the bite magazine issue 2
DESCRIPTION
featuring an interview with wheatus, photography, models fashion and music reviewsTRANSCRIPT
INTERvIEW
WITH WHEATUS
FEATURINGSANTA mACABREmAvERICK TATTOOS
PLUSANyA KAT ATTA
INCLUDING WORK FROmOAKFIELD PHOTOGRAPHy& KAzA PHOTOGRAPHy
FLOGGING mOLLy LIvE!
ISSUEtwo 2012
BITEBITEISSUEtwo 2012
3 WHEATUS INTERvIEW
4-5 PROPHETS OF ADDICTION
6-7 ANyA KAT ATTA
8-9 DAN HARRIS
10-11 FLOGGING mOLLy
12-13 AT ROCK THE ImPERIAL
14-15 mAvERICK TATTOO
16-17 mICE TEmPLAR
18-19 OAKFIELD PHOTOGRAPHy
20-21 KAzA PHOTOGRAPHy
22-23 REvIEWS
24-25 WRATHCHILD
26-27 AGE OF ANARCHy
28-29 GIG GUIDE
30-32 SANTA mACABRE
33-39 POSTERS
EDITOR
FRANK [email protected]
SALES, INTERVIEWER, MARKETING, ADVERTISING
BECKY [email protected]
ART EDITOR
MONI [email protected]
02
BITETHE
Becky Beynon-Lewis catches up with Brendan B Brown from Wheatus for a chat about their upcoming appearance at Bearded Theory Festival in May.Kedleston Hall , Derby, plays host to Bearded Theory Festival 18th- 20th May this year. In 2011 this family friendly festival won Best Independent Festival in the Aim Music Awards. Wheatus are special guests whilst Dreadzone, Levellers and The Damned headline. Organisers say they have two totally new areas, a local brewery stocking their bars and a whole range of activities meaning 2012 is looking like a vintage year for the festival. Bite Magazine are pleased to be going along for the first time and will report back on what we discover! Here’s what Brendan had to say...
Our MAgAzIne Is BAseD In WALes, DO yOu usuALLy geT MucH LOve WHen yOu pLAy In WALes? Wales is one of two places on the earth that constantly competes for the best place to play on our tour. Its scotland or Wales, I’ve seen it go between the two so much. Last time Dundee took the title away from you. But it’s been cardiff and Bangor. you guys are crazy. something about the celtic blood I think.’
WHAT Are THe BAnDs pLAns FOr THe FesTIvAL...‘When we played in swansea we actually broke the record for the amount of people in skeleton costumes in one room’
AppArenTLy THe BAnD pLAn TO WeAr FALse BeArDs AT THeIr sunDAy seT TO HeLp WITH FesTIvALs AnnuAL recOrD ATTeMpT. ‘When we were younger dressing up wasn’t great, it was all record companies trying to get you to wear shitty leather pants, now it’s kinda fun.’
WHeATus Are A greAT BAnD TO guesT sTAr AT An InDepenDenT FesTIvAL WITH sucH A vArIeD, DIverse LIneup BecAuse OF THe FAcT THe BAnD ITseLF Is InDepenDenT, yOu’re nOT TIeD TO A LABeL Or Agency. WHAT ATTrAcTs yOu TO THIs KInD OF FesTIvAL?‘What you mean besides the fact we’re weirdos? I remember how there used to be a lot of tribes in music (I know this because I’m old) and how difficult it was to not want to belong to one of those tribes. To want to experience The ramones in the same way you experienced Metallica
and other music. genre allegiance used to be intrinsically tied with these tribes. now things are different. If somehow we can be part of the collective going on finally that’s great for us’.
even THOugH yOu HAve A neW ALBuM OuT yOu pLAn TO pLAy yOur DeBuT ALBuM In FuLL AT THe FesTIvAL, HOW DID THAT cOMe ABOuT?‘Well there’s one song we can’t play but we will do the rest. We don’t normally do that. When we play we play about 3 or 4 songs from that album, I mean we have 5 albums so we try to do a mix. But this seemed like a fun, interesting thing to do.’
IT sHOuLD gO DOWn WeLL WITH THe crOWD, I’ve Been TO yOur gIgs BeFOre AnD WHen yOu pLAy THOse sOngs THe FAns ALL screAM every WOrD...‘It’s pretty weird still for us to have that experience’ Do you ever get tired of playing them ?‘no, every time you play them the crowd takes it to somewhere new. They kind of feel like they own those songs and we accept that’
THAT’s A nIce WAy OF LOOKIng AT IT. LAsT yeAr TeenAge DIrTBAg enTereD THe cHArTs FOr THe secOnD TIMe sInce IT’s reLeAse Ten yeArs AgO. HOW DID THAT FeeL? ‘yeah it was weird, totally awesome but on some level I feel confused by it! I always end up comparing it to the solitary experience of writing the album in my apartment in Queen’s like 15 years ago. I wasn’t seeing people, just working on the music. you know in those films where the virus the scientists are working on escapes and infects everyone? It’s kinda like my music got out of my apartment and infected everyone!’
We LOve IT, LIKe A zOMBIe InFecTIOn MOvIe, OnLy IT’s yOur BAnDs MusIc THAT Turns everyOne TO zOMBIes.‘We should totally do that in a video, like the Teenage Dirtbag infects everyone (Bite Magazine claims co-ownership of this idea haha!) no actually we did some music for a zombie film by my friend Anthony Lane called ‘Invasion of the not quite dead’. (If you haven’t heard of this fan funded film check it out, Becky is a producer...to find out how you can be visit indywood.co.uk)
WHAT ADvIce WOuLD yOu gIve TO Any up
AnD cOMIng BAnDs reADIng THIs?‘I wouldn’t wish people to make it exactly the same way we did, somehow we made it through alive but ...(laughs). everyone is capable of finding their own way. The circumstances that existed which got us into the situation we were in just don’t exist anymore. Bands have a lot more choice now. Whereas you used to have to be creative in the way you made your music, now you have to be creative in how you get it out there. Have you heard of Amanda palmer, singer from the Dresden Dolls? I recommend following her on Twitter. she is genuine parade of creativity, the things she posts...not just about her music. ’
WHAT neW BAnDs OuT THere Are excITIng yOu AT THe MOMenT?‘Math The Band, what they are doing is like newer than new.’
WeLL THAnKs sO MucH FOr TALKIng TO us, We Are neArLy AT An enD BuT FIrsT We HAve A FeW FAn QuesTIOns FOr yOu FrOM Our reADers...
MArc WAnTs TO KnOW Are yOu A pepsI Or A cOKe MAn?‘Jeez Louise that’s a complicated answer y’know? Ok, coke, not any coke, it has to be Mexican coke and in a glass bottle. I don’t know why, it just tastes better.’
HeIDI AsKs WHAT’s yOur FAvOurITe Ice-creAM FLAvOur?‘Well there is only one kind of ice-cream and its chocolate!’
MODeL sArAH TOnIn sAys sHe Is A MAssIve FAn, cAn sHe sTAr In One OF yOur vIDeOs?!‘Thanks! pass on her details!’
