We had the pleasure of heading down to the Craufurd Arms in Milton Keynes last week to see ever-awesome The New Roses. Because of that, we felt like we just had to check in with frontman Timmy, a year after our last interview!
Last time we spoke was this time last year. How’s the last year been?
Nice question! So we released the record, it’s been out for a year now. It’s been going great. We’ve been touring all of Germany and Europe. We’ve been to Spain and France and now we’re here in the UK so we’ve travelled a lot. It was the busiest festival season ever in our career. We played everywhere and every festival. It was so cool!
The record was received very well. Especially songs like ‘The Usual Suspects’ and ‘Warpaint’. It’s been great. Love songs were received very well. So we can’t complain!
And how’s the UK tour been?
We’re finally on it! We had the luck that last year in Switzerland we played a festival and we met Massive Wagons. They played I think two slots before us, and I watched their show and I was amazed. They’re really good! So much energy and a really nice vibe. A real friendly energy. So I called him [Barry] up on stage to jam with us. We kinda really connected and we stayed in contact, and this is how this tour came together. That’s why we can present ourselves to their audience now and it’s a good match! We’re really recruiting a lot of fans on this tour and it kinda paves the way for bigger stuff in the future!
Obviously you’re headlining tonight [Craufurd Arms]. How’s it like to be playing as a headliner?
It’s great! A little smaller venues. But we can really see the results already. The people that saw us with Massive Wagons are coming again like four nights later to see us. And ticket sales went up on this venue as well because people said ‘I only saw them for 45 minutes, I want to see them for 90’.
Have you got much more after this?
We’re here for another week. Next Tuesday we’re back in Germany and then we have two days off. Then we play the last four or five days in Germany and then it’s time for Holidays. I’m flying to Florida and you can all kiss my ass!
What’s it like to have Norman Bites back in the band?
It’s crazy! It’s been a back and forth kinda thing. Dizzy formed the band with us back in 2012. Then he left, we got Norman in. Then Norman left and we got Dizzy in. Now Norman wanted to come back and of course we didn’t want to kick Dizzy back out so there was only one option; that I stop playing guitar and we keep both. It’s crazy. For me, I started off as a singer, like 20 years ago, but all my time in New Roses I’ve played guitar. So for me it’s like… in a way it’s like someone’s taken away the crutch. It’s still weird for me.
Just yesterday somebody sent me a video from two years ago or something and I saw and heard myself playing guitar and it was weird! You see just how fast you adapt to the present situation!
We’re still working on it. We’re trying to work on the new record of course. We’ll see how that goes and if we’re ready in time we’ll release it next year! Then everything starts up all over again!
Fuzzy doomy newcomers Almost Honest are set to release their debut album, The Hex of Penns Wood, next week. We’ve had the chance to chat to Shayne from the band about it, as well as their sound and future plans. Check it out below!
How did the band come together?
We formed in freshman year of High School although we had all been playing music prior to this.
How would you describe your sound?
Groovy Sexy Viking Funk Doom Rock. We blend all of the things that we like together. We didn’t want to just stick to genres tropes.
What’s the writing process like for you guys?
We do not have a set way for writing but most of the time it starts with myself (Shayne) bringing a riff or a full song idea. Then the rest come together and figure out what works, what’s the best part for each section, and if something needs to be cut or added. Usually the lyrics are written separately from the songs. The lyrics will then be chosen based on the feel of the song and if it fits.
In terms of the album, does it tell a story through it?
It is individual ideas per track however it has an overall theme of Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore and Culture.
What’s it like getting to work with the legend that is Gene Freeman, even from a mastering perspective?
That was huge for us given his wealth of knowledge. Our producer had a contact and he reached out to him and he said yes. We only communicated via email but even just that we learned a lot. Hopefully in the future we can do something more together but I am very happy working with Dynamo Audio. Gary did a fantastic job on this record.
How did the collaboration with Brandon Yeagley come about?
It was actually just as simple as me reaching out. I never expected a response let alone to work very closely with him. I was a fan of Crobot when I first saw them live in 2014. They showed me what a live show could and should be like. He was extremely nice.
Do you have a busy start of next year planned once the album is out?
We do! No shows are officially announced yet but we will have an album release show soon. Then we hit the ground running with touring in March and April.
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d like to be a part of? Weather it’s supporting a huge band or playing with your mates.
This is one of the toughest questions I have ever had to answer haha. It honestly depends on mood and what fits. I am going to give you two answers. One including our band and another just for my enjoyment. Dream tour with Almost Honest included would be Mutoid Man, Crobot and Red Fang. I think we would fit in well and that would be extremely fun. Now a tour that I would love to see would be Clutch, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Truckfighters and Man Man. I could pick a thousand more bands.
We had the absolute pleasure to head down to KK’s Steelmill last weekend to have a chat with the awesome Amongst Liars while they were on tour with Theory of the Deadman. Check out the interview below!
How’s the tour been?
Insane! Second to last night. It’s been great, touring with Theory of a Deadman. Lovely guys. The crew’s great. Very professional. It’s all sort of very next level for us. It’s been fun to get out there and experience this week. And yeah, hopefully more of the same!
I imagine it’s the biggest tour you’ve been on?
