what to expect from him and I'm not sure if I will see him even this year. I'm not sure of anything about him, but one thing is for sure, Deep Insight still plays a huge role in my life. Deep Insight is more than just a band for me, they lead me trough life, personally and musically....

Attack! Attack! and You Me At Six in Amsterdam

It has been already the third time that I was about to see them. Attack! Attack! from the UK, the good one I´ve been told, cause there seem to be two bands with this slightly powerful name. A.A. definately deserves a name like that. Their music is incredibily powerful and especially live. So that seems like it is going to be a great night!

Walking to the venue, expecting a cosy audience, I kind of fell into an unfortunate shock. There it was, a huge row in front of The Melkweg. I didn't know that You Me At Six (headlining) is such a populair band! But without even knowing this band I was able to predict the sort of music that they were about to play, just from taking a look at the audience. You probably know what I'm talking about, 14 year old girls with their sceptic parents...

Well, at least I was going to see Attack! Attack! too. Cause I wasn't really trilled by the idea of another Forever The Sickest Kids/Metro Station/Mc Fly/Panic at the Disco act.

So, obviously I wasn't garanteed for a spot first row. But luckily these kids weren't full grown yet, so I could easily see over the sea of blond teenage gils (with their parents...). I was wondered whether they knew to sing the words of A.A.

Obviously not. Pretty strange, cause this incredible band had been in the Netherlands for a quite a few times. But still they haven't managed to built up a large fanbase. I have to say I'm very puzzeled about that, cause they play with a certain unusual energy and power that they really stand out. They are the hidden treasure under all these crappy bands nowadays. They would make a perfect festival band, though I haven't seen them on a lot of setlists yet. And I don't want to get to tecnical with you, but the quality of their music is exceptional! Just very good musicians!

I'd decided not to bother about the teenage girls anymore, cause I might be one too (just a little bit older and wiser). Just not wise enough not to sing along... It's just impossible not to, cause these songs are quite catchy too. "This is a test a wake-up call, it's a mission too tall" sing... After a few songs the attackers managed to conquer their catch. Finally the 14 year olds had been convinced, they had transformed A.A. into real rockstars. I was really happy to see that A.A. noticed that as well, cause they got more confident on the stage and they blew everyone away!

Including You Me At Six, although the teenagers didn't agree with me. Though, it was obvious that A.A. had so much more quality to offer than Y.M.A.S. Apparently good looks were enough to convince the audience. Although I could discuss about that as well. The singer might look okay, but that was about it... I think that that the real populairity of You Me At Six lies into a strong performance with catchy songs that are not to heavy, so accesable for a large audience. The singer "Josh" is what you call a real entertainer, he plays the young girls in a very smart way. Which makes me think of Ian Watkins. Not that he can tip that, he's not even close...But certain moves definalely have some resembles.

I might be not to positive about Y.M.A.S. but I definalely appreciate one certain thing about them. I really respect the singer for his lovely attitude towards the fans. When he left the stage to get involved with his fans, he got overwhelmed by a sea of girls that wanted to make a picture with him. He definalely stood there for over an hour just to make sure that everyone that wanted a piece of him got what she wanted. You could see in his eyes that he was tired and didn't really enjoy it. But I couldn't blame him for that. He knew that it was his duty to do so and although he had been treated like a rockstar he didn't act like one. He was polite and patient and that's one thing I could really appreciate. And although it would have been nice to have a picture with him, just for the collection, I couldn't do that to him and to myself, just because I'm not that kind of girl...

(anymore...)

Deep Insight, Sucker for love review

Heey you! Have you already ordered the new Deep Insight cd Sucker for love? If you haven't, please take a look at their myspace and find out how to order this little piece of heaven;) It is without doubt the best cd I've ever heard, and I'm not saying this just as a fan, I'm telling you this as a fan and a journalist. When you listen to it for the first time, you might think that they've changed a lot. Though that makes sense since we've moved along three years since One Minute Too Late. They sound a bit more accessible for a larger audience, but that doesn't mean that they aren't as rough and emo as they used to be. And don't get me started on the lyrics...The lyrics on this cd are so beautiful! They manage to express feelings I've always had but never understood. These a few of my favourite parts of some of the songs:

"I've got these feelings, they're growing too strong in me they breed from tears and govern with tyranny"

"You cut like a knive. You're the venomous type. Come closer I live for this trill, but you've come for the kill. I know it's over."

