Tag: with confidence

Slam Dunk Festival Adds Beartooth, Set It Off, Nova Twins & More

Slam Dunk Festival has announced more bands to its 2022 lineup! And there’s some big and amazing names on there.

First up are Beartooth! They’re making their return to the Slam Dunk Festival lineup for the first time in five years.

On the announcement, the band says:

“We’re beyond excited to return to Slam Dunk. It’s a killer festival with killer bands and it’s an honor to be a part of the lineup. Like a lot of bands, it’s been years since we’ve been able to play in the UK. I promise we’re gonna do everything in our power to kick major ass. See ya there!”

And also set to play the festival wit Counterparts, 3OH!3, Set It Off, Nova Twins, With Confidence, Magnolia Park and Lil Lotus. 

Check out the updated festival poster below.

With Confidence Release First New Material In Three Years!

Australian Pop-Punks With Confidence are back! The prodigal sons have returned with a brand new single as well as a new member to the band!

The band have welcomed their longtime touring guitarist Scott McLaughlin into the band as they have launched their bouncy new jam Big Cat Judgement Day – their first new music since 2018’s Love And Loathing album.

“If you’ve seen us on tour in the last few years you might recognise this cheeky sausage,” say Jayden Seeley, Inigo Del Carmen and Joshua Brozzesi as they announce Scott as an official member. ​“Since Warped Tour ​’18 Scott’s always gone above and beyond his duties as a touring guitarist. He’s been a phenomenal friend and a driving source of enthusiasm and optimism on the road. 

“Last year he joined us in the studio for the first time, writing and recording our third LP. At this point it’s clear we simply wouldn’t be where we are without Scott, so please join us today in welcoming him as an official member of With Confidence!”

Speaking about Big Cat Judgement Day, Scott reveals With Con’s intentions were to write ​“the feel good song of the pandemic”.

“Dealing with isolation and empty streets while we were recording the album,” the musician explains. ​“It was the first six weeks of lockdown so we were processing and writing in real-time, knowing that we had no idea what we’re going to do with our lives once we finished the record. I was keeping a pretty keen eye on news around the world to see how the rest of the world was faring with the virus. I kept seeing all these stories and articles about wildlife filling city streets and thriving in habitats that would normally be too dangerous or busy for them. Got me thinking about what would be left if all us humans really did get wiped out by the pandy. Who’d be left? Tigers… probably.”

Check out Big Cat Judgement Day below:

Roam And With Confidence Announce Tour Support

Remember that tour announcement concerning Roam and With Confidence? They’re going on a co-headlining run this September but now, there’s some amazing support which will see them headline a stacked bill with Woes and The Dead Love.

You don’t know who they are? Let’s introduce them!

Woes are a Scottish Rock outfit who’ve recently released a massive record which will hopefully see them get things turned to eleven before the headliners set foot on the stage.

Here’s one of their recently released tracks ‘Money Shoe’ from ‘Awful Truth’.

And The Dead Love? They’re an upcoming Grunge band from Sydney, Australia and you know the Brits love their Aussie bands!

Check out ‘Sugarcoat’ below.

With Confidence & Roam Announce Co-Headline Tour

It’s Pop-Punk heaven in September!

Roam and With Confidence have announced they’re hitting the road together for a massive co-headline tour which will see the bands embark on an eight-day tour of the UK.

And the best news, the openers are still to be announced!

So, there’s more to be seen of what this tour will be!

Here are the dates.

