“After finishing writing the EP and reflecting on what we’d actually created as a team, so many of our different inspirations and experiences, (which we had been going through at the time), seemed to have come through so naturally. Each song on the EP is within our sphere of influences yet still has its own personality and lyrical theme.”

Get the first listen of the record with us, right below.

With brutally honest lyrics and an energy that reflects the likes of Crooks and Boston Manor, My Only have got the formula and creativity to carve their pathway in the UK music scene, so you better start following them.

You can pick up the EP by visiting: http://radi.al/MyOnly

Dean [MG]: So I’ve got a few questions for you Rich, I’m going to start off relatively tame – do you exercise?

Rich: I used to do jogging, and I used to try and do running, but I’ve stopped now, so no I don’t exercise. Do you?

Dean: To be honest, now I very rarely exercise

Rich: You look like you exercise

Dean: Do I? In what way?

Rich: You just look really great haha

Dean: Thanks man, thanks. I don’t really exercise, I cycle every so often but that’s more to save money rather than actually get fit

Rich: I really want a bike. I’m spending £5 a day getting to work and it’s killing me

Dean: You need to get a bike! Especially in London, you need a bike

Rich: Something about cycling in London terrifies me

Dean: I don’t find it too bad. It’s kinda mental, but I find if you drive then you find it okay because I know exactly what the cars are going to be doing, and what not to do. I can see how it can be scary, certainly in some areas and some people are so unbelievably aggressive.

Rich: For sure! People hate cyclists as well

Dean: Actually, yeah that’s true. The amount of crap I’ve had from drivers. Things that you just totally wouldn’t get if you were in a car, like, this guy just started pulling out in front of me when he should be giving way to the traffic, and then was like “what the fuck are you doing?” when I went round him.

Rich: This is what the people want to hear!

Dean: Hahaha, to conclude, neither of us exercise. Do you have a question for me?

Rich [HA]: Do you get bored of touring? Because you’ve been doing a lot more recently

Dean: Personally, no I don’t. I’m glad when I get home, but I’m also totally happy on tour at the moment. I also find a lot of time for myself when I’m at home, I keep away from people and chill out, or just spend time with my girlfriend.

Rich: It’s almost a full-time job now isn’t it? It’s very cool

Dean: It’s been nuts recently, but I’m still as stoked to be on tour when I’m on tour, as I was when we played our first show

Dean [MG]: Rich, where did you grow up and why?

Rich: Haha! Right, okay so I grew up in North East London, bordering Essex. My grandparents grew up in that place as well and they’ve never moved, and my parents have never moved. I come from a line of very unadventurous people.

Dean: That’s very, very similar to me

Rich: The first thing I’ve done though is move to South East London

Dean: You got the hell out of there! You moved from London… to London

Rich: Yeah exactly haha. It’s a completely different type of London though, it might as well not be the same city. It’s so nice now when people are like, “Do you wanna come to the pub?” because before it’d be like “Can I be bothered with the hour and a half journey?” now it’s like “Yeah of course!” because it’s only up the road.

Dean: A lot of people live in South East London. My girlfriend lived there for a bit and now everyone I know in London lives there, it’s crazy.

Rich: It’s really cool! We started doing a Muncie Girls and Great Cynics Sunday club, where we all go to the pub on Sunday with all the UK DIY bands haha.

Dean: We go to the weirdest pubs in the whole world

Rich: There’s lots of taxidermy all around, every Sunday, it’s really good, you’re welcome to come!

Thank you!

Dean: Last time there was ice cream, so come on down!

I am so there.

Rich: We have a message thread called Sunday club

Dean: We’ll add you in

Thanks, I’ll definitely be there! Haha!

Dean: Have you got another question for me, Rich?

Rich [HA]: How does this Festival compare to other Festivals that you’ve done? And I want your honest response, I don’t want like, “Oh this one is great but the others are also great”.

