Your new album ‘Damned Religion’ is out next month, can you tell me a bit about it?

We needed to get a new record recorded and we owed it to our friends, our family and our agent to come back with something world class. We wrote it three times back in our old studio called Superstar Studios and just blasted away at it, writing tunes and throwing it away – we wrote a whole album and threw the album away. It’s a bit more refined but it’s a Dear Superstar record.

It’s your first album in four years, why did it take so long?

The tours kept coming, to be honest. We were screaming out to write a new record, we had this vision of the damned religion and just wanted to get to the studio to find out where it took us. But the tours kept coming, which isn’t a bad thing. We went out with Buckcherry, Papa Roach and did a lot of cool festivals. It just seemed like every time we turned a corner we were like ‘Ok we’re going to record a record now’, but then there was another amazing tour we just couldn’t say no to.

How would you describe a Dear Superstar live show?

We try and hit that stage at 110mph. If we don’t come off battered and bruised then we don’t feel like we’ve done our job properly. We’re not posers, we just get as messed up as best we can and make sure everyone has as good a time as we do.

You had Johnny Rocker on board to produce the album, how did that come about?

We’ve done a whole bunch of touring with Heaven’s Basement in the past, we get along with all those guys, and Johnny especially. We wanted to do a few tunes together so he came up to our studio, spent the weekend, and we played that well we were like ‘You know what dude? Let’s just record the whole album together!’. So we tracked it in that studio with Johnny, and when we got to the end of it that was going to be the demo.

But we slayed it and Johnny made each individual instrument sound amazing so we needed to find a guy who had the same vision we’ve got and some kind of pedigree in production and mixing, then we heard that Bob [Marlette (Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Atreyu)] wanted to work with us. We sent him a couple of tracks, he sent them back, and we were like ‘Oh my god! Is that still the same recording as last time?’. It sounded so different and made the record so huge. It sounds of the same quality as the Atreyu or Airbourne album he’s done.

So is ‘Damned Religion’ the best album you’ve ever made?

Yeah, without a doubt. Our first record, ‘Confessions’, we did that on £1000 shoestring budget, in a studio with a tin roof up in the hills of our home town. It was just a collaboration of tunes we could try to sell on the road. We did ‘Heartless’ and I’m still really proud of that record, I don’t want to take anything away from it, but on ‘Damned Religion’ we had the time and it’s a quantum leap ahead of anything else we’ve done before.

Your band’s from Manchester, which has quite an illustrious musical heritage. How does it feel to be a part of that history?

Obviously it’s a massive honour to be a band from Manchester, but I just feel in many ways that Manchester is stuck in the indie scene and we kind of wanted to break away from that a little bit. It’s not that we don’t love bands like Oasis, Happy Mondays and countless others, and all the punk bands from our city as well, but it’s not our heart and soul – our heart and soul is rock and roll. To think that we can fly the flag for Manchester in our own way, rather than rehashing what another band did back in the 70s, 80s or 90s, that means more than anything.

Rock and roll is where your heart is, do you try and live the rock and roll lifestyle?

We definitely used to, we got a bit of a bad reputation or good reputation depending on which way you want to look at it. When we were on tour with Papa Roach in Europe we actually got told to calm down. In many ways we’re kind of not proud of that, but now touring is getting so serious we’ve got to get the job done first – then party. We can’t let anything get in the way of that stage time we get. We’re so blessed to have played some of the biggest stages in the world that we don’t want to stuff it up when we get there.

So you’ve matured as a band?

I think we’ve matured as people and as musicians to make ‘Damned Religion’ as good as we could make it, obviously. I think touring with bands who have been there and done it kind of showed us the way. It’s not all about how much you can shove up your nose or how much you can drink, it’s about getting the job done and making a career out of it. So if we can make a career out of it these days, there’s no point spunking it all on drugs, women and alcohol. Not that all that isn’t fun of course, but our direction is the music right now.

But what is the most rock and roll thing you’ve ever done?

To me the most rock and roll thing I’ve ever done is putting the devil horns up whilst shouting ‘How’s it going Donington?!’. Getting on that stage at Download festival – we’ve done it twice now – with such a history on that land, and the bands that have played it, having that feeling is the most rock and roll thing I’ve ever done.