September 2019

20th – Southampton 1865

21st – London O2 Islington Academy

22nd – Bristol Thekla

23rd – Birmingham Institute 2

25th – Glasgow Classic Grand

26th – Manchester Academy 3

27th – Nottingham Rescue Rooms

28th – Leeds Key Club

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My Favourite Slam Dunk Festival Sets

Hey everyone, keeping up with the Slam Dunk festival posts I’m doing this week, today’s post is going to be on my top five sets from bands at Slam Dunk Festival. These coast to the bands from 2014 – 2019 but they do not include the years 2015 and 2017 because I was not in attendance for them as I was working at the time and couldn’t get them off work (sobs). But there have been some standout performances in the years and I wanted to reminisce about what I saw and there’s going to be more on that but without further ado, my top five Slam Dunk Festival sets

5. Creeper (2018, Jagermeister Stage)

Before seeing them, I’d listen to Creeper in passing but up close on stage they were just on a different level to everyone else at the festival. With them being over on the arena sage it was a surprise that they weren’t higher on the bill for the festival because they really just exploded onto the scene and came up in a way that nobody had done in a while and if they ever do come back as another band or on another record cycle, then you just have to see it believe it.

4.With Confidence (2017, Key Club Stage)

I remember being so excited to see everyone on this stage in 2017. In fact, I was dodging in and out of places to get a glimpse but With Confidence were ones I’d been dying to see for a while. Besides from Set It Off and Tonight Alive, they were the bands whom I saw that just really connected with the crowd and made an attempt to get them excited and moving who succeeded. t’s tacks such as ‘Voldemort’ which cemented the belief that they were going to be the new thing to watch on the scene and when they return (maybe) they’ll do a lot better than this first attempt.

3. Set It Off (2015 Main Stage)

This was the first time Slam Dunk Festival was at the new area, they moved it from the Leeds University campus, closer to the centre of town so they could have a larger crowd of people and get to spread out things across Leeds. But what I remember for Set It Off on this occasion was just a full half hour or so of energy being delivered to the crowd and the crowd just wanting more. With their record, Duality, there was just nothing that they couldn’t do and everyone was feeding into every time and time again from their on-set shenanigans when Cody was funnily introducing everyone during Ancient History to him crowd surfing his butt off and giving some love to the crowd.

2. Tonight Alive ( 2017, Key Club Stage)

I say this performance because they had come a long way since their 2014 introduction. With this performance, they were three records in (I believe) by this point and nothing could stop them. With favourites such as Lonely Girl and The Ocean (which mad its debut at Slam Dunk 2014 as well) they just cemented why Tonight Alive were headliners and a band that is forever going to be on the rise. They commanded and controlled the crowd, toying with their emotions where they became the embodiment of angels (at least to the crowd) but what I love about seeing tonight alive is the atmosphere they bring, they always bring 110% to the crowd in a way that no other band are able to match, well at least for that years festival.

  1. As It Is (2018, Signature Stage

For As It Is, The Great Depression hadn’t even been released yet but they were on the cusp of changing just about everything which made the band identifiable as, as it is. But, that didn’t stop them from getting the crowd in circle pits, having a great time and playing their hearts out last year. They showed Leeds what they’d been missing out on with the Brighton boys just having that little bit of swagger which was enough to give everything to the crowd but with The Wounded World just recently being released, it was all the better to see live because that for me was where the energy never stopped. As It Is proved that their members were much more than the sum of their band, they were a band who’ll be transcendent much after they one day decide to call it quits.

 

And that’s it for my second post in the run-up to this year’s Slam Dunk Festival. Make sure to check out my other posts this week and hopefully, you’ll have an amazing time seeing all your favourite bands play.

Music Video Roundup 22/02/19

Friday already? That can only mean it’s 4PM! This it’s time for the music video roundup. If you’re new to either the blog or the roundup posts, this is how it works. Every week, I view some of the best recently released music videos and compile them into a list for everyone’s viewing pleasure. They’re span across all the different genres, so expect something different for most of the tracks. First up are Australian newcomers Dealer who’ve recently signed to Stay Sick Recordings and they have a new video for the track ‘Crooked’.

 

Next, ahead of the release of their third record, O.r.k. have released a new video for ‘Black Blooms’, which also features System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian. This is off their upcoming record, ‘Ramagehead’, which is set to be released on February 22nd via Kscope Record.