"I'm riding on a wave of misfortune, it feels like I'm living my life on distortion"

"I'm not easily troubled cause I've locked my pain in a bubble"

"My heart is a sucker for love, it keeps promising more, it keeps leaving me with nothing"

"My heart is a blackbox"

"I'm crazy enough not to worry about tomorrow"

"My message goes ot through the unknown, to a place I can't reach on my own"

"I've filled my soul with fractions

"I've been living the life of a king, but I'm as hollow as this ring and the promises we've made, I quess the vows have changed"

"The faint-hearted dwell in sorrow"

"Cause every minute every second my heartbeat counts the hours"

What differences Deep Insight from all these other rockbands? I think it's their abbility to express feelings and emotions in their songs in such a magical way. Like in the song "Down to the fire", you can really feel the frustation, anger and grief. The song sounds so powerful, that is makes me want to cry, laugh, scream and dance at the same time. The song Sucker for love really expressed my own feelings and that's what is so magical about that song. I never knew that someone could feel just the way I do. This cd shows their ability to make a perfect balance between different music genres like emo and punk. But in a way you've never heard these genres before, it's in a Deep Insight way. Just perfection and a bit of magic. When people tell me that one day I might be able to write lyrics just as beautiful, I just get angry. You shouldn't think that any band or person can reach the level of Deep Insight. And I know that not everybody understands that, but you as a fan should understand what I mean. So I'm sorry, I know that I can't express my feeling about this cd in a way this cd deserves to be valued. But I can tell you one thing....This cd is perfect

The world is ours and ours alone

Interview with the Rifles

The Rifles are about to perform here in Amsterdam. This should be their biggest show outside of the UK. They already know he Dutch audience from previous performances including the London Calling festival, so they are qite sure that the gig will be a good lot of fun this rainy evening in the Melkweg. Before the gig I got the chance to have a nice chat with Grant (drummer) and he told me everything that's new and interesting around this great band from London: The Rifles.

We started right at the beginning. He told me about his school period and what it has been like. At his school there weren't a lot of musicians, but still he managed to start his first band there. They played Nirvana covers and things like that. It didn't make them very populair in school, but I started to get the idea that it is really not important for him to be seen as a real rockstar or something like that. He really doesn't have an attitude, he even seems a bit shy!

It's getting really obvious that they are in this just for the music. They are not really interested in everything that is usually associated with the rock 'n roll lifestyle. Especially the fahion, they really don't try to have a specific kind of style. Grant told us that they are nobody but themselves on stage, they don't put up an act and they don't put on stylish clothes just to look cool.

It seems like a very grown up point of view. That's what also comes to my mind when I see them perform. They are different from most of the Britpop bands, because they're more serious and grown up. You can even see it in the audience where the average age is definitely above 25. Which is rare in the Britpop scene.

Despite of the lack of critical acclaim they got with the previous album No Love Lost, they still managed to built up a solid fanbase. Even though this fanbase is growing bigger and bigger, they still realise where they came from and where they once started. That might be one of the ingredients of their succesfull career. It's just like Grant told us: 'You shouldn't act like a rockstar if you would like to be in a succesfull band, you should just keep on going and don't try to be just like the other rockbands.'

But even though the Rifles are different from a lot of other rockbands, they do like to hang out and have fun. Music is definitely the most important aspect of their career, but Grant does admit to enjoy things such as groupies and alcohol. Well, boys will be boys and rockstars will be rockstars.

Another aspect that resembles a lot with many other Britpop bands are the lyrics. Most of their lyrics are about experiences they've had trough everyday life. They don't get inspired by poets and the darker side of life. What you hear is definitely what they're all about.

Although there might be some interesting facts that you couldn't know from just listening to the lyrics. Like the fact that Grant admitted to be terrified for dogs.' They jump on you and they scratch you!'And do you know that Joel is getting married? Fortunatly that wouldn't change the Rifles as a band. They will continue to keep on going and make great music.

Like every band they do have to urge to become bigger and bigger. They want more people to know them, but that might be the only change that this band will go trough during the next years.

The Rifles is the sort of rare grown up Britpop band that sticks to your mind. They are able to stand out in the big Britscene mass and that makes them right about:

The world is ours and ours alone!