KevIn WAnTs TO KnOW IF yOu sTILL HAve TWO TIcKeTs LeFT TO IrOn MAIDen ;)‘I do! They are on my wall and I see Iron Maiden every time they come to town if I can. I was invited by a friend to go see them with Alice cooper but I’m not sure if I can go yet. you can rest assured since I was about 15 I always have in my possession at least two tickets to Iron Maiden.’
check out the festival website here www.beardedtheory.co.uk. For further info about the band and to get your mitts on their music check out www.wheatus.com
WHEATUS
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PROPHETS OF 04
PROPHETS OF
What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
In all reality there have not been any challenges as far
as the band goes, everything is great and we are having
a lot of fun making music we enjoy. The challenge I
see is getting the support I feel we need to take it to
the next level. Currently we are looking for professional
management, agent etc.
Strangest gig you’ve ever played?
Strange thing is to me “Strange” is the normal..... So
whatever that may be. I have played some really good
ones in huge arenas openings for Poison or whatever and
also ones that like six people showed up. Fortunatly I love
to play music so I am good either way.
Best tour story?
I have so many tour stories I wouldn’t even know where to
begin.
What impact do you hope to have on the music scene?
I want to make music that people can relate to. Not only
by listening to a song and saying, “ hey this is catchy I
really rock out to this.” I think a song should give hope and
inspiration and emotionally satisfy the listener. Be it with
help with hard times or whatever they may need to get
them through the day.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by individual thinkers, scholastic intelligence
mixed with street smarts. People with a vision and those
who arent afraid to stand up for what they believe in.
Finally tell people who have not seen/heard Prophets of Addiction before why they should come check you out?
We strive to be your new favorite band and we do promise
you will not be disappointed.
In 2011 you Toured with LA Guns and also did a UK and European tour, tell us what was that like?
It was great, I have known the guys for a long time. It
seems the bands work really well together.
What are your plans for the upcoming year?
Big record deal, tour, tour tour... Australia, Europe, USA
and more...anyone want us to play contact us.
Thanks very much for listening.
ADDICTION05
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Anya Kat AttaHOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED
IN MODELLING?I became interested in modelling
through visiting various websites and reading magazines like Bizarre. I loved the pictures of the beautiful women and always aspired to be like them one day . Through support of friends and family saying that I was good enough to give it ago, I gained more confidence and started to get in contact with various websites and photographers. And so it started from there really.
YOU SEEM TO HAvE A STRONG IDEA OF YOUR OWN IDENTITY/STYLE AS AMODEL, DID THIS COME NATURALLY TO YOU OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU HAD TO DEvELOP?I think having your own identity/style as a model is one of the most important things to do. It did come pretty naturally to me, of course when you do the photos it is the ideas of both yourself and the photographer so you have to be willing to do stuff that includes other styles and mix them together to create something beautiful.
WHO WAS YOUR GREATEST INFLUENCE WHEN YOU STARTED MODELLING?My greatest influences were a mix of the amazing ultra vixens for Bizarre, which I am now also a part of. Also the models from Suicide girls and various people that I know. I wanted to be able to produce images that were my own take on the alternative scene and to make people realise that alternative girls are just as good as what people seem to believe as beauty.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHAT YOU’vE ACHIEvED THROUGH MODELLING, ARE YOU WHERE YOU WANTED TO BE, OR IS THERE MORE TO COME?Well I didn’t think I would ever get as far as I have and to be honest I do believe there is alot more to come. I am always full of ideas and always looking for shoots. I sm so happy with what I have achieved so far but I strive for the best and I know I can always do better. But that goes for everything I do in life.
WHAT IS MODELLING TO YOU? Modelling means so much to me. When I was younger I wasn’t in with the popular kids and just like many other people out there I was ridiculed for wanting to be different. It did have a huge affect on my confidence and for years I didn’t believe I would ever be good enough to do anything like this. But now, doing all this just keeps making my confidence grow. which is always a good thing. And all I get is positive feedback, so I must be doing something right.
WHAT ADvICE WOULD YOU GIvE TO SOMEBODY STARTING OUT IN MODELLING?Its extremely important to make sure you check out the photographers you work with and if you want to bring someone with you then do it. If you don’t feel comfortable with what they are telling you do, leave. It is not worth doing something that you don’t want to and regretting it. A decent photographer would understand . Never feel like you can’t do something that you dream about, because you can. And always be willing to try out new ideas with your work. This always looks good on a portfolio. But most of all, enjoy the attention!
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST ACHIEvEMENT AS A MODEL? Well I think it depends on the goals you set yourself to begin with. To me I am proud of people enjoying my work and I enjoy the feedback. I am so happy to be on the websites that I’m on and to me they are achievements in themselves . The greatest achievement would be the confidence that I have gained doing all this.
DO YOU HAvE ANY OTHER CREATIvE TALENTS THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT kNOW ABOUT? Yes, I have a few. I draw and I paint. It is a hobby but its something I’m good at and enjoy. I have sold a few of my drawings to tattoo studios and im looking into other options too. I also do nature photography, which can be amazing when you see things in the wild that are rare. It makes me appreciate the natural beauty in the world.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM SHOOT, WHO WOULD THE CREATIvE TEAM INvOLvE?I honestly don’t know, its not something I have really thought about alot. In a fantasy world I would love to work with Pauley Perrette (abbey ncis) I’d love to do some kind of fetish shoot with her. It would be amazing!
WHAT GOALS HAvE YOU SET YOURSELF IN THE NExT 12 MONTHS? Well I’m looking to do more modelling and try and get more publications. I have a few shoots lined up and I’m looking forward to working with the people involved .Who knows how 2012 will go but I hope it is another good year for me.
All photography by Ryan Harper KerryStyling, hair and make-up by Anya Kat Atta
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So, you are the original creator of the comic lou Scannon can you tell uS about how and why
you decided to make your own comic? I initially developed the idea for a short film back in 2001 as part of my degree in animation. However once the film was done, I started thinking on how I could develop the idea and it grew from there. I knew the idea was too big though for someone in my position to even consider doing as an animated series and I’ve always had a big love for comics so I developed the idea more for that instead. I always intended to do it as a comic book but I ended up creating such a vast universe, I gave myself a writer’s block. I had the past, present and future down but didn’t know exactly at what point in the overall story I should start the comic. That’s where Kris came in. He had always loved the idea I’d had and wanted and nagged me to do something with it. So when he saw I hadn’t, he asked if he could play around with it. He started with a couple of one page stories and eventually asked if he could do an issue he had had an idea for. I gave him the thumbs up and ended up drawing four pages of the comic itself and the cover whilst taking a more editorial role. Basically saying what would and wouldn’t go within the Louniverse. Issue one really lit a fire within me and from Issue 2 on, Kris, our friend Jim and myself write it. I pencil, Jim flats and Kris does the colouring/greyscaling. Jim was an important addition as his humour is different to mine which is different to Kris’ and it really means we bounce and feed off each other even more.
iSSue 2 iS out and about now, hopefully it’S Selling well for you! where can our readerS pick up their own copy if they want a look? As it stands right now, the comic is available on our website www.louscannon.co.uk, at Orbital Comics on Leicester Square in London, My Tattoo studio in Treforest and at Forbidden Planet in Cardiff. Although we are hoping to expand on this within the new year. We also have a stand at the Cardiff Comic Convention at the end of February 2012. (Sadly The Bite Mag comes out in March after this awesome event will have taken place!)