 

Continuing this weeks list, with their recently released record, ‘Designed Obsolescence’ Death Metallers Continuum recently dropped their latest video for ‘A History Denied’. On the video, the band said: “We knew we wanted to do something other than your typical band performance video and Marshall Wieczorek and Michelle Nisbet did a great job at writing and directing the plot-driven video that is loosely based on the concept of our new album Designed Obsolescence. I feel like the vibe of mystery and intrigue go great with the song which has some new songwriting elements we’ve never used in Continuum before. Hopefully, you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed shooting it.”

Continuing on with the heavy theme, which is becoming more and more apparent for this week’s videos is Lakeshore who have a new video in the form of Sorry which is taken from their second EP, ‘Secret Weapons’, released a few months ago.

 

We’re heading down to Essex for our number five pick of the week and steering into the Alternative Rock genre now is Sun Arcana. The band have a new track in the form of ‘Let Me Down (ventilate) which acts as the follow up to 2018’s ‘As I Take A Breath…’ and Acoustic Sessions EP.

 

And moving across the pond to Delaware for Hardcore band Year Of The Knife, they have a video which was first released on Pure Noise Records for ‘Fatal’. It’s the first release for the band on Pure Noise which is a compilation of their Ultimat Disease and First State Aggression EPs.

 

And we’re going a bit softer for our next pick of the week with one track from Weezer’s cover record. It’s the video for their cover of ‘Take On Me’ which also stars Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard in a full 80s outfit with massive hair which pays homage to the original video.

 

Going for more a Pop-Punk vibe next but not more acoustic for this selection. This is With Confidence doing the opposite of the norm these days and reimagining their track for ‘Without Me’ as a fully loud and produced version, which is something you could possibly crowd surf to as well.

 

For the penultimate pick, we’re going back to the heavy vibe of the week. Our Hollow, Our Home fans have made the track ‘Wraiths’ a fan favourite since their latest record was released in October and the band have listened to fans, giving the track a huge music video. Speaking about the track in question, Vocalist Tobias Young shared that:

“This is my favourite track on the record. Its written from the perspective of someone who suffers with IED (Intermittent Explosive Disorder – anger management) and how living with it effects your thought process. Easily one of the most difficult songs to play musically, but also the most fun to record, and I hope it will go down well live! I think it does a good job of tying up any loose ends from “// anger” as it has a positive spin towards the end.”

 

And now, for the last track of the week. I sometimes choose my favourite based on the band. Sometimes the video itself but this is a combination of the artist, the video and the cinematography. This was filmed while our on their tour of Asia and their newest record, ‘So What’ is set to be released on March 1st. Ladies and gentlemen, for the last music video of the week, I give you While She Sleeps track, ‘The Guilty Party’.

And that’s it for another week of music video roundups. Be sure to check back next week for another ten of the best right here at Almost Anything Media.

Music Video Roundup 25/01/18

It’s that time of the week again! It’s time for another music video roundup! Those unfamiliar to the series of posts which come out every Friday, I look for ten of my favourite recently released music videos for the audience’s viewing pleasure and compose a list for everyone to enjoy! Let’s get straight into things with Puppy. Their newest record just dropped today and this track for ‘The Goat’ was their last before fans got to listen to the entire thing.

 

Cane Hill have just released a brand new EP, which is something definitely more toned down than their usual hard-hitting material but, it’s something which is just as amazing. With that, the four-piece from New Orleans has released a video for their opening track, “86d – No Escort”

 

Moving across to Oakland, those Punks in SWMRS are starting their 2019 by giving fans a sneak peek into their upcoming Third record, ‘Berkeley’s On Fire’ with their latest video, ‘Trashbag Baby’.

 

Now, something a little more alternative as we go for Follower whom have just released their new video in the form of ‘Voices’, which comes from the bands upcoming 6-track EP, ‘Against The Ropes’.

 

Ahead of this band’s upcoming record, ‘The Language Of Injury’, newcomers Ithaca have a new video for ‘Impulse Crush’.