Yeah, definitely. We did the Ayron Jones tour last year which was good. That was last November and off the back of that we’ve got onto this one this year, It’s been a nice trajectory we’ve been going on!
You put out your latest single in August, I assume that’s the start of the new album cycle?
End of August, yeah. We obviously had that one, and then we did this tour. We’re back in the studio in the next two/three weeks, as we have a couple of tracks we need to finish off. Then we have a single coming out in early November. The something coming out in early December, then something mid-late Jan. Then the album obviously coming out on the 1st of March!
We’ve got seven/eight tracks done and we’ve just got two more to do. Then that’s it! Got the artwork done, that’s all sorted. So it should be fine!
It’s nice to not be pigeonholed. It can be detrimental for support stuff. It seems to fit this tour pretty well! And Ayron Jones is a bit different to Theory so in a way it’s been good as we can then match on with other people. It’s not just sticking to one genre. It can be more modern and have some more interesting sounds, and we can figure out how to get onto other stuff.
I think there’s a lot in it: punk, grunge, modern rock. Sometimes heavy, sometimes chilled… sometimes medium. Sometimes theatrical. It covers a few rock genres really. We generally just do our own thing, we don’t want to be pigeonholed.
I think we’re just heavy alternative rock. If someone says it I’d go through all the things we just talked about and then I’d go ‘basically heavy alternative rock’!
It’s good to hear that, although there are definitely good communities out there, it’s good to not be stuck in just one!
There’s like a vicious cycle with that sort of thing. It’s all the sae bands doing the same festivals and the same things. It’s really cool, but it feels like that’s all they do. Which is great, they’re obviously selling places out, but we don’t really want to be part of that kinda thing. We want to be a part of everything! Dip into little genres and shows here and there.
I think it’s good from an audience perspective as well. On this tour it’s been really mixed age ranges. Everything from kids to up to 50s/60s. We’re reaching lots of people, it’s great! We were thinking maybe the rock scene was falling down but it’s alive with teenagers and early 20s people. It’s doing great!
Have you got anything planned for the end of the year/start of next year?
Playing Leo’s Red Lion in Gravesend for Wardy’s birthday. We did a show for him a couple of years ago and loved us. November 11th I think. We’re gonna be getting a big Briton show in February, that’ll be our next thing that we put all of our shit into. A big headline show. Not sure where yet, maybe Green Door Store. We just want to have another big show before we go out on another tour.
The plan is to try and do a tour around the album then, basically. But one big show before that would be cool. We’ve got so many releases coming up, we want to get people to know the tracks. We’re playing three album tracks today, two of which people have never heard. They’ve been going down really well!
We had the pleasure to sit down with the legendary Tim Hicks at The Long Road festival a few weeks back. Check out what we talked about below!
What got a guy from Canada to pursue that genre?
Well it didn’t come naturally, that’s for sure. I kinda fought it, to be honest. I didn’t grow up on a ranch or a farm, there was no country radio growing up. But, I had a love of acoustic guitar and every time I wrote a song on it, from the time I was 13/14, people would say ‘that’s a great country song!’. I was like ‘eww, but it’s not!’. And then somewhere along the way things change. Aldean started to make a stir and all of a sudden you had country bands on CMT with mohawks and chains and ripped jeans. I was looking at that going ‘that’s what my band looks like!’.
And of course with my last name being Hicks, which is my real last name… It was shortly after that that Eric Church blew up, Brad Paisley was rocking, so it was guitars. And I have three guitars in my band. We were doing cover songs as a living and playing everything from Rolling Stones to ‘Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)’, to keep the lights on. But there came a point where I realised this country thing, I loved it. And I had way more in common with those guys musically with like Coldplay or Dallas Green. I couldn’t identify with that kind of music any more.
So I said to my band one night, ‘we’re doing country full time’. They were like ‘you are crazy’. We were the house band at an Irish bar in downtown Toronto. ‘We’re in the biggest city in Canada at an Irish bar, and you want to wear your boots and sing country?’ and I said yes. It wasn’t long after that that we had lineups of kids around the block. And it wasn’t long after that that I got the call to go to Nashville. So it made a lot of sense. It took me 30 years to figure out where I belonged as an artist.
The Canadian scene seems to be great too!
It’s thriving! We’ve got our own thing going on up there. For me, that’s why it’s so special to be here. I never thought I’d have a career outside of Canada. I was okay with that. It was a conscious decision for me to not break America. I just didn’t want to do it. I was too old at the time. When my career took off I was 33 with a baby. We have a few groups over in Canada who are uniquely Canadian, and they were my model of success. When things like C2C and The Long Road started coming up, I thought it was really interesting. I never thought I’d get to play in another country as Tim Hicks, the artist, you know. I’m really pleased to be here!
Have you done much in the UK before?
I’ve done C2C a couple of times now. That brought us to places like Berlin and Amsterdam and the O2. For me the whole goal is to try and stir up enough ducks that they’ll give me the budget to bring my band over. Do what we do. I really believe that if I can get my guys over here doing what we do in Canada, we could turn some heads in the UK.