iSSue 3 iS due out in the Spring, about when our iSSue of the bite iS releaSed, have you completed it yet? The real question there is “Have you started it yet?” to which in all honesty I would have to answer “No...”. We’re really pushing ourselves with issue 3 as we haven’t long finished issue 2 but we want 3 ready for the Cardiff Comic Con which means it has to be done by the end of January to be printed in time. The plus side is that for 3 the pencilling duties are being split between Kris and myself so I only have to pencil seventeen of the twentytwo pages.
you have iSSueS pre-planned until winter 2012, doeS that end the SerieS or are there further planS?No, there are much bigger plans. Issue six will see the end of the first story arc and will leave it on a sort of cliffhanger which if we have done our jobs correctly, will leave you wanting more and with questions that you want answered. When I planned the comic out originally, I created an entire universe which includes a vast history and even a map of the galaxy so
we have a lot of pace to explore. Lou is trying to find out about his past and it leads to much bigger things and we couldn’t do that in six or even twelve issues. This has become a labour of love for the three of us and we don’t want to leave people feeling short changed on the story at all. We might even end up working on it for as long as Jeff Smith worked on Bone. Although hopefully we wont have to continuously self publish for that long...
would you Say lou iS baSed on yourSelf in anyway or did you have anyone elSe in mind when you created the character? See now I would have to say no but I think that Kris, Jim and any of the other guys that we went to uni with would argue with me there. A lot of the guys think I based Lou on myself. They say that they think he looks like me because he has spikey hair and a goatee (I don’t so much have spikey hair these days but that’s more down to hair thinning out gradually than anything else...), he’s sarcastic, cynical and a bit of a joker. Apparently that’s me too. I DID once tell Kris when he was writing dialogue for Lou and stuck on what to put to think “What would Dan say?”
who, if anyone, would you cite aS being influenceS for your work?Well this isn’t so much in the style of which I draw but they have certainly influenced me: Michael Turner - If it hadn’t been for him, I never would have gotten back into comic books at all. He was a big influence on my drawing style in my late teens but as I got older I sort of went into a different direction which was probably influenced by doing an animation degree. His death was a great loss to the world and so young at only 37 too. Without him I don’t think I would be where I am right now as he totally captivated my imagination and made me think “Yeah, comics is something I would love to do.” Jeff Smith - His story telling is phenomenal and inspiring. His comic book “Bone” is sort of like a modern day fairy tale and is one of the best comic books you could ever hope to read. Bruce Timm - Without him, we wouldn’t have had the absolutely incredible “Batman: Animated” series from the early 90’s. Nor would the Batman franchise have ever had the character Harley Quinn. Joe Capobianco - My favourite tattoo artist. His style is “Off the hook” as the kids say. There are a lot more but we would be here all day if I went through them.
Dan Harrisbecky caught up with dan harriS rhondda baSed creator, writer and penciller of Sci-fi comic lou Scannon. the comic iS the product of the twiSted mindS of dan, along with hiS two friendS kriS carter and Jim bampfield. and it’S well worth a read if you aSk uS...
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Dan Harris
have you alwayS been a comic fan or did you come to the genre later in life? My Dad once told me that I was into comics before I could even read. I loved the imagery. So I guess I’ve always been a comic book fan! There was a period of time in secondary school where I was bullied when people found out that I still read things like Spider-man so I stopped for a couple of years. Then I went to college and met a lot more mature people who still read comics and I realised I wasn’t a freak or weirdo for doing so. That’s when I was introduced to the work of Michael Turner on the “Witchblade” series which in my late teens I absolutely adored.
how do you feel about movie adaptationS of comicS? For the most part I think it’s a good thing. As someone who was picked on in school for reading things like X-Men I think if it promotes it in a way that the masses generally accept it, it might help deter bullying in the future. It seems Britain is a bit different to America with comic books. At least it was when I was in school. When I was in school, comics were just for kids and it wasn’t cool if you were over Eleven years old and still reading them (Although I’m open
to the possibility that it was just the kids in my school who looked on it like that). We all know now that that is absolute crap and I think film adaptations help show that to people. My favourite comic adaptation of the moment is probably “Scott Pilgrim”. I also think it makes for a great Indie styled film. It’s also closer to the comic than probably any other adaptation I can think of at this moment in time. My most despised comic adaptation... Well I guess I would go with “Batman and Robin” as that is not only the worst comic adaptation but also probably one of the worst films ever made too. I’ve had turds that were more appealing to watch than that pile of absolute horse wank. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn if, to convey the accurate amount of insanity as the Joker in “The Dark Knight”, Heath Ledger had spent two weeks straight locked in a white room forcing himself to watch that film over and over again whilst Hansons “Mmbop” was simultaneously played on repeat through wall mounted speakers.
web comicS Seem to be increaSing in popularity, do you See them aS a threat to traditional comicS or an added bonuS? Web comics rock! I think they are a great
way for talent that would normally remain undiscovered to get out there and noticed! I used to do one myself called “Retail” which you can still view on my deviantart page www.griftersart.deviantart.com. I have a few favourites myself! There’s Jump-Leads by Ben Paddon and Jjar which is a fun sci-fi romp! Dead Days is a great one you can find that runs on deviantart. Sometimes webcomics end up being so popular as well that they end up being published by one of the big companies in a hard copy format anyways. Like “PVP” for example.
mainStreaming of the comic genre iS a hot topic, with people having pretty Strong viewS, any thoughtS? There’s always part of you that thinks “No! This is mine! Don’t take it to the masses!” but overall I only see it as a good thing. How can comics survive if people aren’t made aware of all the great things there are out there to read? Neil Gaimans Sandman. Garth Ennis’ Preacher. Mike Carey’s Lucifer. Grant Morrisons run on New X-Men. These are all great reads and if more people know about them and enjoy them, maybe then people wont be so quick to judge people for being “Geeks” and wont class them as losers. I used to work for a big comic book/toy store and have seen how some people look at the folks we had coming in. Although it seems that these days being a geek is the new cool. Which is cool. and finally the queStion we all want to know... how do you feel about the dc reboot??!Personally I don’t like it. Totally rebooting some aspects but keeping other bits as a continuation of how it was before?.. I was mainly interested in Green Lantern as I’m a massive, lifelong fan and with that, everything that had happened before the reboot still applied. Yet in Superman, Clark Kent isn’t married to Lois anymore and all the costume changes seemed a tad unnecessary as the ones they already had were pretty iconic in my opinion. I know that the argument has been used that it is a good idea to bring in new readers. Start it all over and more people will be interested. Superman was created in 1932. Batman was created in 1939. Green Lantern started in 1940. Wonder Woman in 1941. I was born in 1981. I still managed to get on board. People find a way to get on board if it is something that appeals to them in the first place.
I was talking with a member of staff in a comic shop in London one day about the reboot and I asked him how it had gone. He told me that it had gone really well and all the issue ones had pretty much sold out but that they had already halved their orders for all the issue twos as the knew that people would all scramble for the issue ones (Possibly hoping they will become valuable) but not so many would stick with the series afterwards. Maybe I’m just a bit out of the loop these days and I SHOULD find it awesome... I don’t know.
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in the middle, like an uncle at a wedding, but it becomes infectious and everyone joins in. There were one of two minor sound issues which they dealt with perfectly and the joy in their music and warmth of the band was so apparent, you couldn’t help but fall for them a bit. I eagerly look forward to seeing them develop and will certainly be keeping an eye on them in the future.