Finally, what does 2012 hold for Dear Superstar?

Just touring. The record comes out on 6th February and we’ve got to back that up as best we can, so we’ve got the Kill Hannah tour. Then we’re going round Europe on the Invade The Stage tour for a few weeks then we’re back home before heading straight out on another tour which hasn’t been confirmed yet so I can’t really say. We don’t want to leave any stone unturned, and it’d be nice to get out to Japan and the States this year as well, just spread the word and get into as many people’s faces as possible.

Southampton trio Band Of Skulls are back with their long-awaited follow-up to their debut ‘Baby Darling Doll Face Honey’. ‘Sweet Sour’ is released on 20th Februar, and to give more of a taste of what will feature on the album the band are releasing the single ‘Bruises’, accompanied by a video in which a gang of masked Mexican luchadores take on a group of geeks in an energy fuelled ten pin bowling war. Following the release of ‘Sweet Sour’, the band will embark on a hefty UK tour to showcase their new material to their ever-growing collection of fans.

Disorder got the chance to chat with bassist Emma about their second record, her art exhibition and collaborating with each other.

You’re bringing out a new single ‘Bruises’ on the 12th February, and the video tells an interesting story. Is there any reason for why you decided on this idea?

We had a few suggested to us and that idea made us laugh. I like the way they picked out certain lines and used the slightly euphoric use of the chords because the video and the song kind of builds up. It’s just a really fun video.

Your second album ‘Sweet Sour’ comes out on 20th February, what can everyone expect from it?

We toured quite a lot with the first album; we played live for about a year and a half or two years around and about and we were playing slightly bigger venues than we thought we would. We wanted to make it feel like we had a bigger sound when we next go around so it’s definitely a bigger record. There are still quieter songs on there. We just collaborated a little more, I think. Because the three of us all write, there was a little more trust involved in showing each other our own songs.

You say you’ve done a “collaboration” this time, does that mean you made changes from how you worked on the first album?

It was generally more just the writing of the album that was different. Recording-wise, we worked with Ian Davenport again. The trust level was higher with this record. We had to show each other everything and be prepared to be knocked down at times when it doesn’t work.

How does it feel to be a band that are now influencing a new generation of bands with their music?

Are we? It’d be nice to think that we could influence other people in what they do. There aren’t enough really loud guitar bands around at the moment, so it’s nice to influence new bands.

You’ve got an art exhibition open at the moment, and some of your artwork is going to be featured on Sweet Sour. What’s the story behind those pieces?

I painted four quite large pieces when we took some time out over the summer after we’d finished recording, and they’re all featured throughout the album artwork. I also collaborated with a Canadian artist who created a sculpture based on one of the paintings which is featured on the cover of the record. The exhibition features 8 paintings – four from the first album and four from the second. It’s going really well and it’s just really nice to see them all together up on display for people to see.

You painted these after you recorded the album, would you say that they were inspired by the music you made?

I would say they are slightly inspired. There is definitely some sort of a connection between the paintings and the sounds we created.

What are your opinions on this idea being thrown around that guitar music is “dying”?

I have heard that quite a bit recently but to be honest, I don’t really see much evidence of that to be true. Just because the guitar music scene isn’t necessarily flourishing it doesn’t mean that it’s dying. It’s perhaps not the thing of the moment but every genre has its time; folk, acoustic, electro have all been big but they haven’t died and there is still obviously a big guitar scene.

You’re probably preparing for your tour in February and March now, how are you feeling about playing new material to your fans?

We’re very excited – we’ve not done a lengthy tour like this for a while. I’m looking forward to being able to play longer sets again; we’ve got plenty of material to choose from now. It’ll be great to see how the two albums work together live too. We’ve got a band called Broken Hands supporting our UK dates, and then we’re doing some dates supporting The Black Keys which we’re all excited about. We’re all big fans so it’ll be great to see how they work live and what their fans are like.

Finally, is there anyone you recommend to watch out for in 2012?

I’m looking forward to the new White Denim record. I’m not sure really, I’ll have to have a little listen around for some new stuff.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Can you believe that new album A+E is the eighth solo album from the Blur guitarist.