Yeah, you definitely get the sense that it’s a growing genre right now, which is really exciting to be at the speartip of that. It’s super interesting to see another culture embrace country music. And I know there are some uniquely UK bands and acts that are a part of this. I look forward to seeing what they’ve got going on and how we’re similar. Canada and the UK, we’re very connected!
You recently put out Vol. II of Campfire Troubadour. What drives the creative process with that sort of release?
What drove that was Covid. I couldn’t do anything in Covid; I couldn’t tour, I couldn’t go to Nashville. But I could write songs in my studio, and I had lots of songs kicking around. One of our hacks during Covid to try and preserve our sanity was to light fires in the back yard and have a couple of neighbours over with some beers and we could be distant and it was safe. And of course the guitars would come out. We always knew I would do an acoustic thing at some point. I’ve always done acoustic gigs. In Canada, if you want to survive as a musician, you’ve got to do everything. Tuesday Wednesday Thursday for the first 18 years of my career I was playing in pubs by myself taking requests. But by the weekend I was picking up the band.
But when the campfire thing was happening I called up my producer in Nashville and said ‘dude, I think it’s time to do the acoustic record, and I think it should be a campfire album’. He loved it. I said I can record my stuff here, and send it to him on the internet and he can add his stuff and mix it. That was why we did it, because that was the only thing we could do at the time. And then we got a Juno nomination for it! It was mindboggling that this little EP that I recorded in my basement suddenly gets this spotlight shone on it. So my team came to me and asked me if I had enough songs for a second volume. Of course we wrote some but the pleasure of it is that I can find homes for songs that I wouldn’t normally get to cut.
I imagine you have a few more you can bust out if you want to?
Yeah! We can do it, we don’t need a budget for it, I can just record songs and send them to my buddy. As long as people are digging it we’ll keep putting these things out on the side. it’s kind of a side gig.
There’s at least two songs from Troubadour in the set that I have right now. But I kinda keep it loose. I like to vibe out the audience and see what people are digging, change it in the moment. But I get to play harmonica on those songs so it’s kinda a novelty for me!
And you recently put out your new single, is it the start of a new larger release?
It’s sort of the tail end of Talk to Time. We’re talking about ‘Ye to the Haw’, which is a ridiculous song. I’m known for these ridiculous, tongue -in-cheek songs so it makes sense. It’s a good party number. It will be a part of the deluxe version of Talk to Time. I probably had half a dozen songs that didn’t make the initial cut, but people are digging the record so much I thought why not put these out. They’re great songs, they maybe just didn’t fit the first round.
And do you have much planned for the rest of the year?
Yes! We’ve got 32 dates on the books from the end of October, starting in Western Canada and working our way East, and touring Campfire Troubadour. We didn’t get to tour it during the pandemic. So three of the six band members are going to go on the road with a very small crew and tell the stories behind the songs and sing them campfire style.
We sat down with the amazing, local country band Gasoline & Matches at The Long Road the other week. Check out as we chat about the UK scene and their plans for the future!
What’s it like playing country music in the UK?
I mean, we started writing and performing as a band probably six or seven years ago now, and we feel quite privileged to be riding the crest of the wave of the UK bands that are doing a lot of the same festivals up and down the country. The genre’s really building. We feel really proud to be on that wave.
I also think musically, yes it’s a conscious decision when you’re categorising yourself in a genre, but we’re just writing the music that we’ve always listened to and loved. We really do try and keep what we do British. But, at the same time, so many of our favourite artists are American, it’s been a really amazing thing seeing so many of them finally coming over to the UK.
You guys have done a few shows in the US, right?
Yeah, we’ve done a lot of showcase gigs, some support slots as well. Small tours, things like that. But whenever we’re out there we definitely try and research the local open mic and just spread the word about the band.
We’ve worked with quite a lot of different brands in terms of music companies and things. Steve works with Blackstar and we’ve been fortunate enough to be endorsed by Auden guitars and G7 Capos. We’ve met a lot of these companies and there’s opportunities when we’ve been over for things like the NAMM show. We’ve performed on shows there, showcasing what their gear is. And alongside some amazing artists like members of the E Street Band, Lindsey Ell, Sadler Vaden. Really really cool!
Check out our review of the band’s set at the festival here.
Is there much difference from the scene there to here?
Yeah, yeah. It’s a very homegrown thing in the States. They’ve definitely got their own thing going on. The umbrella for country music is huge, lots of different styles. We tend to enjoy real instruments as opposed to synthetics for what we do, so our roots are in blues and rock music. We don’t try to imitate because there would be no point. We try and carry on that thought process of Atlantic tennis where someone from the States will come out who’s influential and Britain has given a lot of influential stuff too.
In a lot ways we’re at an advantage that we play Country/Americana music here in the UK vs in the States because there are so many artists over there and it’s still quite a new thing here. I feel that we do get to share lineups with much bigger artists from being here. Even from an audience perspective, we get to see artists that may be playing stadium shows in the States in much smaller venues. I think it’s a really great experience.
Recently we were over in America and we’re friends with some of Lainey Wilson’s band and we were lucky enough to go to the Gillet stadium in Massachusetts to see her supporting Luke Combs. It was quite a different experience seeing her there and seeing how the fans are. We’ve been in the audience at festivals like The Long Road or C2C watching some of these same artists and it feels like a much different experience. Definitely over here it’s a listening audience. In the States there’s a lot of conversation!