 

I do enjoy having all sorts of videos in these lists, and I’m going to switch it up for this next video from One Ok Rock. The band were on a tour of Japan in October last year and the one thing this band does magnificently is providing the atmosphere of their shows and you can experience it for yourself in their live video for their latest single, ‘Stand Out Fit In’ below.

 

Moving on, next we have Tiny Moving Parts. The Emo/Post Hardcore trio has recently released a new limited edition two-song 7″ and now, the double single record has a video to ‘For The Sake Of Brevity’

 

Now for an artist who has been teasing for a while now! This is, of course, Yungblud and his new track for ‘Loner’. His website  http://www.idontwannabealoner.com/ had been teasing everyone all week until the release of the track.

 

For With Confidence, they went all supernatural for their latest single off their 2018 record, ‘Love & Loathing’. For the video of ‘Icarus’, the video shows a typical modern love story, ending in a boy turning into stone.

 

And for the last video, it comes from As It Is. In the last week, the band confirmed that long-time touring member Ronnie Ish would be coming aboard as a permanent member of the band and for the second announcement, they dropped a brand new live video for ‘The Fire, The Dark’ which was filmed at their biggest headlining show to date at London’s Kentish Town Forum.

And that’s it for another week of the music video roundup! Don’t forget to check back next week for another ten of the best recent music videos.

Music Videos 24/08/18

Heyyyyyy. Sorry there wasn’t a post last week. I was in a massive work overdrive for my final hand in! Yes I did say final so hopefully, everything’s going to be back to normal ASAP!

We’re going to kick things off with a little bit of With Confidence and their video for “Moving Boxes”. This is coming off their newest record, Love And Loathing which was one of my favourite releases of 2018 thus far.

 

Now, Woes are one of my favourite new bands at the moment where they just instantly grabbed my attention. I’ve seen them twice so far this year and will see them when they support State Champs in the coming months which I can’t wait for! For now though, things are getting aesthetically pleasing in their brand new single for ‘Over it’.

 

Now for a little bit of Yorkshire Pop-Punk. And that’s something you don’t hear about often. Check out their latest offering in Can’t Say I’ll Miss You.

 

Moving on, Blackpool based band Boston Manor are gearing up for their new record release in ‘Welcome To The Neighbourhood’ which is set to be released via Pure Noise Records on September 7th. for now though, here’s their latest release in the form of ‘Bad Machine’.

 

For the next video we’re off to the South Coast. Up and Comers Acres have shared a new video for their amazing track, ‘Medicine’ where the writing of the lyrics for this was a cathartic process for vocalist Ben Lumber.

 

With Reading and Leeds Festival this weekend, Harrogate hardcore outfit Blood Youth shared the beginning of the latest chapter with their brand new song ‘Starve’. It’s their first material released since last year’s debut record ‘Beyond Repair’ and the first since introducing Matt Hollison into the fold as their full-time bassist. Check out Starve below.

 

Now as a solo act, William Ryan Key has been pursuing a solo career which is paying off well with the release of his debut EP, ‘Thirteen’. Taken from footage on the road, he has compiled them into the following video for ‘Old Company’.

 

Recently, Post-Harcore New Yorkers Glassjaw wrapped my a main stage slot at this year’s ArcTanGent festival and to top things off, they have dropped a video which comes from their acclaimed record, ‘Material Control’. Check out ‘My Conscience Weighs A Ton’ below.

 

And another band that are gearing up for a new record release is Pop-Punker’s WSTR. Identity Crisis is being released on the 31st of August but we’ve been given another look at what’s to offer with the video for ‘Crisis’.

 

We’ll go Post-Hardcore for the last video on this list. With Hands Like Houses, they’ve gone down a much more rock direction with the track for ‘Monster’. It’s the second single to come from their upcoming fourth record, ‘-Anon’ and is accompanied by a retro horror film feel.

And that’s it for this weeks music video list. I do apologise that there was a gap in last week’s countdown but hopefully it’ll be back to normal from next week.