Next up were THE MINUTES, if you haven’t heard of these guys you soon will. An Irish 3 piece, that sure make a lot of noise for 3 lads! These guys have supported a lot of other well known bands recently including The Strokes, The Pigeon Detectives, The Cult and Supergrass to name but a few. They have also started tentative headline shows of their own. It won’t be long before you are popping off to HMV to pick up their album, with a Kings of Leon/Killers esque vibe this band are perfectly poised to pick up their mantel. Coincidently I also thought the lead singer bore more than a passing resemblance to Brandon Flowers (I asked a few of the crowd though and no one else agreed!).
Mark, Tom & Shane of the band came across as far less warm than TMS, more serious, intense and oh so cool. Even when the singer broke his string you’d hardly have noticed anything was up. Hard staring faces backed up by fiercely unrelenting, stomping beats. These boys have an old school rock and roll sound and no mistake but they twist it and turn up the volume and get in your head till it becomes something else entirely. There was something akin to a deep south preacher being channelled by The Minutes, maybe that’s why they reminded me of KOL, and it really works.
The venue is just a great gig venue, difficult acoustics aside, it looks fantastic! Built in the 1800’s it’s all
Imposing architecture with wood panelling, paired Corinthian columns and a fabulous balcony. I really cannot imagine many a gig that would not look great in this setting. I’ve attended many events here so I already knew what to expect but was surprised by the varied crowd we encountered as we queued. Young arty student types, old punk rockers, new punks, middle aged hippies...you name it, they were there. Not many bands can claim to have such a wide demographic to their fanbase.
THE MIGHTY STEF a young up and coming Irish band opened the show with their quirky and retro sound, a blend of dirty blues and 70s bohemian rock tinged with Irish folk and gorgeous harmonies. Now that’s not to say this band is out of its time, because actually I thought they were brilliant, but I do think they tap into a nostalgic vibe that’s popular in the music scene at the moment. This is a great band to open with as they amped up the crowd nicely but weren’t so feisty as to tire them out. They made sure the audience participated and engaged well with the warm crowd. It was the kind of gig where you get one crazy dancer
Somehow after the frivolity of TMS and the raucousness you know you are about to get from Flogging Molly, these boys didn’t seem to sit easily in the middle. But the crowd loved them and it was not a show I’ll easily forget. Infact I aim to catch them headlining as soon as I’m able. I’m not sure if I like them or they brainwashed me, but for some reason I need to hear them again.
After the sheer energy of The Minutes had whipped the crowd into a frenzy FLOGGING MOLLY take to the stage. They are a band with a very friendly audience, despite outward
appearances! They begin the show with beautiful irish harmonies and get the crowd singing, and swaying, along. Cardiff was in for treat, as this was the last gig of the European Tour and their first time back in the capital for 7 years. It was a cold November night and the band announced they had been on tour since January, no one can deny their work ethic! Within minutes they are all jumping and singing and throwing their pints around. And
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don’t think because there is a fiddle present, or that because a lot of the audience are older, that this pit is any less fierce! If you haven’t heard Flogging Molly before their music is a unique mix of irish folk, hardcore punk, rock n roll and drinking songs. Think a night out in Dublin, with Bite!
When they played ‘The Worst Day Since Yesterday’ you could feel the elation in the room. This song is a personal favourite so maybe I am biased but even though the lyrics are rather depressing this song has a feel good factor that lifts any heart. Lyrically they are nearly up there with Billy Bragg for political and social awareness. And it’s all done with such rousing choruses’ you’ll be singing like you care before you’ve realised what you’re doing!
Some beautiful acoustic turns really proved these guys can play, as if you’d had any doubt. ‘The Heart of The Sea’ was another high point for me, a great song, well played with passion. A fantastic limelight solo in ‘Black Friday Rule’ (during which Dennis Casey reverbed the fuck out out of his guitar) had the audience going wild for more and the sweat was flying in every direction! Then, just so you don’t forget who they are, they crack out a fierce fiddle tune and the place erupts. And then onto the tin whistle of ‘Devil’s Dance Floor’. I witnessed a circle pit with a difference, the likes of which I have never seen before. It was a ceilidh of sorts, which had everyone dancing with their neighbour, and having a damn good time. A nice touch was the band, huge football fans, sent a dedication Gary Speed’s family – the former footballer and Wales Manager who died in tragic circumstances three days prior to the gig. They also talked about their own families throughout and this just added to the sense you were at a big family reunion, a joyous party vibe!
When they finally ended and went of the stage the crowd stamped and clamped and cheered and called for more more more, so of course the band obliged with a three song encore. And in turn the audience danced so hard I feared for the floor of this old building! At the end of the gig we all went home laughing, smiling, arm in arm and happy. As I’d had no doubt we would. 11
The night kicked off with Illusive Existence an impressive performance from the start and a 100% improvement since I last saw these guys play. Upon hearing their opening track, it was immediately obvious that the months of practice had defiantly paid over as they have really have got a million times better. They did two covers diamond and pearls and toxic of the two diamond and pearls was a far stronger cover. A strong set overall although in parts the vocals where drowned out by the drums.
Second on the bill was Darksite, a post-hardcore act hailing from glorious South Wales. The most admirable trait of the band is that they really don’t like to leave the audience’s ears empty; one song after another without any sign of hesitation. certainly did not mean a loss in intensity, because this was abrasive grind of the heaviest variety. Furious beats from the drummer kept giving away to infectious grooves and volatile mayhem, Why a violent pit didn’t break out is beyond me, because this was as destructive as music gets.
feb 2012
DARKSITE
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Next up was.Persona B was on top form in bringing a concoction of turbulent yet awesome vocals. With solid bass lines, tight drumming, edgy vocals and guitars, mixed with Alex’s awesome stage presence and banter these guys are always fun to watch and listen to and provide a winning combination of great songs played with all the energy and passion . They also provided the moment of the night when a man got on stage and kissed the bass player.
Finally, headline act Alloneword emerged from their nest and took to the stage, waste no time in whipping their audience into a frenzy. They kick-off at a frenetic pace and the small crowd of revellers at the front of the stage grows ten-fold before they’ve made their way through the first track. One of the first things you will notice about Alloneword is how much they enjoying performing and doing what they do – their passion for music is infectious and really shines through during their set, and how much they enjoyed simply being on stage together and doing what they love.
P E R S O N A B
A L L O N E W O R D
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The Maverick TaTToo STudio16a The NorToNTeNbySa70 8aa07564324011
We are buSy So if There iS No aNSWer oN The phoNe TheN call back... We do NoT do TexTS or voiceMail, We rarely do Walk iNS preferriNg To Speak To aNd Work WiTh a cuSToMer To geT The piece righT.
STaffoWNer/TaTTooerdavid roberTS
TaTTooerdaN JaMeSporTraiT SpecialiST
body pierceraMaNda roberTS
appreNTice/gopher chaNiece ‘SchMoo’ evaNS
opeNiNg hourS vary froM day To day depeNdiNg oN hoW buSy We are... We STarT aT 10 iSh aNd We fiNiSh WheN We are doNe... Nice aNd SiMple, The body piercer WorkS oN appoiNTMeNT aSWell froM 3.30 MoST dayS...
