Now, we don’t get a lot of Swedish bands in today’s Rock world, but it was a real privilege to be invited down to chat with the three-piece group; Normandie. It’s their second tour of the UK in a year as they were supporting Yellowcard’s headlining farewell tour this time last year as well. I sat down for a chat with them to talk about everything they’ve been up to recently.
So guys, tell me who exactly are Normandie?
“As a band or as persons? We’re a Swedish band from different parts of Sweden and put together in 2013 by management because the scene was losing a bunch of great bands and they thought it was a good idea to put us together.”
I was going to say, you don’t normally hear about rock bands from Sweden too much in today’s world.
“Exactly. There were a bunch of bands that were put to rest and we were supposed to fill that space.”
“But, as persons who are we? Relaxed, easy going, positive dudes.”
And how’s it been playing UK shows again? I saw you guys last year supporting Yellowcard but it’s fantastic to be able to see you on the headline slot this time around.
“That was a great tour. It’s been super nice to be back in the UK and this tour has been amazing. We did a headline tour one and a half year ago and we can see a big difference now. “
“The best part from that tour was that we did a show in a place called Boston Music Room so that was the first ever UK show we did one and a half year ago and now we played it again and it sold out so it’s great to see the progression of the UK fanbase.”
And you’re also touring with Ryan from Yellowcard again, how does it feel to be out with one of the same artists again?
“Amazing. He’s a great guy and it’s really fun to have him with us.”
On the tour have you ever come out and done a quick-fire collaboration with him? I know some bands like to do that with their supporting acts on occasion.
“No. I don’t think we’d like to put him in that spot. I don’t know if he’d enjoy it or if he wouldn’t and if we would, it’d be a surprise, but I don’t think I could ask him. I’d rather just be Normandie and have fun with him backstage.”
The new single; Pay For This has been out for around a month now, how’s the reaction been to that new material on the run of shows?
“It’s been good. We did a campaign and live stream which worked out quite well for that, so it was really good to try something new.”
And being an unsigned now, does that give you more freedom?
“Plenty. We’ve had so much time to work on the new album and we were proud of what we’ve done but we don’t want the pressure of doing that same process again, we want to find what the real Normandie sound is, not that it’s going to be really different but find ourselves in the sound. We’ve done that now.”
So, would you say it’s a more personal record than the last?
“Personal and way broader. Not that it’s way more poppy or more like that. Every song isn’t the same but they’re in the same area and there’s some that’ll stick out and are close to the old sound so It’s more diverse. “
So, will it be released next year?
“Hopefully. If it wouldn’t be I’d be a little surprised and ashamed because I don’t like it when bands take four years to write an album, especially if it’s the second album”.
And what else can we expect from you in 2018?
“Probably a lot of touring hopefully. But we can’t say anything really because it hinges on the first few months.”
You can view Normandie’s video for ‘Pay For This’ below.
A Conversation With…Silverstein. Newcastle Think Tank. 13/12/17
I’m back at Newcastle’s, Think Tank for a dose of the rock kings in the form of Silverstein. They released their stellar record, Dead Reflection earlier this year and by the sounds of things, fans are eating it up all over the world! I sat down with Shane to chat about the record, the tour and everything else in-between.
Hey Shane, so you guys have been going for 17 years now, how does it feel to be in the band for that long?
“It feels good. It’s coming up on about half of my life which is pretty crazy to think about and I guess when you’re immersed in it and the main focus of half my life, it’s been a good experience all around and you know? We started the band for fun and it’s still our goal and we still have fun every single day.”
And tonight’s not going to be any different in Newcastle.
“Yeah, we’re about halfway through the tour in the UK. Bless you and your countries smallness. Each show covers the whole country pretty much. It should be great tonight and we don’t get a chance to come over to the UK compared to a lot of other countries so every time we’re here it’s really special and Newcastle’s special. We’ve always had a good time here, always had a blast.”
And that’s Newcastle for you hopefully, we never put you in the wrong.
“No, no for sure. It’s been good. First, we played in some little pub and then last year we played here again, and this is another new venue but fans are always coming out and they’re excited so it’s all good.”
“What’s it like to play a British pub?
It’s great. You know any place you put a stage or a PA works for a show and you get a great vibe. And it’s not like it’s a pub where you’re sitting around and there are old people and you’re drinking beer, eating fish and chips but any environment works for rock and roll. You just gotta own it.”
