The UK festival season is fast approaching. For many, it kicks off at the annual late May Bank Holiday weekend gathering known as the Slam Dunk Festival. Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing a plethora of Slam Dunk Fest related content. Today, we’re bringing back our ‘Slam Dunk
‘We’ve always been outcasts’ – Bleed From Within
As they return with their first album in five years, we spoke to Bleed From Within vocalist Scott Kennedy about ‘Era’.
“I think our biggest asset is that we sound a little bit different, but it’s also our biggest Achilles’ heel” In the music industry, it’s a common known fact that you need to play the waiting game; to have the patience for that tour to come along, that breakthrough moment
“I want people to realise that persistence and dedication to your art will yield results” Upon its theatrical release in 1940, Walt Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ captivated the hearts and minds of a global viewing audience. It’s exquisite display of rich animation, flourishing colour and dreamlike spectacle tied together by a richer
“We were made to feel like we were an important band, not only in our scene. but in music” For any band who has built up a loyal following during their existence, there is a danger is you are never going to please everyone. Some fans will prefer older material,
“For me, the perfect pop song is super simple, and it has really honest lyrics. I think that’s all you need; three chords and the truth.” Trying to draw a coherent line from street punks The Ducky Boys through to South Californian indie-pop group Walter Etc. might seem nigh-on impossible.
Time, when you think about it, is really a rather strange concept. All that really exists is the here and now; the very moment that you live in; the past is everything that has taken us to this point, the future an unsketched blank canvas. It may seem an abstract
“I can very much only speak from my own experiences and if other people can find solace or can relate to what I’m saying, that’s great” If you’ve been paying close attention to the UK rock press in recent weeks, then Nervus is a name you’ll be familiar with. Spurred
“If we didn’t try and push our boundaries and wrote the same album over and over again, that would be fucking boring” Throughout 2015, Feed the Rhino were poised to become metal’s most important and influential band. With storming sets at Download, Reading & Leeds and Hevy Fest under their
“It’s extremely easy to get caught up in the touring lifestyle… you forget about the person you actually are.” Ever since emerging from Manchester three years ago, Milestones have had a lot of growing up to do in a relatively short space of time. Picked up by Fearless Records just
“When everything is dying, you have to evolve and adapt.” “It’s way better than anything else we’ve put out,” proclaims Cane Hill frontman Elijah Witt as we catch up with him in London ahead of supporting Motionless In White. With their second album, ‘Too Far Gone’, seeing the light of
“If we were more easily defined, you would see us in a certain pool of bands” From Iron Maiden to Depeche Mode, these wouldn’t be the immediate influences that would scream out to you for one of the most exciting heavy bands in the UK right now. But that is
“I’m the funniest guy in the world, it doesn’t mean that I can’t have feelings” “In order to help other musicians, we all have to be vocal about it. That’s why I don’t mind talking about it,” states Bowling For Soup frontman Jaret Reddick, as he opens up to Already
“There always comes a point in every artist’s project where you just need to put the brush down, or put the mic down… just step back to admire what you’ve done and stop picking it apart” 2017 proved to be a great year for album releases and being three years
“With this band, there’s three of us in the room who genuinely want the songs to be the best they can be.” Some bands epitomise the commodification of music, offering a soulless, easily digestible package that exists in a cultural vacuum. Others offer little artistry beyond writing and playing, representing
“I think communication is the most important thing we can actually be doing… instead of just shouting into the abyss on the internet, that’s not helping anyone on either side.” “A white knight is the kind of guy who, when I would be at a show, standing at the edge
“I am very proud that we have something that is unique” A unique selling point is something all bands strive for. To grab the attention of the audience, whether it be good or bad to have something a little bit different to make you sound out from the crowd is
“We needed to pivot and take a risk” Sometimes the world of music can seem a bit stagnant. You have copycat bands, or you hear the same endless loop of chart-toppers on the radio, and you think if there is any way to break the cycle. But every so often
With the aim of taking punk rock back to its DIY roots, Orlando, Florida quartet The Attack are set to embark on a UK headline tour this week. Having spent the past 12 months playing shows with influential names such as Flogging Molly, Less Than Jake, and Face To Face,
“To me, it’s just about doing your art and doing what makes you happy.” Ever since their 2002 formation, The Bronx have become rock’s ultimate misfits, whose scattergun hardcore arrangements and catchy melody writing has awarded them the title of “the best punk band in the world”. Whenever hardcore punk
When a band goes on hiatus, upon their return it is hard not to get a little bit nostalgic, go through their back catalogue and get re-familiar with the work they have produced. So when pioneers of the New York hardcore scene Burn announce that they would be returning with
“I don’t want to be known as a band that’s always on a downer, just because we’re fucked up,” concludes Rebuilder’s Sal Medrano as we wrap up a near hour-long chat. It’s a comment that comes as a surprise considering the ease with which Medrano talks (and, by his own
“We wouldn’t be beating a dead horse if no-one gave a fuck” Bands come and go. Lineups change, sounds evolve but once in a blue moon comes along a band which defines a generation of music fans. For punk/hardcore bands growing up in the late 90s / early 2000s, that
“If people are still talking about Counterparts twenty years from now, then I’ve won” Brendan Murphy is in a relaxed mood as we join him from his home in Hamilton, Ontario. Having recently returned home from a gruelling-yet-rewarding trek across the USA on the Vans Warped Tour now is the
“We don’t wanna make a clear distinction between band and private, but this is our primary focus and endeavour” Being removed from the Western world can have its disadvantages, especially when you’re a band with a message that rides along the line of “everything isn’t what it seems”. With their
“It feels good to have the control back in my hands” It is human nature that relationships are complex. You agree on some things and disagree on others. Relationships of any sort come and go, some more important than others. Within the music industry, relationships between bands and labels continue
Gut instinct can count for a lot, as can being spontaneous, and it is a combination which is proving fruitful for Philadelphia four-piece Small Circle. With the core of the band made up of members from one of the leaders of the modern emo wave in Sorority Noise, Small Circle
“It’s intimidating to be vulnerable but one thing I’ve learned is you can’t hold back.” While some bands are comfortable to stay independent, for others, the opportunity to be supported by a label matters. For Jay Martinez, vocalist for San Antonio pop-punks Across The Atlantic, joining the rapidly rising Sharptone
It can be tough to stand out in metal when every band seems to be on a mission to be the heaviest, the fastest and most technical in their playing field, so when we find a band who just want to play the nastiest music possible for their own twisted
For Ohio’s Dead Leaves, it’s all about the moments. A little detail here, a nostalgic remembrance there. When these moments are added together it makes for some powerfully sentimental vignettes that hit hard and speak volumes of the human condition. It’s in these stories – and boy, can Dead Leaves