 

Music Video’s 15/06/18

 

It’s Friday so you know what it’s time for. It’s another countdown video for ten of the best latest music videos going around at the moment. Ahead of their Warped Tour appearance on the final ever cross-country trek across America this summer, Real Friends have released a brand new single with the accompanying video for ‘From The Outside’.

 

Next up are Homebound. They’ve revealed a new video for ‘Coming Clean’ and on the track, Vocalist Charlie Boughton has said: “The  over-thinking  and  played  out  scenarios  we  mull  over  and  over  in  our  heads  until  we  realise  there’s  nothing  left  to  do  but  say  what  needs  to  be  said.”

 

Now for some cinematics from none other than Knuckle Puck. They’ve recently announced they’re coming back to the UK this October with Tiny Moving Parts and Movements but until then, there’s the latest video for ‘Want Me Around’.

 

Next up, one thing you probably didn’t expect in a video on this list: Sock Puppets. You read that correctly! This next video is from Mike Shinoda in the video for ‘Ghosts’.

 

Now Don Broco have released some wacky videos in the past but now it’s another too add to their filmography in the video for ‘Greatness’, which is taken off their latest record, ‘Technology’.

 

Now Blackpool based rockers Boston Manor have had a pretty hectic week. They’ve played Download Festival, announced a headline UK tour and a new record. On top of that, here’s their newest video for ‘Halo’.

 

Pop-Punk royalty New Found Glory have released a few great videos in the last year and now they have a new one for their track ‘Heaven Sent’, the first single off their 2017 extended release ‘Makes Me Sick’. Check it out below.

 

The first chapter of Sainte is over. New music should be on the way if Tay Jardine is to believe. (I mean, why wouldn’t we?) But that means two new videos are here. Here is the first for ‘If You Ever Feel Alone’.

 

Now some huge news. If you didn’t know With Confidence are back! They’re releasing a new record at the end of August and we couldn’t be more excited! Here’s the first taste of their new material in the video for ‘That Something’.

 

And last but certainly not least is Neck Deep and the video for ‘Don’t Wait’ which features Architect’s Sam Carter. It’s the latest video from the band’s 2018 record, ‘The Peace And The Panic’ and probably one of my favourite videos in a while.

 

And that’s the last video for this week’s list. We’ve had some great ones this week and I can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon on the next video countdown. Be sure to check back next week.

With Confidence Return With New Single, Announce New Record

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from things in the With Confidence camp. Last we heard after parting ways with lead guitarist Luke Rockets, they were taking a step back from touring.

Now though, they’re back with a new single and music video called ‘That Something’, which you can check out below.

And not only this, the band are set to drop their new record, ‘Love And Loathing’ on August 10th via Hopeless Records.

Here is what the tracklisting looks like.

01. That Something
02. Sing To Me
03. Moving Boxes
04. The Turnaround
05. Jaded
06. Better
07. Spinning
08. Bruise
09. Pâquerette (Without Me)
10. Icarus
11. Dopamine
12. Tails

And here is the album artwork.

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With Confidence Announce Hiatus After Sexual Misconduct Allegations

With Confidence have released a statement via Twitter announcing that the band will be taking time off from touring and recording new music.

The statement comes after sexual misconduct allegations against Jayden Seeley and Luke Rockets.

The band have also released individual statements.

“This decision has not been easy for the three of us. Together we have decided that With Confidence will be taking time off.”

“We have put all touring on hold and postponed the recording of our second album. We will instead be spending time at home with our families to personally process everything that has occurred. We need to and want to be a band that deals with their past, present and future responsibly.”

“While we cannot change what has happened, we are taking steps to reflect and grow. Looking forward we want to work harder than ever to ensure we always do the right thing by our fans. We will do everything we can to contribute to making music a safe and positive place for all upon our return.”

“Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

And here are the band’s individual statements.

Inigo Del Carmen:

“No words can describe my disappointment and hurt for what has happened. As a musician in a position of influence, you should never abuse that power to manipulate people. It’s unacceptable, irresponsible and disgusting.”