It is quite rare that the work coming out of a particular tattoo studio really is instantly identifiable as the creative product of a certain artist. All too often, tattooists are inspired by existing trends, move into a similar direction with their images, or - to put it more bluntly - blatantly copy the style and handwriting of the original artist. We have seen this with numerous movements over the last decade or so, ever since tattooing has been in the public eye of the so-called mainstream. Magazines have contributed to it, I must admit, but the main blame for this quite universal phenomenon is human nature, aided by the internet. Imitating someone becomes really difficult though, whenever a new style is paired with absolute technical perfection and a unique originality of each and every image. This means you will never have the same design as anyone else. It will be a truly unique piece,
This is certainly true for the work coming out of maverick tattoo studios. Studio is friendly, comfortable, clean and sanitary includes comfortable waiting area . Here you can get your first tattoo as well your hundredth, the artists have the skills and experience to give you good artwork.
MAVERICK TATTOO STUDIO
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MAVERICK TATTOO STUDIO
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it’s a strange thing really my relationship with mice, ordinarily they are little squeaky things that the cat drops in bits over the floor or I have occasionally shot at when I didn’t have a cat(don’t try this you will never hit one ever) ,but give them a sword and basic grasp of english and i love those guys.
So why are mice with swords so great? is it our innate sense of rooting for the little guy or maybe it is seeing the world from a new perspective, suddenly a boulder is a mountain, a stream a great river and a snake a great serpent. my love affair in earnest with these tenacious big eared warriors began when i picked up david petersen’s acclaimed mouse guard. it was one of those i saw it and i had to have it moments, something about the idea and the beautiful artwork drew me in and i fell in love.
mouse guard is set in medieval times though we never see any humans , the story a follows a group of three of the mouse guard, kenzie the intelligent and level headed leader of the group , lieam the youngest member and Saxon the fearless and somewhat reckless warrior who likes to tackle problems in a head on and violent manner.
the mouse guard exist to protect the secret ways between mouse villages and in a wider sense to protect all mice form the many evils they face.
the series is beautifully drawn with its own distinct style each page is a joy to behold, the battle with a snake that occurs fairly early on is just jawdroppingly fantastic, even thinking about it now i can see it like i am looking at the page, it is that good.
of a similar nature to mouse guard is mice templar by bryan J l glass though i would say it has a much more mystical celtic legend feel to it, the story follows karic a young mouse raised on legend of the now disappeared Mice Templar(think Jedi with massive ears) who tore themselves apart in civil war years ago, the mice of this story worship wotan whose two eyes are the sun and the moon watching over the two totally separate worlds of night and day and the mice believe they are his chosen ones on earth.
karic’s village is destroyed by a group of rats and friends and family killed or captured and taken as slave leaving him to try and save them, karic receives mystical help along the way and encounters all the kind of trouble you would expect he might do being only a few inches tall and considered a tasty snack by the whole world. he is helped along the way by an old and mysterious mouse called pilot who teaches him in the ways of the templar.
it is obvious that there is a lot of similarity in both these comics but luckily they are both excellent, though if i had to choose i would say mouse guard is the better and prettier of the two titles and has been most successful, there is something massively endearing about petersen’s mice with their huge heads and ears and even bigger spirits on the other hand glass’s mice templar makes a real effort to create a world and mythology that drags you in.
in conclusion both brilliant titles that are easy to love, it’s a small world after all.
Mice TeMplarBy mARC RAyGUN“the mice in their million hordeS from ibiza to the norfolk broadS”
Mice TeMplar
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Oakfield phOTOgraphyStefan Edwards of Oakfield photography first started taking
photos in 1984, during his time with the military. Since 2005 he has taken his photography more seriously. Following a 5
year period working in the Middle East he returned home to Wales in 2010.Stefan has completed a Diploma Course with the New York
Institute of Photography, and also featured in various publications as well as winning numerous awards for his work.Stefan’s kit of choice is Nikon D70s, D200,D2x,D300, D300s cameras with an assortment of lenses both prime and zoom. http://www.oakfield-photography.com
KAyLEy SmITH
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WHO ARE yOU?Kayley Smith (Kaza PhotograPhy)
WHERE yOU BASED?CarmarthenShire, South WeSt WaleS
HOW LONG yOU BEEN DOING PHOTOGRAPHy? about 4 yearS and i’m Still learning neW teChniqueS all the time i love it.
WHAT PHOTOGRAPHy TO SPECIALISE IN?i really enjoy alternative faShion, Pin-uP, latex and burleSque. i moStly do Studio-baSed ProjeCtS
WHAT GOT yOU STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHy?i uSed to read a lot of alt and tattoo magazineS aS a teenager and loved hoW the Women Were PhotograPhed, they Were alWayS beautiful, Strong looKing Women. to me it’S trying to ShoW the true beauty in PeoPle no matter What their Size, hair Colour or if they are tattooed or PierCed.
WHO’S WORK INSPIRES yOU?Steve neaveS WorK iS fantaStiC and alSo Sabina Kelley and moSh Who are tWo of my favourite modelS they have ProduCed Some amazing imageS.
WHAT’S yOUR GREATEST ACHIEvEmENT TO DATE?Whenever i Come uP With an idea that really motivateS me and the end reSultS are exaCtly hoW i Wanted them, thoSe are my greateSt aChievementS.
ANy AmBITIONS AS A PHOTOGRAPHER?i have a year of my PhotograPhy degree left, When i graduate my aim iS to get my oWn Studio and hoPefully WorK for a magazine.
ANy ExCITING UPCOmING PROjECTS? i have juSt Started a neW ProjeCt in uni WhiCh i’m really exCited about, i’m going to reCreate a film Still from a movie of my ChoiCe and Put my oWn tWiSt on it So Should be great fun to do and Will get to WorK With Some more Wonderful modelS.
KAzA PHOTOGRAPHy21
something interesting happened whilst I was creating the preliminary draft of this very review; Furyon signed to Frontiers records. When taking a break from crafting non sequiturs and tangents about how under rated Furyon are, I happened upon an article proclaiming their signing to the Italian label. Today I’ll be reviewing the vanilla Metal Hammer released album but I’m sure the re-release will have fancy packaging, bonus tracks and liner notes.
gravitas opens with sTAnD LIKe sTOne, a balls-to-the-wall track that places us in the appropriate air strum until you get arthritis mood for the next fifty-one minutes. After a brief atmospheric build up in the introduction the tempo charges forward like the 761st Tank Battalion. personally I would have swapped this song with Don’t Follow – stand isn’t a bad song; it has one of the most memorable choruses on the album and a multitude of chunky riffs from pat and chris, but unfortunately lacks the vigour required to leave a lasting impact.
sOuvenIrs is a strange track, it clocks in at slightly over eight minutes but the last section feels entirely unnecessary as it almost perfectly finishes after five. Matt shows the listener exactly what he is capable of here, with some high range vocals and catchy hooks. The bridge section is epic, as the vocals and furious guitar-work come together to form an intense passage; this is followed by one of my favourite solos on the album, a short but sweet melodic piece. As mentioned previously, shortly after the echo of the ‘final note’ concludes its ring the song misguidedly continues. The tempo becomes noticeably slower, the guitars are distorted and the riffs are chugging. While admittedly it’s an effective contrast it should definitely have been a song in its own right.