Graham Coxon returns to Parlophone for his new album, which will be released on 2nd April and is his first release since the acclaimed, acoustic-driven The Spinning Top.

Aptly named not only for the sense of scratchy, frantic urgency that suffuses its 10 songs, A+E finds Graham continuing with his singular vision as a truly eclectic artist. Playing all the instruments and improvising in the studio, Coxon found himself preoccupied with lyrical themes around the effects of weekend hedonism in modern Britain, on which A+E shines an outsider’s light, albeit with a mordant, sharp wit.

Produced by Ben Hillier, A+E features Coxon’s distinctive, visceral garage-punk-pop and is inspired by the experimental genres of Krautrock and the black & white, post-punk era – bringing to mind artists such as Neu!, Can and Kraftwerk), as well as Peter Hamill, Joy Division (‘Knife In The Cast’) and Monochrome Set. This may be the closet Graham has ever come to making, in a skewed sense of the word, ‘dance’ music.

Coxon describes the album as, “Improvisations, experiments in beats, rhythms. A chance to uninhibitedly make some sort of perversely sad, danceable and funny and despondent songs. I didn’t want to get caught up in my usual struggle with trying to make things sound really posh. I didn’t want lovely 60s-sounding drums and valves.”

In keeping with the album’s themes, Graham will curate the bill on a special tour around the UK in April, where he’ll invite his fans to nominate local bands to support him – he will then select his favourite for each venue.

www.grahamcoxon.co.uk

www.facebook.com/grahamcoxonofficial

The full A+E track list is:

1. Advice

2. City Hall

3. What’ll It Take

4. Meet+Drink+Pollinate

5. The Truth

6. Seven Naked Valleys

7. Running For Your Life

8. Bah Singer

9. Knife In The Cast

10. Ohh, Yeh, Yeh

A+E Tour dates, April 2012:

13th: O2 Oxford Academy.

15th: Gateshead Sage.

16th: Edinburgh Liquid Rooms.

17th: Glasgow Garage

19th: Manchester Sound Control.

20th: Sheffield Leadmill.

21st: Nottingham Rescue Rooms.

23rd: Brighton Concorde.

24th: Cambridge Junction.

25th: London Forum.

27th Gloucester Guildhall.

28th: Bristol Trinity.

29th: Exeter Phoenix.

30th:Falmouth Princess Pavilions.

The rest of the band looked like renegade Amish they’d borrowed for the night – all big beards and quirky headwear – but they provided the swirling, swooning strings on their keyboards as well as some taped backing vocals to enhance Serenades’ manner of  complete musical immersion. Live they’re far snappier and more forceful, which makes tracks like ‘Weapons‘ quite the tour de force and allows ‘Come Home’ to build and build in soft waves to a heartfelt plea about seasonal loneliness that makes you feel wrapped up inside of their chiming harmonies. Serenades are the equivalent of warm sheets and duvet being tangled around your legs, a luxurious stretch on a summer morning, a log fire in a remote cabin – enticing, emotive and lovely.

They’ve been compared to 80′s synth bands such as Prefab Sprout and A-Ha but in ‘Oceans’ (and for a more modern reference, if you like) you could liken them to The Drums, only with a better ear for a melody and much more skill in creating a mature yet carefree sound. The sparse clink of the piano intro, the breathy ‘ah a ah’ and haunting backing vocals, the strings… it all adds up to something quite spectacular without needing to stand up and proclaim it loudly. And because of that, it makes you all the more happy to go out and say it for them.

http://theserenades.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

This beautiful five track EP from Oxford trio, Trophy Wife, is the exploration of sleep and the subconscious, mixing delicate vocals with the catchy, springy synths that they’ve become known for. It’s out now and well worth the listen for these cool Autumnal days and nights.

We gave Jody Prewett (vocals, guitar, and bass), Ben Rimmer (keyboards), and Kit Monteith (drums and percussion) our questions and they very nicely answered them.

Although each member has a sleep disorder, what made you decide that these very personal traits would be the inspiration for the EP?

