Alright The Captain [Interview]

Last year, I described Alright The Captain’s Contact Fix as suitable for those whose evening plans involve “chugging absinthe, spinning round in circles until you fall over or puke or both, repeating the above until you pass out, and then waking up and putting on your coat and going to work”.

Today, I still stand by those words. Here, ATC discuss their upcoming set at ArcTanGent, taking in surprise gingerness, fire-breathers, and a hint at what they’d be doing if the music ever stopped…

You’re set to hit ArcTanGent 2015 this week. How’re you feeling about it?

Excited as fuck! Marty’s been running round like a spring lamb since last year.

What’s the best thing about festivals for you?

They’re a good chance to escape reality for a while and Read more…

Posted on 19 August 2015

The Algorithm [Interview]

Some artists have more than one calling. Maybe it’s graphic design, audio production, or accountancy. For Rémi Gallego, purveyor of progressive electronic insanity as the Algorithm, it’s definitely comedy.

You’re set to hit ArcTanGent 2015 this week. What’s going through your mind right now?

I really badly want to listen to Ricky Martin right now and I really hope he will secretly perform at ArcTanGent. Please tell me he will.

What can the curious expect from your set?

I can tell you what they can’t expect: Read more…

Posted on 18 August 2015

Jon Gomm [Interview]

Imagine you’re a guy with an acoustic guitar. You practice a lot. You get good. You experiment with every technique you can possibly think of. You record an album, with the goal of getting gigs. It works – a bit too well. You end up touring for several years, performing in countless countries and covering every continent on Earth.

Things are going pretty well by the time you record a solo performance video for a song that, on paper, shouldn’t have commercial appeal. It’s six-and-a-half minutes long, your vocals aren’t auto-tuned so badly that you sound like Hatsune Miku, and you don’t have your hair cut in a trendy style that makes you look like an Iced Gem. But it also goes viral on the back of the fact that by now, you are a legitimate and undeniable Jedi-level virtuoso. Praise comes flooding in from every corner of the world. You win fans as diverse as Stephen Fry and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.

When you’ve been through a journey like that, and it’s still ongoing, you could probably be forgiven for developing a big head and being a bit of a knob. Jon Gomm, however, remains a true gentleman despite social media success, global popularity, and the fact that his star remains deservedly on the rise. Whether you’re a long-time Gomm fan (Gommaholic?) or just curious, read on as Jon Gomm digs deep into the story behind his new live album Live In The Acoustic Asylum and discusses authenticity, drunk Italian dockers, and the counterintuitive reality of being a bipolar performer…

Your new live album Live In The Acoustic Asylum is out next month. What thoughts and feelings are going through your head right now?

Fear, I guess! Not so much about the album release, but just kind of releasing the songs onto the Internet one at a time – because that’s where they get the most added exposure – and then, you know, are people going to like it, are people going to be into it, is it going to be popular, and all these different things.

It’s a little like being a bird with babies in the nest, and then you push them out pretty much hoping they’ll fly, and if not they’ll go splat on the ground, and you’ll be pretty upset!

How did you go about selecting the songs you recorded for the album?

Well, at my gigs it’s pretty noticeable – particularly in the UK – that there’s generally two kinds of fans Read more…

Posted on 12 August 2015

Let’s Talk Daggers [Interview]

If you love mad-as-a-lorry mathcore that makes as much sense as eating soup with a knife and fork, Let’s Talk Daggers are the band for you. Located somewhere between the Dillinger Escape Plan and Animals As Leaders side-project T.R.A.M., these guys have exactly what it takes to tantalise your neural connections – and they’re currently crowdfunding new album A Beautiful Life through PledgeMusic. TMMP caught up with LTD drummist Steven Berwick to chat about crowdfunding, creativity, football pits, and bucket lists…

Your new album A Beautiful Life is the subject of a PledgeMusic campaign. What motivated you to take the crowdfunding route for this release?

We decided to use PledgeMusic to help fund the album because we’d heard from various sources that it was not only a great way to introduce new and old listeners to what we had to offer, but it also meant that we were able to reach our audience in a way that we hadn’t before.

It’s been going really well and I think our fans are excited about what they’re going to hear.

What can the curious expect from the new album?

A Beautiful Life is a much more forward-thinking, mature version of Read more…

Posted on 05 August 2015

Seething Akira [Interview]

Seething Akira are more than a badass name. They’ve spent the last couple of years pushing themselves in all directions, snapping up support slots with the likes of Hacktivist, Heart Of A Coward, Don Broco, Subsource, Sonic Boom Six, Skindred, and The Algorithm while working on a slowly growing set of winning recorded releases. Their latest, Airstrike, is out now, and reviewed on TMMP here. With the band swept up in a high-pressure post-release whirlwind, TMMP got them talking about their origin story, intimate tattoos, flying carpets, and Kanye West…

Your new single Airstrike is out now. How excited are you?


Our exciteometer is close to maximum! It’s been far too long since we’ve released new material, so we’re hyped to get it out there!

How would you describe your sound to an inebriated stranger?


Sweat-dance-core.

What’s Seething Akira’s origin story?


