The lads in the Scottish Pop Punk troupe Woes have announced they’re breaking up! They’re citing difficulties balancing the band and “real life” as the main reasons behind their disbandment. Before they’re ending things, they’ve announced a short run of shows, ending at Glasgow at the end of the month.
The full statement from the band can be found below.
“Hey y’all. Unfortunately it’s time for us to end our amazing run. It may seem a little strange to bring an end to it after our most successful year as a band but unfortunately the pressure of managing a busy band and “real” life has been building up for a while now. For the sake of our health, happiness and wellbeing we couldn’t continue as Woes any longer. We achieved everything we could ever have dreamed of. We travelled to amazing places, with amazing people, played amazing shows, and made amazing friends. Most importantly though, we managed to spread a positive message, bring people together and hopefully be part of the memories you will all hold dear to you for a long time. I know we won’t forget all of our adventures together any time soon.
“Thank you for being a part of it, it means more to us than you could ever know. Some of us have plans to release more music, more info when we have it.
“Come see us at our final shows. Positive Vibes Gang 2016 – Forever.”
But aside from this, Woes will be one man down for the final shows, with their drummer, Ryan Neish stating that he will be stepping back and not appearing with the band for the final shows.
Ryan’s statement is as follows:
“Regarding the last Woes shows I will not be playing with the band, personally I refuse to allow a bad vibe [to] affect my performance and I wouldn’t like to see any of you lovely people see me in a horrible mood. The decision doesn’t come easy but there are some people in this world that you just can’t be around and I’m not good at hiding how I feel, I want you guys to remember me being Reem and smashing my drum kit, not playing out of angry and being negative. Sorry to anyone that was looking forward to hanging, hope you understand, I honestly love you all so much and I can’t believe I’ve been blessed with getting to meet and talk to so many of you. Enjoy the shows and give the band the sendoff it deserves.”
Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand new monthly post here on Almost Anything Media. I’ve wanted to make a new post for a while. A monthly post that’s inclusive of the local area of York as well as its outlying and other areas of the country and showcases the talent I know there is around here. One way was to write a post about the latest singles you need to listen to, but I thought I might need to reach out to more people before that does happen. In truth, there’s nothing I enjoy more than getting right out there to meet some new people and to listen to some great music and discover bands along the way, so without further ado, I welcome the monthly post of the Mondo Monthly Gigs. This is all the recommended gigs I’m looking forward to in a particular month. Now, of course, there will be one’s I won’t always have the chance to get to but they’ll always be a few local to me around the Yorkshire and outlying areas.
Similar to the weekly Music Video countdown list, this list will compromise of ten gigs I’m sure will be a fun treat for all those involved so let’s dive straight into a local show that’s happening within the Yorkshire area.
1.Foxhaunt. The Crescent, York, 09/08/19
Support: inFade, Avenoir, Pray For Hayden
It’s a showcase of some of the best talents within York for the Alternative scene as the celebration for Foxhaunt’s latest single is being released down at one of the best venues in The Crescent. Armed with inFade, Avenoir and Pray For Hayden as their supports the Alternative outfit are sure to put on a unique night for fans of the genre.
Tickets for the gig at The Crescent on the 9th August are on sale now for £6 in advance.
2. This House Is Haunted. The Crescent, York. 16/08/19
Support: Amongst Thieves.
This House Is Haunted are a three-piece from York. Zak, Dom and Jenn blend influences from post-hardcore and metal with influences from Alexisonfire and Deftones alongside narratively styled instrumental bands such as Mew, Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky.
This House Is Haunted have the sensibilities of melodic, hooky vocals and guitar lines, with post-rock bass and drums. Often This House go in tangential directions to reveal rich sonic landscapes to crushingly heavy riffs.
With Amongst Thieves as their main support for the evening, everything is set to go off as one of the best nights for the local scene in recent memory.
Support: WRTHLESS, Pray For Hayden, Without Andrew.
Embarking on their first steps in their new lineup, Better Days are set to kick off a new era for the band as they embark on a mini-tour of the UK.
The band have been described as a fresh new take on pop-punk which combines all the elements of the early 2000’s era and the upcoming new breed, all eyes will be on them as they look forward to the future with brand new music in mind.
4. Stand Atlantic. The Deaf Institute, Manchester. 28/08/19 (SOLD OUT)
Support: Royls, Superlove
The Aussie up and comers absolutely ripped through their debut UK headlining tour with their fresh and energetic ‘Skinny Dipping’ just a short insight to what goes into their shows. With a few dates set around their Reading and Leeds festival appearances, the band are set to storm across some larger stages than when they came across earlier in 2019.