We weren’t really conscious of a ‘sleep disorders theme’ until one of the first times we listened through some earlier versions of the songs. It was probably something we all had on our minds in some way. Lyrically we’re not adverse to tapping into the slightly more personal side of things, so we can go from subconsciously grinding our teeth to getting stranded in the middle of downtown Colombo.

What elements from the sleeping problems did you use in the EP’s formation and how have they come to life on Bruxism?

It’s all about midnight wanderings, sleepless delirium and subconscious teeth grinding; all of which the three of us partake in from time to time – thankfully not always in each others company. Those themes are present mainly in the lyrics but also in the flow of the record as a whole – much like the E.P. most of my dreams seem to start all upbeat, get a bit grandiose in the middle and end up being really fucking dark. Recently one ended with me giving birth to my cat who was simultaneously giving birth to 6 kittens whist I ran around an abandoned school.

The percussion and synths on Bruxism are beautifully complex and layered and you could really let rip with both music and vocals but you all seem to exercise just the right amount of restraint. Do you have to rein yourselves in or push yourselves out when songwriting?

Working with a new producer on each track did force us to push out at our boundaries a fair amount. It’s safe to say restraint is definitely our flavour of choice overall though.

Track 3 is called Sleepwalks… so the obvious question is who is the sleepwalker and what do they get up to? (*pointless aside, my sister is a sleepwalker and once came into my bedroom and punched me in the face)

I once sleepwalked out into my garden and spat gibberish at my mum after returning from a tiring school trip. None of us suffer very regularly from it though – its more about when you are actually awake but the situation you find yourself in has all the features of a dream.

Given that you have a different producer for each of the five tracks, how did you a/ choose the line up and b/ match the song to the producer?

a/ We really just picked from a selection of people we would love to produce us, and it was great that they all got behind the idea. Ewan Pearson got a sleeper train from Berlin to Paris to meet us at a show once, and Plaid proved to be lovely guys. We’re fans above all, and it’s nice when you’re heroes turn out not to be dickheads from time to time.
b/ We had a batch of songs on the go, but things just happened surprisingly naturally when it came to working out who was going to produce what. The only exception was when we initially started writing ‘Bruxism’ with Dan Lissvik from Studio, but the strain of distance took its toll on the process after a few drafts. Fortunately we were lucky enough to get James Yuill to step in and knock it into some shape. He’s another hero.

What was the thinking behind this decision? Were you concerned that you would get an EP that had no natural flow or were you seeking a challenge for both yourselves and producer?

We certainly wanted a challenge. The idea was for the EP to take us through the extremities of our sound, working with strong producers with varying styles. I think we did have that worry that it might turn out a bit disjointed if we weren’t careful. But we were careful. So it wasn’t.

Since you’ve oft been compared to Foals, was there some perverse thinking when approaching Yannis to man the desk?

Kit grew up with Yannis, and they’ve always wanted to work on something together but have never got around to it. Now Yannis has a studio and we wanted to make a record, so it made a lot of sense.

The track he produced, Wolf, is deliciously contradictory in terms – a dark, primal ethereality – and a step away from your punchy uptempo sound… is this going to be something you further explore?

The writing of that song was all done in his studio and much of the experience was about trying to do things differently. We got a lot out of it, and we’re keen to explore many different approaches when recording our album. I suppose we’ll just see if that produces another peace-weed-induced slow-jam.

Your tracks are consistently being remixed… what’s your ideal Trophy Wife remix and by whom?

I’d like to get Andre 3000 to remix something. Anything, actually.

With 2012 pretty much on the horizon and favourable reviews coming in for Bruxism, do you look forward to perhaps being hailed as one of the next-big-thing-ones-to-watch etc etc

We kind of got exposed to some of that last year, and perhaps it was a bit awkward as we’d only been a band for about a week at the time. Obviously we’re very flattered if people think that of us. We’re just looking forward to getting out and playing these songs to people for the time being.

Questions: Delilah Black

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rihanna on WhoSay
DO NOT WATCH IF a) You haven’t had any in a while, b) You have inappropriate thoughts about Rihanna/ Dudley, c) You are on the righteous path to sobriety – because this is guaranteed to get you on the blower to the seedy bloke you met in the alley of that glitter rave you probably don’t remember attending.