And the latest record was released in the summer. Now you’ve had the chance to play the some of the tracks off the record, how’s the reaction been to them?
“It’s been awesome. We still feel really strongly about the record and the fans love the record. Music journalists and critics really love the record so it’s a really great feeling to be seventeen years into our career and making some of our best music and it’s always weird you know? When you make a record in the studio and we’re trading demos back and forth in the studio you can kinda predict how a song will going to go down live but you can’t really until you do it. For example, one track off our record which is a fan favourite; The Afterglow. It’s a poppier song and we weren’t sure how it was going to go down live because it’s not really heavy or anything. It’s an upbeat poppy track so when the record came out in the summer we didn’t play it straight away, we played the heavier tracks and recently we’ve been busting it out and we couldn’t believe how well it went over. People are just going crazy for this song so it’s been incredible playing this song live and it’s one we’ve worked into playing in the set every day and we can’t not take it out because it’s too good live and we didn’t expect it, so it’s very difficult to guess what songs are going to go off live and sometimes the opposite happens as well, it doesn’t always do what you expect to do one way or the other.”
And was that the mindset for the new record as well?
“I mean we don’t really think we think about the songs in a live setting when we’re making a record. I think it’s an afterthought. You’re like okay we need to think how are these going to be played live and how they’re going to go over, especially with this record because we’ve used some different tunings which we haven’t used in the past and that’s an issue because it means we have to bring more guitars which are in the right tunings so there are things like that. So, with the mindset of the record, we wanted to make the best record on recording for all the people to listen to on their stereos or in their car or wherever.”
And do you have any secret talents?
There’s the whole singing, I guess it’s not a secret. I’d say I’m remarkably good at foosball, you know like table football. It’s bigger where we’re from. I’m remarkably good at that and our whole band’s pretty good at bowling as well. I mean if you wanna thrown down with a bowling tournament we hold our own.”
I’d be down for that, but I haven’t been for a while so you’d absolutely destroy me.
“I think it’s a little bit like riding a bike. You need to warm up and get back into the groove. I won’t bowl for a couple of months or even six months at a time and I could bowl a 175 pretty easily these days consistently so we’re feeling pretty good about our bowling skills.”
And has there been any standout moments from the recent tours?
“I think there are standout moments every day. Even the smaller shows, the shows that don’t go perfectly. There are still stand out moments. People still ask me oh do you get bored of playing the same songs for seventeen years?, how many have you played my heroine? you know, like thousands of times but every time you play a show it’s different. I mean it’s a different show, different people, different venue, different set lists, bands opening and I think there’s always going to be really cool moments regardless so it’s hard to pick a specific one and I’ll say our last tour in Germany, we did fourteen dates which is a lot and we sold them all out and some people came to multiple shows or all of the tour and it was a very special time to play to the fans but I can’t pick a specific moment though.”
And are you expecting for anything to go crazy tonight?
Yeah, it’s a little small room up there at the Think Tank in Newcastle so I think it’s going to be pretty bonkers you know? I think people are at that point where they’ll get the second wind for the week, so I think it’s going to be a good show.”
And is there anything else you’d like to add?
“Check out Dead Reflection, the new record’s out now. There are some great tracks on it; The afterglow, Whiplash, Retrograde Lost Positive some of our favourite tracks from the record and we’ll be around you know? Whether you’re listening in the UK or elsewhere in the world so come see us live and say what up!”
Frank Turner has released details of his new record, ‘Be More Kind’ which is set to be released May 4th via Xtra Mile Recording/Polydor Records. It’s been produced by ex-White Denim members Austin Jenkins and Joshua Block, with Charlie Hugall.
This comes alongside the release of the first track from the record, ‘Be More Kind’.
And he’s going to be on a lengthy UK tour commencing in April. Here are the dates!
April 2018
13th – Manchester – Academy
15th – Dublin – The Academy
18th – Belfast – The Limelight
20th – Aberdeen – The Garage
21st – Edinburgh – Liquid Room
22nd – Newcastle – O2 Academy
24th – Sheffield – O2 Academy
25th – Liverpool – O2 Academy
27th – Bristol – O2 Academy
28th – Exeter Uni – Great Hall
30th – Cambridge – Corn Exchange
May 2018
1st – Southampton – Guildhall
2nd – Southend – Cliffs Pavilion
4th – Leicester – O2 Academy
5th – Oxford – O2 Academy
8th – Hull – City Hall
9th – Norwich – UEA
Tickets go on sale Friday 2nd February at 10AM with a fan pre-sale starting now on Frank’s store.