Adding to this, with their now full-time bassist Miki, the Australian Pop-Pinks will come forth with a clear vision so fans will get a glimpse of just what to expect the second time around.
I was at their last UK tour for the Leeds date, their output was a little sub-par but from what I’ve heard since then, there’s going to be absolutely no stopping this band coming forward in the future.
5. Frank Iero, Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers. Manchester Academy 2, 28/08/19
Support: Moving Galore
I think the only way to truly describe this lineup is Punktastic! That’s the only true adjective that does come to mind as two of the heads of the scene come together for a joint UK tour.
With festival season up and running, it seemed cruel not to mention two of the best bands, Frank Iero and the Future Violents and Laura Jane Grace and the Devouring Mothers as they’re on a mission to reclaim Manchester for their true punk heritage. Both projects have new music out and fans to devour them at the ready so everyone better be primed just for what’s going to go down on the tour.
I think when independent bands come down to the Key Club, it just goes off and is a little more special. I say this because when I went to see Sumo Cyco and Blood Youth, the atmosphere just transforms and elevates the show to new heights. With the metalcore troupe in Black Tongue coming across to Leeds and their EU shows in full swing, things are just going to be sweaty and rough if things are to be believed.
Another Aussie group straight onto this list, the up and coming rockers are embarking on a lengthy UK stint in celebration of their upcoming release, ‘State Of Mind’ and it’s interesting to see what will occur on these shows coming up as you have the varying bands supporting them on their UK tour. For example with Woes, they’ve modified themselves into an experimental rock outfit but that makes them all the more enjoyable to watch and with The Faim, their transference to more Poppier sounds but with all the meaning int their lyrics shows just how much they’ll be rooted into their ways. Obviously, it’s a departure from the ‘Summer Is A Curse’ EP, but with their rhythmic sections on current singles, it shows that the crowd is going to love them all the same.
Tickets cost £13.20.
Other Tour Dates:
August 2019
27th – Dublin Academy 2
28th – Belfast Oh Yeah
29th – Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s
30th – Liverpool Arts Club
31st – Sheffield Corporation
September 2019
1st – Norwich Epic Studios
8. Skunk Anaise. O2 Academy Leeds. 30/08/19
Support: Queen Zee
Skunk Anaise are a once in a generation band but unlike some older and well-respected bands, they’re one of the most consistent groups who are still in the scene and that’s just the only reason people still enjoy them. But it’s more than that here, as they’re continuing the experience and going further with their latest headline tour as they visit more cities following the release of their 25th anniversary live album, 25LIVE@25. As they’re hailed as one of the most exciting and greatest live acts across the globe, these shows will see the band hit a huge milestone in their career, so don’t miss out.
For fans of Local Natives and The Japanese House, the new outfit Talk More are heading over to The Fulford Arms in York for the release of their two brand new singles, ‘Planned Fights’ and ‘Heart Again’. With the three-piece band all collectively being involved in the scene for a while, this will be a true test to see what the band are capable of.
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!
Remember that headlining tour of the UK Aussie up and comers The Faim are embarking on in August? Well, they’ve just announced the supporting bands that are going with them!
Scottish Rockers Woes have just released their debut record ‘Awful Truth’ and they know how to get a show pumped!
Check out their video for ‘Fancy’ below.
In addition to this, London based trio Charming Liars will be opening things up.
Ahead of their upcoming release, ‘Awful Truth’ which will be released this coming Friday, the Scottish Pop-Punkers Woes have released the title track from the record!
Frontman DJ has said:
“It tells the story of leaving a relationship that has been good in the past, but isn’t any more… The cathartic feeling of knowing that you’ve moved on, and you don’t want to go back. You’re over it, it’s in the past, you’re done. We’ve always been really interested, lyrically, in those kind of ‘two sides of the same coin’ kind of stories.”
Check it out below. Warning though, it’s a banger.
It’s 4PM on a Friday! This means it’s time for the music video roundup. If you’re new to either the blog or these music video roundup posts, this is how it works. Every week, I watch 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.
Up first this week are the fantastic Beartooth. They’ve just recently released the official video for ‘Afterfall’ and they’re out to prove that aliens do exist in this video.
Up next are Fresh from their performances over on the main stage of Slam Dunk festival and they’ve got some help from Trophy Eyes frontman John Floreani. Check out Boston Manor’s latest video for ‘Liquid’ below.
Moving up to Scotland for our next video, Woes have done some globetrotting in their latest video for ‘Fancy’.