Dean: Um, this Festival is great, the others are also great haha, but this Festival definitely has a charm to it, as does Groezrock. It’s not massive, loads of our friends are about and you just bump into people all the time, which is really nice. We were at Glastonbury the other day and like, that’s really cool, but it’s just so overwhelmingly big you can’t see everything that’s going on. For us, we just stayed exactly where we were camping, which was behind the Leftfield stage, we went to the Leftfield and the main stage a bit but that was it, because we were like “We wanna see this band but they’re a 45 minute walk away so why bother?” Especially with the mud and stuff, it was just too much. This Festival is awesome though, I haven’t been before.

Not much walking either!

Dean: Exactly

Rich: So little walking, which is why I like it

Dean: After all we don’t exercise so we need short walks

Rich: How much do you wish this would end?

I’m having a great time!

Dean [MG]: Okay, I’ve got two more questions for you. Are you punk?

Rich: I am SO not punk. I am the least punk. Why am I not punk? Do you think I’m punk?

Dean: Yeah I think so! I think you’ve got some punk in you. I think you’re somewhat punk to be playing today, to have made the decision to be like, “I’m going to start a band and do what I do and see what happens”.

Rich: Do you think you’re punk?

Dean: To some extent yeah. I could be more punk if I tried. I could be vegan. Or straight edge.

Rich: I’m vegan! But I do drink. The way I see it right, the people that call us out for not being punk, I don’t care about their opinions anyway.

THAT IS PUNK! Not giving a shit what people think of you is so punk.

Dean: Yeah, I think that is my sorry excuse for calling myself punk. I don’t care what other people are thinking, or I try not to. Maybe I do sometimes. Oh I’m so not punk. Forget it.

Rich: Forget it. Neither of us are punk.

Cool. Glad we got that one covered.

Rich: Are you punk?

Probably not.

Dean: No, come on, this is Punktastic!

Rich: That’s punk AND fantastic

I’m the most unpunktastic person at Punktastic haha!

Dean [MG]: Oh really? Ha! Right okay, final question then. I hope this isn’t going too far and isn’t offensive to the special person in your life. The first person you kissed, was it a pleasure or a chore? And I mean that in the sense like, my first kiss, I was absolutely bricking it, so it was a chore in that way because I was so scared I just sort of put my lips out there and I didn’t know what the hell was going on.

Rich: Oh it was definitely a chore! I don’t think either of us knew what we were doing and it was just unpleasant. It was like a technical movement. It was horrible. It’s a good thing that wouldn’t have offended the special person in my life because they’re different people.

Dean: The first person I kissed is still a special person in my life, in a certain way. I’ll never forget her y’know?

Rich: What was her name? Give her a shout out on Punktastic.

Dean: She was called Charlotte. Chaz for short. If you’re reading this. I wasn’t actually with her for that long so I can’t remember if her name was Jewel or Jew-el, but if you’re out there Chaz, it was great.

Rich: “Chaz have you heard of Muncie Girls? That’s me!”

Dean: I’m in this lame, savage band and that’s why I’m here talking about you and it’s well weird.

Rich: And that’s that! Thanks for talking to us hahaha

TAMSYN WILCE

You’ve returned to 2000 Trees again this year, what’s your favourite thing about the Festival?

I think the atmosphere, it’s so good. I’m not slagging off bigger Festivals, because they’re great, but there is more chance of their being a bit of aggro and animosity at those bigger places and you lose the intimacy that you get here. You can wander around on your own and within two minutes you see someone that you know. I was thinking about it as well, line-up wise, if you took all the bands that you wanted to watch at something like Reading and Leeds and put them on one Festival, split between four stages without clashes, that’s what you get here. If you took the Lock Up stage [from Reading and Leeds] and a little bit of the Festival Republic stage, that’s 2000 Trees with 5,000 people. It’s great.

That’s what I love about it, I have one clash the entire weekend and that is just lovely. Plus you can get anywhere you need to be within five minutes!

That’s it! It’s like they’ve actually thought about like, “this kind of music band might want to watch this band so we won’t put the bands of the same genre on at the same time”

You’re here with so many label mates and buddies, is there anyone in particular you’re excited to see?