Eagerly anticipated since the peeved farmer headlines earlier in the year, this video has got to be the raunchiest yet. MOVE OVER Lady Gaga we have a new fave. The mini movie might be late on the mark with its likeness to ‘This is England’ but Riri is hot on the money with some 90s styling and super cool creepers – credit goes to the stylist , Mel Ottenberg on this one! To be fair, I thought the whole working class punk trend was over before we even had chance to starch our Fred Perry’s. I’ve got my fingers crossed we can get the clippers back out for some serious LOL hairstyles. Mel is screaming ‘double denim ain’t over’ in this video and thank god I have an added excuse to buy them patent docs I had my eye on.

Rihanna explains “the theme for the video is love and love being a drug”. Grace Jones knew what she was talking about back in the 80s. The beginning of the video starts with a similar setup to the Agy Deyn adverts for Doc Martens. A short account of a break up in her familiar northern accent marks the tone for the British style video, instantly warming me to the character.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The message is clear – love can be so powerful even the worst times are worth it just for the good. With the help of boxer and with-cheek=bones-like-that-of-course-he’s-a-model, Dudley O’Shaughnessy, Rihanna definitely gets this across. The rumours have been flying high about this pair, and judging by the on screen chemistry it is about to get a whole lot worse. The pair tug at the heartstrings (and groin) with scenes of car sex, topless field debauchery and supermarket sweep. Ooooh there’s nothing like narcotic fuelled danger to get you in the mood.
Seriously though I have never seen a pilled up couple look this good!!!

words: SJM Wilson

The event was to show off the new HTC sensation XL phone which had the Beat Audio integration which delivers amazing sound and visuals for a phone.

As guests were ushered in and when I mean guests I mean people such as Lady Gaga yes I said it the woman of many hairdo’s & looks graced us with her presence (who was looking very nice in a black afghan dog style hat that covered most of her face with a matching dress) as well as Dr Dre and our boys Rizzle Kicks, Wretch 32 & of course SBTV’s founder Jamal as well as everyones beloved sacked Xfactor judge Cheryl Cole. They were able to have a play with the new phone and also sip on special cocktails such as watermelon and chilli. Have to say I’m not a fan of chilli so didn’t try that one.

This event was a unique combination of music and technology as you got to play with the new HTC as whilist listening to the likes of Will.iam, Beardyman, Martin Solveig and my personal favorite Nero amongst others.

words by Jade Stavri

This is the record + management company set up by Mairead Nash (Queens of Noize) for some amazing acts including Florence and the Machine, so naturally she was the special “secret” guest of the evening, performing four new songs as well as some of her better known tracks. Showing off a rather severe crop hairstyle (we miss the flinging locks!), she had the audience eating from the palm of her hand with ease. Her new material is beautiful, showing that as an artist she is developing and growing without losing what has made her so beloved to her fans.

Of course, Florence wasn’t the only one warbling through the night. There was also Spector, fronted by the acid-tongued Fred Macpherson replete in spectacles and a suit. Think Maximo Park dating The Killers and smashed up with Buddy Holly and you’ll be kinda close. Hugely entertaining.

http://soundcloud.com/luv-luv-luv/spector-never-fade-away

Theme Park had the crowd bopping but I was bored by it and so found Joe Lean (without his Jing Jang Jong) and chatted movies (he’s in Jane Eyre with the delectable Michael Fassbender) and music (he’s got a new band called The Dip).

Also milling around was Willy Moon, whom we love, adore and cherish. The man is a well dressed fucking genius.

http://soundcloud.com/itswillymoon/willy-moon-i-wanna-be-your-man

There was also my find of the evening – Jamie N Commons – who has a band of fresh faced pretty boys who are talented to the eyeballs and can do mean harmonies. Jamie, tall and lanky with floppy hat, long hair, and jeans that seem to desire the dust of the American heartland, has a voice that doesn’t quite match his skinny, baby faced countenance. Sounding like Joe Cocker and Tom Waits have taken up permanent residence in his soul, the gravel-soaked-in-honey vocals cause much scraping of jaws across the concrete floor. Expect much stalking of Mr N Commons by Disorder. Or just me. Yeah.