At three minutes and thirty seconds DOn’T FOLLOW is the shortest song on the album and opens with an almighty seven second yell from Matt. Despite its short length the song does feel longer than it actually is, due to the fact the guitar work here is bizarrely uninteresting (one cannot usually say such a thing about guitarists chris and pat with a straight face). I particularly enjoyed the Highway to Hell era Bon scott style vocals
on the pre-chorus and chorus sections, and the occasional bass lick following a chorus was a nice addition – primarily because Alex rarely spends time in the spotlight on gravitas. neW WAy OF LIvIng starts with a solitary acoustic guitar and Matt’s soothing vocals layered on top. The song doesn’t hang about however, picking up the tempo around the minute mark. nWoL has the exact opposite problem than Don’t Follow, it just doesn’t feel long enough – the entire six minutes fly by quicker than usain Bolt during the January sales at JJB sports. This is helped by the fact that the second third of the song is compromised entirely of solos – sorted nicely between the slower more melodic variety and ridiculous (I use that word endearingly) near virtuoso shredding. Lee manages to get some catchy drumming in during some of the solos, which is a powerful added incentive to get the listener to bang their heads like a deranged bobble head figurine.
During vODOO Me I had the inescapable feeling that I’ve heard the song before, in actuality I don’t believe this to have been the case and I’ve marked it down to its ‘mainstream’ alt-rock sound. The chorus is immediately accessible, you can feel the emotion in Matt’s vocals and you want to join in, even if you haven’t fully memorised the lyrics. WAsTeD On yOu is another similarly accessible song, but the composers employ enough riff variety to keep it from feeling as generic as vodoo Me, and the vocals are generally more energetic.
Opening with a pleasant acoustic riff, the penultimate song Our peAce sOMeDAy is my favourite by quite a large margin. This tour-de-force track is the highlight of Matt’s vocal work, he really goes all out here – not that he would need to prove himself. In many respects the song has an eighties hair metal ballad vibe; Matt even manages to pull off the obligatory high pitched, catchy arms in the air chorus, in a similar vain to artists like: Warrant, paul Laine and europe.
The fairly fast and masterfully crafted solo comes completely out of left field, after you’ve become lost in the mesmerising soulful vocals and slow tempo of the
song. It meticulously treads the fine boarder between shred guitar and soulful playing that many guitarists strive to achieve and often fail (mostly because they are not Tony Drake), surpassing the usual easy route of a couple of string bends and a bit of whammy bar. When Frontiers records release this album I highly recommend the inclusion of a complimentary zippo lighter specifically for use with Our peace someday.
DeserT suIcIDe is the album’s big finish and clocking in at eight minutes it does have quite the ‘epic’ feel. After a slow start the song comes into its own at around the minute mark (after a series of powerful screams from Matt). The whole experience is eerily reminiscent of many slower Dream Theatre songs, constantly changing tempo and tone. The solo is the definitely the standout moment of the track – following a meandering yet atmospheric interlude, the guitar work is solid and never compromises the dreamlike feel of the song.
All in all gravitas is a blinding debut album from Brighton’s rising stars, and hopefully it will be fully appreciated upon its official release (Frontiers records) on March 23rd. gravitas has a healthy mix of prog, alt rock, classic rock and heavy metal with the end result not all that dissimilar to my own Ipod, flicking from progressive epics like Desert suicide to personal tracks ala Our peace someday, clearly destined to become an anthem for the lonely and downtrodden; much like ‘Tallica’s nothing else Matters. Furyon currently have three very powerful weapons – guitar wizards pat and chris, and vocalist Matt – who appears to channel everyone from James LaBrie to M. shadows to Bon scott, all depending on the occasion. gravitas is the first cobblestone on what will surely be Furyon’s illustrious path to glory. The only advice I could offer would be to give each member (sans Matt) more of a chance to shine – pat and chris do very impressive things given half a chance, but barring the occasional song the solos are nowhere near long enough to showcase their entire skill set, and bassist Alex is rarely heard to venture outside of his element. still, a definite must own.
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98 On My MInD (sIngLe)By We Are THe AFTergLOW98 on my mind Is a four and a half minute, rich vocal bluesy/rock offering by we are the afterglow. It starts slow before breaking up and becoming more eccentric but engaging chunk of rock music which makes easy to see why these guys are so popular.
crOOKeD HeArTBy recLuseAll 11 tracks of crooked heart are pure dynamite. starting with opening track come on over, the catchy riffs and impassioned vocals keep you hooked throughout. second track All of a sudden, sweeps you away on a voyage of musical magic.
Third track passing cars is for me the stand out track of the album, the track is just so emotionally charged. In retrospect is track number four is energetic, heavy bass and hard hitting and leads nicely into Heartjacker which in comparison to the rest of this album is by far the edgiest track.Dirty Blonde, Hush and Lover are also flawless tracks, each song slightly different yet with the unique sound of recluse. While crown of sleep shows us different side to recluse Haunting vocals it’s something very special. The final 2 tracks porterhouse Blues and calmer Killer are decent tracks and show that, if this what recluse have to offer 2012 should be there year .
HOg rOAsT In HeLL epBy speeDpIgHog roast in hell is a 6 track ep blend of stone rocker mixed with some proper old school metal.From opening track “kill you to death” to the final offering “sMg” the ep is constantly of a stand you would expect from a professional recording with loads money thrown at it rather than by band themselves. This ep is a throwback to bygone days when Metal songs were memorable and not epically long and you could hear what the vocalist was saying, rather than screaming just a noise at the mic.
This ep is definitely worth checking out and turning up loud and just enjoy it.speeDpIg is 2 friends called gaz and Mungo and it’s hard to believe that such a stellar ep was produced by just the two of them.
DOOM epBy HAKInHakin’s new ep/Demo DOOM comes with 4 hard hitting metal songs sounding like a mixture between Traditinal metal and post-hardcore. It features some heavy beatdowns, great sounding riffs and some ferice vocals to match. This is the sort of band I would personally love to see playing at Bloodstock to a crowd going mental. I’d recommend everyone to give this a listen I think your gonna like it. Turn up the volume and rock the fuck out.
sTAKKATTAcKKTWOBy WrATHcHILD“sTAKKATTAKKTWO” is a pure glam/sleaze hard rock/metal album… right from the 80sFrom the start you can hear the influences of bands like glitter, slade, sweet, poison, KIss, and Alice cooper.starting off with a car tyre screech is so which features on so many glam tracks ‘goin’ Down’ is a pretty good start. ‘All About u’, is a track that sounds like it should be a song sung be frank’n’furter in the rocky horror show. ‘cherie cherie’ is OK but for me is probably the weakest track on the album. ‘Trikk or Treat’ –is the kinda track that will have singing along and bopping your head it truly is a treat. ‘Hollywood or Bust’ continues the party feel and has the glam calling card of the cowbell on it.‘nice ‘n’ eazy’ is a fist waving chant-a-long that will have the fans smiling as they get listen to it getting ready to go out. ‘Bad Billy’ and ‘I Luv the night’ are also slabs of pure adrenaline fuelled glam that just adds to the weight of this album. The album closer ‘psychophantic suicide’, which is a piano led track that is nowhere near as bad as the title might suggest, possessing some heartfelt lyrics and showing a different side to Wrathchild than you would not expect. Overall this has to be the glam/sleaze album of 2012
reviews
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First to the stage, are West Wales face painted rock heroes Devils Answer. I have seen these bunch loads of times and they never fail to blow me away. Frontman Charlie has boundless running round the venue with his guitar power sliding dancing on tables a true showman. With such great song’s that will have you singing them in your head for days especially “gloryhole” and “wanna get wasted” the songs need no explaining. The highlight has to be watching Charlie trying to get the crowd to do a Mexican wave. If you get a chance go see these guys they never fail to impress.