I’ve seen a lot of the bands I’m friends with play recently at shows or Festivals, but I am excited to see Basement. I’ve seen them once or twice, but not for a few years so that will be cool. I’m excited for Creeper, always excited to see them. Ash as well, I used to have ‘1977’ on cassette tape when I was ten years-old, so that’s what? Twenty years ago now? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so I’m kinda excited for that.

I’m not sure if I can fit them into my schedule, but I also kinda want to see them just to see what they’re like now.

Thing is, they’re not even that old! I think Tim was like 16 when they put out ‘1977’, which is only six years older than I was at the time, so he must only be in his mid-thirties. Mad.

Your new album isn’t far away now (available at time of publishing) how are you currently feeling about it?

I just want to get it out there. It’s been a year in the making I guess, from writing to release it’s been a year, so it feels like now it’s time to get it out there.

How did you find writing this one compared to the last?

Relatively easy actually. I’ve chatted a lot of people and they’ve all said “second album is the difficult one, you’ve got your whole life to write your first album but a year to write your second”, but it came together in the space of about three months. I just got myself in a headspace and the songs kept on coming and coming, then I chose ten that I was happy with and that was the album. I didn’t struggle with it, so touch wood it’s the same with the next one.

Were there any particular topics you wanted to approach with the album, or any messages you wanted to convey?

The first album was extremely personal and kinda dealt with grief and moving forward and trying to find positives in dark times, so I felt like I’d kinda done that approach and for this one I wanted it to still feel personal but to not rehash old themes. I went for kinda deconstructing how I’ve kept friendships and relationships alive whilst being on the road for a year and a half, and finally realising dreams I’ve been working towards for years and years and what impact that has on other people. Maybe sometimes I don’t think enough about how that all effects them. It’s still incredibly personal, but just not coming from the same angle as the first one.

What do you think makes the album stand out?

We just went for our take on a sound that isn’t really a thing at the moment. We weren’t like, “let’s jump on that sound because that’s really popular at the moment” or because we love this band or that band who are doing really well. Let’s just write some songs that we like, drawing on influences from music I was listening to growing up, so we kinda looked at a lot of bands from the nineties and took bits from them and used them in a fresh way. Hopefully it sounds like our own record rather than trying to ride off coattails, whether that works or not, who knows?

The album is called ‘Baby, I’m a Runaway’ – but if you could runaway to anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

You know what? I’d go to Cornwall. Every summer as a kid we’d always go to Cornwall, there are these two beaches where we always used to stay. I’ve got really fond memories of family holidays and it’s just perfect. You could travel halfway around the world and literally not find beaches as nice, or views as nice as there. I hadn’t been for years and years, because it was a place we’d go as a family and when my Dad died, we went the year after just to go one last time and then I thought I’d put it to rest. But, we played in Devon recently and we had an off-day so we drove to the beaches I used to go to and it was amazing. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we got to walk around for a couple hours and I was like, this is paradise. I felt at peace for the first time in a long time.

I completely agree with you on that one, it’s nice to feel disconnected for a while in such a beautiful place! Moving on then, if you could play a Festival with any three acts, who would they be?

Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen and Elliot Smith

That’s a strong three!

Yeah it is! It’d be well good wouldn’t it?

Yeah that’d be a pretty great Festival. Did you see Bruce Springsteen when he came over [to the UK]?

I didn’t! I really wanted to and I slept on getting tickets. I thought someone else was getting me a ticket and I hadn’t seen there message saying, “dude I can’t afford to get your ticket, can you get it?” and I didn’t see it until all the tickets had sold out. I’m hoping he’s going to be back again.

Fingers crossed! Finally then, tell the Punktastic readers why they should pick up your new album?

Because I could really do with the money to pay my rent haha. London rent is expensive and less people are buying music so please, help me.

TAMSYN WILCE

What do you like about playing Slam Dunk in particular?

D: This year specifically I like all the bands that are on it, I think it’s a really really great line-up.

A: A lot of friends.