It must be cool to see the rise of the country scene over here?
Yeah! We started going to C2C many years ago and it’s just growing bigger every year. And The Long Road of course, an amazing festival that the guys put on for bands. We’re so happy to be performing this year.
You’ve put out a few singles, is it building towards a longer release?
The plan has been in the works for a very long time now to have our debut album out. The tracks that we’ve released recently, ‘Afraid to Fall’ and ‘Patient Wolves’; we have another single that will be out this year. Then, moving on into the new year, we are hopefully finally putting out an album. We’ve got another host of tracks we’ve been in the studio recording with Gavin Monohan. So we’re at the stage we’re just getting final mixes and mastering. So 2024 will be a big year for Gasoline & Matches!
Have you got much planned for the rest of the year?
We’ve never really done a cluster of a few days, which you would deem as a tour. We’ve never headlined a tour, but we’ve never headlined one, so we are in the process of looking at when the right time is. It might be more into the new year.
We’ve got a few other shows. We host a regular songwriter round in Birmingham at the Symphony Hall, Nashville Sounds in the Round. We have international artists and UK artists performing at that every couple of months. We still have a few more of those happening. We’re also starting a new night in the Midlands called Wish You Were Beer. It’s in a venue called the Roadhouse in Sutton Coalfield. It’s a super cool bar with lots of movie memorabilia. We’re starting that from the 29th of September. We’re hoping to have some other country music guests come join us.
So that’s our plan, a few more shows just to play us out. Then to rehearse up the set as the album, I guess, and do a string of dates in the new year. We need to get back up to Scotland!
With last year finally being completely okay with the world, it must be nice to get back on the road!
It’s fantastic being able to do shows in real life!
And then tell us the story of The Crooked House
So there was an iconic pub in the Midlands called the Crooked House. We had been booked to play there but the gig got cancelled about a month or so before we were due to play. Then, the night that we were meant to be playing, it burnt down. It got picked up online, someone Tweeted the poster because with a name like Gasoline & Matches, when the pub burns down it seemed like a weird internet hoax. On Twitter it got around 250k views on the post, and we were contacted by so many different journalists about it. We spoke to the Times, Daily Mail, BBC Radio 4, even LADBible and ITV National news. The story made it to the New York Times. So, for our press… it did good in the worst way!
It was a very loved and famous pub in the area so we’re sensitive to the knowledge that a lot of people were upset that it happened. We’ve already pledged and said if there’s anything happening towards rebuilding it or in some way making an exhibit, we said we’d absolutely give a gig away to help fundraise.
We had the chance to chat to the amazing Tenille Arts back at The Long Road festival a couple of weeks back. Check out as we talk about the scene, her plans for the future, and the origins of her debut single!
Firstly, what got you into the country scene?
I mean, growing up, that was what we listened to on the radio. I’m original from Canada and a lot of the music was country. And my family were farmers, so a lot of it resonated with us. And the storytelling and all that, I just thought it was so cool. I was about 15 years old when Taylor Swift came out and she was writing her own songs and all of that so that’s when I got into guitar. I think it sparked a thing. I’d always been writing songs but I’d never actually been able to play them before so that really sparked it all for me!
And you got scouted out quite young, right?
I did! At 15. I’d just learnt guitar and somebody from Nashville asked me to come down and start working with them and start writing real music, going in with actual songwriters. Learning the ropes. So yeah, I got involved very early!
So your first single was a charity one, how did that come about?
So, growing up I was a dancer. I worked for this dance company and this girl, I think she was four at the time, and I was assistant dance teaching, just working with the kids. Helping wrangle them mostly! And one of the parents of this girl came up to me and said ‘we heard you’re a singer, would you like to perform at our charity event?’. And I said sure, what’s it for. They said Cystic Fibrosis and that was something I’d never heard of before, I had no idea what it was. And I did my research and came back and said I absolutely want to be involved in this.
Later on throughout playing at their shows for a while, I was connected with a lot of the CF community in Canada and over here actually, too. The song that I recorded was by Matt Scales. He unfortunately passed away due to Cystic Fibrosis but he was an artist and he wrote this song. I recorded it and put it out with all the proceeds going to CF research and all of that. That was the first thing that I ever got to do and it was incredible. And it’s still out there if people want to donate or be a part of that.
And you’re on tour over here at the minute, right?
Yes, this is actually my last show! Caylee Hammock and I were doing a co-headline tour in the UK. So we did three dates together and then I’m playing today and she’s playing tomorrow. So yeah, it’s been really fun. It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind. This is probably one of my quickest tours over here. We arrived at like 9am the one morning and had a show that night so it’s got a little wild. But we’re good!
And can you make any comparisons between the scene over here to the North American scene?
I love it over here. I love playing small clubs and things like that, especially over here. I will compare the UK to Canada; it’s a very respectful audience. They learn your songs and all of that. Some of the time you’re not even sure if they like you and then they give you a standing ovation! They’re so respectful vs the US where they have so many people playing all of the time, I feel like it’s kind of brushed off sometimes. They get a lot of music all the time. Once in a while there’s obviously some amazing shows over there, and amazing fans and superfans, but here it’s different. And I love it!