Charlie was producing hip-hop for artists around the world for a couple of years, but then decided he wanted to hit the stage and also create a hybrid style. After finding Kit as the vocalist on the Isle of Wight, they basically Read more…

Posted on 01 August 2015

Bowling For Soup [Interview]

If you’re trying to get the Girl All The Bad Guys Want, hung up on a Bitch, or suffering from mixed feelings about a girl named Emily, Bowling For Soup have not only felt your pain, but also written a song about it. These guys are pop-punk legends, and are set to return to British shores in February 2016 for their “How About Another Round?” tour. With live shows, longevity, and drinking in mind, TMMP wound up talking strip clubs, jail, nutsack uppercuts, and the Grammys with BFS bassist Erik Chandler…

You’re set to hit the UK next year for your “How About Another Round?” tour. On the topic of drinking, what were the contents of the most expensive round you’ve ever bought? 

I can’t say that we actually “paid” for it, but this tab went to the record label and was eventually charged back to us. So, in the long run, we paid for it.

There is a legendary “gentleman’s club” in Atlanta, Georgia, called Tattle Tales, made famous by getting a name check in Motley Crue’s Girls Girls Girls – and I believe the tab was about $8000. That’s roughly £5100. It was a good night, and only one person went to jail – and he was not a member of BFS.

Which are better – American bars, or British pubs?

We, as a band, are a fan of the dive bars. So if you’re talking a straight up British pub, I have to go Read more…

Posted on 22 July 2015

Hacktivist [Interview]

In the final instalment of TMMP’s 2000 Trees interview series, Hacktivist talk Korn cameos, influential gigs, and the foundations of political change…

You’re set to lay waste to 2000 Trees 2015. Do you have anything special planned for your set?

I think as a band, we treat each show the same no matter where we are or who is watching. We believe every H show is special! So yeah, we do have something special: a Hacktivist set!

What’s the craziest occurrence that’s ever taken place during a Hacktivist set?

When we toured with Korn, the fans started screaming so fucking loud out of nowhere. I was on stage waving my arms side to side with the crowd, and realised Fieldy was right next to me doing the same with his bass! Considering I’ve been listening to them since I was like 11, that was definitely a crazy moment in my life.

Hacktivist lyrics tend toward the political. What life experiences first sparked your political passions?

Like any kids, initially we were oblivious to so much that was going on in the world around us. It’s so easy to get so trapped in the cycle of the system that you don’t see anything other than Read more…

Posted on 08 July 2015

Lu’Ami [Interview]

With 2000 Trees 2015 almost upon us, it’s time to draw your attention to an artist who really sticks out from the rest of Trees’ beyond-epic lineup. Loopist extraordinaire Lu’Ami is due to bring a massive array of gear to the stage, and through it fill your ears with a brilliantly quirky and frankly uncategorizable sound. Think a chilled female Beardyman, and you’re at least in approximately the right ballpark. Kind of.

TMMP got in touch with Lu’Ami to talk 2000 Trees, creativity, and looping a cheering audience…

Your music is really intriguing. How would you describe your sound?

Well first of all, thank you kindly! I’ve had this conversation with so many people – everybody thinks differently!

To be quite honest I couldn’t decide on one genre. The way I see it, the vocals are percussive soul, most of the song structures are pop and the music is experimental, with a bit of electronic thrown in because of the sounds and equipment used. But I’ve just got back from playing at Fete de la Musique in Berlin and they described me as “synth pop”, so it’s definitely open to interpretation.

I’d like to think I’d created a new genre, but I guess all artists have their own little genre depending on where the influences come from.

You’re set to play a set at 2000 Trees 2015. How’re you feeling about it?

Im super excited, to say the least! Festivals are my favourite kind of gigs. I basically dress like Read more…

Posted on 07 July 2015

The Skints [Interview]

2000 Trees 2015 is fixed to be something very special – and the Skints’ set is sure to be a highlight for many a happy Trees camper. If I don’t hear these guys’ immense new album FM around the campsite, I will be very disappointed. Here, Skints guitarist/vocalist Josh Waters Rudge runs the TMMP gauntlet in record time:

You’re playing 2000 Trees 2015. How’re you feeling about it?

Great! Got lots of festivals to do before then, but come 2000 Trees we’ll be ready for the fun.

What’s the best thing about festivals for you?

Everyone having lots of fun, playing to loads of people who are predisposed to have a great time, watching cool music, outside.

Do you have anything special planned for your set at Trees?

We’re playing about 50 festivals this summer, so it’s probably gonna be Read more…

Posted on 06 July 2015

Kerbdog [Interview]

TMMP’s 2000 Trees Interview Onslaught continues with Cormac Battle, vocalist/guitarist for rock legends Kerbdog…

You’re playing 2000 Trees this year. How’re you feeling about it right now?

Very excited. We play quite rarely (our drummer lives in Dubai for God sake!), so to leave our lives for a brief period to become rock stars at 2000 Trees is properly fucking brilliant.

What can the curious expect from your set?

A heart-pounding set of songs that the Foo Fighters wish they had written.

What happened at the first show you ever played?

Not a lot really. There were more people onstage than in the venue – and that included our friend with a deep fat fryer making chips and handing them out to the punters at the front of the stage. We were truly awful.

You’ve been around for a while! What lessons have you learnt about playing live over the course of so many shows?

8 cans before going onstage just doesn’t work.

If there is no barrier [in front of] the stage, stay as far away from Read more…

Posted on 06 July 2015