D: There’s tons of friends here that we’ve toured with a million times and we get to hang out with, and actually a lot of the bands are on Warped Tour this summer so it’s a good like, “Hey I’ll see you in a couple weeks!” thing.

It’s a nice little warm up for you!

D: Yeah, and the shows have been awesome. Yesterday in Birmingham was huge, tons of kids, it was like the biggest Slam Dunk ever.

A: Yesterday was crazy.

D: Leeds was great too, so no complaints whatsoever about the Festival.

Good! We’re glad it’s treated you well. Slam Dunk is a great Festival to catch both pop-punk veterans such as yourselves and the newcomers as well, is there anyone you would recommend?

A: Ummm, I don’t know who’s considered new anymore? Because to me The Story So Far is new, but they’re huge.

D: They’re awesome!

They’re a few albums deep now…

D: Trash Boat sounded pretty cool.

A: Roam as well, Roam were great. I only know who is playing our stage.

Well those are some great picks! Now, you released your self-titled album last year, how has life been treating you since? What have you been up to?

D: Everything’s been great, we’ve done some touring on the new record. We did a bunch of stuff in the States and a little Euro run not long ago.

A: Yeah like, a week ago.

D: The album cycle has been great, whenever you put out a record you’re always a little hesitant on how it’s going to be received and it was received really great and we’re super stoked on it. Everybody really liked it, we couldn’t ask for more than that.

That was your first full-length record in four years, did you find it necessary to take that time out in order to put it all together?

A: We didn’t take ALL that time to do just that, we took the time to do the opposite.

D: Like sit at home and have families.

A: We’ve toured so much over our career that we were starting to hate each other and we need some time away.

Did you feel a larger sense of pride and achievement once you had finally got the record out?

D: Yeah! I was really happy with the band being able to come back together after taking a long break like that.

A: Which was very necessary because we probably wouldn’t have ever made the record if we didn’t take the time off.

D: And just the fact that Alan and I were able to get together and write songs and have them come out like cool Four Year Strong songs again was really awesome to know that we can still do.

That time off was very important then! You’ve also recently been live streaming some of your shows, what made you decide to start doing that?

D: I just think it’s fun! Kids at home wanna know what a Four Year Strong show in the UK looks like and there are all sorts of fun little things that happen every day on stage that people get to miss.

A: It’s because my dad wanted to watch us play.

D: The kids seem to like it so we just keep on doing it.

A: Why not y’know?

You’ve been a band for around fifteen years now, so what would you say are the most important factors in keeping a band alive for that long?

A: Knowing when to stop. [Laughs]

D: It’s different now than when we were younger and the band was going well. I’d say now as being adults, the secret to keeping a band going is balance, being able to balance our home lives and our personal lives with our touring lives.

A: Which isn’t always easy.

D: We don’t over do it and make it stale, we keep everything fresh and it keeps us excited to go on tour and put on good shows and try to write great music. I think that’s really what it comes down to, keeping everything fresh.

Finally then, if you could ‘Go Down In History’ for one thing, what would it be?

A: Most handsome man alive, or richest man alive.

D: Richest man… or the biggest penis!

A: The biggest penis of all the mammals.

D: I saw a picture of a Blue Whale’s penis recently, it’s insane! You know when they ejaculate, it’s like 40 something gallons of semen.

Isn’t that why the sea is so salty? It’s just full of whale semen?

D: Yup! That’s what it is.

A: Niiiiiiiice.

Haha! As a band though, what would you like to be remembered for?

A: Going down in history for knowing the most facts about whale semen.

D: Yes, haha! Um, I just want to be remembered as a band who gave a shit when it mattered and didn’t give a shit when it didn’t matter.

TAMSYN WILCE

We’re on the final day of Slam Dunk, how has the Festival treated you so far?

Henry: Really, really good. It’s been a fucking great weekend, we’ve had a blast, the shows have been sick, really busy and energetic. We didn’t know entirely what to expect coming into it but our expectations have been more than surpassed, we’ve had a great time.

Good! What does it mean to a band such as yourselves to be asked to play Slam Dunk?