You put out a single at the start of the year, is that a standalone release or part of something bigger to come?
So I put out a song called ‘Jealous of Myself’. Then I added LiAnn Rimes to the record, which is really cool! Then I put out a song called ‘Summer Don’t Go’, and we have another one coming out before Christmas. Then, hopefully a full album by January/February. I’ve already written and recorded everything, everything’s ready to go. I’m excited, but it’s all of the extra work that comes with it after that now. It takes a long time. Working on visuals and stuff like that now.
And the rest of the year looks pretty busy for you?
Lots of shows, lots of fun things and obviously trying to fit in finalising the record so I might be away from shows for a little while. Just making sure it’s everything I want it to be. Then I’ll go back to Canada for Christmas and then hopefully next year will be so busy I won’t even have time to breathe!
We had the pleasure of sitting down with the awesome First Time Flyers at The Long Road festival last weekend. Check it out as we talk about their sound, the scene and their plans for the future!
You guys were in individual projects for a while, what made you want to get together to form this project?
Jake: Money.
Poppy: Simon Cowell!
Tim: As you say, all solo, but just through the nature of our work, we’ve all written together, performed together, I’ve produced stuff for the ladies and a track or so for Jake. We’ve also played in Jake’s band. So between all of that we’ve known each other and of each other for so many years. It was actually Jake who suggested it to me. That we should do it as a four.
Jake: He was reluctant, not gonna lie!
Tim: He just wanted to share fuel costs! But I said what could go wrong starting a band?
Vicki: And then we got involved!
Jake: I think when the idea came about we always wanted it to be very harmony-heavy. There’s something about two guys and two girls that’s so rich when you get that vocal blend together.
Vicki: And now we are a four and we are no longer individuals!
And just how did four people from the UK come together to form a country-inspired band?
Vicki: I think country is a guilty pleasure of a lot of people. They just don’t want to admit it.
Jake: I also just don’t think they know that they’re listening to country!
Poppy: Country is storytelling and instruments and great singing. I think we’ve all loved country music as individuals and now we’re doing this. I wouldn’t say we’re strictly country, we write what feels good and sing what feels good. But we’re hugely influenced by it.
Tim: It’s always the harmonies that make it come back round to that.
Poppy: And the stories in the songs. We always pull that from personal experience and that’s such a country-heavy thing as well.
Check out another interview from the festival here.
A couple of you have worked in the US before; are there any comparisons you can make between the scene there and over here?
Jake: I did a lot of writing in Nashville. It was great fun. You learn so much because they’re just so quick! You can’t hang about when you’re writing with the Americans!
Tim: For me, the stuff I did in America was really bucket list stuff. I was very fortunate at the time to do a couple of shows at the Oprey and the Ryman. It’s mad. It almost feels like a past life it’s so surreal.
But the performing side of stuff doesn’t feel any different. I think there’s just a special feeling when an American audience embrace you. They can be quite territorial about country music.
Poppy: It’s so embedded in their culture to like country music so in a way it’s like, you have so many people who love it, are they gonna get into it.
Tim: I think we’d have fun out there! We will have fun out there.
Poppy: We should and we would!
What’s it like to be a part of this boom of country music in the UK?
Vicki: Yeah, it’s wonderful! I’ll play any festival.
Poppy: You [Vicki] have always said a lovely thing in that you think there’s not many fans here and then you watch someone like Lady A.
Vicki: Yeah, basically, like we were saying earlier that country is taking off but people are scared to admit it. Then you go to these festivals and you’re like ‘where have you been hiding?! Where do you live the other times of the year?’. You just don’t hear of these people. And when you do headline gigs or whatever, we’re very fortunate that we have people who come out and support us and will follow us round, but then there’s all these other people who will go to C2C and the Long Road and there’s SO many more people into it.
Tim: How do we make them regulars!
Poppy: And that’s the cool thing about being in the scene. I think a lot of people think there’s a ceiling in the UK scene but it’s constantly bigger and bigger and bigger.
And obviously you’ve put out a handful of singles now, is it building towards a larger release?
Poppy: We have so many goals! With us, it’s always building to something!
Tim: Honestly, I think we’re quite flexible with what we’re doing, because we’re not tied to a label or anything. Because we worked together really hard before we actually launched in January, we have such a backlog of songs we can put out in any order depending on what we’re aiming for. It’s nice to have that freedom to do stuff. We’re happy to go with anything.
Poppy: And we’re just getting started really!
Is the plan to stay as an independent artist for now?
Tim: I think the beauty of what we do is… it’s this, it’s the live stuff. We love playing in front of people. We love collaborative stuff that isn’t just us sat in a bedroom recording. Yes, you have to do that sometimes, for monetary reasons usually, but because we are so flexible we are open to meeting people. I think those sorts of things happen when you aren’t looking for them. It’ll happen when you least expect it. If the right thing comes along absolutely, we’re ready for it.
And you guys are on tour this month, is this the first time you’ve toured together as a band?
Jake: As a band, yeah.