On the track, frontman DJ has said:
“’Fancy’ is a song about when you’re first getting to know someone and you’re into them, but you have to do a bit of work to convince them to take a chance on you… It’s a fun, upbeat song about a feeling everyone can understand, It’s one of the most fun, accessible songs on the record, but there’s a TONNE of musicality going on underneath, there are some great riffs, there’s an insane bass line hiding in the first verse, some big fills. But everything contributes to making an upbeat song that you could jump around to at a festival, I love it”
Keeping up with another Scottish band, we go to the trio The LaFontaines have the release of their third record, ‘Junior’ very soon but now for the moment, we have their latest single ‘Alpha’.
Frontman Kerr Okan has said on the track :
“‘Alpha’ comes as a result of the losses we’ve had recently in this area from young males, predominately of the ‘Alpha’ stereotype. I’ve often struggled with my emotions – anything other than aggression was always seen as a weakness and something that should be locked away. ‘Alpha’ marks the point in my own journey where I realised that there was something real to be gained from embracing the spectrum of emotions – whether you’re male or not.”
Back in January, the British newcomers Burdened released their debut track ’33’ and now they finally have a follow-up! It’s called doubt and you can check it out right below.
Heading to Manchester for some more newcomers to the scene, Grief has gotten some fans off the back of their debut track, ‘Dorman’ which was released back in March but now, there’s more to come from this band.
The post-hardcore group have recently released an accompanying video for ‘Burial’ which at the time of writing, is not confirmed to be a stand-alone track or will feature on a future EP or Record.
Check out ‘Burial’ below.
Keeping things Post-Hardcore for the next choice on the roundup are Petrol Girls and their latest cut from their recently released second record, ‘Cut & Stitch’.
Vocalist Ren Aldridge has said: “I struggled to put lyrics to this track for a really long time. But following a week of spectacularly shit mental health in the studio, I made it into a motivational sonic kick up the arse and back into action. I personally find a lot of the discourse around mental health a bit claustrophobic and babying, and that contributes to me feeling worse. Independence, activity and purposefulness are what I need to keep my shit together. I wrote this song for myself – if it’s useful for other people that’s cool, but everyone’s different, and I really want to underline that.”
Bristol is the next destination for the next video. This is of course, Phoxjaw. They’ve recently signed over with Hassle Records and have an EP, ‘A Playground For Sad Adults’ out next month to!
For their first cut off the EP, is the second track, ‘Melt, You’re A Face Of Wax’ which you can check out below.
Let’s go across to Texas for the penultimate choice on thsi weeks music video roundup! Everyone cool with that? Awesome. Also as a change up in genre to Pop-Rock is Bruce Avery or rather his alias The Rocket Summer as he’s shared the latest released off his seventh full length record, ‘Sweet Shivers’ in the form of ‘Shatter Us’.
Check it out below.
This week, I’ve reserved possibly the best band I’ve heard in 2018. This is from the Vietnamese heavy hitters Windrunner as they have a massive video which is a double video to accompany the opening track from their debut full-length record, ‘Mai’ and those tracks? It’s ‘Mulan’ and ‘Oleander’
And that’s it for another week of music video roundup. Don’t forget to check back next week at 4PM sharp for another countdown of ten of the best recent music videos to feast your eyes upon. There’s also new posts every day on the Almost anything Media so be sure to check out anything that might catch your eye.
It’s less than a year after the band dropped their EP, ‘Self-Help’ and now the Scottish Pop-Punkers are back, and they have enlisted Luke Bovill who has joined the band as their new guitarist.
They’ve also released a brand new single, ‘Suburbs’, a cracking track which has a music video that features the band putting together and taking away bits of furniture together and taking away bits of furniture.
On the track, vocalist David Jess has said:
“‘Suburbs’ was the first track we wrote when Luke joined the band. The song is about having a relationship with someone, in your home town or wherever. Then moving away and losing contact with them and wondering what they’re up to, if they’re still there [and] if you went back if they’d be pleased to see you.”
“There is definitely a conscious effort to start expanding our sound, to bring in different instruments and elements that we haven’t used before,” he continued. “We love loads of modern hip hop and RnB, which is something we plan to explore more in 2019. We also like incorporating math-rock and prog chords and progressions into our instrumentals… But we still want that pop punk energy live”.
They’re thirsty to get back to the UK. Trash Boat have recently finished up some huge dates supporting While She Sleeps but are so keen to get back to fans, they’ve announced a September UK tour.
Capstan, Doll Skin and Woes are joining them on the run as their support.
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.
Almost Anything Music 