H: It’s sort of a bastion within the scene, so to speak. It’s great that it started off as a northern festival, being a northern band we’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for it. It’s amazing how rapidly it’s expanded, it’s so well organised and there are some sick bands, I’ve just had a blast watching bands – it’s been great.

You’re here as well with some of your new label buddies, how does it feel to be part of the Pure Noise Records family now?

Ash: It’s wicked, loads of fun. They’re absolutely lovely dudes and they couldn’t be more stoked about absolutely everything. They’re the best guys and you can just chat to them for ages. We went and watched some bands with them and just hung out, probably gonna go for a meal, should be cool.

You recently recorded the debut album, what can you tell Punktastic about it? How does it move on from the EPs?

H: It’s different. If you liked ‘Saudade’ you’ll like it. It’s ten tracks and I mean, every band says this but it is definitely the best stuff we’ve ever written. I think we pushed the boundaries on what we thought we were gonna do a little bit, and I’m really proud of it. I love it. I can’t wait for you all to hear it. It’s coming out in September.

Nice, not long to wait!

H: No, the first single should be out in August probably, hopefully.

You guys are touring A LOT at the moment.

H: Not as much as we’d like to be.

Well, you’re still playing a hell of a lot of shows – what are your survival tips to other bands on the road?

H: Try and get as much sleep as you can. Take multivitamins. Try and eat well if you can, which is hard. Drink a lot of water, and fucking enjoy it man because if you’re not enjoying it there’s no point in doing it.

A: Yeah you’ve just got to be fucking like, don’t worry about stuff, don’t let thing get in your mind and put you off what you’re doing. At the end of the day it’s all about having the most fun you can, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.

Now we know you’re playing with Moose Blood towards the end of the year, but what else can we expect from you in the next six months?

H: We’re doing some more tours outside of the UK, none that we can announce yet and hopefully some headline shows at some point. We’ve got a few other little projects in the works, which is pretty cool. Creative little things that we’re working on. I realise that’s not that gratifying an answer, because it’s nothing we can announce yet.

The album is the next biggest thing to look forward to then?

H: Yeah, September. I’m sure there’s more information that’s going to come out in the next few weeks so stay tuned for that. I just can’t wait for people to hear it!

You played on the Impericon stage earlier today, how did it all go?

Sammy: Yeah it was amazing.

Danny: So sick. The crowd were insane it was awesome.

What does Slam Dunk mean to you as a band?

S: It’s surreal being on the other side. We’ve been coming for years now and it’s grown so much, it’s weird even seeing it this big, but playing it when it’s this big is even weirder. It’s amazing.

You’ve been teasing fans with the news of your debut album, so what can you tell us about it?

S: Absolutely nothing. We got in loads of trouble for teasing it, because we don’t even have any information about it, genuinely don’t. What we can say is, we’ve done our part and it’s finished, we’ve recorded it.

How does it develop from the EP?

S: It’s longer.

More songs! That’s always good

D: It’s definitely a step up.

S: It’s a big step up.

Do you think there will be any surprises?

S: Yeah maybe!

D: I think so.

The UK pop-punk scene is thriving right now and you guys are doing pretty damn well for yourselves. How do you feel being a part of the scene? It’s had its criticisms, but then it also seems like a close-knit family as well.

S: Yeah it is for sure. We’ve been really lucky to get good shows from the start, we were on Pinky Swear Fest and everyone was really nice to us. We met Boston Manor, ROAM, Trash Boat and they welcomed us straight away.

D: Everyone was just so cool.

S: There was no like, “who are these guys,” do you know what I mean? When in previous scenes it’s been a bit like, you don’t talk to people and you have to stay back from those who are a bit more arrogant, and there was more rivalry. We got the odd band that don’t seem to like us, but none we’re bothered about.

D: We don’t have a problem with anyone to be fair, we just get on with it.

Some say the scene is a little oversaturated, because pop-punk has become such a successful genre, is that something you agree with?

S: No, I don’t think there’s actually that many UK bands doing it. There’s everyone playing here and a few more, but not many really doing it to a ‘Slam Dunk’ level. I don’t think it’s oversaturated, I think there’s room.