http://soundcloud.com/jamie-n-commons/sets/jamie-n-commons/

http://luvluvluvrecords.tumblr.com/

Of course, the night wouldn’t be a massive success without everyone sucking down some amazing complimentary cocktails. Red Stag is a cherry bourbon by Jim Beam (the first flavoured one in the UK) and it was pretty damn tasty. I had a cocktail that looked like True Blood and so I was happy wandering around with cherry stained lips all night.
This is a picture of the bottle. Yum.

http://www.facebook.com/RedStagUK

Competition – Tickets to Acid House Reunion Party – Moho Live,Manchester hosted by Gio-Goi 2nd Sept 2011

Multi-award winning fashion brand, Gio-Goi, is throwing two special free parties to celebrate the Manchester music scene to mark the launch of its first store in the city, and in England. The international label is opening a dedicated store in Manchester’s Arndale Centre on Thursday 25th August and is holding a special free acid house reunion party on Friday September 2nd at Moho Live in the city.

The party will feature the original line-up from the iconic rave scene in which the brand was launched, including Hacienda DJs Mike Pickering, Jon da Silva and Graeme Park. A gig celebrating the hottest new Manchester music talent will then take place on Wednesday 13 September, featuring D/R/U/G/S, Silverclub and Young British Artists in London. The gig will happen in a special pop-up shop in Brick Lane, which will sell a limited edition trainer created by Gio-Goi and Citroen – DS3 Racing by Gio-Goi. The influential acid house dance scene of the late 1980s saw local brothers Chris and Anthony Donnelly create the Gio-Goi brand, which became the uniform of choice for ravers in the second ‘Summer of Love’.

The brothers put on the first warehouse parties in Manchester called Sweat It Out. Their twenty-four hour Joy party, was the largest in the North at the time, clocking ravers in the tens of thousands and actually coining the famous phrase, ’24-hour party people.’ It is now worn by a new generation of music royalty, including Plan B and Deadmau5 and has been seen on such artists as Pete Doherty, Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Tiesto and Rihanna.

To Win Tickets All you have to do is email competitions@disordermagazine.com with your name, address and D.O.B

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 18 +The competition winner will be picked at random. the winner will be announced online on the 2/9/11 The decision made by Disorder Media Ltd is final. Only one entry per person. Applicants must include, Name, Age and Address (covered by Data Protection Act 2007). Travel expenses are not covered. Disorder is not responsible for damage, theft or loss to person or property. This competition is run by Disorder Magazine/Disorder Media Ltd.

Coming back on stage for 3 encores, for his first gig in UK since his 02 appearance during the 3121 tour, the 53-year-old legend playfully winged “I wish there wasn’t no such thing as a curfew. Parties are supposed to go on ’til everyone’s asleep”.

Opening with what seemed like an improvised jam to sound check, the  crowd was already starting to realise that the performance would be more like one of his infamous “after parties” than your average veteran come-back gig. After previous acts such as Graham Central Station and Tinie Tempah failed to perfect their sound, Prince orchestrated on-stage and off instructions to ensure his performance was as great as we’ve come to expect. Larry Graham, bassist of legendary funk groups Sly and The Family Stone and Graham Central Station, joined Prince for a half-hour medley of Sly Stone classics including Family Affair and Be Mice Elf  Agin. The pair interacted with each other as if they had been sharing a stage since the days of The Revolution.

Throughout the two and half hour set Prince continued to move tirelessly around the stage with such charisma, charm and attitude that would’ve have made Michael Jackson look like he was glued to the floor. Wowing the travelling fans with his effortless stage presence, Prince performed a powerful rendition of his early classic “Little Red Corvette” Involving the audience by harmonising with them and repeating the hook “slow down” followed by an 808 drum machine handclap, he held every fan in pure admiration. After an encore that lasted nearly an hour consisting of his own version of Come Together by the Beatles, Prince finished the breath- taking performance on If I Was Your Girlfriend (my personal favourite) of which he rarely performs. The lights were finally brought down by the 11pm curfew on a night that proved that Prince  is still the King.

words: Felicity Hayward