British Rock newcomers Milestones have confirmed details of their upcoming full-length record. It’s called ‘Red Lights’, and is scheduled to drop February 23rd 2018. It’s being released through Fearless Records and will follow up from their 2016 EP, ‘Equal Measures’.
Here’s the album artwork, track listing and you listen to the lead single ‘Paranoid’ below.
Bittersweetheart
Once Upon A Time
Paranoid
Against The World
Eighteen
Liar
Hold On
End Game
This Is My Life
Counting Cars
Forever Or Never
You can pre-order the record via their official webstore (here), iTunes (here), Amazon (here), and Google Play (here).
Time for a bit of new record news. Today it concerns the Arizona metallers Blessthefall. On the heels of signing with Rise Records, they’ve announced details of their sixth studio record, the follow up to 2015’s ‘to Those Left Behind’.
The record is being produced by Tyler Smith, with additional production by Matt Good and Howard Benson. It’s going to be called ‘Hard Feeling’ and is set to drop on March 23rd 2018.
Here’s the Cover artwork, full tracklisting and a stream of the lead single, ‘Melodramatic’.
Wishful Sinking
Find Yourself
Melodramatic
Feeling Low
Cutthroat
I’m Over Being Under(rated)
Sleepless In Phoenix
Keep Me Close
Sakura Blues
Welcome Home
You can pre-order ‘Hard Feelings’ online now through Music Glue (here), and Amazon (here).
Although they’ve released their full-length record, ‘Our Lost Hearts’ not that long ago, and still promoting it on the road, Phoenix Calling have announced they’ve parted ways with their vocalist, Steve Chapman.
This comes from the band via a short statement via their Facebook page.
“We are sorry to announce that vocalist, Steve Chapman, has left the band. This change marks a new chapter in the development of Phoenix Calling and we will be back in the recording studio and doing some shows very soon.
We would like to thank Steve for his contribution to the band and wish him all the best in his future projects.”
Along with the statement from the band, Chapman has also issued a personal statement where he claims he was “forced out” of the band by management due to his behaviour on the first date of the most recent tour.
“I am truly upset and gutted to be writing this. I have been forced out of Phoenix Calling by the bands management!! I was recently struggling with some personal issues and stupidly got intoxicated during first tour show. Issues and excitement of touring got the better of me. (Weak I know) The next day of tour. I held my hands up realised It was stupid, apologised to everyone and the rest of tour I didnt get drunk before anymore shows. We all held our hands up to mistakes. We are human after all. Any feedback from people watching our shows, I had was good. Anybody that knows me, knows how much this band and music means to me. Me and the Phoenix Calling boys been working so hard from day 1. I’m so so fucking angry that it’s been taken away from me. Through people because they have fucking money!!!! I just hope the boys that I’ve considered brothers in Phoenix Calling including new drummer Luke. Stand by me!!”
More news on the future of Phoenix Calling will be posted as it develops.
Now this band are on a high. Roam have just recently released their newest record, Great Heights & Nosedives, supported New Found Glory’s headlining UK tour and are currently in the middle of their EU/UK headlining tour. It’s safe to say they’re going into 2018 on the back of their best year as a band. Tonight they play the Newcastle Think Tank as part of their headlining shows. I sat down with Alex Adam to chat about the bands last few months.
Hey Alex, you and the lads have had a mammoth few months, supporting New Found Glory. How does it feel to be headlining your own UK tour?
“It’s amazing. Like you said, we came off the back of touring with New Found Glory in America and the UK as well and we haven’t headlined in a while, so it’s really nice to come back and headline and see the progression we’ve made and the fans we’ve picked up on those tours. And definitely, see how the new album goes down live because the reception to it has been amazing.”
Speaking of the show in London, I’ve seen a few pics of the night and it looked absolutely mental.
“It was amazing. It was a sold out show which is awesome for London and a huge milestone for us but it was constant stagediving and the room was packed.”
On the new record, I’ve seen a few comments online saying you’ve changed you’ve changed your sound drastically from backbone to great heights, what do you make of that?