Supporting new and smaller bands has never been more important, so what advice would you give to the music fans for them to really help you (and the other bands in the scene) out?

S: Just come to shows.

D: Come to shows, learn the words, buy the merch.

S: Mainly just come to shows, support the scene. If there’s a local band in your area, go and check them out, it’s probably not going to be much money and you’ll probably have a good night.

D: The more people that support, the more likely the band will get better shows.

S: Give the bands a chance because there’s loads out there.

It feels like some people have fallen out of love with the live music scene a bit recently.

S: For sure, it happened in Liverpool. It’s picked up recently, there’s a few up and coming bands there.

Anyone you’d recommend?

S: Yeah 100% – From Inside, our merch guy plays guitar for them and they’ve just released a single called ‘Find My Way’ and they seem to be doing really well, it got loads of shares online. I’m not sure what you’d call it, it’s not metal.

D: They’re a bit heavier than us.

S: It’s not pop-punk, it’s pretty different.

D: It’s cool though, definitely go and check it out.

S: Our friends in Loathe as well.

D: They’re sick!

S: They’re amazing, definitely going places.

Cool, we’ll check them out! Finally then, what else can we expect from you this year?

S: An album. There’s more festivals, we’ve got 2000Trees and Butserfest.

D: Destruction Derby as well.

S: Yeah! We’re going back to Europe to play a couple, New Noise and Destruction Derby.

Nice busy summer then! And the album at the end of the year?

D: I’d say just after summer. It’s not set in stone, we haven’t actually got a release date, but around that time.

In just under two weeks time, we’ll be returning to the land of ‘Trees for their tenth anniversary birthday blowout and y’know what? We can’t ruddy wait. Why? Read on…

THE MUSIC

2000 Trees has always been praised as one of the best small festivals to catch both the big dogs of the alternative music scene as well as those who are just starting their careers. This year they’ve enlisted Refused and Twin Atlantic as their Main Stage headliners, while over the weekend you’ve got an extra three stages to run between to fit in as much as you can. Our personal tips for the weekend include; The Xcerts, Grumble Bee, Happy Accidents, Muncie Girls, Crooks, Moose Blood, Counterfeit, Terrible Love, Bellevue Days, Creeper, Zoax, Black Foxxes, Basement, Thrill Collins and Black Peaks. Of course you have a whole load of other acts to catch over the weekend, but we can’t recommend those above enough!

THE FOOD & DRINK

Festival food tends to be overpriced and generally not very nice at all. Not at ‘Trees. They bring in the best food vendors within the UK to bring you everything from cheese toasties, to wood fired pizzas, bangin’ burritos to a good dollop of pie and mash – and there is even ice cream for dessert. The food will leave your tummy happy and won’t break your bank balance either.

Obviously you also need something to wash it down with and the ‘Trees bars can supply you with almost any beverage you desire. Why not try a sweet (but strong) pint of locally brewed cider? Or maybe a cocktail? You could even join in with the ‘Trees tradition of a yummy White Russian. If you fancy yourself as a bit more of a pirate, then this year ‘Trees welcomes the Rumbrella! A whole bar dedicated to rum. Word on the street is this is where you’ll find some of team PT over the weekend.

THE ATMOSPHERE

Don’t get us wrong, we love attending the bigger festivals in the UK, but there is just something about ‘Trees which is that little bit more special. At 5,000 capacity, you can reach your tent from Main Stage within ten minutes and there is always something to keep you occupied during the day. You can go chill in the hammocks in the forest, get your face painted or pick up some vinyl from the merch stand in the main bar. The best thing we’ve found though? Everyone is friendly. ‘Trees is an amazing place to meet new people, talk about your favourite bands and bask in the sunshine. Chances are your favourite acts will be sat right there with you as they enjoy the weekend alongside the punters. It really is one of the best weekends of the year and we cannot wait to be there on 7^th July!

2000trees takes place from the 7th to the 9th July. Full details, including tickets, are available over on their official website.