Poppy: Yeah, well this is our eighth gig as a band! And we have five more. We’re hitting big number 10 this weekend, and then that tour will rack us up to gig 16.
Vicki: That’s actually ridiculous when you say it out loud!
Poppy: This feels like a mini-tour though as we’re together all weekend. We’re so excited.
Tim: We also have a tendency to go away on week trips to write, so they always feel like mini-tours too. We know we vaguely get alone.
And what was it like playing Hyde Park?
Vicki: Mental!
Jake: Unreal.
Tim: We found out pretty late on, as well. It wasn’t much. They do historically leave it quite late sometimes! But we’re glad it was us, for sure. That was a special day!
Do you have an goals you want to hit in the next say five years?
Tim: Talk him through the box, girls.
Vicki: You tell him about your box Poppy!
Poppy: I ordered us a box saying ‘The Adventures of First Time Flyers’ and I got us loads of bits of card and we wrote down what we wanted, and a little reward inside it, and we filmed it. Actually, the first one we opened was BST. And that was a nice little video that went out, it felt like a real moment for us.
We have so many goals. Sell out this tour would be the immediate one. Collaborate with artists, play big festivals, play a support tour would all be absolutely awesome.
Tim: There’s a nice one of playing ‘that’ gig. Where we feel like it’s the pinnacle kinda thing. And that could be today. We don’t know.
Poppy: We have so many big goals, and I think that’s why we’ve had such an exciting year so far. And why it’s not going to slow down.
Jake: We are four very driven people. I think that sort of eggs us on a bit. It’s so much fun. I didn’t have to spend eight hours in a car going to a festival last weekend by myself! It was awesome!
BC’s own Hardball released their debut, self-titled album a few weeks ago (check out the review here). We had a quick chat with them about it, which you can find below!
Firstly, how has the tour been so far?
It’s been great! We’ve finally learned some of the newer songs, now that we’ve had to play them daily.
How would you describe your sound?
Loud, boneheaded, thrashy. Lately, I just say “grunge” for brevity- I don’t think it fits perfectly, but it’s a decent approximation of our sound.
What’s it like playing a gungy-style of music in this day and age?
I’m into it. The shows are bumpin’.
What would you say the scene is like over in Canada?
It’s pretty broad, and every locality is a bit different than the other so- varied I guess?
How has the response been to your album?
Our friends love it!
What is your writing process like?
Depends on the situation, but as it pertains to Hardball- Scott comes up with the crux of the song, and we develop it into an arrangement together.
Do you have much planned for the rest of the year?
Ah the usual, slugging it out, more gigs around BC. I’ll be recording some solo stuff, and maybe we’ll get to crushing a second Ball LP.
What would your dream tour be?
One that we didn’t have to organize or handle any logistics of ourselves, where we just show up at the gig, throw down, and then take it easy for the rest of the evening.
Now that we are somehow in 2023 already, we have a brand new 12 months of music ahead of us to be checking out. Plenty of artists have announced or been teasing albums for the upcoming months, and we thought we’d yet again highlight a few of our most anticipated for you. Now, this is by no means all of them, and there are again too many honourable mentions to name. These are just some of the ones us here at Overtone are most looking forward to!
Metallica: 72 Seasons – 14th April
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Metallica announced they’ll be releasing their 11th studio album in April of this year. Need I say more? Announced at the back end of November alongside the release of it’s lead single, ‘Lux Æterna’, it sent the internet into a frenzy. The track itself harkens back to their debut album in terms of sound and composition, and if they keep that up throughout the album, they’ll definitely have a LOT of happy fans.
While Metallica definitely get their fair share of (mostly unwarranted) hate and detractors, there’s no denying that good or bad, this will be one of the most talked about albums of the year. Speaking as a nearly life-long Metallica fan myself, it is definitely one of my most anticipated albums of the year.
Avatar: Dance Devil Dance – 17th February
A slightly more left field one now, but Avatar have been quietly bubbling away since the pandemic, putting out some cracking music. I have to admit I lost track of their singles recently, with them putting out five stand-alone tracks before starting to put out singles for their upcoming ninth album. However, sitting here listening to the three singles from the February as I write this article, they are all fantastic and have me hugely hyped. It sounds like they have drawn together the sound of their last few albums into something truly special. Heck, I remember reviewing their last album very highly upon its release and still listen to it through occasionally to this day. So yes, this is definitely a very anticipated album, at least here at Overtone!
Måneskin: Rush! – 20th January
Now, yes, we here at Overtone have been rather critical of the Eurovision winners over the last year or two. I personally don’t get the hype. Musically they are nothing special by any stretch, and are only getting big due to their punk aesthetic and attitude. That’s not a bad thing, and they definitely have at least a slight anti-establishment message, but it’d be nice if the music backed it up too. Having said all of that, they are the biggest upcoming band in the world currently, so they had to make this list.
The singles are fine. They’re inoffensive pop-rock tracks. It doesn’t sound much different from their big tracks, aside for the Maroon 5-esque ‘THE LONLIEST’ (which is good), so if you like ‘ZITTI E BUONI’ you’ll probably love it. They all have bits I really like though and I definitely wouldn’t turn any of them off if they came on. Who knows, maybe they’ll win us round with this album. That alone puts it on this list for us!
