Cover Story

The Cover Story

High Vis: “You can’t judge someone because of the privileges they’ve been given. It’s how you deal with those privileges”

On the cusp of releasing their third album Guided Tour, hardcore favourites High Vis are riding a justified wave of success right now. In a rare moment on home turf, Graham Sayle is taking stock of the grit and graft it took for five working class lads to get here and why it’s finally paying off…

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Trash Boat: “I want to write a song that changes the world. I want to sell out stadiums 10 days in a row. The idea of accepting relative mediocrity is painful”

Following Trash Boat’s last record, Tobi Duncan found himself consumed by anxiety. The things he once found easy were now completely terrifying. The weirdest part? He had no idea why. Now out the other side and armed with a new perspective on life, the St. Albans five-piece are set to drop their most chaotic and honest record yet, because nothing can capsize this vessel…

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Zetra: “We can have fun with this, but it’s never a joke. It’s not silly. We’re not f*cking about”

Zetra have built their own mysterious galaxy for themselves. One of corpsepainted rock stars, dark, gothic synths, mystery, intrigue and otherworldly suggestion. Everyone from Ville Valo to Creeper are already under their spell. But who are they? As they prepare to unveil their debut album, we tracked them down and found them in civvies. Even so happily exposed, they remain shadowy masters of their universe. Welcome to the world of Zetra…

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Kid Bookie: “I’m challenging the status quo by prodding and making people think. This is the place to practise rebellion and influence change”

Born and raised surrounded by gangs and drug dealers in South London, it’s been a hard-fought battle for Kid Bookie to break free from the underbelly and make it on his own terms. Ahead of his new album Songs For The Living // Songs For The Dead, we go back to his old haunts to learn just what it took to survive and how these experiences inform his music today…

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Stand Atlantic: “I’m so glad I got myself back – this album literally saved me”

Stand Atlantic’s WAS HERE isn’t just a record, it’s a reintroduction. Ahead of the Sydney crew’s ambitious third LP, vocalist Bonnie Fraser opens up about escaping negative relationships, rediscovering who she truly is, and why we need more unapologetic sapphic rock stars…

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$FEVER 333: “I want to highlight the emotional element of existing in such a f*cking fractious and divided world”$

FEVER 333: “I want to highlight the emotional element of existing in such a f*cking fractious and divided world”

As FEVER 333 announce long-awaited second album Darker White – the follow-up to 2019 breakout STRENGTH IN NUMB333RS – we meet an exhausted Jason Aalon for a startling and brutally honest chat about the toll things have taken so far… but why the idea of positive change is something we all must desperately cling on to.

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YUNGBLUD: “The world is ready for rock music and the world is ready for f*cking rock stars”

Raised on rock’n’roll since he was born, music runs through the veins of Dom Harrison. Known throughout the world as YUNGBLUD, this weekend the 27-year-old trailblazer is staging his own festival to promote the next generation of artists, give a middle finger to the industry, and show everyone why the music he loves is back and better than ever…

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Mothica: “When you’ve been through so much and gone through so many rock bottoms, you start to think, ‘Nothing can hurt me now’”

After taking the ‘backwards’ route into music, McKenzie Ellis – aka Mothica – has become one of the most talked-about names in alt. pop. Ahead of her new album Kissing Death she looks back on her strange journey so far, why she won’t be defined by the trauma of her past, and how she seeks to heal a new generation of fans…

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Loveless: “I have a lot of passion to grow… We can embrace the culture we came from while also bringing something new to the table”

A brilliant second album. Reading & Leeds. An enormous North American headline tour. Everything is poised for Loveless to properly explode in 2024 – and that’s no mean feat, given their rapid rise in the first place. Julian Comeau details his wild journey so far, and why things are only getting better…

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GEL: “I want to project things into the world that can resonate in a productive way, not a judgmental way”

Following up one of 2023’s very best hardcore albums was never going to be an easy task, but New Jersey’s almighty GEL have taken things to another level on next month’s Persona EP. Ahead of its release, spellbinding singer Sami Kaiser talks growth, finding empowerment in screaming your guts out, and why positivity is always the way…

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Speed: “The experience of hardcore – the scale of it, the enormity – is mind-boggling right now”

When Jem Siow and his bandmates formed Speed, the Sydney quintet saw it as a part-time project to ‘settle down’ on, giving back to the DIY scene that shaped them. Five years later, they’re the hottest band in hardcore. On the eve of ferocious first LP ONLY ONE MODE, the frontman talks staying true to that grassroots mindset while navigating a genre that’s bigger than its ever been…

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“There’s this wave of change coming”: Creeper, Hot Milk and Static Dress are leading the new British alternative

From high-octane punk to dynamic alt.rock, next weekend’s 2000trees will showcase the very best in emerging British talent. Ahead of the festival, three creative visionaries in Creeper, Hot Milk and Static Dress come together to explain what’s so special about this ambitious new generation of bands…

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The Warning: “Rock makes me feel powerful… everyone connects in such a big way”

A decade on from going viral for a cover of Enter Sandman, The Warning have become one of rock’n’roll’s most attention-grabbing young bands. And, yet, they’re still only just getting started. On the eve of fourth album Keep Me Fed, and with a headline date at London’s O2 Academy Brixton set for 2025, the Villarreal Vélez sisters reflect on all they’ve accomplished so far, and why nothing is more important than inspiring others…

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Destroy Boys: “Breaking patterns and making changes are a really important part of this record”

Destroy Boys’ new album isn’t an ending, but a beginning. A decade since first starting as teens, and having learned a lot about showbiz, manipulation, other people and themselves, the California punks are stepping into a bold era on Funeral Soundtrack #4. One where they “hope to make a change and make the world a better place…”

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Avenged Sevenfold: “We want to make a roadmap to show artists that there’s a better way”

Ahead of the band’s third headline performance at Download this weekend, and one year on from the release of brain-bending eighth album Life Is But A Dream…, M. Shadows is, well, living the dream right now. And having successfully found the freedom he’s always wanted for Avenged Sevenfold, he’s now focussed on showing other artists how they too can own their future…

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LØLØ: “I’m either heartbroken or anxious! There is nothing else”

With the release of falling for robots and wishing i was one, LØLØ has delivered one of the best debut records of 2024. Here, the Toronto pop-punk talks about the journey she’s been on to make it – from heartache and mental breakdowns, to hanging out with Green Day and tackling online trolls head on…

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Bring Me The Horizon: “The way we’re doing stuff now, it feels like I’m making art again, for art’s sake”

We’ve waited long enough: NeX GEn has finally arrived, and with it, a whole new chapter for Bring Me The Horizon. It’s taken a lot to get here, but it’s only made Britain’s biggest band even stronger. And, as Oli Sykes takes us inside BMTH 2024, it’s leading them into a golden age…

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