Next to hit the stage was Hangfire who have just finished recording their new album “shoot the crow”. Vocalist Max Rhead commands the stage in an astonishingly unassuming manner, guitarist Lee ‘ Lizzy’ Evans although blind, just let this stand in his way as he rips out one riff after another, impeccable solo after impeccable solo, and this kind of talent show that no matter what hardship life throws at you can achieve anything you set your heart on and should be a lesson to us all.
This is stripped back rock in its purest form, basic yet resilient, that rattles through the body and hits the all the right buttons. The stand out track of their set was “bodies” its heavy rock at its finest.
As set closer ‘Drop the Bomb’ fades into the dust, Hangfire are definitely a band with a huge future in front of them. Finally it’s time for the one we have all been waiting for Wrathchild the set leaned comprehensively, almost exclusively, in the direction of last year’s ‘Stakkattakktwo’ album- ten of the fourteen song strong set comes from this latest release - but you wouldn’t know it: ‘Too Wild To Tame’, from ‘Stakk Attakk’ first time around, follows the set opener but then leads into a seven song burst from the new album - ‘Goin’ Down’, ‘All About U’, ‘Cherie Cherie’, ‘White Hot Fever’, ‘Nice ‘n’ Eazy’, ‘Trick Or Treat’ and ‘I’ll Be Your Rokk ‘n’ Roll’.
Gaz Psychowrath Harris, like guitarist Phil Wrathchild, born to be in this band, has fashioned a winning stage guise and fronts the band with an added dynamism: by the time ‘(Na Na) Nuklear Rokket’ and ‘Trash Queen’ come around towards the end of the set the thought of him making the old songs his own is a distant memory.
At this point it would be rude not to mention drummer Eddie Starr, looking as glamorous as ever in full corpse paint and bassist Marc Angel, eyes mirrored with cop-like classic Aviators, looking like a character from a 70’s cop show‘Hollywood or Bust’ and ‘Bad Billy’, are played before ‘Kick down the Walls’
closes the show in fine style. Wrathchild have put their faith in a new album while others would dwell on past success. For that they have to be applauded. Another 5 star show put on by the people of south wales rock and metal community and if people want more nights like this they need to get out there and support them.Frank Hinley
Wrathchild with support from
Hangfire and
Devils AnswerAt the garage, Swansea
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bite siZe most annoying band member
The Marshall head coz it keeps Breaking
down !!
The Trace elliot Bass head coz its always
BReaking down !!!
stupidest thing done by a band member
T.dog – he Booked 2 gigs in 1 day Twice
Funniest thing said by a band member
simon – dont write what you cant Play !!
hilarious
song to look out for
all of Them But Fear/Fate/love/hate is
going To Blow youR Minds !!!
0226
What has been your biggest challenge as a band?Finding The RighT MixTuRe/PeRsonnel To helP Make The Band Move FoRwaRd in The diRecTion ThaT we aRe sTRiving To achieve.
strangest gig you’ve ever played?They have all had TheiR MoMenTs BuT i aM suRe They will geT even sTRangeR The MoRe we Play lols.
best tour story?TouR ? whaTs one oF TheM ?? lols
Who inspires you?FRoM a Playing PoinT oF view My Fellow Band MeMBeRs as They have so Much Passion FoR The Band and TheiR Music which dRives Me To BeTTeR MyselF as a Musician – FRoM a FaMily PoinT oF view My wiFe/childRen and all My FaMily MeMBeRs dRive Me on.
What do you think about the current music scene?TheRe aRe loTs oF veRy TalenTed Bands aRound aT The MoMenT BuT sadly MosT oF TheiR eFFoRTs aRe noT Being Picked uP By The MajoR laBels & ThaT can lead To The deMise oF The unsigned scene evenTually and ThaT will neveR do !
What impact do you hope to have on music scene?FRoM a Band PoiuT oF veiw i hoPe we can insPiRe The youngeR geneRaTion To keeP The dReaM alive & conTinue TRying To BReak down The BaRRieRs ThaT devide The Big FRoM The ResT and as a PRoMoTeR i will do My veRy BesT To helP TheM do This !
Finally tell people Who aint seen/heard you beFore Why they should come check you out?ThaT’s an easy one – how can you judge soMeThing unless you go & see FoR youRselF whaT you could Be Missing – suRely ThaT is The only answeR needed ?
What are your plans For the upcoming year?RecoRding/giggingThen MoRe RecoRding/gigging Then MayBe MoRe RecoRding/gigging !!
the biteWho are you?age oF anarchyFormedmay 15th 2010What they sound likemetal thunder !!!
AGE OF
ANARCHY
02 27
GIG GUIDEmarch 22nd:19.00 – 00.00
Amongst Carrion, Tidal, Black Dove, madicide, insuna:– The Garage, Uplands, Swansea: Tickets £3
march 30th 19.00 – 00.00INmE, lostalone, mojo fury, Club Ifor bach, Cardiff, tickets £12 ADv, available from www.ticketweb.co.uk, www.seetickets.com, www.wegottickets.com, Ticketline UK (Cardiff), Spillers Records (Cardiff), Derricks Records (Swansea), Diverse music (Newport), Cardiff
University Box Office
march 31st 19.00 – 00.00Darksite Album Launch – Kazbar, Llanelli
April 1st: manhattan Coast, Hold The Fight, and Hark! A Shark! - The moon Club, Cardiff
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April 12th 19.00 – 00.00 ORANGE GOBLIN (there only welsh date), Grifter, Prosperina, hate gauge: The Garage, Uplands, Swansea: Tickets £12 in advance £14 on the door
tickets available from the garage, uplands and derricks records, Swansea
April 14th: yOGFEST HOmECOmING Featuring Intensive Square, Charcoal Sun, Hate Gauge, Persona B, Order 66 and more - The Imperial,
milford Haven
Tell me a liTTle abouT yourself. Where are you from? WhaT is your educaTional background? WhaT are your general professional and non-professional inTeresTs?i moved to Cardiff from Wolverhampton around four years ago, and at the time i was working as a receptionist at a women’s domestic abuse refuge. i had previously been working in the libraries (which was pretty much my dream job!) and before that i worked as management in music stores. during employment though i always had something creative going on in the background. i had my own little market stall in Wolverhampton when i was 20
or so, and that is a fond memory! Whilst i worked as a receptionist i started Santa macabre and the vintage Pretty markets.as you can probably guess, i did not pursue further education, though sometimes i wish i had. i think it definitely opens doors for you, and at the very least looks good on a Cv! at the moment Santa macabre pretty much takes up my whole life! i think when you have your own business, it pretty much has to. however i am in love with it all, so it’s not much of a chore!i find that my interests all pretty much benefit and tie in with what i do with Santa macabre. i have so many influences, from the victorian era to the mexican dia de los
muertos, religious iconography to cute animals!however i think it is important to have time where you don’t work, because quite honestly i would go insane if all i did was work! i’m not much for socializing unfortunately, though it’s always lovely to go for a hot drink with good friends! i tend to prefer staying at home with my two little dogs and watch films and tv series. i’m a bit of a tv series geek at the moment, i guess it’s the escapism!