Pierce the Veil: The Jaws of Life – 10th February
Confession time… Max specifically requested this to be on the list, I wasn’t too fussed. The two singles so far have been pretty polarising for me. ‘Emergency Contact’ was very Feeder, which meh, while ‘Pass the Nirvana’ channelled some Dinosaur Pile-Up vibes which was awesome. Either way, I honestly thought the band were heavier than this. Going back to their older stuff, the stuff that I’m at least semi-familiar with, I was right. Collide with the Sky is more of ADTR meets MCR, and I remembered I actually quite liked this band. Is morbid curiosity to hear what the rest of the album sounds like enough to be one of the most anticipated albums? I mean, considering how big they are, yes, yes it is. Love that chorus for ‘…Nirvana’ though.
Babymetal: The Other One – 24th March
Another of the biggest bands of the last few years and a band that have felt like they’ve been ‘upcoming’ for ages now (c’mon guys, lets pull the trigger, we all know everyone loves them), Babymetal are releasing their fourth album this year.
This is another band I didn’t get at first, but I’ve become a big fan in recent years, in large part to their stageshow. Having said that, the two singles the band have put out so far for this album have been excellent. The heaviness is there, the amazing talent of the backing band is there, and the impressive and hugely catchy vocals are maybe better than ever. The band seem to have returned from their hiatus with a renewed passion and drive. This could be one of the biggest rock albums of 2023, so is definitely one of the most anticipated!
Avenged Sevenfold: Untitled
The only one to carry over from last year’s list, the wait from 2016’s The Stage is getting unbearable. For one of the biggest bands of this century, seven years is a long wait between albums. Especially when The Stage was so good. I’ve heard very little about the progress of this album over the last 12 months, so I’ve just got to live in hope that it is finally released soon! For now, check out one of the best tracks off the last album while we wait.
Ward XVI: Untitled
Continuing on with as-yet-unannounced albums that are sure to come in the next 12 months, one of the UK’s best underground bands are heading back into the studio early this year to record part three of their album trilogy. I’ve grown to know their music pretty well since I first saw them live just over a month ago, and cannot wait to see where the story and sound goes, following on from Metamorphosis. While they are certainly not the biggest band on this list, they have the potential to release the best, most interesting album out of all the artists on here.
Mercyful Fate: Untitled
You knew this had to show up on our list. Though not officially announced yet, with no title or release date known, the band performed their first new material (and first show) since 1999 back last summer, so we can’t have to wait much longer! Back in 2020, guitarist Hank Shermann stated that he’d already written ‘six or seven songs’ for a new album, and it seems that said songs are finally getting close to being ready for release. Seeing the live footage of ‘The Jackal of Salzberg’ has me excited too, it sounds great. It’s been a long 24 years, but we may finally have new Mercyful Fate by the end of the year!
Blink 182: Unannounced
Onto maybe just hopeful guesswork now. However, Tom DeLonge re-joining the pop punk titans, them announcing an extensive tour over the next two years AND putting out a new single a couple of months ago, surely there must be some more releases in the works soon? As I said, the touring is extensive, but there are a few healthy gaps in there, like the entirety of April and August. I’m sure it’s mainly to spend time with their families, but they can squeeze some recording in there too, right? It might be wishful thinking, but it’s still a very anticipated album, if it ever happens.
Cody Jinks: Unannounced
Another one from the rumour mill, but at least this has some merit to it. Cody was in the studio in 2022. Now, whether that’s for his solo country stuff or another release from his metal band Caned By Nod, either way it’s darn exciting. The man has my favourite voice of all time when it comes to country, and it translates surprisingly well over to rock too. Hopefully not only does this mean he’ll put out new music in some capacity this year, but that he’ll finally come to the UK soon. I’m dying to see him, and an album is the perfect excuse for a world tour, right?
And there we have it folks. What are your most anticipated albums of this year? Let us know on our Facebook here.
This was the hardest thing I’ve had to do for Overtone so far. 448 albums we’ve covered on New Music Mondays over the last year, so trying to whittle it down to just the best 50 seemed like an impossible task. So, if anyone is offended by this list, I’m sorry, but it is all personal preference from us here at Overtone. The three of us voted, arranged it accordingly, and here it is. 50 of the top albums of 2022, let’s just get into it!
Unfortunately we are going to have to skip the honourable mentions or this list would be twice as long. But trust me when I say there were SO MANY other albums we wanted to include on here. Aside for the new Slash album. And Machine Gun Kelly’s latest album. Yeah, fuck those albums.
50: Nickelback – Get Rollin’
I know, I know, the cojones on me, right? Starting off with the world’s most hated band (aside for maybe Coldplay or Imagine Dragons). But, hear me out… it’s a really good album.
You know what you’re getting with Nickelback, don’t get me wrong, but this album is the band at their Nickelbacky best. From the heavier opening couple of tracks to ALL THE BALLADS, ever track is pretty great. Is it as good as it could have been? Probably not. But that doesn’t stop this from being a damn good album and my favourite by them since Dark Horse. A fitting start to the list, in my not-so-humble opinion, hence why it got an 8/10 from us. Check it out if you don’t believe me and try and tell me otherwise!