Interview with Little Man Tate

It has just been 4 days ago, but I already mis this amazing band! My voice is still a mess and I can’t stop smiling when I think about them and that’s pretty much all the time... It may be obvious that they’ve made a huge impression on me and I’m sure that you’ll love them too cause... This is britpop like it should be! Sheffield's finest. Little Man Tate rocked Amsterdam and Utrecht and I had the privilege to meet them. Don’t you get jealous girls, you can still listen to their music on their myspace or buy their cd’s. This band makes the most pleasant britpop you’ve ever heard, but there is more about this band, something indescribable. Is it Jon’s on stage charisma? Ben, the sweetest musician I’ve ever met? Or simply the fact that they are the funniest band on the planet? Get a peek into the crazy world of Little Man Tate and find out that they have more to offer than just charm, charisma and good looks...

How are you Jon?

I’m very well thank you very much, how are you?

I’m great thanks. So a new cd, brand new tour, how do you prepare for such a tour like this?

We’ve had a bit of a shopping expedition. We’ve had some rehearsals and picked out the songs that we wanted to play. We just practiced every now and then so we can get into a routine of exactly knowing what is happening. But every gig is different. We get better as the tour goes along basically. We’ve already had our first gig on the way but what is going on tonight should be really good.

How was the gig yesterday?

Great, yeah Belgium, it was really busy as well. We didn’t have any expectations when we went on this tour. When it is busy great, if not that than that’s no problem either.

So what can people expect from a Little Man Tate gig?

Well, hopefully we will be one of those bands that you see and you would like to see again. I mean too many times people go to see concerts and stand at the bar like they don’t really care about the band. We just want to get a bit more. I would like to see a cheer in the eye.

Most rock stars like Amsterdam for the sex drugs and rock ‘n roll, what do you think is the nicest thing about Amsterdam?

Well those three things! I’m not sure if my mom might read this.... Are you going to write this interview in Dutch?

No in English...

So I’m not saying sex or drugs now, cause my mom reads it. What more is nice about Amsterdam? I can say what is not nice about Amsterdam. The pedal boats! We went on a pedal boat and it didn’t work, we fell out. Well, is was a bit of a nightmare. But I think it is a great city, it is great!

Have you been to the red light district?

Never! Ever! Ever! Yeah we’ve been there, we’ve been to the Wallen. We window shopped there. You know just like girls do when they go shopping and love some pair of shoes, which they can’t afford.

You’ve performed here before on the London Calling festival, how did you experience that?

Yeah that was really good, the crowd gave us a really good vibe and a warm welcome. It seemed that when we played people were really interested. London Calling is great, it’s really good, I love the festival and I love the bands.

There are a lot of Britpop bands on the London Calling festival, but still you managed to stand out, what is your secret?

How we managed to stand out? Did we? Thank you! Probably it is just charm, charisma, good looks....I think that the thing with our band is that we have been on the other side of the stage so many times. We have watched bands and that made us know what we wanted to see on stage. When I see a band I would like to see that they want to be there and are happy to be there, I think that is a good thing.There is a voice for everyone if they would like to be there, but we try to be excited. If you stop turning yourself on then you should better stop doing it. Musically....
If you don’t enjoy playing yourself, you shouldn’t play in a band.

What is the relationship like between all those Britpop bands, is there like a lot of competition going on?

Well, not for us. A lot of bands though feel like it is a competition, but we just concentrate on our music and we play it for ourselves and for the people that want to hear our music and not for the other bands. It is too easy to get yourself upset with other bands. There is a lot of jealousy out there, but it is not too bad.

Are you very cultured people?

Are we very cultured? We are a bit more cultured than I think a lot of people think we are! It all depends on what you mean by cultured. I think that a lot of people think that all we do is bing the bells and making love to beautiful woman. But there is a lot more to it than that. We are definitely you know... SHIT! We’re not cultured at all! But in Belgium we went to that little boy (manneke pis). He pissed out a fire. I don’t get why he is so muscled, he is like six years old, it is impossible! On the other hand we knew about other venues and we like to go to places. But most people are not going to be too bothered by a museum or a capital. So no we’re not cultured at all...Shocking!

You’ve released the album: “Nothing worth having comes easy”. What are the main differences between “About what you know”and “Nothing worth having comes easy”?

With the first album we just wrote the songs and played them live. On that moment we never know that we would make an album out of it. With the second album we went to the studio, wrote the album and then played it live. Does that make sense? Completely the opposite way around. So many times you’ve got this songs on the album and you’re like shit how are we going to play that live? I think it is quite interesting doing it the other way around. I think that is a bit more mature. And maybe there are a bit more messages and deeper meaningful lyrics on the second album. With “About what you know” we just took the surface on life, but also we’ve had loads of stories on the first one about growing up and things like that. On the second one we couldn’t do it exactly the same. So we tried to change it, we tried to be little bit more mature and thoughtful. See, I’m f*cking cultured!