“We have taken time to process this because music is our dream and our career. I believe music should be a place where people can unite safely without being harassed or feeling unsafe in any way, shape or form. It is our responsibility as people to look out for each other and support one another, not to use and manipulate each other for personal gain.”

“I have deeply considered my position in the band and I believe as we continue together as a band we can enforce the positive things we believe in and use our position to illuminate the issues we want to fight against.”

“As a brother with three younger sisters, these events have bothered me beyond words. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this. As an individual, I am deeply saddened and angered. You should always stand up for those who aren’t strong enough to stand up on their own.”

 

Josh Brozzesi

“Thank you everyone for your patience on an update about the band and its future. It’s been difficult to digest and unpack everything I feel about this situation. I still haven’t. I’m sorry.”

“Please understand it has not been an easy situation. I had something taken from me too. I always said our shows were a safe place, and I always firmly believed they were. I’ve always thought that through this band I was helping put good out. It hurt to suddenly learn dark things were happening to the very people we were meant to support and protect.”

“For the first time in my life I felt ashamed of who I was. For the first time in six years, I felt like I didn’t have a purpose or a future. I saw terrible things posted about me by people who had never met me. I wanted to leave the band and I wanted complete disassociation.”

“Since then I have thought long and hard these past weeks and I do still think this band can do good. I want to make a positive difference in the world. I want to support music being a safe space. I want to be a band that acts by example in an industry plagued by a culture of abuse in which it is not only normalised but whitewashed.”

“I grew up listening to this style of music. I care about it and I always felt safe at shows. I am passionate about doing everything I can so that the next generation of young people can experience that too.”

“At this point all I can say is that we are taking a break. This has not been an easy decision but we need time. Time to heal, time to process and understand and time to miss the things I love about this band.”

“I have put everything into this band the past six years. I quit my degree so I could tour. I sold my car when I needed money. I’ve had relationships fail. I’ve struggled to hold down a job. I have put all my energy into this but I would step away from it entirely if I felt it was the right thing to do.”

“Please do not think we have taken this lightly. It hurts so much that it was my band and that I am inherently tied with it but I am so thankful to the first person coming forward. I am happier knowing that these problems could be addressed than believing they could have potentially continued.”

“More than anything I want you guys to feel happy and comfortable. If that means you feel you cannot support this band or listen right now, I understand. Please take all the time you need. Love you guys. Thanks for everything.”

 

Jayden Seeley

“The last few weeks have been very emotional for us. This time away has led me to a place of reflection and introspection. If I met myself, am I someone I would respect? Am I proud of the person I am today? I’ve always wanted to be the best version of myself, but have I been fighting hard enough for it?”

“In 2012, With Con started out in the local Sydney music scene and a lot of the friends the band made were in younger bands. Subsequently, I found myself in new social circles younger than myself. This led to situations like responding to suggestive Snapchat conversations, helping two friends who were 16 get into an 18+ club and sharing a kiss with one of them, and dating a girl a few months shy of 18.”

“These actions do not reflect who I am today. In my young age and immaturity, I never intended to mislead or hurt anyone, including my own bandmates and best friends, but inadvertently have and for that, I’m truly sorry.”

“I deeply love every single person who has supported this band. You’ve given me purpose; an outlet for the one thing I know how to do; a reason to live. To continue being honest with you is the very least you deserve. I wanted to share these situations because everyone should be held accountable for their actions, and it’s in this accountability we can truly grow and move forward.”

“I’m going to use this time off to continue this journey of growth and do whatever I can to help work towards a safer music scene and a positive future for everyone, myself included.”

Jayden Seeley (With Confidence) Responds To Sexual Misconduct Claims

The other week, With Confidence, were rife with accusations of sexual misconduct involving two members of the band, Luke Rockets and Jaygen Seeley. Rockets was dismissed from the band but the day after Seeley was accused. Now he said responded to the accusations.

This is what the frontman has said.