“I think it has, not in terms of the band because I think we’re the same band. I think we were able to get the songs in how they were able to sound. The songs on Backbone are great but we went into the studio and recorded them as we wrote them whereas on Great Heights we demoed them ourselves, changed the demos and we had ten different versions of every demo and fifteen different songs but we only put out eleven then when we went into the studio with Kyle Black we completely changed that all again so we refined the songs completely and there’s a great progression between the albums but I don’t know that it’s necessary ridiculously far away from the first album.”
But with the freedom you had from the writing of Backbone to Great Heights, would you say you had a better experience writing?
“Definitely. We had more time, more resources and it was like we needed to absolutely smash it or it’ll flop kind of thing. And I think once we had got the demos together, redone them and gone through them with Kyle and sat through pre-production again we were in a really strong place with it.”
And off the new record, what’s been your favourites to play live?
“Flatline, just because the crowd reactions have been really cool every night and it’s just a sing-along kind of song and I think a lot of people really relate to it, so I really love playing that song live. I enjoy all of them, but I can’t say a favourite personally because all of them are great to play.”
I have to say two of my favourites are Open Water and Playing Fiction.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had very little time at home, we haven’t been back in about eight weeks and even then we were back for one week or two so we didn’t have time to practise all of them off the album, including Open Water properly yet properly as a band, so we’re not playing that on this tour but Playing Fiction’s definitely in there. “
I’m hoping for a good reaction for that one, but I do admire that the fans have their personal favourites.
“It’s awesome to tweet what do people want to hear and every song’s completely different and then we see someone wants one song in particular and we’re like really? You want to hear that one because not a lot of people want to hear certain ones. It’s this and that but as you see every single song gets chosen at some point so we’re going to have to learn them all very well and get used to playing them, so we can change up the sets.”
And apart from the album dropping, what’s been your personal highlight from 2017?
“I mean last night was a very big night for me. I mean we played Underworld in London on the last tour and the last headliner we did which was a bit smaller, a bit more intimate and it wasn’t sold out. Then to go from that and bring the record out and for it to sell out this time around, the first song we played was Alive and everyone was just singing it back which was great so that in itself was a highlight for me.”
And being on the road what’s the best things for you?
“You get to see a lot of things you’d never normally see and eat a lot of things you’d normally never eat.”
I did hear a mention of Burritos earlier.
“That’s the thing, you’re in a different city every night and you don’t have access to a kitchen or anything you have to eat out, so we go for dinner every night which is amazing because you get to try so many different foods and all this stuff. It gets hard, because we’ve been away for eight weeks and we’ve all got family, girlfriends you know and it’s very much you miss home a lot but that’s the worst part because you’re constantly moving, with the same people and you want a bit of space.”
Oh don’t worry, I’m not going to argue on that.
And do you have any secret talents?
“Well, I’m getting into drawing at the moment, I don’t know if it’s a secret talent, but I’ve started doing that and you can see there are some people asleep and that’s pretty much your only option when you get to the venue it’s like; should I sleep? Should I scroll through my phone which I’ve been doing all day? Should I go out but it’s like almost -5 degrees outside and I don’t wanna do that but most of the time it’s like we should stay here, wait for food or just draw.”
And after the tour what’s the plan?
“We finish in about five days in Cardiff, then we drive home for Christmas which is nice and the next thing is the Knuckle Puck and Stand Atlantic tour in Australia in January. That’ll be nice because it’s freezing here and it’ll be very hot over there but we love it over there in general. We’ve only been to Australia once but the shows were really good over there as well so I’m looking forward to going back.”
And out of all the crowds you’ve played for, who’d you say is your favourite?
“Well, they’re all a little different because you get a little bit from each different area and you learn new stuff like in America they’re really big on putting one arm up in the air and slapping it down again which you don’t see much of over here, but we try and bring it back over here which is really cool.”
I think British people would feel too awkward to do that if you ask me.
“Oh yeah, and they do it without even asking which is cool but at the end of the day I’d say our favourite is the UK because it’s the place where we’re the biggest and get the best reaction and the best size of crowd.”
And are there any last words you want to say?
“If you don’t know who we are, check out Great Heights & Nosedives. It’s on Spotify, Apple Music. It’s everywhere so check it out. “
If you follow the link, you can hear 30 seconds of a track called ‘Little Did I Know’ which by the looks of things will appear on a record called ‘Shades Of Blue’ which will be released in the spring of this year.
I’ll be sure to update everyone as the information comes out, until then; stay tuned!
Almost Anything Music 