What things inspire you to write the lyrics?

It is about real life I think. About things that we’ve experienced and saw. But all the way trough the album we can say that it was worth it. It is quite cool.

If you could be a woman for one day, what would you do?

Stay in all day! Get as many pair of nice shoes and lingerie as I can. I would start the video camera and make my own solo masturbation. Would I find man attractive as I do woman? Would I be attracted to woman? Would I be a lesbian though? So yeah, I want to make love to another woman.

Wouldn’t you make love to a man?

No, I think I would still make love to a woman. But I don’t know what to do if it is a woman. I don’t know, if I like man like I like woman now as a man, then I’d go out and get lots of drinks in bars. But I wouldn’t give myself up, I would play hard to get. That’s like the weirdest question I’ve ever been asked!

If you were president of the United States, what would you do?

If I were president of the United States I would make a phone call to skin records and tell them that I would like to have Little Man Tate over here to do a massive tour. Then I would make a call to mayor radio stations and say: I love this band called Little Man Tate, I want you to play them! I would get free food, free drinks. Do you think they really need me when they’ve got him? I mean he’s good looking! Anyway, it is impossible, I would be kicked to the ground. If I were president of the United States it probably wouldn’t last much more than a day...

So I’ve heard that you would like to become the biggest band of the world, apart from the money, why would you like to achieve that?

We want the critical acclaim, we want what we should have had all along. I still do believe that we are one of the best bands in Britain in the last five/ten years. You know, we’ve sold out gigs, we’ve sold out tours, we’ve released records, but we’ve never really had the critical acclaim. We want to be respected and we want people to talk about us. Forgetting about the money, forgetting about everything else we just want to be recognized as a music force! But with the money I would also be very happy.

How far would you go to achieve that? Matthew, the lead singer of the Pigeon Detectives kissed two guys on stage. Would you do such crazy things just to get attention?

Who would kiss Matthew?! I wouldn’t kiss him, he’s not really my type...I probably wouldn’t kiss just to get attention, but maybe that gets you on radio, maybe that is not about the music anymore. It probably gets you magazines and radio airplays.

Are there any huge festivals planned this year?

Not yet, we’ve got this tour and we’ll have a gig in Sheffield in March, but that is as far as we’ve planned the gigs. Normally the festivals come in around March. We also have the third album to record as well, so we like to do a festival, but we don’t know how may time there is going to be needed to be recording and writing.
I bet she kissed Matthew!

NO! I really didn’t!

Yeah, because when I said those things about him she was like NAAAH... I feel awful now! No, he is a very good looking guy... If I would have that hair I would have it long, definitely! When I was about ten I wanted my hair permanent so much! But my mom is a hair cutter and she wouldn’t do it...

Do you have any tattoos?

Yeah I have six, this one means that something is going to change my world, it is from a Beatles lyric. But the minute I had it done I thought: Well that is bullshit! Cause lots of things changed my world! When I got my very first guitar, I took a picture of it and took it to the tattoo shop and I asked if she could do that.

What is your favorite guitar?

I like playing my Fender, but I like Telecasters as well. But my favorite guitar is my acoustic guitar with which I write the songs. Sometimes I do that when I’m in my room and then I get out at night, have a few drinks and write a song. My favorite guitar is my Taylor, nobody else can touch it, cause it is very expensive. I’ve got plugins too and amplifiers... How did we get from the tattoos to the guitars?

What is the weirdest thing a fan ever gave to you?

Toe socks, when we were in Japan.They were kind of weird! They were like foot gloves.

If this wasn’t your career what would you be?

Probably a politician. Or actually I would say a footballer. But if I wasn’t a footballer, what would I be? Than I would probably work for the government. Then I would get a big cheque!

Are there any more juicy details you would like to share with the Taters?

What happened so far? They’ve lost the key to the room in Belgium. We’ve played there with the Soulwasters, they are great, you should check them out! They could possibly be the nicest people in the world as well.

Jon: Do you have any questions guys?

Dan: What is your favorite food?

Everything! I love food. I would be quite happy if my life could be filled with food, beer and woman. Do you need anything more than that? Is there anything more than that? Why would you need woman if you’ve got all that? No actually you don’t need anything more than food and beer.