Rory Indiana take the challenge of opening the night, with their riff-heavy anthems bouncing off the walls. Having just released their EP ‘Ruling Class Crooks’ the Brighton band have been touring and playing shows across the country to celebrate its release, however it seems that the band have taken the ‘local support’ slot a little too literally and don’t appear as energised as normal. We’ve seen them headline the very same venue, which was a riotous affair, but their set this time around is a little duller than expected.

Keeping things local, pop-rockers The Gospel Youth step up to the plate and earn their place as main support. Despite being a member down for the performance, the band work well together to make sure it still sounds as well as they hope and tracks such as ‘Stay Positive’ and recent single ‘Hurricane’ flaunt the band at their best. Frontman Sam Little is at ease when interacting with crowd members, while the others support him with uplifting melodies and fast-paced rhythms. There’s still a little room for improvement but The Gospel Youth have certainly got a whole lot more to give.

After an eery intro, Fort Hope come crashing in with ‘That’s The Way The River Flows’, a song which, at first listen left a worrying feeling that Fort Hope have lost everything that made them great. That said, upon hearing it live for the first time, those worries are buried slightly and each element of the track really fills the room – none more so than Jonathan Gaskin’s voice.

There’s no denying that Gaskin’s vocal is a huge selling point to Fort Hope, had it been average-at-best the band would struggle to make any impact at all. Yet, it’s hard not to be drawn in by the insane power it delivers, reaching notes other vocalists deem impossible, it completely soars over the throbbing bass and simple power chords.

The set offers a further insight as to what the band have been working on over the past year, with the new tracks brimming with potential and proving that all may not be lost. However it’s the previously released singles ‘Plans’ and ‘Control’ which really get things going with their performance, and the eager crowd lap up every second.

Fort Hope have the opportunity to win us back, and it worked. It’s obvious that a lot of hard work and commitment has gone into making each song sound as epic as possible in a live setting and you can see the desire for them to play in bigger and better surroundings.

TAMSYN WILCE

The full list of recent additions is as follows:

Big Narstie, Third Eye Blind, Deaf Havana, Lapsley, Charlie Sloth, Arcane Roots, Fickle Friends, Clutch, The Virginmarys, Whitney, Ghost Town, Greywind, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Will Joseph Cook, White Miles, Gnash, MC Sneakbo, Baauer, Mick Jenkins, Kiko Bun, Troyboi, The Range, Rude Kid

Reading and Leeds will take place from the 26th to the 28th August 2015. Full details and tickets are available via the respective websites.

First up, the Scuzz UK Throwdown at Volks nightclub, and the beastly baselines of Croydon trio Bad Sign. Bringing an almighty amount of noise to the usually-peaceful beach front, they thrashed through their set, which included favourites ‘Unbeliever’ and ‘Father’ whilst also taking the time to get all up in everyone’s faces and let them know they mean business. Completing their set with filthy riffs, demonstrated with execution by guitarist Jonathan Harris, there were worrying seconds where it looked like the amp stack was  moments from toppling due to the chaos of it all. Equipment still intact, ear drums not so much, Bad Sign kicked off the throwdown perfectly.

From there on, things only got more and more boisterous as Zoax took to the makeshift stage, or in frontman Adam Carroll’s case, anywhere but. Buzzing off the triumphant release of their debut album, there was a confidence about Zoax that had not been seen before. There was a little extra swagger, a little extra groove and even more energy than before. Carroll has become renowned for his crazy motions during Zoax’s live performances and this one was crazy enough to stop traffic, literally. As he sashayed outside, Carroll brought the road to a hault and left a taxi driver traumatised as he unleashed a bellowing roar. Bringing the party back inside, the end of their set proved why they’re one of the most exciting UK bands right now, and as the wall of bodies collided with the final breakdowns it was clear that Zoax are on the brink of something big.