Listen to: San Quentin, Skinny Little Missy, Does Heaven Even Know You’re Missing?.
49: Elles Bailey – Shining in the Half Light
The Queen of modern blues rock, Elles Bailey returned this year with her new album and maybe her best work to date. A lot of this list is pretty heavy, so it’s nice to write about one of the most relaxed albums we covered this year. There’s a reason it’s getting heaps of praise from other journalists, too, it’s awesome. If you’re a fan of the slower, stripped back , old-school style of rock, this is definitely for you!
Listen to: Who’s That, The Game, Cheats and Liars.
48: Patient Sixty-Seven – Wishful Thinking
Three albums in and already some metalcore… that tracks. The Australian outfit have gained quite the cult following as of late due to being really quite good at social media. However, this debut album is also excellent. It feels like classic early metalcore, with plenty of heavy riffs, growls and breakdowns. However there is that awesome Sleeping with Sirens-style clean melody at points throughout too that hook in even the most anti-metal of people.
8.5/10 seems pretty apt for this album, and I cannot wait to hear where they go from here. Hopefully it’s over to the UK soon so I can see it live!
Charlotte: This is the album I didn’t know I needed. It’s raw, powerful and unconditionally honest. Demi Lovato shifts her pop era aside for heavy riffs (thank you Nita Strauss) and powerhouse vocals (which Demi always had but the rock genre highlights this even more so). Demi is honest about her experiences and calls out anyone attempting to diminish or silence her voice. The album’s mix is astonishing – the sound engineering is incredible and makes me appreciate it even more. I’m also in love with her special features – thank you for bringing these collaborations into existence. Long may this era continue.
Demi Lovato – EAT ME Ft Royal & the Serpent
Listen to: SKIN OF MY TEETH, 29, CITY OF ANGELS.
46: Amongst Liars – Self-Titled
The heavy, dark indie rock music continues with Amongst Liars’ amazing debut album. Riffs and catchy melodies abound, this is excellent from start to finish. Like I said in my review, it was one of the few albums on NMM that I listened to from start to finish immediately, and I have done so multiple times since. It grabs hold of your attention and holds it by the balls for the entire 40+ minute runtime. There are plenty of standout tracks on here but there isn’t a bad track on the album. We gave it an 8/10 but I’mma bump that up to an 8.5!
Listen to: Reign, Burn the Vision, Black Days.
45: Tough On Fridays – The Encore you Didn’t Ask For
One of the most recent albums released on this list, this was damn impressive when I checked it out. Considering I’d never heard of the band before, they blew me away and made me a massive new fan. The band’s unique blend of pop-punk, indie and hard rock made for a ridiculously enjoyable listen. There are plenty of good tracks on here that I’ve listened to a lot since first checking them out. This band deserve to be a lot bigger than they are. We gave it a very deserving 9/10 and it definitely deserves being on this list!
Listen to: Overboard!, Sink or Swim, The Awakening.
44: Dynazty – Final Advent
The perfect blend of power metal and AOR I didn’t know I needed until I first heard this album. It’s heavy, catchy, anthemic but somehow has a slight Sleaze edge to it all too that I cannot get enough of. Every member of the band is insanely talented, too. The vocals sore powerfully across an impressive range while the soloing is some of the best and smoothest I’ve ever heard, especially from a modern band. Max gave them a 9/10 and I can’t disagree, it’s an amazing album!
Listen to: Advent, The White, Yours.
43: Cage Fight – Self-Titled
This is how you debut as a heavy band. It’s brutal throughout and such an impressive display of talent and songwriting. Their brand of thrash/hardcore/beatdown/whatever the hell else is mixed in here is a lot of fun and infectiously heavy. If you’re a fan of the heavier side of metal you’ll love this just like I did. There isn’t much along the way of dynamics and highs and lows, but if you like being punched in the face for 40+ minutes straight, this is the album for you! we gave it a 9/10 so you’ve gotta check it out!
Listen to: Killer, Make A Decision, Respect Ends.
42: RXPTRS – Living Without Death’s Permission
A band that have exploded over the last six months or so after the release of this album, and it’s hard to argue otherwise, it is very good. Walking the line perfectly between metalcore and hard rock, Simon and the gang broach some really deep topics as they slap us in the face with heavy riffs and amazing melodies. It’s a unique style and one that is clearly going to get them far over the next few years. It’s the perfect mix of modern and old-school, and got a very deserving 9/10 from us!
Listen to: Collapse, Burning Pages, Rock Bottom (Is a Stepping Stone).
41: Black Mirrors – Tomorrow Will be Without Us
The message behind this album is phenomenal, and has kept me coming back to it again and again since its release. Addressing the state of the world and how we are ruining it is always a deep talking point, but to handle it so well across a 10-track album is damn impressive. The folky ‘Ode to my Unborn Child’ has me going back again and again as it’s so emotional, leaving me covered in goose bumps. Meanwhile their usual brand of grungy stoner rock is on full display across the rest of the album, showing off their fantastic range and songwriting skill.
This is a really good album that deserves to be higher, but the sheer quality of this years releases made that impossible. Still, we gave it a huge 9/10 and a spot on this list!