Where did The name sanTa macabre JeWellery come from?i started off using several different names, though they always sounded a bit forced to me, so when i came up with Santa macabre, it just sounded right! there’s not an exact translation of it, but i got the name primarily from my love and interest in mexican culture. there is a highly worshipped figure called Santa muerte (Saint death or holy death). this figure is worshipped by many in mexico, though is frowned upon by the Catholic church, so is mainly worshipped in the home by the lower class and criminal society. it is believed that Santa muerte can grant her worshippers with romance, revenge, money and so on. this must however be justified, and the worshipper must be right in what they are asking for. this really interested me, the juxtaposition between worshipping this holy figure, and the negative aspects to it. i myself was brought up Catholic, so i have an interest in most things related, especially the imagery.the macabre part of the name is more simple. i love horror films and such, so the word macabre was perfect. it’s so cheesy and kitsch too!
WhaT firsT aTTracTed you To The fashion/JeWellery business?i have always been creative. for years i thought i wanted to tattoo, though it just didn’t ignite me as i felt perhaps it should. i can’t remember exactly what prompted me to make my first piece of jewellery, though i first sold at the West midlands vegan fair in Wolverhampton, and did so well, it just went from there.i actually don’t wear much jewellery myself, but my tattoos are quite ornamental and ornate so maybe that’s my way of glamming myself up!
SANTA MACABRE
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hoW Would you define The sTyle of your producTs?my work has really changed over the 3 years or so i have been making jewellery. at first it was mainly cameo necklaces, chunky trinket necklaces, rings, and a lot of other things such as trinket boxes and customized notebooks.now i have more of a specific look i think. i lean heavily on the gothic and slightly morbid imagery now. i love anything that is intricate and ornate with a little dash of darkness to it!i also work with replica animal skulls. i would hope that i am known for my vegan beliefs when it comes to this. it worries me a little that animal parts in jewellery are currently being used and brought so freely. being vegan, i do not consume, wear or use anything that comes from an animal. it was quite difficult for me when i considered using replica animal skulls. i really love the look of them but i can understand that a lot of people would not like them. however, the main thinking point for me was whether it clashed with my vegan beliefs and lifestyle. i could understand fellow vegans not approving of my use of the replica animal skulls. however, i feel that if i can offer a replica animal skull (cast from a found skull in the wild, from a naturally deceased animal) to those that like this kind of thing then that can only be a good thing. i don’t want people to buy the real thing. because at the end of the day only so many animal skulls can be found in the wild, and if someone is using a large quantity of them, you have to wonder where they are coming from. the thought of funding hunters, pest controllers or anyone that kills animals is abhorrent to me, and goes against everything i believe in. this also applies to my use of faux fur.i have a very macabre taste and i like replica skulls, it’s the goth side to me! but you can wear jewellery like this, without ever having to use the real thing! i hope that regardless whether my customers agree with me, they appreciate my ethics and know that the items i do make have my heart and soul in them.
WhaT is your favouriTe piece To make and Why?i very rarely pick up a pencil and design pieces, i quite literally buy the supplies i like with a picture in my head, and then go from there. it really is just an amalgamation of all my passions i think. i would have said that my favourite piece to make was the faux fur collars, and i so still love being known for them. but i think after making around 150 or so of these by hand, i prefer to make the slightly less taxing pieces. each collar takes around 4 hours to make as i sew by hand! i do always love the finished product though, they still have a special place in my heart! i think they are Santa macabre’s signature piece,
and she is most possibly one of the funniest people i have unfortunately not yet had the pleasure to meet!i don’t really have a list of people i would like to work with, but all of the above i think are amazing, and to do a collaboration with them would be so much fun!i would find it hard to admire someone’s work if i didn’t like the person, i think it’s essential that designers do their best to get on with each other, because deep down, we all have a lot in common!
you recenTly Won The alTernaTive model direcTory’s mosT original design compeTiTion, hoW does ThaT feel?it was so lovely to win that competition, i really didn’t expect to! it’s also cool as i get to send over the design to be modelled by the gorgeous gwendolyn eve hill. there is nothing nicer than knowing that
and i am so honoured that people love them so much!
Who are some of your favoriTe designers? is There anyone ThaT you Would love To Work WiTh?i would say that my favourite designers at the moment are the wonderful Sophie adamson and Sacre Couer. Sophie makes some absolutely stunning pieces and it really shocks me that she isn’t more well known than she is, though she is definitely on her way! We have different aesthetics in that she uses real animal skulls and i use replica (as mentioned above) but i know for sure that she is extremely ethical when sourcing her supplies and would never fund anything untoward.Paradisea decora (who owns Sacre Couer) is a big inspiration to me. her work is just amazing, and her work ethic is something to be admired. She’s also really lovely!i also really enjoy the creations of rubber monkey latex, em’s work is just amazing,
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people like your work, it’s the ultimate compliment!
hoW Will This impacT on your Work for 2012?i think the impact will mainly be attempting to make work that lives up to the piece that won, as it was a particular favourite of mine too. Plus it’s a huge confidence booster which can only have a positive effect on future work i think.
if you could design and make a piece of JeWelry for anyone Who and WhaT Would iT be?this is quite a tough one, as i love designing for pretty much anyone that wants me to, whether it’s one of the amazing models i have worked with (or plan to) or one of my lovely customers!i love the model mosh, and would love to design something for her, she is amazing! although i’m not much into her music, i think a lot of designers would like to make something for lady gaga, whatever you think of her, you can’t help but be inspired by her image!in terms of what i would make, it would totally depend on who it was for. but something furry with lots of pearls and jewels and lace would be a good start!
as Well as designing you also run The regular ‘vinTage preTTy’ handmade and vinTage markeT in cardiff, WhaT Was The driving force behind This?i started vintage Pretty a few years ago. after selling first at the vegan fair, and then going on to selling in a few local craft fairs, i decided to try my hand at setting up one in Cardiff. there were already a couple of well established markets, but these were more focused on vintage, and i wanted to
explore the handmade side to it. a little ironic considering the name vintage Pretty i guess, but there have always been vintage sellers at the market too!it has been a great way to get my work out, and more than anything i have met some amazing, and hopefully lifelong, friends from running vintage Pretty market. meeting fellow creative people is so much fun!
Which do you prefer, designing or organising evenTs?i have enjoyed running the market, but i have to say that the organization side of it can be hard work, and with the current financial climate it is quite tricky to sell much at these events. i am most likely going to stop organizing markets for the foreseeable future, mainly as i love designing more, and i just don’t enjoy the organization side to it. you have to be a bit of a promoter with hosting your own event, and it’s not really me! it has been so
much fun though and i love saying that i ran my own market!
WhaT else can We expecT To see from you in 2012?i have a lot of ideas, and plans for new work, but it will once more be a case of making these ideas up as i go along. i hope to work with as many amazing photographer s and models as i can (it’s one of my favourite parts of the job!) and eventually make a good living out of it! i do this for the love of it, and being a new business, it can be a struggle financially at times, but really, i can’t complain, i get to make pretty things all day!
CASSKAzA PHOTOGRAPHy
jOKAzA PHOTOGRAPHy
DARKSITE
THE mIGHTy STEF
WRATHCHILD
ANyA KAT ATTA
SANTA mACABRE