Another act on the brink of huge things is solo artist-come-project Grumble Bee. Initially grabbing people’s attention with his combination of soulful and husky vocals, with erratic riffs and math-rock hooks, Grumble Bee – aka 23 year-old Jack Bennett – is catching people’s eyes at an alarming rate. Upstairs at The Prince Albert is a small capacity, muggy room, which moments before his set became crammed with fans and industry moguls trying to catch a glimpse of this buzz worthy act (pun definitely intended). Working through tracks from his debut EP ‘Disconnect’, Bennett transformed from a humble and somewhat timid character to someone possessed by their own passion and music. His voice shifted from smooth and bluesy to sharp and cutting, reminding us of Circa Survive/Saosin’s own Anthony Green, but with a deeper tone. “Sorry that was gash,” he stated before leaving the stage and this was his only fault, because the performance was jaw droppingly good and he better start believing it.

After an evening of attacking our ear drums, it was time to watch something a little calmer. Having first made his name as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, solo artist Sam Duckworth has reinvented himself as Recreations. Along with his acoustic guitar and his not-so-trusty macbook, Duckworth serenaded those of us at the back of the Irish pub with modernised versions of Get Cape favourites, including ‘I Spy’ and ‘War of the Worlds’, as well more recently penned tracks. Mixing up electro beats and sound clips with acoustic niceties, the whole set was a fresh taste of what Duckworth can offer. A fun, yet chilled ending to the night, but an easy introduction to what would be a busy weekend.

After a day off from The Great Escape on Friday, we jumped right into Saturday with band of the moment, The Hunna. Performing at the local church community centre wasn’t what we expected, but upon entering the spacious room, it was a perfect setting for the hottest indie band on the market. Performing they’re already huge hits ‘You & Me’ and ‘Bonfire’ as well as unheard tracks from there forthcoming debut album, the four-piece looked effortlessly cool on stage, while delivering each song with style. The guitar twangs and unique tone of vocalist Ryan Potter combined to create an infectiously beautiful sound, and while comparisons can be made to some of the big dogs in the indie music scene, The Hunna are comfortable in their own skin and undoubtedly have a bright future ahead of them.

Saying that we saw Black Foxxes would be a bit of a lie, as The Haunt was literally bursting at the seems with people trying to catch a glimpse of the hotly tipped trio. Though it was physically impossible to see anything on the stage from where we were stood, what was heard certainly made up for it. Having openly stated that many of their songs are written about struggling with mental health, there was a slightly eerie and poignant atmosphere whilst Mark Holley projected his emotions, powered by the driving force of the drums and graininess of the guitars. Black Foxxes have been earning themselves a lot of praise in recent months, and they have plenty more to give. 

From indie-pop to songs about pets and wrestling, upstairs in the Pav Tav London trio Sad Blood were spreading their angst among the crowd. Front man George Phillips was charismatic as he talked about the influences behind their emo-twinged music, whilst distorted guitars whirled around our ears and the simple, yet perfectly suited drum rhythm’s accompanied Phillips’ gloomy tone. Having just released their EP ‘Legion of Gloom’, it’s only a matter of time before emo gang’s everywhere are singing Sad Blood’s praises.

The Great Escape is renowned for its diversity of bands and genres who play over the weekend, everything from folk to metal is welcome here and if you have a penchant for the slightly more obscure, you can bet there’s a stage there for you. Next up on our trip around the city were Box of Light, a surf-rock duo who just ooze 50s fun. Though much of their fanbase has grown due to vocalist Helen Anderson’s YouTube career, all preconceptions of this band remained firmly at the door. With glittery guitars and fizzy spirits, Box of Light injected some much needed summery vibes to the wet and dreary day and it’s impossible not to bop your booty along to tracks such as ‘You Try’ and ‘Say It First’.

By the time the sun had set on Brighton, our feet were sore and energy drained so it was decided to round off what had been a great day and weekend with a fun yet soothing set from Great Cynics’ frontman Giles Bidder. Though at times looking a little lost without his fellow bandmates, once he got into the swing of it all he had the room cheering with laughter at his witty anecdotes, whilst each song blissfully flowed through his voice and guitar. It was short and sweet, but the most ideal ending to The Great Escape – the Punktastic version.

TAMSYN WILCE